#idk there r a lot of layers to this whole discussion that i find very interesting

[ilynpilled]

That post about the concept of deserving when it comes to ASOIAF makes me think of the arguments about Jaime deserving Brienne

i mean i obviously hold the same opinion on that whole conversation too. this is a fictional story where relationships serve a thematic purpose. i can understand doylist criticism of certain trends in grrm’s writing (like the age gaps), but i personally will never give a shit about what a character “deserves” because they are not real people. they are tools to tell a story. brienne being a good person doesn’t mean her romantic arc being with an ideal/perfect partner that “deserves her” or whatever would make an interesting fictional story. jb is extremely thematically central as a relationship when it comes to exploring gender, constructs of beauty and ugliness, the battle between cynicism vs idealism, and synthesis when it comes to interrogating knighthood and its deeper existential meanings in the context of the text. if you take out the uglier parts of it then that story is no longer there, or the story is not as strong. i like jb bc i think it is a very thematically functioning dynamic, that is also very interesting to follow in canon. and i like the dynamic at a surface level too. i am fine with ppl who do not like it or care for it, but this brand of criticism means nothing to me personally. if you want more ugly female characters to be given romantic arcs that is understandable, which would mean a diversification of relationship dynamics, but this is one example with a specific intent, and it excels at that in my eyes.

#ask #also i do not think the text is saying that love is something we have to deserve #if u go down that rabbit hole u can say ohh but jaime deserves better than cersei this character deserves better than this character #no one is worse than this character therefore they should remain unlovable #who cares #witholding love entirely is what leads to characters being consumed by darkness #its a big part of tyrion’s story #and ofc this is not about romantic love necessarily but thats often the implication of this whole comment #idk there r a lot of layers to this whole discussion that i find very interesting #i get the whole women shouldnt have to rehabilitate men trend like ofc but brienne doesnt really do anything but show an example #she doesnt fall in love with him until he reveals himself to be different #she doesnt desperately want to change him #she just hates him thru most of asos #he changes independently #and jaime doesnt want to court her either he doesnt even know what he feels bc he is stupid

[felicityb-reviews]

Uhm Jung Hwa “Ending Credit” MV Review

I AM NOT WORTHY!!!!

MY NAME IS JACE (aka Felicity B) AND

I

AM

NOT

W O R T H Y!!!!

~The Song~

Ending Credit is a bop, sis. A lowkey, melancholy bop.

But a bop, nonetheless.

Ms Junghwa might have played racketball with my wig with Ending Credit.

She might have run up on my ass with a razor and faded me with Ending Credit.

I might need surgery cause I'm missing the first layer of my skull cause of Ending Credit.

But, you know… A bitch isn't mad!!!

Uhm Junghwa has a voice that you don't really hear a lot of in K-Pop. Her tone is very airy, but she lacks any of the brightness that the typical vocalist has in spades. She has a thinner tone than makes her voice easy to layer and stack, but you know it's her singing. Overall, she has a very distinct voice and after 25 years in the game, she's definitely learned how to harness it to great effect.

Ending Credit, like I mentioned above, has a very sad, melancholic vibe to it. It's a rather upbeat song, but it's more "dancing with tears in my eyes" than PSY's New Face. This is partly due to the New Wave/NuDisco style production, courtesy of Primary and SURAN (who are the absolute last people on Earth I would have expected to be Behind The Music™) and the chord progressions that make up the song.

New Wave is a very bittersweet sounding genre of music. No matter how many major chords you use to write a New Wave song, that shit comes out with a sad, almost nostalgic undertone to it.

But that's okay, because that's clearly the vibe they were going for in Ending Credit. The chord progressions used here are usually used when they're either discussing change that's happened in the past, or a change that's about to happen. There's a "life will go on" feel to Ending Credit, and it makes me wonder if Mrs Junghwa is retiring soon. I mean, she did debut in 1993, so I couldn't be surprised.

Let me say that again - Uhm Jung Hwa debuted in 1993.

Ma'am is touching 50 years of age, and she still makes your faves look redundant.

I have to say that my absolute favorite part of Ending Credit is the bridge - when everything but the synth pad and Junghwa's voice drops out. I freaking tear up every time I listen to that part. It's just so powerful!!

A different kind of vocalist would have gone HAM with the high notes n ad libs on the final chorus, but Miss Junghwa decided to keep it cute n classy, which I appreciate. I do think she could have done a little bit more, but at the same time, it's always from one extreme to the next with these divas.

~The Video~

Ending Credit the video sees Uhm Junghwa at the premiere for what I assume is her final role. The video flits between Junghwa watching herself on screen, and Junghwa dancing about various locations of the theater, looking every bit the powerful diva she is. Ending Credit was shot, on location, at the Universal Arts Center in Seoul, which is super cool because they could have easily replicated all the various locations Junghwa filmed in at a studio. It just adds to the whole concept of the video, sis.

Junghwa's makeup in this video is very heavy (I'm pretty sure it breaks every ~rule~ for a Korean style beat), but it suits the video. It emphasizes her age, but not in a bad way (even though there's nothing wrong with looking your age); she looks like the distinguished actress that everyone aspires to be. Her styling, in general, in this video looks very '80s/'90s which only adds to the finality of the video.

Ending Credit the video is a really cool experience, because it shows off just how amazing of a performer Junghwa is. Most of the shots in this video are solo solo, and she keeps you enraptured. If there's one thing I know about this woman, it's that she O O Z E S stage presence. And even when she has dancers supporting her, your eyes stay glued to her (even though her dancers are all fine as F U C K).

Which, I mean, she's been K-Pop's Dancing Diva™ for 25 years now. You kinda have to know a thing or two about charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent to survive that long.

~The Choreography~

Lia Kim (Ending Credit's choreographer) is a fucking genius.

Uhm Junghwa is a competent dancer. She's not BoA level, but she can hold her own, okay?!?!?! And Ending Credit's routine is not overly hard or complex. The moves are somewhat physically demanding (ma'am is up, down, and all around in the first minute of the song; that shit was exhausting to watch live), but I wouldn't say this is the hardest routine I've seen in my six years of K-Pop standom.

Lia Kim is a genius, because Ending Credit's routine is straight up performance art. Ending Credit's routine emphasizes Junghwa's performance ability (like I said above, this woman oozes stage presence), and shows us exactly how she stayed on top of her peers during her peak. Junghwa looks like she's dancing for her life, but also like she's having the time of her life. If this is her "last" role, then she's gonna give it her all and more.

Ending Credit is Junghwa's second video in the Cloud Dreamer of the Nine series that uses all male backup dancers (the first being Dreamer), and idk if that's a Thing™ for her (it's hard to find older K-Pop videos), but it speaks volumes to me?!?!?! I'm so tired of this division in K-Pop where it's like, "boys dance this way, girls dance that way"; and if girls wanna be taken seriously as a dance group, they have to do more masculine styles of dance. Getting beyond the misogyny in that (which you know my nonbinary ass has a lot to speak on), it's just boring as fuck. So it's nice to see Junghwa telling the rules of K-Pop to fuck off.

~Overall and Final Thoughts~

Ending Credit scalped me bald.

Junghwa gives us a whole lot with Ending Credit, sis - the song is so so S O addicting (Primary is more powerful than we ever knew), the video is awe inspiring (and tugs on the heart strings a lil), and the routine is up there with one of the best of the year. Everything was on point. I'm really at a loss for words here, guys; if I was rating this the same way I songs in my Review Roundups, Ending.

Uhm Jung Hwa is fucking badass. She really didn't have to come back to music after she dropped her 2008 mini album D.I.S.C.O. I mean, that era was way before my time, but it's literally one of my favorite minis to just play when I want something fun. She didn't have to start doing music again, because her acting career is probably making her far more money than releasing music ever did. But she really just does not give a fuck about that shit, boo. You can tell this woman loves performing with her whole heart, and she has a team that loves pushing the boundaries of what acts like her ~should~ be doing at her age.

Junghwa is really That Bitch™, and you cannot tell me anything else. She's not overly well known in international K-Pop circles (but then again, not a lot of actual K-Pop legends are), but I highly recommend checking up on her stuff. She was playing hopscotch with her contemporaries' wigs back in the day day the way she's playing with your faves' hairlines now.

Author's Note - this is a review that I left half finished when I halted reviews last month, so I figured I'd go ahead and release it now. I had a much different review planned for today, but I think it'd do far more harm than good if I posted it now. That, and I can't really bring myself to look at it right now. I hope you enjoyed!!

#Uhm Jung Hwa #Ending Credit #Review #Felicity B

[tulpacest]

Repost, don’t reblog.

Tagged by: @ahogedetective​ , thank you so much!

Tagging: @luminaryblood​ if u haven’t! And if u have... pls link me this is my fav kind of quiz. Otherwise!! Please steal! 

Name: K/orekiyo Shing.uuji. (Sorry but,,, I’m going to be talking about some uncomfy stuff and I’d really rather it not go in the tag riuguir). 

Nicknames: Sweet/Gentle Korekiyo, Kiyo, Korey (Hagakure why...), Shitguuji, ‘shit eating worm’, ‘slug’, ‘creep show’ (I love you Miu). 

Orientation: Pansexual Panromantic (No preference.) 

Preferred pet names: I think Korekiyo would find petnames to be interesting. I... actually like that he offers the name ‘Kiyo’ on first meeting, it creates a sense of immediate familiarity between himself and his peers - exactly what he wants as an anthropologist, after all. Additionally, it means ‘Korekiyo’ is a name reserved only for his Sister - which we’ll get into later. Obviously, he doesn’t particularly like being compared to an insect or dung, and would prefer only beautiful things be associated with him. 

Relationship status: He’s currently in a fully committed romantic relationship with his own tulpa. He truly believes that his dead Sister’s spirit rests inside of him and they are continuing the loving partnership they had in life - but she does not. This is a coping mechanism born out  of impossible grief, and he does have brief moments of self-awareness. In those moments, the world feels sterile and empty. This is his reality.   

Favorite canon ship:  H E  I S  T H E  C A N O N  S H I P.   In all seriousness, I do find the relationship he has with the tulpa to be incredibly fascinating, fucked up and inherently unhealthy. The tulpa is simultaneously the only thing keeping him alive, and simultaneously destroying any development he could possibly have. He cannot overcome grief without it, he cannot overcome grief with it.  And if he just didn’t ... you know... kill people because of it, I feel that the tulpa perfectly embodies the theme of the game. A lie can sometimes be good, can sometimes even save lives - and that is what his coping mechanism is -  simply an incredibly well-fabricated lie. He’s such a fascinating and... oddly tragic character because of it. 

Favorite non-canon ships: I really like Korekiyo/Rantaro! Their interactions in the board game were incredibly sweet... Korekiyo is actually concerned with his health! He asks after him! They visit each other inbetween trips! K O R E K I Y O  H A S  A  F R I E N D ??? And I know you could read that he’s just getting close to him in order to kill his sisters... but? He was doing all of those things before he even knew Amami had sisters! 

I really... really feel like Amami is one of the very few people who would have the patience and the kindness to help Korekiyo work through the whole tulpacest situation. I... Idk, I just have this really profound image of Kiyo finally asking Rantaro if he wants to meet his Sister, and Amami is hesitant at first - like, he knows by now that... something weird is going on, but it’s okay, he trusts his friend enough to see where this is going...  And then Kiyo takes the mask down, and Amami’s heart just. Breaks as Sister says ‘hello’ to him, her lip trembling - and he finally clicks it all together and he understands. And then he rushes forwards and just wraps her in the tightest embrace, and her eyes immediately turn to glass and she just sobs because this is the first time he’s been hugged properly in years, and suddenly all that time spent hugging himself is... not enough. Bluuhhh and that’s my sickly-sweet power fantasy, eventually Amami helps Korekiyo get over the tulpa and accept death (or he supports his friend’s coping mechanism and they enter into a more complicated relationship) - either way, GOD. That’s the healthiest Kiyo ship I can think of and I Am Here For It. 

A quick note on shipping: Korekiyo is really... really difficult to ship. He firmly believes his one true love is inside of him, and he has sacrificed everything to fulfil that delusion. Unpicking it would be a long and hard process, and cheating on her is not going to be an option unless it’s like. a very very very clear one-time affair. Even then, he’s... unlikely to get completely physical with you - and falling in love is simply not an option........ at least, not right away. Any shipping I did with Kiyo would have to be delicately paced and involve a lot of plotting/threading. 

Opinion on true love: He firmly believes in it, and it is one of the only matters (asides from death) where he will suddenly start acting illogical. Anything concerning love makes him highly emotional, but he would also expose that ‘real’ love is not a physical connection, it is something that is worked on and reshaped and kneaded over time. He is extremely romantic,  to say the least, and believes that you should do anything for the one you love. 

Opinion on love at first sight: Although this is something ever present in folklore, fiction and fantasy - he believes that love takes more than a mere moment. It’s something that requires tending to - even if it begins like a hot-flash in the pan. 

How ‘romantic’ are they: Very.... Korekiyo’s appearance may imply anything but, but he is a highly romantic person. He enjoys affection, soft touches, hugs, being squeezed, giving gifts, huge gestures, romcoms, holding hands, dates... I could go on. He adores the saccharine and can be incredibly gentle when it comes to matters of love.  

Ideal physical traits: Korekiyo would struggle with this question - after all, his pet theory is that all humanity is beautiful. Beauty is alluring, and beauty is born from the soul - less so the body. However... He has an aesthetic appreciation for features similar to his own - archaic beauty, ink-brush strokes for hair, well-kept and slender. But! Tbh, radiant love overcomes any physical imperfections, his tastes bent to his heart’s desires. 

Ideal personality traits: He is particularly drawn to bright, effervescent people. Those who possess a deep, unending curiosity - who possess wit and good humour, intelligence and grace. There are many traits that he admires - just as there are many roles in this great kabuki play of life. However, above all else... A thirst for life. If your character displays a drive to survive against all odds, a ‘fuck you’ attitude to death - then his heart sings. Bravery in the face of impossible odds, an unwavering heart, hope blossoming amongst  the tangled thorns of despair... cliche, yes, but traits he finds incredibly attractive.  Additionally, he really enjoys being approached by someone else. His love hotel scene begins with Saihara taking an interest in him, after all. 

Unattractive physical traits: Hmm, again... there really aren’t many. 

Unattractive personality traits: He is not fond of people who are loud-mouthed and quick to interrupt him. He really dislikes those who shut down intelligent conversation, or think of him as boring, or refuse to pay attention. He hates promises being broken, and he will blame himself for being a poor teacher if someone shows even the slightest disinterest in what he has to say.  He also dislikes those he cannot pin down easily. If he cannot assign you a role and you baffle him with layers of inconsistencies/lies, he’s... going to lose interest, fast. If, however, he can pick up some threads of your puzzle - he’ll have... so much fun deciphering you that he’ll get lose in it.  Overall, it can be difficult to predict what traits Korekiyo is going to find unattractive since he is forever fishing for your beauty... 

Ideal date: Travelling, discussing anthropology, consuming media and analysing it afterwards... but more romantic moments are appreciated, too. If it’s an activity that allows him to revel in your beauty... he’s down, lmao. 

Do they have a type? Immensely passionate, confident & bright people!  

Average relationship length: Forever...

Preferred nonsexual intimacy: Being held/holding. I mean. The boy literally hugs himself bc no one else will... he’s honestly so desperate for this kind of physical affection that it breaks my heart on some level. Please.. someone... anyone.... hug him,,,,  Outside of this, while sexual intimacy can be incredibly loving and important in a relationship, I think he values nonsexual intimacy more. I know! This sounds! Really weird! Coming from! The self-declared rope man! But! He constantly reiterates that love does not have to be ‘a physical connection’. So... honestly - beyond cuddling, his favourite thing to do to express intimacy is probably  just to talk. Talk and talk and talk. Enjoy doing things together, be in one another’s company, revel in the beautiful connection between you both  - the real meat of a relationship, you know? 

Commitment level: He’ll literally destroy himself and give up his flesh in order to let you inhabit his body if u go and die on him. And although he indulges his curiosity  in the love hotel scene... we have to remember that that is his fantasy. In the dating sim mode, he repeatedly shies away from sexual topics/intimacy (though he expresses they are normal human behaviours and he respects/is intrigued by Saihara because of them), because it would be ‘cheating’. Then again, he does claim that he tied up a whole village of women, so....

The thing is, Korekiyo’s. Well. What counts as ‘cheating’ might be a little fluid - can he indulge in Kinbaku because he’s doing it for ‘anthropological’ reasons? How far does that card stretch? He seemed to be aware that he actions with Saihara were dodgy given how much he emphasised it was a one-time affair... so, idk. GENERALLY THO I’d argue he is more committed than most, lmao. 

Opinion of public affection: He wants it, but it makes him incredibly uncomfortable. Like. Ideally he could be physical with his partner near constantly - but he’s learned that matters of love are best kept private, and with good reason. 

Past relationships: My personal headcanon is that his Sister is around a year & a half older than him, and they have been engaging in taboo acts since he was around 13. It’s... highly uncomfortable to think about, but. Yeah, so. Considering he still thinks he is in this relationship, they’ve been ‘together’ for 4-5 years. 

#[ ☯ | moral relativity ] #[boy has that tag ever been more relevant... ] #incest //

[therewas-a-girl]

What do u like about Wildqueen?

Anon i love that u asked me this question (i cant sleep so this is great).

Rene is ex military; he was dishonorably discharged for doing sth morally questionable because of something he believed he had to get done. He regrets that deeply (though im not sure he regrets what he did as much as the results of it), as seen in the episode after he was tortured, and he is haunted by his failures , which he sees as a sort of chain that make up his life.

now, thea knows how that feels. She would be able to relate to the discipline, to the dedication that might be ingrained into someone from a military background. and also to bending of general morals to get shit done and/or compromising herself and her integrity for something. (Because she did go with Merlyn, compromising herself cause she wanted to be stronger) I don’t think she would hold what he did against him, or judge him; nor would he hold it against her that she did sth very daring to get control of her life again.

Both Rene and Thea tried doing good with what they were left with, after their failures/tragedies/disappointments. Here is where Rene and Thea might have interesting discussions though, because the WHY of this varies for them. Thea’s morality is much more fluid than Rene’s, I feel. Rene seems to have the whole ‘this is right and this is wrong’ thing going on, while Thea seems more of a ‘this is right for now cause it gets the job done or works for me’ kinda girl. (she has limits obviously) She is not really a joiner or a by-the-system kind, while Rene was military. [what could have possibly prompted a man with such contempt for anyone telling him what to do, to join the military? maybe he was running away from something  - his family situation  - and saw the military as his only escape?] I don’t think he really like being within a structure that tells u what to do, though he could have made friends and found a family of his own there. After his discharge and what prompted it, its also just as probably that he is very disappointed/disillusioned by it. (Personally i doubt that he likes being part of a hierarchy because he has serious authority issues which thea shares and in both cases it stems from parental abuse). Anyway i just know that when it comes to why they do the stuff they do, or why he does and she stopped, those two could have some interesting conversations.

Not to mention that they both would totally relate to each other when it comes to the fuckton of trauma they have been through. Just once i would like to see someone react humanly - as in, the way I do, not the way arrow characters react to fucked up shit that happens to that - to what Thea has been through. I mean, can u imagine? Rene would lose his shit if he knew that

‘yeah i was stabbed through the heart with a sword and almost died and then took a dip into a magic hottub and then got super bloodthirty and THEN ALMOST DIED AGAIN FROM THAT SAME WOUND". ‘u were stabbed.’'Yeah’'Through the chest’'Yup’'By an actual sword? ’*a beat* 'what kind of fucktard psycho uses a sword? ’'oh u would be so surprised. Actually thats bad. With the kind of record the team has, u need to learn to handle one.’'A sword? o_O R u shittting me??’'I shit u not’'Wait wait wait. You took a dip into this pit and now youre like… alive. ’'Yeah’'…dude… thats way weirder than im prepared to handle.’'I KNOW RIGHT!!! ’

(Idk what that up there is, ignore it. Itbsounds more like me talking to thea 😂)

Rene is instinctively protective of those that he percives as needing protection. He went against olivers orders to help a little girl who was in danger in the II ep; because he probably didnt even think about what the Green Arrow would say or do to him. But he also treated Evelyn as an equal and never babied her. (Cause arrow forgot she was a kid but anyway). Thea would most definitely apriciate that and also find it highly refreshing after olivers constant worrying about her and malcolm taking away her agency at every point.

Not to mention that Rene is exactly the kind of dude to find Thea’s ability to kick his ass with one hand behind her back incandescently hot. U gotta respect a guy who respects and is turned on by female power.

He fights hard for what he wants - he is determined and Thea would respect that cause so is she.

Also notice how he always kept his flirting very casual, never pushy never putting anything on her, mostly fun. Cause thats a good point in his favour and would be in Thea’s books too. And how she dismisses him but in a kinda half amused half annoyed way. Its rather hilarious. And i love that despite her shooting him down he never gets bitter about it. Those two times he just kept on smiling. I bet their flirting would be so agressively playful.

He is very observant (as far as I’ve noticed he is the only one that brings in the evidence for felicity) and im thinking he is very good at noticing when ppl change patterns of behavior. he didnt realize what the change meant in Evelyn, in terms of emotions, but he was able to pinpoint exactly /when/ it had happened: after they learned oliver was a the Hood. —> Thea is super smart emotionally and has this amazing radar about when ppl’s *feelings* shift. Oliver and moira never fooled her with their 'were gonna pretend for theas sake’ shtick. She didnt know why but she knew sth is up. That’s great material there. Id be willing to explore that. The good and the bad. The way they might pick up on each other’s moods, tendencies. Good and bad days. The different ways they would notice stuff about each other: Rene by noticing when she does things differently, when she deviates from her routine. Thea noticing when he is angry or happy or annoyed about something, learning how to associate his expressions with his feelings. The two of them baffling each other on how they notice these little things that the other wouldn’t think to notice about anyone, or that they didn’t think anyone noticed about them.

It’s fun to think about.

Rene is exeptionally straightforward and honest. Thea would love that about him. Both would speak their mind frankly to each other since neither is more sensitive than the other.

Rene seems to concentrate on things he does well - mostly physical stuff, stuff with his hands (i noticed this in the crosover. While the nerds were doing their own thing rene was calmly sitting down doing his own thing, handling his weapons i think). He’s probably a kinetic learner, like Oliver. And is very comfortable around ppl who do well with their own things, which Rene might have no idea how to do. I just mean that he is comfortable in his own skin and isnt threatened by other people's power or inteligence. (That moment when Felicity delegated to him and Rory to do that analysis thing, and Rene was totally chill admitting he had no idea what felicity had been talking about and that he Rory and Curtis were the smart ones). And this brings me back to Thea being absolutely charmed by this kind of quality because Rene can manage to be sure in himself without being arrogant.

Also circles back to him loving that he can actually learn stuff from her, fighting-wise. And that would really boost Thea’s selfconfidence because i can just see Rene being flirty about it at first and then surprising her by taking her very seriously and truly wanting to learn.  And in turn she would be a good teacher because though not always the most sensitive, Thea is patient. She would love it that he is sure in himself that he would think nothing of asking her to teach him. And that he respects her and her skill to want to learn from her. Something that nobody has asked her before. And in turn, she would notice that he is an amazing team player and that she can actually play off of him when it comes to having a laugh or teasing the other team members cause theyre both sich little shits. (im also thinking that Rene’s specialty in the field would be recon - because he is so good that noticing when the environment changes, and keep track of patters and routes and stuff like that)

Rene was physically abused by his father. Thea was psycologically abused by hers. They would be able to regognise each others hurts and false-steps naturally and it would add another layer of understanding to their relationship but also a kind of tenderness and protectiveness for each other. I feel like neither of them is much of a cudler in the traditional sense of the word but they would be able to understand each others need for affection and the occasional fear of it. I mean - their scars are symetrical in some way so they would understand each others impulses a lot better than most have before them.

Despite his history tho, rene loves kids and seems hopeful about having kids (abused children will tell u that growing up into that kind of person takes strength and most certaily, goodness), which tells me that there is a lot of hope inside that man. Thea seems to be struggling to grasp onto some kind of hope, for a normal life, a normal self, something to give her meaning. They could help each other find that hope within themselves. Rene could have a positive thing or two to share with thea even, since she is more of a stark realist while rene seems to be more positive.

He is so fucking upbeat about things he actually enjoys. Like the christmass sock that evelyn gave him. Remember that smile? How eager he was and how he tore into that gift - that was precious and so pure, in the real sense of the word, not the tumblr one. I think even after all hes seen rene - and i think this is his best character trait - still has that boyish wonder intact. What makes him an idealist no matter how hard he protects himself with that jaded attitude. Hes not jaded - hes pragmatic and has issues.

And thea, oh my god, she needs someone who can really just have fun with her again. Someone who would delight in having a good time, who would love to laugh with her. Who would teach her how to see the wonderous and the joyous in the world again because i think she is having such a hard time this year. (Im very suspitious of the extreme change she has made from last year to this year and how stubborly she clings to this new status quo. Not that she shouldnt want to get away from the violence - that is an a+ reasoning for her. But her stubborness to keep away feels like fear. And i want to know what she isafraid of and why. Why she doubts herself) Im not at all convinced she is doing as well as she fronts and even if she is, she seems so serious all the time. She used to love parties - not the drug and alcohol kind but the 'together with my family and friends’ kind and rene dies too. They would have the most outrageous christmass ever. Thea would totally spoil him with all these eccentric gifts that are rpobably super inner jokes between them and rene would have a blast decorating the tree with her.

The fights would probably be very explosive cause theyre both hotheaded ppl and where thea can admit she was wrong, rene would need a little more work but im willing to bet that it wouldnt be so hard in the face of someone he loves and considers equal to himself (it was harder for him to apologise to oliver cause its a power thing and a dick measuring thing and a pride thing - elements that would be a non issue cause there would be no such disparities with thea)

Theyre also both very physical ppl and very expressive ppl so im guessing sex would be such fun for them and theyd love to try new things and just go for whatever they want.

Look i could go on. But these are all the surface level stuff i could think of. Im sure there is more. For the most part, what got me into thinking i could rly like the idea of them is the fact that around her, rene is a total goofball (i just love how sincere he is in his admiration without once seeming creepy) - i like seeing him like that and i would love to see thea laugh more. I just think they could be good to each otherband that there is a story there.

#rene ramirez #thea queen #wild queen #arrow meta #season 5 #arrow thoughts #i love them both a lot and this got long wow

[imbellarosa]

ANONYMOUS by blackbear

Hi I’m exhausted and I’ll be screaming about more real world issues tomorrow, but for tonight i want to dive into a couple of my favorite topics: music and musical analysis. Which, of course, means I have a new album review. Long, as always, so it’s under the cut. Let me know if there’s an album you want me to listen to and talk about, because I would love to!

Tonight’s contender is Anonymous by an American artist named Matthew Musto, known as blackbear (no caps in his name, which is odd, as every song on this album is spelled in all caps). Before I get to the good part, I want to say a couple of things: Musto has been in the industry since 2006, when he dropped out of high school in 9th grade, which means he’s been in this industry for 14 years, and about half of his life. Anonymous, is his fifth and most vulnerable album, due to a lot of personal issues that are out there, and covered in the album, but I don’t really want to discuss. He got himself together and has a family, and that’s that what matters in his personal life. The other thing I want to say is that I’ve done my research on this album: I know who wrote on what song and I know that he wrote on most (if not all) of them. That, to me, is insane, because the sheer amount of heart that went into this is just wild. I’m very glad that he seems to be in a good place right now.

Let’s talk about it, then! This album has 18 tracks, the halfway point being Down, the 9th track, which talks about hitting a sort of bottom and wondering is his partner would be there, and coming to the realization that they would not. From his album, it is clear that both he and his partner have a lot of money, and that they achieved success at a young age (for sure, this is true for him, but idk too much about the woman he was dating at the time). I think this is a really interesting album for a few reasons: the first is that this dude was super hung up over his ex the whole time (or idk if she was his ex or his on again off again gf), but he has seemed to make it work by the end. The second is that this album has an insane amount of genre crossover - some hip hop, some rap, some EDM, some pop - you name it, this album’s got it (except country, although maybe you could argue for CHANGES?).

 This album does, actually, take you through a complete narrative, and, although it might not originally seem cohesive, it is actually one of the best depictions of the highs and lows of mental illness and addiction I have seen in music for a long time. There is not one single bad moment or one single good moment that changes his narrative - there are many. There are many times that the artist evaluates himself and his surroundings and finds them unsatisfactory, so he tries to fight his addiction, and he fails. And then he tries again. It’s a rough and raw depiction of his own struggles with his head and his heart, and the bass is incredible the whole time. There are many songs that I think are very sad (see: DEAD TO ME, LOSING YOU, SWEAR TO GOD), and there are a few that I think are not as sad (see: CHANGES and NYLA). All of them, though, reflect what the journey to sobriety has been like for him. 

I particularly liked that, although he didn’t excuse Hollywood’s grotesquely opulent lifestyle, he didn’t blame it for his own mistakes. He owned up to his addictions, his infidelities, his cheap promises, and his broken heart. Which is all we can really ask for a human being to do. 

I think I chose this album to review because it reflects a lot of what I’ve been saying: I want people to grow and get better, and I truly believe that they can, given time, space, support, and willingness. I hope that he stays safe, and stays sober, and there are a lot of these songs that I couldn’t help but dance to. One of his most interesting metaphors comes in his third song, DRUG DEALER, where he could be talking about both his literal drug dealer moving away, or he could be comparing someone’s love to a drug, and she’s leaving him. That seems to be a common theme these days, but for him, it’s particularly personal. 

The other thing I have to say is that he does take responsibility for his actions in this album, something he had neglected to do in Digital Druglord. This is not my favorite album by any means, but I do think that it is nuanced, and layered, and really fun to dance to. I vibed with it, and would definitely listen to it again. My favorite song on the album was NYLA, because I’m a romantic at heart, and also because there’s a slight geography error which I find completely endearing. My mother’s favorite song is CHANGES (because I made her listen to it with me). I think that we liked these two because we’re more pop and rock people than hip hop or R&B people, but this album is definitely worth a listen. It’s 50 min long, and you’re gonna want to dance the whole time. 

I’m probably gonna talk about Old Dominion next, so. 

#music recs #anonymous #blackbear #album recs #tag 1 #i didn't think i would like this at all #but then i really did #so ig spotify knew me better than i knew myself #i say things