#structuring rap lyrics

[the-freespirited-princess-trope]

something i would love to see from tubatu is a song that does what gidle's 'my bag' does in that all the members get to rap in their own styles

#i know this wouldn't work as well as my bag in execution becaues the structure of my bag is so tied to gidles overall concept and structure #and txt does'nt have a guiding production/lyric force as a member the way soyeon functions for gidle. few groups do. #(woozi would be another example) #but i think something with that vibe COULD work and i just desperately think a song where they all rap and they each get a whole verse #would be SO cool #the only thing i want more than subunit songs is this #tomorrow x together #mykpoptag #l.rant #comeback anticipation season thoughts

[lintubintu]

Kot Kot Review

I like Kot Kot a lot.

Despite the almost harsh difference between the intro and how the song progresses, it´s not too out there.

The music seems chaotic and structured, is melodic, nostalgic and two-faced more out of necessity than provocation, and it´s ongoing. It spirals.

There is a lovely moodiness to it that seems mature and balanced, deliberately using the intro as a bridge again and repurposing the funky "kot kot" into something that softens into the lighter part of the song. The change of pace is noticeable but not alarming and almost hopeful.

Kot Kot is not a big song nor does it exist to troll. It enjoys being silly with the chicken theme and builds a narrative that can be purposely misunderstood by people who don´t like him.

During my first listen I was a little confused but intrigued by the seemingly contradicting parts that adapt well by the second listen. Pop and Rap evolve from clashing into shaking hands.

It feels a bit like a song nobody would put on an album anymore because it is deemed barely good enough to keep up with its fellow, more popular tunes. It stands on its own where others see a filler track.

Overall, it makes me have more hope for the album now; for it to be an album and not just a compilation of Singles.

I wouldn´t be surprised if this song was the opening number, nor would I be shocked to not find an Intro at all – Kot Kot is an introduction in itself.

From what I understand of the lyrics, it also is the first song of his that makes me want to know more about him as a lyricist.

To start the song of with MAYDAY is a deliberate choice because the song is not what it seems.

It´s soft spoken and not a shrill cry for help but knows of something that already affects the narrator enough that reaching out soon is imminent. It´s a literal stress signal.

The teaser made me think the protagonist in this song was simply sick of being treated like someone doomed to continue staging a party for others.

Relying on translations and interpretations of this song, the protagonist seems to realise that their lifestyle will rather leave them with very little time spent having fun with friends – because even the party-goers have gone to bed earlier than them.

Those that tried to keep up with them may have lost their step and had to give in to their own different schedules, or are worse off for keeping them company. So their company diminishes further.

There might be little life beyond the lifestyle, the sobering thought that solitude is too close within reach for comfort – the time left after work cannot always be shared nor of quality due to their schedule.

A double blow. Real life and bonding has to be spent in time confetti. Throughout it all, the silliness persists.

Rather laughable is the Explicit rating of this song. Was it the Perhana!?

The ending is a jumpscare, them finally being silly, breaking the cycle. But at the same time, it´s a rooster greeting the morning – the protagonist worked the night away.

For a moment, you are relieved the song is over. And then you play it again.

I would love for the upcoming album to be a concept album.

This song seems to divide people in a different way than songs before it did.

Some of you seem puzzled, others more neutral than hateful, none of the dislike so far is really loud.

The timing might be a bit unfortunate – song releases at this hour have the same problems as the protagonist in Kot Kot.

And even if you really don´t like this song, I fell that there will be something on the album that you will like.

It´s ok to not like things and it doesn´t have to be justified.

Still, I am interested to hear what you don´t like about this song because I think it makes for a worthwhile conversation and I like interacting with you.

Let´s do that while we have the time.

#käärijä #kaarija #kot kot #700 words #no idea why I wrote this much #if you know don´t tell me #I seem to like this song #I like Kot Kot a lot lot #let me know what you think #all typos are due to it being 4:30am and my eyes being drIer than modern-day European soil #btw did you hear me make the chicken sound in the end? #I´m also a bird #lintu out

[jmdbjk]

3D

I had to let some time pass before I wrote this. The discourse is heated and polarized.

You say: "ABG ... Asian Baby Girl, doesn't mean the same as it used to" ... it might not for you but it is rooted in misogyny and racism. Does that mean the n-word doesn't mean what it used to? Or the word bitch, cunt or whore? It's ok to use those words too when rapping about women? What about fag or fairy? Ok? No. Not okay.

You do you, Boo, but:

"The ongoing oppression of women is enshrined in religious, legal, political, educational, and employment systems and structures. An equivalent level of systemic and structural oppression has not been experienced by the current generation of white men in America. "

You can read the article this excerpt is from here.

My first impression upon listening/watching the first time: I did not like it because of fugly white boy, Jack Harlow. I've never liked him, I've never liked his lyrics or his vibe. He is the type of overdone, asshole misogynistic male bullshit rap that had become unavoidable for a while.

I don't have ANY problem with JK singing about sex, having sex, shooting his jizz to the sky or any of that. BRING. THAT. ON. I don't care if the song is about phone sex or masturbating on camera or whatever.

What I do have a problem with is a white guy saying one girl (the black girl) is boring but two girls (add the white girl) is cool. I have a problem with the concept of having women lined up ready to fuck as some sort of thing to laud. And they are all dressed alike, so that means he doesn't care about them, they're all the same. Just another pussy to fuck. Diversity, yay. Not.

I will listen to the alternate version of the song but I will never listen to or stream the version with the rap.

I love Jungkook. I love that he's exploring his sound. He is creating music that speaks to him RIGHT NOW in his career. Do I like that he's put this song out? No. But that's my own personal opinion.

I can't speak for Jungkook, a 26 year old Korean man. He has his own systemic and structural oppressions to deal with.

I am not going to second guess him. He will see the feedback and take it into consideration, I don't have to guess on that, I know he will. They all see what goes on.

I wanted to give JK the benefit of the doubt with Seven. I don't have a problem with Seven the song, but its the hype surrounding it that is perpetuated by the fandom that he is being pushed in the western market. This song proves it.

All that being said, BTS and each individual member all exist within an industry that is heavily influenced by the western market.

As such, every song each member releases will add to the colors that the team will be able to use when they come back together as a group. No one will be surprised if BTS utilizes a hardcore western rapper in the future now. It is just one more color in the mix.

But as my friend says: "Shoot for another Coldplay....They don't need to be lifting people up. They need to find peers. Which is why I would support a Lady Gaga collab with Tae. Which is why Hobi asked for J Cole. That's a peer, man. I can handle Pharrell with them.

The benchmark for peers, to me, is another artist who has nothing to gain from collab'ing with them. An artist who holds their own, on their own, and collabs to let each participant have fun, shine, and grow a bit. Not some newbie who needs the boost. The only exception to that would be if they worked with one of their juniors at Hybe."

And now I move on from this.

#jungkook 3d #glossing over it is fucked up #its not ok #he's a 26 year old grown ass man #i need to let him be #i still love you kookie pookie #the fact the lyrics on the black girl says too boring #and then two girls is cool when the white girl is there #no one even talking about the shrooms in the room lmao

[mymoodwriting]

Request for Anon (Yandere Professors Bang Chan, Hongjoong, & Sangyeon) 5k, yandere, college professors, scolding, manipulation, aggression, yelling, dub-con, non-con, smut, fingering, penetration, creampie, gang bang, bruising (@starillusion13)

“Have you forgotten who we are?”

Ever since you were young you knew you wanted to be a star. You wanted to be on stage, you wanted to entertain, you wanted to be loved. It was fortunate your parents supported you in this dream, even before they realized how serious you were. They signed you up for dance lessons, as well as singing, and did anything else they could to help. You were talented, and that was obvious from a young age. So it was no surprise when you got accepted into a prestigious arts university. Your parents were so proud, and you were so excited to properly start building your career.

Of course you had actually had the chance to show your talents before entering uni. You participated in some singing competitions, and did a few shows here and there. Some people knew you, but you weren’t a celebrity. You may have already had a chance to be on a stage, but that wasn’t gonna make you think you were better than others. At uni you were just another student, and maybe you wouldn’t even make it as big as you wanted to be, but being here was a great step. You wouldn’t bring up your past achievements, and do your best to get along with others. After all, in this industry it’s all about connections.

With that in mind you were quite surprised when some of your professors offered to privately tutor you and help you with your studies. They didn’t really do tutoring in general, but it seemed they were willing to make an exception for you. It had already been a few weeks, and by now they had all seen what you could do. You figured it was a good sign, so did your parents and they agreed to the tutoring. It was something you took seriously, but it was certainly more than you expected. Now you always stayed late with your professors. 

After your classes you’d spend a few hours with either professor Bang, professor Lee, or professor Kim in the dance studio. They had their own classes so it tended to be someone different each time. You’d practice your dance moves and work on developing your own style. It was quite exhausting, but fun nonetheless. Once you wrapped that up you took a bit of a break and then headed to the studio. You were already quite talented with singing, but that wasn’t the only thing they wanted you to focus on. If you really wanted to be a star, you had to be incredible, and they believed you were capable. 

So besides singing and dancing you were being taught about lyrical structure and music composition, then they even threw rap lessons into the mix. You weren’t studying all of these things on your own, this was certainly extra work they were putting on you. Still, they always assure you that you were capable, and you certainly felt you were learning. All this would give you an extra edge when trying to get a foothold in the industry, but there was something about this whole thing. After all, nothing is free, especially not in this industry.

“So, there’s this new place that opened up in town, and we should totally go.” Your friend Ava suggested. “I’ve heard good things from it. You in?”

“I’m out.” You commented.

“You’re always out.” Your other friend, Misu, pouted. “Are you ever going to hang out with us after class?”

“You know I have dance practice and then a session in the studio.”

“Those professors really don’t give you a break, do they?”

“They’re just trying to help.”

“Talk about picking favorites.” Lyla added. “You’re a freshman and they’re giving you all these free lessons. It’s kinda unfair.”

“They offered, and I couldn’t just turn them down.”

“You sure your parents didn’t pay them?”

“My parents never came to campus before they offered to tutor me.”

“Then what do they get out of it?” Ava asked. “No way they just tutor you for free.”

“Well… they kinda do.” You admitted nervously. “I should get going.”

“No, come on, girl. Text them you’re not feeling well and come with us.”

“Ava-”

“Please, pretty please, just this once.”

“Yeah, we never get to see you anymore.” Misu commented. “Let’s go hang out together. One day off won’t kill you.”

You sighed. “Alright, fine, but just this once.”

“Awesome!”

You were lucky you didn’t have any of your tutors as your last class of the day. So you sent a message in the group chat with them, letting them know you were feeling under the weather and apologized for missing your lessons. With that done you packed your things and went with your friends, talking about the plans for the evening. It really had been a while since you hung out with them, so you were greatly looking forward to this.

“Y/n.”

You stopped dead in your tracks when you heard a firm voice call your name. You swore under your breath, trying your best to compose yourself. You slowly turned around, your friends already knowing what the situation was

“Professor Kim-”

“I thought you were feeling under the weather?”

“She is.” Misu cut in. “We’re taking her back to her dorm.”

“Is that so?”

The professor walked up to you, pressing his palm against your head. Then he placed a finger under your nose. You closed your eyes, realizing you had been caught.

“You seem fine to me.”

“I-”

“You shouldn’t skip your lessons.”

“It-”

“Come on now.”

The professor took your hand and yanked you away from your friends. They attempted to protest but you just shook your head at them. You got caught, so you’d have to suffer the consequences. You figured you’d be taken to the dance studio, as was the routine, but instead you were dragged to the recording studio. Upon entering you saw that professor Bang and professor Lee were also there. You were shoved onto the couch, keeping your head down as you adjusted yourself.

“I found her.”

“Feeling under the weather?” Professor Lee questioned. “You forget I saw you this morning, and you were just fine.”

“Sorry…”

“Sorry? You lied to us, and for what?”

“I just wanted to hang out with my friends…”

“What kind of friends convince you it’s a good idea to ditch your lessons? Those are not good friends.”

“They-”

“Let’s not argue the details.” Professor Bang said. “The question is, what will be the consequences? Care to guess?”

“…”

“Since we’re here we should start with your vocal lessons today. Let’s warm up.”

That wasn’t a suggestion, so you got up and made your way into the recording booth, professor Lee following you. He brought in a stool with him and had you sit down. He placed his hands on your shoulders, slowly sliding them down your arms and then yanking them behind your back. You kept them there as you heard him take off his belt, using it to tie your hands together. He brought the mic closer to you, standing behind you.

“You may begin.”

You took a breath and began with your warm ups, following what you had learned, as well as what they had taught you. After a moment you felt professor Lee’s hands trailing down your sides, his hands reaching your thighs and massaging them gently. Instinctively you closed your legs, but he merely pulled them apart, tsking in your ear. From there his hands moved inward, his fingers rubbing at your core through your panties. You were never one for skirts, but had gotten into the habit of wearing them because of your tutors. You yelped into the microphone, feeling a bit shy.

“Keep going.”

“Professor-”

“When it’s just us you call us by our names, remember?”

“Yes, Sangyeon.”

“Good girl. Now continue.”

You tried to keep your voice steady as Sangyeon continued his distraction. You even had to avert your gaze as Chan and Hongjoong were watching you from the other side of the glass. It didn’t help anything when Sangyeon pushed your panties aside and his cold fingers ran up along your core. You shivered, accidentally making eye-contact with Chan. You felt your face burning and you shut your eyes. You tried to compose yourself and bit your lip, but Sangyeon pushed a finger into you, a moan escaping you.

“Are you getting this?” Sangyeon asked.

“We’re recording.” Hongjoong assured.

“Good.”

Sangyeon wrapped his free hand around your throat, putting light pressure on it as he held your head high. You had to stay by the microphone and continue your warm up. You desperately tried to move, but your arms were restrained, and Sangyeon was holding you still. His fingers kept working you over, eventually finding your sweet spot. You whimpered into the mic, your breathing becoming uneven. Your face wasn’t the only thing burning anymore. By then Sangyeon had two fingers into you, his lips pressing kisses against your cheek.

“Sa… Sangyeon…”

“Hm?”

“… please…”

“You don’t deserve to cum.”

He pushed you closer to the edge before stopping, pulling his fingers out. You whimpered, and looked up to him with pleading eyes. All you got was a kiss on your head as he undid the belt and freed your arms.

“We’ll start in ten.” Chan announced into the booth. “And you’re not allowed to touch yourself.”

Sangyeon left you alone, and you took the time to catch your breath and finish your warm up. You felt frustrated, but your lessons had only just begun. You practiced your singing and rapping, following the verses given to you and trying to do your own thing with them. When you finished you collapsed onto the couch in the studio, wanting to get some rest.

“Here.”

You opened your eyes when someone tapped your legs, seeing Hongjoong offering you a cup of tea. You took it and gave a smile, getting yourself a pat on the head. For now you’d let your voice rest and work on composition. Chan really wanted to get you to a point where you could write your own music. There was a great opportunity coming up as the university was having its annual freshmen showcase. It wasn’t mandatory, but it would be beneficial for any of the new students, even transfers, to participate.

“Chan.”

“Hm?”

“I was thinking of partnering with one of my friends for the showcase.”

“No.”

“But-”

“The showcase is very important and you can’t be doing it with someone else.”

“Why not? I don’t-”

“You have to show that you can be a star on your own before you collaborate with others.” Chan explained. “Besides, you’re already marked down as a solo act.”

“What!? I haven’t even submitted my-”

“We did it for you.” Hongjoong chimed in. “You can’t leave such things at the last minute.”

“I guess…”

“Hm, have you forgotten who we are?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then you have to trust us. We’re not just professors, but artists in the industry. We get a say whether you make it or not, and we do like you. So you shouldn’t ruin your chances.”

“Right.”

“As long as you stick with us and do what we say, you’ll end up in the spotlight.”

You took a sip of your tea before Chan took it from you, pulling you onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around you, resting his chin on your shoulder.

“Daddy doesn’t wanna see you fail.” Chan mumbled. “And I’m not talking about your father.”

Chan placed a kiss on your neck, his lips trailing up until he stopped to press a big kiss on your cheek. He giggled into the kiss.

“Hm, we should go over to the dance studio. You can’t skip practice.”

“I know.”

The four of you made your way over to the dance studio, using a private practice room. They helped you with your warm ups, and then continued where you left off. They intended to have you dance as well for the showcase, so they had been working with you to choreograph your routine. It was still a work in progress, but you were at the halfway point. After three hours you collapsed to the floor, exhausted and finally done for the day. You were laying on the ground, eyes shut, and catching your breath when you felt someone on top of you. When you opened your eyes you found Sangyeon smiling down at you.

“Don’t you look pretty.”

“I’m all sweaty.”

“A beautiful glow.”

“You’re gross.”

“One must find beauty everywhere, and you look amazing.”

You remembered that this was how it all started. When the trio had first taken you on it seemed like a normal student and tutor situation. It wasn’t until one of your dance practices that you realized there was more going on. After a long session you found yourself under Chan. Before you could say anything he was kissing you. At first you were shocked but then you pushed him off, moving away. You told him it was wrong, and that you weren’t interested in him in such a manner, but that didn’t stop him. He wound up pinning you down beneath him, telling you not to lie to yourself. He knew the way other students would stare at him, and you were no different. Maybe that was true, but this still felt wrong.

You thought things would stay between you and Chan, but he was very open with affection in front of the other two. That led to them getting intimate with you as well. It started softly with kisses, but when it was just one on one they got bold. First it was Sangyeon in the dance studio, taking you after a lesson and pushing you to your limits. Then it was Chan in the studio before you practiced, telling you to consider it a warm up. Lastly it was Hongjoong after his lecture, having you stay with him since your private studies with him would begin afterwards. You could tell they all had some experience on that front.

Now they were all just comfortable with each other and you, so they had no problem taking turns. At this point you weren’t sure if they actually cared about you or if you were their project and they were gonna make you famous. At least they didn’t seem to doubt your talent, which is probably why you were still engaging with them in such a manner. There were times when it hit you how wrong all this was, but this was your golden opportunity, and you couldn’t blow it. So you went along with them. All the private sessions, the one-on-one practices, the sex. None of it was bad, but you knew for sure those around you would say awful things behind your back if they knew the truth.

🖤

“Yo, what’s the plan for the weekend?”

“I’m gonna be at the studio working on my showcase.”

“Girl, do you ever take a break.”

“Winter break is coming up.”

“And you sure you gonna take it?”

“I’m fine Misu, and yes, I will definitely enjoy my winter break.”

“Then I’ll make plans for then since you always seem busy.”

“One has to work hard to make it in this type of industry.”

“I know it. Although some good connections can go a long way. I need to start getting closer to my professors.”

“Just not too close.”

“Why not? You have to admit some of them are very-”

“Stop! I don’t want to know your type.”

“Alright, virgin.”

“Ya! That’s not true.”

“Then who was your first?”

“Uh…”

“Exactly. Virgin.”

“Whatever. Enjoy your weekend.”

“You too. Don’t work too hard.”

“I’ll try not to.”

It was sweet that your friends always checked in with you about the weekend, hoping for the day you don’t say you’re busy. One day that will be the case but for now you had to spend your weekend with your tutors. You had to be at the studio by eight in the morning, so it always sucked having to drag yourself out of bed. You made a stop for coffee on your way, making sure to get some for everyone too. When you walked into the studio you were greeted with happy faces. They already seemed wide awake unlike yourself. Maybe they didn’t sleep at all.

“Look who showed up late.”

“It’s not eight yet, Sangyeon.”

“If you’re on time you’re late, if you’re early you’re on time.”

“I see, my bad.”

“We’ll work on that.” Sangyeon teased. “Let’s get you settled in before we begin.”

You had your coffee and the session was going by like normal until there was a knock at the door. It was the weekend, so not many students would be on campus. Although as everyone shared glances the door opened and your friend Misu stepped in.

“Hey- wow, what’s this?”

“A private session.” Chan stated. “Please leave.”

Chan didn’t wait for a response as he closed the door and locked it. Things were quiet for a moment, the guys waiting for the uninvited guest to leave. Once they were gone they all turned to look at you.

“What the hell was that?” Hongjoong questioned. “Did you invite your friend?”

“No! Not at all!”

“I think you’re lying.”

“I swear I’m not.”

“Then why show up here?” Sangyeon wondered. “On a weekend of all times?”

“I… I mentioned to Misu that I would be in the studio this weekend, but I never invited her! I didn’t think she’d show up to surprise me or something.”

“I thought we told you to stop socializing with your so-called friends.”

“Uh… they are my friends though, I can’t-”

“You can’t be having friends at this point in your career.”

“What? Doesn’t it pay to have connections in the industry?”

“It does.” Chan stated. “And you have us. No one else matters.”

“But-”

“What did you tell her you were doing here today?”

“That… that I was working on my showcase.”

“So she came to potentially steal your ideas, or perhaps convince you to perform as a duo?”

“I… no, she wouldn’t-”

“And how can you be so sure? The showcase is a very important event for all the new students. Those that don’t perform well don’t stick around.”

“Oh…”

“We shouldn’t continue at the school.” Sangyeon said. “It’s better we take these sessions off campus.”

“Off campus? What do you mean-”

“We can use my studio.” Hongjoong volunteered. “None of my artists are using it this weekend.”

“You… you have your own studio?”

“Of course. Chan does as well.”

“Woah…”

“We’re not just professors. So let’s go.”

There really wasn’t a choice here, so you went with them to Hongjoong studio. It was in the city, one of the biggest buildings around. The others also seemed to know their way around. It wasn’t really noticeable before, but seeing how they all acted with one another it was safe to say they were good friends. When you walked into the studio you were quite amazed. The view was incredible.

“This is your studio?”

“You like?” Hongjoong chuckled. “Need a good view and sunlight for motivation. I’ve done some of my best work here.”

“In more ways than one.” Chan commented. “Now let’s focus. She’s spent enough time worried about others.”

“I’m not some kid. It’s important to socialize and-”

“Y/n, you’re a talented girl, and that’s why we picked you, but you should know to respect your seniors.”

“You’re also my professors and this-”

“We’re taking out free time and giving it to you.” Sangyeon reminded. “It would be rude if you took that for granted.”

“I-”

“You still need to be punished for what happened earlier today.”

“Uh…” “I agree.” Hongjoong added. “Let’s enjoy the view some more.”

“What?”

Hongjoong stalked over to you, forcing you back until your back hit the glass. He placed his hand on either side, boxing you in. You felt your face burning, avoiding Hongjoong’s gaze, but he ended up grabbing your chin and made you meet his eyes.

“Hongjoong…”

“You’re gonna be a star.”

He leaned in close, pressing his lips against yours. By now it was a force of habit to kiss back, or maybe it was just you wanting this too. Hongjoong’s hands trailed down your body, grabbing onto your waist. When he pulled away from the kiss his eyes gazed into yours with lust before he flipped you around. He pressed you up against the glass, a hand trailing down into your pants, rubbing you through your panties.

“No one can see us all the way up here.”

“… you… you sure?”

“The glass is one way.”

“Oh…”

Hongjoong pressed kisses against your neck, sucking on bits here and there to mark you up. He kept you firmly pressed against the glass, leaving you with little room to move as he teased you. This was only the beginning and that was obvious once he moved aside your panties and ran his fingers along your throbbing core. You squirmed, pressing your ass against his crotch without meaning too, feeling something hard poking you back.

“You just have to ask, baby girl.” Hongjoong whispered. “Take your pants off.”

It wasn’t a request, especially when he helped you out by unzipping your pants. You hooked your thumbs into your pants, carefully shiming out of them as Hongjoong kept teasing you. After a moment your pants hit the ground at your ankles, and you carefully stepped out of them. Hongjoong pushed your legs apart, two fingers sliding inside you. A moan escaped your lips and you could see your breath on the glass. You were so focused on your own pleasure you didn’t realize Hongjoong had pulled his dick out. You only felt it press against your ass for a moment before he removed his fingers and then slid right into your pussy. You let out a loud moan, eyes rolling to the back of your head.

You needed a moment to adjust as he had done a sloppy job with prep. His heavy breathing was right against your ear, and he whispered how tight you were. He asked if you were ready and you nodded your head. His hands moved to your hips and he slowly began to move, getting into a rhythm before his basic instincts took over. Every thrust pushed you against the glass, giving you a slightly uncomfortable feeling, but it didn’t matter compared to everything else. You were panting against the glass, pushing back against Hongjoong as best as you could. You could feel yourself approaching the edge, mumbling something to Hongjoong, but he was in his own world.

By the way his movements were getting sloppy you knew he was close too. All you had to do was wait and play along, he’d take care of you in the end. His grip on your hips got tight, most likely going to leave bruises. Hongjoong ended up wrapping an arm around you and pulling your back against his chest. He thrust up into you a few times before you felt something warm running down your leg. The sensation pushed you over the edge and you were cumming alongside him. You had your head thrown back, resting on his shoulder as you came down from you high, catching your breath.

“What a good girl.”

Hongjoong kept you in place for a moment before pulling out and bringing you over to the couch. You were still out of breath, but were starting to settle down.

“You really got no problem making a mess in your own studio.” Sangyeon commented. 

“I have a cleaner.” Hongjoong mentioned. “And this wouldn’t be the first time they deep clean this place. Up against the glass is a popular place.”

“What about the couch?”

“A good choice too.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Sangyeon pulled you up and onto his lap. You were still exhausted but he loved the look in your eyes. He didn’t mind the mess either, his hand slipping down between your legs, fingers digging into the mess of cum still dripping out.

“Did you have fun?” You nodded. “That’s good. You had your break so how about I take you for a ride.”

“Sure…”

“At a girl.”

Sangyeon pressed his lips to yours, a new flavor into the mix. You kissed back, leaning into him. Your legs were still shaking, your mind numb from the pleasure, but you continued with Sangyeon’s advances. His thumb was rubbing at your clit, taking full advantage of your current state. You had your arms wrapped around him, feeling how he found your sweet spot and began to abuse it. Before you cooled down he wanted to get in on the action, and now that he had you in his hands it was easy. He kept fingering you while he undid his pants with his free hand, springing out his cock. He stroked himself, getting hard, leaking pre-cum all over his hand.

“You ready, darling?”

“Hm.”

You didn’t even notice when Sangyeon removed his fingers, but you certainly felt the stretch of his cock pushing your walls apart. You held onto him and moaned into his ear as he pushed into the mess, the squelching sound filling the room. Sangyeon let out a breath as you adjusted, loving the way your walls squeezed him. After taking a moment he grabbed your hips, helping you move up and down. You let him take control, helping how you could as you bounced on his cock. Your legs were already trembling, but you kept going, wanting to get another high. You could feel that heat growing again, practically being dragged out of you. Sangyeon got more aggressive as you kept going, definitely going to leave bruises on your hips.

As he lost his rhythm you did your best to take over, moving until you came. It wasn’t long before he climaxed as well, pulling you close and holding you in his arms, moaning into your ear. You twitched in his embrace, feeling so out of breath. You both stayed connected for a while as you came down from cloud nine. After a moment Sangyeon laid down and kept you on top of him, pressing lazy kisses to your face. You giggled and smiled at him, wanting to rest. Although you weren’t done yet. You suddenly felt hands pulling you off of Sangyeon and up on your feet. It was Chan, a devilish grin on his face.

“You’re not done yet, doll.” Chan said. “You have to please us all.”

“Huh…”

Chan kissed you before dragging you into the recording booth and bending you over the table inside. He only ran his fingers along your pussy and ass before getting his dick out and pushing it into you. Now there was going to be a mess to clean up in the booth. You looked up at the glass, seeing both Hongjoong and Sangyeon watching. You made eye contact for a moment before Chan rammed into rather hard, making your eyes rolled to the back of your head. Your mouth hung open as he kept going, pushing you to your limits. He was pulling another orgasm out of you, and all you could do was take it. His hands trailed up and down your back. 

As he got closer to cumming his movements became sloppy. You were feeling bits of pain, but it always got overridden by pleasure. Chan suddenly pulled you up against his body, thrusting up into you before spilling his seed inside you. A loud moan escaped your lips and you shook in his arms, feeling this third orgasm push your body to the edge. Chan held you tightly, moving ever so slightly to drag on both your climaxes. By this time you were spent and could barely keep yourself up. Chan wound up carrying you out of the booth, setting you down on the couch where Hongjoong had put down a blanket. 

Your vision was fading in and out, but it was over now. You felt a hand pet you softly, going along with a soothing hum too. You certainly fell asleep for a moment, waking up to the sounds of your own moans. You peeked your eyes open, seeing Chan and Hongjoong were by the mixer, messing around with the private recordings. Your head was resting on Sangyeon’s lap, his hand rubbing circles into your skin to relax you and release any tension in your body. You were still tired so you closed your eyes, most likely going to drift back to sleep.

“We should use some of this.” Hongjoong commented. “I got a few ideas in mind.”

“How exactly do you copyright this?” Chan asked. “Then again, we did make them.”

“Exactly.”

“How about we just keep it to ourselves.” Sangyeon added. “It makes it more special that way. Besides, actually using it could lead to trouble down the line. We don’t want to ruin her future.”

“Honestly, even after the showcase, we should continue with weekend sessions.” Hongjoong mentioned. “Especially in our private studios.”

“I second that.” Chan said. “Things work better this way for everyone.”

You don’t know how long you slept for, but when you woke up you were in the back of a car. Hongjoong smiled at you and took your hand in his, pressing a soft kiss against it.

“Hello.”

“Hi… what’s going on…”

“We’re going out for some food. You must be hungry.”

“Yeah…”

The boys helped you out of the car, as you couldn’t really walk straight just yet. You got a private room at the restaurant, Chan having you sit in his lap instead of taking a seat on your own. He tickled you with kisses, slapping away the hands of the others.

“Behave.” Sangyeon growled. “She’s ours.”

“Yes she is.” Hongjoong agreed. “She’s our beautiful girl.”

“No, no, no.” Chan corrected. “She’s our beautiful star.”

#ateez #the boyz #stray kids #hongjoong #sangyeon #bang chan #kim hongjoong #lee sangyeon #christopher bang #atz #tbz #skz #ateez au #the boyz au #stray kids au #ateez scenarios #the boyz scenarios #stray kids scenarios #request

[milgram-tournament]

MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 2, Match 4 TEAR DROP vs. BACKDRAFT

Propaganda for both options under the cut!

Propaganda for TEAR DROP:

"yuno kashiki enthusiast here anyways tear drop propaganda WE BALL

let's start off with the lyrics! holy fuck, i'm so glad yuno finally got to say what she's wanted to say!!

and she fully shows the fact that she does compensated dating through the lyrics ("the wanted wanting the wanted")

and even if it sounds like she's scolding the audience for the song, she's also scolding her clients! they only perceive her as a certain type of character and deciding that's all she is. She's upset that we decided based on how "naïve" she looked instead of her actual crime (to be honest, I could write a whole analysis into why her murder is perfect for her character anywa) and she doesn't care what will happen to her, she needs her opinions heard

also kinda rap section?? banger fr

THE VISUALS!! GOOD LORD THE VISUALS!!! THEY ARE SO BANGER!!! they're really pretty and gosh i literally don't know what to say, the scene where vampire is in the background and it transitions to yuno sitting on her bed... the pink tinted glasses (YES FUCK I LOVE THAT MAN!!!!) THE COAT!! THOSE INBETWREN SCENES i'm obbing

AND THE INSTRUMENTAL!! PLEASE IM BEGGING YOU ALL LISTEN TO THE INSTRUMRNTAL OF HER SONG THERES SO MANY SMALL DETAILS!! SIRENS, TEAR DROPS RAHHH THE CLAPS/CLICKING TJE TECHNO PIANO GUITAR??? THE INSTRIMENTS I CANT NAME I THINK THEY ALL HAVE SOME READON OF BEING IN THE SONG AND I WILL FIND OUT IN AN ANAKYSIS POST I JUDT LOVE IT AUEUEU

literally tear drop is the banger ever i listen to this shit religiously thank you for listening to my tear drop propaganda"

---

-Yuno’s voice. Enough said. -The imagery in the MV is brilliantly used, and doesn’t shy away from the horrors of Yuno’s line of work. -Vampire cameo!!! -Almost Lo-Fi vibes to the instrumental?? I can’t really explain it but it’s a vibe and I’m 100% here for it,

---

"For teardrop: The pink aesthetic in the MV as a whole makes it super nice to look at :D"

Propaganda for BACKDRAFT:

"Backdraft may be a minute shorter than Bring It On, but it’s still over three minutes long, and it makes up for the lost minute with a complex form. The “Pressure! Pressure!” might be the only part that truly repeats.

At the beginning, Fuuta is showing off, acting cool. Then the music slows down as he ponders his verdict. Then the music picks up the pace again and gets more and more frantic as the consequences of his actions catch up to him.

See that structure in the three distinct verses that sound nothing like anything else in the song: cool, contemplative, and “oh no, what have I done”.

The “chorus” (burn burn!) never stays the same. You’ve got the “cool” first chorus. Then you have the muted second chorus as it sinks in that Fuuta’s victim was a middle-school girl, which leads into the tense final chorus (which is twice as long as the first) as the victim and Fuuta both burn.

The instrumental and the spoken-word from the beginning combine in the end, changing the mood of the stanza from confident and showy to panicked and desperate.

And the words… You can hear the wordplay in the last stanza, even if you don’t understand it.

Appreciate this chaotic masterpiece of a song."

---

- Fuuta being very cocky at first before realizing how fucked he is (it is kinda funny) - The use of spray cans and overall graffiti symbolism, it’s so good - The multiple eyes and people off camera showing how paranoid Fuuta has become, it’s really well done without being obvious - The name backdraft meaning when a fire deprived of oxygen gets a sudden influx of it. A kind of metaphor for what Fuuta did. Then it being shown through a spray can explosion, aaaa it’s really cool! - Fuuta’s overall look changing, being more realistic on how he actually looks contrasting Bring It On’s idealistic version of himself - Es at the end!! The only time Es shows up in a prisoner’s MV!!! And they looks so damn cool - Also the entire eye thing referencing the audience, he perceives us lmfao

---

"Back draft is incredible because it not only has great visual symbolism with the use of the spray cans but its visual symbolism shows a progression from ‘Bring it on’. In ‘Bring it on’ the channelling is glorious , fuuta is surrounded by people and fuuta idealised himself (taller , better teeth , better posture ect) , the people he cancelled were portrayed as these powerful rpg monsters but now in back now the channelling is portrayed as vandalism a crime as destructive , the ally is empty we only ever see others as hands or his victim fuuta is alone and fuuta is no longer idealising his appearance and his mind is now portraying his victim as a harmless cutesy drawing. This shows a change in how fuuta views his crime between T1 and T2. It wasn’t glorious, it wasn't justified , he was at fault. The fire being recontextsied as something out of control , all consuming and out of control which is the opposite of how it was portrayed in ‘Bring it on’ we really see how the vote has changed fuuta."

"There are so many things in the song that show a progression "

-“ deliciously scorched till your mouth waters” > “I don’t want any more”

-fuuta spray paints the camera hen as the end es spray paints him/the camera

-the pressure graffiti changing

"There’s so many interesting details like the applause towards the start of the song , the personality in the subtitles like them going from “Burn , burn!” To “burn , burn?” But the pressure’s punctuation mark stayed the same:   “pressure , pressure!” , the way FIRE is the only word in full caps till LIES. The thumbs down fuuta does during “the fights up here! Come up to the ring and face me!” Part which is like his T1 art , the way the lighting changes from green towards the start and becomes red by the end (stop go colours) , The way fuuta is constantly interacting with the camera , spray painting it twice and kicking it."

"Backdraft actually makes amazing use of the camera , things are often shown from the (camera)audience’s perspective rather than us seeing the events removed. We are there like we are the ones doing it/looking through the eyes of the person doing it. When fuuta/the others spray paint the graffiti of his victim and the ice gorilla it's from the audience’s perspective , we don’t see them do it, we see it like we are doing it. When the spraypaint can explodes it's like it’s exploding in our face and then when es spray paints fuuta at the end they are spray painting the camera(audience). "

"Backdraft makes the most references to the voting system and uses it well to make the audience re-examine if they really are any different. Aren’t we using little information and inferences to hold people accountable for crimes we have no stake in? Aren’t we causing unintended harm? Aren’t we judging them from the safety of our screens? "

"And on a more silly level"

-ARTHUR CONANT GOES SO HARD IN THE VOCALS!!!! COME ON LISTEN TO BURN BURN AND TELL ME THIS MAN ISN’T GIVING IT HIS ALL!

-cat mouth fuuta :3 how can you not love cat mouth fuuta?

-lowpolydog designed amazing graffiti 

#milgramtournament #milgram #fuuta kajiyama #kajiyama fuuta #yuno kashiki #kashiki yuno

[shadowetienne]

OnlyOneOf "give me the lOve, bitxx" Lyrical and Thematic Analysis

OK, so, I have a lot of thoughts about this one! I think that there are several ways to interpret it! So some notes before you start reading:

I am looking at this through a queer lens, if you want to do a non queer reading, good for you, that's not what I'm discussing here

Some of my interpretations are going to go multiple potential ways, and this isn't an essay I'm writing for school or actual publication, so I may leave some trailing thoughts or slightly stream of consciousness style explanations

I am fascinated by the lyrical structure of this song, so bear with the fact that I'm going to babble about that a bit before I dive into the details of lyrics/meanings.

If you've not listened to the song in full yet, here's the official version:

And here is the wonderful translation done by Imbabey on YouTube that I used for reference:

I would love to hear other people's thoughts on this song! It's fascinating to me, and I think that it's a really important part of the lyrical story of the album as a whole!

This is about to get really long, so the rest is under the cut:

SONG/LYRICAL STRUCTURE

So, I'm going to start out with talking about the construction of this song because I think that it's really interesting! We start and end the song with the chorus, and it repeats a total of 4 times within the song. That chorus takes up about half of the entire song! It's important and we should be paying attention to it.

We also have a 2 part Prechorus that repeats twice (before the 2nd and 3rd version of the Chorus) with the very first line of it changed each time. This is interesting in part because that's more repeated lyrics taking up a lot of the song, but that also points to that changed starting lyric as being super important!

Then we have our three other Verses: Verse 1 is short (only 4 lines), Verse 2 is longer with some rap and builds up to the development, and Verse 3 acts as the Bridge into the final chorus and has a really different sound to it. Verse 3/Bridge is also quite short (only 4 lines). So little of the total song is in these storytelling verses, but a lot happens!

THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

I will talk about more of these later, after I dig into the lyrics more specifically, but I want to reference a few songs that I will bring up in thinking about this one.

First off is actually one of their covers, KB and Junji's cover of "Heather":

While this song is a very different angle, like "give me the lOve, bitxx" I feel like it deals with the issues with dealing with being queer in a society that does not want you to be, and how that can build resentment. OnlyOneOf is very thoughtful in how they pick their covers, especially the ones that they make fancy videos for, so I think that they are a lens that we can think about their own discography from. This was actually one of the things that I thought of right away when I got the full lyrics for "give me the lOve, bitxx" so it's worth having it in mind when reading the rest of my analysis.

Another older song of theirs with an MV that I want us to look back at for the context of this song is "angel":

I am considering this song specifically as a lens of how heteronormativity creates a narrative of how people need to react/act in society, and how that can lead to overcompensation, and also sometimes some pretty obsessive patterns (doing relationships right, having the right appearance of interest even if there is not actual interest). Obviously, "angel" is a song with many different interpretations, and I've considered writing something longer form about it, but again, remember that right now, this is a reading through the queer lens. This is a song and MV that I've got in my head as context for "give me the lOve, bitxx" so I want to make sure it's fresh for you as well.

Important note to carry with you in this echo of "angel" in the interpretation: In "angel" the narrator has idealized the idea of this girl, of the perfect straight relationship that will make him fit in society (again I know, among other things). In "give me the lOve, bitxx" he has that relationship, and it hasn't fixed things for him. He still doesn't fit, and in fact kind of seems to feel even worse.

I think that there are themes present in a lot of their songs that are echoed here, but those are the two big lenses that I wanted to bring up before we get into the thick of things.

OTHER OVERARCHING THEMATIC THOUGHTS

We're almost to talking about the lyrics, I promise. But there's a big thing that I want to discuss here that leads to two very different readings of the song.

I think that one possible reading of this song involves the narrator addressing two separate love interests: a guy who he has had his first taste of queer attraction and love with recently and the girl who he has been dating in an attempt to feel "correct" in society.

I will be addressing this potential second person I think getting talked to in a few places in the song, but also try to reference what I think the interpretation would be if these parts are addressed to the girl or not.

THE CHORUS

Don't make me pull the trigger [girl*] Once you know more you'll get hurt Don't come near Maybe I could be dangerous Give me your treasure [what] What's there to laugh at? Oh I can't hear anything right now, freeze

*I have added the two adlibbed words that I caught from what the translation above has transcribed in brackets. However, the first adlib "girl" only appears in Choruses 1-3 and is omitted in the final Chorus.

These lyrics are aggressive, and kind of nasty towards the girl. They are reminiscent of a hold up, an attack, but also a threat to end a relationship ("pulling the trigger" on something to end it). Whatever the case, there is some threat involved in these lyrics. The narrator views himself, or on some level wants to be viewed, as "dangerous." He also seems to want the end to the current relationship, at the same time, he wants to just ignore everything and have things stay where they are and "freeze."

He doesn't think he's good for the girl, he doesn't really think that he's good for himself here. There's a certain amount of hopelessness in this chorus. He's got this whole persona, this "bad boy" image too, and that definitely makes me think of overcompensation. A lot of times, queer people will make the decision to lean really far into heteronormativity to protect themselves, and this bad boy vibe that the narrator has going definitely leads into that.

I think that it is really interesting that the "girl" adlib drops for the final chorus. If the male partner is also being addressed, by dropping the girl from the chorus at the end, it can also be interpreted that what is bringing up these feelings of needing to end the conventional heteronormative relationship is the new relationship with the male partner that has made the narrator realize that this current relationship is creating something dangerous for him, and he can't get the love that he wants in it (and that he actually does want love that is not socially expected/accepted).

THE PRECHORUSES

The first line of the prechorus is the only line that changes between the two. In the first prechorus it is:

It kind of bothers me.

And in the second prechorus it is:

It feels kind of weird.

I think that this change in the lyrics is leading into the feeling that the narrator is figuring out what he wants over the course of the song. It's changed from being something annoying without really having a clear direction of that, to feeling weird or uncomfortable to what the narrator wants.

I've divided the prechorus into two parts in my mind at least. After that first line, the rest of the prechorus goes:

What the hell do you want from me baby? Foreign personality, style Somehow I'm injurious, so dangerous.

I feel like this really draws in the idea of the narrator feeling like he doesn't fit the expectations of society and how he should behave in it. He doesn't know what his partner wants from him, he feels "foreign" and "injurious" in his roles and interactions.

This version of him talking about being "dangerous" also feels much more confused, like he's been told that the way he is would make him "dangerous." That word "Somehow" carries a lot of weight in this. He feels conflicted about it.

We follow this into the second half of the prechorus, which is unchanged between the two:

When you hug me tight from behind I feel broken, I can't explain it Love Don't come near, no way

This set of lines actually really interests me because I feel like it could be absolutely addressed to both or either of the girlfriend and the male partner.

One of those big queer experiences that a lot of us have been through is feeling broken and wanting to hide from it. In the narrator's heteronormative relationship that should make him fit, he's not enjoying these experiences and doesn't want them, and that makes him "feel broken."

But at the same time, if addressed to the male partner, when he experiences these sorts of things, he does enjoy them, and that potentially scares him just as much. He doesn't want to let the male partner near because that experience feeling right makes him "feel broken" by society that has said that it's not an OK way for him to feel.

So either here, he's telling the girl he's been dating as overcompensation to get away from him and leave him alone because he's not feeling it, or he's telling the guy that he's into and struggling against the feeling to stay away because the very possibility of that makes him feel weird and scared and he doesn't know what to do with it.

VERSE 1

This is the verse that gave me the idea of the song being addressed to two different people! It's actually the set of lyrics that initially made me think, oh huh, this sounds like it might be addressed to the guy that he's been thinking of. Especially in the narrative succession to "dOpamine" where he's got some obsession going on. I think that it can be read as addressed to either though.

I think of your face all day long I look strange to myself I can't think about anything else Why do you keep getting stuck in my head?

If this is addressed to the male love interest, it makes a lot of sense that the narrator is sitting there going: I have this "perfect" in the eyes of society relationship, one that I should be so happy with, but all I can think about is this guy that I'm into. Why can't I leave it alone?

On the other hand, if this is addressed to the girlfriend, it can also read as trying to force himself into the right way of thinking about his relationship. And because of it looking "strange" (weird, uncomfortable, not right) to himself. He's getting "stuck" on this idea, and not getting anywhere with it. He can't get that sort of love he wants in the relationship he has, and he's uncomfortable with that.

VERSE 2 (the long verse)

Like with the prechorus, I see this as being divided into two parts. This verse is rap heavier, and it really feels like a lot of the development of the feelings and understanding of his feelings that the narrator has.

Why are you so clingy anytime I see you? I'm speaking, but you cover my mouth Yeah, because of you Again, seeing my sudden bewildered expression makes her stop her words

This is actually another section that I think can be addressed to either partner! And maybe the "her" in the final line of this part of the verse is a translation artifact that I'm reading too much into, but it does make me think, is "her" different from "you" here.

If this is addressed to the girlfriend, it reads as really just not actually wanting the relationship, as feeling silenced from his actual feelings by the demands of society represented in the girlfriend and the fact that he feels the need to have a girlfriend to compensate, and that's starting to really grate on him now that he has seen/experienced another option. It implies that the girlfriend is starting to see the cracks in their relationship and know that something is wrong, maybe she's even trying to make space for him to say something, and he's not saying it.

If this is addressed to the male love interest, it's a really different vibe. It's the questions of: Why are you risking showing this in public? Why are you stopping me from talking? Why are you both showing this so much and trying to keep me from actually talking about it? In this reading, the girlfriend is noticing whatever is going on between the narrator and the male love interest, but maybe doesn't know what to say about it or if there is anything to say.

The second part of this verse is much more focused on the internal feelings of the narrator as opposed to the interaction with others.

I hide my feelings, thinking of each other I close my eyes Well I gotta play dumb, making it pump, sick of it numb, pick up the phone Relax now (Boogie on and boogie on)

So this part of the song is definitely at least in part about sex and intimacy between partners. Who is the "each other" here? Well, I think that it can be the narrator and the girlfriend, where he's closing his eyes to hide from himself and his lack of actual interest. It could also be the male love interest where he's closing his eyes when with the girlfriend to better imagine what he actually wants and his fighting himself over.

I find the part "pick up the phone" really interesting. He's having this unfulfilling experience in the relationship that he's supposed to want, the one that is supposed to be perfect for him in the eyes of society, so he's reaching for his virtual world that lets him get away from that (and where I suspect he can contact the male love interest, or at least see things about him). He's relaxing by getting away from what is supposed to be his important intimate relationship.

VERSE 3 / BRIDGE

There is a big change in tone with this verse, and I think that this is where the narrator accepts what he is feeling, and that he doesn't actually want to be with the girl, he doesn't want what society thinks that he should want. He's still conflicted and scared, actually maybe more scared, but he's starting to realize. I think that that's part of why the "girl" adlib then proceeds to be dropped in the final chorus that comes after it.

Tasty like a raindrop, oh my I can't get used to it at all You know what? Actually I'm afraid you will leave Give me a chance to kill my doubt

I think that the first half of this verse is referring to his experience of queer intimacy with male love interest, the first time he's actually enjoyed it, and referring back to "dOpamine" that "thirst" that he's experiencing (with the "raindrop" lyric).

The second half is another one of those things where it could be addressed to either the girlfriend or the male love interest.

If it's addressed to the girlfriend, even though he's realized what he actually wants, the fact that it goes against the directives of society, and what he feels like he should want, he just wants that one more chance to see if maybe it could work with the girlfriend, that he is scared of what is past this relationship that isn't fulfilling but is at least safe.

If it's addressed to the male love interest, I get the impression that there's an element of the male love interest having basically said "look make a decision," and the narrator has been hesitating. Not feeling safe. And now he's saying, wait I'm more afraid of the idea of not having a chance with you and something that actually feels right than I am of leaving my safe by social standards relationship. Give me one last chance to taste this possibility and make myself sure before I jump into this relationship that feels dangerous but fulfilling.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Whoever the song is addressed to ("you"), the narrator has very much built up feelings of resentment towards social expectations and the girlfriend that he has put those social expectations on.

He's sort of billed himself as dangerous because of how society views what he has realized about himself. He knows he isn't being good to himself, he's not being good to the girlfriend, he's hurting everything in his path because social expectations are weighing down on him and telling him he's awful and hurting him.

A big part of the song is him kind of breaking under that, realizing that he can't keep going the way he is going, but struggling to make that final decision to leave and actually face his queerness and the possibilities that exist in it.

#OnlyOneOf #give me the love bitxx Analysis #Things I Can't Say LOve album #I don't think that I realized just how much I had to say about this song until I started saying it #I feel like I'm leaving things out still too #I'd love to hear your thoughts about it too! #Youtube

[cha3x]

CCC ICIP and HHH are bangers but we can't pretend they aren't extremely similar songs lmao

i feel like that's a consequence of käärijä experimenting with this sound and how popular it has been... the songs are alike in some way but i think their respective musical narratives make them different. cha cha cha is essentially a song with a three-act structure, where the music shifts to reflect the developing story; it's crazy it's party plays like a twisted echo of cha3x to communicate käärijä's complex relationship with that song, and i think the breakdown at the end is so significant for the deeper emotional context.

and huhhahhei... i haven't figured that one out yet! to me it's just a sweet song that creates a cute contrast between the heavier parts and the almost soothing chorus (how does käärijä manage to make party metal sound soothing?) and käärijä is too protective of his private life for me to confirm my personal theories without having to rely on gossip. but musically this is the heaviest of the trilogy by far and i think that's fun

also this has no basis in reality but i like to think of these three songs as a mini, because it helps me remember their similarities can complement each other and create a cohesive whole, and i do think that käärijä puts a lot of himself into these songs even if it's not as obvious as it is with some of his earlier tracks. but!! i still hope this era will enrich käärijä's rap sound instead of replace it, because vocally and lyrically there's less variation as well as just... less 😓 he always eats up whatever parts he has so i'm not worried about low quality, i just think he could be one of the best and most unique rappers of all time if he allowed himself to commit to that

#käärijä #this went way off topic but so be it! 他绝赞的才华不得被浪费

[pocima]

My seasonal music highlights: winter 2024 🧣

Welcome to a new series of my silly music-blogging. Starting it because I want to regularly properly write about and describe the songs I enjoy, and to present my own candidates for the unofficial “song of the season” awards. I already started an annual fav list for albums/EPs and wanted something less major and more presentable as a little playlist, not really in particular order. Enjoy! Note that I kept the list one song per artist, most have incredible new releases outside of the ones focused on, these are just my picks for the season or my most played. And let me tell you, countless artists are dropping new music and projects left and right and I’m getting FED. This list alone is extremely abundant and we’re barely 2 full months into the year. The competition for this year’s personal favorite album spots and the highlights for the next seasons is about to be real tough. Can’t wait. (GIF source: MV for Cyberia by Meth Math.)

❅ winter again - 4s4ki

What better way to start a songs of the winter list than with THE anthem of this winter season? With her ability to not only pull off but absolutely excel at the different genres she incorporates into her music, 4s4ki simply never disappoints. She went into the studio with a mission to give the famous Last Christmas by Wham! a true successor and the mission was wonderfully accomplished. In this mellow 80s pop influenced track, she channels her inner Cocteau Twins (word to that one YouTube comment in the lyric video) while longing for a loved one that didn’t seem to stay by her side not even to have some canned coffee and bento this holiday season. Now I’m gonna channel my inner platonic delulu and say that it was released just on time, when I was discovering and especially feeling Boy Harsher’s alternative 80s inspired music (collab when?). Ironic how a self-described reverse Christmas song ended up doubling my winter spirits. She never fails to give me exactly what I need. I love this woman. (Big ups to Magic sword but as I mentioned I’m keeping the list one song per artist.)

❅ 4eva - Shygirl feat. Empress Of

You know from my username that I’ve been loving what Shygirl has had to offer for quite a while now, and 4eva was my personal post-Nymph jam ever since I heard a snippet of it back in last September and neither the full studio version nor my intuition let me down. Shygirl’s rapping and Empress Of’s verse over the Kingdom-produced delicious wobbly synths indeed stay playing on my mind. Empress Of’s feature came as a tracklist surprise and I’m more grateful for it than I had expected. The jungle drums in the chorus, and honestly the structure of the song in general were unexpected to me as well, but nevertheless they took part in forming possibly my favorite dance track of 2024. Both the Club Shy EP and 4eva have secured firm spots in my favorites of the year.

❅ Deer Teeth - Sega Bodega

Father of music, first ever man in the music industry, smash hit sorcerer, my favorite producer of all time… However you may refer to Sega Bodega, you can always rely on him to create an entire universe in one record and take you there and back. With Deer Teeth, he tells a story of a sighting of a late mother laid to rest with her child in a swan’s wings along with 200 deer teeth (hence the song title), which brings with itself a tale of hope, sacrifice and eternity. With reversed and distorted vocals, the addition of Mayah Alkhateri’s siren-like voice and obviously Sega’s otherworldly production style, the tale transforms into a cinematic masterpiece in sound form. Extra note: perfect to fall asleep to in a road trip, tried and tested. Both Deer Teeth and his newer single Set Me Free, I’m an Animal are stunning masterpieces, and I know this will make my year-end album list real predictable but SB3 is the most solid candidate for the top spot as of right now. Save me Sega Bodega, save me…

❅ Ex-Girlfriend - Erika de Casier feat. Shygirl

New slow R&B earworms drawing on different nostalgic genres couldn’t be more perfect for the chilly season, especially when they’re delivered by the one and only Erika de Casier. She has this ability to mix the best musical aspects of the near past (namely the 90s/00s) with her very own sensuality, freshness and uniqueness. Her soft vocals over a down-tempo R&B beat to match come after an orchestral, arguably dramatic intro and the melancholic, yearning yet cocky-ish tone is set. Shygirl’s deep, almost raspy voice always shines with slow, gloomy instrumentals (also seen in Lapdance from Asia by Cosha) and this track was no exception, matter of fact it’s now certainly one of my favorite features of hers. I will be returning to this song not only on the colder days of March, but the whole year, or rather until it’s wiped off existence completely.

❅ Cyberia - Meth Math

Before the quirky experimental trio’s slightly overdue, highly anticipated debut album Chupetones (go give the best b-side Pócima a listen too), they released 4 singles and I was not at all aware beforehand of the release of the third one. Pressed play, was impressed, pressed the loop button and the rest (at least 80 plays within the first week) was history. The intro immediately catches your attention, and the descriptions of a sad-looking happily-dancing angel over toot sounds, ripping synths and bonking bass transition into happy hardcore perfection. The 3-second bit before the second chorus gets me the most, it’s like a minuscule break to slow down and reflect on the all the absurdity before resuming the alien dancefloor madness. This banger completes my Meth Math song holy trinity, which is now Tambaleo-Fantasía Final-Cyberia. Add Pócima into the mix if you wanna form the four horsemen. Whatever your personal favorite may be, we can all agree that Meth Math always come at us with excellence.

❅ dOpamine - OnlyOneOf

Hallelujah. We have finally reached an era where all lyOns can live in harmony and sleep in peace instead of fighting over title tracks and new lows for the group’s flaming hot garbage record label. Even their biggest haters (so-called “fans” with a strange superiority complex) were finally praising an OnlyOneOf title track, and with how good it really is I’d be admiring their dedication to hating their own faves if they didn’t. Anyway, dOpamine is one of their best, it really is. I’ve been hoping for them to get on the drum & bass train for quite a while now, and they did it with a bright, twinkling, breakbeat-incorporating twist. They don’t lazily dip their toes into dnb and breakcore and leave it at that though, the buildups and structure of the track stay fascinating and the bridge drifts (should I intend the pun?) into their gritty industrial side before the outro closing out the song on a vocally strong, passionate but never over-the-top note. While the whole mini is exquisite, the lead single ended up being my favorite. Simply put, OnlyOneOf never fail to deliver quality K-pop against all odds.

❅ Sorbet - Kelela (LSDXOXO Remix)

The pre-release singles off of the RAVE:N remix album were all incredible just like its album tracks, however this gem is particularly lingering on me and my February mood. This spin on Sorbet encapsulates the AM club aspect of the project in one re-envisioned tune. Kelela and LSDXOXO, who produced and remixed numerous of her songs, reunite as a power duo to turn the dulcet, sedate Sorbet into a Eurodance-coded amped-up slapper that will get anyone moving. You can tell the song is DJ set opener material from when the first beat kick. The chorus melody sticks to your mind and the late night-like sonic experience becomes unforgettable. The special encounter requiring dim lighting is now set in a flashy rave scene. Completely flipped scenario yet everything makes perfect sense. All in all, Kelela’s vision for her dance records is 20/20 and LSDXOXO’s execution never leaves you hanging either.

❅ Fuetazo - Isabella Lovestory feat. Villano Antillano

Born to embody camp, forced… no, also born to be a hit maker. Isabella is undebatably one of the freshest, most outstanding figures of neoperreo and neoreggaeton, and her eccentric flare still comes through in a single as a (hopefully) pre-album snack. Fuetazo was released early into the season and closed out Isabella’s activities for the year. While the playful chorus introduces a whip that comes and goes, Villano Antillano mentions vacations and 42-inch weaves with her tone that meshes with the cheekiness of the track, and their chopped up vocal bits go back-and-forth in the outro. With the Chicken, Kamixlo and Dinamarca producer trio, the instrumentals can’t go wrong. The hard-hitting dembow drums and the lighter synths and other aspects of the song create a contrast that feels like a breeze, maybe more of a summer one even but a confidence booster gots to stay on rotation regardless of weather or temperature.

❅ Messy Room - The Deep (+ mini EP review)

Had I postponed the release of my 2023 fave project list just a little, the Messy Room EP would have at least scored an honorable mention. For those who need a quick debrief: The Deep is an independent K-alternative artist whose discography radiates coziness and sweetness. Mayhaps I should say sugar, spice and everything nice. Taking part in the production of her music, creative direction and visual curation, she ticks all the boxes for the bedroom pop star that should’ve reached her target audience ages ago. While she’s taken inspiration from R&B and indie and still does, “resurfaced” genres such as UK garage, dnb and Jersey club are fairly newer additions to her range. I love all of these genres as you could tell and I adore the songs in which she uses them (got into her through the UKG bop Muah!), but surprisingly the track that glanced at her “roots” hooked me in the most. Maybe it’s because it contains the core “messy room” atmosphere of the EP, maybe it’s her soft vocals shining brightly, maybe it’s because she has the recipe to making a tune to unwind to. I hope this praise doesn’t sound like a jab at the rest of the EP because not a single skip is detected over there. In Brand New House and BAPPI, The Deep talks about deserving the luxuries and getting to the bag over garage and house beats. bow wow is about confidence despite troubles and annoyances, while 20’s is a self-reflection on the constant search for perfection and attempts to heal. The project is most definitely worth checking out if you want a bit of calm, refreshing new music, or if you’re looking for a multi-skilled artist to support.

One line section (music I loved but honestly don’t have as much to say about, so I fit my thoughts into one line/sentence)

❆ Gold On Me: Mother ABRA is back and I’m definitely checking out Groupthink after this, now it’s time for the album innit 🍽️ (should’ve definitely written about this in more detail but maybe another time soz)

❆ 4 noviosS: While everyone came to Club Shy to play, she entered with pen and paper and a goal.

❆ Perdió Este Culo: I have to give flowers where they’re due, I wish the La Joia album had more quality of this level though. (However shoutout to Sexy, La Que No Se Mueva and Sin Carné.)

❆ TYOSTAR: Can’t tell if their music is aimed at dudebros (disgustingly irritating audience) or hyperpop girlies (slightly less irritating audience) but they scored a night ride hit either way, definitely one of Starkids’ finest to date.

Thankies for getting here, and shoutout to @chuuuvi for pretty much directly fueling my writing process and inspo and @a-moth-to-the-light for inspo as well 😁

#keyboard.com #finally writing again yippee #bro spring’s highlight list already has 3 definite entries. it’s the first day of March. the food is too good #4s4ki #shygirl #empress of #sega bodega #erika de casier #meth math #onlyoneof #kelela #lsdxoxo #isabella lovestory #villano antillano #the deep #me when 2024

[youranemicvampire]

My favorite shows and movies that i've watched in 2023

Barbie (2023)

Always been a sucker for great production and costume design. Feminism aside, it’s so fun and smart with all the references. I just don’t like the Ken hype. He’s fun, sure, but a lot of fans are missing the point or just proving the message of the story.

Bottoms (2023)

Need more lesbian chaos as a comedy fan. Sapphic softcore is ok of course, but you know, there should be a variety of WLW cinema. Perfect also for the Y2K nostalgia. ‘Bring It On’ fan here!

Nocebo (2022)

I actually watched it last year, but it was too late to be on my 2022 list. Underrated political-horror film. Underrated cast! It should’ve had the same hype with Parasite and Triangle of Sadness. For me, it was simple and well-written. The structure of the story was smart but easy to absorb.

About Us But Not About Us (2022)

The first and last single-location film that I watched was Kisaragi (2007) and I’ve been waiting for something like that since then. One of the most important things i look for a media is the script so i really enjoyed it especially when they switched characters. Very intriguing.

The Little Mermaid (2023)

Been waiting for this since 2019! I’ve been a fan of Halle Bailey since that announcement. I rarely watch things on the cinema, but it’s something i couldn’t miss. Beautiful, pure and magical. Perfect casting and amazing chemistry!

Si Chedeng At Si Apple (2017)

Another chaotic lesbian film, but make it Filipino! It was funny and bloooody just like Bottoms so if you liked it then you should try this one. Not a spoiler, but part of the plot: That lady in yellow killed her abusive husband.

Maria Clara At Ibarra (2022)

I haven’t finished it yet! But i would recommend it! Brought back my trust and love for Filipino series. If you are not Filipino, it’s a good way to learn our history. Fun, written with passion + great set and costume design.

Mga Lihim Ni Urduja (2023)

After Maria Clara at Ibarra, i became more interested in Filipino series especially with historical fiction. This one is so underrated and empowering! Has the prettiest and hottest cast tbh and a queer undertone *wink*

Betcin (2021)

I have to say that this is the best Filo GL/WLW so far. It has an actual interesting story and interesting characters. Both leads are toxic AF, but it was sooooo entertaining. Top tier chemistry. Top tier acting!

Swarm (2023)

As a Beyhive, i don’t really like how they chose us coz there are more crazy fandoms out there, but still watched and finished it because of Dominique Fishback. SHE IS AMAZING. She deserves awards for this portrayal alone.

Ang Babae Sa Septik Tank 3: The Real Untold Story of Josephine Bracken (2011)

Another mockumentary that is to die (of laughter) for! I’ve always wanted to finish the trilogy, but i started with this because of history. Frustratingly funny. I don’t know if i would root for her or not lmao 

The ultimatum: Queer love (2023)

I admit, watching reality shows is my guilty pleasure so imagine my excitement when it’s full of queer women??? The dramaaaa lmao i need more seasons of just sapphics. It’s also a cool and chaotic concept tho. I thought it was just a normal dating show at first. 

Physical 100 (2023)

This is my kind of reality show! I hope it will have multiple versions from different countries. The best thing about it is how fitness is really measured by getting competitors from different backgroundsand giving them different challenges. 

Rookie (2023)

The most anticipated movie of the Filipino sapphics! And if you’re a volleyball fan? I’m sure this would be automatically on your list. It’s just so cute and wholesome. 

Ladies First: A story of women in Hip Hop (2023)

Must watch! Not only for the history of the rap girlies, but to trace back the struggles they faced and are still facing. You might discover talented women to stan in your music or lyrical style too.

#Barbie #Bottoms movie #Nocebo #About us but not about us #The little mermaid #Si chedeng at si apple #Maria Clara at Ibarra #Mga Lihim ni Urduja #Betcin #Ang babae sa septik tank #The ultimatum queer love #physical 100 #rookie #Ladies first #personal #recommendations #movies #series #wlw #sapphic #GL #Margot Robbie #Greta Gerwig #Halle Bailey #Chloe x Halle #Dominique Fishback #Samantha Lee #recs #queen latifah #volleyball

[ericleo108]

FarmingHumans.com 2023 American Inequality

05/19/2023 Click here for Spotify, Apple Music, or Youtube. “American Inequality” is my 44th official release. This song is edutainment, or educational entertainment which is music that teaches you. The song is intellectual rap about American economic inequality. The song was self-recorded, and mixed and mastered by Keyano. The beat is from Tantu, and the cover art is made by ArtworkGang from Fiverr.

Links:

FarmingHumans.com YouTube Shorts Playlist

2022 American Inequality YouTube video blog post monologue

2022 American Inequality Blog Post 

“American Inequality” rap song

“Had Enough” rap song

“The Villian” rap song

Intro

I made a post about American inequality last year and the blog post for it on EricLeo108.com was the demo of this song and then a treatise about the problem. I planned on updating it every year I’m in graduate school or write a book with the original post’s themes. You can find the latest edition of my take on American Inequality at FarmingHumans.com or click here for the 2022 edition.

This (release) is the 2023 edition. Since I’m not in graduate school yet I haven’t added much to the plot/details but the concept is still there. This will be an abridged version with new revelations. I will discuss the main points of the American Inequality 2022 post and give an explanation that will clarify the lyrics. The video shown immediately below is the FarmingHumsns.com 2023 American Inequality 2023 monologue

YouTube Shorts

You can get the information presented here through shortform video from various creators by watching my “FarmingHumans.com” YouTube shorts playlist which will better detail and explain the information presented here. Most of the points I make here and reference can be found and enunciated in the YouTube playlist. 

Qualifications 

Why should you listen to me? I graduated magna cum laude with a degree in sociology from Eastern Michigan University. I took a class and received an A in college on a course about writing history. I keep up with current events and I have a reputation to build and uphold. Even if I don’t make it to graduate school this year, I’ll keep trying and I need to stay correct, intuitive, and current to make an impression in academia. I really can’t wait to apply sociological theory to the issues I discuss here. I have been accepted to a masters program in sociology at Western, but it’s still unknown whether I’ll be able to afford to attend seeing as I don’t have housing and I need to be awarded my fasfa which hasn’t come in yet. I also self-published my book “108 The Story of Discovering Earth’s Consciousness” which is non-fiction and autobiographical.

Who Rules America?

First of all, have you ever wondered “Who rules America?” Well, that very question is answered by William G. Domhoff a leading social structure sociological researcher at the University of California Santa Cruz. His experience and conclusions are more valuable than mine and worth looking into. But to summarize, corporations rule. To be more specific, corporate CEOs wield immense power. I say it best in my song “Had Enough,” it’s a “CEO fraternity, the CFR (council on foreign relations) logistically.” Although America is a democratic republic it functions as an oligarchy where a group of wealthy individuals rule.

Basically how our government functions is a coporporation wants something done so they fund a politician and write bills. Those politicians are then sympathetic to corporate wishes because that’s where there donations and livelihood comes from. The corporation then writes a bill that is presented by their politician, they fund a public relations campaign to get support, and if it doesn’t work the first ten times, they’ll keep trying until they succeed.

Sure special interest groups and communities do get laws passed, but this is the exception and not the rule. If you look at 2022’s post you’ll find a graph showing the average individual, economic elites, and interests groups effectiveness on government policy. The average individual have a flat effect where the wealthy and special interest groups have kind of a linear effect where the more support you have the more likely it is to get passed. Like George Carlin said, it’s a group of powerful individuals working in their self interest which creates a conspiracy of interests. Adam Conover discusses this in his content talking about corporate consolidation and the power it gives to inidividual CEOs. 

It seems that the effects of corporate consolidation are being recognized, thwarted, and attacked. This can be seen with the protests in France right now which are happening because their government wanted to raise the retirement age. The French people have taken to ransaking Blackrock’s headquarters in France because the people are saying they are responsible for the policy change. Blackrock and Vanguard are the largest corporations in the world. 

Buckley v. Valeo

Ever since the court decision Buckley v. Valeo wages haven’t kept up with productivity and the minimum wage has remained stagnant while costs have skyrocketed. To recap, America is so entrenched in corporate rule healthcare is privatized and we spend ⅕ of all spending on defense because it makes corporations a whole lot of money. Corporations and the wealthy can buy elections because money is speech. There’s a direct relationship between how much marketing a candidate does and their likelihood for winning. Those that can pay to familirarize themselves with the public win, and corporations have the money to make that connection between the politician and the voter happen. Read Noam Chomsky’s “Manufacturing Consent” for more. 

Socialism 

Capitalist have to blame socialism for economic problems because recognizing how capitalism really functions would show it’s flawed, based on luck and inherited wealth, and not based on merit. Socialism is simple, it’s “workers right over production,” which capitalist snear at because it mimimizes their control and importance. Capitlaist claim it’s the poor who don’t work hard but it’s the exact opposite that is true. The wealthy don’t have to work period, let alone hard. All you have to do is make wise decisions with your money; and by that I’m mean decisions that will make you more money. Like I say in my song “The Villian” they “claim it’s hard work when it’s leverage and a mindset.”

This can be seen with Marx’s “surplus value.” For a business to work you need labor and capital. The capitalist purchases the labor and capital goods (i.e. employees to run the machines). The money the business makes minus labor and the cost of goods goes to the owner, that’s called surplus value, and the owner does not have to work for it, all he needs is money to buy the labor and capital goods.

If you watch a season of shark tank you’ll see how the capitalist really think and act. They say all the time “I make my money work for me,” because the truth is you don’t get wealthy from working. You can get rich from you’re labor, but Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos didn’t get where they are through “earned income.” They made their money through captial gains which the American government literally calls unearned income. You work to make a living, and America doesn’t have a labor shortage, it has a living wage shortage.

Real Capitalism 

Capitalist have to say that it’s socialism because otherwise it’s the reality that it’s the current capitalist system that doesn’t allow the individual to live (let alone thrive) and creates rampant inequality. The truth is from Adam West to Mark Cuban (as you will find in the Youtube shorts playlist) the reality is capitalism requires government intervention from wealth becoming too consolidated. 

It’s literally the job of the government to break up monopolies, and raise the minimum wage. But things like that don’t happen, and capitalism goes unchecked and out of control because corporations can basically control the government through lobbying and because money is speech. This is why we desperately need to get money out of politics. There’s hope, for example, AOC has recently introduced a bill to prevent congress from trading stocks.

The truth is what the right and Fox News calls socialism is really the opposite of what it means. First of all, they think socialism is giving poor people money, which it isn’t, it’s workers rights over production. As MLK said "This country has socialism for the rich, and rugged individualism for the poor.” And by the right’s explanation of socialism, giving money to the entitled, corporations and the wealthy are socialists. You the taxpayer, give way more to corporations in taxes than any wealthfare program. If this country want’s to be in a rage about people getting money that they don’t deserve and feel entitled, you should be mad about corporate welfare (which is considered socialism by the right’s wrong definition).

Corporate Rule: Examples and Results

Some examples of the result of corporate rule are human rights around abortion (otherwise known as women’s healthcare) and gun laws. It’s clear we have such a problem with mass shootings because America is a militaristic nation and the gun manufatures (again) want to make more money so they have lobbied the government through the NRA to make guns so available they are the leading cause of death in children. 

Another example is the East Palestine Ohio train derailment. The truth is this is endemic to the way the industry works. The union tried to warn Norfok Southern and other train companies that rails were unsafe and suggested new rail and braking system. Norfolk never upgrade their breaks or rails resulting in the derailment due to negligence because they were trying to cut costs. Again, this is what every corporation does, it’s to make the surplus value for the shareholders. And again with the conspiracy, working in their own self interests to make more money a train corporation has caused a enviromental disaster, just like working in their self interests corporations have created economic despotism in America.

White Nationalism

Leaning into the conspiracy aspect and how self-interested groups merge to serve their self interests, there is a very real christian white nationalist agenda in the Republican party because corporate rule has becomed so powerful and unhinged. If you’re looking for me to point fingers at who are the conspirators, look no future than the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and the Council for National Policy (CNP). These organization have ideals that many corporations support because it gives them more power. The ADF and CNP are responsible for propagating hate through society and the government with banning books, attack on women’s healthcare and reproductive rights, and the current genicide against the transgendered. Look to the Youtube Shorts Playlist for more information.

Personal

In this “American Inequality” song I say “The government exploits my labor power for healthcare” because I’m only allowed around $800 in earned income per month before I go into a trial work period which could cause me to loose my healthcare. That’s not labor exploitation but rather labor-power exploitation. The government is literally limiting me being able to leverage my labor power to create economic prosperity for healthcare. 

To explain further, the government sees income in two categories: “earned income” from employment or contract or “unearned income” from capital gains, profits, or royalties. I can make unlimited unearned income but only $800 per month from earned. Although I live on disability I got a job for a year for the seed money to start my music business.

I’m glad the system is the way it is with unlimited unearned income, but it should be better, it should be unlnimited earned income as well. It’s almost designed so you have to have money to make it out of poverty. You won’t get on the disability system in the first place unless your economically depraved. And you can only use your labor to make so much money. This is why I call disability a poverty trap. And again, it wouldn’t be this way if not for corporate rule. The pharmaceutical lobby is the biggest lobby in the US.  If we had universal healthcare I wouldn’t have a cap on my labor power to keep healthcare. 

The Real Question

Corporations are farming you for labor (employment) and money (consumerism). The real question is “How do we want to be farmed?” Because the truth is corporations are answering that question and ruling the farm and they are not considering the wellbeing of the animals, they are only doing what will extract profit. The reality is the American dream no longer exists. The dream of a house with a white picket fence, car, two kids, and a college degree off one income is a fallacy. That used to make us great. But because of rulings like Buckley v. Valeo we no longer have that standard of living. It’s George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” where the pigs are changing the rules and can control the farm, but are you just going to give power to them (which [eg oil] corporations would be the pigs in this senario), or do you wanna be self governed?

If you want to take back control there are some ways you can help make a more Democratic government and economy. You should support a graduated tax code. It used to be the poorest Americans paid 10% or less while the wealthiest paid 90% before Regan, now with the Bush and Trump tax cuts the average American pays a higher tax rate than billionaires. If you want things to get better you should be supporting only candidates that support universal healthcare. You can join, start, support, or help build a union. And Support bills that get money out of politics and continually make the internet more free and open.

In conclusion

Labor and subsequently the people have lost power because money is speech. Not only does the American dream not exist, the average American can’t afford to live because Capitalism isn’t being regulated like it should. There's a merger between the political and economic elites while the republicans are slowly fighting and winning for their Christio-fascist agenda.

Lyrics:

American Inequality Taught by Eric Leo 108

America’s an oligarchy One labor exploitation party While they rest and pop Bacardi  We work full-time and still are starving The American dream Is just a marketing scheme For the oligarchy So we don’t question their greed And that money is speech You can buy elections for a fee Just lobby the seat And advertise to the sheep  We have socialism for the rich Capitalism for the poor If you don’t acknowledge this Then you’re ignorant for sure

That’s a Martin Luther King quote  You really need to read more Use your mind, dissent, scold  Learn to debunk the lies told It was once the American dream To be able to afford the house and a property deed Healthcare and a scientific degree While today is hard to afford an apartment for three On minimum wage, you can’t make ends meet That used to make us great, but now the population’s asleep It’s policy that stratified the nation's books Gave tax breaks to the wealthiest when 90% is what they took Now we have a nation of debtors that can’t make it, but work  You can thank the decisions of Trump, Reagan, and Bush As the pigs slowly change the rules the horse screams work harder Just another fascist tactic of the people in charge here Only those who think can understand what they are You should be alarmed because It’s “Animal Farm” and

America’s an oligarchy One labor exploitation party While they rest and pop Bacardi  We work full-time and still are starving The American dream Is just a marketing scheme For the oligarchy So we don’t question their greed And that money is speech You can buy elections for a fee Just lobby the seat And advertise to the sheep  We have socialism for the rich Capitalism for the poor If you don’t acknowledge this Then you’re ignorant for sure

The Supreme Court let corporations overreach Into the coffers of democracy When Citizens United gave unlimited head  To how they equated money to speech I get paid $12 an hour and have a college degree It’s really interesting Americas like you ignorantly Not question the society that seemingly free And Is silent to the oppression economically  The government exploits my labor power for healthcare The systems of poverty trap for the disabled on welfare I worked for a year to make ten grand So I could start my music business and make two albums You can make enough money to not be considered disabled  And still not have enough money to afford your medication I expect at the very least you support this with a click And make sure everyone knows Eric Leo taught you this

America’s an oligarchy One labor exploitation party While they rest and pop Bacardi  We work full-time and still are starving The American dream Is just a marketing scheme For the oligarchy So we don’t question their greed And that money is speech You can buy elections for a fee Just lobby the seat And advertise to the sheep  We have socialism for the rich Capitalism for the poor If you don’t acknowledge this Then you’re ignorant for sure

America’s an oligarchy One labor exploitation party While they rest and pop Bacardi  We work full-time and still are starving The American dream Is just a marketing scheme For the oligarchy So we don’t question their greed And that money is speech You can buy elections for a fee Just lobby the seat And advertise to the sheep  We have socialism for the rich Capitalism for the poor If you don’t acknowledge this Then you’re ignorant for sure

#rap #hiphop #new music #firday #american inequality #america #michigan #rapper #edutainment

[necnnights]

In which Hwajung hears something familiar.

FEATURING: Go Hwajung, Choi Eunbyul, Yoon Mingeun

SETTING: October 2023

WORD COUNT: 2.1k

MINGEUN, 7:18 AM: you might like this [link]

It’s turned into something of a joke between them, to send each other music the other person may or may not like. Hwajung listens to bits and pieces of Mingeun’s suggestions, which tend to be all the newest kpop releases. This one is no different. She looks at the album cover: a close-up of a bright green guitar with the album’s title, ROCKST★R, faux-scratched into its side, and rolls her eyes.

MINGEUN, 7:19 AM: have you met jaesun yet?

She hasn’t. She’s only heard the name tossed around and seen a rather pathetic-looking guy who carries himself like he’s the only person in the world around the company.

HWAJUNG, 7:19 AM: i haven’t

She wonders what he has to do with anything, and then she opens the Melon link to see ROCKST★R: The Second Mini Album by Hwang Jaesun, released yesterday. Leave it to Mingeun to be so attuned to current events. She should do the same, because they’re labelmates, but Hwajung has only listened to two Fable albums ever. 

MINGEUN, 7:19 AM: i’ll get jaeseop to introduce you one day MINGEUN, 7:20 AM: you should listen to the album. it reminds me of you. i think you’d really like it ❤️

Against her better judgment, Hwajung presses play. She has very low expectations. It has to be a mass-produced take on rock, something boring and uninspired. She doesn’t bother with her headphones, just rolls over in bed and increases the volume on her phone. It’s more or less what she expects. There’s a bit of guitar. The tinkling of hi-hats. The general structure of a kpop song: verse to pre-chorus to chorus, all of that over again, a completely unnecessary rap section that passes for a bridge. Somehow, she makes it through all three minutes and twenty-eight seconds of the song. She glances at the total runtime. Five songs, fifteen minutes and forty-nine seconds. Fine, by all counts and measures. Hwajung’s only uncertainty is that she doesn’t want to spend fifteen minutes of her time with this album.

By then, she’s almost a minute into the second song. This one is better than the first, something she can see herself listening to again. The thought is surprising.

HWAJUNG, 7:24 AM: i’ll let you know MINGEUN, 7:24 AM: [sticker]

She sorts through the rest of her messages as the song continues. She assures Aerin that they’re working on the new music for their next Korean EP. Hwajung wants it to be a full length album, but they’re running out of time. She ignores Taein’s message that reads something similar. She thumb-ups Yumi’s message in the group chat about throwing out their month-old vegetables, and wonders why they didn’t do that sooner.

Then the third song starts, and Hwajung is struck by the strangest sense of deja vu. The song sounds so familiar, that if she was a betting woman, she’d put money on having heard it before. The only problem is that it doesn't make any sense. The song was released yesterday. Hwajung has never met Jaesun, much less listened to his music before public release. She frowns, reaching for the headphones on her nightstand. She rewinds back and forth through the song, the sound fuller through her headphones than her phone speakers. The drum fills remind her, oddly enough, of herself. It does have its original points: the lyrics, the second verse replaced by another rap verse. Yet something about the melody sounds increasingly familiar to her.

Hwajung pauses the song to look through its credits: composed by someone named SEOUL’D OUT. She checks through the other tracks. Everything is the same. Lyrics by SEOUL’D OUT and occasionally Hwang Jaesun, music by SEOUL’D OUT. She taps the hyperlink in the producer’s name. Their only credits are on songs by Jaesun, who has two EPs, a fact previously unknown to Hwajung. She’s currently listening to his second.

She continues her research, though there isn’t much to research. She discovers two Naver forum threads asking who he is, from people she assumes are Jaesun’s fans. They come to nothing conclusive, just a sentiment that the producer must be very private and secretive. She briefly considers that it could be Jaesun himself. That doesn’t make much sense when he’s credited as a lyricist under his own name. She skims through a few of Jaesun’s interviews and eventually comes across a video where he briefly mentions it.

The Jaesun on her phone screen sits across from the interviewer and says, “SEOUL’D OUT? He’s a friend of mine. I wouldn’t be here without him. Thanks, hyung!” He makes a heart over his head and Hwajung has to pause the video before she throws up.

That’s it. She presses play on the music again, then texts Mingeun.

HWAJUNG, 7:40 AM: do you know who jaesun’s producer is?

He doesn’t respond immediately. The fourth song starts, and this too, reeks of familiarity. The only other conclusion Hwajung comes to is plagiarism. But there are no Neon Nights songs that sound exactly like this, nothing other than their oldest material and some never released songs Sungjae wrote. Sungjae. Hwajung sits upright and combs through her hair with her hands. SEOUL’D OUT. A sellout. Going from an indie rock band to pop music writer would do that to Sungjae. He’s from Seoul. She wonders why it took her four songs to connect the dots.

MINGEUN, 7:42 AM: some friend of his. why? you wanna steal him for neon nights? HWAJUNG, 7:42 AM: can you come over? you might think i’m crazy for this. MINGEUN, 7:42 AM: [sticker] MINGEUN, 7:43 AM: fifteen minutes

She skips to the fifth song, and is almost certain she’s right. If she listened to the album all over again, with the thought in her head, she’d hear him on every track. Hwajung is sure of it. The more she thinks about it, the more she finds Sungjae’s fingerprints all over it. She can’t believe she didn’t see this from the beginning.

Hwajung hurries to brush her teeth and put on a nicer shirt and wipe the sleep from her eyes. She sticks her head out of the bathroom to catalog the shoes near the door. Only Eunbyul’s Converse are there, thankfully.

She knocks on Eunbyul’s bedroom door, because she knows Sungjae almost as well as Hwajung does. Eunbyul opens the door, looking like she just woke up.

“I need you to listen to this and tell me what you think,” Hwajung says around the toothbrush in her mouth. She thrusts her phone screen in Eunbyul’s direction.

Eunbyul squints at it. “ROCKST★R? Jaesun’s new album?”

Hwajung takes the toothbrush out of her mouth. “You know him?”

“Not well.” She shrugs. “What’s so urgent?”

“Just listen to it,” Hwajung says. “Mingeun’s going to be here soon.”

MINGEUN, 8:00 AM: here

The three of them sit in the kitchen while Jaesun’s album plays off Eunbyul’s phone. 

Eunbyul speaks first. “It’s not a bad album. Was I supposed to hear something specific?”

Hwajung can’t keep it in anymore, so she says, “It sounds like something Sungjae would write.”

Her words are met with silence, until Mingeun says, “Your piece of shit brother? How would Jaesun know him?”

Hwajung throws her hands up in the air. “I don’t know. It sounds like him to me and the producer of Jaesun’s album doesn’t write for anyone else. His name is SEOUL’D OUT.” She turns to Eunbyul. “Sungjae would consider himself a sellout.”

“That doesn’t mean this person is him,” Eunbyul argues. “Seoul is a big city. There are lots of other failed rock or rap or hip-hop musicians who might consider themselves sellouts if they wrote pop music.”

“It feels like him,” Hwajung insists, knowing she sounds irrational. She also knows that Sungjae still thinks he was unfairly forced out of the band and spends much of his time hypercritical and in disagreement with her musical direction. She wouldn’t put it past him to try and worm himself back into Taein’s good graces and maybe the band.

Mingeun slides off his seat and begins to pace around the kitchen. “Let’s say this is him. What would he gain from being Jaesun’s dedicated producer? And how do they know each other?”

“Sungjae never wanted to leave the band,” Eunbyul says. “He’s probably still upset. I don’t see him ever getting over it. He tried to write music for your group a few years ago. I think Taein-nim turned him down every time he tried.”

“He did?” Mingeun asks in surprise.

Hwajung stares at him until he adds, “I’m glad Taein-nim kept telling him no. I wonder what’s different with Jaesun.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Hwajung cuts in. “What do I do about this?”

“Nothing,” Eunbyul says. Hwajung stares at her too. “What do you think you’re going to do about this? Demand the two of them stop working together? They could really be friends.”

That line of reasoning doesn’t make sense to her. How could Sungjae, who rarely goes out and rarely went out, except for school and to hang out with his little clique of pretentious composers, just happen to be friends with the newest artist at her company? She’s sure there’s something else going on. Maybe they’re both part of it, some conspiracy to bring her down. 

“It’s not that simple. It can’t be,” Hwajung says, teetering on the edge of conspiracy theorism.

Eunbyul glances at Mingeun, and asks, “Has Hwajung ever told you how we signed with Taein-nim?”

She has not. Mingeun pauses his pacing to think for a second, and shakes his head.

Hwajung sighs, because she really doesn’t think it’s necessary. “He found us at the Pentaport Rock Festival in 2017. This was before Eden and Qiuyun, when Sungjae and our old keyboardist, Myunghoon, were still in the band. When he approached us, we thought it meant all of us. Doesn’t that make sense? We were under a small label, and he promised us more. 

“Then we learned he wanted to make an idol band, and he only wanted to sign half of us so that we’d be a single-gender group, because that sells better. Sungjae was our frontman and primary songwriter. He did a lot of the negotiation up until that point. Taein-nim probably assumed it would be him and Myunghoon, and left it up to us to find him. He was shocked when the three of us showed up instead.”

Hwajung smiles at the memory. She’s never done anything that had Taein so surprised and upset and disappointed at the same time again. “He almost broke his promise. I don’t know why he had to go and add Eden and Qiuyun. We would have done well without them.”

She shakes herself out of the reverie. “That’s how Sungjae left. He hasn’t done anything else related to the band in years. This has to be him. He wants something from me. From us.”

Mingeun stops pacing and folds his arms over his chest. “Are you feeling okay? Sleeping okay?”

Hwajung spins in her seat so she can face him head-on. “You think I’m losing it. Seeing—hearing—something that doesn’t exist.”

“You admitted it in your text,” he says, raising his voice to match hers. “What am I supposed to think, when you say shit like that?”

“You started it,” Hwajung says pettily. “I wouldn’t have listened to it if you didn’t recommend it. Maybe it reminds you of me because it’s my fucking brother writing the fucking songs.”

“Ask him about it,” Eunbyul interrupts.

To be honest, the thought never occurred to her. She thinks about it for a moment, and then says, “What if he lies? This is clearly an alias. He wouldn’t admit it to me. You ask him, unnie.”

Eunbyul frowns. “He’s your brother. I haven’t spoken to him in years.”

“I haven’t spoken to him in three months,” Hwajung says.

“He’s your brother,” Mingeun repeats, pacing again. 

They both have decent relationships with their siblings. They don’t understand the rivalry and competition that has always existed between Hwajung and Sungjae, spurred on by their parents, that has always prevented them from getting along like siblings should or the so-called twin telepathy.

Hwajung scowls. “Fine.”

She thinks about it for a moment, composing the perfect message in her head. It’s too plain and simple to accuse Sungjae of… something. She doesn’t know what he’s trying to do, and she’s tired of guessing. At long last, Hwajung picks up her phone again and sends her brother a text.

HWAJUNG, 8:32 AM: you’re not a sellout

#╰ maestro maestro i’m a pretty psycho ⸻ writing. #╰ maestro maestro i’m a pretty psycho ⸻ hwajung. #ficnetfairy #fictional idol community #kpop oc #fake kpop group #idolverse #idol oc

[burningupp]

thirteen: recording

<<< masterlist >>>

permanent taglist: @sunnytaes @unadulteratedlyunique @alanniys @vantxx95 @sai-kida134 @halesandy @hibuki-chan @goldenhoney-cas

skz taglist: @to-mi-yo @nattisbored @idunnomanmynamewastaken

series taglist: @spikertrash @txtandroll @caliknow @buckybarnesismybff

The schematics for the rigging had indeed been neatly placed on the desk of the recording room, just like Soojeon had told Y/n over text. While it made the process easier, she wouldn’t say that it was easy - it had been around three years since she had last rigged anything, since she specialized in the producing part more than the recording. She figured it out after a few attempts, but honestly, it went better than she had expected. The whole time, she was listening to the demo track to get acquainted with it as much as possible.

Just as she was fiddling with the last parts of the setup, the door to the room swung open to reveal eight now familiar faces. She shot them a quick smile through the glass of the soundproof room she was in and turned off the music in her earphones, and both Felix and Jeongin waved back enthusiastically before they took their seats on the couch in the control room. Y/n quickly plugged in the last few cables to the audio interface before standing up with a groan, back cracking and perfectly mimicking the sound of twisting bubble wrap. Gross.

"Hi, sorry! I was a little lost for a sec," she admitted when she was back in the control room. "Been a while since I set up a studio."

Her friends were quick to assure her that they didn't mind, especially since they knew that she was thrust into this role in such an abrupt way. She sat down in front of the computer after shooting them all a quick smile once more, turning it on and checking that everything was actually plugged in correctly and no cables were loose. The whole time, the boys were talking and laughing, seemingly very relaxed and excited. It impressed her, since most people she worked with got all tense and weird for recording.

"Okay," she said when she finished checking everything, "let's get started. I'm just gonna be sitting here, recording everything you do in the booth and listening to make sure that everything comes out clean."

They nodded, and everyone looked around to try and figure out who to send into the booth first. After a few seconds, Chan sighed and looked to Jisung, nodding. The younger man took the hint and got up, walking into the vocal booth and putting the headphones on.

"Who will be directing?" Y/n asked as she moved some things around on the track.

"I will," Changbin said, sitting down in the chair next to her.

She didn't know why, but for some reason she hadn't expected for him to be the one to direct. She had expected Chan to do it, honestly, but she wouldn't question it. She was there to help them record and nothing else.

"Alright Hannie, you ready?" Changbin asked into the microphone, and the man in question flashed a thumbs up through the tempered glass. "You wanna start with rap or vocals?"

"Rap." The answer came without hesitation. It made Y/n smile.

When she had been working with Jisung on his tracks, it had been very apparent that he was much more comfortable writing rap lyrics as well as performing them. His voice was beautiful, and it's not like he did a bad job writing the lyrics for melodic parts, but it was apparent where his comfort zone lay.

Changbin quickly helped her locate the part of the song they would be working on for the time being something she was grateful for. Sure, she'd listened to the song and understood the basic structure, but it was a demo; she was very unsure about what parts belonged to which member.

After checking again that Jisung was indeed ready, Y/n started the recording and pressed play on the music. He did pretty well, but there were a few parts where she noticed that his diction suffered in favor of volume. She didn't comment, though - it wasn't her place. She didn't have to, it seemed, because Changbin was quick to pick up on exactly the same thing.

"Great, you're right on the money with the rhythm and which syllables you're stressing. I'm just thinking about the part in the middle - it doesn't sound entirely clear when you go louder. Know what I mean?"

Something about seeing Changbin like this, in his element, was extremely attractive to Y/n. He was so kind in his feedback, and so precise in what could be improved upon. She admired the way his comments were purely qualitative in that he didn't even mention what style each member was using, simply what made the vocal more clear and precise in the recording and what conveyed the emotion correctly.

He went through each member and all their parts calmly and methodically. He didn't get upset when they had to do a lot of retakes, he didn't rush or belittle anyone, and god damn it if she wasn't forced to admit to herself that she liked him. She liked his silly side, his caring side, his serious side, and the way he blended the different aspects of his personality in a way that was so uniquely him. It was all she could do not to swoon in front of all the members.

Liking him felt simultaneously safe and absolutely insane. He was such a great guy, and she knew that he would be more gentle with her feelings than anyone else, whether he reciprocated or not. At the same time, he was practically a colleague. On top of that, he had little to no time in his everyday life, and try as he might, making enough time for a relationship would be difficult and it could possibly hurt her feelings. Still, she thought, a relationship was getting ahead of herself - they were friends, good colleagues, and lunch buddies at times, but there was no indication that he saw her in that light at all.

When Changbin's turn to record came, Chan replaced him in the directing chair. The other members had cleared out as soon as they were finished with their parts, giving Y/n a quick hug on the way out to do something else (except for Minho, who had just patted her shoulder, and Seungmin who remained for last). The relative silence in the studio felt almost empty after all the space the members had been taking up for the past five hours, but it was soon filled with light banter between Chan and Seungmin while Changbin warmed up his voice.

"Alright, Bin," Chan started. "We're gonna start with the second verse." Y/n obediently positioned the play marker just before the start of the second verse, waiting for the go-ahead to record.

She'd obviously heard Changbin rap before, but she was still surprised at the raw power contained within him. Not to be rude, but he was quite short; she briefly wondered where the power even came from in the first place. His voice sent goosebumps across her skin, and she closed her eyes to listen to the uniqueness of it. It was so raw, and he projected so well. Yep, she definitely liked him.

#smau #social media au #skz social media au #skz #skz fake texts #skz smau #skz x you #skz x reader #skz x y/n #skz fake chats #skz fluff #skz fake text #stray kids social media au #stray kids x reader #stray kids fluff #stray kids smau #stray kids #stray kids x you #stray kids x y/n #seo changbin #seo changbin x y/n #seo changbin x you #seo changbin x reader #changbin #changbin x reader #changbin x you #changbin x y/n #changbin smau #changbin social au #seo changbin social au

[thesinglesjukebox]

(G)I-DLE - "QUEENCARD"

Time to find out once and for all -- like, for real this time -- who hates fun!

6.29

Kayla Beardslee: Dumb bitches assemble (affectionate). "Queencard" is kind of embarrassing to defend (you're going to bat for the boob and booty hot song? really?), but if you listen to it enough, it becomes impossible to deny that it's also kind of a banger. It would be a different matter if the production and topline weren't pulling their weight, but that bassline rips, and those line-to-line handoffs between all five members in the first verse get me every time. It also helps that this song comes from by far the best album (G)I-DLE has ever put out: when "Queencard" is placed next to the beautiful, dreamy B-side "Paradise" or the sinister-sexy "Lucid," its goofiness seems less like actual vapidity and more like Soyeon intentionally fucking around because she knows it's good to have a little fun and gas yourself up sometimes. Like, look me in the eyes and tell me it's not high performance art to release "Tomboy" and "Queencard" (and "Nxde"!) within a year of one another. I can get on board with a bit of silliness in exchange for the album I've been waiting for (G)I-DLE to make since I first discovered them -- which, as it happens, was when the Jukebox covered "Uh Oh" back in 2019. What a lovely and emotionally nuanced full-circle moment. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to twerking on the runway. [8]

Crystal Leww: MY BOOB AND BUTT IS HOT MY BOOB AND BUTT IS HOT MY BOOB AND BUTT IS HOT MY BOOB AND BUTT IS HOT MY BOOB AND BUTT IS HOT [8]

Katherine St Asaph: Vintage Fergie. [3]

Harlan Talib Ockey: Ridiculous. [7]

Tara Hillegeist: As an object lesson in one of pop music's golden rules -- "unfuckwithable production can save unforgivable lyrics every time" -- "Queencard" ticks all the bases. Embarrassing lines like "twerking on the runway" and "sexy like Kim Kardashian" that not even Meghan Trainor could've written with a straight face completely fail to dent that supple bassline and synth-bleep driven stomp of a beat. There isn't a single word of this song worth dignifying with a sincere analysis; there isn't a single word of this song that matters while the squelched-alarm bubble and squeak of a melody and irrepressible line delivery are still making the brain jiggle like so much excited jelly under their sonic assault. This is a missive from the same school of thought that produced "Song 2": a heady slab of music so thoroughly stupid yet sneeringly self-confident about it, hearing it excites the listener enough to mistake it for the work of a frustrated genius, instead. I cannot take its message seriously without taking insult. I can't stop pressing repeat. [7]

Will Adams: So many delightfully dumb lines, it's hard to choose a favorite. I wish the music had been equally as silly, as opposed to whatever Jonas Brothers purgatory it currently exists in. [5]

Alfred Soto: Elements from Pussycat Dolls and Meghan Trainor drift and fade with the attention span. [4]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: This quintet's energy is infectious enough to take "Queencard" (great title) to the finish line, but there's no getting past the backing track. Envision every Black Friday/post-Christmas/commercial on TV, strip the jaunty musical beds from their flatscreen-deal context, then paste them one after the other. I'm sorry, but GO TO PRISON!!! [2]

Nortey Dowuona: Pop rock as an aesthetic is actually a good thing to be pilfering from. It's not novel or boundary pushing in the slightest, but after the last decade of everything stealing from rap -- the structures, the adlibs, the flows, the kicks, snares, hi-hats and percussion, the poses, the clothing -- and miserably failing to even slightly capture the same lightning strike... maybe don't be bothered to try. I've been listening to What Had Happened Was with Questlove, and at each turn I grow more frustrated by the fact that neither he nor Black Thought ever cottoned on to the giant possibilities of being an actual band, only producing musical phrases to be looped in the least interactive or vivid way. And this song, which is a solid approximation of 2005 pop rock and 2011 piss-take raps, just frustrates me cuz it feels like Jeon So-yeon, the group's Questlove, has the same problem; being able to make poppy Shafiq Husayn records and settling for Max Martin throwaways. [5]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: How long has it been since we've had an honest-to-god hook song? You could blame it on shifting musical trends, but ever since K-pop made it big in the West, lyrics have had to start making sense. This means we've been deprived of the joy that comes with wonky English. The lyrics are especially camp on "Queencard," but it goes beyond that: it's the total surrendering of a topline to phrasing and rhythm. Case in point: "My boob and booty" has syllabic parallels with "I'm top" and "twerking." There's also a slick maneuvering between English and Korean here, with (G)I-DLE selecting the words that sound best -- "ppoppo" is way more fun than "kiss," and "I'm cute" can be delivered with more sass than the same phrase in Korean. "Queencard" may not be a term the average American knows, but it doesn't matter: it's the sort of nonsense word that you can repeat incessantly, much like we all did with "gee" 14 years ago. To top it off, (G)I-DLE actually sound like they're enjoying themselves instead of delivering a Serious Message. We may never get a song like this again. [7]

David Moore: There's boob and booty and twerking in this one, sure, but the most exhilarating part of the whole thing is when the phrase "I'm a queencard" in the chorus devolves into uncanny syllables, like Jell-O starting to go runny in the sun, in a way doesn't just tell you what a queencard is, but really points to it -- this is a queencard. I'm reminded that K-pop isn't just multilingual, but often meta-lingual in the way that so much (all?) good pop is, refusing to let words get by as mere signifiers and forcing us to reckon with words at the phonemic, molecular level. How wild is it that the entire basis of our civilization is built on these funky noises we make with our mouths and tongues and lungs and noses and throats? I think that's neat. [8]

Kat Stevens: I worry that she's going to lose a lot of money at poker. [6]

Michael Hong: Look, Soyeon's English lyrics are often questionable, and it doesn't help that each member seems to drop syllables. She's exaggerated her "rapping" voice to be sharper and more piercing, and the lyric "look so cool, look so sexy like Kim Kardashian (uh) / look so cute, look so pretty like Ariana" fits awkwardly in the meter and is a bit reductive of each (but also your bad if you expected a nuanced feminist take from the group that brought you "Nxde"). And the entire thing is just a Valley Girl rip of "Song 2" by Blur. And yet, 4 + 4 is still: [8]

Brad Shoup: The pre-chorus is really interesting, how it teeters on the rim of Meghan Trainor maltshop-pop without ever falling in. It's a nice break from the spy-theme slink that dominates this. [5]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Referencing Ariana Grande directly feels like giving away the game -- this is some real Dangerous Woman shit, a maximalist pop barrage that seems to operate on the principle that if you make enough baffling aesthetic and lyrical decisions it'll loop back to sense eventually. Joke's on me -- they're right! This sounds like how I imagine getting shot out of a T-shirt cannon would feel. [7]

Michelle Myers: Shuhua is a queencard. Soyeon is squeak-rapping like she's HyunA's daughter. Minnie is hosting a blue champagne party and doing her best Debbie Harry impression. Miyeon hard carries the pre-chorus. Yuqi is jamming the phrase "sexy like Kim Kardashian" into five syllables. She's top. She's twerking on the runway. [8]

Anna Katrina Lockwood: "I'm twerking on the runway" has got to be in the top five greatest stunt English lines in K-pop history. (G)I-DLE have always had oodles of talent and charisma, but "Queencard," like last year's "Tomboy," has the confidence of maturity and a rare sense of unfettered enjoyment. Nobody's had such a good time in a music video since GD and TOP went to the club. Speaking of YG party songs, of course this is reminiscent of that format---though as others have pointed out, it lacks the true YG party chorus to close. There are a few better precedents in Cube's own history, which are combined effectively with a vaguely punk rock sound and a sensitive handful of blog house references. Part of the magic has to be the judicious editing Soyeon has applied here -- "Queencard" is a blisteringly tight 2:41, far from the bloat often befalling her earlier compositions. It's fun, you can shout along to it, there's a funny little dance, there are at least three melodies I've had stuck in my head--it's some good fucking K-pop. [9]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

#(g)i-dle #pop #k-pop #music #music writing #music reviews #music criticism #the singles jukebox #Youtube

[hislittleraincloud]

Tor, how do you write SO MUCH?! I’m out here struggling to reach 1,000 words and you’re pumping out 10K word chapters? Please teach me your ways 🙏

Alas, Young Jedi, I cannot teach the ways, as the ways are long and lifetime. I've been writing and drawing since I could pick up a pencil.

Reading for longer...there's a photo of me somewhere where I'm about 1 or so, and I had crawled over to a pile of Sunday papers, slid out the Comics section, sat my ass down in my diaper, and opened the paper like anyone else would open and read a newspaper...I was quite attracted to the Dick Tracy comic, and I remember seeing the words "Dick Tracy" but being unable to communicate anything about it because hello...I was a freaking baby. But my father was freaking out after my mother pointed to what I was doing and he rushed to go grab his camera (I remember his freak out too, he was so excited 🤣💕). If I can find that photo, I'll post it (it's somewhere, it was used on the photo posters printed for when my grandmother passed back in the 00's).

By the way, the science that says that babies can't have such memories is wrong. I am proof of that. My hippocampus must have been very highly developed/advanced, because I remember a shitload of things from when I was a baby, some of which I'd like to forget. Anyway.

I was also raised on Daytime Soap Dramas (aside from the usual Sesame Street and Electric Company that was for us kids on PBS). I've seen years and years of writers writing the wildest, most dramatic shit. I've watched characters come back from the dead with wild — but plausible — explanations. Daytime Soaps got and still get a bad rap, but depending on which one, the storytelling is compelling, which is why there were fans who stayed loyal to their soap (my mother was an AMC & OLTL loyalist...she didn't care for GH or non-ABC Soaps). How to write compelling stories is hidden in plain sight with those. Back from the dead? Check. Drawing out a scene for days because of the angst? Check. Cliffhangers? Double, triple, quadruple check. Cliffhangers are prevalent in soaps and probably the main thing that kept people coming back to the stories and wanting more. Media has changed, unfortunately, and there are no regular, daily dramas (well, GH is one of three surviving American soaps) that children are stuck watching because there's nothing else on TV to entertain SAHMs. SAHMs have their pick of apps, movies, and shows now, and most fans of soaps are generationally conditioned...like me, but my soaps are gone. (Fun fact: I appeared on Hulu with my dog via Skype to ask actor Robert S. Woods a question during their interactive OLTL session, when OLTL was shifted to Hulu. I was way too excited, since I'd been watching him for over 35 years. My dog, however, was asleep in my arms with his tongue hanging out...and that was caught on camera 💩). Some of it is highly repetitive, so it trains your brain to tolerate and accept the multiple variations of storyline that are, but aren't, the same.

But anyway, back to present day since ABC gutted their soaps in favor of bullshit no one watches: I write when inspired. Sometimes it comes out with strong weed (like a good Wenjax scene that I'm deliberating whether it should go into the main Afterburn story or into the Deleted Scenes). Sometimes I just write dialogue for a couple of hours. UVC was mostly dialogue when written at first (the fic wives have seen it in its halfway mark, when it was completely lacking Jon's exploration of her house).

I also write a lot of poetry and have done so since just before I met Allen Ginsberg. My father had exposed me to the Beats before, but I was too stuck in my kid head until I met the master at 14. I was enamored by him and his freeform writing, even though I was heavily into the American Romantics like Walt Whitman (such is going to be explored in the UVCniverse). But while I could write like them, I wanted more freedom of structure with lyricism, and Beat poetry (along with non-Beats like e.e. cummings and a few others) afforded me that. The bulk of my youth poems are gone/destroyed when my fucking ex and fucking building manager emptied my apartment when I was in Rome ten years ago (so if I go quiet in November, it's me mourning those poems...since I'm not like Jon or Cairo, I can't retrieve them from m brain 😞 I have a really sharp memory, but it's not like theirs... it's more like ABW's). FTR, in my youth I was also a huge Edgar Allen Poe fan, and won the class contest to write like him in the 6th grade. I might've mentioned that before. First prize was a large (the big bar type) Hershey bar. I gave it to my father bc I didn't like regular Hershey chocolate LOL. At the time, my favorite book was a very old dictionary/thesaurus/almanac combo book, and reading bits of it every day helped my writing.

Writing poetry for me is a little harder these days, but the muse is whispering a little, and 'In Three Bites' (from the screencap I posted before about the shit I'm writing) is Jon and Cairo slinging a form of poetry at each other during class via text. Poetry can be practice for bigger things, so look into just writing down your thoughts. Stream of consciousness writings, stuff like that can be poetic or it can be rambling, who cares? Write.

Write what you know to practice, even if it's a private diary entry. Expand your vocabulary. Collect thesauruses and READ THEM, and write down (with a pen/pencil on paper) the most interesting words that appeal to you and remember/retain them for future use — don't just let your teachers hand you a list to memorize (do what they tell you to do re: vocab words, but don't be limiting yourself to what they want you to learn). Learn a second language, one that is structurally atypical to English's SVO [subject, verb, object], so that you can see the world from someone else's culture. Never stop learning words that are new to you. Never stop learning like that, would probably be my ultimate advice.

But also? Fuck word counts, unless you're writing a 100 word drabble. In fact, write more 100 word drabbles. It will teach you to pick and choose your words for effective expression of the scene/thought. I don't really worry about meeting word counts, unless it starts to get long (which is where AB is, and which is why I've had to split chapters up). Half of the UVC/MG ones I listed are at under 1K words so far, but I'm not concerned about word count on them and probably won't be, unless one of them turns into a monster (I can see 'Project Drop Down' (Cairo meets Bea) taking that turn, but I can probably make that one a 10K one shot). Don't struggle to get to 1K. Just write what you want and need to. It'll go where it needs to go, especially when you're inspired. And if you never get inspired over an idea? Move on to the next one, or move to something that does inspire you enough to write over 1K of it in one go. Some people are satisfied writing 200 word 'chapters'. I am not. There's too much going on in my head to limit everything to 200 words, so I just keep writing and writing. Might be genetic, since my father's been opining to me about how he needs to type up all of his writings (and I have a Paperblank journal that I gave him to fill up, which he did 💀).

Write!

And keep writing to whatever passion calls to you. If it isn't calling, don't angst over it. It's not the end of the world if you can't get to 1K.

#on writing #on writers #creative writing #writing #anon #nice anons #nice anon #answering anons #answering asks

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

I took notes on the main character songs in rtc and I need to share them or I’ll rtscream

What the World Needs

Social Darwinism: The Song; they said it

The song is very superficial melodically (they took general pop music like Taylor Swift as reference for building it [when I say Taylor swift I mean something Shake It Off adjacent, I’m aware she has a diverse discography])

Repetitive melody

The lyrics don’t tell a story, it’s just her describing an idea

Structured as if she’s giving a speech about why she’s the best candidate to live again

She also has a lot of speaking parts in this song further pushing my point of this being a preconstructed speech instead of it being a song like the others

Noel’s Lament

This whole song is Noel creating a story of tragedy and he succeeds in that. Tragedy is defined as a singular disastrous event and when a character moves through a narrative while an omnipotent force is pushing for a disastrous and sorrowful conclusion. (See Webster)

(That point kind of contradicts my other look at this song but pay that no mind I did this one first)

This whole story is one ongoing disastrous event with Monique and everyone else being puppeted around to give Monique the most tragic and miserable time

Lowkey giving We Both Reached For the Gun

This Song Is Awesome

Techno rap song

Giving T-Pain; that was on purpose, ik

The piano part kinda reminds me of Eminem

Giving Blame It

Mischa expresses his anger through this style of music

I love Ricky and Constance singing the extra vocals it’s so good I love the idea of them being buddies

Also he said this song would be filled with curse words and I don’t think there’s a single curse word in this song

There is actually, I just checked

Well there aren’t any in the chorus and he said the chorus would only have profanity so 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

Talia

He has a very traditional view of romantic relationships

^Reflected in the traditional Ukrainian style the song is in

“Кохаю, Я тебе кохаю” blaaaghhegehblalalalla

“Let rivers run wild, or let them be damned” AAAAAAA SHUTTTT UPPP AAAAAAAAAAAAA

Talia seems very distant the whole song; like she’s just an idea that Mischa loves, not an actual person

^That could definitely be because Mischa never got to meet her in person which really shows how superficial of a foundation this love is set on; it’s just puppy love

^He doesn’t actually describe her as a person and describes her as more of an idea

^She’s literally projected onto Jane Doe[‘s skirt] because Jane doesn’t have an identity similar to how Talia isn’t really given one either

Mischa only describes Talia in relation to his relationship with her and how much he loves [the idea of] her, nothing outside of that

But although his love for her has a superficial foundation, it’s very real and his feelings are very real and you can really feel it with how gingerly this song is expressed

The two genres (techno rap and traditional Ukrainian folk) mix at the end representing how angry Mischa is about never getting to meet his love

The “lalala” interlude part feels like if this musical were a dvd movie, this part would play at the menu screen

He uses this style to express his passion (love)

The melody when he sings Talia always reaches before falling. He never ends on a high note while singing “Talia”. Even in the end he finishes the song on a high note while singing “love”, not “Talia”.

He has love for her but might not ever know her. He never got to meet her when he was alive

I LOVE THIS SONG SMMM AARGEHVRVR HE. SHHSHENEM

Space-Age Bachelor Man

The peak of the album

Like since the songs follow the cadence of a roller coaster, this would be the tippy top before the plummet into The Ballad of Jane Doe

Over the course of this song, he gains more narrative control (primarily because the cat guys are giving him more govt power) and I think that makes it comparable to Noel’s Lament

Gives 80s cartoon, like He-Man but less appropriate for children

Feels very self contained, very separate from reality

The singer’s voice is very warm I love it I love it

Reminds me of nyan cat lowkey

When he makes a super high note, his voice falls after he hits it (B3 on “Tell us Ricky should we pull the switch”)(G#4 on “Let me be”)(A4 on “B-b-b-b-bachelor maaaaan” [kind of sounds like he says meow there which makes since cause cat ppl and what not]) which I think foreshadows the emotional drop from this song to The Ballad of Jane Doe

^Could also be referencing the fall to their deaths on the Cyclone roller coaster perhaps idk

Also he says he hits a G# five octaves above middle C which would be the highest note also showing that this is the emotional peak of the musical

Ballad of Jane Doe

The first part of the song, the melody ascends as reference to her death and also her reaching for an answer

She does an ascending minor harmonic scale, falls back down in chromatic and lands on thra (if you know solfège instead of numbers lol sucks to be you ig), then goes down a half step and comes back up to thra not actually concluding the melody because she’s still searching

The second part is more grounded representing her [head] hitting the ground

The third movement is Jane expressing anger for not being able to remember who she once was or the life she lived

The key changes from F minor to G minor (whole step change), but it changes halfway through her emotional change

Skeleton dance number

At the end of the song, she starts “Doe” on a high one (conclusive) then continues moving up a minor third, I think that represents her still reaching for help from anyone to remind her who she once was, though it’s inconclusive and she’d probably be searching indefinitely since this is the end of the song

What’s interesting tho is in the rtc slime tutorial, she doesn’t continue ascending at the end, she concludes the melody and does a curt inhale instead

Sugar Cloud

I think if Space Age Bachelor Man was the highest point of this roller coaster, this song is the fun loopy part before coming to an end

^Which would make sense given that Constance’s last moments before her death was her upside down relishing reality

This song moves around a lot, like note wise, Lillian Castillo really moves through her registers in this song

^And that makes sense considering after What The World Needs, Constance says she’s more of a melody person

^This is also consistent with her lyrics being pretty repetitive compared to other songs and some parts being grammatically incorrect

“It breaks ‘till you can’t break no more” (double negative)

And the lyric “I see the world with all its backwards upside down” really doesn’t make sense to me, but it doesn’t have to, it really just adds to the pure joy she feels that only melodies could describe

The song starts slow and builds gradually giving us a good tone transition from the last song and helps a lot with the emotional whiplash from the jump between Space Age Bachelor Man to The Ballad of Jane Doe

It kind of has a gospel vibe to it, especially at the end during the break down

Half step key change from D major to D# major

I love the chorus after the bridge aaaaaa

Ok I think that was it thank you for reading if you did I think I really outdid myself with this, christ

#rtc #ride the cyclone #mischa rtc #noel rtc #constance ride the cyclone #ocean o'connell rosenberg #ocean rtc #ricky potts #jane doe #jane doe rtc

[arueternity]

Hi!! Do you ever wonder what kind of music each of the vessels listen to when they have some downtime? It's something that randomly crosses my mind.

Love your writings by the way 🫶🏼

Hello hello, I wrote in a different format, I gushed I’m sorry. I love y’all’s requests, they make my day <3

Vessel

I can honestly see Vessel listening to some soft yet sad songs. I’m talking artists like Jacob Lee, you know the man who wrote Demons? It’s soft with a lot of guitar and feeling. Depressing but also meaningful.

“Deep in my structure I think I still love her but I need some sleep…” - Demons by Jacob Lee

II

Y’all might hate me but II 100% listens to rap! He just listens to it to the beat and hype. Possible Snow Tha Product or Nikki Minaj because he’s baby. Also, throw in some random Lil Darkie to switch up and add some flavor to that shit.

“I don’t know and I don’t care, I’m unaware of how he’s faring” - HAHA by Lil Darkie

III

Let’s get grooving with III, this long-legged baby loves pop. He screams the lyrics to Doja Cat 24/7, like shut him up. You know that dance/jump he does on stage? Yeah, he’s doing this to Say so so much he’s panting. It’s just a bop and he can scream and go wild.

“Didn't even notice, no punch left to roll with, you got to keep my focused, you want it? Say so” - Say So by Doja Cat

IV

Sue me (don’t please) IV is a soft sad boy. He listens to indie music on a daily and stares at people while doing it. I mean stuff like Sweater Weather and 505. He feels floaty but also loves the little guitar bits in the songs. A perfect balance I tell you.

“It’s too cold for you here and now. So let me hold let me both your hands in the holes of my sweater “ - Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood

#sleep token #sleep token ii #sleep token iii #sleep token iv #sleep token vessel #headcanon #imagine