#there’s not a lot new about the sound of his music which I think sour had going for it

[automaticpizzahologram]

I'm not German or speak German so sorry if I translate it wrong just blame Google translate

Both bill and the reader are 16

" Hallo i-ich bin y/n" ( hello I'm y/n).

I say, well try to say. I'm trying to learn German by myself just for something to do. I don't think I will ever need it but it's gonna be awesome to say I can speak more than one language and that's German, plus German people have amazing accents that make them sound fantastic.

I sit on the swings staring down and the miniature sized book in my hands . Even though I'm swinging slightly the swing still  screeches . It's not the best park, it has a broken roundabout that barely spins, the slide gives kids burns no matter what you wear. The over flowing bin thats full of beer bottles and other stuff I probably don't want to know about.

Everything in the park has worn out, dull paint on it. It looks like no one has been in for years and that's kinda true ever since the new park was added all the younger kids go there, it's in the nicer part of town as well.

It seems as though only drug addictics, drunkes and some teens go to this park now which is normally at night so sometimes I get this place all to myself.

My eyes quickly skim the page.

"alright so they pronounce their 'w' 's as v' s. So wine would be vine?" I look up to the clear blue sky and sigh. Closing the book I put it on the floor. I pick up my phone from the ground and skip my music till I find a more upbeat song, I place my phone back on to the floor then I start to swing getting higher and higher.

I sit swinging for about 45 minutes being in my own little world while listening to music watching the world go by. I slowly slow down draging my feet on the gravel and pull myself to a stop. I slip off my headphones and place them around my neck. Jumping of of the swing I bend down and pick up my book, phone and my bottle of water, I place my phone into my Jeans pocket. I start to head out of the park when I drop my waterbottle . I reach down stretching my arm out ready to grab the bottle when another hand beats me to it. I look up at the person ready to say thank you and I'm met with a really pretty, tall, skinny boy with longish black hair. 

" Thanks, you didn't have to do that but I appreciate it"

"Don't worry, it was no problem. I'm Bill" the German accent catching my attention. Bill holds my bottle out and I reach to get it.

" Thanks" I say again "I'm y/n" grabbing the waterbottle.

Bill steps to the side  slightly and that's when I notice another boy with dreadlocks.

"This is my brother Tom."

" it's nice to meet you but I probably should be going. Have a nice day" I say and continue to walk out of the park and along the path heading home. I turn to look back at the park and catch bill still looking at me, he doesn't turn away quickly as I thought he would, he just continues to look. I turn back around and continue my way home.

~~~~~~~°°~~~~~~~°°~~~~~~~°°~~~~~~

I kick my shoes of at the door and set down my book and waterbottle on the bench. I look at my waterbottle thinking back to the boy in the park and his brother, they looked about my age.

I open the snack cupboard and take out a pack of sour patch kids I grab my book and water and head up to my room.

Closing the door I chuck the sour patch kids on my bed as well as my waterbottle .

My room isn't very big. It has light gray walls with windows on both the front and the back of my room. My beds near the front of the room, my conserlation bedding make my room look more  neater for some odd reason. I have about fifty thousand plants dotted around in different coloured plant pots. My room doesn't really have a theme it's just random.

For a small room I have a lot of stuff and I don't even need it. I don't use the things so there's no point in having them but it's the fact that most of the stuff is gifts and things that I might in the future, who knows.

I walk over to my bed and  get on. lying on my stomach I reach to my right and put my book on my book shelf that has far to many books for it, and if I'm being honest I have 4 books on the go that need finishing.

I open the bag of sour patch and start scrolling on Instagram.

After about 15 minutes I get bored. I chuck my phone to the side and get up from my bed streching as I do so.

I hear the door open and close from my mum coming in from work.

"I'M BACK " she shouts. My mums pretty chill, just don't get on her bad side.

"OK" I shout back

"is your sister In?"

"no, she's staying at jasmine's tonight"

" should we order in tonight then"

I run out of my room and down the stairs into the sitting room. Not only is my room small every rooms small. My mum's sitting on the sofa scrolling through what I'm guessing is a takeaway menu.

"how does Chinese sound?"  mum says looking up from the menu on her phone.

"yeah that sounds great"

We normally order in if maddison is out because she doesn't like eating fatty foods, she says its going to ruin her skin and figure . I mean when I was 14 i had okay skin a few spots every now and then  but I didn't stop eating stuff  because of it. The acne has gone now thankfully, and I'm happy about how I look because I relised that unless I get plastic surgery, which is hella expensive, I can't change the way I look.

About 12 minutes later mom gets a phone call.

I don't pay attention until I hear my name being mentioned, I turn my head towards mum now interested in the conversation that mums having.

"No, I'm sure she'll be fine with going, one sec, I'll tell her"

"y/n, sweetheart, maddison wants to go to this concert thing with jasmine in 2 or 3 weeks, apparently they have vip tickets or what ever you call them. And they want you to go are you okay with that" she says looking over to me

"yeah, sure, I don't mind"  mum turns back to facing forward again.

" your sister says yes she'll go with you"

"Okay, bye love you" mum hangs up the phone and turns back towards me.

" Are you sure you're okay with going?"

"yeah I need to get out anyway, did she say who we're going to see"

"no I don't think so, only that they have back stage passes, apparently jasmine's parents bought them for her and accidently bought 3 instead of two without knowing. You know how rich people are"

Hi everyone thanks so much for reading.

I have no clue what happens at a concert cause I have never been to one never mind back stage so please bare with me. I'll try and update as much as I can.

#bill kaulitz x reader #tokio hotel #tom kaulitz #bill kaulitz #fem reader

[kurokonobrainrot]

For the sensory ask thing. 2,6,7,14,18 and 22 for Akashi please!

Thanks for asking !!

2- The colours they wear / look best in

Muted and warm colors, like brown, beige, black, white, creme and marron. I said it before but the dark (and light) academia aesthetic is perfect for him,

6- Some of their favourite flavours or foods

I made a post about it on twitter a while ago with a cute template i found so here it is

He doesn't like sharp flavors and he is a picky eater, i love how the GoM knows about it and Aomine even teased him for it in a cd drama.

He absolutely make a face when he eats sour things, which is why he doesn't like it very much. He doesn't really have a problem with the taste but he finds it inappropriate of him to not be able to hide it and remain impassive

He doesn't really have 'rich people' taste, he likes simple dishes because it reminds him of the time when his mother was still alive and cooked for him.

7- What they smell like

Tea and incense. Matcha because he drinks a lot of it, the incens comes from the fact that he lit some for his mother every single day before going to school and the smell stick to his clothes.

He also uses really fine soap and shampoo, the smell is very delicate but its possible to smell it when you're really close to him.

14- Their favourite type of music

He used to only listen to classical music because that's what he learned with the violin and piano, but he can find songs he likes in every styles. He doesn't go out of his way to find new songs but he is always happy to listen to his friends recommendation, if a friend send him a song he will listen to it. I think he would also be very fond of jazz.

I think he'd rather play classical music than listen to it, unless it's Midorima playing.

18- The sounds they make when experiencing intense emotion

He practiced so much staying impassive and not showing any sign of "weakness" that he doesn't make any sound. Maybe just a sharp inhale when he can't fully repress it.

When the intense emotion is bliss or happiness and he is completely relaxed (like half asleep), he makes a sound very close to purring.

22- Are they good at sensing the thoughts and emotions of others? How do they experience them?

He is extremely good at sensing both, almost like a mind reader. But for their emotions, despite being able to sense them very well, he isn't very good at understanding and interpreting them.

He is deep down a really awkward boy, he practiced very hard to be good at socialization but he has also never been able to fully understand other people, its not that he lacks empathy, it's because he muted his own emotions so hard and for so long that even his own emotions are foreign to him, so understanding other people's emotion is even harder.

This is one of the reasons why he cannot make himself approachable and has difficulty connecting with others and also why he sometimes appears to lack tact sometimes (especially in middle school).

_________________

That was really fun ! I'm very sensitive to sensory stimuli so these kinds of headcanons are really enjoyable to write

#akashi seijuro #knb #kuroko's basketball #kuroko no basket #ask #sensory headcanons

[lemmetreatya]

In Memory of Me — Eren x fem!reader

Thank you @flamespond for the idea. A real one tbh. Always know ur gonna match my silliness

word count: 2.7k

content: erens a cocky bastard, f! reader, reader has their ears pierced, alcohol, strong language, anal sex, doggy style, unprotected sex, cumshot, idk eren has an obsession with worm earrings (is it a kink for him? idk)

They were so fucking stupid. Like, stupid, stupid.

So stupid, that Eren finds himself with a soured expression as he looks on at you over the rim of his drink. Because honestly, who even wears something like that to the club? Frickin, worm earrings — those frilly skrunkly looking fellas with the strabismus eyes and wiggly bums.

And he thinks he hates them, which isn’t new because Eren hated a lot of things unprovoked, (Read: paper mache, manholes, Jimmy John’s, character shaped plastic weed grinders and more) but either way, he can’t get himself to hate you — which sucks — because you thought wearing worm earrings to the club was cool.

The skittish laugh you made in the bartender’s direction was no help either. He hates to admit it but you were so good looking, and Eren wishes that you weren’t.

He thinks maybe that way it’d be easier to ignore you with your funky jewellery and move on with his night, but no. No, Eren always had to find a pulling towards the weird ones.

“It’s definitely a creative choice.”

That’s what Eren starts with when he decides to indulge you.

You pause mid-conversation and turn in his direction. The music was cheap and the booze was even cheaper, but giving just about anybody your time of day was expensive.

“Sorry, you talking to me?”

An easy shrug graces Eren’s shoulders as he hops them up and down. You had a daring spunk and he likes that more about you than he hates the worm earrings.

With a coupled bite of his bottom lip and a simmering eye hold, the brunette moves closer within your proxemics.

“Well, I mean unless there’s anyone else wearing obnoxious worm earrings then…”

“Obnoxious?” You repeat.

Eren was fast to agree with your reiterated sentence but it was too late when he realises, along with your irked expression, that maybe using his internal opinions about your consciously chosen earrings for a conversation starter, was warped.

Instantly changing his countenance, Eren reels his expression into a fake pout of remorse. This one usually sealed the deal because Eren seemed to have a very ‘I want to forgive you’ face, or so he’s been told .

“I-I’m sorry. I acknowledge that was real rude of me. Forgive me, I don’t do this often.” He says with a hand over the right side of his chest.

That’s a lie; Eren does this often enough to know that a sleazy apology usually does the trick, but apparently it didn’t land too well tonight.

Your eyes analyse him top to bottom. He’s cute, hot even. That, you won’t deny, but before else you had your integrity to hold. With a curled lipped expression, you slowly turn your head away from the brunette.

“Well, when you do this often enough and figure out how to approach me properly, come again.”

Ohh, shivers.

Eren weirdly liked that. From that alone he knows he wants more and that’s not just because his dick jumped at the assertiveness.

At this point, Eren would decide that his pride and ego were too important to be bruised by a mere Club Pickup and so he’d usually throw a very unfeminist, degrading comment and go along his way. But fuck, it’s you with the stupid worm earrings and heck load of self worth — there’s something about you that makes Eren voluntarily deny himself.

“Don’t think I’m willing to wait that long.”

At his words, you direct back in Eren’s direction with a slow turn. Half of you was surprised that he was still within your vicinity but the other part was intrigued to know what was really making him stay.

“For what?” You slowly enunciate.

Eren gives you a look as if what he was saying was simple. Which it was, but there was just something about the man that made everything he said come out sounding imbecilic.

“To figure out how to approach you of course. I can’t do it with calculations or a trial and error. Look at your earrings for shit's sake, you’re unpredictable.”

The brunette wildly gestures in your vague direction. You also notice a tattoo that curiously peaks out from his neck.

Hm. Hot.

Turning towards him more, you wear an amused expression as you ask:

“And so the approach you’ve gone for now — you think that’s working for you?”

It shuts him down for a bit.

You can see the clogs working slowly behind his wide beryl eyes. Even within the darkened club scene, that feature of his was wildly prominent.

But he’s quick though. He rolled said eyes, as if to feign that the answer was obvious, but you couldn’t help but notice the elysian grin that started to sport his lips.

“Right now, we’re taking ten.” He shrugs. “I’m not tryna pick you up at the moment. Well, I am, but not in the forward, proactive way. I just… they’re so fascinating.”

“Me or the earrings?”

Eren smirks.

“The earrings.”

He knows that’s not the answer you were expecting. It was the answer you knew he was leading to but you hoped that by some warped pick up line, he’d divert his answer to you at the last second. But he didn’t.

You let out a delayed huffed at his honest answer and he knows, then, that he’s got you.

This guy was absolutely tactless. You recall that he said he was thinking of a unique way to approach you, per your unconventionality, but you didn’t think he’d be this push and pull.

Still yet, in a very weird, sadly obnoxious way, it was working. So much so that you’re not sure whether to credit him for his stupidity or ingenuity.

Lightly pressing forwards, Eren made a bold move and decided to poke your arm with his index finger.

“C’mon, I’m not being that unreasonable. They’re unusual for a club setting and you know it. I’ve only ever seen someone wear these once in my life and that was on my boy’s kid cousin’s ears because she gave into peer pressure.”

With a humorous air, you raise your eyebrow at the brunette.

“You think I gave into peer pressure to wear these?”

“Nah, I doubt it.”

Eren seemed to really be thinking hard about this. He searched his eyes over your face, irreligious as his watch lingered over your lips.

“I’d say the next best thing is a dare. Most probably a stupid harmless one between friends, but now that I’m thinking about it, you wear them with too much dignity for it to simply be bad luck.”

Cocking your head to the side, you shuffle closer towards the brunette. You offered him a mulling smile.

“Is it really too hard to believe that I wore them of my own volition?”

Eren reels his head back but he doesn’t stay further away for long. He easily nods before edging closer in your direction. He has an unsure look on his face but he decides to be honest.

“Kinda, yes.” He says with a lower voice.

You weren’t offended. No, you were beyond feeling shameful affinity for worm earrings, but you guess in order to entertain this intrigued individual, you’d pertain to his supposed interest.

“So what, you want my earrings? Tryna fuck them or use them to get off?” You quip. “You can have ‘em if you wannem so bad.”

Eren makes a weirded out expression but he doesn’t move away. Something about him made you keen in his direction. Maybe it was how comfortable he seemed.

“What? Noooo, I don’t wanna fuck your earrings, I’m tryna fuck you! Only reason I stepped up to you in the first place.” He pouts.

You raised your eyebrows at him once again but this time it was accompanied with a smirk. Once he noticed your reception, he quickly returned your expression before continuing, his fingers tinkling at your own.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re hot as fuck and I’m honestly reeling just thinking about having you underneath me. Only thing is that you just happen to be wearing the most…”

Eren quickly lets his words die at the back of his throat. If it’s one thing he’s learnt tonight, it was to not finish that sentence.

“Yeah.” He finishes.

Your turn your head so that you can side eye him. Jutting out your bottom lip, you thought for a moment.

“So you’re tryna sleep with me?” You said more to yourself than to him but the sentient was as easily reciprocated by him.

Eren flings his head back in a childish manner. Amusing, as he seems more offended at that question than he did when you offered him worm earrings coitus.

“God—I—" He clasps his hands in a fist in front of his face. "What else do you think I’m talking to you for? I’m literally just tryna give you that fuck-you-to-sleep, forget your name type dick, is that really too much to ask for?

You momentarily pause as you look upwards in faux ponder.

“Is that it?" You ask.

Eren nods.

With a neutral expression, your shoulders perk upwards.

"Oh. Then you should have just said.”

“Waaait a minute.”

The way Eren slowly squints his eyes at you makes you snort and then burst into a fit of public appropriate giggles.

He was genuinely such an interesting individual. You did wonder if he was actually this amusing or if he was simply curating his personality so that he could talk to you better. Either way you weren't too concerned; more than him, you too were just seeing this as an opportunity to get fucked silly.

Eren's eyes joyfully follow you as you continue to bend over in laughter, his own lips quirking upwards at the sides.

“It was that easy, huh?” He jokes in disbelief.

“It was that easy. Didn’t have to mention my earrings or nothing.” You quip back, the glowing embers of joy and alcohol evident in the beam on your face.

Eren cocks his head in your direction, his smile also wide. Although you never remember him being this close. He was practically a hand span away from you.

“Well, whaddya know? Looks like I’ve still got it.”

Playfully scoffing, you lightly push his stomach with the palm of your hand. You noted that it was a lot more taut with muscle than you thought it'd be.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” You chide as you finally allow your eyes to wonder to the plumpness of his lips.

This was so fucking stupid. Like, stupid, stupid.

Because never in your life did you think a self conceited bastard like Eren would ever fuck this good.

You hated that he knew what he was doing; that he didn't need twenty-one plus questions to figure out your reactive spots, guilty pleasures and favourite positions. He was an expert, a god, at how well he knew how to put his dick into play.

"Gonna...gonna, shit, gonna fuck those silly worm earrings right off you. Gonna really...rock your shit up."

You were way too gone to reply.

Ass up, face down and cock continuously hollowing deep into the canals of your ass, yet Eren still found a way to make this about the worm earrings. You even contemplated taking them off considering how viciously they were whacking your face but you didn't care. Who the fuck was caring about worm earrings when you were getting fucked this good?

Clearly, Eren couldn't relate.

"S-stupid worms...stupid fucking silly worms — God, you're so tight — they're so weird!"

Your orgasm still had space to build up but you wanted to reach it quickly. Lolling your hand down between your thighs, you used two fingers to rub at your clit; to give your tea a little bit of honey, just to speed up the process.

"E-Eren..." You moaned out.

Hearing his name be chanted into his duvet, Eren felt his cock twitch.

"Yeah, that's it. Say my name. Say my name with those...with those worms in your ears. Go on, say it."

"Eren! Eren! E’en."

Your chants caused the male to throw his head bag in agonic pleasure. His grip on your hips got tighter as he used the leverage to continuously pull you back onto his slick cock.

"Just like that. Oh yeah, just like that. You feel so good. So so good, worms 'n' all."

Okay, quite frankly, this was getting ridiculous. Surely he couldn't be for real. Like, you've gathered; he likes to be the centre of attention and has difficulty doing that without a joke, laugh or gag, but surely yet, he'd understand that somethings you just kept separate from each other. Like wriggly worm earrings and getting doggied.

Surging backwards to try and meet Eren's thrust made the brunette let out a groan of pure wanton expression. He took one hand to slap the apple of your ass cheek a few times before hunching over you, his chest flush with your back.

“Want me to come inside you?” He salaciously grunts into your ear.

With an indecent moan, you agree.

“Uh huh. Yeah, wan’ you to…to cum inside me, Ren.”

The brunette placed a kiss to your back and then your shoulder as his cock continuously expanded your puckered hole. He then gingerly changed position from kneeling to having one foot sturdy on the bed before bringing a hand up to caress at one of your earrings.

“Since you asked so nicely.”

Eren’s pace began to quicken but his thrust became sloppier.

You were seriously contemplating whether it was okay to finish this orgasm with worms on your mind or pause and ask Eren to behave, but his next words made you think elsewise.

“Every time you wear these earrings, I want you to be reminded of how good it feels to have my hot cum filling up your asshole. How… shit, how well you take my cock, how stupidly wet your pussy is for me.”

The brunette licked a stripe just behind your earlobe before grinning into your skin.

“Whenever you look at these stupid worms, I want you to feel the urge to hollow your asshole out in memory of me — knowing nothing will be as good as me.”

Like a fizz of electricity, adrenaline surged from every part of your body and focused right within the heart of your cunt. With an explosive cry, your orgasm ripped through your body, your legs wanting to involuntarily close shut.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Eren shoves a few more thrusts into you before he’s stilling flush to your back and spilling warm seed into your ass.

You’re still reeling through your orgasm when he cums, his semen lightly tickling that one gooey spot up your ass. The act causes you to keen — a pretty moan squeezing from your throat as your mouth lays slack atop or Eren’s duvet, a wet patch of dribbled saliva surrounding it.

With weak standing, your knees collapse from underneath you, sending both you and Eren flat on top of his bed.

Still inside you and recovering from his orgasm, Eren lets out a stuffed groan.

“Shit…”

He breathes into your ear. The warmness of it post coitus not so inviting anymore.

“Man, that was something else.”

Your head was still spinning, your body buzzing from the cathartic expression of lust but even in the haze that you were in, you had words for the brunette.

“What the absolute fuck is wrong with you?” You mumble.

“Huh?”

What you said was clear. Eren had heard exactly what you said, but the words sounded so unthreatening for what they were that he had to ask — just in case he was hearing things wrong.

“Did you just ask what the fucks wrong with me?”

You hummed to affirm, using that as your initial answer, but it’s when Eren pinched your back for an answer that you relented.

“Worms? During sex, Eren? Really?!”

“It’s your fault for wearing them. They’re so dumb.”

“And yet you just couldn’t keep them outta ya mouth.” You quickly retort.

Eren didn’t like that. You could tell because he made a stupid huffy noise before quickly propping himself up and pulling out of your ass.

That was fun for neither of you as you both moaned in loss of the warmth.

#eren x reader #eren x black reader #eren jeager #eren jeager smut #aot x black reader #eren imagines #eren headcanons

[in-death-we-fall]

Slipknot

The Tightest Knots Never Fray

Metal Edge 48-11, March 2003

By Roger Lotring

(google drive link) Murderdolls interview here – Stone Sour interview here

“Someone has to bring down the whore, dude,” says Shawn Crahan, determinedly addressing the soulless gluttony that has devoured integrity from contemporary music. “I’ve been all over the place,” he admits, readily likening his foregone ranting as being “almost schizophrenic, man.” But for #6—the Clown percussionist of Slipknot—the corporate impurity that desecrates his sacred rock ‘n’ roll art form pits him as the proverbial David in the face of a Goliath. “People always say Clown’s a fuckin’ retard genius,” he exhilarates. “And I say, ‘You’re right.’ I’ve taken an oath, spilled a lot of blood, and I’m part of an organization that is going to do nothing but bring down the pig.”

The challenge of Disasterpieces is the first of the slings and arrows. A turbulently intense package, the very first Slipknot DVD is largely centered around a February 2002 live performance filmed at the London Arena. A fast-paced style of editing moves conjunctively with 5.1 surround sound to overwhelm both the aural and visual senses, making for an extreme Slipknot experience. An accompanying second disc features a video history of the band, including the banned clip for “Spit It Out,” plus a previously unreleased animated version of “Wait And Bleed.” Enhanced bonus material and an exclusive audio track—”Purity”—make this DVD the gauntlet of a challenge to sedentary bands reigning over hard rock popularity. “I’ve kind of made the DVD like, ‘Look, if you’re not this good, and you don’t know what the fuck’s going on, why don’t you quit and do us all a favor?’” Moreover, Disasterpieces is an architectural draft by which metal fans can judge what to expect from their music. Nothing less will suffice anymore in a landscape of media saturated mediocrity.

“It’s the cattle thing,” Clown defines, a cultural popularity branded by lethargy. “If you’re not at the back of the pack, something in life forced you to be at the front,” he says, intimating music fans as an order of natural selection. “There’s probably a chance for everyone, but it means we’re going to have to go, ‘Hey, you guys at the back of the pack, they’re going to eat you, do you understand?’” It’s what he calls an education. “That’s what Disasterpieces is,” he says by comparison, something by which metal fans can decipher the natural order of musical innovation.

Metal Edge sat down on a Saturday afternoon for an intense conversation with Clown about Disasterpieces, as well as his perspective on the Stone Sour and Murderdolls branches of the Slipknot family tree. “I used to talk about unity and pushing forward,” he concedes, noting that, “I think Slipknot did that to the point that we don’t need to anymore. Now, it’s obvious all of us are looking for our insides. We are trying to evolve Slipknot. All of us need to fuckin’ find some stuff for ourselves,” he explains, assuring diehard Slipknot fans that “they ain’t got nothing to worry about. Let the Maggots know it’s all coming for ‘em. We’re not getting older, we’re getting better.”

METAL EDGE: Is the Disasterpieces DVD meant as a means of focusing attention on Slipknot in the interim before a new album? SHAWN CRAHAN: Most people in the world have to realize that we, the band, have been doing this for seven years. We’ve been doing it professionally, nonstop, for four years. We just got to the point where we understand what home is. So, everybody’s kind of doing their own thing right now—which is totally cool with everybody in the band—because we need time. The third album is coming, right around the corner, and we know it’s going to be different. No one has to be worried about anything drastically changing, ‘cause we’re pretty focused on what we need to be. However, the third one, I think it’s gonna be a really crazy, weird, all-out war. Every member is gonna bring who he is to the table, with all the experience he’s downloaded for the last seven years. This DVD was never intended to let people know that we were alright or whatever. It’ll run its course for two or three months, and we’re starting to write the new album in January—not all of us, but people are gonna fall into place as need be. But, like I said, man, this new album’s gonna be completely insane, as far as I’m concerned.

ME: Would it be fair to say that this DVD almost closes a chapter of Slipknot? SC: I’ve been getting into a lot of trouble lately, because I’ve been telling people that it ends an era. And I don't care what anyone says about it, it ends an era. I’m not interested—the Clown is not interested—in using goats anymore. I’m not interested in half the shit that’s on our stage. Have I talked about this with everyone else? No. But I do a lot of that stuff, and I’m just not interested in the Iowa show no more. I mean, I’m done, I’m bored, and it’s over with. The DVD captured it as best as we could. There were over ten thousand people, over twenty-one cameras, and it was just pure mayhem. You got the most of the show that we could do, that we did for Iowa for over a year.

ME: But isn’t that the point? Why continue doing the Iowa show? It wasn’t meant to be forever, it was meant to be that album. SC: Right, I think people just think that we’re breaking up, or something stupid like that. But no, it’s absolutely the end of an era, get fucking used to it! People change. Fourteen-year-old fans that were there [when] we came out, they’re eighteen now. We’re changing, too, and if no one likes it, fuck off.

ME: You mentioned that this project consisted of a multiple camera shoot, comprising a double DVD. When the idea was first conceived, was it readily apparent that it was going to be so intensive? SC: I knew what was going to happen. I came up with the idea of so many cameras, and the reason was, before, we had only a couple that would film the band. I would just pretty much almost shoot myself, every time we got something in, ‘cause I was so disappointed. Great, you got footage of Sid jumping in the crowd, but what about Joey’s excellent footwork? Where’s all the angles? So, I knew we were going to have a monster. They were talking about one disc, but I knew it would be literally impossible. There’s over four thousand edits in the show itself, and that just takes a lot of information for a computer to recognize.

ME: But with a band like Slipknot, and what it does onstage, you almost have to do it the way Disasterpieces was done, because if you’re at the show, visually, there’s so much going on. SC: That’s how I edited the whole thing with Phil [Richardson]. We edited it like we were in the front row. The reason why I was so excited about being able to do this project was, just like you said, yes, it moves very fast. But how is it moving? Is it moving out-of-control, or is it literally going Clown… Chris… joey… Mick… Sid… Paul… Jim… Mick… Clown… Sid—Ya’ know what I mean? That’s what it’s doing. You’re literally getting to see the chaos as it’s being done. Yeah, it moves very quick, but so does Slipknot. [Laughing] This is for kids to identify with what the fuck exactly goes on at a Slipknot show—Who starts what, who’s playing where, and what they’re doing while they’re doing it. This is all about cues, and the only way to do it right is to do it quickly. Plus, I don’t make anything for the weak, dude. I am here to cleanse the weak away from the idea known as Slipknot. I only want people that understand, because after they take it all in, they’re teachers. And they’ll go out and start molding the future. I’ve kind of made this DVD like, ‘Look, if you’re not this good, why don’t you quit now and do us all a favor?’ That’s how angry I am at the music scene. I understand music has to move, but I’ve never felt so sorry for people listening to music right now, ‘cause it’s fucking crap! Nu Metal? Garbage! It’s garbage, dude! It is! If you know you’re a nu metal band, you’re fucking garbage, end of story. This DVD is about real music, real players—there’s not one musical overdub in the whole thing. What you hear is what happened that night. The only thing that was done, I believe, was in the beginning of “Purity,” because the pyro blew up a couple of the mics. I don’t know any bands that can go through an hour-and-a-half of intensive, dead-on musicianship as we do. I pride myself very, very much to be honored in a band in such good company, ‘cause we’re all incredible musicians, and we make it fly.

ME: So it’s fair to say that this DVD is a challenge to any other band out there right now? If you can’t live up to this… SC: …If you can’t live up to this, why are you even bullshitting? I’ve been on tour with bands that suck. And I’m looking at 'em like, ‘You got a record deal? You’re getting a chance to change the world? Who signed you, some fuckin’ dork? Some idiot over at some big company that knows the formula?’ Man, they’re all losers, dude. Record people get a formula of something that works—Just take Slipknot, for example. Look at all the little fashion statements that have been started, because a band like Slipknot works. Most of the idiots that sign bands because of us are people that said no to Slipknot. I could call four people out from every label. The industry’s a fuckin’ joke, dude! I’m in rock ‘n’ roll, and I’ve never been so embarrassed to be a part of something in my entire life. But it doesn’t matter, dude, ‘cause Slipknot’s there. That’s what we stand for, and that’s what we break down.

ME: Isn’t that a cue, then, with your band being a leader within the rock genre, to throw a monkey wrench into it and make a total left turn? SC: I think so. I never sit here and intend to break the rules. I go, ‘This is the band I’m in.’ The whole time I was editing the DVD, I said, ‘Oh my God, I’m in that band! Yeah, I’m getting to design this, and the whole idea of the DVD is mine, but holy fuck, that’s me in the band! I’m in this band!’

ME: It’s a little surreal, isn’t it? SC: Oh, it’s completely surreal, man! I am so honored to be in the company of eight dudes that fuckin’ throw down. We throw down, man, and I’m proud of it. And I’m not gonna sit back like other people in the band—Everybody would be humble. I don’t care anymore! If your band isn’t this good, then you suck! I’m tired of all the political bullshit, all the bands making fun of us, talking shit. Well, guess what? All your bands suck. None of you could do what we do. I’ve watched all of you, and it doesn’t happen. You come short.

ME: It’s like the early days of KISS, when they would be ridiculed, and then blow other bands off the stage. Nobody would be laughing afterward. SC: We’re actually now managed by KISS’ manager. And we’ve talked a couple stories, ‘cause I play music because of KISS. That was my introduction to music. In the early stages, no one knew what they looked like, and people used to flip out. And I was thinking, goddamn, that sounds a lot like Slipknot!

ME: Watching Disasterpieces, everybody’s faces have been carefully obscured to preserve that mystique. But is the marketing necessity of Murderdolls and Stone Sour detrimental to Slipknot? Joey, Corey and Jim have all been unmasked. SC: I don’t know how to answer that, man. I love Joey, Corey and Jim—As I love everybody in the band. However, things have changed now, and they’re the only ones that have to live with that. And they’re the ones that have to be responsible for that. It is what it is, man, but I don’t think it matters. Joey and Corey and Jim have found another extension of themselves, okay, and I want to clear it up. Corey is a genius. He writes all the time, all day long. I got notebooks that he’s just left laying around, full of conceptual pieces. Some belong to Slipknot, some belong to Corey Taylor. There’s things he won’t even bring to Slipknot, because it’s not the ‘Knot. And no one knows that better than Corey. Think about what he did, man. I mean, he takes the mask off—You know how hard that was? And he did it, and he’s succeeding. And I say, good for him, because that’s what Slipknot stands for. Recently, I said we’re the biggest punk band in the world. I didn’t mean like we’re a punk band, [but] I mean we live the punk feeling. We’re the biggest metal band in the world, and I got three dudes trouncing around the world without masks, succeeding, okay? That’s exactly what Slipknot is.

ME: Meaning that Slipknot is at the point where it can fly in the face of convention and do whatever it likes. SC: I think what we’ve always preached, if we’ve preached anything, is to thyself be true. Don’t ever judge me, just let me do my fucking thing. We’re Slipknot. We stand up and teach kids to stand up! Fight for who you are! Be who you are, don’t worry about it. And now, my own members are like, ‘I gotta do this.’ They go up against all odds and break down all the fuckin’ walls. And they look everybody in the face with their real face, after relying on rubber masks for fucking years? People need to shut up. Fucking ignorance, man! I don’t care what any of ‘em say, we do what we want.

ME: Isn’t that the fundamental basis of being in rock ‘n’ roll to begin with? SC: Yeah! You got Slipknot, now you got the Murderdolls, you got Stone Sour—I will bet my left testicle, there will be other things. Who knows? Every member of the band might have its own entity, and then get together as Slipknot. Oh, some might suck, some might be good. But the point is, what do you do with your life? Most people that have an opinion, aren’t you just cattle being programmed with the imprint? I’m ready for this whole thing to change, man. I’m ready for the pictures in your magazine to change color; I’m ready for people to start talking about things they want, instead of their editors. I’m ready for bands to start telling the truth and lift the veil of rock ‘n’ roll, instead of all this bullshit.

ME: Have you listened to either the Stone Sour or Murderdolls albums yet? SC: Oh, yeah. I listened to the Murderdolls by myself—Joey gave me the copy. When we’re on the road, we’re both very, very busy, and we don’t have a lot of Shawn and Joe time. But Corey, when we were in Europe last time, we both happened to be up very early in the morning, and we were on a long drive. I got to listen to the whole Stone Sour album with Corey. Sitting there with the creator of it, somehow I understood all of it and knew where he was going. I even told him what his next single after “Bother” would be.

ME: Their exploration of musical direction will be invigorating when working on a new Slipknot album. That’s going to be the most positive effect on what the band comes up with, creatively. SC: Yeah. I would have used to have told you that I’d have my people take your head off with that explanation, but I agree with you now. I mean, dude, we’ve been going for four fucking years. Only now can I say thank you to the rest of the guys for allowing ourselves to be home and figure it out. And let me tell you, the three years before being signed—Pure hell. You want to see the evolvement of Slipknot? It took fuckin’ years. I used to wear a Barney outfit. One weekend, I’d be Barney, the next, I’d be a priest. Mick would be Little Bo Peep—Look at Mick, almost seven foot tall, in a Little Bo Peep outfit, slamming with a bonnet on.

ME: But that makes sense, because it wouldn’t have worked if it was something formulated. SC: No! I’ll be honest, man, I hurt some feelings when those guys did that. I hurt some serious feelings. I think people are still angry at me, ya’ know? And that’s cool. I don’t give a fuck. So what? [Laughing] But I take the responsibility of Slipknot hardcore, man. We gave these kids with nothing, something. They were the ones that were so far gone, they were like, I’m outta here, I’m gonna kill myself. Boom—Slipknot comes alone. I’ve had kids wear Slipknot shirts—you know how they are when they wear Slipknot shirts—it’s like a fucking army. They’ll wash it every day, to wear it every day. It lets other kids now (sic) what kind of kid they are. It’s a mentality. That kid is basically telling us where he’s at, by wearing that statement. That’s why I get so nuts, [and] why people are mad at me. Slipknot’s come to a point where—we know we’re a band, dude—but we’ve become icons of responsibility in the world we live in. I try to live my words, man. I try to be really, really responsible.

#lemme know if you want anything else from this scanned #slipknot #shawn crahan #metal edge 48-11 mar 2003 #interview #corey taylor #joey jordison #jim root #chris fehn #paul gray #craig jones #mick thomson #sid wilson #THEY'RE ALL IN THE PICTURES I'M SORRY

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "The Protector of Concord Dawn"

In which Kanan is the best and Sabine eventually learns to follow his example on things.

I honestly don't think I've watched this one often enough to remember it that well so this'll be an adventure for me.

Having been driven off Garel the Phoenix Cell fleet is once again just kind of ambling through realspace in the middle of nowhere.

Rex casually recanonizing the "Mandalorians trained the clone troopers" thing from Legends.

Oof, you know this conversation had to hurt Sabine in some private places.

Lol, Hera's "Sounds familiar." She talking about Sabine there? Probably.

Sato's line here about warriors only understanding strength is interesting, considering it was suggested/implied that he's a former Separatist. Who knows if he ever had to tangle with Mandalorians during the Clone Wars, but he clearly recognizes that they tend to be a stubborn and belligerent people.

Side note, I love how bouncy Hera's lekku are.

"There was a time when it [diplomacy] always won the day." *CRIES ABOUT THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE REPUBLIC FOREVER*

You uh... you look like you're missing a little... a lot of... something there, Concord Dawn.

This is a unique music cue, frenetic and tense even before there's any actual danger.

Hera's slight hesitation when she talks about those who would stand against the Empire, hngl, she's so hopeful for the best-case scenario, she has so much faith in people's inner goodness and desire for freedom and autonomy.

Too bad Fenn Rau already made a self-preservation deal with the Empire.

This battle is really nicely staged and shot.

Was that a very fragmented excerpt of the "Shenanigans" theme?

*listens harder*

Sounds a bit like!

Sabine groaning in aggravation when Hera tells her to "just follow orders" oooh boy that's a sour spot for her.

I think it's only thanks to their bonding in "Out of Darkness" that Sabine chooses to trust Hera.

AND THE CURSED WORDS, "I'LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU."

FANDOM DID NOT FORGET THAT THOSE WERE THE LAST WORDS KANAN SAID BEFORE HIS HEROIC SACRIFICE IN "CALL TO ACTION", WRITERS.

:((((((((

My gosh the way shards and pieces still seem to be floating around the A-wing like they're pulled by gravity towards it.

Wonder if the Chimaera looked similar when it exited hyperspace, wherever that was.

The worry in Kanan's eyes and his pinched brows, ugh.

The kids waiting anxiously for news about mom. :(

Sabine immediately blaming herself, and I can't help but think about the parallels to "Call To Action", how Ezra must have blamed himself for leaving Kanan behind, for not fighting alongside him.

Sabine sounds so vulnerable here, ouch.

Kanan backstory! If I remember, the issue of the Kanan: The Last Padawan comic that covered the event he's referencing here came out right about when this episode was airing, in a bit of fortuitous narrative timing.

Sabine be very angry. That Mandalorian call for revenge be beating strong inside her.

Kanan decides to protect the others by barring them all from coming, only risking himself.

Except, grudgingly, Chopper, who is none-too-happy about this lol.

Takes his frustrations out on Ezra, of course.

"You must be pretty distracted not to have noticed I stowed away." Well, you know, Hera is in the ICU, that's probably pretty distracting.

I actually really love that Kanan is going full Jedi here, offering the protectors, and Fenn Rau specifically, another chance to do the right thing. There's something to be said about his and Hera's shared faith in the true inner goodness of people.

"This Jedi philosophy stuff doesn't work for everyone." "That's why we're at war." CHEEKY BASTARD KANAN.

He's right though, if everyone were just more forgiving and self sacrificing and compassionate like the Jedi there would be far less problems in the galaxy, "You said the biggest problem in this galaxy is that nobody helps each other." CATCH ME SOBBING ABOUT THE PURE GOODNESS OF THE JEDI ORDER AND THEIR MODUS OPERANDI OF SELFLESS COMPASSION AND HOW THEY DIDN'T DESERVE ANY OF IT.

"You always bring enough explosives." Lolol Kanan knows his surrogate foster daughter.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: Kanan leaning in and peering through Sabine's helmet antenna display.

Sabine gives every impression that she intends to take revenge for Fenn hurting Hera so it's a little bit weird when she suddenly backs off from her rage and anger to reinforce a "no killing" moral.

The only reason she doesn't follow through is Kanan's Jedi influence, so I'm going to picture him as a little shoulder angel next to her ear, whispering to her the right thing to do and I'm going to assume that's the deliberate intention of the writers.

Side note: Kanan gives a lot of encouraging/calming/reassuring touches to Sabine's shoulder in this scene. It's adorable.

Oh wow, Kanan legit pushed Sabine's blasters down as they were sneaking here.

This location feels very weird to see in light of "Imperial Supercommandos", I swear they reuse shot and camera angles for some of the scenes.

Kanan saying he trusts Sabine, aww.

Rau is remarkably considerate of Kanan's intrusion. I really like this scene. Gives the impression of two worthy foes sizing each other up. Feels very much like some kind of callback to classic samurai films.

Rau puts his blaster away when he learns Kanan's a Jedi, a subtle hint to his true loyalties. Rau wants to believe in the miracles the Jedi are capable of but years of subjugation have made him cynical and bitter.

This tapping percussion bit in the score is often used to signify stealth or infiltration.

LOL Sabine blowing her cover by banging her head on a fighter, lololol.

I remember fandom went kind of nuts when Sabine declared she was "House Vizsla". I was never really into the Mandalorian lore side of things so I was like, "Cool. That's nice."

(Basically it means her family was Death Watch and caused way too many Problems On Purpose in the Clone Wars.)

"I believe they have the strength to defeat you and the resources to back it up." UNEXPECTED THRAWN PARALLELS HELLO??!?!!!??

No but seriously, Fenn Rau allied with the Empire for much the same motivations that Thrawn did, to preserve his own people and further their interests. He owes no true loyalty to the Empire but his strategic mind has determined that acquiescing to them is the best option to protect his own.

Wow I did not expect that in this rewatch.

Lol Kanan's whole expression of, "Goddammit Sabine."

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The way Sabine's bangs bounce as her head moves.

Kanan desperately appealing to Sabine's better instincts, the ones Hera instilled in her, and Sabine seeming serious all the way to the end until she holds herself back and shows mercy.

Aaaaaaaaaaah I have so many feelings!

Also LOL at Kanan being so frustrated with Mandalorians and how they fight at any provocation.

Sabine's "You need to trust me." sounds like she's already mentally backed down from her "RAWR MUST TAKE REVENGE" plot and is more calmly assessing the situation and figuring out how to accomplish the goal and adhere to Kanan's (and by proxy Hera's) wishes.

More Old West Hollywood shots here.

I don't think the visual similarity between this moment post-explosion and Sabine's fight with Gar Saxon in "Imperial Supercommandos" is a coincidence.

"You love making this hard for me." Lol aww.

...Where was Fenn intending to go? No really, this is gonna bug me. Was he going to search for the ship Kanan and Sabine clearly came in? Was he going to contact the Empire?

Oooh there's a leimotif in here that I'm sure I've heard, I can't determine what it's meant to symbolize or be associated with (maybe Kanan?) but it's a good one.

Obligatory pretty cloud shot.

Looks Rau straight in the face as he stabs his lightsaber through the Fang controls lolol, what a badass.

Kanan is exceptionally competent here. It's really sexy.

For those fans whose primary blorbo is Kanan I mean.

Fenn Rau begrudgingly accepting his defeat in acknowledgement of Kanan's raw skill. <3

It's not exactly what Hera wanted but it's close enough. Rau submits to a clearly superior foe and chooses to hedge his bets by ordering his men to grant them safe passage, out of a chagrined respect.

Love the callback to the joke in "A Princess On Lothal" lol

SABINE ACKNOWLEDGING KANAN'S POSITIVE JEDI INFLUENCE ON HER AND IMPLICITLY CALLING KANAN AND HERA HER PARENTS WITH HER COMMENT ABOUT BEING "RAISED RIGHT", WEEPING, SOBBING, GNASHING TEETH.

Awwwwwwwwww!

I... don't remember being super into this episode when it first aired. Mandalorians infighting with Mandalorians was never a drama I was into and I thought Sabine was frankly a little... boring?... as a character? In the early days for me at least. I was never much invested in her focal episodes in Season Two. She only really started getting interesting for me in Season Three.

But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed rewatching this episode and seeing Sabine struggle against the competing family instincts and influences inside her.

That being said, it's Kanan who really shines in this episode, demonstrating perfect Jedi training and compassion, determined to find a peaceful solution to the conflict that honors both his values and Hera's wishes. He tempers Sabine's instinctual rage and anger and drive for revenge with calm serenity and mercy and it's this example that would influence several of her decisions in Season Three.

This episode is honestly a really quality one for the Kanan-Sabine bonding and relationship exploration. Maybe I didn't give its due at the time, but I'm finding myself really liking it now.

We're about to hit the Golden Streak, I am SO looking forward to covering the next several episodes. <3

#star wars #star was rebels #and his rainbow colored cupcake #(that's my tag for the kanan-sabine relationship) #rebels rewatch #liveblog

[ryuichirou]

So I haven't seen Lilia/Malleus headcanons...?

Thank you for waiting, Anon! Today is your lucky day, because I’m finally posting these…

I was so surprised when we got your ask and the realisation that we haven’t posted any Lilia/Malleus headcanons hit me. This is simply unacceptable.

That being said, I want to leave a disclaimer that we haven’t watched ch7 yet, so I’m writing these prior to knowing full context about what’s going on in the Diasomnia part of the story. Please keep in mind that I could miss some key things because of that.

We would also appreciate if you keep any possible comments or asks related to this topic spoilers-free.

With that out of the way, let’s dive into these two and their complex relationship~

Starting by stating the obvious: Lilia was Malleus’ first everything. First kiss, first lover and, of course, first crush. He is still deeply and rather possessively in love with Lilia, even though these days he’s acting more mature than he used to. Well…

Despite not acting as desperate as he did when he was younger, Malleus is still quite protective of his love towards Lilia; he is even romantic enough to consider that Lilia is the love of his life. He still remembers the excitement and the butterflies he felt every time Lilia arrived to the castle after being away for way too long.

Lilia, however, thinks that this is just Malleus still being young, overly emotional and also rather sheltered. He also loves Malleus very much, but he doesn’t like it when he starts acting entitled to his attention. Instead, he wants Malleus to get more new meaningful connections, to fall in love with other people, to date other people. This is one of the things he had in mind when they enrolled in the NRC.

While Malleus really tries to get more sociable and approachable (when he isn’t hiding from everyone and pushing others away, of course), when he enrolled in the NRC, he had an idea of this whole thing really different from Lilia’s. He thought that this is finally his chance to spend more time with Lilia……... which isn’t what happened at all. It’s their 3rd year, so Malleus doesn’t agonize over it too much, but he was a bit depressed during their first year.

The only reason Malleus still regrets that he didn’t get to be a part of the Music Club, well, other than the fact that he really enjoys performing in front of the audience, is that he would really love to be in a club with Lilia.

It sounds like things between them are kind of sour, but this isn’t 100% the case. Like I’ve already said, Lilia does love Malleus, so he likes joining him during his evening stroll sometimes, likes to tease him, likes having long conversations with him. And boy oh boy how much he loves to prank others together with him… they’re dangerous when they’re having fun together.

When these two are alone, the mood can get spicy surprisingly quickly. It’s like they were just talking about something random, and then suddenly they’re giving each other bedroom eyes. They flirt a lot, and when Lilia is in a flirty mood, Malleus’s mind goes completely blank. Yep, that’s enough angst, we’re moving to spicier headcanons now lol

Of course, Lilia knows all the right spots on Malleus’ body. He knows how to hold his tail just right, how to pull on his horns and how to grab his throat. He nibs on Malleus’ horns, and Malleus either scoffs or groans at that, depending on his mood. Lilia is never really gentle with him, but Malleus is also kind of bratty, so this is pretty normal for them.

Out of any potential lovers, Lilia would be the only one who isn’t afraid of disciplining and taming Malleus during sex. He puts his fist in Malleus’ mouth when he starts biting too much, he controls his orgasm and almost manhandles him, which is insane, considering their height difference lol but this isn’t Lilia’s first rodeo with this horse.

It can get quite intense when they have sex, because Malleus gets literally dangerous when he is overly stimulated both sexually and emotionally. The guy is shooting lightnings left and right while Lilia is fucking him. Which is super amusing, but such a headache for Lilia, because he has to keep it in mind…..

#replies #headcanons #lilimal

[keru0]

Profile Tag Game!!

Hello - Hey! You can call me Kei or Keru. I was tagged by @lovelynim and since I really haven't said a lot about myself on here, this seems like the perfect opportunity to, no?

Chat: Tickling - Hm? What's with my obsession with tickling, you ask? Well, there's a few ways I could answer this... Well, let's just say I see it as just another form of physical affection. Just like other forms, I think it can be both intimate and non-intimate, romantic and platonic, just depends on my mood and who I'm with! But why I like it? Seeing those you love so carefree and laughing is something anyone would like, right?

Chat: Writing - I think one of my biggest flaws is that so much goes on in my brain but I have so little motivation. Putting my thoughts on paper just takes a lot out of me, y'know? But that's not to say I dislike it, I just have to take a little more time than most.

When It Rains - Ah, I love the rain so much...at least from inside. The sound of it hitting the window, the low rumble of thunder. It all just gets me in a cozy mood, but you won't see me outside.

When It Snows - It snowing?! By far the best weather in my opinion. Being bundled in clothes and blankets, the sun shining and glittering on the snow? It's so pretty! It's a shame the weather here tends to fluctuate too much for it to stay for longer than a week, though.

When the Sun Is Out - Ugh it's so bright and hot. Can't we go back inside with the air conditioning?

When the Wind is Blowing - Ah, such a nice break from the heat!

Good Morning - Ugh, just a few more minutes...

Good Afternoon - Wanna go grab lunch with me? I heard there's a new sushi place that just opened down the street! Oh? You're not a big fan of sushi? That's fine, you pick instead!

Good Evening - The sun is finally going down! Time to relax...

Good Night - Hm? Why am I still awake? Don't mind me, I just tend to feel more productive at night. Do you want me to be quieter? No need? Alright, go back to sleep. Rest easy.

About me: Music - I find that music tells you more about a person than anything else. Just one look at their playlists and recently played songs and I can tell how their feeling and what they like in a heartbeat! Plus, music just helps me relax, so why wouldn't I like it?

Something to Share: Shyness - I've been shy pretty much all my life. What does that technically mean? Well let's just say I have a really hard time starting conversations. But if others start the conversation then I feel much more comfortable, so feel free to talk to me anytime, I don't mind!

My Troubles - It just seems like there's so much I want to do but there's so little time... I guess I'll just have to try to make the most of it!

Favorite Food - Um...I can't say I really have a favorite, but I do like meat! It can go in pretty much any savory dish, and the variety of textures and tastes you can add to it just seem never-ending! And when you combine it with pasta? Mmm, delicious!

Least Favorite Food - Listen, I have my fair share of foods I don't like too much. Raw tomatoes, raw celery, vinegar... but I just cannot for the life of me figure out why people like pickles. They're crunchy and soft, somehow sweet and sour? Yeah, no thanks.

About @chibimochii - Mochi is probably the first friend I made in the community, and I couldn't be more happy about it! I had been around in tumblr for a few years before I made my blog, but he's the first person I interacted with. He's a really nice guy and his art is always just *muah* so cute! Defiantly visit his blog, you won't be disappointed!

About @ticklystuff - I haven't interacted with him a ton, but he's a pretty cool guy! I think we really bonded most over out shared obsession with fictional men, though.

About @undercovergamer - We have pretty regular discussions over out shared love of Itto, and who could blame us? The guy is really loveable! He sends a ton of fanfics to me, which I am so grateful for!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

I'm gonna go ahead and tag @chibimochii, @ticklystuff, @undercovergamer, and @italeean for this game! Of course, if anyone else wishes to join in, go ahead!

#tag game #genshin impact #profile tag game

[catovyen]

I have uploaded this on twitter, but this has more explanation of their lore!

I have an idea to include more composers in the Rhythm Heaven universe! They already included Bach, why not make the others exist there too? I named this section of Rhythm Heaven: CLASSICAL

Bach is the father figure of the stepswitchers. His main outfit color is pink, he could change it to blue and green as he desires (usually to match with the stepswitchers wen they're performing). Bach hates it when someone was being out of time (being late or too fast).

His hobby is walking around Rhythm Heaven, playing the church organ, harpsichord or performing a music duel (mostly with Maestro Dvorak).

Maestro Dvorak is a music and train conductor, he is known as the Conductor by most Rhythm Heaven civilians. He's the father of Cosmic girl—Dvorak delivers Cosmic, her friends and crewmates (cosmic dancers) to their performance using his train.

Dvorak wishes that his music was well-known and a lot of people recognizes it—he likes fame but he rather have his life to be private. He is familiar with the legend of Q Maou—A person may ask one wish, but he will give a downside. Q Maou has granted his wish, with a downside: if he conducts his 9th Symphony the 2nd movement, he'll vanish from existence. He kept this event to himself and never has spoken about it to anyone.

He has a favorite instrument to play and listen to, which is the viola. He founds the viola to have the perfect sound of the pitch, not too high like the violin, and not too low like the cello.

He duels a lot with Bach for fun. But it would be too dangerous if they did it too often, their music is able destroy Rhythm Heaven itself.

He's known as Beethoven, but he prefers to be called as Ludwig. He used to study Bach's pieces. He keeps moving from one apartment to another when the room is too messy to tidy up—till he moved to Rhythm Heaven to tutor students. Ludwig is able to teach how to play the organ, piano, guitar, and the violin.

He started to lose his hearing due to an unknown reasoning. Due to this, he had to stop teaching students and start his new path on becoming a music composer. He then left Rhythm Heaven to find somewhere where others aren't able to bother him

Ludwig is JJ Rocker's former mentor—ever since he left Rhythm Heaven, he keeps on update with JJ's fame through the papers.

He was often being made fun of by the other composers due to his height, such as offering him to sit on a baby chair as a joke.

Peter lives in a village on the north part of Rhythm Heaven. He's a fond of Maestro Dvorak, both of them enjoys each other's music pieces.

Mushroom hunting was a part of his culture and he loves it. His serotonin rose through the roof whenever he sees a colony of mushroom.

He also loves gardening! His favorite flower is lilies of the valley. When he finished taking care of his plants, he would make himself a cup of chai tea to relax.

He's shy talking to new people, he also hates it when someone records his voice. He hates listening to his own voice because he thinks that his voice is bad.

Peter hated Brahms' pieces and envied him due to his success and popularity. He always receives sour criticism from Brahms, Peter even calls him a "giftless bastard". Brahms never cared for Peter's pieces, he fell asleep on one of his premieres. Occasionally, Pirate Captain Jackie borrowed Peter's cannons without his permission and uses it for fun. He is concerned about her behavior since she's just a kid, she shouldn't be using cannons and going on an adventure without a guardian.

--------------

Thank you for reading this far! Note that some of the information aren't accurate to their real profiles.

#rhythm heaven ds #rhythm paradise #rhythm tengoku #rhythm heaven fever #rhythm heaven #rhythm heaven megamix #rhythmheavenCLASSICAL

[rodrigoliviafan]

Olivia Rodrigo's generational influence

Jay Caspian Kang writes an article for The New Yorker titled ‘Why Gen X Dads Can Appreciate Olivia Rodrigo’. He initially introduces the connection he has with his daughter, as they both are able to enjoy the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) movie in a way that is relevant to both of their individual childhoods, despite their childhoods having taken place decades apart, due to what he would describe as ‘era-hopping’. By ‘era-hopping’ he’s referring to when media bounces between time periods, the TMNT franchise has continuously produced media since the release of the original 1987 series, therefore, remaining relevant to the younger generations of the past and present. Olivia Rodrigo achieves this same ‘era-hopping’, however, in a little bit of a different way, which I will outline throughout this text.

Kang makes this same link to Olivia Rodrigo’s music as her Sophomore Album ‘Guts’ has just released this past Friday (8th September 2023). He describes listening to the album as “the feeling of being sprayed with a nostalgia hose”, for those born between 1972 and 1985. Due to the album’s likeness to artists such as Wheezer, Bikini Kill, No Doubt, Green Day, and Blondie. Kang also addresses that fact that while other modern artists also draw inspiration from the past of music, Rodrigo does it in a way that makes you wonder if it was her intention or not. He also suggests, many artists are compared to a single other musician or band such a Greta Van Fleet who are constantly compared to Led Zeppelin. Whereas Rodrigo seems to draw inspiration from a plethora of artists, both across the entire album and within individual songs.

While Rodrigo has a talent for creating music that draws upon artists and music of the past, this is a double-edged sword for her career and credibility. Following the release of Rodrigo’s debut album Sour she later added additional writing credits onto the songs ‘Déjà vu’, ‘1 step forward, 3 steps back’, and ‘Good 4 u’. Taylor Swift and her co-writers (Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent) claimed that ‘Déjà vu’ shared similarities to Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer’ and the same for ‘1 step forward, 3 steps back’ and Swift’s ‘New Year’s Day’, which they were awarded writing credit for. Hayley William’s Paramore did the same for the song ‘Good 4 u’ claiming its similarity to ‘Misery Business’, which she too was awarded credits for (and Paramore ex-guitarist Josh Farro).

Contrastingly, upon accusations that Rodrigo included a guitar riff in her song ‘Brutal’ from Elvis Costello’s ‘Pump It Up’, Costello chose not to pursue claims. He stated on Twitter “This is fine by me” and “It’s how rock & roll works. You take the broken pieces of another thrill and make a brand-new toy”. Which is an opinion that many agreed with, particularly as people found the accusations made about Rodrigo’s music to be unfairly preying on the success of a young and upcoming artist. While credit should be given where it is due, I think there is a lot to debate about where the line should be drawn.

While Rodrigo’s music does not remind me of the music that was popularly on the radio throughout my childhood, it does remind me of the music my parents played as I was growing up. So, while I was not alive during the time periods that Rodrigo’s music references (nor was she), I am able to recognise the nostalgia that Kang references in his article. The article itself also pulls on my heart strings a little, as Kang discusses his experience listening as a father to a young girl, something that is bittersweet for me as I lost my father at a young age. Kang has allowed me to imagine that my dad and I would have been able to listen to the album Guts together, through the commonality we could find in her music’s sound and lyricism.

#guts album #olivia rodrigo #sour #sour album

[sebbyhd]

hi ! you can call me hope, and i'm really excited to bring forth to you all sebastian choi. he may seem cold and reserved at first, he tends to be quite asocial, but deep down, he's a very soft boy looking to make deep and meaningful connections, while also focusing on reaching his goals in life. he's twenty years old, born in 2002, and is a singer, composer and songwriter; he dreams of debuting in a band, and is the hugest day6, bastille and the 1975 fan. i can go on for ages about him, so i'll post some info below the cut; you can find his profile and his background information right here! if interested in plotting, please give this post a like, and i'll come barreling into your dms. if discord is preferred, please let me know !

sebastian was born and raised in united kingdom, more specifically manchester, england; he does in fact have a rather strong accent when he speaks english, and it carries through to his korean.

he learned korean rather late in his life, around his teenaged years when he was living with his grandparents, they taught him the language, he never really paid too close attention to his classes or notes, always rather focus on learning music and new instruments– now at the age of twenty, his korean isn't as perfect as it should be, considered on the low-intermediate level, he can converse pretty well, but when it comes to reading and fast paced conversations, he stumbles and has a hard time.

his main instrument of choice is his voice. he loves singing, and thinks that his timber and tone is quite unique, and would bring something different and new to the industry.

he never received any proper training, picking everything up by ear and sound first, his grandparents taught him how to read music, everything he knows and loves is mainly self-taught or showed under the guidance of his guardians

he has an extremely sour relationship with his parents, currently estranged, he was neglected as a child, being left to be raised by nannies instead, while also being forced to take etiquette classes and private lessons in hopes to eventually take over their law firm which sebastian had little to no interest in partaking; he cut off all contact after coming out to them as a late teen, and no longer speaks of them. his grandparents have legal guardianship over him.

is diagnosed with atypical depression and generalized anxiety disorder; currently medicated and goes to therapy, it's one of his biggest struggles and actually never talks about it

has many hobbies, but his favorite by far would be video games and reading novels. he enjoys a lot of rpg like games such as pokemon, final fantasy, ni no kuni, octopath traveler, but also lowkey and chill games like stardew valley and harvest moon. for books, anything fantasy or sci-fi is his usual go to. he also really likes poetry and finds inspiration for his songwriting there.

his music taste wildly varies, he wouldn't stick to just one genre, but the one he leans to the most is alternative rock, lofi, r&b and indie type sounds.

he lives, loves and breathes fashion. every day he can be seen wearing something new or different, always testing the limits and defying gender norms; his closet is filled with soft fabrics, lace, silk, hoodies, jeans, skirts and dresses, corsets, thigh highs, high heeled shoes, boots, platform anything- whatever he finds pretty at the moment and he thinks will look good on his skin and empower him, he will wear it.

skin care buff, he struggles with self-care and is trying to instill it slowly into his life which is why he can be also seen going on morning walks and doing yoga, and taking care of his plant babies; he's trying to focus on things that make him happy and bring him peace of mind.

#❲ ✎ mun writes. ❳ #❲ — through the looking glass. ❳ #// constantly editing this because i realized i wrote it too fast and there are mistakes—

[postpunkpontypandyphantomthief]

Blue Blur Buddy (Sonic Tribute)

I've been interested in the Sonic series since I was a kid and recently getting back into it, has made me feel a lot of emotions, so I put some of it into a poem. (I occasionally write poetry, I hadn’t written one in a while, so I wrote one about Sonic)

written on the 10th May 2022:

The clouds float up in the sky As Time flies by When I’d run across the playground The blustery winds overshadowing the sound Feeling adventurous Reminiscent of my blue pal Zooming past each path He’d feel so illustrious Collecting gems Spending time with his friends Defeating evil robots His free-spirited attitude never stopped Once upon a Dreamcast A particular release was Soaring in popularity A Steadfast protagonist With his furry buddies Teaming up to save The Galaxy Escaping from The City Serious subtext And kickass Soundtrack Years later I had awoken At last Entering the world Which I’d observe Finding out about Toys, music and Television I’d find my new Obsessions Most of which From a interesting Nation Through these channels I found my blue pal His journeys felt So free His look and Personality Filled me with Glee A compassionate Pixel creature Also quite the Teacher Warning me About pollution Road safety evil scientists And misuse of power His popularity For some Went sour Different graphics Rushed projects Weird associations Despite this This azure fella Is one of my Favourite fiction Creations Time to move On to another level Getting more into Anime and Metal The Teenager zone Had a different tone No longer in the sunflower filled Green hill I felt so arcane It wasn’t the same Watching the animations made me Nostalgic It Got me to think When I got into The hobby of Collecting gems It reminded me Of them When I got glimpses Of his face It was like he was Reminding me to Smile Made me remember The good old days Even if it was just for a while On bad days Listening to his music Is like rain being Interrupted by the Sunshine A positive sign There’s a lot I love About video games But the spiky speedster Running down those lanes He’s a character that means A lot to me He helped me figure out Who I wanted to be A chill kind rebel confident and sarcastic his shows and games Are such classics He provides such Fun escapism If this was a video essay I’d have so much more to say In my head, when I feel Overwhelmed and stressed Thinking about him Reminds me that I’m not a mess He also looks amazing In a dress The snarky fav Of most 90s gamers With abilities so powerful He is beyond gender While I didn’t join until The millennial My love for him Feels so ethereal Makes me cheerful Catching rings Racing cars Energized in his Super form Bright like a star He’s so sweet and cute We even have similar boots Exploring his world Made me feel seen Smiling at his picture On the monitor screen Remembering my Treasured memories Of this character and series He’s like a childhood friend Our great times never end Blue and sketchy my digital hedgiebestie The little guy I adore Blue blur speeding off With the air His emerald green eyes Glisten against the Space background Looking so cosmic The iconic…Sonic

#sonic #poetry #poem #original poem #my poetry

[godofsmallthings]

Hi! Rina sawayama seems to be doing a little country thing with her new single and lil nas x has his cowboy phase and Olivia described her album as partly country/country inspired (although tbh I never really understood what about sour is very country) what do you think about the elements of country music in pop music? I think it’s interesting how the genre seems widely disparaged but it still crops up in pop music

omg anon i literally forgot to answer this i'm so sorry :(

(i don't really follow olivia so i hadn't heard her say that, but my guess is that she's sort of drawing from artists like taylor and their writing style even if the sour production is very pop.) this is a super interesting observation and one i've noticed as well...i think music trends come and go in waves, and while a lot of pop music has leaned super into hip hop in recent years, country seems like it's been cropping up everywhere recently. in fashion too...like everyone's wearing those obnoxious hot pink cowboy hats with silver trim and cowboy boots. honestly fashion trends move so fast these days that i feel like that won't be as cool pretty soon, but i think pop music and greater trends inform each other a lot, even though it's sort of hard to tell the origins of them. i do think old town road was a huge moment in pop music and definitely inspired a lot of the country influence that's been making its way into hip hop especially...i also wonder if the greater amount of openly queer folk/americana/country artists making their way into the mainstream has changed people's opinions about the genre...idk i feel like i see less people saying 'i love all music except for country' these days. i've been a fan of country music and the ~cowboy aesthetic~ (i guess) for as long as i can remember so honestly i'm glad that there seems to be a movement of more queer and marginalized folks enjoying the genre because it can be fucking great!! but also the country music industry is SUCH a machine and pretty much every song that gets churned out of it is fucking terrible these days lmao. so i can see why people who have only heard that would reduce the genre to being a conservative capitalist nightmare. not to mention the extreme nationalist backlash mainstream country had to 9/11, which i think is still very interwined with the genre. it's also important to kind of acknowledge the history of country music and how there's not really a defintion of the genre itself...like TONS of very differently sounding music falls under the country umbrella, and honestly the country industry reinvents itself every few years just to try to stay relevant and keep interest among younger consumers. like i'm sorry but how tf are johnny cash and whatever the fuck pop-country-rap hybrids are on the radio right now THE SAME GENRE?!?!?!! they literally have nothing in common besides an accent and the place the music comes from. also like...in case you didn't know, country and blues were originally the same exact type of music, but country was by and for white people and blues was by and for black people. like literally genre is so fake sometimes.

ANYWAY that got long as hell and idk if i said anything of substance but i love country music and i hate country music and i think it's incredibly cool that it's kind of trendy right now <3

#ask #anon

[thisaintascenereviews]

Colby T Helms - Tales Of Misfortune

What’s with every country artist these days wanting to sound like Tyler Childers or Zach Bryan? Okay, actually, I think I know — when a sound gets popular, people want to emulate it and jump on the bandwagon. That’s what’s happening in Americana, folk, and country music. Both Childers and Bryan blew up last year, although they’ve been popular in the underground for the last handful of years, but now that their brand of “authentic” country is popular, everyone wants to sound like that. Sometimes it’s not people’s faults, as they just really like that kind of music, but other times you can tell it’s to hijack a trend. In the case of Virginian Artist Colby T. Helms, I do think it’s the former, but his debut album, Tales Of Misfortune, reeks of trying to capitalize on a popular sound.

I randomly found this on Apple Music, since the new releases are pretty scarce for the last few weeks, but I thought I’d give it a shot, and honestly, I don’t know how to feel about it. On one hand, I like it, and it sounds good, but on the other hand, and maybe this is the cynical part of me talking, it just feels so bland, generic, and almost AI-generated. Like if you put “Tyler Childers album” into an AI generator, this is what you’d get. Sure, Helms is really young, only 21, and he can’t help sounding like Tyler Childers, but that’s the first comparison I made to myself when starting this album. There’s also something to be said about the instrumentation that rides the line between folk, country, and bluegrass, which is what guys like Childers do, and it sounds great, but I can just listen to Tyler Childers if I want this sound, just done better.

I don’t know, maybe I’m just cynical, and I’ve listened to a lot of this sound, but I just forget this album as soon as I hear it. It’s good, but it’s also forgettable. The lyrics are fine, especially when they’re autobiographical for him, but I’ve heard all this before, and it doesn’t sound good enough to me to look past it. Sometimes I can, but this just makes me want to listen to Tyler Childers, because that’s who he sounds like, just not as good. Like I said, I know Helms can’t help that, but it does kind of sour my enjoyment for this record. If you’re looking at it for what it is, it’s fine, but I’ve listened to so much of this sound, it just doesn’t do much for me. I’m gonna keep on him, though, because he could do something more unique and interesting with time, especially as he’s so young, but as it stands, this record is worth hearing if you like that more authentic side of country / bluegrass, or if you’re not burnt out on how much there is out there, but it just sounds like everything else I’ve heard, for better or worse.

#Colby t helms #tyler childers #zach bryan #country #bluegrass #folk #Americana

[johnbazley]

My favorite music of 2023

Welcome to the new home of B-Side Collection, a blog by John Bazley. Here is a list of my favorite albums of the year.

Best Reissues

Tyler, The Creator - Call Me If You Get Lost - The Estate Sale

Sabrina Carpenter - emails I can’t send - fwd

Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor's Version)

Honorable mention

The Gaslight Anthem - History Books

The production is a hurdle I simply can’t get over. Go back and listen to Handwritten. That thing sounds immaculate, even today. How does this album sound like a collection of demos? When I look into what I want these songs to sound like, I like them a lot! But how are you finally going to get Bruce Springsteen on a Gaslight Anthem song and let it sound like that? I hope this thing eventually gets re-recorded because the songs deserve a bigger budget.

Matt Rogers - Have You Heard of Christmas?

Much internal debate about whether or not I wanted to count this comedy Christmas album as a real album, but I ultimately landed on the fact that it is the catchiest pop album of the year and deserves a shout. 

Troye Sivan - Something to Give Each Other

I don’t think I have a parental bone in my body but I can’t help but see Troye Sivan as my biological son. I am very proud of my boy for making a good album this year. My son is also a gorgeous woman.

Ava Max - Diamonds and Dancefloors

Maxinistas rise up!!! The talk that Ava Max was the next Gaga was always stupid. She is Diet Dua Lipa and that flavor is actually good enough. 

Kesha - Gag Order

I found this album hard to get through. It's a tough listen, and it might be higher on the list if I had spent more time with it. But the pitch is “Fiona Apple does Endless” which is frankly stunning coming from Kesha. I’m happy that she’s finally free from Kemosabe Records and Dr. Luke and I hope she dives deeper into some of the sounds she’s experimenting with here. 

The Maine - The Maine

This is like…the fourth or so Maine album where my primary takeaway has been “Damn, the Maine is actually very good.” The songs are catchy and they’re structurally sound. It doesn’t really extend beyond that for me! I couldn’t really tell you what these songs are doing beyond being fun to listen to, and liking John’s voice. My favorite will probably always be Lovely Little Lonely, but “how to exit a room” is maybe the best onboarding point to this band’s catalog so far. 

Kylie Minogue - Tension

“Padam Padam” is the best song on here by a huge degree, and it’s also track one, and it was also out for months before the album. This is really just my way of saying “Padam Padam” is really good. 

Lightheaded - Good Good Great!

Years ago I fell head over heels for a Makthaverskan album and this EP reminds me of that short-lived love affair. I will go to my grave defending Stephen Stec from his many haters and opps. 

Jawdust and Grave Heist - Gravedust

I love George Saives and I love a good bleeegghhh in a hardcore song and thankfully this split has both. 

And now, for the top ten...

My ten favorite albums of 2023

10. Olivia Rodrigo - guts

guts is the album that I wanted SOUR to be. It is bratty and catchy and theatrical, everything Olivia Rodrigo does well, and it doesn't get bogged down in mid-tempo ballads like her last album did (in my humble opinion). Where that album felt like a rush to capitalize on the massive success of "Driver's License," guts benefits from being a complete artist's statement, a body of work that speaks for itself and places Olivia Rodrigo as the main pop girl (outside of Taylor Swift, who is in her own stratosphere at this point).

"get him back" is my favorite song on here, but "all-american bitch" feels like the legacy track and maybe what Olivia actually does best. I am so glad the biggest new pop star is cementing herself as a pupil of Paramore's first three albums. And Daniel Nigro's production work makes the whole thing sound real, not just a pastiche of better pop-punk music.

9. Mitski - The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We

I am often afraid that I am not a real person. When I’m alone, I eat dinner at 3:30 and watch 10 minutes of several movies before giving up and looking at my phone and pacing around for a few hours before I tire myself out and fall asleep in an uncomfortable position. I wake up in the middle of the night and consider that maybe there is something more deeply wrong with me that my depression, my anxiety, that someone will someday discover that I am not real, never have been, that I’ve been standing in the wrong checkout line for my whole life. I love this short and introspective album from Mitski, and my favorite song here is “I Don’t Like My Mind,” which has the following lyrics: “I don't like my mind, I don't like being left alone in a room / With all its opinions about the things that I've done / So, yeah, I blast music loud and I work myself to the bone / And on an inconvenient Christmas, I eat a cake / A whole cake, all for me.”

8. Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA - Scaring the Hoes

My favorite mode of Danny Brown has always been “there is not a volume level at which this album sounds correct” and with that in mind, I think this is my favorite thing he’s ever done. The soundscape here is giving Stereo At Urban Outfitters Unfortunately Has Water Damage. Extremely not for everyone and I hesitate to recommend it to anyone who has not already signaled to me that they are an absolute sicko. I’m not sure where this narrative ended up, but the version on Bandcamp sounded a lot better than the version on Apple Music and Spotify so that's the version I would listen to if you're interested.

7. The Menzingers - Some of it Was True

You can observe several clear shifts in The Menzingers’ discography. There’s an obvious one right between Chamberlain Waits and On The Impossible Past where the band decided they wanted to make albums that have more in common with Chekhov novels than Against Me! albums. There’s another line right down the middle of After The Party where Greg realizes he’s 30 now, and the band’s art should reflect that. I’m famously still in my 20s, so the newer material doesn’t always resonate with me. Turns out a fine Menzingers album is still one of my favorite albums of the year. I don’t think I’ll spend a lot of time with this one the future, but “There’s No Place In The World For Me” was a really nice “I had a bad day at work at my new job in a new city and I can’t fall back on my old New Jersey comforts” song this year.

6. boygenius - the record

I don’t think this will go down as my favorite Phoebe (Punisher), Julien (Sprained Ankle), or Lucy (Historian)—might also still prefer the boygenius EP based solely on the classic status of “Me and My Dog,” a song so powerful that this album’s closer references its vocal melody—but this record’s best moments get up there. Tracks 3 through 6 are the heart, and “Not Strong Enough” lands in the top 5 of all members’ discographies for me.

I think I’m ready for a general departure for Phoebe Bridgers. She is poised to explode, that much is clear, the only question for me is whether she’ll “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” explode or “In the same conversation as Taylor Swift” explode. Either way I hope her next album is weird and divisive and risky.

5. blink-182 - One More Time…

My most listened-to album of the year, which is stunning to me! It should be bad. The first single was awful and still is. The production is bad. All of these men are 50. Somehow it works! I want to reject blink-182, and I don’t want to identify as a fan, but listening to this album proved to me that there’s something rotten in my heart feels excited when I hear Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge sing on a song together.

I have always been happy for Mark that he got to continue being in blink-182 when Tom clearly wasn't into it anymore (and when he eventually quit altogether). Since 2003, Mark's interests seemed to skew more toward the fun, summery, SoCal sound, while Tom was more interested in doing Something Very Important And Perhaps Dark with his music. What I find special about this album compared to the last few blink records is that both of them get to do their thing here without stepping on each other's toes. It's the first time since 2003 that the band feels like a unit, not an inconvenience to each other. Tom gets to make bombastic arena music that lands at the top of the charts and connects with millions of people (always the clear goal of Angels & Airwaves, in my opinion) while Mark gets to make a song like "Bad News," which is easily his best work in 20 years.

In my hopes and dreams, blink-182 will take a page out of Fall Out Boy's book circa Folie a Deux (more on that later) and make something challenging and theatrical next. I believe they still have good albums left in them, but it's hard for me to see how they will once again put out new music without the reunion angle (that they have used near-constantly since Neighborhoods to promote their new albums).

4. Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

To fully appreciate this one, I kind of have to forget that I heard like eight of these songs before the album came out. I don’t get why labels promote new artists like this! There’s all this talk about how hard it is to make a new star these days, and I have to think that a huge part of that is how the labels are holding hostage the debut albums (the material of legacy for artists, the thing that will make you a fan of an artist, not just a song)—I digress.

I think about it because “Pink Pony Club” is just a completely flawless song. It’s catchy and sleazy and melancholy and it makes me miss Tennessee, which feels like my home when I listen to this song. It makes me want to call my mom and also put on high heels and wear a little cowboy hat but leave the club feeling sad about it.

I think this album is about on par with The 1975's self-titled album in terms of how clear it is this artist will be around for a long time. New pop artists with such obvious musical and visual ambitions don't turn out every year, and now that this album is out of record label hell, I hope she'll be able to turn out the next one without the same nonsense that put this one out in piecemeal over the course of like two whole years.

3. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin

Without question my second favorite Sufjan album after Carrie and Lowell. At times it reminds me of A Crow Looked At Me, another album raw with grief, something that I have wondered about whether or not I should have ever heard it or if it should have been kept private.

I can't think of a song that affected me as deeply as "Shit Talk" this year. "I will always love you / I don't want to fight at all" gets stuck in my head constantly. So does the chorus of "Will Anybody Ever Love Me," a song whose intentions seem more clearly placed on making a statement as clearly and precisely as possible than being a catchy pop song, but still manages to make the latter happen with ease.

Something I have thought about a lot this year is the human cost of beautiful art. I know this album came out of a piece of immense grief and at the risk of sounding too familiar, I hope Sufjan is doing okay. I have always loved sad, moving music, and one thing I am working on these days is acknowledging and holding space for the grief that often accompanies it; I hope you'll do the same.

2. Fall Out Boy - So Much (for) Stardust

Few things in this world are as volatile as my Fall Out Boy album rankings, but right now, in December of 2023, So Much (for) Stardust is my third favorite Fall Out Boy album (behind Folie and Infinity on High of course). I can’t guarantee that will always be true, but I do think it will be top three forever, and it’s easily the best thing they’ve done post-hiatus. When I listen to this album, I hear a band that just woke up. It sounds like Pete and Patrick got in a room together and said “what if we made a Fall Out Boy album again?” which I’m sure has actually happened every time they’ve put out music over the past twenty years, but this time they really meant it.

I have spilled a lot of ink over this band. I’ve spilled blood in the discourse. I am famously an enjoyer of Save Rock and Roll in particular. Still, it is as clear as day to me now that those three albums between Folie and this one mostly show a band clawing at what it means to be a rock band in the 2010s; what it means to be Fall Out Boy after the Folie album cycle ran them all directly into the ground; how to be Fall Out Boy when being Fall Out Boy actually seems very out of style. It doesn't really seem like they found the answers to those questions, but it also seems like they don't care anymore and decided to just do what felt right. They haven't seemed this comfortable since at least Save Rock & Roll which somehow came out ten years ago.

"Fake Out," the perfect Fall Out Boy song. It sounds like it could have been written for the Infinity on High sessions. I understand that the idea of Fall Out Boy's music makes people recoil at times but if you are curious about this album, that is the song that will make you get it, if you have the capacity for "getting it."

1. Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

Beautiful and expansive, Lana Del Rey's ninth album is arguably her best. It also feels like her first, a rebirth for the character Lana Del Rey, the stage name of Lizzy Grant, a persona that has always felt like a construction meant to highlight the sadness nestled within the good times, the darkness and grime that the sunset over the Pacific Ocean can't quite reach. The central metaphor in the title track of Ocean Blvd is clear as day--"don't forget me, like you've forgotten about the tunnel under Ocean Boulevard"--but it also feels like a reference to the part of Lana Del Rey that has been hidden underneath the facade she's spent the past decade constructing. In comparison to her other work, this album feels so much more personal, so okay with being slight, or unadorned, free from what the audience expects from the character.

Case in point is "Margaret," my favorite song on here and one of my favorite songs of the year. It is a celebration of two friends' love for each other. Lana sounds like the master of ceremonies at the wedding here, rousing the band through her audible smile. There is almost nothing in the lyrics that points back at the singer herself. It sounds like she is following the purest desires of art-making in her heart at this point in her career and it is impossible not to meet her there, want to see the world through her eyes.

There are many instances of what makes “Venice Bitch” a perfect song, and maybe my favorite is the simple way Lana Del Rey sings “Oh god” in the chorus. Oh god, I miss you on my lips. The function of “I miss you on my lips” is secondary to the pain held within the carelessness ("Imagine if we actually gave a fuck / Wouldn't that be something to talk about for us?") of Oh god. I think the centerpiece of this album is the outro of "A&W," which itself is like a coda to "Venice Bitch," but I am happy that she went as far as revisiting the way she sings “Oh god” in “VB Taco Truck.”

-

That's all from me this year. My goal for 2024 is to listen to more music than I did in 2023. If I am missing something here, please reach out to me (I am assuming you know how to do this if you are reading this) and let me know.

#bsidecollection

[cosettepontmercys]

Hi Cossette! Happy (belated) October 🍂 It's been a been quite an eventful past few months hence the slow reply!

Talking about reading, I have been very behind with updating my Goodreads profile, but I have managed to read more than 50 books this year so I'm pretty content! I did find a lot of books a bit forgettable, but I've really enjoyed:

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

The Magician's Daughter by H.G. Parry

Labyrinth's Heart by M.A. Carrick

For The Eras Tour, I haven't thought about making bracelets just yet but I'm definitely going through my wardrobe and fancying dressing up the Reputation Era (esp. the black hoodie look from the LWYMMD music video)!! And ahh I'm also very thrilled about the Paramore guest appearance!! (Castles Crumbling really has been growing on me 💖)

As of Maisie Peters, I still personally prefer the coherence & production of You Signed Up For This (I listen to her debut more often in order), I think The Good Witch really showcased her songwriting strength & her willingness to experiment with new sounds! Out of the 2 albums, which do you personally prefer?

Over the course of the past few months, I've been listening to Guts (Olivia Rodrigo), Bewitched (Laufey), and The Loveliest Time (Carly Rae Jepsen) quite a lot! Carly's latest b-sides is quite a pleasant surprise: it's her most experimental body of work to date but I really enjoyed it nevertheless! I also love listening to the upbeat tracks from Guts - they're quite a refreshing change from Sour!

Other albums that I've enjoyed include: The Rise and Fall Of A Midwest Princess (Chappell Roan) & The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We (Mitski)! I'll need to relisten to these a bit more but they are growing on me 🩷

My recent top pick goes to Laufey's Bewitched: I think this might actually be my favourite 2023 release - it's a no skip album to me and I love how coherent & well thought out her sophomore effort is!! Which songs are your favourite so far? And which of the 2 Laufey albums do you prefer?

P.S. Ahh I'm very excited about 1989 (Taylor's Version), The Eras Tour Movie, as well as the new Holly Humberstone album!!

happy happy belated october and happy eras tour movie day and happy holly debut day! 🤍 i hope you're doing well, jennifer!

i feel like everyone i know has had a bit of a ~ forgettable ~ reading year with only a handful of highlights! i've been in and out of a fantasy slump, which is really frustrating because there's so many fantasy books that keep popping up on my radar!

the reputation era seems like such a FUN era to dress up as !! i saw a bunch of people in rep era-esque outfits at my show and i loved it 🤍 i wonder if she'll sing castles crumbling with hayley each night ��� i was really hoping we'd get castles crumbling for my surprise song in seattle, since paramore was originally supposed to play in seattle the day after eras seattle, but i also would not trade my surprise songs for the world!

i personally prefer the good witch over you signed up for this, but i do still really love you signed up for this! i think my ranking of maisie albums is good witch → trying → ysuft → dressed too nice for a jacket? maybe? what about you? the good witch is definitely my most streamed album of the year so far, according to apple music replay!

i also loved bewitched, loveliest time & guts, but haven't listened to bewitched or loveliest time as much as i would want to! i've been in more of an audiobook mood lately than a music one! i think i like guts more than sour overall, but i think i like my favorites from sour more than my favorites on guts, if that makes sense? what about you? what are your favorites from guts?

i haven't had a chance to listen to chappell roan's new album or mitski, but i really really need to!! the only other fall release i've listened to lately is del water gap's i miss you already + i haven't left yet! i really want to get bewitched on vinyl i think my favorite might be letter to my 13 year old self, but i need to do a couple more listens until i'm certain! what's your favorite?

i have listened to paint my bedroom black though, and i LOVED it! have you listened to it yet? what are your favorites from it? 🤍

hope you're doing well and having a good october!!!

#post: answered #mutual: jennifer

[vole-mon-amour]

Tagged by @samblerambles. Thank you! I love to talk and can't answer with short answers, so there you go under the cut.

Last song I listened to: M83 - Holes In The Sky (Phantom Liberty LITERALLY has a mission called Hole in The Sky at the beginning of the DLC. I'm surprised they wasted such a perfect opportunity to use this song 'cause I saw the scenery and heard the ambient music in the game and was already anticipating it because it kinda sounded like this song to me.) Listening to it on repeat since yesterday tbh.

Favourite content to watch: I'm not really sure what to answer cause I watch content on occasion and in waves. Basically, I binge watch it mindlessly and then I stop for a while. Most of my subscriptions on YT stay unwatched these days, which sucks.

On YT I'm subscribed to: a couple of cooking channels (one local one is currently my fav, his videos are very cosy); a dude with a farm; some YTbers that play video games (haven't watched any playthroughs in such a long time, now that I have my own PC and the ability to play); some true crime channels; a woman that lives near the North Pole; two different channels that help homeless people; a couple of tech channels (smartphones, PCs, new hardware like that); a pet groomer; a drawing channel or two; cross stitch/embroidery/sewing; a couple of aviation channels; a couple of renovation/DYI channels.

If I had to pick, then right now it's the woman that lives close to North Pole and a pet groomer. A dude with the farm is kind of my fav, but sometimes I'm not in the mood to watch it and miss a couple of videos. Same with aviation: I love love LOVE airplanes, but sometimes I'm not in the mood.

Despite it looking like a lot, I really don't watch that much. Out of maybe 30 videos visible on the page it would be good if I watch one or two videos without scrolling down or going to my To Watch playlist and searching for something to watch there.

Favourite games:

Of all times fav: Uncharted 4 & Dishonored/Dishonored 2. Cyberpunk 2077 (probably; bc I currently have 322.7 hours on Steam there & I'm planning on continue playing. A particular brain worm from there and his best friends from the past are everything.) Deus Ex. I keep forgetting that one but Y E S. It was there before Cyberpunk happened.

As in *right now*: Baldur's Gate 3. RDR2 (maybe? I haven't played that one since the moment I finished the main game, but the story deeply shook me and I called it a masterpiece in my review on Steam.)

To me a FAVOURITE is something you commit to, so it's hard to choose something that I'd actually *actively* stick with. But if we talk less serious, I love video games in general. So many of my fav characters are from video games.

Favourite colours: Most shades of blue (the ones that have blue in them too). Deep rich green <3. Gold.

Favourite animals: All of them. Yes. (I love cats, whales, horses, cows, wolves. I'm an animal person.)

Favourite food: Pickled cucumbers is my all time fav. Pasta (mac and cheese). Sushi (basically sea weed + cream cheese + red fish/lox + maybe a cucumber or bell pepper = heaven). Cucumber + tomatoes + bell paper + sour cream salad is my base that I can't function without. I'm a foodie (which is my big problem since ever but oh well.)

Sweet, spicy, or savoury: I'll keep your answer in a way: 'NOT spicy, my acid reflux does not enjoy that.' Yeah, mine too. Can't eat spicy at ALL, it hurts my guts for real. I like a mix of sweet + salty + savoury. I wouldn't want to eat just one thing out of these. Sweet and sour sauce is <3

Current obsession: Cyberpunk 2077. Couldn't watch anything today, couldn't think of anything else, couldn't focus. But then BG3 adds to the mix because I'm still hoping to finish editing that Halstarion fic. It refuses to work with me & I dislike a lot about it. And, of course, Drakecest is my all time fav obsession, it's always at the back of my mind, chilling on the couch, waiting for me to come back to them and start playing with them.

Last book I read:

The one I finished: The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James. It was a reread.

The one that I didn't finish: The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James. I listened to an audio version that I found, but I only found 2 parts & it's definitely longer. I'd like to finish it, but I haven't seen more parts so far (and to download the actual book and sit down and focus on the the text is a god damn TASK for me.)

Last thing I googled: Probably "hands to the sky, i am a dreamer m83" because I started singing it, but for some reason thought it was 'I need you' by them and started listening to it. Turned out, my brain mixed the songs.

Fun facts:

I was a very active and a very popular kid in kindergarten (first french kiss there during the nap hour while everybody else watched and cheered? yeeeah. very silly, very fun. lol.)

I went to see one of Saw movies to cinema when I was around 10-12. Because I was so young, my dad had to go with me. He loved to tell his friends after how grown people couldn't handle the look of autopsy and guts while I didn't even blink. It always made me smile when he did. I loved the look of blood and horror (which stayed with me to this day, though I get anxious sometimes about blood in some situations.)

The money I bought my cat with partly came from Depeche Mode ticket that I bought, changed my mind, and sold (and, obviously, gave those to the breeder as a guarantee that I'm getting the kitten. I was around 16.) The rest of the price my dad paid for me.

I used to be a huge concert freak. All the travelling I did (13 countries) happened because of concerts. As soon as I turned 18, I started travelling. I slept outside a stadium of my fav band. I met musicians at airports and their hotels (mostly locally though, before I could start travelling). My time as a teen and up until 20 years old was very fun.

#tag yourself game #personal