#I think this is the highest I've ever ranked a song that was still a personal non-qualifier

[eurovision-del]

19. The Netherlands – Burning Daylight

I’ve been on a bit of a journey with this one. It’s probably my biggest grower of the year – I wrote it off when it was released, but now I think it’s a very good song. The muted piano works to create this intimate sound and the melody is beautiful in its simplicity. I love a descending line, so I really like the tune on the chorus. The outro is my favourite part though, that’s where it all comes together and makes me fall in love with it – the music swells and gets all intense there, the voices harmonise for the first time which sounds great in the studio cut, and it really gets to me. The whole message of burnout and struggling to keep going is one that I find painfully relatable, but the outro brings some hope with the idea that you can grow past it and say goodbye to that old life.

However, I have a couple of reservations. Firstly, I don’t think this needed to be a duet. Aside from a couple of random interjections which serve more as backing vocals than anything else, Mia doesn’t come in until the second verse – in fact, the first couple of times I heard this I was surprised when she started singing, Dion had been singing for so long I’d forgotten this was a duet at all! Splitting the lyrics between two voices adds nothing to the message, and they barely harmonise, singing the chorus in unison, only having an extended harmonised section in the outro, which could have been achieved with just backing vocals, since they’re already used there anyway! Their vocal timbres are also quite different, with Dion’s being much rougher than Mia’s – in my initial notes on this one I wondered how they’d blend live – the answer is unfortunately they don’t. Even if they’re just pre-parties, the two performances they gave were both filled with tuning issues and were generally awkward, and dampened a lot of my enjoyment for this song. Maybe they’ll find a spark of chemistry in rehearsals, but I expect this will be a song I much prefer in the studio cut rather than live.

#eurovision #esc2023 #2023 ranking #I think this is the highest I've ever ranked a song that was still a personal non-qualifier #there's still ten songs from semi 1 to come! #netherlands

[under-the-ladder]

Since all the songs have been here for a few days now, time for my top (for now. I have no doubts this will change until May.) Warning, a wall of text incoming

The middle section was so hard to rank 😫 I'm sure I'll see this tomorrow and say to myself "What did I think yesterday??". Everything's fluid and constantly changing but that's why I prefer tiers over strict ranking with places.

Best:

Netherlands 🇳🇱 - What do I even say? Joost completely satisfied the insane expectations I'd had for him. He was the sole reason eventually I learned how to use a vpn. I consider him my entryway to the Dutch culture, I've known him for almost a year and he's managed to become special to me as an artist, almost like in a completely different tier. I am definitely biased lol but I just love the song lyrically (I already elaborated on it here), musically and trust him as a performer 100%. Televote win is in the air!

Switzerland 🇨🇭 - Now this is, my dear friends, my winner vibes this year (out of the more viable entries)! Jury will most likely tank Joost and I can see Nemo getting high points from both juries and tele. The Code has just a perfect amount of drama and theatricality. It connects pop and opera - a mix that I'm a sucker for and additionally, is lyrically meaningful to me on a personal level. How could I not love this??? I'm impatiently looking forward to Nemo's looks and turquoise carpet!

Belgium 🇧🇪 - If not Switzerland, at least let Belgium win. This has some anthemic quality that draws me instantly. Takes quite a long time to get to the climax but it's soo worth it. The lyrics are a mystery to me and it still doesn't take away from the song. I might be biased because I already explored some of Mustii's discography and I love what I found.

Spain 🇪🇸 - The instrumental is a biiig part of why I love this song so much. Those synths make me euphoric every time, the message is beautifully unapologetic. I am worried about the vocals though. I've read somewhere that in Benidorm Fest the way Mery sang was an intentional nod to some other popular singer but there's no way anyone outside of Spain knows that. And even when I know that I still lack the cultural context to grasp the significance. If this doesn't get changed this aspect will definitely hold them back.

Ps. If I ever get a cat (as Baby Lasagna has been tempting me since Dora) I am naming it Zorra, mark my words.

Finland 🇫🇮 - This is just pure fun and I'm buying it! It saddens me to see people complaining thy're just a copy of Käärijä, they take themselves so much less seriously lol. The descending shorts with fireworks concept AND the eagle sounds are everything. On top of that the guys are already the highlight of this year's backstage. I will be super sad if this nqs but then semis are televote only so there's still hope 🙏

Amazing:

Slovenia 🇸🇮 - There is something magnetically drawing me to this song. I love how Slovenian sounds in it, the harsh "r" sounds and almost bird-like "rrahh" especially. Raiven's voice and stage presence are hypnotizing. Besides, Weronika is my 3rd name and the only one I chose for myself so I feel personally connected to the song. Musically this is not the easiest entry and I don't expect many televoters to get it (please just q a dalej niech się dzieje wola nieba) but I hope the atmosphere of the performance will make up for it.

Croatia 🇭🇷 - I still can't believe Baby Lasagna was a backup entry for Dora. If he ends up winning there should be a little shrine for Zsa Zsa built in Zagreb. Meanwhile the Dora executives should really ask themselves how the hell they initially declined an entry that ended up giving them a chance for the best placing since god knows when. Anyways, the hype for this was the highest around Dora, now I'm busy obsessing over others but this is very solid still. I wish the staging was less messy. I kinda don't believe it can win realistically but I certainly wouldn't be disappointed.

Australia 🇦🇺 - It's crazy how my opinion on One Milkali took a complete u-turn. From "I don't think it's my type of music" to "Gosh, I can't get it out of my head". The song does feel a bit dated but somehow special as well. Perhaps that's because I found other songs from Electric Fields that I fell in love with. I still think their 2024 is not the strongest track from their discography and I'm mentally preparing for an NQ :|

Portugal 🇵🇹 - Well, I'm myself super surprised that Grito surpassed Ramonda when it comes to ballads. I didn't feel anything for the first few listens and then something clicked. I sense until May there might be some shuffles around those positions and a lot will be down to the live performances

Latvia 🇱🇻 - Dons' monumental vocals is what makes this song 200x better. It flows nicely, the staging is lacking but that will surely get improved, right? 👀 He seems like such a fun guy with a distance to himself, the butter tiktoks will be remembered for a long time.

Lithuania 🇱🇹 - It took some time for it to grow on me. Lithuanian sounds nice here, almost like Polish, and I like the bridge(?) with the lyrics about radio. The chorus melody is kinda annoying but the rest of the song compensates for it. Tbh I like either Latvia or Lithuania more based on how my mood changes.

Cyprus 🇨🇾 - I know it's a pretty standard girlbop but I just like it for some reason. Silia's energy is highly contagious. Hoping she can prove the gossips wrong and deliver vocally while dancing.

Good:

Ukraine 🇺🇦 - I think it's a decent entry. When Jerry and alyona won Vidbir they were pretty high in my ranking but with the rest of the entries being revealed that advantage faded gradually. Contrary to e.g. Slovenia, Teresa & Maria felt catchy and interesting at the beginning but the longer I listened to it the more repetitive it became. I can see this being an advantage in the televoting though. With that being said, it's far from being the most winning-worthy song and I'd rather root for a country that didn't score two wins already in the last decade.

Sweden 🇸🇪 - from the first time I saw this I fell in love with the staging. Loreen had a horizontal sandwich last year, this year it's a vertical one for the twins lol. I do admit the staging is a huge part of why it's so high but I do like this song. Hell, I even think it's better than Air. The last part especially, right before the end. What can I say, I hear those synths and I'm sold. It will make a good opener.

Greece 🇬🇷 - I'm still not sure why it's so high. I don't vibe with the idea for the music video (please don't try to adapt it for stage. No more cringey overlays, don't catch this virus from TVP). The parts I find highly enjoyable are the opening and ending sung in this high(?) voice, the middle is more like my guilty pleasure.

France 🇫🇷 - I really liked the trick with standing back from the microphone but even without it it's a powerful enough ballad. Slimane as a singer sells it, that's it.

Serbia 🇷🇸 - For another year I find myself in love with the sound of Serbian language. The words "lila ramonda" flow so well in the chorus and complement each other in terms of sounds. The song is almost like a lullaby, with the forward-backward movement that Teya makes during the last chorus underscoring that even more. Another beautiful moment is when the flower rises from above her at the end. The performance makes this song for me as musically I preferred Lik u ogledalu, which was kinda uncoordinated on stage with those mirrors.

Estonia 🇪🇪 - I was really a fan of this song around January and then something happened, maybe the Eesti Laul final performance? It was messy vocally and staging-wise. For now I can't really pinpoint what else is wrong but one thing is sure: this really fell more than a few places for me :/

Poland 🇵🇱 - I'm so tired of the Polish internet at this point that I'll be cheering for Luna no matter what happens. This is a song I liked from the start and still do and I sincerely hope she manages to pull it off on stage decently, I don't care whether because she' naturally a good vocalist or gets a lot of training or gets tape backing vocals. Seeing how strong this year is I'm doubting whether Karma or Justyna would score much better.

Austria 🇦🇹 - This grew on me a bit, enough to move from average to good. Not seeing the winner hype at all and as I mentioned somewhere earlier her staging is my pet peeve. If this ends up anywhere near how the mv looks like then I'll be seriously disappointed. This is a song about raving after all and making a Chanel-like choreo-heavy girlbop out of it seems so unnecessary.

Average:

Luxembourg 🇱🇺 - The funky droplet sounds(?) are quite up my alley, the song is quite fun on its own. Please change that outfit on stage, it's too dark for how happpy Fighter sounds imo. While the result of the Luxembourgish nf is not that bad I do hope they change it before the next year. Forcibly pairing artists with not-their-own songs almost always ends up badly and come on, why restrict their creativity and authenticity? It's not 2013 anymore.

UK 🇬🇧 - That's kind of a classic example of expectations vs reality. Dizzy is painfully correct and nothing more BUT I think it can still be rescued by the live performance. If they manage to bring the spinning rooms idea to life and miraculously nothing breaks and if Olly uses his charisma which he has plenty of. If you don't believe me watch It's a sin with Elton John or mv to Starstruck.

Italy 🇮🇹 - My biggest problem here is with the instrumental, it's grating and scratches my brain in a very annoying way. I like Angelina's expression on stage and all that but the song is just a barrier impossible to ignore. If Italy wants to win again please, may it be with something better (I wouldn't say no to Annalisa).

Ireland 🇮🇪 - I'm generally very glad Bambie won, this is surely progress made from the last year. Normally I'm not a fan of pagan elements, zodiac signs, etc. but the mv is very aesthetically pleasing. The quieter parts are digestible to my ears, the noisier ones not so much. People keep saying it's a chance for Ireland to qualify but honestly I'm of the opinion it will repel majority of the televoters. It will be very interesting to see how it's going to play live with staging, outfits and turquoise carpet nonetheless.

Norway 🇳🇴 - I think Norway might be the biggest fall this year, or even since I'm more engaged in ESC. This went straight up from amazing to barely average. In theory Ulveham has everything I should love - Norwegian, rock mixed with folk, powerful and charismatic vocalist. I still don't know exactly what doesn't work. It's no mystery I loved Mileo and thought Damdiggida was a letdown compared to other Keiino's songs so I don't think Norway had a better option in the MGP final than Gåte. What I like is the staging, especially the moment Gunnhild bends backwards and leans on her hand (somehow with her vocals remaining flawless!!) but that's not enough to charm me back :c

Weak:

Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 - It's a pleasant ballad but doesn't distinguish itself enough to be memorable. I appreciate the use of Azerbaijani (Azeri?), I don't appreciate the presence of Ilkin Dovlatov. What does he even bring to this song?

Denmark 🇩🇰 - That's just a very competent song with a good vocalist, almost no more things to say. I'm not a fan of the platform she was standing on. Also I have a weird aversion to the DMGP stage, it looks like a waterwell so it will probably be better in Malmö lol.

Armenia 🇦🇲 - As much as everyone seems to be loving Jako, to me it's rather grating. From what I was able to see I appreciate Jaklin's energy live but that's about it. It doesn't help that it's constantly stuck in my head while I'd prefer it not to.

San Marino 🇸🇲 - This just doesn't do anything to me. Feels almost too funky while I thoroughly enjoyed the heavier vibe of Arcadia. Maybe that's unfair to compare so much but I can't help it. In a weaker year I wouldn't mind for Megara to qualify but this time maybe make some room for better songs (Latvia please?).

Iceland 🇮🇸 - Jak do tego doszło nie wiem/How did it come to this? The results of Söngvakeppnin left me speechless this year and the drama afterwards left a very bad taste. Scared of heights is not a super bad song after all but it's biggest mistake is blandness. A sure NQ that I will not cry for.

Bad:

Albania 🇦🇱 - The revamp took all the kick and power out of this. The rap part turned into a shadow of itself. Contrary to many, I don't mind the language change. I can't say I liked the song before, I like it even less now. I do appreciate the mv though, it's so crisp.

Czechia 🇨🇿 - I'm sorry, I just can't ignore the live when judging this. Even if I did I still don't think Pedestal would end up much higher. I don't vibe with the shouty chorus and an nth rendition of the Mugler suit this year, the visuals in the mv are much more pleasant though and I'd like them to go that direction in Malmö.

Malta 🇲🇹 - The revamp broke it, I'm sorry. What else can I say? Didn't like it before, like it even less now. Case similar to Albania.

Georgia 🇬🇪 - This track is so noisy and overproduced that I can't remember the melody line even after multiple listens. Too dynamic, too much of everything all at once. I guess the song is not that bad, I just dislike the fact that it takes effort to make a song this overloaded and yet Georgia succeeded.

Moldova 🇲🇩 - I know I said that was the only option for Moldova but I can't help but skip this one every time it comes up on my playlist. The only catchy part is the chorus melody, all without words. I actively dislike the live performance, there's something disturbing in the way they all look and move the same way.

Germany 🇩🇪 - Eh. Every time I listen to this I physically cringe at the sound of the elephant in the chorus. The supposedly African inspiration feel disingenuous and very 2010s to me. James Newman fate is what I predict awaits this entry.

#i made the template myself this year! #just don't zoom in #i can't crop things well #but to my excuse the program was shitty #esc 2024 #rankings

[omgkalyppso]

There's been a viral post about the best anime openings making rounds on the bird site and I wanted to share my favorites. So, here's a top 10 anime openings list except it's obvious I only really watch mainstream anime. After determining ten I liked best, without repeat series, I considered things like how recognizable they were, how catchy I found the song, whether it fit the tone of the series, and how engaging the animations were.

General warnings for flashing images, volume, blood, skeleton (Ainz Ooal Gown from Overlord), body horror (Ryuk from Death Note).

Press J to skip this post if you're on desktop.

10. Demon Slayer. It's not old enough to be nostalgic to me, I think that's mostly why I'd rank it so low. I have the song on a playlist and hear it more often than some of the others higher on the list. The colors are fun and the opening was a huge reason I was excited to see where the series would be going after the first episode.

9. A lot of people had different Sailor Moon openings as their favorite. I picked the one I had the most fondness for, and yeah, it was in English. I was five years old when my Sailor Moon interest first started. My cellphone ringtone is the song from her locket. I love the split reflection with playful Sailor Moon and wistful Serena / Usagi.

8. I always found Naruto's fourth opening, Fighting Dreamers Go!!! a lot of fun. Many anime have openings where you spend time staring at still images of the characters, and I felt like the scroll-art-look was a really good way of doing this without long static.

7. Cowboy Bebop's first opening Tank! is one I've seen parodied at least twice, and you know what they say about the highest form of compliments. It's iconic, but isn't of a style that I personally would have stuck on my head.

6. What's up, people?! took me by surprise when the homemade subs of Death Note finally came around years ago. The song was bright and loud and dramatic, and similar in style to my emo / screamo style of the time. Still a favorite, almost made top 5.

5. History Maker was another opening that was really part of the hook of the first episode for me, the first few minutes. I'm a huge fan of how figure skating was animated in Yuri!!! on Ice and I feel like this opening meant a lot to the people who were passionate about it when it came out. Deserved.

4. Indulgent of me to rank Overlord's third opening Voracity so high but it's my list, lol. I have this song on a playlist too, and I love the beat of it a lot. The dysfunctional macabre absurdity is up my alley.

3. The colors, the animation, the heart of BLOODY STREAM (pun intended) are so good. I love it.

2. Everyone knows the Pokemon Theme Song. In my experience, even children who were started on later seasons of pokemon are so familiar with this opening. It's fun, it invites you into the world. It's done everything it's ever needed to do, and done those things well.

Unparalleled. A Cruel Angel's Thesis ("Zankoku na tenshi no tēze) is another song I have on a playlist. A gorgeous piece of music and art; and the opening is maybe just as much a non sequitur for the anime as its many endings are to itself. Lol. NGE is dear to me, and the opening is accessible to new and old audiences. Meme'd even by those who might never want to pick it up.

#long post #kimetsu no yaiba #sailor moon #naruto #death note #yuri on ice #jjba #pokemon #neon genesis evangelion #i'm not tagging games i haven't before but if someone who follows me needs it to blacklist. let me know #flashing images #blood tw #skeleton #body horror #i actually think the openings that have the credits are better than ones where they've been edited out. accolades where they're due and all #Youtube

[xnchxntmxnt]

HEY it's me here for the event <33

So fandoms is just Sk8 the infinity, and if you're doing yoi then that too but otherwise just the one is fine also I'd preferably like a dude

So that's the outift im SORRY it's all black but i wore it recently and i rlly liked it so it's the first thing that came to mind

Totally unrelated to the event but this is the pair of shoes I'm wearing in that outfit and I'm in Love with them probably my fav pair shoes

So uh yea these ^ shoes with black pants, a white tshirt with a printed tie tucked into the pants, and a black denim jacket over top. Also a black knitted belt. I always wear those bracelets and like, a normal watch.

Ah personailty. I'm that generally nice guy that noone rlly has any beef with but who's not like, one of the popular kids uk? Not very talkative but that's only around new people. In contrast, I'm probably the most talkative one within my friend group lol.

I LOVE reading I've loved it ever since i was a toddler. I don't have a fav genre, as a kid i would read literally anything, from encyclopdias to kids books to classics to even this one big book about herbal medicine that i read for some reason? I don't even remember what was in it but it was rlly cool.

I have a system where my tbr list doubles as my book ranking list. My highest ranked books tend to be those that make me cry a Lot. So books like The Song Of Achilles, aaddtsotu, No 6, Circe, A Thousand Boy Kisses.

I'm a hoe for animation, and I don't watch live action movies/series alot. When i was younger it was disney pixar etc and now I watch anime. I still love disney pixar movies tho, and im always down to watch a classic like Mulan or newer movies like Luca or Encanto (three of my favourite films of all time btw). I prefer animation to live action because it has this sense of wonder and fantasy and excitement that you can't replicate with live action, and that's what i rlly enjoy abt it.

I loove music, i play the uke guitar and piano, tho I'm not Amazing at any of them. My fav artist is Taylor Swift. I don't support Celebrity Stan culture and I don't follow her life too intensely, i just find out stuff by filtration from my mutuals/friends lol. That being said, i think Taylor is so incredibly talented and her music never ever fails to make me feel a whole slew of emotions.

I also have adhd and it messes w my life in some ways, makes it more interesting in other ways. I Cannot hold a topic I go on multiple tangents, i have the short term memory capacity of a spoon, i cannot sit still and am always fidgeting , I'm hypersensitive to sudden sounds, but im also unable to function in total silence. School was weird cuz I'd never be able to pay attention in class or while studying normally but sometimes I'd hyperfixate on my studies for hours on end and so I'd do fairly well anyway.

I'm bisexual grayro! I'm aromantic in the sense that I don't feel romantic attraction, but i still wanna be in a romantic relationship someday (btw I am taking this event date as romantic not platonic). I'm also into boys girls and anything else, although i have a preference for guys.

I love being alone and left to do my own thing, but i hate feeling lonely or isolated. Which is smn my friends understand, so we don't talk a whole lot, but whenever we do it's so refreshing and the love between us is so palpable uk?

I watch documentaries in my free time! I especially love ones about history, which is one of my favourite subjects. I'm not TOO interested in war history, although its important and just as significant. I'm more interested in the development of society through the ages and the small quiet revolutions that made the world what we know today.

UHHHH that got longer than i meant it to but yea!! This was so fun thank u :)) hope u had fun reading all that!

i just have to say i was gonna text u this but i just. i love listening to people ramble like this its so fun because i love when people just. talk. especially about themselves. all these cool little things i now know about you i just. yes. i love it i love all of this its such a cool thing to me

ramble over. thANK YOU FOR SINGING WITH ME AT THIS <333 i did not even have to think about this matchup i got about halfway through ur submission before i was like lol i have the perfect idea

𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡... 𝐑𝐄𝐊𝐈 𝐊𝐘𝐀𝐍

kjgbkjdbg suit for him <3

the tie disappears after about 5 minutes he HATES ties. anyway

little different than others: you guys didn't actually meet here

you two had kinda been seeing each other for a little while but nothing was super formal or official

but you wanted to bring him because 1) you found out his friend was gonna be there too 2) gave you a chance to vibe a while yknow?

so reki's your plus one going into this

dude was SO nervous he was calling langa in a panic trying to figure out how to style his hair and what he was supposed to be wearing and all this other stuff

poor dude

but hey, he showed up, he looks great, its awesome

you told him beforehand that you were going in early bc music setup n stuff

he decided to come around the time everyone else was supposed to be there & just come by himself

hung out w langa and his girlfriend until yours truly makes their entrance

oh boy this dude was AWESTRUCK when it was music time

i've got this idea in my brain that like. i od a song then we do a song? said song is lover

he was vibing w the music for a while yk and then you started singing

lets just say dude went as red as his hair

he gives me the vibes that he'd have a thing for musicians or just people that can sing well

so like every gay panic siren was going off in his head when he heard you sing

finally music stuff was done

time to eat

before you could even get to the table reki ZOOMS over to you and is geeking out

incomprehensible rambling

he's just !!!!!

but overall he's just like ,NGNMJBHDGJNH BLUE THAT WAS SO GOOD

expect to be almost trampled in a hug

he will hug you

<333

so anyway you go through dinner

congrats you officially met langa + his girlfriend koi (who also participated in this lol)

however

ur probably halfway through a conversation and reki hears a song that he likes and makes u dance w him

he's never been one for social standards anyway he doesn't care if it seems rude its only langa

and he wouldn't care

he knows he wouldn't

so now ur cute redhead is pulling you onto the dance floor

he cannot dance but its okay!! he's trying. just vibe with him and let him spin you and spin him and he'll be smiling and laughing at you all night

that's all I've got but he's whipped for u and know that either that night or soon after u two make it official he had so much fun w you that he probably asked you night-of or the day after

#anniversary event #//ɪɴʙᴏx #blue — 💅

[cartooniste2z]

First Meeting

The Magical and sometimes mysterious lands of Mewni, despite being right next to the Forest of the Certain Death were, at the eye of the common folks, “not that bad”......

  Or at least, that would be the answer of the Common Folk living outside the limits of the City of Mewni.

  Although that with the help of King Marco and Queen Star new ideas and rules were constantly improving the lives of all Mewmans equally, that was the simple truth that nobody could overlook.

  It was plenty easier keep watch over one single city than over several dozens of little villages.

  Each village had to go against several issues at once, and not all of them could get help in time, so the people living on them had to either move away to another land more gentle, or prepare themselves and bite nature back

  All around the territory of Mewni, the skeletons of Villages and Towns of several sizes were either the demostration of the courage and adaptability that the Mewmans could show, and the last remains of the memories of the one that dare to live in such places

  But even the Skeletons of these places could tell little stories, mostly about the last enemy the inhabitants had to face before their fall. Some showed signs of Giant Mindless Monsters attacks, others the simple misfortune of the Weather or terrain, too hard or unpredictable to sustain a proper living place, while others did not mind to show the results of a bad choice to any soul that dare to come between them......

  Although for most of them—and in more recent times, showed the clear signs of a situation that the Mewmans had known for too long, and they knew would never change: ever since the War..... The War would never change.....

  Despite all the attempts, successes and failures of the Mewmans so far, there lies the region of Mewni that remained untouched by Mewmankind, without any kind of Village or Town nearby, not even skeletons, or rather not a single trace of them left anywhere to be seen.

  Far past any Mewman settlement, and outside most of the common folks limits, near the vast chain of mountains that have always stayed on the limits of the Mewni, there was a series of caves and tunnels that leads inside the mountains depths themselves, the tunnels were both big and small, separating and fusing in some ways, while in others only leading to dead ends in a severely confusing way, sometimes the tunnels had some kind of natural trap, that would make just about any explorer think twice before even considering to enter such a place.

  Yet in front of those same caves, something rather unexpected happened.

  A single person was making their way outside of the caves, humming to himself a seemingly calm song, as peacefully and normally as he was just taking a light walk, for most people, the simple idea of walking towards those territories was beyond anyone's imagination, yet this young man was walking out of those same caves with a carefree and even happy face.

-aaaaaah- sighed the young man, turning his face up to look at the sky with a small smile -well that was relaxing-

Still looking at the sky, the boy's smile become seemingly smaller, a gentle breeze make his blonde hair move slightly, his skin, while white it showed to be lightly tanned, probably thanks to continuous hours under the scorching sun, yet the more remarkable feature of himself were a half wing sign on each of his cheeks, a prove of his royal blood as a Butterfly.

His clothes, even if normal to most occasions most would wear a full suit of armor to such places, the boy was only wearing a shirt with long sleeves and stripes, brown pants along with normal looking shoes, if anything, he looked exactly like he was going to take a walk to a safe place, instead of the wildly dangerous domains of the Dragonkind.

The boy kept looking at the sky, that carefree smile that he had was already gone, instead, his deep blue eyes showed a mix of uncertainty and excitement, his gaze moved to the left, and then to the right as he started to move once again. He seemed to be admiring the view and the terrain, yet this was not the case, his gaze was not set on the rocks or trees nearby, instead they were fixed on “something” that was not there at all, and immersed all of his thoughts and problems.

The Royal family of the Kingdom of Mewni surely had many things to worry about, surely each possible problem was making a ruckus inside the boy's head….however, from the lowest of the common folk to the highest rank in the royalty should always remember a simple, yet incredible important rule.

-Huh? Wow wow wow—AAAH!-

…. To look where one is walking.

So deep was the boy in his thoughts, that he had not noticed the small border he was walking across, and on a simple slip, he fell, rolling on the ground until hit the ground, with the back to the ground, his gaze once again was fixed on the sky.

-great… just great, you are honestly a genius…- talking to himself, the boy wanted to stay there until the shame had slipped on a land that he knew better that his own hands disappeared, internally, he thanked the gods of Mewni that nobody was there to laugh at him

Unfortunately for him, that was not going to be the case for long.

-AAAAAHH!... Ouch….-

Another scream, coming from the opposite direction of where Hunter came from, filled the place, soon followed by the sound of a body rolling downhill and finally, a thud originated right next to him.

Moved both by curiosity and precaution, the boy stood up, looking to the person that have shared his same destiny, only to open his eyes on surprise.

A girl, surely not older than the boy himself, was with her back against the ground, her eyes shut due to the pain of the fall. Her skin was even paler than the boy, like the sun had never touch it, her brownish-blonde hair was fixed on curly twin tails, her white dress that was now covered with some dirt that reached down her knees. What called the boy attention was not that, instead, were the marks on the cheeks of the girl, two black lines on each cheek that started almost on the middle of her cheeks, going down and expanding slightly until reach the borders of her face.

-are you ok?- the boy asked carefully, dropping his guard in hopes of getting a better first impression.

-Huh?! Who…. Where… I… uh…- the girl did not take that into consideration as soon as the boy spoke. She stood up, her eyes wide and looking to both sides, with fear.

-hey, do not worry, I am not going to harm you- answered the boy, seating over, his knees met the ground as he tried to look make himself appear harmless.

The girl looked at him with suspicion. Then, after a tense moment, she dropped her guard and adopted the same posture of the boy.

-sorry- said the girl, shyly

-no need to be. You surprised me too- answered the boy with a sincere voice- are you hurt?

The girl shook her head.

-glad to hear that… also, why are you over here? Not a lot of people tend to come over here- the boy asked truthfully, innocent curiosity born of deep inside his heart.

-uh… well… i… it is… complicated- the answer of the girl confused the boy, but he could also notice the sadness in the girl's eyes.

-I am Hunter by the way- Hunter presented himself, smiling as confidently like he could- Hunter Butterfly.

The girl opened her eyes widely, looking at Hunter with surprise.

-you mean….?-

-yeah, yeah. my parents are King Marco and Queen Star, but do not worry, I am not an idiot like the rest of the nobility in Mewni, my mother make sure of that- Hunter answered quickly, though his mother's behavior was legendary, there was still people that believed that they would act just like the rest of the nobility in Mewni- and you are?

-…………..Lianna- Lianna's gaze slowly shifted to the ground- sorry, just… Lianna-

-Well Lianna, would you like to come to Mewni with me?-

-UH?!- if possible, the girl's eyes widened even more, looking at Hunter with a mix of pure shock—and for a mere moment, hope.

- I mean, I honestly get it if you do not want to tell me, but like a prideful knight of Mewni, I cannot leave a girl alone over here…. And I doubt that you would want to walk with a dirty dress- Hunter had once again smiled with confidence, and finally extended his hand towards Lianna- so?

Lianna's hazel eyes look deeply on Hunter deep blue eyes, like she was expecting it to be some kind of cruel joke or scheme, yet in his eyes, she only found an innocent pride and will to help.

Slowly, Lianna extended her hand towards Hunter hand, until finally she take it.

And with that, their meeting was over. In the future, they would realize that their meeting led to shake the same foundation of Kingdoms and Empires alike, adventures, dangers, secrets and much more.

But for today, this was the simple and innocent meeting of a boy and a girl, their true destinies could wait for another day

~~~~~

by the amazing @ladyxgilex 💙 (and a touch of proofreading from myself ;3)

Straight out of each headcanon I've shared with you, you've done it! This was a great read and

#submission #hunterverse #Hunter Butterfly #Lianna #story #ladyxgilex #sketch #cartooniste2z

[papirouge]

What do you think of Bon Iver's song "33 God"? I absolutely love it but I'm afraid it is too "symbolic" and obscure, although I'm aware the whole album has to do with the singer's love and faith towards God (this album is one of my favorites too). As someone who's arguably one of the most educated and insightful Christian here, your opinion would be very interesting to hear ! Take care !

Okay I just checked it and tbh it's not my cup of tea... The weird symbolism of the MV made me uncomfortable (idk if 33 is referencing Jesus' alleged age when He got crucified, but when I saw it I immediately thought that's the highest rank in Freemasonry lol) and the lyrics didn't make any sense for an alleged Christian inspired band (the "I'd be happy as hell if you stayed for tea" rubbed me the wrong way BIG TIME). I browsed through a bunch of their material too and I got a weird feeling from their overall music so I NOPE'd out of there real quick~ LOL

Now to each their own and music is too much of a subjective topic to debate on whether or not something is worth listening.

But it's funny you talk to me about Christian music because a few days ago I was watching videos warning about modern Christian music and how they tended to spread a deluded Christianism/woke christianese (think about Hillsong, Bethel Music, etc) and that not every artist or band claiming to be Christian is actually legit (pretty much like not every tumblr user with a reference to God or a Bible verse in their handle is legit...). So while it's good to surround ourselves with hymns and apolegtic songs, it's important to be watchful of their source and biblical soundness...

I enjoy a few modern Christian song and albums but I'm trying to be wary about what I pick... For example I LOOOVE Citizens & Saints "Join the Triumph" album, but their latest songs left a weird feeling in my guts (such as "Out of Sight" that I enjoy still, but has an energy and some lyrics that don't sit well with me...). So yeah, before anything, trust your guts when indulging with anything! and by "guts" I mean the Holy Spirit that's supposed to make you decipher what's spiritually wrong or right. Idk about you but there are things that I had no problem being exposed to before being Saved that turn my stomach now. I've become much more sensitive to unclean energies and discerning of sin. Jesus really changes who are and we become more reluctant to sin accordingly to His image, amen! 💗😁

I really appreciate you being so appreciative of my apologetics💓✝️ but please, don't forget I'm no better than you or anyone else and I owe everything to God and the Holy Spirit providing spiritual guidance to properly grasp the Scriptures. I learned a lot answering to all the 'attacks' which is something I'm really grateful for, and I'm really looking forward growing ever further in Faith, Wisdom and spiritual discernment.

#answered #Christian

[painfullyextroverted-blog]

eating disorder

hi, I have an eating disorder. I'm going to a php in 3 days and I wanted somewhere to vent my anxieties about it. And also kind of write my thoughts out as a baseline/pre-php thought documentation. (PHP = partial hospitalization). I've never been to any treatment like this so Im nervous

December 4 2021

According to my therapists, they say I have ARFID which is Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Having looked at the info they provided me I'd say that's probably what it is. There's definitely a fear of fatness/weight gain though in addition to that. It said that sometimes there's a thing you can have where you are hypersensitive to tastes as well? hyperactive taste buds? and idk if I have that but I have ALWAYS been hypersensitive to SMELL. Always. So maybe correlated

I've been vegan for 7 years about (thanks to tumblr for converting me lol) and honestly I haven't been on tumblr in about that time either. I went vegan for 3 reasons ranked from highest to lowest:

1. Good for the planet

2. good for my body

3. good for animals (not killing the chickies)

At this point I'm ngl, I am over being vegan. Like I have shifted back to eating mostly processed foods. When I went vegan there weren't a lot of vegan supplements for things so I had lots of whole plant based foods all the time but now I'm eating vegan microwave mac n cheese and oven chicken nuggets and shit all the time. AND I'm craving chicken, like chicen strips all the time. and My roommate ate pulled pork (like my favorite food, my LAST SUPPER of not being vegan) yesterday and I'm like, shit. I hate pork and I hate bbq sauce usually but mmMMmm good pulled pork.

HOWEVER, a common thing I have said since going vegan is "IF I weren't vegan I would be so fat". This is not cute. I really do believe this statement, and I think it's part of why I am afraid to stop being vegan.

Lately I've been plagued with this feeling of like, not ever being full. Bottomless pit, never to be filled. But instead of trying to satiate that, I like ignore it as uncomfortable and deal with it in the only way I know how which is restricting (or simply avoiding) food. I am feeling it right now! IT's easier in this moment for me not to eat. Which is not healthy.

I am afraid of getting fat. EVERYONE, including my younger sibling who is 19 and a foot shorter than I am, is overweight in my family. My extended family not so much but my immediate family definitely. And that's scary. I have (well, HAD, when I tried to write this post yesterday) 3 main reasons why I am afraid of gaining weight.

1. it is annoying to not fit clothes I own

this is kind of silly but its true. I experienced the same phenomenon in the last few years while I've been losing weight and my body has been changing in general (I'm 21, this isn't puberty lol). Like it SUCKED in 2018 when I was waking up and wearing the same two pairs of pants that were just falling off because they were too big (skinny jeans too). I went to Hollister during my break (during black friday weekend probably LOL) at my mall job and purchased new pants in a smaller size that day. There's like this frugality? that my mom ingrained in my and like it's great and all but it's also this sense of like, you don't NEED anything ever? Like making normal necessities seem like not? normal? necessities? like clothes that fit? the bare necessities. now sing the little song from the jungle book (horribly racist movie, fun music tho i can't lie)

wow so much freedom in anonymous writing!

reason 2 of being scared of weight gain

2. its uncomfortable

it really fucking is. I won't list my weight here now, but I was my heaviest in 7th/8th grade, and it was awful. THAT was during puberty LMAO. It was awful. My clothes were uncomfortable, my tummy hung over my pants (then i met high rise jeans, thank you jesus, I've never looked back). When I got into the shower I felt like I hadn't taken off all my clothes-- there was still a layer I hadn't removed. That was my fat. You can't take that off!!!! And it's awful. Awful. :( Like a second skin basically. Bleh

3. it is unattRACTIVE (for me?????)

I do have insecurities. and I'm not gonna lie, I have been working on my fashion/wardrobe for the last year and it has some GAME now ok, I don't look like a hobo everyday. In fact I look fly as fuck. And it helps to be skinny. I have some beautiful girlfriends who are CURVaLiCIOUS and i love them, but I am still afraid of it for myself. It also feels like so much more work. Like I feel like for me if I were heavy/ier then Id have to start wearing full face makeup everyday with contour and shit to look decent. It's dumb and contradictory and cognitive dissonence-y i know. but it's how i feel.

So, I think there are several possible causes to my ED/correlations with life events.

1. I went vegan around the same time my dad left

#daddyissues LMAO

So yeah, the summer before freshman year I went vegan. And at some point during this summer my dad went grocery shopping and I don't even know what it was but I guess I asked him to buy some type of vegetable, and he bought kale instead or something? Either way, I know that kale got thrown at me. hard. Sooooo, this is kinda like dumb i guess but it is abusive behavior and I was like crying on the floor for an hour and nobody at all came to talk to me or help me out (I have a victim complx too haha FUN AND QUIRKY!!! RAWR XD) and yeah basically people like ignored the whole situation??? And my mom like said something to my dad about it but like, it was not enough. A month later he threw something bigger and harder at my mom and she kicked him out. I'm still upset by this a little and the fact my mom didn't like realize sooner what was going on. Like my feelings and my experience of my dad wasn't valid or didn't incorporate with who she knew my dad to be. And I just always think that maybe if she cared more about the kale incident that maybe something would be different. idk what.

ANYWAY: that's when I went vegan, right? So we start this (pattern) of ~abandonment correlated with limited food options. REMEMBER this was before I could pick up frozen vegan meals at any supermarket, I was cooking EVERYTHING from scratch basically, and I couldn't have conventional ice cream and shit.

2. b-R-e-A-k-U-P-s

if you're still reading, now you'll probably be able to figure out who I am. So here's a short rundown of events:

A. I am searching for stability outside the home. I avoid being home as much as possible (consciously or subconsciously). I lose my best friend (best friend breakups, yuck). And finally after a crazy fling, somebody starts dating me (ahem *bitchass). So it's awful but it had potential ( I thought ) to be everything I wanted. So we break uP DUH and I'm like heartbroken!! Dismayed!! And I stop EATING. I stop eating. I literally lose 10 pounds.

before this, crushes made me stress out and CAUSED me to eat. But this was new! This was ~ANXIETY~. Having to interact with an ex, having to see them go out with someone else, etc etc etc.

B. victim complex continues

so I get a new boyfriend shortly after, like a month. that November bitchass dumped me was the worst month of my life probably. idk. thanks to XXXTentacion SKINZ album for gettin me thru it. So new boyfriend is like everything I could ever want and more, literally MAKING ME FOOD, doing his savior complex shit, saving my fucking day. It was great, for me anyway. And then he broke up with me too and PLUMMMETTTTING plummetting. so now I have no savior and no appetite, yummy. I am still hung up on this (if u r reading this, I hope you're not). But he was like, my first love, and I don't think that's something you get over, ever. It just kinda sucks I wasn't his first.

yeah that's it for breakups. My other symptoms/reasons are pretty compliant with ARFID ideas, these (above) are basically the psychological outliers I wanted to identify. Like I choked on graham crackers once and then I avoided eating them for YEARS literal years. I currently have a fear of choking (ranked highest to lowest fear, 1 nuts 2. popcorn 3 crunchy chips) I'm afraid they'll scratch my throat.

About my food

again, if you're still reading this, idk why but go for it.

I CAN eat crunchy things if it's with or before something that is not crunchy. Like hummus and pretzel chips. That has basicallly been 50% of my diet for the last two weeks or more.

Yeah idk basically surviving on that and vegan deli slices and pickles occasionally and lots of cinnoman raisin toast and applesauce. occasional clif bars.

But like when people offer me food or I'm eating a "forbidden" food I feel like I go kinda crazy. I literally DONT but I FEEL like I could or do. like eating cheese ravioli: I ate like more than I thought I would. (ahem, only 3 but i figured i'd have one) or when people offer me food I like, cannot resist it. that has ALWAYS been a thing too so maybe that's partly how I got this far with ARFID bc like i know there's something inside me that lacks control.

ok that's pretty much it for now. I am anxious about PHP and I could make a different post about that but again that's kinda what got deleted the first time around.

Thanks.

#daddy issues #mommy issues #pro recovery #tw eating things #eating disoder mention #eating disoder things #my post

[youspoketome]

My Favorite Albums of 2018

I tried something new this year. All year long, every time I bought a new album I added it to a note on my phone as a list so that I could adjust the order as needed. Some things settled into their order quickly, but a couple spots went down to the wire. Embarrassingly, I was just looking at my 2015 list and six albums on that list were the previous albums by six of the bands on this list, and one was a solo album by the singer of a seventh band listed here. I'm not quite sure what that means in the grand scheme of things. And that seems like a long enough introduction, so here we go!

Murder By Death - THE OTHER SHORE

Honestly, I thought Murder By Death was finished having albums on top of my best of lists. I had been so disappointed in GOOD MORNING, MAGPIE. That album had like two good songs, but the rest was at best forgettable filler and at worst sounded like a parody of themselves. The two albums since then had definitely been better, but still not at the levels of their earlier albums. Enter THE OTHER SHORE: an incredible return to the long form concept album following a story of love and dying planets in a western in space. It's full of catchy hooks without ever being clichè, small character moments and big, world-ending finishes. Best of all, it's got ripping 2-minute long cello solos. This is peak Murder By Death right here.

mewithoutYou - [UNTITLED]

mewithoutYou is another band I've loved for years, but thought was coming off of a weaker album. I enjoyed PALE HORSES (it made my top ten list the year it came out), but it didn't have anything that really grabbed me and made it a necessary part of the mwY canon. [UNTITLED] immediately feels important. It's not the most easily accessable album, but when have mewithoutYou ever been accessable? This is an album that has layers that you can appreciate as you dig down to them on further listens. Over the years mwY's sound has evolved from the heavier hollerin' of [A->B] LIFE and CATCH FOR US THE FOXES to the completely clean and folky IT'S ALL CRAZY... and back again. [UNTITLED] really blends things together by taking the heaviness from early albums and adding them in for flavor rather than building the songs around them, giving the songs depth and intensity. For my money, it's their best album since BROTHER, SISTER. Still waiting on that album/EP collector's edition to ship though, so no pictures.

Gregory Alan Isakov - EVENING MACHINES

I've enjoyed Gregory Alan Isakov's previous albums of folky songs fit for sitting on the front porch at your farm while reading an old book, but whenever I'd see him live my favorite song was always the non-album track "Liars" and I'd always wish he'd record it. That song seemed darker than anything else he'd written and had this slow build to an epic climax that almost gave you chills. He finally did record it on his studio album with the Colorado Symphony in 2016 and then he followed that up with his most eclectic album yet. From the soft and haunting opener "Berth," all the way to the end, EVENING MACHINES expands on what Isakov is willing to do, keeping that same welcoming, mellow feel, but getting there in new ways and with new instruments. "Caves" captures that darkness "Liars" had in a way that is wholly satisfying to me. It feels like he wrote the album I didn't even realize I had been wanting him to write all along.

Emery - EVE

I've always enjoyed Emery, but it wasn't until their last album YOU WERE NEVER ALONE when they broke the album down song by song on a behind the scenes podcast that I fully appreciated them as musicians. Unlike a lot of bands that came out at the same time in the same genre, Emery is a band with multiple members who have actually studied how music works and can point out and name every single time signature and key change in every song. Now with EVE, I've been able to listen to the little details, noticing and appreciating the attention they give to every little part of each song. The way they don't add the screamed vocal at this part of the song because that seems to obvious, so they save it for when it'll be more striking. How they add the harmonies and layer the vocals. Some bands with that kind of background forget how to write a catchy song or what makes a song enjoyable to listen to, but Emery has this ability to perfectly blend this crazy musicianship with honest, straight from the gut songwriting. The end result is an album full of fantastic songs with awesome little parts and details that make it special and stand out.

Thrice - PALMS

For me (and a lot of people, I think) Thrice and Thursday have always been kind of linked. I discovered them at the same time, both on their second albums. They were post-hardcore bands, similar enough sounding to compare to each other and they both started experimenting with their sound on their fourth albums. Then they both announced they were breaking up within a day of each other. The weird thing is when I first discovered them, I preferred Thursday hands down. Then they both released their third albums and cemented my opinions of them, so much so that I decided not to buy Thrice's fourth album when it came out. Man, that was a huge mistake. That fourth album, VHEISSU was the album when Thrice hit their stride, expanding and exploring their sound with each release since then. Each of their post-reunion albums have continued this trend and PALMS might be their best full album yet.

Frank Turner - BE MORE KIND

To be honest, I'm surprised this album is this far down. If you had me rank my expected best albums of the year list at the beginning of the year, Frank Turner with have been number one with a bullet. But BE MORE KIND was not the album I was expecting, and I was a little let down by it. That I'm saying that my number 6 album of the year was a bit of a let down should tell you how highly I think of Frank Turner. It starts off strong with the mellow opener of "Don't Worry" followed by a full on banger in "1933." But the third track "Little Changes" just didn't hit for me. It seemed like Frank Turner dumbed down for the masses. And it's not that it's too poppy; I enjoy myself a good pop song. It's just that the songwriting seems so simple. There are a number of really good songs throughout the rest of the album (like "Blackout"), but the overarching feel for me is that it's too simplistic, there's no depth to any of the songwriting. All that said, it's hard to rag too much on it because how can you bash an album that's sole message is to be kind and positive and to treat other people decently? Maybe it's that message that made him lose his teeth. In summation, I like Frank Turner a lot, even when he's disappointing me.

Smoking Popes - INTO THE AGONY

INTO THE AGONY is the Smoking Popes first album in seven years. They were putting out albums more frequently than that while they were broken up! After being broken up from 1999-2005, the Popes returned with STAY DOWN, which was not the strongest album to come back on. It was mostly a downer and ended up being completely forgettable for me. This time, upon returning from a seven year album cycle with new album they've knocked it out of the park. It's upbeat and catchy, it's slow and meaningful, it features Josh Caterer's soaring vocals, and it's another fantastic entry into the catalog.

Death Cab For Cutie - THANK YOU FOR TODAY

I think Death Cab's existence as a band is better broken up into stages. You've got the pre-TRANSATLANTICISM era, the TRANS/PLANS era, NARROW/CODES, and now KINTSUGI/THANK YOU. TRANS/PLANS is my favorite era. It's where I discovered Death Cab, it's where I spend the most time with them, it's just the best. But after a bit of a dip there for a couple albums (not saying they were bad, it was just a dip), I felt like KINTSUGI was a step back up, and now THANK YOU FOR TODAY continues in the same vein. It's a more electronic/synthy sound than previous eras, which sets it apart from their highest peaks, so you're not just constantly comparing it to something they'll probably never reattain. I really enjoy where this era is taking them.

Alkaline Trio - IS THIS THING CURSED?

This past summer I decided to give Alkaline Trio's AGONY & IRONY a listen for the first time in I don't know how long. Everyone agrees Alkaline Trio used to be good and then got less good, and I agree, but that specific album was for me the low point, mostly because of "Love Love Kiss Kiss." But then this weird thing happened: I really enjoyed it. Even that song, which is still doofy, wasn't as bad as I remembered. I was so bummed out about it at the time, but that album has some really good songs on it. Even at their lowest point, I still really like Alkaline Trio. IS THIS THING CURSED? is a new Alkaline Trio album. It's got Matt songs, it's got Dan songs, it's got one Dan song that kind of too doofy (Little Help?), it strangely has multiple song titles that end in question marks, and it has an acoustic closer featuring Matt's scratchy-voiced wailing. This is another solid Alkaline Trio album.

The Decemberists - I'LL BE YOUR GIRL

Every year at the same time, all of the baseball websites post their top prospects lists, where they rank the upcoming minor league players in all of baseball or on each team individually, so people can get excited about the next wave of baseball All-Stars. In almost all of these lists you've got your top five or six guys who are clearly the best players in that team's minor league system in that order, but then at about number seven they kind of become interchangeable for a while. You could switch prospect #8 with #12 and no one would cause too much of a ruckus because they're all pretty similar at that point. We've reached that point in my best albums list (really, we reached that point with Alkaline Trio). These final couple spots could have also gone to 6666 by Four Fists, 9 by Saves The Day, KIDS SEE GHOSTS, or if I was in the right mood, even the new MXPX or the Matthew Thiessen solo album. What pushed I'LL BE YOUR GIRL across the line was (a) my wife's incredulousness at my mentioning it might not make the cut and (b) the fact that "Once In My Life" and "Everything Is Awful" have full-on been our anthem songs this past month. This is the Decemberists doing what they do. Folky songs about sea monsters, horse gallop rhythms, and cowboy sing-alongs. Throw in some synth lines to keep things fresh and baby, you've got a stew going.