#you know who I DO think would like a lot of different music genres? el. and I have actual reasons for this | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yeonjunszn · 2 years

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𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭?

pairing: choi beomgyu x f!reader

word count: 6.4k (jesus christ i’m so sorry i was projecting)

genre: fluff﹒smut﹒angst (in that order)

warnings: 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, mature language, uni!au, lots of time skipping, mentions of alcohol, cheating kinda yeah, sexting kinda?? not rlly??, phone/video call sex, mutual masturbation (m! & f!), no foreplay el oh el, missionary position, pussyjob, unprotected sex (be safe u hooligans), pussy drunk!beomgyu, pull out method (BE SAFE I SAID!!!!!), there’s a shower scene but it’s fluffy— like the last bit of fluff before the angsty ending!

summary: the short, but very memorable rise and fall of your relationship with choi beomgyu. and the way you can’t listen to a certain song without thinking of him.

— this is actually based on a past relationship of mine. literally could not listen to this damn song for like three years so i deleted it from my music library until i heard it like a month ago and it sparked the idea for this fic. the timeline is a major difference compared to the real story (this happened to me in hs), while a couple elements were either changed or dramatized and some parts were omitted altogether for privacy reasons.

“why are these the things that i’m feeling?”

“hmm?”

you glance up to find beomgyu looking at you. you smile softly. “i was singing along to the song. i told you i like that one.”

“i knew you would! that’s why i showed it to you.” he grins, reaching across the coffee table to boop your nose. you scrunch it up and shut your eyes, your lips curling even more.

you were both doing some homework and sitting on the floor in your living room, beomgyu’s playlist playing lowly in the background. the current song was ‘can i call you tonight?’ by dayglow. he played it for you early on in your relationship and you grew to love it immensely.

the way you met choi beomgyu was a really funny story.

you actually went to high school together, but hung out with different crowds, never interacting but aware of each other’s existence. you remember him as always being energetic and humorous, constantly making people around him laugh. you’d pass each other in the hallways, no more than a single glance in the other’s direction.

but then a few years ago, at the beginning of one fall semester, you wound up in the same history class. when you saw him standing at the entrance, you recognized him right away, even from across the giant lecture hall. you’d never forget a face that was synonymous with brightening up someone’s day.

you thought it was a weird coincidence that you ended up at the same university, but didn’t think too far into it. besides, you never talked to him, you doubted he recalled who you were and there were too many faces in the room for him to single you out.

you busied yourself with your phone until the professor arrived, scrolling aimlessly through social media to pass some time.

“is this seat taken?”

you jump in your seat a bit, startled by the voice. you didn’t even have to see who it was to know that it was beomgyu. instead of answering, you just shake your head. he smiles to himself and takes off his bag, settling in next to you. you will yourself to not look over at him and keep focusing on your phone.

the professor arrives shortly after. (you’re extremely grateful.)

when class is over and you’re walking out of the lecture hall, you find seojun, the guy you’re talking to at the time, waiting for you. he’s holding the strap of his backpack with one hand and waving with the other. you reciprocate the action and let him lead you to the quad.

(you ignore the subtle flicker of your eyes over your shoulder to see which direction beomgyu went in.)

the next time, when your history class meets, beomgyu starts a conversation with you before the professor arrives.

“you remember me, don’t you? from hybe?” he asks, ruffling his shaggy hair. the question catches you off guard because, yes, of course you do.

“y-yeah. choi beomgyu, right?” you say in response, so close to giving into the urge to punch yourself square in the jaw for stuttering. his signature smile appears as he nods.

“the one and only.”

oh how you wished he knew how true that statement was.

again, the professor saves you from an awkward situation once more. (and you’re just as thankful as the previous time.)

seojun is waiting for you when class ends, but right as the two of you are about to walk off, you hear your name. you turn to see beomgyu with his bag hanging off of one shoulder. he grins at you. “see you next week.”

(you don’t realize that you’re grinning back.)

after that day, things went smoother and smoother. chatting with him while you waited for the professor and as you left the lecture hall became natural. he would bring up things you’d mentioned a while back or he’d give you a small compliment and you’d feel this sort of churning in your stomach that you couldn’t explain. your friendship had grown exponentially since the first class.

you missed a session once, the week before halloween, for a doctors appointment. when you arrived at the next one, he was already in his seat. he smiled up at you as soon as you began walking down the row.

“hey, welcome back! how was it? no life altering diseases or anything?” beomgyu jokes, resting his cheek on his palm.

(you also ignore the way your heart flutters at the fact that he remembered what you told him about why you wouldn’t be there.)

“hey! nope, i’m all good. do you think i can borrow your notes from tuesday?” you ask when you sit down, pulling out your laptop among other things.

“yeah, for sure. just remind me after this, i’ll give you my notebook.” he answers.

the lecture goes by pretty fast, like it usually does. you’re packing up all of your stuff, pausing at the memory of your earlier conversation. you whip your head around, watching beomgyu already about to leave the room. you rush to get your belongings together and run to catch up to him.

you call his name slightly out of breath. he stops in his tracks and he furrows his brows. you make some sort of hand motion signalling notes that he apparently understands because he gasps, taking off his backpack. he tosses you the notebook with a smile.

“wait! gyu,” you say as he’s getting ready to walk away again. you’re not sure how good of an idea this is, but the words escape your mouth without warning. “uh— my— uh— my friends are throwing a halloween party this weekend. it’d be— uh— cool to see you there.”

“my friends were talking about it actually,” he grins. “so maybe you will.”

and with that, he goes off to wherever it is he goes.

you stare at yourself in the mirror, taking in your appearance. maybe it was a bit much. you went last minute shopping and the pieces to put together a playboy bunny costume were what you came home with. you looked hot, but it felt like you were overdoing it. seojun wasn’t going to the party since he was your senior, and most of the attendees were your age. you didn’t know what the chances beomgyu was going were either.

“stop looking at yourself like you just killed someone’s childhood pet. you look so good.” your friend kyeong pouts, coming up behind you to force your lips into a smile. “c’mon, let’s see if dawon is ready so we can take pictures before we leave.”

when said friend was finally done with her hair, the three of you took some photos in the bathroom. kyeong dressed up as a cute scarecrow and dawon was a victoria’s secret angel, just a bit more covered up. the latter of which was co-hosting the party. it was being thrown at sim jake’s house, the other host. sim jake was best friends with park sunghoon, park jay and lee heeseung. lee heeseung happened to also be friends with one choi beomgyu, the reason he found out about the party before you told him. (you, too, were friends with heeseung and co. but that was irrelevant.)

the party hadn’t yet started when the three of you pulled up to jake’s house. last minute preparations were being made, like decorations and setting up the drinks. you and kyeong had been tasked with putting all the jell-o shots in a cooler, taking one together as you finish up.

your drinking began prior to anyone showing up, so by the time the party was in full swing, you were already tipsy. you were having a great time, to say the least. you danced with your friends, took shots with people you knew but didn’t really talk to, you even soaked up all the compliments you received on your costume with a new found confidence.

you were spinning around your friend seonmi from your introduction to dance class, making her giggle at how absolutely gone you looked right now. your bunny ears were lopsided and your cheeks were flushed from all the alcohol in your system, but you had the biggest smile on your face as you danced. this was the most free anyone had seen you in weeks.

you’re getting ready to orbit around seonmi again, when you see him walking in with his friends. you have no idea what choi beomgyu’s costume is supposed to be, nor do you pay any mind to soobin and yeonjun beside him. but you are suddenly very aware of the amount of skin you were showing, the thin, tight dress and fishnet stockings leaving hardly any room for the imagination.

you chug the rest of your drink for liquid courage, handing the empty cup to seonmi without a word. your feet carry you towards the new arrivals, wiping your clammy palms on the side of your thighs. beomgyu notices you right away, his eyes raking over your appearance and his lips curling into their signature grin. it was different seeing you like this.

“you made it!” you exclaim over the blaring music, fixing the ears on your head.

“yeah, i couldn’t exactly let you down after you begged me to come.” he jokes. you gasp, poking him in the chest playfully.

“you’re so annoying.” you pout, crossing your arms. his gaze travels down for a second before meeting yours just as quickly.

“i came all this way just to be slandered? you wound me.” he sighs exaggeratedly. you laugh at him for a moment before getting an idea.

“let’s take a picture together! there’s a good chance i won’t remember anything from tonight.”

he nods and stands behind you as you open the camera, positioning your phone high enough to capture you both. after the photo is taken, you chat for a bit more and then he goes off to find soobin and yeonjun. you return to seonmi, who has a raised eyebrow and a refilled drink for you. you just blow a kiss at her, accepting your cup graciously.

she excuses herself to use the bathroom and you’re alone for the first time all night. you sip at your drink leisurely, swaying slightly to whatever song was playing. you feel a presence next to you and turn your head to see who it is.

“i didn’t know you were friends with beomgyu,” heeseung says, bringing the brim of his own red solo cup up to his mouth. “that’s surprising.”

“most people don’t expect me to be friends with dawon, kyeong or y’all either, but look at me.” you snort, elbowing his side lightly. “i actually went to high school with him.”

“hmm, interesting.”

about another couple hours later, and your brain is hardly functioning. you’re practically moving on auto pilot with how hammered you are at this point. seonmi complains that she needs to use the bathroom again, but the main one is occupied, so you (try to) help her up the stairs. you go in with her since you kind of had to go too.

as you’re washing your hands, there’s a knock on the door and because you’re done, seonmi opens it. beomgyu stands in the hall, his hair a little disheveled and eyelids heavy from intoxication.

“hey, we’re leaving so i thought i’d come say bye.” he blinks, his words slurred together.

“you can’t stay a little longer?” you frown, taking a step closer to him. he licks his lips.

“i wish i could, but the guys were my ride so i have to go with them,” he responds. “i’ll see you in class?”

“mhm.” you smile, closing your eyes and leaning forward. without thinking, you kiss him. it’s a small peck that leaves you completely dazed even after he’s left, tingles coursing throughout your body. seonmi has a hand over her mouth in slight shock over the scene.

“did you just—”

“yeah..”

“but what about—”

“i don’t care.”

in your inebriated state, you honestly didn’t. seojun wasn’t what you were looking for. he had his moments, but it seemed like recently all he wanted from you was your innocence. every opportunity he got to be alone with you, he’d gotten touchier. you figured he was jealous of beomgyu, especially because you’d grown closer to him. and of course, you knew deep down you could never be just friends with him. you’d always want more. you’d always wonder ‘what if’.

later that night, in the comfort of dawon’s bed, you’re still wide awake, scrolling aimlessly through your phone. you hesitantly type in heeseung’s instagram handle and search through his profile for the tagged account you were sure you’d find. it doesn’t take long for you to see it and follow, direct messaging him right away.

[02:47] you: hi :)

[02:48] beom13gyu: omg how’d you find my acc LMFAOOAOAO

[02:48] beom13gyu: did you stalk me 🤔

[02:48] you: STOP no you were tagged on hee’s account 😞

[02:49] you: sorry that i wanted to talk to you 💔

[02:49] beom13gyu: NOOOO im just messing w you

[02:49] beom13gyu: im glad you messaged me :)

[02:50] you: you are? 😞

[02:50] beom13gyu: of course!

[02:50] beom13gyu: you do know i’ve had a crush on you since the beginning of the semester right??

you sit up quickly with eyes resembling saucers. choi beomgyu liked you? he like liked you??

sure, he happened to remember the tiniest details about you that no one else remembered. and yeah he’d ask you if he could walk with you after class on days seojun couldn’t. maybe every once and a while he’d stare as subtly as possible during lectures, the end of his pen between his teeth. but did all of that really mean that he was into you?

the next couple of days before you have class together, it seems like you can’t put your phone down. the two of you keep messaging back and forth, even exchanging phone numbers at one point so you can facetime one another. it was nice, though. the emotions you had been suppressing were rising to the surface with every text.

“did you wanna talk about saturday?” beomgyu asks you the moment your lecture is finished and you’re packing up your belongings that tuesday.

you swallow the lump in your throat. the longer you pretended nothing was happening, the more you were gonna hurt both yourself and him. you also needed to end things with seojun as soon as you could, because even if you didn’t have romantic feelings for him anymore, you weren’t an asshole.

“yeah. we kinda have to, huh?” you nervously chuckle, brushing away a stray hair. he gives you a soft smile, one that’s different from the usual playful grin that adorned his lips. it’s reassuring, oddly enough.

you hug your notebook and laptop to your chest, walking beside him to exit the lecture hall. your brows are furrowed when you see seojun waiting for you, an unreadable expression on his face. he told you he wouldn’t be able to meet up today because he had to run some errands, so seeing him right there confuses you. you turn to beomgyu.

“give me a second, i just have to take care of this real quick.”

he nods, moving out of the traffic in the building and opting to stand next to the door of your class. your grip on your things tightens, your nerves bubbling inside of your stomach. it was now or never, and you really needed it to be now.

“what are you doing here?” you tap the edge of your nail against your laptop.

“what are we doing here? this isn’t going anywhere and we both know it. as much as it kills me to admit it, you’ve been happier lately and i know it’s not because of me,” seojun sighs, running a hand through his hair. “i notice the way he looks at you when you’re not paying attention. like he’d do whatever you ask. and you— you’re different with him. there’s a brighter aura around you, there’s a fire in you i’ve never seen. i don’t wanna snuff it out.”

“seo, i—” you try to say something, anything, but you can’t. he’s right. there was no point in trying to hide it. “yeah. i just—” you pause, glancing over your shoulder at beomgyu, who still waits for you beside the lecture hall. his dark hair falls into his eyes and he blows it away, the small action garnering butterflies in your stomach. “i feel things i’ve never felt before when he’s near. i don’t wanna let that go and wonder whether or not i made the wrong decision for the rest of my life.”

“i know. i don’t want you to either,” he frowns, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. “let’s end it now. we can always stay friends, yeah?”

“okay,” you breathe. “friends.

he reaches out and you shake his hand, signifying the ticket to your once in a lifetime chance with choi beomgyu. it’s almost freeing.

seojun leaves and you walk back over to beomgyu, a small smile on your face. when he sees you, his signature grin makes its way to his features. there wasn’t any way in hell you were allowing this opportunity to escape from your grasp. you needed to explore the positively magnificent phenomenon that was beomgyu.

“so,” he starts as you begin walking side by side out of the building. “what i said saturday night, about having a crush on you, it was true. i actually look forward to history because i know you’ll be there. aside from thinking you’re really pretty, i love how you don’t have to be someone else around me.”

the butterflies from earlier have conjugated into a swarm now, fluttering aggressively against your rib cage. you turn your head away to hide the goofy smile threatening to split your face in half. why was he so good at this? you stare up at the cerulean sky, pulling on your cardigan when a gust of wind blows past you.

“i think i’ve known about my feelings for you for a while now. it wasn’t until recently that i decided to stop being stupid and actually acknowledge them,” you admit shyly, still afraid to look back at him. “i also enjoy history because of you. you make it a whole lot more bearable.”

“i knew about you and seojun, by the way,” he says after a moment of silence. “when you kissed me. but i didn’t really care about him then. all i could think about was the way your lips felt, even if it was only for a second. you have me wrapped around your finger.”

you pause from walking any further when you realize he stopped. you let your gaze finally shift over to him. the pure adoration in his eyes is something you don’t think you could ever forget. you wanted to commit the raw emotion to memory. his vulnerability right then and there was the last you’d ever see from him. you always think back to this point in time years in the future and ponder whether this was when you felt love for someone else for the first time. maybe it was the only one, too.

“can i show you something?” beomgyu asks, turning his head to look at you in the passenger seat of his car. he was reclined back in his driver’s seat, the vehicle parked in an empty lot on campus.

it was nearing midnight, but neither of you gave a shit. you enjoyed being in each other’s presence during times like these, when it was late and you craved affection.

“what is it?” you yawn, focusing all your attention on him.

“i really think you’re gonna like this song.” beomgyu grins, pressing the play button. a guitar riff fills the car, calming and peaceful just like the atmosphere around you right now.

you don’t want to admit it, but he’s not wrong. you love the song. in fact you like it so much, you want to learn the words and belt them out. (of course you don’t want to embarrass yourself so you don’t look up the lyrics in front of beomgyu.)

“what’d you think?” it’s adorable how excited he is over this.

“i loved it, gyu.” you peck the tip of his nose, giggling at the flush of his cheeks. he deadpans and swats your face away.

a month into your relationship with beomgyu feels like years.

you were out shopping for a gift for dawon since it was her birthday. as you venture through the mall, you decide to browse inside victoria’s secret. you pick out a matching lotion and spray scent before looking around for yourself. (there’s nothing wrong with a little self care.)

you land on a velvet bralette and thong set, checking out quickly so you could go home and get ready for dawon’s birthday dinner. as you’re getting out of the shower, your phone rings with a call from your boyfriend.

“hey gyu!” you smile, putting the device on speaker and setting it on the counter.

“what are you up to?” he asks through the receiver.

“it’s dawon’s birthday and she’s having a fancy dinner later so i’m getting dressed and stuff.” you answer, putting on your undergarments. “speaking of! i went to get her a gift and got myself something, too.”

“oh?” you’ve effectively piqued his curiosity. “what’d you get?” you bite your lip, snapping a picture of your new set to send to him. you know he got it when he gasps. “you think you can wait until tuesday to wear that for me?”

“y-yes.” you croak out, suppressing the urge to cancel on your friends and go over to his apartment right now.

the phone call with beomgyu lasts the entirety of the time it takes you to get ready. when dawon texts that she’s outside your complex, you hang up, already missing the sound of his voice.

dinner goes well, ending with a nice stroll in the town. by the time you’re back at your apartment, your feet are killing you due to the heels you were wearing. the cardigan you wore over your little white dress wasn’t nearly enough to keep you warm either, the cold november air sending a chill down your spine.

as soon as you’re in the comfort of your bedroom, you’re kicking your shoes off, letting beomgyu know you were home safe.

[23:17] gyu <3: that’s good

[23:17] gyu <3: you never showed me what you were wearing

[23:17] gyu <3: i wanna see how pretty you looked

you cover your mouth with your hand when you release a small giggle at his words. you stand in front of the full length mirror in your bathroom, angling your phone so it captures your whole outfit.

[23:24] you: [attachment: 1 image]

[23:25] gyu <3: jesus christ

[23:25] gyu <3: look at you

[23:25] gyu <3: wanna know what you look like underneath

your self restraint snaps and you rush back into your bedroom, throwing yourself onto your bed. this was probably the boldest idea you’ve ever had, but you couldn’t care less. you muffle a groan with your pillow.

[23:27] you: why don’t you call me so you can find out <3

you prop your phone against the wall that’s next to your bed, situating yourself in front of it. it takes all of two seconds for the sound of your ringtone to filter through the room, beomgyu’s video call appearing on the screen.

“i think i was promised a private show.” he teases when you press the green answer button.

“fortunately for you, i never break my promises.” you remark, reaching behind yourself to slowly unzip your dress.

when the first strap falls off your shoulder, you audibly hear the hitch in his breathing. as if to torture him, you slide the second one off even slower. the front of the dress gives way, exposing your bare chest to him. his bottom lip finds purchase between his teeth.

you rid of your dress completely, leaving you in just your panties. you hope he can’t see how embarrassingly turned on you are already. your index finger trails down the front of your body, circling around a peaked nipple and then stopping just above the waistband of your underwear.

“you wanna take those off for me, pretty girl?” beomgyu breathes, entranced by the sight of you like this.

“mhm,” you almost whimper, slipping out of the lacey material. he resists the groan forcing itself from the back of his throat. your fingers hover over your throbbing clit. “can i please touch myself, gyu?”

“fuck, please.” he doesn’t hide it this time, palming himself through his sweats. the thought that you’re the one doing this to him drives you crazy, the fire in the pit of your stomach enraging.

you press the pads of your fingers to your clit, hissing as they massage the skin meticulously. your eyelids droop, focusing on beomgyu as he pulls his cock from the confines of his pants, pumping his shaft with a purpose.

“want you so bad, gyu— mmph— want you inside me…” you whine, inserting two quick fingers and using your palm to rub at your clit. you cup one of your breasts with your free hand and lean your head against a pillow behind you, peeking at the screen to see his reaction.

“yeah? wanna be in you, baby— fuck— wanna feel you around me.” he moans, his brows knitted together in concentration. his eyes never once drift from your cunt, his wrist flicking every time you curl your phalanges inside yourself.

it’s not much longer until you’re cumming on your fingers, arching off of your mattress. beomgyu follows suit, your combined heavy breathing filling your bedroom. you bring the back of your hand to your forehead, your chest rising and falling rapidly.

that wasn’t how you were expecting the night to go.

walking into class that tuesday was terrifying. you know he’d never judge you or make fun of you. but you feel extremely self conscious taking your seat in the lecture hall. (and yes you wore the matching set you bought like he asked.)

the ravenette sits in his spot beside you without issue, smiling at you like he normally would. the action oddly comforts you. your professor begins the lesson and you’ve forgotten all about your worries. however, half way through the lecture, it’s like a pair of eyes are boring holes into you. it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know it’s beomgyu, or to figure out the reason why.

you cross your legs instinctively, gripping your pen with a bit more force. your obvious flustering doesn’t at all quell the hammering of his heart and as soon as the class is dismissed, he’s springing out of his chair and packing his belongings.

you giggle, doing the same so the two of you could exit the hall. beomgyu grabs your hand impatiently, dragging you to the parking lot where his car is. the drive to his apartment is simultaneously the longest and shortest of your life. he drums his fingers on your thigh the entire time, dangerously close to where you wanted him thanks to the skirt you decided to wear that day.

you don’t think you’ve ever seen someone move as quickly as beomgyu does when he parks his car and almost yanks you out, pulling you up the stairs of his complex to his unit. you barely make it through the door’s threshold, kicking off your shoes before he’s closing it and pushing you up against the wood.

his lips are on yours in an instant, kissing you with such fervor you might combust. his hands roam your body, sneaking behind your ass and hooking under your knees. you jump up, wrapping your legs around his waist so he could carry you to his room. though he didn’t look like it at first glance, he was actually pretty strong. thank god his roommates weren’t home.

he shuts his door with his foot, never disconnecting his mouth from yours. you fall onto his mattress with a slight bounce, spreading your thighs enough so he could fit between them, his arms caging either side of you. the warmth of his tongue tangling with your own is burning, scorching even, stealing the air from your lungs.

you part from him to catch your breath, throwing your head back when he starts pressing kisses to the column of your throat, nibbling and sucking all the right spots. your hand cups him through his jeans, palming his hardening erection with each bite of your tender skin. he hisses into your ear, creeping his way up your skirt to thumb circles over your underwear.

“can i see that pretty set of yours now?” he pants, running a hand through his black hair. you don’t hesitate when you nod, almost ripping off your top and skirt with determination. the black velvet is soft under his fingertips as he glides his middle finger along the material of your bralette, going all the way to the band of the thong. he licks his lips. “i love this on you, but i wanna take it off just as much.”

so he does. you’re bared to him now, for real this time, without a screen in the center. you’re not left alone for too long, beomgyu stripping himself of his clothes, desperate for you. he takes ahold of your hip, massaging it gently and gazing into your eyes with a lust so passionate you think you’ll melt. his cock is just centimeters away from your aching pussy, so close you can feel the heat of it.

“need you so badly, gyu. please…” you beg, fisting the comforter below you.

“fuck,” he groans, resting his forehead on yours. “please what? tell me what you need, baby.”

“need your cock deep inside me— ah,” you whine when he trails his knuckle down your slit. “wanna f-feel you.”

that’s all the confirmation he requires, dragging the head of his dick between the lips of your cunt, catching your sensitive clit each time and provoking a moan from you. when he deems you wet enough, he slips in, strengthening his grip on your hips. you whimper as he bottoms out, giving yourself a minute to adjust to his size and length. he’s hot and heavy, stuffing you just beyond what you can take.

“s-so tight,” he moans, one hand pushing up your knee and the other sliding in the middle of the two of you, rubbing your clit gently. “you’re squeezing me, p-pretty girl.”

he hadn’t even started moving and he was already lost in the heat of your walls. you didn’t know seeing beomgyu so pussy drunk was something you needed. the thought has you clamping around his cock, making him gasp at the sensation.

“gyu, m-move— god, please move.” you whimper, tugging at the strands of his hair at his nape.

he grunts, slowly rocking his hips. the angle he’s at is just right, hitting everywhere you need him to and more. your brain feels muddied, not a single thought coming to mind, just the feeling of his cock buried inside of you. your head lolls to the side and beomgyu shoves his face into the crook of your neck, a low growl emerging from his chest as he picks up his pace. each snap of his thighs against the back of your own, slipping with the thin sheen of sweat coating your skin has your vision blurring.

“gonna cum for me yet?” he breathes, the huskiness of his voice inciting goosebumps to litter across the expanse of your skin. he adds a minuscule amount of pressure to the pattern he’s thumbing into your clit and you clench down on him, giving him the answer he was awaiting.

“gonna cum s-so hard, gyu— mmm f-fuck— feels so good,” you mewl, digging your heels into the bed and tangling your fingers deeper into his dark tresses. one particularly harsh sting to his scalp has him going feral, the control he had over his speed diminishing to nothing.

a perfectly timed kiss to your sweet spot and a pinch to your clit breaks the band in your core and tips you across the edge, waterfall like waves coursing through your body as you keen voluminously. your orgasm forces your walls to ripple, coaxing beomgyu’s ejaculation. his hips stutter and he pulls his cock out just in time to shoot milky white ropes of cum onto your belly with an airy moan filling your ears.

beomgyu cards his fingers through his hair, still hovering dangerously and impossibly close to you. “that was—”

“wow.” is all you can both say, laughing at the mess you’ve made. that smile of his, the one you’ve grown accustomed to, the ‘gyu grin’ as you liked to call it, makes its appearance and you can’t quell the knot tightening in your tummy.

“let’s get you cleaned up.” he says, extending his arm out to support you. he leads you into the bathroom, where he consequently turns on the water from the shower head. when he follows you in, you spin under the spray to raise an eyebrow at him. “i won’t try anything! i just wanna help you since i’m sure you’re exhausted.”

“okay! okay! no need to get so defensive.” you joke, turning back around to enjoy the warmth and pressure of the water against your sore muscles.

beomgyu comes up behind you, squeezing body wash into the palm of his hand. he lathers the soap into your skin while he kisses your neck and shoulders with a fondness you swore only existed in books. you lean into his touch, succumbing to your surroundings.

you’d never experienced anything like this before. there were so many emotions swirling inside of you and you didn’t know which ones to listen to. you were starting to feel like the main character in a movie.

“gyu?”

“hmm?” he hums, focused on rinsing you carefully.

“i think,” you swallow thickly, shutting your eyes as you gather the words. “i think that i love you.”

you feel the way his hand halts its movements, slightly trembling in nervousness. he has you face him once more, searching your face for any indication that you’re kidding. (you’re not.) then the widest and brightest smile you’ve ever seen from him spreads across his lips.

“i think that i love you, too.”

that’s about as euphoric as it got with him.

you thought after that, that it could only get easier. you thought as time passed, it’d be a second nature to love choi beomgyu. but it was the complete opposite.

the gentleness of his hold and the sweet nothings whispered when it was just the two of you, was no more than that, just between you. in front of his friends it was like you were a friend, one of the guys. soobin and yeonjun didn’t even know you were dating until you mentioned something about your four month anniversary.

it didn’t help that everyone knew how attractive he was. his long lashes and the way his silky obsidian hair curled around the back of his neck, white strands sprinkled about, were very pleasing to look at. girls all over campus would kill to be the one draped on his arm. and while it didn’t bother you at first, because you understood the side effects of having a good looking boyfriend, it quickly became an issue when he didn’t shove away the attention.

the deeper you fell for beomgyu, the deeper you carved wounds into your own self.

you think back to when you first got together, the unrelenting butterflies knocking against your ribs, the blaze in your stomach. you remember thinking that it couldn’t get any better and you wish you could rewind time to tell yourself to savor all of those little moments. to cherish the few months that felt like your own personal piece of heaven. because all you felt towards the end was a hollowness in your chest, where your heart should’ve been.

you wanted to salvage your relationship. you wanted to keep fighting for that fire that you so hopelessly desired to still exist somewhere. but as you sit on seonmi’s bed after the second dance performance he missed, bawling your eyes out into a tub of ice cream, you decide that you can’t take it anymore. you were at your limit.

she rubs at your back comfortingly, watching you pull out your phone to call him. you attempt to seize your sniffles, praying you can keep up a brave front.

just as you think he’s sending you to voicemail, he answers. “hello?”

suddenly you’re catapulted to five months ago, to the first day in your history class last semester. you’re reminded of the twinkle in his eye whenever he walked into the lecture hall, the twinkle that you recognized from almost an alarming distance. you’re back in that same seat beside him, trying to concentrate on what the professor’s saying, but constantly returning to him.

you’re slingshot to three months ago, when your relationship was still fresh, when you were in your honeymoon phase. you recall sitting in your living room with him, working on homework and talking about both nothing and everything. you’re singing along to a song that won’t sound the same ever again. a song that will always make you think of him. of the only boy you’ve ever truly loved.

“i can’t keep doing this, gyu.”

“is it okay if i’m on aux while we stretch?” your friend asks from across the dance studio.

you look up from your phone, turning it off and tossing it into your bag with a nod. “sure, i don’t mind. as long as you don’t have a shitty taste in music.”

she laughs, throwing you the finger as she shuffles her playlist. you roll your neck, bringing an arm behind your head. a familiar guitar riff crackles through the speakers. it’s a song you haven’t listened to in years, due to its history in your past.

“oh shit, i love this song!”

maybe you would’ve said otherwise if you were a few years younger. maybe it would’ve brought tears to your eyes and reopened scars you hoped would heal. but instead of remembering all the negatives, you remember the night you first heard it and smile genuinely.

“me too.”

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bluebird-imagines · 3 years

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Hi :) can you do all the members(separately off) with a s/o who doesn’t really like their music?

[I can for sure give it a shot! This is my first ask so i do hope you enjoy it ^_^. Also I apologize for taking so long, my second vaccine shot kicked my butt]

Prompted: S/O who doesn’t like Gorillaz Music

Trigger Warnings: I can’t think of any for this one. Maybe I should state my horrible 2D accent! I apologize in advance. Of and I bring up the s*x, m*rder, party song. But all and all I don’t think there is anything else. Anyway enjoy!

~Murdoc Niccals ~

Let’s start this off with, at first he doesn’t even realize that you don’t like the Gorillaz music. He never even pieces two and two together. Why might you ask? Well for the first while you tolerated it for the Bass players sake.

After a few months, you decided it would be best to maybe leave Kong whenever the band you as practicing or rehearsing. You did a lot of stuff in this time. Coffee, read some good books, even went bowling on your own a few times. It was just nice to get away from that horrid music.

You didn’t have anything against the band members themselves! All of them were nice, it just you found the songs to be tedious and annoying.

When Murdoc finally started to take notice, he would ask you why you would avoid the band. Not seeming to understand the distaste of their masterpieces.

You lied most of the time, saying something stupid like “oh I am meeting up with friends” or “oh I would just be in the way”.

After a few more months, Murdoc finally forced you to sit and listen to their newest album. Mainly wanting to get your take on it before the official release.

You didn’t even get halfway through the first song before standing up and tuned off the player. You honestly felt like your ears would jump off your head if you ever heard that again.

“What the Bloody hell was that for?! We have like 43 more minutes to go”

“Murdoc, I don’t know how to tell you this. But babe…your music is a flaming hot dumpster fire and I don’t like it”

“……what? Why the hell are you with me then if you don’t like our music?”

“Because I may have underlining daddy issues according to the internet, but in reality I really love you Mudz…for you!”

“So playing bass isn’t sexy….underlining what? No wait getting away from the real point here. You never heard if Feel Good inc.? Or you know Clint Eastwood?Those were some of our best songs! What about To Binge? Empire ants? Any of them.

“Hmm, Feel Good inc? Let’s see it’s repeats itself a lot. Clint Eastwood? Haha other then the opening your song had nothing to do with Clint Eastwood. You posted To Binge aka forced 2D to sing it. Empire Ants? It just sucks”

“You suck! Are music is an art! It’s great! you are the problem here.”

“Never said I was! Your music is an art and it makes a lot of people happy. But to me, my ears did like it…but I can say this, I do like you a lot Murdoc.”

“ I am pretty great! Fine no more of our music…around your at least. But maybe sometimes”

“I can handle sometimes”.

~Noodle~

Noodle would completely understand your distaste for their music. She understands that not anyone is up for what they produce and she thinks that is okay!

For her as long as you don’t listen to any overly annoying songs around her. She really doesn’t care what you listen to.

She does however like to get your input on songs, even if you don’t like them. She just likes hearing different peoples ideas.

But with that being said, there is a 100% chance that she may try to convert you into liking Gorillaz. Of course, just simply by showing you different songs they have done. Like Punk or Humility, Feel Good inc. or El Mañana. Hell she has even shown you Latin Simone.

When she realized she was doing this, she quickly backed off and apologized.

“Sorry (Y/n). I didn’t mean to do that…I just kind of got excited and thought you would like the different genres we have done.”

“It’s okay Noodle, you realized your mistake! Honestly it’s not that the songs themselves aren’t inherently bad…it’s just well Murdoc’s bass playing is well…pretty bad in my opinion”

“Oh? How so if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Well to me it sounds like well, a crusty old man who doesn’t know how to cut his nails and proceeds to scratch the surface of everything he touches. Also while we are at it 2D’s singing is really hard to understand!”

“Well Murdoc does forget to clip his nails from time to time and he doesn’t seem to like using a pick for his bass. But now you confused me with 2D”

“Listen I love you all! Especially you Noodle, but ooo boy, if you guys weren’t careful in sex murder party…it kind of sounds like 2D is singing dissolve the kids…which isn’t a pleasant image”

“Ah, I see what you mean, anything else?”

“Nope! Your guitar playing is wonderful! Love everything about you! Just your band is a bit much at times haha”

~Russel Hobbs~

Much like Noodle Russel would understand that their music wasn’t for everyone. Everyone was entitled to their own opinion. For example he was really into rap and it took a while for him to talk the whole band into listening to it.

Regardless unlike Noodle or Murdoc he wouldn’t make you listen to a single song of theirs if you didn’t want to.

Of course you would every now and then for their demo’s you just wouldn’t voice your opinion on it, since you couldn’t stand it.

Russel would also try his best to get into music that you like! Of course, if he doesn’t like one of the songs you like, you make a mutual agreement to not play it around him.

He even at one point turned it into a game that he really enjoyed playing with you! It was a game that helped the both of you set up playlists!

He would pick one of his favourite songs, if you thought it was okay, it went into the playlist. If he liked one of the songs you picked into the playlist!

“Okay how about, this song?”

“Let it go…from frozen? Really, we ain’t putting that in the playlist”

“Yeah you are right it was a stupid idea, it’s just been stuck in my head.”

“Haha fair enough, how about Rainforest by Noname?”

“Hmm, that’s actually not a bad one! We can throw it in! Alright space jam?”

“What is with you in movie songs tonight? Yeah we can throw in space jam”

“Sweet!”

“I can’t believe space jam beats our music out in that mind of yours…”

~Stuart “2D” Pots~

At first, 2D can not wrap his mind around the fact that you hate their music. More so he has never really had someone be with him for well just him before. Most of the one nightstands he had in the past was because of his popular singer status.

He does try his very best to get you into their music, of course, walking the fine line between shoving it down your throat and giving you air to breath with your own tunes.

That being said though, he doesn’t overly mind the fact that you like your own selection of music. He does find some of your songs enjoyable.

When he realizes most of the bands travel playlist consisted of a few of the bands own songs. He secretly takes the phone and changes up the playlist. He removes the Gorillaz songs and replaces them with songs you like.

Although you don’t like the bands music, that never truly stopped you from liking 2D’s singing. When he found that out he made a special song just for you. One where it was only on his keyboard and singing. He keeps it hidden so Murdoc doesn’t find it.

“(Y/n) I made yew something!”

“Oh sweet Satan please don’t tell me it was breakfast and that you burnt down the kitchen again!”

“What no! Besides that was a one time fing and I got a four month ban from going in fere fanks to Russel”

“Sorry…shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. What did you make 2D? You seemed really proud.”

“Oh well Um…I know yew don’t like our music and all…but I uh, I made yew a song, do ya want to ‘ere it?”

“Of course 2D, just because I don’t like your music, doesn’t mean I can’t be supportive of you”

“Well, this song isn’ really goin’ to be on an album, because I made it for yew”

“Aww 2D you didn’t have to~”

“But I wanted too!”

After he plays the song, you state that you adore it! This puts a huge smile on his face!

#stuart pot #gorillaz #gorillaz x reader #2d x reader #murdoc x reader #murdoc niccals #noodle x reader #Noodle #russel hobbs x reader #Russel Hobbs

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rinovarka · 3 years

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Delayed update (I forgot XD), but the rest of the chibis! Days 21-28

Day 21-Glit + Floor Piano Mat

Glit jamming on a simplified giant piano! Glit comes from the....It Shall Not Be Named Transformers Series that we all collectively Do Not Percieve, and is one of few Decepticon medics. I think its funny bc like, well, I think cons would need more medics than Autobots TBH but I imagine the burn out rate is high lol. I like the concept of Glit a lil minicon, being a caring medic who treats any bot or con, to no care of faction. Idk if it was just fanon or not but I like the idea of Glit having a meme-y personality. I also just like minicon/bots in general aksksksks

Day 22-G1 Jazz + Saxophone

G1 Jazz with a Saxophone! 🎷 🎷 🎷 Yea believe it or not it did not cross my mind to actually.....have Jazz in my December daily draw, despite his name being a music genre and being known for music sksksksksks. I literally did not think of the main music peeps at all actually!

Day 23-G1 Wheeljack + Zeusaphone

Wheeljack Wednesday with G1 Wheeljack weilding the power of a zeusaphone! Truly the only mech I WOULD trust with two giant sets of electrical poles that zap electric currents to make music, for sure 😌👍.

Day 24-RID2015 Thunderhoof + Jingle Bells

SO RiD 2015...anyone else like, notice how most of the Decepticons are like, either robot anthros or purposely animalesque in appearance?? Like they turn into vehicles but here, have smooth voice wolf robot furry and just a crab?? XD

Because it was SO festive XD. Top favs I can recall being Thunderhoof, Steeljaw, Groundpounder, Underbite, Scowl, and Vertebreak. I remember when I was new to the fandom, lots of people talked about this show, and not in a kind way. Mainly due to how is the sequel show to TFP, and differs heavily to say the least!

Day 25-G1 Cliffjumper + Tambourine

G1 Cliffjumper with a tambourine who just out to give good vibes! Personally I was never a fan of making Cliffjumper into a joke, comparing him to a Bumblebee knock off or whatever, I dont think they resemble another at all?? Like if we are going to talk about characters looking similar,, Seekers in most series are literal recolors of the same model, yet we know and treat them as different characters! Bumblebee and Cliffjumper have different colors and body features and different personalities so why is it so hahah funny to say Cliff is just knockoff Bumblebee?????

Day 26-G1 Tracks + Guiro

Tracks with el güiro! Im,,,love Tracks and Raoul. Raoul and his dancing crew are humans I think should make a comeback in a TF series. Raoul being a snarky guy trying to make ends meet in any way possible, and Tracks being this super posh, conceited guy who has a punchable voice, you see...the c o n t r a s t

Day 27-MTMTE Sunder + Waterphone

Sunder with a waterphone! Please, give it a listen! While you are there, look up the Apprension Engine! Look them up at midnight after a scary movie, eases all fears :^)

Day 28-Shrapnel + Rindik

G1 Shrapnel with a rindik! So Shrapnel, Kickback, and Bombshell are just cons who crashed into Bali, probably watched from a distance as humanity developed and whatever. Didnt really care too much, just chilling in the trees or their lil cave, just eating, and with deforestation and all, then eating the human's crops and being awaken by fishers and musicians. Shrapnel doesn't know w h y humans are so into banging things and making loud noises, but honestly? As long as they keep growing food, he and his crew don't really care, probably.

Link to other Chibis 1-5! , 11-15, 29-31

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introvertguide · 3 years

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15 Badass Movies for a Fun Time at Home or with Friends

There is a buzz in the air as COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out and the hope of having a movie night with friends is again becoming a reality. Watching alone isn’t as fun because I want to talk to somebody about what I have just seen. A full theater does not agree with my introvert nature because somebody screaming or laughing or talking on their phone will ruin it for me. Watching with a fellow cinephile or two is perfect. But what to watch first? People have been stuck inside, so fantasy and alternative worlds have been overly popular. All I do is talk over zoom for a living. I think what I need most right now is a movie about realistic people with realistic skills that go into a situation and just wreck house. I need a badass movie. What is this “badass” movie you might say? Well, here are some basic criteria: 1) There must be a tough lead character who kicks butt while spouting one liners and doesn’t need superhuman powers (high levels of peak skill with speed, aim, or strength is OK if they are plausible in the real world), 2) most of the characters (good and bad) must be likable, admirable or at least memorable, 3) the lead must face and defeat overwhelming odds against them, and 4) extra points for memorable one liners. Also, I am only dealing with human protagonists (sorry Terminator), but slightly superhuman opposition is acceptable. This list is by no means exhaustive, it is just an example of some badass movies. So in no particular order:

1) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

To start off the list, I want to mention the most well known American badass. Indiana Jones is a smart guy with a gun and a whip. He is rugged and punches guys in the face. He has weaknesses but works through them to get the job done. Harrison Ford was in his early 40s for this role and had this tough-as-nails and seen the world kind of feel while still being young enough to fight hand to hand. Any of the first three films featuring Indiana Jones would work here, but this is the original and it started the fun. Easy to watch. Easy to cheer for. Great movie. You can’t really go wrong with any age or group with this one.

2) 13 Assassins (2010)

This movie is extremely badass but not for everyone. This is one of the goriest films I have ever seen as 13 warriors kill off a couple of hundred soldiers and the evil leader that they guard. The movie was directed by Japanese extreme horror icon Takashi Miike if that means anything to you (hey made Audition and Ichi the Killer). The movie has gallons of blood, but also an amazing story of redemption and honor. There are tons of scenes of a single warrior taking on dozens of soldiers and managing to overcome. Not for everyone, but still very much a badass movie.

3) The Raid (2011)

This is an Indonesian action thriller with the word action in bold. The film is directed by Gareth Evans and stars Iko Uwais as part of a small police force that tries to take down an old building that houses a drug lord and his violent gang. It has a lot of what I like in badass movies: one-on-one fights between the lead and almost superhuman villains, long well-choreographed scenes, a banging soundtrack, ridiculous weapons, and ridiculous gore. The fight scenes in tight places and the use of the environment for weaponry is amazing and the sound design makes sure you can feel every punch. The lead character should have no chance, but he makes up for it with skill and being a pure badass. This movie is one of the few that I would describe as having non-stop action.

4) Jon Wick (2014)

When did Keanu Reeves become so cool? I grew up with him being part of the Bill and Ted duo. He decides to learn martial arts and play a god-like being in the Matrix movies and then becomes a one man wrecking crew? I guess he is a badass because he does it so well. Keanu plays a retired hitman who is wronged and decides to go back to work for vengeance. He just won’t stop coming and seems to constantly survive out of pure hatred alone. There are 3 films in the series and any one of them will impress. Pure fun too watch.

5) Casino Royale (2006)

When I was asking around, there were many people who thought that James Bond was the ultimate badass. I disagree in that many of the older films show Bond as overconfident with the assistance of many people. In fact, Q is more of a badass in many ways than James Bond. However, when the series was taken back to its roots with the last book that had not been made into a serious film and made darker, it reached badass levels. From the parkour chase to a poisoning to an extreme torture scene, this was not like any James Bond movie before it. Roger Craig plays a much colder lead who gives no quarter, much more like what the greatest secret agent would have to be. Heavy on violence but light on gore, this film is more for all audiences than other films on this list.

6) Desperado (1995)

What makes this movie is not all about Antonio Banderas and Selma Hayek. It is that every other character is memorable and badass as well. The street standoff with Bucho’s men versus El Mariachi, Quino, and Campo is iconic. El Mariachi murders everyone in a bar with precise skill. The rogue assassin Navajas with all the knives played by Danny Trejo. Nothing but extreme shoot outs and fight scenes with a ridiculous variety of guns and explosives. I think what makes this movie so amazing is that all these amazing assassins are incognito and, when they suddenly produce an arsenal out of nowhere, it is always a pleasant surprise. Quino and Campo are amazing when they bring their guitars.

7) Pulp Fiction (1994)

Truly the role that made Samuel L. Jackson into the ultimate badass. He and his partner Vincent are hitman that keep running into the worst situations. The thing about the film is that everybody is so cool. The characters are cool, the music is cool, the dialogue is cool, hell even the diner featured in the movie is cool. The movie only spans a couple of days (in completely separate segments shown out of order) but packs in 7 distinct situations that are all berserk. From the mind of Quentin Tarantino, this movie is dripping with the best characters traveling through the best story. Highly recommend.

8) Leon: The Professional (1994)

Also known simply as The Professional in the U.S., this film features the debut of Natalie Portman. It is directed by Luc Besson at his best period, right between La Femme Nakita and The Fifth Element. The lead is actually a quiet hitman who reluctantly takes a little 12-year-old girl on as an apprentice to become a paid assassin. Her parents were killed by a corrupt cop and she wants Leon to help her exact revenge. He is an absolute badass and somewhat of a caring surrogate father to the girl. Unlike a lot of the films on this list, the premise is not simply kicking butt in a bad situation. There is serious character growth. Apparently you can be a caring parent and a cold-blooded murderer...and that is badass.

9) Kill Bill (2003)

Being a badass is not exclusive to men and The Bride is a prime example of this. She survives a shot to the head, kills deadly assassins, slaughters a gang, and takes on a crazy school girl bodyguard. She is tougher then any lead I can think of and she has the bad attitude and sense of vengeance that makes for a badass. Combine this with the soundtrack and beautiful cinematography associated with director Quentin Tarantino and you have a beautifully violent movie in which the hits keep coming. Even on this list, the fight scene between the bride and Gogo Yubari is insane. Also note the nod to Bruce Lee with the bright yellow motorcycle suit. Beautifully badass film.

10) Aliens (1986)

In nature, there are few things more dangerous than a mother protecting their young. A mother will fight you to the death and make sure that, at the very least, you won’t be able to go after her kids. Now imagine an alien planet covered with hostile beings created in the mind of James Cameron and Stan Winston and you have a setting made to create a real badass. In the beginning, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is just desperate to survive and barely knows how to use a weapon. She meets a little survivor named Newt and then has a real reason to become aggressive. She and a group of marines fight through a station filled with super destructive xenomorph aliens made straight from nightmares to save this kid. The transformation is truly amazing and culminates in a mech suit versus a giant queen alien and it is extremely badass.

11) Army of Darkness (1992)

Far and away the funniest movie on this list, this is the third film stemming from Evil Dead and again stars Bruce Campbell taking on the deadites that were raised by reading from the Necronomicon. The opposition is the undead evil that faces the world which makes the violence very unrealistic. This was early work from Sam Raimi and features a variety of different shots done to the extreme. What really makes this film stand out is how Bruce Campbell is amazing at delivering a one liner. His classic quips have been used as fun Easter eggs in video games like Duke Nukem and World of Warcraft for decades. The quintessential horror comedy and a perfect example of a badass.

12) Die Hard (1988)

Apparently, I am a big fan of single characters that need to work their way through a building of villains using mostly intelligence and the element of surprise. Throw in some one liners and I am all for it. That is exactly what this is with Bruce Willis crawling barefoot around a 40 story building and fighting off a gang of villains. The movie also has Alan Rickman as the main bad guy and he is chewing the scenery. This is a great example of being a badass, but it is too bad that the follow up sequels were so poor. Definitely stick to the original and let the rest pass by.

13) The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966)

An OG of the badass movie genre, this is some of the best of Sergio Leone and the spaghetti western. Instead of one badass, this movie has three different leads that are all amazing. You have the good, Clint Eastwood, who is an amazing shot and a heart of gold under a rough exterior. You have the bad, Lee Van Cleef, playing an conniving assassin that will kill anyone that he doesn’t have a use for. Finally, you have the ugly, Eli Wallach, as a desert rat that will do anything to survive. They all gain information about a gold stash and need to work together to get it, but this creates a vortex of cheating, undercutting, and straight up murder. Clint Eastwood is more of the classic badass with his cigar, hat, and poncho, It is an iconic look on an iconic character in an iconic movie. That is what I call badass.

14) Ong-Bak (2003)

This less of a badass movie and more houses some of the most amazingly badass fight scenes that can only be described as badass. This movie introduced the great Tony Jaa to the western world and showed the high flying nature of Thai boxing and Muay Thai in general. The main character is entered into a street fighting tournament and the moves include a flying double knee drop and a full splits kick. If the whole movie was the tournament, it would be the best movie that ever existed. The variety of opponents makes the fighting even better and the cinematography is top notch. Tony Jaa is truly badass in this film.

15) Dredd (2012)

Not the crappy version with Stallone, this movie is seriously badass. It features Karl Urban who is helmeted for the entire film (as Dredd would be) taking on a 200 story mega slum filled with residents that want to shoot him dead. There is a drug dealer high up in the building and she locks down the entire compound with instructions to kill Dredd, who only has his rookie partner to help. He takes on random resident mobs, groups of gang members, and even a trio of mini guns that have bullets that can rip through walls. He has a smart gun with a bunch of ammo that he uses judiciously to kill everybody. This movie was seriously underrated since it had not been that long since the garbage Judge Dredd came out in 1995. The 2012 is a far superior movie, being much more violent and dark instead of having Rob Schneider as the comedy relief (not badass).

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I know there will be a lot of opinions about what makes a badass film and what movies i didn’t add. Feel free to add your own movies or critique my choices. I will stand by my choices, however, and recommend any of these films for a night of cheers and badass action.

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bmwiid · 3 years

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So every year after Eurovision is over I listen to the spotify playlist - I NEVER watch or listen before the finale, I want to get my first impression on the final. I legit run a media blacklist on everything.

And see when you've got your headphones on it's VERY different.

I'm not winning internet points but I don't really like Zitti E Buoni! I think it's just not my type of music, Glam Rock isn't really my thing - the only band I liked in that genre is The Darkness.

Je Me Casse is fab - Malta was in my top 5 and def holds up to more listening.

El Diablo is a fuckin dancey bop. I could see this being a dancefloor hit for sure.

Voilà is better on headphones - I actually thought the performance was super forgettable. It's not something I'd pick out to listen to but not bad. I'm a little shocked it did so well.

Discoteque is so good! Reminds me of something but I love the beat and synth.

Voices even sounds like a eurovision song. There is something about the way it builds that screams eurovision. Not to say thats a bad thing - I love it.

10 years was one of the songs I gave 12 points! I thought this was a fantastic eurovsion entry. I loved the Napoleon Dynamite feel of the dance and the lyrics are the sweetest thing! I was the only person in my house (bo and lauren came over) who liked it though.

I have no idea what drugs San Marino was on when they got Adrenalina through... did you really think Europe was gonna look at a fucking sneaky American getting in via the backdoor and be like "Voting for that!" hell no - we ruled this as an auto-disqualification in my house. The song is good - I really like Flo Rida... just not in my eurovision.

Set Me Free actually had a negative turn in our house - mostly because Eden was so skinny! I know you aren't supposed to police peoples bodies, but her legs hardly looked strong enough to hold up her shoes!! The song is good though although not one I'd seek out.

Tout l’univers was bo's 12 points. She was hypnotized by him. However, listening to it now it's super forgetful for me. Just sounds like a lot of other eurovision songs... nothing stands out.

Last Dance was better on the show than on headphones. I liked this a lot on the night and when I listen to it now I'm 100% more meh.

Embers - god poor James. The song isn't half bad actually so maybe I'm bias against the English. I'd love to see Wales, N Ireland and us get a chance to put our own people in. I hated this live cause I felt it was cringey, but it's actually okay. Certainly not worth nil points.

Mata Hari was from the Netherlands so I thought this was an odd pull when you're representing Azerbaijan? It's not too bad though. Not something I would seek out.

Shum is good. I don't know why I like it so much, I just do. I liked it live but prefer it on the headphones.

Russian Woman didn't really hit my radar on the night and I don't think it's a bad song, just not for me.

I actually thought Sugar was one of the songs that didn't get to the final because I didn't reconise it. Turns out it's just that forgetful. Def not on my list.

Loco Loco stuck in my mind on the night mostly because we were trying to think who each one reminded us of. Lots of hair-ology on the night. Forgettable song though.

Now I really liked the set for Growing Up is Getting Old, but my god. It's legit all I could hear. I know it's cruel. Sorry.

The Wrong Place is good. Forgetful on the night but the song is dead smooth and I like it more.

Voy a quedarme - felt like any other song. Nothing stands out even when listening on headphones.

Fallen Angel was one of the stand out songs. Sounded like East 17 and Boyzone and I liked the staging - it was the most 'eurovision' song of the night. It holds up on headphones. Although not gonna lie - could be a Glee song...

Dark Side was my 12 points. I was absolutely GUTTED that they didn't do better on the night - this is 100% a banger. Linkin Park who? I only gave two songs 12 points and I 100% will be adding this to my playlists. BANGER.

Karma - I love the... warble? I think it has a name but I don't know enough about music to know the name. I love when a song actually feels like the place its from? I just love it. Adding to playlist.

Birth of a New Age - I didn't like this on the night, but now I listen to it properly its a fucking brilliant song. Sounds like an anthem.

I don't Feel Hate - this felt like a Troom Troom song on the night - even listening to it now it's just so fake? Sorry Germany! I would say, like Fallen Angel, it was another good 'eurovision' feeling performance.

Love is on my Side - I liked this on the night and I like it still. This is something I would listen to when chilling out. So smooth, so steady, a good tune.

I know that this doesn't match up with the popular opinion but the good thing about eurovision is EVERYONE has an opinion. :D

I love it so much

#eurovision #eurovison 2021 #eurovison song contest

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aforrestofstuff · 4 years

Note

Okay! I have a burning question for you, my dude. Music is my life, and I wanna know what kind of music the OPM casts listen to. Thanks, my guy!

I had a feeling this would be inevitable lol. I don’t really know a whole lot about music or genres or anything like that so I’m just gonna give you a rundown of each character individually and some song recs along with that just to smooth things out a little. Thanks for your ask, by the way! ❤️ Now my playlists will be put to good use.

A Brief Rundown of the Major OPM Characters’ Music Tastes:

Blast: hc that he doesn’t even have ears since he never fucking LISTENS

Terrible Tornado: Stuff that makes her feel powerful. Loud vocals and good instrumentals. Also, she’s a little angsty since she’s saltier than the gotdamn Pacific almost all of the time. (Recs: Florence and the Machine - How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, Susanne Sundfør - Delirious, Florence and the Machine - What Kind of Man, Kali Uchis - Dead to Me, Let’s Eat Grandma - Falling Into Me)

Fubuki: some of that real classy shit. Slow songs that are nice to just have a cup of tea with. Nothing too meaty or fast-paced, she enjoys taking a moment to breathe every once and a while since life gets pretty hectic when you’re managing a gang of some 30 hooligans. (Recs: Wes - Midnight Low, any song from Lana Del Rey’s entire discography lol, Florence and the Machine - Grace, The Marìas - I Don’t Know You, Yellow House - Ain’t Gonna Call, Feng Suave - Toking, Dozing)

Silverfang: Stuff from his time. I hc that he was a bit of a party animal back in his prime so he’s gotta have those grooves. Disco to the extremo. Also, another hc: Garou absolutely hates his music. He would play it during training and Garou would contemplate homicide. (Recs: Frankie Valli - Grease, The Edgar Winter Group - Free Ride, KC and the Sunshine Band - I’m Your Boogie Man, Matthew Wilder - Break My Stride, The Main Ingredient - Everybody Plays the Fool, Andrea True Connection - More, More, More)

Bomb: save as Silverfang, although I hc that Bomb was a little more of a nerd growing up. Still, he never missed out on a good party. (Additional Recs: KC and the Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight, The Trammps - Disco Inferno, Tierra - Together, Cornelius Bros and Sister Rose - Too Late to Turn Back Now)

Atomic Samurai: Old shit. Shit older than Silverfang. He’s really not that old, but his soul is fucking ancient and he’s got that classic “grrr music these days sucks” kind of shithead attitude. (Recs: Jim Croce - Time in a Bottle, Dion - Runaround Sue, The Carpenters - The End of the World, The Band - The Weight)

Child Emperor: Upbeat synth. Stuff to listen to while he’s working on his machines and whatnot. Probably has meaty beats to keep him in tune with what he’s doing, like working around a clock. Probably some groovy citypop in there too. (Recs: Taeko Ohnuki - 4:00 AM, Junko Ohashi - Telephone Number, Tatsuro Yamashita - Magic Ways, Hiroyuki Sawano - NEXUS, Superfly - Kakusei, Mariya Takeuchi - Plastic Love)

Metal Knight: Intrumentals that Disney villains listen to. Deep, dark shit that makes you feel sad. He probably feeds off of negative emotion. What a toolbag. (Recs: Lucas King - Sociopath, Abel Korzeniowski- Table for Two, Max Richter - Never Goodbye, Max Richter - She Remembers, Evelyn Stein - Quiet Resource, Mac Quayle - Adagio in G Minor)

King: video game soundtracks, obviously. Might be some electro funk in there too, as a treat. (Recs: Metal Gear Solid 3 OST - Snake Eater, Mick Gordon - Rip and Tear, Xenoblade Chronicles OST - Main Theme, Persona 5 OST - Last Surprise, Daft Punk - Verdis Quo, Toby Fox - Hopes and Dreams, Disasterpeace - Prologue, iamthekidyouknowwhatimean - Run, Darren Korb - Old Friends)

Zombieman: Dad Music. Old rock that makes you wanna rail some lines of white thunder and dance on top of a car. He’d be reluctant to try out new stuff but does so nevertheless. Just a little bit of weird alternative here and there. (Recs: Poison - Unskinny Bop, Mötley Crüe - Dr. Feelgood, Black Sabbath - War Pigs, Def Leppard - Animal, CRX - Walls, MGMT - Little Dark Age, Pink Floyd - Money, Queens of the Stone Age - Villains of Circumstance)

Drive Knight: Dark synth, obviously. Need I say more? (Recs: El Tigr3 - She Swallowed Burning Coals, Trevor Something - Enjoy the Silence, Greg Drombrowski - Devour, GUNSHIP - Woken Furies, GUNSHIP - Thrasher, Carpenter Brut - Invasion A.D., Kavinsky - Nightcall)

Pig God: this guy probably just listens to ASMR of people eating food lol.

Superalloy Darkshine: Upbeat stuff that’s good for exercise; loving those new jams along with some of the old. He’s got a pretty groovy style. (Diane Ross - Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Saint Motel - Puzzle Pieces, CRUISR - All Over, Barry White - Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up, Sade - Kiss of Life)

Watchdog Man: 10 hour loop of wolves howling on a summer night.

Flashy Flash: classical. Some nice instrumentals to listen to while training. Stuff that preferably doesn’t have any or very little lyrics so it’s not too busy on his ears while he’s fantasizing about killing someone. (Recs: Vaughn Williams - The Lark Ascending, Debussy - Rêverie, Grieg - Peace of the Woods, André Laplante - Une Barque sur L’Ocean)

Metal Bat: Modern alternative. A little bit harder than say, Mumen and Kama, but not as hard as Zombieman or Death Gatling. He’s that middle ground where he’s still got some real bangers, but Zenko can listen as well. He’ll play this stuff loudly as he’s doing chores and working out, no headphones ever. It gets pretty annoying. (Recs: Foals - Exits, The Blue Stones - Black Holes, Solid Ground, CRX - Broken Bones, Jungle - Happy Man, The Strokes - Reptilia, We Are Trees - Girlfriend)

Genos: synth. But not just any synth, some heavy, fast-paced synth that’s just like him: speedy, relentless, and powerful. He listens to shit that’ll make you wanna get up and start killing Terminators. Probably. There’s some other synths in the mix too because we love a three-dimensional king. (Recs: Carpenter Brut - Division Ruine, The Protomen - I Still Believe, Carpenter Brut - Leather Teeth, Gunship - Tech Noir, TWRP - Phantom Racer, Le Castle Vania - Red Circle)

Tanktop Master: Dad music but the type of dad music that makes you think your dad was a sappy nerd back in the day. Long tracks that are good for workouts. (Tears for Fears - Woman in Chains, Pink Floyd - Us and Them, Duran Duran - Ordinary World, Billy Idol - Eyes without a Face, A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran, The Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky, Tears for Fears - Sowing the Seeds of Love)

Puri-Puri Prisoner: Pop. Dance music. He doesn’t really get to listen to a lot of music in prison, so he holds on to whatever he can and savors every second of it. (Coldplay - Talk, Bruno Mars - Runaway Baby, Lady Gaga - Bad Romance, Flo Milli - Beef Flomix, Doja Cat - Say So)

Mumen Rider: Hes a lighthearted, soft boy. Likes some fluffy indie tunes. It helps to motivate him when working out or doing hero stuff. He might need to cry every once in a while though, so there’s some sad songs in the mix too. (Recs: Varsity - The Dogs Only Listen to Him, The The - This is the Day, Amarante - Don’t Look Back, Alvvays - Saved by a Waif, The Monkees - As We Go Along, Acid Ghost - Hide my Face, Mogwai - Take Me Somewhere Nice)

Sonic: same as Flash. He’s a little more hip with the times however, so he’s got some more groovy, electronic instrumentals to listen to in addition to some elegant stuff and isn’t opposed to having a little bit of lyrics sprinkled in there as well. In fact, he’s not opposed to uppity pop either. He thinks dancing is frivolous but he secretly does it when he thinks nobody is looking. (Additional Recs: Odesza - Bloom, Pretty Lights - One Day They’ll Know [Odesza Remix], BØRNS - Electric Love, Hembree - Culture, The Cinematic Orchestra - Arrival of the Birds)

Garou: same as Metal Bat. Bang let him have a little MP3 player during his time at the dojo and has since collected a few songs on there. They’re very near and dear to his heart since it’s one of the few good things that came from his absolute disaster of a childhood. (Additional Recs: Foals - Inhaler, CRX - Slow Down, Deep Sea Arcade - Close to Me, Gorillaz - Empire Ants, The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger, Glass Animals - Take A Slice)

Death Gatling: Shit your old Vietnam-vet grandpa would blast on the back of his F150. He gives me self-righteous asshole vibes, if I’m honest. Like, don’t get me wrong, I like Death Gatling, but he seems like the type of trailer park-dwelling sewer rat to carry a revolver into a Walmart for “self defense” and that’s probably the type of music he listens to, too. (Recs: Megadeth - Trust, Megadeth - Angry Again, Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son, Glen Campbell - Southern Nights, Mötley Crüe - Kickstart My Heart, Quiet Riot - Cum on Feel the Noize)

One-Shotter: I hard hc that he had an emo phase he never quite grew out of. He doesn’t quite listen to emo anymore but he’s still into that alternative shit. Homeboy also likes some slow tunes every once and a while because he’s an emotional dude who’s not afraid of a good cry. (Recs: Anything from Blink-182, Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know?, MGMT - When You Die, Mazzy Star - Fade Into You, Cigarettes After Sex - Dreaming of You, Yon Ort - Other Matter)

Lightning Max: Same as Genos but without the terminator-killing. Fast-paced stuff because he’s a fast lightning dude. A little more upbeat because he’s not as much as an edgelord as Genos, however. (Additional Recs: Carpenter Brut - Hang’em All, The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize, Worn Tin - Sensitivity, B.E.R. - The Night Begins to Shine, Martin Hall - Different Kind of Love)

Stinger: he’s all about that FUNK! Stuff that gets him moving! Stuff that makes him wanna dance! (Recs: Daft Punk - Doin’ it Right, TWRP - Body Image, Wild Cherry - Play that Funky Music, Chemise - She Can’t Love You, Saga - Wind Him Up, Saga - On the Loose, TWRP - All Night Forever)

Okamaitachi: they give me electro vibes! New, modern shit that’s good to dance to or to just sit down and have a listen! Also, some shit that’ll probably play in a coming-of-age teen movie or something. They don’t really vibe with heavy music and that’s alright, babey! Keeping it light and bouncy. (Recs: Tei Shi - Bassically, Varsity - Must Be Nice, Class Actress - Weekend, CHVRCHES - Richard Pryor, Alvvays - Marry Me, Archie, Sobs - Telltale Signs, Goth Babe - Sometimes, ALASKALASKA - Meateater)

Iaian: Nice, low tunes that are good for meditation and to be used for background noise during training sessions. He never really sits down to listen to music, it’s always in the background of something else he’s doing so he prefers to have some soft beats that don’t really interfere with his senses. Tunes so quiet, he sometimes uses them as lullabies; especially since the trauma of losing his arm has since made it hard to sleep. (Recs: Boy Scouts - Saddest Boy, Susanne Sundfør - Mantra, Vashiti Bunyan - If I Were the Same but Different, Starman Jr. - Blue Fairy, Patrick Watson - Je te Laisserai des Mots, Sibylle Baier - I Lost Something in the Hills)

Bushidrill: same as Atomic Samurai just without the shitty attitude. He’s happy to listen to some newer stuff, he just doesn’t like it and that’s okay, baby! Probably some classy shit your wise old grandpa would listen to. (Recs: Dean Martin - Volare, Dion - The Wanderer, Peppino Gagliardi - Che Vuole Questra Musica Stasera, anything from Luis Miguel lol, Franco Micalizzi - Sadness Theme)

Amai Mask: probably just listens to his own music like a putz. If not, he’s listening to the sound equivalent of glittering diamonds. He’s probably got this shit playing at the end of a long day while he’s chilling in a hot bath or something. (Recs: Fergie - Glamorous, Rita Ora - Hot Right Now, Lana Del Rey - Freak, Lana Del Rey - Art Deco, Tame Impala - Feels Like We Only Go Backwards)

Saitama: He doesn’t listen to music much anymore, sadly. He did, however, have a killer motivational mix to get him through his vigorous training prior to becoming a hero. (Recs: Paul Engemann - Push it to the Limit, Journey - Don’t Stop Believin’, College & Electric Youth - A Real Hero, Joe Esposito - You’re the Best Around, Survivor - Eye of the Tiger, The Bee Gees - Nights on Broadway)

Here’s the playlist with all of these songs in order (mostly):

It’s on YouTube because I’m allergic to Spotify. I’ve got a doctor’s note. Also, all of my other playlists are on my little profile thingy so if you want to listen to my pile then go right ahead.

Thanks for your ask, my dude! ❤️ this took up ALL of my energy lol but it was fun.

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putschki1969 · 4 years

Text

Hikaru Real Sound Interview ~ English Translation

Note: Here we have another great long-ass interview. I feel like I have spent way too much time translating interviews the past two days. I am dead. But it was worth it. Reading those interviews is so much fun so I want more people to be able to experience that. Once again Hikaru talks a lot about Kalafina and we get some more insight regarding the two songs of her single. The interviewer is an avid Kala-fan and he asks some interesting questions. As always, take everything you read with a grain of salt. My Japanese is by no means perfect and English is not my first language. CREDIT me if you share this interview or parts of it.

Hikaru// reveals behind-the-scenes information of her solo project activities ~ "If it hadn’t been for my 10 years as part of Kalafina, there would be no H-el-ical//"

Hikaru//’s (ex. Kalafina) Solo Project H-el-ical// ・Major Debut Single "Altern-ate-" released on May 20

Hikaru// has regularly posted songs under the name stage-name H-el-ical// on YouTube since May 2019. In the blink of an eye the solo project of “Kalafina’s Hikaru” attracted a lot of attention and at the end of last year, she held a one-man live at Kanagawa Prefectural Hall. At her sold-out concert she announced her major debut with a song that would be adopted as the opening theme for the TV anime "Gleipnir" which is currently airing.

Kalafina was known as a masterpiece in the anime song world, at the peak of their success they held a 2 Day Live at Tokyo Budokan. After the group had stopped their activities in the spring of 2018, what were Hikaru//’s thoughts and how did she start her solo project? She shared a wide range of stories, from her past activities right up until her feelings regarding her major debut as a solo artist.

H-el-ical// is a project of “elevation” shared with everyone

ーー Kalafina’s activities came to a halt in March 2018, you started to publish songs on YouTube under the name of H-el-ical// in May 2019. What did you do during this 1 year break?

Hikaru//: I was working in a nursery school as a childcare assistant, something I had always felt connected with.

ーー So you lived a life separated from music?

Hikaru//: Working at a nursery school felt very therapeutic and it once again made me aware of the preciousness of life. In the meantime I was searching for the music I wanted to do. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to make a proper comeback and create music without someone supporting me. During that time someone who I had known from my Kalafina days reached out to me, I was able to meet up with him. I remember we talked about various things, “what should I do?” “Right now I am thinking about this kind of thing” “I would like to try doing this sort of music.”��

ーー What IS the kind of music you want to do?

Hikaru//: Since I have learned so much as a member of Kalafina that will always be a part of me, I would not want to let go of that aspect entirely. I also want to pursue all the music I am capable of making now that I am a solo artist. I want to create music that incorporates various elements without being bound by a single genre. I also really wanted to try and write my own lyrics.

ーー Gushimiyagi Hideyuki-san has been in charge of composing all the songs you have released on YouTube under your name H-el-ical//, right? He seems like a perfect fit for you. In the past he has been active as guitar player in bands such as “MUKASHIBANASHI” and “creature falls umbrella”.

Hikaru//: That's right. I met Gushimiyagi-san when he was introduced to me by Tomita (Akihiro)-san, my producer. During our first meeting he gave me a demo tape and told me, “I wrote these two songs for you with your image in mind!” Those songs were “pulsation” which was the first song I released on YouTube, and “Avaricia”, the second song that got released.

ーー So this specific Gushimiyagi-Sound was something you wanted for yourself?

Hikaru//: Yes! I'm sorry, I can't really explain why but I really like Gushimiyagi-san's music (laughs).

ーー H-el-ical//’s music has a signature guitar sound but it’s not plain guitar rock. It sounds more like Post-Rock music. At any rate, it really fits you, it’s very Hikaru//-like.

Hikaru//: ...Hmm, I wonder why? I guess these songs are also very Hikaru//-like because I am writing the lyrics myself and I am in full control during the recording...I am listening to the demo tapes by Gushimiyagi-san and then I will come up with all kinds of ideas, “I want to sing it like this” or “I want to use this kind of voice”. This way I am adopting a specific style for each song.

ーー By the way, I wonder why you chose the name “H-el-ical//”? Why not use a big brand name like "Kalafina's Hikaru" that everyone would have recognised? I was honestly surprised that you didn’t put that name up-front.

Hikaru//: I think that might be due to everything I learned as part of Kalafina. From the get-go I had wanted to become a solo singer and I did countless auditions but then I found out that I would get the opportunity to join Kalafina. During the following ten years of activity I learned that there are many things in life that you cannot do on your own. There is only so much a single person can do. There have always been Wakana-san and Keiko-san, the musicians, staff members and of course everyone who supported us, the fans. If it hadn’t been for all of them our music would not have been possible. With these experiences in mind I felt very forlorn and disheartened when I thought about starting a solo career (laughs). You can’t do something like that without the help and support from others.

ーー So “H-el-ical//” is the name of your solo project but you are not "H-el-ical//"? The name includes everyone who is working with you, the music production team, recording staff and composer.

Hikaru//: And the audience too. "Helical" means "spiral". When I looked up the word "spiral" in a dictionary, I found the following description, "a line with a basic repeating structure that rises infinitely without ever remaining in the same position". I feel the same way about my singing and continuing to make music, I chose the word “Helical” because I have the desire to make progress, to reach higher and to create music together with everyone. In the end I also felt like adding some hyphens (laughs).

ーー The hyphens ...Yes, I want to know more about the hyphens (laughs). When you first see the name "H-el-ical//", I wondered whether I should separate the word into different syllables? But you put the hyphens into positions that have nothing to do with syllables so you can’t really separate the name into different parts.

Hikaru//: Well, to start with, I would like you to read the name omitting the "-el-" in the middle.

ーー Ah, it is read as 「ヒカル」"Hi Ka Ru"!

Hikaru//: That's right (laughs). Also, the "el" in the middle is "elevation", which means "going higher or ascending", something is increasing by adding an outside force or element. In other words, it means that you can make progress not only by using your own power but also through the power of the people around you.

ーー As you said earlier, this project is about reaching higher together with everyone, right? Now let’s talk about the two slashes, you are using them in your stage name "H-el-ical//" but also for your name "Hikaru//", why did you add them at the end?

Hikaru//: It is supposed to mean that I have proven what I wanted to prove, a sort of proof of my existence, Q.E.D. “thus it has been demonstrated”. “This is H-el-ical//’s music”, “this is Hikaru//’s music”. That's why my name is Hikaru// when I work for my project “H-el-ical//” but this summer when I am performing as a guest vocalist at Kajiura-san’s live ("Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol. #16 ~ Sing a Song Tour 2020 ~") I am called "Hikaru".

ーー There is another big question people have regarding your “H-el-ical//” activities, why did you decide to release music for free on YouTube back in May 2019? To be honest, with a big name like "Kalafina's Hikaru" I assume you could have gotten many offers from a variety of major labels, even if you had just released a CD independently or focussed on doing a few lives, I think you could have generated some nice sales and mobilised a considerable amount of fans...

Hikaru//: No, no, no. Life is not that easy (laughs).

ーー Oh really, I thought in your case it would have been easy ...

Hikaru//: I think this break was necessary, everyone needed some time to heal, after all, I had no idea how long it would take for people to accept me as a solo artist without any attachment to Kalafina. That’s why I started by posting videos on YouTube, I was very excited about that (laughs).

The story of "Kalafina’s Hikaru" and "H-el-ical//’s Hikaru//"

ーー However, contrary to what you may have expected, your MV "pulsation" which was released in May 2019 has currently more than 70,000 views. And of course at the time of its publication it caused quite some turmoil online.

Hikaru//: I didn’t include my name “Hikaru//” when I posted "pulsation" and the songs released afterwards, they were all released under the name “H-el-ical//” but right away there were people in the comment section of YouTube wondering if this was “Kalafina’s Hikaru” (laughs).

ーー It’s no surprise, ”Kalafina’s Hikaru” had a great influence so your secret was leaked (laughs).

Hikaru//: I wanted to start by assembling some songs as an unidentified artist called H-el-ical//, then when it was decided that I would join my current agency Hifumi it was finally revealed that “H-el-ical//” was my solo project. At that time I got many messages saying, “I knew it was you!”

ーー With more than 70,000 views I guess it’s safe to say that not everyone watching knew who was behind H-el-ical//, I think there must have been many people who had no idea of the existence of Kalafina.

Hikaru//: That made me very happy. Of course, Kalafina's Hikaru is forever linked to H-el-ical// because it is in fact me but I started releasing music under my solo project “H-el-ical//” so it really boosted my confidence that there were actually people who said they liked H-el-ical// as an independent artist without any association to Kalafina.

ーー After the release of "pulsation" and after revealing the identity of H-el-ical// you were busy releasing songs on YouTube, how do you make music together with Gushimiyagi-san who is in charge of the composition and arrangement?

Hikaru//: As I mentioned, the first two songs were written based on the image he had of me, with the other songs I made vague suggestions, asking for all kinds of things such as “Southeast-Asian” vibes, something with a “earthy” feel or songs that would get the audience super hyped during a live.

ーー Now that you mention it I am amazed because H-el-ical//’s discography is indeed filled with songs that have a "Southeast-Asian” or “earth-like” sound. In other words, I think Gushimiyagi-san really tried his best to do your orders justice.

Hikaru//: They were more like rough requests (laughs).

ーー Yes (laughs). So why do you think Gushimiyagi-san was able to fulfil your "rough requests" so perfectly?

Hikaru//: Who knows why? Gushimiyagi-san always says, "the variety of songs I can write for H-el-ical// increases steadily”. He often comes across as confused but then he will suddenly pull all these amazing “Southeast-Asian” and “earth-like” songs out of his hat. After recording a song I would always talk with Gushimiyagi-san and Tomita-san about what kind of songs to do next. Whenever I suggested something abstract like a "Southeast-Asian song" Tomita-san would name a handful of specific artists and songs for reference asking if I meant something like that. I guess it’s due to those follow-up discussions that Gushimiyagi-san was able to fulfil my requests so perfectly.

ーー You are releasing your single "Altern-ate-" this month, pretty much one year after you started your activities as H-el-ical//. How does this solo debut feel for you? Despite your great achievements as part of Kalafina - such as holding a 2-Day Live at Nippon Budokan - does this somehow feel different to your past experiences?

Hikaru//: It feels completely different. Precisely because this is not Kalafina (laughs). Until now, Kajiura-san wrote the songs and lyrics, I was singing together with Wakana-san and Keiko-san to bring someone else’s music to life. that music was loved by many people but this time around it’s just me, it’s only Hikaru//. So I was incredibly worried.

ーー Did you feel uneasy even after your YouTube videos had gained a lot of attention and your live at Kanagawa Prefectural Hall last year had been a huge success?

Hikaru//: I had a wonderful time at that concert thanks to everyone who attended it that day but now that I am releasing my single "Altern-ate-", I am filled with anxiety and nervousness (laughs).

ーー At that live you announced your major debut as a solo artist and that your debut song would be the opening theme for the TV anime "Gleipnir" which is currently airing.

Hikaru//: Yes.

ーー H-el-ical// is credited as lyricist for the opening song "Altern-ate-" of the anime "Gleipnir", as is the case with all your previous songs, you have written the lyrics yourself, right? Did you have any experience writing lyrics before your activities as a solo artist?

Hikaru//: No. I has always wanted to write the lyrics but as Kalafina we were dedicated to singing Kajiura-san's songs.

ーー So it’s been about one year since you have started writing lyrics?

Hikaru//: Yes, my lyrics are still 1st grade level (laughs).

ーー It doesn’t feel like that. You come across as very articulate, your lyrics are incredibly complex.

Hikaru//: Oh !? Really? Thank you!

ーー I guess the line〈二人で一つ | two people in one〉that appears repeatedly in your lyrics reflects the relationship between Shuichi Kagaya, the protagonist of the anime who has the ability to transform into a giant mascot plushie, and the heroine Clair Aoki. Additionally, you have included a lot of key elements from the Norse mythology in your lyrics, the original “Gleipnir” work was heavily influenced by these elements. Some examples are 〈猫の足音 | the noise a cat makes in foot-fall〉〈岩の根 | the roots of a rock〉〈鳥たちは生唾飲む | the spittle of birds〉〈魚さえ息潜めて | the breath of a fish〉〈髭が棘みたいにいたい（彼女はもういない）| the beard of a woman〉〈熊の腱 | the sinews of a bear〉.

Hikaru//: Yes. I'm so happy you got a those references (laughs).

ーー Yes, I'm very familiar with the anime and the original work. So when I read through your lyrics I thought, "oh, this person is very talented."

Hikaru//: I am a big reader and I love to read all kinds of stuff into something (laughs). I have always loved anime and manga .... Basically I am just a big otaku...

ーー It's quite obvious when you look at your Instagram (laughs). You are posting pictures of all the manga you have read in a day or a cover photo of a "Princess Principal" CD.

Hikaru//: I guess I am a little obsessed (laughs). But that's why when it was decided I would write the lyrics for an anime song, I wanted something that really sounded like an anime song. By the time I wrote the lyrics, 6 volumes of the original manga had already been released so while reading through those 6 volumes over and over again, I assembled all words that reminded me of my favorite lines and the most impressive scenes. The original manga is a wonderful work so I didn’t have much trouble writing the lyrics. My love for anime and manga makes it possible that I can write such lyrics so I really wanted to write something special.

ーー In addition, 〈二人で一つ | two people in one〉can also be interpreted as a reflection of the “H-el-ical//” project, it showcases your determination to work together as a team consisting of Hikaru//, your composer, the staff members and all the fans. In the story of "Gleipnir", were there any scenes that resonated strongly with you?

Hikaru//: Yes. One of the goals of watching anime and reading manga is to immerse yourself in a fantasy world and to escape reality but actually it has the opposite effect for me. After returning from the fantasy worlds of anime and manga, I always feel like I have learned a lot and I gain the courage to face reality. “This part of the story applies to my current situation”, “Should I act like this when I am faces with these kinds of challenges?” It’s things like that which you learn while reading manga and watching anime. When it comes to “Gleipnir” I strongly sympathise with the characters who are facing hardships and who are struggling to overcome the obstacles that are put in their way. That’s because I as Hikaru// am trying to pursue an ideal image of myself as a singer. In the pursuit of this image I often come across hurdles or I hit a wall. In moments like this I needed the help of my friends to overcome those obstacles.

ーー One part of the lyrics strikes me as particularly strange, it’s a line that appears multiple times in your lyrics as well as in the manga and anime,〈この物語の主役じゃない | I am not the protagonist of this story〉. I felt like that line didn’t really suit you?

Hikaru//: Oh really?

ーー Because you are always front and center on the stage, aren’t you? That was the case back in your Kalafina days and it was the same during your H-el-ical// live last year at Kanagawa Prefectural Hall.

Hikaru//: Well, that's something I learned during my time as a member of Kalafina, most of the time the parts I was singing were not the main melody. When Wakana-san and Keiko-san were taking the lead, I was providing the harmonies, during those moments I often thought about my position. It's important to create a good balance with the lead but I also wanted the audience to know that I was singing, I wanted my vocals to be heard. I was constantly wondering about my role when standing on stage so actually, I can very much relate to the words “I am not the protagonist of this story”.

ーー At first glance the line has a negative ring to it but actually it's a positive message. Even if you're not the protagonist your presence on stage is meaningful and you will get your chance to shine there.

Hikaru//: Not only the protagonist but all the characters around him are indispensable to the story.

"Altern-ate-" is connecting "Gleipnir" and H-el-ical//

ーー How did you come up with the title ...

Hikaru//: Oh, actually my manager came up with the idea (laughs).

ーー But it was you who made the final decision, right?

Hikaru//: It was quite similar to the title I was originally thinking of. The word "Alternate" as in “alternating”/”mutual” is an important keyword in the work "Gleipnir".

ーー It's a story of "two in one” where Shuichi and Clair are becoming one to fight off enemies and grow to adulthood.

Hikaru//: I also like that there is are hyphens surrounding "ate". After all, "ate" is the past tense of "eat"? For me this word conveys an image of "fighting for your survival." There are various difficulties in life, you have to race ahead, there is always this underlying feeling of having to fight. So I think the title "Altern-ate-" is really fitting.

ーー This is just my impression as a long-time Kalafina fan but I was surprised to see you reveal such a raw fighting spirit.

Hikaru//: Oh really? When I was singing back then I guess I was mostly in charge of the dramatic and emotional parts (laughs).

ーー Of course your singing was very cool during the Kalafina era but during the MCs you always seemed so cute and reserved. For example, when you were introducing the live goods you always tried your best to appeal to the fans by saying things like, "please don’t forget to walk past the merch booth before you go home". From these moments I always got the impression you were a very cheerful and lively person...

Hikaru//: Hahahaha (laughs). Certainly there may be such an image. But basically, I am super stubborn and not very flexible. When I had just joined I was incredibly shy so I never talked to the other members. But then Wakana-san and Keiko-san would tell me, "You have to talk to us or otherwise we don’t know what you are thinking, please try to talk a little more?" That’s when I knew I had to start getting involved with people little by little. I realised that I can make better music by communicating with the others and relying on them.

ーー So did you choose the title “Altern-ate-” because it emphasises “mutuality”?

Hikaru//: Yes, the “H-el-ical//” project is something I decided I wanted to make together with everyone, I will continue to make music with the help of various people.

ーー What kind of request did you have for Gushimiyagi-san in regard to this song?

Hikaru//: This time I didn’t have a particular request for him, Gushimiyagi-san was entrusted with the requests from the people responsible for the anime production.

ーー But it feels very much in line with all the other H-el-ical// songs that have been released on YouTube so far. It all comes together nicely, there’s no distortion.

Hikaru//: I think that’s because Gushimiyagi-san always makes "Music for H-el-ical//" and I am writing the lyrics. Another reason may be that the H-el-ical// team is in control of the final sound by participating in the mix work.

ーー Do you record what appeals to you or rather what you think appeals to the listener?

Hikaru//: I'm not all too familiar with the technical aspects of music but during mixdown and trackdown I always share my first impression and other opinions. But of course I have no choice but to leave all the stuff I am clueless about to the experts. I always have to remind myself of that (laughs).

ーー I guess that’s where your stubbornness comes through a little ...

Hikaru//: With 10 years worth of experience as part of Kalafina I now know that the best things in life are born out of group efforts, of willingly entrusting certain duties to others.

ーー The name and sound design may be different but it seems like your story as Kalafina’s Hikaru is beautifully connected to your story as H-el-ical//’s Hikaru//.

Hikaru//: If it hadn't been for my 10 years as part of Kalafina, there would be no H-el-ical//.

ーー Now let’s talk about the B-Side "clea-rly-". This is a non-tie-up song.

Hikaru//: I wrote the lyrics having the image of a strong spirited girl in mind.

ーー Did you put part of yourself in the lyrics?

Hikaru//: This ties back to what I said earlier, there is a fantasy element in the music but in addition, it plays a role in being able to face reality. The song "clea-rly-", is about a pure but slightly arrogant girl... In a sense, you could say she is a Tsundere. Singing about a girl like that feels like a fantasy coming true so I really wanted to sing it (laughs)...

ーー Is that a motif that inspired by Gushimiyagi-san's melody and arrangement? Or is it your favourite girl image?

Hikaru//: Some of it was inspired by the melody but I also let myself be influenced by the fact that it is the B-Side of the opening theme of "Gleipnir".

ーー So because this was the B-Side of the OP for “Gleipnir” you felt the strong urge to sing a song about a Tsundere Girl?

Hikaru//: Since this is my debut single I really wanted to use the momentum and arrive with a bang. That's why the B-Side is also an up-tempo song. I did worry a lot about the lyrics though. Tomita-san said, "why don't you pay tribute to "Gleipnir "and let yourself be inspired by another character?" "Altern-ate- "is basically from Shuichi’s point of view so he suggested I should focus on another character for the B-Side. That’s how I came up with the idea of singing about a girl like Clair.

ーー Clair definitely gives off Tsundere vibes. The lyrics of this song are once again really good. In the first chorus you sang 〈どんな非情な手だって全て〉 and in the second chorus you sang 〈どんな非常な日だって全て〉. Instead of the words rhyming, you are playing with words by using homonyms.

Hikaru//: Hahahaha(laughs). I have always loved reading books and back in the day when I was blogging for Kalafina I would always start my blog posts with a word game. I enjoy doing tricky stuff like that.

ーー The title of the song, "clea-rly-", is also separated by hyphens ...

Hikaru//: Please try to read the first 4 letters (laughs).

ーー Ah! It's "clea" (KuReA = Clair)!

Hikaru//: That's right (laughs).

ーー I think with your great vocals - popular ever since your Kalafina days -, the great music, the fascinating lyrics and the intriguing rhetoric in the titles your single is more than worthy of H-el-ical//’s major debut. But what are your plans for the future?

Hikaru//: Of course it’s very difficult to talk about wanting to hold lives in the current situation, But of course I'm going to continue to make music, I enjoy being together with you through the "H-el-ical//" project, I hope I can create good music and perform it live someday soon. I had my debut with an anime tie-up but I will do non-tie-ups too so I would like to continue releasing H-el-ical// songs on my official YouTube channel.

ーー Actually, you released three songs in a row shortly before “Gleipnir” was airing and during the broadcast period. You released 「水 – Find your answer」,「風 – Struggle to admit」and「地 – Side by side」just before and immediately after your major debut song was distributed on TV. I was taken aback by your seemingly endless desire to create (laughs).

Hikaru//: I had planned to do an acoustic live on April 5, I was meant to perform 5 new songs for that. I decided to release those 5 songs independently on a CD titled "elements" which was available for purchase in my online shop. Three of those songs I already released on YouTube. In situations like this, I would like to explore what I can do as H-el-ical// and find new ways to enjoy music with you.

#kalafina #hikaru #my translation #my translations #interview #real sound #hikaru//#helical #h-el-ical//#altern-ate-#long ass text post #kill me now #two days in a row is too much #my brain feels fried

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tempesrature · 4 years

Text

IDOL | Chapter 2

Platinum x Ride or Die (AU) Crossover

Pairings: (Major) Ride or Die | Logan x Ellie (Minor) Platinum | M!Raleigh x Cadence Warnings: PG13+ A/N: To people who actually know something about music and the discipline...please forgive me if I got anything wrong lol.

@troublemakerinspace @raleiighcarrera @harrys-wheezys @choicesarehard

Ellie nervously taps her feet on the car, earphones plugged into her ear as she hums out a melody she’s trying to work out into a song. She glances at Mona driving the car before she looks back at the time on her phone.

Ten more minutes and they’ll arrive at the recording studio to record the new single with Logan. Ten more minutes until she meets the man she—according to Raleigh—hit it and quitted it.

Is she nervous? Definitely. But she tries to withdraw to herself and focus on what she’s supposed to be doing—her job as a singer and being professional. Plus, she made ground rules for herself. Don’t talk about that night and focus on recording the song. Depending on the song waiting for her to sing, they should be done in two to three hours. Short enough for her to avoid any real conversation about anything that went on between them. So in theory, nothing wrong should happen.

“Ellie.”

Ellie looks to Mona and pulls out one earbud from her ear. “What’s up?”

“You need to pose for pictures after recording,” Mona turns the wheel and turns a corner. “We need to post it on Pictagram as a teaser.”

Ellie blinks, her heart rate shooting up.

So…maybe something wrong might just be happening.

“And…that’s a good idea?” Ellie starts hesitatingly. “I mean with what happened after the party you’d think that would be a bad idea right?”

“This is a good way for people to start talking about the song,” Mona says as she pulls into the studio’s parking lot. “Good press, hashtags trending, stans speculating, etc.”

“Yeah for him,” Ellie huffs as she pulls open the car door open and puts on her sunglasses. “I’ll be crucified by the stake!”

Mona pauses mid-open of the front door and looks at Ellie amusingly. “You realize that’s not how it goes, right?”

“Whatever Mona!” Ellie complains as they make their way down the purple neon-lit hallways towards the recording booth. “You know what I meant. This won’t end well for me. Why am I being put on—Micah hey!”

“El!” Micah shoots out of his chair and excitedly pulls Ellie into a tight hug. “Ready to record this song with Mr. Flavor of the Month?”

Ellie groans as she flops to the couch. “Not you too Micah. I thought you’d be on my side on this.”

“Hey, I am El!” Micah cackles as he slides back into his seat and swivels it to face her. “But you gotta admit, the pictures weren’t great. I like the Colt pics more, better lighting.”

“Micah. I’m leaving her with you,” Mona says and Micah replies with a mock salute just as she presses the phone to her ear and walks out of recording booth.

Ellie sighs as she takes off her sunglasses and throws it on the table in front of her, her demeanor changing and her mind fully focusing on her task. She already told herself that she wouldn’t let what happened between her and Logan affect her work. Although she isn't really a fan of his work, she doesn’t want to be accused of purposely bombing the song or act aloof and unprofessional when he arrives. That’s how ‘diva’ rumors start.

“Do you have the instrumental and parts for me?”

Ellie reaches over to Micah who hands her the lyric sheet for the song. Her eyes flick to the title of the song ‘Candy’ before she scans the lyrics of the song. The storyline is simple enough. It’s a guy who’s crushing on a girl that’s picky with the guys she dates. The guy compares himself to candy and how the different flavors compliments her perfectly. There’s a push and pull to the lyrics, as if the girl already knows that she likes the guy but she’s hesitant to fall for his charms. Ellie’s lips quirk in a small smile at how…playful the lyrics seem to be. Completely different from Logan’s discography of heartbreak pining that makes her cringe sometimes (although she’d never admit it to him personally).

The soft start of the synth fills the room and Ellie’s ears immediately pick up the sound and her eyes light up.

“Woah, wait. Is that the song?” Ellis listens carefully as she rhythmically taps her feet on the on the carpeted floor. “No way. The song’s an R&B pop?”

Micah grins as he adjusts the volume of the song. “Yeah, surprised me too. I thought I’d have to mix another whiny pop song.”

Ellie grins as she continues to sway to the music and silently hum the lyrics she’s partially memorized now. She likes the song more than she thought she would. When Mona first brought up the collab idea, she was really hesitant. Ellie didn’t really know if their musical tastes and genres could fit each other well enough to work together. But just as Cadence and Raleigh had been mentors to her, she vowed to help the newer artists make their way into the entertainment industry as best as she could. Now, she’s actually glad that she took up the project. She can already tell that the song will be a total hit.

“Let me hear the guide, do you have it?” Ellie stands from the couch to stand next to Micah. He pushes some buttons and the Ellie has to bite back the utter awe when she hears Logan’s voice and she’s once again reminded of why Logan shot to fame so quickly. He has a raspy and light lyric tenor voice with a bright and resonant mixed voice that can reach up to a F5 falsetto, the kind of voice that would suite a powerful and pining love song but agile enough that it can transition to more pop and R&B songs.

“Damn. He really does have a great voice.”

“Wow thanks, that means a lot coming from you.”

Ellie’s eyes widen as she turns around and faces Logan. He comes in with a big grin, his long brown locks swept back a little, and she can’t help but be reminded of the night and the pictures. It’s difficult not to ogle, to stare at how truly handsome he really is in the dim light, and she kind of understands her drunk self now. Drunk-Ellie might make dumb decisions but she sure does know how to pick out the handsome ones.

“Logan! About time man,” Micah greets as stands from his chair and gives Logan a hug and a fist bump.

Micah’s voice brings her out of her thoughts and she quickly reminds herself that she needs to be professional. Which means no staring, no thinking of that night and definitely no ogling so she plasters on a pleasant smile as she walks towards him and offers her hand.

“Logan, nice to meet you. I’m Ellie,” She internally cringes at herself. Of course he knows who she is. He’s here for a collab after all and they were already well acquainted a week before. She didn’t need to introduce herself and she didn’t need to make it so obvious that she was intentionally setting up a clean slate for them to work on.

But Logan doesn’t take notice of it and takes her hand with smile. “Thanks for taking on this project Ellie. I really appreciate it.”

Micah's eyes bounce between them and he lets out a small snicker before he makes his way back to the mixing console. Ellie internally sends Micah a threat of bodily harm for purposely leaving her with Logan knowing full well that it’s going to be awkward. But the slight flutter of the paper in her hand reminds her that she has a song to record and she can use that as a way to worm herself out of this awkwardness.

“Uh should we practice with our parts?”

Logan blinks, his long lashes almost touching his cheeks, before he breaks out in a wide grin. “Yeah let’s do that. Want to do it in the booth?”

No. Absolutely not. Ellie does not want to do it in the vocal booth. An enclosed space where sound gets muffled and Micah can see everything happening from the other side? A terrible idea for her and her beating heart and crumbling resolve to not ogle at the guy in front of her.

But how else is she going to turn down his offer?

“Sure,” Ellie shrugs, trying to sound nonchalant but her voice comes out a little too squeaky for her own liking.

Logan grins as he moves to the door and pushes it open. “After you then.”

Ellie glares at the double thumbs up Micah sends her in her peripheral view and she quickly replies with an annoyed thumbs down before she enters the solitary and quiet space of the vocal booth. She takes the seat on one of the chairs and Logan drags one to place in front of her. He swings his legs over it and folds his arms on the back of the chair as he perches his chin on top of his arm to look at her.

Ellie immediately curses the musical gods at how they could create a guy so dastardly handsome with a golden voice and drop him in front of her.

“So,” Logan starts with a grin. “Did you get home okay?”

Ellie can’t help the blush that spreads on her cheeks as her lips pull into a frown. “You couldn’t just leave it alone?”

Logan shrugs with an honest smile. “I’m not really a subtle guy and I want to make sure you were okay. I didn’t get your number either so I couldn’t text you,” He lifts his chin off of his arm and he observes her quietly. “We didn’t have sex by the way.”

“We didn’t?!” Ellie practically shouts before she clamps her mouth shut.

Logan raises an amused eyebrow. “Of course. You think I’m the type of guy who’d take advantage of a drunk girl? I said I’d sleep on the couch but you insisted that it was my bed so I should sleep there. Then you started to strip,” He grins. “Luckily, we were able to reach a compromise on the underwear staying on.”

Ellie can’t keep the grimace away from her face as the mental image comes to her. It pains her to admit that Drunk-Ellie would definitely do those things in those exact same sequence of events.

She drops her head in her hands and groans. “God, I’m so sorry. I’m not usually like that, I swear.”

Logan chuckles, his voice light and teasing. “So you’ve said last night. You’re a really nice drunk though. Kept on insisting that you would make this song a guaranteed hit. That’s why you wanted to come home with me actually, “so we can practice” you said.”

Ellie chuckles ruefully before she lifts her head to look at him apologetically. Then, the image of him shirtless on the bed suddenly comes to her and she narrows her eyes suspiciously at him.

“If we didn’t…why were you shirtless?”

“Oh that?” Logan laughs a little as he rubs the back of his neck and looks away from her. “Uh, the lipstick was gonna leave a bad stain. Thought I’d put it in the wash first so my stylist wouldn’t kill me.”

“Oh my god,” Ellie covers her mouth with the lyric sheet in her hand in shocked guilt. “I’m so sorry. I’ll pay for it, send me the invoice. Along with the glass that I broke and the carpet I probably ruined.”

“Nah, it’s already taken care for,” Logan grins as he looks back at her. “And you didn’t leave that much of a damage. You’re fine, Ellie.”

She stares at him and a grateful smile tugs at her lips. Although she didn’t want to admit it, she’s already heard a lot about Logan from the staff and from what she picks up from time to time on the internet. Not that she heard anything bad about him other than his secret of hobby of racing cars but she’s still pretty apprehensive with the bad boy image that the company seems to be pushing on him.

She knows that an image of an artist can be fabricated to cater to the fans (and sometimes the general public) but a little of that image usually stems from the artists’ real personality. After all, it’s difficult to always keep up an image and the real person behind the music is bound to slip out. And she’s had enough of her fill of “bad boys”.

“Okay but let me pay for the shirt. I insist.”

Logan grins brilliantly and she has to internally scold her heart for reacting.

“Sure. Can your card handle it though? It was a Valentino.”

She smiles playfully as she leans forward and whispers, “I’ll put it down as a company expense, don’t worry.”

Logan lets out an amused laugh. “You can do that?”

“Oh yeah, Raleigh taught me that little trick,” She says just as she suddenly feels a little shy under his soft and warm gaze. “In fact, I can uhm…teach you a lot of stuff about the industry. Just to help you get by, you know? Have a friend and all that. I mean that’s what Cadence did for me. Raleigh too but he’s an awful teacher.”

She’s fairly aware that she’s rambling but she can’t seem to stop herself around him. Perhaps that’s why Drunk-Ellie was so adamant on kissing him. Even Sober-Ellie wants to do it and there has never been a time in Ellie Wheeler’s life where Drunk-Ellie and Sober-Ellie has made a unanimous decision on anything other than wanting to kiss Logan.

Logan smiles teasingly as bumps his knee against hers. “You’re a troublemaker aren’t you?”

Ellie blinks a little and a smile tugs on her lips. “Only if I have to be.”

They exchange a small laugh as the atmosphere around them starts to mellow out. The awkwardness and apprehension Ellie felt immediately disappears in an instant and she’s surprised at how easy and comfortable it is to be around him.

“Uh anyway,” She says as she raises the lyric sheet in her hand. “Let’s practice?”

“Sure. Think we can share though? I left my sheet with Micah.”

Oh fuck. The close proximity of him to her is not going to do her heart any favors. But it’s not like she can say no to him. What would she even say? ‘Sorry but you’re too hot and any closer I’ll catch fire?’, like hell she’ll say that to him.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” She says as she moves her chair next to him and she can already catch the smell of something floral and woodsy. She tries her best not to comment on how much she loves it.

“Thanks Ellie,” He looks at her with an encouraging smile as he pulls out his phone and waits for her cue so he can start the instrumentals. “Let’s start.”

Ellie nods and she warms up her voice by briefly running through some vocal warmups before she gives him a nod. She keeps in time with the intro of the arpeggio chords before she starts the beginning of the song.

Candy, candy, candy Aye, yeah, yeah, yeah Aye, yeah, yeah, yeah Candy, candy

Honey are you still wondering? Right, you are careful picking out sugar, spice I respect that appetite, yeah

“Shit,” Logan says in awe as he pauses the music. “I knew your voice would be perfect when I wrote this but I didn’t expect it to sound this good.”

Ellie pauses and looks at him in shock. “You wrote this?”

“Yeah, you think I don’t write my own songs?” He tries to laugh it off but Ellie could hear the slight hurt in his voice.

“No I didn’t mean it that way. I just thought…I mean the genre is so different from what you usually release. I thought Ellis might be pushing this on to you or something, sorry.”

Logan chuckles as he places his hand on his heart in mock hurt. “I take it that you aren’t a fan of the heartbroken bad boy pining songs I’m known for?”

Ellie wants to lie but the honest response of his question is probably written on her face.

“Sorry. They’re very sad though, I’ll give you that.”

Logan laughs. “They better be! The producers of those songs practically told me to cry in the booth if I have to.”

“They did not!”

“Oh they did,” Logan grins at her. “It’s ridiculous right? The things they’ll tell us to do to get the sound they want.”

“It comes with the territory unfortunately,” She laughs as she nudges his shoulder playfully. “When I was recording ‘Easy’ I was supposed to act sad and heartbroken. But I didn’t want the song to be that way. I wanted it to show a side that was playful and strong.”

“Yeah?” Logan grins and he looks at her with awe. “Bet they liked that.”

“Oh they loved it,” She says sarcastically before she giggles. “But when it placed fifth in the top 100’s and had 40 million views in PlayMe, I didn’t hear a peep from them ever again.”

Logan chuckles. “Troublemaker.”

Ellie grins. “Guess it’s just part of my brand now.”

“Funny enough, I didn’t become a fan of you because of Easy.”

Ellie looks at him curiously, their faces close enough that she can see his eyelashes touch his eyelids every time he blinked. After she collaborated with Cadence Dorian, which caused the initial push for her success, everyone was waiting for what type of song and image direction she was going to take. When she dropped ‘Easy’ as her first solo single, a groovy alt R&B single with a music video packed with soft and pastel neon lights, it was a guaranteed hit and so many of her fans credit ‘Easy’ as the reason to why they became her fans in the first place.

“So what made you a hardcore Ellie Wheeler stan then?”

Logan smiles as he plucks the sheet lyrics from her hand. “Flower.”

Ellie’s eyes widen and somewhere in her heart tugs at the mention of that single. She had released it shortly after her mother died as a dedication to the love and life her mother left behind. It’s the one song Ellie absolutely loves and absolutely hates at the same time. She loves it because it’s the most honest and raw she’s ever been as an artist but hates it because so many of her worst critics and haters dragged her through the mud for “capitalizing” on the death of her mother by promoting the song. As if she wasn’t allowed to express and work through her grief on her own terms.

“Thanks,” She replies but she can’t keep the forlorn and melancholy tone out from her voice. “It’s a nice song.”

“It’s more than nice,” Logan refutes. “I mean those runs in G5 falsettos? And I can feel the emotions you were putting into the lyrics. You got me hooked from that song alone.”

Elli goes red at the compliments that flow so easily out of him. No wonder so many people love him. He makes every word that comes out of his mouth sound genuine and honest. Ellie realizes he really wasn’t lying when he said that he wasn’t a subtle guy.

“Yeah, I really love that song,” She confesses honestly as she plays with the edges of her shirt. “My mother...is the one that taught me to sing. I thought it would be nice to honor her memory through a song.”

Logan smiles softly. “That’s why I love you.”

They freeze, the meaning behind his words hanging between them, and Ellie looks at him in disbelief and shock and Logan fumbles through his explanation as he looks at her nervously.

“I mean uhm as an artist to an artist, you know? I mean as a fan too. I’m a huge fan! That’s why I love you—as a fan. Nothing more. Just a fan.”

Ellie searches his nervous and panicky brown eyes as he settles his eyes everywhere but her face. She wants to dig in more to his words but she hardly knows him enough to know if he’s lying or not. And it’s not like they’re close enough for her to actually start asking him questions about it.

“Alright you two! Let’s get to recording!”

Micah’s booming voice in the vocal booth cuts through the awkwardness that settled between them. Ellie quickly stands to her feet and look towards the glass barrier and tries to hide away the blush on her face.

“Right! We’re—I mean I’m ready Micah!” She turns to Logan and holds her hand out. “The uhm lyric sheet. I need to record the song, I mean my parts. Not the whole song. This is a collaboration after all. That’s why I’m here and all that.”

She internally cringes at herself when she realizes that she has the social and conversational grace of a Raleigh Carrera after 4 glasses of tequila.

Logan laughs a little as he stands from the seat and hands the paper to her, his eyes burning in a passion and determination that pulls her in. “Let’s make this a hit Ellie.”

Ellie’s eyes widen as she gives him a reassuring and determined nod before she takes the sheet from his hand. “You can count on me Logan.”

#choices rod #choices platinum #logan x ellie #Choices Logan #raleigh carrera #cadence dorian #male raleigh x cadence #crossover #if anyone is familiar with the song #its candy by baekhyun HAHA #outing myself as a casual kpop fan #but im using the fan edit of wheein and baekhyun singing candy #top tier i need an actual collab

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itwas50yearsagotoday · 3 years

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Renaissance ‘Illusion’

2/28/21: It was 50 years ago... sometime in 1971... the Prog-Rock group Renaissance released their second album ‘Illusion’. Why the vague timeline? This record is often considered the ‘lost’ Renaissance album, as it was released only in Germany at the time (funny, per Discogs site it’s pretty cheap... probably lack of demand), and the Wikipedia article gives no months either, so I’m just guessing here. Why do I care about Renaissance? I’m kind of a Rock history nerd (if you haven’t figured out already)... or dork, as in maybe sometimes I don’t know what I’m talking about. Anyway, as most Rock history-types know, the great 1960s British R&B/Blues/Pop band the Yardbirds broke up around 1968, with then-members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, briefly becoming the ‘New Yardbirds’ with Robert Plant and John Bonham before reaching their final form as Led Zeppelin. What often is forgotten is two other members of the Yardbirds, singer Keith Relf and drummer Jim McCarty, both founders of the band (Page and especially Jones were latecomers), decided to form a more Art-rock styled group called Renaissance. This group, which also included Relf’s sister Jane, would release their first self-titled album in 1969... I did not review it, more out of indifference than anything else. But this second record I’ve heard quite a bit of (thanks internet!!) and before I get into it, I want to finish the Renaissance story: so this second record would be the final album for this incarnation of the group who would shortly thereafter disband... however, McCarty, seeing that there was some spark in this kind of music, had a hand in founding (anointing?) the ‘classic’ Renaissance (mark II) group, all new members, which have a much more well-known output, mostly in the 1970s. Honestly, he did good because you could put this record right next to the next one (’Prologue’) and you’d be hard-pressed to hear the difference. Anyway, the album (’get on with it!’)... imagine Prog-Rock but with both male and female lead singers, that really steps into the Classical sound... not quite like Moody Blues’ first record, but closer to that than, say, Yes or EL&P. In fact, I would say that the sound of this record is a lot closer to Genesis of this era... and I like it! It’s not the best thing I’ve ever heard, but it is certainly different. My favorite Russian critic says it best when he says to imagine the opposite of Black Sabbath within Rock... a group that sounds downright angelic, love this, love that... even the first song is like that, ‘Love Goes On’... has Keith Relf singing just some non-sense syllables and then the three word title, kinda slow and nice, and then the whole song shifts into urgent fast Prog mode with Jane Relf singing, and then back to slow Keith again. That dichotomy is repeated a few times in this record, most notably in the song ‘Mr. Pine’ with the bookends sounding like some medieval D&D music, but the middle sounding like something from the Foxtrot album (old Genesis rules, btw) or maybe a little like Yes... that’s a great tune. One song that I initially overlooked when I first heard this record is the second track ‘Golden Thread’... it’s over 8 minutes, but it really doesn’t feel like it... it just has this absolutely haunting, but also somehow pretty, melody... and I think it sounds like a true ‘Classical’ sounding song, if the two genres really can be combined. I will also mention that I like the final track ‘Past Orbits of Dust’ which at 14 minutes fits the Prog-Rock song length definition goodly, and it could probably be about five minutes shorter as it kinda goes on a little long, but I do like it... it kinda snakes its way into your brain. Anyway, probably a WAY too long post about an album that I think is just better than okay. But I recommend it for sure. Also, one other weird thing, this version of Renaissance would re-group in the late 1970s calling themselves Illusion, probably to connect themselves to this record, I would guess. Unfortunately, poor Mr. Relf would not make it as he accidentally electrocuted himself to death in his basement in 1976. Bummer ending man! Oh, and one FINAL thing, no Spotify for this record, but YT has all the tracks, and you can find them (for now) starting with this one:

youtube

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umusicians · 3 years

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UM Interview: Jimah, El Cézar & Quantum Flush

Many artists today are constantly evolving in their artistry, whether that be personally or musically, through their image and sound. This Atlanta trio is no different. The trio made up of Jimah, El Cézar, Quantum Flush are bringing a new sound into the music industry, creating music under a genre of music, called "Afroton". A blend of Afrobeats and Reggaeton, which the trio introduced to the world with the release of their debut EP, 'Rice & Stew'.

Amandah Opoku sat down with Jimah, El Cézar, Quantum Flush to talk about their new record ‘Rice & Stew’, embarking on a solo career and more!

Amandah Opoku: Jimah, El Cézar & Quantum Flush, thank you for doing this interview today! Before we kick off please tell our readers about yourself and one random fact people do not know about you? JIMAH: Hey, my name is Jimah, I’m a Cameroonian artist based in Atlanta and it’s my pleasure to do this interview. As far as one random fact goes, I used to go to boarding school in Cameroon when I was younger which was a crazy experience. EL CÉZAR: What’s up! To start off, I was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. I love to make music, i love to game and i love to eat good food. Me and the guys are gonna have our own food show when God permits. One fact about me that is not so known, is my day hustle when i’m not wearing the cape; i bartend for a living. I go to weddings and serve up to 200 people and no cap i make a good ass margarita. FLUSH: I am a composer and producer of world music based in Atlanta. I’ve been creating my entire life and I’m a believer in God.

Pictured: JIMAH

Amandah Opoku: What inspired you each to create music and pursue it as a career? JIMAH: When I was like 13 in boarding school, I used to write out song lyrics for my friends in class who wanted to know the words to songs. From doing that over and over I figured I should start writing my own lyrics, and that led to me getting into instrumentals and trying to make my own songs. I used to also battle rap some of the kids in older grades and it used to be a little thing we’d do to pass the time between studies. The way the people reacted to me and what I did was a rush. The more I did it I realized I didn’t want to do anything else in life but chase that feeling that making music gives me. EL CÉZAR: What inspired me. My dad is a percussionist and had drums in the house at all times. I remember being 5 years old when i got my first drum set and driving my mom nuts playing the hell out of it. My grandfather was also a singer in a gaita group along with his brother, who played the cuarto, (basically a smaller guitar.) I remember growing up in Venezuela. Every time we had a family gathering, beer and live music was always involved. My grandfather singing his chords out with by grandma, my dad banging his drums, my uncles joining in with claps. It was overall great times. As i grew in the States, I began to fall in love with hip-hop and the culture. Around my junior year of high school, I quit drumline and started messing around with FL studio. The rest is just history, well growth and history. Music is all I know and love. FLUSH: I began this journey in sound my first trip to Africa and got inspired by what was around me. Good things always came out of the arts for me. It always felt good for me to share my sound with people. With music, more opportunities opened up for me and I felt it was the most natural path for me in life.

Amandah Opoku: What artists would you say inspire you both musically and personally? JIMAH: I listen to a wide variety of music, so I’d say Sade, Fela Kuti, Future, Wizkid, Bob Marley, and Kanye West to name a few. There are so many others in Africa like the late DJ Arafat, and the late Manu Dibango, Flavour, and so many others. EL CÉZAR: Definitely, Wiz Khalifa because of his lifestyle. It’s a carefree, luxurious lifestyle. He preaches good energy, hard work, and that you can become a self-made boss on your own. His old music was all I listened to. My second inspiration is Bad Bunny. He writes all his songs, his style is unmatched, and he’s always creating the wave. A big thing for me and the guys is creating the wave and not riding it. FLUSH: I’m really inspired by Bach, Beethoven And Debussy because of the passion and their ability to push music into a new era. They inspire me to play with chords and form when laying out my ideas. Dub Reggae inspires me too. I really love King Tubby and Lee Scratch Perry.

Amandah Opoku: Who are artists that you look up to that you would like to work with or collab with in the future? JIMAH: I feel like Skepta and I would make a smash for sure. Wiz and Burna would be crazy. Rema has been going crazy too. I feel like we’d make something that would really shatter the boundaries of the sound. EL CÉZAR: Right now, I'm really praying and manifesting a feature from Fuego. He’s an innovator, a genre bender just like us. Another artist I really look forward to collaborating with is Rema. The guy is just a vibe wizard. Lastly, Nessly. Nessly is fye. FLUSH: There are so many to name. But, I definitely want to make records with Oumou Sangare, Fatoumata Diawara, Gunna, Young Thug, Alfa Mist, and Yussef Dayes just to name few.

Amandah Opoku: If you could describe your music in three words. What words would you choose and why? JIMAH: I’d say my music is a “Futuristic Eclectic Medley” because we are really taking elements from cultures from all across the globe and implementing them into the music. From instruments to lingo, I just want everyone in the world to be able to relate to the music. EL CÉZAR: Three words: smooth, sensual, and at times enigmatic. I feel like I’m a pretty chill guy so this type of music is what resonates with me. Plus, I’m also a night owl. Listen to my music at night and you’ll feel what i’m talking about. With the guys though, I’m heavily influenced by the energy Flush is trying to emit with the beats. Flush is an unpredictable man, so i have to adapt a lot. I love it though. FLUSH: The words that best describe my sound would be diversity, eclecticism and originality. I’m creating music that transcends cultures and language. I pull inspiration from all aspects of my life and create with the intent to weld different cultures together. I’m born and raised ATL with parents from West Africa. So when I think about creating, certain sounds make sense with others.

Amandah Opoku: You recently released your project, ‘Rice & Stew’. What was the writing and recording process like? JIMAH: Yeah Rice & Stew was a lot of fun to make. Working with El Cezar and Flush was just a flawless process. Flush and Cezar are always coming with some crazy production and once they press play on the beat, it doesn’t take long for the ideas to start flowing. I typically do a mix of freestyling and writing, and we record ourselves. I went to school for engineering and Cezar is a beast with engineering too; so all the recording, mixing, and mastering was done in house, handled mostly by Cezar. EL CÉZAR: Rice & Stew man, the process was great! I’ll never forget those times. I think Jimah and I have a similar process. During Rice & Stew, it was always hard to figure out who would go first on the song unless Flush explicitly said who he felt like should start. We played rock paper scissors sometimes for who would go first, LOL. Once we figured that out, we just vibed on the beat. We spit melodies, and sometimes words will come out so we get an idea of what the song will be about. After that, we either knock out the song in one go and write it then and there, or we’ll vibe on like 3 or 4 more beats and pick the best one to finish. FLUSH: The writing process is actually something similar to a therapy session. Jimah and El Cézar are my friends so we talk about what’s happening in our personal lives. They pretty much narrate my feelings into song form. We have inside jokes the somehow worked it’s way into the music. Everything we do is from the heart I swear.

Amandah Opoku: You are 3 individuals contributing your own visions, sounds and ideas to what ultimately became, ‘Rice & Stew’. How did you integrate your own personal ideas/views into the project? JIMAH: The one thing we realized when we all came together was that we all had very similar life stories but just on different sides of the world. We also realized that our music and cultures were very similar and were almost like cousins. On every record we tend to tell the same story just from our points of view, whether that be in our native language or with lingo that only people from our cultures would understand, we’re like 3 sides to the same coin. EL CÉZAR: Being yourself is really easy when it comes to making music. You do what feels natural. I feel like because we’re from different parts of the world, we’re even more encouraged to hone into our cultures. In 17hrs, I talk about taking my girl to Maracaibo, comiendo cepillao’ por el lago. Maracaibo is known for many things, but a great attraction is the Lake walk, “La vereda del lago,” and we also eat special iceys with condensed milk called “cepillado.” Also, in Maracaibo we have a different dialect then pretty much the rest of Venezuela. We use the “vos” instead of “tu,” which completely changes the language. It feels forced when i try to speak with the “tu”, the “vos” just feels too natural to me. I definitely like to incorporate that in the songs, mainly because it’s what I write naturally, but I sometimes want to make it digestible for those who aren’t too familiar with the “vos” dialect. FLUSH: We respect each other’s vision and also learn along the way. El Cézar definitely taught me a lot about Maracaibo to the point where I feel like I was there. This is what Rice and Stew is about. Creating a hot meal by bringing our own seasoning and mixing it together.

Amandah Opoku: What inspired you to come together and release this project together? JIMAH: We felt like there was an absence of Afro-Reggaeton collaborations, so we decided to really spearhead that movement by labelling the new genre AFROTON. Once we figured out the formula for blending the cultures sonically, we knew that we had to give the people a collection of music from that genre. EL CÉZAR: Me and Jimah met during one of our studio internships and clicked the first day we met. We spoke about Afrobeats and how it’s similar to Reggaeton. We spoke about the similarities the genres shared, the emotion the genres give us and how we resonate with the sound. We cooked up beats at the internship that same day and pretty much planned our first session together. At the time, I wasn’t really behind the mic much. I was just making beats. Our first session, I played Jimah a beat and we recorded “Wahala,” our first track together. I loved the vibe and i felt inspired to write something in Spanish. This was my first Spanish verse ever. When we finished the track we literally went nuts and knew we found something special. We even shot a video to that song, but never dropped it. After weeks of cooking up with Jimah, he finally introduced me to Flush. That day, me and Flush cooked up a beat for a song called “Shayo.” Great song man, humble beginnings. After that, we knew we had to keep cooking up. This was something truly special. After months of cooking and just vibing, getting closer and growing together, we decided that maybe it was time for a project that would showcase this new sound that we’re bringing to the world. We knew that this would bring people together and that’s all we ever wanted. I see these guys as my brothers and this music really fortified that. Now, the ultimate goal is to have the most diverse dance floor anybody has ever danced on. FLUSH: We felt that the world was changing especially now that we have reached a new decade. The sound has to transform and reflect the new age we live in today. We are all experiencing something completely new some of these things being life threatening. It’s only right that the sound changes with the times.

Pictured: EL CÉZAR

Amandah Opoku: What inspired you to name the record ‘Rice & Stew’? JIMAH: Honestly it was a joke at first, but it eventually stuck. Rice & Stew is a staple household meal that most cultures eat in some form or fashion and we felt like people would be interested to hear what rice and stew would sound like sonically. EL CÉZAR: EVERYONE EATS RICE & STEW. Flush named the “La Zorra” beat “Rice Stew” and that’s what truly inspired it. That’s where the name came from. FLUSH: The name came from a crazy beat I made. After making the 4th record on the project, we noticed that rice and stew is a meal people all over the world can resonate with.

Amandah Opoku: If you had to choose one song from ‘Rice & Stew’ to introduce someone to your music, which song would you choose and why? JIMAH: I would probably show them La Zorra. That’s because that record really cuts across all cultural boundaries and has a lot of energy that is just undeniable. EL CÉZAR: I would choose Outta Line as the song to show the first timers. It’s the perfect blend of everything - vibes, emotion, story, theme, the BEAT. This song is my fav from the project. Me and Jimah go back and forth, passing the baton, and telling the story. This man Flush went crazy on the beat as usual. It’s just an overall digestible vibe. Anybody can vibe to that song. FLUSH: I would choose La Zorra. That song is the one that makes me speed down the highway when it comes on. I love the high energy in the drums mixed with the psycho synths and syncopation.

Amandah Opoku: In the future, do you think you’ll create a group name that your projects would be released under or do you think you’ll continue to release music credited as your individual selves? JIMAH: You know this is something we talk about very often and we just didn’t want to force a name that did not resonate with everyone. So, until we get the perfect name, we’ll keep crediting each other. EL CÉZAR: We’ve actually thought about the group name A LOT. If we get a name, we want it to be something that represents all of us. We’re really not tryna force it so as of right now, I think we’re going as individuals. To us, we’re still a group. We’re still the Afroton trio. FLUSH: I feel that we could have a name in the future, but as of now God hasn’t revealed that message to us yet. We are just trying to grown in our sound and through that it’ll manifest itself.

Amandah Opoku: What do you want people to take away from your music? And as an artist, what do you hope to achieve with your music career? JIMAH: The underlying message throughout my music is unity and cultural appreciation. We all have different things to learn from each other and appreciate so I really want to preach that. I want to be recognized as one of the greatest artists of all time for bringing cultures together and I want to really represent for my country Cameroon, and I want to change the lives of people back home with my music. EL CÉZAR: I want people to understand that we’re all brothers and sisters at the end of the day. We want people to treat each other like family and really to share the dance floor together, metaphorically and literally. As an artist, I want to be up there with the greats, just like any other artist. But not because we’re good at what we do, but because we are innovative and we brought something to the table that no one has ever thought to bring - something genuine built from love and passion. FLUSH: I want to inspire people to express themselves. People should be free in thinking and shouldn’t be afraid to take their time in finding themselves. I find out more and more about myself through the sound and share it with my listeners.

Amandah Opoku: What has been your favorite track released this year and why? JIMAH: I released a song at the beginning of this year called “Fake Energy” and that song really set the tone for me this year in terms of my mental state and how I approach people and this music. Whenever I listen to it, it really inspires me to stay on my game. EL CÉZAR: La Zorra had to be my second best because there’s an unmatched emotion that i get when i listen to that. The song is just crazy. From another artist though, it has to be Ginger by Wizkid. The production is impeccable and the mixing is on point. Burna boy did his thing, Wiz did his thing too. The outro of the song where the key signature changes was just perfect. FLUSH: My favorite track released is Right Mind because that is when we all came together for the first time. We created the song at a studio called Danny Vails and since then we’ve been rockin heavy. That was the first time I linked El Cézar.

Amandah Opoku: 2020 has been a very interesting year for all of us. How has the pandemic affected you as a musician? JIMAH: It’s just given me more time to create, and if not for the pandemic, I don’t think we would have been able to really lock in to make Rice & Stew. It was a blessing in disguise. EL CÉZAR: It was truly a blessing to just be able to sit at home and perfect my craft. Every day was productive for me. I was either studying music business, learning new methods to master songs, or making new beats and songs. It was great. It gave me time to really hone into this music. Being able to dedicate my energy into just music felt amazing to me. Rice & Stew would’ve probably came out in 2021, if not for the pandemic. We literally cooked up weekly and pushed out about 30 songs in the span of 3 months. FLUSH: It sucks because we have been performing in clubs and can’t enjoy it like that cause of the masks. We are also on a virtual tour which is cool, but it would have been better if we could get on the road and physically interact with our fans. I pray everything clears up so we can really go crazy.

Pictured: QUANTUM FLUSH

Amandah Opoku: With ‘Rice & Stew’ out now, what can fans and music listeners expect from you next year? JIMAH: Expect more futuristic culture blending, culture bending vibes from all 3 of us. EL CÉZAR: Rice & Stew was only the beginning. Expect more collaborative projects from the guys and I. In 2021, I am planning to release my first solo EP to showcase what I can do as an individual. Music from us as a trio is inevitable! Expect greatness in 2021. FLUSH: This project is just the spark to a flame that leads to the dynamite going boom. We have so much music to share and many experiences to give our listeners. We are performing shows and collaborating with people all over the world, It’s just a time to be global.

Amandah Opoku: Jimah, El Cézar & Quantum Flush, thank you for sitting down with me! Before we close this interview is there anything you want to say to your fans and our readers? JIMAH: I appreciate you for interviewing us and to everyone reading keep your head down and chase your goals, don’t worry about what those on the outside have to say, and go stream Rice & Stew out now on all platforms and more vibes on the way! EL CÉZAR: To all of the readers and supporters, thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for listening to Rice & Stew, and for accepting this sound. We don’t want it to be esoteric, but even if it’s that; I’m happy and thankful for those who resonate with the music. We love y’all and we want to keep growing with y’all. Stay safe and don’t forget to just be yourself. You’ll get further that way. Peace. FLUSH: I want to thank my fans for taking this journey with us into the new world. Thank you for reading and if you haven’t heard the project yet check it out and hop on the UFO. There is plenty of food to go around just take a bite of this Rice and Stew.

Stream ‘Rice & Stew’ here and connect with Jimah, El Cézar, Quantum Flush on the following websites: Jimah: @jimahlegar (Instagram), @Jimahlegar (Twitter) El Cezar: @elcezar_ (Instagram), @elcezar_ (Twitter) Quantum Flush: @quantumflush (Instagram), @quantumflush (Twitter)

#Interviews #Amandah Opoku #Jimah #El Cézar #Quantum Flush

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takaraphoenix · 4 years

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Hey! What are your favorite fantasy/fairytale books, shows and movies?

Well, that is a very broad question. So... let’s structure this and tackle it.

Phoe’s Favorite Fantasy Books!

I don’t read much, so that’s a very short list. Seeing as you’re on my blog, I assume you know I read and loved Percy Jackson and the Olympians so that. However, there are fantasy series that I love way more than that.

For one the Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire, my favorite author who I adore and worship. Takes the Wicked Witch of the West from Wizard of Oz and goes “but what if she was actually a restistance fighter trying to overthrow a corrupt government under their dictator, the Wizard?”. It’s amazing, I love it. Hardest recommend for the first two books. Been not too big on the third and fourth though, but that’s what happens when these things aren’t born out of being intended as a series but rather just... sequels... happening.

Golden classic that seems silly to even mention but I love these books - Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I. Love. Them. I love Alice, I love the world, I love the fantasy. One of only three books that I personally allow to classify as modern fairy tales (Peter Pan and Wizard of Oz being the other two. I just... I do think that there is a difference between “fairy tale” and just general “fantasy book(s)”, but these three I do think deserve a place in the canon of fairy tale classics). Also, fun fact: my above mentioned favorite author wrote a third installment for this series for the original book’s anniversary, it’s called After Alice. (I own a signed copy. I squealed very loudly when I opened it.)

My favorite fantasy book series though is the Bartimaeus series by Jonathan Stroud. I adore these books. Yes, if taken as a singular book, the first installment of the Wicked Years, which works as a standalone too due to the series’ nature of having sequels instead of being an intended series, takes the crown, however as a whole, coherent series, including all books in the series, no fantasy franchise beats Bartimaeus for me. It is sarcastic, snarky, fun, filled with heart, totally lacking unnecessary forced romance, has a fascinating world, the writing is a great read. I love this series to bits and pieces.

Now, since you specifically said fantasy/fairytale, I’d be a fool not to mention William Joyce’s Guardians of Childhood, the book-series that Rise of the Guardians is... let’s say a sequel to? While not necessarily fairy tales in the traditional sense, having the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Sandman and Santa as its main characters, it does go very much into fairy tale elements. It’s a really fun read, I personally think that Joyce has a delightful and enjoyable style.

So, that’d be the five book series that I’d recommend for fantasy.

Unless you meant actual literal fairy tale books - then I will have to disappoint you, unless you’re German. Because being German, my fairy tale collection is... well... German. I got this one. Mainly, I admit, for the illustrations - Tony Wolf worked on the majority of them and I love his illustrations, he was the author and illustrator of my favorite children’s book series when I was a kid. Which, talking about fantasy, fairy tales and books, I will absolutely also recommend here. Their English name is The Woodland Folk and it is very adorable and also very scaring for small children because fairies die in it. I was very traumatized as a kid but I still loved it a lot.

Phoe’s Favorite Fantasy Movies!

Now, movies are... it depends on what movies you want; live-action or animated. I do feel that those are vastly different categories that set vastly different expectations. And then there’s the overlapping between fantasy and supernatural in many such movies.

Let’s start with live-action, which is going to be a very short list because I am really not huge when it comes to movies - I barely watch any movies and if, then they are animated in 80% of the cases.

Lord of the Rings. Yes, I know, book-people would have filed that in the category above, but look... I am not a huge reader. And the movies have pretty blonde Orlando Bloom. But I do truly love these movies, I try to rewatch them regularly but consider I less see them as a trilogy and more as one 12 hour movie, it’s always quite the time-commitment.

And, with this one I am never quite sure whether to count it as a movie series or as a mini TV series, but the way they were released on TV, they were a movie series - so The 10th Kingdom, which is basically Once Upon a Time before that came out and without the Disney. It’s about the grandson of Snow White ending up in modern day New York and getting the help of a waitress and her dad to take down his evil stepmother, who is trying to take over the 9 fairy tale kingdoms. I love this series so very, very much.

Also The Librarian, which is a fun fantasy relic hunting movie series. But more on that when we get to TV shows, because the trilogy has a tie-in series.

I do realize that actually the majority of movies in my fantasy/supernatural section are... in fact... more supernatural than fantasy. So, pathetically enough, that is... kind of it.

Now, animated movies is harder because I quite literally have a list with 360 animated movies I saw and liked to various degrees of which the majority would qualify as fantasy due to the nature of most Western animated movies. So I’ll try to “best of” as narrow as possible (seeing as I once successfully managed to narrow my favorite animated movies down to 65...). So, a shorter version of that.

Now, when it comes to fairy tales and animated movies, Disney goes without saying so I’m not even going to say it because it’s very obvious, we all know the movies, seeing the tales. I love most of them, especially their princess movies, with one huge exception. So let’s only name-drop Sleeping Beauty because I adore it, and assume you’ve already seen all other Disney animated fantasy and fairy tale movies and move on from that.

I am also morally obligated to say “Barbie movies” here, because they did a ton of fairy tale adaptations too and the majority of them are fantasy - but to keep it brief, here is a link to my ultimate Barbie movie ranking for more individual recommendations from the Barbie canon and let me also only name-drop my favorite - Diamond Castle.

Don Bluth’s Thumbelina, as well as his Anastasia are two absolute must-sees when we’re talking fantasy (and fairy tale in Tumbles’ case).

DreamWorks wise I love and adore Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, The Road to El Dorado and Rise of the Guardians.

Now we’re getting into what I like to think of as “deep dive” territory because they’re not mainstream, they’re not big names. But I still love them.

Naturally have to say Swan Princess (1994) - the first three movies anyway, I ignore those 3D animated chep looking sequels. But the OG trilogy is a very perfect trilogy, I adore it so very much.

Another total classic would be The Last Unicorn (1998).

FernGully (1992) is a beautiful tale about fairies and one of my absolute favorite movies of all time.

A newer entry here would be Epic (2013), which is also about fairies and was written by William Joyce!

And, even if it may sound silly. The original Care Bears movies. The three from the 80s. I love them a lot, I think they’re great fantasy fun, who doesn’t love a Care Bear they are adorable, seriously.

Phoe’s Favorite Fantasy Shows!

And we move on to our last segment of this ask. I like a lot of TV shows, so I will try to keep this to my actual favorites.

My absolute favorite is Relic Hunter, it is and always will be my favorite TV show. Even if it’s cheesy at times and only has three seasons. I love it a lot. It’s... very much as it says on the tin; hot archeologist and her nerdy assistant search for magical relics.

If you like that genre, you have to also watch The Librarians - the tie-in sequel series to the movies. More librarians! More magic! More artifacts! More fun. I really love this and I mourn that they cancelled it.

Naturally Once Upon a Time - fairy tales and fantasy and I just love this TV show. Skip the last season though.

And all-time classic for me is the original Charmed - three witch-sisters discovering magic together. This was... the first ever show I actually... really consumed, with everything around it. I was totally obsessed with this, I love it. Which is why I won’t touch the reboot at all, because there’s “I loved this thing. Now there’s a new version of it! Fun!” but there is also “I loved this thing, as it is, there is no need to make a new one, why are you touching this?” - and this one was so very near and dear to my heart growing up that it is definitely the second category for me.

Definitely gotta mention BBC’s Merlin, even if it’s very, very, very flawed. It’s still fun, the characters are lovable. It has a scary fandom... in that it’s still alive and thriving, even so many years after the show’s end.

Also Grimm, though more supernatural than fantasy, it is a fairy tale show. In a way. It’s dumb but fun, because the Grimms were actually not just scholars, they were monster hunters and now modern day descendants of them are still out there hunting the same Big Bad Wolves (who aren’t all bad). I don’t know, I love it, despite the occasional cringe.

Now, lastly on the fantasy - Galavant. A musical comedy about a knight. Very fairy tale-y. Very hilarious and lovable. Sadly cancelled after two seasons.

There are many, many more fantasy shows I watch(ed), but those would be my favorites. Though I do have to tag on that elements such as vampires and werewolves are something I categorize as supernatural so they wouldn’t find mention here in fantasy (Grimm aside, due to the fairy tale theme).

I... hope I could provide a good recommendation or two!

#Fantasy Books #Fantasy Shows #Fantasy Movies #Fairy Tales #Book Recommendations #Show Recommendations #Movie Recommendations #his was... actual fun to list #Anonymous

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distant-rose · 4 years

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Hey so, care to share any of the mood boards and /or playlists that I'm 99% sure you have your your next gen marvel universe?

Okay, I know you sent this like yesterday morning, but you’re asking for me to share a piece of a universe that @justanotherwannabeclassic and I have been developing since…July? Which is insane but I made my first post about our Earth-6828 universe on the 26th July 2019. We have an estimated ninety-three characters for this universe that categorized as a next generation or involved in the next generation narrative. Ninety-three characters. Nine. Three. It’s insane. WE’RE INSANE. We created an entire universe over the course of a half year.

Anyway, with that many characters, I don’t think it’s possible to share everything on the internet involving them. So, I’m gonna focus on the OG team - the Daughters of Liberty. They’re the catalyst for Earth-6828 universe and they’re eleven women from different backgrounds and skill sets. We deliberately made a all-female team that’s diverse and we really have fun playing with them. So I’ll share some mood boards and playlists that I made for them.

NOTE: Please note that when I make playlists, I’m a weirdo with very specific rules. I make playlists made of songs sung by the genre of music I think the character would listen to, in the gender they identify with and I only do one song per artist. So, a character like Bekka who likes old school country and jazz, she’s a big fan of Duke Ellington and Miles Davis and Wendy Nguyen who is folksy really likes the Lumineers and the Mountain Goats but neither of those artists are featured on those lists because both characters are female and I like to think of the songs as being from their perspective. It’s really weird but I feel the need to make the disclosure.

I’m gonna put this under the cut because this is gonna be LOOOOONG. Also, if you’re interested in other characters and nuances of the universe, you’re also welcome to hit up not just me but also Shea because she’s done some amazing work too.

Valeria “Val” Richards

Val Richards is an Earth-616 canon character and the daughter of Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and Susan Storm (Invisible Woman). She’s the smartest woman in the world and holds more degrees than she knows what to do with. She’s constantly working on a new degree and really hates the amount of condescension she gets sometimes from people who don’t believe how smart she is and underestimate her. It’s half the reason she’s involved with the team - she wanted to show that she and the women she works with shouldn’t be underestimated. She’s the team coordinator and is the most tech savvy. She’s known for drinking her weight in coffee, listening to Led Zeppelin on full blast and always having her hands in one project or another. She has a habit of never going to bed because she’s constantly involving herself in a project and because she’s constantly blasting music, her hearing isn’t always the best. She constantly has people repeat things since she often can’t hear them. Though she’s not involved with the family business, she’s got a great relationship with her parents and especially her brother, Franklin, who is without a doubt her hero. She’s a part of the LONGEST slowburn I’ve ever written and it took SIX YEARS for her and the team empath Wendy to get together.

Val’s Playlist: Classic and Hard Rock, this is the type of music that Val generally listens to when she’s in the lab. It features Lita Ford, Pat Benator, Joan Jett and The Pretty Reckless. I think shows a lot of her attitude and some of her anger.

Eleanor “El” Rogers

El Rogers is an Earth-85826 canon character and the daughter of Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Sharon Carter (Agent 13). She is a professionally trained spy and is a specialist in various forms of combat. Though she offered the mantle of Captain America to Dani Cage, she is very proud of her father’s legacy and sometimes nags Dani on how she should handle things, which sometimes leads to some contention between the two. Prior to the starting the Daughters of Liberty with Val Richards, she was a SHIELD agent and often known as “Espionage Barbie.” Growing up in the spotlight, she’s a gifted and knowledgeable public relations specialist and has more than a few headaches trying to manage this team and the array of personalities she deals with. Despite her PR skills, she’s naturally more introverted and prefers to spend her time with her close friends and working on her art. Though she’s more like her mother, she did inherit Steve’s sense of justice and morals while also keeping questionable company seeing that she often finds herself in some morally grey company, namely a couple of rebellious Southern mutants and three SHIELD trained professional killers. Most people often see El as perfect but she is riddled with anxiety and constantly beats herself up for not living up to people’s expectations. Before her father’s death, she was seen as very upbeat and friendly, but has been much more subdued and even more argumentative. She’s incredibly stubborn, which often gets her into epic fights with Dani and Meredith, as well as the leaders of the Avengers (Sonny Stark) and X-Men (Olivier LeBeau).

El’s Playlist: El is very much a pop music kinda girl, but her playlist comes with a bit of a twist of her anxieties, depression and desires to live up to that expectations that have been put on her. It features Taylor Swift, Elle King, Demi Lovato and Ruelle.

Danielle “Dani” Cage

Dani Cage is an Earth-616 canon character and the daughter of Luke Cage (Power Man) and Jessica Jones (Jewel). She’s the current Captain America and it’s a job she’s very ambivalent about because as much as she is honored by being bestowed the title, it comes with a lot of pressure and criticism which Dani is not great with. Due to her super strength and invulnerability, she rarely uses the iconic Captain America shield which is one of the many things she gets criticized for by El. Like her parents, Dani is tough as nails, a little rough around the edges and swears like it was its her job. Despite her short fuse, Dani has the biggest heart of them all and tends to come from a place of compassion rather than a place of judgment. This doesn’t stop her from being one of the sassiest members of the Daughters of Liberty however. When she’s not shouldering her duties as Captain America, Dani is working out her frustrations in the gym through boxing and acting as a volunteer for the Harlem Boys and Girls’ Club. Dani is a creature of habit. She goes to the same gym that she’s gone to since she was a little girl despite having a gym in HQ, she eats the same thing for breakfast and orders the same thing whenever she goes out for dinner. Her teammates often make fun of her because of this habit, but with all the stress in her life, she clings to these habits as a source of comfort and normalcy. Dani is best friends and incredibly close to Lucy Rand, who is about 85% of her impulse control. Sometimes the only thing keeping Dani from punching out her teammates and the occasional reporter is Lucy.

Dani’s Playlist: Her playlist is the perfect workout playlist because it’s intense and high energy R&B, Hip-Hop and Rap songs. It’s an ode to black excellence and being unapologetically awesome. It features Beyonce, Cardi B, Lizzo and Salt-N-Pepa.

Lucy Rand

Lucy Rand is an Earth-21722 canon character and the daughter of Danny Rand (Iron Fist) and Misty Knight. She’s a highly skilled martial artist and gifted detective. While Val might be the most intelligent person in the world, Lucy is skilled at picking up social and culture nuances quickly and reading people despite not having empathy and psychic abilities. Despite having great tragedy in her life and losing her parents at a young age, she’s a very positive person who tends to do her best to make any difficult situation manageable. Lucy’s anger rarely comes out but when it does, it usually is when people disregard the sacrifice her parents made. Though privately, she’s very upset with them for not being there for the major events in her life and though Luke Cage and Jessica Jones had a big hand in raising her, they are not her parents. She has a permanent job at handling Dani’s short fuse but she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Like Dani, Lucy is very involved the community, but she has a lot of other outlets including knitting hats and managing the Instagram of her favorite little gremlin - her hairless cat Dobby. Lucy is the type of person who tends to put the focus on everyone but herself, something that the team does their best to curb. Very rarely is Lucy in any photos, mainly because she’s normally the one taking them. While she’s not field commander like Dani and El, she’s certainly the team negotiator when it comes to arguments. Needless to say with the amount of big personalities on the team, there is a fair share of fights she needs to break up and while Dani might be her best friend, Lucy’s most trusted companion is her jumbo sized bottle of migraine reliever pills.

Lucy’s Playlist: Like Dani’s playlist, Lucy’s playlist features a lot of black excellence, but completely genre. Like Lucy herself, it’s a playlist with a lot of Soul and with a focus on fluidity rather than high energy. It features Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Whitney Houston and Ari Lennox.

Rebecca “Bekka” LeBeau

Bekka LeBeau is an Earth-41001 canon character and the daughter of Remy LeBeau (Gambit) and Anna-Marie LeBeau (Rogue). She inherited her father’s kinetic manipulation and her mother’s enhanced durability and flight. A complete Daddy’s Girl, she’s an incredibly gifted thief and has a penchant for using her abilities to blow shit up. However, instead of using playing cards, Bekka’s weapon of choice is…random objects from the dollar store? Don’t be surprised to see this chick throws weaponized plastic army men or marbles at your face. Despite her charisma, revolving door of men and natural extroversion, Bekka rarely opens up to people nor does she let people get close to her. This is a result of a very traumatic event in her childhood that completely changed both of her and older brother’s lives and caused her mutation to develop early at the age of eight. Due to this, she often suffers from nightmares and can be seen putting her absurdly gifted baking skills to work in the middle of the night. She’s the unofficial chef of the team and has introduced the team to a lot of Cajun cuisine. She’s a proud New Orleans girl and prepared to stomp your Southern stereotypes out of you. A running gag with Bekka is that despite being a very observant person, she is a penchant for refusing to see what’s right in front of her if she doesn’t want to see it such as her brother and best friend hooking up or that a certain ginger SHIELD agent is madly in love with her.

Bekka’s Playlist: Like Bekka herself, her playlist is a mixture of old school, new old and a little bit of subtle darkness. It has a mixture of Old School jazz, Classic Country and Southern Rock. It features Billie Holiday, Delta Rae, Dolly Parton and Gin Wigmore.

May “Mayday” Parker

Mayday Parker is an Earth-982 canon character and the daughter of Peter Parker (Spider-Man) and Mary Jane Watson. She inherited Peter’s enhanced physiology and wall-crawling abilities. While Mayday has her father’s intelligence, smart mouth and penchant for science, she’s more of an athlete than a nerd. She’s an avid lover of basketball and even played two years of Division Three basketball at Empire State University. She is a very frustrated New York Knicks and New York Mets fan and is often antagonized by Dani Cage, who has a tendency to be a very obnoxious Yankees fan. Though Mayday has a spot on the Daughters of Liberty team and often works outside the team as a research chemist, she has struggled with her identity since she stopped playing basketball. While she is currently Spider-Girl, she always views it more as her continuing her father’s work rather it being her own thing. Despite being incredibly bright and formidable fighter, Mayday also struggles with a lack of confidence and anxiety. She is often makes sarcastic jokes and often at her own expense. Mayday is loyal friend and often agonizes over the fact her superhero duties sometimes make her break her promises to her friends and family. However, she’s found a good support system in her girlfriend Nancy Lu, a telekinetic member of the X-Men and in her mentor, Val Richards. Though she is seven years older, Mayday often mothers her younger sister Annie, whom she sees as reckless and impulsive.

Mayday’s Playlist: This playlist is a mixture of Alternative and Rock music. It has a lot of songs that deal with self-esteem and discovering who are you is enough. It features Paramore, Avril Lavigne, Halsey and P!nk.

Anne “Annie” Parker

Annie Parker is Earth-18119 canon character and the daughter of Peter Parker (Spider-Man) and Mary Jane Watson. Like her sister, she inherited her father’s enhanced physiology and wall-crawling abilities but that’s where their similarities end. Like her mother, Annie is an incredibly outgoing personality. With her love for pink, glitter and partying, most people look at Annie and think of her nothing more than an empty-headed party girl who does stupid shit and has nothing to add to the conversation. Wrong! Annie has one of the world’s highest IQs and is usually the smartest person in the room. She’s gifted in both sciences and mathematics. At the start of the story, she’s a student at Empire State University and is pursuing two degrees in Mathematics and Physics. She’s got an endemic memory which helps her manage her schoolwork, hero work and social life. Annie wasn’t initially invited to be a part of the team, but Mayday convinced Val and El to bring her on in hopes of curbing Annie’s partying. She’s a bit of hedonist and often does things to an excess. Since she was a child, Annie has been known for her bubbly attitude and infectiously positive attitude. This was developed at a young age as she rarely saw her older sister happy (not understanding that her sister suffered from depression and anxiety) and she made it her personal mission to make Mayday smile. Annie is a fearless girl with a big heart who doesn’t often think before putting herself in harm’s way, which unknowing stresses out her older sister more.

Annie’s Playlist: This playlist features a lot of Pop, Hip-Hop and Dance music. It’s high energy, upbeat and makes you just want to have a good time. Honestly, a good chunk of these songs have featured on RuPaul’s Drag Race as Lip Sync for your life songs. (Annie is a massive RuPaul fan). It features Arianna Grande, Britney Spears, Rihanna and Tove Lo.

Meredith “Mere” Pryde

Meredith Pryde is an Earth-41001 canon character and the daughter of Piotr Rasputin (Colossus) and Kitty Pryde (Shadow Cat). She inherited her mother’s phasing power, tech skills and ability to make epic callouts. She inherited almost nothing from her father, whom she doesn’t really remember since he died when she was young. She was raised mainly by her mother and her aunt Illyana Rasputin. Meredith joined the Daughters of Liberty so she didn’t have to deal with her brother Cameron second-guessing all of her choices and telling her to calm down. When Meredith sees injustice, she does her best to correct the situation and she doesn’t care who she has to call out. When she’s not doing work for the Daughters of Liberty, Meredith is active activist who is involved in various projects but especially on mutants’ rights. She attends and supports every march she can and her instagram is full of all her favorite protest and march signs that she sees. Aside from being involved in activism, Meredith’s second favorite activity is trolling her teammates, especially those who tend to be nonplussed about things. She’s notorious for her pranks and for playfully flirting with her teammates’ siblings to make them uncomfortable, namely Bekka. While she’s a notorious flirt, she has no interest in relationships and will punch you in the face if you ask her if she has a boyfriend or girlfriend. Though she is involved with the Daughters of Liberty and various movements, Meredith often suffers from loneliness because she doesn’t have a lot of time for herself and fostering her friendships. She’s every girl’s friend, but no one’s best friend.

Meredith’s Playlist: This playlist highlights Meredith’s confidence and unapologetic nature. She is who she is, and you can take it or leave it. It’s an eclectic list which has mixture of Pop Rock, Pop, Alternative and R&B music. It features Superchick, Billie Eilish, Lily Allen and Icona Pop.

Wendy Nguyen

Wendy Nguyen is a character Shea and I made up, she is not related to anyone. Shocker. She’s a licensed therapist who often treats other superheroes and was actually assigned to El Rogers after the death of her father. She is an empath who is capable of sensing people’s emotions and when she touches them, she gets not only your emotions but your thoughts and even your memories. Her senses are incredibly strong and she often cannot be in the same room when someone is feeling things a bit too strongly, particularly her teammate Maya Ayala during the team’s first year together. Because she feels people’s emotions so strongly, Wendy is often confused whose emotions she is feeling - hers or someone else’s. This is one of the reasons it took her so long for her to admit her feelings for Val. Wendy is often seen as a quiet and thoughtful person who does her best to make her teammates confront their feelings for both her sake and theirs. She has an affinity for tea and has the world’s most absurd tea cabinet which is filled with tea from all over the world from her many travels. She also as an affinity for butterflies, which she views as being similar to human emotions - intense, sometimes beautiful but fleeting and fragile. Wendy often wears gloves to keep herself from accidentally touching others and taking their thoughts and memories without their permission. The ethics of her ability sometimes is a struggle for her since while they allow her to be good at job, however she feels them without control or consent from others. She rarely goes out with her friends in public areas mainly because being around so many people who are feeling a variety emotions is too much for her and causes her to have splitting headaches.

Wendy’s Playlist: Best described as folksy and acoustic. Wendy prefers most chilled out music because feeling others’ emotions can be very overwhelming. However, there’s a range of emotion here because she feels a lot. It features Of Monsters and Men, Regina Spektor, Jolie Holland and Hannah Connelly.

Yasmin “Yas” Khan

Yasmin Khan is a character Shea and I made up, she’s the niece of Kamala Khan (Miss Marvel). Like her aunt, Yasmin has Inhuman heritage alongside holding Pakistani and African heritages from her parents, Aamir and Tyesha. She was exposed to the Terrigen Mists and gained abilities similar to her father in which she can create psychic force fields, however she also has telekinesis and touch-telepathy. Yasmin is a practicing Muslim and while most of the women don’t wear hijabs nor expect her to wear one, she often feels to try and normalize Muslim practices in a society that is suspicious and often hateful towards her culture. She likes to joke that it covers up her bad hair days. Yasmin loves fashion and color, and though she is often the most modest wearing person in the room, she is definitely the most colorful and enjoys outrageous patterns. She is a big lover of pop culture and can often be seen playing Pokemon Go and watching shows on Crunchy Roll on her phone. She has a massive sweet tooth and can be seen in the kitchens watching Bekka bake in hopes of being allowed to have a bite. Though she doesn’t drink, she is best friends with Annie and often accompanies her on nights out and makes sure her friend doesn’t get into any trouble. Yasmin is one of the few people who isn’t out with her personal identity and this is mainly due to her fear of people hurting her family due to the rampant Muslim prejudice in the United States. As one of the youngest members of the team, her teammates are incredibly protective of her and have actually a designated plan ready to cheer her up if they ever see Yasmin is upset, which is called Operation: Yas Smiles.

Yas’s Playlist: Like Meredith, Yap’s playlist is very colorful and has a diverse range of generics from R&B to Soul and Rap. It has a range of emotions since while Yas is a very cheerful person and absolute sweetheart, there’s some anger there at how she and other Muslims are treated. It features Mona Haydar, SassyBlack, Daya and Azealia Banks.

Maya Ayala

Maya Ayala is a character Shea and I made up, she’s the daughter of Hector Ayala (White Tiger) and the niece of Ava Ayala (White Tiger). Nothing happy ever happens to the Ayala family and unfortunately that saga continues with Maya, who witnessed her entire family and boyfriend being murdered in front of her during a shoot out in the Bronx. She took up the mantle of White Tiger and has been on a search to find their murderer. Before becoming the current incarnation of the White Tiger, Maya was a former competitive gymnast who was almost on the United States Olympic team and was working as a gymnastics coach. However, since the incident, she’s put all of her energy into getting revenge for her family and joined the Daughters of Liberty to honor her aunt and to use her resources to get justice. While her focus is on revenge, her greatest desire is to see her family and her boyfriend again. At the beginning, she kept herself from her teammates because she didn’t want to get attached, but after awhile, she became very close with Wendy, Val, Dani and Lucy. Maya has a secret love for telenovelas which she tries to keep quiet because she’s afraid of being seen as stereotypical. Despite this, she’s very proud Latina and gets pissed off when people write her off as “Mexican” or “foreign,” especially since her family hails from Puerto Rico and she’s just as American as anyone else. However, occasionally she does share her culture with the others, and occasionally makes arroz con gandules and pollo guisado with Bekka for the team.

Maya’s Playlist: This is list is a mixture of Latin Pop, Alternative and R&B. It holds a mixture of Maya before the loss of her family and after. A lot of the latin pop are from gymnastic routines she would create. However, there’s also a lot of anger and sadness here, which is understandable. It features Audri Nix, Ciara, Lana Del Rey and Skylar Grey.

#asks #answered #katie-dub #earth 6828 #ro and shea write a comic #the daughters of liberty #marvel #val richards #dani cage #lucy rand #ellie rogers #bekka lebeau #mayday parker #annie parker #meredith pryde #yasmin khan #wendy nguyen #maya ayala

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