League of Legends' "idol group" made a comeback with the pre-release single The Baddest (preceding their full EP which will probably be released in November so idk why they put this one out so early dfjksk) and it's another banger. ð Two of the singers are different from two years ago but I'm sooooo glad that Soyeon and Miyeon—both of (G)I-DLE—returned for their roles. ðĨš
I'm a huge fan of Soyeon's raps and this verse really surprised me! Firstly it's a much darker tone than what I've typically heard her use and it goes hard in a different way than usual—instead of being sort of quippy it's a more constant, low intensity with no rush to go anywhere. It's totally opposite from her flow from True Damage which was all about speed and bounce. And this one is so long; I kept being surprised when it kept going but it's cool that she gets so much spotlight. ^^
I have a lot of fun learning her raps (just started this thread for all of the oneshot covers I've done of Soyeon verses) but WOWEE this one was more challenging than I expected... It turned out to be such a test of stamina, breath control, and even memory haha. The flow is straightforward but the pure length makes it hard. And then keeping up with the kind of darker timbre while adding my own flair but also figuring out how to do this in a one shot without pushing my voice unhealthily so that I could get through full takes intact and also do multiple takes to choose from.. Sustenance has always been an issue for me because I don't use good vocal techniques but somehow??? after filling up my phone's voice memos with practice over 3 days, I'm pleasantly surprised I sorta figured out how to do this one without having a sore throat at the end of filming. ;u;
i was so happy for Soyeon getting such a long rap in The Baddest but aa,, hard,,,, i practiced a lot the past few days so here is my attempt!! ð#KDA#THEBADDESTpic.twitter.com/bdj3dJDG8U
— 3.2 sapphire cv. Eva ❖ CODEX (@waterpixieva) August 30, 2020
Wearin' my shoddy POP/STARS Kai'sa cosplay ehehe SPEAKING OF WHICH....
I-I received two really beautiful pieces of art as surprise gifts in the past couple weeks?!?! q/////q Am not worthy.... am so not worthy.... I MEAN JUST LOOK. SO GORGEOUS. This one is by the incredible artist YouYou who also recently drew amazing pieces of chiisana and fome. Her coloring especially is so stunning and gives her artwork so much life. ð
When I saw @waterpixieva posting pictures of her cosplaying Kaisa, I wanted to draw her! and also to commemorate the coming back of KDA!!! ✨✨ When I look at her in this outfit, I'm really surprised because Eva is so cute to me ahhhh! And this pose is so sexy and mature !! pic.twitter.com/6Cq1t72YZg
And my youtaite friend Estelle whom I've been bonding with a lot lately over all of the anime interests we have in common—namely Mermaid Melody, other magical girls, and Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's lol—.... ðĨš drew me as a mermaid!!!
— ✨ ððžð―ðŪðĩðĩðŪ ✨ (@EstellexLux) August 18, 2020
Aaah so cute so cute I die... chiisana and I have been talking for a long time about putting together a revival Mermaid Melody collab and I've been enjoying relistening to a lot of the songs in the past few months... But now this was the catalyst for me to start rewatching the 2003 anime from the beginning and omg I'm having so much fun with it since I don't remember anything about the plot yet I already love all the characters and can sing along to all the songs!
A few weeks ago I saw a post that gave advice along these lines: that one should stop multitasking—and focus on making each task more meaningful. I haven't actually actively done anything with these words yet lolol but thought it was interesting to hear the opposite perspective of what I've typically done in the past whenever I'm stressed, which is to increase multitasking so that I won't have to feel at the end of the day like I've been too busy to do anything for myself. I think it is true it must have contributed to some anxiety and restlessness though, when I sometimes feel like doing just one thing "isn't enough." Been doing better though. Still kinda busy but not overwhelmed and that constant anxiety I kept referencing over the past couple months went away! Maybe hearing that advice did have a subconscious impact lololol.
- - -
Tonight, I'm devastated by the sudden news of the death of Chadw*ck B*seman. (Please excuse the disrespectful censors ;; I'm just hoping not to accidentally clog up any internet searches with my site.)
I don't want to do the thing of belittling him to a fictional character, but he really was a King in real life—with all of his advocacy; his thoughtfulness; his big, giving heart; the beliefs that he strongly stood for; the change and confidence that he helped champion for the young Black people, for the future of film, and for the world. I love all of his speeches ;; He is such a role model through and through.
For me personally... I associate him with really flowery memories. The two years that I spent hyper-obsessed with the MCU is a time that I often think back on with the warmest fondness and blurry envy. It was so much fun diving into all of the breakdown and analysis content—it felt like there was something always waiting for me that I could enjoy and I found it intriguing the way everything was connected. No franchise has engaged me as deeply since! Rewatching the movies was joyful (and heartbreaking in the best way)—especially Infinity War which I considered one of my favorite films ever. The anticipation and all of the theories leading up to Endgame was unbelievably fun. Watching behind-the-scenes, interviews, and promotions, I also fell in love with how funny and thoughtful the cast was. ;u; And of course, all of the excitement and love around the Black Panther release was unforgettably hype—what a great time that was for the world!!
And so, I'm happy that Chadw*ck (again please excuse the censor) was a part of this time in my life that I consider so rosy and blooming. I feel humbled and thankful that I was able to admire such a great person on- and off-screen, and to have experienced his impact. He left a lot of things worthy of celebration.
Also another thought while the importance of media representation is being widely discussed tonight... It hasn't been lost on me that although I work in small media, I still kindaaa work in media nonetheless. I still have the ability to impact a few people's lives with my work. And especially with the science fair vids that I edit—they are being watched by young students who get inspired by them to apply to these competitions someday or pursue their own projects that work towards making the world a better place. And I know that I have the responsibility to give minority kids as much representation as I can, not to fabricate anything but show them the excellence that already exists.—Nothing has changed but I certainly feel my drive for this renewed. ðŠ Earlier tonight I just wrapped up a new video that I'm looking forward to the client posting because it includes two Black girl scientists who are absolute superstars and I have high hopes that they'll inspire a lot of kids ðŦ
AAAH SHE'S HERE: CODEX's comeback!! SCB3 round 1 was back in February and the chorus battle took a hiatus as people were figuring out their altered lifestyles with the hit of the pandemic and finally now in August we're in round 2! Actually the deadline's been extended til next week but we were luckily already on track to finish by the original deadline so we uploaded really early ;v;
I've already fangirled over this group so much in my last post that I'm not sure I need to repeat how much I love CODEX and CYPHER...... Funnily enough, in that post I mentioned my "emotional favorites" being W and Our Sky, and—although this isn't exactly CYPHER—this new video feels like the 3rd entry of that Feels Trilogy. It is honestly just such a privilege that I get to be in this group, with these precious and sweet friends who are all so skilled that it blows my mind... I'm really in awe at all of them and this video totally captures my reasons for being so. LIKE....EVERYTHING IS SO PERFECT.........
ð Do you hearrrr those vocalsss? T___T Everyone brought the perfect emotions for this beautiful song and I love everyone's voices.. I think Kura especially is a standout in the song for his tastefully emotional, delicate, yet controlled solos at the beginning (also Chiisana's right after him!) and end. Overall everyone is such a good singer that it's hard for me to keep up; I really admire them!
ð The choral arrangement and the mix!!!!! That's [almost] all Fome. He recorded thorough guides of all the adlibs and harmonies for us to follow—resulting in a lot of tracks that he expertly weaved together—and I think that's a big strength of ours. As always Fome's mixes are really polished and he does it so quickly too, it's insane... Oh also the ending acapella part was his idea! (The "diva" adlibs at the end were a team effort tho which is cool ^^ a bunch of us submitted those for him to choose from)
ð Omg Yuki's art is to die for. It's such eye candy as always. I especially love her coloring style and it works so well with this shimmery, jeweled look. ððð Just stunning and I actually like that she didn't just straight up use our persona designs, but did something creative to execute a uniform concept while also keeping us distinguishable by our hair colors! Also the poses are so interesting and refreshing!
ð MOM... MOM, LOOK, I'm in a video animated by Howl!!! ð There is little greater an honor than that as a youtaite. Hahaha. His work really speaks for itself time and time again—he just has this ability to create breathakingly elegant things that are pleasing to the eye and moving to the heart.
From a personal standpoint, I... don't know how to feel about my vocals lol. I was always self conscious about the fact that I have the highest tone, perhaps the weakest singing ability, and I guess my voice is a bit more.. sterile and lacking grace compared to the others? So I think Fome and Howl were clever in scripting me in places where the song changes—to take advantage of that contrast between me and the others. And in some cases I think that worked really well! ;v; I'm actually pretty fond of how my 2nd and 3rd solos (both in the last third) worked because it feels impactful when it goes from a full, rich chorus to just me; or when it goes from Jae's low solo with solitary strings to my starkly different voice at the moment when the music starts to build and the glittery particles start appearing (I love those!!). On the other hand, my first solo is really important because it introduces the first chorus, but I was so damn frustrated while recording that because I struggle to sing it well. And I fear it might stick out in a negative way ;;; Bah. Idk, nothing I can do about it now but at least I feel satisfied with the other solos ;v;;
I have been...evidently very distracted this year and never posted about these collabs that I was in back in May AAAAAAHH.
Uploaded on Mother's Day, I was in Lucy and Mero's super collab of "Mother" from Carole & Tuesday which featured not only a bunch of amazing vocalists but a whole band of Davids (no but srsly there's 3 Davids) awesome musicians who came together to make the instrumental! It sounds so so so so so good. This was a fun collab to be a part of and also introduced me to some new friends. ;v; Such a touching and uplifting song aaa also it's a facecam video which is fun!
And then yaaaay it had been a while since I was in a k-pop collab!
This one is such a blessing... Lia, Nami, and Aerin are all longtime friends—and all sweethearts with wonderful voices—that I'm really fond of ð AND the song is MY ANTHEM, love4eva by LOONA yyxy !! AND I got to sing the part of MY BIAS MY PERFECT GODDESS PRINCESS Yves (pronounced 'eve')!!! And entirely unintentionally, it was uploaded the day before my birthday so it just felt like a big birthday present to me LMAO.
:D :D :D This week I uploaded a surprise yolo solo cover!
The past month has honestly been a pretty rough time, both physically and mentally. My chest pain/rib discomfort went on for three weeks and completely disrupted my life and debilitated my body... It worried me whether that plus my prolonged sore throat could possibly be COVID related—I even took a test and at one point was really frustrated at the ridiculously delayed (3+ weeks) results. It's truly a shame considering all the praise I had for how easy the drive-in was and how the entire process was contactless and quick. Was surprised that they trusted me to do my own stabbing of nostrils! But no, this country is fucked if this is how our testing is going and it's fortunate that I had nothing lifethreatening. ð (Side note: I now believe the sore throat was likely a return of acid reflux due to switching to sleeping on one pillow months ago after years of using two; the turning point happened when I reverted back to two! Who coulda thunk!! A pillow!)
Within that time, at work we were supporting a huge virtual event that led to me putting in 10+ hour days for over a week with only 1 day off, and at certain times I was under a lot of stress. On the final day, I worked 14 hours. ☠️ This compounded with the stress of falling behind on projects and owing lines that I couldn't record due to other project priorities and then my health issues.. And whenever I could record I felt like I did nothing but struggle and fail to deliver—I just.. felt so down on myself about literally everything I did. All of my work made me cringe and I felt embarrassed to be me. orz
My mental health hit a pretty bad point when it was like... y'know I was in pain, still didn't have any answers, this country sucks, was exhausted from working, constantly felt anxious, couldn't sleep enough, my free time was all spent on deepening my insecurities and pervasive negative thoughts, some other personal issues, and it felt like I wasn't allowed to enjoy anything.
When I was finally free from the crazy work schedule and I had my lines in for my most urgent project, I felt.....so....liberated!!! To finally not be stressed or in pain, I felt like a whole new different person. That day I watched the finale of Good Girl—a show featuring a bunch of powerful Korean female singers and rappers which I quite enjoyed—and felt inspired all over again by Jang Yeeun's performance of "Mermaid" and how she's always played this role as a fierce rapper, and finally got to break out of that "bubble" to show that she could be a singer too and confidently challenged different genres. Her growth was so touching! I loved the song already but this time...I felt........maybe I could try to sing it?? My sore throat had at last recovered, the timely pressures were no longer so pressing, I realized the song wasn't too high, and this sparkling burst of inspiration was much too precious to pass up. ð
Immediately pulled my mic out and to my pleasant surprise it only took 1.5 hours to finish recording (albeit TV size) compared to my typical struggling for days or weeks...?! In hindsight there are reasonable explanations for this—the lack of belting or uncomfortably held out notes, not recording harmonies, the verse requiring more emotion than singing skill, the chorus requiring neither lol... But in any case, it was SO REFRESHING ! ! And then I did half of the mix that night! And was actually happy with my work?!?!
I also want to note too that I typically only record while my parents are asleep but because I was in such motivated spirits and wasn't struggling with the song, I pushed through and recorded while they were around AND through a neighbor's visit which I thought was really brave ;v;;
There are still more projects that I'm behind on, but I'm so. glad. that I treated myself by taking out a few days to dedicate to this. This was the self care I needed; it was the best thing I could've done for my soul. ✨ All things considered, it was incredibly satisfying to have a spontaneous desire to sing something... and then actually sing it. Stress free, without needing to try too hard, no restrictions, and for once I felt like I suited the song! Honestly have been feeling down about my mixing as well so it was validating that I actually felt proud of something I did so quickly and I had fun playing with all the reverb and delay. The video was such a blessing to do!! First time filming myself with a projector (an artifact from my mom's past job) and now I'm tempted to go this route with all future videos because HELLO THERE instant, moderately low effort, but extremely good aesthetics!!! Very exciting.
Also got to show off some cute The Little Mermaid paraphernalia which were gifts from chiisana ð Small side story, but I actually remember it was either the morning before I watched the Good Girl finale or the day prior, when I used that hairbrush and for some reason left it on my bed instead of putting it away... Later I noticed it and was like, "Huh it'd be cute if I could make a video with that kind of aesthetic sometime! Not that I have any ideas or will probably be making anything soon." IT WAS A PREMONITION... or maybe it was the cause? Idk.
Filmed on my bed!
Test model~ it wasn't very visible during the day so glad I waited til sundown
And finally, I quite enjoy doing basic things in After Effects so I had fun making the text effects—but especially being able to include rainbowesque bubbles felt like a mini dream come true. ^^ Thanks to Irozuku Sekai no Ashita Kara, I'm forever whipped for the colorful, glowing, bubbly bokeh look and you can count on seeing that again in hopefully improved forms! ð
This gratifying little project really reminded me what it is that I love to do best and why I continue to create things with all my heart.
【Cover】 Jang Yeeun - ëŠĐėëĶŽ (Mermaid) 【Eva】
Shoutout to Sonny for being the one to introduce me to this amazing song and the inspiring multitalent that is CLC's Jang Yeeun ð
