Top 10 Just Dance Songs

Hi, I'm Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland. I don't have any updates for today, so I'll just get on with my regularly scheduled blogging. My original plan for this week's post was to do another First Impressions post almost exactly like last week's, but in the end I didn't think it was a good idea to do essentially the same post two weeks in a row. So what do I have planned for this week? My Top 10 Favorite Just Dance Songs! I'm not much of a gamer at all, but I've been playing the Just Dance games since Christmas 2011 when we first got Just Dance 3 with our Wii. The concept of the games is simple. There's an animated dancer on the screen and the player must mirror the dancer's moves in order to score points. It's a great game to casually play with your friends or solo, and it's a great workout. I always say that Just Dance is the only exercise I will willingly do.

I decided to do this post this week because I had been planning on writing it for a while and now just seemed like the perfect time. The new Just Dance 2018 game is coming out towards the end of this month and I'm really excited for it. I always like waiting to see which songs will be featured on each new edition of the game, and the soundtrack for this one looks really fun (You can dance to megahits like "24K Magic" by Bruno Mars, "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi ft Daddy Yankee, "Shape Of You" by Ed Sheeran, and "Side To Side" by Ariana Grande ft Nicki Minaj.) This brings us today's post, where I'm going to list my favorite songs to ever be featured on the series. The series has featured tons of songs over the years, many of which I absolutely love. This made it really hard to narrow it down to just ten, but somehow I was able to do it. The song selections were based on how much I like the actual song, how much enjoyment I get out of the gameplay, and how much sentimental value it has to me (or however much sentimental value a dance video game can have). I wouldn't dare try to rank these from best to worst, so they're just listed in order from the song that appeared on the oldest game to the newest. I'll try to keep this relatively short, but knowing me, that's highly unlikely. Finally, the links in the titles of each song are links so you can watch (and dance along) if you please. Let's get started!

1. "Hey Ya!" by Outkast (Appeared on Just Dance 2)

Just Dance 2 is the earliest game in the series that I own (I don't have the first one, and the only time I've ever played it was at a friend's house) and I got it in early 2012 with a Christmas gift card at Target. I got it shortly after I got Just Dance 3. I remember one day I was playing the game with my brother and I chose to do this song. His response was "Emma, why are you doing a nerd song?" And my response was, "Because the song is awesome." The song is a classic ("shake it like a Polaroid picture" is one of those lyrics that everyone knows) and it's very upbeat, making it fun to dance to. The character for this one is a nerd, but the nerd's got some pretty sweet moves. The choreography is dorky in the best way and a surprisingly good fit for the song. It's my favorite song on Just Dance 2.

2. "California Gurls" by Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg (Appeared on Just Dance 3)

Towards the end of last week's post, I went on a somewhat angry rant on Katy Perry, specifically her newer material. A big part of the reason why I don't like Katy Perry anymore is because she's made a bunch of amazing songs and her new stuff is just disappointing. Katy's music has been featured on most of the Just Dance games, and although most of them are pretty fun (I was tempted to choose "Birthday" from Just Dance 2015), I had to choose this one. "California Gurls" isn't super-deep or complex, but it's the perfect dumb-but-fun guilty pleasure pop song. The character is clearly modeled after Katy herself and she looks like the perfect California girl. The choreography fits the song perfectly, but what really stands out is the background. The dancing lime-green teddy bear in the background that starts dancing along around Snoop's verse is hilarious, and my brother and I used to try to copy his moves when we were little.

3. "Take On Me" by A-ha (Appeared on Just Dance 3)

When my youngest brother was about three years old, he thought it would be a great idea to cram a bunch of our Wii games into the console, including our copy of Just Dance 3. We got another, previously used Wii from our aunt and uncle since the old one was broken, and although most of the songs on Just Dance 3 still work, there are a few random songs we can't play without them crashing. Sadly, one of those is "Take On Me", which has always been one of my favorites. If I were asked to pick my favorite '80s song, this would probably be my pick, and Just Dance is a big part of the reason why. My mom used to play Just Dance with us, and we would always do this song. The dancer looks pretty cool and the whole dance looks like it's on the set of an '80s music video. The choreography is, again, a little dorky, but it manages to fit with the song. And of course, everyone knows the song. It's iconic, cheesy in the best way, and just awesome. I really miss being able to play this song, and I still haven't forgiven my brother for taking it away from me.

4. "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz (Appeared on Just Dance 3)

I selected three songs from Just Dance 3 for this list, more than any other game. It's not that the game was my favorite (I don't know which one is TBH), it just has a lot of sentimental value to me since it was the first one I got. I have a lot of fond memories of playing the game with my mom, and this song in particular was one of our favorites. I remember my mom and my aunt would always compete to see who could get the highest score, and it got pretty intense. The song itself is one that I've always loved since it first came out and it was a great choice for the game. It's a Dance Crew dance, which means there are four characters for you to choose from. The aesthetic of the dance is very clearly influenced from the 1920s and 1930s, and while it doesn't look like it fits the song (a dance-pop banger from 2010), it fits weirdly well. I always choose the female character in the blue who looks like a flapper. I love her design and I feel like she has a lot of sass in her movements. This one's really fun to do with a group.

5.  "Disturbia" by Rihanna (Appeared on Just Dance 4)

Rihanna is one of the current queens of R&B and pop music, so, like Katy Perry, her music has been featured on the Just Dance games many times. This is my favorite song by her and my favorite song in Just Dance 4 (which I actually think is my favorite, to be honest). It's spooky in the best way and you can bet I'll be listening to it come October 31st. The gameplay reflects the creepy quality of the song perfectly. The dancer's wearing this two-toned dress with spikes and matching hair, and she's got some intimidating eye makeup. She looks pretty freaking awesome. The choreography is also pretty eerie, with some moves that are clearly inspired by Michael Jackson's "Thriller", the ultimate Halloween song. Just Dance usually has one Halloween-themed song every game, and although this one isn't in-your-face-Halloween (no ghosts or pumpkins here), it's still the best spooky song on the game ever.

6. "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction (Appeared on Just Dance 4)

A good amount of these songs are solely on the list because of nostalgia, and this one is no exception. My mom, brother, and I would always play this song whenever we did Just Dance 4, and we always had a blast doing it. The characters are clearly modeled after the boys of One Direction, and although I like One Direction to some extent, I'm a little disappointed they never (to my knowledge) did full-on choreography like this. I always dance as the one second from the left in the cyan (I'm pretty sure he's supposed to be Zayn?). I always chose that one because that was my favorite color when I was younger (now it's pink) and it's sort of become a habit since then. The choreography is cheesy in the best way and it's fun to pretend I'm a part of a boy band. And allow me to repeat: WHY DON'T MODERN BOY BANDS DO MORE CHEESY CHOREOGRAPHY? It's entertaining. I like the song as well. It's more of a guilty pleasure but it's catchy and fun to dance to, making it the perfect type of song for the series.

7. "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga ft. Colby O'Donis (Appeared on Just Dance 2014)

It just wouldn't feel right to make this list without including the very song the franchise is named after. You'd probably expect the makers of the series to put this on from the very beginning, but for whatever reason, they decided to wait until Just Dance 2014 to include it. The wait was worth it, however. I've always loved the song, which is easily my favorite by Lady Gaga. It's just a remarkably catchy, fun, and memorable pop song. The dancer is somewhat modeled after Gaga herself, and she looks amazing. Her outfit is so cool. The choreography looks difficult the first time you do it, but it's surprisingly easy to learn. I've gotten five stars (the highest score) nearly every time I've done it. I also think the backgrounds are awesome. I couldn't find a picture of the specific background I'm referring to, but at one part, it looks like it's in a church with stained-glass windows decorated with characters from previous games (including "California Gurls", "Disturbia", and "Hey Ya", just to name a few from this list). It's a cool nod to the series' history that hardcore fans (like myself, don't judge me) will really appreciate.

8. "Get Low" by Dillon Francis ft. DJ Snake (Appeared on Just Dance 2015)

I've never really cared for Just Dance 2015 that much. I didn't know that many of the songs and there were only a few I really liked. Still, there were some gems, including this one. I actually discovered this song from the game, and I've liked it ever since. It's not anything deep (it only has, like, six words), but it's an absolute banger. It's a slightly insane-sounding song and the dance reflects the mania of it perfectly. The color scheme is very bright and the graphics are crazy. I love the pendulums in the background during the main drop (which you can see in the picture). The two dancers are really energetic and fun. They're on two separate platforms, and they have some interactions with each other that I find really cool. I usually choose the one on the right. The choreography is intense and pretty difficult (There's this one part...I'm not sure how to describe it, so I'll just put a picture at the bottom...that I've never been able to do), but it's exhilarating. This is a trap song, so naturally the moves are more hip-hop inspired. They're fun though! I don't know how to wrap this one up so I'll just end with a picture of the one move that I can't do. It goes way too far back!


9. "Want To Want Me" by Jason Derulo (Appeared on Just Dance 2016)

A common theme for this list is that most of the songs from the earlier games (2 to 4) are on the list because of nostalgia and the songs from the later games (2014 onward) are on more because I like the songs. That's definitely true for "Want To Want Me", my favorite song on Just Dance 2016. I have adored the song ever since I first heard it, and it even made my Top 15 Songs of 2015 list on my old blog (and it's one of the picks I don't regret!) I think that if I were to order that list, I'd actually put it at number 2, with only Walk the Moon's "Shut Up And Dance" ahead of it. I play this song pretty much every time I play Just Dance 2016 mostly because I like the song, but the actual gameplay is pretty cool too. I like the design of the character a lot. His outfit is pretty cool and flashy and I feel like it's how my brother would dress if he was rich. The aesthetic is awesome as well. I love the color scheme mainly consisting of red, white, gold, and black with some blue and purple mixed in (as you can see from the picture). There are random silhouettes of women in the background for some reason, and while I'm not sure why they're there, I still think it's cool. The choreography is somewhat difficult (meaning I have yet to get five stars on it) but it's still fun to do. Like the last song I've chosen for my list, I've danced to this song so many times mostly because I love the song so much. And speaking of that last song...

10.  "Into You" by Ariana Grande (Appeared on Just Dance 2017)

The last song I selected for this post is "Into You" by Ariana Grande. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned in a few posts how much I love Ariana, both as a singer and a person. She's one of, if not my favorite celebrities and I've loved her since her days on Victorious. Her music has appeared on a lot of the more recent songs on the game, and this is the best one. This isn't my absolute favorite song by her (there are a few deep cuts from her albums I love even more), but it's close, and it's by far the best single she's released. "Into You" is bar-none the song from Just Dance 2017  that I've played most. I don't even really like the choreography that much (the move the dancer does when Ari sings "Tell me what you came here for" is ridiculous), but the dancer herself is pretty and the backgrounds are astonishing. I LOVE the aesthetic of this dance. But in the end, I've done this song so many times because the song is pretty much perfect in my opinion. I could write an essay about everything I love about it (and probably will, since I'm planning to make my top 10 Ariana Grande songs at some point), and it's low-key what I want all pop music to sound like. This is one of my favorite songs of all time and the inclusion of it on Just Dance makes me really happy.

I was going to include a few honorable mentions, but this isn't a properly ranked top ten so I decided against it. These aren't the only songs from Just Dance that I love, so I'll probably make a sequel to this post at some point. As for next week's post, I have no idea what it'll be about (which is usually what happens with these) but you can find it next Wednesday! I'm Stellar in Neverland, and I'll see you then. Peace!

Stellar

First Impressions #1- Songs I Don't Know The Names Of (Apparently?)

Hi, it's Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland! I have one update that I guess I could do after the updates because it correlates to my post but I don't have any other updates so here you go.
-I'm starting a new series called FIRST IMPRESSIONS! I suppose "Life" and "Top Tens" could technically also count as series, but I like to think of this as my first. How it will work is I will listen to songs of my choosing I've most likely never heard before (that will usually have a common theme), write a little bit on what I think of them, give them a recommendation if I feel they deserve one (or if I remember to), and rate them on a scale of 1 to 10. I don't know how frequently I'll do this but I hope to make it a regular series on Stellar in Neverland.

So there's your explanation of what First Impressions is. One day I was just on YouTube and I saw this video called SONGS YOU DON'T KNOW THE NAME OF. I clicked on it, thinking it sounded pretty interesting. We've all had those songs where we've kept hearing it on a commercial or something and thought it was really cool and catchy but had no idea what song it was. I watched the video expecting it to be full of songs like that, but to my surprise, I didn't really know any of the songs! This inspired me to make the First Impressions series so I could listen to the songs and see if I could find any new jams to add to my playlist. So that's what I'm going to do. Friendly reminder: I don't know most of these songs so don't judge me if I say something stupid. Also this is just my opinion so if you disagree with me that's fine, just don't get butthurt about it.

1. "Younger Now" by Miley Cyrus
This song is by Miley Cyrus, who I'm pretty sure every single person reading this knows. I actually know this one because I watched the 2017 VMAs where Miley performed it (and had one of the few good performances, seriously the VMAs sucked this year). I like the vibe and the message of the lyrics about how she's not afraid of being herself. Only issues for me are that the chorus doesn't rhyme AT ALL and the intro is a little wonky, but those are nitpicks. If you like country-ish music, I would recommend it. 7.5/10
2. "Rainbow" by Kesha
I've always had a soft spot for Kesha's music, but her 2017 music has really been something special. This is unlike any other song I've heard from her. This song sounds like it could be used in a Disney movie (let's just ignore the fact that she uses the f-bomb a few times). It sounds GORGEOUS. Kesha's voice is so beautiful and emotional, and the lyrics are inspiring considering everything she's been through. If you think you'll hate this song because it's Kesha, you should still listen to it because it sounds nothing like her old stuff (which I still love, but I can get why someone wouldn't) and it's awe-inspiring. 9.5/10
3. "Silence" by Marshmello ft. Khalid
I don't know much about Marshmello, but I know Khalid from his song "Location", which I love. I really like Khalid's voice and I should probably get more into his music. This song is really good and I'm definitely adding it to my playlist. I love the beat drop and the buildup to it, and Khalid sounds really good. If you like EDM-pop like the Chainsmokers, you'll probably like this song (it's better than pretty much every Chainsmokers song I've heard btw). I can totally see it becoming a big hit. 8.5/10 
4. "Lonely Together" by Avicii ft. Rita Ora
This is my first time hearing this song, and the first impression is pretty positive. I'm surprised this one hasn't become a hit yet, because it just sounds like a #1 waiting to happen. I don't actually know that much of Rita Ora's songs, but she sounds fantastic here. The beat drop is also excellent and weirdly laid-back. This isn't my favorite song of all time, but I can see it becoming a massive hit, and I do like it a lot, so that's something. 8/10
5. "Rake It Up" by Yo Gotti ft. Nicki Minaj
I somewhat know this song, and even though I have a soft spot for dumb hip-hop like this, I can't get into this one at all. I can barely even tell what Yo Gotti's saying, and while that's normally not a problem for me, it is here. Nicki's probably the best thing about the song, but her verse is clearly not her best. She spends the first part rhyming "China" with "China", and it's one of my big pet peeves when people rhyme words with themselves. Even though I feel like I should like this song, I don't really care for it. 4/10
6. "Caught In The Middle" by Anastacia
I had never heard of Anastacia before this song so I didn't know what to expect from it. I guess it's pretty good, but I can't see myself listening to it over and over again. I like the strings in the instrumental. The chorus is pretty strong and the bridge is arguably even better. Anastacia's voice is unique in a good way. This is objectively a fantastic song, it's just not something I'm constantly going to be wanting to listen to. 7/10
7. "Marmalade" by Macklemore ft. Lil Yachty
Just from looking at these two artists, I can already tell that my brother (who really likes both of them) would LOVE this song. This one's got a pretty carefree pop-rap vibe and I can see it getting popular. The lyrics are cheesy but funny ("Watching Toy Story 3, that's a great f**kin' movie" made me laugh out loud). I also really like the piano beat. The big problem with it is the autotune, which I don't have a problem with normally, but here it's unnecessary and sounds sloppy. Still, Lil Yachty disses Donald Trump at the end of his verse so I can't hate this song too much. 6.5/10
8. "OMG" by Camila Cabello ft. Quavo
This song is by Camila Cabello, who was formerly a member of Fifth Harmony. I've never liked her voice, but she actually sounds nice here. The beat is really cool. The repeated sample of the choir has a chilling vibe, and the flute riff in the background is amazing. I wish it was featured more in the song. Quavo's rap verse is okay. The song would still be good without it but it's fine. Still, Camila has another song out called "Havana" that's way better. 7.5/10
9. "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man
This is one of the songs on this list I know. It's gotten some radio airplay and I'm pretty sure it's on some commercials. And holy crap, I'm OBSESSED. The chorus of this song is probably the most infectious I've heard all year. Seriously, listen to it once and you'll be singing "ooh, I'm a rebel just for kicks" all day. I love how unique this song is from every other song to get popular this year. It has an indie vibe but it's really dancey and catchy. I hope more songs like this get popular. Also, Miley Cyrus did this song for her Lip Sync Battle on The Tonight Show and it is amazing so I thought I'd share it (it starts at 2:32). 10/10
10. "Fortune" by Krewella ft. Diskord
I'm letting you know right now that I didn't listen to these songs in the order they're listed and I only put them in that order because that's the order they are in the video. I bring this up because this is the last song I listened to. It's an EDM song like a lot of the ones I listened to, but it's quite different from the other ones. It's more dubstep-trap then the other, more tropical-inspired ones that permeate this list. It's not my personal favorite, but it's fine. If you like "Don't Let Me Down" by the Chainsmokers, you'll like this song since the two songs sound quite similar. 6.5/10
11. "Champion" by Fall Out Boy
Oh yikes, Fall Out Boy. Now don't go thinking I hate them (because I don't), it's just that last year I went through a phase where I practically worshipped them and I'm unable to listen to any of their music without thinking of those cringey times of my life. After last year's cringe-fest, I've pretty much stopped paying attention to them so this is the first of their new music I've heard. This one's okay, but it's disappointing considering that they've made some really good songs. The lyrics are really generic and lack the snarky Fall Out Boy charm I've come to expect from them, and the beat is more poppy than it should be considering FOB is a rock band. The vocals are really good, though, and the chorus is catchy, so I guess this one isn't a total waste of my time. 6.5/10
12. "Back To You" by Louis Tomlinson ft. Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals
This one is by Louis Tomlinson, who you probably know best as a former member of One Direction. All of the 1D boys have released solo music to varying results. This isn't my favorite former 1D member single ("Sign of the Times" by Harry Styles is), but I like it. I like how Louis and Bebe's voices fit together and the beat is pretty cool. This isn't my favorite song ever but I'd recommend it, I guess. 7/10
13. "A Lie" by French Montana ft. The Weeknd and Max B
This kind of song isn't for everybody, but I guess I like it. I really like the beat, it's interesting in a good way. The two rappers are okay, but The Weeknd is definitely the highlight for me. His hook is fantastic and pretty catchy. It's not my favorite, but it's pretty decent. I definitely prefer French Montana's other song from this year, "Unforgettable", though. 6.5/10
14. "Butterfly Effect" by Travis Scott
I like some hip-hop, so I expected to love this song, but I don't for some reason. It's not that it's HORRIBLE (although I can totally see someone who isn't into the genre thinking that), it's just not my favorite. The chorus is fine, but it feels like it just repeats without stopping. I don't actually think it's used that much, but it feels like it's just the same thing over and over again. The verses aren't memorable, and I probably won't be able to recall how they go unless I listen to the song again. The beat's pretty good, though. This isn't the worst song ever, I was just expecting a little more. 6.5/10
15. "Goodbye" by Echosmith
I know Echosmith from their songs "Cool Kids" and "Bright" and I thought they sort of faded away afterward. Now they're back with this new song "Goodbye" and I actually like it quite a bit. It's got more of a poppy vibe than the other two songs I know from them, and it's all the better for it. It's very chill and a nice song to listen to. I love the lead singer's voice. It's calming and really pretty. The lyrics are also pretty good. "You cover up the poison with poetry" is in particular a really good line. This is a good song. 7.5/10
16. "Rain" by The Script
I only know two songs by The Script ("Breakeven" and "Hall of Fame") and both are great. This one is pretty good too. The beat reminds me of "Shape Of You" by Ed Sheeran, but I like this song way more. The "oh-oh-oh"'s after the chorus are absolutely fantastic. This is a solid breakup song, too bad I don't have much else to say about it. 7.5/10
17. "Cash Out" by Calvin Harris ft. Schoolboy Q, PartyNextDoor, and D.R.A.M.
Calvin Harris really switched up his musical style this year, opting for a more groovy throwback sound. I loved both of his singles from this year ("Slide" and "Feels"), and this one's great too. It's funky and super-catchy. All of the featured guests do a great job and everybody sounds like they're having fun. Calvin Harris's production is really great as well. You could play this at a party and it would get everyone going. Plain and simply, this song is fun. 9/10
18. "Wonder Woman" by JoJo
Like a lot of the artists on this list, I'm somewhat familiar with JoJo. The two things I know about her are that she's been making music since she was, like, 12, and she's probably one of the best vocalists in modern music. Seriously, I've seen live videos of her, and she is AMAZING. She shows off those pipes here, but in a very sensual way. This song has a sexy R&B vibe, and despite me being picky about my R&B, I'm glad to say this one gets a pass from me. Even the rap verse JoJo does is pretty awesome. I'd totally add this to my playlist, except for the fact that IT'S NOT ON SPOTIFY AHHHH 8.5/10
19. "Secrets" by The Weeknd
I'm not sure exactly how I found this song but I've had it on repeat for the past few weeks. I actually really love pretty much every song by The Weeknd I've heard, which might surprise those who know me. This one reminds me a little bit of "Can't Feel My Face" since they have similar vibes, but I love this one even more. The hook is super-catchy and The Weeknd's vocal performance is particularly great. I'm not sure if this one's been released as a single, but if not, it really should be. This is one of the best songs I've heard from The Weeknd thus far and I hope it gets big. 10/10
20. "Disconnect" by Clean Bandit ft. Marina & the Diamonds
I know a few songs from both of the artists, and I really like pretty much everything I've heard from them. The beat is really pretty with the strings. The lyrics talk about the problems of technology and how everyone's so absorbed with it, and they're very relevant to today's society. Marina sounds great as usual. I should get more into her music because I love her voice. This is a really solid collaboration, combining the best qualities of both artists. I can see myself listening to it a lot in the future. 8.5/10
21. "Way Back" by TLC
I'm somewhat familiar with TLC (and by that, I mean I know they did the "don't go chasing waterfalls" song and they were huge in the '90s and pretty much nothing else.) This song definitely has a '90s-throwback vibe, which is appropriate considering the song is literally called "Way Back". I'm pretty sure it's about having a friend (or lover) who's had your back forever and how you're glad to have them. I love the beat with the horns and flute. I recommend this song if you like songs that are from the '90s, or just sound like they are. 7.5/10
22. "XO TOUR Llif3" by Lil Uzi Vert
I'm just assuming that people don't know the title of this song because it is literally unpronounceable, not because they don't know the song. I'm guessing most people just think it's called "I Don't Really Care If You Cry" or "All My Friends Are Dead" or something. I feel like I should like this song more, but Lil Uzi Vert's voice is low-key really annoying. I like the beat though, and the chorus is really catchy (which is funny considering how dark the lyrics are). If you're into trap music, you will probably like (actually screw "probably", you certainly already know) this song. If not, then you'll probably get nothing out of this, but that's okay. 6.5/10
23. "Passport Home" by JP Cooper
I had never heard of this song or artist before, but it's solid. It's a soulful ballad that reminds me of something Sam Smith would write. JP Cooper's voice is unique and I like the tone of it. The lyrics are also pretty good. I can't see myself listening to this song over and over again, but it's fine enough. 7/10
24. "Exposed" by Russ
This song is...angry. Right off the bat, Russ low-key sounds like he wants to murder me. I wasn't paying too much attention to the lyrics, but it sounds like he's trying to expose the industry for being fake or whatever. I don't get exactly what the context is, but "me, myself, and I, that's the holy f**kin' trinity" is something I'm totally going to say in regular conversation and steal as my own. (Just kidding about that last part.) My favorite thing about the song is the beat, which is gritty, intense, and, for lack of a better term, fire. I'm sure I'd enjoy this song a lot more if I knew what he was talking about, but I did get some enjoyment out of it, mainly from that amazing beat. 6.5/10
25. "My Love" by Wale ft. Major Lazer, Wizkid, and Dua Lipa
Do you ever just listen to a song and think, "This just feels like summer (or any other season)"? That's how this song is for me. It just feels like something you'd hear at a beach party on a tropical island. I could listen to this song in January and still think about warm weather. The song itself is pretty awesome and I'm going to add it to my playlist and listen to it whenever I need some summery vibes. Also, it's just a reminder that I really need to get more into Dua Lipa. I only know a few of her songs but I can tell that she's gonna be huge someday, probably in the near future. 9/10
26. "Broken Glass" by Rachel Platten
You might know Rachel Platten from her hits "Fight Song" and "Stand By You", which I, respectively, don't really like, and like quite a bit. I didn't know she had a new song, but I like this one better than both of her other songs. It's more upbeat and the lyrics are interesting. Rachel's voice is also really good here, especially the falsetto in the chorus. I didn't expect that from her. Overall this song is surprisingly strong, but I'm a little disappointed it's not the song of the same name from Victorious. God, I miss that show. 7.5/10
27. "Questions" by Chris Brown
First things first, I HATE Chris Brown's personality. He has done so many disgusting things I'd prefer not to get into, but you can look them up on your own time. I don't like most of his music either, although I really love his song "Forever". This one is unexpectedly decent. The chorus is catchy and the beat is fun and danceable with an island vibe. I also like the bridge. This song isn't bad at all, but Chris Brown is still a terrible person, so I can't say I like it too much because I don't want to support him. 7/10
28. "Reggaeton Lento (Remix)" by CNCO ft. Little Mix
I don't really know who CNCO are (I did some research and they're a Hispanic boy band, apparently), but I know Little Mix, and I think they're all really talented singers but their music isn't always my favorite. This is an interesting collaboration between the two acts and it reminds me a little bit of the "Despacito" remix in concept, although I don't like it as much. The girls from Little Mix sound really good and the harmonies are great. The chorus is also pretty catchy. I would recommend this if you're into Latin American music like "Despacito". 7/10
29. "Magnolia" by Playboi Carti
I've had to listen to quite a few hip-hop songs in preparation for this post, and based on what I said for all those songs, you know that I'm, surprisingly enough, a hip-hop fan. However, this is pretty much the exact kind of hip-hop that just doesn't appeal to me. I don't care about what the song's about, but the fact that I can't understand the lyrics without going on Genius and looking them up is a drawback. Playboi Carti's voice is boring and the beat isn't memorable. This song just sounds like any other trap-rap song out there. 5/10
30. "Strobelite" by Gorillaz
I've heard of Gorillaz, and I know that they're an animated band (cool!), but I know nothing else about them other than that. And my first impression is..."Wow, this is actually kind of awesome!" It's got a groovy throwback '80s vibe, which I'm always a fan of. If you're into those kinds of vibes, you'll probably like this song. The guy doing the lead vocals sounds like Aloe Blacc and his voice fits the song's atmosphere perfectly. This is a really good track. 8.5/10
31. "Bodak Yellow" by Cardi B
If you saw my post last week (link here), you would know that this is the official song of Banana_Elephants everywhere. This is actually the number one song in the country as I write this, which is surprising to me since I've only heard it a few times. It reminds me of something Nicki Minaj would make. It's okay, but my standards for this kind of song are way too high because of Nicki. The chorus is catchy though, and it gets in my head quite a bit. 6/10
32. "Rich Love" by OneRepublic ft. Seeb
This song is by OneRepublic, whom I only know a couple songs from but really enjoy. This one is different-sounding from the other songs I've heard from them since it has more of a tropical vibe to it. I like it quite a bit. The drop has an amazing groove and the lyrics are really good. This song has a pretty trendy sound and I can see it getting pretty big. 8/10
33. "Save As Draft" by Katy Perry
Oh, Katy Perry, what happened to you? Her first two albums were full of bops but after that, she's struggled. Her music just isn't as fun and catchy as it used to be, and she's really problematic. The only good thing she's done in the past three years is "Feels" with Calvin Harris. This current era of Katy Perry has been particularly weak. I have yet to hear a song from Witness I've liked, and this is probably her most uninteresting song to date. The beat is boring, it's not catchy, and the lyrics make no sense. I still love Katy's old music, but this is just weak and I know she can do better. 3.5/10
34. "Redbone" by Childish Gambino
We end with a meme. This song blew up this year because it, for whatever reason, the Internet decided to make it a meme (the Kermit the Frog cover is my favorite btw). However, unlike most songs that get popular because of memes (*cough* "CASH ME OUTSIDE" REMIX *cough*, "Redbone" isn't garbage! The song has a very sensual throwback R&B vibe with the instrumental and the vocals. The chorus with Childish Gambino screaming "stay woke" is pretty amazing. The outro is weird and kind of trippy but in a really good way. But in the end, I mostly like this song because of the memes. Best meme of the year, hands down. 9.5/10

OK, that was an...interesting ride. I put a lot of work into this post, since I had to listen to so many songs. Because of that, this is probably the post I'm most proud of to date (either this or the Top 10 Favorite Movies). I discovered some pretty great songs. There were some songs I wasn't really a fan of, but I'd say there were more that I liked than ones I didn't. I can see a lot of these songs becoming huge hits and getting played nonstop on the radio. Finally, if I were to single out one song that you need to listen to from this list, I'd say "Feel It Still". It took me about five days to listen to and rate all of these songs, and in between the new songs I hadn't heard, I listened to that song around 15 times. It's that addictive. I don't know what my next post will be. I'm pretty sure there's another "Songs You Don't Know The Name Of" video uploaded by that same user and I'd like to do another First Impressions post on that one, but I don't want to do First Impressions every week because that would get boring. I'll think of something in time for next Wednesday, and I'll see you then. I'm Stellar in Neverland signing off, peace!

Stellar

The Stellar in Neverland Homecoming Experience 2017!

Hi, it's me, Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland. Let's do some quick updates:

-I'm finally done with driver's ed! I took my temps test this past Friday and I passed, so now I can legally drive a car, which scares me, to be honest. Anyways, driver's ed made me feel really stressed out because it just meant I had less time to do everything I needed to in a day. Now that it's done I feel like I have a lot of weight off of my shoulders and can focus more on school and the blog. Of course, school will always be my top priority but I'm going to focus on the blog as well.

Today's post is basically a rundown of homecoming, specifically the dance on Saturday. I would say homecoming was overall pretty disappointing compared to last year's but there were some good things that happened. The dress-up days for Spirit Week weren't as good as last year's and somebody decided that the Homecoming Court should ONLY be seniors, which is so unbelievably stupid. I think that homecoming is about the school coming together and celebrating our awesomeness together, and our school is more than just the seniors. They also got rid of powderpuff, which was stupid because powderpuff is a tradition that a lot of people really liked and they really didn't have a good reason to get rid of it. Then there was the bonfire, which I didn't go to because it was the night before my temps test and I needed to study, but I heard it was pretty bad. Apparently they were having technical difficulties in various aspects and it rained throughout. I'm not the only one who thought it was disappointing this year, I've heard a lot of complaints from others too. I know my school was trying their best to make us happy but this year homecoming just fell flat and I hope they listen to our complaints and fix the issues next year.

However, Friday was a really, really good day, even with the lame pep rally. Even though I had to wake up really early for marching band rehearsal, it was still a great day. Aside from passing my temps test, I played the halftime show with the marching band (we did "Ex's and Oh's" by Elle King, "So What" by Pink, "Best Day Of My Life" by American Authors, "HandClap" by Fitz and the Tantrums, and the school song) and I was really proud of how we did. We sounded great and our movements looked sharp, even though I messed up in a few places. My school's team also won the game, which was awesome. The entire student section got to go out on the field and celebrate, which was really fun. It was the best day I had had in a while.

Friday was awesome yet exhausting, so I slept in late. I was supposed to be ready to go to my little brother's flag football game by 9:30, but I woke up a little after nine and I knew I wouldn't be able to get ready in time. My mom let me stay home and I ate a Pop Tart, went on the Internet, and watched That 70s Show. At 11:00, my mom and brother picked me up and we went to the local diner (which I'm not going to reveal the name of) for lunch. I had a barbecue bacon cheeseburger, which is what I always get there. It was great as I expected it to be.

After lunch, we went home and I proceeded to get pampered. My mom gave me a pedicure (OPI's To Eros Is Human was the base color and she did a flower design in OPI's Dancing in the Isles on my big toe, if you're REALLY curious, but I can't imagine why you would be). It took about 45 minutes to put on all of the coats or polish and dry. The next step in the pampering (for lack of a better term) was getting my hair done. My mom did my hair in curls with a small braid on the right side (I have no idea how to describe this, and I can't post pictures because I don't want to reveal my face). As she did my hair, my mom and I talked about, well, pretty much anything, but especially school, marching band, and life in general. We talked for about an hour and it was pretty nice. She then did my makeup, which was difficult because I had a cold and was sneezing and coughing. My makeup looked really good though. Mom didn't put on too much makeup, just enough so that I was able to look my best.

After the hair, makeup, and pedicure, I put on my dress. I wore a blush dress by the brand Speechless that I got from Macy's. I went to a wedding a few months ago and we bought the dress and another dress a few months ago for it. I was actually planning to wear my homecoming dress but it was light-colored and I got my...monthly gift...the day of the wedding so I chose to wear the navy dress. It was probably for the best, since the dress I wore for homecoming felt more like a homecoming dress than the one I wore to the wedding. I loved how I looked in the dress and I got compliments from quite a few people. Here is a picture of my dress if you want to see it (and also since I'm not good at describing things):

I wore the dress with nude Fioni Women's Prize Flat Sandals (yes, I looked up the exact name) that I got from Payless and wore to the wedding I mentioned before as well. They were really cute and fit with my dress perfectly. I also wore some dangly earrings my mom let me borrow and a cute bracelet I got from my grandma for Christmas a few years back. After I was fully dressed and ready for the dance, my mom took a few pictures of me in our backyard. My brother joined me for a few as well.

We then went to some gardens about twenty minutes away. Banana_Elephant was going to this girl in our grade's homecoming party and they both allowed me to tag along. We first took pictures at the gardens and I thought they turned out pretty good. I'd post them but I don't want to reveal my or my friends' faces. However there was this one part where this bee was practically on me and I was so scared. I stayed calm and stood still so it didn't hurt me, but it was still pretty scary. Next, we went to the girl who was hosting the party's house for Buffalo Wild Wings. I tried the garlic Parmesan wings for the first time and they were a little spicy but overall really good. I accidentally dropped some on my dress but thankfully the sauce was my same color as my dress so you couldn't tell. Everybody was required to bring a dish to pass so my mom made little ham and cheese sandwiches and fruit. After dinner we just hung out, talked, and checked our social media to see our classmates' homecoming pictures. The radio was on, and there was this one really awesome moment where "Bodak Yellow" by Cardi B started playing and Banana_Elephant (who really doesn't know ANYTHING about any music that isn't Hamilton or classical) was correctly able to identify that it was "the Cardi B song"! I was so proud of her.

Finally (after some struggling to get my seat belt on), the hostess's parents took us to school at about 7:15 to go to the dance! Our school has three gyms and usually the dance is in the small, crappy gym but this year it was in one of the good ones. We had to wait awhile to get into the school because of the long lines but we did get in. One of the students in the class ahead of me was the DJ. He DJ'd the dance last year and he did a really good job both years (although he didn't play "Get Low" by Lil Jon this year, which I'm pretty sure is committing a cardinal sin of school dances). Here are a few highlights:
-The DJ really didn't play that many currently popular songs from this year. Most of what he played was throwbacks to a few years ago that most of the people there knew the words to. Some of my favorites to scream the words to were "Titanium" by David Guetta, "Clarity" by Zedd, "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus (everybody got super into this song, it's a classic) and, of course, "Shut Up And Dance" by Walk The Moon (my favorite song ever).
-This year they gave us glow sticks to use during the dance and it was cool until I got one thrown at my forehead during Jason Derulo's "Want To Want Me". It wasn't fun. Oh well, I still love that song.
-The DJ just randomly told us to sit down halfway through the dance and everybody was confused. He asked us "What do you do when you sit down?" and we were still confused. Then he told us "you be humble!" and proceeded to play "Humble" by Kendrick Lamar. I've had that song on repeat for most of this year and it's a total banger so everybody got really into it. When it got to the part where Kendrick says "MY LEFT STROKE JUST WENT VIRAL" everybody screamed that line. It was great UNTIL HE CUT IT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SECOND VERSE WHICH IS THE PART I CAN ACTUALLY RAP AHH
-After "Humble" we did the Cupid Shuffle, which was fun. It's one of those songs that gets played at every wedding and school dance ever but you don't care.
-He also played "Location" by Khalid, which isn't really a "hype" song but everybody got excited when he started playing it. I've been listening to that song a lot lately so it was fun to groove along to.
-Banana_Elephant's brother was on the homecoming court and every year the seniors do this thing where they fake-strip and that song from Magic Mike that I don't know the name of plays. So yeah, she saw her brother pretend to strip and was absolutely mortified. I tried to film it but I couldn't get my camera to work in time. I was mainly just going to use it to embarrass her.
-I missed a group slow dance to "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran. That was probably for the best.
-There's this one Jay-Z and Kanye West song I really love and know all the words that I probably shouldn't say the title of since it has a...not-PG word in the title and they played it and I got so into it. I don't think Banana_Elephant (a Kanye hater) approved.
-About two-thirds of the way in, my group and I took a break and went outside for fresh air. My ears were ringing from the loud music and screaming. It obviously had had some effect on my brain since I said something about a "third ear". It was a mess.
-There was this one girl in my group who was just consistently going HAM to every song. Quidditch_Turtle and I were super-impressed.
-There was also this random guy I had never seen before (I don't think he goes to my school and I had no idea why he was there) but he was going pretty HAM too. Everybody seemed to know him except for me and my crew, who were totally oblivious.
-When the dance was almost over, I was complaining about how the DJ hadn't played "Yeah" by Usher, a school dance staple. Guess what the very next song played is?
-Not really a specific highlight but I was surprised by how many songs he played that I didn't know. There were these random trap-rap songs that everybody in the place seemed to know but I had never heard in my life. I pride myself on my great knowledge of music and the fact that I didn't know a few songs really made me angry. I guess I'll have to wait to go on Beat Shazam.
-Finally, the last song was "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, an all-time classic that literally everybody in attendance knows the words to. We all got into a big circle and screamed the words.

At 11:00, the dance was finally over. My dad (who was at a football game with my brother all day) took me home and I took my dress and makeup off and my mom helped me undo my hair. I went to bed at about midnight, feeling satisfied and trying to process the amazing night I had had. I had thought the dance was disappointing at first but now that I'm writing it all down a few days later I realize just how much fun it was. I had a great time and I can't wait to do it all again next year.

Sorry this was long. If you read the whole thing you rock. I have no idea what I'm going to do for my next post, so you'll have to tune in next week to see. I'm Stellar in Neverland and I'll see you next time. Peace!

Stellar

Top 10 Worst not_luna_lovegood Posts On The Brick Wall (Self-Deprecation Part 2)

Hey, it's me, Stellar in Neverland. Brief updates:
-This is my last week of driver's ed, so I should have a normal posting schedule after this one. I'll let you know if things change. 
-This is also my school's homecoming week, so things will be hectic. Next week's post will be another Life post (like the first day of school one from a few weeks ago) where I talk about that, specifically the dance, which has always been my favorite part of homecoming.

Now that that's out of the way, this is a part 2 to last week's post, Top 10 Worst not_luna_lovegood Posts On The Brick Wall (Self-Deprecation Part 1). You should probably read that before you read this one. Last week I counted down the tenth-to-sixth-worst posts I published on The Brick Wall, the blog I made with my friends in middle school. I'm doing this because I want to show that I've said a lot of stupid stuff, but I've improved a lot as a writer and I love self-deprecation. We're only limiting this to posts made by not_luna_lovegood (my former alias) because I would feel bad insulting my friends. Now let's finish this!

#5. Updates/Fangirling with not_luna_lovegood
Back in sixth and seventh grade, I was a fangirl...ugh. Just that label makes me cringe. It's not like I'm not a fan of anything, because that's obviously false. I like a lot of things. It's the title of "fangirl" and the association with the embarrassing times of my life where I proudly donned that label that I can't deal with. In hindsight, this post is the epitome of everything that made past me so cringeworthy. We start off with a few brief updates, probably not longer than the updates I start every post here with. Then we get to the fangirling, which is just horrible. How was I ever able to use the word "fangirl" or any of its derivative forms and not cringe? First I talk about Pitch Perfect 2, which I still think is a pretty great movie. This part isn't really that embarrassing because I stand by most of the things I said there. The only really bad part is the last line, the "but it is SO funny" part. I don't know why, but the random all-caps on "so" just annoys me. It feels weirdly pretentious. Next we have me talking about Dancing with the Stars (which actually inspired one of the few good posts I made on the Brick Wall). It's short so I'll just ignore it. The worst part is last, where I talk about Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" music video and how it was the best music video ever or something. I hate this part because...well, I hinted at this in the first part but I really don't like Taylor Swift anymore. 2015 me was a big Swiftie, but 2017 me can't stand her. I hate most of her music ("Style" is the big exception, but I have soft spots for "Blank Space" and "Mean" as well). I hate the way she tries so hard to be relatable (she's all "I'm totally a normal person teehee I just like to bingewatch Friends on Netflix and fangirl and bake cookies with my friends and play with my cats!") when she's really not (sadly, most of us aren't selling out arenas or being friends with Beyonce). I hate how she insists on shoving her "squad" in your face (which is actually the reason why I hate the "Bad Blood" video). I hate how she can't take criticism and always plays the victim. I hate how the media never shuts up about her. They act like she's Jesus Christ and they expect us to act like she's Jesus Christ when in reality, most of us don't care about who she's dating or beefing with. And most of all, I hate how I used to call myself a fan. To sum it up, my reasons for this post's inclusion on the list come down to "I hate my fangirl past and Taylor Swift."

#4. My Top 10 Favorite SpongeBob SquarePants Episodes (Parts 1 and 2)
This doesn't make the list because I suddenly stopped liking SpongeBob. Even though it went significantly downhill in quality over time, I'm always going to adore that show. It's a classic. It also doesn't make the list because I disagree with my picks. If I were to make a SpongeBob list today, most of them would probably make it (although "Jellyfish Jam", "Culture Shock", "Something Smells", "Rock-a-Bye Bivalve", and "Chocolate with Nuts" are notable omissions). This post made the list because I DON'T EVEN TALK ABOUT WHY I LIKE THE EPISODES FOR MORE THAN THREE SENTENCES. This post is long, so long that I split it into two parts, but very little of it is actually about why I like each episode. Most of it is just summarizing each episode, and the summaries are long. What I should have done is briefly summarize each episode and have the majority of it be about why each episode made the list, but I did the opposite, which is stupid. A list like that should provide insight about my opinions, not just summaries with the opinions listed as an afterthought). If you want summaries, you can just go to Wikipedia and look them up. I don't want to be Wikipedia. That's not who I am. This post is horrible, but unlike the next entry, I don't think I'll ever redo it because my opinions are mostly the same, give or take a few episodes. And speaking of that next entry...

#3. My Top Ten Favorite Movies By: not_luna_lovegood
If you saw my new My Top Ten Favorite Movies post, than you probably could have seen this one coming. I put this post this high because my hatred of it is what inspired me to create Stellar in Neverland so therefore it has sentimental value to me. I explained it a little in that post, so I'll copy and paste what I said there:
"I'm honestly not too proud of that post in hindsight, and a big part of the reason why this blog exists is because I want to remake it. That's partially because of the choices (Some of these movies are going to appear on this list, but others I just don't like as much anymore), but mostly because I don't like how I explained my opinions in that post. It was so fill-in-the-blank. "The acting is ________. I love the _________. The plot is _________. The movie is overall ________." That's how every entry feels like, and that's not a good explanation of why I love those movies. This post is different, because I'm going to explain what each movie means to me personally. I want this to feel more like an emotional commentary on movies that changed my life, instead of a Mad Libs that barely praises the movies in question."
I could just leave it at that and call it an adequate explanation for why this post sucks, but nope. I'm going to talk about how much I disagree with those choices. The Lion King and Wreck-It Ralph are both really good but there are definitely Disney movies I love more. I was really into The Hunger Games when I was in middle school (it was one of the main subjects of my fangirling), and while I still like the first two books, I think the movies are overrated. I also really don't like Jennifer Lawrence and I think she's overrated as well. Then there's Despicable Me 2 which shouldn't've made the list because the only thing it has to offer is humor. It's nowhere near as well-rounded as other animated movies that made my new list (also the minions are annoying). I'm also legitimately sick of quite a few of the movies that made the list, such as Monsters, Inc. and Wreck-It Ralph. I'm going to end this by plugging the previously linked new Top Ten Favorite Movies. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT IF YOU HAVEN'T. I am so proud of that post. It's my baby.

#2. Music Mondays With not_luna_lovegood #3
When I talk about this post and its crappiness, I'm referring to both the original, which I deleted after two days, and its updated version. The post started out as a rant about "#selfie" by The Chainsmokers and why it's the worst song of 2014 or something. It was written three years ago, so my memory has faded a little, but from what I remember, it was messy. So messy that my friends specifically had to email me telling me they were disappointed by it. I was pretty mad about that at first (you guys don't have to roast me, I can do it myself!), but yeah, they were right. It was just me going through all the lyrics and providing "funny" commentary which probably wasn't even that funny. I kept talking about the "basic white girl" stereotype when I didn't even really know much about it. There's also the fact that "#selfie" isn't a serious song and I shouldn't've treated it like so. But the worst part was, as cited by the updated version, when I spoiled Quidditch_Turtle's post on selfies. The exact quotes (the only quotes from the original that still exist) were:
"I have literally no idea what to post...*goes and looks at Quidditch_Turtle's post for the next Whatever Wednesdays* GOT IT!"
and:
"I didn't tell you what Quidditch_Turtle's next article is about on purpose. You'll have to wait until Wednesday to see, if you couldn't guess already!"
My friends called me out for this as well, and they totally should have. It was wrong of me to look ahead at what my friends were posting and we made it a rule that nobody could do the same ever again, which was a good decision. However, not only was the now-nonexistent original terrible, the updated apology was equally terrible. It begins with a half-hearted apology (because I was still secretly a little salty about getting called out for writing a crappy post) and then goes to more Billboard schtick. Like the "Summer Songs" post I mentioned in the first one, this doesn't have commentary or anything insightful added to the songs except for this little zinger at the end:
"I don't really have any comments on the songs. I don't know, but it seems like pop music has been getting kinda boring and repetitive lately. It seems like all the songs are either about love, partying, or inappropriate stuff which I will not mention because we like to keep things appropriate at the Brick Wall. I miss the days when pop music was more interesting."
Can we talk about how pretentious of a statement that is? It shows hypocrisy seeing as I freely talked about drugs and alcohol (clearly the "inappropriate stuff I will not mention") in the post before this one. It's also a false statement, seeing as I like some of the songs on that list. Hell, I was just bopping to Ariana Grande's "Problem" earlier today as I was doing laundry! In conclusion, this wasn't just one garbage post, it was two. So why isn't it number one? Well, because both versions had actual effort put into them, unlike...

#1. Whatever Wednesday with not_luna_lovegood #3
Yikes. Yikes yikes yikes. Okay, to be fair, this one was published later than intended for some reason and was therefore rushed, but there is still no excuse for it to be so abysmal. This is a "deep and serious" post for some ungodly reason. It's about bullying. I won't deny that bullying is an important topic and it definitely should be talked about, but I am not the person who should be talking about it. I don't even know why I made it in the first place. There is nothing new or interesting I have to say here. Literally everything I wrote in this post has already been said by every guidance counselor in every elementary school in America. "If you're getting bullied, tell someone!" "If you see somebody getting bullied, stand up for the bully!" "If you're bullying, stop it!" Actually, forget guidance counselors. My brother, a first grader, could write this post. I was twelve at the time of writing it, and yeah, I know most twelve-year-olds aren't writing Shakespeare, but surely they're writing better than this. Most of the time the tone I had on the blog was enthusiastic, sort of geeky but in a charming way. This one, however, is completely blase and unfitting considering that bullying is a serious topic. Finally, this post is way too short. Although unnecessarily long posts are my signature, I can be concise when needed, but there's such a thing as being not enough. This is not substantial enough to be clarified as anything as good. This sum-up about it is actually one of the shorter ones I've done on this list, but it's still probably longer than the actual post! So there you have it. The single worst post I've ever done. Hopefully everything I'll ever do on this blog will top it (as well as all the other posts on this list).

With that being said, I'm done with this! I'm Stellar in Neverland, and I'll be back next Wednesday with my homecoming adventures. Tune in then, peace!

Stellar 

Top 10 Worst not_luna_lovegood Posts On The Brick Wall (Self-Deprecation Part 1)

I'm not_luna_love...wait, wrong blog. Well, actually that intro is relevant for today's post, but for real, I'm Stellar in Neverland. Let's do the updates.
-One thing I forgot to mention is that I started driver's ed last week. It adds an extra two hours to each school day, although it only goes for 3 weeks with one out of the way. This means that my posts for the next two weeks will probably be less complicated. Thankfully, as stated before, it only goes for three weeks. After September 29th I'll go back to the longer, deeper stuff with some less complicated stuff thrown in there.

This one is a list, which is actually one of the "longer-but-not-necessarily-deeper" posts I was referring to. I expected to finish this in an hour, but my schedule was way too busy to do that. Instead you get the first part this week and the second next. Despite being a two-parter (which I usually save for more serious, meaningful posts), it's not serious at all. If you get anything out of this post, it should be that I've improved a lot as a writer and I love self-deprecation. The title pretty much explains what it is: my worst posts from my tenure on The Brick Wall, the blog I used to run with my friends. We are only looking at the posts made by my former alias, not_luna_lovegood. My friends might be embarrassed by their old posts, but there is a chance they might not be, and I would feel like a terrible person for talking about stuff they worked hard on. I'm always willing to give my friends constructive criticism, but downright roasting them (like I will to myself) is wrong. Now I'm going to stop rambling and get started!

#10. Top 15 Songs of 2015 (According to not_luna_lovegood)
It's ironic that we start at the end of my tenure at the Brick Wall. This was the last post made on the Brick Wall for a while (until my post promoting Stellar in Neverland a few weeks ago), and it kinda sucks that that's how the blog went out on. Truth be told, this post is actually pretty decently written, hence why it's so low. The reason why it's on the list is because of some absolutely terrible opinions, such as:
-Including songs ("Uptown Funk", Love Me Like You Do", "Wildest Dreams", "Centuries", "G.D.F.R.", and "Time of Our Lives") that I don't actually like anymore. "Uptown Funk" is okay, but overplay killed it for me. Same with "Centuries", although that one was ruined for me because I've actually listened to Fall Out Boy's entire discography and they have WAY better songs than that. The other songs I just...don't like anymore.
-Saying Ariana Grande's songs have been "only okay" barring "Love Me Harder". I adore Ariana's music and I always have. Also, declaring "Love Me Harder" as the best song she's made is a lie. I like it, but she has way better songs. I'll probably do a full post on my favorite songs by her at some point.
-Praising Taylor Swift. Well, "Style" made my list and I still really like that song, but I don't like the rest of her songs and I especially hate her personality. There's also the part where I declared the "Wildest Dreams" music video one of her best despite being the video being borderline racist.
-The amazingly long list of songs I didn't put on the list but still love: "The Hills" by The Weeknd, "Where Are U Now" by Skrillex, Diplo, and Justin Bieber, "679" and "Trap Queen" by Fetty Wap (don't judge me!), "IDFWU" by Big Sean (I'm sorry, it's hilarious), "Cool For The Summer" by Demi Lovato, "You Know You Like It" by DJ Snake, "Chains" by Nick Jonas, and "Hotline Bling" by Drake (it's catchy and the memes are funny).
In conclusion, there were still some good things about this post (I still love most of the other songs), but I said a lot of things I'm ashamed of in it, so it has to make the list.

#9. Music Mondays with not_luna_lovegood #4
This post didn't really have anything to do about music other than me briefly listing the Billboard Top 10 (no commentary or anything!), so it utterly failed as a Music Monday post. But that's not why it's here. It's here because of the "one-month reflection" which is so embarrassing. I was on the blog for 1 MONTH at the time of writing that post, and yet I was acting like I had been on it for years and gotten super popular. There's one part where I talked about what I had learned, which is funny, because there really isn't much to learn from writing four posts. Hell, I've written five posts here and it's taught me nothing. The most embarrassing part is when I give tips on how to start a blog, which is actually pretty funny. I have used none of those tips in the process of starting Stellar in Neverland, except for being myself. One of the tips is "Get some friends to help you!", which is not a tip I would give if I made that post right now. No offense to my friends, but I love writing this blog by myself. I love having complete control of what I post. It feels powerful. The third tip is to make posts about things you know people are interested in, which is a rule I'm breaking right now. I can't see anyone wanting to read this post, but I don't care. The fourth tip I haven't done because I have very few readers, and the fifth tip I haven't done because I'm lazy.

#8. Whatever Wednesday with not_luna_lovegood #4
This post was about my favorite YouTubers, and just the idea of me making a post about that makes my skin crawl. I do love watching YouTube, but I don't view myself as a person who watches and obsesses over YouTubers at all. Some people I know are like that (Banana_Elephant, Chuckles, both of my brothers), and that's fine, it's just not who I am. Let's look at some of the worst moments:
-The overall pretentiousness of the part about the Fine Brothers. There's the part where I act like discovering a YouTuber is "life-changing" and especially the part where I describe the "Kids React to Controversial Cheerios Commercial" video as my favorite because "it gave me hope for this generation." I get what I was trying to say but that's such a pretentious way to put it.
-Putting Potter Puppet Pals on the list when it shouldn't even count. Potter Puppet Pals is not a YouTuber. Potter Puppet Pals is a WEB SHOW. There is a difference.
-Hailing thecomputernerd01 as the only good parody-maker on YouTube when his songs aren't even really parodies. Google defines a parody as "an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect" which isn't really what his videos are. They're more just random funny sentences set to the tune of various popular songs. I also state that "A lot of the parodies I've found on YouTube are TOTALLY offensive and really disrespectful to the artist of the original song and their fans" even though THAT'S THE ENTIRE POINT OF A PARODY.
-Putting Paint on the list. I love his videos, it's just that I rarely watch them. I don't get how I could put somebody I don't even watch that much and forget YouTubers I've watched more frequently over the years like nigahiga or even Smosh Games for that matter. 
-Also I forgot to include CinemaSins or its spinoffs, Music Video Sins and Brand Sins (the latter is my personal favorite), as well as Screen Junkies. I've watched both for a few years now and I can't believe I forgot them.
So yeah, sin on me for this post. (Ding.)

#7. Music Mondays with not_luna_lovegood #2
When we first started out the blog, my colleagues and I selected which of the five themes we wanted for the first month, and I chose Music Mondays. I was extremely excited and passionate about Music Mondays and yet all of my posts for the theme, at least for the first month, were terrible! This one is basically a rant about my least favorite types of music and it was really negative. The first few posts were way too negative and were an unfair representation of who I am as a person. The types of music I selected were country and hip-hop, and I'm pretty sure there was a part about me hating Justin Bieber and One Direction at one point but I deleted it. I still actually agree with most of what I said about country music. There are a few country songs I enjoy, but for the most part, it's just not my thing. Most of it sounds the same to me. The hip-hop part is where I really cringe, because my opinions on that genre have radically changed since I wrote that post. True, there are some really terrible rap songs out there, but I enjoy quite a bit of hip-hop, which can definitely surprise those who know me. I make the claim that all rap songs are about "girls, cars, money, alcohol, and doing drugs", which is false and somewhat stereotyping. Not every hip-hop song is about those things, and there's of course one tiny little thing called IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE SONG IS ABOUT. I'm one of those people who doesn't really care about lyrics (although I'll give credit for really good or really bad ones) and mainly just cares about how a song sounds. If the song has a really good beat or a super catchy chorus, I can get into it. In fact, most of the hip-hop songs I like are about those same topics I mentioned, but I don't care. I like them because they have good beats, catchy hooks, and are fun to rap along to. Also, the "all rappers use too much autotune" claim is stupid. I can appreciate using autotune as an effect, and the reason why most rappers use it is for a cool effect and to stand out from the rest. It can be annoying but I find it cool a lot of the time. Finally, there's the now-deleted rant about 1D and Bieber, which I literally only put because I was an edgy 12-year-old. I don't hate either of those artists. The fact that I deleted that part is the reason why I can't put this post higher because at least I had some common sense and deleted it.

#6. Throwback Thursday with not_luna_lovegood #1
One of my trademarks as a blog writer is how wordy I am. I can't keep things short and sweet, and the word "concise" does not exist in my vocabulary. Some may find it annoying, but I know I'm wordy and it's one of the things I like about myself. I bring this up because the reason why this next post makes the list is because it's literally just me listing songs with no commentary or anything whatsoever. One of my personal favorite posts I've made is Billboard's Top 10 Songs In America (presented to you by not_luna_lovegood) because yes, it's listing songs, but I give commentary about them. I don't just tell you "Shut Up And Dance" is at #9 in the charts, I tell you that I'm "obsessed" with it (I still am, it's my favorite song ever) and I make a crappy pun. With the post on the list, I just say "The song of the summer in (year) was '(song)' by (artist). (Artist)'s '(song)' was the song of the summer in (year)." That is LITERALLY how the post is. It doesn't provide anything you couldn't get elsewhere from the Billboard website. It's not Billboard.com, it's the Brick Wall. I should have tried to do something else to differentiate the Brick Wall from Billboard.com, such as...I don't know...LISTING MY OPINIONS ON THE SONGS. I'm not proud of this post because it's extremely lazy. There was literally no effort put into it. Just this sum up of everything wrong with it had more thought put into it than that post. 

That's where we'll end it for this week. Next week you'll get the absolute worst I had to offer from my Brick Wall past. I'd call it the cream of the crop but those posts are pretty much the opposite of that saying. Until next week, I'm Stellar in Neverland, signing off! Peace!

Stellar

Stellar's Music Shuffle Challenge!

Hi, it's Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland! I don't have really any updates for today so I'll just segue into the meat and potatoes (as my geometry teacher would say) of my post. I'm going to do a music shuffle game to determine what the soundtrack of the fictional movie about my life would be. I've seen many variants of this game but I created this one by myself, so give credit if you use it. Not every post on this blog is going to be lengthy and thought-provoking, some of them are going to be simple like this one. I'm just doing this because it's quick and easy while also being a little snapshot of my (very eclectic) music taste so y'all can see what I'm into before the inevitable amount of music posts yet to come.

A quick explanation of how to play:
1. Pull up your music player of choice (iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, etc. I use Spotify.)
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. For every question, write down the song that plays as your answer.
4. When you're done, laugh at how little sense your answers most likely make.

Here are the questions:
1. Opening Credits (Waking Up And Getting Ready For School): "All The Small Things" by blink-182 (This actually makes sense to me! We're off to a good start!)
2. First Day Of School: "Bounce Back" by Big Sean (I actually have no idea why this song is still in my playlist lol. This doesn't really make sense because it's the FIRST day and therefore I have nothing to bounce back from.)
3. Making Friends: "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay (Well, two of my best friends *Banana_Elephant and Quidditch_Turtle, in case you were wondering* are both Coldplay fans so I guess we bonded over that?)
4. Studying and Passing A Test: "Heavydirtysoul" by Twenty One Pilots (This song is really hype *for lack of a better term* so I could totally see this working as I prepare intensely for my test. Probably not great music to study to though. I know all the words and can rap along to it *which I'm very proud of because it's FAST* so I'll get distracted by that)
5. Asking Your Crush Out: "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" by Panic! At The Disco (What even)
6. Happy Dance Alone In Your Room: "Black Beatles" by Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane (I guess my happy dance is the Mannequin Challenge? I'd think I'd need more people for that but whatevs)
7. Passing Your Driver's Test (Driving Montage): "Umbrella" by Rihanna ft. Jay-Z (Probably not my first choice for carpool karaoke but it'll do)
8. Prom: "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas (Real talk: if this song is not played at my real-life prom I will riot.)
9. Stressing Out: "Firework" by Katy Perry (Maybe in a slightly cheesy turn of events I could listen to this song for a pep talk and end up feeling inspired!)
10. Being Angsty Teens With Your Friends: "Lean On" by Major Lazer ft. MØ and DJ Snake (This song isn't angsty at all lol)
11. Graduation: "Paris" by The Chainsmokers (Am I graduating from the school in Anna and the French Kiss or something?)
12. Breakup: "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5 (This makes me laugh. Clearly I will not be loved anymore since it's...you know...a BREAKUP!)
13. Being Single: "Crazy In Love" by Beyonce ft. Jay-Z (The irony is too much to handle.)
14. Getting Back Together: "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga (Random note: For English last year we had to write Romeo and Juliet-themed song parodies and I did mine on this one. I might post it on here for laughs but I don't want anyone to find it and copy it.)
15. Being In Love: "Side To Side" by Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj (Clearly we're focusing on the more...sexual aspect of this relationship)
16. Working At Your Job: "Death of a Bachelor" by Panic! At The Disco (Based on this selection, I've come to the conclusion that I either a.) work for a company that does weddings or b.) work at Hot Topic. Both are fine with me lol)
17. Getting Engaged: "That's What I Like" by Bruno Mars (So I'm marrying a man who has a condo in Manhattan AND a beach house in Miami, a personal chef named Julio, and a Cadillac, and can also give me diamonds, trips to Puerto Rico, and Paris? I'm cool with that.)
18. Wedding: "Want To Want Me" by Jason Derulo (I low-key want this song played at my wedding)
19. Birth of Child: "Sugar, We're Goin Down" by Fall Out Boy (My child is a Fall Out Boy fan. The Emo Stellar of last year will be so proud.)
20. Death of a Loved One: "Party In The USA" by Miley Cyrus (Somebody just died! Why are we celebrating?)
21. Mid-Life Crisis: "Die Young" by Kesha (The fear of dying young is actually a completely reasonable thing to have a mid-life crisis about.)
22. Getting Old: "All Star" by Smash Mouth (I may be getting old...but the memes containing this song will not.)
23. Death: "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye ft. Kimbra (I am "Somebody" and "I" is the concept of life. Does that make sense?)
24. Bittersweet Flashback of Your Entire Life: "American Dream" by MKTO (Oddly enough I can see this working. I have no idea why.)
25. End Credits: "Feels" by Calvin Harris ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, and Big Sean (Whenever I listen to this song I think of beach parties. Are these end credits going to be a beach party in heaven? I'm totally down for that.)

So that's Stellar's Music Shuffle Challenge! If you're reading this and want to do it in the comments, go ahead. It's a lot of fun purely for how funny some of the song answers are. I don't know what my next post is gonna be, so tune in next Wednesday to find out! I'm Stellar in Neverland and I'll see you then! Peace!

Stellar

Stellar's First Day Of Sophomore Year!

Hi, it's me, Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland. Today's updates:

-I started school on Tuesday, September 5th, meaning I am officially a sophomore in high school! This may affect my posting schedule at some point, but for now you can still check in for updates every Wednesday!

This is also a good transition into my post for today. Originally I was going to do some kind of music shuffle challenge but I'll save that for another time. Sometimes my blog posts will be like journal entries where I document a day of my life. These posts will be tagged under "life" for convenience, like this one. This post will just be a quick rundown of my first day of sophomore year.

I woke up at 6:10 and took a shower and got dressed. Then, my mom helped me do my hair. As she did it, I told her about how I was having some anxieties about starting this year. Basically, there were a couple of people who I just didn't want to see for multiple reasons (I did see them, but I'd like to keep my feelings to myself in case they read this). My mom told me that everything would end up being fine and there was no reason for me to freak out. After that, my family headed outside for a few first-day-of-school pictures and then went to some neighbors' for doughnuts. I had heard from a few of my neighbors that we were getting a new bus driver, which got me excited because I really don't like the one I had before. Well, actually the one I still have. Much to my disappointment, we still have the driver from the past few years, and this year was even worse because I was almost late to school because of him.

I got to school and my first class was gym. I hate gym, but I'm actually looking forward to it this year. The gym class I'm taking this year is more laid-back, and we get to do activities like biking, rock climbing, rollerblading, and softball, all of which I really enjoy. We spent the first twenty minutes going over class rules and expectations (a common theme in my day), and then we got to pick out our lockers. At the end of the hour my teacher just let us shoot hoops. I met up with a few friends and we played PIG, which I sucked at, but mostly because it was early in the morning and I wasn't trying. I'm excited for this class because my teacher is really nice and I have Banana_Elephant and Doglover (because I'm still calling them by their Brick Wall names haha) in the class.

Next we have band, which is my favorite class of the day. I've always felt that band never really felt like a class, but more like a club that we randomly go to in the middle of the morning. I've played the clarinet for five years and will continue to play it for marching band, but this year I'm switching to bass clarinet for concert band. I was pleasantly surprised to see my director at school today. My director was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, and part of me was expecting him to not be there because of the treatments and side effects of them, but he was there. Today we got an explanation of what to expect from being in band, most of which I knew from last year. I look forward to another fun year with the band fam :)

My last class of the morning is geometry. A bunch of my friends took this class last year and nearly all of them had good things to say about the teacher I ended up getting. I feel like geometry will be one of my most fun classes of the day because of the teacher and my classmates. One of my classmates wants the teacher call her Sharkeisha (not her real name, of course), leading my teacher to say that she'll eventually hate it while he'll always find it amusing. That was one of the funniest moments of my day. I've liked the geometry I've done in previous years, so I'm expecting to like this class. My teacher seems like a pretty chill and funny guy, and I look forward to having him for a teacher (and finally understanding those inside jokes Banana_Elephant and Doglover won't shut up about)

Next is lunch, which is abnormally early. My lunchtime is at 10:37, which is more of a brunchtime than a lunchtime. I didn't know what we were having for hot lunch, but I decided to take it anyway. I regretted that choice, because the mini corn dogs were disgusting. I would much rather have eaten the leftover fettuccine alfredo I had last night. I talked with my friends about how my day had been thus far and what classes I was looking forward to.

After that was RtI. If you're reading this and have no idea what that is, it's a thing the state (I won't say which one because there are at least 14 that do it) requires us to do where we go to a teacher's room and study. If a student needs extra help in a subject, they can go to a teacher who specializes in that subject, but for most of us, it's just a study hall. I have one of the art teachers for RtI this year even though I'm not taking any art classes. It was one of my least favorite parts of my day because I didn't have anything to do. I didn't have any homework because it was the first day and I forgot to bring a book or my phone. My RtI is also filled with a ton of really annoying people. However, I do like my teacher and I hope it gets better.

I also didn't really like biology, my next subject. I expected that, since one of my friends who took it last year straight-up wrote "Biology sucks" in my yearbook. My biology teacher actually student-taught for my class in seventh grade, and ever since then, I've seen him in the most random of places and I like to joke that I can't escape him. To start out the year, we did an activity where we had to build a tower made of dry spaghetti noodles, string, duct tape, and a marshmallow on the top. We did this in groups and my group and I didn't really know what we were doing, making our tower a failure. We then talked about the lab, which was boring. I don't really like doing labs, I'd prefer to just take the notes. That's pretty much the reason why I don't think I'll enjoy biology as much as the rest of my classes. I like my teacher though, even though I can't escape him.

Thankfully, the following three classes were all fine. The first of these is English, although I'm not doing any regular English class. I'm doing the honors program, which I also did last year. This is probably the class I'm most nervous for because I know I'll have to work hard to keep my grades up. My teacher seems to be pretty sarcastic and he seems to like joking around with us. He made one of my classmates recite a tongue twister for the class in exchange for an A for the semester, only to want to take it back when she did it. I would say the books I'm probably most excited to read in this class are The Book Thief and Julius Caesar, which isn't really a book but I'm still excited to read it. Today we just took notes and went over the course expectations and it was pretty laid-back.

The second-to-last class of the day is Spanish, which was one of the highlights of the day. I loved my first year of Spanish last year and I think this year will be awesome too. I had heard that some of my friends didn't really like Spanish 2 so I expected to feel the same, but the class just seems like last year's. I had also heard some bad things about the teacher, but she actually seems pretty nice based on my first day. We picked our Spanish names (mine is Catalina!) and went over basic review like the alphabet, numbers, and colors in class today. I love Spanish because I enjoy learning about other cultures, it comes easily to me, and I think learning a second language is a helpful life skill. Out of all of my classes last year, I got the best grades in Spanish, and I hope I can continue that streak.

The final class of my exhausting day was health. I actually have the same teacher for gym and health, so I get to begin and end with that teacher. I don't have a problem with that because I've had her for middle school gym and I like her a lot. By this point, I was starving because I eat lunch so early, so I quickly had a package of sandwich crackers before class began. Like with most of my classes, we went over the syllabus and what to expect in the class. The teacher also assigned us to write a letter to our future selves, allowing us to put whatever we wanted in it. I'm going to make mine be pretty funny. I'm actually surprised at how excited I am for health. I thought it would be boring but my teacher's description sounds interesting. This is where we talk about things like sex, drugs, alcohol, mental health, suicide, and a whole bunch of other stuff I can't even remember. I know it won't be the most fun class ever, but it's important that I know these things.

I got out of school around 3:20 and went to go pick up a T-shirt made to raise money for my band director's treatment. It was a bit of a hectic mess, but I got the shirt in time to catch the bus. Well, I would've probably made the bus anyway because our bus driver was late AGAIN. I hope this doesn't end up being a regular thing. My brothers and I got home about a half hour later and told our parents about our days. At around 4:30, my mom treated us with a delicious dinner of steak (my brothers' favorite), chicken tetrazzini (my favorite), dinner rolls, and Boston cream pie to finish. I spent my evening relaxing and writing this, being nervous for the new school year, but also excited.

Okay, so that was my first day of school. Hopefully it wasn't boring. I'm mainly doing this for myself, because I plan to read it on the last day and see how much of it still is true. Next week's post might be the music shuffle challenge, but there are some other ideas I'm considering. Tune in next Wednesday to see. I'm Stellar in Neverland, and I'll see you then! Peace!

Stellar