//5SOS//

This is sort of a goodbye and thank you letter all in one. So, i’m thanking you for reading/following/asking/etc immediately in case you don’t want to read the rest of this. 

First of all, sorry for dissapearing out of nowhere. At some point I decided I didn’t want to log back and  then I fucking forgot my password lol. But decided to try and remember it so I can give you all a proper thank you and goodbye and close this year and leave this blog behind with 2019.

Back in February I created this blog because by the end of 2018 I started reading this kind of blogs and I thought it was an interesting outlet, and also one where I wouldn’t bother my friend with theories.

I thought about leaving it back in March but I stayed to analyze media behavior about the boys (reason why I discussed about their relationships, since Modest! is really romance-driven about their clients) and also because new music was being released and I shared my opinion, so I stayed for a little while. 

To be honest, I never had some sort of intention with this blog. I just wanted to put my thoughts somewhere and that was it. As much as I enjoyed engaging here and making posts with silly, unfunny, dry puns, it isn’t something I look forward anymore.

And also, while I still like the music, the boys’s enviroment it’s really tiring. It can be really drama driven, toxic and just overwhelming at times. I appreciate them on their own, and to be honest, those of you who have been around since forever, you truly deserve a medal, because while we can separate them from their music, their personal life stains their career a bit (whether is their choice or not). Your dedication and patience is admirable.

I don’t know if I’ll leave the blog up forever (it will stay for a while though) or if I’ll give it away (if I find someone who I find fitting and has similar thougts and ethics to me, I guess)

But whatever I decide, I encourage you to not change your opinion to fit the crowd. I encourage you to share it and make outlets if you find it necessary, and discuss stuff with responsibility and respect. Look at things from all points of view, especially if you’re seeing this industry that is really toxic and manipulative. People look to the other side but there are so many cases that have come out about mistreatment and so many that will come out eventually, sadly. 

I also encourage you to analyze the news you’re told. Not only about 5SOS (hey fucking assholes at dailymail that don’t know how to write proper titles), but everything else media show you because there’s always some interest behind. Don’t get too hard on it, but if it’s something that concerns you, try to look at the bigger picture before making judgments.

Also, don’t get down the rabbit hole. Do it with responsability. It’s easy to get caught up about things about the boys because something is always happening to them because of their partners or friends, so know when to take a step back. Take care about your mental health! Many people can mock and think they’re the biggest person because you care about your band, but it’s nothing bad while you know your limits. It’s okay to get feelings involved with bands or art in general, because at the end of the day, they’re sharing a part of them with you. Just don’t get extreme about a boy or the whole band or to the point where you’re not taking care of yourself.

And last but not least, I hope those guys get a proper management soon. They’re gems. Their music is fucking great and they were stuck with two rich kids who play with a computer to create music. It was disrespectful to them and their career, so their management can eat shit. The boys have been putting out great music since they began, but their career has always been shadowed by their love and sometimes personal life in general. I’m pretty sure that’s the reason why they aren’t bigger (though they are big but for some reason they don’t hit like other artists). I hope they get to understand (or maybe this is more about ashton) that they don’t need to put out an specific music genre to be taken seriously, or go on tour on arenas with another band for it. They just have to embrace who they are and their fandom. If it’s mostly females, it doesn’t fucking matter because having a “female fandom” is only looked down because of sexism. 

I hope that in 2020 and with the next release, it’s all about them and not their partners putting out a show like it happened with youngblood. If you love someone, you gotta be respectful to them as a whole, which includes their craft that happens to be their job. I hope they do great with 5sos4, and hopefully there’s a 5sos5 without charlie puth (sorry i just had to) or any pressures from a label to sing about certain topic and in a certain genre.

After my final rant lol, I just have to say I’m forever grateful for those of you who asked, commented, chatted and corrected me. This little community here is really nice and I’ll always appreciate the outlet where we had respectful discussions and exchange of points of view. I’m not active in the fandom because it’s really off-putting to me, but here I found a place and it meant a lot. I hope I could make you see things from other perspectives as you guys made me do. And I hope this place served you as a safe enviroment to give your opinion.

With all of that said, I wish you a happy new year. I really really hope you all have a wonderful 2020. Thank you for everything! :)

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I feel like him not being involved in any PR might be due to that (like, he already  did it and now they can’t ask him for it), maybe because he’s not frontman, maybe because they want to paint him as the single guy (like, those categories boy bands that started young have. I’m not comparing 5sos to one direction but using the latest as an example: harry was like the womanizer, zayn the mysterious one, louis the funny one, niall was like the cute one and i don’t know what liam was but he probably was labeled as something too and this is what I refer to by saying that they might want to portray him as something).

I never considered looking up stuff because to be honest, Calum’s probably my favorite from the band and if he did some bullshit I’d rather not know it, and also because, objectively seeing it, I wasn’t a fan when all of this happened, so all I have left is already made theories that might be biased, and I can’t go looking up or like, be present when things are happening and have my own take about the topic. 

I’m sorry you found my blog and I stopped posting lol! I hope you’re still a fan. As a now kind of old-new fan, I’d recommend you to not get down this rabbit hole because while we’re curious about them because we’re just beginning as fans, sometimes it can get overwhelming. I think this is the first band I’ve liked that has had so much drama in their career lol. And also hope you found a blog that could/can help you with this doubt because it’s alright you want to know it. But the drama around them is a lot to digest. 

Hi! I come and go but the blog is still up for now. Thank you for asking my opinion! Personally, I think it’s weird they went down there during an active hurricane, without context it looks like they’re trying to get some clout. From my point of view, I think it’s disrespectful to do an “hurricane party”, especially with this one because we’re talking about a category 5 hurricane. As much as you’re used to it, I feel like it’s disrespectful towards people that have lost loved ones. The last time I read news about it, there were around 30 confirmed deaths and hundreds of missing people.

With all of that said, I also have to point that I did not grow up in a place were hurricanes are a thing. So I went and asked a friend from Florida if this was normal and she basically told me: “i've never actually had a party but people here are dumb enough to party so i wouldn't be surprised, no one takes it seriously like there were cakes and memes everywhere. It's not disrespectful at all, i don't think so at least”. So I wouldn’t see it as such a “bad” thing (more like a dumb thing to do, as she said lol), but it definitely is strange for him to travel down where there’s a storm that could put him under risk and the timing is weird because he should be preparing for the chainsmokers tour. Maybe they went before the tour started or something. I truly don’t know but Luke is not the first to do such a thing. Michael went with Crystal to Bali, here i’m not sure but I remember posting about it on the blog, but it was around the time were there was an active volcano or an earthquake had happened. 

I liked it. I feel like it mixes old and new sounds, not only from 5sos, but music in general. I can’t quite recall which song the line “every little lie gives me butterflies” reminds me of, but I feel like it’s something you would have listened to back in the day. And the chorus is something you would hear in songs now. I also love the bass and guitar that they used in it and Luke’s voice is amazing. I’m glad he’s not on falsetto all the time because it feels forced, but this might be more natural with him (play around with his voice). 

In terms of variety of subject, I’d wait for the whole album to complain, but they usually talk about tormented relationships in their songs. I feel like the only album that was different in this way was sounds good, feels good that talks also about mental health. But if you listen to 5SOS and youngblood, they usually talk about love (which is not bad, but if you’re not into it, you should be aware that this is what they do). Also, no one has confirmed is about Luke (that I know of), it was Luke and Ashton so they might be going through similar stuff. Easier was also not confirmed to be about Luke’s relationship. They didn’t even do anything with the song. Those are just interpretations, you can take the song as you want. You can literally think that teeth is about them being scared about going to the dentist and that would be alright because you can read and give meaning to things as you please. 

Yeah, I feel like other blogs have done a better job on covering this, but I’m aware. I feel like the side of the fandom that is on tumblr might be pretty aware of that too. 

Because you know what they say, it’s better late than never.

Okay, keep in mind this is just theories and I haven’t had time to sit and listen/read to interviews where the boys have talked about the music video. It also will include theories around couples, so if you’re not into that... I don’t know what you’re doing here lol.... but out of jokes, you might want to skip this because I link it to their couples. It might also be a reach, but you know, we can give meanings to everything we interact with because that’s how the world and our brain works. Anyway, here we go.

Things I noticed:

- The four of them are treated in different ways: with Luke, they use a mask; with Calum, they use a pill; with Ashton they use something that emulates an injection; with Michael they use some sort of glasses I’d say.

- Each one has a different color: Luke red; Calum green; Ashton yellow and Michael is related to blue.

- Only 3/4 manage to break free from their “captors” (this is open to discussion because they literally are just supervising in my opinion).

This is more an opinion than facts but it reminded me of Divergent (hashtag tbt) when they go through those simulators tests to overcome their fears. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can google if you want but it’s not really relevant lol. 

So basically this is what I took from all the scenarios:

- The man that is watching over Luke has asian features, which I feel we can relate to someone. I feel like all the stories are interesting, but his really caught my eye. You can see him throughout the video not doing much, just sitting there. Then he gets intoxicated by the smoke, and even then, I feel like he’s not actively trying to find an escape... He’s just hitting the walls, being desperate. And by the end of it, a door magically opens and he looks at it like he’s considering if he wants to leave or not. 

- Michael! Oh, god. He’s literally climbing his way to the top. You can see the blue lights emulating paparazzi flashes and he climbs and climbs but never reaches the top. And the woman that is watching over him reminded me of Crystal by her looks and also by the fact that she’s watching every step he takes from the ground and never makes the attempt to climb with him. I feel like it shows the dynamics that some part of the fandom has commented on (like he being the reason of her success on social media). And he’s always watching back, kind of trying to find approbation on what he’s doing, but he never gets anywhere (maybe because it’s never enough for her?).

- Ashton’s scenario is quite weird, but if we follow what the song says while it’s being shown and the way the woman is dressed, I feel like more than being scared to compromise, he’s scared to choose the wrong person or he’s scared to be forced to it? If it makes sense? Like, this woman is a silent figure watching over him, the way she’s dressed makes you think about a bride (a really creepy one, we agree on that), like if she was imposing it to him silently. 

- Calum’s scenario... Well. It’s kind of worrysome. There’s this business-ish looking man. His fists are made of rocks, so that might tell us he’s not really friendly or open to discussion. I feel like this figure is imposing something. I took it as a man related to the music industry that did him (or them) wrong and that’s his fear: the idea of going back to work with him. Or maybe the fact that the music industry is full of them and he feels the weight of their demands (represented by the rock and the chain tied to his ankle). Calum is the only one to get help to defeat the thing that is holding him back: his bass. Following this, the overall interpretation of that scenario, for me, would be that “the industry can only be defeated with music” sort of thing. You’re destroying the business side of it with the essence of what it should be.

I’m not going to touch in depth the colors because I feel like there’s no real meaning behind them, since they played around with them with Want you back and they might have liked the aesthetic of it. But as a little summary, red is about love, passion; yellow is related to happiness, optimism; blue is tied to stability, loyalty, freedom, intuition and green is related to growth, harmony, rebirth/renewal. You can take it as they’re fighting to reach for each of those meanings. They’re open, and I feel like we can say we have seen Luke struggle with love, Ashton to find happiness (because of his mental illness, he has been open about not feeling his best but trying to be as optimistic--and that can be hard when you’re constantly battling), Michael... I feel like we can link the color to two things: first, struggling to find stability and freedom because it feels that as far as he gets on his career, it’s harder to reach for those things and the second meaning is that we can relate it to “feeling blue”. Michael has been open about his struggles with mental health, and we can give it the same meaning -- that is hard to find--, and Calum... I feel like he’s one spiritual man that is always seeking for growth and harmony. He seems like he’s always trying to learn more, by reading or by experiences. I can’t confirm this but that’s the vibe I get from him.

And well, I can’t find a meaning to the methods but if someone has, let me know. 

I know this might be a reach for some of you but I just wanted to share my thoughts so I can watch the video without thinking about them lol.

So, you might think because this is kind of like an opinion /drama comment blog I’d be up to date with everything that’s going on but I’m not. I’m pretty shit at that actually because I love my digestive system and prefer to not upset it with stuff that will be irrelevant in two weeks because that’s how the fandom works.

But basically:

5sos x 13RW: The show is awful because of how disrespectful they have been towards mental illnesses and the way they haven’t heard professionals tell them to not do stuff they did anyway. With that said, I’m pretty sure 5SOS didn’t have a choice but to make it because looking at it from a commercial/marketing side, it’s really, really good. You’ve got their target public in a popular show. The streams will go up, obviously. Who the fuck cares about ethics, am I right modest? Also, maybe they’re not aware of the whole controversy about it. They might have heard of the show but I don’t think those guys know all the details. Also we don’t know how it was pitched to them (like, imagine having no context apart that this is a popular show and getting an e-mail like “hey we’re from the show 13rw that focuses on mental health and we believe that your band would fit...” seeeeeee? I mean, they can make mistakes and fuck it up. They have. But what I’m saying is that we don’t know what happened. And to be honest, if you’re going to believe the ‘we’re so happy to make this song bla bla’ that’s marketing my dude. They have to sell their stuff (if they do that. I don’t know if they will). But basically: don’t cancel them because we don’t know if they’re aware of the bullshit around it or if they were “forced” to do it. (Also, I feel like they care. I mean, sgfg exists).

Ashton liking that tweet about stans being annoying: well, to be honest, they kind of are lol. Go on twitter for 5 secs (no pun intended) and try to not be done. It’s hard. It was a place where you could connect and make friends and now it’s a contest on who’s a better fan, who has gone to more concerts, etc, etc. Even though it might be right lol, maybe he liked it without meaning to, or maybe he liked because something happened (I can’t place timelines for the reasons mentioned above). I say it’s unprofessional but, again, we can’t tell what was going on on his side.

Ashton saying they finished the second single: usually, Ash has a bad history if you look back at when he has said things are finished and they weren’t, but this time I believe him. Lowkey I feel like this fourth album is being rushed. Maybe not the whole album, but at least the singles. I feel like they’re trying to use the attention they got from youngblood and try to have things to “offer” before the chainsmokers tour so they can attract new fans.

I think there was something related to Ashton (again) liking a tweet about shawn and camila but I didn’t find it so I can’t comment.

I have some masterposts if you’d like to read them. I have one on Lierra and one on Kashton, though they might need to be updated (I’ll link them for you below). I have stated a lot of times that I’m really open minded and try to see things from different perspectives, so I’m technically in the middle with all of them, but basically:

Lierra: I’m in the middle, though sometimes I lean towards a mix of PR and realness. Sometimes I can see why they could be real (since they met through friends) but their behavior out of camera and social media makes me doubt and also, she appeared around the youngblood era after Arzaylea’s mess so, maybe she’s a way to “fix” his image. Also she’s always related to music releases for some reason, like, right now I can quote who do you love and the photos we had of them before or after. There was always Lierra before or after a release.  (plus Ashton being shady towards her in recent interviews)

Kashton: Middle too, though I used to lean towards real since they supposedly have backstory. They were organic to me until the daily mail posts happened, and especially since it seems to go under a pattern (Ashton is photographed with Kaykay, in the next three days you have Ashton photographed with Calum). 

Mystal: Middle. Though I lean towards PR. And I hope it is, to be honest. That relationship looks like she’s really controlling and she takes advantage of Michael’s image. Also those engagement photos during a sponsored trip without his best friends, yeah...

Here are the posts I mentioned before if you want to check them out:

https://5secondsofrant.tumblr.com/post/184194031053/thoughts-on-kaykay-and-ashton

https://5secondsofrant.tumblr.com/post/184519944068/thoughts-on-lierra

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I don’t know, to be honest. If we look at it from the media perspective, and if we take it as PR, it might be the fact that they want to bring attention to the band presenting a new couple and between Ashton and Calum, Ashton is more credible if it’s fake and also Calum is really lowkey. Ashton has always been more vocal and present on social media than Cal.

If we continue to theorize in this line, it might also mean that if mystal and lierra are pr, lierra didn’t bring enough attention and they tried something desperate with the mystal engagement but still can’t reach whatever they’re aiming for. 

If they’re not pr, maybe Ashton is trying to bring attention to her so she can work on photography (or maybe modelling, since she was into fashion and she’s always introduced as a fashion blog writer). Or maybe his manager tells him that he will send paparazzis. Who knows. Honestly, paparazzis are mostly called, and you can tell in those photos of them because they’re always looking at the camera. 

I mean, the part where they tried and didn’t work it’s mostly theory (or things that I have read in this type of blogs) and not really confirmed, though it can be true. I don’t even know who nhala is, to be honest, but he was very open about going on speed dates during the youngblood era, so, you have a point there.

He did show his relationship with bryanna but, until the point I know, it was PR mixed with a real relationship. So it makes sense he did show off.

I feel like it’s strange the way things happen. Like that weird paparazzi walk in Australia where it felt like they were trying to show their couples more than entering the club lol. Or sometimes how they pretended nothing was happening and then Ashton posted those “personal” pictures (the trailer ones).

I agree with you. The photos are candid but seem placed. All their photos look like the ones you take with friends in my opinion. There’s nothing really romantic about them and it’s weird that he feels the need to show her off so out of the blue. Maybe they feel placed because they’re related to events that are important or have some sort of publicity (like the vans one).

To be honest, I could totally believe they’re dating if this wasn’t happening. They were super organic to me until they started appearing on the Daily Mail constantly. I’m between a few things: 1) they’re actually dating and maybe they’re just awkward around cameras 2) they’re friends who are doing pr to help her maybe? 3) they’re purely pr 4) a mix of real and pr. Or maybe she’s more invested than he is and that’s why the photos look like that. 

If we follow the theory, they would always have trouble because of him touring, so maybe she joined him and it feels invasive to him. 

Hi, thank you for asking for my thoughts on it! Means a lot. Sorry for not getting to answer this sooner, but to be honest, I have been avoiding social media because I knew there would be a shitshow as soon as the boys’s birthdays happened.

I saw one of the pictures (since I saw a fan account that posted one of them) and then I saw your ask so I went and looked them up. I was really surprised it wasn’t 1 but 6 photos and 2 videos (if you listen closely, you can hear Crystal grinding her teeth because she will have to step up for mike’s birthday lol). 

To be honest, when I saw that one photo (one where they’re like... wet? lol like they’re at a lake or something) I was like ‘okay, that seems real’ but when I saw her post I got the vibe that she’s trying to brag she’s dating Luke. Also the photos don’t look coupley to me??? These bunch of photos feel like she’s only posting them to boost her ego lol. I feel like the photos aren’t candid or natural? (If you want to make a comparison, open their photos and then google some chris hemsworth and elsa pataky photos and compare). 

I also just don’t understand why not to post a cute picture of him and say happy birthday? I feel like this post is anniversary appropriate rather than birthday one. And I feel like this only might tell us the nature of their relationship (if real) or how hard the management is pushing this narrative about them being so in love. 

Also, MICHAEL commenting? holy shit, honestly what the fuck. 

And also, only fools believe in the “we are private” speech. They were never private. She has always hinted and teased the fandom. At this point the only thing that makes her different than Luke’s ex is the fact that she doesn’t fight with the fandom (and the fandom won’t fight her neither because they believe in the savior narrative because let’s dismiss luke’s hardwork towards a better mental health)(though I feel like all of the boys seem inestable lately, if you have listened closely to what they say in interviews -especially the ones the band posted themselves-, they have said things like ‘they’re tired’, ‘not sure if any of this is worthy’, they have said they deal a lot with anxiety and depression, they have hinted they miss home a lot -as in, healthy Australia and not toxic LA-)

I agree with you because this also rubs me in the wrong way. At this point, and basing my opinions only in the things I can see, of course, I don’t know if they’re real or not, but if they are, I feel like the relationship’s nature is not as good and “goals” as they make it seem (or she, rather, because he barely posts). And if it isn’t real, this shit should be over already. I can’t wrap my head around people faking to be in love just to gather attention, I know it works, but it bothers me that people have to go through that because their management puts them through that shit. 

Also, if they’re real and Ashton is shading, that’s a flag as red as his hair because he’s probably the one to see through people’s bullshit first. And if they’re fake and Ashton is shading, then something’s up. My guess would be Luke being tired of doing this.

I tried to respond the best that I can but I feel like I don’t know the whole deal and there might be things i’m not seeing (like posts from friends, at what time they were posted, I didn’t even bother to read the caption, etc.). So hopefully this is enough and if you have things to add or just want to talk in depth about it in the chat, please don’t be shy!