#back to you

[sunshineandlyrics]

Choosing the last FITF era show to backtrack on 'HIM'.

​Back to You, Lodz Summer Festival, 26 July 2025.

[hoovesandfloorpaws]

I love ✨him✨

Back To You at Ejekt Festival 2025 Athens, Greece, 9 July 2025 (source)

[muddyorbsblr]

back to you part 1: madness calls

Series Masterlist See my full list of works here!

Summary: It's been years since Loki disappeared on a mission gone wrong, and Thor walks in to Banner's lab with snake in hand, asking if you could check if it's Loki

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Word Count: 1.3k

Warning/s: implied/presumed major character death; snakes; mention of death by falling; mention of assumed violence on an animal

The beep of the door to the lab alerted you and Banner to the presence of a visitor. From the heavy footsteps and the musky cologne, it didn't take long for you to figure out who it was.

"Hey, Thunder." You looked up from your microscope, hand already outstretched to take in the samples that you told him to collect from your mission in the Bolivian forests. But you quickly withdrew it the moment you clocked that he wasn't holding out a soil sample.

He was holding a snake.

"I do have the samples you requested, Lady Y/N," he assured you. "But I was hoping that perhaps you and Doctor Banner could examine him first. This might finally be the one. Look at his eyes, the sheen on his scales. This is Loki, I'm sure of it."

"Thor…" you sighed, fighting back tears as you mustered up the words. "Thor, it's been years since the incident. We haven't seen or heard anything from your brother since--"

"I know, Lady Y/N," he cut you off, his voice louder than usual. He sighed, holding the serpent out to you. "But I cannot just give up on the hopes that perhaps, by the grace of the Norns, my brother is still out there. That perhaps he still lives. Perhaps he's even in my hands as we speak, and his magic has been compromised and he cannot break out of his shape shift.

"Please, my friend. I swear that if your findings prove me to be wrong, then I will burden the rest of you no longer with my search for my brother. I will scour the Realms myself until I find him. Just one final time."

You fought the tears stinging at the back of your eyes, holding out your hands to take the snake. Its black scales had an iridescent sheen to it; holding it out to the light had that sheen going back and forth from a yellowish-green to a near gold. Looking at it, you could understand how Thor could have been filled with hope that maybe this was Loki.

However, there was nothing in the creature's eyes that could have indicated any form of recognition.

Then again, it's been years. And he probably didn't even recognize me looking like this on a good day back when he was around, you thought ruefully. You carefully placed the little snake on the table, grabbing hold of the scanner that Stark, Strange, and Banner collectively worked on that could scan the presence of even the slightest traces of magic.

If Loki so much as breathed on this snake, in theory, this machine could tell you.

You honestly didn't know if it was Thor's nearly moving speech about being hellbent to find his brother, or perhaps your own misplaced feelings of hope that maybe the god's magic truly was compromised from the shape shift, and perhaps this could finally be the breakthrough you were pleading with the gods for.

Or maybe it was insanity, hoping for a different outcome despite having done this exact test countless times in the years since that fateful mission. The last memory you had of the raven haired god was him practically shoving you away from him with no warning. And when you turned around to give him a piece of your mind, he was gone.

And then an agent running comms told you that they saw footage of a strange, swirling vortex materialize where you stood right before Loki shoved you. Suddenly all your unspoken words felt monumentally heavier on your tongue, the little voice in your head now incessantly telling you that the visceral rejection would have been better than the regret of having said nothing.

So maybe it was all those things working together that had your heart turning to lead and sinking to the ground when you heard the ever disappointing monotone double beep of the machine. The snake was just a snake.

You didn't even have to tell the blond Asgardian; he could see it from your face that you didn't have a lick of good news. All he did was give you a tortured tight-lipped smile, his own tears brimming in his eyes. "I shall get the samples you requested then. Thank you, my friend."

Just as he was about to walk out of the lab, a blaring signal started sound across the entire floor, putting everyone on high alert.

"I didn't touch anything," the Asgardian said in defense, putting his hands up.

"We know, Thor, it's okay," Banner told him, putting in earplugs that put the greening hue of his skin at ease. "It's a distress signal. An agent sets it off if they're out on the field and they're in imminent danger and need more backup."

"Except," you mumbled, mostly to yourself, listening to the pattern of the signal. You'd heard the distress calls of other SHIELD agents before and it didn't sound like this. Where was this pattern from? You listened more intently to the peaks of the signal, recognizing the morse code. A tiny signature that you and Tony put in that was easily recognizable to those in the team that understood.

"It's an Avengers level distress signal," you and Thor said in unison, both of you rushing out of the lab to the control room, the rest of the team steadily filing in. Steve walked in last, starting to count off everyone in the room.

"Everyone's here save for Xu--" he said, cut off when Shaun's face showed up on the large floor-to-ceiling screen, visibly concerned at the sound of the alarm filling the aircraft.

"I'm here, guys. I'm safe," his voice rang through the speakers over the alarm.

"So if it's not anyone on the team, then one of us had butter fingers and dropped our signal somewhere in the field. My money's on Point Break," Tony quipped, earning a strangled sound of protest from Thor as he defensively said 'I most certainly did not!'

"Boys, shut up and stop fighting," Natasha said snappily, typing away on the keyboard and pulling up a map on the big screen to show her progress on tracking the location of the signal. "It's coming from somewhere just outside of London. Lemme just get a hold of one of the satellites around that area and…whoa."

You and the rest of the team in the control room all looked at the screen in combined concern and horror, watching the utter pandemonium that was breaking out from what looked like a high-rise building. Multiple people playing a deadly game of tug-of-war for resources at the roof, some of them being kicked or pushed off the edge and falling to their certain death.

There was foliage that had caught fire, making the building a brilliant shining light calling the attention of anyone flying over the area. Anyone looking at the live satellite feed of the outskirts of London, like you and your team.

"Cap, even if the signal isn't from one of us, we can't just pretend we didn't see this," you spoke up. "We have to help."

His only response was to nod, not taking his eyes off the screen, only tearing his eyes away once the rabid tenants began to fight over a dog. Nat turned the screen off; nobody needed to see what came after.

"Everyone gear up," he addressed the room. "Get Support to prep the Quinjet, we're wheels up in ten. Our mission is to find out who triggered the distress signal. And save as many civilians as we can manage."

A/N: Well damn…here we go, I guess. Welcome to 'back to you', everybody! This is a series I conceptualized back in early 2023 and my brain's finally gotten around to writing it the last few days. The rust is steadily being worked off, and hopefully…I've got not just this, but some more stuff in store. We'll see where things take me 🫡

'everything' taglist: @simplyholl @loopsisloops @imalovernotahater @coldnique @loz-3 @huntress-artemiss @salempoe @vickie5446 @athalialaufeyson @lokiprompts @kats72 @kikster606 @asgards-princess-of-mischief @lokixryss @thomase1 @mischief2sarawr @lovingchoices14 @lunarnights95 @goblingirlsarah @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @creationsbyme @maple-seed @mjsthrillernp @ladyofthestayingpower @mygfloki @sititran @glitterylokislut @ozymdias @fictive-sl0th  @lokidbadguy @mochie85 @silverfire475 @joyful-enchantress @elizabethmidnight2017 @holdmytesseract @smolvenger @gigglingtiggerv2 @lokidokieokie

@superficialdomina @kmc1989 @november-rayne @goddessofwonderland @buttercupcookies-blog @peaky-marvel @lokiified @dryyoursaltyoceantears @herdetectivetheorist @alexakeyloveloki @lulubelle814

[daisiesonafield-blog]

Louis singing Back To You (rock version) at Ejekt Festival in Athens, Greece on July 9 2025 (x)

[rafessweetgirl]

back to you ˖ . ݁𝜗𝜚. ݁₊ rafe cameron

pairing: exbf!rafe cameron x college!reader

summary: you’re living out your college dreams in miami when your past lover appears out of the blue. part 2 to everything you wanted.

warnings: none tbh

a/n: hey beautiful people i got part 2 right here for you. this isn’t the end, cs imma make a part 3. i just stopped writing and it felt right. this one’s for @sweetstrawberrianne who basically wrote it too <3

rafe was cool, calm, and calculated. always. a simple business trip never made him nervous. in recent years his business, cameron development, had gained nationwide outreach, managing properties across the country. rafe had met plenty of powerful people who didn’t intimidate him one bit. so why was he anxious?

because of you. 

this particular trip brought him right to you. moving to Miami was so like you. you always loved the beach back home in Kildare.

you were living the dream life. you attended the University of Miami, one of the best schools in the country, academically and party wise. you were well on your way to becoming a lawyer, your last year of undergrad almost through with. you absolutely adored your roommates and friends and could barely remember your life before them. but you were about to get a reminder.

———

lucky’s was your favorite coffee shop on campus. you went there whenever you could. homework? lucky’s. project? lucky’s. just needed some time alone? that was the spot. how rafe figured that out was a mystery. (he still stalked your insta) but he knew, and now he was sitting right across the cafe, trying to be discreet about staring at you. it was hard for him to keep his eyes off you. rafe felt like you’d disappear if his eyes even flickered elsewhere.

he knew you didn’t know he was coming. why would he tell you? the two of you hadn’t spoken in years. rafe can’t even remember the last time he actually liked one of your posts.

“can i get you anything else sir?” the server asked. 

rafe had ordered himself your favorite, an iced cherry chai latte. 

“yeah actually, could you get this for her?” rafe pointed towards you, sitting by the window, your body illuminated by the sun. you were literally glowing like the angel rafe saw you as. “i’ll pay but don’t let her know who it’s from.”

the server looked confused but she nodded and went to make your order. he watched as she finished preparing your drink and brought it over to you. you looked up and smiled at her, though you were puzzled when she set it in front of you. “oh, i didn’t order anything."

“i know, but it’s on the house."

"oh um....what?"

she just returned your smile and walked away. you scanned the cafe, trying to spot anything that could hint to who bought you the drink. and picked your favorite out of all of them.

just as you were about to get back to studying your eyes landed on him. rafe? no fucking way. there was no way that the hard blue eyed, soft blonde haired man staring back at you was rafe cameron. the love of your life.

you stood up quickly and gathered your things. you fumbled for your pencils and pens as they dropped the floor. as soon as you picked them up, you sped out the cafe. you couldn’t breathe. as you stepped outside, the sun hit your face, and a wave of calmness washed over you.

you had to be seeing things. it wasn’t exactly hard for you to see him after all this time, but him popping up unexpectedly threw you off. you’d forgiven yourself for leaving him a long time ago. it was difficult at first. for the first month you’d think about going back everytime your mind got a moment to rest. sometimes you’d open rafes contact, his name still ending in a heart emoji. your finger would hover over the call button, contemplating. should i call him?

but you couldn’t. the whole point of leaving was to start a new future. and you couldn’t do that if you let your past back in your life.

———

it had been two days since race’s ambush on you. to be honest, the whole thing had been at the back of your mind. it was almost finals week and the last thing you needed was an unwarranted distraction. you had to be one hundred percent focused on studying.

you decided today was probably a good day to go back to the cafe. rafe couldn’t still be in miami. you still wondered what rafe was doing here all these miles from kildare. the first reason that came to mind was you. rafe couldn’t stand to be without you so he just had to come and find you but that was a long shot and you didn’t want to be cocky. you walked up to the counter to order the usual.

“hi, what can i get you?”

“a medium iced cherry chai latte, please.” you smiled.

“okay, that’ll be three ninety-five.”

just as you looked down and reached in your purse to grab your wallet, a man popped up next to you, seemingly out of the blue. you looked up and time froze.

“i can pay for that.” rafe offered as he handed the barista a five dollar bill. to the outside world, some stranger had swooped in, offering his help. but to you time slowed and so did your heart. if seeing him across the cafe the first time was hard for you to handle, being this close to him was downright unbearable.

the barista took his money. she probably was the only one who assumed you knew rafe. she assumed correctly.

she quickly came back with the drink and you grabbed it and turned away from rafe, rushing over to your corner of the cafe. he followed suit of course.

he continued to stand as you sat down in the booth. “hi..” he started uncertainly.

“you didn’t have to do that rafe.” your tone was short. he didn’t necessarily deserve that, but you couldn’t afford to show emotion right now.

“what pay for your drink? of course i did, i always used to.” it was true. he provided for you in any way you could think of. even something as simple as buying you food.

“but i could’ve done it myself.”

rafe chuckled. “hah, okay, i know that but a thank you would be nice.”

you relaxed a bit. “i’m sorry, thank you for that.”

“of course.” he replied.

“what are you doing here?” he took that as an invitation to sit and pulled out a chair across the table from you.

“what anybody else is here for, coffee.” he grinned. it made your heart melt, only a little. you still missed him deep down inside.

you rolled your eyes. “okay, smartass, you know what i meant.”

“i know, i know.” he grabbed your drink and took a sip for himself. you watched him attentively. “just working with your school to develop some new housing.”

you had to admit it stung a little that he didn’t come just for you. but he was still here, sitting right in front of you. “oh, a business trip. of course.”

“yeah, but i’m not too worried about that right now. how have you been?”

“great.”

“just great?”

“i don’t know what else you want me to say, rafe. i really am doing great.” you sighed.

“no no that’s great.” he said, realizing that wasn’t the answer he was searching for. part of him wanted you to admit how hard it was for you to live without him.

“how about you?” you asked. “how have you been? i’m assuming business is good.”

“i’ve been doing great too. business is great, it lead me here to you. so i’m pretty content.” he smiled.

you warmed. you were glad he was good but you didn’t miss that comment. “well, um, that’s good.”

“yeah…..” he trailed off. the two of you sit in silence for a minute. you took turns taking sips of your drink until the ice sat in the cup by itself. rafe was the first to pop the silent bubble.

“i miss you. a lot.”

now you sweated internally. you missed him too, almost everyday, even though you were truly healed from the breakup. “i- i miss you too rafe.”

“for real?” he’d thought you’d moved on from him. gotten rid of any feelings for him.

you looked down at your drink and fiddled with your ring, one he’d gifted you. it didn’t have any special meaning, just a silver band with stars imprinted on it. you’d seen it in a small boutique and told rafe how it just spoke to you. he immediately dragged you in the store and bought it for you. your heart fluttered at the memory.

you looked up, your eyes met his blue ones. your favorite color. your lips formed into a small smile. “i never stopped.”

hope y’all loved it, stay tuned for part 3. stay blessed also <3 send in any thought asks etc related to the series!! added the cherry chai latte cs i just tried it at starbucks last weekend, i loved it.

taglist: @sweetstrawberrianne

[srldesigns6277]

The 'I love him' with the little smirk gets me every time (x)

[jonny-be-gewd]

Jon on Back to You | Feb. 2024

[hldailyupdate]

‘Back To You’ just hit 590 MILLION streams on Spotify. (24 January 2025)

[chibibytes-anime]

Back to You, Ohana & Kyoraku (@DaKaeya_)

[twopoppies]

Hi Gina, I really wanted to ask you about this whole thing - https://t.co/wX7C55Y2Mq

It’s from his show in Vienna, 2023. He seems annoyed and saying „it” multiple times, but before that show (and after it too) he’s saying „I love him” so many times. Do you think somebody was not happy with him doing that, so he had to cool it down for a show? I’ve seen some people saying he’s mouthing „Haz” instead of „it”, I’m just confused. Just wanted to know your opinion - I tried to find a post about it, but didn’t succeed :(

Huh. I actually hadn’t seen that before. He does look annoyed. And he definitely says “it,” but I can’t tell what he says after that.

Any lip readers out there?

x

[aquamarixx]

Can u pls…. write the ex bf nanase in detail…😣😣😣😣😣I LOVE THE IDEA SM

back to you

living with Nanase means learning that some connections never really break. and maybe, just maybe, some are worth holding onto. pairing ex boyfriend! nanase nijiro x reader tags post manga timeskip, aged up characters, fluff, nanase and hiori playing at machida zelvia inspired by that one j.league collab navigation

Living with Nanase Nijiro and his roommate, Hiori, is surprisingly pleasant—far more than you could have hoped for, given the circumstances. It’s comforting to have company again, to hear the soft hum of life in the background instead of the oppressive silence of your old apartment.

The past month has been a blur of anxiety and uncertainty. Losing your job was the final blow in a long string of misfortunes. The company downsized, and despite your best efforts, you were let go without much of a safety net.

The severance package wasn’t enough to cover rent, bills, and the financial support your siblings back home still rely on. Your savings dwindled faster than you imagined, leaving you scrolling through job postings, cutting corners, and facing the reality that you might have to leave the city altogether.

The thought of moving back to the province, of being another mouth for your mom to feed while you job-hunt, is unbearable. So, in your lowest moment—tears streaming down your face and your voice shaky with desperation—you called the one person you never thought you’d lean on again: Nanase.

He was quick to answer and quick to offer you to stay with him until you get back up your feet. No questions asked. And so you do.

Hiori, his friend and housemate, to your surprise, is far from the reserved and distant figure you vaguely remember from your few encounters while dating Nanase. He’s calm and polite, with a dry sense of humor that catches you off guard but often makes you laugh. Beneath his quiet demeanor, you notice a protective streak—one that has him looking out for Nanase like an older brother. And now, apparently, for you too.

Nanase, on the other hand, is exactly how you remember him. And somehow different at the same time. There’s this confidence in the way he carries himself now, a maturity that wasn’t there before. But his boyish charm remains intact, unchanged.

It’s in the way his eyes light up when he sees you, how his smile stretches impossibly wide when he’s excited, and the way he throws himself wholeheartedly into everything—especially taking care of you.

Nanase insists on pampering you like it’s his mission in life. He wrestles brooms and dishes from your hands, cooks every meal, and treats you like you hung up the moon for him.

“Let me do it,” he says whenever you try to help. “You’re my guest. Just relax.”

“I can do my own laundry, Nanase,” you argue, crossing your arms.

“Princess, please,” he says, pouting dramatically. “Let me take care of you.”

And the thing is, he does take care of you. Every chance he gets, he’s close. Closer than he probably should be.

Whenever you cook, he sneaks up behind you, his hands gently settling on your waist as he leans in to sniff whatever’s on the stove.

“This smells good,” he murmurs, his breath warm against your ear, making your heart skip a beat. You'd only hum, trying to focus, but the heat of his chest pressed against your back is distracting.

He just grins, stepping back slowly. “Just checking.”

Movie nights in the living room have gone from casual to intimate without you even realizing it. At first, he draped an arm over your shoulder, light and easy. But now? He leans fully into you, resting his head on your shoulder or pulling you so close you’re practically holding him.

“Nanase, you’re heavy,” you mutter, shifting slightly.

“Hmm?” he hums, his cheek brushing against yours.

And then there were the kisses. He’d started out subtle. Forehead kisses in the mornings when he passed by, a quick peck on your cheek before heading to practice. But lately, it felt like he was testing the boundaries, leaning in just a little too close, letting his lips linger.

“Bye, princess,” he says one morning, cupping your cheeks as he leans in. His lips press against your cheek, so close to your lips it makes your breath hitch.

You freeze, cheeks burning as he saunters off, utterly unbothered. Shameless. So shameless.

Hiori, who’s been sipping coffee on the couch, watches the whole thing with an amused expression. “Oh, please,” he calls out. “Not in front of my morning coffee.”

You glare at him. “Doesn’t this bother you?”

He shrugs, smirking. “Why would it? Not like it’s gonna make him worse. You’re already indulging him.”

“I’m not indulging him,” you argue weakly.

“Sure,” Hiori said, his tone dripping with mock disbelief. “And next you’re gonna tell me you didn’t let him hug you for a solid ten minutes yesterday when he got home from training.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but the memory of Nanase practically melting into your arms the moment he walked through the door stopped you. His excuse? He was “too tired to stand.”

“See?” Hiori added, clearly amused. “You can’t even deny it.”

Nanase, of course, was utterly shameless. He didn’t just pamper you—he basked in every moment of your attention and affection, thriving in it as if it your relationship never stopped. And as embarrassing as it was, you couldn’t quite bring yourself to stop him.

Because deep down, you know you didn’t really want to. And that scares you more than anything else.

amari's notes: i've been thinking about this a lot. love love love team kindness! was planning to do this when i finish my other asks but i got kinda motivated??? thanks for requesting anon!

taglist: @inu1gf

[hoovesandfloorpaws]

Louis' rocky path to his first album

..and how it might have been the reason/one of the reasons why Louis shared Always You with us the way that he did.

I don't want to saddle this amazing post about the Always You snippet and little scavenger hunt Louis took us on on Aug 24, 2017 with a too-long derail, so i'm gonna make this separate post. But please definitely read that post, too, it's so good! It'll make you shake your fist and go "LOUIS!!" (affectionately) 💙💚

-

This is for possible context re: him saying he was "pissed off about industry shit" and it resulting in him sharing the snippet in August 2017 and what long breath Louis had to have in order to finally get to release his debut solo album. Disclaimer: obviously there was much more going on in Louis' life during those 3 years - lots of yucky stunting that left Louis looking dead behind the eyes (esp. because on top of it he was also still grieving heavily), Harry releasing his first album, starring in his first Hollywood film, and going on worldwide tours. Louis obviously not being able to accompany him publicly to premieres or to all the shows - in combination it likely resulting in a lot more physical separation than they were ever used to, possible rough patches between them as a couple, Louis' sister unexpectedly passing away and the subsequent massive grief after already having lost his beloved Mum just 2.5 years prior, weekly appearances on TV with the giant asshole who iron-closeted him and his spider mouse ever since they were teenagers, a few public slip ups/outings from within their work circles, Harry turning into a horse on live radio despite being able to yell NO when he wanted to, Louis beaming with pride every single time he was asked about his Harry - and much more. His/their life is complex and busy and I'm only shining light on a couple of things here.

We know Louis had wanted to finally record his album in 2017 and release it in 2018. He said it again and again in his tweets and I personally don't think he was lying or stalling. (additionally, a plan for a 2018 album release + tour for 'a managed artist' was mentioned in a strategic report of the 1D company One Mode Productions Ltd., but by that point it was directed purely by 3 big players from Modest! Mgmt and that plan could've been BS from the start and could have still been an old remnant of the original plans Modest had for 1D after their hiatus; it never happened and the company was acquired by Universal Music in July 2020. Exact detail about that will be/are in my H&L companies masterpost)

In June 2017 Louis had been finally supposed to be signed with a new label under Sony, RSA...

(tweet)

...but then an exec from Epic Records campaigned to get Louis to them instead, because she had loved Just Hold On, so he signed with Epic in July 2017.

(tweet)

It needs to be said that the reason for Epic wanting to sign Louis based on that collab with Steve Aoki potentially meant they were hoping he was going to make more of that kind of music. -- which he never did, so he possibly also never wanted to in the first place (quite the recipe for disaster). And Louis was lagging behind to the public eye; he was the only member of 1D who hadn't released more than 1 single since the start of the hiatus. Zayn and Harry had already released an album by that point, Liam had had 2 pretty successful singles, and Niall had his first album set to be released in October that year. Louis being at a disadvantage wasn't his fault or within his control at all, though, with having lost his Mum 8 months prior. Syco and Sony faffing about with the record deals for him is certainly not something a grieving (and closeted & stunt-riddled) first-time solo musician needs when they just want to focus on finally releasing their first album and wanting to focus on that. During that time, it's especially essential to have a record label on board which understands and shares the same vision of the album, so concepts can be discussed, demos sent and given feedback on, timelines for PR and marketing coordinated, release dates planned, etc.

Within the same month, on July 21, 2017, Louis did release Back To You on via his own label, 78 Productions. (78 Productions Ltd. is also one of his companies) and Epic Records. Syco helped with promo in the UK. Back To You wasn't a first single of the album, though! Like with Just Hold On, Back To You's genre was vastly different from the albums Louis would later come to release, so it leads me to believe it was a fun filler project for him to work on with Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals and vice versa, and to finally put out some music that year and also do a few live performances.

A month later, he tweeted this:

(tweet)

4 days later, Louis gets pissed off "about some music industry shit" and a day later, he tweets:

(tweet) - and this is when he drops the snippet of Always You right at the part with the "I went to Amsterdam without you, all I could do was think about you". part and he keeps dropping hint after hint and we figure it out 💙💚 - and ends up putting that song on his debut album.

(1 month later, Harry leaves to start his first ever solo world tour in San Francisco, USA on Sep 25, 2017)

Months pass and still no album single incoming.

On Oct 11, 2017, Louis announces his next single will be postponed, but also drops Just Like You out of the blue:

(tweet) / (tweet) - although Louis says the song is "from the album", Just Like You never ends up on his first 2 albums.

Months pass again.. the single he said would come "later this year" turns out to be Miss You, released on Dec 1, 2017. The song doesn't end up on the regular album, only appears as a bonus track on the Japanese Edition.

(On Dec 8, 2017, Harry finishes his world tour in Tokyo, Japan)

The year turns into 2018... and Louis seems to become increasingly more frustrated:

(tweet)

3 more months pass..

(Harry leaves to start his 2nd solo world tour in Basel, Switzerland on March 11, 2018)

Another month passes..

(tweet)

3 months later, and as a first step into a hopefully better direction, on July 19, 2018, it is announced that Louis has switched management and is now with Matt Vines from 7 Seven Management.

In July 2018 it's announced that Louis will appear on X-Factor as a judge that year.

(Coincidentally, Harry finishes his world tour on July 22, 2018 in New York City, USA)

Louis' X-Factor filming takes place (with breaks in between) from July 28 until Dec 2, 2018. (together with Simon Cowbell, so that must have been quite unpleasant at times, but Louis' contestant won! HA!)

Most importantly: no music at all gets released for Louis in all 2018!

(Harry leaves to start a very short tour in Singapore on Nov 23, 2018 and already finishes on Dec 7, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan)

The year turns into 2019...

And then fucking finally, in Feb 2019, it is announced that Louis has signed with Arista, who also belong to Sony. Louis can finally really start working on the album now!

On March 7, 2019, he releases Two Of Us - the first proper single of the upcoming album and a beautiful song he wrote for his Mum. But the joy doesn't last long -- sadly only 1 week later, on March 13, 2019, Louis' sister Félicité unexpectedly passes away and this completely throws life off its hinges again :( 🖤

(Harry plays only 2 shows on March 28 + 29, 2019 in New York City, USA, because he inducts beloved Stevie Nicks into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame - but he doesn't tour again until October; is also in the process of finishing the recording of his 2nd album, Fine Line)

4 months later, Louis tweets this:

(tweet)

Things finally go according to (an obviously existing) plan now and it's clear that there's a proper release schedule at work. The single and music video releases are firing on all cylinders. Starting from September, there's basically a new Louis release every month. There's concepts for all music videos, as they all tell a multiple-part continuous story. Kill My Mind is released on Sep 5, 2019 We Made It follows up on Oct 24, 2019 Don't Let It Break Your Heart on Nov 23, 2019 then there's the usual Christmas break (X-mas is mostly for album releases, case in point: Harry's Fine Line's released on Dec 13, 2019) Walls, the album title single, is released on Jan 17, 2020 -- 2 weeks before the album release.

When asked what's his favorite song on the album, he replies with this:

(tweet) And on Jan 31, 2020 Louis' finally gets to release his debut solo album Walls! 🙌🏼

3 years in the active making and a frustrating 2 years later than he'd hoped for.

Because within just 3 years, Simon tried/succeeded to sign Louis to three different Sony-owned record labels! Possibly also because Louis made it clear he was not going to release his album with Syco alone, but that's just speculation on me part. (I also need to mention that Simon had already sold 50% of his shares in Syco Music to Sony in July 2015, leaving him with only 20% and he never re-acquired them, meaning since 2015 Simon was already 75% out of the door back then. Guess what he already knew would happen since the beginning of 2015, hmmmm?)

Personal thoughts: To me, that’s all absolutely wild behaviour to treat an artist like that. Someone who's made you such a fuckton of money already, too. (because let's be honest, the money's all people like Simon Cowbell and his Modest! minions care about) Simon's never had an ounce of integrity or loyalty in his body. To treat an artist, who to the public he claimed he was 'so close' to like this and to then see him struggle and still try to manipulate or bribe him into your own plans (the girlband, the management company, the DOA Triple Strings label) instead of finally letting him pursue what he so clearly wanted.. it's classic and disgusting. From my own professional experience of 15 years as an artist & tour manager, it is not surprising to me that Louis wasn’t able to establish any consistency within his career for the first 4 years. (And we probably only know half of the contractual shit Louis has had to deal with.) You'd usually need at least good management that you trust, that's ready to take the brunt of forces, but also makes sure you don't make certain mistakes (again), and that's ready to work with & for you in this. Record labels come second, especially since it's become easier nowadays to release shit indie and it's not like Louis' (and Harry's) household didn't have some funds-- but yeah, proper management is key! They're the junction where everything leads together. I have no idea what the James Grant Group thought they were doing with Louis, but it was complete weak sauce.

And although I'm also not a fan of Matt Vines and 7 Seven Management, they're definitely some kind of improvement. I understand Louis in preferring to work with people he's become close with and who he's already trusting, rather than taking the risk and choosing someone new - especially given Louis' very awful prior experiences with management. I hope Matt Vines steps up his game in the future, but from what I have learned in the past months, sadly I don't think 7 Seven Management have a good grasp on Louis' target group and fanbase and I'm not sure how much use they're making of proper market research. For an artist of Louis' caliber, they're doing too little.

Anyway, back to Syco, I think nobody is surprised that Louis had enough of it 1.5 years after Walls was released and finally ended things with Syco on July 11, 2020.

Now I want to end on saying that i'm only speculating something about his own record label / album delaying situation could've been the reason for him being pissed off. It also could've been something to do with the music industry in itself, something to do with Harry and him, something closeting- or stunt-related. I mean he did release a snippet of a song that's obviously about Harry and him. But he also released a snippet of a song that was supposed to be on his album. So yeah, the reason could've been a mix of both.

But even though we can't say that for sure, it was valid as hell that he was pissed. And he got to share the Always You snippet with us for it, such an incredibly special song; so clearly about Harry & him and he didn't give a fuck that night. And I think that's beautiful.

[muddyorbsblr]

back to you – masterlist

Summary: Years after a mission incident that left Loki missing in action, your team receives a distress signal coming from a high-rise in the outskirts of London, England. Answering the signal leads you to a complete stranger with an eerily familiar face.

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Characters: Reader; Loki Laufeyson; Thor Odinson; Steve Rogers; Natasha Romanoff; Bruce Banner; Tony Stark; Shaun Xu (Shang Chi); Doctor Strange; Queen Frigga; Lady Sif

part 1: madness calls

It's been years since Loki disappeared on a mission gone wrong, and Thor walks in to Banner's lab with snake in hand, asking if you could check if it's Loki

part 2: ???

part 3: ???

part 4: ???

part 5: ???

part 6: ???

part 7: ???

part 8: ???

part 9: ???

part 10: ???

part 11: ???

part 12: ???

part 13: ???

part 14: ???

epilogue: ???

[sunkissedlouis]

🎸 BACK TO YOU (STUDIO VERSION) recorded by a fan! update: listen to the full audio here