#i’m not even finished this ep yet and it’s already so good

[piratespencil]

Veth helping Beau prepare for her date with Yasha was soo funny and so sweet. Whenever Beau and Veth have a bonding moment it’s always pure gold. I saw a post once about how Veth and Beau’s relationship doesn’t stand out as much as some other relationships in the M9 not because they aren’t friends but because they ARE friends. They’re just buddies and it’s lowkey but it’s great. Love them. :)

[rhaenella]

CL16 | Is It Over Now? | pt.7

pairing: charles leclerc x singer!reader

genre: social media au

summary: you and charles have been everyone's fave couple on the grid, but when you somewhat unexpectedly break up, you turn to songwriting to cope with the pain

face claim: léon

a/n: the finale... once again, all songs mentioned are either by taylor swift or léon. happy reading x

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part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6

masterlist

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Liked by taylorswift, danielricciardo and 1,292,849 others

y/n: End & New Beginnings. ONE WEEK.

✨Is It Over Now?~Say Don’t Go~Bigger Than The Whole Sky~You’re Losing Me~Now That We Don’t Talk~Pretty Boy✨

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user55: y/n’s latest masterpiece is incoming!!

user56: YES GIRL LETS GO

user57: omg finally 😱

user58: can’t fucking wait 💛

user59: babe are you realizing you’re releasing on friday the 13th 💀

user56: y/n is like “i’ve conquered all this year’s bad luck already, no one can stop me”

6 October

Liked by carlossainz55, maxverstappen1 and 1,450,288 others

y/n: It feels like it’s been a long time coming and now it’s here, my new EP ‘End & New Beginnings’ 🤍 Been a few sleepless nights making this to be honest. Ups and downs like always. But now I’m just so happy to let go of it and let you have it, and hopefully you’ll embrace it and make it yours. 

To the incredible people who’ve been a part of this record, THANK YOU! Couldn’t have done it without you… 

Here’s to the end & new beginnings 🕊️

View all 14,159 comments

taylorswift: Perfection 🥰✨🎼😍💋

y/n: ❤️❤️❤️

danielricciardo: ART.

Liked by y/n

lilymhe: Beautiful work sweetie, I can’t with how talented you are 🥹 You made me cry the entire 23 mins (and then again cuz it was on repeat)

y/n: Awww, thank you love 🥰 and I’m sorryyyy 🙊

alex_albon: It’s so so good! I didn’t cry tho…

lilymhe: Liar

Liked by y/n

landonorris: Wow 💕

Liked by y/n

yourbestfriend: You’ve outdone yourself once again, darling, love you

y/n: I love you more baby

user60: as someone who’s just gone through a terrible breakup too, i cannot express how comforting it is to hear these songs and realize i’m not alone

Liked by y/n

13 October

—

You let your phone drop to the bathroom counter, blinking slowly, unable to fathom the conversation that had just taken place. Had he really just said those things? Scrolling through the texts confirmed that yes, he had indeed. The bastard.

Charles had always been the jealous type. But attacking you like that when he had been the one to… It was absolutely ridiculous. Apparently he still couldn’t—or wouldn’t—grasp the depths of how much he had actually hurt you.

You’d loved him with all of your heart. Until he had ripped it out and hurled it to the floor, letting it shatter into a million tiny pieces. Yet, even then, you would’ve forgiven him. If only he’d apologised. If only he’d shown true remorse. But he hadn’t. And so you’d been forced to walk the path of mending your own heart, and move on with your life.

Perhaps a small part of you had hoped that he could be happy for you. That somehow, even after everything, you would be able to greet each other normally—that you could coexist peacefully. But as his texts just now had demonstrated, that wasn’t going to happen. Not right now. And definitely not next week in Texas. You sighed. It would’ve been too good to be true, anyway. Especially considering who you were currently seeing…

A light knock sounded at the door, startling you out of those thoughts. 

“Are you almost ready to go, darling?” a male voice asked, soft.

Right. Dinner. Celebrations. 

You had been in the midst of applying the finishing touches to your makeup and outfit before Charles had interrupted, quite literally shocking you to the core when his name had appeared on your lock screen. He’d been the last person you’d expected to hear from today.

You swallowed the bitter taste that Charles’ texts had managed to leave behind. He wasn’t worth it, you repeated to yourself. You weren’t going to let his shenanigans ruin a perfect night—a perfect date. You ran a hand through your hair and readjusted the necklace around your neck when the bathroom door creaked open behind you. 

Looking up, your eyes met your handsome, new boyfriend’s through the mirror. He was smiling, eyebrows raised in silent question, ever patient as he waited for you to finish up. You felt your pulse quicken at the sight of him, dressed to perfection in a dark suit, hair neatly tousled.

As always, his presence was able to reassure you within the blink of an eye, the tense muscles in your neck and shoulders relaxing as you gladly let all of your complex emotions fall away.

“Yes,” you nodded, a genuine smile spreading across your lips. “I’m ready.”

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THE END

but who is she with? well, there’s a little (and not so subtle) easter egg that refers back to the beginning of part 6 that will confirm certain things… have you spotted it?

thank you everyone for coming along on this ride! it’s been a hell of a lot of fun writing and creating this story 🥰 my apologies to all the y/n x charles shippers out there, but as our songbird said: here’s to the end and new beginnings…

Now, if you'd like, please cast your votes below :)

･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･

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Tags: @sukisheadlights @eviethetheatrefreak @blueflorals @kiskso @dessxoxsworld @treehouse-mouse @dangeroustacoalienbiscuit @clown-fc @stopeatread @vanishingcherry @bb-swift @leclercdream @scenesofobx @kagatinkita @allywthsr @evieepepi08 @viennakarma @riverjane-d @httpjeonlicious @madnesstaking0ver @futurecorps3 @celesteblack08 @sadg3 @simxican @glow-ish @spideybv28 @laneyspaulding19 @tswizzleismother @slytherinfolk25 @merchelsea @1655clean @urgirlnextdoorr @cixrosie @lightdragonrayne @lxclerc @hopexcroc @nichmeddar @imthebadguyyy

[puntointerrogativo]

I’ve been rotating the Loumand divorce in my head - I get why a lot of people find the finale sequence rushed, I wouldn’t have minded a few more minutes spent on it either, but it did work for me because we’d been watching their relationship crumble before our eyes for a good while by then.

To me it goes back to…I’d say the end of S. 2 ep. 3? The Dubai moments in season one are so performative and deliciously ambiguous, especially put into a D/s context. But Assad and Jacob had great chemistry when we first see them together, and then it sort of…fizzled out. And they’re both too good as actors for it not be a choice. They keep stumbling into each other’s traumas and hang ups, always slightly out of step.

One beautiful moment we are shown, and where the chemistry comes to life, is the Arun bench scene. They click, it works! But I was expecting the momentum to carry them them forward -in a sort of the birthing pains are over, now things are starting for real way. Yet it never really happens. They keep being slightly out of sync, slightly detached. When there are attempts at connection one of them zigs instead of zagging, and they’re left wanting. We can see the cracks in the foundations but it’s impossible to tell what would have become of their relationship because the coven makes Armand choose (or Armand had already made his choice, since they’re apparently still debating what version they’ll go with.)

And I do find it believable that Armand -with all his history weighting on him- would not feel sure enough of Louis’ love at that point to sacrifice the familiarity and safety of the coven. By the time we come to the restaurant scene -which is…not without its own ambiguities- it’s too late, the choice had been made.

Then we come to present day Dubai and again, the distance is palpable. They have their moments, they can make a great united front against Daniel. They bicker, they finish each other’s sentences. But it’s clear something isn’t clicking, there’s a whiff of desperation to it all. The fight about the mixed up photographs was what really rang the bell for me. Because why would Louis’ first reaction be to accuse Armand of doing it on purpose? When you mix that up with Armand’s tendency to be controlling it’s pretty clear trust’s in short supply in that household. It solidifies all the little clues and wtf moments. And right on cue ep. 5 happens and. Well.

From then on it’s fairly clear Armand is and has been clutching at straws desperately trying to keep the relationship from disintegrating completely. What’s less clear is why Louis oscillates wildly between resentment of a relationship that obviously is not giving him much of what he wants/needs and clutching at it just as desperately as Armand.

And that’s made exceedingly clear in the tower scene. That relationship has not been about Armand, or even Louis, since Claudia’s death. It’s punishment, for all 3 of them.

Louis wasn’t struggling with the end of a 77 years long relationship, he was struggling with the trap he’d built for himself.

The finer details didn’t matter for the divorce: It wasn’t about Armand, it wasn’t about degrees of culpability, it wasn’t about a fresh betrayal or even absolving Lestat - it was about extending a bit of grace to himself. It was Louis seeing an out and jumping on it double quick. So long and thanks for all the fish. Buh-bye I’m outta here.

[anakinlives]

I love that in TCW (currently watching all of it for the first time) there are people who refer to Anakin as Master. Makes me sad as well because we all knew he was going to get the official rank (& bc it has such a nice ring to it but we don’t get it :( ), he just needed to be a bit more patient and prove the council wrong. Not to say they weren’t partially at fault but Anakin threw it all away. Windu who was probably the biggest opposition to him getting the rank in ROTS said ani would gain his trust if palps was indeed the sith. HE REALLY WAS RIGHT THERE. Earlier obi wan saying he’d become a master soon , he was already the youngest ever to be on the council ( even though that was due to palps plans….). painfully literally THEE last time obi speaks to ani before Vader starts overpowering. Watching the Voyage of Temptation (szn 2 ep 13) rn and hearing obiwan say master skywalker got me..

also adding this Reddit comment I saw a bit ago that I think makes sm sense and I hadn’t really thought about it like that. There was a time where I blamed the council mainly (after palps ofc) but I knew Anakin still struggled massively with emotions. In a way I was angry or upset with the council and that clouded my own logic that he wasn’t emotionally ready. Growing up has put much into perspective and in a way to me makes his fall so much sadder. He was a good person and wasted his potential. he didn’t confine in obiwan due to jealously and even with the fear being kicked out I sincerely doubt obi would have turned Anakin in, he’s literally the chosen one and it would not be beneficial for the Jedi to do that. he wasn’t thinking rationally bc his thoughts were clouded. he thought it was too late when it really wasn’t. He was definitely a victim but he also made his own choices and fell to his darkness.

Regardless Ik this all happened the way it did because the after was already written and we wouldn’t have the starwars we have and love today but part of me also would have liked to see what the story would have been had the prequels existed first ( a what if would still be cool but I’d love to see live action ani & obi save the galaxy maybe redo the order and see what Luke and leia do)

id probably have more to add in regards to this all bc ik the council does some shady things and Anakins character is more in dept but I haven’t finished TCW yet so I’ll come back to this when I’m done :p

[chidoroki]

Fairy Tail: 100 Year Quest EP1

aka: *classic fairy tail theme intensifies!!!*

I know it’s nothing compared to the life long fans who have been with this series since the very start, but even after I binged watched it all in 2020, getting to see new episodes feels kinda surreal to me.

I may have watched everything in dub but even the original JP actors seem familiar and nostalgic.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read through this arc so I don’t remember the name of this new girl who we absolutely need to be wary of, but the white curls unmistakably remind me of Bronya.

Ahh ha, quite the entrance from Laxus.

Touka. Yes, that was it.

Aw, Juvia sweetheart, it’s okay! You shall see your man eventually.

Not me getting emotional already as the op starts and the logo drops in.

Tee-hee, wet Jellal.

So we’re obviously gonna finish Mercphobia’s arc but I dunno about the next dragon with the wood one. I’d like to assume we would since we see a bit of Touka and that’s when all that white wizard stuff takes places but who knows. Not even sure how many eps we’re getting.

All that aside, I did enjoy the song itself.

Not even seven full minutes in and Gray already lost his shirt. It’s hilarious as he hasn’t even been on screen for a good thirty seconds yet.

“It’s just a name. We don’t have any fairies in Fairy Tail, do we?” “Right here, in front of you!” Believe whatever you wish Lucy, you’re adorable.

And in true Fairy Tail fashion, we get our little fanservice moment with this old geezer teleporting to Lucy’s.. um, assets, and Natsu following suit.

“Then let us go do a job! The quest is to protect Gray-sama with our lives! The client is Juvia! And Juvia will accept the quest!” I missed her and her silly antics so much.

Touka bringing up all these ladies Gray has some sort of bond with, Cana included, just to get on Juvia’s nerves and Cana fires back with “my only boyfriend is this barrel” instantly. Love her.

Yesss be suspicious about this girl, Gajeel! She listed off way too many names and some real strange ones like Briar for someone just coming to the guild.

I do like how the main idea of this entire quest is like, oh remember Acnologia? Yeah, now go defeat five other dragons just as powerful.

I do not remember the cute walking jellyfish creatures at all but I’m not surprised Natsu somehow managed to eat one despite everyone’s warnings.

They’ve already reached Ermina.. why do I feel like that happened so quick? I really should revisit the manga again.

Detective Gajeel and Lily let’s gooo!

I adore how Juvia doesn’t even question Gajeel and his idea, just seeing the two former Phantom Lord members join forces in some kinda way makes me happy.

Yaayy a little tease of Mercphobia and his voice at the end!

[amplifyme]

Squirm

The X-Files. MSR. Angst. UST. Implied self-harm. Post-Ep: One Son. Teen and up. WC: 3,333. Read on AO3.

Tagging @today-in-fic

He doesn’t wait for an invitation to come in, just pushes through the open door and past her, coming to a stop in the casement opening between the living room and kitchen.

“Mulder, what are you doing? It’s almost midnight.”

She looks small and fragile in her fuzzy white robe, and his mind conjures up the image of her standing slouched and nearly broken with grief in a hospital hallway in Allentown, Pennsylvania, two years past. Ages ago. Countless missteps ago. But he’d held her in his arms back then, held her up, and she’d held him up, too. He doesn’t know if they can ever get back to that. But he wants to try. He can’t stand any more of this icy détente they’ve uncomfortably settled into.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry, but we need to talk.”

Her sigh is long and audible. “Mulder, it’s late and I’m on my way to bed. Can it wait?”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday. You can sleep in.” And he thinks to himself, It needs to happen now, before I lose my courage. Before it gets worse than it already is.

“Okay, fine,” she sighs a second time in defeat, her chin dipping down. “What is it?”

This is his fault; it almost always is. He’s done this to her. Ground her down and made her question everything she thought she knew. Whittled away at her until she exists now as a shadow, an almost unrecognizable sliver of what she was when she first came to him. All because he’s an idiot, because he doesn’t know how to care for delicate things. Because he’s never wanted to, before now.

“I came here to apologize,” he blurts. This is not how he planned it, rehearsing the words on the way over. So many things just leave his mouth without thought of the consequences. “I was wrong.”

“An apology for what?” she asks warily. Her eyes slide across his as she tightens the belt on her robe. It doesn’t escape him that he fucks up often enough that she needs clarification.

“For what I said to you at the Gunmen’s the last time we were there,” he tells her. “Before everything went to shit. What I said about you taking things personally. I shouldn’t have said that. It wasn’t fair.”

“Why?” she immediately challenges, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. “Why wasn’t it fair? I’d like to know.” He won’t get off easily this time, nor should he. She wants it all laid out in front of them, poked at and prodded, questioned and analyzed, until there’s nothing left to hide behind.

“Because I make everything personal, Scully, everything. And it’s wrong of me to be dismissive when you do the same.” He swallows past the lump lodged firmly in his throat. “I think you’re… there’s a very good chance you were right. I’m not sure anymore that Diana can be trusted. Not like I thought she could.”

“Is your change of heart based on the fact that she crawled back into the woodwork as soon as you failed to show up at El Rico? Where has she landed this time, Mulder? Do you even know?”

No, he doesn’t. Diana hasn’t bothered to return any of his calls; all of them made after he went back to the Gunmen’s and did a deep dive into the information they’d compiled on his former friend and lover. And it’s déjà vu all over again: he’s down in the basement where he belongs, and Diana is just gone.

But that’s not Scully’s problem and he won’t let this train change tracks. So he reminds her, “You were right there with me that night. I wasn’t going anywhere without you.” She opens her mouth, but he raises a hand to stop her. He’s not finished yet. “Regardless. I’m sorry I treated you badly and dismissed your concerns. You don’t deserve that.”

“Well,” she says after an interminable time. “That’s a start, anyway.”

He knows he should be grateful and just keep his mouth shut, but since when has common sense ever triumphed over the wisecracking corner of his brain. “You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?”

“Easy, Mulder? Since when is anything ever easy with us?” She clearly has no patience for his misguided attempt at lightening the mood.

“All right. You’re right.” He runs a hand over his face. “Well, then, let’s just get this out in the open, okay? Acknowledge it, discuss it, and move on. What do you say?” He doesn’t have to wait long for a response, although when it comes it isn’t at all what he’s expecting.

“Have you been fucking her?” Her features are as sharp as her words, and he can’t escape the accusation of betrayal in her eyes.

“No!” He’s genuinely shocked that she would even think that. “God, no, Scully! I didn’t… I wouldn’t do that to you.“ He lifts his hands, pleading. “It’s not her I want.” He takes a step toward her, and her spine pulls straight as he hesitantly palms her shoulder and murmurs, “It’s not her I love.”

There. He’s said it. This second time feels less risky than his first, even coming as it does without benefit of opioids. That’s a good sign, right? That’s progress.

They lock eyes for long moments, playing chicken, neither daring to break the silence after his bold declaration. Finally, Scully wheels away and heads into the kitchen, yanking the tea kettle off the stove and filling it from the tap. She methodically goes about fetching mugs and a box of teabags from the cabinet. Mulder takes a few steps into the room, stopping at the table and laying one hand flat against the wood. He studies her from a safe distance and looks up quickly when she turns back to him.

“This is not about love, Mulder,” she announces. “This is about trust and where you choose to place it. It’s about respect.”

“You’re right, it is. And I’m sorry I fell short of that for you.” In for a penny, in for a pound, he thinks. “But this is also about whatever this… thing is… between us. I don’t know what you want from me anymore, Scully, or what you expect. Because you won’t tell me. You have to know whatever it is, it’s yours. It’s always been yours. But I don’t know what I’m supposed to do to fix it.”

“What do you want to do?” Her movements are jerky as she turns away to add a teabag to each mug.

Despite the emotional ground they’re uneasily treading, and his hyperaware sense of the danger inherent in pushing things with her right now, muscle memory refined over six years causes him to pull out a chair and take a seat. If Scully is making tea for them, then this is where he’s supposed to land: at her table and across from her usual spot. He scrubs his forehead and his tried-and-true method of deflection kicks in again just as the kettle begins to whistle and she yanks it from the stovetop.

“You want the Disney version or the two consenting adults version?”

“This is not a joke, Mulder.”

“No, it most certainly is not. So, answer me this one question, Scully. Do you love me?”

She swings around to face him, steaming mugs in hand, and he briefly wonders if she might launch them at him. “Why are you asking me that?”

“Because I want to know. It’s a simple question.”

She doesn’t answer him right away. Instead, she takes the time to set a mug in front of him first, and warily sits down across from him. “It isn’t simple, though, is it?” she finally says. “And it isn’t a question I should have to answer.”

“Why? You think it’s inappropriate of me to ask?”

“No, I think it’s unnecessary. You already know. You’ve known for a very long time; even before I did. But that knowledge didn’t stop you from… Well, you know what it didn’t stop you from doing.”

“No, I really don’t.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you come here to apologize for your behavior?” Off his nod she says, “Then you already know, don’t you?”

But that’s not what he’s asking. And he knows that she knows it and is doing some deflection of her own. Jesus Christ, how did they manage to get this fucked up?  “Are you gonna answer my question or not, Scully?”

“Why is it so important that I- “

“Because it fucking is!” He shoves away from the table and takes to his feet. The only part of Scully that moves are her eyes, tracking him on his way up and holding him there. “Because it would be nice to actually hear it, you know?” He can’t handle the way she’s looking at him, with her eyes all big and dark and bottomless, sucking him down into her depths. He could easily drown there. He turns away and raggedly confesses, “I can’t remember the last time anyone told me they loved me. You have your mom and your brothers and I’m sure you hear it all the time. But I don’t. And you won’t say it.”

He swings around to plead with her as the lead ball in his gut expands and makes it hard to breathe. He’s panting now and can’t seem to stop. His right hand lifts and presses against his chest, over his heart. He’s certain he’s just going to die. Crumple right here on Scully’s immaculately clean kitchen floor. “Sometimes I think I’ve lost my mind and I’m deep in a psychotic break and imagining things that aren’t there. If feels like the walls are closing in on me and there’s no escape. Sometimes I don’t know what’s real or what I should believe. I don’t know what to do.”

“You can start by sitting down.”

“What?” he gasps as she gets up and heads back to the cabinets. This time she pulls out two squat glasses.

“Sit down, Mulder, before you completely fall apart.” So, he does. Because she’s told him to and because she’s right. Usually with this amount of adrenaline pumping through him, he can find some slightly insane way to disperse a little of it. Like jumping off a bridge onto a moving train, for example. Or breaking into a top-secret air base. Or kicking down a door. Or any number of other incredibly stupid things. But he can’t do any of that right now. And he wouldn’t do that to Scully anyway.

“Now breathe,” she says very calmly. “Deep breaths.” Before he realizes what’s happening, she’s back sitting across from him, pouring out two hefty shots of whisky and pushing one of them his way.

“Drink.”

“Scully, I don’t -”

“Shut up and drink it, Mulder.” Her tone leaves no room for argument.

“Okay,” he mouths. He screws his eyes shut, tips his head back, and throws it all down his gullet. It burns, god but it burns, all the way across the back of his tongue and down his throat and settles into a glowing ember deep in his belly. He chokes out a cough and forces his eyes open, blinking against the stinging tears gathering there.

“Jesus, Scully, are you trying to kill me?” He looks over just as she takes a delicate sip of her own drink.

“There are three fully loaded weapons in this apartment. If I intended to kill you, I wouldn’t waste this fine Irish whisky on you beforehand.” She reaches and pats his forearm, like she’s soothing a grumpy toddler, and announces, “We have to stop doing this to each other, Mulder.”

He folds both arms on the table and hangs his head, studies his trembling hands, and gives voice to an earlier thought as he wearily shakes his head. “We’re so fucked up.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“No,” he retorts, lifting his eyes and looking over at her. He’s pointing an accusing finger at her that he doesn’t recall cocking. “No, don’t talk like I’m the only one who’s fucked up here.” He is suddenly aware that his tongue is fuzzy and feels larger in his mouth than it should. He always has been a cheap drunk. “You’re just as fucked up as me, Scully.”

He reaches for the bottle and splashes another, narrower shot into his glass. He downs this one without preparation or build up and looks over to find her watching him. Her features mimic the look he usually sees when she’s trying to process one of his more outlandish theories. The one that’s accompanied by a tight little smirk. He wants to kiss that smirk right off her face. More than anything.

“I don’t want to have any more regrets, Scully. I don’t want to lose the chance to love you the way I want to, the way you deserve. Just tell me what I have to do.” He punctuates his request with a third shot. This one doesn’t creep up on him like the first two have. It’s more like one second he’s pretty much okay, but the next he most definitely is not. He hasn’t been this buzzed, this quickly, in a long time. Scully pulls the bottle over to her side of the table and caps it. Probably for the best, he blearily decides.

“When’s the last time you slept, Mulder?”

There she goes again, throwing nonsensical questions at him from right field. He played right field in high school. It takes a good arm. “I dunno. When did we get back from Florida; two days ago? I slept that night,” he answers, and his mouth doesn’t move quite enough to enunciate properly. He blames it on his fat tongue and the whisky. Did she intend to get him drunk? He wouldn’t put it past her. So he asks.

“You tryin’ to get me drunk, Scully? You don’t have to do that if you want to take advantage of me. Despite your protests, I’m actually pretty easy.”

“In that respect, I have no doubt,” she responds smartly. “But I have no intention of taking advantage of you tonight.”

“Ah, come on. You can admit it to me. I won’t tell anybody.”

“My only intent is to put you to bed so we can both get some badly needed sleep.” He can imagine the look he’s presenting her. He felt his eyes widen and his jaw drop open. “Not with you in my bed, Mulder. I’m assuming you drove over?”

“Yeah,” he sheepishly admits.

“Then you have no business driving. The couch is yours tonight. There’s a new toothbrush in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. Feel free to use it. I’ll make up the couch for you.”

That’s it, then? They’re not going to hash this out tonight, once and for all?

“But, Scully,” he begins as she leaves the table and heads for the linen closet in the hallway.

She stops and swings back around to him. Her little fists rest at her hips, knuckles digging into the curvy flesh there. “Yes, Mulder, I do love you. There, now I’ve said it. It might be nice to hear, but it doesn’t solve our problems, does it?”

“Do you mean it?”

“Oh, Mulder, of course I do. I’ll meet you in the living room in five, okay?” And then she disappears around the bend.

He ponders his choices for a few seconds, the best he can, and decides to follow Scully’s lead. After all, he can be a good boy, and easily obedient when he wants to be. So he does as he’s been told for the first time since the last time she ordered him around. He sways in his chair a little and then folds in half and carefully unties his sneakers and toes them off. He heads for the short hallway in the opposite direction of the way she went, and they pass like two ships in the night, Scully’s arms full of bedclothes and a pillow.

He makes it back to the living room in under five, breath minty fresh, face scrubbed clean, bladder emptied. He considered shedding his jeans and tee in the can but decided against it. Bad enough he’s shouldered her with taking care of his drunk and maudlin, half-crazed and anxious self tonight. She shouldn’t have to put up with him in nothing but his boxers and socks on top of that. Somehow his belt has ended up slung around his neck, though, and he fakes hanging himself when Scully glances up at him from bed-making duty, gathering both ends of the leather in a fist and cocking his head to the side, tongue lolling out. He adds sound effects, too, so she’ll get the whole picture.

“Don’t give me any ideas, Mulder.” She punches the pillow for emphasis. He inspects her work and nods approvingly. She’s created a fine little nest for him. There’s even a tall glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol waiting for him on the coffee table.

She straightens and turns to face him and he’s feeling suddenly shy and a little bit ashamed. This late-night visit hasn’t gone down anything like the way he thought it would. He buys himself a few seconds, dropping his gaze and absently scratching his belly. He sneaks a peek at her from the tops of his eyes. “Would it do any good to apologize?”

“You’ve done it once already. That’s enough for tonight,” she proclaims.

“Because I really am sorry, Scully. For makin’ you doubt how important you are to me.”

“I don't doubt that. I just wish your methods of expressing it were a little less…” She circles an open hand in the air, searching for the right words, he guesses.

“Messy?” he offers. “Thoughtless. Boneheaded. Selfish. Stupid,” he finishes. “Take your pick.”

“All of the above,” she decides. But the corners of her mouth have lifted just the tiniest bit and he’s momentarily overwhelmed by the depth of her generosity when it comes to him and his foolish ways. “C’mere, Mulder, I’ll tuck you in.”

He carefully weaves his way around the coffee table and his belt hits the floor. He sits down and she squats and pulls off his socks and tosses them over her shoulder. Another few positional adjustments later and he’s under the blanket, his heavy, fuzzy head sinking into the feather pillow beneath him. She perches on the edge of the couch and smooths the soft blanket over his chest.

“Do you think you’ll need to vomit? I can grab a trash can for you, so you don’t have to worry about making it to the bathroom in time.”

He smiles up at her and thinks about how nice it would be to close his eyes while she continues to gently pet him. And then he does close them. “M’fine, Scully. I can hol’ my liquor.” Her snort of laughter shocks his eyes back open, and he has to blink a few times before her face comes into focus.

“Yeah, I can see that.”

Something she’d said to him earlier resurfaces in his head and he echoes the words back at her as his eyes slip shut again. “We gotta stop doin’ this to each other.”

“We’ll figure it out,” she says. “But not tonight. Go to sleep, Mulder.” And then she’s gone from his side. And as he begins to sink into what will be a rare dreamless sleep, he can hear her putting mugs and glasses in the kitchen sink and turning out lights, putting her home to bed, just like she has with him. And he thinks that he loves her so much that he’ll never find the perfect way to show her. He thinks that this unique alchemy, composed of the exquisite pleasures and deepest pain that loving her brings him, makes him feel the most alive that he has ever been.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

So in the midst of working on my passion project, that elusive One Breath fic, the muse approached me bearing a silver platter on which a tiny seed lay. “Here,” she whispered in my ear. “Let’s take a minute and plant this one, see what grows.”

I have no shame. I am her bitch, now and forever, world without end. I will always do her bidding.

Till next time…

[icebluecyanide]

Alex Rider S03E05 Reaction

Once again posting my unspoilered reactions to the episode as I continue to go 😻 at Yassen being Alex's tutor.

Liveblog

They’re going to agree?? I guess in this case they don’t have to rely on the Americans to agree

“We do not negotiate with terrorists” ashdfhsldh Scorpia is very funny for that but also what is their plan?? I can only assume that they do actually want to cripple the UK or just get at the Department because I don’t believe Scorpia gives a damn about the debt

“He’s out there being a teenager because of us” lmao yes Alex doing normal teen stuff joining a criminal organisation to take down the government Department that blackmailed him

They just figure out it’s inhalation?? Well that’s easy lol

Why is Alex the one bringing him in ahsldfhs. What is the point of involving Alex in the meet and greet lmao

Max Grendel calling Julia Rothman out on it being personal 👀👀 I mean, yeah, definitely, but also what’s with his changing motives lol

They just find the tubes?? Lol I guess they will not need Alex for any of it

I wonder if Syl will be the one sent to kill Alex at the end, if the shooting happens like in the book

How did they send the package??

Love Yassen implicitly calling Alex’s handwriting illegible lol

Why does Alex think they will tell him what he’s stealing ahsflhd get with the program Alex, this is not a safe space for questions

“I don’t want you to fail. I don’t want you to die” 😭🥺 Also I assume Yassen is gonna kill Grendel lol

“You wouldn’t have a clue” gosh the horror with Alex not knowing he could die at any moment

Lmao that smoke was some bad CGI, but I do love Yassen and Alex working together

Yassen being there to kill was very unsurprising but still a nice plot twist, he’s so polite offering to let Grendel finish his drink 🥰 Alex is so shocked lol

I was cruelly torn away from the ep right as Alex told Tom to leave and Yassen walked out, this tension is unbearable 😭

And then nothing happens lol I need an AU where Yassen catches them

Alex yelling at Mrs Rothman about getting him involved in murder… Alex bb I love you but you joined the murder organisation, you cannot be surprised when they commit murder in front of you like they did several times before

Though in fairness to Alex it’s probably more that he feels culpable and that he thought Max was on their side that bothers him

Ohh so we are blaming Mrs Jones!! Excited to get the assassination attempt, but really no idea how Scorpia thinks Alex is going to take the shot in this universe

Overall

Lots of Yassen and Alex scenes which was great! Loved the mission and Yassen shooting Grendel as he did. I’m a bit sad that Alex is no longer the key to dismantling Invisible Sword like in the book because they seem to have been able to work out the weapon pretty easily. Very excited to see the assassination attempt and more Yassen and Alex.

Thoughts/predictions

Noticed the students all sleeping together in bunk beds, and gosh it’s such a difference from the luxury in the book, where Scorpia is all money and the good life and even the killing is there, but it’s talked about like it’s very understandable that Alex is having trouble, he’s young, he just needs to see that it’s not so scary. While here they are a lot harsher on him, and I do miss the contrast with Alex’s experiences with the Department. Although I suppose Yassen is providing the ‘nice’ side of Scorpia here, along with Julia Rothman’s manipulation.

So we get confirmation that Julia is doing this for revenge against the UK and the Department, like Mrs Jones brings up, they don’t care about the aid. And like no offence but why did it take them that long to work that out ahsdlfhs. We also get told as a viewer that Alex already has the particles inside him (and no mention of it passing out of his system here), but Alex himself doesn’t know yet, which is a shame because I loved that in the book Alex is the only one who knows and he doesn’t tell them.

Gosh Alex telling Tom that he messed up was good, and I love his desperation in telling them to get out. I’d love an AU where Yassen does catch them and things go horribly wrong and tense.

I’m guessing Alex can get home pretty easily in this and that’s when we get the scene at the grave that was in the trailer and him telling Jack he knows who killed his father.

Questions

Once again, what does Yassen know?? He wants Alex to live so he’s clearly not on board with Mrs Rothman’s scheme, or at least it seems highly unlikely. But why assign him to Alex when Alex seems to be someone he cares about if they plan to kill him?

What’s the transmitter going to look like? Will there be a Church of Forgotten Saints? Given that we got Mrs Rothman walking around that miniature of a church in the first episode, I’m assuming there might be something like in canon, but perhaps not with the air balloon.

Is Kyra going to think that Alex was more involved with the murder than he was? She definitely saw they went in there to kill someone, so that could lead to interesting angst.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - 2023 Begins!

Jan 20232 Wk 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) 4 of 12 - I keep saying this, but I can’t get over how delighted I am to have Perth back on my screen, and under the GMMTV umbrella. He is a stellar actor. I like that the first kiss of this show wasn’t btw the leads. Felt more realistic to high school. Big drama next week!

My School President (Fri YT) 5 of 10 - I missed these two so much last week. But also there was A MUSICAL INCIDENT and it caused a bit of a rant from yours truly. 

Between Us (Sun iQIYI) 9 of 12 - no ep this week, resumes tomorrow WATCH ALONG HERE.

609 Bedtime Story (Fri WeTV) 7 of 11 - Game remains my spirit animal (pushy fucker), and the plot of the main couple is interesting even if I don’t like the cheating component. 

Cutie Pie 2 You (special) 1 of 4 - Oh it’s a full on special. Very very pretty and, is possible, more sappy and full of manufactured angst. Nuea protecting Hia’s interests was sweet. Lots of making out. So... more of the same, basically. What year are we in now, anyway?

I Will Knock You (Fri Gaga) 8 of 12 - (note from my Thai language spy rgr ep 5: the writing on the stone tablets was their names + 2 family members) And now we are suddenly firmly in BL territory and baby Dom is just a baby Seme. No bisexual identity crisis needed... just diving into cheese fest. 

Remember Me (Sun Gaga) 13 of 14 - I would have kept JaFirst apart for longer, quite frankly. I mean otherwise why bother split them up in the first place? Please just end this show already. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

The New Employee (Korea Weds Viki) 3 of 8 - I love them so much, and they are so cute, and this is not open to discussion. Viva la age gap! 

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner (Korea Weds iQIYI) 7-8 of 10 - There is a lot implied about the leads history together, but it was still nice to get backstory plus GAT KISSES. I love it when they flip the dynamic and give the uke agency. I’m really enjoying this show now, I’m even invested in the love triangle.

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Weds Viki) 2 of 10 - Side couple ascension: Daddy Long Legs trope, it’s been a while since I have seen this in ANY romance drama. I’m not really into the main couple, at least not yet (and I totally missed that they hadn’t met each other in person yet), but I really love the side dishes. It’s like H4 all over again only with less dub con.

Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox (Japan Fri Gaga) 4 of 8 - nothing this week. 

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

Love Bill (Vietnam Sat YT) - Bah Vinh is back but I’m too distracted. Also there’s a lot of fund raising stuff going on with them. I can wait.

The Star Always Follow You (Vietnam YT) - same Team RL peeps we have seen before (Sunshine, Stupid)

Moonlight Chicken GMMTV’s Midnight series (Weds YT) 1 of 8 eventually - first segment has begun bit it’s not the EarthMix messy gays. Sorry all, I’m so not interested in messy hets, so I’m waiting until they grace my screen.

Questions!!! 

Should I watch The Warp Effect? Tublr seems excited about it and BL bits look good? Will they end happy? Thoughts anyone? 

Till the World Ends (Thai YT) finished at 10 eps, the heat looked good but I don’t know about the ending with that kind of title, so did anyone risk it and want to tell me what they thought? I haven’t seen much chatter on my feed so I am not optimistic. 

In Case You Missed It

2022′s The Usual Night (Twitter account) from Japan is a 10-ep fake documentary series starring the members of Jpop group the Fantastics. It flew under everyone’s radars but apparently has a BL subplot featuring Yagi Yusei (My Beautiful Man) and Seguchi Leiya. This officially means they beat OnlyOneOf to the punch as the first inter-group BL pairing. Keito Kimura (Onoe from Candy Color Paradox) is also a member of Fantastics and in the show. Source reddit. No word on official international release. Japan is like that. 

OnlyOneOf’s Nine dropped the last (?) in their BL Kpop series, 'beyOnd' (be #6) 

I posted all my 2022 wraps, top picks, industry stats, etc.. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Jan 19: Individual Circumstances 8 eps - A reunion romance between a movie director who was once promising and a writer who disappeared due to past wounds. Stars JunQ (main rapper of 2nd gen group MYNAME) and Han Jung Wan (Mr International Korea winner).

2023 forthcoming BL master post is in the works... wait for it... I had to finish all the 2022 wrap ups first. Also waiting for the last of the studio announcements.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Never Let Me Go

Ah the love triangle. 

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner caught himself a live one. 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? You gotta check out VIXX (sub unit) new single. Gonna Be Alright = 2 BL stars in one croon. (Hyuk Color Rush 2 & Leo Happy ending Romance). *props chin on hand and bats eyes winsomely at Ken* So?

[the-darklings]

Saw somewhere on your blog that you watch house of the dragon (or were thinking about it? I can't remember 😂) and was wondering if you'd ever thought about writing for it? No demands from me obviously, just a curiosity because you write morally grey, nuanced characters with such skill and passion it makes me like them even more. I never really thought much of corinthian before tibyim!! You made me fall in love with him. Would love to see your take on the Targaryens because all of them are awful lol

Hope you are doing well and staying hydrated and rested! I will wait until the end of time if I have to for the finale, I'm so excited!! 💜💜

I haven’t watched it yet, but have been sort of pseudo watching it though my dash since I’m familiar with the story already. I wasn’t sold on starting it for multiple reasons, and the last two eps have left me a bit hmmm, but I might watch it closer to S2 premier. Fun fact: Aegon I, Visenya, Rhaenys, Daemon & Brynden Rivers aka baddest bitch of them all the Bloodraven are my favourite Targaryens, and have been even before the show came out. Suffice to say I love this messy family and their endless dramas. So yes, I thought about writing them (Daemon and Aemond in particular) because the Dance is one of my favourite stories in this universe. Oh, the hubris of it all. Delicious. They’re all horrible and in terms of the Dance itself, I see a lot of fans being up in arms like You have to be Team Black or Green!!! and subsequent hate and superiority about certain characters which is honestly just tiring to see because they’re all war criminals. People need to stop putting characters on pedestals because why not both? They’re all awful. You don’t win morality points with anyone, and if that’s your view, then you’re missing the point of the entire conflict.

Will I write for them? Likely. Because I did have several ideas about this story. For one, you’ve seen me write good aligned readers, but OGs who’ve been around will know I love writing RIs and OCs that are straight up dark if not evil. So if I ever touched HoTD it would likely be someone very different to, say, Wanderer in tibyim. But not until S2 (and that’s assuming I have the time then) because I currently have 4 major projects on hand: work (itbmw), original novel (ase, and my NaNo project that will eat all of November), coa (currently on hold until either ase is done or jw4 comes out), and tibyim (which will be finished this week).

[mrburnsnuclearpussy]

Long post ahead sorry!

I’m rewatching season 3, nearly finished (on the cricket ep), and omg Carson’s part in the whole Barrow situation is literally an entirely different story from the one ppl online would have you believe 🙄 like I already knew some ppl were biased against Carson but damn, based on the way ppl talk about it I had a totally incorrect memory of what happened. I thought it was so much worse that it even was. Carson had his conservative homophobic Victorian beliefs (just like all his beliefs tbh, although not the point I know), but it never made him unkind in his actions towards Thomas apart from his harsh speech about it and that’s LITERALLY it. Because when it came to it, he did what he could to protect Thomas. He pitied Thomas rather than blamed him, even defended Thomas to Jimmy, was so disgusted by Jimmy’s threat to tell the police and did the only thing he could do in that situation to prevent Thomas from going to JAIL, which was largely for Thomas’s sake and not just the families’, (like even if it wouldn’t reflect on the family either way, it’s still clear that Carson would never want Thomas to go to prison and done what he could to prevent it, he was treating him fairly (Thomas was leaving anyway and his plan was good) with a good reference until Jimmy threatened to turn Thomas in)

And let me make this crystal clear that I’m not saying Carson is great about it either! Just that he’s no where NEAR the awful bully that this fandom would have you believe.

And yet ppl write fanfiction and posts where Carson is this big antagonist in Thomas’s life (not, yknow, the actual antagonist: O’Brien) and that he ‘has it out’ for Thomas (he literally doesn’t, like show me where? At the very WORST moments, he simply is done with Thomas and wants him out his hair, which is, hello, exactly what almost every other character who knew Thomas has also been like at at least some point! But I don’t see ppl anyone else in this way. It’s only Carson, for SOME reason?!)

There’s a complete misunderstanding of Carson’s character in these interpretations, Carson never ‘has it out’ for anyone, it’s just not his personality, totally OOC. He is such a straightforward character: he is entirely dedicated to the Crawley family, their well-being and their house, and almost all his motivation for anything he does is out of a sense of duty or principle. That’s it, that’s like the whole character, it’s a pretty simple character, and yet ppl manage to misinterpret that so badly they’ll have him specifically out to hurt Thomas because they need someone to serve that role in the Thomas content (and I’m not complaining about that sort of content at all like same I do that too! I just wish it wasn’t Carson specifically that always gets made into the antagonist role for Thomas, it just seems so unfair to me, and upsets me because Carson is my fave if you hadn’t guessed yet lol)

Anyway rant over! Sorry for the rambling I just need to scream abt this

[kellanswritingblog]

My very first Malevolent fic!  Spoilers for ep 26 and warnings for suicidal ideation and thoughts

Arthur winced in pain as John wrapped a bandage around the still bleeding gash that ran along his right forearm.  They were lucky – it could have been much, much worse, but that didn’t stop it from hurting or from John letting his thoughts be heard.

“This was reckless, Arthur. You need to pay more attention.”

“It was a mistake.”

“A mistake that nearly cost you the only arm you have left!”  John cried.  He pulled the bandage a little too tight with his outburst and took the time to readjust it before continuing.  “I don’t want you getting hurt like this.”

“I know, I know.  Can’t have your host dying on you.”

“You think that’s what this is about?”

“Isn’t it?”

“Obviously our lives are intrinsically bound together for the time being.  But that is not what this is about.  I need you, Arthur, and not because my existence depends on your continued survival.  Even if it didn’t… I still need you.”  John ran a finger along the edge of the bandage, gently brushing against Arthur’s skin as he did so.  “And watching you make these choices, carelessly and thoughtlessly barging into danger… I can’t help but wonder if you’re…”

“If I’m what?”

“Never mind.”

“Say it,” Arthur spat.

“If you’re feeling the same way you did at the Larson Estate.  If you’re trying to die.”

“I’m not,” he stated firmly. “This was a mistake, an accident – that’s all it was, I promise.  I can’t make you believe me, but I”-

“I do believe you,” John confessed.  He could hear the sincerity in Arthur’s tone.  “I’m sorry, that was unfair of me.”

“No, it’s not unfair, not really.  I would be lying if I said I didn’t have moments when I still felt that I would be better off dead, as if that would be some small justice.”

“Arthur…”

“I’m not going to try and get myself killed, don’t worry,” Arthur said.  “I wouldn’t force that on you; it would be wrong of me to take your life because I feel that mine should end.  And you were right, before, when you said that Faroe wouldn’t want me to give up.”

“You should want to live for yourself, though.”

“Yeah, probably.  But I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Maybe not yet.”  John finished bandaging Arthur’s arm and now rested his hand atop Arthur’s.  “When you have those moments, those thoughts… please tell me.  I want to help.  You shouldn’t suffer that alone.”

Arthur let out a heavy breath.  “I’ll try.”

“That’s all I can ask.  And I’m sorry for being so hard on you earlier,” John confessed after a pause.  “If you were actively trying to get yourself killed, screaming at you likely wouldn’t help matters.”

With a chuckle, Arthur teased, “To be fair, your screaming has kept me going in quite a few scenarios.  But, you’re right, maybe not so helpful in this one.”

“I shouldn’t have assumed.  You’re doing good, Arthur.  We’re alive because of you.”

“I think it’s a joint effort.”

“So let me help you survive.  And choose to live.”

“You do.”  Arthur flipped his hand around just enough to give John’s a reassuring squeeze while also not overly aggravating the recently bandaged wound. “You already help.  I… thank you, John.”

Assuming that Arthur had steered subjects back toward his injury, John said, “We’ll need to change the bandages in a day, if whatever we find next doesn’t disrupt that timeline.”

“That’s not what I meant.  I mean, yes, thank you for patching me up, but I meant to thank you for everything else.”

“Oh.  You’re welcome, Arthur.  I know that I haven’t always been worthy of your trust, but I won’t betray it again.”

“I know.”

The pair continued to sit like that, hands clasped as one.  Whatever darkness came their way, either through the mistakes of their pasts or the terrors of their future, they would share this moment of light and step forward together.

[jeanmoreaux]

MICHELLE PLEASE LMK UR THOTS ON THE SHOW WHEN U FINISH (IM ON EP 7 ATM)

LYS I PROMISE I'LL ANNOY YOU IN THE DMS GDHSDSDJKJKSD i finished episode 3 earlier today and my ambivalent feelings are still very much a thing. here are some of my thought i had while watching the first three episodes to give you a taste of some (hastily scribbled down) thoughts i had so far.

MALINA KISS ����🥹😭

i'd die for inej 🥰 she can do no wrong in my eyes

the editing of the fight scenes is.......weird??? i hate the slow mo stuff. like pls just don't.

the editing between scenes is a little disjointed but PARTICULARLY the editing when returning from one storyline to an ongoing one is often a little jarring. the feeling of the continuity is a little wonky imo.

having people go "CRIMINALS!" not once but TWICE when dealing with kaz and jesper 🥴 very much made me cringe in context. who thought that was good dialogue??? why have these people say that as if they have no idea who they're dealing with????? it's just bad, i'm so sorry.

the dialogue in general is a little stiff and inorganic at times.... the chemistry between characters truly is doing some heavy lifting, saving some scenes. the cast is doing A LOT (all of them, especially the crows—though i have to admit the scenes with the darkling and crew are a little 'meh' at times).

talking about cast, freddy is very enjoyable to watch. i am also beyond ready for kaz to enter his deranged bastard era 🫶 patrick's nikolai is really working for me too so far. i think he strikes the right balance. archie's performances have been great as well! that scene between alina and mal after nikolai proposes marriage in ep3???? SO GOOD OMGGGG <33333

not sure how i feel about a lot of soc plot points playing out already. i honestly don't want stuff from that storyline happening NOW. i thought this season was gonna be more buildup, but like even in these first couple of episodes they already went strong with the wesper & kanej stuff for example so idk i can see them going there this season already (not with kanej, but maybe with wesper) even though internally i beg them to NOT. it would be enough to create some tension imo. having these characters prematurely stuck in these soc/ck dynamics will inevitable change the ice court storyline and everything beyond that.

the scene with the crows on the roof watching the crow club go up in flames???? love it. peak cinema.

also i really can't tell what route they'll go with wylan (ultimately). but if they’re gonna go the uwu innocent little baby boy with no badassery behind it i’m gonna throw fists. he has a moral compass he mostly adheres to and is generally a kind guy, sure, but he's also a little cunning shit at times and i hope they'll lean in to that over time.

always love seeing the darkling doing horribly. love that we get to see him being his fucked up guy. i hope people can stop romanticising him now that they saw him cut off his mother's finger. if not i hope they'll get well soon <3

there is something bugging me about the pacing but i can't yet put my finger on what exactly isn't working for me. maybe because after 3 episodes it still feels like we're in the "set up" stage of the story. REALLY hoping ep4 will pick up a little.

[three--rings]

Interview with the Vampire Thoughts 1x01

Non-spoilery TL;DR:

It’s an interesting and mostly well-handled adaptation, that will probably appeal to people in the demographic I was in when I originally loved these books.  But despite its appeal I find it lacking something in the emotional dimension.

Sam Reid’s French is decent, at least.  But in referring to the musicians he said “we are always forgotten” rather than, as the subs said “they are always forgotten” and...it’s been a long time since I read the books but was he a musician along with Nicolas?  I can’t quite remember but if so that is a very interesting nod to his past. 

Okay, I’ve finished the ep now.  And gosh, I really don’t know what to say?

It’s a very interesting work of adaptation, and it really makes me want a close breakdown of show-to-book comparison.  It’s been, yunno, 25+ years since I last read IWTV so I really can’t do such a thing with any accuracy. 

But there is SO MUCH changed, from the time period and context of Louis and his family to the modernization of the framing device, etc.  And yet it does have a very accurate feel to it. 

I honestly really like the framing portions.  I would have never called that they would keep the original interview part in the 1970s and then have Daniel 40+ years later meeting with Louis again. 

It’s especially interesting to see Louis in an ultra-modern context cause my brain insists that if the original interview as in the 1970s then all the following novels happened already and Louis is in a later-series context, which is a bizarre ass thought considering like...how WHACK the series gets.  (TBF I don’t have full knowledge of this cause I quit reading after Memnoch because that was my bridge too fucking far.  I don’t even know how she retconned that one later, I just know she did.  In other words later Vampire Chronicles is like fucking comic book levels of wtf.)

Pause here because I went on a shallow dive into later canon and like...WOW.  Once again very glad I quit a fandom when I did.  Seriously y’all, I have really great taste in quitting things.  Every time I find out what happens in later days in a book series or show I’m like, wow good call past me.

ANYWAY.

Louis is rich and has an unnamed (hot) assistant and like I want to know ALL about this, please.  (So long as no ghosts or witches or bird aliens are involved)

(Seriously what IS this show going to do about later canon...I think even stuff from QOTD is fucking too far out there for reasonable people.)

ANYWAY AGAIN

Uh, The changes to Louis are interesting.  I certainly enjoy the change to his race and the way that sorta plays out with his family.  I’m not entirely sure how I feel about him being a slumlord and pimp now? Like that really introduces a level of moral flexibility to his character that might somewhat undermine his whole moral journey?  but IDK. 

The time period change is sorta whatever for me, I’m not sure why its necessary other than that they wanted slavery to be over, but honestly you could have had Louis be a free man of color in New Orleans in the 1810s or 20s with just as much ease.  But you might have had to explain that to Americans with a very simplistic view of history I guess so whatever.

(Lestat’s backstory as a member of the french nobility is a little more difficult though, if the revolution was an entire century before.)

I do very much enjoy the handling of Louis’ orientation and the seduction by Lestat.  It’s fun and believable to the extent it wants to be.

I think I like Jacob Anderson as Louis better than Sam Reid as Lestat.  Like, IDK, I can’t pinpoint what it is I don’t connect with in Lestat yet but it’s something. 

Some scenes definitely take a step (or several) over the line of supernatural fun into full-on camp.  The floating, for example, was unnecessary.  Some of the violence...

IDK I think that ultimately they DO capture the overwrought melodrama of the book(s) fairly well.  But it’s that exact quality that takes this out of the realm of a sincere delight for me, personally.  Like, I am unable to take this show actually seriously on an emotional level, and I’m not sure if that’s the nature of the show itself, because it’s winking at the audience.  Or if it’s because I’m 43 and not 13, or because I was such a big fan of the books at one point...

Like this is fine.  It’s fun and has some vibes and style in places, but I don’t see this becoming something I care deeply about, yunno? 

On the other hand I will be reblogging homoerotic gifsets of my blorbos from when I was 12.  and I’ll keep watching it as a light, guilty-pleasure sort of watch. 

[takumiharihoto]

Bed Friend EP 3 Unloading (UNCUT VERSION) *contains spoilers

The way i have to switch locations for watching this bc 

-i dont want anyone walking behind me bc everyone in this house is hella nosey

-even the ghost might get shooktd 

Kicking off with nc scene for the first 10mins of the episode. this is the superior formula lol

They are setting their rules. We’re off to a good start. Uea is so sure on this fwb thing. 

“I don’t like you. You don’t like me.” -THAT’s WHAT HE SAID 🤫

GOODNESS GRACIOUS HE LICKED THE TIDDIE

NC scene… followed by another nc scene. YES GIVE ME THAT ENTIRE MONTAGE OF NC SCENES AND CALL IT A DAY.

King smoking after that good ass sex… pardon my language but im wet. Personal preference but i find smoking attractive. 

I like that they are actually communicating more in the office now that they’ve established their setup. They talk more casually now and Uea doesn’t ignore King that much. 

Third scene where they’re at each others’ flat. At this point i’m curious how many times they did it already. They’re acting like they’ve been doing it for months now. 

Oof that tw: flashback is rlly disturbing irl, it was probably better handled that how Mame would do it.

ALSO, P’Thanamin is coming for Mame’s neck and career!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jade be like: I EXIST!!!! 

Uea’s got King wrapped around his finger

Is Gun possibly bi? He mentioned a female coworker and then Uea. 

King… the reformed bad boy type? The most attractive trope ever. 

Gun attempting to flirt with Uea on purpose? Lmao King is jealous oooohhhh 

This damn xerox room again 🤣🤣 yall both might as well bang on top of the photocopier if ya know what i mean

Lmao poor Gun is getting the cold treatment from King 🤣

This cute friendship with Uea and Jade though, Uea will not take any shit especially at work. 

King’s wardrobe… sponsored by Uniqlo?

Another nc scene… ooohhh did they switch?? Every nc scene gets even steamier and hotter. Like if i were to choose which is the best nc scene from this ep… damn it’s so hard. 

That part where P’Pock is doing that shit with Uea in the parking and it’s a whole ass scene. Having second hand embarassment overall and it was Jade to the rescue but maaaan P’Pock is hella buff and the security guards Jade called 🥴😭😭 just the second hand embarassment overall 🤣🤣

King’s thirst trap is so 🫣🫣🫣

Maam that video call is so wholesome and that scene where King is actually beside Uea is probably just reimagined but PLS BE REAL. It’s so cute and fluffy. 

King and whatever binary code is on his screen… so he happens to be the hot IT guy. SIGN ME UP. 

P’POCK NEEDS TO GO TO JAIL

we are getting a beach trip and a tw: trauma dive for next ep so pick a struggle. At least it’s in the preview already and we better prepare ourselves mentally. 

Yep. It took me TWO ass hours to finish the uncut version of episode 3. Getting more intense yet everything is getting better. I AM SO SEATED. 

[amaranthhiding]

Samwena Fanfic Preview

I’m still shocked that AO3 only has 501 Sam/Rowena fics at the time I’m writing this... and that’s including those that only have background Samwena. So I’m sharing a sneak peek of the first ~2000 words of my Sam/Rowena story with other Samwena enthusiasts. Maybe the preview can bring some excitement to someone out there—and some peace to me because today seems to be one of those days where my anxiety is spiking. Please be kind, I’m just a little bit terrified of hitting the “Post” button for this. Pairings: Sam/Rowena, Sam&Rowena friendship No secondary pairing. Other SPN characters’ involvement will be minimal, so far only a phone call with Dean. Rating: so far undecided (but the 2000 word excerpt here is teen-rated) Words: so far 17,500, but it’s far from finished. This story is not posted to AO3 yet. Tags: post-ep 13x19 “Funeralia”, Magic, Curses, Witches, Action & Adventure, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Sam POV, Rowena POV

Written for the prompt “Fool’s Gold” of the SPN RarePairTober, which I’m hopelessly late for. Story of my life.

Summary: Rowena shows up at the bunker after she has been targeted by a custom-made, lethal curse with the sole goal of destroying her. Under the shadow of this ticking timer of doom, she and Sam are left with a handful of days to prevent a slow, painful death. The search for a cure sees them on a last-minute flight to Central America.

A Metal Pursued by the Witless

Sneak Peek of the first 2000 words of Chapter 1

Sam

Sam sighed, feeling exhausted beyond the stinging in his eyes from too many hours of staring at the computer screen. All of it felt so… pointless when every lead they had on Gabriel turned out to be nothing but a dead end. Not even Rowena had been able to find the archangel, and Dean and Cas were on their way back from the latest road to nowhere, which left Sam alone in the company of his laptop and his own misery. He usually embraced the quiet, but right now it was far too loud.

It was impossible to focus when his thoughts kept spiraling back to all sorts of nightmares that their mom and Jack might be going through in that exact second. They were out there, fighting a war in a doomed universe, and there was nothing Sam could do about it. Nothing other than dig through that corner of the internet for anything angelic, with more alien sightings and 'My dog is the reincarnation of Elvis' posts than his sanity could handle right now.

Frustrated, he slid his laptop closed and pushed it away from himself to the other end of the table. He rubbed two fingers over the bridge of his nose in a futile attempt of releasing some tension. The cold wind outside howled along the bunker's outer wall and Sam breathed out a bitter chuckle at the thought that this was the perfect soundtrack to his life. All of this was on him. He'd made the call to return Gabriel's grace, naive enough to believe the archangel would side with them in return. As if Sam's willingness to trust in the good in people hadn't screwed them over enough times already. He—

Someone hammered against the bunker's door with all the urgency of another Apocalypse.

Sam got to his feet and climbed up the stairs with a frown, considering and discarding several possibilities of who he'd find on the other side of that thick layer of metal. Dean wouldn't forget the key, and there was no way Cas would ever knock like this. For an insane moment, Sam conjured the mental image of their mom and Jack being back home, just like that, no questions asked.

When the old hinges finally shrieked open in a gust of dried leaves, what greeted Sam was the sight of windswept red.

"Rowena?" he asked, not even trying to hide his surprise. "I, uh, I didn't expect you so soon after—"

Something on her face let the tiny smile die on his lips before it ever had a chance to exist.

No wisecrack, no flirtation. Not even an insult. This couldn't be good, Sam thought as he took in the wide-eyed look the witch directed his way. She seemed impossibly small wrapped in that long coat, another icy gust of wind pulling at her hair.

After a hurried glance back over her shoulder, she inhaled in the way one did before making grave statements. Sam waited patiently for whatever this was. Then she suddenly seemed to think better of it and simply shoved her way past him into the bunker.

"Sure, come on in," Sam commented sarcastically, lifting one of his hands with a palm upwards that said, 'Not like people in this bunker usually care what I think either.'

He could pinpoint the exact moment she seemed to come to a decision at the bottom of the stairs, squaring her shoulders before turning to look back up at him.

"Samuel," she said and attempted a smile that was nothing but a pale shadow of her usual air of grandiosity. "You see, there I was, enjoying a vanilla foam bath, when I thought to myself… I thought a seasoned witch like yours truly, with such considerable power…"

Her eyes lingered on the still open bunker door and Sam could swear he saw a flash of fear in them that Rowena masked quickly with another bright smile.

Sam narrowed his eyes, allowing the door to fall closed while noting the way Rowena's shoulders sank down in relief as soon as it sealed shut with a bang.

"I thought it was an affront that someone like me," she continued, undeterred. "...would be done in by a wee tracking spell!"

Fine, he'd play. By now Sam was absolutely sure that what she wasn't saying held the real information, so it took him a moment to process what had been said.

"Wait a second," he asked carefully, still not quite sure what to make of any of this. "Does that mean there's still hope to—to track Gabriel? You want to… try again?"

"There's no harm in trying, aye?" she asked, seemingly having recovered from whatever it was she wasn't telling him because the smile reached her eyes again.

"Uh, I mean, sure. And I appreciate you came all this way out here to try again, I do. But…" Sam frowned. "Didn't you say on the phone that Gabriel was too low on grace to give a blip on your radar? Especially without any belonging of his to lock onto?"

"Och, today's a new day! New chances, and all that."

Sam followed Rowena to the map table where she deposited her purse on one of the chairs. He watched as she dug out a crystal ball to place on the table. Only when she started hovering her hands over the glass sphere did Sam notice that she still hadn't taken off her coat or even the long black silken gloves concealing her hands and forearms.

"Ostende mihi illum quem quaero,"¹ Rowena chanted, the Latin easily flowing off her tongue in a way that Sam admired. He still felt awkward sometimes when he needed to pronounce the dead language instead of just reading it silently on a page, unsure if he truly got it right.

The glass ball remained dark.

Sam threw a surprised look Rowena's way, seeing her mutter something under her breath. For a reason he couldn't figure out, she removed only one of her gloves, returning the now uncovered hand to the glass sphere. Then her gloved hand shot out to grasp Sam's, leading it to the opposite side of the crystal ball.

"You've met Gabriel before, I haven't," she stated simply, holding his gaze as she repeated the incantation.

Sam felt a tingling sensation on his palm and the glass sphere flared to life, throwing a purple glow over the map table's North American continent. Rowena hissed suddenly as if in pain and Sam saw her pull the gloved hand back to her body. The purple glow began to flicker and fade.

"Focus, Samuel," Rowena admonished without averting her gaze from the crystal ball, and Sam cleared his throat hastily. He concentrated on the memory of Gabriel on the upper floor of the bunker, eyes glowing and the shadows of wings spread behind him.

The glow inside the glass sphere shifted from purple to blue, but then it died as abruptly as the hope he'd allowed himself to feel for a short moment.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I think your archangel," Rowena said in genuine regret, placing the crystal ball back into her purse, "doesn't want to be found."

"Yeah, that—he, um, he kind of left in a hurry," Sam explained, a miserable smile tugging at one corner of his mouth in the memory of his misjudgment.

Rowena glanced up at the bunker's exit door, then closed her eyes with a quiet sigh while fumbling with the loose glove between her fingers.

Sam decided the time for some truth had come.

"What's with the, um, the gloves?" he asked and saw the hesitation on Rowena's face before the smile that didn't reach her eyes returned.

"Only the finest silk. Imported, of course."

Sam huffed out a breath with an annoyed sidewards glance, pressing his lips together. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

"That's—that's not what I meant. But I think you know that." He looked directly into her face, waiting until she finally met his eyes again. "Rowena," he implored softly. "Tell me what's going on?"

She hesitated again, longer this time, before averting her gaze to the table.

"Nothing," she replied in a not very subtle attempt of deflection. "Just that failing a simple tracking spell isn't the best for a witch's reputation."

"Rowena, I thought we'd moved past this," Sam said quietly, surprised at himself that he felt actual hurt over her refusal to tell him the truth. "After everything, do you really trust me so little?"

"You're the only one I trust," she objected instantly, followed by a look of utter shock at her own words.

Sam swallowed through the silence, touched by the visible truthfulness of the admission.

A chuckle suddenly burst out of her. "I must be mad, saying this to the one who's going to kill me. Out of all the people in the world."

His stomach sank at the reminder of that prophecy, the phantom touch of his pistol's trigger still burning on his fingers.

"For what it's worth," he said, clearing his throat another time to get rid of the taste of guilt. "I do not want to kill you. Never have, actually."

The genuine smile playing around Rowena's mouth just confirmed how truly deranged his life was for this to count as a compliment.

He reached for her gloved hand, slowly enough for her to pull away if she wanted. She let him.

"Do you want to know what I felt when you stopped that bullet?" he asked, and Rowena inclined her head in silent question.

"Relief," he stressed, and peeled the glove off her arm. The sight of what he found let the fabric slip from his fingers and sink to the ground. Where before there had been dark silk, he now saw dark-gray skin, dried out like something that had withered a while ago.

"Wh—what…," Sam stammered, unthinking.

"I had nowhere else to go," Rowena stated, the slightest shiver in her voice.

"What happened?"

"This bunker is the safest place I know," she continued, as if that had anything to do with his question.

"Rowena, who did this to you? Was it Lu—"

"Time," she said before he had a chance to finish pronouncing that name, and her smile was at odds with the terrified expression in her eyes. "It seems my past has finally caught up with me."

For the second time within a few minutes, Sam felt his stomach lurch.

"What, how—wait a second, why is this happening now? Your hands were fine two days ago!"

"It appears that the unrest in Hell set free an old enemy of mine. Olivette," she spit out the name with audible disdain. "Calls herself 'High Priestess'. She not only reassembled what's left of the Grand Coven, she somehow found enough fresh blood to bring it back to power. Not quite what it used to be, but enough to—"

Rowena cut herself off, swallowing as she picked up the fallen glove and put it back in place over her arm. She still seemed to be able to move the affected hand, though it looked far less dextrous than her other one.

"They—they ambushed me," she continued in a faraway voice, her gaze glued to her hand. "Those cowards didn't dare to face me in an open fight because they knew I'm the most powerful of them all. So they lay in wait with a curse on the doorstep of my hotel room. Ever since I passed the room's threshold, my body is no longer responding to life magic. And they're still there, cutting me off from all my belongings but the few things I've left in my handbag. I barely got away."

"Rowena, why didn't you say so right away? You can—you can stay here. We got supplies, whatever you need to break this curse."

"Curses are intricate magic. Only their creator knows the balance between the curse and the cure woven into its very fabric. Sam…," she said, and the gravity of the situation started to dawn on him when wetness rose in Rowena's eyes. "Unraveling this, it might take years. It's—it's time I don't have."

"How long do we have to fix this?"

"Judging by the current rate of progression..." She swallowed, then breathed out, "mere days." ¹: Show me whom I want.

[newmusickarl]

New Year, New Music – Welcome to 2023!

I’m not going to lie, 2022 may have been one of my favourite years for music since I started my blog back in 2013. Every week last year, there seemed to be great album after great album dropping, with lots of my favourite artists of recent years releasing career best efforts, or at the very least solid additions to their expanding discography. More than anything else though, there were some great new artists to discover.

Whether it was artists like Gang of Youths or Kevin Morby who may have been around for years but I was only newly introduced to in 2022, or breakout acts like Bob Vylan, The Haunted Youth and Opus Kink, it was a year that showed the future of music is shining bright. In the end though, it was two veteran artists at the top of their game that were jointly awarded my Album of the Year title, with rap stars Kendrick Lamar and Little Simz sitting atop the throne by the end of December (have a flick through my blog archives if you want to read more!).

So with 2022 being such a strong year and a lot of my favourite artists dropping albums, I had in my mind that 2023 might be a bit of a quieter year by comparison. However, if January is anything to go by, it seems this next 12 months could easily match up to 2022 if this current pace continues. 2023 may not even be a month old yet, but it has already delivered a mountain of great new music to feast upon – here’s the songs and albums I’ve enjoyed the most across the first few weeks of the year.

Album & EP Recommendations

Prize by Rozi Plain

There is no album I have enjoyed more in January then this gorgeous fifth album from Winchester-based, alt-folk musician, Rozi Plain. Having not been familiar with Rozi’s previous work, the album landed on my “to-listen” pile through seeing numerous positive reviews for this latest opus. It would remain there for a few weeks, before Twitter pal Joe (@jackabouting) gave me the nudge to finally dive in – and I’m so glad I did.

The first stretch of the record will pull you in right away, with the magical instrumental flourishes of Alabaster Deplume collaboration, Agreeing For Two, majestically gliding across your headphones. Before long, the whirring organs of Help and sparkling acoustic splendour of Prove Your Good then wash through to put you completely under this record’s spell. That said, it is the second half where my favourite moments occur, with the synth-driven pulse of tracks like Painted the Room and Standing Up beautifully complimenting Rozi’s soft whispery vocals. If I was to pick just one standout though it would be Sore, with it’s hymnal-like vocal harmonies and utterly entrancing orchestral sways – without a doubt, one of the best songs I heard all January.

This is a simply stunning album from start to finish, one that will grab hold of you tightly and fill your ears with beautifully woven, intricately crafted arrangements.

Listen here

Gigi’s Recovery by The Murder Capital

The Dublin music scene has been set alight by post-punk in recent years, with Fontaines D.C. of course leading the charge. However following closely behind is The Murder Capital, who have successfully built on their roaring debut with their more mature and accessible sophomore outing, Gigi’s Recovery.

Whilst the similarities and comparisons to Fontaines are inevitable, Gigi’s Recovery feels like The Murder Capital breaking away and starting to forge their own voice. After short ominous opener Existence, the album kicks off properly with the spiralling vortex of Crying, which actually has more in common with Primary Colours-era The Horrors than their Irish compatriots. The whirlwind indie rock of Return My Head and the menacing jangle of The Stars Will Leave Their Stage impress early on, before the album hits a peak bang in the middle.

The Lie Becomes The Self is undoubtedly my favourite here, a moody, vulnerable piece which sees James McGovern’s passionate vocals take centre stage, surrounded by stripped-back, atmospheric guitars. At one point towards the end there is a nod back to Crying with the same riff flickering in the background. It really highlights the band’s maturing songwriting capabilities, with A Thousand Lives then continuing the album’s strong purple patch with its hard-hitting snares, spacey vocals, glistening guitars and invigorating outro. The near six-minute title track then sees the band continue to boast their rhythmic chops, before acoustic closer Exist brings the album wonderfully full circle.

As someone who really struggled with The Murder Capital’s debut I’ve taken to Gigi’s Recovery straight away, with arguably more parallels to the likes of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Radiohead here than their contemporaries from the post-punk scene. An album I’ve already returned to several times over, this one is a big step up in class for the Irish band and another of my favourite records of the last couple of weeks.

Listen here

Derealised by Jadu Heart

Back in 2019 (which was another exceptionally strong year for music) dream pop duo Jadu Heart made a lifelong fan out of me with their incredible debut Melt Away, a record that would go on to finish 11th in my final Album of the Year list. However as is always the case with having such a strong, captivating debut, matching that record’s magic was always going to be a tough ask and although I still enjoyed parts of follow-up Hyper Romance, I never quite took to it the same way.

Now back with their third album Derealised, this one has already kept me returning more than their previous effort. With Cocoon and Blame setting things alight early doors, the swirling, distorted guitars on tracks like Freedom, I Shimmer and Derealisation bring welcome shades to the hazy sounds of 90s alt-rock.

So whilst it has still not captured me quite like their debut, it’s great to see Jadu Heart continue to evolve. Although this record feels like it could do with tightening down slightly, maybe being a couple of tracks shorter, there’s also plenty of enjoyable moments here to keep you coming back. It’s also made me want to revisit their second album to see if I hear anything I missed three years ago - always a positive sign.

Listen here

Cautionary Tales of Youth by Låpsley

As a big fan of the ambient electronica of Låpsley’s second album Through Water, I was keen to hear if her third record would have the same impact. I’m pleased to say it does, as Cautionary Tales of Youth sees the English singer-songwriter share feelings of romance and domestic unease, along with describing her lockdown adventures across the album’s blissful twelve tracks. If you are looking for a chilled-out record to stick on in the background or get lost in on your headphones then this is the one for you, with tracks like the Msaki featuring Close to Heaven, Pandora’s Box and Lifeline all standing out.

Listen here

Cacti by Billy Nomates

“Now with the previous record for reference, the growth on Cacti is immediately ear-catching. Thanks to Maries’ middle-class upbringing and her experiences of trying to fit into an office setting while yearning for a more creative outlet, she is poised to explode onto the scene with a rooted base that’s often lacking in an industry built upon backroom handshakes of connected parents who have come before.

Not only have Maries lyrics matured, but so has the music. Cacti still revolves around the slinky bass and drum machines of her debut, but now the keyboard synths and guitar textures are given more room to breathe. Maries once again recorded most of the album at home, but teaming up with co-producer James Trevascus, who has worked with fellow badass women like PJ Harvey, pays off with a more expansive, warmer scope this time around.”

Read Kiley Larsen’s full review here

Listen here

Turn The Car Around by Gaz Coombes

“Turn The Car Around finds Coombes on a new level though, leaving behind the rollicking snot-nosed days of being “Caught By the Fuzz” in favor of effervescent fully-fledged observations by someone who has lived a few lifetimes since the height of Brit Pop fever. 

Whether it’s the title track or the Bowie-esque grooving “This Love,” much of the record deals with a marriage’s transition from early excitement to navigating everyday domesticity, and Coombes is determined to sing his way out of the stagnation - it’s easy to find yourself rooting for him with this lovely record. Turn The Car Around and the record’s January release fits the mood perfectly, as it’s the kind of thoughtful singer-songwriter record that demands full attention while pushing through the itchy sweater months. Oh, and don’t forget your good headphones, thanks to co-producer Ian Davenport’s warm and inviting mix.”

Read Kiley Larsen’s full review here

Listen here

Lobes by We Are Scientists

“We Are Scientists' eighth studio album Lobes has been presented as a sister album to 2021’s Huffy and is best described as a late-night synth-heavy record designed for post-midnight city driving. Speaking to Psychedelic Baby Magazine, Keith Murray recognises their new direction, describing it as being “more electronic, dancier, ambitious in their production and arrangements, but still easy as hell to down like a spectacular, fruity cocktail on a light-up dance floor.” It’s hard to disagree, Lobes has so many earworms in its arsenal. The late-night aspired sound sees We Are Scientists explore unfamiliar funky territory. They may be removed from their garage rock origins, but the record just sounds so refreshing, the band able to escape the one-dimensional criticisms which often followed them in the past.

We Are Scientists new late-night vision finds the perfect balance in its retro disco feel and futuristic synth-pop style. Despite the change in approach, the charisma and punchiness still remain. All in all, it slaps...pretty hard for the most part. The underappreciated heroes of the indie sleaze era are here to bring a little mood and light to your evening.”

Read Matt McLister’s full review here

Listen here

Also worth checking out: Every Loser by Iggy Pop, Atomic Mango Drive (DJ Mix) by Hot Chip, Higher Lonely Power by Fireworks, Geodesic by Weak Moves, Frightful Places EP by Frightful Places

Tracks of the Week

Emily I’m Sorry by boygenius

Rumours began swirling when their name appeared on this year’s Coachella line up, but it has now been confirmed that the trio of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus will deliver their much-anticipated debut album this March. Five years on from their much-loved EP and several star-making solo albums later, everyone’s favourite indie rock supergroup finally returned with three brand new tracks to serve as the first sampling of The Record.

There is the raw, grunge thrusts of $20 and the emotional soar of True Blue, but it’s Emily I’m Sorry that is my personal pick of the bunch so far. Led by Phoebe and backed by a light sprinkling of strings, when the trio’s harmonies come together for the chorus swells the goosebumps on your arms and neck are sure to stand on end.

Listen here

Tropic Morning News by The National

Another huge return, indie darlings The National also announced their ninth studio album will land this April, intriguingly titled The First Two Pages of Frankenstein. Even more intriguing, we already know it will feature collaborations with heavyweight stars like Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift.

Tropic Morning News is the first taste of the record and while it very much sticks to the usual National playbook, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Co-written with Matt Berninger’s wife Carin, it’s a depression fuelled belter that comes alive midway through thanks to a vintage Dessner guitar solo.

Listen here

UK Grim by Sleaford Mods

The UK’s most productive band announced their twelfth studio album will be arriving this March, with aggressive, electro-driven opener and title track the first taste. With Jason Williamson taking no prisoners as he unleashes his sardonic fury on the current state of Tory Britain, it’s best experienced with the accompanying Cold War Steve animated music video.

Watch the video here

Love From The Other Side by Fall Out Boy

Finally this week, pop punk royalty Fall Out Boy also announced their first new album in five years this month. Titled So Much (For) Stardust, it also arrives this March and we have already had two teaser singles to give our first taste of their new material. My pick of the two is Love From The Other Side, which will serve as the album’s opening track and raises the curtain with a flurry of classical strings and piano. It doesn’t take long for the full-throttle guitar riffs to crash in, forging a dramatic and ultra-catchy returning anthem for the veteran outfit.

Listen here                                                                        

Also out, also great: Fold by Bonobo & Jacques Greene, (pls) set me on fire by Enter Shikari, Modernise by The Slow Readers Club, Get Out of My House by Miya Folick