#neal nocturne

[offbookkeeping]

this came to me in a dream

[robynator]

here's my take on noctré (i genuinely love that ship name so much)

i imagine them to be one of those couples that went seamlessly from being friends to being lovers. and their relationship lasted only maybe half a year at most but it was a good one. they'd been friends for years so they were unbelievably in sync from the get go

a case of right person, wrong situation i'd say. because dating your bandmates is never a good idea, which could also have been why they broke up

they didn't hold any resentment towards each other after they split either and immediately went back to their old dynamics. but they avoid discussing it, just to avoid any potential lingering feelings. they're part of every place i cry, of course they don't deal with their emotions. they just ignore it

that being said, i consider nothing matters by the last dinner party to be a noctré song

i had a completely different view of them back when i went with @offbookkeeping 's original headcanon that they dated briefly in high school and then just never mentioned it again out of awkwardness. however, now i am unfairly invested in them and whatever the fuck is going on with moshe (i am here for it, if only for the drama. that's it that's the reason. this is a soap opera)

i would love to hear everyone else's opinions on them and their relationship too :)

[wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos]

Carm never did specify *who* she was dating again. Could've been Neal.

[huariqueje]

Church nocturne  -  Neal Hughes , n/d.

American,  b. 1950s

Oil on linen , 20 x 20 in.

[soracities]

They sat there in the fresh young darkness close together.

Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

[sourscratched]

can i interest any of you in a secret recording of two z&j songs and a full every place i cry show

every place i cry tracklist:

- no i can’t

- many ways to have faith

- how’d you get that barrel?

- i will love you forever for four months

- i hope two

second to last song also includes zach and ross lost in the sauce singing We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together in the background

the two z&j songs are TSA Precheck (improvised) and What Is A Blouse (scripted). and there’s also a wonderful mini-musical by demi adejuyigbe about the ikea monkey (there’s other stuff in that video but ill be real with you i skipped it. but follow your heart)

go take a look here if you’re interested 🎵✨

[zegalba]

Neal Hughes, Bethesda Nocturne.

[socialtomcat]

as much as i love the format every place i cry lives in i do sometimes wish they had actual albums with individual songs that i could just hit loop on

this post was brought to you by the song HOW DID. YOU GET. THAT BARREL. by four person lead singer emo band every place i cry that has been stuck in my head for approximately 48 hours

[spaceorphan18]

Which book should I read next?

Inspired by @ckerouac - I picked out one book from each of my eight bookshelves** - one that I haven't read and that's been on my TBR list for a while. I'm letting you guys decide which one to read! Let me know what you think! And I'll read the one you pick next....

**- one of the bookshelves is dedicated to Young Reader books, and sitting on top of it are a couple of books that my bother loaned me, so I've included that instead of an actual YR title.

Info about the books under the cut

From the Fiction/Classics bookshelf: Less by Andrew Sean Greer

You are a failed novelist about to turn fifty. A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years now engaged to someone else. You can’t say yes--it would all be too awkward--and you can’t say no--it would look like defeat. On your desk are a series of half-baked literary invitations you’ve received from around the world. How do you arrange to skip town? You accept them all.

From the Graphic Novels bookshelf: Sandman by Neil Gaiman (Vol. 1)

In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey, Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.

From the Sci-fi/Fantasy bookshelf: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them. One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

From the Mystery bookshelf: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?

From the Non-Fiction bookshelf: The Great Green Room by Amy Gary

The extraordinary life of the woman behind the beloved children’s classics Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny comes alive in this fascinating biography of Margaret Wise Brown. Margaret’s books have sold millions of copies all over the world, but few people know that she was at the center of a children’s book publishing revolution. Her whimsy and imagination fueled a steady stream of stories, book ideas, songs, and poems and she was renowned for her prolific writing and business savvy, as well as her stunning beauty and endless thirst for adventure.

From the Agatha Christie bookshelf: The Science of Murder by Carla Valentine

Agatha Christie is the bestselling novelist of all time, and nearly every story she ever wrote involves one―or, more commonly, several―dead bodies. And the cause of death, the motives behind violent crimes, the clues that inevitably are left behind, and the people who put the pieces together to solve the mystery invite the reader to analyze the evidence and race to find the answer before the detective does. Nearly every step of the way, Christie outlines the nuts and bolts of early 20th-century crime detection, relying on physical evidence to tell the real story behind the facades humans erect to escape detection.

From the Young Adult bookshelf: Scythe by Neal Shusterman

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

From (on top of the) Young Readers bookshelf: What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it. Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things. But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?

[silbrith]

Music Monday

Thanks for the tag @penna-nomen!

Rules: Choose a few fics you wrote that were inspired by a song - not just with song lyrics in title - and share the tune and the link to the fics. If anyone wants to guess which goes with which go for it in comments or tags!

Like Kate, I've always loved the classics. I include both popular and classic music in my stories. Whittling down the list to a few favorites is a daunting task, but here goes —

The Woman in Blue (Caffrey Conversation). Klaus Mansfeld, a friend/enemy is linked to Franz Schubert, contrasting with Neal's love for rock music. In later stories, the opposites theme is expanded to include Klaus's evil brother Rolf who is tied to Rachmaninoff.

In The Queen's Jewels (Caffrey Conversation), Neal is framed for a crime he didn't commit. Bound for Botany Bay (John Doyle) and The Chain (Fleetwood Mac) play in his head. They're later replaced by The Rising (Bruce Springsteen). The White Collar team celebrates his name being cleared with a CD of songs, including Footloose, Born to Run, Unchained Melodies, and Born Free.

Nocturne in Black and Gold (Caffrey Conversation): Neal's theme songs are Sounds of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel) and Nara (E.S. Posthumus). Neal associates heist planning with Rachmaninoff's Folia Variations. Peter uses Bridge over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel) to pull Neal out of a dark place and then scores a double-play by having it featured in Cinereous Skies in the meta series Arkham Files. At the Zoo (Simon & Garfunkel) provides a lighthearted moment. Neal and Sara make a game out of Mockingbird (Carly Simon & James Taylor). Both songs are also included in Cinereous Skies.

Arkham Files (set in the 1970s): A Little Help from My Friends, Long Time Gone, and Woodstock with its line about stardust, are plot elements in The Locked Room.

Crossed Lines (Caffrey Conversation x Supernatural): In Whispers in the Night, Peter reveals that Dean Winchester isn’t the only one into classic rock. Songs include Hot Blooded (Foreigner), Bad to the Bone (George Thorogood & The Destroyers), and Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves (Eurythmics). When Dean, Mozzie, and Peter are afflicted with a dork curse, they belt out Rawhide and Happy Trails at a diner.

Dark Rabbit (Crossed Lines): Angela Caffrey is mesmerized by a dulcimer-playing vampire. Inspiration: The Kiss, played on the dulcimer by Scott Williams.

Six-Crossed Knot (All Souls Trilogy fandom): a series about Jack Blackfriars—an Elizabethan musician and artist turned vampire. Inspiration for Jack: Cymbeline (Loreena McKennitt). Jack's theme song, Touch Me Lightly (Tobias Hume), was featured in Walking Shadows. Leonard Shoreditch's customized theme song It Was a Lover and His Lad is in Fretwork. Nothing Else Matters (Apocalyptica) inspired Tangled Knots.

Can I squeeze in one more series? Reflections (The Supremes) is the inspiration for Sedlow Chronicles (original sci-fi fantasy). That song and People Are Strange (The Doors) are featured in the second story Shadows of Crellos.

[offbookkeeping]

screams

[robynator]

haven't finished it yet but can we talk about how hot both neal and carm are in the youtube recording? because holy shit. me finding carm/jess attractive is nothing new but in this one i just can't stop staring at neal/ross either?? maybe it's the matching all-dark, slim-fitting clothes + their signature accessory (hat for carm, sunglasses for neal)? i don't know but i'm into it

only thing that would improve it is if epic had a band shirt that was a deep v

[plungermusic]

Atlanta’s Rare Birds imperiously rule the wave …

Considerable amounts of hoo-ha have been generated this side of the pond about ‘new waves’ of classic rock (or rock’n’roll or whatever the latest variant is) but, to Plunger’s ears at least, these are all mere ripples compared to the tsunami that is Rare Birds and their new release ATL.

Their long-awaited full-album debut is chock-full of meaty, beaty, big and bouncy originals inspired by the best 70s rock, blues, gospel and soul, done with the kind of verve and seemingly effortless ease that British bands try so hard to replicate (with varying degrees of success).

Nine brand new tracks kick off with Thistedown, its catch-you-on-the-hop off-kilter Page-riffing punctuated with muscular drums opening in to a relaxed breezy Southern flavour verse, Brandon Neal’s rich gravel-and-molasses vox accented with swirling organ and splashes of minor key melancholy. Tight insistent Motown snare and tambo back spiky, jerky rhythm guitar and a smooth steady organ chord for a Crossfire Hurricane feel in Lying To Yourself, an irresistible sweaty-dive groove to get your head bobbing and your feet moving.

Kossoffy chord-only (left channel) guitar and emotional-but-still-gritty vocal (right) introduce the Free-and-easy Little Bird, like a relaxed, waltz-time My Brother Jake with harmony bvs and sweet organ (coming in right where you’d expect) plus an unexpected Gilmouresque trippy effects-laden burst of guitar. The mid-paced stroll of Lady (a Freebird-cum-Midnight Rider “one more night together then we go our separate ways” laddish bravado ballad) maintains the relaxed mood. Multi-layer strummy guitar, restrained churchy Hammond and expressive vox hint at Gregg and the Brothers while a spacey guitar passage has Duane-and-Dickie-via-Haight-Ashbury flavours. Another burst of slight-psychedelia surfaces in the dreamy midbreak of Dolly Parton, an otherwise highly danceable Doobies-meets-Stones, conga-led, urgent funky strut with a crisp dead-stop finish.

A striding ‘Y’all take this badge off of Sweet Home Alabama’ descending progression is cleverly flipped to an organ-heavy Purple/Fudge rising riff in Nocturnal Woman Of Action, and there are more Purpley patches in the tricksy-timed snare-driven High Hat, its semi-spoken vocal and acerbic Blackmore guitar completing the In Rock metal-hoedown vibe.

While it isn’t the last track, the punchy guitar intro, Skynydry loping progression and arms / scarves / lighters in-the-air stadium chorus make Got Me Fiending a perfect crowd-rousing show-closer! A brutal one-two combination intro heralds the last of the nine new tracks, Voodoo, a funky swaggerer with rapid-fire vox, temple-block, and unison guitar-and-bass lines, and another dead stop ending.

But that isn’t the end of the show, as the five-tracks from Rare Birds self-titled EP released mid-pandemic provide an ‘encore’. A piano-and-conga intro, soulful vox, and loose-limbed drums give Gold Plated People a touch of ABB-cum-Doobies-do-Sympathy jazz-funk sophistication: its very danceable groove topped with two surprisingly raw and fierce outings for the guitar. Don’t Know Better has a very different ‘dance’ feel: the jagged, Satisfaction-in-15/8 snare-led garage soul strut oozes CBGB’s mosh pit pogo energy, matched by impressive vocal aerobatics. Equally strong vocals and expressive talking guitar interjections drive the the blue-eyed soul of Day’s Over aided by swirling Hammond and some lithe ride-cymbaltastic drumming.

Some highly era-specific electric piano introduces Evergreen: churchy organ textures and gravelly melismatic vox add a gospel-tinge to this Greggish reflective southern ballad, while the album is neatly topped-and-tailed with more Zeppelin flavours in the stop/start, supercharged roadhouse blues of Wire.

Plunger are a bit hesitant to use the tag ‘classic rock’ but this is without doubt vintage, unadulterated, high-octane, get-you-moving, make-you-grin-from-ear-to-ear, proper music, with top notch performances, reel-you-in arrangements, accomplished songwriting… whatever you want to call it Rare Birds are riding high on the crest of their own wave.

Rare Birds are: Shawn Thacker, drums & percussion; Brandon Neal, vocals & guitar; Ben Jerkins, bass & vocals; Andrew Cylar, guitar.

With the contributions of: Justin Senker (the Original Rare Bird), bass tracks 9 & 10; Joe Abramson, bass & vocals tracks 7, 8, and 11-14; Marty Kearns, Hammond B3, Wurlitzer, piano tracks 10,12 &13; Josh Crowe, organ & piano tracks 1-5.

Rare Birds’ ATL is out on Friday 21st July, available for purchase and streaming via Apple Music, i-Tunes, Amazon Music, Deezer, Spotify, Tidal, Pandora, YouTube, Shazam and many more.

Vinyl pressings of ATL are in the pipeline, but will be likely available only at the merch table at shows / by special order later in the year.

[huariqueje]

Church Nocturne   -  Neal Hughes , 2018.

American, b.1950s

Oil on linen , 20 x 12 in.

[ebaeschnbliah]

Nocturnal visitor .....

VISITOR:  I saw the best mind of my generation get run down by the drunken taxicab of absolute reality. NEAL:  What the hell, Mozzie? Sitting in the dark, misquoting Ginsberg? MOZZIE:  The light's how they find you, man. ..... NEAL:  Thanks for coming.

MOZZIE:  What was I gonna do... not come? Can I see? NEAL:  Can you pick it? MOZZIE:  No way. No way. You flew too close to the Sun, my friend. They burned your wings.

Impressions from White Collar, Episode 1

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

I Could Be Your Sometimes Part Nine

Previous Part | Next Part | Masterlist Rating: Explicit - 18+ Only Notes: I hope y'all are having a good week :) Thanks for all the comments and kudos!!  Warnings: Eventual infidelity and sexual content. If you dislike this, please don’t read. Thank you. Chapter-specific warnings: Unhealthy coping mechanisms Pairing: Andy Barber x Reader Summary: I couldn’t avoid what Andy and I had done forever. 

It didn’t take long for the guilt to sink in. Approximately half an hour, in fact. Andy left with with a long kiss and a promise to see me soon (after I’d insisted that I needed to finish my work). I’d finally gotten my lunch and had settled into eat and check my email when my phone pinged with a notification. I picked it up, opening Instagram to a tagged photo of myself, Laurie, and Toby laughing at the party night before. I let my eyes drop to the caption. T_Lanzman: Besties 💝 I felt very queasy all of the sudden. I could decide if it was the sight of Laurie and I leaning into each other or the fact that I hadn’t eaten since last night. Either way I dropped my phone into my bag, shoved my food aside and tried to refocus on my work. What the hell kind of woman over the age of 35 used the term ‘Besties’, anyway?

--

(4:12 PM) AB: Still at work? (7:23 PM) AB: You alright? (8:53 PM) AB: Talk to me, angel (10:31 PM) AB: I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong -- I woke up on Sunday to 5 missed calls: 1 from Laurie, 1 from Nora, 3 from Andy. The ones from Andy were both placed after midnight, while I’d been out with friends and made out with Tinder hook-up whose name I didn’t remember in a dingy bar in Boston. I’d gone out in the hopes of erasing what had happened that morning from my mind, but I had left drunk and feeling about a hundred times grimier than I had before. I couldn’t avoid what Andy and I had done forever. I couldn’t avoid the fact that I had messed around with him at my office (some paranoid part of me was sure that Nora had somehow found out and that was why she’d called). I had liked it when Andy had told me how he’d take me apart; we’d left with a promise to fuck up again. We knew exactly what we were doing. My phone vibrated in my hands and I groaned at the sight of Andy’s name. I weighed my options, glancing at the clock. Laurie was probably out for her run, Andy wouldn’t be ducking out of rooms or saying, “Just work, honey,” In a way that would make my stomach turn. I took a deep breath before I hit the ‘accept button’ and lifted my phone to my ear. “...What’s going on?” Andy filled in when he was greeted by my silence. I chewed my lip, staring up at my ceiling. “I don’t know,” I admitted, wincing at how hoarse my voice sounded. I had spent the night before yelling over music to get the bartender’s attention, or to talk to my friends. “Can I see you?” Andy asked after a moment. I pursed my lips. After what had happened yesterday in the name of air-clearing, that didn’t seem like a great idea. “What for?” I asked, pushing myself into a sitting position, and groaning at the head-rush that followed. “To bring you some Gatorade, for one,” Andy teased. I smiled in spite of myself, resting my throbbing head on my hand. “...You are permitted on one condition.” “What’s that?” “You also bring the greasiest bacon egg and cheese in God’s creation.” -- “Big night?” Andy asked as I opened the door. I didn’t answer, instead taking the bag out of his hand and turning and walking back into my apartment. “You’re welcome,” Andy called after me, shutting the door behind himself. I grunted, waving my hand lightly in turn. I had showered, brushed my teeth for what had felt like an age and slapped a little bit of makeup on (just some foundation, concealer, and mascara - in the interest of making myself look less dead). I plopped down on my couch, setting the bag down and unpacking it. There were two breakfast sandwiches inside, one bottle of orange juice, and a gatorade. I set the orange juice to the right of me, far enough that Andy would be at the other end of the couch. I could at least pretend I was putting some space between us, right? “That one’s mine,” Andy said as he came into the living room, plopping down onto the couch beside me - directly beside, knee knocking mine as he settled in. He reached out, plucking up the aforementioned breakfast sandwich and unwrapping it. I nodded a little bit, unwrapping mine and groaning at the smell. I took a large bite of it, loosing another groan at the taste before I took up the gatorade, opening it and taking a deep swig. “Slow down,” Andy laughed, watching me sink back into my couch cushions. “My apartment, I’ll eat as fast as I want,” I groused. Andy and I went on eating in silence for a while. “Where does she think you are?” I asked finally. “... Errands,” Andy answered, one-word, simple. I nodded a little bit. “That what’s bothering you?” He asked after a few more minutes. “Is it somehow not bothering you?” I picked at a piece of bacon that had fallen out of the sandwich and into the wrapping, “I mean... Shit, Barber. We fucked up and you’re acting like it doesn’t even touch the sides.” Andy didn’t answer me, and when I turned my head to look at him, he was staring down at his food. I shook my head, turning away and taking another pull from the gatorade.  "She and I aren’t...” He started before he stopped, thinking. Then he went on, “Laurie and I aren’t exactly... On the same page anymore.” “About what?” I asked. “Anything.” “Have you tried talking to her about that?” I asked gently. I saw Andy take a deep breath and I picked at the bacon again. “It’s not that easy,” His tone brooked no argument. I popped the piece of bacon into my mouth. “Why’d you call me?” I asked after a few moments. “I saw your instagram story. You looked like you were having a pretty wild night of ignoring my texts.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re way too interested in my nocturnal activities, Barber.” Andy smiled at me, and I felt a little of my unease lift. “Well, the first time I was interested, it was because Neal made me interested.” “And last night?” I asked. “Last night,” Andy leaned in, pressing a kiss to the mark he’d left on my neck yesterday, “I wanted to see you again.” I closed my eyes for a few seconds. “This is a bad idea,” I mumbled. “You knew that when you invited me over,” Andy accused against my skin. And he was right, I did. I knew what the hell I was doing, inviting the married man I’d fucked around with over to my apartment. It was easy to explain it away as free breakfast, but I knew it was more than that, and so did he. “Stop it,” Andy murmured against the underside of my jaw. “What?” I murmured dumbly. “Thinking,” he urged before nipping at the spot. He leaned up, pecking my cheek. “Finish your breakfast,” He added. I turned my head, leaning up and catching his lips with mine before he could get too far. Andy cupped the back of my neck, sliding his thumb soothingly over the nape. I nudged my nose against his as the kiss broke, sighing. “You taste like bacon,” He teased. I snorted, even as I flushed. “Whose fault is that?” I asked. “Yours. That sandwich was a condition for my coming over here,” Andy reminded me. I grunted, turning back to my food and muttering, “Sustained, counselor.” Tag list: @fanficadddddict69 ; @nina-sj​; @rosalynshields ; @what-is-your-wish​