#after 2021 I like never listened to a podcast again

[cheese-in-space]

I am getting back into welcome to night vale again

[sillyname30]

I went back in time to the year 2021 and listened to the first episode of That Thing I Do (the podcast of Darren Criss and Este Haim) again.

Darren talked about how he became an actor (I shortened it a little):

I remember watching and loving obviously Aladdin. I remember sitting in the theater and seeing everybody having this positive reaction to this character. It wasn't concious. All the these strangers having a collective cathartic experience with this person, this thing on screen with strangers they never met, they will never talk to. And I was like this is amazing. One of my biggest mo's is like shortening the distance between people. I'm a connector. People think it's performing but to me I love building communities. Try to make people feel related to each other. This is happening in a flash of a second and watching people to my right and my left laughing at this genie and I'm like fuck this. I want to be a genie when I grow up. I want to to be a genie in a movie. But then I'm notified that the voice of the genie is Mr. Robin Williams. Whatever he does I want to do. And then I set myself on a path of being an actor.

There is an actor by the name Peter Coyote. He was a dad at the school that I went to and I knew that Mr. Coyote was an actor. And so I was six years old, and I looked in the school roster for Peter Coyote. I was so nervous, and I called him and he picked up the phone, I said „Hello Mr. Coyote, my name is Darren Criss. I would like to be an actor. What do I do?” And he was so enchanted by this, I’m sure as anyone would be if a child has managed to find your home phone number. And him and my parents spoke about enrolling me into an acting program. The american Conservatory Theater had a Young Conservatory, and he was the one that suggested that I start taking classes there. Which is where I would start going, when I was like seven or eight until I was 18, and that was like my after school life.

Okay, so a week ago, I’m sitting in a restaurant in New York, and I haven’t spoken to this man in many, many years, and then somebody comes up and he’s like, „Hey, I’m Nick, I’m Peter’s son,” I’m like, „Nick, holy shit!” and he’s like, „My dad’s here!” and like, oh my god, I just gave him the biggest hug and I almost burst into tears and I was like “man, my life is so wildly different because of what you did for me.”

God bless, Mr. Coyote for helping my parents out. So I studied and I went to school for it, so when you ask me, baby Darren, how did this all happen? That was it. Because of some kind adults that really helped lay the tracks down for me to go.

[alwaysalreadyangry]

yesterday at the library i was doing under 5s rhyme time (storytelling, singing nursery rhymes) which is something i have never been trained for properly but which i really enjoy doing. and there were all these cute babies and toddlers and we had fun! we always have fun with it! and at one point i almost started crying because i had womb cancer and can’t have a baby. anyway then i listened to a podcast about nursery rhymes which turned out to be all about the magic of parenthood with very young babies and then my husband tested positive for covid and now i’m just lying around feeling rotten myself (but testing negative). just ate a very underwhelming microwaveable bao bun. i don’t know. this week has felt like a year. but also it’s felt like i’m back in 2021 and just after the surgery again, in some ways. sometimes it feels distant and sometimes it’s right there.

[coochiequeens]

Another case for SheWon

By Reduxx Team January 19, 2024

A trans-identified male has taken home the trophy at a women’s professional golfing tournament in Florida. Hailey Davidson, 30, emerged victorious at the NXXT Women’s Classic at Mission Inn Resort and Club on January 17.

Despite outlining eligibility as being restricted to “female players,” NXXT allowed Davidson to compete. His victory is particularly significant as this year NXXT had partnered with the Epson Tour to award 10 exemptions to their top five players. The exemptions were intended to provide female golfers the ability to compete in the Epson Tour regardless of their specific qualifications, something NXXT boasted would facilitate “unparalleled professional growth opportunities for women golfers.”

Davidson is currently ranked in the top spot to receive two of the ten available exemptions.

Davidson, who is originally from Scotland, last competed as a male in 2015 before declaring a transgender identity. Since then, he has become a vocal advocate for trans-identified males in women’s sports.

Writing for Athlete Ally in 2021, Davidson described himself as the “world’s first transgender woman to win a professional golf tournament, which I have now done multiple times.” He explains that he first began to believe he was a “woman” at age 14, but suppressed his “true self” until he was an adult, at which point he began experiencing severe anger issues.

“I had tried playing golf professionally as male prior to coming out, but I was such a headcase it was not only affecting me but the other players around me,” he writes. “I was at a crossroads at this point since I thought I had to choose between playing golf for a living and hiding who I was forever, or finally be happy as my authentic self and potentially never play golf again … While I did not play nor touch a club at all for over 2 years due to all that came with coming out of the closet, I was finally able to get back into playing when I was lucky to land a job at GolfNow. This got me back into playing for fun, and for once I was playing without anger or this mental time bomb waiting to explode.”

In 2022, Davidson made headlines while attempting to earn a Ladies Professional Golfing Association (LPGA) Tour card. At the time, Judy Murray, an elite tennis coach and mother of Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, blasted Davidson for attempting to join the LPGA Tour.

“No. Not fair at all,” Judy Murray posted to X (formerly Twitter) in heated words that quickly went viral. “Protect women’s sport. Listen to the facts, the scientists and the medics. This is wrong.”

While he was ultimately unsuccessful, Davidson attributed criticism of him playing in women’s sports to transphobia.

“I’ve seen that it’s not about protecting women’s sports or me having an advantage, it’s just that you don’t like trans people,” Davidson said during an interview on the Like It Is podcast. “It’s very sad that that’s what it comes down to. In the last couple of months, that’s what I’ve come to learn.”

On X, Davidson boasted of his victory, writing: “I was finally able to get my 4th professional win after two playoff holes… Also moved me into 1st place in the season rankings for two Epson Tour exemptions!”

The Epson Tour is the qualifying tour for the LPGA, meaning Davidson will not only be taking a major professional opportunity away from a woman, but he may also manage to successfully acquire the LPGA Tour Card he has been fighting to receive. The LPGA Tour removed the “female at birth” requirement in 2010.

Reduxx reached out to NXXT for clarification on their policies, and received a response deferring to the transgender guidance of the Ladies Professional Golfing Association, US Golfing Association, and Epson Tour — all of which have uniform policies allowing males to participate in women’s categories if they meet a certain amount of requirements.

Davidson prior to declaring a transgender status.

“The LPGA has a comprehensive Gender Policy that allows transgender athletes, including those who have transitioned from male to female, to participate in its events. This policy requires transgender athletes to provide a declaration of their gender identity, proof of gender reassignment surgery, and evidence of at least one year of hormonal therapy maintaining testosterone levels at a specified range. It also includes provisions for confidentiality and the recognition of decisions regarding gender verification made by other golf tours or sports authorities,” NXXT Tour Director Bennett Noe wrote.

“This alignment across the NXXT, LPGA, Epson Tour, and USGA ensures a consistent approach towards transgender athletes, emphasizing fair competition and integrity in the sport.”

But speaking to Reduxx on Davidson’s success at the tournament, Marshi Smith of the International Council on Women’s Sports denounced Noe’s response.

“The NXXT tour is claiming just because their policy is uniformly and consistently unjust alongside the Epson Tour, LPGA and USGA that somehow that ensures ‘fairness and integrity in the sport.'” Smith said.

“It is precisely the opposite. The question they must answer is ‘do women deserve access to fair competition?’ If yes, they must adopt simple and clean rules that create a female protected category without exception.”

[shutupholden]

What’s On My Shelf? #1: Stop Making Sense (1984)

David Byrne in Stop Making Sense.

The year is 2024, and streaming services are dominating the film and TV industry. They’re also collecting other streaming services like Infinity Stones and calling it “bundling”. What a time to be alive!

A lot of people out there think that physical media is dying. If your name is Best Buy, you apparently think it’s already dead. But it’s still very much alive and there’s still a market for it. I currently have over 200 titles sitting on my shelf and that number will absolutely continue to grow because I love physical media.

That brings me to the point of this post—and the potential series of posts to come.

A few weeks ago I had a random idea for a podcast called What’s On My Shelf?, which would involve me choosing a film in my collection at random and talking about it. Because I hate the sound of my own voice and do a better job writing my thoughts down than actually verbalizing them, I scratched the podcast idea and opted for the same thing but in blog form.

Today the randomizer, which pulls films from my Letterboxd lists that I use to digitally catalog my collection, chose 1984’s Stop Making Sense.

Conceived for the stage by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and directed by Jonathan Demme, Stop Making Sense captures the iconic band as they take the stage at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Shot over four nights and featuring hits like “Burning Down the House” and “Once in a Lifetime”, as well as the now infamous “Big Suit”, it is considered one of the greatest concert films of all time.

David Byrne in True Stories (1986).

I first got into David Byrne and the Talking Heads sometime in 2021. I became particularly obsessed with “Once in a Lifetime” and had it on repeat. That same year I watched David Byrne’s first and only directorial effort, True Stories (1986), which had a killer soundtrack. Sometime after that, I watched David Byrne’s American Utopia on HBO, which is a Spike Lee-directed recording of Byrne’s Broadway show of the same name. I loved the music so much and listened to it everyday for months.

Flash forward to 2023 when A24 announces that they’ll be re-releasing Stop Making Sense in IMAX. I was so excited that I went and bought a copy of the film, which in hindsight was a painfully unnecessary purchase but I had never seen it before and I wanted to as soon as I possibly could.

David Byrne and Chris Frantz in Stop Making Sense.

The film blew my mind when I watched it alone in my room, so when the time finally came for it to hit IMAX screens, I was ready. I picked up a buddy of mine (who lived an hour and a half away) and drove to the closest AMC that was screening the film (which was another hour away), and had my mind blown all over again. A24’s remaster looked and sounded INCREDIBLE in IMAX and was worth the drive. The underwhelmingly brief live-streamed Q&A afterwards… not so much.

The collector's edition of Stop Making Sense, released by A24.

Earlier this year, A24 finally announced a physical release of the film on 4K UHD, which I pre-ordered immediately despite already owning a copy of the film on Blu-ray… and not having the kind of income to just drop $60 on a movie like that. After months of waiting it finally arrived in the mail this week. I have yet to open it at this point, but I’m excited to watch it again!

There’s a reason Stop Making Sense is considered one of the greatest concert films of all time. The music, the staging, the choreography, the decision to have the band members and set pieces come in one by one—it’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen. To quote my own Letterboxd review: “Just good vibes all around. Big Suit.”

[doorbloggr]

An Introspective Study of my 2022 Spotify Wrapped

Thursday 1/12/22

I know Spotify Wrapped is kinda cringe and people hate brands trying to sum up a year, but I embrace cringe and I want to talk about my music taste for the year. 2022 is a unique study of my tastes because I didn't actually use Spotify much for a large part of the year.

As discussed in Media Recommendations #37, I spent a few months bingeing all of Season 2 of Critical Role, and recently, I've been listening to another D&D podcast called Dungeons of Drakkenheim. Now I hate being alone with my thoughts, so while I usually will have my headphones in with music to fill that void, D&D filled that role for a large part. And so, Spotify did not get as much use.

The interesting impact of this on the trends in Spotify Wrapped compared to 2021, is that times of obsession are overrepresented in the data. In past years, if there was a song I played on repeat for a week, it would maybe make it to somewhere in the top 10 maybe, but the top songs would still be my evergreen faves. This year, when I had a song on repeat for a week, that would've been one of the only times I was on Spotify, and it would therefore be guaranteed top 5.

With that preamble out of the way, let's discuss my Spotify Wrapped 2022.

So first bit of data to analyse is my taste in genres. The top 5 they gave me is Rock, Dance Pop, Otacore, Indie Pop, and Anime. In the past, Dance Pop was my top genre, since a lot of my fave songs are 90s or 00s Pop like Savage Garden, Gorillaz, or Outkast. But I went through a phase of angsty rock music early in the year, where I constructed a play list of Linkin Park, Imagine Dragons, and Nirvana.

In my younger years, I thought these and other teen angst bands were cringe, but earlier this year, when I recommended Sail by Awolnation, I went through a phase where I accepted sometime a bad mood needs angsty music.

Otacore and Anime are more a result of later in the year, when I started to listen to a lot of Anime OPs, and music by Vtubers. For those confused by the term Otacore (like i was), it basically means weeb music. Videogames, Japanese, Anime.

Next, my top song was Komm Susser Tod, from the soundtrack of The End of Evangelion. Now to be perfectly blunt, I didn't walk away from Eva a superfan. It was confusing at times, and often hard to follow. But at the time, I was going through huge problems with family relationships and self esteem. I was in a state where suicide was a real option, and unfortunately, the lyrics of Komm Susser Tod really impacted me.

Example lyrics:

So with sadness in my heart, I feel the best thing I could do, is end it all, and leave forever. What's done is done, it feels so bad, what once was happy, now is sad. I'll never love again, my world is ending.

You can see how easy it is for someone in a real bad place to get into a worse place with messaging like "it all returns to nothing, I just keep letting me down, letting me down, letting me down."

Now I am in a much better place, but I still appreciate Komm Susse Tod as a very powerful piece that sounds amazing and has very impactful lyrics. So even after I had gotten mentally better, I often replayed this song. 26 plays is not a lot, but again, I wasn't on Spotify a lot this year.

As for the rest of my top 5, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Imagine Dragons' "Believer" started out as a frequent play because of a meme song from Siivagunner if you'd believe me. But as that Angst play list became a more frequent part of my listen time, I started enjoying the song unironically. Out of Touch is up there as a happy accident. It's just a song I'm often in the mood for. And while it is tangentially a bad mood song, it's more often a comfort song.

Magic Circuit I've gotten more into this year. They're an Indie Dance Electronic band that sometimes features Vtuber personalities such as Nyanners and Ironmouse on vocals on their tracks. Slip is the first song of theirs I ever listened to, and it's still my big fave of theirs to this day.

Money Game pt 2, like Believer, I started listening to as a meme, since there was this clip featuring the best verse of the song circulating at the time. But then I legit became a fan of Ren and his music. He's often does stuff commentating on how much the world sucks and how we live in a society. Big recommend his stuff if you're unfamiliar.

Despite my suicidal angsty phase earlier in the year, my top artist was Ninja Sex Party again. And that's good news for my mental health overall, since NSP is all about absurd positivity. Despite there being no NSP songs, even in my top 10, I wanna attribute NSP being my top artist to the fact that I listen to so many different songs of their all the time.

Because while I may have only had 6 NSP songs in my top 100 play list they made me, other bands I have to be in the mood to listen to. But I'm always in the mood for NSP, and if I have my library on Shuffle, I never skip an NSP song.

As for the rest of my top 5 artists, these ones were also consistently in my good books. Magic Circuit I have sung the praises of above. And while I said that I had 6 NSP songs in my top 100, there were also 6 Magic Circuit Songs. Nyanners is my favourite vtuber, and also a really good singer. She does vocals for most of my favourite Magic Circuit songs, but she also releases songs outside of their collab. And while some of them are shitpost songs like Hey Boy Hey Boy (subtitle: I wanna fart in your mouth), others are legit bops such as Foolish Heart, which was my Top Song last year. She also recently released a cover of Snake Eater (from Metal Gear Solid) that I'm a big fan of.

Maroon 5 got really into my good books this year. I've always thought Maroon 5 was alright, but this year I took the chance to really explore their catalogue, and found there were many songs of theirs I enjoyed that I didnt even know was them like Harder to Breath or their new one Memories.

Imagine Dragons, as I mentioned above, was originally a meme follow, but I became a fan of quite of few of their songs, not just Believer, but Radioactive, the tie in song for Arcane: Enemies, and I like their new one, Bones.

My "Listening Personality" was The Deep Diver, which just confirmed my suspicion that this year's Spotify listens was very often obsession based. When I investigated Maroon 5, I went back and listened to all their stuff. When I followed a couple of Magic Circuit songs, and then their new album came out, I listened to all of it, multiple times.

Not a lot of regular vibing with music this year. It was either I was in the mood for some serious jamming, or I wasn't listening to music at all.

And that was my Spotify Wrapped for 2022.

I had an angst period which ended up being over represented in my top 5 artists and songs, but I also deep dived on some more happy and chill music in Magic Circuit and NSP.

I'll try to listen to more music next year and expand my scope, to try and discover more music, and try to stay in a happier mood. Best wishes for next year!

Here's a link to my top 100 if anyone wants to interrogate the rest of my music taste:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1F0sijgNaJdgit?si=7EEwTg0LS3-cVUBqqui5oQ&utm_source=native-share-menu

[uprightbat]

I’m drunk, let’s talk about 2022. Here’s some random shit I enjoyed:

TV: I almost never watch tv shows, I just don’t have the attention span. But this year I did enjoy Our Flag Means Death, as well as the latest season of What We Do In The Shadows. Not sure I watched anything else new this year.

Books: I think I read two books this year. A Christmas Carol, thanks to user @warrioreowynofrohan and their Dickens December (a great time!), and If This Book Exists, You’re In The Wrong Universe by Jason Pargin, aka David Wong, the 4th book in the John Dies At The End series. This has been my favorite book series for over a decade now, and this new installment crushed it. If you’re not familiar with the series, picture a couple of 30-something fuck-ups in a poverty-stricken small Midwest town repeatedly saving the world from Eldritch Horrors because they’re the only ones who took Space Acid in high school and survived. Highly recommend if you enjoy comedy or horror.

Pro wrestling: I’m pretty much a grumpy curmudgeon when it comes to modern wrestling, but AEW was on a serious hot streak throughout the first half of the year. It kinda fell apart after the Punk All Out mess, and I hope it heats up again soon. I get that he’s a huge dickhead and everything, but I was way more invested in the show when it was centered around Punk and Danielson instead of Omega and the Bucks. Hopefully they recapture my interest in 2023.

Music: I also don’t spend much time listening to music these days, but I did discover a couple new bands I enjoy. Chiefly The Dahmers. Everyone check out The Dahmers, they’re rad. 2000s fuzzy guitar sound mixed with horror punk themes and vocals that sound like Cheap Trick. They hit.

Podcasts: As a mailman I have an Absolute Fuckload of time on my hands to listen to audio entertainment. My favorite new podcast this year was Bros B4 Prose, a comedy fiction podcast starring Josh Henderson, @jeffpennington , and Rich Masters. If you listened to Fantasy Fiction back in the day it’s a spiritual successor to that. Has me laughing my dick off on a biweekly basis.

Giant Bomb: I watch/listen to Giant Bomb all the time, so they get their own recap category here. I fuckin love the current state of Giant Bomb. 2020 and 2021 were crazy years due to the pandemic, shift to home streaming, and various departures, but 2022 has been a massive breath of fresh air. I look forward to more great content in 2023.

Video games: Didn’t really play much new this year. Neon White was the big one, but I also dipped a toe into Disco Elysium, and finished small indie title Super Kiwi 64. What I most enjoyed this year, however, was introducing my 4 year-old to Zelda. He watched me play Twilight Princess start-to-finish in the beginning of the year, and now we’re working on Majora’s Mask. I don’t talk about parenting much on here, but it feels so cool to share something you love with your kids. Can’t wait to play more.

And finally Real Life: I had another kid! Well my wife did anyway. I checked out the hospital snack machine while she did all the hard work. Having two kids is wild. I’m looking forward to 2023 because as he gets older he’ll get to be a whole lot more cool and fun. At this point he just poops and slobbers and sits there. You’re supposed to enjoy these years while they last, but just like the first kid I’m like “let’s speed this shit along.”

And that’s everything. If you follow me, thanks! Here’s a glimpse into my life. I’ll mostly go back to reblogging silly memes after this. See ya!

[havnblog]

I'm Getting a New Car, and I Don't Care About CarPlay

Am I insane?

Time and time again, I’m hearing people say that they wouldn’t buy a new care without Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. (The after-show on the latest episode of Mac Power Users was the last example.) I also hear how stupid some companies are for not including these systems in their cars. And I just don’t get it. Or, to be honest: I think I know some reasons why my opinion seems to differ from most people’s.

I'd love to get feedback on my takes here, though! Because I feel like I must be missing something…

I live in the land of EVs

Norway has been subsidising EVs heavily for many years. And I think this statistic shows the effect well:

Year EV market share 2020: 54.3% 2021: 64.5% 2022: 79.3% 2023: 82.4% 2024: 88.2%

The proportion of new cars that are pure EVs.

To put things into perspective: The EV market share in the US is currently at 8.9%, which is well below the 13% we had all the way back in 2014 – ten years ago.

A welcome effect of this, is that we also have a healthy used-market for EVs – so I literally can’t remember the last time I talked to someone who weren’t buying an EV.1 I’ll come back to why this is important!

My experience

The car I’ve had for the last 3 years, is a 2019 Tesla Model 3, which I bought used. My wife and I are expecting our first kid in May, and we have a large dog – so we need something larger in the next 6 months. That’s why I’ve been looking at new cars again.

I’m pleased with my Model 3! But even though the Model Y probably would be the best purchase for us, I simply don’t want to buy one, due to *gestures in the general direction of Elon Musk*. Luckily, we have tons of options over here. But when I started doing my research, I found myself not caring about whether the cars had CarPlay – even though I’m heavily entrenched in the Apple ecosystem.2

The reasons I haven’t missed CarPlay

A big caveat is that I haven’t owned a car with CarPlay – so maybe I’m missing something obvious! However, I’ve never really missed it either.

Another important factor is that the software in the Tesla is pretty great. I entirely understand that CarPlay can be a hotfix for crappy infotainment, though.

But anyway, I just don’t miss CarPlay when:

I already get my phone calls etc. in the car,

the map and navigation is great, and picks up events from my calendar automatically,

I have radio right there,

and I’m logged into my Tidal account (which changes to my wife’s if she’s driving).

The only things I don’t have access to, is things like podcasts and audiobooks. But when I’m alone, I just listen with my AirPods (on transparency of course!) as I go in and out of the car. And if I’m with someone else – that’s the only time we use the bluetooth connection to the phone. So, yeah – having access to those things would absolutely be a little bonus of having CarPlay. But it’s really minor!

What am I missing? What’s so essential about CarPlay?

Could a factor be that, since we’re not English natives (and these tools are much worse in Norwegian), there’s some voice stuff I’m missing? Genuinely confused!

Overlooked negatives about CarPlay

Again, I get that CarPlay can be better than a crappy built-in infotainment – or if you’re borrowing or renting a car. But there are some things that make me dislike the idea of carmakers resting on CarPlay bailing them out:

Disconnected look

One is that CarPlay is just a little, disconnected, window of your car’s software. No one is even close to supporting CarPlay 2.0 – and if a car has two screens, they usually only have CarPlay on one of them.

For instance, an integrated system, can show your navigation information in a head-up display. And every part of the software (also the non-infotainment ones) can be cohesive. I mean, Apple fans should be able to see the appeal in that!

Battery woes

Last year, my wife and I really put the EV lifestyle to the test, when we drove from Norway to Toulouse in southern France. That was a three-day drive – but navigation and charging was effortless:

We put in where we wanted to end up,

the car calculated when (and thus where) we needed to charge – which it also changed on the fly if things changed,

and, importantly, when charging was near, it started pre-heating the battery.

That last point is important for the charging speed – especially in colder climates. And it’s something I think many people are missing, if you’re not used to EVs.

Now, please correct me if I’m wrong here – and I know all of this could be fixed in the future, but:

The thing is, for the longest time, CarPlay didn’t know about your battery’s state of charge. And hopefully the example above shows why that’s a big nerf to the navigation! They did start to roll out support for this a year or two ago – but I don’t think many cars support it yet. And I don’t think there’s a way for the CarPlay navigation to tell the battery to start pre-heating.

Maybe I’ll eat my words!

As most cars I’m looking at does support CarPlay, and also might have worse built-in systems than Tesla, I’ll might become a convert in a year. But as of now, if you’re buying an EV,3 I absolutely don’t understand why CarPlay is essential when buying a car.

Like, I wouldn’t mind it, of course! But I also totally get car company CEOs chooses not to integrate it:

The ceiling is higher on integrated systems,

and if they don’t have CarPlay to lean on, they have to work harder on making their own software great.

Perhaps you could say that, people who are really serious about making hardware should make their own software?

You know, if they’re buying a car. 🤷🏻‍♂️ ↩︎

Most of them have it, though! ↩︎

I get it more if you’re buying an ICE car – as my biggest gripe with CarPlay is the lack of connection with the battery system. ↩︎

[teenmomcentral]

Kail Lowry’s plan to go under the knife (again) has been put on hold.

On the latest episode of her Barely Famous podcast, the former Teen Mom 2 star and mother of seven revealed to listeners that she was recently informed by doctors that she cannot undergo a breast augmentation until she loses weight.

“ … Listen to me when I tell you, I wanna get a boob job, right? So I call around, I’m like making these consultations to get a boob job. You know what they told me? They told me I need to lose 40 pounds, ok?” Kail said on her podcast. “So, 40 or 50 pounds– more like 50, but maybe I could get away with 40 pounds– before they can even operate on me. So that was extremely humbling.”

“I’ve been wanting to do this breast reduction, implants, lift, whatever it is,” Kail said on the podcast. “[The woman at the doctor’s office] was like, ‘Do you still want to schedule this?’ I’m literally sobbing. Already the water works have started.”

Kail explained in the caption of a clip from the podcast episode that doctors actually informed her that her body mass index (BMI) is “entirely too high to operate” but after doing the math, she determined that she would have to lose between 40 and 50 pounds to get her BMI where it needs to be, according to the doctors she spoke with.

“Make sure you’re in the right headspace,” Kail advised any of her listeners who are considering plastic surgery. “If you’re not, you will be humbled by the fact that they may not be able to operate on you.”

Kail also added that, should she lose enough weight to be cleared for surgery, she is considering getting more than just her boobs done.

“I don’t even know if I can get my double chin done,” she said. “Truthfully, I’d want to do that at the same time as my boob job because why would I pay for anesthesia twice?”

As fans of ‘Teen Mom 2’ may recall, Kail is no stranger to plastic surgery. Shortly after she gave birth to twins Valley and Verse last year, Kail admitted on her Barely Famous podcast that she regrets letting Dr. Miami inflate her rear end with a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) back in 2016, and that wants to get the procedure reversed.

That same day, Kail also underwent a tummy tuck and Lipo 360, At the time of her surgeries, Kail only had two children, but has since gone on to have five more kids after that.

Back in 2021, Kail revealed on an episode of her Coffee Convos podcast that she had been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a disorder that often causes weight gain, and as a result, she was considering gastric bypass surgery to help drop some of the weight she claimed to have gained rapidly.

While Kail never went through with the gastric sleeve procedure, she has discussed other weight-loss options in recent months. In January, she told her Baby Mamas No Drama podcast co-host Vee Torres that in order to meet her post-babybabies body goals, she’d need “to get Ozempic shots or something.” She also confirmed that she plans to undergo “another mommy makeover,” calling her previous round of nipping and tucking, “the best decision I ever made.” However, she has stated that she does regret not waiting to have the procedures done until after she was done having kids.

[feuqueerfire]

2023 Series Overview + Stats

2022 OVERVIEW (SHOWS, SHIPS) + STATS

It's the end of January 2024 but I realized I didn't end up doing a 2023 Series Overview and Summary, so I thought I'd do one now. Unlike the 2022 series overview where I was more prepared, had watched a lot more, and had even rewatched the favourites and almost-favourites of the year, I'm very unprepared this time.

So, it's gonna be shows & movies I watched in 2023 and my ratings for them until today (240128) without really having rewatched anything (except Beyond Evil).

I wonder if I'll rewatch some of these at the end of 2024 (along with the 2024 rewatches) and whether that'll change the rankings or my feelings at all.

I think I've decided that these yearly overviews will not change/be edited regardless of whether I come to really like a show afterward or change the ratings or whatever - a snapshot in time.

Favourite Shows

The shows released before 2023 will have (release year) beside them.

Top 3 Shows Watched in 2023:

Beyond Evil

My School President

Strangers From Hell (2019)

Beyond Evil: The only show that I watched in 2023 that I have since properly rewatched (I literally watched all 16 episodes this January 2024 without really skimming or speeding it up despite having watched the whole thing already. The characters, especially the mains Juwon and Dongshik gave me so many brainworms, the acting was great, the relationships among the characters was great, the mystery and suspense succeeded for me. Great show all around, actually it's making me wonder why it's a 8/10 and not at a 8.5.

My School President: This was so fun and introduced me to Gemini and Fourth, which was another delight. The OST and singing aspect of this was so good, for which I am eternally thankful. I think I liked the first half of the show better than the second half, which I thought for long-winded; otherwise, it might've also earned an 8 from me. Haven't rewatched the show properly but have watched some reactions to the earlier episodes and also listened to people's podcast episodes, as expected.

Strangers From Hell (2019): Out of these 3, this is the one I've thought the least about since watching and also haven't rewatched, so I remember the least about. So who knows, maybe I'll rewatch and be bored or something but it was so good while I watched it, the vibes so unsettling and strange and weird. Great acting, great story, should rewatch. It's also the first non-BL kdrama that I watched in a long time and was the reason I started watching more of them again, especially the thrillers/mysteries with no romance but homoerotic undertones lol

Next 4 - Liked A Lot:

Not quite the top 3 but I thoroughly enjoyed these. Unordered because they're all 7/10.

Moonlight Chicken

Derry Girls S1 (2018)

Alice in Borderland S1 (2020)

The Devil Judge (2021)

Only 1 BL, one non-BL with homoerotic undertones, 1 English-speaking comedy, and a death game thriller. Also from different countries: Thailand, Ireland, Japan, South Korea.

Ranges from fun/funny, thrilling, exciting, and heartfelt. They definitely all made an impression on me and have good acting/production value/story/etc, but maybe a thing or two disappointed me, or I just haven't connected with it enough to think about it too often. Still overall good shows that I liked a lot.

These were generally good, but just something was missing - either there was a production/story/acting issue that was bothering me a lot, or the production was very good, but it failed to take up any brain space after I finished watching. 6.5/10 in my rating.

Never Let Me Go

Midnight Motel

Choco Milk Shake (2022)

Happiness (2021)

Derry Girls S2 (2019)

Derry Girls S3 (2022)

A Shoulder To Cry On

So Long, See You Tomorrow (2021)

The Merciless (2017)

Bed Friend

Alice in Borderland S2 (2022)

Bloodhounds

The Eighth Sense

Enigma

Stay With Me

Our Dating Sim

High enjoyment or fondness, lacked in either production/acting/writing: Never Let Me Go, A Shoulder To Cry On (except the last ep rip), Stay With Me (it actually didn't lack in production and stuff either and is better than medium levels),

High production/acting, but lacked in making me care or be as invested as I should’ve been: Happiness, Alice in Borderland S2, Bloodhounds (okay idk where to put this because first 6 eps were so good - ep 6 itself is fucking wild but the ending sucked rip), The Eighth Sense, Our Dating Sim

These had medium levels of both production and fondness but not enough to think about often or be great: Midnight Motel, Choco Milk Shake, Derry Girls S2/S3, So Long, See You Tomorrow (can't remember a single thing about this but I must've liked it from my review of it lol), The Merciless, Bed Friend, Enigma,

I think these should be lower actually maybe, like a 6/10 not 6.5 but I haven't rewatched them and don't remember a lot, so who knows: The Merciless, Bloodhounds, Midnight Motel, Choco Milk Shake, Bed Friend

Could Climb Higher - could be bumped up to a 7/10 if I love it upon rewatch and end up thinking about the characters more: Stay With Me, Eigth Sense, Our Dating Sim

Special Mentions: The rest of the shows I watched were rated lower than 6.5/10, though there were still a few that I have some fondness for because I like the concept/the acting pair/it just gave me something I wanted. This includes Island (literally only Cha Eunwoo's cool young priest character), Our Skyy 2 (some eps), I Go To School Not By Bus (2015) (idk that specific running away to bathroom scene and making out is so good), We Are Gamily (2017), ummmm I skimmed through eps 10-15 of Addicted Heroin (2016) (didn't watch anything before that) but there are certain very specific parts that I liked and get why it gave everybody brainworms.

Favourite Pairs (characters):

Lee Dongshik/Han Juwon (Beyond Evil): They are not a real couple in the show and yet... have read so much fic about them and in my head, they are indeed in love after all this mess. I don't have much to say, I just love their antagonistic relationship turning into something so tender (though still jagged) and it turning into something more after the ending

Tinn/Gun (My School President): cuties, my cuties. Adorable.

Don't have a third one, I don't think? so strange

Special Mentions: 

Palm and Nueng (Never Let Me Go)

Heart and Li Ming (Moonlight Chicken)

in my head, Ajin and Fa (Enigma) -not canon

Favourite Pairs (actors):

Fourth and Gemini, I think they're the only pair that I became interested in 2023 and like followed fanaccounts and stuff. I'm so looking forward to them in future projects (My Love Mix-Up was at Q10 very recently, I'm waitingggg). Incredibly talented young people, both in terms of acting but also the performances they did at the concert like oh nice

Favourite Side Pairs

Can't remember a single one except Heart and Li Ming (Moonlight Chicken)

Biggest Disappointments

To be a disappointment, I had to have at least semi-high hopes

Be My Favorite: This one was a real disappointment because I've been looking forward to it for so long. In fact, I'd been looking forward to it since I saw the original trailer with Mike and people were still insisting they wouldn't watch it and were booing Krist because I thought the synopsis was intriguing and liked the chemistry of the ship. I was so happy when everybody seemed to love the show and it's such a shame that in the end, I'm the one who ended up bored and feeling nothing for this show...

Happiness: Not a super big disappointment because it was still a good show and it wasn't super hyped but I thought I'd like it more because I've only heard good things about it. Also thought I'd like it more when I first started because I liked the beginning few eps quite a bit before it fell into a lull in the middle.

General Stats

Total Watched: 44 entries in my spreadsheet, less than half of the 104 completed in 2022 - makes sense because I watched very little in the latter 6 months of 2023. Without the following below, 39 newly completed series/movies/shorts in 2023.

1 DNF (The New Employee)

2 Rewatches (Midnight 2021, Kiss Me Again Pete/Kao cut)

1 Survival Show (Boys Planet)

1 extreme skimming (Addicted Heroin 2016)

Release date 2023 vs earlier: 23 vs 21

Almost half and half, interestingly. My to-watch list now has fewer BL/GL from earlier than 2023 but more het/non-romance kdramas from earlier since I've watched a lot of the earlier BLs that I'm interested in but have barely dipped into kdramas.

Queer vs non-queer: 23 vs 20

The non-queer shows may still have some queerness (Claire is a lesbian in Derry Girls, trans girl in Alice in Borderland, etc.) but it's not the main character or the main plot and not a significant enough side plot

lol didn't count Boys Planet in this but it feels queer fr

Also 50-50 surprisingly. Some non-queer shows like Derry Girls, Alice in Borderland, and Island have 2-3 seasons, so that bulks it up just a bit

BL vs GL in Queer shows: 21.5 vs 1.5

0.5 to each for We Are Gamily

rip my fawking GLs for reallll but hopefully I'll have a more fruitful lesbian-watching year because there are like 5 that I have on MDL that seem promising (and have also watched Bottoms this January)

Romance-Centric vs Non-Romantic in Non-Queer Shows: 3 vs 17

in the Non-Romantic shows, this many shows have very homoerotic undertones (regardless of whether I ship): ~6 (Bloodhounds, Midnight Museum, Beyond Evil, Devil Judge, Strangers From Hell, The Merciless)

Some of these also had het undertones/side couples: 5 (Tomorrow, Island S1/S2, Enigma, Midnight Motel)

Number of shows per month: 6, 4, 10, 4, 5, 7, 7 (July to November), 0

Please this funny spread, I really just fell off on watching shows in the last half of the month because I was preoccupied with ZB1

Didn't count Boys Planet (August)

Average rating: 6.3 (higher than last year, so that's nice)

[the-mess-of-a-dreamerrr]

March whatever

The thing about you and me…is that I’ve always seen you. I’ve always wanted you to be incredibly stupid happy. Even when it wasn’t me giving you that happiness. It's why I’ve been okay being in close relations with you all these years. Because seeing you reaching new goals and doing well is one of the few joys I have in this life. I know there isn’t a winner or a loser in relationships but in my head there is. You were the winner. You realized I was dull..moved on and found someone better and have always chased your dreams. You were the only person I glady lost to. I had no need for revenge or to get back because I had no legs to stand on. There was nothing to dangle in your face to say “ha ha you should’ve never treated me this way” because honestly you did what was right. I did not fit into the social standings of your world. I wasn’t your type. I couldn't be someone who looked good next to you. You were right about me. 

You wonder why I talked to you in 2021. Why I messaged you back time after time despite my marriage. Well…I knew you needed me at that moment. I don't know what you were going through in detail but I knew you were in a slump and at the time I was the person that was adding joy to your days. It's also why Spencer told me I was allowed to keep messaging you even when he thought it was weird. He told me if it helps you then it was okay that we talked. It felt so good to hold your attention. It was healing to my younger self to finally have the boy that broke my heart say that I had value. And not only was he saying I had value but I was able to make his day brighter. I wasn’t just holding space but I felt like I was actually making a positive change in your life. I finally was able to give you back some of the happiness that you had shared with me. I would give as many hours as I could talking to you if it meant you would crack a smile. 

It's why I joined the discord. It's why I continued messaging you even with the risks. I would ruin myself a million times for you because I know what you have done for my life. If it me rooting for you gave you renewed faith in yourself to keep going and to believe in yourself I would keep showing up day after day. 

However, I don’t think I do that anymore. 

Lately every great day we have is followed by your worst. I no longer am adding value to your life. I am detracting from it. The fact that any thought of me sends you into a depressive spiral is like a knife to my heart. I have been selfish with you. I was supposed to be adding hope to your world and instead I am the reason why you think you may never be happy. I allowed myself to get swept up in you. I am so sorry. I should have never met you this past August. I was selfish and I wasn’t thinking of you and what you needed and what was good for your life only about myself and my trivial hurts and my desire to have you a part of my life again. And for that, I am so incredibly sorry.

Sam, you are one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. You so naturally exude peace and acceptance. You make everyone feel like they belong. To hold your attention is the single greatest feeling in this life. Your brain is my favorite thing about you. Listening to your thoughts and the beautiful way your brain works is a gift. I love hearing how creative you are not only with your words in your writing but also in the stories you tell. I could read anything you write and walk away excited about whatever it was that you said. It's why I love listening to things about your podcast because I know whatever idea you come up with is going to be special. Listening to you talk about marvel, history, or any new basketball fact is my absolute favorite because I love seeing how excited you are explaining everything to me. I think I would play dumb about any subject just so I could listen to you talk about it. You are thoughtful in all that you do and so incredibly kind. The gifts you give make people feel seen. We are so much alike and so different in the most beautiful ways. And just know that every differing perspective, weird food you like, or awful sports team you decide to root for will always be a favorite quality of yours that I will have. Because I love everything that makes you who you are. I love your jokes and your quick remarks because you are so effortlessly funny in the most subtle ways. You are humble in your talents, quiet in your kindness, and subtly hilarious. I know that you simply are good. I have never been so sure of anything as I am of you. 

It drives me absolutely crazy when you talk yourself down because I think you are the only person who doesn’t see how incredible of a man you are. 

I have almost messaged you about 56 times in the past 3 days. I failed one night and paid the price of breaking your heart again. I’m tired of breaking your heart when the only thing I want is to see you incredibly stupid happy. So I will miss you like crazy and be here. I will always be here.

-MV

"You got your demons and darling they all look like me"

[f1]

I will win again Hamilton says he maintains 100% belief in Mercedes as seven-time champ vows to fight back with the team

Lewis Hamilton has pledged his commitment to Mercedes amid their ongoing performance struggles, describing the squad as his “family” and stressing that he doesn’t plan to go “anywhere else” in search of success. Hamilton is in the final year of his current Mercedes deal and faced frustration at the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix when the team found themselves fourth-best behind Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin. READ MORE: ‘I’m a fighter’ – Hamilton insists 2023 Mercedes performance won’t determine his F1 future After the race, Hamilton told the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast that Mercedes “didn’t listen” to him regarding the development of their 2023 car, which retained a unique ‘zero sidepod’ design – while plenty of rivals moved towards Red Bull’s concept. Asked about those comments, and if he is determined to remain with Mercedes and get back to winning ways, Hamilton admitted: “I mean, in hindsight, I think looking back, it wasn’t necessarily the best choice of words. “But, of course, there are times when you’re not in agreement with certain team members. What’s important is that we continue to communicate, we continue to pull together. Hamilton and team mate George Russell finished almost a minute away from victory in Bahrain “I still have 100% belief in this team, it is my family, and I’ve been here a long time, so I don’t plan on going anywhere else. But we all need a kick, we all need to get on. “The proof is in the pudding, we’ve seen where the performance is and how people are extracting the performance. We’ve got to now start making some bold decisions, some big moves, in order to close the gap to these guys.” READ MORE: ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’ – Mercedes promise ‘visible changes’ to W14 after challenging season opener Referring to Red Bull and their dominant one-two result in the season opener, Hamilton continued: “Otherwise they’re going to… I mean, they will run away with it most likely this year, unless Ferrari can probably stop them. We’ll wait and see. “But as I said, hopefully at some point during the year… we’re hopeful we might be able to close the gap. At that point it will be probably too late in terms of fighting for a championship, but we can still turn some heads hopefully.” Hamilton was speaking in Thursday’s pre-race drivers’ press conference in Saudi Arabia With Hamilton finishing a distant fifth in Bahrain, and his last F1 victory coming in Saudi Arabia towards the end of the 2021 season, the 38-year-old was then asked if he still believes he can win again. “I will win again. It’s just going to take some time. Of course, in 2021 when we were here, we were hoping to be fighting for another world championship,” the seven-time title winner commented. READ MORE: Hamilton says he knew ‘from the moment I drove the car’ that W14 would need work “You never know what’s up ahead. There will be things that happen in all of our lives that we least expect, but it’s not how you fall, it’s how you get up, it’s how you deal with it, it’s how you show up… “It’s how you continue to remain positive and tackle the issues you are faced with – that’s where my energy is going into and that’s what every single person in the team is focused on.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[newmusickarl]

5-9’s Album of the Month Podcast – Episode 2 out now!

The February edition of the 5-9 Album of the Month Podcast is now live, in which myself, 5-9 Editor Andrew Belt, Check This Out’s Kiley Larsen and Blinded by The Floodlights’ Matthew McLister review five high profile album releases from February, and ultimately name one as our Album of the Month at the end of the discussion.

This month, the five albums we cover are:

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek

Lonely Hearts Killers by Nile Marr

This Is Why by Paramore

Food For Worms by Shame

Heavy Heavy by Young Fathers

If you want to listen to the new episode simply follow the link below, but also be sure to follow 5-9 Blog on Instagram and Twitter for more news and polls relating to the podcast, along with other great content like film reviews, sports articles and more.

Listen to the February 2023 episode here

Album & EP Recommendations

UGLY by Slowthai

The evolution of Tyron Frampton, aka Slowthai, in such a short space of time, has been nothing short of fascinating to witness.

First came his 2019 Mercury Prize-nominated debut Nothing Great About Britain, which was rough and raw at times but also full of this visceral energy that captivated audiences and helped to make him an immediate grime/punk crossover star. However, his career was almost derailed as soon as it had taken off, as a much-publicised interaction with Katherine Ryan at the 2020 NME Awards, in which he made sexualised comments towards her, brought about some very intense but also well-earned backlash for his actions. After making his public apologies and doing some much needed soul searching, he returned in 2021 with his excellent sophomore outing TYRON – an impressive 35-minute double album that showed greater artistic, as well as personal, maturity.

So here we are then just four years on from his big breakout moment and Slowthai has already had what feels like an entire career’s worth of ups and downs. The result of that is that you feel like the pressure cooker has been removed from around Slowthai’s work, making this third album without a doubt his best and most artistically liberated to date.

Opener Yum straps the listener in to the hot seat straight away, with ‘Thai repeating the words “I’ve been lacking motivation, I need an intervention” over an increasingly menacing and anxiety inducing beat. He then starts to describe conversations with his therapist and his drug-fuelled coping mechanisms, as the swirling electronics, distorted vocals and heavy breathing transport you directly into the melting pot of his erratic, troubled psyche. The production from Dan Carey is absolutely mind-blowing, as it ends with ‘Thai repeating the words “Excuse me while I self-destruct, ‘cause I don’t give a fuck” over sharp, harsh synths. It’s an absolutely phenomenal opener, with the intensity and experimental production drawing shades to Yeezus-era Kanye, Igor-era Tyler and Atrocity Exhibition-era Danny Brown all at the same time.

This almost suffocating production continues on recent single Selfish, which remains one of ‘Thai’s strongest tracks to date. Again, the combination of Carey and ‘Thai is awe-inspiring to hear, with a vortex of synths, drums and guitars surrounding Thai as he sings “And we got what we deserve, somehow we never learn – wastin’ lives out on the curb, while we all search for somethin’” It’s simply brilliant.

The high points just keep coming from there with the fantastic Jamie T-inspired tracks Sooner and single Feel Good, before the rhythmic blues of urban love story Never Again. The middle section of the album then brings the album’s two centrepieces, with HAPPY in particular an absolute tour de force. Riding a melancholic central guitar line, ‘Thai confronts his depression head on and sings of how he “would give everything for a smile.” The production is once again stellar, with the song erupting into a full-blown anthem towards the back end as the guitars take flight. Title track UGLY then follows, which is a glorious symphony of grunge as ‘Thai talks about the hideous nature of humanity and today’s world. Again, it’s just a staggering work.

The grunge continues on Falling, with ‘Thai proper flexing his vocal chops as his angsty, pained screams echo and reverberate amidst a spacey, atmospheric backdrop. After the punky Wotz Funny, beauty and ugliness then exquisitely collide on penultimate track Tourniquet, as ‘Thai’s stark vocals bruise the gentle piano and string-tinged instrumentation as he talks metaphorically of hacking away his broken pieces akin to Aaron Rolston in 127 Hours. Acoustic closer 25% Club then brings the album in for a safe landing, ending this rollercoaster journey with a song that is a polar contrast to the opener.

As you can probably tell I’m a huge fan of this record, with Slowthai really coming into his own thanks to a magical partnership with Dan Carey and a host of other great collaborators behind the scenes who help both amplify and finesse his vision. With inspiration from bands like Nirvana and Radiohead also coming through loud and clear too, this has very quickly become one of my favourite albums of the 2023 so far. A big step forward for Slowthai and an absolute must listen!

Listen here

UK Grim by Sleaford Mods

From grime/punk to post-punk now, as scene veterans Sleaford Mods have returned with their urgent new album, UK Grim. The duo of beat maestro Andrew Fearn and fire-spitting wordsmith Jason Williamson hit new heights on their previous outing Spare Ribs, which mixed first-class collaborations and some lockdown-inspired hot takes for arguably their sharpest and best collection of songs to date. Without reinventing the wheel, the duo build on that winning formula on UK Grim with another effort that ranks well within the top half of their stacked discography.  

The title track and lead single remains both immediate and infectious, with Jason Williamson taking no prisoners as he unleashes his sardonic fury on the current state of Tory Britain on this aggressive, electro-driven opener. DIwhy is then a spiritual sequel to Spare Ribs’ hit Nudge It, but this time around Williamson points his finger and razor-sharp tongue at posers within the post-punk scene itself, with quite frankly hilarious results. Force 10 From Navarone remains my favourite Fearn beat on the whole record, as the duo team up with Dry Cleaning’s Florence Shaw for a song that takes place within Jason Williamson’s own inner monologue. Battling feelings of cherophobia and questioning a passive UK public controlled by a corrupt government, it’s the Mods at their most urgent and brilliant best.

Whilst there may be a couple of moments where it feels like the pair are treading over well-trodden ground at this point, these are more than counteracted by some of the record’s highpoints. On The Ground for example may be their poppiest track ever and easily my favourite here, with a super catchy beat and instant refrain of “they’re on the ground and they’re gonna check you.” By contrast Smash Each Other Up sees Williamson look in complete despair at the current state of the country, as Andrew floats a minimalist and mournful electronic beat in the background. Jane Addiction’s own Peter Farrell then turns up for recent single and the album’s most pure punk moment, So Trendy, which comes over slightly irritating at first, but you’ll soon find yourself singing along.

Despite all these great moments, the duo still manage to save two of the album’s strongest moments for last. Tory Kong swings in on a vine made from a rumbling jungle beat, before closer Rhythms of Class marks one of the duo’s very best songs to date. A well-crafted but brutally bleak look at the reality that Britain now shares many of the same social and political problems of the countries the British public can often vilify, it’s a fittingly poignant end.

Overall this is another strong outing from Nottingham’s finest, with Andrew and Jason building on the groundwork they laid in Spare Ribs for another provocative, frequently incendiary yet occasionally funny and oddly catchy, dismantling of (Not So) Great Britain.

Listen here

Radical Romantics by Fever Ray

Elsewhere, Swedish electro pioneer Karin Dreijer aka Fever Ray released their third solo album and their first batch of new music in six years. Other than featuring the most strikingly bizarre album artwork of the year thus far, Radical Romantics is also quite a blissful and dreamy listen with Dreijer pulling together a frequently fascinating collection of synth-pop induced love songs. At just 10 tracks it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome either, with songs like What They Call Us, Shiver, Kandy and Carbon Dioxide as colourful and enjoyable as any they have made previously.

That said though, you might want to leave before final track Bottom of the Ocean, which sees Dreijer repeating various “oh, oh, oh” sounds for seven minutes over an ominous soundscape. One track that promises to go somewhere but just ends up sinking like the title suggests.

Listen here

Life In Miniature (Extended Edition) by Low Island

One of my Top 10 albums of 2022, the second album from Low Island was nothing short of majestic. As the name Life In Miniature suggests, it was a snapshot of the last two years in which frontman Carlos Posada seemed to encounter all of life’s blessings and curses during one quite intense period. From love and loss to happiness and grief, to sad endings and new beginnings, Low Island gifted listeners a beautiful tapestry of treasured memories that, although personal, impactfully resonate out of the audio through lyrical gut-punches and life-affirming sonic uplifts.

If you missed this gem of an album last year then there really hasn’t been a better time to listen, as now to coincide with the end of their recent UK tour, the band have released a new extended edition featuring three previously unreleased album offcuts. It Holds And It Holds is another soulfully cool slice of electropop, whilst Give Me Something To Love is a stunning bare bones acoustic track. My pick of the three however is Second Skin which captures perfectly what this band do best – danceable grooves with a palpable emotional heart.

Listen here

After Hours (Live At SoFi Stadium) by The Weeknd

There are few albums if any that I’ve played more than After Hours and Dawn FM by The Weeknd over the last couple of years. And for two years I held on to my Weeknd tickets for his London show, hoping I would eventually get to hear the songs live after the lockdowns finally came to an end. Although they did end, the bad news was that Abel’s star status had only grown in that time. This resulted in him cancelling his arena tour and upgrading to stadiums, with tickets going from the fairly reasonable £70 I paid initially to the £300 that Ticketmaster’s obscene surge pricing policy decided that’s what people should pay. As much as I love The Weeknd’s music and am desperate to catch his live show again, that is simply not a price I am willing to pay to see any single artist – maybe next time!

Thankfully to ease the blow somewhat, Abel has released this incredible new live album to accompany the HBO Special filmed at his recent stadium show in Los Angeles. Across the breathtaking (pun intended) 31 song setlist, Abel delivers hit after hit, as his vocal performances and superb live band production frequently get the hairs on your neck standing on end. Whilst it may be further evidence of just what a special popstar The Weeknd is, it’s also a shame that I can’t catch the show in person. The end of Live Nation’s monopoly and Ticketmaster’s ridiculous surge pricing really can’t come soon enough!

Listen here

From Nothing To A Little Bit More by The Lathums

“Before the pandemic The Lathums were on the road to nowhere. Then The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess heard a recording of early single ‘The Great Escape’ and invited them to play a set at Kendal Calling. The rest, as they say, is history. After a couple of years building a passionate fanbase, they’d play the first non-socially distanced post lockdown gig in Liverpool. Six months after that The Lathums struck gold with the small matter of a UK number one album.

So after being in the whirlwind of prosperity in 2021, the storm has settled. 18 months after their debut they’ve returned with From Nothing To A little Bit More: a less immediate effort but one worthy of the time and effort required to leave an impact.

From Nothing To A Little Bit More is a solid return from The Lathums: darker, rawer and more accomplished, albeit without the same high points of their debut. Alex Moore portrays himself as a sensitive soul and the empathy you feel towards him is the album’s main strength. Especially as, like before, the tunes are heart-warming and infectious - the boys from Wigan discover a darker route mixed with moments of light. This is all done without losing the everyman appeal which drew so many to them in the first place.”

Read Matt McLister’s full review here

Listen here

Also worth checking out: Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against The Wall EP by Nia Archives, The Valley of Vision EP by Manchester Orchestra, Brothers & Sisters by Steve Mason, Tear Me to Pieces by Story of the Year

Tracks of the Week

Lean Beef Patty by JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown

The rumours of a collaboration album between hip hop superstars JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown has seemingly been around for years now, but it seems like the long-anticipated release is finally nearing its arrival. Whilst still no release date has been announced yet, we do have the first single which is a sub 2-minute hurricane of hard electronic blasts and lyrical wizardry.

Listen here

Sole Obsession by Nation of Language

One of the best new bands to debut during the lockdown years, new wave duo Nation of Language have quickly earned themselves a cult following off the back of their incredible first two records, Introduction Presence and A Way Forward. Now it appears a new era is on the horizon, with their dazzling new single Sole Obsession a prime example of why people simply can’t get enough of this band.

Listen here

Cello Song by Fontaines D.C.

The legacy of renowned singer-songwriter Nick Drake continues to live on, with a new compilation album in the works featuring covers of his most favourite songs from an enticing artist list that includes Bombay Bicycle Club, Let’s Eat Grandma, Radiohead’s Philip Selway, Feist and more. The first cover from the album to be released though is this brilliant take from Fontaines D.C. of Drake’s iconic Cello Song, with that band managing to pay homage whilst also making it their own.

Listen here

Everytime by Cub Sport

And finally this week, one of my favourite films of all time (for reasons I can’t completely pinpoint myself) is Harmony Korine’s surreal, arthouse summer flick, Spring Breakers.

From the vibrancy of the cinematography to the intoxicating Cliff Martinez soundtrack, to just the sheer hallucinogenic hedonism of it all, I just love everything about it. One thing in particular it does so well is the contradictory marriage between beauty and the beast that lies at the heart of the film, which is captured in no better instance than one certain iconic scene. In this magical moment, James Franco’s Alien plays Britney Spears’ Everytime on the piano, whilst the four girls waltz around him wearing Neon Ski Masks and carrying their shotguns, as montage footage of their dangerous escapades are intertwined. Surreal, completely nuts, but also oddly beautiful.

Now I’m not sure if that scene entered the brains of Aussie synth-pop outfit Cub Sport when they decided to cover this Britney classic, but the vocoder vocals and dazed electronica of this dreamy version of the song took me right back to that cinematic masterpiece. Check out the cover, then check out the film if you’ve never seen it - but don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Listen here

Also worth checking out: Messed Up by Holy Holy featuring Kwame, Line In The Sand by Hot Chip, Brian Eno & Goddess, CooCool by Roisin Murphy, Bloodshot by Enter Shikari, Ache by The Xcerts featuring Sam Carter

REMINDER: If you use Apple Music, you can also keep up-to-date with all my favourite 2023 tracks through my Best of 2023 playlist. Constantly updated throughout the year with songs I enjoy, it is then finalised into a Top 100 Songs of the Year in December.

Add the playlist to your library here

[slytherinqueen71]

Do Horror Stories Help Cope With Life?

According to the “New York Times”, an article called “How Horror Stories Help Us Cope With Real Life”, it talks about how scary movies, books, and podcasts can help people think through what they would do in a scary situation, experts also say that this could prepare people for the worst-case scenario. In 2014, horror movies only made up 2.69 percent of the annual box office watches but then in 2021, it went up to 12.75 percent. Three researchers decided to go to a haunted house to ask college students why people like to seek out horror. These students said they like to learn about their reactions to fear. They believe that if you watch horror, participate in horror, or listen to it then a controlled dose can be very helpful to your mental health. When people tend to watch horror they like to feel safe because then they know that they can enjoy it more, so don’t watch scary movies alone in your home. Maybe watch it with a group of friends or a family member. People also like to watch horror movies because they enjoy the intellectual stimulation and the imaginative activities that go on in their brains. Another thing is that these people are also looking for a rush of adrenaline when they watch these types of movies. 

Why would people want to watch horror movies? I feel like it just causes your blood pressure to get high or your heart racing but what type of crazy person enjoys horror movies? I would never want to watch a horror movie especially if I’m home by myself. I wouldn’t even want to do it with a friend at their house because it’s still just as scary. My friend and I used to watch a TV show called “Scream”, and we watched it all the time when I stayed over but one night we watched it when we should have been sleeping. We ended up being so scared that we were gonna be killed and we also thought that we saw someone in her house after watching the show. After that, I realized that I would never want to watch a horror movie or show again. Question is, what makes people like horror movies so much? Is it because they aren’t empathetic and like to watch people being murdered? Do they like the thrill of the chase, do they feel like this helps them cope with their life, or is it helping them overcome the trauma that they have gone through? 

Americans are experiencing anxiety at a higher write and surveys show that just watching a show could trigger our anxiety. Just watching a horror movie could help you get over your fears. Psychologists use something called exposure therapy which involves showing you something that you are afraid of and could help you realize the thing that you are afraid of actually can’t hurt you. You should also know your limits when it comes to watching something that you don’t like. If you see something in a movie or a show that makes you feel uncomfortable then don’t watch it and talk to someone about it. Maybe just avoided watching it because then you don’t have to deal with it anymore. 

[pernillemagda]

From the danish podcast "bag om trøjen" with Pernille Harder an Katrine Veje

I have finally listed to the whole podcast, and have tried to translate most of the podcast, not word by word, but just overall what they said, I know it's a bit long 😅

It was recorded back in February

The things in this color is the best parts (at least what I think)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bag om Trøjen (@bagomtrojen)

Talking about club

03:52 - It's only in Denmark I'm called Harder, everywhere else I'm called P

04:20 - How much do the shirts mean for you Veje?

explains that she only wants to switch her NT jersey with "bigger" teams and not teams like Azerbaijan and Malta. They mean a lot to her. But she never says no.

10:30 - Pernille picks up Veje's Arsenal shirt "ew, I don't think I can do this"

05:20 How much do the shirts mean for you Pernille?

- "My shirts, or the one I swap to"

- They all bring up some good memories.

- It's often in the final rounds that I switch as there are some of the "better" teams

- The one I'm probably the happiest about is Marta da Silva, I think it was in 2012, she also wears number 10. She is one of my biggest idols as a kid.

17:45 - Talking about the FA Cup on 5 December 2021 winning over Veje

13:30 - How was your start in Chelsea

- There was a big pressure as I was the most expensive player and just was named UEFA player of the year, but I think it was pretty well

Talking about worst/toughest player

19:20 - Pernille is asked first, the host and Veje think she's thinking about Troelsgaard as she says it's a teammate, but then she says it's Millie Bright.

- She's just going 100 percent in the tackles no matter if she gets the ball or not. She trains like she plays games. So sometimes you get to feel what she’s capable of

Katrines time in Montpellier

20:10 - Veje is next

- Troelsgaard must be the thought, she also trains as the play's games but has become better over the years

Listeners questions

21:30 - Before we went to the euro's 2017 i signed with Montpellier. I had a good start, played well and came on the world's top 100 list. Then there is a meeting just after the summer where she is told that some English clubs are interested in her and then the club starts not to treat her well.

- At a time, she trained with the U19 team, which was low, she felt it was kind of a punishment.

- Today when she's thinking bad, she still has good memories and good friends. It's not only bad things, but of course they still are there.

- She remembers a friendly against Barcelona where she starts out, then come on the field to play 12 minutes and was taken out again

- She learned a lot in that time and how to handle it. It was a tough time mentally and she considered stopping her career as it wasn't fun at all.

- At the U19 team, she was in the matchday squad, bet then they just take her shirt in front of her and put it back in the bag.

- (Harder interrupts) I don't know how they can treat people like that, it's inhuman, just because they heard she might be interested in moving on in her career to a new club

28:00 - Which shirt would be the biggest to swap to

- Pernille: It's hard to say, in the club we don't have shirts to swap them away, we mostly only have one. But I have the one I want the most.

- 28:55 - I swapped once with Megan Rapinoe and that is the one, I'm the happiest about

Talking early days/debuts with the NT

29:40 - What is it like to experience the development women's football is undergoing

- Pernille, there has happened so much in the last five years, people have started to be more interested and especially the TV streams have become a lot better, in the past, the matches were only filmed with a hand-held camera from one angle and then it is clear that people found it boring to watch women's football. It is something that has irritated me a lot. So, I'm happy that, that part is becoming better.

32:35 - Do you remember your debuts

- Pernille, I think it was a good game to have a debut against, I scored a hat trick and there also was another debutant who did that as well

33:50 - Talking about shirt numbers at NT

33:20 - Pernille

- I played Right back in a pretty important Worldcup playoff match against Switzerland (host: how did what go) well I was put as an attacking midfielder in the second half, I think that says it all about my performance 😂 and i have never played back since

Euros 2017

36:20 Veje had a chance where she was totally alone in front of the goal, without the goalkeeper. She then shot over the goal, and one of the teammates just yells "what the h*ll are you doing"

24:30 - The semifinal was postponed

- Veje, when we were warming up the ball didn't move at all, we have to chip the ball to each other.

- We went down to the changing room and our clothes got tumble-dried, at this time the game wasn't postponed to the day after yet, just a later kickoff.

- Pernille, when we were waiting for the game to start, I remember talking to a club teammate and the game was still not postponed

- Then we go out and warm up for a second time and after that warmup, we were told that the game had been moved to the day after, and I just thought "okay, then let's just go home and sleep" 😂

38:00 - Because of the later kickoff Denmark had packed their bags beforehand, and Germany hadn't

40:30 - After the tournament, my girlfriend and I went on vacation, I was mentally and physically exhausted and she told me I was the most boring to be on vacation with, we didn't do anything, and I just walked around in my own thoughts

38:30 - The final

- Pernille, the final was a special feeling. We were all exhausted, but still proud of what we had achieved

42:22 - Snoring

- Sofie Junge snores and we were roomies under the euro's 2017

- Pernille also sleeps with earplugs at home because Magda snores and takes very deep breaths, and it annoys her too much to not have them in. I think I have become addicted to them when I sleep alone today, I still sleep with earplugs

[ggukkieland]

📕BTS Fic Reads - 2021 March pt. 1

I appreciate all these fics as they’ve provided me comfort, distraction, etc during these times. So thank you dear authors. Sending you love 💖

If you end up checking the fics in this list, please don’t forget to show appreciation by reblogging or giving positive feedback to these authors 🥰.

Note: if link doesn’t work, click on author and go to their masterlist

🥕 Ongoing - most recent chapter [as of date this list was posted] 🥕 Completed - completed one shots | series 🥕 S - smut | F - fluff | A - angst 🌷 with commentary on completed fics (if reading these help)

--- Some are new, some re-reads, while some are past reads that haven’t been reblogged yet. Mostly mature.

🥕[Ongoing Series] - Social Media AUs (SMAUs)

Catching Feelings @na-na-na-nanna​ - MYG | smau | Goblin!Yoongi, Fantasy, must kiss humans to gain human emotions | Crack, F, A, S [12/?]

Cursed @bloomsuga​ - KTH | smau with written parts | Supernatural AU, Witch!Taehyung, Cursed!Reader | Crack, F, S, slight A ! [3/?]

Just Facts @yoongiiverse​ - JJK | smau | Rich Idol!jungkook, Model Dancer!Reader, Enemies to Lovers | Crack, F [5/?]

Kinda Hot @kimnjss​ - KTH | smau with written parts  | Campus Flirt!taehyung, Bestfriend!Reader, Bestfriend AU, College AU | S, F, A [15/?]

Made of Honor @suhdays​ - KTH | smau with written parts| best friend AU, made of honor!au (like the film) | F, A [18/?]

Best Man @yoontaethings​ - KTH | smau | enemies to lovers, player taehyung? | F, A, S (written) [6/?]

🥕[Ongoing Series]

🌹 Jungkook

Almost Home [reposted/revised] @angelguk​​ - JJK | 27k+ | Single Dad AU, Nanny, slight Fake Dating | A, F [2/?]

Bands @xpeachesncream​​ - JJK | 55.9K+ | Idol AU, Stripper AU | A, F, S [14/?]

Confident @h0neypjm​​​ - JJK | 13.1k | Fuckboy AU, Virgin!Reader | S, F, A ~ [2/?]

It’s a Heartbeat @inkofyoongi​​ - JJK | 23k+ | Enemies to Lovers, College AU, their parents are dating, Jungkook is the South Korean Patrick Swayze and this will turn into a Dirty Dancing!AU nobody asked for 🤭 | A, F, S [1/?]

No Harm List @crazy4myself​​ - JJK | 93.5k+ | Mafia AU, Gang AU, Slow Burn | A, F [10/?]

Normal Kind of Love @/yoontaethings - JJK | 2.5k+ | Actor AU, Exes AU, Enemies to Lovers | A (so far) [1/?]

Open When @iluv-hobi​​ - JJK | drabble series, 2.6k | idol au, established relationship, epistolary | F ~ [2/?]

Picture Perfect @cosmoguk​​ - JJK | 5k+ | parents AU, exes AU (divorced) | A, F | [1/?]

Sleepyhead series @jkstompers​​ - JJK  | 18.2k+ | College AU, Seatmates AU, Crush AU (lol is there such a thing) | F, S

Sleepyhead - “you fall asleep during class next to the uni heart throb jeon jungkook, will you fall in love as well?” 1.8wc

Just to Study - “your seat partner asks if you’re free after class, just to study.” 7.4wc

Passing Notes - “a year of crushing and jungkook’s finally asked you out on a proper date.” 9k wc

Supermodel @koogalore​​ - JJK | 10K+ | Exes AU, infidelity AU, Jungkook is a jerk, Curvy!Reader, talks of body image | S, A [3/?]

The Realm @nottodayjjk​​ - JJK | 3.5k+ | Mystery, Fantasy, OC wakes up in a dark place not knowing where she is, afterlife feels | A [3/?]

The Weeping @themfchase​​ - JJK | 6k+ | Medieval, Dystopian, War, Fantasy AU, Romance, angels/demons | A [1/?]

Wasteland @iridescentjin​ - JJK | 4.5k+ | Sci-Fi AU, Post-Apocalyptic AU, isolation | A (so far) [1/?]

Your Love’s the Only Hoax I Believe In @sparklingchim​​ - JJK | 12.7k+ | College AU, Fuckboy AU, FWB AU, Tutor AU, Unrequited Love | A, S [2/3]

🌹 Yoongi

Birthday Girl @btsarmy9593​​ - MYG | 22K+ | one night stand AU, Noona AU, Professor!Reader, Post Grad AU | F, S [5/?]

Daechwita @/jinings (temp deact) - MYG | 20k+ | servant!yoongi - king!yoongi, princess!reader, period drama, Historical AU | All that Yoongi knows is that King Park must be killed- he just didn’t plan falling in love with his daughter along the way. | A, F, eventual S [2/?]

Silent Dreams @starlightauroras-writes​​ - MYG | 5.7k+ | Best Friend AU, sleeptalking OC while dreaming dirty thoughts about her best friend | S, F [1/?]

🌹 Multi/OT7

Holy Trinity @koyalov​​ - JJK x KTH x PJM | 9k+ | FWB AU, infidelity AU (other woman), Rockstar AU, Band AU, Bestfriend!Jungkook, FWB with other maknaes (yes it’s complicated) | A, S  [1/?]

Playmates @scribblemetae​ - OT7 | 22.6k+ | Idol AU, Sex Worker AU, Strangers to Lovers | S [2/?]

Roses @heejinnien​ - OT7 | 12.7k+ | Crime AU, Mystery, Horror, OC becomes target of the unsub | A [4/?]

by Author

Foxymoxy [AO3] - (JJK)  been following this author since last year (A Sea of Indigo, Hybrid AU) and her fics are amazing. Currently subscribed to these three (out of four) fics which get updated weekly:  🌷

Meadow (Wolf, Shifter AU, Arranged Marriage)

Amended (Arranged Marriage, Fake Marriage, Police Office AU, Childhood Friends, Enemies to Lovers)

Lowlander (Fantasy AU, Enemies to Lovers, Fighter Jungkook)

@jimlingss​ Drabbles 2021

Three Peas in a Pod || Fluff || Namjoon || Single Dad!AU 🌷

Suspended, Seduced, Surprised! || Fluff || Jungkook || E2L

Lotus Blooms in Mud || Angst || Jimin || Historical!AU

Buttering Up || Fluff || Yoongi || Chef!AU

The Office Trip to Pound Town || Smut, Fluff || Taehyung 🌷

Snow White and the Park Ranger || Fluff || Seokjin 🌷

Humdrum Amore || Fluff || Hoseok 🌷

Awaken Again || Angst, Fluff || Namjoon || Sci-Fi!AU 🌷

The Soulmate Gift || Angst, Fluff || Yoongi || Soulmate!AU

Floof’s Tail || Fluff || Jimin || Hybrid!AU 🌷

Take What Isn’t Mine || Smut, Angst || Jungkook

Crocodile Tears || Fluff || Hoseok || Pirate!AU 🌷

🥕[Completed Fics/Series]

Namjoon

Little Red @/bloomsuga - one shot | 22.5k | Werewolf AU, got lost in the woods, inspired by Little Red Riding Hood | S, F, A

Pheromones @rmnamjoons​​ - one shot | 17.5k | Spaceship Captain!Namjoon, Botanist!Reader, Sci Fi AU, Pining | S, F, A 🌷

Stuttering @moonlightchildz​​ - one shot | 11.6k | Tutor AU, Underground Rapper, College AU, Secret Identity | F, S  🌷

There’s a Fly in My Soup @sahmfanficbts​​ - drabble | 1.8k | Cafe Owner x Customer!Namjoon, Cafe AU, Strangers to Lovers, Crack  | F, A (in form of one very stressed OC) 🌷

You’ve Got a Friend in Me @wwilloww​​ - one shot | 3k | Bestfriend AU, Roommate AU, interesting idea to reduce stress levels | S 🌷

Seokjin

All I Ever Wanted @hayjeon​ - one shot | 10k | Teacher AU, Enemies to Lovers AU | F, S 🌷

Voicemail @joonary​​ - one shot | 7k | College Podcast AU, Friends to Lovers, Pining, Bestfriend AU | F (💕fluffy day reblog)  🌷

What Made Us Feel Human @joonsgalaxy​​ - drabble | 2.3k | Neighbor AU, thought neighbor’s noise is due to sex but it’s something else, Crack | F 🌷

Yoongi

Accidents @jungxk​​ - drabble 2.4k | Dad AU, Comedy | F (💕fluffy day reblog)🌷

Are You Still With Him @/joonsgalaxy - drabble | 1.7k | Roommate AU, Producer AU, Friends to Lovers, secret pining, use of song lyrics in the fic | F (I really love how it made use of different song lyrics in the story) 🌷

Avec Mes Souvenirs @palpitate-hyperventilate - one shot | 3.5k | Nikita!AU, Assassin AU, Trainer Yoongi | A

Dad Yoongi + Pawful Experience by obiwrites (through reblogs of her old posts) - drabble | 2.1k | Husband AU, Dad AU, presence of Holly and one resistant Yoongi | F (ugh this is the cutest) 🌷

Earn It @sugasbabiie​​ - one shot | 5k | College AU, Professor AU, PWP,  PLOT TWIST! | S, A 🌷

Hidden Stars @jungblue - series [5/5] | 37.3k | Idol AU, Love Triangle, some reference to infidelity | A, F, S  (a reblog of old faves) 🌷

In Character @kookingtae​​ - one shot | 5.7k | Pornstar AU, “actor au where yoongi plays a burglar who breaks into your house and has his way with you.” | S 🌷

Listen Closely @avveh​​ - one shot | 12.2k | Office AU, Coworker AU, accidently received a recording of Yoongi 🌶🥵💦 | S (reblog) 🌷

Love Language @gukslut​​ - one shot | 5.3k | Established Relationship, use of the Love Language concept | A, S, F (reblog) 🌷

Overstayed Welcome @kaep-jjjang - one shot | 7k | secret crush on yoongi, yoongi to the rescue when a one night stand won’t leave, friends to lovers | S

Selfish @write-this-way-please - two shot [2/2, sort of discontinued] | 3.8k | Coffee Shop AU, kinda hated each other, then a bit of surprise by end of Part 1 | Part 2 feat Namjoon | S, A

Slip @kinglykook​​ - one shot | 5.2k | Roommate AU, Enemies (kinda), OC slipped | S (a rediscovered fic 🤩) 🌷

Tsundere @dovechim​​ - one shot | 11.2k | College AU, Resident Advisor | S, A (a reblog) 🌷

Hoseok

To The Beat of My Heart @jeonggukingdom​​​​ - one shot | 7.2k | Dancer AU, use of mirror 🥵💦| S, pwp 🌷

Written on Our Veins @army-author​​​ - two shot [2/2] | 33.2k | Soulmate AU (💕heart day reblog) 🌷

This is Not a Love Story @sincerelyourfangirl - one shot | 8.7k | breakup au, infidelity, but happy ending for OC | A 🌷

Jimin

Cordially Jimin @kpopfanfictrash​ - one shot | 6.1k | Office AU, Epistolary (through correspondence), Humor | F (💕fluffy day reblog) 🌷

Saturday Mornings @craztextae​ ​ - drabble | 2.2k | Pining AU, Strangers to Lovers(?), Plot Twist! | S 🌷

Girls Like You [Don’t] Run Around with Guys Like Me @ktheist​ - one shot | 4k | popular!reader x shy!jimin, Rich Kids AU, FWB AU, College AU, ends as CEO (PJM) and Racer (OC) | A, F

Taehyung

A Letter in Roses @artaefact​​  - one shot | 8k | Husband AU, CEO AU, appearance of Yeontan | F, implied S

A Timely Malfunction @/joonsgalaxy - drabble | 2.9k | time travel, friends to lovers, prompt:  “What? No, I never said that.” | F

College FWB Drabble + PDA + Miscomm @yukheii - drabble | FWB AU, College AU | F (seriously this is super cute) 🌷

Handsy @jinned​​​ - one shot | 3.7k | Roommate AU, Bestfriend AU, Childhood Friends AU, Pining | taehyung helps her during time of need | S, F 🌷

Hold Still @/joonsgalaxy - drabble | 2.1k | CEO AU, use of flashlight 🙈 | S, pwp ( I’ll Never look at flashlights 🔦 the same way again)

Not Even Close @lovetrivia​​ - drabble | a powerful 600 wc | enemies to lovers, college au, hookups | S, pwp, A 🌷

Of Mages and Swords @masterninjacow​​ - one shot | 40k | Fantasy AU, King Arthur AU, Royalty AU, Action, Romance | A, F 🌷 #holygrailfic

Potent But Not Real @whatifyoulivelikethat​ - one shot | 5k | Assassin AU, Office Worker Taehyung | S, A

Talk Slow @writtenwhalien​​ - one shot | 6.4k | brother’s best friend, Exes AU, never have I ever game | A, S, F

The Temp @jkeuphoriadreamland​​ - one shot | 8.2k | Enemies to Lover, CEO AU, Taehyung has arranged marriage with someone else (headed for divorce) | S, F 🌷

Jungkook

gets a separate post due to too many fic reblogs 😬 (see link below for PART 2)

I love to read so feel free to recommend a fic posted: 2021 March 24 link to other reading lists  | Mar Part 2