#cos arabella

[anae-art]

Day 25 - Vistani

(Prop list is from @crowholtz )

[audreyandfriendsfan201]

[TT Link]

[akqrus]

Best thing about being a literature student is that you get to see historians being messy ASF.

[theemporium]

🧸with Carlos please where his daughter brings home a cat (we all know how he feels about cats), but he becomes the definition of “dad who doesn’t want a cat but loves the cat more than anyone in the house”

thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

.

“ARABELLA!”

A soft giggle could be heard before the sound of footsteps pattering towards the living room could be heard. It took less than thirty seconds before his daughter showed up in front of him, the look of pure innocence on her face as she looked up at him.

“Yes, Daddy?”

Carlos shot his daughter a look before pointing at the ball of orange fur sitting on the couch—on his spot on the couch. “What is that?”

“It’s a cat, Daddy,” Arabella said with a small giggle, like she couldn’t believe her father was actually asking. “The one that goes meow.”

“Yes, I—” He took a deep breath, shaking his head. “What is it doing in the house?”

“He was alone,” Arabella said, her lips turning downwards into a pout and he could already feel his walls crumbling at the sight. “Mummy helped me give him a bath! He’s clean, I promise.”

“Did she now?” Carlos grumbled as he placed his hands on his hips, glaring at the small orange cat like that alone would make him disappear. “He can’t stay. We have to find him a new home.”

Arabella pouted. “But—”

“No buts,” Carlos shook his head. “We will find him a loving home, mi princesa, but he cannot stay with us.”

And Carlos had planned to stay adamant on the matter. He wasn’t a cat man. He didn’t like them. He didn’t see the appeal in them. They weren’t as friendly or social or loving as dogs. They were far from a man’s best friend, more like a man’s slightly temperamental roommate. He was not a cat man and he refused to house that cat in his house longer than he needed to.

However, finding the cat a loving home without putting it in a shelter seemed more difficult than he assumed. Days would pass, and the orange cat—now named Chilli, ironically enough—was overstaying his visit. He learnt to co-exist with the creature, but he refused to interact with it unless it was needed.

Or at least, that was what he told you.

He had complained about Chilli every night before bed. He would talk about all the annoying things he had done. He told you about all the ways the cat inconvenienced him. But if anything, it seemed like he was trying to convince himself that he hated the cat with the amount of pictures on his phone. 

And then you had returned home after picking up Arabella from school to see the sight in front of you.

“Mama,” the young girl tugged on your sleeve and excitedly pointed at the couch. “Look at Daddy and Chilli!” 

You snorted, already reaching for your phone. “I can see them, honey.”

“Ay,” Carlos grumbled, one hand raised to cover his face whilst the other rested on the back of Chilli. “What’s all the noise?” 

“Are we ruining your cat nap?” You teased, watching as the boy’s eyes snapped open to stare at the sleeping cat on his chest before they shut again.

“This means nothing,” he told you.

“Uh huh.”

“I mean it,” Carlos continued. 

“Right.”

“It just happened,” he assured you.

“If you say so. But there is another family looking—”

“No.”

You raised your brows. “No?”

“Chilli is a Sainz now. Even if he is annoying,” Carlos muttered before biting back a yawn. “Now let us sleep in peace, please.”

.

[ingravinoveritas]

craftyballoonwinner mentioned you on a post "anna always got to prove to us she still got her…”

I can't wait for @nightgoodomens and @ingravinoveritas takes on today. Something happened and while I'm happy to not have GM around the fact it was MS&DT ALL night makes my eyebrows raise.

@craftyballoonwinner It has taken me the last few days to process everything that happened on Friday, because to say that I am floored by what we got is a tremendous understatement.

We knew that Michael had been in London and had specifically gotten a house in Chiswick close to David's house since November of last year, for his run in Nye at the National Theatre. We knew that the second run in Cardiff ended on June 1st and that as soon as it did, Michael immediately came back to London. We knew that--schedules and work/family commitments allowing--they were likely spending a great deal of time together (despite only seeing three pictures of them over the course of that entire interval: The Macbeth photo, the blurry pic that Anna posted back in November, and the photo from Lapland last December).

The smallest pieces, flashes of something beautiful and bright yet still obscured, ensconced from public view. So much so that I never in a million years expected Michael to come to Pub in the Park--hoped, certainly, but the thought of it actually happening seemed like a distant dream, a dazzling impossibility.

But this past Friday was just...so extraordinary and lovely precisely because it was ordinary. It wasn't a press junket or an interview or Michael and David promoting something...it was just them. The two of them together, basking in the warmth of each other's presence. It was there even in the first picture I saw, and it permeated through every clip, every moment of them at the event:

The smiles. The ease and comfort they have around each other. The effortless love that just exists between Michael and David, and that is tangible in every dimension, as much on a screen as in real life. And when they were on stage together, it wasn't even that they played off each other so well--it was that Michael's last minute appearance didn't cause either of them to lose so much as a step. It was that you just knew that they couldn't have put any other two people up on that stage without prior planning and had that same chemistry, that charm and familiarity. And it was just so damn wonderful to see Michael and David looking so happy and joyful overall.

As for what happened with Georgia, I am just more confused than anything else. For the last month and a half, Georgia heavily promoted PitP, and both she and David billed her as a co-host. Every flyer, every piece of promotion that was shared (both by the PitP social media and Georgia) mentioned her as a co-host, along with David. She even did an interview on the Gaby Roslin podcast with David and Arabella Weir where she was again specifically referred to as a co-host and admitted not knowing her own Instagram handle, as well as saying that she would be active on Insta during the PitP event.

There is a strange irony to the podcast as well, given that David actually said "We're failing our hosting duties right here!" in the above linked clip, and what seemed like a joke at the time actually came to pass. For whatever reason, Georgia failed in her duty, the job that she signed up to do. Had it been because of all the attacks that David was a target of over the past week after the blow-up with Kemi Badenoch, Rishi Sunak, and the entire Tory party, that would have made sense. I would have completely understood if Georgia, who had also been targeted in those attacks, was feeling anxious or worried about her/the kids' safety and elected to stay home instead.

However...Georgia didn't stay home. She actually was at the event, as were several of their kids (Ty and Olive, from what I've seen). She was there, drinking and dancing, and somehow that made her abdication of co-hosting duty even more conspicuous and strange. It also makes it increasingly obvious that Michael's appearance on stage was a last minute occurrence and not part of the original plan of events.

So what actually happened? I don't know. None of us know, and it's likely we won't know until a later time, if ever. But in the real world, if you are given a job to do, if a contract is signed with a written agreement to do that job and you don't do the job, there are consequences. At the very least, it can negatively affect someone's reputation and reduce the likelihood of them receiving offers for future jobs. On the other end, you could be looking at potential lawsuits for things like breach of contract. And none of this even gets into disappointed fans or attendees who might've been hoping to see Georgia host and who could possibly now claim to be victims of false advertising because she didn't.

It also feels like a huge missed opportunity on the part of PitP, who could have potentially raised hundreds or even thousands of pounds more for charity had Michael been booked as a co-host, or even a guest. Regardless of whether Michael was there in an official capacity, though, I am just glad that he was there, and that we got to see the two of them together again.

The night may have lacked the glitz and formal glamour of the NTAs, but it more than made up for it with the relaxed domesticity we got to see between Michael and David. And now that Michael is hanging around London a bit longer, hopefully there will be many more memorable nights like this to come.

[captainwans]

SAME OLD LANG SYNE.

— ALEX TURNER.

pairing: am!alex turner x fem!actress reader

timeline: 2014

summary: the pair connects by a shared history of what was and what could be, where one remembers while the other comes to realization.

part two: oh, sweet arabella!

warning: vulgar language, neurotic reader, and teeth-rotting fluff between the pair.

word count: 4,9k | ( picture not mine! )

note: i’ve changed the storyline a little bit, and i hope this won’t get too confusing. i really liked the idea of cindy and miles being together.

arabella series

masterlist!

….  [Y/N]’S HEELS CLANKED LOUDLY AGAINST THE CORK FLOOR, THE SOUND OF HER SHOES ECHOING ACROSS THE STUDIO HALL AS SHE FASTENED HER PACE. The actress internally cursed at herself for being late and feeling disappointed in herself that this would be the group’s first impression of her. She thought she was prepared. She marked this day on her calendar and planned on taking the plane two days early. She had a plan. But boy, was she wrong. She got a call from her assistant two days before, asking her why she hadn’t shown up to the studio. She ended up getting a lecture, telling her how she messed up with the dates and that they were all expecting her. [Y/N] went spiral, eyes almost building out of their sockets as she realized the original date. Being her neurotic self, as well as a chronic perfectionist, she dropped everything she was doing and booked the next flight that was leaving in an hour. She brushed off her suggestion that they could wrap it up and take it to the next day. She refused and told her that they would see her under an hour sharp, leaving her assistant dumbfounded. 

     “[Y/N], it’s fine. They understand that we messed up the dates. We’ll take it tomorrow—” Denise, her assistant, reassured with a warm tone, but ended up getting abruptly interrupted by the actress' frantic tone. 

     “No! Denny, stay where you are. Don’t do anything. I will be there in an hour. Ok? Bye.” [Y/N] stressed through her phone, face grimacing as she watched the clock on the wall. She hung up, not letting Denise finish her sentence as she dashed through her closet to get her suitcase. 

     The actress arrived right on time just like she promised, but her anxiety was on the roof at the thought of everyone’s faces, even the band, which she was ecstatic and nervous to meet. She couldn’t exactly pinpoint where she had met them, especially the lead singer. She was so sure that she must have interacted with him, but whenever she recalls the past her mind gets blank. It also applied to the other members and she remembered watching a picture of them, finding some familiarity that she couldn’t explain. She talked about it to Cindy, but it was to no avail. 

     "Apparently, Arabella is about me? That’s all I’m hearing and reading about on the internet. Do you know them? Miles, you know them. Aren’t you in a band with one of them? They’re really popular internationally. Arctic Monkeys.” [Y/N] told her best friends, her face glued to the computer screen as she read the lyrics of the supposed song that is about her. 

     Miles nodded with a hum, sitting beside his girlfriend as she had her legs draped over his thighs. Cindy’s eyes sparked, her lips forming into a curved smirk as she watched her co-star. She shifted her body to the side, sitting cross-legged before voicing her thoughts, ignoring Miles’ disapproving look. “Hmmm….Maybe, maybe not.” she sighed, giggling at the end, making her best friend turn her head toward her with a confused look before she went back on her computer. 

     “You need to tell her, love,” Miles whispered, making Cindy stifle back a laugh as she shook her head. “And ruin all the fun? She needs to figure this out for herself, baby. Besides, I love her clueless side. It truly fascinates me how she remembers all of her lines, but she can’t even remember a face. Heck, I mean she could’ve met him without even knowing.” she said in a low tone, looking back at her girlfriend with a funny look. 

     Her heart stumbled upon its own rhythm, and she didn’t know if it was because she was going to meet the band or from almost gasping for air as she ran with her high heels toward the backdoor to lead her to the set. Maybe a mix of both, she thought. A hard, quick pulse roared in her throat making her clear her throat, awkwardly passing an employee who looked at her with concern. She turned to glance at them, but once she turned her head she didn’t notice another person heading her way. Her body collided with a hard chest, making her lose her balance as she fell down the hard floor with a thud.

 

     [Y/N] felt blood rush through her ears as she profusely apologized to the person in front of her. “I-I’m so sorry—” she wobbled with her words, her lips morphing into a downward pout. She felt their rough hand hoisting her up to her feet, their small chuckles filling inside her eardrums. 

     “No, please. I didn’t see where I was going.” The actress slid down the ends of her dress, her eyes slowly meeting theirs, making her breath hitch as she recognized him. Her eyes widened, crimson dancing across her cheeks. “Oh…” she trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck as she shyly looked at him. “Well, that’s a good first impression, right?” she chirped with a soft laugh, cursing inside her head at her high-pitched tone at the end. 

     Jamie’s smile widened, eyes sparking as he looked at the actress with a warm expression. “You’re still the bubbly [Y/N] that I remember.” he beamed at her, making her tilt her head at him in confusion. His face faltered for a second, confused by the fact that she couldn’t recognize him. He brushed off his confusion by clearing his throat, which went unnoticed by the latter as he introduced himself. “I’m Jamie, the guitarist.” he introduced himself, bringing his hand toward her to shake, which she happily returned.

     “Nice to meet you, Jamie! Oh, I hope I’m not too late for filming. I’m so sorry, I somehow messed up the dates and my assistant called me a few hours ago telling me that we were supposed to film today, and now—I’m rambling, fuck..Oh! Sorry.” she babbled, covering a hand over her mouth as a curse word emitted from her lips making Jamie laugh.

     The guitarist placed a gentle hand on her arm with a deep chuckle. “You’re all good, love. We don’t mind, really. It was much needed to extend the filming. We’re all jet-lagged from the flight.” He reassured her as the pair walked out of the studio with Jamie opening the door for her, for which she warmly thanked him.

     The sun kissed her delicate features, making her squint her eyes as she walked toward the main set. She saw Denise waving her arms, making her return the same gesture as her eyes lit up at seeing her assistant. Her eyes darted across the ambiance, eyes finally landing on the group, whose eyes were already on the pair walking toward them making her self-conscious. 

     Alex held his breath before slowly exhaling as he took in her presence, his mind wandering back to their previous interaction from almost ten years ago. He remembered being so devastated with the incident with the paparazzi, as well as losing the sight of her when they forfecully had to part ways and for not trying harder to catch her. 

     Alex’s face morphed into a deep scowl, feeling a fire erupting inside his chest. He pushed a paparazzi out of his way as small curses emitted from his lips, his eyes darted across the old pub in look of the actress. He felt a prickling feeling in his chest, squeezing his lungs making him let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as he found his friends with his shoulders slumped. 

     Jamie gave him a frown, looking at his friend’s devastated state. “I’m sorry, mate. You just missed them.” he told him, his frown turning deeper, feeling bad for Alex and for [Y/N], who looked pretty shaken up by the incident. 

     Alex’s eyes widened, his feet sauntering backwards. “Did they leave just now?” he asked, his eyes tinted with hope as he watched his friend nod. Before he could answer his question, he turned his body the opposite way and sprinted toward the exit. 

     His heart was furiously beating against his chest, hearing his heartbeat loudly echoing inside his ears as he used all of his strength to open the metal door. He was immediately hit with the cold wind and he frantically looked around him, before noticing a car a few feet away from him driving off. He saw her by the window, making him dash toward the car. “[Y/N]!” he called out, halting with his steps as he watched the car disappearing from his sight. 

     “Fuck!” he fumed, kicking a crumbled soda can and brought both of his hands to his forehead, aggressively brushing out some of his hair away from his face as he looked at nothing in particular.

    Alex snapped out of his daydream, blinking a few times and watching her greeting the others, including the staff and crew members. A small smile curved his lips unknowingly at her kind nature, which was a feature that he noticed in her when they first met. His eyes shamelessly trailed over her figure through his sun glasses, the red dress hugging her curves like water before catching a glimpse of her beautiful features. His stomach swarmed with butterflies, her graceful smile glowing like the sun as she was enthusiastically greeting the drummer. 

     [Y/N] grinned, eyes crinkling as she subconsciously pulled down the long sleeves of her dress. She covered her hands with the material and brushed a few hair strands away from her face before greeting them with a polite smile. “There she is! The living legend.” she heard one of them say, causing a dust of crimson dance across her cheeks as she was pulled into a gentle embrace. She felt a sudden deja vu with the way he expressed his beam, but that quickly disappeared as it rapidly appeared. 

     She giggled, returning the gesture by hugging him back just as tightly. “Oh, I don’t know about legend.” she said with a deep chuckle before pulling away, causing a fit of protests coming out from Jamie’s mouth making them all laugh. 

     Nick came forward and politely greeted her, making Jamie pull Matt to the side. “She doesn’t remember us.” he whispered into his ear, making Matt look at his bandmate with a surprised look. The pair moved their gaze away from each other toward the actress, watching her introducing herself to Nick by shaking her hand. 

     Matt leaned closer to Jamie, opening his mouth to voice his thoughts. “Not even Alex?” he said in a small voice, making Jamie shake his head with his lips pressed into a thin line. They shared a look, before the guitarist shrugged his shoulders. “If I remember correctly, I don’t think Alex got to the stage of introduction himself. You remember the paps?” Matt’s mouth morphed into an “o” as he remembered the incident, his handsome features turning into a frown.

     Blood rushed through her ears, flushed at Nick’s compliments. She smiled widely at his praise, hands placed on her heart as she said her thanks before moving her attention to the other guy beside Nick. She noticed his reserved nature, making her tilt her head to the side as she tried to search for his eyes through the glasses. Her heart palpitated at the smile he gave her, making her shyly smile back as she approached him. “Is it mine turn now, Ms. famous?” he chimed with a cheeky smile, making the others laugh, including the actress who burst into a fit of giggles. 

     “Oh, yes! You’re the last one, and you know what they say….Save the best for the last.” she chimed with a wink, bringing her hand for him to shake while she had a war inside her mind trying to figure out where she got that sudden burst of confidence. 

     Alex’s smile widened, deep chuckles emitting from his lips as he brought his calloused hands to shake her hand. “I’m Alex, also known as the frontman of the band.” He politely greeted, giving her hand a little squeeze. It was hard enough for him to ignore an electric spark inside his body at her touch.

    [Y/N] felt her skin tingle at his warm touch, eyes trailing over his features as she watched him resting his sun glasses on the top of his head with his other hand. She caught her breath at his handsome face, feeling her heart skip a beat at his stare. She hummed with a gentle smile, tasting his name on her lips and exhaled, his name for some reason making her feel content. “Alex. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m [Y/N], w-which you probably know.” she bashfully greeted, cursing internally at her stuttering at the end.

     Alex rubbed her hand with his thumb, his finger tracing circles on her skin as he let out another laugh. “Oh, I definitely know. I loved your last project. You were phenomenal, love!” he complimented, his hand leaving hers in the process as he watched her smiling widely at him, noticing her heated cheeks radiating from the sun.

     “Very phenomenall that Alex wrote a song about you.” Nick interjected, hands inside his pockets as he looked at his bandmate with a look, wiggling his eyebrows making everyone laugh, including the actress, who was a furiously flustered at the attention. 

     Alex’s felt blood rush through his face, causing him to clear his throat before voicing his thoughts. He crossed his arms like two swords, “People need to know about this masterpiece. I heard the views and streams increased when the album realised.” he said proudly, smile curving upwards making realization hit the actress like a wave.

     “Now, it makes sense why fans started commenting on my Instagram if I’ve listened to Arabella.” she thought out loud, a small laugh erupting inside her throat. 

     Jamie joined her laughter, “When I think of it, the movie got ten times as many viewers compared to when it first came out. I read about it in an article about our album review.” he added into the conversation, making her eyes wide in surprise. 

     “All thanks to you,” she sang, gracefully bowing making them break into another session of laughter. Alex returned her gesture by placing a hand on his chest and bowing his head, making the actress giggle as she watched him with fond eyes. 

     The laughter soon died down around them as the pair continued to stare at each other before they were interrupted by a cough. Everyone whirled their head toward the sound, watching the director making an appearance causing [Y/N] to step forward to greet him. “I see you’ve all finally met. Nice to meet you, [Y/N], and don’t fret about it. I know, Densie told me. We want you at location two for filming.” the director ordered with a kind smile, making the actress nod her head.

     [Y/N] turned her attention back to the group, her lip pressed together with a thoughtful look as she studied every member. She hummed and gave them a kind smile. “It was nice meeting all of you. Hope we see each other soon!” she chirped making them mirror her actions. 

    Her eyes lingered longer on Alex, whose eyes were focused yet soft. She watched him giving her a warm smile, making her turn her head away toward her assistant with a smile resting on her lips. Denise gave her a look, a smile curving the assistant’s lips and turned around to walk toward their location with the actress hot on her heel.

 ㅤ  ㅤ  ㅤ  ㅤ  ㅤ ▹ ▹ ▹

     Alex was finished filming for a scene and was rushed to another location where he was going to film together with the actress. Nervous was an understatement, in fact he was almost shitting his pants and sprayed endless amount of cologne and fixed his hair before entering their new filming location. He was definitely a little upset that she didn’t recognize him, but that was merely his fault because he never got to tell her his name.

     The sound of her laughter made his heart skip a beat, a smile curving upwards as he entered the set. He politely greeted some of the crew members before his eyes landed on the actress, who had her back facing him. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding before sauntering toward her. “Ok, Alex, act cool.” he whispered to himself, nodding and brushing his sweaty palms on his leather jacket.

     [Y/N] had her eyes closed, feeling the brush caressing over her eyelids and adding finishing touches on her makeup. She was nervously fiddling with the sleeves of her dress as her mind wandered back to the lead singer. The way his hand brushed against hers was enough for her body to ignite a spark, and she became deeply immersed with him. Something gnawed at the back of her brain, nagging and prickling at the sense of familiarity and she couldn’t put a finger on it. 

     She was so stuck in a trail of her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the makeup artist stepping back and packing her bag. A thud from the hairspray bottle hitting the floor is what snapped her out of her state and she locked eyes with the makeup artist, whose were apologetic and timid. The actress gently brushed her off and picked up the bottle to give it to her before she walked over to the kitchen counter. 

     [Y/N] leaned her back against the counter and folded her arms in front of her chest as she looked down, noticing her heels were a little dirty from stepping on mud. She heard her name being called, and she turned to see Denise throwing a pack of cigarettes toward her which she gracefully caught with both of her hands. She hummed, eyes studying the small box with narrowed eyes. “Is this real cigarettes?" She mainly asked to herself since she was always used to smoke herb cigarettes when she was filming, but she also didn’t mind if they were real and she had a habit of smoking here and there once in awhile.

     “I hope so. I’m kinda craving for a cig right now.” A deep voice filled inisde her ears, making her heart stammer against her chest as she turned her head to him, who was standing in front of her. Their close distance made her jump and she hit her back harshly against the counter causing a small gasp emit from her lips. The others, including her assistant and some of the crew members laughed. “You’re such a scaredy cat!”

     Alex felt his stomach clench at her startled state and respectfully stepped back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologized, eyes tinted with guilt. He watched her brush him off with a hand gesture, her small chuckles vibrating from her chest.

     “It’s alright. I’m always jumpy, and to answer your question, yes, they are very much real.” she reassured, cheeks hot as she referred to the cigarettes, taking one stick out and placing it on her lips. She patted her waist and looked beside her for a lighter, eyebrows furrowed as her mind went back to a few moments ago, wondering if Denise gave her a lighter or not.

     The sound of a lighter igniting made her turn her head, looking at Alex covering one hand over the small fire as he gave her a smile. “May I?” His smile took her breath away, leaving her speechless and she could only nod before inched closer. [Y/N] rested the cigarette between her fingers with a hum, blowing out the smoke by turning her head to the side to avoid him inhaling the smoke. She turned her head back to him, already finding him looking at her the same way she was looking at him — tenderness. 

     She brought the cigarette toward him, which he gently took out of her hand. She felt his fingers brush against hers, the warmth of his skin quickly disappearing as it appeared. The pair continued by taking turns with a comfortable silence surrounding them, blocking out the sounds from the studio as they immersed themselves with each other.

     “I hope this isn’t weird or anything.” Alex broke the ice, making [Y/N] frown with confusion. “What do you mean?” she softly asked him, head tilted to the side as she rested both of her hands on the counter. 

     The lead singer let out a flustered chuckle, feeling his words getting stuck inside his throat. “With the song and all that.” he tried to explain and internally cursed for the choices of his words, feeling blood rushing through his ears.

     [Y/N]’s eyes crinkled from smiling. She shook her head, giving him a simper. “Oh God no. This is not weird at all. In fact, I’m very honored to have a song written about me. It’s nice to see someone else’s love for the movie as much as I do.” she admitted, leaving the counter as she found herself inching closer.

     With every close step she took his breath away, and the way she simply smiled at him set fireworks from his soul. His heart was beating against his chest and he was pretty sure that she could hear the way it was furiously pounding. He licked his lips before speaking, his brown eyes gazing into hers. “That’s good to hear.” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, but she heard him nonetheless.

     [Y/N] studied him, feeling herself getting self-conscious with the way he was looking at her. “What?” she puzzled at him, cocking her head to the side. She felt crimson painting her cheeks and she scrunched her nose. “I can’t tell if you’re staring at me for the sake of staring, or planning a murder inside your head.” she voiced her thoughts, making Alex chuckle. 

     Alex puffed out the smoke, slowly exhaling before giving her a look she couldn’t quite decipher. “You really don’t remember me, do you?” he genuinely asked, eyes soft as he watched her face falter for a second.

     [Y/N] furrowed her eyebrows, eyes studying every feature of his handsome face. She stepped closer, their lips a few inches away. She brought her hand to rest on his, gently using her fingers to grab the hold of the small stick as she looked at him. She noticed a small mole under his lips, eyes trailing over his slightly chapped lips before she searched for his brown eyes. She felt his hot breath fan over her face, the scent of mint and cigarettes and that was enough for her mind to wander back to her suppressed memories. 

     The smell of cigarettes and mint fanned her face and her eyes trailed over to his lips, wanting so badly to have his chapped lips against her. She felt his hand drifting up to hold the side of her neck, cupping her cheek as she melted into his touch. She rested her forehead against his, savoring his touch and the intimate moment between them.

     A wave of emotions hit her like a tidal wave, her mind taking in every detail of their interactions and she blinked as realization engulfed her. Her mind traveled back to the old pub in Sheffield, from rembering helping the long-haired musician to ignite his cigarette to him protecting her from the paparazzi. Her heart did a backflip, beating vigorously as she felt herself growing hot. 

     [Y/N] turned her head to him, who was already looking at her with a fond look. She hummed, placing her hands behind her back. “Did I look good on the dancefloor?” she cheekily asked, making Alex laugh with a nod.

     “You did look good on the dancefloor. In fact, you outshined the crowd with your dancing,” he admitted, biting his lip as he looked into her eyes, making her let out a sound of satisfaction. 

     “Oh my God, it’s you,” she breathed out, eyes softening as she looked at him and grabbed his arm. A growing smile reached her lips. “The cute long-haired musician.” she said with a giddy laugh as she bounced on her feet. Alex felt his cheeks flush at the name and grinned, his eyes lighting up like a christmas tree as he looked at her. “You remember?”

     [Y/N]’s eyes gleamed as she nodded her head eagerly, “I knew it was something familiar about you—all of you actually. I just couldn’t pinpoint exactly where, and everything about that night–well, Sheffield was all blurry and I have a memory of a goldfish.” she tried to explain, but ended wobbling with her words making the singer chuckle.

     “But….I finally got your name after almost ten years.” she bubbled with a grin, pushing away some hair from her face. “I’m gonna be having a talk with Miles and Cindy about gatekeeping you.” she said in a dramatic tone, making Alex’s shoulders shake from laughter. 

     Alex gave her a funny look, “Gatekeep? They didn’t tell you about me? Not even Miles?” he asked, face scrunching as he thought of his friend for not mentioning him. 

     The actress shrugged, “I guess they did and when I think of it, I’ve heard your name, but I didn’t know they talked about you, or any of the members, really, to be honest. You didn’t get the chance to tell me your name and I was so upset that night that I suppressed everything that happened with the paps and everything.” she told him with a breathy chuckle, face deep in thought with her lips pressed into a thin line. “And Cindy decided to shut her mouth about it, which she’s in trouble for by the way, and now I’m here just realizing things.” she finished almost breathless, moving her eyes to look at him.

     Alex’s lips curved upwards, nodding his head at the information. “What a story,” he said, making [Y/N] giggle with a nod. “Yeah, and I’m still processing here,” she joked, leaning her back against the counter and placing the cigarette on the ash tray beside her.

     Alex shook his head and chuckled, causing a smile forming on her delicate features. The sound of his laughs made her stomach swirl with butterflies, as well as pink dust dancing across her cheeks. A comfortable silence engulfed around the pair, with the sounds of clamours echoing through the studio. Alex looked back at her, noticing her having her attention on the camera crew setting up for their next shoot. He watched her moving her head back to him, making them share a soft smile. 

     “I remember so being devastated after what happened with the paps. We got divided and I just lost you. I went looking for you, but Jamie told me you guys left.” he broke the silence between them, grabbing the lifeless cigarette from the ash tray to his lips. 

     Her eyes softened, resting her hand on his arm by gently rubbing circles down his arm. She hummed, “Well, I’m here now.” she softly said in a low tone, but enough for him to hear. “I’m not going anywhere this time.”

     Alex’s eyes formed into a youthful glee when she said it, stifling back a grin on his handsome features as he looked at her. “Good.” he said, feeling his heart doing a backflip at the way she was looking at him.

     Before [Y/N] could open her mouth, a loud clap behind them made the pair whirl their head toward the sound. The director had a beaming simper etched onto his features as he neared the duo. “I see you’ve already started without me. I think we’re going to use that. You guys really have chemistry!” the director chimed, pointing a finger at them.

     The pair shared a flustered smile before moving their gaze toward the director, and the actress moved her eyes to her assistant, who gave her a knowing look as she wiggled her eyebrows at her. [Y/N] bit back a smile, biting her lower lip and averting her eyes away from Denise to the director before voicing her thoughts. She cleared her throat, earning the director’s attention making her cheeks tint a dust of pink. “Uh…I know the music video solely focuses on Alex, but is there anything specific you want me to do?” she asked, shifting her body to the side to snatch the small stick from Alex toward her lips. 

     The director snapped his fingers, “Exactly that!” she said, pointing a finger at her as she exhaled the smoke before letting out a laugh. “You’re gonna smoke some cigarettes, look mysterious just like the song displays. We’re thinking about doing what the song says to get a clear view of who Arabella is, and we’re also gonna add some clips from your movie.” the director explained, making her nod her head as she flicked the smoke on the ash tray. 

     “Great! Let’s do some magic, guys!” the director told everyone, walking back to his original position as he ordered the camera crew to get ready. 

     Alex and the actress shared another smile before the singer brought his hand to her. “You ready, my lady?” he asked her with a cheeky look, which she happily responded with a soft smile as she intertwined their hands. “I was born ready, baby. Let’s do this.”

[firewalkzwit]

arabella // hobie brown x reader (one-shot)

oneshot of hobie trying to pursue a reader who's effortlessly cool and has strong arabella vibes cuz i love that vibe. inspired some on slc punk and sex pistols lore, cool fic for the music enthusiasts

New girl's hip New girl's cool New girl's interesting New girl's hot.

"She came straight out of 70's New L.A. She's no rockstar's girlfriend, she's a rockstar herself! Crazy hair, mysterious bassist, she's from outer space."

AO3

And when she needs to shelter from reality she takes a dip in my daydreams...

"Ay, who's the new girl?" Was the first thing Hobie asked as he nudged Pav's shoulder, not breaking his intense stare at the new recruit. 

"New girl? Oh that's YN." Pav shifted his narrowed eyes into Hobie's, a teasing grin drawing on his face.

"Yea' but what's her full name...?"

"Go ask her yourself man, everyone calls her YN." Hobie never got her name, she refused to be called anything but those particular initials.

To say she was pretty was an understatement. She was stunning, show-stopping, alluring. 

At least to Hobie, all adjectives were perfectly applicable.

She had this quirk, this confidence and these slight Chrissie Hynde vibes, boldness when she spoke that made her so attractive, and to top it she was a great musician. 

Back in her dimension it was the seventies, and she was the leader of a girl band where she played the bass, doing small gigs in downtown New L.A.

She wore flamboyant black cowboy boots and scandalous skirts, with chunky sunglasses that looked like the eyes of a bug. She had crazy hair and wore Vivienne Westwood's accessories on her pierced ears and fingers before it was even cool in the US. Her dark tights were always ripped but she didn't care, she called it a fashion statement. So did she call her Spidey suit, which had a unique design that caught anyone's attention. 

Love was for posers Hobie thought, but what's more punk than going against your own structures?

"Gwendy I gotta' talk to this girl more." Hobie's frustration was something Gwen wasn't used to seeing. His nature was often relaxed, only energic when invited to disrupt the order, but hardly ever frustrated.

"Well, you don't have to." Gwen shrugged as she tried to mask the frown that was forming in her face, but her wrinkled nose gave away her displease of jealousy.

"I know, but I want to." His attention was fixed on YN, how she moved and talked. "I wanna hear her play. You're a girl right? When you girls think a lad's fit, how much of that comes from his coolness?" He asked as he leaned on Gwen's side, resting his body weight on her. She scoffed in disbelief at the absurdity of his question, something only a man could ask. 

"Since when do you want to conform to the arbitrary standards of women?"

"I don't, I just wanna' know how many I can get away with breaking and she can still like me yea'?" Hobie chuckled before getting up again. "Don't get too jealous on me alright?" He joked, patting his friend's shoulder as he jumped down from where they were sitting, approaching her once again.

"He's never gonna give up is he?" Miles sat once again close beside Gwen, who sighed at the sight of Hobie attempting to come off as nonchalant with a girl who only seemed to curve his insinuations over and over. 

"That's such a man thing to do, no offense." Gwen spat as her hand slid down her face, pointing at what she could only describe as a humilliation show.

"Yeah... right." 

It's not that she didn't notice, she just dodged him. She thought there was more important things to do than let herself be conquered by some co-worker. But she was lying if she said he wasn't winning her over.

He also was so her type.

The funky hair, the spikes on his leather vest, the stickers and carvings on his guitar, his Iggy Pop vibes and his weird slang. But he thought he was so it, he was a nice guy but he needed some humbling. Their first conversation was about Bowie, and he played her a bit of Moonage Daydream as she recalled when she saw him live, getting all starry eyed whenever she'd narrate the part where she gave him a ride in her car.

"You gave Bowie a ride?"

"Spider's Tour, yeah..." She giggled, flipping her hair in a way that had him starstruck. "In my mom's car."

"In your mum's car? Oh get out." She went on to talk about how that changed her view on music, going on about her gigs in New L.A and how she moved there to make it big. 

Hobie was sure he was listening, but as much as he tried to contain himself, keeping in comments was not in his book.

"You always dress this mad? Like, all the time?" He bursted out with a smile, cutting her off. They were sitting on a counter table, with his guitar on his lap. He leaned closer to pick on the fabric of her coat. 

"Always. Do you always dress so pretentious?" She retorted with a smug grin, pushing her hair out of her face. His eyes shot up to look at her, puzzled. "I mean, aren't you like... rebelling against society?" Hobie let out a slight laugh, his head tilting in interest as he looked into her eyes. 

"Well, yea'. Why?"

"Don't you think it would be more of an act of rebellion if you didn't spend so much time buying stickers and pins and going out to get punky clothes? Stop me if I'm being offensive, I think the style's hip, but it just seems counterproductive to your cause."

"Na' its cool, keep going." He struggled to discern if he was actually listening, or simply invested in watching her mouth smart words as her long painted nails tapped on the counter.

"You want to be an individual, but it's like you wear a uniform. It's just punk fashion, not rebellion." Hobie's eyes fixated on her's, leaving a strong silence as she ended her phrase. 

"I'm not judging you, just kind of a general critique to what they call punk movement."

Hobie brushed her off with his usual humorous comments to maintain his pride, but he was dazzled. Even if she had criticized his way of thinking and how he dressed, she was so outspoken, without caring what he had to say or thought about her opinion, and he was crazy for his first impression of her, as much as he hated to admit it as he'd call 'Love is for posers'. Hobie was sure he was just trying to win her over, to prove a point he'd say, but deep down he loved the way she smiled and shook her head whimsically everytime he'd say something or take time off his schedule to nag her.

It was a few times that she gave Hobie the chance to play with her, to which she soon learnt that he did not know how to read tabs. Of course the punk kid is self-taught. Trying to lead, they would play messy numbers and solos. It was ocasionally just her and Gwen, who had let YN grown onto her sharing her love for girl bands, doing some jamming with their instruments as Hobie payed vague attention. But he would pound on any chance to be alone with her and try to take her out.

She didn't know what was in her that day, but she let him take her out.

He toured her around his universe, before taking her to what he called "his palace". 

The small canal boat was ridiculously a very Hobie place to live. If she were to guess, she'd think he lived in a tree somewhere in Birmingham. However it had it's charm, it was very humid and it wobbled when they walked, but it was unique and she loved it. Hobie showed her the collection of things he had stolen, proving himself to be a brilliant thief. He owed most of his 'talent' to his Spider-Sense and speed, but he'd never bring it up. 

As she sat on the mattress where he slept in, Hobie picked up one of his records, sitting beside her to show her the signed insides of the vinyl. Her eyes paced from the inscriptions to his face, as he ocasionally caught a glimpse of her through the corner of his eye. He left the vinyl aside to go on about his encounters with the infuential musicians on the area, how he attempted to steal the microphone the Bowie of his dimension had used when he was touring in his city. Her gaze shifting from his eyes to his lips back and forth. 

He was hesitant about making a move, afraid he'd mess up what had taken him so much work. But wasn't even given time to think it through before the proximity between them grew, and her hand softly caressed his bony cheek and down to his neck, inviting him to lean into a kiss. As they made out, his cold piercing was quickly warmed by her damp tongue and soft lips that sucked and kissed his. His hands caressed up and down her waist, undoing the buttons on her blouse with his slender fingers as she revealed her naked torso, no bra underneath. YN did her usual hair flip to watch him undress her, and himself, jumping on her once finished to continue what he had briefly interrupted.

"We won't sink, will we?" She asked between soft giggles as the boat quivered at his abrupt movement, Hobie nibbling down her neck and kissing her chest. 

"I wank pretty crazy here every night, we won't." He teased before crawling backwards, kissing down her navel. 

songs i listened to while working on this:

(ofc) arabella - arctic monkeys

moonage daydream, lady grinning soul and starman - bowie

hey, velouria - pixies

rhiannon, gold dust woman - fleetwood mac

[thedoewitch]

THE TRUTH ABOUT HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS

In the last few weeks, I've seen many arguments between the stans of different characters in the HP Fandom. And this, this exact post is about my opinion, mixed with canon (books) and how they normally should have been perceived.

This is part one of the series explaining the characters in the Harry Potter Universe. It will be long, seeing as many are hateful towards characters who did nothing wrong, or love them for all the wrong reasons.

Two big arguments will be explained in this post. Two biggest arguments about Anti-Character vs Pro-Character.

Anti-Dumbledore vs Pro-Dumbledore;

Now, there are many people who are on the anti-Dumbledore side of the fandom, and I can understand why. It is not a surprise, considering what has been done by Dumbledore in the series.

However, Albus is one of the many-layered characters. He was a Blood Supremacist throughout his life, even as an adult, until his sister Ariana Dumbledore died.

He is, like many others, a flawed character, just like us real humans are. He was in love with Gellert Grindelwald (Which he has no fault in, you cannıot control who you fall in love with), and was willing to take the world under their control just because Gellert wanted to.

In the Marauders and Lightening Era timeline, he did many horrible things. He went as far as using Fudge to gain things to his favor, he used Severus and Harry, and even Remus and Sirius and Rubeus (Hagrid) as the events unfolded, and he even neglected other students while trying to control everything that he can, even though he is a HEADMASTER, a person who s supposed to keep the school's students safe. And the fact that he left Harry in the Dursleys' footsteps and not checking on him properly was disturbing, no matter if Arabella Figgs was there. He didn't care to check up properly.

He did all of that, yes. There is no arguing about it, it is in The Fantastic Beast, in the Harry Potter books, in the Secrets of Dumbledore, in the Crimes of Grindelwald. He did all of those things that nowadays seem impossible to do.

But- He also did good things. He accepted Remus into the school, albeit it was stupid of him to do so with only a place he can transform that he can break free easily if not strictly controlled. He accepted him because he wanted people like him to have a chance.

We even see another werewolf student in the game called Hogwarts Mystery, which I liked and enjoyed. He is not prejudiced against them, and it makes their life easier.

He gave Harry and other students support throughout their life at Hogwarts. It excluded Slytherins, sadly, but he did try to be a good role model and also tried to relieve the students from stress by doing things like canceling the exams and even saying seemingly ridiculous words during the meals. He was truly afraid that Ginny was taken into the chamber, it is obvious in the CoS book when Lucius paid a visit to Albus.

He supported the adults like Alastor and Kingsley and Tonks, warned Sirius and the like against doing things that could be dangerous for their lives. He did care about them. Even, I'm sure, Marlene and Dorcas had a place in his heart because he does everything to help them win the war and live in peace.

Anti-Snape vs Pro Snape;

Severus Snape, like Albus, is a many-layered character. He is defensive and strict and is a bully throughout his adulthood. He is brave and courageous, stubborn and selfless.

Snape is not dark or light. He is not black or white. He is a Morally-Grey character through and through. There is no arguing against that.

Severus as a kid has done nothing wrong. The argument of him being obsessed with Lily when he was NINE is a very wrong thing to say. He was, as explained in the Pottermore likely abused by his father who was a drunkard, and from the writing in the books, his mother was likely neglectful as well. A kid who has gone through that will not have good social skills, or know how to talk to anyone politely. The fact that he is living in a dark neighborhood is probably an aspect of this as well.

He used accidental magic on Petunia, and he had no fault in it just like Harry had no fault when he deflated his aunt. Petunia insulted his mother, just like Marge insulted Lily. He had no control over his emotions, and thus, the accidental magic is not him being a hater.

During the train ride, all he said was he wanted to be in Slytherin. Why? Who knows, maybe his mother was sorted there and he wanted to feel closer to her. James and Sirius immediately attacked him with their words after that. Again, he is a kid. An 11 years old kid. He did not have a fault in that.

During his years at Hogwarts, he faced many more of the Marauder's bullying. And, yes, it was bullying, J.K Rowling said it, in the books even Harry thinks it is bullying, and Sirius accepts that fairly easily.

In his fifth year at Hogwarts, he is a fifteen-year-old and Sirius is 16 years old, Sirius sent him down the Willow Tree in the full moon. Why? Of that, I have a few theories but we don't know if any of them are true. He sent him down there on a FULL MOON, where Remus transformed, wanting to get a laugh of it.

He was almost killed, but saved by his enemy James Potter at the last second. He was forced to keep shut about this, which definitely added to his many traumas throughout his life. He was punished while he was the definite victim in this situation, along with Remus who was used by his best friend.

After this werewolf prank, it is obvious that the bullying got worse. It is probably because the Marauders had to do something to not let their friendship crumble, and blaming the whole situation on the victim, who is someone they hate or at the very least dislike seemed a good idea in their eyes. And thus, Snape's Worst Memory happened.

Lily and Severus' relationship was already falling apart by the fifth year. After the prank, they confronted each other and talked about the things they witnessed.

It is very disturbing how Severus did not care that Mulciber and Avery used dark magic on an innocent Gryffindor called Mary MacDonald. However, he also points out that the Marauders used a hex to grow Bertham Abrey's, a Slytherin's head grow his head twice its size. It is not Dark Magic, but clearly illegal. This hows that Marauders bullied everyone they could from Slytherin, and Sirius even admitted that himself.

Both of them are set in their ways. Lily doesn't acknowledge that Severus has to spend time with the Slytherins as he is a Slytherin himself. And Severus doesn't acknowledge that using Dark Magic to harm others is disturbing when others use Light Spells to hurt others instead, not realizing that both of them are wrong.

In SWM Lily definitely doesn't do everything she can do, along with Remus. They both are prefects but Remus stood back, and Lily only confronted the Marauders, not bothering to inform a professor at the very least.

Severus was very wrong in saying Mudblood to Lily. Sure, he was under a lot of stress, and he is a Half-Blood so the term also applies to him, but it was the last damage to crumble the wall of friendship the two had between them. But he did not deserve to get his trousers to get taken down and get threatened to be stripped completely. That was sexual assault, and no one deserves that.

After all of that, he apologized and left Lily alone. He was not obsessed with her. I'm sorry, but no one is saying that you cannot love a person who is in another relationship. It is not a crime, and he didn't even tell Lily about his feelings. (And I do not believe that 'feelings' were romantic. It was most definitely platonic, It is written like one, and the strong lesson the HP Series has is the power of Love.)

He went Dark after graduating, but when he discovered that he was going to be the cause of his ex-best friend's death he deflected quickly. I do not understand how people find this creepy. Regulus 'deflected' (not fully) for Kreacher, Narcissa, and Lucius for Draco and Albus for Ariana.

He agreed to be a spy for Albus and took a Vow to completely submit himself to a cause he had not yet believed completely in. After Lily's death, his life was devoted to protecting Harry.

He was a bully during his adult years. Now, it is mostly because traumatized people act mature, but their mentality goes backward, and the proper age of becoming fully mature comes later on. With his state, it would be at the very earliest when he was 53 that he would be fully mature, but it is also because he cannot let go of the past and heal from it.

He treated Harry and Neville horribly when not in class. And in class, he was strict with everyone. Even the others were the victim of his bad attitude.

However, no matter how mean he wanted his students to be safe. He protected Harry because of the Vow, that is true, however, he also protected and attempted to protect every other student, like the time he was worried for Ginny when he was taken into the Chamber.

He was a shitty person with a shitty backstory. He had no control over his emotions when he was with Harry, and bullied him because of his looks leaning towards James. It was not acceptable, and he was most definitely a bully, but he was not an abuser.

He despised physical punishments and refrained from physically attacking others, and the only exception was when Harry invaded his privacy when he looked into the pensieve.

He truly believed in the reasoning of the Light after all those years under the Vow. When it was clear that Harry was going to die no matter what he did, he did not go off to Voldemort to give him the secrets Dumbledore told him, no, he tried to protect his students and aided Harry secretly to destroy the Hocruxes.

He died a hero. Without him, the first Wizarding War would be won by Voldemort and everyone would be at Riddle's service to torture or kill or use. If he was loyal to Voldemort, the Battle of Hogwarts would end up with Voldemort truly killing Harry, and the whole fate was on his shoulders.

He is the bravest man throughout the series. He is a Hero, He is an Anti-Hero, he is an awesome spy, he is a bully, he is bitter, he is selfless, he is stubborn, he is loyal, and he is many more combined together.

He is not a villain, and he is not an evil reincarnate of a Nazi. He is a good person with bad doings. He is not innocent but he definitely deserved to be both praised and put down for all of the things he did.

[fashionsfromhistory]

Side Chair from the Worsham-Rockefeller Dressing Room

1881-1882

George A. Schastey & Co.

In 1881, Arabella Worsham, then-mistress of railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington, hired George A. Schastey & Co. to decorate her townhouse at 4 West Fifty-Fourth Street in New York City. The resulting artistic interiors would have been considered the height of cosmopolitan style in the early 1880s and were emblematic of Worsham’s quest to fashion her identity as a wealthy, prominent woman of taste. When Worsham married Huntington in 1884, she sold the house, fully furnished, to John D. and Laura Spelman Rockefeller, who made few subsequent changes to the decorations. Following Mr. Rockefeller’s death, the house was demolished in 1938, yet some furnishings, large-scale architectural elements, and three interiors were preserved, and the rooms were donated to local museums by John D. Rockefeller Jr.

This side chair of satinwood and purpleheart, one of a pair, is part of the suite (2009.226.1–.4) that furnished Worsham’s elaborately decorated dressing room, one of the preserved interiors now installed in The American Wing (Gallery 742). These objects were part of a decorative program that encompassed every aspect of the room, including the architectural woodwork, lighting, stenciled wall-treatment, painted ceiling and frieze, textiles, and other furnishings. On the chair’s back, the marquetry decoration of grotesque masks and vines echoes the ornamental motifs in the dressing room’s architectural woodwork. The overall form is light and rectilinear. The tapered front legs with cascading bellflowers channel the spirit of English Neoclassical designers such as Robert Adam and George Hepplewhite. It rests on castors, allowing it to be moved easily within the room.

Although few objects can be attributed to George A. Schastey & Co., the high quality of their work – as seen in this fine example – was comparable to other prominent firms of the Gilded Age, including Herter Brothers and Pottier & Stymus. At its peak in the early 1880s, the firm employed at least 125 people in its workshops. Their distinctive designs are steeped in Renaissance sources with flourishes from the Islamic world and the British design reform movement.

The MET (Accession Number: 2009.226.3)

[heylittleriotact]

I have two co-op BG3 campaigns on the go right now, and we're going full-blown, diabolically evil in both of them:

Dark Urge aka Hezenboss, Necromancer - is carrying around the corpse of Arabella in her pack: it's her Emotional Support Corpse. Went back to sleep after murdering Alfira and feigned ignorance about the whole thing to anyone who asked.

Tav aka Chaz, Great Old One Warlock, Pact of the Blade - pictured kicking a squirrel. Has exactly one brain cell. Will make Gale the worst version of himself or die trying. Adventuring with the cutest sinnamon roll Durge known as Candie rolled by @preciouslittlebhaalbae

Everyone expects evil shit from this hulking megalomaniacal narcissist, not from her.

[sharktunes]

Album Review: AM by Arctic Monkeys

Released in 2013, AM marked a turning point in Arctic Monkeys' journey, showcasing their growth from scrappy indie rockers to a band capable of delivering sultry, masterpieces. This album wasn't just a commercial success, it cemented the band's legacy as one of the defining acts of the 21st century. With its sleek production and emotionally charged lyrics, AM continues to captivate listeners over a decade later. Let's dive into what makes this album so remarkable.

AM is the fifth studio album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys. It was produced by longtime collaborator James Ford and co-produced by Ross Orton at Sage & Sound Recording in Los Angeles and Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California, and released on 9 September 2013 through Domino Recording Company.

Here's the track list for the AM album:

Do I Wanna Know?

R U Mine?

One for the Road

Arabella

I Want It All

No. 1 Party Anthem

Mad Sounds

Fireside

Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?

Snap Out of It

Knee Socks

I Wanna Be Yours

My all time favorites in this album:

"Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" It explores the themes of desires, loneliness, and late night vulnerability, which made me magnetized to it.

"R U Mine?" is an electrifying experience! It's fiery guitar riffs and raw energy ignites a fire inside me when I listen to it.

"Do I Wanna Know?" This track laced with such emotions, it also captures the themes of vulnerability, desire, and obsession. It gives me a soothing feeling whenever I listen to it, the beats, lyrics, and tune are very well made.

Give it a listen to yourself, maybe you'll love it like I do. If you haven't dived into AM yet, there's no better time than now! Come and join me in this amazing album. AM is not just a collection of songs, it's an experience.

-HazZel

[profoundlyfaded]

[Meta] Why I adore Gale

I know I’m not the only one but it’s been a long time since I’ve felt such a massive connection to a fictional character and I wanted to share some insight to this -

His opening line as an Origin play through is ‘where in the blazes am I?’ And it’s so painfully British, it beautiful. We’re masters of understatement and self deprecation, and this is just a moment of classic understatement. Personally, I’m more of a ‘WTF is this shit?’ kinda lass but I’m pretty sweary.

Which leads onto his non-Origin introduction - firstly the ‘that flaming wreckage behind you….’ line and the snark about knitting the tadpole a cap (don’t have anyone else in your party to get this line) are just pure saltiness. Nothing rude but the snark is divine.

His intelligence and the mass of knowledge he has tucked into that brain of his. I wasn’t a particularly gifted child, but as an adult I’ve been able to nurture my level of intelligence and engage with continuous learning. I really do appreciate a character who is like this, he enjoys learning, wants to continue learning and to me that is a god tier trait for anyone.

The complexity of his storyline and character arc. It’s a deeply moving story and he’s a character of immense depth. It’s very easy to pass him off as a know it all Wizard, but the rewards come as you start to build his trust and the story comes out. I prefer delaying this a little which is very difficult when I go in to play Ayressa because she’s very much aligned to him (not on purpose cos I didn’t know anything about Gale when I created her in my first play through). The whole trust building across all the characters is good as a whole.

The gentleness of character, and his ability to be openly loving - the way he talks about Tara is something that is often uncommon in male characters. His devotion to his mother is very sweet as well, but it’s not cringy. I love that she’s alive and well. Also the way he treats children across the game - if you speak to Withers as him about Arabella, he offers to be her guide to help her with The Weave.

He wants to teach. Okay, he says his former apprentices are pains but overall, he wants to teach.

Books. One of my fave interactions is at the end of Act Two when you have the interaction that is ‘you nearly died, and you want to go shopping?’ ‘Book shopping, but yes.’ I so relate to this - very sadly, I nearly died in 2015, not from a desire to self denote in the name of my goddess but the first thing I wanted was new books. For me it’s my save haven, books, book shops.

Not knowing his worth because I don’t always know my worth and it resonates with me. I get a lot of compliments at work, and I’m considered very good at what I do - but even being told that, it doesn’t stick and Gale is the same. He knows, but he doesn’t know deep down. So much of him is a mask.

His love of the night. He’s an all-nighter type of guy. I love his appreciation of the night and its quietness, the ability to read all night. It’s my quiet time, when the hecticness of the day washes away and noise of the rest of the world has gone to sleep.

Gosh… I’m not sure it even completes the list.

[sevlawless]

dead apple's discography: 1/?

review taken from their local newspaper:

Dead Apple's debut EP 'Running Out of Time' has hit all streaming platforms, and despite the title, they are doing anything but. Their punk rock influences shine throughout, as well as co-lead singer Arabella Aveiro's love for Fiona Apple, partially to credit for their band name. The band consists of its other lead singer, Seven Duckstein, guitarist Rowan Hart, bassist Devyn Powell, drummer Jazzy Dawson, and Iris De Luca on the keys. Each track has a emotional tie in to at least one person in the group, making the five tracks feel as though you're experiencing their lives yourselves.

When the current 11th graders of our own Green Meadow High were asked about this, Aveiro simply said:

"We want to make music that people can relate to. I think it’s more rewarding when you create something that you love, and that other people can love as well. Making these songs with my friends has been so fun, and we can't wait to make more music together."

For everyone's sakes, let's hope this band never runs out of time.

cover and songs breakdown under the cut <3

the cover was taken by seven when the whole gang went to the city. devyn had just got her license and her parents let them take the minivan to fit everyone LMFAO and arabella stuck her head out the window on the drive home. earlier versions of the ep had seven on the back cover doing the same pose (arabella had taken that photo in return <3), but after the breakup any physical copies printed had the same picture on the front but blurred.

where the heart is

written by: jazzy and seven

the drums on this song YOU KNOW jazzy had a hand in this! she wanted to write a song for the ep and was kinda struggling but seven helped her out :) so this is one of their many co-written songs together <3 this being the opener is so fitting for me because of lines like "6:30 alarm, brush my teeth, and start the car" and "it's time to go home again, that's so boring"

starting off at 6:30 am, early in the morning, starting off this ep with this song just feels fitting to me! and the whole "i hate my town" rite of passage most punk rock bands go through!

favorite lyrics:

"all in all, i've always had the same thoughts riling up my heart // and all in all, i haven't changed a single thing to feel differently"

"my mind's been in a million places, but my body hasn't moved an inch"

"if i could just take a chance, i wouldn't feel so bad // to see past myself, i wouldn't feel so bad"

baby tonight

written by: devyn, arabella

this is just an iris and devyn love song im afraid! i have this VIVID headcanon of devyn coming up to arabella and being like "i wrote some lyrics for a song about iris can you help me out" and arabella IMMEDIATELY being on board! i imagine devyn inviting iris over to her house and the whole band already being there in the garage ready to play this song for her :) it's such a cute lil moment and i like to think whenever they have a gig on or around iris' birthday or their anniversary they play this song! they put this on their first ep because they love devyn and iris and SO DO I!

favorite lyrics:

"she's a diamond in my fucked up world // prettier than the pearls that lay around on her neck // she makes me so fucking SICK!"

"so baby won't you take my life? or maybe you could crush my soul?"

red with love

written by: seven

unrequited love is really something else huh LMFAO i like to think that seven wrote this after him and arabella went to a party and played spin the bottle which resulting in them kissing for the first time (which later on when they're dating arabella doesn't count it as their first kiss because her eyes were open and the kiss was horrendously bad because that's her BEST FRIEND and she CANNOT have feelings for her BEST FRIEND-)

anyways ! i think seven started developing some sort of feelings for arabella after that and this song is the product of a late night writing session on his roof. when he shows it to the band they're like "who the HELL is this about" and arabella just looks at him like she knows and is immediately just like "let's practice it right now!" much to seven's relief.

when they're dating though and they perform this song together i like to think that after the line "you kiss me so sweetly, it gets me high" arabella ALWAYS without fail would kiss seven on the cheek :)

they stop performing this song when seven leaves the band.

favorite lyrics:

"the sunlight through my windowpane illuminates your face // i need you closer and you're not even an inch away"

"when you come home, you call my name // believe me when i say // tomorrow i will love you more than i did yesterday"

"i can't seem to get enough // it makes me sweat, you’re in my head // it turns me red with love"

sleep to dream

written by: arabella, iris

this bitch loves fiona apple idk what to tell you. i imagine that during high school arabella dated the WORST people but that just fueled her writing so she wrote this after one particularly bad boyfriend. iris also helped with the piano composition! i fear these breakup songs will become a pattern for arabella in later works LMFAO

favorite lyrics:

"i tell you how you feel, but you don't care // i say tell me the truth, but you don't dare // you say love is a hell you cannot bare // and i say gimme mine back and then go there, for all i care"

"this mind, this body, and this voice cannot be stifled by your deviant ways // so don't forget what i told you // don't come around, i got my own hell to raise"

where the lines overlap

written by: arabella, rowan

just the first of MANY certified rowanbella classics! rowan came up with the basic chords and arabella wrote the lyrics. this song is just them basically saying we're so happy to be in this band with our friends and we hope that never ever changes and it WON'T… right?

anywayyyy.. this song is an absolute crowd favorite and whenever they play a gig they always play this one last :)

favorite lyrics:

"no one is as lucky as us, we're not at the end but oh, we already won"

"now i've got a feeling if i sang this loud enough, you would sing it back to me"

[eclipian]

Royal Stars Sisasystem

pt: royal stars sisasystem

reminder beings will almost definitely not turn out exactly as described, and these can be edited and changed as needed.

number of members: 6

divider credit

System Name: The Royal Family , The Royal Stars , The Royals

Collec. Name(s): Altair , Astra , Astro , Astrum , Caelus , Callisto , Castor , Coeles , Comet , Cosmos / Cosmo , Orion , Sideralis / Sidereus / Sidereal , Sidus , Sirius , Stello , Nebula , Jupiter

Collec. Pronouns: Ao/Aos , Quoi/Quois , Star/Stars , Shine/Shines , Bright/Brights , Gala/Galaxys , Ae/Aer , Astra/Astras , Astro/Astros , Stardust/Stardusts , Ri/Rings , Celeste/Celestes , Cosmo/Cosmos , Lux/Luxs , 🌌/🌌s , ✨/✨s , 🎇/🎇s , 🪐/🪐s , 🌍/🌍s , ☀️/☀️s ,⭐/⭐s ,🌟/🌟s , 🌀/🌀s , ☄️/☄️s , 🌠/🌠s , 🌙/🌙s , 👑/👑s ,💎/💎s , 🔭/🔭s , 🚀/🚀s

Collec. Gender: Galactian Alignments , Aurorian , SPAN , Starbodiment , Liosfamilovic , Stargender

Collec. Orientation: Starorientated , Astroceptum

Origins/Modifiers: Starplurid , Stelocus , Stargenic , ARoAB

Aesthetic(s): Spacecore , Fantasy , Dark Fantasy , Royalcore

Names: Stellan, Kallisto, Leo, Cyrus, Astrophel, Elrond

Pronouns: He/Him , Hy/Hym , Hey/Hem , Star/Stars , Quoi/Quois , Ao/Aos , H⭐/H⭐m , King/Kings , K⭐ng/K⭐ngs , Roy/Royals

Gender: Solarian , Stargender , Regogender , Kinglover , Kingthing

Orientation: Romeric ,

Title: King

Names: Aster, Esther, Estelle, Estella, Stella, Astra, Elanor, Andromeda

Pronouns: She/Her , Sh⭐/H⭐r , Star/Stars , Stel/Stels , Cro/Crown , Spa/Space , Shi/Shine , Sie/Sier , Shie/Shier , Shy/Hyr , Ze/Hir , Shi/Shine

Gender: Lunarian , Stargender , Eaglenebinvisia , Queentitleic , Reginogender , Queenlover , Queenthing

Orientation: Julietian ,

Title: Queen

Names: Stella, Carina, Astra, Astrid, Aurora, Twyla, Arabella

Pronouns: Shy/Hyr , She/Her , Sh⭐/H⭐r , Ri/RIngs , Sta/Stars , Sol/Sols , Shi/Shine , Sie/Sier , Shie/Shier , Shy/Hyr , Ae/Aer , Ao/Aos , Quoi/Quois

Gender: Stargender , Demigirl , Staricesse , Stargirl , Princinogender , Princessthing , Princessplit

Orientation: Bi Lestar , Planchanti , Lithoaroace

Title: Princess

Names: Orion, Altair, Castor, Sirius, Cepheus

Pronouns: He/Him , Hy/Hym , Sta/Star , Co/Comet , Roy/Royal , Shi/Shine , Li/Light , Sol/Sols , Sol/Solars , Bri/Bright , H⭐/H⭐m , Ae/Aer , Ao/Aos , Quoi/Quois

Gender: Solarian , Demiboy , Stargender , Starryprincegender , Princestar , Pristaric , Starboy , Princogender , Princething

Orientation: Bi Cenelian , Ficto , Nebularoace

Title: Prince

Names: Elara, Cressida, Despina, Lyra, Vesta, Roxana

Pronouns: She/Her , Sh⭐/H⭐r , Shy/Hyr , Sta/Stars , Shi/Shine , Sie/Sier , Shie/Shier , Ae/Aer , Ao/Aos , Quoi/Quois

Gender: Futch , Juxera , Lunarian , Stargender , Domesticstar , Novastrea , Starfrilled , Stardecorated , Dreamlady , Nightmarelady

Orientation: Lesbian , Demiaroace

Title: Lady in Waiting

Names: Astrophel, Archer, Rhea, Badar, Jupiter, Orpheus

Pronouns: They/Them , Th*y/Th*m , Th⭐y/Th⭐m , Ao/Aos , Quoi/Quois , Star/Stars , Shine/Shines , Bright/Brights , Ae/Aer , Astra/Astras , Astro/Astros

Gender: Otter , Stellarian , Eclipsian , Stargender , Panknight , Knighthing , Knightpresentic , Knightcenic , (not gender) Knightsensus

Orientation: (just) Objectum

Title: Knight

[puer-aurea]

Divine Intervention

Part 2 | Part 3 (You are here) | Part 4

Begin

Arabella gave the Tulpar's crew a brief tour after taking her suit off and getting their captain situated in the med-bay. There wasn't too much to show off despite its size, it was still a work in progress. The downstairs was off limits to non-crew members, simply being storage rooms and wires.

"Well, I hope you enjoy your stay on the S.S Inara!" Arabella claps her hands together.

"You named your ship after yourself?" Swansea criticizes.

"Ah, NBSAR requires it. Legally, it's only named 'Inara', but it feels cooler to add that bit."

"Are you the only crew member?" Daisuke asks.

"Yes. Normally, NBSAR sends me small rescues, like overconfident rich people on leisure trips or express deliveries. Despite large mainstream deliveries going automated, they still have single person crews for those small express deliveries." She explains.

"But your ship is so big!" He gestures around for emphasis.

"This was my dream ship! As long as both the ship and captain meet certain requirements, NBSAR let's you use your own ship. They just give you some decals to slap on the outside and an excessive amount of paperwork."

Daisuke seems overly eager to hear about the ship and being a search and rescue worker and while Arabella would love to indulge him, the ship is still docked.

"If you have more questions later, don't hesitate to ask. I have to go re-route and let the landing crew know now." She turns to head towards the cockpit, throwing a small wave at them.

Once inside the cockpit, she closes the door. It feels odd for her to be closed in, she usually leaves the door open even during rescues because of her modded upgraded auto-pilot. She sets her bag on a small table in the corner, opening it and taking a laptop out.

It was covered in a layer of dust but the Pony Express logo could still be made out. Arabella expected it to be in much worse condition and was fairly surprised when she pulled it out of the hidden compartment to find it unharmed. She plugged it into the cord hers would normally be on and booted it up.

The lack of a code on it added to her surprise but she clicked around a bit and found it to work fine. It had all of the camera footage from the Tulpar on it and she figured it could be good evidence if Curly really did crash the ship on purpose like they said. She didn't bother to watch any of it, instead plugging in a spare USB to back everything up on and putting it in the drawer of the table. It wasn't hidden but it was well enough out of sight that it shouldn't matter.

She sat back at the control panel and turned the auto pilot off. The Tulpar's original destination, Earth, was still nearly seven months away, lining up with what the crew said about having crashed five months ago. She re-routed to the nearest planet, which would only take around 76 days to get to.

Arabella turned the auto-pilot back on and tried to make contact with the landing crew.

"Weyland Landing, please state your and your ship's name and purpose." A masculine voice came through.

"Arabella Inara on the No Boundaries Search and Rescue ship Inara. I've got a rescued crew with me."

She can hear clicking on the other end before they speak up again.

"Who are you rescuing and from what business?"

"The last crew from Pony Express under Captain Grant Curly."

"Co-captain Jimmy James?"

"Yes."

Arabella looked around the monitors in her cockpit while the landing crew worker clicked away again.

"State of the crew?"

"Only one injured. The rest of the crew sustained no external injuries, though I'm certain they're dealing with hunger."

"Who is the injured, and how bad is it?"

"Captain Grant Curly is... a nugget." Arabella snorted.

"Captain Inara, please take this seriously." The landing worker chuckled slightly before reverting back to a serious tone.

"The captain is covered in burns and each of his limbs has been dismembered. He cannot move nor speak much at all."

A longer moment of clicking than the first two.

"Alright, how long until you will be landing?"

"Approximately 76 days."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Captain Inara. Please give us weekly updates and- whatever, I'm sure you know the drill." The landing crew worker seems to be tired of having to say the same things over and over.

Arabella can't help but laugh.

"Of course. Thanks for the help."

The connection is terminated and she lets out a sigh. Next step, let her patients know the estimated arrival. Then, she'll try to get the old captain to cooperate long enough for his old bandages to be replaced with fresh ones.

76 Days Until Landing

[triviareads]

ARC Review of Something Extraordinary by Alexis Hall

Rating: 4.5/5 Heat Level: 3.75/5 Publication Date: December 17th

Premise:

Arabella Tarleton kidnaps her former friend Sir. Horley Comewithers to save him from an unwanted marriage, except she ends up kidnapped by him and eloping to Scotland instead.

My review

This was such a delightful read— hysterical in a way that veers towards absurd and full of equally hilarious modernisms, but it has so much heart and Big Feelings, and I admire the way Alexis Hall portrays the diversity of the queer experience so well in a historical setting.

Arabella is on the aromatic spectrum, and it's really interesting because she's also a big book lover who sees herself as the heroine of her own story (it's giving Catherine Morland)... except heroines usually have happy endings that involve falling in love and having grand romances, and Arabella has never quite been able to figure out that part. She's spent the last two books running away from a forced marriage, and then pushing away potential romantic partners, and now she's feeling lost. And it makes sense looking at this even from a modern perspective; In addition to the compulsory heterosexuality pushed upon us early on, there's also amatonormativity, the assumption that being in (usually monogamous) romantic relationships is the norm.

Belle is struggling to figure out what a "happy ending" means for her, so the distraction of "saving" Sir Horley from marrying a woman forced on him by his homophobic aunt couldn't have come at a better time. But Arabella being Arabella means that somewhere along the way, she decides to abandon her plan of kidnapping and eloping with Sir Horley... except Horley has a pang of conscience and kidnaps her right back to "save her reputation".

And that's Arabella to a tee; I think she is one of the more frustrating heroines I've read in a romance novel just because of her tendency to literally run away from her problems therefore making them bigger problems for everyone (as valid as her problems are; The patriarchy and forced heteronormativity suck!), and also her being quite.... trigger-happy. BUT Alexis Hall completely converted me over by the end, and other than enjoying her zany antics and novel way of looking at world, I empathized with her quite a lot.

I also really loved getting to read Sir Horley as a hero in his own right;. I'm SO glad he was never written off as a gay best friend because in the last two books, other characters considered him a shallow bon vivant even though he was a reliable friend to the Tarletons and co. Here, you get the raw, stripped down version of him (and unlike the prior two books, you do get both his and Arabella's POV). Horley— Rufus, as he decides to go with halfway through the book—has faced his share of tragedy and rejection, but the narrative doesn't super wallow on that.... he's not a sadboi hero by any means. He's quite cutting and much more competent than people give him credit for, but he also this tender side with Arabella that was already present while they were friends, but it's really lovely to see it develop into something more permanent as the book goes on.

The sex:

There is an EXCELLENT variety— there are MM, FF, and MF scenes. Arabella and Rufus have a non-monogamous relationship, and later on marriage as well.

This book is also a lot kinkier than the prior two and it's approached with the same lightheartedness as the rest of this book; consent is discussed and then you have everything from highwayman kidnapping roleplay to spanking, and yes, there is a Daddy moment— you'll be surprised how that comes about, but like the rest of this novel, in a GREAT way.

Overall:

I adored reading how Arabella and Rufus create their own rules for their marriage and seeing them happy together is everything. This is truly a boundary-pushing historical romance and I would highly recommend this to any romance reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.