#verity den

[goodbysunball]

You can really feel like you're here

As usual, it's been a minute, but still handling and playing large plastic discs on the regular. A nice variety for June, whether you want to scream at the void or bask in repetition or curl up and smoke ciggies. A short list of off-the-cuff 2024 favorites is at the bottom, too, for the short attention spans.

Arianne Churchman & Benedict Drew, MAY 2xLP (Love's Devotee)

A tip of the hat to Matt K.'s ever-reliable Yellow Green Red for hipping me to this record, something that on paper I would generally pass up but plays out like an invigorating fever dream across four sides of wax. Stealing from the label's writeup: "MAY employs at its base a flank of analog synthesizers, field recordings and Churchman’s layered vocals, each combining to form a beautifully dizzy sonic collage that often spirals out across long durations into hypnotic rhythms and jubilant melodies." The magic is in how the duo manages to effectively take the same trick, going from folk song to swelling grandeur, on nearly every track while still retaining the same sense of wonder. Though, for me, it was the marathon opener, "The Cuckoo," that really did the trick for me the first listen. In a sense, "The Cuckoo" is the line in the sand, as the way it unfolds is much darker and dissonant than anything else on the record, and the dissonance hangs around for a healthy chunk of time. After that, the record basks in the sun, meadows and valleys, Churchman's vocals ceding to the environment of buzzing and gently swaying synthesizer. Something like "Down by the Green Groves" sounds like a Broadcast record or tape left in the sun for weeks, then played at half-speed as it disintegrates. "Day Song" sounds like a properly warped rendition of something off The Wicker Man soundtrack, a fiddle or banjo plucking a melody over plodding drums and sighing, sawing synthesizers. Only "Searching For May" returns slightly to the dissonance found on "The Cuckoo," the titular search turning into slightly desperate yearning, but on the whole MAY is shot through with an appropriate amount of sun-baked awe for the natural world. Experiencing the record on headphones while walking along a beach felt deeply spiritual, as cheesy as that may sound; but the sounds contained here seem designed to be played or experienced in open spaces, to commingle with their inspiration. Outta nowhere gem, and limited to only 350 copies, surely not long for this world once word leaks out.

Matt Krefting, Finer Points (Open Mouth)

The latest from tape manipulator/sound sculptor/Idea Fire Co.-man Matt Krefting, quietly released back in January on Bill Nace's Open Mouth label. This is the first solo outing I've heard from him since the Lymph Est LP on Kye, and it's a stunner, albeit one that skews somber and unadorned. Matt works in a sound world that's been done to death in the last decade or so: tape loops, brittle scrapes and plucks, lonesome mechanical hums, and some keys/synth sprinkled in ("An Eye on the Future," heartbreaking) to soften the landing. In the hands of most, that's a combo you can safely miss, but Krefting has the skill and restraint to make the sounds inviting, enveloping and captivating the listener. The bassy plucking on "A Double Request" feels of a piece with Robert Turman's Flux, but the sounds double back on themselves, twisting the strings into a net to capture your body while your mind wanders. The same goes for "Both This Life and the Next," which even includes the mbira heard across Flux, but there Krefting lets the tape distortion seep in and eventually consume the slow progression of notes. When he wades into field recordings or drone, the sounds feel removed from the action, sometimes foggy ("Let's Look Again") and sometimes deliberately encased in glass, perhaps a not-so-uplifting commentary on screens and devices displacing human-to-human contact. In that sense, the record feels more empathetic than most in the genre, choosing to engage with the darker, depressive emotions rather than cloak them in distortion and remove all human trace. As far as contemporary reference points go, Finer Points reminds me of Incipientium, but less cold and bleak and more tender, as if handling century-old artifacts and recognizing a common humanity. The feather-light synth on "Just to Have Him Around" closes the record, the sun easing up in the sky after a particularly stormy night, a splash of faint yellow to the decidedly fuzzy gray that colors most of Finer Points. Great reading soundtrack, and for those willing to go deeper, a rich, sensuous landscape that comes out just fine on the other side. Sold out from the label, but Forced Exposure somehow still has a few of the original 200 copies.

Thou, Umbilical LP + 7" (Sacred Bones)

Much respect for the grind of Thou, a band that's somehow both risen from and stayed true to DIY ethics, draped in scathing philosophizing and often wretchedly heavy music. (The Sisters in Christ record store rules, too.) For various reasons, I haven't followed the band closely in the past decade, but the outta nowhere collaboration with Mizmor, Myopia, bested both groups' recent works in my estimation, a sound that married Thou's heaving sludge with Mizmor's black metal, each pushing the other to more violent extremes. The press release teased that Umbilical was Thou's hardcore record, and while I guess that's relatively true due to the shorter song lengths and, on some tracks, a discernible verse-chorus structure ("The Promise"), the LP plays out like a singles compilation. It’s as if Thou returned to the days where they released a split with anyone every other month. If you, like me, are a fan of Thou songs like "Smoke Pigs" and "Don't Vote," you'll find a lot to like on Umbilical, easily the band's best record since Summit. The idea behind the record is vocalist Bryan Funck criticizing himself and Thou in the guise of a much younger, more militantly DIY or anarchistic version of himself. The lyrics are vicious, and the music shows up prepared for the evisceration: "I Return as Chained and Bound to You" ranks as one of Thou's heaviest, recalling the Their Hooves Carve Craters in the Earth 10", and "Lonely Vigil" drags the listener through quicksand with its crawling, crushing riffs. "House of Ideas" meanders at the end for a little too long, but this is a lean, tight record, worthy of all wild and tired descriptors that basically say "heavy" over and over. The physical package includes a 7" with two more tracks, both leaning more toward crowded punk tempos, riffs buried in the maelstrom of Funck's shredded vocals. That the two tracks were placed on to a 7" makes them feel more like afterthoughts, which they're not, but when the eight-song LP is properly satisfying, it probably means it's not a 7" I'll be revisiting often (even if the end of "Unbidden Guest" rules). Umbilical is a spoil of riches in that sense, an appropriately crushing soundtrack to vitriolic self-flagellation that reinvigorates an old sound with new twists.

Verity Den, s/t LP (Amish Records)

It took me a long while to check out Verity Den's LP, something I quickly bookmarked months back, but it's been played to death the last few weeks in my hut. The trio from Carrboro, NC use loud, gauzy guitars like their shoegaze forebears, and their songs patiently unfurl like the smoke from a snuffed candle. From the opening chords ringing out on "Washer/Dryer," it's clear this band isn't the ten-thousandth rehash of Loveless but something much more strange; Casey Proctor's vocals flutter on the surface like Meg Baird's in Heron Oblivion, and the lyrics unexpectedly leave a dark, wet trail, knocking the listener off-kilter. A track like the gorgeous "Prudence," featuring some beautifully hesitant and restrained guitar work, somehow has with the opening lines "Broke-ass ho/where'd he go?/Owes me dough," while other song titles like "Crush Meds" and "Everyone Thought You Were Dead" point to a much bleaker launching point for these songs than the end result does. An exception might be "Other People," which glides along on a motorik beat, the subtle chord change at the chorus causing chills both times it hits. The LP is a collection of separately released tracks or releases, but only the relatively conventionally structured "Priest Boss" feels slightly out of place, though it's clear the song is woven into the fabric of the record when the title's repeated in the lyrics of "Other People" later on. Verity Den plays out like settling in to the pleasant buzz of a second beer, but doesn't dissuade stormier currents from running through your brain. Extremely strong and affecting debut; fans of True Widow, Mount Trout or the aforementioned Heron Oblivion would do well to check in with Verity Den posthaste.

Water Damage, In E 2xLP (12XU)

Water Damage quickly follow up last year's incredible 2 Songs with In E, a new double-LP of their raison d'être: heaving, droning repetition delivered at maximum volume. Might be the inclusion of a violin this time around, but In E feels lot more classical than the band's previous work, slowly shifting away from "rock" and evolving into a proper ensemble, albeit one with a heavy reliance on feedback. There's one song per side here, the last being a perfectly fine cover of "Ladybird" by Shit & Shine, but one that adds little to the ground covered by the first three tracks. Grayson Haver Currin accurately labeled the record "a rare mind eraser for our increasingly plugged-in times," and that's really the calling card for the band's discography. "Reel E" kicks off the record, the ensemble swelling over the same drumbeat for the duration. Feedback, guitar and violin saw away at the ever-expanding mass, sometimes combining to sound like the wheels of a train scraping against its metal track. It's my favorite thing the band's done so far, powerful and invigorating minimalism pushed to the red, capable of blotting out everything wrong in your sphere for 20 minutes. Things slow a little on "Reel EE," the drums left alone for the first few minutes, until everyone else kicks in to create an ecstatic drone that seems to continue rising upward forever. "Reel EEE" feels the most wide-open, taking five minutes for the drums to lock in, featuring stabs of guitar cut short in deference to the shrill flute/violin combo. The band shows an uncommon restraint on "EEE," but after "Reel E," it feels like Water Damage peeling back the layers lessens the smothering, mind-altering effect of their best tracks. A group like Incapacitants can blast away the listener on every track and I still own multiple records by 'em; seems like Water Damage could do the same if they wanted. Still, there's no arguing that In E is a powerful statement, the whole record buzzing, simmering and occasionally screaming with the ecstasy of repetition, something that a lucky few get to experience this summer and fall as the group plays a few dates outside of Texas. If the heat doesn't make you have visions, I've little doubt that Water Damage and In E will do the trick.

Favorites of 2024 so far:

42 Dugg, "Wock N Red"

Bobby Would, Relics of Our Life LP (Digital Regress)

Thomas Bush, The Next 60 Years (Jolly Discs)

Chief Keef & Mike WiLL Made-It, Dirty Nachos (43B/Eardrummer/RBC)

Arianne Churchman & Benedict Drew, MAY 2xLP (Love's Devotee)

Contaminated, Celebratory Beheading LP (Blood Harvest)

Klonns, Heaven LP (Iron Lung)

Matt Krefting, Finer Points LP (Open Mouth)

Light Metal Age, s/t CS (self-released)

Jim Marlowe, Mirror Green Rotor In Profile CS (Medium Sound)

Phill Niblock, Looking For Daniel CD (Unsounds)

Pain Appendix, Manuhypnoz CD (Freak Animal)

REALYUNGPHIL, Niontay & Surf Gang, "Halftones/Amnesia"

Verity Den, s/t (Amish)

YKSI, Ultrasensory Exploration CD (Freak Animal)

[dustedmagazine]

Verity Den—S-T (Amish)

Verity Den, from North Carolina, cast a hazy, guitar-distorted spell, their music adjacent to trance-state shoegaze, but quieter and hard to pin down. If you enjoyed the cloud-bank drones of bands like Zelienople and Bark Psychosis, slow spooling altered realities like “Washer Dryer” will likely hit the spot. This cut, the first one off Verity Den’s introductory album, swirls a mix of altered guitar textures, massing in waves, then cutting back to flickering whisper. A woman’s voice cuts through shifting, incandescent layers of sound, a disembodied descant swooning through the sound. The cut sounds dreamily subdued, though it’s probably loud as fuck in the room, a lullaby and a firestorm at the same time.

The band is a trio, though footage from 2023 shows them configured in four pieces, a drummer added, perhaps, for the live performance. All three of them—Casey Proctor, Trevor Reece and Mike Wallace—were been active in a Chapel Hill experimental scene for a while before coalescing into a band early last year. Though their album is enjoyable as rock, it is very clearly not just that; it pools and looms and gently probes improvisatory, effected guitar zones that sit pretty far from conventional song structures.

The first cut is indefinite and beautiful; it adjusts time and space around you as you listen. Later cuts are more emphatic—see the rain of guitar clangor that paces “Priest Boss” or the extended feedback freakout of “Crush Meds”—but these tracks have a narcotic air. You can sink all the way into the interleaved strumming of “Tess” and fall backwards through its lapping textures. And though “Everyone Thought You Were Dead” howls and screeches with amp noise at the start, it soon settles into an enveloping meditation.

All of which is to say that Verity Den sculpts serene and hypnotic vistas out of the squall and clamor of rock instruments. You don’t so much listen as let this disc wash over you, and it feels amazing as it rises to submerge your whole self.

Jennifer Kelly  

[omegaradiowusb]

APRIL 15, 2024 A (#373)

Thousandaire: "One Day I'll Finally Go Deaf" TV Star: "These Trees Heard The Drums" Slow Crush: "Thrill" A Beacon School: "Mantra" Absolutely Free: "How To Repaint Clouds" Sour Widows: "Witness" Verity Den: "Prudence" Grass Jaw: "Tic Tac" Soda Die: "Sit With It" Sprain: "Constant Hum" Shizuka: "Bloodsplattered Blossom" Haress: "White Over" Constant Smiles: "Sea Of Birds" Wednesday: "Love Has No Pride (Condemned)" Keep: "7 Days" Lower Plenty: "A Letter To Grief" Sonic Boom: "If I Should Die" Mountain Movers: "Bodega On My Mind / Sun Shines On The Moon" Dolly: "Process" cursetheknife: "cursetheknife" Downward: "Budge" Velvet: "Sunlight" A Very Special Episode: "Smolder" MX Lonely: "Rest In Salt" Honeymoon: "Like Suffering" Stargazer Lilies, The: "Dizzying Heights" There Is No Teenage Love: "Randezvous Zero"

Springtime is seeing better days, when Omega Radio arrives with three deluxe hours of new, current, and favorite sounds and artists for Springtime temperatures. From shoegaze, dreampop, bedroom pop, alternative, and jangle, we have it all for listeners to fly high and never fall back from grace.

It's only our first broadcast of the day. We return later in the afternoon for a special two-hour bonus set when we fill-in for Music Library Gems. After that, plenty of more Springtime sounds to go from now until late May. We'll see you in eleven hours.

April 15, 2024 (2-4PM): bonus Omega.

April 29, 2024 (Midnight-3AM): deluxe Omega.

May 13, 2024 (Midnight-3AM): deluxe Omega.

May 27, 2024 (Midnight-3AM): final deluxe Spring ‘24 Omega.

[valaquenta]

Verity Den - Priest Boss

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in August 2024 🌈

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Happy reading!

[ Text list below ⤵ ]

❓What was the last queer book you read?

[ Release dates may have changed. ]

❤️ Failure to Comply - Sarah Cavar 🧡 I Spit On Your Celluloid - Heidi Honeycutt 💛 You're Embarrassing Yourself - Desiree Akhavan 💚 Death of the Hero - Briona Johnson 💙 Between Dragons and Their Wrath - Devin Madson 💜 The Crimson Crown - Heather Walter ❤️ Sacrificial Animals - Kailee Pedersen 🧡 Oath of Fire - K. Arsenault Rivera 💛 The Palace of Eros - Caro De Robertis 💙 This Ravenous Fate - Hayley Dennings 💜 Mistress of Lies - K.M. Enright 🌈 Wolf Bite - T.J. Nichols

❤️ In the Valley, A Shadow - Samantha Tano 🧡 Follow My Lead - Adrian J. Smith 💛 The Last Woman I Kissed - Venetia Di Pierro 💚 Full Shift - Jennifer Dugan & Kristen Seaton 💙 Hers for the Weekend - Helena Greer 💜 Come Out, Come Out - Natalie C. Parker ❤️ Rules for Ghosting - Shelly Jay Shore 🧡 How to Leave the House - Nathan Newman 💛 Plot Twist - Carmen Sereno 💙 On the Far Side of a Crescendo - Kalyn Hazel 💜 Tiny Oblivions and Mutual Self Destructions - Maxwell I. Gold 🌈 Daylan and the River of Secrets - Edd Tello

❤️ The Italy Letters - Vi Khi Nao 🧡 The Gender Binary Is a Big Lie - Lee Wind 💚 The House Where Death Lives - Alex Brown 💙 Ash's Cabin - Jen Wang 💜 The Avian Hourglass - Lindsey Drager ❤️ The Heart Wants - Krystina Rivers 🧡 A Grand Love - Janna Barkin 💛 You Can't Go Home Again - Jeanette Bears 💜 Libertad - Bessie Flores Zaldivar 🌈 Her Golden Coast - Anat Deracine

❤️ Mighty Millie Novak - Elizabeth Holden 💛 Rise and Divine - Lana Harper 💚 Dying for You - L Flowers 💙 I'll Have What He's Having - Adib Khorram 💜 Changing Her Tune - Amanda Kabak ❤️ Monogamy? In this Economy? - Laura Boyle 🧡 The Rainbow Age of Television - Sayna Maci Warner 💛 Medusa of the Roses - Navid Sinaki 💙 Confounding Oaths - Alexis Hall 💜 Idol Lives - K.T. Salvo 🌈 Brother's Keeper - Quinn Cameron

❤️ Key Lime Sky - Al Hess 🧡 Crushing It - Erin Becker 💛 The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou 💚 Not for the Faint of Heart - Lex Croucher 💙 Tasting Temptation - JJ Arias 💜 Ami - S. Jae-Jones ❤️ You're the Problem, It's You - Emma R. Alban 🧡 Cubs & Campfires - Dylan Drakes 💛 The Dark We Know - Wen-yi Lee 💙 Practical Rules for Cursed Witches - Kayla Cottingham 💜 Riyati Rebirth - Kalani Shimizu 🌈 The Brujos of Borderland High - Gume Laurel III

❤️ A Bánh Mì for Two - Trinity Nguyen 🧡 Dance of the Starlit Sea - Kiana Krystle 💛 Scattered Snows, to the North - Carl Phillips 💚 Beyond a World Apart - Caitlin Myers 💙 Don't Let It Break Your Heart - Maggie Horne 💜 Nothing Heals Me Like You Do - Harper Bliss ❤️ How It All Ends - Emma Hunsinger 🧡 How Do I Sexy? - Mx. Nillin Lore 💛 The Palace of Eros - Caro De Robertis 💙 Prince of the Palisades - Julian Winters 💜 Better Left Buried - Mary E. Roach 🌈 Back to Back - Jo Fletcher

❤️ DITCHLAPSE / [REALLY AFRAID] - Tommy Wyatt 🧡 The Love Archives: Bonus Scenes & Excerpts for Palestine - Various 💛 Guardian: Zhen Hun - Ying Priest 💚 The Sunforge - Sascha Stronach 💙 Queering Reproductive Justice - Candace Bond-Theriault 💜 Gender Explained - Diane Ehrensaft & Michelle Jurkiewicz ❤️ The Unlikely Pair - Jax Calder 🧡 In Universes - Emet North 💛 We Love the Nightlife - Rachel Koller Croft 💙 Lessons from Cruising - Martin Goodman 💜 Wild Ginger in the Rhubarb - Eule Grey 🌈 Not My Circus - Delicia Niami

❤️ Asunder - Kerstin Hall 🧡 The Phoenix Keeper - S.A. MacLean 💛 Encounters with James Baldwin - Various 💚 Verity's Game - Jennifer Giacalone 💙 Hunt Me! I Crave the Chase - Fae Quin 💜 The Audacity Omnibus - Carmen Loup ❤️ Haunted to Death - Frank Anthony Polito 🧡 Blood Orange - Paige Grunewald 💛 The Bad Things We Did - Chris Archeske 💙 Dark Restraint - Katee Robert 💜 Worth the Wait - Kenna White 🌈 The Maid and the Crocodile - Jordan Ifueko

❤️ Loving Corrections - Adrienne Maree Brown 🧡 The Last Witch in Edinburgh - Marielle Thompson 💛 The Duchess of Kokora - Nikhil Prabala 💚 The Scales of Seduction - Rien Gray 💙 Survival Is a Promise - Alexis Pauline Gumbs 💜 Loka - S.B. Divya ❤️ The Every Body Book of Consent - Rachel E Simon 🧡 Southern Lights - Liz Arncliffe 💛 Then Things Went Dark - Bea Fitzgerald 💙 Death at Morning House - Maureen Johnson 💜 The Last Doorbell - William Parker 🌈 The Pairing - Casey McQuiston

[princeweenie]

Verity!!! my love

info abt her below the cut hehe

i LOVEEE verity. comfort character fr…

verity was born in the seawing kingdom to a nightwing mother and a seawing father (names TBD). her parents coddled her relentlessly as she grew up, and were nearly obsessive in the way they made sure all of her needs were met at any and every given moment. as a young and independent teen, of course, this annoyed verity — but she never faulted them for it, because she knew that they only did that because they loved her.

when she got older (around 19 years old), she dreamed of something more than her little coast-side town. she’d always been dreamy as a kid, but once she became an adult, all she could think about was the great and vast world before her.

it was a long, tearful goodbye, but verity finally moved on from her childhood town. she moved across the continent to a little town called Possibility (situated in the kingdom of sand, about a day’s walk from the Scorpion Den). she moved in with her grandma on her father’s side, who insisted that she needed no care (though, like her parents, verity was quick to aid her with anything she needed. verity understood pride, so she never made it obvious that she was helping her grandmother). quickly, verity and her grandma learned about each other. they love and care for each other deeply. verity knows that she can rely on her grandmother for anything, and vice versa.

not long after she moved, verity met two strange sandwings: Hourglass and Haze. they were both unlike anyone verity had ever known. whether they liked it or not, verity adapted herself into their friendship; the three of them swiftly became an inseparable trio. (ominous music ensues…)

verity busies herself day-to-day by seeking attention from the random dragons in Possibility, spilling gossip to her grandmother, bugging her two best friends, and working at the local salon as a cosmetologist.

she is independent, confident, and unabashed. many find her shameless and bold personality to be annoying, but the right dragons find her endearing. she has no concept of volume and ritualistically deafens the poor dragons around her whenever she speaks.

verity doesn’t need anyone’s acceptance or approval to be who she is— even if she has nobody else, she still has herself, and that’s enough.

[transingthoseformers]

It is a Prowl Day, so I feel like I should mention him in Propagate. I mentioned briefly that he is also carrying and in denial. Basically, most things follow Canon, but Prowl after the Tyrest Incident when he almost died and wasn't found by the Autobots sought to comfort and comfort from them. It ended with him carrying, which he didn't think was possible due to how CCs were constructed given how rare it was with a governmentally steralized species.

He isn't fully aware of it, just experiencing a lot of high stress needs to den and avoid thos ehe doesn't trust behaviors and even more wary of others.

The Dark Cybertron Arc occurs, and Megatron's Trial, but when Optimus invites him, Prowl declines. He has genuinely lost trust in Optimus in a lot of ways and is noting his instability, and his entire body screams DANGER, though he isn't consciously recognizing it.

Now Cybertron has to deal with an increasingly shut in devstated Prowl who is convinced he's dying while the Constructicons are trying to figure out a delicate way to get him to admit the obvious (to them) because the Carrier is the one who announces it culturally and him not doing it yet is semi rejecting them so they are trying to prove their worth and get him to acknowledge them. He's giving them mixed signals as he is responding well to things, but then catches himself. He blames his instinct to trust them on the gestalt bond and it upsets him more.

Society takes a sharp left turn when Phase Seven is announced, and there is a confusing reaction (for those not in the know) from the Decepticon Populace who, accept this as the reason Megatron went Autobot and immediately start being more actively courting Autobots and Neutrals. Even more its working and everyone is dealing with a baby boom.

Tarantulas eventually still happens and kidnaps Prowl, forcing him to accept what is really happening. Due to changes though the Constructicons are the ones who come running and Prowl hesitates when Tarantulas asks and is emotionally compromised enough to admit Ostaros/Springer lived and he has been keeping an eye on him since. This changes the direction of this conversation and when Arcee and the Wreckers and Kup (who got pinged by panicking Sires) arrives Prowl gives it away and there is a whole messy family reunion and everything takes on very different tones with Verity just judging the entire time. The Constructicons are bristling and holding Prowl who accepts it and very quietly informs them he is carrying and they are over the moon.

Prowl cannot make himself go back to Cybertron and Starscream's rule, and the Constructicons don't blame him. He considers going to Earth but sees Optimus decide annexing it is a sane reaction and turns away. They head towards Luna-1 because Prowl is still needing to eliminaye threats and he leaves Tarantulas a contact and does not order he be eliminated not that it would work.

On the way a situation occurs and Prowl gets separated from the Constructicons who are freaking out and runs into the Scavengers who end up delaing with him giving birth while being attacked by slavers who want to sell the baby Cybertronians. Grimlock and Spinister help him with Grimlock specifically carefully carrying one, the future Grimlock II, back to Prowl.

He names them afterwards.

Sentinel happens with the addition of the Constructicons and commentary on Prowl’s "abominations" (babies) and Prowl dens down on Luna-1 making awkward friends with the Moon Husbands who think he is just enough of a sad sack to pity and is covered in children.

Tarantulas eventually ends up calling up Prowl instead of Overlord and they reminisce and Prowl thinks up a reciprocity since Mesothulas didn't get to raise a child Prowl should give him one so he attempts to seduce and babytrap Tarantulas who sort of bluescreens about it. Fort Max is the one who sits Prowl down and goes hey body please use words after the third time he catches Prowl in the closet with the "spider monster" that Red Alert warned them about and Prowl explains the logic. Fortress Maximus has become that friend who helps Prowl be less an asshole and articulate his feelings and forces him to verbalize them.

He, Tarantulas, and the Constructicons discuss their future and plans and the Constructicons explain yeah they love Prowl and he's Gestalt and theirs but they can tell he has some weird complicated feelings he needs to resolve and they are fine with the spiderbot and appreciate the warning because they've been having some weird sex dreams lately.

Blackarachnia happens by the time anyone finally realizes where the "missing" Prowl ended up.

Of course he's carrying and in denial about it yep yep, typical Prowl move

yk Prowl under more stress is probably something nobody needs, goddamn he's gotta be terrifying

A lack of Prowl at the trial has gotta lead to interesting consequences! Makes sense he lost trust in Optimus, Prowl isn't doing so well

So Prowl's losing it and the constructicons are trying to help but they kiiinda don't know what to do, makes sense the gestalt bond would register them as safe™️

I cannot properly explain the sheer sound I made when I read "when phase seven was announced"

My godddd is that gonna cause fun results because all the other phases were rather unpleasant, but this part? Oh dear Primus is this gonna cause so many funny interactions between decepticons who Know and the autobots and neutrals who Do Not Know. Megatron did not intend on this when defecting, but ykw it could've been worse. It could have been worse. I mean, this definitely changes how mecha are gonna see the moderately confused Megatron and the far too elated Tarn. Tarn, such a force for horribleness, endorsing creation.

Ooo on the Tarantulas event still happening and him immediately noticing Prowl is carrying and well Tara Mc No Filter is definitely gonna bring it up. Makes sense in this case the constructicons are the ones coming for him this time, which has gotta cause interesting results.

FAMILY REUNION TIME

Verity is judging so much

So so much

Prowl: fine I'm pregnant

Verity, who has eyes and can see this: nice to see you've caught up with the rest of us

So Cybertron is a no go, Earth is a no go, so off to Luna-1 they go time to have some babies on the moon. Moon babies yet again

[this action will have consequences later on]

THEVAFVKJXX

THE SCAVS

So the scavs 100% help, Prowl babies love being born at the exact wrong time don't they. Aw on Grimlock with just a tiny little constructiprowl sparkling.

SENTINEL YOU ASSHOLE, YES

The moon husbands have several opinions about this but those opinions are somewhat in the positive, "nice to see someone loves Prowl, must be lonely to be the only ones" just.

A sad sack of pity and covered in children

oh Prowl.

Tara:

Tara: ykw I'm gonna try the whole parenthood thing again and Prowl did give me his number after all

Poor Red Alert, he probably thought he was losing it again but nope nope it's real, the "spider monster" is real babygirl and don't worry destruction is the opposite of what's on his mind right now

I like to think Fort Max gave them the most tired stare after catching Tara and Prowl. Just. MN YES, HE'S NOT SO SURE THINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO BEND LIKE THAT. The idea of Fortress Maximus actually helping Prowl be a better person is amazing, because fuck knows someone's gotta do it.

They do honestly need to have a thorough, thorough talk, and I like to think the moon husbands are lightly but consistently pushing them to talk about figuring stuff out. This actually brings up cool things regarding how being in a gestalt affects having a non gestalt partner, I'm stashing this away for Broadwings Universe KOBD and Stunticons reasons.

And all of this went down while only two large handfuls of people knew where Prowl was

[britt-kageryuu]

VTurtles! Random Extras Masterpost!

It was getting a bit long.

VODs

Clips #1 | Karaoke Night | Karaoke Night #2 | Pizzeria Tier List | Sleepy Rambling | Not Vturtles, just Stockboy | Clips of Quotes! | VTurtles! Verity Show | Some Random Clips | Cups and Mugs | Apparently There's a Hotkey! | Phasmophobia | Just Dance 2 | Just some Clips! | Technical Difficulties |

Social Media

Social Media1 | P.O. Box | So-Shell Media | Socials #4 | Social Media #5 | Fan Social Media | Testing Reblogs | Fan Forum | VTurtles! Social ft. GB | Random Social Media | Social Media GB | Social instead of GC | The Fans Kinda Spiral | A Lots of Pics | Continue to Confuse | Some Random Posts | I need better names for these | Donnie is Frustrated | Requested Hair Rescue | Mikey Messing With Dice | Spice Mixed |

Behind the Scenes

Day Offish | Warehouse | April's Question | The Ancestors Suck | The Gift of VTuber Models | Japan Trip Summarized | The Dragons Den | Sunny Cat Show | Checking On Things | Flea Market Boxes |

Convention Series

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Peek into a different world, aka maybe just an April Fools Joke. Maybe not.

[omegaremix]

Omega Radio for April 15, 2024 A; #373.

Thousandaire: "One Day I'll Finally Go Deaf"

TV Star: "These Trees Heard The Drums"

Slow Crush: "Thrill"

A Beacon School: "Mantra"

Absolutely Free: "How To Repaint Clouds"

Sour Widows: "Witness"

Verity Den: "Prudence"

Grass Jaw: "Tic Tac"

Soda Die: "Sit With It"

Sprain: "Constant Hum"

Shizuka: "Bloodsplattered Blossom"

Haress: "White Over"

Constant Smiles: "Sea Of Birds"

Wednesday: "Love Has No Pride (Condemned)"

Keep: "7 Days"

Lower Plenty: "A Letter To Grief"

Sonic Boom: "If I Should Die"

Mountain Movers: "Bodega On My Mind / Sun Shines On The Moon"

Dolly: "Process"

cursetheknife: "cursetheknife"

Downward: "Budge"

Velvet: "Sunlight"

A Very Special Episode: "Smolder"

MX Lonely: "Rest In Salt"

Honeymoon: "Like Suffering"

Stargazer Lilies, The: "Dizzying Heights"

There Is No Teenage Love: "Randezvous Zero"

First of two same-day broadcasts. Deluxe shoegaze, dreampop, bedroom-pop, alternative, jangle, and lo-fi.

[radnapqueen]

2023 Book List 📚

@bashfulbunny had the great idea to post what we read in 2023 and comment or reblog what you read so that we can all share our lists with each other 😊

Here is my list:

Icebreaker- Hannah Grace

Credence- Penelope Douglas

Birthday Girl- Penelope Douglas

Punk 57- Penelope Douglas

The Love Hypothesis- Ali Hazelwood

Archer's Voice- Mia Sheridan

Travis- Mia Sheridan

Twisted Love- Ana Huang

Twisted Games- Ana Huang

Twisted Hate- Ana Huang

Twisted Lies- Ana Huang

It Happened one Summer- Tessa Bailey

Hook, Line, and Sinker- Tessa Bailey

Fix Her Up- Tessa Bailey

Wreck the Halls- Tessa Bailey

Window Shopping- Tessa Bailey

Satan's Affair- H.D. Carlton

Haunting Adeline- H.D. Carlton

Hunting Adeline- H.D. Carlton

Does it Hurt- H.D. Carlton

Scarred- Emily McIntire

Hooked- Emily McIntire

Wretched- Emily McIntire

Twisted- Emily McIntire

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder- Holly Jackson

The Simple Wild- K.A. Tucker

The Ritual- Shantel Tessier

The Housemaid- Freida McFadden

The Housemaid's Secret- Freida McFadden

Ward D- Freida McFadden

Never Lie- Freida McFadden

The Inmate- Freida McFadden

Verity- Colleen Hoover

It Ends with Us- Colleen Hoover

It Starts with Us- Colleen Hoover

Ugly Love- Colleen Hoover

November 9- Colleen Hoover

Maybe Someday- Colleen Hoover

Maybe Now- Colleen Hoover

The Silent Patient- Alex Michaelides

The Seven Husband's of Evelyn Hugo- Taylor Jenkins Reid

Saving Noah- Lucinda Berry

Forbidden Hearts- Corinne Michael's

Den of Vipers- K.A. Knight

Fourth Wing- Rebecca Yarros

Iron Flame- Rebecca Yarros

Losers Part 1-Harley Laroux

Losers Part 2-Harley Laroux

By a Thread- Lucy Score

The Christmas Fix- Lucy Score

Say You Swear- Meagan Brandy

Hearts Reclaimed- Ayla Asher

The Fine Print- Lauren Asher

Terms and Conditions- Lauren Asher

The Mindf*ck Series- S.T. Abby

That One Night- Emily Rath

Pucking Around- Emily Rath

Pucking Ever After Vol. 1- Emily Rath

Anyone and You- Jack Whitney

Trick Shot- Kayla Grosse

The 12 Dogs of Christmas- Susan Wiggs

Tangled in Tinsel- Trilina Pucci

Love and Other Words- Christina Lauren

In a Holidaze- Christina Lauren

The Surgeon- Leslie Wolfe

Where the Crawdads Sing- Delia Owen's

The Last Thing He Told Me- Laura Dave

The Nightingale- Kristin Hannah

Ladling with Luke- D.E. Bartley

Resting Scrooge Face- Meghan Quinn

Lovelight Farms- B.K. Borison

The Plight Before Christmas- Kate Stewart

A Very Merry Mistake- Lyra Parish

Feel free to add your lists so we can all get some new recommendations! 💕

[clangoring]

So freakin' stoked to be able to present this show. The legendary Bailter Space! Openers the lushness of Verity Den. Wed 9/25 at Rubies On Five Points in Durham, NC.

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Verity Den

Verity Den plays a soft-focus, trance-state shoegaze with glimmers of Zelienople, Bark Psychosis and Movietone. The band, out of North Carolina, is comprised of Casey Proctor, Trevor Reece and Mike Wallace, all three of the DIY veterans who formed the band in early 2023. Reviewing their 2024 self-title debut, Jennifer Kelly wrote, “Though their album is enjoyable as rock, it is very clearly not just that; it pools and looms and gently probes improvisatory effected guitar zones that sit pretty far from conventional song structures.”

Casey Proctor “Chant Arabe” (Anonymous) from Suzuki — Piano School: Volume 1

I started taking Suzuki Method piano lessons when I was five years old, and “Chant Arabe” was one of the pieces in Volume 1. During my first recital, my teacher exclaimed how I connected with that piece more than the others, saying that some people can emote ominous (minor-key) music more effectively. It was an early realization that I might be one of those people, and I still enjoy listening to and writing with those tonalities.

Mahavishnu Orchestra — “Meeting of the Spirits”

Every Sunday morning for a solid five-year period when I was a kid (like 7-11), my dad would blast “Meeting of the Spirits” while making breakfast. Undoubtedly, I was influenced by all the music he listened to, but that song in particular is probably the reason I went on to listen to other prog bands from the 1970s and later bands like Meshuggah and Animals as Leaders. We weren’t a religious family but during that era we were attendants at the church of prog rock.

Young Marble Giants — Colossal Youth

The first time I heard a Young Marble Giants song it was Hole covering “Credit in the Straight World.” I didn’t “discover” that it was a YMG song until later and then finally listened to the entirety of Colossal Youth. Front to back it’s a perfect album. It has minimal instrumentation, but it’s completely engaged and never boring. Alison Statton’s lyrics are nuanced and poetic but very punk. I don’t know how to make music that sounds like that, and I haven’t heard anyone else do it.

Mikhail Kalatozov — Letter Never Sent (1959)

Letter Never Sent is my favorite film. Beyond it being one of the most beautifully shot films I’ve ever seen (Sergey Urusevsky is the cinematographer and it’s in black and white), the subject matter feels like it’s personally tailored to me in a few ways. It’s about a group of government-funded geologists who are sent to Siberia to find diamonds. Their expedition is interrupted by a forest fire that cuts off communication with rescue crews and disorients them into a survival situation. Much less dramatically… I worked for the US Forest Service for 12 years, building and maintaining trails in the front and back country, almost majored in Geology and was a certified wildland firefighter for a few years. Also, honorable mention, from the same director… Salt for Svanetia (1930) is fantastic cinema and one of the earliest ethnographic films ever made.

Trevor Reece Roedelius — Wenn Der Südwind Weht

Right before the pandemic, I wasn't playing much “rock” guitar or listening to most of my long-time go-to-records. Leaning more towards experimental, drone and synth-based music. A friend put this Roedelius record on my radar around that time and it inspired me to record some questionable but exciting stuff at home. A classic record and always there to help.

Alex Chilton — Like Flies On Sherbert

Alex Chilton & his weird friends making a mess in the studio.

Bill Daniel — Who Is Bozo Texino? (2005)

I first saw this film during a screening tour through the south around 2006. I was somewhat new to town, wandering around and only cared about making art. Highlighting old outsiders making their mark and telling stories through a grainy film collage felt new but familiar. The ethos of this film is one that I still relate to today.

Mike Wallace Allen Toussaint — “Southern Nights”

A totally transporting song, Toussaint showers you in layers of piano and keys, the percussion chirps along like crickets at night and that perfect, unhurried hook. It really captures a certain kind of feeling, that particular humidity, the sun going down over the field. It's strange though because I didn’t hear this song until I was probably 25 or something, so I didn't have a memory of listening to it as a kid or something, but like a lot of songs, it became like a lens to look back on that, maybe memories I wish were there in some way. I guess it taps this strange kind of nostalgia whose origin is hard to locate and also comes with its own load of complications. That’s a part of the Southern experience, too, in a way that's unique to this part of the country. Memory and history are omnipresent, written and rewritten. I don't even hate the Glen Campbell version of this song. That’s its own type of “Southern Night.” Sometimes it's like that. I didn’t always embrace being from the South, but nowadays I’m into it and I know that when I’m living somewhere else someday, I will finally get to have that feeling of honestly missing a place and wishing I was back home for just a night.

Grouper — “Alien Observer”

This is the first Grouper song I heard and I remember feeling just stunned by it. It has this depth of interiority and a meditative cycle that’s like breathing. I think this song really struck me because I encountered Liz Harris/Grouper at a transitional period. After the end of a long relationship, I was living for a little bit with several people in a house in Greensboro, NC called Hellraiser Haus, named because some scenes from Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth were supposedly filmed at the church across the street. It was a show house and the people I lived with were great, but I was kind of struggling with what was next and who I was in the wake of everything kind of disintegrating. There was something so bleak and comforting in this song, I really did kind of feel like an alien, observing myself, kind of detached. A few years later I saw her play kind of a large theater in Raleigh for this festival Hopscotch, and waking up several minutes after she had finished, kind of disoriented and crunched up in the seat and thinking I just saw one of the best shows of my life.

Wong Kar-wai — In the Mood For Love (2000)

What more can be said about this movie that hasn't already? Wong Kar-wai is a master, and a really singular stylist. I never tire of watching this one, but I rarely put it on, it's just really worth savoring. It's also one where one’s feelings may change over time in relation to the basic plot points. Maybe you recognize yourself at different points or scenes than you did before, or see a new detail in a gesture or glance, like every moment’s a prism and would mean something different if it was just slightly turned. Being in a state of longing can really feel awful, but there can also be a kind of solace in there. Even once it's over, you can return to it sometimes, to remember. I mean just see it; this isn’t making any sense anymore!

[still-single]

HEATHEN DISCO no. 373 -- LISTEN NOW

South Carolina checks in

L — Waasssssuuup

Blunderbuss — Bed Rider

Circus Lupus — Kansas City Bomber

Josef K — The Missionary

Comet Gain — If I Had a Soul

The Unrelated Segments — Story of My Life

Jodo — I’m Still Trying

Steel Pole Bath Tub — The River

FACS — Take Me To Your Heart

Happy Go Licky — Boca Raton

Paul Newman — Enter the Empire of the Ants

T-Shirt Donny and Guy Caballero

Karp — I’d Rather Be Clogging

mic break // Jefre Cantu-Ledesma — A Song of Summer

Creation Rebel — Mirage

Mikey Dread — Warrior Stylee (Extended Stereo Style)

Keith LeBlanc — Object-Subject (Breakdown’s Not Enough)

Leda — Gitarrmusik VI

Cortex — Fear of Glass

The Boiler — Born in a Bag

Regler & Courtis — Regel #13 I (excerpt)

Sole Sister — It’s Not What You Are But How

Worst Case Scenario — Polishing Rot

Giglinger — MIA

The Infinites — The Bureaucrat

The Equals — Diversion

mic break // Low End Activist — Airdrop 04 (Squeeze Yer Lemon)

New Kingdom — Big 10 1/2

Kim Gordon — Shelf Warmer

Cherubs — Fed

Verity Den — Crush Meds 

Chris & Cosey — Hypnotika

Cindy Lee — Flesh and Blood

Cheryl Dilcher — Do I Have to Wait Very Long

B.J. Thomas — The Eyes of a New York Woman

The Sweet — All You’ll Ever Get From Me

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💖 Sapphic Books Coming Out August 2024

🩷 There's something especially sweet about a sapphic romance. Here are only a few of the amazing sapphic books hitting shelves in July 2024.

💖 Which ones are you adding to your TBR?

Contemporary 💖 Can’t Buy Me Love - Georgia Beers 💖 The Heart Wants - Krystina Rivers 💖 Hers for the Weekend - Helena Greer 💖 You Can’t Go Home Again - Jeanette Bears 💖 Worth the Wait - Kenna White 💖 One Summer in Miami - Amber Rose Gill 💖 The Last Woman I Kissed - Venetia Di Pierro 💖 Changing Her Tune - Amanda Kabak 💖 Chance Encounter - Renee Roman 💖 The Italy Letters - Vi Khi Nao 💖 Our Slice of Paradise - Tiana Warner 💖 Dancing With Dahlia - Julia Underwood 💖 Untethered - Shelley Thrasher 💖 Comes in Waves - Ana Hartnett 💖 Libertad - Bessie Flores Zaldívar 💖 The Avian Hourglass - Lindsey Drager 💖 Mamele - Gemma Reeves 💖 Mighty Millie Novak - Elizabeth Holden 💖 A Bánh Mì for Two - Trinity Nguyen 💖 Don’t Let It Break Your Heart - Maggie Horne 💖 Chance Encounter - Renee Roman 💖 Southern Lights - Liz Arncliffe

Paranormal/Horror 💖 The Curse - Alexandra Riley 💖 The House Where Death Lives - ed Alex Brown 💖 Full Shift - Jennifer Dugan & Kit Seaton 💖 The Dark We Know - Wen-yi Lee 💖 This Ravenous Fate - Hayley Dennings 💖 Come Out, Come Out - Natalie C. Parker

Fantasy 💖 The Crimson Crown - Heather Walter 💖 The Phoenix Keeper - S.A. MacLean 💖 Oath of Fire - K. Arsenault Rivera 💖 The Palace of Eros - Caro De Robertis 💖 Gentlest of Wild Things - Sarah Underwood 💖 Queen of Dreams - Kit Rocha 💖 The Sunforge - Sascha Stronach 💖 The Ending Fire - Saara El-Arifi 💖 Skyscraper - Gun Brooke 💖 Fyrebirds - Kate J. Armstrong 💖 The New Camelot - Robyn Schneider 💖 The Storm and the Sea Hawk - Kiran Millwood Hargrave 💖 Practical Rules for Cursed Witches - Kayla Cottingham 💖 Netherford Hall - Natania Barron 💖 The Duchess of Kokora - Nikhil Prabala 💖 Rise and Divine - Lana Harper

Historical 💖 Not for the Faint of Heart - Lex Croucher 💖 Accidental Darlings - Crystal Jeans

Mystery/Thriller 💖 Better Left Buried - Mary E. Roach 💖 A Midnight So Deadly - Wren Handman 💖 Death At Morning House - Maureen Johnson 💖 A Gravely Troubling Discovery - Hannah Hendy 💖 Verity’s Game - Jennifer Giacalone

Sci-Fi 💖 Time’s Agent - Brenda Peynado 💖 New Adventures in Space Opera - ed Jonathan Strahan

[meinelesewelt]

Clare Chase: Ein mörderischer Jahrmarkt

Der Wohltätigkeitsbasar von Seagrave Hall ist ein wichtiger Termin im Kalender von Saxford St. Peter. Eve Mallow ist besonders gespannt auf den diesjährigen Ehrengast, die Forscherin Verity Nye, und kann es kaum erwarten, sie kennenzulernen.

3. Band der Krimireihe

[screamingforyears]

BUZZ_BINNED:

@casey___anthony are back w/ a new standalone single titled “P.O.S.O.W.” & it finds the Los Angeles-based noiseniks lulling us in, grinding us up & spitting us the fuck out across a nasty 3:45 clip of doomed SludgeCore.

“FOREVERSOON” is a brand new standalone single from @glixen & finds the Phoenix-based quartet blissing out across a 3:44 clip of sonically swirled, shoe_gazed & grungily hazed DreamPop.

“PRUDENCE” is the second single from @verityden’s forthcoming debut self-titled LP (3/1 @amishrecords) & it finds the Carrboro, NC-based trio of Trevor Reece, Casey Proctor & Mike Wallace soothing us out across a sub-6 min slice of airily breezed & up in my feels Indie.