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newmusickarl · 4 months ago

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Top 50 Albums of 2024: #30-21

30. A Dream Is All We Know by The Lemon Twigs

Last year, Everything Harmony from The Lemon Twigs finished at 35 on my year-end countdown. However, since revisiting the D’Addario brothers’ instant classic several times in the last year and it just getting better with every spin - as well as seeing them live for the first time in October - it’s an album that would definitely place higher if I were to redo that list again now. This year though, The Lemon Twigs go five places better with A Dream Is All We Know and this time around, the placing feels right.

While Everything Harmony just edges it still for me, The Lemon Twigs have to be commended for returning a year after that superb album with another excellent, timeless-sounding opus. Named as our Album of the Month once again back in May, it continues everything that was great about its predecessor, with big nods once again to the music of The Beatles and The Beach Boys. From infectious lead single My Golden Years to the charming How Can I Love Her More? and Status Quo-emulating Rock On (Over and Over), it’s a fun and joyous collection of songs that you can’t help but love.

The big question is now – can The Lemon Twigs keep their winning streak going with another album in 2025? I guess we will wait and see!

Best tracks: How Can I Love Her More?, Peppermint Roses, Church Bells

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29. Clouds In The Sky, They'll Always Be There For Me - Porridge Radio

Although an album I haven’t officially reviewed this year for either the podcast or the blog, I have been absolutely infatuated with this the latest offering from Porridge Radio, the Brighton rock band led by Dana Margolin, ever since its release back in October.

A band I discovered through their great Mercury Prize nominated sophomore effort Every Bad, Porridge Radio just seem to get better with every new release. Their previous effort – the exceptional Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky – may have finished slightly higher, landing in my Top 20 of 2022, but believe me - this latest record edges even its predecessor.

Born out of burnout, lost love and intense bouts of self-loathing, Clouds In The Sky… is understandably a dark and melancholic experience at times, but it is also lifted by some cathartic choruses and soaring instrumentation. From hard break-up number and one of the songs of the year, God of Everything Else, to the soft, spellbinding sounds of Pieces of Heaven and everything else in-between, this is an album that will make you feel something deep in your core at every single turn.

Best tracks: God of Everything Else, Pieces of Heaven, A Hole In The Ground

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28. Girl With No Face by Allie X

One of the biggest surprises of 2024 - an album I picked for our February podcast simply based on enjoying Allie X’s previous album Cape God back in 2021, Girl With No Face has turned out to be one of the best art-pop records of the whole year.

If you have been enjoying the music of Chappell Roan and Charli XCX in 2024 but have yet to get round to this one, you need to correct that immediately. Billed superbly by Apple Music as New Order and Kraftwerk meets Madonna and Lady Gaga, its pop music built in the electronic music world. This is evident on incredible lead single Black Eye, which is how I imagine Kate Bush would sound if she was performing New Order’s Blue Monday.

It's one standout on an album of many, which also includes the medieval stylings of Off With Her Tits, a genius track focussing on self-acceptance and gender identity, and the Eurovision-esque Galina, which is an ode to a revolutionary eczema cream manufacturer. No, you didn’t misread that – it is indeed what the song is about!

This type of quirkiness runs deep within Girl With No Face and it is what has made this album such a joy to revisit over and over again since it dropped back in early February. The sound of an artist hitting their creative stride!

Best tracks: Black Eye, Off With Her Tits, Girl With No Face

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27. People Who Aren’t There Anymore by Future Islands

One of my most anticipated records of the year and one that did not disappoint. Baltimore synth-pop outfit Future Islands served up their incredible seventh studio album all the way back in January - People Who Aren’t There Anymore - a record that I’m pleased to say delivered on its early promise. Playing out almost like greatest hits record at times, the more I spun it throughout the year the more it quickly became my favourite record of theirs – which given their discography is saying something!

Capped off by seeing them live for the first time at Live at Leeds back in May, here’s what I had to say in my review for Clash back at the start of the year:

“Whilst ‘People Who Aren’t There Anymore’ ultimately isn’t an album that breaks the Future Islands mould, it’s hard to hold that against them. This is their sound, and they prove here they can still do it better than any of their peers. And whilst the sonic evolution from their previous work may only be subtle shifts, the biggest change comes with the band leaning on personal stories this time around rather than more observational lyricism. Most importantly though Future Islands’ fans will find plenty to love with this album, with some of the songs here already instant favourites and others feeling like some of the best, most fully realised of their career thus far.”

Best tracks: King of Sweden, Deep In The Night, Say Goodbye

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Read my full review for Clash Magazine here

26. In Lieu of Flowers by Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties

The final part of a trilogy that had been a decade in-the-making and the brainchild of The Wonder Years’ frontman Dan Campbell, there were few better alt-rock records in 2024 than In Lieu of Flowers.

Blending all my favourite genres of music into one unique, heartfelt sound, Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties served up an incredible collection of songs that are as sonically satisfying as they are lyrically moving. On this record, you’ll find elements of indie, folk, Midwest-emo and even a dash of pop-punk too, while Campbell spins beautifully written stories of heartbreak, touring life and battles with the American Healthcare system.

Full of passionate vocals, delicate orchestration and anthemic choruses made to be sung full lung, every single song on here can be considered highlight. From the acoustic-angst of Roman Candles, the bluesy waltz of Whiplash and the triumphant burst of horns on the album’s title track, this is another highly acclaimed 2024 record that rightfully deserved all the praise in the world.

A truly captivating third act in what has been a sublime trilogy of albums – here’s hoping there is still more to come!

Best tracks: Paying Bills At the End of the World, In Lieu of Flowers, Alone At St. Luke’s

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25. Cartoon Darkness by Amyl and the Sniffers

Back in 2021, Aussie punk outfit Amyl and the Sniffers would finish in my Top 10 Albums of the Year thanks to their blistering sophomore record, Comfort To Me. While their new album places a bit further back this time around, the chances are if you loved Comfort To Me like I did, you’ll certainly love Cartoon Darkness as well.

Their latest album is mostly more of the same but in the best way possible, with the band doubling down on their straight-talking, in-your-face lyrics and face-melting guitar solos. Not a single moment is spared as the band shred their way through highlights such as stomping lead single U Should Not Be Doing That, the X-rated Jerkin’ and the impressive full-throttle riffs from Declan Mehrtens on Motorbike Song.

There is also at least one moment that suggests progression too with Big Dreams. It’s a more mellow moment with a terrific vocal performance from enigmatic frontwoman Amy Taylor, where she invites the listener into her apathetic internal monologue about being fed up and wanting more out of life.

Overall though, just another fantastic record from the Aussie quartet, one that looks at the state of the modern world and then violently spits it back out in these thirteen brutally honest, no frills punk tracks. A deserving winner of our October Album of the Month title!

Best tracks: U Should Not Be Doing That, Big Dreams, Motorbike Song

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24. Where’s My Utopia? By Yard Act

While I enjoyed The Overload upon release, the Mercury Prize-nominated debut album from Leeds post-punk outfit Yard Act, it was an album I went off quite quickly. So much so, it didn’t even make my year-end list in 2022.

Wrongfully writing them off as a flash in the pan, soon to be lost in the rapid oversaturation of the post-punk genre, I didn’t really have high expectations going into their second album, Where’s My Utopia, back in March. Thankfully, the record marked a noticeable sonic shift for the band and is an improvement on its predecessor in every single way.

With this record maintaining Yard Act’s witty, observational lyrics but musically seeing them be much more explorative and adventurous, Where’s My Utopia has been a delight to experience all year round. Blending elements of pop, soul, disco and funk into their classic post-punk palette, this one is an ambitious and enjoyable rollercoaster ride. From the super catchy We Make Hits, the Pulp-esque The Undertow through to the Katy J Pearson and David Thewlis featuring bop When The Laughter Stops, it is just an absolute blast from start to finish.

Successfully breaking free of their post-punk mould, this album was a big sonic evolution from Yard Act that impressed all of us on the podcast back in March, and has personally left me incredibly intrigued to see where they go next.

In short, it’s Ace! Top! Mint! Boss! Class! Sweet! Deece! Not bad!

Best tracks: Dream Job, When the Laughter Stops, The Undertow

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23. Foxing by Foxing

With Foxing’s last record Draw Down The Moon finishing well within my Top 20 for the year back in 2021, I certainly expected good things from this self-titled record. But even then, I don’t think I was prepared for this colossus of an album from the American post-rock/emo outfit.

Back in September, Foxing delivered easily one of my favourite first spins all year, knocking me for a loop straight away with their much heavier sound and ambitious scope. The record is a natural step forward from Draw Down The Moon, with Foxing finessing the experimentation from that record for an album that feels fully realised and more assured.

From the aggressive stomps, whirring synths and violent screams of Hell 99, through to the dreamy, synth-soaked 8-minute odyssey that is Greyhound, Foxing try their hand at everything here and the result is never anything less than scintillating. This is captured perfectly in album highlight Gratitude, which sees Conor Murphy deliver an outstanding vocal performance amidst a glorious barrage of static instrumentation.

Without a doubt one of my favourite heavy records of the year, Foxing delivered a masterfully crafted and eclectic sonic thrill-ride with this self-titled, which also ranks right up there with their very best work.

Best tracks: Gratitude, Hell 99, Greyhound

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22. Filthy Underneath by Nadine Shah

Whilst everyone was going through their own personal turmoil during the last few years, much revered musician Nadine Shah was going through a particularly tumultuous time. Not long after releasing her 2020 album Kitchen Sink, Nadine would tragically lose her cancer-stricken mother during the height of the COVID-pandemic. Locked in isolation with her grief, Nadine entered a downward spiral that would play out over the next two years, with heavy substance abuse leading to depression, divorce and even an attempt to take her own life in 2022. Thankfully Nadine survived, agreeing to enter rehab where she would get the help and support she desperately needed.

Now out of rehab, substance-free and most importantly finding her happiness again, Nadine thankfully returned with new album Filthy Underneath earlier this year - and it is just an absolute tour de force from beginning to end. Playing out almost like a cathartic exorcism of all the demons that have plagued her the last few years, Filthy Underneath is the sound of Nadine laying everything bare for the listener. Brutally raw, deeply personal and gracefully honest, the heavy lyrical inspiration for each track is carefully balanced with liberating, synth-drenched and rhythmic instrumentation, with the live-sounding production adding a theatrical touch to proceedings too.

While it’s an album best experienced as a complete work from start to finish, there are a few standout moments here too. None more so than Greatest Dancer, a song where Nadine recalls getting high on her mum’s prescription medicine in front of an episode of Strictly Come Dancing, with pulsating synths reverberating and tribal drums pounding away as she recounts her feelings in that moment. Sad Lads Anonymous is another high point, a poetic spoken word confessional that sees Nadine describe her woes to a work experience kid in an awards show bathroom. Both these tracks present the whole album as a microcosm, filled with sounds that draw you in and make you want to dance, whilst the stories at the core are quite dark and harrowing. It all eventually culminates in the album’s hardest moment, French Exit, an ominously tense track on which Nadine openly confronts her suicide attempt. It’s a truly devastating end to an utterly enthralling record.

It’s no secret that often the darkest times can produce the greatest art. Filthy Underneath is a testament to that, with Nadine bravely and openly sharing her story as both a lesson to others but also, no doubt, her own personal catharsis. Shocking and upsetting at points yet always refreshingly honest and completely captivating, this is without a doubt one of the most powerful albums released all year.

Best tracks: Greatest Dancer, Sad Lads Anonymous, See My Girl

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21. The New Sound by Geordie Greep

Momentarily going back to my Honourable Mentions blog where I shared the basic criteria I look at when choosing my Albums of the Year, you’ll notice point three: showed ambition or had something unique to offer. Now, if I judged these 2024 albums on that basis alone, there would arguably be one clear winner - this spellbinding solo debut from Black Midi’s Geordie Greep.

Having raised eyebrows with the out-of-the-blue announcement of Black Midi’s demise, the concern quickly turned to rapturous applause as The New Sound instantly became one of the most critically acclaimed records of 2024 – and for good reason too.

Fusing prog-rock with jazz and plenty of theatrical flair, The New Sound makes for a dazzling and dramatic hour-long listen. From the vintage swing of Terra to the Steely Dan-inspired lead single Holy Holy, through to album highlights such as the punky Motorbike, 12-minute epic The Magician and the waltzing finale of If You Are But A Dream, The New Sound is a breathtaking masterclass in inventive genre-fusion.

Weird, wonderful and completely unique, The New Sound is no doubt far too out-there for some listeners to stomach. But for those with the patience to fully process the wild musical arrangements they are hearing, Geordie Greep’s music will no doubt leave you astounded.

Best tracks: Holy Holy, As if Waltz, Motorbike

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The Albums of the Year countdown is nearing its conclusion - up next is the penultimate part, highlighting albums #20-11!

#new music #best new music #albums of the year #album recommendation #album of the year #aoty #albums of 2024 #best of 2024 #geordie greep #the lemon twigs #foxing #nadine shah #amyl and the sniffers #yard act #allie x #future islands #porridge radio

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tmblrsexydoctor · 3 months ago

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Would you add Barbara Benedetti Doctor? She is not official, but as far as I know she was the first female Doctor on screen, even though those were just fan movies. And she is pretty cute!

When I was coming up with TSD, I told myself "no fan films" as I was worried it would make the list too long.

But. After reading this ask and looking her up, I have to say

I love her!

So now I'm conflicted. Because if I include her, I have to include other fan made Doctors too, right?

So, I'll leave it up to you, the voters

#tumblr sexy doctor #doctor who #barbara benedetti #poll #tumblr is being weird with me today so I hope this posts properly

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seth-burroughs · 1 year ago

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What drinks do you think the Amaterasu peeps would have

While the game only mentions coffee I cannot accept them all drinking coffee that's boring

I hardly know what even constitutes as a drink in the common understanding of the term as I'm a polish man living under a rock, and thus I have done extensive research on the classification of liquids and it basically turns out anything that's liquid is a drink unless it isn't -- which, okay, fuck you. I have forgotten what the original ask might've entailed and thus the answer evolved into "assigning every character affiliated with amaterasu corp what drinks they'll like" which *scrolls up* close enough whatever, forcing you to listen anyway. List of characters I count for the amaterasu folks: makoto, huesca, akira, swank, seth, martina, yomi, dominic, guillaume, fake zilch (amaterasu's officially licensed hitman & one of """yomi's closest advisors""" whatever the fuck that means because you and I both know that yomi wouldn't accept advice from anybody unless that's just a fancy word for a very platonic companion whom he has a very strong, passionate, very platonic mind you brotherly bond a bromance a comradeship if you will,)

Swank is goldwasser personified. He loves that shit. Also always has a bimber (or vodka/starka. but preferably bimber) bottle on hand too, no one knows where he stores it he just kinda reaches into his coat and gets it

Me 🤝 Seth (tea drinkers). Has to have tea at least two times a day, doesn't matter what kind they'll drink anything as long as it has leaves in it. Favourites include black tea (optional honey and lemon), mint, chamimole, melissa and sage. He's also partial to pickle juice (makes his own pickles in the basement, they're not wasting any of that pickle water he's chugging that shit just to feel something) and pouring cucumber soup (filtered) to a cup and just drinking it. I don't know what's with Seth and cucumbers. Also would like kefir, probably.

Guillaume likes anything that's sweet or fizzy or whatever, has to have a stash of oranżada and coca-cola somewhere in his house at all times. Sometimes she just opens the cola and lets it degas in the fridge call that a. I don't know. Often makes hot chocolate. Once it offered to give Seth some but was extremely disturbed when he ate the milk skins too and that was the last time she did it for him. Not a drink, but she also eats tangerines and grapefruit via biting it with her shark teeth and sucking out the juices then tossing up the dried fruit remains into the trash can

Dominic makes kompot, you know, the polish juice that's warm and significantly worse and watery as fuck and all your older family members love it for some reason even though. But we all got our preferences whatever. Get this man some wine too.

Speaking of wine, Yomi is Kanai Ward's resident wine man if it has wine in it's name he's gonna drink it, especially mulled wine. Also likes champagne and nalewka. Plus has a fondness for fanta (or any carbonated drink with fruit flavors) but he took it into his head that it's cringe now or not respectable anymore or for 12 year olds only. No one cares except for him, it's a fucking drink. But he also thinks soy feminizes men and Makoto is putting chemicals in the rain so that's not the worst one of his beliefs by a long shot

Martina nominated for #1 coffee drinker, also really likes inka which is just polish coffee but without caffeine. probably a cappuchino enjoyer i don't know never had coffee it smells like shit

Dr. Huesca has sworn off alcohol, to be honest he has sworn off everything that isn't essential to survival because he's always on that fucking grind (unethical research), and probably hates himself or something. He likes water that's preferably fresh. Doesn't have to be though it's not like it can expire right.

Akira... probably likes soured milk. also, he eat kogel mogel like it's a drink you're supposed to eat it with a spoon not sip it like like a fine cup of cocoa

Fake Zilch survives off of 7 cans of monster a day. As a rule of thumb, the more genuinely terrible a drink is, the more he likes it

Makoto probably also has an egregious taste (his profile says he likes raw ham and dislikes olives, which in my eyes makes every opinion that man has automatically invalid) but I don't think humanity has yet discovered the kinda drinks he'd like yet so- oh wait, theres the leftover salad sauce/juice. and kefir. and mountain dew.

#the i did not proofread this tag #AND I WON'T. I DON'T WANT TO #thanks for the ask!!! (while were here: to the guy who asked about makoto and fake zilch a few weeks ago - sorry im not strong enough yet)#(one day....)#mine #ask #rain code #swank catsonell #seth burroughs #martina electro #yomi hellsmile #guillaume hall #dominic fulltank #makoto kagutsuchi #mdarc akira #dr. huesca

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sonicshipbattles · 2 years ago

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Eggman Ship Tournament Nominations

He is the Eggman and he's looking for love! Not that our genius doctor needs anyone in his life, as certainly his glory is beyond compare! But now that he's embraced parenthood, it wouldn't hurt to have someone around the egg-bases to help out with a few lesser tasks. That's why, our esteemed doctor is leaving it to the minions of the eggnet to debate who'll be worthy of his love! ...Or that's the flavour text, anyway. Now, onward to the actual tournament:

Our second tournament will be to figure out which is the most popular ship on tumblr dot com that features Dr. Eggman himself. This tournament is open to any version of the character from any media, not just game Eggman, so if you have a burning AoStH Robotnik ship in your heart, submit that, too!

This tournament will be done based on your submissions (plus a few ships that I like and want to include, but I'm holding off mentioning them because I'm curious to see how many nominations they'll get on their own)

Some house rules for submissions and the tournament in general:

Most importantly: BE NICE. No bashing of any ship will be welcomed. Use your propaganda to uplift your own ship, not put down others

Any Eggman (or Robotnik) ships from any media is welcome - be it the games, comics, cartoons or anything else

Only ships including the character Dr. Eggman will be accepted (e.g. Eggman/Starline, Robotnik/Agent Stone, etc.). Ships for other characters in the series that do not involve Eggman (e.g. Tails/Kit, Knuckles/Rouge, Amy/Tekno, etc.) will get their own tournaments later on. Submissions that do not follow this rule will be ignored

Submit as many ships as you want, but don't spam submit a single ship

No Eggman x OC ships. All of your OCs are great and we wouldn't want anyone's feelings hurt by seeing them knocked out :( For the sake of this tournament, an OC is a fan-made character that has never been used nor was created to be used in licensed Sonic media (So yes, you can submit cancelled character ships if any of those apply to Eggman)

We do accept crossover ships, but only with media that Sonic has officially crossed over with. Meaning stuff like Eggman/Dr. Wily and Eggman/Bowser would count, but Eggman/Dionysus would not count (as much as that breaks my heart). And yes, since people asked last time: characters included in Smash Bros. are fair game for crossovers. I may make posts asking for feedback on crossovers with franchises I'm less familiar with

Polycules are welcome

If you have a specific version of the ship that you like, specify what it is and this will be counted as separate to the general ship, e.g. Eggman/world domination (general) and Robotnik/world domination (SatAM) would be included as separate ships

Also, we didn't have a rule about this last time and honestly no one submitted ships that fell into this category, so it wasn't a problem, but I'm aware that the blog has more followers this time around, so I want to add that I won't be adding ships involving Eggman being paired with characters he sees as his kids (Sage, Metal Sonic). For other things I'm concerned might make folks uncomfortable, I'll run polls to gauge feedback to see if they'll be included or not. Like I said, I don't think this'll be an issue, but mentioning it just in case ANYWAY, that's the long list of rules done, so here's the submission form:

Submissions will be open until Saturday 27th May or until I feel we have enough to run a tournament. I don't expect this one will be as big as the Sonic one, so I might cap it at 16 or 32 ships, if we reach that many

#Eggman Ship Battles #Ship Nominations #long post #i'm sorry there are so many rules #just trying to cover all the bases

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world-cinema-research · 11 months ago

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A Critical Analyzation of Tangerine (2015) with Comparisons to Reservoir Dogs (1992)

By Cris Nyne

From the opening scene of Tangerine by Sean Baker, the dialogue feels like a long string of firecrackers sparked by the lead character Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) that doesn’t stop until the end of the film. Sin-Dee has just gotten released from jail after serving twenty-eight days and she is seated with her best friend Alexandra (Mya Taylor) in a donut shop. Both are transgender sex workers in West Hollywood. As soon as Sin-Dee mentions her boyfriend (and pimp) Chester (James Ransone), Alexandra interjects and states how she knew she was going to break up with him because of how much he cheats. This confuses Sin-Dee and throws her off into a tailspin of rage and determination to track down Chester, and they’re off! Interestingly enough, in Reservoir Dogs by Quentin Tarantino, the film opens up with the main characters sitting around a table in a diner, discussing topics like the true meaning behind Madonna’s Like a Virgin, and why Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) doesn’t tip waitresses. Both films revolve around people who are on the fringe of society and operate in the shadows of what is considered normal and accepted.

Sin-Dee Rella catching up with Alexandra during the opening scene of Tangerine.

Lawrence Tierney as Joe Cabot, a crime family boss who got the crew together to pull a diamond heist. This is the opening scene when Joe is counting the tip money and makes Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) throw in a dollar, despite his beliefs of not tipping servers.

Tangerine was filmed with an estimated budget of $100,000 and was shot with three iPhone 5s and an eight-dollar phone app. The film is based around transgender sex workers and the lifestyle that they live. This can hardly be considered a mainstream or conventional film. Although the film had an incredibly low budget, Tangerine generated more than $930,000 at the box office. It was picked up by Magnolia Pictures at Sundance after overwhelming praise for the film from critics and audiences alike. Rotten Tomatoes lists Tangerine with a critic score of 96% and an audience score of 76%. The film was also nominated for many awards, and co-star Mya Taylor won numerous awards for her brake out role as Alexandra.

Katherine Johnson for the academic journal The Conversation writes, “Given the marginal status of many transgender people, the mental health stresses they face and the likelihood of discrimination in access to health care, secure housing and employment, it is important that populist representations create realistic and non-shaming examples of trans lives.” Tangerine creates a narrative that expresses the determination and grit of the transgender community to thrive in a society that does not whole-heartedly accept them."

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The official trailer for Tangerine.

A burgeoning new mind state was coming of age during the year of Tangerine’s release in 2015. RuPaul’s Drag Race and Caitlyn Jenner’s reality show I Am Cait pushed the idea of gender roles into the American lexicon and fostered a new mindset of understanding and acceptance from a swath of the public who only knew the concept of patriarchy. The Danish Girl was also released the same year. This was a film based upon a novel by David Ebershoff that told the story of an artist that is about to undergo one of the world’s first sex change operations. Collins dictionary runner up to the word of the year was Transgender in 2015. That same year also saw the Supreme Court federally legalize same sex marriage.

A monumental shift was happening. As we steamroll into the future, every family seemingly has a member that does not fit into the norms of society. Loved ones that we grew up with would keep secrets of their sexuality and desires, as to not be rejected or ostracized by those close to them. Seeing representations of themselves on screen facilitates acceptance and the related content is empowering. Roger Ebert concludes:

“That we rarely see transgender characters in movies who aren't prostitutes is an entirely separate issue that I'm sure will be discussed in months to come—but here, too, we have to keep such misgivings in context: American films rarely show us worlds like these, and when they do, the films don't tend to get much attention.”

Roger Ebert once again hits the narrative right on the head. It’s a positive step to see more diverse representation on screen, but how they are represented will remain a source of friction.

The official movie poster for Tangerine (2015)

As I mentioned earlier, Tangerine was shot with an iPhone and a film app. Perhaps that is harped upon all too often when describing the film, but fast forward nine years after the film’s release, a lot of us now experience a voyeuristic life through our smartphones. This has distinguished the film as unique upon itself and makes the style and feel of the movie relatable. It’s as if you are sitting in a rumble seat along for the ride. Tarantino’s film Reservoir Dogs, although created before iPhones, also lends itself to an up-close-and-personal style that is engaging to the viewer. Most of the film was shot in one room, almost giving the viewer space to look around the warehouse. Violence is evident in both films, although Tangerine does not supply the bloodshed that Tarantino submerges us in. Both films are dialogue-heavy, full of rapid-fire wit and over-the-top colorful street slang.

Another trait both films shared are the smaller production companies that financed the film that also did not have household name actors to help draw in an audience. Tangerine was a Duplass Brothers Production, along with Cre FIlm, Freestyle Picture Company, and Through Films. It was later at Sundance when Magnolia would assist with a wider distribution. The main stars Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor were picked from an LGBTQ center and were virtually unknown. Since it was Tarantino's first film, he was not yet a name brand and most of the actors at that time were not that recognizable, except for Harvey Keitel, whose career was essentially at a standstill during this period in '92. Keitel wound up co-producer Reservoir Dogs, and paid for the studio to help secure the talent. Dog Eat Dog Productions Inc. and Live Entertainment were the companies involved with finance and distribution.

Sin-Dee getting into a screaming match while looking for her partner and pimp Chester.

A memorable scene of Mr. Pink (Buscemi) and Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) arguing over the next step after the cops threw their plans into disarray.

Although every country has its own distinct cultures and quirks, both Tangerine and Reservoir Dogs are international in their appeal to viewers who appreciate the representation of the underbelly of culture that is a shared common bond of anywhere in the world. They were both filmed in highly unconventional styles that exposed aspects of society that many mainstream audiences at home and abroad would consider best left in the dark. Reservoir Dogs was Tarantino’s first film, so he was virtually unknown during its release. Sean Baker had a few films under his belt, but they were independent films with low budgets that revolved around the lives of sex workers. Mainstream audiences would not be familiar with his catalog. Sean Baker’s latest film Anora was just crowned with the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and it also delves into the trivial life of a sex worker. Both directors have very distinct styles and references throughout their careers that build upon a cinematic theme.

Tangerine and Reservoir Dogs both came full circle by the movies end. There was nothing left for debate, and you could deduce that there was not going to be a part two for either film. All the gangsters were dead by the end of Reservoir Dogs, and Sin-Dee and Alexandra completed their mission, as both characters expressed resolve in the last scene.

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Sin-Dee finally catches up with Chester (James Ransone) to confront him on his cheating.

Tangerine is a film that flew under the radar, but I believe will continue to find new viewers as Sean Baker continues to rise as a respected writer and director in the industry. Given the advances we have made in the last decade since the films release, the addition of genders up for debate and their roles in society, Mr. Baker will seemingly have a lot of content to sort through and create in an ever-changing world of self-discovery.

#Youtube

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mcytrecursive · 1 year ago

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Nomination Overview - Omegaverse

Continuing with the love-it-or-hate-it, let's look at the nominated omegaverse fics! There aren't very many, but of the ones which have been nominated, we have some real epics here.

Title: One Long Season of Waiting Rating: E-rated Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42741399/chapters/107375079 Fandom: Dream SMP Author: Anonymous Relationships: Quackity/Schlatt, Quackity/Wilbur, Quackity/Eret, Quackity/Techno, Quackity/Philza, Quackity/Foolish, Quackity/Wilbur/Eret/Techno/Foolish/Philza Characters: Quackity, Schlatt, Wilbur, Techno, Eret, Philza, Foolish Length of the work: 490,718 words Genre: AU, Domestic/Slice-of-life, Drama, Fantasy AU, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Omegaverse, Romance, Royalty AU, Slow Burn, Smut Type: Fic Summary: Polyamory was a relatively new development in the world of nobility, but when the emperor was looking to add another consort to his flock, it was Quackity’s job to ensure that Schlatt was the one chosen for the position. As the duke of one of the four major duchies of the Antarctic Empire, Schlatt was a political powerhouse for sure, and Quackity couldn’t be more proud of his protector. All they had to do was get through the consort trials and then Schlatt would be in, and Quackity could continue to support his partner from the shadows, where he could be safe and protected. Of course, there is a chance the plan devolved almost immediately upon execution, and Quackity found himself getting far more contact with the royal flock and the other consort candidates than he ever could have expected. THE SHORT OF IT: A Fantasy/Royalty AU that features unconventional A/B/O dynamics, political worldbuilding, a heavy emphasis on trauma recovery and found family dynamics, and soap-opera levels of non-communication. And also, there’s romance. See forenotes for more details.

Title: SnapShot ?.? - Spoiled Rating: E-rated Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29202555 Fandom: Hermitcraft SMP Author: Shadowfire_RavenPheonix Relationships: Keralis/xBCrafted Characters: xBCrafted, Keralis Length of the work: 3810 words Genre: Omegaverse, Smut Type: Fic Summary: Keralis has a tendency to spoil his partners

Title: Beta Testing Rating: E-rated Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27662032/chapters/67689973 Fandom: Hermitcraft SMP Author: Shadowfire_RavenPheonix Relationships: Grian/Iskall85, Grian/GoodtimesWithScar, Grian/BdoubleO, GoodtimesWIthScar/BdoubleO, Grian/Xisuma, Grian/Keralis Characters: Grian, Iskall85, GoodtimesWithScar, BdoubleO, Xisuma, Docm77, Tango, ImpulseSV, Etho, VintageBeef, Keralis Length of the work: 100,214 words (incomplete fic) Genre: Angst, AU, Character Study, Domestic/Slice-of-life, Drama, Friendship, Humour, Hurt/Comfort, Omegaverse, Slow Burn, Smut Type: Fic Summary: Grian was nervous when he was invited to join the HermitCraft server, because unbeknownst to anyone, the popular family friendly entertainment server is also an ACTIVE A/B/O server behind the scenes. After, having spent so much time with them and making so many amazing friends while on the UA (or Unavailable) list during season six, he's decided to make it more official and join the Active Available List for season seven. For Grian, however, the switch is going to be life changing. A journey of sexual self discovery and experimentation. Not Your Typical A/B/O

See something you want to offer or request in the exchange? Horrified that a classic of the genre isn't represented yet (to be fair, maybe we didn't get permission)? Join our discord and sign up today!

#Nomination Overview

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goldenmusicmoments · 1 month ago

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Kelsea Ballerini Continues The Journey Of Patterns With The Release Of The Deluxe:

My first review of the year is going to be for the deluxe edition of Kelsea Ballerini’s stellar record Patterns. The album I had listed in my top ten lists of the best albums of 2024. This may have been expected due to the fact that a song called ‘To The Men That Love Woman After Heartbreak’ that had been performed live was drawing a lot of attention. She had released it on a digital deluxe of the album, which I was unaware of till now. She then performed it with Kelly Clarkson on The Kelly Clarkson Show. After that fans were really demanding for her to release an official studio recorded version of the song for everyone to have access to. So she announced the deluxe and it came out about two weeks after. The deluxe tracks are a great addition to the album and they do continue on with the journey. Two slow moments that have three infectious tunes sandwiched between them.

So lets get the journey started with the mellow guitar led ‘To The Men That Love Women After Heartbreak’. This one is a beautiful start here as it is her showing appreciation to those men that love women after heartbreak. They’ve not been the cause of the hurt the woman they are with is experiencing or still dealing with, however they are there for them helping them get through it. She highlights that it isn’t easy having to deal with it and it isn’t fair on them either, nonetheless they still chose to show support in that moment. The outro is her speaking to Chase and letting him know that she is grateful for him being there for her and that he’ll never know how much she needed him. Her vocal performance is stunning here as it takes the forefront on the track as it is accompanied by the simple production. Its vulnerable and acknowledging. This one should definitely get nominated for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance at the next Grammy’s. It should actually even go on to win both awards.

Kelsea decides to shift the mood with ‘Future Tipping’ which is a high energy track that will have you singing along to its catchy hook. The song revolves around her thinking about the future, as though she doesn’t want to have to be so caught up on what is to come, however she can’t seem to help thinking about it. The production verses the lyrics depicting her feeling on edge about the future is an interesting pairing. As she seems a little panicked. Which really resonates with a lot of us, as we oft times try so hard not to pay much mind to how things will workout in the future and hope to live more in the present. However that isn’t always possible as there are so many things in regards to what’s to come that has us constantly thinking about the future.

‘Put It To Bed’ brings her infatuation with the person of interest to the forefront. There are a lot of things that the two could be getting up to together like going to a party or visiting a bar for a quick drink. However she doesn’t care for any of it, she just wants to be with him. So she says lets not keep hinting at things and instead put it to bed. The track has a sensual and moody edge to it. Then the chorus comes right in as she gets straight to the point in what she truly wants. The hook is definitely one of those that when performed live will have the crowd screaming back the lyrics. The bridge features an instrumentation before the final chorus comes back in to close things off.

The beat of the previous track seamlessly transitions into ‘Cut Me Up’ which keeps the energy high. Here she’s looking at the two potentially breaking up. She’s letting it be known that if he were to let go of her though she’d be okay it would still hurt her. So she tells him that though she knows he wouldn’t, if he did then he should make it quick. The chorus is quite the moment as the vocal delivery adds so much to the tracks dynamic. The production features some rather intriguing details giving it that extra flavour. It’s again another moment where the feel of the track when comparing to the emotions behind the lyrics have quite a fascinating contrast.

She closes the chapter with ‘Hindsight Is Happiness’ which feels like the seal on her past relationship. It's a depiction of growth and maturity, her looking at all that went down and analysing how some of what occurred may have not been ideal. She hopes that he is happy now with where he is at. She’s heard that he’s found love again and she wishes him the best. Acknowledging that life started over for the both off them once their marriage came to an end. The songwriting is beautiful on this one as it has quite a few lyrical moments that really standout. Her vocal performance is also stunning and really encapsulates this feeling of growth. What a note to end on and it is easily one of her best tracks in her discography.

Kelsea Ballerini does it again with this deluxe addition and is proving to be quite a force in music. However she still is greatly underrated and deserves so much more for the artist that she is. If you haven’t yet listened to her music then I would recommend starting at the very beginning as it will really allow you to see her growth as an artist and damn is it quite the growth. She is someone who deserves all that she has been receiving and so much more in terms of both success and recognition.

#Kelsea Ballerini #Patterns #Deluxe #Chase Stokes #Music #Billboard

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loremmagazines · 1 year ago

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Issue 4 - Grocery Bag

It’s no secret that Austin, TX is a hotbed for musical talent, producing captivating live acts in any available corner. While compiling a list of every must-see band may feel like a seemingly impossible task, there’s no doubt that Grocery Bag would find themselves at the top.

Acting as one of Austin’s premiere rock ensembles, Grocery Bag leaves audiences in the wake of their own fevered mosh pits, incited solely by the fast paced rhythms that define the “psyche-punk” ethos found in every one of their live performances. Now being recognized by the Austin music scene with nominations in the Austin Music Awards and official showcases as SXSW artists, Grocery Bag has found themselves with the recognition they have long been deserving of.

The band is fronted by guitarist Bella Martinez, with Jimmy Mercado on drums, Dillon Aitala on lead guitar, and Logan Kerman on bass.

_____________________________________________________________

Following an electrifying performance filled with intense head banging and frequent crowd surfing, Grocery Bag and I found ourselves seated on the back patio of Hotel Vegas discussing how the the current lineup of the group came to be.

Bella: Grocery Bag used to be an old band that I had in San Antonio. I had gotten asked to do a show and I was like “Hey guys (current Grocery Bag line-up) I have this old band, would you guys possibly want to start something with this?”

Logan: We literally had our first band practice over Instagram Live mid-covid.

_____________________________________________________________

Met with a coalescence of shared influences ranging from Rush, Ty Segall, The Police, and more, Grocery Bag has found themselves with a truly unique sound. With the ability to show off their technical virtuosity in a musically rewarding way, the group allows each and every song to be elevated beyond a previously set standard.

Dillon: I think it’s our love to create. I want to reciprocate in some sort of way, the energy our favorite bands give us. All of the bands we love, we want to put it into our own words by playing our instruments.

Jimmy: I just like how, complex musicianship can like, heighten a song and make it super intriguing and powerful. I think bands like Yes and Rush, they just compliment the music with their drums differently then maybe someone like, Ringo Starr.

_____________________________________________________________

Following the release of singles such as Alone and XING, Grocery Bag announced their highly anticipated debut album Break You, with an official release in November of 2023. This quintessential introduction was set to record at Matchbox Studios with producer Jackson Baker at the helm.

“Without him the album wouldn’t be the same.”

Bella: It was a whole week of being together in such a great environment with Jackson. It felt like we were hanging out with our homie, making music with him. He was just like ‘oh, do this, do that, add this!’”

Jimmy: When you think of a producer, they’re someone who really thinks about the music. Jackson really spiced it up and put his flavors into it and made it sound amazing. It was just like working with your best friend.

_____________________________________________________________

As our interview with Grocery Bag was wrapping up, a security guard from Hotel Vegas kindly informed us that they were closing for the night. Making their way back inside to gather their gear, the band was kind enough to answer one final question before heading out.

Each member of Grocery Bag has had their own unique level of involvement in the Austin music scene prior to the group’s formation. From playing in multiple bands, being a concert photographer, booking DIY shows, and more, this band has been, and still is, a part of the engine that keeps this scene alive.

Now being recognized by the Austin Chronicle as a nominee for Best New Act at the Austin Music Awards, along with their recently announced status as the official artist of SXSW, their hard work is beginning to receive the recognition it has been deserving of.

_____________________________________________________________

Jimmy: It really means something that people would nominate us. It’s really it’s own destiny in a way.

Logan: I think it’s just motivation to keep going. It’s validation that we’re adding to the collection of music Austin produces.

Dillon: A true privilege. I feel very lucky, I definitely don’t deserve this life nor to play in a band like this.

Bella: It feels pretty crazy! Also, it’s Dillon’s first band!

_____________________________________________________________

With each electrifying performance leaving a trail of audiences in a fevered frenzy, Grocery Bag continues to solidify their status as Austin's hottest band. As they gear up for a packed schedule of official SXSW showcases, you can listen to Grocery Bag’s latest release, 'Break You', available on all streaming platforms. Keep an eye out for restocks of physical copies in select Austin record stores; copies of this must-own album sell out fast!

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hislittleraincloud · 1 year ago

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Honestly I didn't give a fk about the stalker storyline, but it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to make it be Donovan somehow (because misplaced Blame for Tyler blah blah). That storyline is shit anyway, with the stupid photos being far too out of sync/incongruous with the timeline. This is gdamn moronic:

Because that means it can't be anyone but someone at the school/who was at the school when everyone was leaving. And don't get me started on the other physical pics that fell out of Laurel's music box. The only one who seems to know where Wednesday is at all of these times is Thing. Oh gods, I would love it if it were him. But it won't be, and we're gonna get more nonsense.

With Buscemi as Principal Dort and Thandiwe as her new therapist/Dr. Fairburn — and given that the cast was photographed in Wednesday and Enid's room/the new set they built in Ireland — I think they're still going to be at Nevermore and within and around Jericho (with Deputy Santiago being promoted to series regular, we should probably assume she's the new sheriff). I'm going to also assume that the Addamses decided to get Pugsley into Nevermore, too (which...agh, spoilers for my own 💩). If they show the house it probably won't be central to anything, just a demonstrative "Wow, look, Wednesday's house is cool" exhibition.

I've commented about the stunt casting before (it was my very first thought upon reading who was going to be appearing). It's cute that Burton and Ortega are reaching for our Gen X nostalgia, but that's something we're already getting with Burton. One of the things that nobody cared to ask us Ignored Generationers is whether we like that shit over consistent storytelling. I can't speak for all of my kind, or any other kind, but it just seems like this isn't going the way it should have (due to the strike, due to time, due to shit writers to begin with). I don't have the attention span of a gnat and don't need to be dazzled by the bloated cameos. ETA: I keep forgetting to include Iman Marson (Lucas) in the deleted cast list. He had a thing with Bianca, and he helped Wednesday with the Laurel Gates information. There has to be a new Mayor of Jericho, since Noble was murdered, but what, the Walkers are just gone too (I mean, Lou-Anne owns Pilgrim World now)? WTAF is going on?

That leads me to something else I've talked about...Season 3. Season 2 is being released three years after Season 1 and they're supposed to be teenagers in high school. Ortega said in the beginning that she didn't even want to do this TV show, that she wanted to do movies. Perhaps now that she's an EP (seems nominal) and her recent movies are floppity flopping (Miller's Girl, Finestkind), she might consider chaining herself to this until she's 25/26, but it just takes too damn long to make the show and get it out. A Season 3 would have to be shot almost back to back with Season 2, and that would mean all principal actors having to free up their schedules for 7 months at a time. I know that they've done similar shooting schedules with Stranger Things, but this is not ST; in ST they kept all of their principals and added more. (This last season of Stranger Things is going to take a YEAR to film.) Here on Wednesday they stripped half of the non-Addams cast and are starting with new people (and adding the stunt casting). It seems like a bad sequel to me, and even if/when S3 is greenlit, they're all going to be ageing out of this high school story by the time they're buckling down to film (they're still all humans with their own desires and ambitions).

But whatev. I guess we'll see. As for Naomi, Johnna, and Oliver, yes, they're all talented and beautiful (Johnna and Olivers' eyes are just...mesmerizing) and I posted Naomi's podcast before I passed out. Y'all should really listen, it tells much more than her official statement, and also go support her podcast/$3 (minimum) a month is negligible (even for me, the Poorest of Poors) to be supporting someone we like. 🫴🏽💕🎌✨

Support our babies!

youtube

UGH the more I think about the cuts in W2 the more pissed off I get.

This half Asian hates having learned during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month that the only Asian rep we got in this crap pile of a show was shitcanned. It was completely unexpected to us that three other Nightshades wouldn't come back, and it also pisses me off that no one is even mentioning Johnna or Oliver in the press.

It pisses me off that they won't bring Weems back because they wouldn't be able to explain it, but somehow they're going to explain the absences of Xavier, Yoko, Divina, and Kent.

"They weren't important —"

SHUT THE FUCK UP.

#wednesday #wednesday addams #jenna ortega #the nightshades #nightshades #naomi j. ogawa #naomi ogawa #johnna watson #johnna dias-watson #oliver watson #yoko tanaka #kent and divina #kent #divina #my babies #when we're high #forever midnight parties #Youtube

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extremetimedchallengeexchange · 2 years ago

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I am here to tell you about a terrible great idea.

Have you done a fandom exchange before? You submit a list of characters you would like a gift made for you about, and a list of people you're willing to write or draw about, and then you get matched together? Yes? What if I told you that you could do a REALLY FAST exchange at at the end of this month and get the whole exchange experience over in 48 hours? Hang out in a caffeine-fuled discord (or only show up for the sparse official accouncements) and speedrun that shit? Get to say "yeah, I did [x+1] number of exchanges this year," because you did a whole exchange in a weekend? Sounds like a objectively bad super fun idea, right? Come, join us....

Have you not done a fandom exchange before? You submit a list of characters you would like a gift made for you about, and a list of people you're willing to write or draw about, and then you get matched together? Sounds like fun? What if I told you that for your first exchange you could do a super low-commitment one (it only takes 48 hours of creaton time! 300 word minimum or a decent sketch for your gift!) and then get to tell people that yeah, I'm an exchange veteran, I've totally done that before, love exchanges, who hasn't done an exchange? (Not you, because you just did one in a weekend).

Come! Check our our post for more information, join our discord and ask the mods or send asks on the blog if you want to ask questions! Come have fun with us!

But wait, why is this turning up in my fandom tags? Because right now in the exchange we are in Tag Nomination (making an official Ao3-hosted list of all the relationships that are going to be available to pick among once it's time to officially sign up next week, tags have to be submitted by two people to make it to the list, to increase matching possibility), and there are enough people submitting for your fandom that we already have TONS of tags to pick from. This post is tagged with every fandom that got to 15 tags already, which means the likelihood is high that either a) your specific blorbo is already in, b) there's someone in the discord who will back you on getting your skruklies into the tag set. YOUR fandom is already in, but we still have 3 days (until the end of the 13th), to get any other smaller fandoms into the tag set. Got a smaller fandom you like? A book you enjoy, a movie you saw once, a niche piece of canon? This is your opportunity to get it into the tag set and into the exchange, and maybe get a gift about it!

So anyways, thank you for your time, and have a good day! (Join us)

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timmymyluv · 3 years ago

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Everyone thinks our love’s for show, when I would die for you in secret.

An insight into revealing your relationship to the public, and being each other’s date at the red carpet. A seemingly public declaration of love, that still was private and intimate.

Timothee always kept his private life close to him. Like a secret, like an oath that he guarded defensively with every fibre of his being.

Yet with you, he felt truly alive. He had this overwhelming, glowing pride to show you off, to let the world know how you two fit like a perfect puzzle and you were his missing piece.

You, too, were a creative artist and worked in the industry. You understood how the industry worked inside and out. You were a jack of all trades, you’ve done acting, singing, songwriting - name it and you’ve crossed it off your list. No matter how young you were, you always had this drive to do something more. Yet they never felt as fulfilling as it did when you met him and fell in love.

You previously feared that if you ever fell in love with someone as magnetic, as talented and as magnanimous as he was, you would lose your independence, your own identity and not just as his significant other. But he changed your mind.

What started off as secret texting and furtive dinners that seemed just like a group of friends tugged along by Zendaya and Tom, to late-night video calls, mailed love letters, voicemails and sneaking in hotel rooms because so, so much more.

When he asked you if you could be his date for his movie premiere, your first instinct was to said no, but the strings in your heart made you say yes. You didn’t care anymore what people thought. You felt established enough, no matter how far you had to go in the industry, that nothing would tear you apart from Timmy.

It came as a surprise, you in a complimenting, couture gown from the fashion house you’re an ambassador of, tow and tow with your arm around his, as he protectively circled another around your waist.

No social media posts confirming, just radio silence but that physical comfort, the support you wanted to give him was greater than what the tabloids and gossip wanted to say.

It wasn’t just possessive, as it became a regular occurrence for you to be his date. Especially as he proposed and wanted to put a ring on your finger, make it official, finally want to settle down without feeling suffocated and held back.

Just as he would blend into the crowds at your sold-out arena tours and sneak backstage, or eventually promote your latest single on his IG story, it just felt so right. So perfect.

Even when time differences, conflicting schedules and some misunderstands may get in the way, you wanted to be there for him. You wanted to be his special person, his second home, his soulmate, his perfect match.

Whether it was him, you or both of you nominated for the Oscars that year, you were always a silent force supporting him. By his side or not, you would see your successes and your struggles together.

In your own films or tv show premieres, he would show up, supporting you in every way and praising you to the heavens non-stop at the after-party. Showing you off to your friends, hyping you up, and throw you extravagant birthday parties with both your industry and non-industry friends fully represented, with your family there of course.

You didn’t care whether people would call you two just a “public relations stunt” or a “fake couple” for media attention, because they could never understand how real the two of you were. How fated the bond between the two of you was.

No matter how many photos on the red carpet or secret paparazzi shots were out there in the world, what you two had was more than words can explain. More than they could understand.

Nothing would beat the pride of your skin against his, bejewelled designer rings or not on your thousand dollar dresses, and the pride in your heart that you were his as he was yours. The same look from other more established couples in the industry seeing the familiar gaze you two shared, that reminded them of their own young love many decades before.

Whenever he would thank you in his speech, alongside his own family, co-workers, producers and numerous friends, no matter how many people were in the room, whenever he would be holding his award up in the air looking in your direction, it felt like you two were the only people alone in the room.

How his own family had treated you as their own. From regular brunches with Nicole, even when Timothee wasn’t in New York, discussing current affairs became a usual routine for you with Marc, and how Pauline accepted you like her sister, arm in arm wherever you went, whether it be shopping downtown or helping introduce you to their extended family reunions. It felt like home, you belonged.

The warm feeling you had when he would swing his arm over your shoulder, almost claiming you, but still granting you your space as he welcomed you into the family and introduced you as his significant other, the love of his life, his eventual spouse to his family. How his grandparents would take their wrinkled, aged hands in yours and see how happy you made their grandson beyond relief, and see you as their own grandchild.

It didn’t matter how much the world would see, when there was still so much between the two of you that kept secret. It was the perfect balance. And you wouldn’t have it any other way.

…

Not proofread but had to quickly write this up out of my love for him. <3

#Timothee chalamet imagines #Timothee chalamet x reader #Timothee x reader #Timothee chalamet #Timothee chalamet scenarios

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watchmegetobsessed · 4 years ago

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Never Have I Ever - Harry Styles (part 8)

a/n: oh my! we have finally reached the end of this story and I never thought it would turn out to be this long but im happy it did! thank you for reading and loving it, and now, enjoy the last part!

pairing: Harry x actress!reader

word count: 4k

warning: just pure fluff

SERIES MASTERPOST

masterlist

“Girl, even if you don’t win, you’ll surely take the title of the hottest woman on the red carpet tonight.”

Florence’s words make you chuckle, but you try not to move your lips too much as the makeup artist finishes up the last touches on them, using a nude shade.

“Stop, my head is big enough already,” you tell her, giving her a look through the mirror. She is standing a few feet behind you, already wearing her beautiful, golden Versace gown that hugs her perfectly. Her hair is up in a neat bun so her back can be on full display and the diamonds in her ears can also shine brightly. She looks amazing while she is the opposite of what you’ll look like tonight.

Rhonda, the makeup artist has an amazing notion about your look when you showed her the gown you’d be wearing tonight and since the dress is not the sparkly kind, like Florence’s, she went a little heavier with the glitter on your eyes, using mostly whitish-silver colors, creating rosy cheeks and topping it with nude, glossy lips. Your hair is in loose curls with a bunch of extension, creating the illusion that you might as well be Rapunzel herself tonight. But you are the most excited about the gown that’s already waiting for you to be finally put on.

“What time is it?” you ask Florence as you don’t have your phone on you, but she has hers in her hands already.

“We still have half an hour before we have to leave. Dude, I can’t believe you are an Oscar nominee and might turn into a winner tonight!” she sighs, eyes shining bright with excitement. She hasn’t come off of this high for days, so over the Moon that you get to walk the red carpet tonight as a nominee.

“Don’t jinx it, Flo,” you warn her.

There’s a knock on the door of the hotel suit you’ve occupied for the glamming and Florence is quick to rush to it answering, but you both know who it is. As she throws the door open Harry comes to your sight, looking as handsome as ever, wearing his custom made Gucci suit with a pink dress shirt underneath that matches your gown perfectly.

“Florence, you look wonderful!” his british accent fills the room, making you smile. Rhonda sets your makeup with some spray and you’re finally done. Standing up you move your legs around a bit as they went a little numb from all the sitting.

“Thank you! Pink suits you well, Harry,” your friend compliments your man and you watch them smiling.

When Harry’s eyes set on you, the light up, his smile widening from ear to ear. He looks spotless, freshly shaved, his hair recently cut and combed into place for a change. Not that you don’t like it when it’s all tousled and messy, especially when it’s because of your fingers.

“Angel, wow!” he breathes out as he walks up to you, taking your hands in his. You know he wants to kiss you, but doesn’t want to risk messing your lips up, so he is left with admiring you with only his eyes.

“Just wait until you see her in the dress!” Florence chimes in making you chuckle. You kept your dress a secret, wanting to surprise him with the first look. You gave out only the most necessary details for Lambert so the two of you could match.

“You’d be great like this too,” he teases, taking a look at your fluffy robe.

“I’m not going to the Oscars in a robe,” you tell him with a narrow-eyed look.

“I know, I’m just saying that you’d still be stunning,” he mumbles with a boyish smirk.

“Y/N? Time to choose a necklace!” Your stylist, Rupert appears from the room where your gown is hanging. He has a few jewelry boxes in his hands and he sets them all to the coffee table, opening up you are met with four breathtakingly beautiful diamond necklaces, each of them different yet so magical looking, you can’t decide which one you like the most.

“Harry, which one do you like the most?” you ask, kneeling down next to the table, mesmerized by the jewelries in front of you. Harry leans down and inspects them one by one before poking on the last one in the row. It has three rows of diamonds, not too big, the stones in the last row are shaped like water droplets, it’s such an elegant looking piece, it surely caught your eyes as well and you think it would be perfect with the dress.

“This one,” he tells you and you nod, shutting the other boxes, satisfied with the choice.

“Alright, time to get you into the gown, girl,” Rupert winks, gesturing at you to follow him into the room.

“I’ll be right back,” you tell Harry, risking a quick peck on his lips before you disappear in your temporary dressing room.

You fell in love with the gown on the first fitting when Rupert pulled it out, still in the finishing phase. It still has pins in it, but it already took your breath away. It has a massive A-line skirt and a tight upper part that hugs your body perfectly, a row of buttons running down the middle of it. The sleeves are puffy, but then end in a tight run from a little above your wrists, the same set of buttons appearing like on your chest. It’s giving out some Victorian style vibes in a more sophisticated and simpler way, but it’s by far your favorite dress you’ve ever worn to any event.

It surely needs the extra pair of hands from Rupert to put it on, but once you are secured in it, you feel like a princess straight out of a fairytale and surely, your prince is standing on the other side of the double doors.

“Alright! Everyone get ready for the big reveal!” Rupert announces, sneaking out the room so he can open the door for you. He waits a few moments as you hear everyone shuffle around outside, probably lining up to see you walk out in your finished state. “Okay, three! Two! One! Welcome our Oscar nominee!” he cheers, a round of applause is heard before you even appear, but it’s quickly replaced with gasps when Rupert pulls the doors open and they get the first glimpse of you in your gown.

“Holy fuck!” Florence gasps, mouth hanging open as she keeps raking your form up and down. Your eyes find Harry’s gaze and you see him in a state you haven’t often found him in the past almost two years you’ve been dating. He is completely speechless, eyes glued to you in awe as if he just saw an angel in real life.

“Y/N, I—wow,” he breathes out, still at a loss of words.

“You like it?” you ask with a shy smile.

“I fucking love it, baby. You look… You really are an angel,” he tells you, making you chuckle at his words.

“Would you please help me put on the necklace?” you ask him and he nods eagerly, carefully taking the jewelry out of its box and walking behind you, he brings it around your neck, his fingers delicately working on the clasp. Once it’s all set, you step to the floor to ceiling mirror, taking in the final look.

“There won’t be a straight woman left on Earth once you step on the red carpet,” Florence bluntly comments, making everyone in the room laugh.

“Let’s take some photos, I need to immortalize this masterpiece,” Rupert gestures around, already grabbing his camera.

The next ten minutes you take hundreds of photos, alone, with Florence and then with Harry. He still seems a little stunned by your look, feeling shy when he circles his arm around your waist, but it’s cute that you can still have such an effect on him after being together for almost two years.

Florence snaps some with your phone as well, your favorite is when he held your waist and leant you back, making you arch backwards as your noses touched since he couldn’t kiss you. You already know it’ll end up as your lockscreen, replacing the selfie the two of you took on your latest trip to Hawaii.

When it’s time to leave you grab your little purse with your phone and other necessities and the three of you pile up in a minivan, since your dress needs all the space so it doesn’t get wrinkled before you step out to the red carpet.

As you sit in the car and watch the buildings pass by, your nerves start to rise in you. When the nominations came out a month ago it seemed so far, you couldn’t imagine yourself actually attending the Academy Awards, but now here you are, on your way to find out if you’ve been good enough to be the best.

Your role in Sinful Heaven has brought a lot to your life aside from the nomination. The three months of filming was one of the hardest times in your life you’ve ever worked through and at some points, you didn’t even think you’d get through it. Working so closely with Levi took a toll on you while you were trying to prove in such a heavy and serious role. It was a mess especially at the beginning when you and Harry were still in this weird phase, but that eventually turned right when he literally punched Levi in the face and ten minutes later asked you to be his girlfriend. It’s a badass way to start a relationship and you wouldn’t trade it for anything, especially because it put Levi into place or at least scared him enough to get off your back for the rest of the filming.

When Harry left following that visit, you couldn’t see each other until filming wrapped and you flew straight to him and travelled with him for the next two weeks, hopping from one city to the other, watching him perform every other night and spending all your time with him.

When the movie premiered eight months later, you didn’t appear with Harry by your side, Maya was your date for the evening, but by that time everyone knew you and Harry are an official couple. Neither of you felt like hiding it or caring about what others would think and you were able to focus on each other and rely on the strong foundation you’ve built for your relationship.

He was there with you when the nominations came out and probably screamed louder when your name appeared in the list. With tearing eyes and choked out sobs you jumped into his arms as he mumbled into your ear.

“I’m so proud of you, Angel. So, so proud!”

And now you are on your way to the show, only hours away from finding out if your dreams will come true tonight. Harry squeezes your hand and you turn to face him, his soft eyes meeting yours.

“Nervous?” he asks with a small smile.

“Very,” you admit with an airy chuckle.

“Whatever happens tonight, I’m very proud of you. Don’t forget that.”

“Thank you,” you whisper, giving his hand a squeeze back.

Since it’s the first time you and Harry appear on the red carpet as a couple, once you set your feet out of the car, everyone goes nuts. He helps you out and even fixes your dress so it falls just perfectly around your frame before he offers his arm. You link your through it, taking a deep breath as the two of you start walking down the carpet, posing for the photographers.

You feel powerful and strong, like it’s the peak of your career, but you also feel that it wouldn’t be the same without Harry by your side even though he is making sure to let you shine tonight. At one point he even steps back for a moment so photographers can snap you alone and you think it’s such a caring move from him.

You feel a little dizzy from all the flashlights by the time you walk into the theater, Harry holding your hand tightly as he leads you to your seats.

You’ve been to plenty award shows and it’s not even your first Academy Awards appearance either, but for obvious reasons, it’s the most important. Sitting in your plush chair, you can barely stop yourself from continuously fidgeting as one category follows the other and it’s still not yours.

Then following a jaw-dropping performance from Dua Lipa, Chris Evans walks out with a golden statue and an envelope in his hands and your heart skips a beat, but not because of the man himself, but because you know he is the presenter of the Best Actress category.

Your hold on Harry’s hand on your lap tightens and you glue your eyes to the big screens behind Chris as he smiles around.

“Good evening. It’s a pleasure to be here and to present the award for Best Actress. The theater tonight is filled with exceptional talents, but let’s see the nominees,” he speaks into the microphone and then he starts listing the names.

Emma Stone, Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie and Rooney Mara are called and a camera fixates on each of them when Chris says their names, all smiling brightly and waving around before your name is called at the end. Taking a deep breath you plaster your most wonderful smile across your face, waving around like the other nominees did before the big screen splits, showing the five of you simultaneously.

“We’ve seen some spectacular performances from these ladies and now let’s see who proved herself to be the best this year.”

Chris flips the envelope open and pulls the little paper out that has the winner’s name written on it and for a moment you’re convinced you’ll pass out. You’ve never felt this anxious before and you’re gripping Harry’s hand so tightly you’re surprised he hasn’t pulled it back, but he is patiently putting up with your nerves, his eyes glued to the man on the stage as well.

“And the Academy Award for Best Actress goes to…” Chris starts with a charming smile, holding a short pause before he finally says the name. “Y/N Y/L/N for her role as Marie Davidson in Sinful Heaven!”

Your mouth hangs open, ears ringing as you process that your name was called. Everyone around you jumps up, including Harry, who is screaming just like when the nominations came out, while you are completely blank. It takes you a couple of moments to realize that you in fact just won your first Oscar and everyone is waiting for you to go and get your little statue.

“Baby! Baby you won!” Harry cheers as he helps you up from your seat and you throw yourself into his arms as reality sets in. “I fucking love you, Angel. Go and get your Oscar!” he laughs, pride all over his face as he urges you to walk up to the stage.

“Walk me up, please!” you stammer, not trusting yourself with walking in this fragile state. He offers his hand without a second thought, walking you to the stage where Chris is politely waiting for you to help you up on the stairs.

“Thank you,” you breathe out once you’re finally up on the stage, every set of eyes on you as Chris hands you the little statue.

“Congratulations,” he smiles as the two of you exchange two kisses on the cheeks before he steps aside and lets you give a speech.

You thought about writing a few words beforehand, but you figured if you end up being the winner you’d forget the whole thing, so there would be no use and that’s the case. Your mind is still blank as you look down at the award in your hands, the crowd still cheering on you, giving you a few extra moments to figure out what to say.

“I uhh—I don’t even know what to say, this feels like a dream,” you admit talking into the microphone, the clapping dying down so that everyone can hear your words. “I want to thank to everyone who worked on Sinful Heaven, because I wouldn’t be here without them. To my wonderful director and amazing costars, it’s been such a wonderful journey with you all. Thank you to my friends and family who were there with me from the very start, believing in me when I was losing faith in myself, thank you for never giving up on me. To my parents who I assume are now crying in front of the TV,” you add chuckling softly, imagining your mom and dad in tears as they listen to your words. “This is a wonderful sign to me that I am where I need to be and that I’m on the right path, so thank you for giving me even more motivation to keep me going on my way.”

Your eyes roam around all the guests until they fall on one proud man staring at you in his Gucci suit and pink dress shirt, his green eyes looking glossy as he listens to your words.

“And last but not least, thank you to one special person, because I’m convinced I wouldn’t be here tonight without him. I have one thing to tell you.” Forgetting about everyone in the theater you hold up the Oscar in your hand as you finish your speech: “Never have I ever loved someone like I love you.”

The crowd starts cheering again as you step away from the microphone and Chris is quick to jog up to you and help you down the stairs, Harry rushing back to take your hand once Chris lets go of it.

You catch him wipe a tear off his cheek as the two of you walk back to your seats hand in hand. Once you are settled, you take a deep breath and turn to Harry who is already looking at you, the same proud smile you saw from the stage still on his handsome face.

“I have never,” he tells you as his answer to the last line of your speech and you chuckle as your free hand finds the back of his neck, pulling him close. The lipstick on your lips long forgotten as you finally kiss him for the first time tonight.

“I have never either,” you whisper against his lips before kissing him again and again.

***

Smiling around you wait for the audience to quiet down as you make yourself comfortable in the familiar armchair. It’s such a nostalgic feeling to sit here again.

“Y/N, it’s so nice to have you here again,” Ellen greets you once the clapping has stopped.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“Of course. A lot has happened since the last time you were here, you won an Oscar just a few weeks ago, congratulations!”

The cheering starts again as a picture of you appears on the screen behind you, wearing your iconic pink gown, holding your Oscar in your hands.

“Thank you,” you shyly smile, still not entirely in peace with the fact that you are now an Oscar winning actress.

“Such a major thing, congrats.”

“Thank you, it is a huge thing, yes.”

“Do you already have a spot for the award? Does it have a designated place?”

“Well, for now it is in my study along with some more mementos, but I’m planning to have a little stand made in the living room,” you share your plans.

“Surely, I would want to show it off if I had an Oscar,” Ellen chuckles. “You have such a busy time behind you, have you been up to something new lately?”

“We finished filming the third season of The Umbrella Academy, so now I’m having a little break before I jump into anything new.”

“Sounds nice, you deserve all the relaxing. Anything planned while you’re on a break? A new book to read, or maybe a concert to go to?” she asks and you already know where this is heading.

“You know you can just ask if I’m planning to attend a Harry Styles concert,” you bluntly tell her, making the audience and Ellen laugh.

“Well, I was just asking around about your plans, but I’m happy you plan to visit Harry’s concert! It’s also good to know that the situation has changed since the last time you were here, you definitely have been to one of his concerts since then.”

“I have been, yes,” you admit smirking.

“And I assume the two of you are now very close, am I right?” she asks and suddenly a paparazzi photo of the two of you appears where you’re walking down the street hand in hand just a couple of weeks ago.

“You could say that,” you nod, biting into your bottom lip.

“Amazing, because he is going to join us now. Everyone, please welcome Harry Styles!” Ellen announces and turning around you spot Harry walking out from backstage, the audience screaming for him. He shyly waves around walking up to the center, greeting Ellen with a kiss on the cheek before he turns to you, pecking your lips shortly as he sits down next to you.

“Harry, so good to see you again,” Ellen smiles at him.

“Good t’ see you as well,” he nods.

“So, the last time you two were sitting here, you—it was the first time you ever met, right?”

“Right,” you nod with Harry.

“And now you are…” she gestures at the two of you, not finishing the sentence, but everyone knows what she meant by that.

“And now we are… not strangers anymore,” Harry says chuckling, making everyone in the studio laugh.

“Certainly,” Ellen nods. “Alright, I thought that we could play another game, just to bring back some nice memories,” she explains, reaching behind her armchair, grabbing the familiar board from her, flipping it in your hands with a nostalgic smile.

“Can we keep it PG rated though?” Harry asks, examining his board before looking up at Ellen.

“No,” she simply answers, reaching for her cards as the audience starts laughing. “Okay, you know how to play it, no need for explanation. Here is the first one: Never have I ever used my fame to get in somewhere.”

Ellen is quick to show the I HAVE side of her board and you slowly do the same while Harry thinks to himself.

“Oh come on, you surely have,” you elbow him playfully as he smirks in your way, holding up the same side as you and Ellen.

“We all have, it’s not a shame,” Ellen shrugs. “Next one. Never have I ever forgotten the name of someone right after they introduced themselves.”

Ellen holds up the I HAVE side and you do the same again while this time Harry flips it over to I HAVE NEVER confidently.

“Really?” Ellen asks him, surprised at his answer.

“I’m good with names,” he simply shrugs.

“That’s a good trait. Alright, let’s move on. Never have I ever punched someone in the face.”

It’s a sneaky and very shady statement. Just a few days after the incident with Levi, word got out that he was punched, a few blurry pictures floating around the internet of his bruise, then fans figured out it had to happen around the time Harry visited set and people were quick to put the picture together and assume that Harry was the one who hit Levi, but it was never confirmed.

Glancing at your boyfriend you are fighting your smile back, holding up the I HAVE NEVER side as he is looking back at you slyly, continuously flipping his board before it finally lands on I HAVE, the audience immediately rumbling at the partial confirmation and seemingly Ellen is also amazed by Harry’s honesty.

“Alright, interesting. Love that for you, Harry,” he comments making everyone laugh as you reach over and give Harry’s hand a squeeze. “Last one,” Ellen announces, reading the last statement from her cards. “Never have I ever fallen in love with someone I played never have I ever with.”

Ellen quickly shows her I HAVE NEVER side as you suck your lips into your mouth, glancing at Harry again. You share a look before you both slowly raise your boards, both reading the same sign on them: I HAVE.

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