#len reynolds | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

gracieryder · 1 year

Text

The Fridge Magnet Theory: Eddie Begins Edition

We don’t get our typical fridge content in this episode, but we do see the Diaz fridge in El Paso multiple times. And a lot is happening there!

This episode sort of stands on its own, so it gets its own post! 👏

Click here for the OG Fridge Magnet Theory Post that focuses on the Diaz fridge in LA!

To begin, @catdadeddie pointed out to me in DM that in the earliest flashback where he’s back on break, the fridge is blank. There’s nothing on the fridge at all.

Yet, when we get a later flashback scene, that’s changed.

There’s now boxed food on top of the fridge (the El Paso Taco Kit, Nesquik, applesauce most likely, and a box of Reynolds aluminum foil) vs. her making a meal in the earlier flashback. In the words of @stagefoureddiediaz ‘pre packaged food [is] a recurring theme that the show has been using - with Buck and Taylor and even to a certain extent we see the same concept with Chim and Tatiana (and with Maddie but there is a whole other load of stuff going on there about Chim making things easy on her in light of Doug etc) and even Chim as fire captain - having to order pizza because the role doesn’t quite fit him (at that point in time.)’

She continues with “the choice to have real food v boxed food in those two scenes is telling - [Shannon’s] still putting effort into their relationship in the first one but the boxed food in the second [one] shows she stopped - it’s like foreshadowing that’s she’s no longer in the relationship and that she’s gonna leave...”

@catdadeddie then goes to point out that the fridge now being decorated hints at the fact that it’s Eddie who does the decorating with Christopher as it only seems to happen once he’s been around for a bit and then later in LA in the home they share without Shannon.

And when we zoom in on the fridge itself, things start getting very interesting.

On both sides of the fridge are pictures presumably drawn by Christopher. On the left side is a picture with two fish - a larger fish and a smaller fish. @stagefoureddiediaz also notes that ‘the water is green - like the light makes the water in the real world’ referring to the light Eddie is shining when he’s escaping from being trapped in the well.

It’s fittingly being held up by a crane and a racecar. The crane of course being a callback to the crane collapsing, and the racecar being a sign of the race against time. The racecar could also be looked at as a sort of getaway car as Shannon flees and abandons Eddie and Chris in this episode. And then Eddie flees with Chris to start over in LA away from his parents.

The big fish and the little fish swimming in the water (ocean?) could be a callback to Buck and Chris together in the tsunami. @stagefoureddiediaz also notes that there’s somewhat of a continuing Finding Nemo reference here. The fact that Eddie in this episode also needs to ‘just keep swimming’.

The cement truck easily connects to Eddie being buried underground due to the well collapse and is likely foreshadowing the mudslide coming at the beginning of Season 4, but it, the cherry picker to the right, and the crane calling back to the accident can all be looked at through a lens of construction which is a theme that continues to pop up over and over again in reference to relationships (think ‘there was construction on Sunset’ and ‘you don’t find it; you make it’). And there are quite a few possible relationships being laid out on this fridge. We’re gonna go through them together!

(The entire right side of the fridge seems devoted to relationships actually, with the self-portrait of Christopher with the ‘C’ on his chest taking center stage.

As a note from @stagefoureddiediaz, ‘chris drawing himself with a c on his chest - like superman - which is Eddie’s nickname for him 🥺🥺🥺’)

There are a few theories to address here. You may prefer one over the other, or like us, you may choose to see all of them as playing a bit of a role here with the things on this fridge continuing to give us double-meanings. But for the sake of this post and clarity, it’s best to break them down separately.

Theory One: The A and B magnets are indicative of Chris’ relationships with his grandparents vs. his parents.

In the words of @like-the-rest-of-la, ‘Chris is alone in it. Furthermore, the drawing in itself is removed to the side from Eddie and Shannon here. I feel like this might play into the fact that they aren't a real unit here. That might also be further acknowledged in the mismatching of the B and A in particular. Normally, you have ABC going together, but each of them is basically on their own here.

In terms of fonts in logo-design, Serif-Fonts are often used for more classic-brands or to convey seriousness, or they are part of a grown logo (typeface), like Burberry e.g.... so, the Chris drawing being held up by the serif-A (which clearly is not part of a set a child would play with or learn letters with) and the broad B... idk, the serif font could also be representative of Eddie's parents on one side, as like, the "seasoned" parents who supposedly have all the experience, and then the bold and broad B, which is a sans-serif font and usually more used for something, Children would play with, could stand for the less experienced parents, Eddie and Shannon. It's interesting, that Chris, in this pic, is still navigating towards his "inexperienced" parents than his "experienced" grandparents

(also side-note, it's a bit of bad practice in terms of readability and accessibility, to use lots of italics in text), so while it might seem good and “noble”, the serif-font-'A' that is in italics/slanted is also more complicated and not that easy to read… which speaks volumes about the relationships at play here)‘

Theory Two: The A and B magnets are indicative of Chris’ relationships or possible relationships with Buck and Ana.

In the words of @theyarnmaidstale, ‘Maybe the B and the A being some kind of symbolism for Buck and Ana being candidates for the role of another parent/caregiver for Christopher with how they're holding up the doodle of him....’ and the words of @stagefoureddiediaz ‘which is interesting if you also consider they are the ones holding up the picture and that the b is closer to [the] drawing [...] than the a is...’

The A for Ana being in a different font style than the other three letters and so far away from Chris could mean that despite her potential as a caregiver, she doesn’t quite fit. This is more interesting to think about when you remember the costuming parallel between Shannon and Ana in this episode as well.

Theory Three: This concludes the same as Theory Two and addresses the X and F as a crossroads for Eddie.

@evcndiaz summed it up perfectly: ‘don't think the X is an X in this context. I think it's a crossroads.

It's like... think of a railroad crossing sign when you're driving. It's not a cross, it's an X. So if we extrapolate that idea to what we see here, we see Eddie at a crossroads with Buck (and all the nuance that entails with his own queerness, happiness, and freedom sitting at the forefront) and Ana on the other (with all the nuance that entails, with him doing what's expected of him, being what people expect him to be, etc). But consider also where the X is positioned. These are Eddie's memories in Eddie Begins, which means they haven't happened yet. Therefore, the X being positioned above the B and the A indicates a decision yet to be made in the future, and between obviously indicates the decision between Buck/Ana. Considering Eddie gets shot only a handful of days after his conversation with Carla about following his heart in 4x13, that could be considered the moment in which he makes that definitive choice even if he doesn't actually break up with her until 5x3 (which means the shooting really was Eddie's oh moment, but I won't go insane about that right now).

For the "F," I think it's really possible it just means "family." In the context of everything else I just said, put it all together and that would mean Eddie will be at a crossroads with what it means to have/be family, with Buck on one side and Ana on the other (which also makes sense within the context of his panic attack, trying to make himself have feelings for her, the idea of a readymade family with Ana when he was already building one with Buck...)’

Theory Four: This also concludes the same as Theory Two, but the X and F are math related. Math, of course, being a recurring connection to relationships.

The X being the common variable and the F being function.

@stagefoureddiediaz @like-the-rest-of-la and @theyarnmaidstale all separately in different chats made the connection to math.

@theyarnmaidstale pointed out ‘In Algebra (ooooo Math! Ana!) X also sorta symbolizes the known and unknown in terms of variables being solved for. The shift between what he knows: his life in Texas, his and Shannon's marriage falling apart, and the uncertainty of what's to come: his life changing in California/the move and starting over’ and posted this screenshot as a definition for function.

She continued with ‘The relationship between him and Ana! Him and Buck! Him and Shannon! Him and his career! Him and Chris! CHRIS' RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM!‘

In another room, @stagefoureddiediaz was saying ‘What if we went with a math theme - both x and f are used in mathematical equations

X being the variable and f being the function. Not to mention the fact that a in math can mean average’

And in yet another room, @like-the-rest-of-la was saying ‘I don't know why, but somehow the F, X ... and also the way the ladder truck thingy looks at first glance, it almost feels like part of a mismatched Maths-equation? which... would be very nerdy of the stage design team but... idk, f(x) was my first thought’

Three people simultaneously and separately reaching the same conclusion says a lot about the intention of the writers. A recurring theme was noticed and picked up on.

Theory Five: The framing of Shannon blocking the magnets is intentional and important and stays in line with the ‘B’ and ‘A’ being representative of Buck and Ana.

Towards the end of their argument, Shannon goes to do something at the bar and moves back and forth in a way that covers the ‘A’ and then the ‘B’ multiple times with only one visible each time as though broadcasting that there’s a decision to be made between the two.

Then @like-the-rest-of-la and @theladyyavilee point out that she stops moving and places her hands on the bar and leans over it blocking the picture of Chris, the ‘A’ magnet, and the ‘B’ magnet.

She then moves just slightly and reveals only the ‘B’.

Theory Six: If you’re like me, literally all or some of the above tie together for you, and there are dual meanings for the things we’re seeing here. I refuse to pick a theory. They’re all valid and correct.

Before we end, @stagefoureddiediaz wants to note that ‘Also - something something about the B being buck and it showing his presence in Eddie’s memories - as he’s working things out - that buck is ever present even when he isn’t yet part of their lives - Eddie’s subconscious directing him towards his future - pointing towards the will change and the fact that the other more recent flashbacks were buddifer coded.’

And @yramesoruniverse wants to remind that it’s all about the water. ‘The big fish and little fish I can't...could have a double meaning, of course the tsunami and buck and chris, but also eddie and chris and the general theme of water. Emerging from the water..’

They emerged from the water in the tsunami, Eddie emerged from the water in Eddie Begins, and there’s the theme of water from 06x13 (here’s a collection of links for that episode).

Hope you have fun with all of this. See ya next time! 😘

#eddie diaz #christopher diaz #shannon diaz #buddie #buckley-diaz family #the fridge magnet theory #911

97 notes · View notes

gracehosborn · 3 months

Note

I would love to hear why you didn't necessarily like My Dear Hamilton!

Hi! Thank you for the ask! So so sorry it took me forever to answer this!

A disclaimer before I explain things: this isn’t an attack on the authors, I wish them the best, but rather this is just me discussing their novel as a piece of literature. It has also been awhile since I read this novel, so my memory may be fuzzy. I also have no ill-will against anyone who enjoys this novel—if it makes you happy, I am glad—these are just my personal opinions as a result of my experience reading the novel.

TL;DR is that I believe the authors poorly handled Eliza’s POV, Hamilton’s characterization, and the overall narrative per the story they set out to tell. A longer explanation of these issues is under the cut.

As I am a writer and aspiring author myself, I will be looking at this from that perspective.

My Dear Hamilton is framed as Elizabeth Hamilton meeting with James Monroe in her old age, and beginning to discuss forgiveness in relation to the Reynolds affair, whereupon the narrative shifts to give us the context of Eliza’s life from her childhood up until this point, then it shifts once more to conclude this moment. This itself is an interesting framework: telling the story through a lens of reflection by the protagonist, however there are pitfalls with this framing that this novel unfortunately falls into. Namely, (and at least in my opinion) there is an excess of telling the reader what is happening, rather than having the reader experience Eliza’s life alongside her. This isn’t to say that we should have to be shown every aspect of the story, but rather there should have been a better blend of these. To add to this, the past tense of this novel led to some very poorly done foreshadowing of events to come, and these moments felt very jarring and at times pulled me out of the story, or took away from the reaction that those later events had intended for me to have as a reader.

I would not have minded this excess if not for a stark fact that I realized while reading: Eliza isn’t the main character of her own story. That would be her husband, Alexander, as the book title itself implies. This arrangement is an interesting device, however it only works well if the protagonist (the person who you are experiencing the story from—in this case being Eliza) is directly beside the MC throughout the main character’s journey. Due to societal rules, Elizabeth did not get to experience what Alexander did right alongside him, therefore leaving the reader to be told again and again what was happening with Alexander (or people and things connected to him that Eliza couldn’t herself experience or talk to) as Eliza reacted—which isn’t super interesting in my opinion. And to this point, Eliza never established a goal for herself throughout the story that did not have some connection back to her husband, creating a narrative that was befallen by lots of repetition and telling versus showing. This in my opinion led to Eliza not feeling like her own character, and rather a vehicle for the audience to read second-hand what was going on in this world. There was nothing particular that stood out to me and made me want to care about Eliza, and I became more interested in what Alexander was doing off-page as the story went on.

A large focus of the book was of course the romance between Elizabeth and Alexander, and this in it of itself was alright, however I feel like the authors relied too much on physical aspects (notably adding a ton of sex scenes), and not giving a proper balance to our characters getting to know one another in conversation.

This was not helped by the fact that strangely, I hardly remeber there being any arguments between Alexander and Eliza. The only two that I remeber taking up a large portion of the story were in the aftermath of Alexander stepping down from the office of Treasury and challenging the entire Republican Party to a duel, and of course the “Reynolds Pamphlet”. When in reality, they very well may have had arguments and disagreements over all sorts of things—as this is only natural, and would have helped to make this romance more believable. For instance, they likely would have argued over the fact that upon the capital city being moved to Philadelphia, they would have to pack up their family of seven (Eliza and Alexander, plus their four biological children and Fraunces Antil, the little girl they took in) and move from New York City—their home of eight years. Furthermore, when we consider this from Eliza’s perspective, her biological family were only a few day’s travel away for that time. Having to move further away from them due to her husband’s work must have been hard on her, and could have certainly led to some anger. However, this is not acknowledged within the novel.

All of this isn’t to say that I think giving focus towards the experiences of women during historical time periods is bad. I actually think this should be done more, as we cannot fully understand a time period without understanding the perspectives and roles of every person involved. This said, the largest pitfall of My Dear Hamilton is that I belive the novel was set too early and therefore did not accomplish the goal the authors had set out. The large majority of the novel takes its time following the love story and marriage of Eliza and Alexander, and only the last hundred pages or so are truly focused on Eliza as the central figure—as these are set after Alexander’s duel with Aaron Burr. Having thought long and hard about this, I feel like there would be three ways to better tell Elizabeth’s story in this format:

Easy (for what is here):

Split this book into three sections. Take the romance (the current main plot as the novel is based around Eliza recalling her life with Alexander) and replace that status with something more internal to Eliza's character. Section one is a few chapters diving into her childhood, section two dealing with her relationship with Alexander, and section three is post duel.

Moderately Difficult:

Take this main plot and replace it with Eliza in her older age hunting down Hamilton's papers for publication. You can save all of these romantic moments in the form of relevant flashbacks. Side plots include: orphanage/other charity work, the actual writing of Hamilton's biography (Eliza struggling to keep lo one on the job, and she and her son John Church Hamilton, according to John’s daughter, had frequent fights due to creative differences).

Difficult:

Rewrite the current book from Alexander's perspective, since much of the novel is focused on him anyway. But really due to the fact that, in terms of character, he's more active whereas Eliza has done little in this regard and the plot is just falling in her lap. No timeline changes needed. You can still have the romance be the main plot, but it's helped by the fact that Alexander actively made later decisions in what he did within the fields of law and politics which would add both more depth and some subplots to the narrative.

The second option would in my opinion be best suited for telling Eliza’s story as relates to her impact on history. For without her efforts, we wouldn’t have such an interest in her husband’s historical impact or person. I would love to see a novel like that idea someday. I feel like it would be a very compelling narrative and with lots of care could provide us with a proper and in-depth look at Elizabeth which she deserves.

This got much longer than I thought it would, but I hope it is at least enjoyable to read. As I said at the tip of this post, you’re welcome of course to like or even love My Dear Hamilton, but these are just my personal thoughts from my own experience of reading the novel.

#thanks anon #thanks for the ask!#my dear hamilton #alexander hamilton #amrev #elizabeth schuyler #elizabeth hamilton #grace’s asks #historical fiction #historical novels

9 notes · View notes

amazingmsme · 3 months

Note

As the same anon who asked about the Lee!Dan thing, Now I am asking you for the opposite! Ler!Dan where he gets back at Lee!Donna by tickling her while they were reporting on (Insert Big Hatchetfield event) and then immediately let his love for Donna slip right after because we need more Dan/Donna in this world

Dan would be such a playfully chaotic ler omg! I was serious when I said he’ll just randomly tickle attack Donna & the film crew for shits n giggles, ranging from quick pokes & squeezes to scribbling fingers against your worst spot til he takes you to the ground! & this bitch loooves working in front of the camera, so he’ll fucking wait til they’re on air to do it & after he wrecks them he looks straight down the lens, winks & goes “I’m Dan Reynolds, with Action News, weekdays at 10”

No wonder Donna finally got fed up with his shit😂

#asks #anon ask #tgwdlm headcanons #npmd headcanons #hatchetfield headcanon #dan reynolds #donna daggit #the guy who didn't like musicals #tgwdlm #nerdy prudes must die #npmd #hatchetfield #hatchetverse

8 notes · View notes

bobbie-robron · 21 days

Text

Fur coat and no knickers. She’s a walking cliche. (Part 1)

Katie worries she’s gonna get sacked for not knowing how to do the accounts but Robert reassures her. Ivy Lynch shows up with a smoking (literally) car at the garage where Scott is a wanker toward her and more so when he cons her out of a perfectly good car for Dawn (Robert does NOT approve of his actions at all - yeah, IM, Robert was born EVIL - F.Y.). Meanwhile, Sadie was persona non grata in the pub but mate Robert agrees to go somewhere ‘just to talk.’

13-Apr-2005

4 notes · View notes

greenbileba5tard · 2 months

Text

I went through the DSM-5 with my buddy the other day and looked at what applied to Dennis Reynolds. I can confidently say that he checks off every box for borderline personality disorder/BPD (which he is diagnosed with in the show),, has most symptoms of PTSD (I believe he has C-PTSD based on further academic articles supporting it as a valid diagnosis),, checks every box off for narcissistic personality disorder/NPD,, and (surprisingly enough) checks every box off for dissociative identity disorder/DID. I’m not surprised by that last one because I personally am diagnosed with DID and C-PTSD,, but that was after the 218 question questionnaire and PTSD packet so I might have to get ahold of that and apply them to our knowledge of him from the show. Either way,, his dissociative symptoms line up pretty damn well,, and his arc in “Charlie Rules The World” is fucking DAMNING. Dennis would be horrible DID representation and stigmatize the disorder further if this was confirmed,, but the diagnosis looks like it applies to him when viewing the show from an outside lens.

#its always sunny in philadelphia #iasip dennis #dennis reynolds #iasip meta

3 notes · View notes

sivavakkiyar · 28 days

Text

youtube

Here’s a 20th century symphony I like by Roger Reynolds (all three movements are on youtube). It’s a great piece; one thing that’s kind of interesting about it is that it’s a very explicit take off on Takemitsu thru Reynolds own lens

#Roger reynolds #Youtube

2 notes · View notes

always-besides-the-darkest · 1 year

Text

“Y’Allternative” and the Southern Goth

Despite its playful portmanteau, “Y’allternative” describes a macabre take on iconic Southern imagery and themes. Think decrepit barns, deer skulls, black butterflies in fields of grain, bayou witches and churches veiled by Spanish moss. Essentially, Y’Allternative swaps the city goth for the country goth. The term has reemerged as a social media fashion trend in the same vein as cottagecore or warcore, leading some to embrace the Southern Gothic aesthetic as a whole.

The aesthetic is rooted in literature dating as far back as the early 1800s. Authors such as William Faulkner and Truman Capote rejected the romanticized “Lost Cause” American South in favor of grim narratives involving death, witchcraft, religious trauma and racism. In fact, a key subject of Southern Gothic literature is confronting the horrible realities of the pre- and post-Antebellum South.

Southern Gothic music– also known as gothic Americana, gothic country, dark country or “the Denver sound”– twists folk, bluegrass, rock and punk influences together to create a spooky yet rural vibe. The last moniker references the music’s origin in Denver, where the scene still savors its popularity. A Southern Gothic tune might rely heavily on the banjo, acoustic guitar or violin to cultivate that dreary backwoods feeling.

Television has an eye for Southern goths– particularly Southern vampires. The HBO series True Blood and the 2022 adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire place the bloodthirsty beings in Louisiana. Both explore supernatural themes and race in the South, with an additional queer lens taking form in the characters of Lafayette Reynolds and Lestat de Lioncourt.

With these subconscious influences, Southern Gothic fashion employs flowy silhouettes, gingham prints, wide-brim hats, boots and lace accents, as well as a color palette of wine reds, forest greens, muted grays and, of course, black. The result is an unmistakably gothic version of the beaut, belle or gent you would find in a Southern period drama. While some individuals choose to highlight feminine or masculine shapes in their styling, others blend them or adopt an androgynous shape. Further variation occurs when outfits borrow from punk, fairycore, romantic goth or any of the innumerable aesthetics viewable on Pinterest.

For those of us that grew up with more urban gothic trends, Y’Allternative is a breath of rustic air. It’s pleasantly subversive, embracing the wilderness and its potential for fear. Southern Gothic music, literature, film and television all spin the once-comforting countryside into a landscape of horror. The fashion echoes the past, yet brings darkness to the forefront.

You might be visiting family in Mississippi when late at night, you spot a pair of glowing eyes beyond your bedroom window. You go outside to investigate, the cicadas screeching and mosquitos grappling your skin. You hear the slow crunching of leaves - it’s too loud to be a coyote. You spin around and run back inside as fast as you can. One thing is for certain: The memory will plague your mind for as long as you live… the potential for screams in the South.

#yallternative #fashion #alternativefashion #alternative #writing #magazine #articles #student

14 notes · View notes

wonderlandleighleigh · 2 years

Note

Can you please do another follow up on the interview drama? Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top

"Guys I'm really gay."

They've been drinking for a number of hours. Drained a few bottles at this point, sprawled out on the floor and couches in the living room.

"Wait, you thought we didn't know you were gay?" Esther asks, confused as she lifts her head from the floor.

Lan lifts his own, looking panicked. "What?"

"We know you're gay," Lily tells him.

"Smokey and the Bandit," Ethan chimes in.

"Wh-"

"I took you to see Smokey and the Bandit," Ethan goes on, laughing from the couch. "Lan, you were smitten."

Lan stares around at his siblings.

"No one could blame you," Kitty assures him. "Burt Reynolds is really sexy."

"It's the mustache," Lily agrees.

"Honestly, I'm a little jealous," Esther chimes in again. "I wanted to be the gay one."

"You-"

"Men are terrible," Esther cuts him off.

"Wait, does everyone know?" Lan asks, still completely flabbergasted.

"None of the grandparents guessed," Ethan tells him. "And lucky you, you only have to tell one of them. Unless you wanna tell Sally. I don't think she'd care much."

"But you're being safe, right?" Lily asks worriedly. "The Aids thing isn't getting better, and Reagan is still choosing to ignore the problem."

"I only have the one partner," Lan assures her. "And we've both been tested a couple of times."

"Don't die please," Lily says.

"Doing my best," Lan tells her. "God, I can't believe you all knew all this time. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you didn't say anything," Kitty shrugs with a giggle. "What were we supposed to do, point at you and announce it at Yom Kippur dinner?"

"Not that you've been to Yom Kippur dinner in the last couple of years," Esther comments. "Busy movie star that you are."

Len sighs heavily. "Do you think the parents know?"

"Oh, Daddy definitely knows," Lily tells him. "Your dad once mentioned a matchmaker and Daddy blew coffee out his nose."

"Ow," Lan flinches.

"Many, many worse things have gone up and come out that nose," Kitty comments. "He was fine."

"Pop is gonna lose his shit," Lan mutters, pressing the palms of his hands to his eyes. "It's times like these I wish I was a Weissman-Bruce. Midge would not care."

"She'd wrap you in cellophane and ask for the sexual history of everyone you know," Ethan comments. "She's terrified for Uncle Shy right now."

"I'm really fine, you guys," Lan grumbles.

"Keep being fine, please," Kitty insists. She sits up and huffs. "Who wants more whiskey?"

Ethan's hand shoots up, as does Lily's.

"Five people, all aware that addictions runs in every branch of their family," Lan jokes.

"Wait, Mei's family, too?" Esther asks.

"Opium, back in China," Lan explains.

"Well, here's to bad habits," Kitty states, as she refills everyone's glasses.

*****

When Lan opens his eyes again, sunshine is streaming through the smudged windows, and he can smell French toast from the kitchen.

He feels like a little kid again, slumped around with his siblings, delicious smells in the air, and Midge and Lenny's voices - low and soft - coming from the other room.

The aroma of coffee has him pulling himself to his feet. He thought he'd be more hungover, but he actually feels okay. The combination of a handful of aspirin sometime in the night, and good quality liquor making things feel a little easier, most likely.

"Hey, we have a life one," Lenny comments, grinning at him.

"Well, that's one less funeral to plan so soon," Midge jokes, zooming by and kissing Lan's cheek. "Hi, sweetie."

"You guys don't look mad," Lan says, frowning.

Lenny snorts. "Do you know how many times people have said I'm gonna die soon? You're far from the first, and you won't be the last."

"You just have to learn how to give less shitty interviews," Midge tells him, handing him a cup of coffee. "God, this place is not in good shape anymore. Every since Paulie retired..."

"Maybe we should just buy the bungalow," Lenny suggests. "Fix it up nice, give it some love, have a good place for vacations and whatnot."

"It's not the worst idea," Midge grins, before looking at Lan. "How are you? How's LA?"

"LA is good. I'm...I feel awful about that interview," he tells her. "The stuff they said about Mama, and Lenny and Ethan...and then they did a deep-dive on Maisel and Roth and..."

"There are just some journalists who will do anything to get ahead," Midge tells him. "There was this one woman who used to trash every show I ever did."

"Ah, L. Roy Dunham," Lenny muses. "When she trashed Midge's first Gordon Ford appearance, she got so much hate mail, they had to fire her from the Daily News."

"And she died last year," Midge adds. "Food poisoning. Bad pork."

Lan frowns as he sips his coffee. "So...if you're not mad..."

Midge takes a breath and smooths out her dress. "There's a lot of stuff that you kids don't know, that...well..you're all adults now... Lily is nineteen for god's sake, so...it's time. Once your parents get here, and everyone's been fed and given hangover cures, we'll all talk."

Lan nods.

"You know the best thing about being the first up is first dibs on the shower," Lenny tells him.

Lan lifts an playfully eyebrow. "Lenny, are you telling me I smell?"

"I absolutely am. Go."

Lan laughs and takes his coffee upstairs.

#fic #au #tmmm #the siblings #Lan Maisel #Midge x Lenny

38 notes · View notes

grigori77 · 4 months

Text

2023 in Music - My Top 5 Favourite Albums

5. LONELY THE BRAVE – What We Do to Feel

The alt-rockers from Cambridge, UK have completed their reinvention after their post-sophomore record shake-ups with what is arguably their best album to date, a canny mixture of moody, anthemic guitar-heavy muscle and haunting introspective beauty. Enthusiastically gruff vocalist Mark Trotter definitely seems to have really earned his place now after making an impressive debut on 2021’s similarly excellent The Hope List, taking what was already a strong band producing great music and helping to transform them into something truly special.

Standout tracks: Long Way, The Lens, Our Sketch Out, Victim, In the Well, Eventide, Unseen, The Bear

4. HOLDING ABSENCE – The Noble Art of Self Destruction

Looks like it’s third album’s the charm for one of the very best bands to have emerged from the 2010’s second-gen post-hardcore alt rock scene (which also produced my absolute favourites of all, Don Broco … but that’s a different story). Following up in FINE FORM INDEED from their already MAGNIFICENT second album The Greatest Mistake of My Life, Cardiff’s (no longer) best kept musical secret have crafted a streamlined powerhouse of a record that’s all killer/no filler, perfectly showcasing their ubiquitous double-threat of blistering guitars and lead singer Lucas Woodland’s spectacular, nakedly honest vocals.

Standout tracks: Head Prison Blues, A Crooked Melody, False Dawn, Scissors, Honey Moon, Her Wings, These New Dreams, The Angel In the Marble

3. HOZIER – Unreal Unearth

The rightly beloved Irish singer-songwriter has returned with what is arguably HIS VERY BEST record to date, a brilliant ever-shifting musical landscape incorporating subtle, spellbinding Celtic-flavoured gentleness, ear-wormy pop-accented bops and bravely inventive experimentation. The result is the year’s most effortlessly SOOTHING musical offering, which has done wonders to cheer me up every time I’ve put it on after a rough day. But I still miss “the woo” …

Standout tracks: De Selby (Parts 1 & 2), Francesca, I, Carrion (Icarian), Eat Your Young, Damage Gets Done (featuring Brandi Carlile), Who We Are, Butchered Tongue, Anything But, Abstract (Psychopomp), Unknown / Nth, First Light

2. ENTER SHIKARI – A Kiss For the Whole World

The craziest rock band to have EVER come out of St Albans continues to blow me away with their fiendishly eclectic mixture of edgy post-hardcore grit and anarchic electronic-edged musical MADNESS. This is BY FAR their most streamlined record to date (I can’t believe it’s little more than HALF AN HOUR LONG!), but in some ways also their most rewardingly EXPANSIVE, Rou Reynolds and co. once again playing in an arena of massive themes and making us think as much as they make us ROCK OUT. More of this please, lads!

Standout tracks: A Kiss For the Whole World x, (pls) Set Me On Fire, It Hurts, Dead Wood, Bloodshot, Bloodshot (Coda), Goldfish, Giant Pacific Octopus (I Don’t Know You Anymore)

1. SLEEP TOKEN – Take Me Back to Eden

It’s fascinating to think that just a year ago I’d barely even HEARD of Sleep Token, and certainly wasn’t at all FAMILIAR with anything they’d done. Then they dropped The Summoning and everything changed … less than 12 months later this is BY FAR the best record I’ve heard ALL YEAR, and as far as I’m concerned anyone who DOESN’T rate it at the very top of their own 2023 list clearly wasn’t paying attention (I’m looking as YOU, Kerrang!). The mysterious Vessel and his equally unknowable fellow collective have crafted a work of unrivalled MAJESTY here, a little over an hour of pure sonic MAGIC which constantly flips between the hardest possible progressive metal and a dizzying myriad of other genres from its attention-grabbing opening to the heart-wrenching closer. The end result is not only the best album of the year but a very strong candidate indeed for, potentially, my album of the DECADE. Worship indeed …

Standout tracks: Chokehold, The Summoning, Granite, Vore, Ascensionism, Are You Really Okay?, The Apparition, Take Me Back to Eden, Euclid

The ones that didn’t quite make the cut:

STONESIDE. – God of the Mountain (the Texan prog metalheads amaze us once again with their long-awaited debut album); PVRIS – Evergreen (multitalented musical genius Lynn Gunn delivers her most eclectic and full-on electronic alt-rock record to date); TESSERACT – War of Being (the latest offering from the endlessly inventive Milton Keynes prog metal maniacs just might be their best yet, and it’s DEFINITELY their most memorable); BABYMETAL – The Other One (quite possibly the greatest metal band to ever come out of Japan have done it again with another stone-cold banger of a record); STAIND – Confessions of the Fallen (one of the greatest secret weapons of the American post-grunge era makes their long-awaited return after a 12-year absence with one of their best albums to date)

Honourable mention:

EXPLORING BIRDSONG – Dancing In the Face of Danger

Much like with Sleep Token before them, I was genuinely ignorant of this emerging prog rock band from Liverpool up until mid-November, when Kerrang! Radio introduced me to them through their haunting cover of Deftones’ Diamond Eyes. Then I did what I always do, see what else they’ve got knocking about on YouTube, and within two videos I was LOST. Their second EP is completely fucking AMAZING, a magnificent musical adventure of pure imagination and experimental GENIUS which goes a long way to prove you don’t actually NEED guitars to rock out, lead-singer and pianist Lynsey Ward doing a genuinely beautiful job with just her keys. All five tracks are absolute FIRE, but the undeniable standouts are Bear the Weight and the killer closer, No Longer We Lie.

#2023 in music #lonely the brave #what we do to feel #holding absence #the noble art of self destruction #hozier #unreal unearth #enter shikari #a kiss for the whole world #sleep token #take me back to eden #exploring birdsong #dancing in the face of danger

3 notes · View notes