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inflammatory · 7 months ago

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The 80s. Everyone was young and quick. Not a single album missed. Then the decade passed and some weird vibes got into them and right before Bruce Dickinson left to take some laps making mid solo material they put out FEAR OF THE DARK, a toss-up between the perfect classic maiden guns and some weird bar rock type shit that you could probably safely fuck to without tearing a muscle. Strangely enough, in my opinion this combination made for the perfect ENTRY LEVEL GATEWAY ALBUM, especially for listeners who haven’t yet found the sound of metal quite their cup of tea. Opens with a typical skin ripping gallop track, finds its arguable apex with six minutes of AFRAID TO SHOOT STRANGERS, slowburning into the most hypnotic melodic riffs they ever did. Gems like JUDAS BE MY GUIDE are hidden at the back of a slightly inflated tracklist. They make you listen to the absolute skip that is WEEKEND WARRIOR before you even get to the historical title track. Not Maiden’s best. But the magic that is there still strikes awe. I believe it was for FOTD that they picked up Janick Gers on guitar, who contributes some really fantastic freewheeling lead slop. Think solos that sound like he’s being chased by a murderer simultaneously.

Settling into their sound, a listener must of course sink teeth into the satanic panic classic THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST. A very chewy forty minutes. This was 1982 where Dickinson, the voice you hear on most of the relevant albums, just arrived. And he immediately displays his chops. See title track for one iconic blood curdling shriek. Maiden makes quick work of this album, and saves their very best for last with HALLOWED BE THY NAME, the song that personally first pulled me into the band. They make seven minutes feel like two. To get there, however, Iron Maiden has written some silly shit that they will first subject you to (22 ACACIA AVENUE, skippable). Many members of the band contribute lyrics, but Steve Harris, behind both the band and the bass gallop that made it, oftentimes writes songs that veer comedic.

So we get to SOMEWHERE IN TIME, another rich 80s classic album that keeps gateway listenability by being sweet on melodies and having no overly outrageous Steve Harris lyric moments. On ALEXANDER THE GREAT he does have Dickinson read off a Wikipedia page, ostensibly. But it’s amazing either way. This album also sports WASTED YEARS, considered Maiden mainstream for good reason.

But forget entry level listening. We want to cut to the very pinnacle of Iron Maiden output. Rest and relaxation after 1986’s SOMEWHERE IN TIME creates SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON in 1988. The idea of a concept album they waltzed with previously appears fully realised, operatically spotless, SYNTHS. There is no Gers slop here. This is the crystallised daddy of modern prog. Dreamy but white hot. Back to back to back, they put CAN I PLAY WITH MADNESS, THE EVIL THAT MEN DO, and the ten minute title track together. It is for this reason that the first acoustic guitars crawled out from the ocean and evolved pickups and tone switches.

…You could probably also listen to Powerslave. They’re quick on that one too.

For later there is the earlier KILLERS. This has Paul Di’Anno before they swapped him for Dickinson. He’s got a grit to his voice that Dickinson doesn’t have, which works perfect for the songs they were putting out. See MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, one which should catapult this album to classic status by itself. I hear the basis for a lot of modern J-rock/metal in this one. Couldn’t explain it to you, but it’s in the melody. And I honestly love the Di’Anno sound. I would’ve put him with guitarist Gers for maximum impact. Too bad they’re star-crossed by a decade. Fun fact about Di’Anno is that Rob Halford of Judas Priest once tried to hit. He did not succeed.

End notes: Yeah, the Trooper is good and you’ve probably heard it, but it’s carrying its album.

#iron maiden #please listen to iron maiden. But also remember you don’t like them as much as I do

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willsperotruther · 1 year ago

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here's the fic lol

—————————Chapter 1, Edith POV

Edith was debating it. Sure, she loves the fair just as much as any other Uranium resident. Everyone went without fail every year except the year after the accident. The accident killed her sister and her friends at only 18 years old. They had just moved to Uranium around a week prior. Before everything turned horrible. Thinking of it made her feel sick, but she refused to let one random accident deter her good time with her friends. After attending the funerals of the children, she had grown fond of their siblings. She stood up and sighed. She knew she had to make a decision fast or they’d already be out of tickets when she arrived.

She learned many things after her sister's passing. She knew her parents were unpredictable. She knew she wasn’t allowed out past 7 pm. Most of all, She knew she had been banned from attending any fairs held in this town and any other town. She walked down the stairs, adjusting her loose-fitting shirt. It was a hand-me-down from Penny before her passing. It was special to her. She gripped her duffle bag tightly. It had multiple bottles of vodka shoved into a small bag. Sure, teen drinking was bad, but she has the dead-sister card and they would give her a look of pity. By the time she had walked to the kitchen, she had noticed both her parents were in the den. If she didn’t draw too much attention to herself, she could escape and meet her friends. “Edith?” Her mom called out. This was not good. “Sleeping over at Azalea’s house again? Be safe, my dear.” The last part made Edith’s heart sting. She loved her mother. How could she betray her trust like this? Never mind that, she needs to make a run for it. Azalea’s car waited for her in the driveway.

—————————Chapter 2, Azalea’s POV

Azalea watched in curiosity as Edith ran out of her house. She heard the faint noise of bottles clicking as Edith ran. She hopped in the car with a heavy sigh. “Drive. Quickly.” Edith muttered, holding the bag close to her chest.

Azalea realized the clicking was bottles of something, no doubt vodka, in the duffle bag. “Put it in the back,” she said, the audible annoyance with Edith's substances. She focused on driving, trying to remember what on earth Theo’s address was. It was some small apartment off of a random road. What was it, 22 something? She would remember while driving.

“Edith, what’d you steal from the store this time?” She addressed her friend, oddly quiet. “7 bottles of 59% vodka.” She huffed. “C’mon Edith, I love you but you can’t keep stealing stuff! Now, what road is Theo’s house on?” Edith’s face was contorted with thought. “Oh! I remember! Acacia Avenue! His house is at 22 Acacia Avenue. Near the mega-mall, I think?”

Azalea thought for a second, then whipped the car around. “I missed the turn!” She yelled, making an excuse for the reckless driving. After that, the car ride was smooth. Softer music was playing as Azalea hummed along, trying to distract herself from the fact that she was going to a fair.

She had been deathly afraid of them since her sister's death, but she hid it well. She had just turned 18, she needed to live a little anyway. It was just some random fair that had no connection to the one that killed Constance anyway. She would be fine, but she would still avoid roller coasters, just for good measure. As she pulled into the driveway of Theo’s apartment complex, she sighed. She turned off her headlights and got out her phone. As she texted Theo, she heard something from the fire escape that led straight to his room. She looked up and saw him climbing down and running to her car, hopping in as soon as he made it to her parking spot,

“Hey, Guys!”

———————————Chapter 3, Theo POV

‘God Theo, you are such an idiot’ Theo thought to himself as he climbed down the fire escape with lots of struggle, seeing as he had packed snacks for the entire group in his bag, along with his sketchbook and a few pencils.

For Florian, he had blue raspberry-flavored jolly ranchers. Just the blue ones, because Florian didn't like the other flavors, for some odd reason. For Rosemary, he had brought her favorite candy, gushers. Edith was being brought Hot Cheetos. Finally, for Azalea he brought the mulberries he picked off of his tree.

He slid down the fire escape and finally sprinted to Azalea’s car, hoping that his parents wouldn’t see him sprinting across the parking lot like a madman. He opened the door quickly and jumped into the seat closest to him, slamming the door shut, hoping he didn't alert his parents.

He loved fairs, even though his brother had died in an accident there. Ever since he was young, he and Ricky had enjoyed fairs and rides. He had fought multiple ride operators because they wouldn’t let his brother on. No matter how anybody treated his brother, he would always speak and be there for him. Theo was anxious, knowing his parents were sleeping inside while he was sneaking away.

No, he couldn’t let that hold him back. This was honoring Ricky’s memory. He would let go of his fears, for his brother, because Ricky wouldn't want him to stay home.

He would want him to have fun.

———————————Chapter 4, Florian’s POV

Florian logged off of Stardew Valley as his phone vibrated. As he read the message from Azalea, he picked up his satchel from the side of his chair, slipping his blue raspberry lemonade into the side. He had always loved blue raspberry. Ocean had loved anything Grape flavored. She always signed to him and gave him the blue raspberry candies. They both learned sign after he lost his hearing and balance due to him being diagnosed with Meinere’s Disease in both ears. It happened when he was young, so he had time to adjust.

Ocean was the first person who learned it in order to still be able to talk with him. He couldn’t think about Ocean right now. It would hold him back. He cleared his head and slipped the satchel over his shoulders. He grabbed his crutches and stood slowly. He had learned that people like him were quiet. His parents wouldn’t even notice him.

His parents wouldn’t care if he was sneaking out. They barely even acknowledged the fact he lived in their house, sitting in their bedroom, talking about how to ‘save the planet’ and smoking some random shit their friends had gotten them because they didn’t have a car to leave the house.

They wouldn't even notice he was gone. They barely even grieved his sister. He hated them with everything in him. He secretly wished it was them gone, not Ocean.

But on a better note, he walked outside to Azalea's car. As soon as she saw that he was walking out of the car, she turned to Theo to tell him that Florian was coming. Theo hopped out of the car and jogged over to him so that he could help Florian into the car. Florian internally sighed when he saw Edith was in the car as well. He remembered what his therapist told him. Take deep breaths and relax. He decided to keep it inside, for Azalea and Theo’s sake. Also, she wouldn’t even understand him, seeing as Rosy wasn’t there yet to interpret.

He just stayed quiet and prayed nothing would go wrong.

———————————Chapter 5, Rosemary POV

Rosemary checked herself in the mirror. She looked perfect. She always does. Her colorful outfit was in contrast with her dark hair. A rainbow-striped shirt under checkered overalls with a red see-through belt. She checked her nails, making sure every fine detail was perfect, just like her brother taught her. She made sure to grab her bag with her notebook it in. She always kept a small notebook on her in case there was anything she could jot down to research later. She checked her calendar and made sure that tonight was the correct night. It was.

She laced up the overly beaded laces of her converse, plugged in her headphones, turned on ‘Welcome To Nightvale’, and ran outside while still making sure to be quiet. She couldn't risk waking her mother up. If her mother woke up, she'd be grounded until she was in her mid-30s.

She missed her brother. He taught her everything she knew. From French to how to paint her nails, Noel taught it to her. Noel did so many things for her, and she never thanked him for it. She wouldn’t tell anyone, but she knew her friends knew just how much his death had affected her. He had even worked overtime at a job he hated just to make sure she had enough to eat or attend her monthly therapy sessions. Their mom couldn’t work very often, considering how many times she was in and out of the house with no explanation.

Now she was doing the only thing she knew to do, ignoring any feelings that surrounded her brother and his friends, hoping it would make the pain go away. It didn’t.

Her therapist told her that she needed to stop ignoring her feelings, and actually talk about them. Rosemary thought that it was stupid though. She would much rather ignore her feelings and pay attention to drama.

Rosemary fixed her hair as she waited for Azalea’s car to pull up, and checked her bag to make sure she had everything.

Dark Chocolate for Theo, because he never thought of himself? Check.

Phone? Check.

Water bottle? Check.

A photo of her brother and her when she was six? Check.

Her wallet? Check.

‘Good’ she thought. because she hadn't forgotten anything this time. Normally she would forget something, and Theo would have to calm her down.

———————————Chapter 6, Alina POV

Alina wondered where her friends were. Did they forget her? She smoothed out her dress as she texted them. No answer. She hated this. Why was she being left out? What made her the different one? Was it her brother? Her brother was filled with such hatred when he came to Canada. Maybe it put everyone off. No matter what had caused it, her friends were too busy for her. She thought back to her old life. Her mother had just asked her to be safe and happy. Was she?

She was very young, about 11 when their mother passed away. It had been only 5 years later when Mischa passed as well. She hoped they were doing better than she was right now. She also hoped they were together, knowing how much he had missed their mother. No matter how mad he was, he never took it out on Alina. He loved her and made sure her life was as normal as possible, considering their adoptive parents didn’t even know she came along with him. He had done so much for her here in Uranium. He was the one she could always rely on. He was gone. Long gone. Here she was, waiting in the cold, doing nothing.

This was not what Mischa would want.

Mischa wasn’t here. She didn’t care anymore.

She decided to hail a taxi to the fair. Even if her “friends” ignored her, they couldn’t stop her from having a good time. She didn’t plan on working it out. Tonight, she was going to see what the ride was that killed her brother. Her plan was to ride it tonight. She hoped she wouldn't see the sunrise tomorrow, and would finally be able to be with her family once more.

As her taxi arrived closer, it was almost as if Mischa was right there, pulling her back. As she dug through her handbag for the money, she ignored the feeling. Having given the driver the money, he accelerated away. She looked at the fair in awe. It was beautiful. After talking with the person running the ticket booth, she bought one ticket. She was going to ride The Cyclone.

She was the only one in line, and the operator looked as if he’d fall asleep on the spot. She handed him the ticket and secured herself into the ride.

She made sure that the protector was not fully locked in. She planned everything that was going to go on. She knew this would be her last ride of the night. She thought about everyone she knew and knew they wouldn’t care. Nobody would.

As the ride started up, she could feel herself almost floating. She was smiling as they started to ascend to the top of the ride. She would finally be free. All of the Bachinskis would finally be together again.

As the ride reached the top, she made sure that all of the safety items were detached. This was it. The last time she would ever see this town. This town that killed her brother. The town that shunned them for oh so long. She could be free.

Finally, the ride thrust downward as she plummeted. She felt at peace, knowing when she hit the ground it would all be over. She fell, but she's still alive? Alina looks at her chest and saw a bloodied piece of metal sticking out of where her heart should be. The blood pattered in her ears as she heard it drip onto the ground. She touched it, feeling that it was an iron spike from the fencing around the ride. She looked and saw her legs and other arm twisted in unholy ways, no doubt all broken. Tears were streaming down her face making all of the scrapes hurt even more. The spike had impaled her chest, going through as if it were butter. It felt as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest as she looked in horror. This was the last thing she’ll ever see. Her own blood was everywhere. The blood was wet, as it stained her clothes and skin. Her chest was damp with all the blood. She tried to mutter out a “Hello, Mischa” as she began to choke on the last words. The red liquid dripped down her dress, and finally, she could rest. She closed her eyes, for it was the last time she ever would.

———————————Chapter 7 Alina POV

Alina awoke with a sharp gasp as she sat up. She looked around, dazed and confused. She thought she had died? She looked at her chest and saw the bloodied spike sticking out of her chest.

She began to panic. Why was she in some random warehouse when she should be dead? She looked around and noticed there was a box with what appeared to be a puppet in it. The box read Karnak. It looked like something that had come out of the fair she died at.

She began to hear voices as if they were in another room. Was she going crazy? She stood up, making sure that the metal stayed put in her chest, not attempting to rip it out.

She walked towards the voices and was sure she was going crazy. She was hearing her dead brother’s voice. That’s impossible. Her brother died 2 years ago.

She opened the door and saw multiple people. None of them mattered to her. She saw her brother. She ran and jumped onto him, sobbing into his chest. She was with her brother.

She didn't care about her makeup or outfit anymore. It's her brother. All he did was put his hands around her, bringing her into a hug as he himself began to shed some tears.

Alina didn’t know who these people were, but one of them said “Mischa… is that your little sister?” Alina pulled herself away from her brother and looked around at the children. She realized something. These people were everyone that had died in the accident that killed Mischa. They were all of her “friends” siblings.

One of the girls looked as if she was a doll from the head up. “Where are we?”

“Limbo, now the real question is why are you here!” her brother exclaimed, obviously upset she had died. “I rode The Cyclone, obviously,” she answered, trying to pull herself back together.

———————————Chapter 8 No POV

Edith sighed as she walked up to the Ferris wheel, wishing her friends would speak out loud as they signed, seeing as she didn't know how.

“Would you please tell me what's going on?” she snapped. “We’re going to the Ferris wheel, no need to overreact,” said Rosie, eyeing her weirdly. “Ok, that's all I wanted to know!” she huffed.

She grabbed her hot Cheetos from Theo’s bag and started walking in the direction of the Ferris wheel, knowing she was going too fast for Florian to keep up, happy she could escape his infuriating eye rolls and signing.

As the group approached the ferris wheel, Rosemary gasped in what sounded like fake shock, obviously masking delight. She turned to Theo and whispered something in his ear, making him snort.

“What is it!” she turned quickly, knowing Florian had signed something about her. “He said that you’re a low-life trend hopper with no discernible personality.” Rosemary said in between giggles.

Edith seethed with anger as she turned to him. “SHUT UP, YOU GINGER INCUBUS!” she yelled at him, as Rosemary signed the words to him. He just rolled his eyes and continued forward, signing something else to Rosemary.

Rosemary handed the group’s tickets to the Carnie, who was obviously high off his ass, giving him a weird look as he looked her up and down. Edith found him gross before, but now that he was basically drooling over her friend, she found him even more disgusting.

As the five teenagers boarded the ferris wheel, she had an off feeling in her gut, like when you go to take a step down the stairs, only to realize that there were no more stairs and you almost fell.

As the creaky cart started mowing upwards she heard slight sounds of metal snapping. and panicked, looking to see if anyone else in the group noticed.

Then out of nowhere, a feeling of weightlessness flew over her body, calming her and making her more panicked at the same time. Next thing she knew, there was nothing except a split second of pain, making all the fear wash away.

Chapter 9 -Rosemary's pov

I awoke in a warehouse. I felt the cold ground on my back. Where are we? I tried to look around, but my eyes felt so cloudy. I barely managed to stand without falling over. I managed to make out a door. Where would it lead? I looked around and saw my fellow choir-mates, all looked to be sleeping on the floor.

Approaching the door, I was overcome by curiosity. I pushed it open and recognized mostly everyone. I saw my brother Noel and Alina. I ran and hugged Noel, overcome with a tidal wave of emotions that I had been suppressing since his death. I missed him so much. Before I realized it, I was overcome with cold, salty tears. I felt him embrace me warmly as we both cried. I could see Alina through the corner of my eye. I walked away from Noel and walked up to Alina, hugging her tightly.

Alina seemed shocked at my sudden movement, obviously just expecting a ‘Hello’ or something of the sort. She seemed stiff as her arms encased my back. She pulled away with a sad look on her face. She urgently whispered “Чому ти мені ніколи не дзвонив? Мене всі покинули” I knew she was asking why I didn’t text her. We left her alone. “Alina,” I started, “I did text you? You never responded.” Alina gave a sad look. She showed me her phone. The text was sent at 8:16pm. “I boarded the Cyclone at 8:00. I died no later than 8:05” She gestured towards the metal still inside her chest.

“I'm so sorry, I knew we were forgetting something.” I said.

______________________________________

so its kinda a mess lol

anyway i might rewrite this lol

@https-witchcxre

#tw: death #ride the cyclone #monique.txt 🐝

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