#Anyways I saw a folk punk show

[ironykins]

Bury me in analog Every paper That I ever scribbled on Is a treasure Chart-topper, best seller Yeah, it'll be yours to take And buy it and sell it It's all garbage anyway

[dognonsense]

hi im on day 5 of covid quarantine and going insane . I need a hug or gay sex or a moshpit stat . anyways. Patch ideas : all advertising should be illegal. guillotine labelled glory hole for billionaires . Trans folk punk forever amen . T4T4T4T4T4EVER. T4T monster energy logo . Don't talk to me until I eat this cigarette. Only you can see me . rent strike ix cover or just rent strike eyes. Sister wife sex strike (if you do not already. you should listen to sister wife sex strike)

Have some T4T creatures i made earlier to sustain you

The fucking 5 T 4 EVER imma figure out how to make that for me yes

I dont wanna do the monster energy logo its hardd and i already have a patch with it

dont have any imagery for cigarettes yet but when i have one i might do that

Im not in the super mood for making band patches sorry!

However i saw sister wife sex strike live last month and did a patch trade with them for my fags fight back patch for a swss patch. I just safety pinned another swss patch on the leg of my pants. Heres a photo of two pairs of my patch pants.

I have another swss patch, and a shirt but the damn shirts gone missing.

Here photography i took during the SWSS show. I post my photography on instagram at @yvrpatches

[ronearoundblindly]

If deep sea mermaid is free in some way she dosent just leave. She liked meeting the team and loves steve .

The time they went in the deepest trench in the world (thanks to tonys tech that went smooth trials and they are able to go there) they are surprised of what they saw assides their intended mission to find the bad guys hiding there as they look around a familiar tail sways and this time it glows

Steve smiled and knew who it was and assured everyone its alright

Tony joked steve fucked a mermaid

Wanda hears someone then at the front part of the submarine there she is Tail swaying in joy while waving her hand as a "Hi!!!!" Tony shrugs " yep shes not hangry

Bucky is also facinated in a curious way "So this is why you took too long punk

Bruce simply stunded theres folks like here here

Nat straight to the point to her" anything suspicious?"

Y/n simply nod and beckons them to follow her with her eletric glowing tail for them to follow her direction there . Is a bad guy hiding here

a continuation of the Sun, Salt, And Shield miniverse. (Also, this ask is from October. I am so sorry it took me so long to get to!) Warnings for action/adventure, vague innuendo, bad jokes (from everyone), and mild language have you met me?. Lightly edited. WC 1.8k

Pairing: steve rogers x deep sea mermaid!reader

"Is that...is that a Segway?" Sam Wilson completely fails to hide his amusement as you test out Tony's motorized way to let you 'walk' on land.

"Heavily modified, but--" Tony takes the handle from you for a second to lower the max speed while you learn "--essentially, yeah."

It wasn't easy. In fact, the part they thought would be the hardest turned out to have a quick fix. You can only breathe outside of the water for so long, so Atlantian technology was formed to fit over your gills and mouth. Thanks, Namor.

Then Tony was faced with a wholly new problem. You live in the deep sea, naturally, under a great deal of pressure, and as a non-bipedal lifeform who maneuvers that fast underwater, outside of the water, you are made up of over 250 lbs of muscle. Most of that lies in your tail which they've witnessed crush a man's skull on impact.

That...should not make Steve feel the things he does. It really shouldn't.

He did always think he'd fall for a strong woman though. So. There's that.

You listen carefully to Tony's instructions, eyes shielded by enormous black sunglasses the billionaire obsessed over designing. He made you look like an old Hollywood movie star--albeit with vivid green hair and pale purple skin--and Steve wonders if the style was a purposeful jab at him.

"Right, the direction is pretty sensitive at the moment," Tony slowly explains to you. "You've got to really control your weight distribution so it doesn't overshoot your target."

That three-layer grin comes out in an instant, and you nod. No hesitation, barely a glance around, you start the contraption rolling, circling Sam, then Tony, then Steve with pinpoint precision, pausing in the middle of them all to cock your head.

"Coral reefs require sharp turns."

Tony stares at you, the nine-foot-long crown-to-fin specimen before him. It's clear he both adores and loathes how adept you are despite your wildly different backgrounds. You've grown on him. A lot. So much so that Tony has not made a fish-fucking joke in two whole weeks.

Steve won't chance calling attention to it though. The more he lets Tony delve into tech to keep you here longer and tech that allows humans to be where you live longer, the more Steve gets to see you. Win-win.

"Show off," Tony grumbles with deeply proud eyes. "Let's see what you can do then."

Steve himself has never gotten to go in one of the new Divers. Tony always insisted on manning the crafts himself until all the bugs were worked out. The first prototypes fit one person (one not-very-large-person) anyway, so it wasn't going to be Steve piloting one.

The new models can fit approximately six people comfortably.

While Namor's city has a bright source of light to help surface folk see, you and your people function without.

That means a mix of infrared, night-vision, and sonar are all the team can use to 'see' your home.

Unfortunately, they aren't here on a social visit. A mutant named Tiger Shark is rumored to be hiding within a few hundred nautical miles. It's imperative he be found.

As great as Tony's tech is, it's clunky and slow compared to how fast the mermaids can swim and search. You can also survive at greater depths than Atlantians while maintaining your speed. There's a boing-hollow tap above Steve's head and he snaps to look through the low-light adjusted glass.

You wave enthusiastically before pressing a webbed hand to the window.

"Hey, doll," Steve whispers automatically.

Tony groans. "Right. Grariel, we are looking for the man--uh, thing I sent you a picture of. Have any of your people seen him before? Do you know if he's been nearby?"

The pressed hand turns into one held-out finger as you look away from the Diver. There are bizarre noises that send the sonar haywire until Tony switches it off.

Your tail glows again, something Steve hasn't seen since the first time he met you in the Raft, scales lifting slightly to show bright pink bioluminescence.

And then magic.

As far as is possible to see in the Diver, lights of different sizes sprout up in shades of blue, pink, and purple. Your people. They're telling you what they know. It's the first time Steve considers you might be a leader of your own people, too. It's his turn to be proud like Tony who looks duly impressed.

Quickly, faster than it can register in the infrared scans, you're off like a shot, and Steve feels almost sick to his stomach trying to follow your deft swimming.

"Well, ok," Tony scrambles, "I guess we're doing this damn thing."

He pushes it, but the Diver cannot move anywhere near as fast as you can. Steve loses the light of your tail and stiffens, gripping a hand over Tony's shoulder.

"I got her. I got her, Cap." Tony flicks a few switches on the panel in front of him. "She's a good girl. Keeps her tracker on. We'll catch up."

It takes too long to get to you once your tracking signal stops advancing, but then Tony grimaces.

"Uh, slight problem. She's ascending."

"How is that an issue," Nat asks. "Can't we help her more in shallower water?"

"Based on her heart rate--"

"Just get us there," Steve booms, franticly searching the scans above them for signs of you. The water shines blue now, and they can see some light, but Tony has them at a pretty sharp angle to get higher.

"Found 'em. Right there."

Suspended in cerulean blue, it looks like you're dancing, swirling and circling with odd twists and turns. It's almost beautiful until--

Bucky croaks. "Is that blood?"

"WHAT? Tony--"

"Hold your horses. It's red," Tony dismisses.

"Yes, blood tends to be that color," Steve deadpans. "Now help--"

"Black," Tony chirps. "Your girlfriend's blood is black, for the record."

They progress closer, and then a much darker gush of blood floats in the liquid sky but remains mostly red. Tiger Shark is a transformed human, after all; his blood remains close to human.

"Yeah, that's about what it looked like when she ate Chuck..." He swivels in his seat. "Do you know, I still can't buy ground chuck? Almost put me off burgers. Feels so wrong."

"Focus, Tony."

Swift like a cheetah on land, you roll your tail around Tiger Shark's legs and squeeze, stretching out behind him to grab at the corners of his mouth and below the huge shark's jaw. It's as if you purposefully display your catch, sharp ends to your long webbed fingers digging at the mutant's thick flesh.

"Atta girl," Tony cheers.

You beam but aren't looking at them.

Something huge, big enough to shadow the Diver completely, whips over their heads.

Another mermaid.

Actually, a male, something which Steve has never seen before. He supposes he knew they existed, of course, but this guy is enormous. Possibly two feet longer than you with a body almost twice as wide.

He completely blocks their view of you for a few seconds.

"We got something to secure him with," Tony announces to your comm.

When the merman flicks his tale to move away, you sport your Hollywood shades with gusto. The male brought you your sunglasses, and suddenly, Steve's...more than curious.

The Diver ejects a grappling hook and you and the male lash the unconscious Tiger Shark to the top of the submersible.

You are hugging the new arrival, who keeps his head facing down away from the surface light. Whatever the conversation, which is completely incoherent noise to everyone in the Diver, it's very animated. The male is protective, holding your shoulders and looking at your wound with a very clear frown.

You bat the guy's concern away and motion toward the sub where four humans watch in confusion.

You touch the center of the male's chest.

"Fah-ther."

Steve swallows hard. That's your dad? Holy shit, he is in so much trouble. People tease him for looking like a Greek statue, but your father is like...is like...really freakin' buff.

Everyone in the Diver stares daggers at Steve, and he knows it. All the years he's been off the ice, all the time he's had to get used to women--well, females, let's say,--and he is not at all prepared to handle Merman Goliath as an in-law, or...uh...sorta...oh gosh.

He raises his hand because he doesn't have any other ideas. "Hi, I'm Steve."

Bucky snorts. "Oh, buddy. Wow."

Too many thoughts flood him at the same time, and Steve freezes in place.

Father? He looks no older than you. Wait. How old are you? Steve's never asked. How long do mermaids live? Do they ever age? Do they just keep getting bigger or is your dad, like, the biggest?

"Tony," Steve finally whispers, "do you...do you know from your research how...?"

Thank goodness Tony takes pity on poor, panicked Steve, not stalling to admit he has no clue what age you are.

You return to speaking (a mix of sounds with rippling shimmers of light along your tail), so you aren't paying attention when Steve bends down to add, "can you though? Can you carbon date her?"

He's heard about science on that. Steve knows it's a thing.

A strange sort of elation blooms on Stark's face, and he turns to Bucky and Nat.

"That counts," Tony yells. "That totally counts!"

"Shit," Bucky grumbles, running his vibranium hand down his face.

Natasha is, for once, genuinely stunned and looking back and forth between Tony and Steve. "I'll be damned," she murmurs.

Steve gives in. "What's happened?"

"You," Tony boasts, "just asked me for dating advice. You asked me specifically to assist you in dating someone, and thus I have won a very, very large bet."

Before Steve can bemoan that, another tap sounds above them. You point to the prize catch of the day.

"Help take in," you say, quickly turning to swim up to the lighter blue waters.

"I've got so much to teach you, Cap. Promise I'll be gentle. Maybe I can teach Grariel a little something about--"

"NO" comes the immediate and emphatic response of everyone else inside.

Tony simply shrugs.

"What a great day," he bubbles, humming as he takes the Diver to the surface right behind your beautiful, ageless tail.

Steve realizes he has so, so many things he wants to ask you about that he'd never thought of before, top on the list being "what have you told your father about me?"

A/N: Tiger Shark is a real Marvel character who I have included in other fics before. It was fun to use him again!

I do not have words to describe how enjoyable this was to write. I just want to torment poor Steve with awkwardness. I can't help it.

I...I may have figured out a way to incorporate...uh, some smut into this universe...but I don't know if that's a thing y'all would read. I'm gonna hold off on that.

[Next Part]

[Main Masterlist]

[mangora]

🧠 spare a brick headcanon? 🤲🤲

Just saw this whoops anyways BRICK MY BELOVED hold on I got a list

•He has a really good relationship with his mom. She’s super tough and will do anything for him. She can be a bit snippy but ultimately loves him and does everything she can to support him and he appreciates her a lot 👍

•Along with the idea of his favorite movie being an anti-war movie I think it would be funny if he also listened to a lot of punk and classic rock music that criticized war without him realizing it. Dead Kennedys, Pink Floyd, Rage Against the Machine, etc. Also unrelated I think he’d really like folk punk as well as show-tunes and 2000’s pop. His favorite musicals are Bye Bye Birdie, The Producers, and Cabaret. Also if I can push my “Mike likes The Cure” headcanon here, Mike gets him to start listening to The Cure with Boys Don’t Cry

•He, Zoey, Anne Maria, and Dakota call each other up every year to talk about the Met Gala

•He’s dyslexic. No real backing for this I just think we need more characters with learning disabilities

•He can’t cook for shit. He can barely heat up soup right

•He bites his nails 👍

•He loves dogs, especially big dogs like German Shepards and Rottweilers. When he and Jo are getting along she shows him pictures of her dogs and it makes him so happy

[apomaro-mellow]

i gotta do everything my damnself

Sitting in the back of his car, Henry Creel let out a bone deep sigh. How a world famous star like him couldn’t find the perfect voice was putting him close to depression. Every night, he went to a different club, listening to singers pour their hearts out. But not a one elicited the response he was looking for. Still, it had become his greatest ambition. Anytime he wasn’t asleep, he was searching for the voice.

“One more club”, he ordered his driver. “And then we’ll call it a night.”

---------------

Steve stood in the wings as a band performed. He looked to the crowd. Pretty slim out there. But that was life in this town. Even on a weekend, the bars they were able to find gigs didn’t have a huge pull. 

He moved away from the curtain and went further backstage. Jeff was doing his usual ritual of pacing back and forth, sometimes hopping in place, while Gareth and Crash were playing rock, paper, scissors, trying to get as many ties in a row as possible. Their record was four.

Steve found his boyfriend Eddie, sitting on a stool, tapping his foot in time with his strumming.

“So the stage manager said we get one song, right?”, Steve clarified.

“Yep, just the one before they kick us to the curb”, Eddie said, not looking up from his strings.

“But if we do good-”

“Stevie baby we always do good.”

“I mean if they like us”, Steve walked closer and bent over, his hands on his knees. “Then we could do two songs. And one of them could be mine.”

Eddie looked up then. “Angel, I love your voice. But that song’s not metal. And we’re tryina create a brand here.”

“What brand, Eddie? There’s like five folks in the audience.”

“Boys? What do you think?”, Eddie posed the question to the rest of the band.

He got a resounding round of no’s and head shakes. They knew better than to get between a lover’s quarrel. Especially since Eddie was so whipped he typically bent to Steve’s will anyway.

“Eddie, both songs could show off our versatility.”

“If we sing my song and then follow it up with some radio-friendly love-fest, it’s gonna be confusing. Better to just stick with the one genre for now.”

Steve frowned. “Eddie, that song is fo-”

“Hey punks, you’re on deck. Try not to clear the room too much, eh?”

Eddie scowled and now that he was in a mood, there’d be no talking to him. Steve would just have to jump on the opportunity when the time came and hope the rest of the band backed him up.

They were introduced to the stage and Eddie immediately got them started. The song began like an explosion. It was one they all resonated with, about getting the fuck out of Hawkins and never looking back and fuck everyone here.

Situated in a dark corner of the venue, Creel watched, waiting for any voice that would get a reaction. He had a small metal box on top of the table. Inside was an even smaller creature.

Creel’s cool eyes glazed over the guitarist parading on stage and shouting out over his own riffs. No movement from inside the box.

A few people in the crowd seemed into them but it wasn’t a very warm reception. When the song ended, the stage manager looked ready to shoo them off. When he saw Steve’s face, Eddie fought with himself. Then, after much mental deliberation, he gave a bow towards Steve and stepped away from the center.

Steve took his place and shared a look with the other members before a softer song began. Then he looked to his boyfriend, hoping that this time the words would reach his heart.

“Oh what will the signal be for your eyes to see me?

Watching offside as I wait, just in case you need me...”

For a moment Steve didn’t look away from Eddie, but Eddie kept his head firmly down on his guitar, looking for all the world like he just wanted to get this over with. Biting down the disappointment, Steve gave his attention to the audience. Maybe his voice could reach someone out there.

And it was.

But the one reacting was a tiny, slimy creature, trying to escape from its metal prison to get closer to that alluring voice. Creel drummed his fingers against the box, feeling something he hadn’t felt for a long time - excitement. His eyes glazed over Steve’s form.

“Now that you know why I’m here, let me show you what loving an angel is like.” Steve gave another meaningful look to Eddie, which was again wasted on him.

When the song ended, Steve left the stage first. By the time the rest of them came backstage, he was already gone.

Gareth was rubbing at his face and Crash wanted to bang his head into a wall.

“Hey Eddie, here’s a suggestion, why don’t you actually sing with Steve for once?”

“Cause I don’t sing that crap. We’ve got three types of songs: Fuck you, fuck me, dragons are the shit. Did you hear anything about love songs?”

“Plenty of hardcore bands sing about love”, Gareth groaned.

“But like that?”, Eddie gestured towards the exit door Steve had probably walked through. “All...gooey and soft and vanilla?”

“Dude!” Jeff jabbed a finger to his chest. “You just described you and Steve.”

Eddie looked like he was buffering and trying to catch up. “We-we’re not vanilla. If you knew what me and my baby got up to-”

“TMI”, Crash said quickly, covering his ears.

“Kinky or not, Steve turns you to butter. You melt”, Gareth said.

Jeff nodded. “You get gooey. And soft.”

Eddie pulled at his hair. His Stevie had changed him, but not that much, right? He let out a loud breath. Maybe that was the problem. But singing a song like that went against everything he believed. He didn’t want to become that kind of band. Was that kind of thinking worth causing a rift though?

“Why do I get the feeling that if I split with Steve, he’d take you guys in the divorce?”

Gareth, Crash and Jeff all answered in line.

“You don’t have custody of us, we’re always wrangling you.”

“Are you really gonna propose one day?”

“I would kill a man to keep eating Steve’s brownies. Even if that man is you.”

Eddie paced around for a moment before heading towards the door. “Alright, I’m stubborn, not stupid.”

The rest of them gave him looks that said ‘are you sure?’

“You three debate that while I find my lost songbird.”

Eddie left the club, already knowing where Steve would go. Unbeknownst to them all, someone else was already on the prowl for Steve.

A/N: the hardest part of this was NOT making Eddie the kind of guy who says “My baby angel sweetheart darlin can play ANYTHING he likes.” but he’ll get there eventually. Part 2 coming soon.

[randomvarious]

Dogs on Ice - "On a String" Hardcore Breakout USA, Volume 2 Song released in 1993. Compilation released in 1995. Punk Rock / Pop-Punk

Plays: 6.3K+ on Spotify // 800+ on YouTube

Got a nice, little, early 90s pop-punky gem for you all today from a somewhat forgotten band out of Tampa, Florida called Dogs on Ice. As a staple of their own local scene for sometime around half a decade, Dogs on Ice managed to get signed to San Francisco label Allied Recordings, which was run by a guy who did graphic design work for Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label. DoI would end up releasing a 7-inch EP and an album through Alliance before breaking up, which would then lead their frontman, Joe Popp, to pursue his own renaissance man career of sorts as…

a leader of other bands, including one with ex-members of Smash Mouth

a rock musical extraordinaire who'd get one of his own creations directed by the guy who did Rent

an owner of his own music gear shop, for which he would make gear himself

a co-star in a 1996 commercial for MLB on Fox with ex-New York Met, ex-Philadelphia Phillie, and current 100% certified douchenozzle, Lenny Dykstra, who sings one of the single-worst renditions of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" that you've ever heard in your life

a winner of multiple awards for a web docuseries he did that saw him go on a fully-fledged cross-country tour to play music in 48 different states with his sole mode of transportation being nothing but a motorcycle

Whew! 🫨

So, anyway, for the time that they were around, it seems like Dogs on Ice were a pretty big deal in the Tampa area, which is probably why, of all bands that could've been chosen, they were given the big opportunity to open for Green Day back in 1993, right when Billie, Mike, and Tré were on the cusp of breaking out and re-defining pop-punk as we knew it themselves with Dookie. The venue for the show was a small bar and is said to have attracted about 40 people on average for a gig, but for that Green Day / Dogs on Ice billing, it's estimated that they drew ten times the normal amount of folks, and definitely broke occupancy laws, with it being so packed that people were forced to stand on the pool tables 😂.

And the year of that performance is when Dogs on Ice released their debut record too, a four-song EP called Housefly, which featured a track on it called "On a String."

Now, although some profiles list this group as being hardcore punk, and this very track itself kicks off a great comp called Hardcore Breakout USA Volume 2, "On a String" is really not a hardcore song in any way. It's just a pretty sweet and catchy bit of early 90s guitar-bass-and-drum trio pop-punk. Joe Popp—who I should note, literally has the word 'pop' in his own name!—leads the way on both guitar and vocals, with a lightly scratchy and sometimes gravelly street rasp that contrasts nicely with his much smoother and delightful floods of 80s-indie-jangly chords, which themselves get broken up by some sudden, punk-standard chops at times too.

So while doing research on this band and Joe Popp, specifically, I found a forum post of his where he said that he "was pop punk before they called it pop punk," and while I don't think that that's actually true at all, it still seems that he was pretty damn good at making it, because this song in particular really is a pretty top-notch bop when it comes to early 90s stuff.

Wasn't expecting to go down such an extensive rabbit hole today, but as it turns out, Joe Popp's led quite an interesting life for himself. And now you know a whole lot more about this hero of local 90s Tampa punk and one of his first bands too.

[keepthisholykiss]

This weekend I saw a production of The Dolls of New Albion and I have a lot of conflicting thoughts on it but I’m gonna dump some of those thoughts out here. I am not going to name the specific production because I personally took a decent amount of issue with it's depictions of the story and I don’t want anyone to feel bad if they happen to come across it. I am not a reviewer I just like to put my brain places to look back on later. The cast did the best they could with what they had but I think a lack of budget, musical background, and warm bodies (I guess?) was the biggest pitfall of this thing. However, I’m writing about this show in general because after I watched it I was so frustrated with what I saw that I sought out other versions. I am a rock opera kind of bitch, I’m a slut for a concept album, Repo! is one of my biggest musical loves, I was READY to love this thing. So I want to dump my brain out and talk about it. 

TW: suicide, violence, racism (specifically against those who practice vodou)

A Disclaimer: I have been looking around and I know the fans for this show and the entire tetralogy are very devoted. If you are upset that I do not like parts of your Thing or that I have opinions on the racist tones in parts of it I challenge you to engage with that and process it and also to block me. I do not argue with people on the internet I will not reply to anyone who is mean to me, thanks! This is not a review I am just a person who studies art and literature and theatre and I like to throw my thoughts on things I watch online. Also there’s gonna be spoilers in here because idc nothing is earth shattering enough to matter as a spoiler.

My favorite parts of the entire story are the Narrator and Jasper. Both are so interestingly interpreted by various productions I watched or skimmed over the weekend. Now that I have listened to the album I am even more intrigued and personally I would love to direct a production of this. I am seriously considering it because I have a lot I love but I have a lot that I would fix. The Narrator in the production we went to STOLE the show they were amazing and I love the presence so many Narrators have in other versions of this I have looked over. Also I am obsessed with how so many people portray Jasper, I think it’s really cool to see how much creative expression comes out in these productions. People really run with some fun themes and ideas and I think anything that can bring that creativity out of casts and stage teams is great! 

Anyway this story for the first two acts is largely really cool. The first story of Annabel had me GRIPPED I was ready to CRY I love her hopeless pursuit in creating Jasper and I just think it’s a very well laid out portion of the story. I also love the second act, I hate Edgar because he is garbage but I think his story is so well told and amazing. I really felt for Fay and for the society at large that he was influencing. 

The third act I am the most conflicted on. Byron is a FASCINATING character and so is Amelia, I love how Byron’s speeches are displayed. I love how Amelia is integrated in the plot and her suicide really gripped me. But the third act features such blatantly offensive depictions of vodou that are incorrect, inappropriate, and represent a lot of issues with how steampunk treats tropes it has “created” surrounding BIPOC folks. Goth, punk, and steampunk are all areas that owe SO MUCH of their history to black folks who worked their asses off only to then be harmed by stereotypes like this. Not to mention the way these themes are integrated is stilted, does not fit the story, and drags the act out entirely. I want to love this act and I have found the only way I can enjoy its incredibly important story is to skip the songs that promote this trope. 

Also important of note is that I am not black and I do not have familial connections to vodou. So its not my theme to forgive but I am uncomfortable with it knowing people who have been negatively impacted by things like this.

The fourth act is really good! Priscilla makes me want to CRY and Jasper’s character development arc is haunting when displayed here. I think the story of the fourth act is brought down swiftly by the cop/soldier/grifter. I don’t need a cop redemption story in my steampunk technology revolution where just 20 minutes ago a character was giving impassioned speeches about how to take down oppressive governments. But if I skip the soldier dude then I am still having a good time.

Overall I think this is a really good concept and foundation of a show. The songs are hit or miss but still very fun. I am still obsessed with the first two acts and all the Narrator songs and I would kill and die for Jasper. But it has a lot of issues and if I were to put it on it would need a lot of edits for me to feel comfortable with it. 

[nebulanewts]

And just because I wanted to,here’s my personal choices as of right now and why I picked them just for funsies :]

*this post will be long I’m SO SORRY dhdhdj*

Ayumu - Mystery Brown (DETECTIVE AYUMU LIVES!!! Like that one art in LL Days,,also it’s just pretty and would look nice on her like just picture Agupon with a lil Sherlock-y cap walking around the stage with a magnifying glass looking for “clues” idk that would just be cute and silly - but my second pick would probably be Spring Colored Blazer,it’s very Ayumu and I like that)

Kasumi - Black Jewelry (Like I said,these options tell me nothing about what her song will sound like but this one is pretty and elegant but in a Kasumi way,it kind of reminds me of a ballerina outfit which is cute - my second pick would be White Elegance bc it’s pretty)

Shizuku - Pink Frill Dress (Finally,Shizuku outfit options that aren’t all blue but this one is my favorite bc it’s very soft and princess-y not much else to say but I like this one a lot - my second pick would probably be Cherry Cherry it’s very retro and cute)

Karin - Amethyst Dress (All of her options are amazing so I’m okay with ANY of these winning,but something about this one is calling to me it makes me hope that her song will be jazzy like please. Please Lantis / Bushiroad I don’t ask for much give Karin a jazz song but Blue Moon Night is also SUPER pretty)

Ai - Coral One-Piece (From what I can gather from these outfits,her song might show us a softer girlier side to Ai’s usual bright colorful happy in-your-face sound /minus Diabolic muiler of course/ which I think is very nice and this one to me fits that image the most,it’s very soft and pretty but still very her + Lavender Lace is also v cute)

Kanata - Black Ribbon (They really looked up “jirai kei” and picked the first outfit they saw huh dhdjdj,,but it’s very cute and maybe tells us this will be a different sound for her which is fun but my other pick would be Purple Fairy it’s kinda plain and looks like any other Kanata outfit BUT it’s cute and could be accessorized w/ fairy wings or something,I wouldn’t mind it winning but like cmon. Black Ribbon is SO CUTE)

Setsuna - Punk Border (Ok,so this wasn’t my first pick initially but after some thought…it’s REALLY grown on me solely for the idea that she could have a pop punk type solo and that’s smth Setsuna’s never done,which this outfit fits that the best - it’s still a rock-ish style costume so it still suits her,but again it’s new for her + maybe School Rock could fit that too?? That was my initial choice bc it also looks SUPER cool)

Emma - Colorful Stage (Ngl,they never give Emma great options like these aren’t BAD they’re better than her L!L!L! choices but idk I only chose this one bc it’s cute and more “modern” looking which isn’t common for her but maybe my second pick is Denim Stitch it makes me think she could have like…a folk-y country style song like cowgirl Emma anyone?)

Rina - Neon Cat (This is another one that’s just undeniably the best choice imo,like it’s so bright and so Rina-y it’s just perfect for her but if I had to choose another one it would be Motion Girl it’s pretty cute)

Shioriko - Undead Celeb (Once again…what is her song going to sound like??? Is Shio finally in her goth / chuuni era? Idk but I love it,this one is pretty and kind of makes me think of a period piece - my second pick would most likely be Royal Skeleton solely for the name and the collar)

Mia - Fresh Navy (Signeul bonae signal b- sorry anyways man…I wanna know which Love Live staff member just HATES Mia bc all of these are so blah and plain compared to the others,to me this one is the only cute one besides maybe Argyle POP but what is her song gonna be about?? Finding love at the tennis court / golf course???? Cmon)

Lanzhu - Pinky Gal (If you distilled Zhong Lanzhu into an outfit,this would be the result it’s so flashy and pink and diva-y it’s my favorite out of her options like…it has her NAME on the jacket you can’t get more Lanzhu than that - maybe Vivid Fur comes close but not quite imo)

[thelivingend]

I gotchu. I'll give you a little list with genre so you don't get jumpscared by a scream. :) (note: this got out of hand so sorry! I hope this is what you're looking for! It's not a ton of pop punk but outside like, two bands, I don't listen to much pop punk these days. If you want some bands in that genre let me know! Also, straight-up punk is not something I'm listening to a lot right now, but I have a lot of recs if you're into that as well.)

Metal/metal adjacent:

Death is a Warm Blanket by Microwave (start with Leather Daddy, that song builds and builds it's SO sexy in a musical sense)

Periphery IV: HAIL SATAN by Periphery (proper metal, INSANE musicianship, stellar clean vox, lonnnng tracks)

Zig by Poppy (She might be more electronic, but whatever. Church Outfit gets me hype. Some people think she's overrated but she's FUN. Female rage.)

The last Sweet Pill album was great, you should check that out.

Chill indie stuff:

Little Oblivions by Julien Baker (if you haven't heard it yet you're missing out)

Folk punk:

Rhombithian by Sincere Engineer (female vox, she's SO cool. Start with Corn Dog Sonnet)

Now That's What I Call Music Vol. 420 - Mom Jeans/Prince Daddy & the Hyena/Pictures of Vernon (collaborative EP, favorite track on there is Thrashville 2/3 - if you like this, all three of those bands are great places to start in the genre)

Industrial/club:

On the Romance of Being - Desire Marea (strong South African influences and spans house to industrial to r&b to big band)

LESS IS MOOR by Zebra Katz (Coolest voice I've ever heard. Songs are wild. My favorite is IN IN IN, but the whole album is worth listening through.)

Single song: This S*it Will Fuck You Up - Combichrist (fuzzy, distorted, French, repetitive)

Goth:

Tocsin by Xmal Deutschland (the most-listened ones are my favorites, old band)

Jazz fusion:

Slow, Incremental Change - Fat Randy (SmarterChild is my favorite track. They have 71 monthly listeners; can't get more underground. They are CHALLENGING but they are professionals. They also sell pickles at shows.)

Two other great groups are Snarky Puppy and Sungazer. Any album works, but Lingus (SP) and Macchina (SG) are good tracks.

Pop+:

THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE by Karson (they remind me of Caroline Polachek for some reason. Speaking of:)

Moth by Chairlift (the band is not together anymore, but it's Caroline on vocals. I quite like how it shows off her voice. Crying in Public is my favorite track.)

Let me know if you want more because this was lots of fun and I have other options!! If you want me to go really underground I can also do that :)

Well i do not think i am missing out. jokes aside THANK YOUUU i am not a pop punk person anyway so this is beautiful. i actually saw poppy live recently!! i almost left before her set bc i was there for one of the openers but i'm glad i stayed & i love when she leans in to the nu-metal thing (that spit/church dress single goes crazy) and i also looooove sweet pill and also saw them live recently!! and i added a bunch of these to my library tysm <3

[the-fearful-one]

🎶✨ when u get this u have (the option) to put 5 songs u actually listen to. then send this ask or tag 10 of your friends/followers/just some guys you feel like if you feel like✨🎶

got tagged by @whilomm so i will gladly take this oppurtunity to rave about some of my favorite songs. they are all folk.

all of the links are spotify links

Call of the Void - Rail Yard Ghosts

Yes this song is over 14 minutes long. Even though it's one of my favorite songs of all time I wouldn't recommend listening to it right away since it's the second to last song on the album Hiraeth, which is a concept album about a group of train hoppers that find a mysterious magic book that kickstarts a bunch of weird things around them. The band (supposedly I've never been able to confirm this) actually recorded this album in a train yard! One of my favorite albums of all time

Wild Dogs: Divorce! - Jordaan Mason & The Horse Museum

Another song that's at the end of a concept album BUT you don't need to listen to the whole album to understand it, it stands on it's own pretty well. Honestly, I Could Not tell you what this album is fully about but it is very queer and about a t4t relationship with lots of Xian themes. Another one of my all-time favorite albums, I really like live-recording version they released in 2019

Transvestites Can Be Cannibals Too - Harley Poe

I'm seeing him in concert next month YIPPEE! Anyways another queer song, this time folk punk! Harley Poe has just been pumping out albums recently and I definitely enjoy them but Satan, Sex, and No Regrets is my favorite <3. I listened to this the most when I was attending my local community college and was being harassed daily by a bunch of YAFF kids :).

Big Bird - AJJ

AJJ was one of the first folk punk bands that I got into so they hold a special place in my heart. I was debating putting either this one or Small Red Boy since they both make me feel absolutely Insane but I like Knife Man as a whole more. I'm now realizing that almost all of the songs that I like have nature themes to them. oh well

Apple- The Narcissist Cookbook

Most underrated artist fr fr. I'm often on the fence about spoken word songs but Narcissist Cookbook just does it in a way that I absolutely love. Me and my gf saw them on tour this summer and I specifically made a patch about this song to show to them but I chickened out </3. PLEASE listen to their new albums they're so good and emotional

honorable mentions that i can't not talk about in some capacity: ramshackle glory, days n daze, apes of the state, and modern baseball.

i'm not going to tag anyone outright but this is completely open to all who see it! i would love to see y'alls songs and music opinions teehee.

[enchantedaloefics]

Hobie x Spider-Person Reader (Chapter Three)

This may or may not be entirely a self insert (if that wasn't obvious already) but I'm having a lot of fun writing this between doodling and playing way too much stardew. I had a specific song in mind while writing because it's one of my favorites (Brave as a Noun by AJJ) but I didn't wanna make it too specific (Even if my ramblings about music tastes were entirely just me rambling about myself.) Anyways, hope you enjoy!!

~~Chapter Three~~

It didn’t take long for the casual conversation to focus back on you. 

“So,” Gwen asked, perched on the back of one of the chairs, “Tell us a little about yourself.”

“Well… um, My name is Y/N. I was bitten by a radioactive spider, and for three years I've been the one and only Spider-Man. Or, I thought I was.” You looked around, and everyone was nodding along. This seemed to be a universal experience. You had to think of something else.

“Aside from that, I’m an artist and a musician. I play a few instruments and I sing-“ that seemed to pique Hobie’s interest “- and I graduated high school about a year back. I like video games and, um… I’m not sure what else to say.”

“Musician?” Hobie asked, turning towards you more in his seat, leaning towards you slightly. “What kinda music ya into?” He shot a look at Gwen, one you couldn’t quite read, but Gwen leaned closer as well.

“My taste is all over the place I guess. Classic rock, Alt, indie, various punk subgenres, especially folk punk or pop punk, Taylor Swift… Do you guys have Taylor swift? Doesn’t matter- but I’ll listen to anything,” you couldn’t help the smile that made its way to your face, “My aunt May loved driving me to school when I was younger. We’d put on the radio and sing at the top of our lungs, and if I found a song I’d like I’d write it down and see how fast I could learn it on whatever instrument I felt like practicing.”

You shifted in your seat slightly. Talking about your aunt felt bittersweet now, but you loved music. That and painting were what got you through your tough times. “Do you guys play anything?”

You should have put the pieces together by now. Of course Hobie played an instrument. Two amps sat stacked in one corner of the room, one electric guitar propped next to them, another across the room. Plus the various picks you saw when you came in. Your face bloomed red with embarrassment at the question. 

“Of course they do, bro, these two have been trying to start a band here since Gwen showed up,” Pav chimed in, leaning forward as well, though that seemed to just be his posture. “Hobie’s trying to teach me bass, but I haven’t had much time to practice between school and Gayatri and Spider-manning.”

You nodded along, barely noticing the sounds of people moving as you asked “Gayatri? Are they another spider-person?”

“Oh, no, bro!” He started, waving his hands. “She’s my girlfriend back home! Doesn’t even know I’m Spider-Man yet.”

“I’m sure she knows, Pav,” Gwen chimed in, settling back into her seat. “You’re a terrible liar and Gaya’s smart. Not to mention you flirt with her as Pavitr and Spider-Man…” She twirled her drum sticks in her hands- wait, when did she get those- as she spoke.

You switched your attention back to Hobie, who had left his spot on the couch. He was instead plugging his ax into one of the amps. You felt excitement bubble in your stomach. You love watching people play. The sound of live music, the vibrations shaking your chest and buzzing in your head.

“You said Folk Punk? Bit specific, innit?” Your face flushed slightly, but you nodded. 

“Yeah. AJJ, Crywank, Pat the Bunny…” You trailed off, laughing quietly to yourself at the face Pav made at the names. You reached for the pocket of your suit, flush to your thigh and fairly well hidden, and pulled out your phone. It was busted and broken, but it still had service… somehow. You really didn’t understand this whole multiverse thing. But you managed to pull up your music and play one of your favorites.

Hobie nodded slightly, turning up the volume so Gwen and Pav could hear, and you couldn’t help but hum along, bobbing your head and tapping your foot. Your fingers twitched along with the note changes you’ve memorized on your guitar. As the song ends, Hobie looked pleased, pushing his guitar towards you.

You tilted your head slightly, sliding your phone back into your pocket before raising your eyebrow at him. He simply nodded, gesturing towards the guitar. “You said you play, yeh?”

“Yeah, but… you just listened to the song, didn’t you?” You picked up the guitar, turning it over in your arms, resting it on your lap. It was amazing, even if it was a good bit beat up. A sticker on the side was peeling up and scratching your arm slightly, but for some reason it didn’t bother you.

“Yeh, but I wanna hear you play it,” he replied, his voice close to a mumble. For half a second, you forgot anyone else was watching you, and you held the guitar closer, ready to play. You felt your face turn red, and your stomach fluttered with nerves. You shook your head, but when you glanced back up, everyone looked at you so expectantly. Hobie slipped a pick between your fingers, and you quickly adjusted your grip as Gwen tapped her drumsticks together, a non-verbal offer to start the song off, like a test to see if you could join them.

Your fingers were cold, poor circulation never your friend anyways but nerves making it worse, and your throat felt tight, but you nodded anyway.You counted the taps, nodding along to the drum sticks hitting the coffee table- Gwen had set up her own makeshift drum set, and you were thankful. It was quieter than the real thing. Your hands were shaky as you plucked out the first few chords, your knuckles pale and tense. The first few words sounded squeaky, like your own throat was strangling itself to keep them from coming out, and you knew everyone noticed. You could feel your face burn all the way to your ears, but you kept on.

As you played, you could feel your hands warm up, your voice leave your throat a little easier. Music was second nature to you, but without your mask, you were never the most confident person. This certainly wasn’t your best work, but you weren’t crying, which was monumental enough for you.

It wasn’t long before you finished, and you shoved the guitar away like it burned. There was a moment of silence, then Pavitr clapping and whooping. You couldn’t help but smile, the reaction reminded you of your Aunt.

“Thanks, Pav. Sorry that was rough, I don’t really play in front of people. I opened for a concert as spiderman once, but that’s different,” you started, picking at your hangnails, staring down at your chipped nail polish.

“Gwendy, you thinkin what I am?” Hobie asked, moving the guitar from you and unplugging it, setting it back down. You finally chanced a look at their faces. Gwen looked ecstatic, Hobie at least a little impressed. You felt your chest swell with the slightest bit of pride.

“Hell yeah! We’re finally getting a band!”

[akwardlyuncool]

Spotify Wrapped 2023

So I'm here to talk about my hella basic year in music lol. If you're new here I got 2 Spotifys, which means I compare them every year to see which one I think is more accurate.

Basically I got my daily driver,  what I use most often and what’s signed in on my phone and then the Spotify I use for/while I’m working on projects on Akwardly Uncool. Anyway the LEFT side is the Daily Driver and the RIGHT is AkwardlyUncool.

So I'mma Start By Proudly Waving My Basic Card:

I might be wrong, but I feel like everybody who was even slightly in the Pop-Punk, Midwest Emo, Post Emo space had Hot Mulligan in their top 5, either artists or songs for 2023. It was just bound to happen and I ain't mad at it, cause have you listened to them?! Just had to acknowledge that real quick lol.

Minutes and Hours and Just Time:

15,850 minutes. About 264 hours. 11 Days.

Not gonna lie, based on some personal calculations, this was a shorter year for consuming music for me. (If you stick around for ACF 2024 I might divulge some of that reasoning, but for now I'll just say, It is what it is and I know why.) That being said I'll try to beef up my numbers again next year.

Top Artists:

Now don't get me wrong I love The Wonder Years down, however I made a collaborative playlist of The Wonder Years and Hot Mulligan with a friend and basically didn't turn it off lol (it was definitely a shower mix for sure) and that's how they ultimately won the award on my main account.

As for the "side" account, which felt like the main this year, Winnetka Bowling League is just one of those groups that's so good to put on and let run. Now of course I have my repeats, that I've been talking about for the last few years and then I added more and so whether it was going to their page and hitting play or seeking out my repeats, I totally get why they won there. They're coming out with a full album next year, so get used to me talking about them 90% of the time. And if you hop on their train, remember I'm the conductor.

As for the other artists who touched the top 5, I saw 3 of them in concert this year, so naturally their numbers are going to be higher. Also Watsky made it cause Intention is not on CD, hopefully yet.

Genre Sandwiches and Top Tracks:

It's Pop-Punk season mixed with Winnetka Bowling League and Watsky, so both sides reflect that. That being said, the main diver is where I play the majority of the R&B, Neo-Soul and the likes, so they're rarely reflected on my second. But KNOW, I am a mix of Pop-Punk and Neo-Soul, always!

Again it's Pop-Punk season or rather Hot Mulligan season and I spent a lot of time learning every word to those two tracks that won, but are too long for me to desire to type out now. "Draw and quarter a stranger to feel some blood on your fingers. You take away, robbery follow trends as a hobby, find flaws in everything else because you don't like yourself. Woe is me!"

Collector vs Alchemist:

They both say essentially the same thing which is that I make and listen to my own playlists more than anything else, but anyone who works with me could have told you that lol. Geniuses.

Winner? Winner? Chicken Dinner?

Again they basically say the same thing this year, which is that we listened to a lot of Hot Mulligan, Relient K is still my favorite band and if i see you in concert you tend to show up on my Wrapped for the year. I will say though that I'm hella surprised that this is the first year Lyfe Jennings didn't show up on my Wrapped and although that makes way for other folks, it's still a little sad lol.

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Hey we made it through Spotify Wrapped Time and now must move on to the more nuanced and obviously better Akward Class Favorites 2023. If you don't know, it where I just go through my year in movies, music, online content consumption and other things of the like, so better lol. Don't have an ETA on when that will go up, but I've taken the notes, so hopefully before the end of December.

[croissantbae]

June 4, 2023

1.  Today was a wonderful Sunday (as usual).  We went to costco and Johnny asked if folks wanted to get lunch.  We all vacillated trying to choose options and ultimately ended up inviting people to our place.  Gave the kids miyukgook and ordered Bodega Park.  Then we all just hung out for hours talking while the kids played (and eventually fought /bickered lol.  That’s when you begin to know kids need naps / some space).  Jason planned a little gardening activity for the kids so that they could plant a seed.  It was really sweet/cute. 

2.  It’s happened.  After everyone left, Naya was just talking as Jason and I were cleaning, cooking.  And she says something about how someone killed someone on accident.  And I was like, wait naya say that again?  And she said that at school someone told her that someone had a gun and killed someone on accident.  I was like who told you that?  And she said her friend Sella (Sella is a little older than Naya and I noticed Sella has an older sister so I am guessing they are just actually conscious of that stuff).  I honestly wasn’t sure how to react.  And I said well, we don’t have any guns in this house so you don’t have to worry.  And Naya was like, yeah we don’t have guns in this world.  And I just repeated, we don’t have guns in this head (but thinking ugh. we have lots and lots of guns in this world).  Jason and I were kind of like uhhhhhh.  I think we really need to think about how we talk to our kids about this topic and other difficult topics like climate change, just death in general, violence, etc.  3 going on 4 and talking about gun violence. 

3.  I went to a mamamoo concert w/ my friend and coworker joan. And it honestly made me really glad that I went to a mamamoo concert specifically (over any other korean band).  Because I truly feel like they’re a little bit different and special.  I noticed there was a gay person sitting next to us and during the performance we saw that the rapper was getting a looooottt of love from the audience.  so as we were leaving my friend researched if moonbyul is gay and it seems like she is.  She seems to be pretty out (or I guess as out as you can be in Korea) and has a song out where it features two women lovers.  Anyway I just feel like their personalities are more unique.  Even like the light sticks that they passed out to everyone was a moo (radish), which was just funny to see everyone holding up a moo.  

My uber rides to and from were so weird.  On the car ride to meet Joan, the driver was talking about how he lives in Los Feliz and there are so many gay people in the area so he always warns his sons to be careful.  He was talking about it so much I started to feel like I was being punked.  And after watching Jury Duty I started to queston whether I was seriously being filmed and I was supposed to react.  He was talking about how they’d see two men walkign on the street with one walking the other with a collar around his neck, wearing hot pants.  I was like ....?? and then at a red light he showed me a pic of his 3 sons andI was like oh they’re beautiful.  and he was like yeah that’s why I have to tell them not to talk to strange men.  I was just like oh my god.... what is going on. 

Then on the uber ride home, the guy was kind of weird but I was like whatever.  Then he asked me how the concert was (I told him about it) and I said it was nice, I have two kids so its rare to be able to go to a concert but it was good.  and menitoned my husband is watching the kids.  and he was like oh yeah of course they’ll listen to him.  kids will listen to /obey men because they’re closer to god.  I was like uhhhh I’m not going to agree with that.  and he laughed.  and I was like because god is a female. and he was like haha why? I was like uhhh b/c life comes from women?  We give birth to life.  and he was like yeah but what’s the spark that creates that life? and i said just this teeny tiny thing.  and he was like oh come on.  and then he was saying kids will be loud and rambunctious and then when he comes into a room they’ll be quiet.  and its because men are close to god (like closer to the form of god I’m guessing).  and in my mind I was just like what you’re describing is fear and there’s a difference.  But didn’t say it because I was like my god just get me out of here. 

[kamenwriter]

Saw Across the Spider-Verse...

It is very much an "act two of three" film. If you loved Empire Strikes Back you'll probably love this. Me? I'm a Return of the Jedi guy, myself.

Animation is gorgeous. Soundtrack is a banger.

The plot...plays into a lot of tropes I'm not a fan of, and as I've said before I'm so burned out on multiverse stories and metafiction.

Spoiler filled thoughts behind the cut:

Starting the film out by fleshing out Gwen is a good choice. She is absolutely the co-protagonist of this film, and it sets up her motivation to go along with Miguel for as long as she does. She's terrified of returning home.

I feel like The Spot is only a "gag" character because of how he looks. Bro has a dangerous powerset. And this kind of goes into the metanarrative the film has I could have done without.

Spot having illustration blue-lines in his model I guess is an indicator of his ability to dimension hop without glitching...but still feels like an odd choice to me.

The whole "we have to maintain the canon, certain people have to die" is just eye-rollingly annoying as a conflict motivation. First from my personal "god I'm sick of meta narratives" perspective, but also from anyone calling themselves Spider-Man having that attitude.

The movie at least establishes that all evidence points to Miguel being right, but everyone's tacit agreement with him is dumb.

As mentioned before, Gwen has a good established reason to go along with Miguel. And yes they at least show Peter B. trying to walk the tightrope of how to handle Miles, but I feel like he'd be more against doing things that way.

Everyone giving Miles shit...because the film needs a conflict. Doesn't matter if it makes sense. This is a problem the first film has as well.

I like that everyone keeps going on about how cool Spider-Punk is but the film does take the time to point out he can be a contrarian for contrarian's sake.

I liked how Spider-Punk was a proper "Fuck the establishment" punk at the end, and the set-up/pay off of "use your whole palm."

How sad is that Ganke once again can't do anything because the MCU films all ready used Ganke and just called him Ned Leeds? (MCU Peter is gentrified Miles, you know it's true)

I sincerely hope in the sequel they explain why Prowler Miles (and Aaron) think they have something to gain by holding Miles hostage. He literally just wants to leave.

I'd complain about how Miguel and Ben Reilly are almost nothing like their comic counterparts...but neither was Peni or Noir in the first film. So...

Excited for the old gang and the new gang to team up in part three, but part two just had too many "folks being assholes in service of the plot and in disservice to the character" and bullshit meta narratives (a police captain has to die? What? Of all the Spider-Man variations in the comics I think that only happened once? I haven't been reading Ghost Spider)

Anyway if schedule permitted I'd go to the second showing of Shin Kamen Rider before I'd watch this again. I'll pick up the soundtrack, though. [edited to add] I'll pick up the soundtrack if GETS A PHYSICAL RELEASE, THAT IS. God I hate the streaming era.

[theoryfan205]

Been in a long car ride so it's time for the next part! @oceandiagonale

Valentine's day confusion part 4

Part 3 - Part 5

The first shop he thought to take cream to was the crafty scraggy, he remembers them opening up when the dynamax apocalypse happened, the owner had plenty of Pokemon who could make silk and sew so they opened up shop to help out more folks and eventually it evolved into a punk themed homemade crafts store, it was the best first stop as any for their valentine gift for Marnie. It was fun seeing cream make various weird shapes on their face in reaction to the various products on display, strange but fun. "IS THAT A SOFT SPIKY HEART CUSHION?!" Cream was sudden and loud as they practically threw themselves at the items on display, a soft cushion with fake spikes around it's edges, it was in a set with the words "I may be spiky, but I'd like you to be mine" written across the pair, he wasn't one to judge cheesy lines, it's not like he was good at romance by any means, but cream seemed to find it great. Excitedly pointing to it and making... Noises he really didn't know they could make. he slowly walked over, slow enough to cause cream to run back and physically drag him over to where it was displayed, unfortunately by the time they both got back there someone else had grabbed the cushions, the last ones in stock. Cream made one of those angry circles emoticons? On their face, piers had no idea what it was but understood what it meant at least "you were too slow! 💢 Now it's gone!" They huffed, he didn't even try to understand how they made that noise with their mouth, he shrugged at their anger with nonchalance "no worries, it's not the only thin' in the store, and besides this is only one shop. I know some more we can head to" that seemed to convince them enough, though they almost deflated as their arms went below their shoulder holes? He really shouldn't try to understand their anatomy too much, their body just looked sad as they muttered out "yeah, and it wouldn't be enough for Marnie anyway, this needs to be perfect" as cream was moping, he spotted out of the corner of his eye, Marnie. she looked like she was too busy conversing with the cashier to notice them. If she was this determined for a surprise then he was sure she'd appreciate the help, so with a swift turn he grabbed creams shoulder.. bone? And positioned them towards the exit "here, how bout you pick the next shop? Show me your idea for a valentine's gift" they perked up at that, showing another image on their face as they rushed out with him following behind at a slower pace.

The next store was yampers electrics, cream had dragged him in, he's not sure what gift they'd thought of for Marnie from here though, it was more of a children's store themed more around electric devices, was around before the dynamax incident and only recently got enough supplies to make a comeback. While cream looked around for what they wanted, he idly checked out one of those kiddie night lights that projected the stars, he didn't get long before cream dramatically draped themselves infront of the object and on him "they don't have it in stock 🥺🥺" they whined out, he did his best to put the object back as cream fell to the floor. "What were you even lookin' for anyway?" They pulled their head up slightly to look at him with that sad emoji face as they spoke "I saw these little button toys you could press that makes the other one glow up, Marnie showed me on the rotom device, people use it as a way to communicate long distance to say I love you- I wanted one for Marnie and me but they're not here 🥺😞" ah, long distance heart things, as cream pulled themselves up from the floor he heard the doors bell ring, a glance showed that it was marnie- what did she need from here? As her big brother though it was his job to help out, so he directed creams attention to himself instead as they stood behind some shelves "those things are order online only anyway, don't worry too much about it. The days not over yet and I know one more store we can check out" cream picked themselves up fully off the floor, taking their arm and shaking it down like some kinda broom before reattaching it to their lack of a shoulder. "One last chance- nothing here so far has been good enough for Marnie! And it's gotta be perfect- she deserves all my love not just some of it!" They sounded determined as they left the shop, narrowly missing Marnie as piers went out while she wasn't looking, Guiding cream to the last shop.

Indeedee accessories, a quaint little shop that sold jewelry of all types, "an accessories shop❔❔why are we here?" Piers walked inside and let cream follow him, showing them a line of necklaces in the corner. "When Marnie was younger, she really looked up to me, I knew I couldn't really be the best guy for her though but I still wanted to make her feel happy. So... I saved up enough money from battles and got her a choker, we came here once before and she couldn't stop starin' at it so, I thought she'd like it and she did. She loved it, I thought maybe you could get her something from 'ere too" he looked away as he told his story but when he looked back, cream was... Making a sobbing face? "That is... a lovely story!! You love Marnie a lot, like how I love my parents. But... How can I compete with that gift? I can't replace that, how can I show her my love when... When it isn't enough? She deserves more than this..." Ah, there it was. He was aware cream had some... Ideas about their creation, but hadn't seen much of it in action himself "hey- she loves you, your gift doesn't have to be perfect, it's just gotta... Come from the heart, ya know?" When he said that, they got dots for a face as they thought, before suddenly showing a lightbulb and accidentally blinding him as they thought of something "that's it! I know the perfect gift now! Thanks piers!" And with that, cream had ran out of the shop in a mad rush. Just in time too, as Marnie walked in and looked surprised seeing her brother there "piers? What are you doing shoppin' here? You got a secret valentine I should know about?" He gave his sister a small smile at that "nah, I'm just helping someone else out, and from the looks of it they've found what they're looking for"

[aci32]

IRON MAIDEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey folks, sorry for running 2 days late as I needed Sunday to recover but better late than never, here's my 13th review of 2024, Iron Maiden!!!!!! This was my 10th time seeing them and first in 14 months since I last saw them at Wacken Open Air 2023 when they were the super headliners. This was also my first show at the age of 35 since my birthday was 2 weeks ago, so a nice way to enter 35.

Let's begin the festivities!

The first act The Hu were originally supposed to open the show but unfortunately their tour bus broke down and they were unable to cross the border, so instead a DJ filled in and played a lot of punk and thrash metal songs to pass the time, at least this DJ was better compared to the goof who would scratch the records while classic metal songs were playing when Metallica came to Toronto 7 years ago.

After the DJ was done it was time for IRON MAIDEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was my 10th time seeing them and each time I see them live, they always put a smile on my face given how they're great live. Bruce Dickinson also was vintage with his tangents in between songs the first which went "Hello? Toronto? Ontario! Thank fuck we got that cleared up because sometimes we just don't know where we are" and he then went on to apologize as the openers from Mongolia The Hu were supposed to open for them but their tour bus broke down, Bruce then told the crowd to do "Hu" chants in gutteral sounds he then said "You can say Dr. Who but that's a shit joke right? So anyway here we are, we got all kinds of stuff to play for you tonight, we're coming up to Halloween and we have songs about weird spooky things" then he goes on a tangent about religious writing and he said "Unless you see a big fucking hand going *makes inaudible growling noises* that's like drunken god handwriting" and it went into The Writing on the Wall. Bruce's next banter started off with "How rude of me to ask, not to ask. How are you doing *looks up at people in the stands on his left* you alright upstairs? And my god there's people sitting up there *looks up at people in the stands on his right* ohhhh there's people in the back, you think I can't see you? I fucking can. Now people on the floor I can see you. I not only can see you, I can hear you, I can fucking smell you". Then he goes on a tangent about Back to the Future and mention the DeLorean and he asked the crowd and when he saw a show of hands he said "Loads of people have got their hands but they don't know what the fuck I'm talking about, no it's not a toaster alright?" He then asked if people had a car that could time travel and he said "Now I know you're bullshitting me" then it went into Time Machine after the end of his rant. His next one went "I see we couldn't get anymore people in here thanks for trying were not allowed to get anymore people in here" then when he spotted two people fighting he said "Oi, if you're gonna go have a punch-up, do me a favour! Two of you sort it out fuck off outside right? Fuck me, honestly, Mike Tyson, you are not". Then he asked the crowd if we had a parentage from Ireland and/or Scotland, and as he said at Wacken that culture, language, family, memories, etc, cannot be killed and he then went into Death of the Celts. Here's their setlist:

1. Caught Somewhere in Time

2. Stranger in a Strange Land

3. The Writing on the Wall

4. Days of Future Past

5. Time Machine

6. The Prisoner

7. Death of the Celts

8. Can I Play with Madness?

9. Heaven Can Wait

10. Alexander the Great

11. Fear of the Dark

12. Iron Maiden

Encore:

13. Hell on Earth

14. The Trooper

15. Wasted Years

Overall a great show and a great way to spend a Saturday night.

HEAVY METAL FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!