#I Witnessed Greatness I Kicked Is Teeth In More Teeth Sprouted Just Like The Skull Of A Child (куℓє)

[sharkjumpers]

I SAW BEAUTY SPAT IN ITS EYE! I SAW THE LIGHT AND ALL IT SAW WAS MY PHELGM! I WITNESSED GREATNESS! I KICKED ITS TEETH! IN MORE TEETH SPROUTED JUST LIKE THE SKULL OF A CHILD LA DA DA DA DA DA LA DA DA DA THEN IT GOT PERSONAL I SAW MY RAGE I JUST WANTED TO RAGE BUT ALL I GOT WAS TIRED! I TRIED TO WALK TO THE BUILDING BUT THE BEAUTY IT BRITTLED ME . I TRIED TO TALK TO THE WAITER BUT THE BEAUTY IT GENTLED ME. I RAN AWAY FROM THE SECURITY GUARD BECAUSE SRCURITY GUARDS DISHEARTEN ME

[deateath]

one of the lines that kills me in a good way every time I hear it? “I witnessed greatness, I kicked its teeth in. More teeth sprouted, just like the skull of a child.”

How fucking terrifying. What a description.

[herbrotherjude]

Six song soundtrack game! Tagged by @hookteeth, tagging YOU THERE. YES YOU.

Rules; if you’re tagged, make a new post with links to music and /or lyrics describing the following.

1. An event that defines your characters past; The Dead Come Talking - Roe Kapara

Feel the worms eating holes through my mind // Like regrets that’ll kill me in time // walking backwards is always a guess // Distant faces burn holes in my chest // shadows floating, they’re out in the hall // They still haunt you long after they’re gone // buried in the basement, cold cement // dead come talking, can’t put them to rest

- Jude does not remember much of their past before manifesting in a mortal body, but I have no doubt it will come back to haunt them . soon.

2. How your character sees themselves; Terrifyer - AJJ ;

I saw beauty, spat in its eye // I saw the light, and all it saw was my phlegm// I witnessed greatness, I kicked its teeth in // More teeth sprouted, just like the skull of a child

— representing their rejection of all that is ‘’angelic’’, their rejection of heaven and G-ds’ system that seems to simply re-grow in its various forms.

Then it got personal // I saw my rage // I just wanted to rage, but all I got was tired // I tried to walk to the building, but the beauty, it bristled me // I tried to talk to the water, but the beauty gentled me

— not explaining this one in detailbc larp pals follow <3 But very much an allegory for meeting humanity post-manifestation.

Head like a hole, tail between my legs // Some kind of love, some kind of hate // When I made my escape, I found a nice hiding place // It was warm and dark, and it had teeth at the entrance// teeth at the entrance, teeth at the entrance to the cave

— The discovery of Last Haven, and a warm yet fierce community that represent the ‘teeth’ at the entrance of the ‘cave’.

1. How others view them; serial killer vibes

They tell me I’m the bargain version of lil chase Hudson // or russet, Morrison or the lost Paul Rudd son // Joji, George O’Malley,Frank Sinatra.Are you really // 13,30? 12 and 20? Both and nada // I am getting them // Serial killer vibes

- self explanatory :)

My apologies if all I do is just give you the ‘’ick’ // or a host of red flags hits you like a brick

- looking directly at the sane members of Last Haven who immediately think something is Up with this thing.

Embodying all of your Freudian feels in a fantasy // Manically modded on all of me // Vomiting all of your phobia through pareidolia-lite // Riling all of your latent deviant pathologies // Bother me. Follow me .Coddle me.

— Jude is VERY reliant on the humans that transpose a feeling of guardianship or mentorship on them, enjoys riling up certain humans that they know they can get reactions out of while under the former parties protection; it’s very amusing to them that their mannerisms have ended up putting certain assumptions regarding their age or mentality, and tend to either be in the camp of ‘bother’ or ‘coddle’ with a handful of exceptions.

1. Their closest relationship, romantic or platonic; bird song - Florence + the machine ;;

Well, I didn’t tell anyone // But a bird flew by, saw what I done // He set up a nest outside // and he sang about what I’d become // He sand so loud // Sang so clear // I was afraid all the neighbours would hear

— Discovering the Nameless One, or rather the Nameless One discovering them, shook Jude to their core. Meeting someone who knew who they really were, while they didn’t, was horrifying. And what if he TOLD the humans??? HUH. WHAT THEN. PANIC! But also. Someone that knows them? Someone that IS in some way connected to them even if just through ‘’clan’’? The most reluctant internal screaming as they force themselves to not flee every time the Nameless One chirped little comments in their ear about their past.

I promised I wouldn’t do it again // but he sand louder and louder inside the house // and now I couldn’t get him out // So I trapped him under a cardboard box // Stood on it to make him stop // I picked up the bird and above the din // I said ‘’That’s the last song you’ll ever sing’’ // Held him down // Broke his neck // Taught him a lesson he wouldn’t forget // But then my dreams // began to to creep // that old familiar // tweet tweet tweet

—- They believed that taking the Nameless Ones stick would mean the Nameless one would be gone now that They are the Nameless One, and that would resolve all problems forever actually. This Infact, did not go this way at all, mostly because they weren’t anticipating a taste of a familiar heart before he left. The aftertaste remains and drives them to act out 100% because they’ve never met someone ‘’’similar’’’ to them post manifesting in a mortal memory-faulty body.

I opened my mouth to scream and shout // I waved my arms and flapped about // But I couldn’t scream and I couldn’t shout // I couldn’t scream and I couldn’t shout // ——- // The song was coming from my mouth.

- Becoming the nameless one, self explanatory. :)

Bonus song for the newly renamed The One Within The Green Circle;

1. A major fight scene ; the last ballad of damrod - Bear McCreary & Jens Kidman

- A tune for the original war between D’jinn & Heaven Also a self explanatory that i am being vague about for larp reasons. <3

1. End Credits song; six legs tippy tippy toes

// Six legs, tippy tappy toes // Climbing to the podium on Sunday // Now, it remains a dream, a distant memory // That itches my brain

— play this over a slow zoom out over Jude’s probably dead body, slowly being reclaimed by nature and insects in a decomposition timelapse

[birdiepaws]

I SAW BEAUTY SPAT IN IT’S EYE I SAW THE LIGHT ALL IT SAW WA SMY PHLEGM I WITNESSED GREATNESS I KICKED IT’S TEETH IN MORE TEETH SPROUTED JUST LIKE THE SKULL OF A CHILD

[rooting-for-the-anti--hero]

CANON CHARACTER TAGS LIST

ADULTS

If You’re Gay Then You’re Gay Don’t Pretend To Be Straight (вιg gαу αℓ)

Step One: Drink; Step Two: Make Mistakes; Step Three: Pretend You Don’t Remember (∂αяяуℓ)

We Gettin’ Loose Girl So Won’t You Sit Up On My Lap With That Caboose Girl (¢нєf)

Sometimes It’s So Embarrassing To Talk To You To Hold A Conversation With The Only One Who Sees Right Through This Version Of Myself (נєѕυѕ)

I Can’t Remember The Last Time I Slept With Someone I Liked And He Went Down On Me (ℓιαиє)

I’ve Come To Tell You He’ll Decieve You (fαтнєя мαχι)

With A Little Peace And Some Harmony We’ll Take The World Together (ρ¢ ρяιи¢ιραℓ)

Look At Her Butt It Is So Big She Looks Like One Of Those Rap Guys’ Girlfriends (ѕρσитαиєσυѕ вσσтαу)

What A Pain Well It’s All A Cryin’ Shame What Left To Do But Complain? (ѕтυαят)

KIDS

I Just Look Them In The Eye And Tell Them I Was Raised By Bats (αנ)

Not Really Sure What I’ve Gotten Into (αмαи∂α)

Don’t Tell Me That I’m Super Cute I’m A Samurai Princess I’ll Smash You (вℓσσ∂яαуиє)

Hey Dad I’m Writing To You Not To Tell You That I Still Hate You (вяι∂σи)

If You End Up On My Table Then It Serves You Right (вυттєяѕ)

Cover Up Your Nudity With Different Cheeses And Meats (¢ℓу∂є)

I Cannot Sleep At Night My Anxieties Run High And They Build Up Inside (¢яуѕтαℓ)

I Don’t Always Give Myself Away If You Had Caught Me On A Different Day (∂ανι∂)

You’re Supposed To Be My Friend We’re Supposed To Get Along (∂συgιє)

Don’t You Disagree ‘Cause You Know It’s All About Me (єяι¢)

I’m So Sick Of Stupid Men I Think I’m Gonna Eat Them Eat You And Your Friends (єѕтєℓℓα)

Oregano Basil And Thyme And My Tapatio I Eat Boys Like You For Breakfast (fєяяαяι)

Get Those Catacombs Open I’m Hoping You’ll Join Us (fιякℓє)

Dude Walks By Me With His Shirt Off And I Was Like “Damn Bitch You Fine!” (fσѕѕє)

Gotta Full Surrend To The Good Stuff That You Say (gαя��)

Watch Your Mouth Leave The Rest Untold I’m Only Nice When I’m Under Control (gяєgσяу)

I’m Not A Rich Kid Maybe That’s A Good Thing Ain’t Got Shit But I Got This Far (кαяєи)

It’s A Thankless Job But Somebody’s Got To Do It (кєνιи)

I Witnessed Greatness I Kicked Its Teeth In More Teeth Sprouted Just Like The Skull Of A Child (куℓє)

Bet You Didn’t Know That I Was Dangerous (ℓαяяу)

I Wonder Where The Night Went Looking Down The Road That Led Us Here (ℓιzzу)

Candy Bear Sweetie Pie Wanna Be Adored I’m The Girl You’d Die For (мєя¢є∂єѕ)

Walk In Silence Man You're Such A Cruel Deceiver (иαтнαи)

It’s Been Really Nice To Know You Stick Around And I'ma Do My Worst (ρєтє)

You Say You’re Down On Your Luck Hey Baby It’s A Long Long Way Up (ριρ)

I Just Want To Say That Being Chosen As This Month’s Miss August Is Like A Compliment I’ll Remember For As Long As I Can (ρσяѕ¢нє)

I Can’t Recall A Memory Of Someone Driving Me Home And Not Asking For A Blowjob (тαмму)

Don’t You Ever Tame Your Demons But Always Keep ‘Em On A Leash (тяєит)

It’s Just A Single Vice To Help Me Stay Awake I Don’t Know How Much More I Can Take (тωєєк)

Every Prince Is A Fantasy The Witch Is Inside Of Me (ωєи∂уℓ)

CROSSOVERS

I Turned On The News And It Said That I Was The Number One Most Wanted Person In The United States (ℓєσ)

[all-my-friends-were-glorious]

CANON CHARACTER TAGS LIST

ADULTS

If You're Gay Then You're Gay Don't Pretend To Be Straight (вιg gαу αℓ)

Step One: Drink; Step Two: Make Mistakes; Step Three: Pretend You Don't Remember (∂αяяуℓ)

We Gettin' Loose Girl So Won't You Sit Up On My Lap With That Caboose Girl (¢нєf)

Sometimes It's So Embarrassing To Talk To You To Hold A Conversation With The Only One Who Sees Right Through This Version Of Myself (נєѕυѕ)

I Can't Remember The Last Time I Slept With Someone I Liked And He Went Down On Me (ℓιαиє)

I've Come To Tell You He'll Decieve You (fαтнєя мαχι)

With A Little Peace And Some Harmony We'll Take The World Together (ρ¢ ρяιи¢ιραℓ)

Look At Her Butt It Is So Big She Looks Like One Of Those Rap Guys' Girlfriends (ѕρσитαиєσυѕ вσσтαу)

What A Pain Well It's All A Cryin' Shame What Left To Do But Complain? (ѕтυαят)

KIDS

I Just Look Them In The Eye And Tell Them I Was Raised By Bats (αנ)

Not Really Sure What I've Gotten Into (αмαи∂α)

Don't Tell Me That I'm Super Cute I'm A Samurai Princess I'll Smash You (вℓσσ∂яαуиє)

Hey Dad I'm Writing To You Not To Tell You That I Still Hate You (вяι∂σи)

If You End Up On My Table Then It Serves You Right (вυттєяѕ)

Cover Up Your Nudity With Different Cheeses And Meats (¢ℓу∂є)

I Cannot Sleep At Night My Anxieties Run High And They Build Up Inside (¢яуѕтαℓ)

I Don't Always Give Myself Away If You Had Caught Me On A Different Day (∂ανι∂)

You're Supposed To Be My Friend We're Supposed To Get Along (∂συgιє)

Don’t You Disagree ‘Cause You Know It’s All About Me (єяι¢)

I'm So Sick Of Stupid Men I Think I'm Gonna Eat Them Eat You And Your Friends (єѕтєℓℓα)

Oregano Basil And Thyme And My Tapatio I Eat Boys Like You For Breakfast (fєяяαяι)

Get Those Catacombs Open I’m Hoping You’ll Join Us (fιякℓє)

Dude Walks By Me With His Shirt Off And I Was Like "Damn Bitch You Fine!" (fσѕѕє)

Gotta Full Surrend To The Good Stuff That You Say (gαяу)

Watch Your Mouth Leave The Rest Untold I'm Only Nice When I'm Under Control (gяєgσяу)

I'm Not A Rich Kid Maybe That's A Good Thing Ain't Got Shit But I Got This Far (кαяєи)

It's A Thankless Job But Somebody's Got To Do It (кєνιи)

I Witnessed Greatness I Kicked Is Teeth In More Teeth Sprouted Just Like The Skull Of A Child (куℓє)

Bet You Didn't Know That I Was Dangerous (ℓαяяу)

I Wonder Where The Night Went Looking Down The Road That Led Us Here (ℓιzzу)

Candy Bear Sweetie Pie Wanna Be Adored I'm The Girl You'd Die For (мєя¢є∂єѕ)

You Say You're Happy But You Look So Sad (мιмѕу)

I Am Sorry But I Had To Write A Song About How You Were Wrong I'm Not Even Sure You Were But Dear That's How I Cope (иαтнαи)

It’s Been Really Nice To Know You Stick Around And I'ma Do My Worst (ρєтє)

You Say You're Down On Your Luck Hey Baby It's A Long Long Way Up (ριρ)

I Just Want To Say That Being Chosen As This Month's Miss August Is Like A Compliment I'll Remember For As Long As I Can (ρσяѕ¢нє)

I Can't Recall A Memory Of Someone Driving Me Home And Not Asking For A Blowjob (тαмму)

Don't You Ever Tame Your Demnos But Always Keep 'Em On A Leash (тяєит)

It’s Just A Single Vice To Help Me Stay Awake I Don’t Know How Much More I Can Take (тωєєк)

Every Prince Is A Fantasy The Witch Is Inside Of Me (ωєи∂уℓ)

[dotbot3812]

"i witnessed greatness. kicked it's teeth in. more teeth sprouted; just like the skull of a child"-terrifier AJJ

"the pace alone decides who's in my vicinity" -RISK RISK RISK! Jhriah

fave lyrics today?

hmmmm it’s hard to choose between two that have been stuck in my head all day so i’ll just put them both:

“icarus is flying too close to the sun / and icarus’s life has only just begun” (icarus - bastille)

“do you understand that we will never be the same again? / the future’s in our hands and we will never be the same again” (things we lost in the fire - bastille)

not sure how they both ended up being lyrics from two bastille songs in the same album 💀

also i think this would be a good tag game so why not make it one?

@ani-bunnie13 @apersononearth011 @chronicintrovertt @cheeeseborgor @chronicpcssimist @catlovertori @ebonyhawthorne1 @futurecatlady321 @far-beyond-saving @fantasticcollectorkitten @lunabelova1122 @listerbirdloml @listermylove @leo-loves-things @literally-maria @loulooser @maskedyt @normalpeoplethiings @pessimistic-gh0st @person4924 @rayslove-forlister @radios-universe @sproldenlover @st4rb04rd @sad-trash-pigeon @solitaire-addict @sleepy-vix @spacewr3ck51 @tinybitofhope @toulouse-2 @theshyqueergirl @urlocalsadkid-l @veralinnn @0s3manv3rse

(no pressure also sorry if you didn’t want to be tagged!)

[glitchednotghosts]

I witnessed greatness....I kicked its teeth in, more teeth sprouted just like the skull of a child 

Terrifyer - AJJ 

[opxngravxs-archive]

Carrion Flowers - A Tarkin Playlist on Spotify

A chronological view of the life of Star Wars villain Wilhuff Tarkin through curation of songs.

Track List

1. “Boys Will Be Bugs” - Cavetown   “ ...And if you wanna cry make sure that they never see it/ Or even better yet block it out  and never feel it ... “ 2. “Human Kittens” - AJJ     “... And I was a man once/ When I was six-years-old/ But now I am just a boy/ Pretentious and brash and bold... “ 3. “This is Home” - Cavetown   “... Get a load of this monster he doesn't know how to communicate/ His mind is in a different place/ Will everybody please give him a little bit of space/ Get a load of this train-wreck/ His hair's a mess and he doesn't know who he is yet...  “ 4. “Carrion Flowers” - Chelsea Wolfe     “... Creatures of habit, carrion flowers/ Growing from repeated crimes/ The afterglow in full bloom/ Slow and relentless, we're after you.... “ 5. “Bloodlines” - Dethklok     “... Just one beast did survive/ Now I live to take life/ Keep yourself from me/ Can't help what I be/ I am man and beast/ Your flesh I will eat... “ 6. “Bite Your Teeth” - Poppy     “... Bite your own teeth/ Don't cry, just bite your own/ Don't cry, keep on tryin'/ Don't cry, keep on tryna bite/ Don't cry, keep on tryin'/ Don't cry, keep on/ Tryna/ Bite... “ 7. “The Culling” - Chelsea Wolfe     “... One ear to the ground/ One eye on the room/ My tongue on your pulse/ My finger in your wound... “ 8. “Terrifyer” - AJJ   “... I saw beauty spat in its eye/ I saw the light, and all it saw was my phlegm/ I witnessed greatness. I kicked its teeth in/ More teeth sprouted, just like the skull of  a child... “ 9. “Maw” - Chelsea Wolfe     “... In the maw/ A world in a daze/ None can be trusted/ In the mouth of the beast... “ 10. “I AM THE BEAST” - Lingua Ignota   “... All I know is violence...“ 11. “Per Aspera Ad Inferi” - Ghost   “...[translation: “Through hardships to hell”]...” 12. “Anything Like Me” - Poppy     “... You pray for a reaction/ I'll stop when/ it's no more fun/ If this is the start, then let's see how far/ You're gonna take this one/ You shouldn't be anything like me/ You’ll never be anything like me...“ 13. “The Warden” - Chelsea Wolfe   “... The cold and the loud and they won't let me sleep/ I've been dragged on the floor and my blood earns my keep... “ 14. “Worldwide Torture” - Jazmin Bean     “... All you've got is not enough, stupid, I just want more/ And I'll throw another punch, yes, I'll get the highest score/ I'll be chewing on your skin, I'll be knocking down your door/ All I really want is to destroy/ One first in ya face while keeping my poise... “ 15. “Play Destroy” - Poppy ft. Grimes     “... This is how we play destroy/ Gonna cut your face/ And break your favorite toy/  Drop the match in the gas tank/ Blow up your neighbor's pool/ Oh, boy/ I love to play destroy...“ 16. “Draconian Crackdown” - Rasputina     “...It was short, sharp, sudden, surprising.../It was unfathomable catastrophe./ There were things no one should ever see./ Arrests were made arbitrarily,/ Evacuations made mandatory,/ Indefinite detentions, unsolvable killings,/ Weeks and weeks of agonizing raids... “ 17. “Sit/Stay” - Poppy     “ ...Every time you fall back down/ Sit and stay, lie on the ground/ Do what you've been, what you've been told/ Sit, stay, lie down... “ 18. “Iron Fist” - Dorian Electra ft. Faris Badwan   “ ...Instead of being loved, I like being feared/ Yeah, 'cause I'm a ruthless guy and that's how I like it/ My grip is getting tight, I can smell no fear I rule with an iron fist, baby... “ 19. “I Disagree” - Poppy     “... I disagree with the way you continue to pressure me/ I disagree with the way you are failing to pleasure me/ I disagree, everything is going how it's meant to be/ I disagree with the way you continue to pressure me/ Down, let it all burn down/ Burn it to the ground ... “ 20. “Black Fire Upon Us” - Dethklok   “ ...The sky/ Will break/ Black fire/ Will wake/ Fly on through the night/  We built an alliance/ Our numbers are strong... “ 21. “Destruction Makes the World Burn Brighter” - Chelsea Wolfe   “... And I'm headed straight for the blaze/ And I can breathe when I'm underwater/ And I'm ready with a finger on the trigger... “ 21. “From the Pinnacle to the Pit” - Ghost     “... In your empire/ They stare and frown/ From the pinnacle to the pit/ It is a long way down... “ 23. “FUCKING DEATHDEALER” - Lingua Ignota     “... I'm the fucking death dealer/ I'm the butcher of the world/ If you don't fear me yet, you will... “ 24. “Year Zero” - Ghost   “... Since fate of man is equal/ To the fate of lice/ As new dawn rises you shalt recognize/ Now behold the lord of flies... “ 25. “Iron Moon” - Chelsea Wolfe     “ ...The creatures here become machines/ Walk with me to a place of trust/ Death will no longer silence us/ My heart is a tomb/ My heart is an empty room... “ 26. “Laser Cannon Deth Sentence” - Dethklok     “ ...Evil is my prime objective/ I explode and bestow your deth/ I'm a rocket/ A fucking weapon/ Of mass destruction/ Destroy the planet.... “ 27. “They’ll Clap When Your Gone” - Chelsea Wolfe   “ ...Was born a blackened seed in the wild/ And I never was a child/ I was pulled right out of the sea/ And the salt – it never left my body ...

[malevolent-spirit]

ok this has been in my drafts for well over a year and im sick of seeing it so im just gonna post it. first lore post yeehaw

Deep in the Viridian Labyrinth, a clan tells its hatchlings stories of old gods, older than the first dragons. Direct descendants of The Eleven, with powers unparalleled by modern dragonkind.

This story is about a young god of wealth, known for his charm. With his quick wit and charismatic personality, he talked his way into getting what he wanted as often as he did to get out of trouble. He would woo god and goddess alike, having many lovers at any given moment. Not a single one truly captured his heart, though, and he was left with an emptiness that he couldn't fill. He thought that perhaps what he sought was a companion with whom he could share everything with. Yet, despite his best efforts, he never met anyone who rose to his standards. He decided to visit an old witch to ask for help. He tried to coax a solution to his loneliness out of her for free, giving many compliments and promises he didn't intend to keep. She, like so many others, fell to his charms and agreed, but warned that the price was great. The god waved her warning off, and she began her work on the spell needed. The witch needed rare ingredients, sending him off to find them all while she made the necessary preparations. After many long moons of hunting the items down, he returned, eager to find purpose in his life. The witch took the ingredients from the god and dropped them in a cauldron, murmuring ancient words from a worn tome. The room darkened, the air grew stagnant and thick. Shadows danced in the edges of his vision. The space in the cottage warped as colors not seen on that plane in a millennia glittered in and out of existence. Once she finished her chant, she paused to stir the pot. She dipped a claw in the brew, then traced symbols on his face, arms, and wings. The witch’s irises darkened as she said the final word, activating the spell. The runes glowed white, burning into his skin. He screamed in agony, clawing frantically at the runes, trying to stop the pain. He tore long slashes along his face in his desperation. The spell began its work. His skull was the first thing that changed. It hardened into wood, saving only his eyes from the grotesque transformation. Two thorn-covered horns sprouted from his scalp, reaching all the way down to his tail. His screams turned to harsh coughing as smoke pooled in his lungs. Unable to breathe, he writhed on the ground, clawing at the air. The witch peered down at him. In a gravelly voice, she spoke over him, "I warned you the cost was great. What this spell revealed to me was that your heart is incapable of loving another. My magic has given you what you deserve; any love or passion you once were able to feel is now gone. You will be a specter, wandering aimlessly and lost in the pain your greed caused. "But, I made a deal with you, and I will keep it. You will meet your perfect companion,“ She hissed, “but in your current state, they won’t adore you. At the sight of your monstrous form, they will run in fear. Your only chance to heal your heart will be ruined. This is your curse, your fate." Blood trickled into his eyes, blinding him, but not before he saw her blow thick smoke around him. He felt the ground beneath his claws shift as his vision failed. He fell for what felt like an hour, consumed by searing pain and fear, before crashing into water. Intense pain overwhelmed his senses. He thrashed uselessly as he tried in vain to swim towards the surface. He opened his eyes to better see which direction was up, but found that he couldn't see. He sank, his lungs burning, with no way of knowing how to get out. He couldn't breathe. Couldn’t think. He made one more kick before succumbing to darkness. When the god next awoke, he was still underwater, his lungs still burning, his scales still bleeding where it hadn't transformed into wood. He tried to scream, to cry, to swim. His nerves begin to numb after what felt like an eternity, his grip on reality slowly fading. Despite his lack of oxygen, the spell wouldn't let him die. Each time he passed out, he would wake once more in greater pain. Many moons passed, and the magic slowly started to change his body. He grew gills and small fins, and his eyes became adjusted to the darkness of the water. The slashes had turned into scars. His burns were soothed by the cold water, the runes solidifying into what appeared to be gold that melded with his scales. He adjusted, accepting his state. He floated for what seemed like an eternity, pondering his future and his curse, while becoming numb to the pain. One day, he was pulled out of his state by a feeling, a need. With his new mutations, he swam in the direction of the distant surface. He broke out of the water, coughing and spluttering at the sudden change to air. The sun blinded him, making him squint blearily around for any sign of land. He spotted a jungle in the distance, and, ducking his head underwater, swam quickly towards it. By the time he reached the shore, the sun had reached a little past midday, now bearing down harshly. The god stumbled to the edge of the jungle, seeking relief from the light. He laid down beneath a large tree, exhausted and struggling to breathe. The lack of air his gills were receiving finally caused darkness to crawl at the edge of his vision. Several days passed before he woke under the full moon. The curse had made his fins and gills vanish while he was unconscious. There was a pleasant coolness in the air, now rid of the glare of the sun.

The god felt it again, that need, and was drawn further into the forest. He came to a small pond, the surface smooth as glass. He was about to drink from it when he noticed his disfigured reflection. He drew back in horror, claws touching his mask-like face and tracing the gold. He wept, overcome with the loss of his beautiful body, now gazing at his scales, his elongated claws, his maw in disgust. Too soon, he acknowledged his monstrous visage and his fate: someone cursed with the torture of loneliness with no respite. Something in him snapped. His horror dulled to apathy, his fear turned to glee at his immortality. He wanted to test his power out. A rustle behind him made him whip his head around. There was a pack of white wolves, drawn by his scent of salt and old blood. He grinned viciously. He leaped at the nearest one, ripping his teeth into its neck. The rest sprinted away from the god, surprised and terrified at the sudden show of violence. He dropped the wolf from his jaws, looking down in satisfaction. He watched as dark blood dripped from his mouth and claws before returning to the pond to wash it off. Looking at his reflection once more, he noted instead how his old clothes had become torn and ragged, the color washed out. With a sneer, he knew that he was now every bit a monster that the witch had intended him to be- and he loved it. His old love for life and abundance withered, replaced with a desire to kill. His steps were lighter, quieter, making hunting easy. It wasn't long until he discovered clans of longneck and centaurs. Stories were told of a monster in the woods, stalking individuals through many nights before eventually striking. They spoke of the torture the misty specter put its victims through, of its laugh and how it echoed and enveloped anyone who heard it. Nights of the new moon were in particular dangerous, the lack of natural light made for perfect hunting conditions. The tales eventually reached nearby dragon clans, and after some went missing without a trace in the forests, they turned to horror stories told to hatchlings. The god became a legend, a feeling of unease on dark nights. Centuries later, he came across a mysterious dragon, alone in the woods. Curiously, she wasn't weary or anxious as all others were; she appeared to be at peace. She was sitting underneath an old willow tree, her head tilted up to the moon. She had white cloths wrapped around her, a pair of old root-like horns with birds resting on them, and ornate jewelry decorating her body. He knew immediately that this was the companion he was fated to meet, and to inevitably scare away. He no longer felt sadness or loss, however, and treated her as any other creature to cross his path. The mist around him swirled, thickening with malicious delight, crawling towards the hooded dragon. She turned to look at him as he laughed darkly. She didn't cower or scream at the spirit in front of her. In fact, the only sign that she was staring at him was a prickling sensation on the back of his neck that one gets when being watched. He sneered as he realized she was not afraid of him. Well, not yet. Grinning at the thought of her fear, he became determined to draw out her terror and get a reaction before killing her. He didn't expect her to speak. "Why is such a sad creature like you wandering the woods so late at night?" She whispered in a voice young and unimaginably old at the same time, and tilted her head. He was taken aback at the pity, but didn't show it. Instead, his grin widened to reveal sharp, bloody teeth, and replied, "I am afraid I don't see how I am the sad one, when I am not the one trying to talk to the monster in front of me as if it would spare me." He tapped his claw on his chin in mock thoughtfulness before rasping out, "Unless you don't see me as a threat? Oh, that would be very naive of you, my dear. Do you know how many beings have crossed my path, only for them to die in horrific, delightful agony?" He chuckled before answering, not waiting for an answer, "All of them. So, tell me, why are you so calm?" He had come close enough to make out the faint lines of her face, noting her neutral expression with distaste. She was silent, considering the specter in front of her. She was old enough to be able to read the gold runes from under his rags and fur, and knew that he was cursed long ago. She could guess at his torment, at his loneliness and his current mental state. The goddess came to a decision and, before he could act, tackled him to the ground. Thick roots shot out of the earth and tied him down. He snarled, struggling under the grip of the cloaked dragon. "I do not think you know who I am, lost one. Have you heard of Spring? Summer? Of the goddesses of life?" The roots tightened. "Do you have any idea who you were planning on trying to torture for your amusement?" Her voice changed from a whisper to deep and powerful, the trees shaking with her words. He drew back from her piercing gaze, and grew fearful of the goddess in front of him. He was angry at his fear, at his weakness, and scowled, but grew still. She recognized his submission, releasing him. The roots retreated, freeing his body. He drew up cautiously, bowing his head slightly in defeat. "Why not try to kill me if you know what I am? I'm sure you've heard the stories of what I've done, who I am." He growled. She tilted her head again, "I know of your curse." He peered at her before she continued. "I can read the runes on your skin. They tell me of your selfishness, and what it cost you. I assume you were drawn to me tonight because I am the companion in the spell, yes?" She studied his expression, and seeing his eyebrows knit together she continued, "You are fated to yearn for my companionship, but while you assume I will run from you, I will merely distance myself. You will follow me wherever I go, but never have the fulfillment that a close bond would give. Thus, you will continue to be alone in your heart, no matter how hard you try or what you do. The curse will be followed in this way. However, because you won't be able to will yourself away from my side, you will never be left to your own devices. I will watch you and make sure you don't harm anyone else." He knew as she said these words that she was right. He would never be able to leave her side. In that moment, he turned bitterly cold. The ground at his feet grew cold as ice, frost spreading out around his claws. Antheia noticed, and was amused that there was now a new god of winter, but even more so at the fact that he was chained to her, a goddess of spring and summer.

[thesaladglovers]

I saw beauty Spat in it’s eye I saw the light And all it saw was my phlegm I witnessed greatness I kicked it’s teeth in More teeth sprouted Just like the skull of a child

[rksin]

I saw beauty, spat in its eye I saw the light, and all it saw was my phlegm I witnessed greatness, I kicked its teeth in More teeth sprouted, just like the skull of a child

[christhatcher]

11 from 2017

Holden – The Animal Spirits

What a time to be alive!

Musically speaking. Great swathes of musical history lie just behind our little Black Mirrors (is there a more perfect summation of our relationship with technology than the phrase ‘Black Mirror’?… thanks Charlie Brooker). Previously, styles were pegged to moments, and evolution and revolution, inspiration and reaction took their turns gathering acolytes and detractors. But the Black Mirrors have done for that nice neat musical timeline and brought disparate styles within touching distance and enabled previously unthinkable musical bedfellows to spoon and make the beast with two backs at their leisure. It’s a freedom from purity that makes musical stews like Animal Spirits as inevitable as those monkeys with typewriters eventually turning in some Bard. Fantastical technology, older technology, rudimentary technology and the absence of technology repeatedly collide on this album, synthesisers sound like they’re genuinely trying to imitate the random patter of chimes and bells, graceful chord patterns churn in endless loops and wind instruments and wordless incantations bubble around the mix. An Esoteric Albion Rave Mixtape. With added Krautrock and Free Jazz and Aphex Twin and Prog and what can only be described as an Earthy quality (Earth as in grit and ooomska, Earth as in one of the Four Elements). It’s an amazing thing that manages to sound like everything and nothing at once, but it does beg the question:

What time are we alive?

Genres don’t explode out of nowhere very often any more, haven’t, for almost the last two decades, given their times a distinct flavour (compare and contrast with… oh, all the usuals). Do we live in an age of eternal musical re-hash or in an age of ever more imaginative re-combinations of existing styles? It’s not a major challenge - to be poured over by the Boffins for the sake of humankind’s future - But I’m guessing that the (probably already made) ‘Sounds of The Naughties’ is destined for a full blown identity crisis when it does emerge (if it hasn’t already). On the flip side, the overall quality and quantity of new music hasn’t dropped. And in answer to the question, What time are we alive? I’d argue that we might as well concede that Space/Time doesn’t like a straight line, musical or otherwise, that we need to get to grips with the cyclical nature of Things and that we should probably accept that we’re at the point where All The Music is getting thoroughly blended up as it spirals ever closer to the Event Horizon of a Great Musical Black Hole… Who knows what will spill out on the flip side? Maybe we’ve already ejected and The Animal Spirits is an emergent howl… something with distinct traces of Human, but augmented, magick and operating in ALL the dimensions, not just our earth bound ones. What A Time To Be Alive!

Space Witch - Arcanum

Speaking of Space/Time. Did I ever tell you about the time that Hawkwind found themselves at a loose end in the Midlands with nothing but a stash of Mandrax for company? Thought not. Well, they downed the lot and were about halfway through rehearsing Doremi Fasol Latido (during Lord of Light according to Wykypedia) when two things happened. 1) The Lemmons kicked in and 2) Brian Blessed, with little else to do and generally on the faff, stopped by and, infuriated by Dave Brock’s laconic delivery, decided to give some impromptu elocution lessons. The laws of Space/Time couldn’t handle the at odds ripples set off by a heavily sedated Hawkwind rubbing up against a Brian Blessed enraged by poor enunciation. During the first third of a critically lysergic rendition of Time We Left This World Today, the fabric of Space/Time ripped open like soggy kitchen towel and flung the results ‘forward’ into the future, emerging first in 1980 - where Brian briefly took the form of Prince Vultan in a film adaption of Flash Gordon – before shuddering to halt like an ectoplasm blancmange hitting a wall, in 2017. At this point the whole temporal merry-go-round-the-bend took the name Space Witch and spat out a child called Arcanum.

The Cosmic Dead – Psyche is Dead

Did I ever tell you about the time that a consignment of Monster Magnet’s Tab EP (it’s basically an LP) got washed up in Glasgow and Customs & Excise officers became embroiled in a game of Cat & Mouse with a bunch of local stoners who half inched a few cases, ostensibly because tradition states that Tab must be played as a first dance song at a local wedding? No? well… along with that definitely happening, I should probably point out that, unlike the plot of Whiskey Galore (which this story has up until now utterly coincidentally borne a passing resemblence to) the Customs and Excisists actually did round up all the copies prior to said nuptials. But. As it transpires. Not before a few of the ushers had had a listen through and decided that it wasn’t really a brutal enough listening experience and could do with a few less notes. So they dropped all but two notes and proceeded to played a game of musical chicken, whereby the first person to progress from the first note to the second would be… phhhhhhhh… I don’t know… just called a lightweight or something. Unfortunately the three pieces of music they’d prepared did not go down well at the wedding, even though one of them was actually quite beautiful, in the way that maybe Boards of Canada* are beautiful. The assembled Aquarian Noodling Muso Soup loving guests might have been mortified, but the experience was a proper Road to Domestos moment for The Cosmic Dead. They’d seen the truth behind the Haight Asbury tinted spectacles. They had given the newly betrothed Psyche. And it had Died. Psyche Is Dead was born.

*Boards of Canada might be a bit of a leap, but it’s genuinely the first thing that popped into my head when I last listened to the title track, and I can’t be arsed to try and avoid a tenuous comparison: we live in such a plural musical world now, the musical evolutionary tree is way passed the point that it can be pruned and indexed back into £50 man-style shape and order, let’s face it, who’d want to? Embrace the chaos (See The Animal Spirits).

Oh Sees - Orc

See that Orc on the cover of Orc (below), he’s the guy who made this album. They’re spikey, Orcs, both personality wise and physically, and it comes across in the music. Those boney fingers and sharp but fraying nails wring gnarly, scuffed riffs out of guitars stored in damp and dank. They also have a problem regarding attention span and the only way to keep Orcs on track, as is widely known by those in the know, is to employ two drummers to keep pace and hope that they tangle together like creepers vying for the same patch of sky. You can’t be a creature from the realms of Fantasy Fiction and not adopt some of the trappings of a Prog act, and this particular Orc appears to have decided that the two drummer approach is the most appropriate nod to that ouvre; it makes for some frenetic, seat of the cod piece, extended instrumental work outs, brought (presumably) to a close by some form of sacrifice or the booming exhortation of a wizard in the studio control room. There’s definitely a human aspect to an Orc’s voice, so the melodies are recognisable and at times sit about where you’d expect. However, all that time around fires of unknown origin, with just bare branches, mist and the detritus of deep forest for furnishings, has rendered their voices ragged and ever verging on hysteria – liable to take fright (screech) or fight (bellow) at any moment. Imagine trying to sing a lullaby with all those needling teeth. Never going to happen. Lyrically, Orcs have a tendency towards understated reportage of their everyday lives, “Let's witness the whole occasion, Piles of bodies fill the garden, Smash the hedgerow with their plummet, Stop with panic, ugly banquet. Floating in the vile moat yeah, Crack their skulls upon the cobbles, Ringing home their lemming's message, Fill the streets with awful messes.”. They don’t really do braggadocio or anything as flowery as metaphor either, and sometimes just sing to-do lists “Old is warrior drink the poison, I am warrior crush your head in”. They do love smashing heads in and this album makes an excellent accompaniment to said act.

Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales - Room 29

For this song cycle about the Chateau Marmont Hotel, Hollywood, Jarvis Cocker splits the difference between the kitchen sink magician fronting Pulp and his role as narrator of the nocturnally themed Radio 4 show Wireless Nights. An embarrassment of lyrical riches leap out as he pillow talks the exploits and tumults of famous patrons, ruminates on the way Hollywood is buoyed along by our suspension of disbelief and spills beans that can only sprout from time alone in a hotel room (if you want to read that as a euphemism, then it wouldn’t hurt). He’s part raconteur, part sage, part documentarian delivering filthy one liners the other side of a comma from heartbreaking observations. All the above is underscored by Chilly Gonzales’ minimal piano, occasional strings and the odd sound effect. It’s a perfect musical accompaniment that puts you right there, in the hotel, wandering the lobby, corridors and in and out of the rooms, drinking in the atmosphere and faded glamour, surrounded by ghosts, gossip and fading echoes of the Hollywood dream.

Here Lies Man – s/t

I’m pretty sure that it was Face-of-90s-Golf, Nick Faldo, who first uttered the immortal line ‘It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing’ (He really had a face for Golf-in-the-90s… God himself must’ve been imagining him prowling the Fairways like a 9 Iron toting lion, when he crafted that face out of his own ManFatTM) and the debut album by Here Lies Man is a strong candidate for the defence of that little aphorism. In this case, the swing is brought by African Clave beats trampling all over some Sabbath style riffage. This kind of explicit fusion can sometimes sound very cut n paste, sometimes at the expense of the magic of the original sources as they’re bent out of shape and squeezed into a mould they were never meant to fit into. HLM avoid that pitfall by allowing the Afrobeats to reign. Structurally, there’s very little by way of verse-chorus arrangement here. Instead the rhythms push the songs between percussive breaks and tone heavy, syncopated, Low Fi riffs with the vocals largely chanted, repeated phrases (honestly, if you read the tracklisting then you’ve got about 80% of the lyrics; “letting go of the human race, sailing to, into outer space” is the closest they get to Leonard Cohen). As a result, the 8 tracks all have a thematic unity but one that offers enough room for variation to keep the album from descending out of the groove and into a furrow.  It’s the use of keys and electronics that bring out beads of sweat though. They’re the last thing you notice, often washes of synth, tingling harmonic flourishes and bubbling organ stabs, but they glue the tracks together and provide borderline subliminal hooks and moments of revelation on repeated listens.

British Sea Power - Let The Dancers Inherit The Party

I couldn’t begin to claim to have listened to even a remotely measurable proportion of the music released over the last twelve months, so this is most likely bollocks, but concision did seem to be a recurring theme of many of the new releases I got round to listening to last year (The relative brevity of Endless Boogie’s Vibe Killer almost resulted in the band changing their name to School-Run Boogie, Kamasi Washington went from 2015’s triple album The Epic to half hour mini album Truth, Destroyer released an album simply titled Ken wherein 7 of 12 tracks came in at under 4 minutes… I could go on, but am a man of my time and my brutally diminished attention span won’t stand for it). I’m going to venture that perhaps a collective, subconscious realisation dawned in 2017 that we really don’t have time to fuck about with exploratory musings via the medium of theremin solos. Attention to detail, actually listening (let alone repeated listening) have not been hallmarks of this age. Maybe some actual tunes needed banging out, just to be sure that a flicker of humanity pulsed its way out into the universe, before one of the myriad nutters we’ve given distracted, denial ridden bunk ups to, finally locates the big red button that his staff have been desperately trying to distract him from. BSP certainly gave a lot of bang for buck on Let The Dancers Inherit The Party. Hooks were veritably ladeled in, exploratory urges were reigned in and yet none of the idiosyncratic and eccentric ticks and whistles that make BSP so special got lost. See Keep on Trying (Sechs Freunde), which, apart from opening with the fantastic couplet “If you must act like a beast of the field, oh what does it yield?”, has Yan Wilkinson yelping the ‘Sechs Freunde!!’ part of the title in a manner worthy of double exclamation marks and moist with euphemistic glee (he basically makes Sechs sound like sex… cad). See also International Space Station; a paeon to the titular escapee from our there-but-for-a-hair-trigger planet. Also. Fans of classic British Understatement… Tired of saying “This. Is. Typical” through gritted teeth? Try Saint Jerome’s opening gambit ‘Oh it’s strange the way that things work out, running out of matches and the fire keeps going out’, it’s wordier, but provides up to 64% of disappointing scenarios with a soupcon of tragic poetry/poetic tragedy. Delicious.

White Hills – Stop Mute Defeat

Another band positively not fucking about these days are White Hills. The ecstatic guitar pyrotechnics and eye on the horizon kosmiche workouts of the past may have been largely purged for the time being, and yet, in spirit, the album from their back catalogue that this most reminds me of is the one where they gave fullest vent to the afore mentioned inner/outer space explorations; their Dystopian Sci Fi epic H-p1. Thematically, H-p1 confronted greed and our societal dissonance, on Stop Mute Defeat Ego Sensation and Dave W sound a call to arms for those left standing as we reach what must surely (hopefully?!) be a nadir. Musically it comes over like H-p1 triple distilled and reduced down to base elements. That album was a largely instrumental workout. In 2017, a skeletal, industrial vibe pervades and although the tracks are shorter and punchier the vocals to music ratio probably isn’t that different, infrequent vocals punctuate the tracks like slogans racing across LED billboards. If H-p1 was their Abstract Expressionist masterpiece then Stop Mute Defeat is the Brutalist monument. Sounds depressing? Not really, the title track is something of a techno banger.

Pontiak - Dialectic of Ignorance

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking ‘I want to listen to something that sounds monomaniacally baked’, then Pontiak’s latest is probably the go to. You could be thinking ‘baked’ as in the bifter soused sense of the word or baked as in dry, it doesn’t matter, it covers both those bases… offering up tunes akin to visions brought on by a combination of dehydration and lens flare at sunset after a day chasing heat haze with your head in an oven and only Mary Berry for company. The sounds and performances are chitin hard, like a particularly determined scarab marching against the sun, through the sand, while listening to Pink Floyd’s ‘Welcome to the Machine’ on repeat. Returning to the baked metaphor, it’s certainly not an overcooked album, there’s space everywhere and I doff my cap to this sense of restraint, the drums often consist of little more than the simplest patterns over which guitar, bass and synth lines take turns at wringing the life out of subtly unpredictable riffs.

Electric Wizard - Wizard Bloody Wizard

Of all the Lovecraft-ian feats that Electric Wizard have managed to pull off over the course of their long and subtly varied existence, perhaps the most satisfying, for me, has been their ability to sound like an inhuman approximation of Doom; The band themselves (Eldritch/Antipodean) imposters masquerading as humans in the vein of characters from The Shadow Over Innsmouth or The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward (if you want to go lower brow, imagine the Alien Cockroach in Men In Black who crams himself into the skin of that farmer, fronting a band). It’s an impression I get most strongly when listening to ‘Black Masses’ and ‘Let Us Prey’, but it could be applied to much of their output; their mixes in particular don’t conform to doom metal’s bludgeoning but crisp, stentorian but actually kind of conservative standards. The Wizeeeeerd consistently left instruments unsettlingly out of focus, FX broiling in a mire of fug so dense that your brain and outstretched devil horn salute gave up trying to settle into a comfortable 1-2 and just submitted to the Cosmic Horror.  With Wizard Bloody Wizard though, they’ve stripped away the elemental hideousness that have up till now left them unseeable, like the Horror bestriding Dunwich, left mics and amps together unchaperoned to let nature take its course and gone to town with the bass runs and some bouncing, rolling tempos… and it suits them… really suits them. They sound energised and souped up. At times (Necromania) they come across like Uncle Acid’s actual Uncle - he’s thicker set, looks at you with sunken, you weren’t there man eyes and definitely ran with a Bike gang who may or may not have (definitely did) perform satanic rites – and the results are actually (whisper it) catchy. But then I’ve thought that there was a great pop writer lurking in Jus Osborn ever since I spent more months than I care to remember humming Vinum Sabbathi to the point of Randolph Carter like distraction. Overall, this is the most human that E Wiz have ever sounded – there’s overt blues underpinning See You In Hell, a veritable romp in the form of the Witchfinder-General-covering-Hendrix’s-Manic-Depression stylings of When The Siren’s Scream and there’s an actual laugh at the end of The Reaper. Admittedly, the track’s called The Reaper and it’s a laugh that’s more Christopher Lee than Jimmy Carr, but it’s definitely a bona fide Human laugh.

Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats – Vol. 1

First things first. This album is more or less proto everything. It’s the borderline unreleased debut by a proto Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, actually dating from 2010 but only officially released in 2017. Secondly, It’s a proto-metal feast, a mud wrestling Blue Oyster Cult before the Pearlman got put before Swine, Masters of Reality style chuggers morphing into King of The Rumbling Spires rumpuses, a whiff of the Kinks at their speaker slashing-est, Crazy Horse getting stuck in a toy box with Alice Cooper, eyeing each other suspiciously but deciding to make a go of it for the sake of John’s Children. Thirdly, it sounds like a prototype of an audio recording to be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that the drums were recorded using a pencil mike plugged straight into a cassette recorder. However, you couldn’t expect/wouldn’t really want it any other way. Uncle Acid is founded on tape worn thin and the impossibly red blood of no budget Amicus productions. Perhaps the moment that best sums up Uncle Acid’s determination to prevent considerations of taste, decency or proficient sound engineering from pissing on the bonfire of escapism is the fact that during Witches Garden they use a gong (3:24 in the link to be precise). A fucking GONG. The instrument drummers plump for when success has become inversely proportional to self awareness, usually around the same time they start thinking that going swimming with a limo is a reasonable way to fill days off. This album first emerged as a run of 30 CD-Rs. And they/he put a gong on it. And the gong sounds like it was recorded about 4 miles away. But it’s a fucking GONG. Inspired.

[the-cowgirl-bookworm]

Drunken Road Trips and Family Bonding

Chapter 4

Got a World of Trouble On My Mind

In the end Yondu'd had to whistle to get Quill to let him go. And then the boy was off like a plasma shot, running to the lake, splashing, then racing off into the trees. Yondu stepped off the ship, scuffing his boot through the soil. It was rocky, but loose. Alright to set the ship on, but if Quill had any ideas about sleeping on the ground he could damn well do it himself. There was a rustle in the trees as Peter crashed out of them, grinning like a maniac. "Everything's the same! Same trees, same water!" He laughed, jumping off a slight rise. "Gramps taught me to fish right over there!"

Yondu looked over, seeing a muddy patch of river bank. "He teach ya how to cook 'em? 'Cause the last time I let ya cook we had to disinfect the mess and space every pot we had."

Peter turned red, remembering how Yondu had threatened to put Quill in the next meal if he approached the kitchen again. That had been loudly seconded by the majority of the crew, along with various threats if Peter so much as looked at a stove. Peter looked around, trying to find enough rocks to ring a campfire. "Well, yeah. I mean it isn't that hard. Put 'em on sticks, put 'em over a fire." He wrinkled his brow. "Shit, we don't have any fishing gear."

"Gear?"

"Yeah, poles, hooks, line."

Yondu gave a whistle, his arrow zipping up. "Boy, we got all the gear we need."

He whistled a trill, sending the arrow flying towards the water. It disappeared in a haze of mist, and Yondu smiled, imagining every fish that he took out was Taserface or any of the other mutineers. His arrow came scudding back to his hand, half a dozen fish floating in the lake, each pierced through an eye. "Alright boy, go get dinner."

Peter looked out at the lake. The closest fish had to be a hundred feet away. "You couldn't get 'em any closer?"

"You complain' that I got ya dinner?"

Quill stalked off, grumbling and shedding his shirt as he dove into the water. He looked back over his shoulder. "That's not how you fish, Yondu! We're doing it right tomorrow!"

After Stakar had recovered from his own hangover, then a laughing fit, he was more than willing to lend them an M-ship to chase after the wayward Guardians. Not that he was over concerned, still guffawing as Groot was passed from hand to hand into the ship. "I still don't understand why you're so concerned. Those two will be fine."

"We're a team." Kraglin muttered, hauling a load of guns up the ramp.

"Yondu was still on my crew when he ran off the first time, came back a week later with enough jewels to pay off the bounty he'd acquired stealing them." Stakar smiled, remembering the young Centaurian finally coming into his own after weeks of adjusting to the Ravagers. "That was when I realized I'd found a good friend in him."

Rocket, dragging a bag bigger than himself, no doubt full of various bits and pieces that could be assembled rapidly into something deadly, shook his head. "Don't think I'll ever get used to you Ravagers and your weird ass bonding."

Stakar snorted. "What do you guys do? Group hug and braid flower chains?"

There was an audible gasp from Groot.

"Excepting you tree." Stakar picked at something, or someone, stuck in his teeth. "Just try to get the ship back in one piece, word around is you bunch have a habit of blowing 'em up." He stalked off down the gangway, only stopped when Mantis, escorted by Drax brushed against his arm.

Her feelers glowed. "He is concerned." She smiled. "For his friends, and for us."

Stakar glared. "If your empath touches me like that again, I'm stitching her feelers to her head."

Drax pressed Ogord against a railing. "If you touch Mantis I will use your skull as a drinking glass." The two men glared at each other, before Stakar roughly turned away, cursing under his breath. Drax practically dragged Mantis aboard the ship.

"Why was he angry?" Mantis asked as they walked towards the cockpit. "Concern and worry is understandable when friends are missing."

"Ravagers refuse to discuss their emotions."

"Oh! Like Peter and Gamora." Mantis almost clapped her hands. "But acknowledging their emotions helps, don't they recognize that?"

"They are strange and foolish." Drax said with finality as the M-ship dropped down from the hanger. They both stumbled a bit before the thrusters kicked in. The moon they had been partying on began to recede, ringed by Ravager ships, and if there were a few Nova Corp ships mixed in, well, no one was going to make a big deal about it. Drax looked down at Rocket, currently downloading coordinates from Nova Prime's ship.

Rocket cursed as he pulled up the star chart. "Of friggin' course."

Gamora glanced over. "What did he do now?"

"Nothing major, only took a jump that could come out in twenty different spots." Rocket began typing rapidly along the chart input. "I can try and narrow it, but more than likely we're going to be searching through half the system before we find whatever jump they took after this one."

There was a great deal of cursing after that, which Groot tried to relieve by sprouting enough flowers to give to everyone. They all thanked him, except for Nebula who merely glared as the scared little tree dropped it in front of her. It took a pointed kick from Gamora before she grunted, "Thanks."

The fish were sizzling over the fire, juices dropping down and making the smoke smell heavenly. There wasn't much to season them with, but Peter had discovered that salt was a pretty universal concept out in the galaxy. Sure it came in different colors, threaded with different minerals, but salt could be had pretty much anywhere and Yondu had at least kept a stash in the small kitchen. Peter watches Yondu across the fire, which Yondu had started. After Peter had struggled with a flint for thirty minutes, Yondu had merely whistled a single piercing note that had lit his arrow on fire and lit their campfire in an instant.

Said fire starter was currently stripping the flesh from a fish with disturbing speed. He swallowed, then glanced across at him. "You said yer grandsire did this wit' ya?"

Peter chooses not to focus on the fact that Yondu is starting to build a little cabin from the fish bones. "Yeah, back before my mom got sick. Came here every year." He blinked, remembering how his mom had taught him how to spit a fish, how his grandpa had brought a tiny kayak and they'd paddled their way out to the middle of the lake and caught the biggest fish Peter'd ever seen. "Back before Ego fucked everything up."

Yondu looks as concerned as he can, which for him merely means the snarky asshole grin has vanished. "Ya never did say what when on down there."

Peter stayed quiet for awhile, thinking about Ego and exactly how screwed up everything had gotten. "Asshole killed my mom. Tried to get me to join him." He couldn't help the next bit. "'Join me and we will rule the galaxy!'"

"You glad he's dead?"

Peter grinned. "Yeah, I already got the best space dad a guy could ask for." He then cracked up as Yondu rolled his eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't roll right out of his skull.

[mrpibb]

AJJ - Terrifyer

I witnessed greatness. I kicked it's teeth in More teeth sprouted, just like the skull of a child