#Swiss folk metal

[trvgbild]

𝔐𝔶𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔫, 𝔐ä𝔯𝔢𝔫, 𝔓𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔷 - 𝔘𝔫𝔤𝔣𝔢𝔩𝔩

[philosopheme]

Cân Bardd @ Fortress Festival (2023)

Atmospheric folk black metal from Switzerland

Bandcamp

[upsidedownpaycheck]

Doc 101

Shout Out for the 200+ followers!! Here's a New Story (including links to the original owners). I'm not the best of writers but meh, hope everyone enjoys :]

OH! and A very special thanks to ♡ yasmine ♡ who made this all possible for allowing me to use her audio's! Please do check out her YouTube and drop a "Swiss Role from tumblr" msg :) link:

links will be provided throughout the storyline

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The Start xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Doc 101:

In the early stages of the fourteen hundreds, there was an undiclosed yearing for what seems to be a very odd doctor. She was avoided at all costs and there were reports of hearing metalic tables rumbling loudly at certain times of the early-misty night by late-night folks who happened to pass by. It was never really made clear on what caused these sounds however, people dared not to inspect her activity when she carries out all her strange projects-- until one patient decided to investigate, Patient 101(one-oh-one) AKA "The Private Eye Nearby".

Like any visit to a doctor, a client needs to book their session with a valid reason in order to get checked upon by one. It was a very common occurrence for the night to be chilly, one could see the carbon dioxide exiting the mouth of another as if it were steam coming out of a hot cup o' soup, this was a perfect opportunity that the Doc used to prep a warm welcome to her clients before proceeding into her lair.

Patient 101 describes the doctor as "well defined, pleasant and friendly" he recalls the Doctor to have a very soothing voice. The detective tries to take note of everything along the way to her lair, mainly focusing on her features. She (The Doc) also mentions that he is her first male patient and would love to hear any questions they he has in mind. This was phenomenal to 101 as it provides him the chance to interview her during the checkup. The interrogation consisted of several phases.

Phase 1: The Handle The Doc prepares her files and equipment and lowers the height of the table. Patient 101 is asked to lie on the table while a cozy fire keeps the room well-lit and warm for the both of them. He keeps a small book and quill to document everything

Phase 2: The Interview (101 Opens the conversation:) "You treat your patients so lovely, why all the bad rumors?" The Doc Feels 101's heartbeat

The Doc: "Breath in" "People don't like things they don't understand and my 'lair' doesn't help better my situation" "breath out"

Detective: "What situation?" The Doc takes her hand off 101's chest

The Doc: (Fetches Equipment for the table) "forget I said that" She tries to change the topic and although she looks away from 101… her eyes suddenly becomes teary

Detective: (Takes his Jacket off) "But you have customers here everyday! it is believed that you 'hide' their bodies and conduct strange projects on them?"

The Doc: the silence is loud while some time passes by (she wipes her teary eyes) "Those aren't bodies, they are realistic dummies I made to research something I'm working on"

Detective: "What are you researching?"

The Doc: she maintains her focus and measures 101's pulse with her fingers

"The problem you have at the moment, Cardiac Arrhythmias. The reason for your visit."

Detective: (stares into her eyes) "Well what more do you need to know if you have been doing research on it everyday?"

The Doc: The question caught her off guard and she couldn't help but to Blush in response "Um, well you know I've been working on like I said, uh research, I'd say it's for an emergency solution. It works by using a set charge of electrical energy that will send a great amount of current into a person which will grant the cardiac muscles in their heart enough energy to function again, provided that the moment of contact between the person and the current is true"

The Detective: (The Doc gently pushes her patient at the central chest to lie on the table) "How do you manage to access such levels of that 'set charge' you mentioned?"

The Doc: (Measures lower abdominal pulse) "When I rub a certain material long enough (She smirks), it stores this static energy which converts into this charge after it makes contact with special materials, It's not witchcraft like people think it is"

The Detective: (giggles) "Soo what does this all achieve?"

The Doc: "It saves lives, it stops you from dying, it…"

The Detective: "Brings you back to life from the dead, how is that not witchcraft?"

The Doc: "Your heart, my heart and everyone else's twists, pumps and beats because of this charge energy, when your heart stops then it means that it lacks this energy and needs more of it to continue working"

The Detective: "Interesting…mind if you show me a demonstration? I believe that this is related to my condition after all" (101 places his palm on her chest) The Doc: "I don't know if that's a good idea. I don't want to kill my first patient"

https://www.tumblr.com/mangafascination/746117508199743488?source=share

[Audio link: https://youtu.be/nePPoZhUJds] The Detective: "I thought I was only your first male patient?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX End of Part 1 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[ghoul-slime]

Ghoul horror movie night: double-feature edition

Thought I'd do another Halloween post similar to the one I did last year about the ghouls' favorite horror films!

Unsurprisingly, Halloween is a big event in the Ministry, and all month-long the ghouls each take turns curating a double feature movie night for the rest of the pack:

Aether: Halloween 3 and Night of the Demons

For Aether, a Halloween double feature means watching movies that take place on Halloween. And which two better than Halloween 3 (yes, the one without Michael Myers) and Night of the Demons? Both extremely fun and packed with delicious Halloween atmosphere. Aether goes all out and decks out the ghoul den with cheesy lights and decorations and makes sure there’s plenty of candy and popcorn to go around.

Swiss: The Devils and Messiah of Evil

Transgressive and blasphemous religious horror from the 1970s. Messiah has a more supernatural element while the Devils, famous for receiving an X rating and being banned in multiple countries, deals with Catholic sexual repression, witchcraft, and religious fervor - a very popular set of subjects in the Ministry. Bonus points for containing a full-on nun orgy scene.

Dew: Dead Alive and Demons

Blood! Guts! Goop! Lawmowers, motorcycles, possessed demonic masks, and zombie rats!! Two of the absolute MOST fun movies to watch with a crowd. Dead Alive aka Braindead (directed by Peter Jackson, yes THAT Peter Jackson) has one of THE most fun, over the top final acts of all time and Demons has an amazing heavy metal soundtrack and the evil mask looks A LOT like the ghouls’ Prequelle masks. Dew knows that these two movies are sure to get the entire pack yelling and cheering at the screen (he is proud of himself).

Mountain: Event Horizon and Galaxy of Terror

Mounty loves his sci fi. This time around he’s picking two space themed horror films that aren’t alien movies. Event Horizon is like Hellraiser in space (but NOT like Hellraiser: Bloodline, which is actually Hellraiser in space). Both films are essentially about inadvertently finding Hell through space travel.

Aurora: Toxic Avenger and Swamp Thing

MONSTROUS, MUTATED ROMANCE. Aurora says if your not a monster fucker or a mutant fucker then you’re a coward.

Phantom: Spooky Encounters 1 & 2

Two Hong Kong martial arts vampire movies! Incredibly fun, great gags, and packed with amazing martial arts stunts by Sammo Hung, one of the greatest martial arts actors ever. Phantom loves his vampire movies, and are some of his favorites.

Cirrus: Blood on Satan’s Claw and Eyes of Fire

Both set in the 18th century, Cirrus loves the unsettling, slow-burn atmosphere of folk horror films, and these two are essential viewing. She insists that anyone that loves movies like The VVitch and Midsommar go back and give these two a watch.

Sunshine: Frankenhooker and Bride of Re-Animator

1990 was apparently the year for wacky Frankenstein re-imaginings. Like most of the ghouls, Sunny loves a goofy, over-the-top horror comedy. Frankenhooker is exactly what it sounds like and more while Bride is a sequel to Re-Animator (she thinks Dan and Herbert should just freaking kiss already).

Cumulus: Lair of the White Worm and Vamypros Lesbos

Two erotic horror films with VERY different tones. Lair is hilarious and choc full of phallic imagery (“It’s a penis movie” - Cumulus) and Vampyros Lesbos is about, well, lesbian vampires. Very sexy and beautifully shot.

Rain: Xtro and the Blob

Two slimy alien movies. Xtro is something that needs to be seen to be believed, and the fact that Rain picked it has Dew beaming (he has taught him well). The Blob, a remake of the 1958 film, has great practical effects. Despite the fact that the Blob is about a giant blob of alien space goo that dissolves humans into a bloody puddle of goop, Xtro makes it seem like a Disney movie. Rain loves to see all the WTF expressions on everyone’s faces (except Dew, who is grinning ear to ear).

Ifrit: The Burning and the Prowler

Slasher films. Ifrit has seen them all. While he thinks slasher classics like Halloween and Friday the 13th are essential viewing, he thinks these two lesser-seen slasher flicks from the 80s are superior.

Omega: Prince of Darkness and the Beyond

Omega is the cosmic horror enthusiast of the bunch. He loves the scientific quantum physics spin on the devil’s return to earth in Prince of Darkness and thinks the Beyond is the best of Fulci’s Gates of Hell trilogy.

Mist: Audition and High Tension

Women who love a little too much. These movies being Mist’s picks have everyone wondering if they should be worried (they shouldn’t, but she wants them to think they should be.)

Alpha: New York Ripper and Torso

ITALIAN SLEAZE. Part giallo and part horror, both of these films are slasher meets murder mystery. Arguably the popularization of giallo in the 70s gave way to the rise of slasher films in the 80s, and these perfectly combine the two subgenres. Alpha and Dew yap about the hypersexualized ultraviolence and dreamy, surreal cinematography in giallo films the whole time (annoying).

[from-memphis-with-love]

Phantom Frequency

🚛 "Phantom Frequency" - A Halloween Short Story

On a rain-slicked highway in 1969, lonely trucker Elvis Presley nearly dies in a collision with a mysterious red car. Seeking refuge at a remote truck stop diner, he meets Grace—a hauntingly beautiful waitress with a gap-toothed smile and eyes like sea glass. Their connection is instant, electric, and impossible... because Grace died exactly one year ago, killed by a driver who never stopped.

CW: car accidents, death, supernatural themes

Later—much later—Elvis would remember that night and think: That's when everything went to hell. That's when I learned some roads don't wanna let you go.

But on that Halloween night in 1969, he was just trying to keep his rig between the lines while Merle Haggard fought with static on the radio. The windshield wipers beat a rhythm that reminded him of his mother's old metronome: you're-gonna-die, you're-gonna-die, you're-gonna-die.

(He was right about that, of course. Everyone dies eventually. But some folks—like the pretty waitress he was about to meet—were already well ahead of him.)

His hands gripped the big wheel of the Peterbilt, those same hands that had once strummed a Gibson guitar in Beale Street dive bars, back when he still believed he might be the next Johnny Cash. Now they just guided eighteen wheels through the dark, counting off the miles between nowhere and nothing much.

The cab of the truck smelled like every long-haul ride since the dawn of diesel: cigarette smoke, coffee gone cold in a plastic thermos, and that peculiar mixture of loneliness and diesel fuel that seems to seep into a trucker's bones after enough years on the road. Elvis had been driving for Yankee-Lines Transport for going on ten years now, and he figured he'd probably die behind this wheel.

(He didn't know how close he'd come to being right about that, too.)

The radio crackled, and through the static came Hank Williams singing "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." Elvis reached for the dial, but something made him hesitate. Later, he'd wonder if that hesitation saved his life. Or maybe it had already been too late by then. Maybe it had been too late the moment he'd pointed his truck down Highway 61 on Halloween night.

That's when he saw the headlights in his mirror.

The red Chevrolet came out of nowhere, moving like a bullet with Satan's name on it. Elvis had just enough time to think Jesus Christ on a bicycle before everything went sideways. Literally.

The truck slid like it was auditioning for the Ice Capades, trailer swinging wide in a move that would've scored a perfect ten from the Russian judges. Metal screamed. Glass shattered. Elvis had a crazy thought about that old Roy Orbison song—pretty woman, walking down the street—before physics finally called it a night and let everything settle into silence.

When his heart stopped trying to pound its way out of his chest like something from an Alien movie (not that those existed yet in 1969, but Elvis would think of that comparison later), he keyed the CB radio with shaking fingers.

"Breaker one-nine, this is Hound Dog," he said, and wasn't that a laugh? He'd picked that handle years ago, back when he still thought he might make it as a singer. Now it just felt like God's own cosmic joke. "Nearly got sent to the big truck stop in the sky by some maniac in a red Chevy. Anyone copy?"

The radio crackled—everything seemed to crackle that night, like the whole world was sitting on a bed of breaking bones—and a woman's voice came through: "Hound Dog, this is Grizzly Bear. Get yourself to Bud's Chalet at exit 117. Ain't safe out there tonight."

(Ain't safe. No ma'am, it surely wasn't. Ask Grace Maxwell about that. Oh wait, you can't. She's been dead a year. But don't worry, you'll meet her anyway.)

Elvis found the exit and pulled into what had to be the saddest excuse for a truck stop this side of the Mason-Dixon. Bud's Chalet looked like something that had fallen off the back of a Swiss tourist's postcard and landed in Arkansas by mistake. The kind of place where the coffee's always burnt and the pie's always old and the waitress is always named Flo.

Except the waitress wasn't named Flo.

She was standing behind the counter when he walked in, and for a moment Elvis forgot how to breathe. She was beautiful in that small-town way that breaks hearts and pens a thousand country songs. Strawberry blonde hair piled up in a beehive that would've made the B-52s proud (another reference that wouldn't make sense until years later), eyes green as summer lawn grass, and a gap between her front teeth that would've made Madonna jealous (there he went again, getting ahead of himself).

Her name tag said GRACE.

(And that's when the cosmic joke really got rolling. Because Grace had been dead exactly one year, killed by a red Chevy that didn't bother to stop after it sent her on her way to the ultimate coffee break. But Elvis didn't know that yet. He was still living in the world where pretty waitresses were alive and coffee got cold and clocks actually moved forward.)

"What'll it be?" she asked, and her voice was like warm honey over cornbread.

Elvis ordered coffee, black as midnight in a mine shaft. She poured it and steam rose from the cup like spirits escaping purgatory. He couldn't help noticing that she moved without making a sound, that the fluorescent lights dimmed when she passed under them, that her touch when she handed him the cup was cold as November rain.

They talked. Lord, how they talked. About roads and dreams and loneliness. About his failed music career and her daddy's trucking days. The coffee never got cold. The clock on the wall never moved. And outside, in the Arkansas night, something that drove a red Chevrolet waited patiently for its next victim.

When Elvis came back a year later—because of course he did, that's how these things work—the truth hit him like a load of concrete blocks. The photo on the wall. The brass plaque. Grace Maxwell, dead one year before he'd met her, killed by a hit-and-run driver in a red Chevy.

The same red Chevy that had almost sent him to join her.

Elvis ran out of that diner like his ass was on fire and his hair was catching. But as he reached his truck, the radio came to life all on its own. Through the static came "Peace in the Valley," and the smell of apple pie drifted on the wind.

He never drove that stretch of Highway 61 again. Some roads, he learned, have their own stories. Some roads keep their dead. And sometimes, if you're lucky (or maybe if you're not), those dead reach out to save the living from joining their lonely highway vigil.

But on quiet nights, when the moon is full and the radio won't quite tune in, Elvis thinks about Grace. He wonders if she's still there at Bud's Chalet, serving coffee that never gets cold to truckers who don't know they're being saved.

And sometimes, just sometimes, he finds himself humming "Peace in the Valley" and thinking about a pretty waitress with a gap-toothed smile who died on Halloween night but stuck around just long enough to keep him from joining her on the other side of the veil.

(Ain't that always the way? The dead looking out for the living, keeping us from stumbling too soon into their dark territory. And if you don't believe it, just take a drive down Highway 61 on Halloween night. Stop in at Bud's Chalet. Order some coffee and apple pie. But whatever you do, watch out for that red Chevy. It's still out there, waiting. Always waiting.)

THE END

[a-nameless-writer]

it's now time for...

music recs from beyond the grave!

a series in which i yap about my latest discoveries

Lunatic Soul

Solo studio music project of Mariusz Duda, lead singer of the Polish progressive rock band Riverside, Lunatic Soul's dark musical atmosphere evokes this intense feeling one can experience at twilight. There's something quite mystical about it, as if the winds and the mountains were whispering in your ear.

From the album Walking on a Flashlight Beam (2014):

Eastern High

This Swedish metal band's progressive approach can sometimes be reminiscent of Aether Realm's sound, although I feel it has a more mystique spirit — if that's even possible. Let's just say, as a Ghost fan: there's something in Swedish music that makes it impossible for them to make anything but bangers (I don't think this can be proven wrong).

Today's recs are from their first album, Garden of Heathens (2017). The first one, Afterglow, is the last song in the album (yeah, I like doing things the wrong way round). It is quite atmospheric, with almost ethereal vocals and clear acoustic guitar sounds.

The next one, Bottled Insanity (the first in the album, ha!), goes harder: with heavy guitar riffs and deep growls in the middle, it is quite reminiscent of melodic death metal. There is a notable contrast between soft and heavy passages, which I appreciate a lot. I find that the guitar solo is bleeding through very nicely. Side note: the chorus feels very solemn — which is a plus in my book, considering the vibe of this song.

Cellar Darling

A Swiss heavy progressive folk rock band! This trio was previously part of Swiss folk metal band Eluveite, and decided to embark on a different path — one free of any creative limits.

In their first studio album This Is the Sound (2017), vocalist Anna Murphy's powerful voice, combined with the rich sound of her hurdy-gurdy and heavy riffs, manages to throw you into a mystical experience. You'd almost expect Morgan le Fay to come out of the nearest bush, belting this song.

They also covered Queen's The Prophet Song (in 2018). Here, again, Anna Murphy's vocals are pure delight to the ears.

Zaho de Sagazan

This French singer-songwriter made a splash by covering Bowie's Modern Love for the opening of the Cannes Film Festival 2024, as a nod to Greta Gerwig's nomination as the jury's president. During this performance, she threw herself into the music — as she always does on stage — and invited us all into her world of electronic music.

She declared falling in love with the German language later, although she did study it in high school. From this, she decided to cover the famous song 99 Luftballons, by West German band Nena.

Zaho de Sagazan is hypersensitive, something that brought her a lot of trouble as a kid. But, “One day [she] discovered music, and [she] realized that by crying over [her] piano did [her] a lot of good, it didn't hurt anyone and above all it gave pretty songs. [She] realized that what [she] thought was [her] greatest flaw in life was ultimately [her] greatest quality”. From this discovery, the song La symphonie des éclairs (literally “The symphony of lightning”) was born.

Aaaand I've hit the hellsite's limit for Spotify integrations... Which means, without any surprise, that I'll continue these recommendations in another post (depending on this one's reception). I hope you enjoyed listening to all of these, as much as I've enjoyed writing about them!

Have a nice day, and don't forget to feel the music!

[iamthecomet]

Hi Comet! Thank you thank you thank you for the prompt. I got another one yesterday and will probably give it a go soon. But now for something completely different; headcanons! The last fic made me think, what is good sleeping music according to the other ghouls? - Ghoulette Anon

Ghoul sleeping music coming right up. I'm absolutely going to go too deep into this and I am NOT sorry about it. Rain: As previously discussed, a sort of unexpected sleep music habits. Nine Inch Nails usually does it. There is something soothing about the slow steady drone of their specific brand of industrial. Tool also will put him under pretty quickly. Cumulus: Loves trippy, dreamy music to fall asleep to. Still likes it to be a little gritty, not too soft. Likes trip-hop and some lo-fi. She always drifts off really quickly to bands like Sneaker Pimps and Portishead specifically. Cirrus: Likes slow, building, instrumentals. A fan of most shoegaze as well. Likes to be rocked to sleep by music. She likes songs that ebb and flow, that feel like falling asleep in a building storm. The band Mogwai is her favorite to drift off to. Sunshine: Weirdly, falls asleep really well to folk metal. She can close her eyes and craft a story around the music. Shes drifts off to tales of old gods and wars and myth. Especially likes bands with "different" instruments (accordions, flutes, hurdy gurdys, fiddles). She can craft grand adventures in her head to them, and that makes her slip off to sleep very quickly. Her favorites are: Eluveitie, Turisas, and Korpiklaani. Dew: A real sucker for all things slow and moody when he's trying to sleep. So doom metal is usually his go to. He usually opts for the darker moodier tracks. There is something soothing about the slow drone of them. He really likes Paradise Lost and Draconian. Aether: Loves prog. Loves the way it all flows together. It's so easy to get lost in. He likes the way things change, how songs shift together. It feels dreamlike already in a way, it's easy to just let go and listen to it. His favorites are OSI and Opeth. And occasionally he will listen to full Between the Buried and Me albums, it doesn't matter that they're heavy--they flow so well together that they have the desired effect despite the death metal aspect. Mountain: Mountain can't fall asleep to music. He likes to listen to music, to pay attention to it. So instead, when he's trying to sleep he listens to podcasts. He used to listen to educational ones he actually cared about, but then he got upset when he missed parts of them. Now he listens to more low-key podcasts. Welcome to Nightvale and Lore are two of his favorites. Swiss: Likes classic emo. Not Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco emo, "real" emo. A little angry. A little smooth. A little dreamy and weird. There is something about it that calms him. He likes the rise and fall of them. The grit in the vocals. His favorite to drift off to is Cursive.

[cataztrophi]

TAZ November Celebration 15: Silly/One

And that's the month, folks! I've learned so much doing @taznovembercelebration, it's the first time I've done an event like this and I'm really proud I met my goal! It's been awesome seeing the great work everyone else has been doing! For my 15th and final entry, I got "silly," then drew "one" to get more direction. This was surprisingly difficult to get started with, and I tried a few ideas that I might develop later, but I'm really happy with what I made once I got going on the idea I liked! This one is a little ridiculous, and I tried to lean into the taakitz dumbass energy, which I hope I captured well.

Taako was never one to believe in unbreakable rules. Generally, he felt most rules, codes, and laws could be broken if you had a good enough reason. Sometimes you didn’t even need that. If he were forced to name any rules that he felt were truly unbreakable, he would have two: one, no matter what the recipe says, use more garlic. And two, when the Timewarp comes on your Spotify playlist, you do the fucking Timewarp. Yes, you had to do the moves, and yes, that included if you were in the middle of making a lemon cake with Swiss meringue buttercream.

Taako was thoroughly enjoying himself as he slid his Swiss meringue into the fridge to cool, then executed an enthusiastic jump to the left to gather his dry ingredients for the cake. He had a rare day off work, he was doing what he loved, and he could sing at the top of his lungs because he knew his downstairs neighbor wasn’t home yet. 

He wiggled around in a circle with the dry mixture in his hands, belting out the end of the chorus.

“That really drives you insa- FUCK!” The bowl clattered to the floor as he turned around and saw someone standing in the door to his kitchen. Flour, sugar, and all the rest of it exploded over every surface, including the nice shiny shoes and perfectly-creased slacks of his visitor. It was Kravitz. Of course it was.

Taako scrambled to pull his phone out of his pocket and pause his music, his heart still pounding from the shock.

“Kravitz,” he gasped out, “I thought you worked till six.”

Kravitz, as always, looked perfect, with his handsome face and his all-black suit and his long dreads pulled up in a knot behind his head. He also looked completely stunned, which Taako couldn’t blame him for, since he’d just witnessed his trainwreck of a sing-along followed by a catastrophic baking failure. 

“They just changed my schedule,” he said after a moment, his expression turning sheepish. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Here, let me–” He stooped down to retrieve Taako’s mixing bowl–thank the gods he’d been using a metal one.

“Fuck, you don’t have to-” He was hot from embarrassment and itchy from his new flour coating.

Kravitz straightened up and set the mixing bowl on the table. He looked Taako over, eyes lingering a little, which Taako hoped was because he was wearing a very short pair of running shorts he’d had since high school, but was more likely because he looked like some sort of feral snow creature.

“I… are you okay?” Kravitz asked.

Taako nodded. “Yep! Right as rain, my dude! Right as grain? No, that’s nothing.” Kravitz laughed, probably out of pity more than anything, but at this point Taako would take it.

“I’m sorry I startled you.” Why did he get to have the softest fucking voice on the planet? And why was he allowed to direct it at vulnerable people like Taako, at this, the worst moment of his life thus far?

“Oh, I knew you were there,” he said with faux nonchalance, leaning against the refrigerator.

Kravitz raised his eyebrows. “You did."

“What, you didn’t like my little one man show?”

He grinned. “No, it was- it was really impressive.”

“You should see what else my hips can do.” He smirked as he watched Kravitz’s eyes go wide. He was definitely looking at the shorts now.

“I… um, I have your mail!” he announced. Gods he was cute.

Taako raised an eyebrow, having fun teasing him. “Are you holding it for ransom or something? Cause I’m not not into it.”

“No I-” he stopped. “Isn’t that a crime?”

He shrugged. “Crime can be hot.”

“Mail crime?”

“I prefer males, yeah.”

Kravitz snorted. “You’re the worst.”

“My kitchen’s covered in shit, I’ve earned it.”

“Anyway.” Not to be derailed this time, Kravitz pulled several envelopes from the pocket of his suit jacket. “Some of your mail got addressed to apartment one instead of apartment two again. Where should I put these?”

“Just find the least floured surface.”

“Right.” He set them down on the countertop nearest the door. “Can I help you clean this up since I helped cause it?”

Taako crossed his arms. “I told you, that was intentional. When they put me on Broadway I’m gonna use glitter.”

“Oh, fuck, that would be the worst,” Kravitz laughed. 

“Gonna drop ten tons of it from the ceiling.” 

“The cleaning staff would hate you!”

Taako was laughing too, now. “The whole fucking world would hate me, my man! The world’s first completely unifying issue: fuck that guy with the glitter!”

They took a moment to catch their breath, and Kravitz sighed. “Please let me help you with this.”

Taako waved a hand, dismissing the request. “Nah, the kitchen’s too small anyway. We’d just be bumping into each other.”

“That’s not such a bad thing.”

His heart lurched. He’d been flirting with Kravitz for weeks now, but this was the first time he’d taken the initiative. Was that… was there a chance he was interested? Not just flirting for fun?

“Maybe not,” he said, his mouth suddenly dry. “You are gonna want to change, though, it’s gonna be bad enough getting flour out of your pants.”

A grin spread across Kravitz’s face. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He turned and left the apartment, and Taako spent a moment leaning against the counter, just breathing. 

He shouldn’t get his hopes up. Chances were Kravitz was just having fun, and so was he, but gods, Taako hadn’t felt like this in a while. Even longer since he’d fallen for someone this kind, or talented, or–

Taako pushed himself away from the counter and took a look at the mail Kravitz had brought him. That was a bill, that was a bill, that was a request for donations he couldn’t help with, bill— wait. Mixed in with the envelopes was a small sheet of lined paper, with a letterhead from the company Kravitz worked  for. There were some messy notes scribbled on it in Kravitz’s handwriting.

He wasn’t going to look at it, just give it to Kravitz when he got back.

The notes were divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion. In the introduction section, Kravitz had written, “tell him what you like about him: handsome, funny, smart, great cook, nice to see every day.”

He should stop reading. This was clearly something private, and he didn’t want to intrude, or for that matter, have it confirmed that Kravitz was interested in someone else. Someone at work, it looked like, which was fine. Great, even. 

“Taako, I think I–” Kravitz skidded into his apartment, wearing work jeans and no shoes, a panicked expression on his face. His gaze fell on the note in Taako’s hands. “Oh. You saw, then.”

Fuck. “Krav, I didn’t mean-”

“I just didn’t know how to tell you,” he said in a rush. “This… uh… wasn’t my top choice, though.”

Taako took a deep breath. This was fine. This was absolutely okay, and definitely not a collapsing five-tiered cake of a day.

“Hey, this afternoon hasn’t been great,” he said finally. “Do you want to just… have a do-over?”

Kravitz let out a sigh of relief. “That would be great, actually.”

Taako handed him the note. “So I didn’t see this, and you didn’t see…” he gestured towards the floury mess of his kitchen. “All that….”

He took a step back, brushed the worst of the flour off his apron, and said, “Hey, Krav! How was work?”

“Fine,” he said, biting back a smile. “How was your day?”

“There’s shit all over my kitchen,” Taako said. 

Kravitz laughed quietly, then looked down at the note still in his hand. “Okay. Um, Taako, I think you’re handsome, and funny, and smart, and–”

Taako’s heart skipped a beat. Actually, it skipped several. To be completely honest, it felt like it jumped down a flight of stairs. “Wait.”

Kravitz looked up, alarmed. “Are you… I thought-”

“Are you asking me out?”

He blinked. “What did you think the note was about?”

Taako considered this for a moment. “I’d rather not say.”

“Okay, I’ll… try not to be concerned about that. Um, should I go on, or…?”

“Do you… is it like, important for you to finish, for self-actualization or something?”

Kravitz grimaced. “Honestly I’d prefer to just know. I kind of feel like I’m dying right now.”

“Oh! I mean, hell yeah, my dude! Let’s do it!”

“Okay!” Kravitz’s face lit up, and Taako could feel an answering grin spread across his own face. “We should, uh, probably get this flour cleaned up first.”

Taako snorted. “Oh yeah, cha’boy’s not dealing with that at midnight.” He cast a sidelong glance at Kravitz. “Or tomorrow morning.”

Kravitz’s eyebrows shot up. “Uh. Do you have a broom?”

“Right over there, handsome.”

[superluigiglitchy]

SMG4: SCR Outbreak Aftermath

(tw: blood, gore, body horror up ahead view at your own risk folks) the scr virus concept is inspired by @fernshawart so check them out they have a twitter too with the same user

Meggy after being cured from SCR ended up still losing some parts of her body, luckily with the help of Tari and a VERY reluctant Puzzles, they were replaced by robotic parts

She now has a robotic left eye after it fell out during the rotting phase along with a new right forearm to replace the initial which also rotted off, she lost both of her feet and ankles so they were also replaced by robotic prosthesis

her arm is basically a swiss army knife, having a built in grappling hook and splattershot among other things

to compensate for all the extra weight she needs to carry around now because metal is heavy, Meggy is more built to be able to actually carry that amount of metal around on a daily basis (buff meggy rights AMEN)

[robinsnest2111]

Here's the promised Def Leppard/Mötley Crüe concert experience post <3

Under a read more because I don't want to hit any of you with this giant wall of text, videos and photos without any way to skip past lol

I arrived at the venue with time to spare, saw many people in just black bandshirts (for comfort which I totally get. Not everyone's as extra as me who dresses up like he's Mick Mars' stunt double in the 80s lol)

I sadly had to throw away my umbrella. It wasn't allowed inside the pit. I get it, hazard and whatnot. The 4€ fee to have someone look after it and only a half hour window to get it back after the concert ended seemed not worth it for a cheap umbrella so buying a new one on monday it is.

I got myself a shirt as soon as I got in. The choices were not great, gotta admit. Mötley Crüe seem to be going for some japanese-esque Samurai-inspired graphic for their new era (felt like an Iron Maiden copy-ish thing to me, not my thing)

The rest of the black shirts were meh, either too plain or prominently featuring John 5. The only shirt with Mick on it was a pale pink and was 5 bucks more expensive than everything else. All shirts and tank tops, both for Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard, were 45 bucks each (rip my June budget fr), bandanas were 25 bucks, basecaps and limited edition signed prints 35 bucks, etc. The Mötley keychains were all sold out by the end of the night, else I would've gotten one of those. My Iron Maiden keychain from 2018 is looking a bit worn and I would've loved to have a new one but oh well. I can still try and DIY one myself. I wanna get more into bleach-painting and patch making and embroidery anyway so it'd be great practice!

I had a t-shirt and tank top by the end of the night lol

---

After the initial shirt purchase I still had ample time for a toilet break (and a sip of free sink water) after almost 2 hours of travel time and found a nice space in the crowd somewhere in the middle distance from where I could see most of the action on stage.

A local rock radio station did the pre-gig music entertainment. I also met 2 nice dudes who are in a band called Nathanael and play Victorian folk metal! They handed me their business card and I will definitely check them out as soon as I can, maybe even go to one of their gigs soon?

Between the rock radio station signing off and the start of the actual gigs they played some other songs to keep the crowd entertained, Fox On The Run by The Sweet among others! A personal mini highlight 🦊💕

Mötley Crüe was up first and they took their sweet time to actually get on stage.

There was a pretty long classical music piece playing before their proper intro sequence.

The official start was supposed to be around 6.30 pm but they got on stage at sometime around 7.30pm? My inner punctuality freak was not amused but it is what it is lol

I loved the song selection, knew almost all of them but had trouble singing along for reasons other than my Swiss cheese brain. Not sure if it was intentional or just very unluckily adjusted speakers but most of what I heard of the songs was the droning of the subwoofers. Most of Vince's vocals and a bit of Nikki's bass, John's guitar and Tommy's drums were drowned out by the reverb of the sound system and the overwhelming boom of the speakers. Kinda disappointing. It also rendered the audio of most of the videos I filmed during their set useless. But ah well.

As this was my first time seeing Mötley Crüe on stage I have no idea if it's a common thing for the sexy dancer ladies to have their own mics and sing some of Vince's parts? It didn't matter much due to the aforementioned "subwoofer drowning out most of the sound" issue lol

And how could I forget the tits cam zooming in on the crowd, at dear Tommy's request. I guess if you're famous enough you can simply ask to see your fans' tits and most of them happily oblige. I've never seen so many tits out in the wild/on the big screens, it was strange. But it firmly cemented just how wildly asexual I am. Although I am capable of appreciating some nice boobies from an aesthetic point of view no problem, they don't do anything for me beyond that haha

Strangely, the only song the audio was fine on was Home Sweet Home. I really wish I could've heard more of Vince's voice in the other songs like that :')

John 5's formal intro was an almost 2 minutes long guitar solo, not sure how to feel about that. Like yes, he's good, he has the skills, but. Eh.

(Loved the violin bow on guitar strings intro to Kickstart My Heart tho, that was kinda cool :P)

Nikki and Vince introducing their older more well known songs with "Wanna hear more of our old shit?" rubbed me the wrong way? On the other hand Nikki said the band loves Germany (he even waved the German flag on stage) and loves the crowd so, eh. I guess I'm a weenie and that's just how they are haha

Also got a little sad about them changing some of the lyrics to Smoking In The Boys Room (from "my buddies Sixx, Mick and Tom" to "my buddies Sixx, 5 and Tom") and the caricature and logo on the screens near the end of their set featuring John 5 instead of Mick. I wasn't quick enough to get a photo because the sadness of a new Mick-less Crüe era hit me full force in that moment. Can't help that my brain is hyperfixating on Mick Fucking Mars and that I missed him dearly all night long :'))))))

At least they didn't cut him out of any of the 80s footage video edits playing on the big screens during some songs. It would've been pretty asshole-ish if they did. Like completely erasing him from their band history.

On a lighter note: Vince introducing Nikki as his brother, who he has known for over 40 years, and their little in-sync swaying back and forth with the mic stand and bass respectively moment with them laughing and talking and exchanging smiles and grins was super cute :') <3

Also Tommy receiving a small bouquet of roses, smiling, and then proceeding to stuff them down the front of his pants lmao

And that was that for Mötley Crüe

A little break in-between, enough time for another trip to the loo and afterwards sip some more water from the sink like an animal (not gonna pay anything over 5€ for a puny little cup of water from the overpriced beverage stands, no sir)

Def Leppard were in another league compared to Mötley Crüe! Their sound was PERFECT. Very harmonic, powerful, you could hear everyone SO WELL!!! None of the pesky subwoofer problem the Crüe had, and they all looked like they had so much fun!!! I'm not as well-versed with Def Leppard's discography and all the band members (yet), but everyone looked great in their stage outfits! The lights and background videos were so nice too!!!

And they played the 2 songs I do know (Foolin' and Pour Some Sugar On Me)

but also a bunch of songs from the album they worked on during the worst of the pandemic years. Which also sounded very good!!! I'm actually considering buying that new album if I see it out in the wild for a decent price.

The background video montage for Photograph was so adorable with all the pictures from the band's history, from the late 70s to present day. They were all such adorable babies back then and seeing all the photos gave me the same warm fuzzies as looking at old band photos and candid shots online does <333

Very much a 180 to Mötley Crüe in every regard, Joe Elliott thanked us in German and English, and told us the band loves us <33

I might actually try to get more into Def Leppard now that I've seen how awesome they are on stage <33

The crowd for Def Leppard was a little older and less rowdy, a very welcome change. Still a bunch of almost blackout drunk people, sloshing their beer everywhere and bumping into everyone around them. One major thing I dislike about bigger concerts tbh.

---

I also got a bunch of compliments on my hair, make up, and outfit throughout the evening <3

Even got called Nikki (and Mick, after informing people of my style influence) a few times lol

A couple older folks said they admired my style and that you don't see many people like me anymore and that I should keep doing my thing because it's so cool to see :')<333

[Some comments bordered on some icky misogynistic topics tho, like "oh girls nowadays are too prissy and not as cool and rock-n-roll and bold and rough-and-tumble as they were in the 80s/like you", etc.

And yes, I let everyone think I'm a girl. Not worth it trying to correct tipsy and/or drunk off their asses metalheads in a loud crowded venue. I don't really pass on a masculine day; much less dressed to the nines, face slathered in theatrical 80s make up and hair backcombed and hairsprayed to hell and back.]

On my way to the train station I got to talking with some other tram passengers heading home after the concert, an older couple and two guys around my age. The couple had pretty cool battle vests, all covered in various pins and patches. One of my favourites was the Zappa For President patch on the lady's vest which made me think of @feeshies , really wish I'd asked for a photo :')

The guys my age roped me into going to a strip club with them instead of going straight home. They even covered the entry fee for me, so I didn't have to pay anything! They were very respectful and I was free to go whenever I pleased. It was interesting to see pole dancers/strippers up close in real life and not only on TV, but it's definitely not for me lol I'm too aroace and neurodivergent for this. The ladies had some badass pole skills tho! Effortlessly dancing in 10 inch platform stilettos and with barely anything covering their bodies? I could never! Kudos to the ladies!

Anyway, it was good I decided to head home around 1am, I could already feel the joint pain creeping up on me. it's full-blown throbbing and piercing agony, 7/10, now. I only got 3 hours of sleep before the aches woke me up the first time orz

But hey, 3 hours and a bit of dozing here and there are better than nothing. I spent Sunday taking it kinda easy, only did a few chores around the house, and went through all the photos and videos i took (111 files in total) of course! I weeded out all the blurry and shaky ones and the few good ones should be peppered throughout this post!

Hope y'all had a good Sunday and Monday <3

[philosopheme]

Cân Bardd @ Fortress Festival (2023)

Atmospheric folk black metal from Switzerland

Bandcamp

[we-can-be-heroes]

1, 2, 4, 6? 📚

2) What are 2-5 already published nonfiction books you think you want to read in 2023?

Ok so I’m waiting for this one to arrive and I’m extremely excited :

And my dream is to read this one entirely :

She passed away in 2016 and her writings have not been published in years… I’m a bit of a paper fetishist (especially for people I adore) so of course I want the physical version 😭 but I’m afraid it might be hard to find and most of all very expensive. So either I keep waiting for a miracle either I accept to read the pdf version hehe…!

And finally these two :

These also are two very rare books I plan on finding and buying lol 🥲 ! These were supposed to be a triptych/trilogy but life is hard and making books costs money so unfortunately it didn’t happen. The first volume is about the international post-punk, cold wave, techno-pop, dark folk, gothic rock, electronic, EBM, industrial metal scenes, basically all the related movements that have appeared since the 70’s etc……. And the second volume apparently tackles the….French gothic scene ??? As well as other francophone gothic scenes such as the Swiss, Belgian and Luxembourgish, which I don’t know shit about. As far as I know these are THE MOST COMPLETE publications about the subject written in French !!!!

4) Do you plan to read any genres you haven't read much before?

Hummmm as funny/crazy as it sounds I’ve never read any horror novels lol ! (Except for Carrie when I was a preteen) I watch horror, I read horror mangas, horror comics, even theorical/philosophical stuff about horror in magazines but no horror novels. Reading horror novels sound way scarier than any of the other stuff I listed that contain CLEAR IMAGES 😭 ! But I’m ready and would like to give it a shot. Other than that any good books that contain magical realism ? English Gothic Literature, French romantisme noir. And more theorical/philosophical/scientific stuff about subjects I care about !

6) Do you have any conceptual reading goals?

E.g., I plan to read books on food history.

Yes absolutely, as you can see in the previous book choices & the answer just above, I would like to read more theorical essays about music genres and their historical and political aspects, same goes for genre cinema, and the different themes and recurring patterns found there .

But also more books about cultural studies and critical theory. A few years ago for a long time I was going through a very strong feeling of DÉSIDENTIFICATION (disidentification) which was painful at the time, but also freeing ! [ I am still and constantly going through it tbh but in a very less violent way, the freeing part is starting to kick in hehe !] so, I was saying this word constantly to talk about how I felt and I ended up doing research and learning that this term had already been invented/theorized by someone called José Esteban Muñoz, in his very first book :

It made me very emotional to know that someone had written an entire book around the topic lol and now I really want to read it ! I found myself wrapped in feelings of unbelonging since forever so I’m always very attracted to and interested in what other people may have said or thought about these matters.

I will probably go through these rollercoasters of identification and disidentification my whole entire life but that’s also what makes it exciting and interesting and worth living I guess !

Not being able to categorize and decrypt you easily or at all is something that always enrages aaaaaaaall types of people ! And this is something I absolutely love and hate and find very interesting.

Pissing of and disturbing people by my very existence has always been my little specialty ! At some point I even started cultivating this by trying to scare people (through my art, looks, and unconsciously, probably, some aspects of my personality and life ““choices”” such as isolation) as an attempt to protect myself and free myself from this weight loool ! Which in my experience really isn't always a good idea, and once again is as liberating as it is painful !! For myself and others !!

Partly for all these reasons i have always been very drawn to the idea of “monstrosity” and have identified with monsters in art for as long as I remember so I’m always very happy to come across writings/books about this ! (if any of you have any recommendations btw don’t hesitate 🤍 ! Except for Paul B. preciado’s book that I have already heard about)

Anyway !!! So yeah basically I want to read these 5 books 😂😂😂….The only link I see between them is the idea of community that I have loved and hated and loved and hated and LOVED again 🔄🔄🔄🔄🔄♾️♾️♾️ and that I keep deconstructing and reconstructing perpetually !!!!

Thank you very much for the very interesting questions, loved answering these and sorry if « 2023 book ask » might have turned into « over sharing » ?? I just thought that it was related, and wanted to explain the book choices !

Have a great night !! 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

[rumor-imbris]

Ok, not AC3/Ratonhnhaké:ton related, but this is just too cool not to be posted! It's been so long since I shared some music aaand... Few days ago I discovered this incredible Swiss folk metal band (if you know me well, you know I love metal!) who dedicated a song to no less than... Kratos! And no, I don't mean the minor ancient Greek mithology deity, I mean Kratos from the God of War game series! How cool is that? (I'm winking to my little @scarsofbeauty so bad right now!!! ^_-)

The song is so powerful and got stuck in my head since the first listen. I wanted to share with you guys since I enjoyed the GoW games so much and I'm currently waiting for our majesty of evil Sony to release GoW: Ragnarok on PC so that I can finally play it too (damn, I hate Sony and their stupid exclusives policy so much >.<)

So, I hope you enjoy Kratos ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ *(Sorry if you don't like metal and growl/harsh vocals, though I think the chorus is very catchy indeed)

Much love ♥

Rumor Imbris 🦋

[eluveitiemerch]

Eluveitie Merch

Founded in 2002 by Chrigel Glanzmann in Winterthur, Zürich, Eluveitie has captivated metal enthusiasts with its enchanting blend of traditional Swiss folk elements and heavy metal. The project initially began as a solo endeavor, but the remarkable reception of its first demo, Vên, released in 2003, laid the groundwork for something much greater. Explore the best Eluveitie merchandise that showcases your love for this iconic Swiss folk metal band. From stylish band t-shirts to cozy hoodies, discover a wide array of products that connect you with fellow fans. Buy Eluveitie Merch Here! #eluveitiemerch #eluveitiemerchandise

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[ilopisara]

31.05. 22:17 | Ilo Pisara vs Compton GladiatorS 8 - 3

Alright, folks! Let's break down that glorious 8-3 smackdown we just handed to the Compton Gladiators. We were hotter than a jalapeño in a sauna out there! First off, Macho Fantastico—what can I say? Six goals on eight shots? The guy was scoring like he had magnets in his stick and the puck was metal. And Yuri Tarde with five points; sure, you gave away more pucks than Oprah gives away cars, but those assists made up for it. Jani Saari deserves a standing ovation too: six assists and dominating faceoffs at nearly 70%. You’re basically our Swiss Army knife on skates. Now let’s talk about giveaways—14 each from our top three players?! Are you trying to set up shop as Santa Claus early this year or what? Historically speaking, we've been riding high lately (except for that hiccup against Petas Devils). This win keeps us cruising along nicely after taking down teams like Lapland and Grande Coyones. But remember boys: consistency is key if we want to avoid turning back into tragicomedy territory faster than you can say “Ilo Pisara Forever!” Looking ahead, tighten up those defensive lapses before they bite us where it hurts most—the scoreboard. Keep playing like today though, and we'll be lifting trophies instead of tissues by season's end. So buckle up boys; it's either onward Ilo Pisara or bust! #IloPisaraForever

[rastronomicals]

April 5:

On this date in 1980, Chrome released their fourth studio album, Red Exposure .

Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of Before Became After, Proto-Kaw's album.

On this date in 2005, a tribute album to Black Sabbath entitled Everything Comes & Goes, was first issued.

On the 5th of April, 2019, Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie laid upon us Ategnatos, their eighth full-length album.