#Vincent Beck

[sketchy-beck]

(Bo and Vincent Sinclair WIP) Nothing says "brotherly love" like a family murder plot.

[perfunctory-idols]

Beck and St. Vincent recreate the "I hope she plays" trend at Riot Fest in Chicago the other day.

Posted on Instagram by Stereogum

[itsvinniehacker]

[andrebearakovsky]

Capitals players on the current roster who have yet to make their playoff debut:

Alexander Alexeyev

Vincent Iorio

Lucas Johansen

Hendrix Lapierre

Charlie Lindgren

Beck Malenstyn

Ivan Miroshnichenko

Aliaksei Protas

Michael Sgarbossa

Capitals players on the current roster who have played in the playoffs but are yet to score a playoff goal:

Ethan Bear

Martin Fehervary

Nick Jensen

Connor McMichael

Sonny Milano

Dylan McIlrath

So based on what I imagine the lineups will look like, it appears that Beck, Lapierre, Lindgren, Alexeyev, and Protas are all slated to make their playoff debuts today (along with maybe Iorio or Lucas depending on the status of Jensen/Sandin). And there are a couple of guys to be on the lookout for their first ever playoff goal.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Reed McMaster at MMFA:

Podcaster Patrick Bet-David provides a platform for far-right figures to promote conspiracy theories and bigotry, potentially to millions of people. Bet-David’s PBD Podcast has allowed guests to promote the white nationalist “great replacement” theory, claim that homosexuality is being pushed on children, and push conspiracy theories about mail-in ballot harvesting.

Who is Patrick Bet-David?

Bet-David is the founder of the insurance company PHP Agency and digital media outlet Valuetainment. The Daily Beast described PHP Agency as “a multilevel marketing company” that “makes money when people recruit lower-ranking members, who then funnel their sales commissions upwards.” Bet-David has interviewed major figures such as former President George W. Bush and professional basketball player Kobe Bryant at PHP Agency conferences, eventually posting some of these interviews to Valuetainment’s YouTube channel. [Daily Beast, 5/31/19; PR Newswire, 7/20/22; YouTube, 8/23/19; Valuetainment, accessed on 5/6/24]

Valuetainment hosts multiple interview-focused podcasts, including Bet-David’s own PBD Podcast. Bet-David has interviewed a variety of right-wing guests on his podcast, including Fox host Jesse Watters, alleged human trafficker Andrew Tate, and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, as well as celebrities not involved in politics. [Huffpost, 4/15/24; Valuetainment, PBD Podcast, 6/12/23; Forbes, 10/16/23]

Patrick Bet-David's PBD Podcast hosted by Valuetainment has featured numerous right-wing guests and bigoted commentary.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Riot Fest 2024: 9/20-9/22

Rob Zombie

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Yeah, the difference in genres over each of the three days at this year's Riot Fest was as palpable as the heat on Friday and Saturday and the rain on Sunday. No worries, though: Riots come in all shapes and sizes, styles and structures, sounds and spirits. Here were my favorite lucky 13 sets from last weekend.

Drug Church

Drug Church

Even though it was the hottest part of the day, Drug Church vocalist Patrick Kindlon repeated one main request throughout the Albany post-hardcore band's set: "Fucking move." The crowd obliged, enamored with the way Nick Cogan, Cory Galusha, Chris Villeneuve, and Patrick Wynne's crunchy grungy sound complemented Kindlon's hoarse scream. Whether Drug Church was playing old songs, like Cheer highlight "Unlicensed Guidance Counselor, rife with Mascis-esque guitar squalls, or the high-pitched bounce of "Myopic" from the quintet's upcoming PRUDE (Pure Noise), fans moshed and crowd surfed. What route they exactly took was often based on humorous instruction from Kindlon, thick New York accent and all: "This one's not for the circle pit; it's for coming over the barrier," he clarified before "Million Miles of Fun". Best, it's not like he was giving demands from a throne. Kindlon himself was probably worse off than anyone in the crowd, having declined sunscreen and worrying about forgetting the words of new song "Slide 2 Me". "The band has a pact," he said before they closed their set with "Weed Pin". "Even if I get attacked or have a stroke on stage, they don't stop." With dedication like that, it was easy for the rest of us to bring the energy.

Drug Church's Patrick Kindlon

Sum 41

"Thank you for putting up with our stupid bullshit," Sum 41 singer Deryck Whibley said to the crowd during the middle of a cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You". Yes, the band who is calling it quits, who had every opportunity to play a deep cut for the diehard fans, used one of their twelve songs in their hour-long slot on a breakneck pop punk version of maybe the most recognizable rock song ever. The choice and its ensuing performance was Sum 41 in a nutshell: earnestly moronic, surprisingly technically deft, ultimately undeniable. Though their most recent and last-ever album Heaven :x: Hell (Rise) is strong, they played only its spritely lead single "Landmines", opting instead to burn through their underratedly massive back catalog of hits, replete with pyrotechnics, Dave Baksh and Tom Thacker's tit-for-tat lead guitar interplay, and Frank Zummo's massive double kick drums. The crowd ate it up, jumping up and down to the rhythmic bounce of "Underclass Hero" and "In Too Deep" and singing along to every word of "Fat Lip". By the time the band got to their final song, "Still Waiting", Whibley requested no more fire, wanting to connect with the crowd: "Just us, you, and the music." He didn't mention lights, though, so who was he kidding? As soon as the chorus hit, strobes chaotically moved along to Zummo's drum fills, providing, for the last time, more gloriously stupid bullshit from a band we're all going to miss more than we know.

The Offspring

At what Home Depot did The Offspring get that blow-up skeleton? The California punk band came to Douglass Park to show off their love for the very breakout album that donned a bony buddy on its cover, Smash, celebrating it's 30th anniversary this year. The full album set featured very little banter and a load of piercingly loud sounds: Noodles' razor guitar leads, Brandon Pertzborn's well-done-meaty snares, and of course, Dexter Holland's shrill scream-sing. The band did take a break to show, on the stage's screens, clips from old interviews about the band and Smash, including how, "You gotta keep 'em separated" was sung by a friend of the band, as well as the punk scenes they've been a part of throughout their career. And though Smash still holds up front-to-back, The Offspring recognize that classics, too, can change with time, so they skipped over "Self Esteem" so they could play it at the end of their album set before a three-song encore of later-career tunes. There may not be anything new to say about their best album, so The Offspring have merely decided to give the people what they want.

The Marley Brothers

The Marley Brothers

At the Cabaret Metro stage, Fall Out Boy was lighting off fireworks, and I could audibly hear every snap, crackle, and pop in the distance and see smoke rising from the corner of my eye. Normally, that would bother me, but I was otherwise transfixed by the singers and instrumentalists right in front of me, letting the grooves do the talking. The Marley Brothers, Bob Marley's sons Stephen, Ziggy, Julian, Ky-Mani and Damian, traded off and performed some of their father's hits and deep cuts, like protest songs "Get Up, Stand Up", "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock), and "I Shot The Sherriff", the pure "Three Little Birds", and dub masterpiece "Positive Vibration". Their gravel-throated, weary rasp made them dead ringers for their father; the band, backing vocalists, and posse member spending the whole set waving a giant Jamaican flag made the closing set a full-on show, just as deserving of headlining status as the local kids across the park.

The Marley Brothers

Buzzcocks

Buzzcocks

Few songs on Singles Going Steady pass the three-minute mark, so it was cool to see the Buzzcocks, almost a half-century since they formed, play around with dynamics during their Saturday afternoon set. Sure, you knew what you were gonna get with the slinky bass of "Why Can't I Touch It?" and "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)", but the band unexpectedly added a big jam and lots of distortion to "Harmony in My Head". Last weekend was their first time back in Chicago since founder Pete Shelley passed away, let alone releasing their first album without him, Sonics in the Soul (Cherry Red), so Steve Diggle got to both pay tribute and show his abilities as full-time lead vocalist. He passed the test, especially on the new tunes like "Senses Out of Control", his echoing, nasal sneer sounding kind of like Bob Mould with a British accent. Just like Mould, Buzzcocks keep growing instead of resting on their laurels.

Buzzcocks' Steve Diggle

The Hives

The Hives

You know you're getting older when you watch The Hives and think to yourself, "How is Howlin' Pelle Almqvist not perenially injured?" Jumping around on the stage and in the crowd, motion restricted by a fitted suit, seems like a recipe for back problems, or at least plantar fasciitis! Misplaced anxiety aside, watching Sweden's preeminent garage rock revival band continues to reward, almost 25 years after they broke out with Veni Vidi Vicious. The band did play a few tunes from their most recent record The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons (Disques Hives), whose title sees them fully embrace the (probably fictional) supposed sixth member of The Hives who is their manager and sole songwriter. I suppose it doesn't matter who writes their songs--"Hate to Say I Told You So" still rips as a catchy, jump-along anthem with the best of them.

The Hives' Howlin' Pelle Almqvist

Spoon

Spoon

Spoon

Spoon

Move over, Pitchfork: Spoon's presence on the Riot Fest lineup mostly confirms the festival's status as the greatest harbinger of Aughts-era indie rock in Chicago. At 5:30 P.M., most everyone at Riot Fest who once owned the Red Hot compilation Dark Was the Night planted themselves for the night, ready to take in the back-to-back-to-back-to-back of the Austin quintet, St. Vincent, Pavement, and Beck. Though Spoon had their fair share of "punk"-esque moments, like set opener "Got Nuffin", the sharp "The Hardest Cut", and a stellar cover of The Cramps' "TV Set", they were an atmospheric outlier. To play "The Underdog", Britt Daniel brought out an instrument you don't often see on a stage at Riot Fest--an acoustic guitar--which started a run of shuffling and sparkly catalog highlights like "Wild" and "Inside Out". On an unusually hot September day, though, Spoon's laid-back melodies were a welcome respite. "Someone get popsicles, someone do something about the heat," Daniel sang on "Do You". With the pace of their set, he heeded his own call.

Spoon's Britt Daniel

St. Vincent

Perhaps unlike Spoon, these days, St. Vincent's sound has less in common with her early baroque pop days and skews heavily towards the industrial funk of many of her Riot Fest peers. Leading the charge were the songs on her latest album All Born Screaming (Total Pleasure): the noodling "Flea", finger-snapping "Broken Man", trip-hop vibing "Hell Is Near", reggae jamming and propelling "All Born Screaming". The one thing consistent in all of St. Vincent's material, though, is Annie Clark's guitar playing, on-point during her set. Scratchy, funky leads pervaded "Big Time Nothing", "Marrow", "Los Ageless", and "Digital Witness", Clark's unique shredding style just as mighty as the metal bands that would grace the same stage the next day.

Pavement

Though I had seen Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks before, I was psyched to see his undeniably influential primary band live in all of their silly, ramshackle glory. They didn't disappoint; even if they were on a big stage, playing to a big crowd, they still had the air of up-and-comers goofing around, raw in their loud-quiet-loud dynamism on "Cut Your Hair" and psychedelic jamming on "Box Elder". Scott Kannberg, aka "Mr. Spiral Stairs," got to take the lead on his "Date w/ IKEA", while the only person cawing louder than the guy behind me during the chorus of "Unfair" was Bob Nastanovich. The band played their first ever RIAA-certified song "Harness Your Hopes", which, in true Pavement fashion, is not even on a full-length album, and they ended their set with the anti-climactic "Stop Breathin", as if to make a statement to the crowd that they're still the same wonderfully messy band all these years later.

Beck

Beck's live sets are somewhere between Pavement and a band like Nine Inch Nails: pure professionalism, sometimes disguised as spontaneous. During his headlining set Saturday night, his and his band's performances of Odelay untouchables like "Devils Haircut" and "The New Pollution" were no-notes perfect. His retreat into acoustic Sea Change heartbreak sported a beatific, melancholy sheen. Really, it was the songs from his early and later catalog that provided him the most opportunity for the unexpected or the new, whether it was "Girl" trading in its electronic blips for garage surf rock or extended bluesy guitar and harmonica preceding "Loser" and "One Foot in the Grave", respectively. Moreover, Beck's funky tunes hit the hardest live. "E-Pro"'s outro adopted a swinging, metal might, while the unbridled horniness of the Midnite Vultures songs got the crowd moving the most. Yeah, I'm crossing my fingers for a 30-year-anniversary Midnite Vultures set at Riot Fest 2029.

SPRINTS

SPRINTS

"I'm like Slayer's gayer cousin," joked SPRINTS lead vocalist Karla Chubb to a crowd waiting out the rain all day to see their favorite metal band's first show since disbanding five years prior. Her words were funny, but they rang true coming from a Dublin band who has more than their fair share of experience forcefully trudging through non-ideal weather. Playing from their great debut album Letter to Self (City Slang), Chubb, Colm O'Reilly, Sam McCann, and Jack Callan gave a masterclass in building tension that exploded into shouted harmonies, heavy guitar and bass, and limber drums.

SPRINTS' Sam McCann

Tierra Whack

Tierra Whack

Philadelphia rapper Tierra Whack's music is innovative, concise, and moving. It's also absurd at times, which is why I shouldn't have been at all surprised at her DJ's idiosyncratic choice of tunes to pump up the crowd, ranging from the appropriate (Kendrick Lamar's "m.A.A.d. city", Soulja Boy's "Turn My Swag On") to the lovelorn (Paramore's "Still Into You") to the absolutely head-scratching (Coldplay's "Viva La Vida".) As soon as Whack entered the stage, though, it was clear her set was going to contain all of these qualities. Her infectious energy helped the crowd turn up on "CHANEL PIT". In turn, the support of the crowd helped her remain earnest and vulnerable on "SNAKE EYES". I, however, as an appreciator of deft impersonators, was most wowed by the songs that emphasized her throaty, persona-transforming delivery, like "BURNING BRAINS" or Lil Yachty's "T.D", the latter of which proved she's one of the best live emcees in the game.

Tierra Whack

Rob Zombie

Rob Zombie

Chalk this one as the set of the weekend I was most surprised to enjoy, just because I've never gotten that into Rob Zombie the solo artist, filmmaker, or even member of groove metal legends White Zombie. For one, his ghoulishly muscular voice sounded pristine, tangible amidst the bombast of his stage setup. Live, I really got an appreciation for the hooks of the clubby "What Lurks on Channel X?", brawny "Demon Speeding", and buzz-sawed White Zombie hit "More Human Than Human". Bonus points for doing "Well, Everybody's Fucking in a U.F.O.", which sounds like the best messed up barnyard jam Primus never wrote.

Rob Zombie

Rob Zombie

[rolandrockover]

The Hide Your Heart Dilemma Pt. 1 of 3

With this one, I don't know where to start or stop, except that I have to get my foot in the door somewhere eventually. So why not kick the door down for simplicity's sake?

And just to make it clear once and for all, Ron Nevison is solely and exclusively to blame for this debacle, because if he hadn't categorically rejected Hide Your Heart in his somewhat overrated role as a producer for Crazy Nights (1987), for whatever inscrutable reason, then Paul would probably never have started to peddle this title, presumably to shake out whatever there was to shake out of it.

And Paul must have been hard at work and full of good things, because the list of interested parties is by no means short. For the sake of form, I'll try to put them in brief and hopefully in the correct order: Bonnie Tyler, Robin Beck, Molly Hatchett, good old Ace Frehley and last but not least Kiss themselves recorded Hide Your Heart alone between 1988 and 1989. Just imagine if they had all released it as a single, because that's what I initially assumed before I did a little research into the situation.

But, let's give it to ourselves anyway, the full Hide Your Heart hammering. You never wanted it, you'll get it anyway:

Bonnie Tyler (1988) was lucky enough to be the first, which more or less degrades all subsequent performers to cover versions in purely technical terms. She herself can best be described as professionally passionate, the music as slightly rocked, but rarely daring to play a chord straight through. An impression that is only reinforced by the keyboards/organ. The climactic chorus, on the other hand, could, as far as I'm concerned, drone on quite pleasantly until the end of time. Bonnie Tyler's rough voice, which by the way fits the song quite well, makes me wonder if this wouldn't have been an appropriate song for Peter Criss, and why the hell he didn't cover it back then as well? I'm rather surprised that he didn't.

The solo: Sounds kind of like Vinnie Vincent on Valium, and yet still a bit like the sonic equivalent of a runaway, bucking horse. Just not quite as wild, of course.

Bonnie Tyler (1988)

To be continued…

[omegaremix]

Omega Radio for March 1, 2014; #48.

Charles Albright “I’m A Fine Young Man”

Japandroids “For The Love Of Ivy”

Acid Baby Jesus “Big Black Bomb”

Brainbombs “Street Cleaner”

Brain F≠ “Symptom Set”

Protomartyr “How He Lived After He Died”

Vehicle Blues “Mountain Girls”

No Age “Errand Boy”

Rapeman “Trouser Minnow”

Japanther “River Phoenix”

Freshkills “Future In Publishing”

Helms Alee “Speed Sk8r”

Radical Dads “Go 45”

Ringo Deathstarr “Two Girls”

Haim “Running If You Call My Name”

Big Deal “Pristine”

Grouper “Towers”

Beck “Morning" 

Xiu Xiu "Puff And Bunny”

Wavves “Green Eyes”

Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The “Young Adult Friction”

St. Vincent “Cheerleader”

Au Revoir Simone “More Than”

M83 “Skin Of The Night”

Parquet Courts “He’s Seeing Paths”

Sleaford Mods “My Jampandy”

Rodrigo Amarante “Hourglass”

Animal Collective “Daily Routine”

Health “Death+”

Black Dice “Cowboy Soundcheck”

Bonus:

Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement “Black Magic Originated In Nature”

Multiple Mono “Little Helper 5”

Deluxe rainbow edition; shoegaze, garage, indie, experimental, and bonus electronics.

[convexly]

Bed for night by Vincent Beck Mathieu

[krispyweiss]

Quarter Notes: Blurbs & Briefs from Sound Bites

- In this edition: the Beach Boys; the Allman Brothers Band; Bernie Taupin; Steep Canyon Rangers

BEACH BOYS TO GET GRAMMY SALUTE: Norah Jones, Beck, Michael McDonald, My Morning Jacket and Weezer are among the acts slated to perform at the Feb. 8 Grammy Salute to the Beach Boys, which will air on CBS and Paramount +.

Brandi Carlile, Fall Out Boy, Hanson, Lady A, John Legend, Pentatonix, St. Vincent and others will also be on hand to celebrate the Boys’ “everlasting music and impactful career.”

ALLMANS TO GET TROUBLE-FREE SALUTE: Chuck Leavell will join Allman Brothers tribute band Trouble No More for two shows featuring full-album performances of 1973’s Brothers and Sisters. The gigs are slated for March 24 in Boston and March 25 in New York.

BERNIE AND THE BOOK: Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin will release his “nonlinear” autobiography, “Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton & Me” on Sept. 12.

“Hopefully, there’s something in it for everybody,” Taupin said in a statement.

SCR RECORDING WITH NEW SINGER: Steep Canyon Rangers are recording a new album, their first with singer/guitarist Aaron Burdett. The as-yet-untitled LP has no release date.

1/27/23

[sketchy-beck]

Final piece for 2022! I decided to draw Vincent Sinclair to show off everything I've learned this year. Here's to more improvement in 2023!

[dubinskimusic]

Check out this playlist of music that inspired our album.

[myvinylplaylist]

Paul McCartney: III Imagined (2021)

Target Exclusive on Silver Vinyl

All tracks reimagined by fellow artists and friends from songs recorded by Paul McCartney in Rockdown.

Capital Records

[spicymancer]

You said that Beck's dad was like the villain of the previous story. do you have any lore about him you can or want to share like what type of villain he was? as well who else on the roster would have been a returning character and was it one of them the took him down?

I haven't explored him too much since he's such a background element but I picture him as an M. Bison / Sagat style big bad. Juggernaut playstyle like Ganondorf Smash Bros or Marisa SF6

Since the fighting game story centers around most of the cast banging each other I didn't really feel like it was a great idea to put her dad into the cast.

In the fictional "fighting game" history the only returning character's from the "previous game" at the moment are Helen and Vincent. With some references to predecessors like Sister Leona's mentor and the original owner of Gibson's body. Rumble After Dark is meant to evoke a Street Fighter: Third Strike where an existing franchise suddenly gets a mostly new generation cast.

I have a bucket of loose lore tidbits about the setting and cast though I like to leave it mostly evocative rather than go into detail about every tiny thing. I tend to think implicit vibes and snippets of flavor text style worldbuilding is more evocative than the somewhat tedious "wiki" style lore bookkeeping that happens in some of the more hardcore fandoms.

[dresspheres]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Screenshots

Here are all of the FFVII Rebirth screenshots I've taken. Please be aware that I've not gone through these with a fine tooth comb, so there might be blurry or out of focus screenshots. Feel free to use them for whatever, all I ask is that you like or reblog this post if you do! If you would like to support me, please consider buying me a Kofi or tipping me on PayPal.

Aerith Gainsborough - 46,853

Andrea Rhodea - 834

Barret Wallace - 30,675

Beck's Badasses - 2,630

Biggs - 1,659

Broden - 1,782

Cait Sith - 9,775

Chadley - 3,078

Chocobo Billy - 6,820

Chocobo Sage - 3,930

Chole - 881

Cid Highwind - 3,777

Cissnei - 2,730

Claudia Strife - 376

Cloud Strife - 82,837

Commander - 668

Dio - 3,328

Don Corneo - 741

Dyne - 3,250

Elena - 2,843

Elmyra Gainsborough - 2,279

Esther - 598

Geisel Bugenhagen - 6,038

Gi Nattak - 1,561

Gilgamesh - 4,021

Glenn Lodbrok - 2,302

Gobin Kid - 180

Gus - 2,282

Heiddegar - 1,191

Hojo - 3,153

Ifalna - 392

Jessie - 439

Johnny - 4,617

Jules - 223

Kotch - 530

Kyrie - 3,408

Leslie - 1,361

Madam M - 831

Marlene - 1,118

Mireille Dudley - 764

Myrna - 111

Nero the Sable - 86

Palmer - 924

Ramuh - 71

Rashard Zangan - 493

Red XIII - 14,613

Reeve Tuesti - 480

Regina Konigin - 703

Reno - 713

Rhonda - 1,704

Roche - 2,160

Rude - 2,418

Rufus Shinra - 5,992

Sam - 1,697

Scarlet - 1,404

Scotch - 547

Sephiroth - 8,971

Shinra Middle Manager - 396

Tifa's Father - 124

Tifa Lockhart - 38,574

Tseng - 2,167

Vincent Valentine - 2,446

Yuffie Kiseragi - 21,763

Zack Fair - 7,465

Zander - 290

[minjix]

henosis → Vinnie Hacker x foreign!female reader

summary: in which Vinnie finds you after fourteen years.

warnings: this is written with non native english speakers in mind <3 but everyone is ofc welcome to read it :))) swearing, tooth rotting fluff and i went and made myself jealous :((

a/n: thank your to everyone who took their time to read my last author note! really means so much to me<333

word count: 1.6k

masterlist

2009.

You were terrified as you stood before your new classmates with curious and judgmental eyes. You were vaguely aware of the principal's hands on your shoulders as he introduced you to the class with an overbearing smile on his wrinkled face. “Everyone, this is Y/n L/n,your new classmate.” Their eyes followed every little nervous twitch your body made. “…she doesn’t speak English all too well.” You snapped out of your stupor when he squeezed your shoulder and nudged you forward. “Go on, take a seat.” You listened.

——

At lunch you sat by yourself, timid and staring back at kids who stared at you. You didn’t have an appetite, you were angry, scared and sad. You were angry at your parents for taking you away from your comfort, your home and you were scared of these kids who seemed so much cooler than you. And you were sad because you knew this couldn’t possibly be your home. You didn’t fit in, and they all knew it.

Someone clearing their throat gathered your attention. A boy with wild blonde hair seated himself in front of you, you recognized him from your home room.

He seemed shy. “Y/n, right?” You nodded timidly, “I’m Vincent. But you can call me Vinnie.”

Everyday for the next two weeks, Vinnie would keep you company during lunch and recess, teaching you slang words and having your back when other children would pick on you. It took you a month to fully trust the Cole boy before you finally called him your friend.

He was your only friend, something you didn’t mind as he was everything you could ask for. He never once made fun of your origin, instead he was curious.

One year later you moved back home. You were conflicted, you had been bothering your parents from day one to take you home, but that was before Vincent became your other half.

You had told Vinnie the news during recess, his bright smile dropping from his face and his body tensing in anger. “Why are you leaving me?” He whispered as tears formed in his eyes. “I’m sorry.” And the damn burst as tears rolled down his cheeks. You kept on repeating yourself as you patted his shoulder awkwardly before wrapping your arms around his shaking form.

“I’ll call you everyday!” You promised with a hopeful smile. Your accent was thick as you kept on speaking over his sniffles. “We will be best friends forever, okay?”

You couldn’t keep your promise. You had tried to call him the day your plane landed, before you were stopped by your parents. It was too expensive to make such a call. So you didn’t, but not a single day went by where you didn’t think of the blonde haired boy. And you never left his mind either.

2023.

Vinnie felt a tug in his chest when scrolling through TikTok, a video of a girl who he recognized but couldn’t remember from where.

He couldn’t help himself when his thumb clicked on her profile and began scrolling through her account, brows furrowed the entire time. His lip was stuck between his teeth as he watched several videos of her. He was starstruck. “Who’s that?” He quickly paused his scrolling when the voice beside him asked. He felt as though he got caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

He looked at Noah who curiously stared back at him. “So?” He nodded towards Vinnie’s phone. “Who’s she?”

“I don’t know.” He mumbled back, focusing his attention back to the account. “She’s pretty.” Noah muttered as he made himself comfortable besides his best friend. Vinnie agreed with a hum.

“What’s that language?” Noah pointed to the caption of one of the videos. Vinnie’s brows furrowed even more, if possible. “I don’t know…”

The Beck boy snorted in amusement, “what do you know?”

The tattooed boy sighed, “I know that you can’t mind your own business.” He scrolled back up and clicked on her Instagram, very much aware of Noah watching the whole interaction. “Ouch,” Noah huffed before bumping his shoulder with Vinnie. “Slide into her dm’s”. Vinnie laughed at that.

“Slide into her dm’s?” Noah couldn’t understand what was funny. “Yeah, compliment her or whatever.”

“It’s weird.” He suddenly felt self conscious, staring at her Instagram. She really is beautiful, he thought to himself.

“Dude, you’re Vinnie the Hacker, even I blush when you send me a text.” He wiggled his eyebrows but yelped when Vinnie pushed him off the couch. “God, you’re fucking annoying.”

It took him three whole days before he gathered the courage to write a simple, ‘hi’. And it took you a day to answer.

‘Hi?’ Vinnie’s cheeks flushed as he imagined you thinking how weird he was for writing to you.

He took a deep breath before he started typing. ‘I’m sorry if this is weird lol, but I think we might’ve met before…’

His stomach was twisting into knots when the bubble appeared indicating you typing a message.

‘Yeah, because we have’ He was rightfully confused. It was stated in your profile that you live in y/c, and he can’t ever recall visiting that country.

A new message appeared. ‘Seattle, Washington. 2009? the new kid who spoke broken English?’

His heart fell into his ass. He quickly sat up, his eyes wide. “Holy shit!” He yelled out before trying his hardest to compose himself, despite his shaking hands and fast breathing. He typed, deleted, and typed again before you sent a new message. ‘can I call you?’. He didn’t answer, instead he clicked the call button on the upper right corner. You immediately answered.

"Y/n? Is this really you?” His voice shook, as it finally settled in. He found you. “Hi Vincent.” He could hear your smile through your voice, your accent still there, but you sounded so mature.

He quickly stood up from his bed and started to pace back and forward, his other hand in his hair. “Wait, I need to see you, y/nn.” You answered with a nervous hum before he clicked the video call button. It took a few seconds to connect and when it did; he lost his breath. There you were, still the same girl he befriended all those years ago, but you were grown and oh so beautiful.

“Oh my god,” he murmured as he continued to stare at you in awe, a laugh bubbled from his chest as reality set in. “It really is you!” You laughed with him, “yeah, Vin, and it really is you.”

He sobered up quickly and went quiet for a while, simply staring at you. “You promised you’d call…” he whispered. You chuckled awkwardly, biting the inside of your cheek before you answered. “We couldn’t afford to call, trust me when I say that I tried every. single. day.” You sighed, “I’m really sorry for breaking my promise to you Vincent.”

He couldn’t help but think about how good your English had gotten. He smiled. “It’s okay, I understand.”

“But you didn’t back then, did you?” He knew it wasn’t a question, it was you wanting to confirm for some reason. “Look, y/nn, my dad tried to explain it to me, and I wouldn’t accept it, and hey, look we’re talking right now.”

“Yeah, after fourteen years…” You looked shameful and it tugged at Vinnie’s heartstrings. It was the same look you had when the other kids picked on you.

“I want to see you.” He said seriously. You laughed, “you already are.” He shook his head and sat himself down in front of his computer, placing his phone down to rest on his screen so you could see him. He began typing on his keyboard. “No, I meant in person.” He began, his focus on his screen as he looked for something. “I’m booking you a flight here,”

“WHAT” you yelled, his eyes flickering to you for a moment before a grin took over his face. “Yeah, text me your address and I’m booking you a ticket to LA.” He left you no room to argue.

————-

The next week he found himself standing in LAX airport, gulping nervously as he waited for you to appear at your gate. He wore a black hoodie, paired with a pair of jeans and Jordans on his feet. You two had spent the rest of the night talking after he booked your flight. You had told him that you knew what he was doing since 2020, but admitted to being scared and was so sure that he wouldn’t want anything to do with you after all those years. So you simply let him be. He wanted to cry.

But there he was, bouncing on his feet as he waited for you, and he didn’t have to wait long. You appeared with a suitcase dragging behind you, nervously looking around before meeting his eyes. You quickly ran forward and tackled the tattooed boy in a hug, your suitcase quickly forgotten. “Oh my god,” he repeated as his arms wrapped around your waist. “I can’t fucking believe you’re actually here,” he sniffled, burying his face into your neck. You didn’t speak, you held him even tighter.

He slowly let go of you, though he made sure to hold your hand. “I’m taking you out on a date tonight.” He promised with shiny eyes. “Where do you wanna go?”

You gave him a teary smile and squeezed his hand. “I’ve always wanted to try In & Out,” you shamelessly admitted. Vinnie could only laugh in adoration as he took your suitcase, still holding your hand as he led you out of the airport.

“In & Out it is.”

reblogs are very much appreciated! ♡