#and I think there's something here that's key to Rasputin's popularity | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lordkingsmith · 2 months ago

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A part three and there will probably be a part four. And still nothing connecting them lol. I’ve got like three scenarios for the same basic idea, angst, cute moments, and no plot. Ah, well lol

I cannot decide if I’m gonna write out all three of the scenarios for how Jack goes corrupted but I love all three so maybe in part four. As it is here’s stuff not connected to that angst

“Explain to me how a corset is your perfect way to hide a stab wound?”

Jack gestured to the bandages before wrapping the stiff fabric and boning snugly around his waist and stomach. “And now you can’t tell!” He said brightly. “The bandages aren’t going to be visible under my clothes with the corset. I wear an undershirt and a vest, too.”

Ollie folded his arms as he watched. “Can you breathe?”

Jack nodded slowly. “Cinching wasn’t as popular as some people think. And men and women generally wear these for back problems, looking thin, costuming…if I can dance in this comfortably I can breathe walking.” Ollie didn’t look convinced and Jack just smiled at him. “It’ll be fine, Ollie. Plus, the extra me I made was kicked into a wall. Allegedly.” He laughed low, amused. “If I’m sore it’s only to be expected. Also; thank you for running after orange to avenge me. That was sweet.”

“You’re still in hot water.” Ollie huffed.

“Is this a ‘you’re lucky you’re cute’ situation?” Jack asked as he finished the last of the clasps before gingerly putting the undershirt on. Ollie took his face in his hands, forcing Jack to look at him.

“You’re lucky you aren’t dead.” Ollie said tonelessly. “You’re lucky I’ve got a vested interest in keeping you alive.” Jack left his clothes for the time being and wrapped his and hands around the ones cupping his face.

“What is this vested interest, anyway?”

“So you can talk me out of it?”

“So I know it’s possible.” Jack corrected, gently. “Don’t forget, I’m as knowledgeable in spells and power as Drakkon or Night Swan. People make promises they aren’t able to keep Ollie.” Jack searched his eyes. “I just want to make sure you’re not here over a false hope.”

“My mom.” Ollie’s voice was quiet. “It’s where she is. She disappeared a few years ago, I don’t know if she’s alive or not. He says he knows, so…”

Jack nodded. “I hope he’s telling you the truth.”

And he did, too. He personally hated his birth mother, but Si’ha and Rasputin’s fiance Bridie were great. He could easily believe Ollie’s mom was as great as they were. Jack stroked his thumb along the back of the gloved hand before pulling Ollie’s hands from his face.

“I’ll tell you everything I safely can, alright? And if he asks it’s because he’s going to be my stepfather.” He couldn’t help the grimace or tone of deep distaste. “Let him make of that what he wants.”

Ollie’s brow furrowed. “How do you even feel about that?”

“There’s been four before him.” Jack grabbed his shirt. “If they don’t kill each other during this there will be others after him. He might not be my personal favorite, but this is up to my mother, not me.” He sighed, pitching his voice so low Ollie had to lean in to hear him. “Ollie I don’t like him and I don’t like how he treats his subordinates. I don’t like how he treats his prisoners. I don’t like how he treats his subjects-and everyone on earth are his subjects. I don’t like the way he looks at us like pieces of meat. But I can’t do anything out in the open. And I’m not someone my mom respects enough to entertain my feelings or my opinions.” He put his vest and then jacket on. He pressed his hands into his pockets

“Brezz and the others want to go out to brunch.” He kept his tone businesslike. “I…have something I want you to have. And then take the day off.” Ollie opened his mouth so Jack shoved the contents of his pocket into his face. A key wrapped in a piece of paper with an address scrawled on it.

“I’ve been managing to take care of my apartment, but I can’t if there’s actually going to be a wedding.” Jack said, voice low again. “Do you mind apartment sitting?” Ollie blinked before taking the key and address and stuffing them into a pouch on his belt.

“It’ll give me practice” Ollie said after a beat, voice hardly above a whisper. “Being Oliver Rose.” Jack grinned so wide he thought his face would split in half.

-*-

Ollie was fairly sure for one moment Jack had died before soup went spraying over the table. Luckily, Night Swan’s personal drawing room was large enough to hear the conversation fairly clearly from where he and Eugene were stationed while also giving the two privacy. And avoiding Jack’s shock.

“Trying for a baby?!” The red head wheezed at his less than amused mother. “You’re both almost fifty-is that even safe?”

“Is that any way to react to news of a future sibling?”

“Yes!” Jack raised his hands, seemingly done with his situation. “It is! It’s maybe the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” It was also the stupidest thing Ollie had ever heard too. He longed to try and catch Jack’s eye. Put his hand on his shoulder and let him know he was there…but Night Swan was terrifying and far less forgiving than Drakkon. If she saw him break his post she’d make him a Swan Soldier. So Ollie stood still as Jack and Night Swan argued.

“How’s he gonna get it up long enough to get the job done?” Eugene said under his breath next to Ollie. “He’s gonna need something more powerful than a little blue pill.”

“He needs a straight up miracle” Ollie muttered back. “And a defibrillator on standby-for his cock, not his heart. Shock everything back awake.” Eugene bent over with surprised wheezing laughter before standing up straight as Night Swan glared over at both of them.

“Something funny?”

“One of the yellow sentries found out their missing brother might have been turned into a bird man in your reality.” Ollie called. “Just a joke about feathers and pillows, your highness.”

“Ah” she smirked. “Yes that is funny. Thank you…?”

“Red Sentry Akana.” Ollie called again. “I’m the one who defended him from Orange at your engagement party.” He had the strangest, stupidest urge to scream at her “I’m the one who Wanderlust danced with. I’m the one who can access Flow. Your first boytoy after Traveler is trying to use me to ruin this wedding. I’m sleeping with your son.” Just to see what would happen, just to keep her attention off Jack for a second longer. He didn’t.

“Hm” she turned back to Jack, the sentries once more invisible for the time being. “I’m still able to have children Jack. However…”

He pointed at her. “No” Ollie had never heard Jack so enraged. “You’re not using any of them for surrogates. I’m not going to give you permission to hurt my friends more than you’re already doing!” Jack ran hands through his hair.

Night Swan smiled coldly. “Dear son. Again. Me telling you my plans isn’t an invitation for your opinion. It’s simply so you know what to expect.” Jack wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin, eyes as cold as his mother’s.

“Then we’re done here. I’m not listening to this anymore.”

“Finish your food. I didn’t raise a selfish brat.”

“…you sort of did, though.”

She stopped dead and Ollie tensed.

“I don’t like this new you.” She said calmly. “You never used to talk back quite like this.” Jack shrugged.

“I got to live on my own with my friends for a year.” He responded evenly. “Got to figure things out a little.” He rubbed his face. “So if you do manage to have this planned heir, what’s name plans?”

Ollie tuned them out until it was time for Jack to go back to his room. She took Jack’s face in her hands and brushed his hair from his face. “My little wild thing” she crooned. “I love you so.”

Ollie couldn’t see Jack’s face, just heard the dejected “Thank you, mother.”

“You okay kid?” Eugene asked as they walked Jack back to his room.

“…sure.” Jack muttered with a sigh. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Sounds like you’re used to this.”

“Oh well” Jack turned so he was walking backwards as he talked to them, at ease even then. He stuck his hands in his pockets with a shrug and smile. “Story of my life. Wanderlust is Traveler’s heir and my little half brother. If this kid happens, they’ll be my mom’s heir and my little half sibling.” He made a small face as he considered it. “Can definitely say she was nicer when I was a kid, so I’m probably going to be the one raising my half sibling.”

“How you figure?” Eugene asked.

“Oh. Y’know. They’re older. And busy ruling entire planets.” It looked to Ollie like Jack was going to say something else before settling on what he did, and he wondered, not for the first time, what Jack was keeping to himself. “It’d be silly to think they’d have the mental or physical energy at the end of the day to take care of a baby.”

He continued walking backwards, weaving around sentries and Swan Soldiers both. “I’m going to focus on their wedding first, and then the sibling.” He turned around then as he yawned. “I’ll have to talk to Wanderlust and Traveler.” The tone was grim and Ollie wanted to grab him by the shoulders. Make him slow down, make him rest, shout he didn’t have to do this alone. Whatever he was scheming he didn’t have to do it alone.

“Hey kid, let’s give the prince some space.” Eugene patted him on the shoulder. “He’s not a political prisoner anymore, you don’t have to tail him 24/7.” Jack looked over his shoulder with surprise. “He’ll see you next shift Prince, promise” which lead to understanding followed by regret before slipping inside with a nod. Ollie stood there as two Swan Soldiers took their posts in front of his door.

He took a breath. He could scream or…

“Since we’re not on the Swan Ship and have the rest of the evening, do you..want to see some of Eternyx?” Ollie asked after a moment of weighing the pros and cons of fighting the brainwashed Dancers just to get to Jack on the other side of the door. “I need to go check on something anyway.”

Eugene whistled low at the dinky little one bedroom apartment at the edges of the city. “This is his? I’d have expected something…grander.”

“He said his mom cut him off when he went against her with his friends a few years back.” Ollie explained briefly as he put the keys back in his pocket and flicked on the lights. “Guess she was expecting him to come crawling back when he realized living on his own was hard without support.” Ollie snorted as Eugene took a picture off the wall. It was all five of the Just Dancers crew, in various silly poses in front of a club. The first time Ollie had seen it he’d been struck by just how different all of them actually looked. “I don’t think she realized just how much of a support system they’d become in a short time.” He went to the bedroom to grab the small watering can for the various plants in Jack’s home.

Eugene was poking around the little living room when Ollie walked back in. “He doesn’t have anything noteworthy here.” Ollie brushed past. “Street clothes, the red suits, pictures, and all the plants. You could mistake his apartment for any other guy’s almost.”

“Kid is incredibly down to earth given who raised him.” Eugene sidled after Ollie, still looking around. “I’d have expected something flashy, you can do affordable and flashy. I was expecting a lot more what with Cygnus and all.”

“I’ve gotten the impression he was more career oriented than appearance oriented. Apartment was a place to recharge. His room in the Traveler’s hotel is a lot more true to his personality. According to him. His goal was to be the most famous Dancer in all the danciverses.”

“Was?”

“Night Swan doesn’t want him dancing.” Ollie didn’t realize it was a secret until Eugene swung him around. “Before or now. I guess she doesn’t want competition from her own kid.”

“Excuse me?”

“He doesn’t hide it!” Ollie folded his arms. “Night Swan’s kept him out of the public, and the competition. He joined the Dancers and when his mom was defeated he was able to start on his dream.” He waved his hand at the apartment. “Saving money to put all his effort into his performances. If you asked anyone here-or even his friends-you’d know this. He was just some punk out of her control, and he’s still just some punk to some people.”

“Damn me to hell that sounds familiar.” Eugene muttered while opening drawers in the tiny desk. When Ollie looked over, Eugene smirked at him.

“Me” he said. “Before Drakkon went and conquered everything. Me’n…a friend. Wanted to be famous. So we put all our money and efforts into what’d get that job done.” He raised eyebrows as he held up Jack’s laptop, eyebrows going higher when Ollie put the watering can down to snatch it out of his hands and put it back in the drawer.

“Stop snooping I’ve already looked. He’s got nothing to hide.” He’d already removed everything to do with The Spectronizers and Coach Sunset. Eugene was a test, actually. Guy seemed to know everything about everything. If he couldn’t figure anything out about Jack from his home, Ollie had done a good job. “I don’t know his password, anyway.”

“You tried your name?”

“Yes!” He hadn’t tried ‘OliverRose’ however. But he had too high an opinion of the man to assume Jack was that stupid. “Besides, he hasn’t been here for long stretches of time since his mom took over. Mostly to water the plants. So he probably hasn’t changed the password from whatever it was before…before.”

“Says a lot he still pays on the lease each month.” Eugene wandered back to the kitchen. “Anyway I’m glad this is just where you’ve been.”

“Elaborate.”

“You haven’t been in the barracks on your new days off. I was worried you were doing something stupid.”

Ollie stopped mid watering. “Been here.” He said, trying to get over the implications without coming off as offended. He wasn’t sure if Eugene even meant to offend him. “Jack’s been wanting someone to apartment sit, I don’t think he minds I’ve been living here on my days off.”

Actually he knew for sure Jack didn’t mind. He just wasn’t going to say this to Eugene. The fake ID was burning a hole in his coat’s inner pocket. He knew what Jack said-but the hickies on his chest and hips and the apartment key, and Jack admitting he loved him-it was hard, so very hard, not to imagine the last name meant something a little bit more than an accident and a common name. Especially after getting the key and address.

“You ever get weirded out Swan Tower is also a statue of Night Swan?” He asked, both to change the subject and also having caught the tower out of the corner of his eye through the window. “It’s so big you can’t escape her, and it’s just where she’s been living. For decades.”

“Eh.” Eugene didn’t seem particularly phased. “Drakkon wanted something like that, too. Couldn’t figure out how to make it feasible, but I’m sure we’ll be getting a Drakkon Tower some time soon.”

Ollie shuddered.

“Okay. We’re done here. I know a great diner though, want something to eat?” He couldn’t escape the tower, but now he wanted to escape the mental image of a Drakkon one beside it.

“Taking me all around?” Eugene waggled eyebrows teasingly. “I’m flattered.”

“No. Well-” Ollie huffed a self conscious laugh. “Just a thank you. I get the feeling you were the one who got me out of the cell, right? This was your idea. That’s why I’m a red at all. Playing to Jack’s type was your idea, thus your I’m your problem, your protege.”

Eugene didn’t seem used to the recognition or thank you. He blinked, snorted, and covered a smile with a calloused hand. “You’re not wrong.” He admitted. “But to be fair I didn’t think you two would get along this well. Hell. I thought you’d be a Swan Soldier or dead by now.”

“Still” Ollie looked around at the little apartment, considered his ID, considered Jack. He might have been using Eugene to see if he’d done his job of protecting Jack, but Eugene had gotten him here anyway “Thank you.”

-*-

The Coinless and Dancers kept clashing, and Jack was getting tired of it. There was only so much the dancers could do to prove they were on the Coinless’ side, especially with the fact they’d just started feeling the true pinch of Night Swan’s dictatorship while the Coinless had been living with Drakkon for decades.

“I just don’t know if you get what we’re fighting for.” Zack said to Rasputin and Jack stood, stalking to him. As Orange, always as Orange. He knew if he didn’t he’d get into some serious trouble. He’d had to listen to conversations about assassinating “that snarky little shit prince” or kidnap and torture for information. Or kidnap for ransom. It wasn’t Zack or Trini, but it was enough of their subordinates. He knew better than to come here without a good disguise. And nobody was asking any ranger to take their helmet off.

“Rasputin is one of the best” Jack growled. “Prison breaks. Fake ID’s. Information. He also was with Night Swan.”

“Briefly.” Rasputin said. “To get the blueprints of all her prisons. We may not have been in the thick of this long, at least outside of Eternyx, but I assure you, we have been fighting to keep her from getting here.”

“Conformity is perfection” Jack spat. “It’s one of her slogans. She won’t stop until everyone is under her thumb and every place, every song, is perfect. And the same. And thousands are going to suffer in our reality and yours.”

He raised his hands. “She’s already working on medical and food restrictions, already banning technology to any place she deems unworthy. We can help and make plans and store up until every resource dries up.”

“Like Orange said” pink was at his side, fists clenched. “You don’t seem to remember how to work with other teams.” Not what he’d said but ok. It seemed to get the message across, for now.

Zack rubbed his face. “I don’t even know if I can trust you five. You don’t even take your masks off!”

“I was under the impression” Rasputin said behind them “that power rangers do not take the helmets off around civilians?” Rasputin made an exaggerated walk around Zack and Trini, who had come up beside him. “I see no morphers no? My friends are not betraying you, so relax” he tapped Zack’s chest and Zack smacked the hand away. “Appreciate the flow speaks to you, my friend. Doesn’t happen much anymore. Use that to your advantage and stop yelling at us, hm?”

Trini scowled. “You really live up you your namesake” she noted.

“Who said I ever had a namesake?” Rasputin looked half annoyed. “I do not do this with no experience.”

“Wait,” Trini raised a hand “what?”

Jack got between them and Rasputin. “Why not ask him all about it later.” Jack said firmly. “But what I’m saying is true. Our informant on the inside a corroborate the two are intending for a proper heir uniting Earth and the Danciverses.” He tried to shove away the thought that if they really wanted a baby half of that world half of earth he was still right there. Maybe they just wanted a baby that was half of each other.

“There’s been some evidence there’s multiple stories, though” Jack continued. “Until we confirm what their plans are for sure, keep all of the possibilities to yourselves.”he thrust a visor with a glowing eye plate at Trini. “Bye the way, Cygnus sends his regards.”

It was her turn to poke his chest. “I don’t care what Cygnus sends tell him I’m not interested.” Jack shrugged. “He’ll just keep sending them. Between you and me the guy probably just likes loving lost causes. Anyway this is a sort of back door. Put it on and the spell needed to activate a portal will trigger. You can get to Dancity through this, and then get to any of the other danciverses through portals and manipulating the flow.”

“The flow activated by dancing and singing.” Zack deadpanned. “The least serious thing you could possibly do to protest what’s going on.”

“Just because we dance about it” Red cut in “doesn’t mean we aren’t upset. Flow triggers at the height of any emotion.”

“And believe you us” Yellow added darkly. “On this matter? We’re furious.”

Jack blinked away sudden tears at the comment. For better or worse, they were his friends too. And they’d been angry enough to dance on his behalf. At the very least several people were now recovering from being Swan Soldiers. He didn’t deserve the friends he kept getting. They were too good for him.

“We’re going to go.” Red told Zack. “Bother some more Swan Soldiers and get some more supplies. You’re welcome to help Rasputin dance battle more people out of the prisons.”

The two eyed each other before an emphatic and simultaneous “absolutely not” Zack eyed Trini. “I’m going to try to help her access Flow. Height of any emotion?”

Jack gave a thumbs up as he walked out the door with his team. “Have a fun argument!” Anger, fear or excitement were one of the easiest ways to access the flow, especially for the first time. Maybe Rasputin could confuse them into the Flow. It’d be hilarious.

-*-

“What the fuck is in the water in the city proper?”

Jack had to bite his lip to keep from laughing as he waited outside his shower with a towel.

“What, water doesn’t glow violet and pitch black where you’re from?”

Ollie stuck his head past the glass door to fix his amused partner with a glare. “I’m serious Jack.”

Jack snorted. “Physical manifestation of the spell that turns people into Swan Soldiers. Keeps the population complacent. You literally fell into mind control juice.” They’d been going on a tour with Scorpina and Drakkon and his main entourage. Anything below a few levels of Eternyx was drowned in magically saturated water.

Ollie groaned as he slid back into the shower properly. Jack laughed a little more. “This isn’t funny!” Ollie shouted from the shower, muffled by the rushing hot water. “I nearly became a Swan Soldier on accident!”

“It’s a little funny.” Jack responded with a small shrug. “Sorry. Maybe keep an eye out for Scorpina in case she tries to trip you up again.” He fixed his eyes on the upper corner of his bathroom as the water finally shut off. He just held the towel out as Ollie’s arm snaked out for it. “You look good with feathers though.”

“No I don’t.” Ollie snapped as he stepped onto the warm bathroom tile with the towel around his waist. “You look good with feathers; I look pretentious and mind controlled.” Jack eyed Ollie properly finally, enjoying the view.

“I don’t know” Jack mused. “Maybe not swan feathers sure, but crow or raven? I could probably pass you off as a witch from potion alley if I had time, and nobody would be able to tell.” He shrugged. “Aside from anyone from potion alley, but nobody in their right mind goes there.”

Ollie rolled his eyes. “Except you?”

“I never said I was in my right mind.”

Ollie snorted, finally smiling. “You said it, not me.”

Wet arms snaked around Jack’s neck as Ollie pressed a kiss against his jawline. Jack met his lips after a moment-and laughed as Ollie pushed him to the ground. Ollie smirked down at him from where he was straddling Jack’s stomach as Jack laughed back up at him. “Devious” Jack said, so fondly. “Clever. Devious. Gorgeous.”

He flipped them without any resistance, pressing Ollie into the tile to wrap his legs around his waist. “I’d eat you up” he teased. “I think you’d like that.”

Ollie wrapped his hands around Jack’s face. “You wanna test the hypothesis?”

Distant knocking interrupted them and Jack dropped his face to Ollie’s chest with a groan. He got up with the most frustrated regret he’d ever felt in his life. “Dry off and get dressed.” He cleared his throat from the huskiness of want. By this point there was shouting along with the knocking and Jack wanted to straight up curse the unlucky asshole outside his bedroom door.

“I’ll deal with whatever they want.”

He took one last lingering look at Ollie, drinking in the details of his body before shaking himself. He took a moment out of the bathroom to center himself before going to talk to the annoyance at the door.

-*-

Ollie could see elements of Jack and Wanderlust both in Traveler. He’d been stationed by the man for the day courtesy of Cygnus’ meddling. Cygnus was dangerous with his love for Night Swan, and wanted Night Swan to himself. Traveler also got between this goal as much as Drakkon did.

“Your highness, is there anything you need?” Ollie finally started and Traveler made a face.

“Don’t even start.” He looked out the window from his seat. “Oliver Akana. We’re a little past hollow titles.” Ollie didn’t know what Night Swan was doing to him, but he hadn’t seen the man walking without help. According to Jack he was more or less the true king of the danciverses and genius in his art. So Ollie had a feeling he wasn’t supposed to be unable to even do dances with his upper body and hands. He seemed to be as sharp as Jack told him he was though.

“You…know who I am?”

“You know as well as I do people gossip.” Traveler eyed him from his seat. “It’s up to the smart to listen when the stupid gossip in front of them.”

Ollie took his helmet off. “Half of the rumors aren’t true.” He said quickly.

“You’re sleeping with Jack. You’re a human from earth who can use Flow. Cygnus thinks you’re in his pocket. You most likely are in someone’s pocket, it’s not his.”

Ollie ducked his head, cheeks hot. “Alright.” He admitted. “Those parts are true.”

“My sons inherited my best and worst traits” Traveler said simply. “Partner preferences don’t surprise me, much.” Ollie’s head shot up and Traveler limply waved a hand.

“You remind me of Si’ha.” He clarified. “Jack respects his stepmother to try to emulate her dance styles, so I’m not surprised he’d be attracted to someone more of her temperament. Sara was more…” he sighed. “Well. Wanderlust’s judgment has never been particularly sound.”

“Odd thing to say about your heir.”

“I can recognize the flaws, they’re mine. I brought a girl here from earth, and ignored the signs I shouldn’t have made her a lover and a student of my magic.” Ollie’s eyebrows shot up. “And now Sara is her main apprentice, who then went and corrupted the other three. I can appreciate the irony.”

“…she’s as under a spell as they are.” Ollie said slowly. “But yea sure you were stupid. We can both agree about that.” Traveler smiled faintly.

“You’re not a fan of magic, are you?”

Ollie rubbed his face. “Trying” he admitted with a huff. “This feels like a fever dream. Ghosts still feel like a step too far but Jack assures me they are very real.”

“You want access to my alchemy lab?” Traveler asked after a moment, clearly weighing his options. “Cygnus would love to get his hands on some of the things in there.”

“Then why offer?”

“Because Cygnus would love to get his hands on some of the things in there.” Traveler repeated, smirking now. “And I think you’d like to have an upper hand in case things go south.” He looked out the window again. “I don’t hate Jack. He’s mine. I don’t know how to reconcile the small child he was last I saw him with who he is now, but I still care for his wellbeing. And he cares about you, which is enough for me.”

“I could betray him. You. Cygnus. This could be a long game.”

Traveler eyed him. “As you’ve just brought it up unprompted…it isn’t. You’re as lost in this political game of cat and mouse as he is. Perhaps you’ll be able to find something to help get out of it in my lab.” A small shrug.

“But so you know; Si’ha is a swan soldier. If Cygnus wants me gone, either I get my wife back and the ability to move properly or he kills me. And even like this…it might be easier to just let me walk away.”

Ollie tilted his head at the words, but Traveler was seemingly falling asleep and Ollie didn’t know how to get him to clarify what he meant. So he put his helmet back on and stood by the window, looking in the direction Traveler had been. He didn’t move until it was time to change guards.

And didn’t realize until he was safely in the little apartment of Jack’s that, despite having not moved an inch, Traveler had somehow managed to get an ornate key and instructions into his pocket. He stared at the dance to make portals for a long moment before snorting.

It’d definitely be easier to just let Traveler go.

Snippets of a coinlessverse Ollie/Jack fic I probably won’t write further than this, and this is probably a part one. The scenes trapped in my head rent free.

But @augment-techs @skyland2703 enjoy my brainrot with me XD

When Ollie had been captured with Aiyon, he’d assumed that would be it. He’d be tortured, degraded and if he was lucky allowed to just starve to death and expire with some dignity. Aiyon had gone by infection after they’d both been beaten to hell and back for information, so Ollie wasn’t too worried about that likelihood.

Even when Lord Drakkon graced Ollie and Aiyon’s cell, Ollie was still not worried about what was going to happen. Even if he assumed he was too low on the ladder of the Coinless for Drakkon to bother with him personally-stranger things had happened. Maybe he’d be made an example of. Annoying, but at least he’d be dead.

Instead Drakkon crouched to where he was sitting, curled in the corner as far away from the now rotting corpse of his ex as he could. The Dictator’s smile was chilling. Chipper to the point of mania. A gloved hand grabbed his face, forcing his head into different angles as his hands partially came up and clenched, trying not to resist. “You’re right.” He said to the two sentries filing in behind him. “He’s the right look. Dirty, but that’s fixable.” Ollie stared at him, confused now.

“Congratulations” Drakkon said gleefully. “On your new career and promotion! Do your empire proud” Ollie tried to bite him and his face was let go before he was slapped, the force sending him into the dirty floor. “Luckily for you, that biting habit is one of the reasons I need you.”

Ollie stared, cheek stinging like hell and felt an impending sense of doom. “Park, Skullovitch. Get him cleaned up. Tend to his wounds and make sure he actually looks like he’s eaten by the time they arrive. We only have three weeks.”

He turned his attention back to Ollie, eyes cold. “I’m going to make an offer you’re not going to be able to refuse.” Drakkon said. “And then I’m going to tell you what you’re going to do to earn it. And then you’re going with my head sentries to do what I tell you. Do you understand?”

Grid damn him, Ollie nodded.

-*-

Sitting in the room full of his mind controlled friends was, frankly, exhausting. Pretending this was fine, and he wasn’t bothered, and he was just as insane as they’d gone actually, was draining. Generally he could get away with letting the other four do their thing and be quiet and in the background; this had always been the group dynamic. It just got complicated when he had to balance that with also being his mother’s right hand beside Cygnus.

Night Swan, with the chosen one and his friends in tow, had made quick work of the other Danciverses. Corrupting or killing or simply capturing the rulers of each as she saw fit. She kept Traveler in her chambers, and Si’ha her personal guard, a swan soldier and unresponsive of the man who still loved her. She wouldn’t hesitate to kill herself on the orders of her mistress and neither would their son, and for that Traveler did what Night Swan told him.

Once Night Swan became self titled empress of the danciverses she decided perhaps it was time to turn her attention back to her birth reality. Unfortunately for her, someone else had already conquered it. Jack and Wanderlust had gone through some weeks ago with an unusually reserved Sara.

Drakkon was not someone even a mind controlled Sara wanted to deal with. Which was concerning to Jack, for a variety of reasons. Sara talked about him the same way she had before the corruption had twisted her. He was the only part of her past she held with the same fear and caution as before.

Making contact had been tense, to say the least. First was the initial meeting, then Night Swan inviting Drakkon and a few of his inner circle to Cygnus City. It’d sparked appearances of the Spectronizers, which had unfortunately led to the rumor Jack was head over heels for Adam Park.

To Jack’s utter chagrin Adam had a knack for almost discovering Jack’s involvement with the Spectronizers and the the rebellion against his own mother. The only way he could get Adam from realizing anything was borderline sexual harassment. However, it seemed to be what everyone expected, Night Swan included for intimidation tactics, so nobody thought twice.

Or so he’d hoped.

Being invited to the earth castle of Drakkon in his city for an extended stay had hit him like a suckerpunch. Despite his protests, he and Cygnus and Brezziana had been volunteered for an extended stay while Drakkon sent over three of his own. The night of their arrival had been a party, and thankfully he’d been surrounded by his friends during the depravity. Temporarily evil or not, having a buffer between himself and the activities of Drakkon’s court. He didn’t like drinking, or drugs. He didn’t like using someone’s body for his own amusement, sexual or otherwise.

He could, however, sit in the room while the other four made fun of it and commented on the human origami and food. Watching, nodding along, quietly looking for an excuse to leave without being rude. They’d been forced to dance for Night Swan and Drakkon when he’d come to their reality. Dancing the whole night until their feet bled and even Wanderlust was starting to hallucinate from fatigue. Jack wasn’t blind to the similarities, even while his friends couldn’t comment. He just braced himself waiting for it to be done.

The night of the first time he’d had to distract Adam Park by attempting to kiss him, he’d had a rare moment with Traveler. Traveler had been pulled out of Night Swan’s rooms for the time being. He looked completely haggard, and Jack had tried to offer him a drink. Might as well be completely black out to deal with the night. They watched Wanderlust, Mihaly, Sara, and Brezziana dance. “You should be there, protecting him.”

“I am.” He muttered. “I’m always protecting him.” He was here wasn’t he? Instead of leading the resistance in person and not with a pseudonym and secrecy? He was here, keeping Wanderlust safe, and alive and away from Night Swan. He was always making sure Wanderlust was the happy one in the situation. But no that wasn’t enough was it? It never was. “I talked her out of poles” he hissed, just to watch Traveler grimace. “I’m trying. Or do you want me brainwashed too? Then who’d help them? You?”

He shoved the drink into his father’s hand and walked away, suddenly needing to cool off. He was handling it. It wasn’t going the way he wanted but he was handling it. There was a problem with a mysterious “Coach Sunset” leading the rebellion, orange and red and dancing hope and chaos into the overrun danciverses.

And okay maybe that wasn’t the best way to do it; but he was working on it. He was! He was doing the best he knew how. Facing Night Swan head on never worked. Subterfuge had to be the way they could defeat his own mother.

Which had led to seeing one of the Spectronizers in Swan Tower conversing with Cygnus with a small drive of information, Adam almost running into the pink, and Jack throwing him against the wall so he didn’t see the two being suspicious. Stuttering out a flirtation and then pretending he was drunk and walking away. Too bad for him it kept happening.

As well as the interesting point of several of Drakkon’s army were now Swan Soldiers, due to badly executed espionage. This had led to them agreeing to a shaky sort of truce, and now here they all were. At this creepy party welcoming Jack Rose as a political hostage.

“C’mon, let’s see your room.” Wanderlust said finally, and Jack nodded gratefully. “This is just getting boring.” Yellow swan eyes swept over the party, glancing over Jack among the throng, uncaring and unimpressed. Jack wanted to shake his little brother. It wouldn’t fix the spell problem but it’d make him feel better.

They went as a group, walking among the mostly empty halls. Sara swung her arms around Jack’s neck, giggling. “Are you ever impressed by anything?”

“The city is impressive” he offered her, hands fisted into his suit pockets. “Maybe I’ll find more to be impressed by the longer I’m here.” She pouted before pinching his cheek and waggling his face back and forth. “Prude. You liked some of Drakkon’s sentries. None of that impressed you huh.”

“I-” he cleared his throat. “They didn’t strike me as having fun? I’d rather be in a place where everyone is having a good time. But” he rolled his eyes. “Yes the naked bodies looked nice, get off now.”

She did, giggling meanly when he rubbed his stinging cheek. He liked her better when she wasn’t…a little witch. Brezziana pointed at their rooms, happily located near each other. And the two sentries next to the doors. Jack groaned low in his throat when his took his helmet off.

Mihaly laughed. “A boy toy closer to your age!” They told him as he could only smile weakly at them, and the guard. His was a red sentry who could almost be Adam’s son, and Brezziana’s was a yellow, a young woman. He could scream.

“Lord Drakkon wishes to show his hospitality” the yellow said. “We’re here as your guards, guides, and whatever else you could need.” Said the young woman. “I’m Rose”

“And what’s your name?” Wander asked after a long moment, smiling wolfishly at the red. The man’s eyes narrowed and Wanderlust laughed. “Oh you’ve got a spicy one Jack!”

He lunged, forcing the red to step back. “Oh how adorable. He’s trembling.” Jack pushed past Wanderlust and the others with a sigh.

“What’s your name?” He asked quietly.

“Ollie. Ollie Akana.” Jack nodded. “Lord Drakkon wanted to make sure no-one here could want for anything.” Jack patted Ollie’s head.

“I’m going to bed” he said, reaching past the sentry. “Alone. I’ll see you all in the morning.”

Brezziana snickered. “What the younger model not doing it for you?”

“I just don’t like having sex after parties” he decided on before opening the door and slipping inside. He eyed Ollie watching him almost helplessly, and at the other three looking at Ollie and Rose like they were steak. He gestured for Ollie to come in. “You can guard me better if you’re actually with me.” He decided. Sit by the windows, watch the door.”

When they were both safe inside Jack began undoing his feather capelet. “I know you’re here to spy on me.” He said with a shrug. “So ferry this back to your Lord. I really am sorry about Adam.” He grimaced. “That was incredibly inappropriate.”

“It happened six times!”

“I’ve decided I’m going to not drink anymore. It was a problem, but alcohol is currently off the table. So no more problem.” Jack said after a moment of blanking. “Now. Good night, sentry Akana.” He toed off his shoes and fell face first into the bed, nearly immediately out to the world.

-*-

“Ollie, do you even…like men?” Jack asked, half naked and watching Ollie intensely. Ollie swallowed wrong in quick succession, processing the question and the twining tattoos along Jack’s arms and shoulders. Next thing he knew Jack’s chest was to his back and his fists were wedged under Ollie’s ribs. It didn’t really help. Eventually the sandwich piece dislodged from Ollie’s throat and Jack went from heimleck to hug, wrapping his arms around Ollie’s waist and burying his face in Ollie’s neck as Ollie gasped for air. Olly elbowed him in the stomach when he was able.

“You almost kill me with your question and then just hug me half naked, huh?”

Jack let go, though reluctantly. “It’s not-I’m just glad I didn’t kill you on accident.”

Ollie turned to him, slowly. “I don’t think my preferences matter, here.”

Jack scowled and folded his arms. “They do to me. And I want to know how to treat you. Friend or…” he trailed off, shook his head and tried to walk past Ollie. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry.” Ollie grabbed Jack around his waist, the ensuing small struggle sending them both tumbling onto the bed. Jack pinned under Ollie, and Ollie staring intently down at him.

“Could always kiss me” Ollie said. “See if either of us like it.” Jack grabbed the helmet off the nightstand and nearly slammed it onto Ollie’s head. Jack patted the helmet like he would Ollie’s cheek as he slid away from the arms.

“Poor thing” he murmured. “Shaking like a leaf” Jack snatched his shirt off the end of the bed and looked at Ollie still standing there, feeling shellshocked and stupid.

“I don’t know.” Ollie said. “What I like. That’s not why I’m here.”

“Ollie Akana” Jack was business like as he began sliding into his suit jacket. “You’re here because your boss wants you to get every secret they can wring out of me. Unfortunately for you I was raised by my mother. You think seduction isn’t something she did? She chose partners based on what they could give her.”

Jack sighed. “So what did Drakkon promise you for fucking me. That’s more important to me.” Ollie felt his cheeks go blazing hot.

“Nothing!” He snapped. “Why do you even care.” Jack shrugged.

“If it’s nothing I guess I don’t. C’mon, I want to see more of the city. Show me around.”

Ollie stared at Jack, who stared at him coolly back before nodding curtly. “Yes, sir.”

-*-

Jack kept the spectronizer orange helmet on as Ollie and the other sentries stared at him, along with the duplicate he’d made before slipping out for the night. Thank the flow, too. He had the urge to grab his little sentry, but saluted them and took off running instead. He had a bag full of medicine pulled directly from Drakkon’s personal med wing, and he knew exactly where to take them.

The only song he could think of was in the hall of the mountain king as thousands of sentries took off behind him. Jack bounced off walls, spun in dance steps and kick flips while protecting the precious goods he’d nicked. Once the Coinless and the Dancers had met, there’d been a synchronized effort to help each other. And ‘Coach Sunset’ was in the perfect place to aid both groups. Orange streaked just ahead of a horde of yellow, red and black. Sunset indeed.

He was close to one of the small side doors to one of the many gardens when a hand pulled him into a small alcove. The helmets were the only things keeping Jack and Ollie from being nose to nose. “Who are you?”

“Spectronizer Orange”

“Got balls, stealing from in the castle itself. What makes you think I shouldn’t go get Drakkon?”

Jack was speechless and he clutched the bag tighter. “There are sick people in the Coinless. Even you-”

“This is for the Coinless?” Jack nodded. Ollie sighed. “Follow me, orange.”

There was a small hole in an evidentially forgotten courtyard. Jack stared at it, and looked back to Ollie.

“Me and-a friend. Used it to get in for medicine.” Ollie said. “He died. I never told them how, and it looks like they never figured it out.”

“When was this? How are you here? Is there anyone I can tell you’re alright?”

Ollie shook his head. “Drakkon offered something I couldn’t refuse. It was a little before that prince and his friends showed up from the dance world” a snort. “And no. Aiyon was the last person who’d care. Plus. I’m sort of a traitor so.”

Jack reached out to Ollie, thought better of it, and used the escape offered. Though he made himself stop and turned back. “Jack Rose…the prince…he works with us.” He said, hoping this information wouldn’t be somehow ferried to Drakkon. “He’s how I got in. You can help us by helping him.” And then he was gone, leaving Ollie in the courtyard.

When he snuck back in as Jack, Ollie was dozing by the window. Jack brushed hair from his face before flinging himself onto the bed, back to Ollie.

Ball was in his court, as was the very real possibility Jack had somehow gotten into a love triangle with himself. He wouldn’t know any of it till he came to it, and with nothing else he could do, he fell asleep.

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redsoapbox · 5 years ago

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Mitch Tennant’s Track-by-Track Guide to Head Noise’s Debut album, Über Fantastique

Mitch Tennant, singer/songwriter & keytarist with electro art-punks Head Noise, was kind enough to write this guide to the band’s recently released debut album Über Fantastique, especially for redsoapbox.

1. KINGDOM OF CROOKED MIRRORS

We had a lively debate at Head Noise HQ over which song to open the album with, either this track or the one that follows. We eventually decided on “Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors” to kick-start the debut as we think it encompasses all things Head Noise and has a great splattering of our influences in a catchy, oddball pop song. The title of the track comes from a 1963 Soviet fairy tale film and is loosely inspired by Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass”. The song reflects our own mantra for creative passion and is also a look at an outsider’s perspective for abstract art and trying to make sense of the senseless. It’s like Alice In Wonderland without the drug references. Ignore the evils of the world and just let the childlike magic speak for itself.

2. 200,000 GALLONS OF OIL

I was on my lunch break one day surfing the web and a pop-up article came on-screen about fuel, oil refining and other industrial processes that I had very little interest in. However, the title of the piece “Pipeline Spills 200,000 Gallons of Oil” really jumped out at me. I wrote it down and put it aside with my collection of other alphabetical oddities that I type up on Notepad. A little while after, Wayne sent me an electropop demo with a bouncy, squelchy bassline which I felt matched up to this wording perfectly! The title of the song has some sort of political or eco-warrior ring to it but it’s always a surprise to people who question what the song is about, and we say “Uhh… It’s just about oil?” What kind of oil do you want it to be? I’ll leave that up to you, but here are some suggestions: vegetable oil, or maybe oil to slick back your hair.

3. JAPANESE BATTERIES

One Christmas, my partner gifted me an Otamatone, which is basically a screwed-up Theremin/Stylophone synth-like device that is in the shape of a musical note, however it looks more like a giant sperm! It’s become a popular instrument on Youtube for fashioning unusual sounding covers of songs, such as Boney M’s “Rasputin” and A-ha’s “Take on Me”. I was totally amazed by the packaging - it had a little Japanese man with fluffy hair, the inventor of the instrument, looking off into the distance, not unlike some surreal propaganda poster art. The song is, basically, a homage to this strange instrument, and it’s played on the track, not long after the first chorus, just to show off the unusual noises that it makes.

4. ANATOMICALLY CORRECT SHUFFLE

This is a song where I feel the bassline really helps to give the song a danceable bounce, that’s why the title of the track has “Shuffle” at the end of it. This is the first of the collaborations that we have on the album. Wayne sent me a demo he was working on with some bass being played by his friend “Monkey” (who I still haven’t met yet) under the working title “Monkey Jam”. When we started putting the album together, we were coming out of that mad scientist stage persona from the Microwave EP run of shows, so I had a whole lot of science stuck in my mind. I thought we’d go gung-ho as a farewell to the bygone days of false nerdy scholarship with a classic Head Noise sound to it. The lyrics for the song are like an amalgamation of a botched surgery, unusual ailments and chronic nightmares. Luckily, we have Brill onboard to give it that fun little jaunty undertone on the synth, to help keep us sane and avoid any potential lobotomies.

5. MYSTERY LIQUID

This is another Notepad scribble title that I just had to make into a song! When you hear songs about drinking, it’s usually either a fun affair (a drunken pub singalong) or a dark, cautionary tale (alcoholism), so we were looking to meet in the middle between jolly and sombre. I was influenced by Spike Jones & His City Slickers and their song “Clink! Clink! Another Drink”, especially for its humorous look at binge drinking from a 1940s perspective. It seems so harmless and funny, but it’s much more morally twisted if you look at it from the outside. With a bassline from our good friend Connor Llewellyn of Math Rock band “Common Spit”, the song turned into more of a fast-paced rocker with some added spoken word and Dada inspired lyrics from Cat Daczkowski who also plays in Rock band KASIA. I really liked her vocal style as it reminded me of Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth’s unique and unbothered singing approach, so we NEEDED it on the album somewhere.

6. AIRSTRIKE 4000

When I was young, I used to love my Sega Megadrive games console! I played games like Streets of Rage, Golden Axe and Desert Strike, but I got bored easily with Desert Strike because I wouldn’t always know what to do. I wanted to write lyrics that broke the fourth wall too, so the song starts out as a homage to a made-up Sega game in the style of Desert Strike. Then I get bored about halfway through and changed the theme of the song, just like when I was 8 years old and trying to play the bloody game before turning it off to play Sonic & Knuckles instead. It’s a Lo-fi retro Rock vs Synth song with some amazing guitar wobbles/shrieks from Brill and some wicked retro sounds darted across the duration of the track.

7. NITRO

When we were lucky enough to support “Public Service Broadcasting” last year at the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd, we wanted to go all out with a wacky elaborate stage show. We roped in our good friend Mark Strange to help us put together some surreal extras in the set such as a puppet show and a battle royale with Mark dressed up as a Ninja Turtle. We wanted to create our own little ‘introduction song’ for this show for when we walked onstage akin to Devo’s “Corporate Anthem” instrumental. So, Wayne put together our own track to help introduce the band as Mark walked out dressed in a lab-coat to inspect the equipment before we came on. There isn’t much else I can say about this track really other than performance is key! We decided to give the song a promotion from introduction song to intermission song which now sits about halfway through the album. In fact, that’s why it is called “Nitro”, it’s just an anagram of “intro” but with some dynamite flair!

8. SHRUNKEN HEAD

We used to open the live set with this song. It’s a song about idiocracy within the musical world, not too far off “Cherub Rock” by Smashing Pumpkins. The song is stacked with surreal imagery, which also includes a reworking of the “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” phrase from Science Fiction writer Harlan Ellison as a pre-chorus. I think it’s important to have passion in what you do creatively, and you shouldn’t allow others to mistake that devotion for egotism. I went to “Ripley’s Believe it Or Not” oddity museum in Blackpool a couple of times over the years and I got to see a real (or ‘real fake’, you be the judge?) shrunken head in a glass case. Rhys Jones plays some cool guitar lines on this track which is like a mix between Egyptian rhumba and the live dissection of a squirrel. It is an interesting song and we like it very much.

9. INTRUDER-ESQUE

Have you ever had those nights when you’ve gone to bed and looked over at the other side of the room in the dark to see the blurred black outline of a wardrobe or a hanging coat? In a sleep-addled state, this can be terrifying and can lead to “sleep paralysis”. I thought it was an interesting subject to pick up on. We gave the outro to Lloyd Markham of Psych-Electro band Deep Hum to use as his personal synth playground and we love it! I think the entire track captures the vibe of uneasiness that you can get in a sleep-deprived state when you don’t entirely feel safe, with an unknown threat lurking in the shadows.

10. I EAT CANNIBALS

An old friend of mine said the Toto Coelo song “I Eat Cannibals” sounds like something Head Noise would cover, so we just went off and covered it. I think it goes a little hand in hand with “Shrunken Head” and its voodoo vibe. The track features fantastic backing vocals by Miss Cat Southall, singer extraordinaire! I’m a fan of bands who re-work covers to suit their own sound. We always have an unusual cover in our back pocket if things start to go pear-shaped! We’ve previously recorded songs by Sonic Youth and The Bangles.

11. MR. EVERYWHERE

This is a Rocker Wayne had been working on for a little while until we decided to give it more context and “beef” so to speak. It’s basically a punk song that’s been shaved down to a shouty rock song, with a little bit of synth here and there. The song’s lyrics simply reflect how busy we felt after we released the Special Effects EP and how being in a band can be a lot of stress as much as a lot of fun.

12. NO PHOTO | NO FILM | NO TELEPHONE

On a trip to Venice, I stopped by St Mark’s Basilica to see the famed “Horses of Saint Mark”. There was a sign near them saying “No Photo, No Film, No Telephone” which made me laugh. Anyway, the track was inspired by a warning sign, but is about the overuse of modern communication technology and the brief escape that we get from these devices. It’s crazy to see how much the world has changed in 20 years, so we summed it up quickly with a fully Electronic Pop song featuring a fun shout-a-long chorus.

13. COMPLY

Someone said to me recently “music has been intrinsically linked to politics since like forever!” and even though there is some truth in that statement, I refuse to believe that it is the most important reason for someone to enjoy listening to music. This is my own attack against people who like to moan and whine until they get what they want, whether it is logical or not. It’s our own protest song which protests protest songs. We’ve made sure the song is happy and upbeat, because ignorance is bliss, eh?

14. GAMMA GUTS

The spiritual successor to our single “Microwave”, in fact, it’s a loose sequel of sorts. I have a fear that there isn’t enough science behind the use of microwaves. I imagine that there are some harmful side effects, but it scares me to think that we might not have a clue. The song is split into two parts - the first is a goofy little Electro Rock song about the digestion of nuclear materials and then the second part is an electronic instrumental, orchestrated by the band Massa Circles. There are some beats donated by John Barnes and some shouts by Anthony Price too. The song reminds me of Eric Clapton’s “Layla” because it starts off as a fun Rocker and ends with an emotional instrumental akin to side 2 of David Bowie’s Low album. This is one of our favourite songs to play live at the moment because it gives us free rein to experiment musically.

youtube

Visit the archives section to read the album review.

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pardontheglueman · 5 years ago

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Head Noise / Uber - Fantastique

For the best part of 18 months Aberdare’s Electro Art-Punks Head Noise (Mitch Tennant Vocals & Keytar), Wayne Basset (Synths & Guitar) and Jordan Brill (Synths & Guitar) have been working away on their debut album Über-Fantastique, a record which they describe, in typical Head Noise fashion, as a ‘bombastic, electropop fever dream’. In a detailed, track-by-track guide, Mitch Tennant talked to Kevin McGrath about the record they are about to unleash on an unsuspecting Welsh public.

1. KINGDOM OF CROOKED MIRRORS

2. 200,000 GALLONS OF OIL

I was on my lunch break one day surfing the web and a pop-up article came on-screen about fuel, oil refining and other industrial processes that I had very little interest in. However, the title of the piece "Pipeline Spills 200,000 Gallons of Oil" really jumped out at me. I wrote it down and put it aside with my collection of other alphabetical oddities that I type up on Notepad. A little while after, Wayne sent me an electropop demo with a bouncy, squelchy bass line which I felt matched up to this wording perfectly! The title of the song has some sort of political or eco-warrior ring to it but it's always a surprise to people who question what the song is about, and we say "Uhh... It's just about oil?" What kind of oil do you want it to be? I'll leave that up to you, but here are some suggestions: vegetable oil, or maybe oil to slick back your hair.

3. JAPANESE BATTERIES

4. ANATOMICALLY CORRECT SHUFFLE

This is a song where I feel the bassline really helps to give the song a danceable bounce, that’s why the title of the track has "Shuffle" at the end of it. This is the first of the collaborations that we have on the album. Wayne sent me a demo he was working on with some bass being played by his friend "Monkey" (who I still haven't met yet) under the working title "Monkey Jam". When we started putting the album together, we were coming out of that mad scientist stage persona from the Microwave EP run of shows, so I had a whole lot of science stuck in my mind. I thought we'd go gung-ho as a farewell to the bygone days of false nerdy scholarship with a classic Head Noise sound to it. The lyrics for the song are like an amalgamation of a botched surgery, unusual ailments and chronic nightmares. Luckily, we have Brill onboard to give it that fun little jaunty undertone on the synth, to help keep us sane and avoid any potential lobotomies.

5. MYSTERY LIQUID

This is another Notepad scribble title that I just had to make into a song! When you hear songs about drinking, it’s usually either a fun affair (a drunken pub singalong) or a dark, cautionary tale (alcoholism), so we were looking to meet in the middle between jolly and sombre. I was influenced by Spike Jones & His City Slickers and their song “Clink! Clink! Another Drink”, especially for its humorous look at binge drinking from a 1940s perspective. It seems so harmless and funny, but it’s much more morally twisted if you look at it from the outside. With a bassline from our good friend Connor Llewellyn of Math Rock band "Common Spit", the song turned into more of a fast-paced rocker with some added spoken word and Dada inspired lyrics from Cat Daczkowski who also plays in Rock band KASIA. I really liked her vocal style as it reminded me of Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth’s unique and unbothered singing approach, so we NEEDED it on the album somewhere.

6. AIRSTRIKE 4000

7. NITRO

8. SHRUNKEN HEAD

9. INTRUDER-ESQUE

10. I EAT CANNIBALS

11. MR. EVERYWHERE

12. NO PHOTO | NO FILM | NO TELEPHONE

On a trip to Venice, I stopped by St Mark's Basilica to see the famed “Horses of Saint Mark”. There was a sign near them saying “No Photo, No Film, No Telephone” which made me laugh. Anyway, the track was inspired by a warning sign, but is about the overuse of modern communication technology and the brief escape that we get from these devices. It’s crazy to see how much the world has changed in 20 years, so we summed it up quickly with a fully Electronic Pop song featuring a fun shout-a-long chorus.

13. COMPLY

14. GAMMA GUTS

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