#and then another show this one band's drummer didn't show so a different drummer let them use his kit

[probablysimpledreams]

I'm With the Band (Band AU Dabi x reader)

a/n: EEEK I love LOV band au so much punk Touya is literally my boyfriend my muse my obsession I'm so happy I finally sat down and write a fic about him <33

cw: substances (alcohol, weed, and I always have to give Touya a cigarette LOL)

wc: 1169

"AH I'm so nervous come take this shot with me!!" your friend panicked as she jumped around the apartment kitchen. You chuckle as you accept the shot glass she hands you. Your friend has spent all day running around full of excitement and nerves as tonight she was finally meeting the guy she met online a few months ago. It just so happens that Tenko, or better known as "discord boyfriend" between you two, and his band were the opening act at a small venue nearby. You decided to attend the concert with her to offer moral support, and to make sure this guy was legit and wasn't going to kidnap your beautiful friend.

"It's going to be fine," you reassure her. "I've seen the messages that man is obsessed with you," you two clink glasses and take the shot of liquor. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Mmmmm I'm just so worried ahhh take another shot with me," your friend grabs the bottle as you roll your eyes. "Please?"

After another shot, quick smoke break, and one more pep-talk you, you two finally left the apartment. The Uber ride was about ten minutes which you were grateful for because if it had been any longer you're sure your friend would have talked herself out of going.

You two thank the driver, giggling while entering the venue. It was a nice spot, featuring two small bars and a large space for everyone to gather around the stage.

"Ohmygod there he is!" your friend whispered, pointing towards the stage as his group walked on. Since the main group wasn't going on for another hour and a half, the venue was not very crowded yet. You wasted no time grabbing your friends' hand as you ran up close to the stage. You smiled watching the two interact before the set started. You also couldn't help but notice that the bassist to Tenko's right would not stop looking at you. You smiled at him, causing him to break his gaze away from you, moving to fiddle with his instrument until the drummer came out.

"We are the L.O.V, here to carry out Stain's legacy of rock n' roll," their drummer Iguchi exclaimed before banging his drum sticks together. "LETS GET FUCKING HYPED!!" The crowd cheered as the band broke out into song. You sing along as you recognize the song from the times your friend has played it, happily showing off her boyfriend and his singing talent. But man hearing it live was such a different experience! Between the amazing sound and all the alcohol you consumed before arriving, you couldn't help but get lost in the moment. You danced happily alongside your friend, singing the words to every song they played. You couldn't help but notice the wide smirk on the mysterious bassist's face accompanied by his shiny blue eyes stuck on you throughout the set.

Once their set was over and everyone cheered, your friend ran off to meet up with Tenko. By now the venue was getting more crowded, so you decided to slip outside to catch some fresh air. As you stood in the smoking section, you happily remembered the untouched joint sitting in your jacket pocket. Sadly that happiness was short lived as you realized you didn't pack a lighter alongside it.

"Need a light?" a deep voice caused you to jump before turning your head to see who approached you. The bassist snickered at this reaction, lighting his own cigarette before holding the flame out so you could light your joint. You thank him with a quiet hum and take a puff, moving closer to him. "Saw you and your little friend dancing out there. It looked like you enjoyed our show a lot." Despite the confidence in his voice, you couldn't help but notice the way his hands were shaking nervously.

"My friend is dating your lead singer, so I had no choice but to get into your music," you teased.

"So I'm wrong in calling you a fan?" he raised an eyebrow, smirk never leaving his face. Now that you were right next to him, you were able to get a better look at him. He was tall and lanky, yet still looked very strong. He was covered in piercings, tattoos, and scars accompanied by ripped black jeans, battle vest, and distressed v-neck shirt. You were now very thankful your friend had convinced you to drink and smoke as much as you had tonight or else you would have not had the confidence to stand here and talk to the gorgeous man.

"Oh no I'm definitely a fan," you smile, taking another puff. "Helps that the bassist is so attractive." You tried your hardest to keep up a calm and sexy demeanor despite your heart trying to jump out of your chest. You were not going to fumble this!! "Though I'm sure you get that a lot."

"Yeah I hear it quite often," he chuckles, removing his cigarette from between his lips before moving in closer to you. His face was now inches away from your own, making your eyes widen. "But it's not everyday I hear it from someone as pretty as you." You felt like you were about to faint upon hearing his words, making him snicker. Before either of you could speak again, a loud crash from behind the building caught everyone's attention.

"Can someone in this band keep their dick in their pants for ONE SECOND and help me load the truck?" Iguchi angrily yelled as he loaded up a massive speaker onto the band's truck.

"Yeah Touya get over here! Hey man don't interrupt him and his game!" the man in the driver's seat called out.

"Touyaaaaa get that cutie's number!!" a young girl in buns sitting in the passenger seat chimed in. She giggled as he flicked both of them off before turning back to face you, cheeks tinted light pink.

"These idiots can't do a damn thing without me," he huffed, reaching into pocket. He grabbed his pack of cigarettes and handed one to you. You looked at him confused before flipping it over where you noticed a phone number written down. He mouthed "call me," making a phone with his hands as he ran off to help pack up the truck.

Your heart fluttered as you happily went back inside to reunite with your friend, the two of you heading back to your apartment to debrief how the night went.

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

The next morning you had to remind yourself that the previous was not a dream, and you did in fact get Touya's number. You grab the cigarette off the night stand and typed in his phone number.

"Hello?"

"So you just keep your number on cigarettes? Bet all your fans love that," you laugh.

"Pretty romantic huh?" you can practically hear the smile as he responds. "But that's not something I usually do. See baby, you're special. Couldn't let you get away that easily."

[roseareeh]

Skulls and Snakes | Musician! Eddie x Bartender! Reader

Info: I may or may not have used this to vent about my patrons, so this may or may not include an irl conversation I had with a customer.

Words: 1.8k

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, rude customer

Live music nights were your least favourite as a bartender. Not many patrons, little tips, lots of special requests from the musicians. Everything about Saturday Live Music sucked.

That's was what you thought until tonight's musicians walked in. Corroded Coffin, at least that's what it said on this weeks schedule. With that name, you expected sexist drunks who'll demand free beer from you. But instead, four young men with genial smiled walked in an hour before opening. "Corroded Coffin?", you asked as they walked up to your bar. The man with long, wavy hair hit you with a smile and piercing eye contact that seemed as gracious as it was theatric. It was far different than all the other musicians who gave you a pervy smirk with a wink. "That's us.", he said, still smiling. Out of kindness, you gave him a smile as well. "My boss told me you've been here before, so I'll assume you know how to set up.", you said while being arms-deep in a beer glass to dry it. "If you need help, let me know."

You watched from behind the bar as the four set up their instruments and did a sound check, much to your delight. This band might be the only one so far that was actually entertaining to watch. From their jokes and banter, you could tell that those four were in the music industry to have fun, not just for the money and tips.

"You need anything? Drinks, snacks, beer?", you asked them shortly before opening the doors and turning the neon OPEN sign on. The drummer did ask for a coke with lots of ice, while the lead singer did a small jump down from the stage to be at your level. "A beer would be nice. And your number."

You scoffed at his words. He wasn't the first one to ask you that, especially not with the musicians. The only thing that differentiated him from the others was the genuine smile he gave you earlier. "If it's not on the menu, I can't serve you that. Beer's coming up, big boy." With a provocative smirk, you turned to walk back to the bar. You didn't see him follow after you to sit down on an old, musty bar chair. It surprised you a bit when you turned and wete faced by him. "You're new?", the singer asked while you handed him his beer. "I don't even know your name, why would I tell you?", you teased. Messing with the musician or bands was the only fun part about live music nights. He laughed a bit, a beautiful laugh, and scratched the side of his head. "Yeah, you're right. Eddie Munson.", Eddie introduced himself. You were cleaning another beer glass while smiling at him. God, why does this dishwasher never clean them properly? "(Y/N).", you finally said. "Started two months ago, since Jerry moved away with his wife and kid." Jerry, your predecessor, showed you the ropes for two weeks before handing the bar over as your queendom. Your queendom, with a shitty dishwasher and even worse patrons. "I knew I didn't know you, would've remembered a pretty face like yours." You chuckled at his obvious flirt, although it wasn't appalling since Eddie was actually nice and not overly sexual about it. "You're just saying that because I served you alcohol.", you replied while putting the glass away. "If you'll excuse me, Mr. Munson, I have to open."

Surprisingly, Corroded Coffin was good. Their music might not be exactly up your lane, but you caught yourself swaying your hips and bobbing along more than once. "One Cider, there you go.", you said to the man sitting at your bar. His gaze went from the band to you, then to the tattoos on your arm. He furrowed his eyebrows a bit at first when he saw the skulls and snakes running along your arms, but his face eased up a bit. Considering your overly nice bartender voice and the smile that constantly played on your lips, the reaction to the ink on your arm was not surprising. "Thanks.", he said while taking the cider from your hand. While you were stacking used glasses in the dishwasher and Corroded Coffin went onto their last song before taking a break, your patron said. "Nice tattoos." You smiled at him while putting more dirty dishes away. "Thank you.", you replied in a chirpy tone. Without hesitation, he continued with a "I'm glad my daughter doesn't look like you, though." The towel you had in your hand was thrown over your shoulder as you put your hands on the counter to lean on it a bit. "Oh, why's that?", you asked him. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to argue with customers. Otherwise, the towel would've been ready to smack him across the bar. "Because she's got a good job. Gotta mean that I did my part as a father." His statement absolute gobsmacked you, so much that you quietly turned and walked over to Bev and told her you'd go for a smoke without giving her a second to say yes or no. To be fair, she knew better than to deny you a cigarette when you're clearly pissed off.

As soon as the first puff of smoke left your mouth, the door opened behind you. Eddie stepped out with a small frown. "You good?", he asked while getting his own pack of cigarettes out. Without really meaning to, you scoffed. "Asshole at the bar.", you simply stated while leaning against the wall of your workplace. He leaned against the wall next to you while you watched two other customers walk out for a cigarette. "He's just a dick, he's not worth your anger.", Eddie said before taking a drag of his cigarette. You knew he was right, but what he insinuated was one step too far. Besides, your dad loved you a lot and even came over to karaoke nights with his girlfriend.

"I know.", you sighted. "Just hope he pisses off soon." He nudged you with his shoulder, making you look at him. "I'll buy you a shot to take the edge off, what about it?" You laughed a bit, which made smoke come out of your mouth. "You know what a lady needs, Mr. Munson." When he saw your near-finished cigarette, he took it from between your fingers and put it out for you. The small and subtle touch felt odd, in a good way. Comforting, familiar. "And a gentleman, too." He gave you a small laugh before patting your shoulder and opening the door for you. "Let me satisfy all your needs then." His hand hovered over your lower back, but with a small step back on your part in found it's rightful place. Eddie's lips curled into a smirk at your small flirt while looking at you from the corner of his eye. God, you're beautiful.

"Pick your poison. Tequila, Vodka, Rum. We also have Jägermeister." His eyes scanned over the wide display of alcohol behind you before they met yours again. "Your pick, my money." Fuck, that was attractive - and so was he. "Two tequila coming right up.", you said before turning and reaching for the bottle of Tequila Silver. Fortunately, it gave Eddie a perfect view of your ass. His gaze went down to the counter once you turned around again and grabbed two shot glasses. The way he looked at the counter is a look you knew too well, although you didn't mind it this time. After grabbing a salt shaker and two half slices of lemon, you came back over and poured two shots. "Thanks for the pick-me-up.", you said while shaking the salt on the back of your hand. Eddie took it from you, grazing your fingers once again, with a smile. "Don't mention it." He glared over at the guy sitting at the bar. It could only be him, he was the only one there. "You deserve a reward." The way he said reward set something off in you. But it felt do good.

Both of you drank the shot, and his slightly grimaced face humoured you. "Don't like tequila?", you asked him. He shook his head. "I've had better." A laugh escaped your lips before you put the glasses aside. He was already taking his wallet from his backpocket once you came over again. You leaned over the counter slightly, intentionally giving him a perfect view of your cleavage. He couldn't help but give a quick look. Of course you noticed it, how could you not, but it was your intention after all. "That would be 8$.", you said to him. "I'm assuming you like tips.", he said while taking out a 20$ note and handing it to you. You took it, smirked and said "Depends on how big the tip is." with a wink. As dumbfounded as he was, Jeff was already pulling him back on stage as their break was over.

You successfully ignored the asshole customer unless it was for drinks, and after a good hour he paid and left. Finally, you thought as you watched him leave. Fortunately, a few more people sat at your bar, but those were really nice people you enjoyed occasionally chatting with. Since you were so caught up in your work, you didn't see how Eddie looked over to you more than once. He craved just a second of eye contact with you, and he did get it when they were on their last song - Patience by Guns n' Roses.

As soon as you heard the first cord, your head shot up from the dishwasher. You loved that song, what a coincidence. Did he know?

And there was that eye contact, and an instense one at that. He was practically looking into the deepest part of your soul while singing "If I can't have you right now, I'll wait, dear"

You didn't know when, or even if, you'd see him again. That was your only thought as you got out a menu page and a pen.

"Funny that you finished with one of my favourite songs.", you said to Eddie when he came to the bar for another beer. He smirked while taking the drink from your hand. "I assumed you'd like Guns n' Roses and went from there."

Did he just confess that he sung that specifically from you?

"I've got something for you.", you said before turning around and reaching for the menu page on the top shelf. Eddie was visibly confused, considering Bev already gave them their checks, but just as intrigued.

It made sense when you handed him the page with your number on it. Of course it was the same page the beer's were written down on. "Since it's on the menu now, you can have it."

Eddie carefully folded the piece of paper and put it in the front pocket of his leather jacket while smiling like an idiot. "I'll make sure to call."

[jamiepaige]

Constant Companions Closeup #2: NOT QUITE THERE

(also on spotify!)

b-b-back once again

Round two of the Constant Companions Closeups - a series of in-depth dives into the songs off of my latest album, Constant Companions! Yesterday was track one, Dyad - today is track two, Not Quite There, featuring the incomparable telebasher!

This one's a bit of a dark horse relative to the rest of the album, but it may very well be my personal favorite song on the entire thing so dammit let's Yap

---

For the uninitiated, this song pulls heavily from a song off my previous album called Gummyworm, both in vibe and by very directly quoting its synth motif.

Both of these songs deal with two sides of the same emotional coin. I actually don't want to go into too much detail about it - I feel like the lyrics spell things out clearly enough - but I will say this:

When it's all you know, it's easy to believe that a love that isolates you, a love that doesn't respect you, a love that hurts is better than no love at all.

You deserve better. There are always people who genuinely want what's best for you, who want you to feel truly loved. It certainly isn't always easy - it's genuinely good if your interpersonal relationships have a little friction sometimes - but love should make your life brighter.

You deserve a love that's fair.

---

The original version of this song was actually intended to be on Bittersweet alongside Gummyworm. The original concept for that album had a whole heady concept involving duality, songs reflecting each other, the two halves basically being reprisals of each other... Ultimately, I'm glad I scrapped that idea, because it was waaaaaay too much for me to manage after a couple years of barely making music. Maybe I'll revisit it someday though?

The drums on this song are sampled from an Instagram post by Louis Cole, where he's doing this crazy one-handed hi-hat blast by holding a drumstick sideways. I'm a drummer and that shit genuinely scares me a little like i dont know how he does half the things he does its fucked BUT. I bring this up because he's one of my biggest inspirations as a musician! I'm really big on jazz in general, in case my love for spicy chords wasn't enough of an indication, but his specific brand of freaky hyperactive bullshit just does it for me.

Seriously, go watch his band KNOWER play their song Overtime. Absolutely insane performances across the board. also Clown Core

This whole song is really just my attempt at matching some of that hectic jazzy energy with my own style of music, so I figured it only made sense to make it another collab with another musician making delightfully frantic jazz bullshit - the legend herself, telebasher! I really am such a massive fan of her work, and I struggle to think of anyone who plays guitar quite like she does. We previously worked together on another Bittersweet track, Asemic Speech, and her guitar work is a major reason why that song is still one of my favorite I've ever released!! She's just built different like listen to this oh my god!!!!

Lastly, since this song was one of the first written for this entire project... it is admittedly a case of me shoehorning the album's leitmotif in after the fact. It's a little forced when it shows up in the backing vocals! But, the choir of vocal synths during the guitar solo served an additional purpose - my own voice doesn't show up on the album again for another four entire songs, and this would've otherwise been the only song on the entire album that didn't feature any vocal synths. Thus did I attempt to bridge the gap, as it were. Hopefully it makes the final product feel more natural!!

Either way, that's all for today's post.... i think.... which means that tomorrow.... we're gonna rot.... for clout

[siddyyyyyyyy]

Irresistible

Rockstar!Jason Todd x Rockstar!Reader

summary: Your band is headlining for the next summer festival tour, but sadly, your rival band gets to perform in the same festivals as you. The fans are ecstatic, they get to see two popular bands in several festivals, and potentially get to witness more drama between these two rival bands. But will it actually be as entertaining as your fans expect it to be? wc: 1.5K warnings: (slow burn), rivals to lovers, no y/n used, bullying mentioned (?) a/n: Thank you so much for over 500 followers!! This series is a special thanks for all the people that support me and enjoy my works, I hope you all enjoy this one as well!

⟨PART ONE⟩-⟨NEXT⟩

You never liked crowds or being the center of attention. Still, you feel determined to perform and show people that you are not useless.

There‘s this strong urge to prove everyone wrong, the overwhelming will to stand up for yourself and ignore your trembling hands as you hold the microphone. You glance beside to your best friend, noticing her rather carefree demeanor, holding her guitar ready while her fingers are already placed on the first chord. She gives you a reassuring nod, slowing your racing heart by a little.

After taking a steadying breath, the band starts playing, counting down the beats until your cue, in your head. The students in front of you stay seated on the many benches of the gym, some on their phone or chatting with their friends. It doesn‘t seem like anyone actually pays attention or actively listens to the music, but it still makes you nervous and giddy, singing and performing live in front of the whole school, after some event you didn‘t care enough about.

Even if not many people are paying attention, you can still feel burning stares on you, making your voice shaky before you eventually steady it. As the song progresses, you manage to find some confidence and perform more freely, ignoring the concerned gazes from some teachers, as you perform the fry screams of the song.

It‘s a shame you can‘t perform one of your own songs, instead having to perform another random song. Luckily, you could choose it, which is why you aren‘t as concerned of others possibly hating it.

The big hall fills with cheers and applause after the end of the performance, looking back to the students, to see some of them already exiting the gym. One of the teachers approaches your band, a big smile on his face. You can smell the conversation from a while away, knowing he will try his best to get his 80‘s rock influence on to your band as well.

»Amazing show, you guys! Have ya ever heard of the band ‘Kiss‘? Y‘know, I once saw them live in 1981… they were different, « he starts rambling your ears off, ignoring your tired demeanor after giving a nerve wracking perfomance.

You nod along, glancing back to the drummer, Nick, giving him an expression that‘s clearly a cry for help. He catches the look and walks over to you, smoothly interrupting the conversation, so you can get away and catch a proper break.

»Hey, mister Jones! What‘d you think of my drum set? Bought it from home just for this.« The literature teacher gives him an approving hum, stepping closer to Nick‘s drum kit and inspecting it. They fall into another conversation, which consists of Mr. Jones talking about his youth, and his love for rock back when he was the same age.

While the students file out of the gym, you step back with your guitarist, watching her set her guitar away, shutting off the amplifier. Nyomi notices your presence, glancing briefly up at you.

»Wasn‘t as bad, was it?« You shrug at her question, crossing your arms over your chest.

»Could be better if they actually did listen, and didn't pretend we weren‘t there.«

She hears your light scoff, shrugging to herself a little. »I guess… at least we could traumatize some teachers.«

You can‘t help but chuckle softly, picking up the cables and start to arrange them neatly again. It‘s not often the school made any kind of event, let alone give some students the opportunity to show their talents and hobbies. Most of the organising was done by yourself anyway, having quickly realised how lazy they actually were with it. Pushing the negative thoughts away, you focus on getting your stuff together and help the rest with cleaning up.

The walk back home was loud with your own thoughts, overplaying the screamy music playing from your headphones. You ponder about your earlier performance, unsure if it was actually worth the stress.

There was this group of girls that always managed to get under your skin without actually saying anything directly to you. They tend to be polite to you, but ignore you whenever you try to say something in a conversation, or tear away whoever is currently talking to you at the moment, just so they can have all the attention again. It‘s as if the group of girls are fighting for attention in their own group. Normally, it wouldn‘t really bother you, but they still manage to make up space in your mind, even after school. Nyomi told you to not care and focus on yourself, but it‘s difficult when they giggle and do unfunny jokes during class, and refuse to take anything seriously.

Kicking a small rock along the pavement, you try not to work yourself up over it. As you unlock the front door, you try to be as quiet as possible, not wanting any more attention from anyone else. Fortunately, your parents are busy doing something else on their own, managing to get into your own room without having to talk to anyone. You don‘t bother telling them about your small achievement of playing in front of the school, knowing they won‘t give you much of a reaction either way.

◖

Four years have passed since your first perfomance, you‘ve gained a new band member who plays the bass, and you study at a musical university. There‘s nothing else you can really do with your life, despite dedicating it to music and doing part time jobs to keep yourself above water.

Creating and writing music has become easier for you, especially when the others of the band are being creative and coorperate as well. You have released some singles and one album already, which hasn't found much of an audience yet. But you feel like the upcoming music video will change your current audience and reach.

After putting hours of work into your new project, you are only waiting for it to be ready to put out. And once your editor shows the final product of the whole video, you can‘t help but feel giddy and excited to bring it out to the world.

Your band decided to get a music video of the most popular and heavy songs from the album, making sure ot create a brief story line for it and just go all out on. Surprisingly, everyone felt comfortable on camera and got decents shots, the actors, for the brief story line, were genuine and dedicated to their short role. As for the setting, you were lucky to have a great editor, to make it look more professional.

Once the video got out, you only had to wait one night before your band name got more recognition, finding articles about the video and your album. You even got invited to go on an interview all together. And who‘s stupid enough to deny that?

After getting more attention and increasingly more listeners, you felt overwhelmed with success and new confidence. There was suddenly a new wave of people who genuinenly enjoyed your music and art, receiving more positive feedback and support.

Of course, more attention, means more various opinions. Even other, more successful bands started to pay attention to you, mostly being suuportive and happy to have new faces in the scene. But for some reason, one particular band — or rather their front man — had an opposite opinion from everyone else.

»“They‘re [Obsessed Freaks] just some pop band that went viral for their edgy music video. They won‘t be able to hold the fame for long.“, says Jason Todd, singer of ‘Bad Sinister‘ from the latest Loudwire magazine— «

Nick shuts his phone off before tossing it on the couch, scoffing under his breath.

»What‘s with this guy? Didn‘t they start out at the same time as us?«

»Oh, he‘s just baiting for more attention, don‘t listen to him.« Carter waves it off, not at all concerned over the mixed opinions of the media.

Nick narrows his eyes, still not entirely calm from the news. He shifts on his seat before speaking up, starting to get slightly frustrated.

»What if he‘s right? What if we fail and just go back to being a local band in— «

»We‘re working on a new album right now, aren‘t we? They won‘t have to wait long for more music, it‘s not like we have to stress over it.«

A silence stretches over the pratice room after Carter‘s reassuring words, a mix of understanding and slight uncertainty lingering in the air. It‘s not until you stand off the ground and pick up your mic to start the practice, as everyone else gets their mind back into focus of the actual topic.

»Starting with “Shapeshifter“, right?«

You speak into the microphone, making sure everyone has their instruments set before the band starts playing, getting to groove together and work on the new album.

Now you have a new goal in mind. Prove yourself to the critics, even if it‘s an impossible task, and show of how much more you and your band are capable of. To release more music, to push your own limits and experiment a little with your style, to go harder and heavier.

Your new goal is to prove Jason Todd wrong, trigger, and provoke him, until he stops spreading his arrogance.

←MASTERLIST

taglist₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. @143637-hrrm @dollyure @ibreathesmut @dreamzaremyrealityy @lunana98 @pitofrats @joonunivrs @reallycreativeusername @oneiropoloss

[astrangetorpedo]

IN INTERVIEW

Julien Baker, the interview 6/8/2016

At just 20 years old, Julien Baker gave us last year a first album of intense and rare emotional force, the superb Sprained Ankle reviewed here . A moving record that left a deep and lasting mark on me. It was therefore impossible to miss the young American's arrival in Paris and not to take advantage of the opportunity to try to get to know this outstanding artist a little better. A meeting was thus organized thanks to the invaluable help of Sean, her manager, in a café in the 12th arrondissement, two hours before the young lady's very first Parisian concert, on May 24. A one-on-one meeting that revealed to me an adorable and voluble young woman, incredibly touching and sincere, and above all determined to seize life with all her might! A moment of exchange and sharing that I am not ready to forget.

Hello Julien!

Julien Baker : Hello!

First of all, thank you very much for granting us this interview. I am a big fan of your music and it makes me really happy to meet you!

Oh, thank you! It's a great pleasure for me too, you know! I still can't believe that people like my music enough to want to meet me to talk about it. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, really!

Perfect! Let’s start at the beginning of your story. I read that you’ve been making music for a while now. Could you summarize the journey that led you to where you are today?

Yeah, sure! I started listening to music in middle school. It was rock, I was really into it with painted nails, black eye makeup, all that stuff! [laughs] Then I started playing in bands, punk bands mostly. Then I joined Forrister which is the band I still play in today. We were playing shows in cities around our area. Then I went to college and a friend of mine who worked in a studio there offered me to record with him for free. Since my band couldn't be there, I did it solo, without any specific plans. I put the album out on Bandcamp for $2 or $3 a copy.

That's when Sean [Julien's manager] contacted me and suggested we release the album in a more official and professional way. I told him that I was actually in a band, Forrister, and that no one would be interested in me as a solo artist. He insisted and even though I didn't believe it at all, I agreed to give it a try. I'll always remember the day he called me to tell me that NPR [National Public Radio] was going to play my single. I hung up crying and immediately called my mom all excited to tell her the news! But then, as things seemed to start to take off for me, I started to doubt myself. I felt guilty towards the rest of the band, thinking that they would resent me for doing this project without them. So I called the drummer and asked him what they thought and he said they were just proud and super happy and not mad at me in any way. So I kept going and here I am! I never thought I would come to Europe and do all this, it's crazy, really!

During the band's time, did you already have this desire to write your own songs?

I don't think I had any real unfulfilled desire to do this.

But you were writing?

Yes, I wrote my own songs. But not because the band was holding me back or preventing me from doing it within the collective. It's just that sometimes you write songs but they don't fit the moment. So I put those lyrics aside, like that, without any specific goal. I've always written and played in different bands. There was enough space for all that, things didn't have to be done exclusively in one framework or another.

Were your parents musicians?

Not really. Well my dad bought me a guitar and showed me how to play it. So I started playing by practicing at home on my own. I also took piano lessons but for a very short time. My teacher didn't really like me because I didn't work hard enough. I just played by ear without wanting to learn to read music and he didn't like that. So I taught myself. But my parents were big music fans. They played records all the time at home. When I was younger I wanted to go to a concert, my dad would come with me to make sure I was safe! He was the only adult in the middle of all these tattooed and pierced kids! [laughs] Oddly enough it never bothered me. When he made a surprise appearance at the Bowery Ballroom for my concert in New York, I was so proud! He and my mom have always been a great support!

This is really great!

Yes I know !

In addition to being an author and composer, you are also a student. Are you still going to university?

I just finished my semester. It's currently summer vacation. But I think I'm going to take a break in the fall. I completed the theoretical part of my literature course thanks to online courses. The last thing I need to fully validate my teaching diploma is the practical part, in school with students. I tried to do it last fall but it's complicated to carry out both projects at the same time: give lessons during the week then take a plane to California or New York on the weekend to play a concert, before returning to teach on Monday morning! So I'm going to take a break to devote all my time to music.

Do you want to teach one day?

I think I would really enjoy teaching. I love it. As a teenager I was a summer camp counselor, I love children. So yes it would be really cool to teach!

You studied literature. Did that influence your way of writing?

Yes, totally! I try to feed myself as much as I can from all these different ways of perceiving life and emotions that I find in books. It enriches me intellectually speaking. I have the feeling of learning new things about myself each time I discover a new author and this is then reflected in my writing I think, consciously or unconsciously.

Are you familiar with French literature?

Voltaire! I often joke with my professor friends that I would really like to have a big Voltaire and Cervantes tattoo! I already have a Gabriel Garcia Marquez tattoo [Julien then shows me his 2-part tattoo on the inside of his 2 wrists]…

Is he your favorite writer?

One of my favorites, I can't choose just one! And so when my students would complain that Voltaire is an old man who's not cool, I could show them my Voltaire tattoo and prove to them that it's really cool! [laughs] Reading Candide really changed my life. It was incredible! I think the translation of the title is The Optimist , which is quite ironic. Cervantes wrote Don Quixote and we have this word in English, "quixotic" which means optimistic but optimistic to the extreme, to the point where even if everything is going wrong in your life and you know it, you continue to believe in it despite everything. There is a really romantic and admirable dimension to that attitude I find. Same for Candide where there is this quote that I always come back to when I feel really bad and which says: "I wanted to kill myself a hundred times, but I still loved life" . I think I cried when I first read that sentence. Anyway, I could talk about literature for hours, don't drag me down that dangerous path! [laughs]

Haha, ok. So back to the music! Listening to your album I couldn't help but think of two other artists I really like: Sharon Van Etten and TORRES…

I love TORRES!

Me too! I even did my very first interview with her!

Wow! She's amazing!

Do you agree with this comparison even if the artists in question do not come from the same scene as you?

I totally agree with this comparison! As a teenager I only listened to punk and thought that anything that wasn't punk was worthless. Then I grew up as a musician and learned to appreciate all styles. When you really love music, you love an artist as long as their music is honest and good, no matter what the style. It doesn't matter if it's hip hop or country or whatever!

I totally agree!

And so I'm a big fan of TORRES! I loved her first album, the one before Sprinter . The song Honey is the very first one I heard from her.

The same !

And oh my god, what a song! I played with her in Chicago, I was added as the opening act at the very last minute, I felt so honored! On my way to the dressing room, I ran into her and as I was saying "Oh sorry, I don't want to bother you" she said "No, come on, this is a shared space, you have as much right to be here as I do" and she kindly invited me in. As for Sharon, it's funny because the first time I met her, she asked me to have lunch with her, can you imagine having lunch in New York with Sharon Van Etten! And she told me she was also going to invite her friend Mackenzie [Mackenzie Scott aka TORRES]. But our phones died and we couldn't get a hold of her. So in Chicago TORRES couldn't make the connection, I was just the little girl at the door!

Excellent! Are there any other musical influences that you would claim?

Do you know David Banzan?

Nope…

Ok. There's a band called Pedro The Lion and David Bazan is the lead singer. He influenced me quite a bit. And do you know Death Cab For Cutie?

Yes of course !

They were the first non-punk band I listened to. At the time I only listened to loud and fast music, but when I heard Transatlanticism for the first time it was a shock, everything changed. They really meant a lot to me.

Your texts are very strong and very personal. When you wrote them, did you think about the impact they could have on those around you first and then on the general public?

Well, at first, I didn't imagine that this solo album would lead me anywhere, I was convinced that my music would only be made with my band Forrister. So when I released the album on Bandcamp, I really thought that only my friends would listen to it. So I wrote all these songs like that, just for me, without really thinking about the scope of the lyrics. And I'm ultimately happy that I didn't think about it because if I had known what was waiting for me, I think I would have most certainly changed things, I would have probably been more reserved in my words. But if it's difficult for me to show my vulnerability, I realize that it's totally worth it when young people come up to me after concerts to tell me that my music has helped them in difficult times in their lives. It's of course a little embarrassing for me to share such intimate things but if these things make others feel good, then I think it's worth it in the end.

But isn't it a little scary to expose yourself so completely naked and transparent? It's so brave, I don't know if I could do it myself!

Well, you see, it's exactly the same for me, I'm not sure I would have been able to do it if I had known everything in advance! But now that it has happened, I feel that from now on I have the right, the license to be brave. Perhaps it was the plans of destiny or God, something like that.

And isn't it too difficult for you to sing songs every day that inevitably bring you back to painful moments?

I think there are two options. Option one: I can sing these songs every night, let them take me back in time and feel sorry for myself. Option two: there is the quote from this poet that I love who says that all the horrible things in life just need to be seen from a different and courageous perspective. Things that seem bad can indeed turn out to be good in the end. So I have chosen to let the dark and sad aspects of my songs become pretexts to be positive and happy. Because yes, all these things have happened to me but if that had not been the case, I probably would never have written these lyrics and I would not be here today in Paris talking to you, Laurence! In the grand scheme of things, everything has a meaning and works for our good in the end.

That's very beautiful what you say! [laughs] To talk about lighter things, this is your first time in Europe, isn't it?

Yes !

How do you feel?

I love it! I have such a good time. Well I don't sleep much... [laughs]

Is it the time difference or the excitement?

Well now it's the excitement! But a week ago it was also the jet lag [laughs]. Imagine, we traveled for over 30 hours straight to get here! I first took a plane to Richmond and then a train to Washington DC. We then took a flight to Iceland where we took another flight to Copenhagen. Once there we took a train but due to a problem on the tracks we had to take a bus that took us to another train! When we arrived at the hotel, we were totally exhausted! [laughs] It was 11 o'clock in the evening but at that time of year the sun hadn't set because we were so far north and my body didn't understand anything at all! But hey after a good night's sleep everything was better! And now if I don't sleep it's just because I don't want to miss anything, not a single minute you know! I thought I would never be able to afford to travel and once again it seems that Destiny's plans are extraordinarily kind to me. I feel so grateful and lucky!

And that's just the beginning!

I hope so! But you know, even if everything had to stop, well in any case it would have been much, much more than I could have imagined! I am so grateful for everything that is happening to me!

Are there any particular places you want to discover?

Sean has been here before and wants to show me places he liked. Today he took me to see the Sacré-Cœur which is beautiful. On my side, there are also places I would like to visit, especially in Barcelona, ​​because I am majoring in Spanish literature. I would like to go to the café where Picasso had his very first exhibition, long before he was famous. I would also like to see the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's work, visit a museum, buy a Viva Cataluña t-shirt and eat paella. I am so excited to be able to do all these things!

That's great! But it's going to take you some time to do all of this!

We are staying there for the whole festival [Primavera Sound Festival]. So we should have some time. Of course we won't sleep much because in the evening I also want to attend the concerts!

You'll sleep when you get home!

Exactly! Since I am a big coffee drinker, one of my friends gave me a badge for my jacket that says "I will sleep when I am dead" ! [laughs] There are indeed so many things to experience in one life! [laughs]

And what are your plans for after the European tour?

We're actually going to be touring until the end of the year.

Will you come back to Europe?

We're going to Australia in November I think. I can't wait! We're also going to tour the States so as for Europe I don't really know... And then I hope to have some free time early next year. I'm always writing new songs that I play live. I must have 30 demos on my computer and I'd really like to record them. So it would be great if I could get into the studio early next year!

Last question: do you have one or more musical recommendations to share with us?

Lucy Dacus!

Oh I love it!

We played together in Washington DC. I had never heard her songs before Washington and I remember hearing the lyrics to Map On A Wall which say "I hope good comes from good and good comes from bad anyway" and I started crying all by myself watching her play. Her music is so beautiful, so powerful! And we have so much in common: questions of spirituality, sexuality and faith, questions about gender too and the place of girls in rock music. We are really like two halves of the same person. We have the same booker and were approached by the same label. And when I saw her again in Richmond I knew we operated exactly the same way. So our biggest fear is that we will one day become jaded and arrogant. We want to remain grateful, sincere and enthusiastic. There are so many people who do this for a long time and end up jaded. It's really great to find someone who feels exactly the same way you do, and that's the case with Lucy. We're platonic soulmates! She's a very, very dear friend.

You must tell her at all costs to come and shoot in Europe and in Paris because there are people waiting for her here!

Promise! I'll send her a message as soon as I have wifi!

Lucy Dacus! A perfect choice! Thank you very much Julien!

Thank you! It was great!

photos by jean-marc ferré 📸

interview by lolo from paris (who has great footage of that paris show on his youtube account) 📝

wayback link for the interview 🔗

[steddieas-shegoes]

jeff

for @corrodedcoffinfest prompt 'jeff'

rated t | 782 words | no cw | tags: jeff backstory, friendship

🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

When Jeff was only three years old, his dad let him play on his drum set. He wasn't naturally talented, but he had passion, and his dad told him that would get him far.

But when he was five, his uncle introduced him to guitar and that was a different story.

He was frustrated at first, his tiny hands unable to make the same sounds his uncle could. He could barely even hold it right, small even for his age despite both of his parents being taller than average. Even more frustrating was that his older brother could already play and he was good.

His uncle always said James was gonna be a rock star, make everyone proud, solos on stage for sold out arenas.

But James didn't even want that. He wanted to be a teacher.

Jeff wanted to be on stage.

So he practiced. He took lessons. He watched his uncle play at every family gathering.

And when he felt confident, he joined him, eight years old and playing almost as well as James, if not better.

His uncle changed his tune after that. He came over twice a week to have jam sessions with Jeff, impressed with his ability to teach himself complicated chords.

And then Jeff started singing along to a song while they played and his uncle froze.

"You can sing too?"

"Sometimes." Jeff shrugged.

"If you can sing and play, you can do just about anything."

****

When Jeff is 16, he decides to start a band. Playing at church and school functions alone just isn't gonna get him what he wants. He wants to be heard by the right person and the right person isn't sitting in a pew or high school auditorium.

His friend Frankie plays bass pretty well and he already agreed to do it until he left for college.

Finding a drummer was another story. It took months.

He found a second guitarist before he found a drummer.

For a while, he considered trying to learn drums beyond a basic beat just so they could actually get a chance to play on a real stage.

Luckily, their second guitarist Eddie was able to find someone by hanging around the band room after school.

Gareth was barely 15 and had a curfew that would make elementary school kids weep for him. But it was a start.

Jeff found some places to play the next town over: a festival that wanted local talent and didn't know what they were getting into and a restaurant with a patio that had live bands twice a week.

It was a start.

He put everything into making sure they had eyes on them.

Frankie and Eddie could see how much he was trying, but they didn't have the connections he did and couldn't contribute in the same way. Most people in town didn't really like the Munsons at all, even though Wayne had always been one of the kindest people around. Jeff had to carry the load for all of them, but he didn't mind.

On his 17th birthday, he convinced the owner of The Hideout to let them play on Thursday nights. He said everyone in the band was 18 and they wouldn't go near the bar.

The owner didn't believe him, but he was desperate to get people in the bar.

Their first show was awful, but Jeff's entire family was there, cheering them on.

Their second show was better, Wayne smiling at them from a table in the back as he nodded along to music he didn't actually know.

Every show got better, and when Jeff actually turned 18, Eddie made the entire crowd sing happy birthday to him. The bar owner watched from behind the bar shaking his head as the largest crowd he'd had in years stood singing.

Even when Jeff started to lose hope that they would make it, he kept trying. He played his heart out every time he hit the stage, just like the other guys.

But just when it looked like they'd have to give it up, when Eddie was facing false murder charges, and Jeff and Frankie were ready to graduate, Steve Harrington stepped in. None of them had been his biggest fan until Eddie told them he saved his life.

Steve's mom was a lawyer and while she didn't have many connections in the music industry, the ones she had were interested. Metal was a growing genre and they needed young talent to mold into exactly what they wanted.

Jeff hoped they were already formed into the perfect band.

Months later, when they're recording in a real studio with professionals, Jeff smiles at his band.

They made it.

[jokeroutsubs]

[ENG translation] "Joker Out: We won't make dolls out of ourselves"

This is an interview with Joker Out that was published the day after the Misija Liverpool programme, where they presented Carpe Diem for the first time. We're posting it to commemorate its one year anniversary!

Original article published in Delo newspaper on 5.2.2023, available online here for Delo subscribers. Article written by Gašper Završnik and Agata Rakovec Kurent; photos by Voranc Vogel and Katja Kodba; English translation by a member of Joker Out Subs, native proof reading by IG GBoleyn123. Also available in audio version on our podcast, read by IG GBoleyn123.

After conquering Slovenia, Joker Out, currently the hottest Slovenian band, is now also conquering the world. They talked about recognisability, Eurovision, and days that should be seized.

Singer Bojan Cvjetićanin, guitarists Kris Guštin and Jan Peteh, drummer Jure Maček and bassist Nace Jordan are Joker Out, currently our most in-demand musical fivesome. They've almost sold out the concert in Stožice in October already, and it seems like the boys have already reached the sky as the limit in Slovenia. Now, it's time for the world. Yesterday evening, in the Misija Liverpool ('Mission Liverpool') programme on Televizija Slovenija ('Television Slovenia', Slovenian national TV), they presented Carpe Diem, the song with which they will represent us at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool in May, for the first time.

Select members of the media already heard it a week before, at Saturday's recording of the programme, and we had the chance to talk to the band members afterwards. We talked about looking for the Eurovision formula, about what one has left after Stožice, about the burden of fame, as well as about how we should love, dance, enjoy, and care for one another while we can.

When did you warm up to Eurovision, which is often kind of stigmatised among rockers? Did the success of Måneskin perhaps have something to do with it?

Kris: We've been warming up our whole lives, because we're all pretty fervent Eurovision fans. I make time every May to watch the semi-finals and the final. We didn't go to Eurovision because Måneskin made it. They did prove that Eurovision is not as limited in genre anymore and that rock bands can participate too, but we're going to Liverpool because it's now the right time for us to start expanding our horizons outside of Slovenian borders, and Eurovision is the most optimal thing we can do at the moment.

Today (a.n.: we talked on Saturday, the 31st of Janurary) you presented the song to the audience in the national television's studio, in one week, all of Slovenia will hear it for the first time. How are you feeling?

Nace: The best part was standing on the stage when we played the song for the first time.

Jure: That's true, so much effort suddenly paid off.

When did you make Carpe Diem?

Bojan: The song was recorded in December in Hamburg, and the final mixings or masterings were happening all the way to the finish line just before the show, but it's always like that. We've listened to the song a million times, and when we played it for the first time, I was still proud of this song and I still liked it. People visibly reacted to it very well, and then audibly too. What more could we ask for?

What is the main message of the song that you wish to impart on expanded Europe and Australia?

Jan: Let's love, dance, enjoy, and care for one another while we can.

Kris: Despite the hostility that surrounds us.

With that, do you mean the Russian aggression in Ukraine?

Kris: Not necessarily.

Jan: Not explicitly. Anything that gives rise to thoughts that do no good.

This time, when you were creating, did you have a different audience in mind, were you searching for the Eurovision formula?

Jan: While making the song Carpe Diem, we were mainly thinking about how we must not focus on the fact that it's a Eurovision song. We wanted to make a song that is ours and represents us. Our purpose isn't just to go to Liverpool, rather, we want to present ourselves to the wider European audience, and I hope that they will accept us the way we are as much as possible.

In Slovenia, you're the hottest name on the scene right now. Isn't Eurovision, where, after all, you could also come 27th, a risky move? Why not just rest on your laurels?

Bojan: I think that resting on our laurels, especially at our age, would be the worst possible decision. It would make us a band that isn't in this business because they want to create, but a band that wants to rest on laurels.

Even if we happen to come 27th, it absolutely won't devalue everything we have managed to do so far and are planning to do in the future. This is just another competition and in fact, someone has to be 27th, that's a totally normal part of life. If it happens, we will definitely be sad, broken-hearted, and stricken, but it won't crush us.

A promotional tour awaits you as well; you're supposed to perform in Madrid, Barcelona, Warsaw, and Amsterdam. What else are you preparing to make Europe and the bookmakers pay attention to you before May?

Kris: If anything, we will convince the media when they get to know us and get an idea of who we are and what this thing even is, that we call shagadelic rock'n'roll. Madrid, Barcelona, Warsaw, and Amsterdam offer an excellent chance for us to showcase ourselves to international media, which is a very important aspect of getting votes for Eurovision, as well as establishing an image and a backing before you step onto the big stage.

Jan: Anything we say, release, or present will be genuine and honest. We won't make dolls out of ourselves. We want Europe to get to know us as we are.

One of the important aspects of Eurovision, in which Slovenia almost never stood out, is staging. How will you approach that, what will the core idea be? The Eurovision stage offers pretty much anything a musician can think of.

Kris: You can do anything if the budget lets you. The performance is for sure one of the most important things, but up until this moment, when we finished filming the show [Misija Liverpool] and the music video, we haven't focused on it yet. On the 4th of February, we will start intense rehearsals, we have some basic ideas. We want to build on the chemistry of our performance, more so than on glamour, confetti, and lights.

Jan: Being able to invest millions into the staging and public relations certainly doesn't hurt. We, however, definitely don't have them, so we will try to convince the audience with a good idea, a bit. We haven't been able to focus on that yet due to other obligations, though.

There's been some controversy over the fact that RTV (Slovenian national television) invited you to participate without you having won EMA first, as there is no Slovenian national selection for Eurovision this year. What can you say about this controversy, were you planning to sign up for EMA this year if it had happened, and is a direct invitation the optimal way to choose the Slovenian Eurovision representative?

Kris: Depends on who you ask. It might not have been optimal for us either. If we won EMA, going to Eurovision would be easier for us, because the song would've received more tangible support from the Slovenian public. As it is, we feel much more pressure to prove ourselves.

Jan: On the other hand, I don't remember a single EMA winner who was accepted by the majority of the public. Whoever won in the past 15 years that I've been following EMA got dragged through the mud. Unfortunately, this is something that's hard to avoid.

Kris: EMA and Eurovision are divisive things. Any way you slice it, someone will always be against it and someone will be for it.

Bojan: Our plan was to sign up for EMA this year, and then we got the call that we could go to Eurovision if we wanted. We wanted to go and that is why we're going. I have also said a few times already that EMA, back when we started watching it, used to be a prestigious event that the most successful and promising musicians signed up for, but in the recent years, that has absolutely changed.

My personal opinion is that just because you have a song and can sign up for EMA, that doesn't mean you've been robbed because there's no EMA. Something that has kind of spread around is that we have a lot of musicians who aren't actually active, but rather wait for EMA every year. They don't have concerts or other events in Slovenia and they practically only appear in tabloids.

I'm very sorry if we offended anyone, but I did get a lot of messages from the musicians that we, and I think most of the Slovenian audience as well, value the most, and they very much support RTV's decision.

Why will you sing in Slovenian and not in English? Is that smart?

Jure: I think that is the best decision we've made. We're representing Slovenia and we want to stand behind that. More people would probably understand us if the song were in English.

Bojan: Probably. (laughter)

Jure: I think that our song and our energy on the stage will show enough to make a good impression.

Bojan: If we got this opportunity and honour of Slovenia sending us to Eurovision directly, we think it's right to represent it in the local language.

It often seemed like Slovenian representatives were happy just to perform at Eurovision, and often used the smallness of the country as an excuse for their result. This year, it seems like you're approaching things in a more ambitious way, it feels like you're not interested in having a supporting role. Is that a wrong impression?

Jan: If Slovenian basketball players, who won the European Championship, didn't use the smallness as an excuse, then we have no reason to do it either. It might even be an advantage that we are "boutique".

What would be a satisfying result for you in Liverpool?

Jan: We definitely want to get into the final.

Kris: Top five.

Jure: I would consider the final a success. If we get into the final, we'll be more than happy.

Bojan: I'm thinking about a victory, and you can only go downhill from there. (laughter) I think that there's no placement for which you'd say "this is it" at the end, but the fact is that we won't place any better than we deserve.

It's probably not a coincidence that while you were recording the Eurovision song in Hamburg, you also prepared an English version of the album. Is that, as well as the Eurovision performance itself, a sign that Slovenia has become too small for you and you're interested in going abroad?

Jan: Good job connecting the dots.

Kris: Definitely. Our ambition lies in any market that is ready to have us. That's why we also recorded an English album in Hamburg, which will be a compilation of our favourite songs from the first and second album.¹ We will release it right after Eurovision, and until then, we will also present a song that we're preparing in collaboration with a very famous English performer.²

We're not hiding what we want from Eurovision, but it's not the only thing. We also want a good experience and to represent Slovenia with dignity and place high with a song in Slovenian again.

Bojan: The idea of recording in Hamburg has nothing to do with Slovenia being too small, but rather with us wanting to get out of our comfort zone, out of the environment we're in all the time, so to go there and have as much of an open mind as possible.

In terms of going abroad and concerts after Eurovision, we're already making very concrete plans for concerts around the Balkan region, and we've also already started booking club performances during the time we'll be in Liverpool. We're looking forward to going abroad.

Can you perhaps hint which British performer you will join forces with?

Jan: Unfortunately no, but we can tell you that it's not John Lennon.

Bojan, I watched your Portrait with coffee for Barcaffe³ where you also talked about the burden of recognisability. I imagine that you receive a lot of attention from women in particular. How do you deal with constantly being under the microsope from the public?

Bojan: After that interview, a fellow musician came up to me and told me that he completely understood what I wanted to say, but that I should never again in my life dare to complain about it, because it's simply the side product of the thing we're working towards. Ever since then, all I say is: thank you very much to everyone who bothers me. (laughter)

Are the other members also as impacted as the frontman?

Jure: Probably a little less than Bojan, but you can recognise the looks people give you. I can feel that I've started acting differently. I'm more mindful of what I do. I used to go for coffee at a café in my slippers, now I wouldn't do that anymore, though maybe it would be a good joke too. (laughter)

You're in high demand in Slovenia. Are you taking advantage of this opportunity and having concerts everywhere you can, or are you careful not to appear on the scene too much, given the smallness of our market?

Jure: We had a lot of concerts last year, I think we all agree that it was too many, so we won't perform for half a year now. We'll be getting ready for Eurovision, and when we come back, we will have a month-long tour, some good concerts that we like and that a lot of people will come to. After that, we'll have a break again until Stožice, after which we'll have another well-deserved break.

Are you satisfied with the ticket sales for the big concert, which will happen on the 6th of October [2023]?

Bojan: Eight months before the concert, we've sold 7,000 out of 10,500 tickets, from this week on, only the red ring (the highest seats) and a few VIP boxes are available, which means that after a few concerts in Slovenia that have already happened, we have already almost sold out Stožice.

Is there perhaps even a possibility of an additional concert?

Bojan: No, we talked about it, but we made the decision to not do two days. We decided that in particular because of our experience with Cvetličarna⁴, where we didn't have a feeling of absolute catharsis after the first concert, because we were still waiting for the second evening. Instead, we decided that the night after the Stožice concert, we'll travel somewhere warm.

Is having the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool this year the right decision?

Bojan: I think that, despite some previous appeals by Zelensky, it would be hard to have it in Kyiv.

Jure: We really like that it's in Liverpool.

You started out as a band very early, when you were twelve years old. What is the secret behind you not breaking up due to all the upheaval puberty brings?

Bojan: It's true that we started at twelve, but from that group, which was called Apokalipsa, I'm the only one left. (laughter) Another member of Apokalipsa was Martin, who left the band last year, after the concert in Križanke, and was replaced by Nace.

The reason for Martin's departure was the biggest show of maturity I've ever seen in a young person. He understood and recognised that his wishes and aspirations in life lay somewhere else than with this band. He called us, told us that, and even picked Nace.

When, at eleven, I told my guitar teacher Pavle Kavec that we were forming a band, and he said that things will definitely start changing at some point, I confidently replied that it will definitely never happen to us. Now I see that Pavle was more than right, which is obvious, since he's an experienced rocker.

Nace, you joined an already established band. Were you worried at all that fans wouldn't accept you, that you will be like something foreign, because you haven't been with them from the start?

Nace: I didn't have that fear. I know that I contributed to the band musically, that they also went a different way with me, which can also be heard in the song Carpe Diem. Maybe I was a little worried about the image, because I didn't know how aligned we'd be in that regard, but I was the most worried about how we'd get along.

I wasn't bothered at all by what other people would think. I was thinking more about how they're having a good time and whether they will also have a good time once I join them. I have to say that the guys immediately accepted me so wonderfully that I feel like I've been with them since I was twelve.

Bojan: We truly feel the same.

The title of your song translates as "Seize the day". How do you do that, and what do you consider a truly good day?

Bojan: A perfect day is different for everyone, and also different every day, and the beauty of it is that with each new day, we can experience our perfect day, but the best day never happens. As we never know what tomorrow will bring, we have to live as if there were no tomorrow.

Jure: But the best thing is when we're together.

Bojan: That is the best thing and the reason this band is what it is. When we had a big concert or a shoot and we were together day in and day out, there wasn't even a day after the project ended when we didn't either meet up at our rehearsal place and hang out together all day again, or pack our suitcases and go on holiday together.

Since Kris's father is our well-known musician Gušti, I'd like to know whether you've received any useful advice from the older music generation?

Jure: I think we blazed our own trail. There hasn't been any advice from Gušti in a long time.

Bojan: Gušti has already told us everything he had to tell us. Soon after we started, he recognised us as independent creators and performers and took on more of a spectator role.

He's always ready to offer us a well-meaning comment when we need it, as well as any kind of help. This band is a group of people that works by its own principles, but we have our circle of people we believe and trust, and that's normal for a team.

We also got a lot of useful advice, which we didn't even know was advice back then, from our older musician friends, but at the same time, they never made us feel like they were being patronising.

How did your musician friends react when they learned that you were going to Eurovision?

Kris: No one will say to your face that it was a bad decision. Most people I talked to, however, find it good that we're finally sending something tried-and-true to Eurovision. I mostly agree with this sentiment as well; but we have read comments on social media and various web portals that...

Jan: ... that Bojan is short of stature with a big ass.

Kris: We even read somewhere that we're going to Eurovision because one of us is the son of Alenka Bratušek.⁵ My dad was getting badmouthed too, as in, "Gušti arranged it all for them." There are various conspiracy theories.

Jan: If Gušti could arrange that, he also would've gone to Eurovision.

¹This interview is from last year; Joker Out later ended up abandoning the idea of an album with English versions of their songs.

²Kris is referring to New Wave, their collaboration with Elvis Costello.

³You can watch this interview with English subs on our YouTube channel here.

⁴Cvetličarna is the venue where Joker Out did two gigs to present their first album Umazane misli. You can watch one of them with English subs on our YouTube channel here.

⁵Alenka Bratušek is a Slovenian politican. She was the Prime Minister of Slovenia from 2013 to 2014 and is the Minister of Infrastructure in the current government.

If you repost quotes from the interview, please link back to this post! And if you repost the photos, do not crop out the photographer credit.

[herdelreydear]

„xo xo“

pt.1

warnings: alcohol, smoking, modern!au, drummer!abby, basist!ellie, fem!reader

summary: after moving to a small town to be there for your best friend while she needs you , you start working at a bar. The lokal band that plays there every sunday seems pretty interesting after spotting a blond haired and pretty attractive drummer

{not proofread}

notes: I promise the second part is going to be more spicy, I think this is going to be a small series maybe a bit slow burn but maybe the next chapter is going to be nsfw idk yet :.) also i’m new here so i‘d appreciate reposts, likes or even comments so so much <33

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Things were going to be different this summer, you felt it. After a long winter it finally started to get warm again, and the sun felt so good. While blasting music through your headphones you walked towards the little bar your friend mentioned, hoping to find them searching for new workers.

Since you moved here you didn't really had the time to focus on applying to a new job, all that mattered was to be there for your friend. Dina was one of the people, you would do something crazy like that for.

Moving to a small town because she had just broken up with her boyfriend and being on the edge of an identity crisis you were there to support her. But because of everything being pretty spontaneous the time and money it'd take to find a new place wasn't something you had right now. Till you'd manage to do so, Dina let you stay at hers.

„stay as long as you want cutie!" was what she told you the day you arrived at hers. But god no you didn't wanted to ruin her privacy and personal space. Her apartment wasn't big, and you knew she didn't like sharing her place (that's why she never moved in with Jesse, her Ex boyfriend).

She wasn't satisfied with you having to find a new job just to afford living here and stressing about finding a place to live just because she wasn't stable enough to be on her own right now. But Dina knew that you would do nearly anything for her because she was always there for you too, through hard and rough times she never turned her back on you. You two kind of became each others family.

The little bar she mentioned was just about 10 mins away, and while you walked there you got to know the small town. Pretty old houses and lots of greens and gardens. Where you stayed before was very different from that. Dina lived with you before she decided to move here because of Jesse, and you couldn't afford it yet to visit her and now you're moving here anyways. God, Dina is lucky that you're pretty easy when it comes to moving around, some people might would've lost a good job with moving spontaneously. Not you. After moving away from your dad, you tried to work as much as possible to afford your apartment and the food for your two cats. From being a bartender to working as a cleaning force, you did it all and you didn't mind. At least you didn’t had to share a place with anyone but Dina after moving out from you dad’s.

The bar was really sweet, Dina just knew what you liked. When you stepped in a little bell rang, and the person behind the counter bar glanced a welcoming smile at you.

"hey! you're new here right?" she nodded in your direction and you came closer while looking around.

"yeah, is that so obvious?" in this town they probably all ready knew everyone's face. You gave her a little smile.

"Kind of, yeah" she pointed at a board that showed all the drinks and prices. You thought about what to order. "Just a small coffee, please" you answered counting your money. After you gave it to her you sat down at a barstool right in front of her. "I'm Cat." she held her hand towards you and you shook it lightly. "y/n" taking a sip of the coffee she just had put right in front of you. Tilting your head to the side, unsure to ask you started: „Do you guys..perhaps..need another hand?" She looked up at you "I'm sorry i don't want to bother but I kinda really need that money right now-" you brabbel faster than your thoughts can follow. Silence. She looks at you with a little smile. "you're lucky you're talking to the chef right now."

„Dina!“ with a grin on your face you shouted her name while entering her apartment. You heard music coming from the kitchen and as you came in you saw her in front of the kitchen counter. As always she looked as if she knew what she’s doing but that was just her confidence. Sometimes you really questioned how she managed to live on her own with those cooking skills. „hey“ she smiled and turned her head over to look at you for a sec. „Guess who’s gonna start working tomorrow“ holding back a big smile you walked over to her to look at what exactly she was cooking. „No way-„ she looked surprised. „oh yeah“ with a grin on her lips she turned over to hug you. „NO WAY!“ she repeated while hugging you excited. „Oh my god tell me everything about how you managed to get the job right away!“ you started telling her about the sweet manager that was pretty young for an owner and how open she was with helping you by applying to the job at her bar. Dina was really proud of you and rewarded you with the dinner she cooked. Surprisingly it tasted better than anything she ever cooked for you. You noticed how she changed since you last met her. But that wasn’t a bad thing. Better cooking skills, and she became so independent (you were an exception). You were happy that she broke up with Jesse after she told you how off their relationship became after being together for 2 years. Since she moved here to be with him all the time they started to notice that they just didn’t fit together anymore. „maybe it‘s time for a girl again“ Dina joked. Her last relationship with a girl didn’t ended that well either. You chuckled. Summer just started and you were both single, could be worse.

Time goes by, and after two weeks of working you settled in. Working at the bar was exhausting, but fun. This sunday was your first shift while a band would play. That meant: working all day and working late. But at least they maybe would play something you’re into? Dina joked about the band members and how she thought lokal bands always consisted of some old people that had nothing to do anymore. Great. A bit downturned you got ready that Sunday. While looking into the mirror you tilted your head to look at your face from different angles. Why don’t try something new? You normally didn’t wear that much make up, but foundation, mascara and a nude lipstick were your go-to. Maybe some dark red lipstick for today would make you feel more confident (you also thought of how you could get a bigger tip if you’d do that to be honest). Working at the bar your clothes had to be subtle so you mostly wore all black but comfy. Sticking to that tonight you wore comfy black jeans and a black top with lace framing your cleavage. Putting on your silver hoops and necklaces you felt complete.

„looking hawt“ Dina approached you with a grin. „So i’ll see you tonight when the gig starts right?“ you nodded. „Should I bring some food? I mean you’ll be already working hours when it starts..“

„No thanks Dina, but very sweet of you. I’ll take something from the store for the way“ you pouched a kiss on her cheek, teasingly knowing it’d leave a red kiss stain she’d be annoyed about and waved her goodbye.

Arriving at the bar you saw the band’s equipment already built up on the little stage across from the counter you’d be working. Nice, so at least you’d see something and it wont get boring working that long.

„Sooo in the band are Manny, Owen, Ellie and Abby“ you nodded, not really knowing what you could’ve answered. „Don’t worry you’ll get to know them over time, they had a break for the last couple of weeks but now they’re back and luckily playing for the Planet.“ (The Planet = name of the bar) „So.. what genre do they play?“ you asked while starting to wash some of the used glasses in the sink.

„hmm they most of the time just cover songs, I‘d say rock and metal because they love to cover classics from the 70s“ interesting. „and some other alternative sub genre, but don’t worry you’ll enjoy if you like hot men making music“ cat grinned and leaned over to you. You started laughing and shaking your head. „No not really, i’m on the other team.“

„girls? I like that. I think you’ll love the drummer and the basist then“ you raised your brows. „I’m gonna have to work cat, not crushing on some band members that’s something i’ll leave to you“ you chuckled and she just shrugged. „Well, I’ll definitely enjoy the show. By the way, don’t underestimate us. Just because it’s a smaller town, people from elsewhere come here too when they’re playing.“ Cat left and you were alone at the counter. No visitors yet, so you could relax. Listening to the radio, you hummed quietly while focusing on getting everything ready for tonight.

„They’ll soon start, why don’t you get a small break before the bar fills?“ Cat came by to check on you after some hours of your shift and you took the opportunity and went through the back door outside.

You were about to search for your cigs in your pockets, when a group of people came closer. Before you could care to look up a girl came closer. „You want one?“ a girl with long blond hair in one braid held a pack right in front of you, now you looked up. You smiled shyly and nodded. „Uh..Thank you, and sorry i forgot mine“ you said without being asked but you were nervous and it just came out. Gosh she was so pretty.. Her little smirk, her nose covered in freckles and her whole appearance seemed to attract you. After you took a cig between your lips she immediately took out a lighter. You looked up at her to look in her eyes while she lit it for you. You inhaled and took a step backwards to fully look at her. Exhaling. „Thanks“

„You work here?“ her voice was a bit raspy and her big hoodie hid whatever was under there, you could just imagine. The other people of here group circled around you two and you started to reckon who these people were. Not bad, even Dina would find them attractive and yet she didn’t date a musician. „Yeah I do, I’m new here though“ you smiled and the others started to greet you too. „Yeah I would’ve recognized you otherwise“ she grinned and while she exhaled the smoke she respectfully tilted her head to the other side.

„Nice to have you guys here, Cat told me about you. Seems like we should be honored to have you playing at the Planet“ you jokingly exaggerated a bit and they chuckled. „I’m Abby by the way“ she looked to the right „that’s Manny,“ pointed to the other guy „Owen. And that-„ she layed her arm around the girl on her left „is my girl Ellie“ they all smiled at you and you also introduced yourself. So, she has a girlfriend? Not that you really should take the first hot girl that seemed like your type that kind of works with you. Ellie was also more masculine, a thing you were most of the time attracted to. She was a bit smaller and less talkative then the blonde. Anyways, you should focus on your work first, dating comes last. Even though you were more then desperate. You needed to get laid soon our you’d actually just grab the next best lesbian that was down to fuck.

When y’all finished the smokes you walked them back into the bar, or they walked you in there. Next to them you looked so unintimidating it was almost embarassing. You walked back to the counter while they went to the set up across from you. Staring at them you didn’t notice how full it got and had to take some orders right away. While serving the costumers one of the guys, you forgot the name, started opening their gig.

God, it got so full you became a bit stressed, but when you saw Dina coming in you relaxed a bit. People started to move away from the counter and gathered around the little stage.

„hey sexy barmaid“ she squeezed herself through a group of men that just ordered, to get to you. „So no old men band, god for you“ you rolled your eyes. „And for you too right?“ she giggled. „yeah of course“ she sat on a barstool infront of you and glanced over her shoulder. „damn, they actually are surprisingly good looking..“ pouring shots for another costumer you nodded. „i know..“ she leaned back to you. „The brown haired one seems to be your type. Tatts, short hair?“ you shrugged, she just knew you to well. But she didn’t knew that your eyes were on the other girl only. Now, while thinking about her you tried to see her through the small crowd. She was the drummer, of course. You raised your brows, she had taken her hoodie off, god…you blushed embaressed. Her arms toned, and muscles flexed from playing the drums. A view you couldn’t deny to find very appealing. Hoping Dina wouldn’t notice your red cheeks, but the lights were dimmed and drawn to the stage.

„Am I right??“ Dina tried to get your eye contact. „hello bar momma i’m talking to you“ you snapped out. „Dina gosh let me enjoy the view for a moment“ you laughed and she ordered something. While mixing her a drink you two talked about how she needed someone to get over Jesse and how you needed to get laid. And coincidentally there was a group with potential right infront of you.

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y’all are welcomed to give any tips/ideas for the next chapters! I have some ideas in mind but maybe you guys have ideas on how to make things more spicy🐇

[taiarchive]

The Academy Is… (William And Butcher) Interview

14/05/2005 by Paul Bruens of Driven Far Off

I interviewed Will and Butcher from The Academy Is. Butcher is the drummer and Will is the lead singer.

Paul: Where did your band name originate?

William: We were originally called the academy. No rhyme or reason to be quite frank. We just looked at a bunch of name ideas for songs and we had The Academy. I thought it was strong and very strong name you could see on top of a Marquee or billboard. It reflected our ambition. Then we had some legal problems with other bands previously that were called the academy. So we had to change it. At the time our sound was changing, and so was our bands line up. A lot and so our focus was also changing. At the same time we didn't want to completely change our name and alienate our old fans from our music and local Chicago suburbs. So we changed it to The Academy Is.

Paul: How did you all first meet one another?

William: Well Mike and I met because I was doing my solo project Remember Maine and he had his own band and we played a lot together. Over time we eventually built a friendship. This was about four years ago. Adam our bass player went to my high school and I was in one o my first bands with his older brother. But then I ended up liking Adam a lot better. Tom our guitarist was in another band called 504 Plan. When they broke up we were looking for a guitarist and we asked him.

Butcher: I also played in a band at the time called Last Place Champs. I played a show with The Academy and 504 Plan. The band broke up and a year past and Tom asked me to join the band with him.

Paul: How did you come across Fueled By Ramen Records and why did you decide to sign with them?

William: Well they really came across us. At that point when they signed us there wasn't anyone else that wanted to sign us. Then once we were signed everyone wanted to sign us. Then all these labels were pissed at us because we didn't let them have the chance to sign us. But hopefully they got over it. We were really good friends with Pete from Fall Out Boy. And at this time Fall Out Boy was just getting signed to Fueled By Ramen. Pete really liked us a lot. He came to some of our first practices and shows and was really impressed. He told John from Fueled By Ramen that he should come check us out. Also at the time, our best friend Johnny at LLR contacted Fueled By Ramen and recommended that they check us out. They saw us live, and two weeks we were getting signed to Fueled By Ramen.

Paul: How did your band become involved with Hollister Co.?

William: We sent Hollister our record. Hollister seemed to be really interested. Now they are carrying our record. We are also doing a lot of things with Hollister. Just recently we had an in store performance for Lounge 22 in Chicago. We are planning on doing a few more pretty soon. So pretty much simple, they heard about us, liked the record, and now they help us out a lot with promotion and free clothes.

Paul: How does the band's song writing process go about?

William: Well in this past record, Mike and I pretty much wrote the whole record. Butcher and tom weren't even in the band when we wrote the record. So pretty much we had to write it on our own. We take the songs from the ground up. We started with acoustic and melodies. I would write a melody to a riff Mike had. Then I would go and write lyrics with the melody. The next record will be a lot more collaborative because we will have Butcher, Mike, Tom and myself all writing together. The writing process will definitely be different.

Paul: What song on the record would you say has the more significant lyrics?

William: We all of them do. Personally for me, 'The Phrase That Pays' would probably be it. That song says the most of what I wanted to say and painting that picture that I wanted people to take something from. I was thinking a lot about my life, and being who I was and the way my life was at that particular time. For instance, if you were told you were going to die tomorrow, would you be happy with the way you life is? And the way you have chosen to live you life up to that point? I was thinking a lot about death at the time, and something tells me 'hey man you need to make the most of your time here.' That means going for the things that you dream and love as well. The line 'Take a chance and make it big because it's the last you'll ever get‚' that's the mentality that I think would be helpful if people had from time to time. Because to many people out there just procrastinate and push there dreams away. Always talk about doing something and never end up doing it. So this is what the song is about. It is supposed to encourage people not to do that. It's about taking your life by the reigns and gaining control of everything you ever want it to be.

Butcher: I would say the last song almost here. The lyrics from what I take of it are about beginning touring and getting adjusted to it. . I'll take my chances of truck stops and state lines. Is one of my favorite lines of the entire album because it personifies the way I feel about doing what I'm doing and foreshadows my future.

Paul: What is the weirdest or craziest tour experience tour experience you ever had?

Butcher: Its not so much crazy as it is strange. Well we were on our way to New York for one of our first tours. We were driving through Pennsylvania, and the driver at the time crashed the van. We got it fixed the next day and did our show as planned. Months had past and we were driving from just out of Vermont we apparently didn't see the low fuel alerts on the car. So we ran out of gas. We just pulled off the highway and ran out of gas exact point where we got hit. It was some extreme déjà vu. It's more eerie than anything.

Paul: What other tour plans do you have set up for the future?

William: Well we will be touring with Spitalfield, Hidden In Plain View, and Over It in the beginning of September. After that we will be playing some dates in Japan and England. Also as of right now we are in talks about being on a big tour with The All American Rejects, Rooney, and Jamison Parker.

Paul: Well what do you guys usually do when you are off tour and now dealing with the band?

William: We are rarely home and we have been out like two weeks here and there. But when we are home we are with the band working on songs and practicing. I mean this is our life.

Paul: If you could go out on any tour with any 3 bands who would it be?

Butcher: Foo Fighters, The Chemical Brothers. And The Red Hot Chili Peppers

William: If it was any bands in the past or current bands now I would choose Led Zeppelin, The Doors, and Jimmy Eat World.

Paul: What would you say are your biggest musical influences?

William: Well for me the reason why I started playing, the reason why I bought a guitar was Led Zeppelin, I love everything about that band, their performance, their songs, musicianship and they are the band I have listened to everyday of my life. They are really the catalyst of my music career. Also bands like The Promise Ring, The Alkaline Trio, The Honor System, who I just fell in love with just got me into the Indie scene.

Butcher: What really got me started playing drums is bands like nirvana, Foo Fighters, bush, all that grunge scene are just some of the reasons I started playing drums Paul: Name 3 things you couldn't live without on tour.

Butcher: My friend Nigel he comes through with me he has to be everything. Coke (the soda), and my performance shorts.

William: My I-Pod, my film collection, and our tour manager Tony. He is one of my best friends in the world.

Paul: Do you all have any more promotions plans or endorsements in the future?

William: I'm not too sure yet, but we are doing a sponsorship with Red Bull. But we are working on doing something special with the company, and I honestly don't know how it will work..

Paul: If you weren't in the academy is what would you be doing?

William: I would probably be going to school on the east coast somewhere, and probably working and being miserable.

Butcher: I would be a Butcher still. I used to be a butcher. Butcher isn't my real name my real name is Andy.

Paul: Well I'll give you this time to promote and mention anything you would like to say to your fans.

William: Come check us out on warped tour and if you have the money and check us out in Japan. Check out our website www.theacademyis.com and the new record 'Almost Here'. Thanks for everything guys.

[phrogggslayer]

Night Terror Band Lore!

I've gotten a couple of people asking for a little lore on the Night Terrors (OC Pizzaplex era animatronics), so here's a long ramble about them!

Dread

Dread is the signature Fazbear of this Pizzaplex. When he's not singing with his crazy deep voice, he's.. not saying much. He might come off as cold and emotionless, but he's always listening and thinking of others. He's just not good at expressing it.

When their Pizzaplex started catering to kids, Dread adored the tiny new guests. And once the Freddles were introduced, the cubs quickly learned his quiet ways of showing his love. Dread is now convinced he's great with all kids, even though most are terrified of him.

When Plush was brought into the family, Dread's calm demeanor became a source of comfort for the little one. Having someone sturdy and quiet sit with you can make the world feel less overwhelming. Dread is also in a loving relationship with his partner, Foxy.

Grimm Foxy

Well, speaking of him, Grimm Foxy (called Grimm or Foxy) is the talented drummer of the band. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and is extremely warm and welcoming to everyone he meets. This makes him the most popular amongst staff and guests alike.

Foxy fits the dad role like a glove. He plans special events for his kids after hours, always checks in on them, and regularly discusses what can be made better for them with the manager. He also ensures Plush gets the extra care they need to be happy in their new home.

Nightmare

Next up is Nightmare. She's the bassist of the band, the second Fazbear of the Night Terrors. She and Dread consider each other siblings, always going to one another when they need some extra support. Nightmare has a no-nonsense attitude and makes a point to be honest.

When it comes to the kids, she's right at Foxy's side, making sure they get the best care they can in a Pizzaplex. Only where Foxy is diplomatic, Nightmare is way more demanding and accusatory towards the manager. The two are pretty successful together!

Nightmare is in a throuple with Bonnie and Chica. She was crushing hard on the two of them for a while, but it took a few months for her to find out that romantic relationships can include more than two people. And boy was she happy when she figured that out.

Chica

Chica plays the keytar! She loves the scary part of her job where she's encouraged to startle guests (who signed an agreement, of course) before immediately teasing them. But don't tease her back. She'll take it personally. Then you're in trouble.

When the cubs arrived, she became the cool parent who roughhouses with them! And she definitely sneaks them things they're not supposed to have. As for Plush, their casing is fragile, so she becomes very aware of her strength with them. But snuggle time is always nice.

Chica was the one who asked Bonnie and Nightmare if they'd like to date her. When they agreed, Chica destroyed two punching bags. She didn't know how else to express her glee. That night, she put one in front of her new partners' doors with post-it-note heart on top.

Bonnie

Bonnie rocks the electric guitar! As most rabbits are, he's extra hyper (and extra flirty). Bonnie is very popular with adult guests, always shooting them naughty jokes and giggling about things he's not supposed to talk about. He gets in trouble a lot...

With kids, both guest and animatronic, he loves to jump into games. Tag, hide and seek, capture the flag, pickpocket the adults, you name it! Though Bonnie has a tendency let swears slip in front of them. So now the Freddles and many kids who visit know fun new words!

With Plush, Bonnie immediately felt a sort of kindred with the kid. They're both bunnies after all. And Plush noticed a resemblance. They play games where they wiggle their ears in different ways, and the other has to copy it. It calms Plush down pretty fast, too.

Bonnie's relationship with the girls has great communication. They keep it open with an understanding that they're together forever. Bonnie loves that they're happy to let him explore romance with others, and that Chica and Nightmare are always there to love and support.

The end 😊

That's the end of the Night Terror band lore! I'll link the original artworks of them and their kids below.

Let me know if you have any questions!

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

JINJER's TATIANA SHMAILYUK Celebrates Seven Months Of Sobriety

Vocalist Tatiana Shmailyuk of Ukrainian modern metal frontrunners JINJER is celebrating seven months of sobriety.

On Saturday (July 15),the 36-year-old singer shared a new mirror selfie on Instagram and she captioned it: "#7monthssober today. Let's see how far I can get".

Last December, Tatiana spoke to Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", about how she met her husband, former SUICIDE SILENCE and current P.O.D. touring drummer Alex Lopez. She said: "I met him through Internet. Of course, he was a famous person in the heavy music industry. So I liked him. And then it kind of happened that they [SUICIDE SILENCE] invited us to be a support act for them in Bratislava, Slovakia back in 2017. So I was, like, 'Well, that's destiny.' We took a picture together after the show. And then we started chatting through Internet. It was not very consistent talk — once a month, once every three months, short [messages]. And then we were talking about us, JINJER, coming to the States, and at that time it seemed impossible to come here, because, oh my God. [Laughs] And a year after, in 2018 I think, we went to the United States supporting CRADLE OF FILTH. And he came to our show to say hi and stuff. And then here and there, that's how it happened. So I think I made it happen. [Laughs]"

When Radioactive MikeZ noted that she was the "aggressive one," Tatiana clarified: "Not aggressive, no. I just was more enthusiastic. You know what I mean. Sometimes women have to do the first step to get what we want. [Laughs]"

Tatiana also talked about what it was about Alex's appearance that first drew her to him. She said: "Yeah, I felt like he looks like me, but like a male version of me. We're both shorties, brown eyes, brown hairs. I love Mexican culture, and he's full-blown Mexican."

Asked how she likes living in Whittier, California, where she shares a home with Lopez, Tatiana said: "Well, I like it because it's in the middle of everything — 30 minutes to downtown L.A., 30 minutes to Laguna Beach, 30 minutes to another beach to another beach and another beach, and then an hour to Big Bear mountains. So it's the perfect location. But I don't go out much because, honestly, I didn't find anything to go out to. [Laughs] And I have a lot of work to do, so I'm just sitting there chilling in the house, enjoying the sun and hummingbirds flying here and there. So, [it's] pretty cool. I love California in general — it's a beautiful place. I don't think there's a big difference between [Whittier] and another small town somewhere in California."

JINJER will embark on its own headline tour following the band's support dates on DISTURBED's 2023 "Take Back Your Life" trek with fellow special guests BREAKING BENJAMIN. The headline trek kicks off on September 7 in Huntsville, Alabama, making stops across Canada and the U.S., including Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto and more before wrapping up in Vancouver on September 25. Several of the tour's stops are produced by Live Nation.

JINJER played its first live show since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on June 10, 2022 at last year's edition of the Greenfield Festival, which was held in Interlaken, Switzerland. The concert took place just days after it was announced that JINJER had been given permission from authorities to leave their war-torn nation and tour Europe as ambassadors of the country.

[fictionalboys4me]

TLDR: I'm playing DnD with the lead singer of my favorite teenage band and it's as amazing and horrifying as you might think.

Ok...I've made a grave mistake. I've become obsessed with a real man.

Fictional boys are much better because they can't actually hurt you and you can't actually hurt them.

I have to pretend to not be obsessed all the time. It's exhausting; but I love it. I love pining.

And he's so hot and nice and talented. It's stupid.

This guy was in a band. I grew up across the street from the drummers house where they had band practice. I remember hearing them from across the street and then eventually the drummer, my neighbor, gave me a CD.

21 minutes and 31 seconds. I don't remember the first time I listened to it but I know I've subsequently played it thousands of times. Through all the heartbreaks and loneliness of highschool and college; this guy's voice was there. I never knew him; I probably only saw him once or twice. At the one show I saw of theirs; or maybe at the drummers sister wedding.

I pray to glob he doesn't remember me from then. I was an awkward, buck toothed, annoying little gremlin (as most tweens are).

The band played some big shows, I was always a fan. I wore my yellow t shirt to countless gym classes and fan girled over my neighbor, the drummer.

The boys got jobs, wives, and lives. They broke up and come back together under other names and with different vibes but I didn't follow along as much on their later projects.

I stopped using my iPod. I got depressed along the way. College and then work. I got lazy about music and let a computer tell me what to listen to.

I'd occasionally bust out my iPod and hear them again; there were a few hooks and stanza that have lived in my brain rent free for over a decade.

Fast forward to about 2 years ago. I'm married to a wonderful guy I met in college. My husband and I had gotten into playing DND with some friends of a friend. We play with a group of 7 routinely. They all knew each other, with my husband and I being new to the group.

A one shot is coordinated and this guy is invited by the dm. He's great. He's got excellent table manners as a PC, he's clever and willing to rp and do a voice. He's a delight. I find myself surprised I haven't seen this dude before and I remember being bummed he wasn't in our regular campaign.

Time goes on. Another one shot maybe 6 months to a year later, and he's invited again. We have another wonderful time. Eventually we find out this guy can also dm.

He invites us for a one-shot. It's excellent; it's the most balanced one shot I had ever played and very well paced. This guy is funny and talented and knows the game and we had a lovely time.

By this point I'd formed a small crush. It's hard not to when someone is this handsome, kind, and talented. Conveniently my husband had also developed a hetero-crush and didn't mind my admiration.

My husband, who's bolder than me, asks if we can play at his table when seats open up. Months go by, and eventually he reaches out and invites us. We're both stoked.

Unfortunately this was during a depressive episode for me and I didn't put as much forethought into my character as I could have. I reskinned an old PC (bard) and ran with it. My husband was a little disappointed but I worked it out and picked a species that the DM had included as part of his homebrew.

It's session 0 and we all arrive and the dm, this guy, gives us packets to help flush out our characters back-stories. While hanging out and working through the packets I mentioned I'd tried to friend this guy on Facebook and I noticed he's friends with my neighbor... The drummer.

He proceeds to inform me that they're homies and used to be in a band together.

*insert dialup noises*

This guy...is the guy who's been living in my head rent free for over a decade. I'd slept in his band merch for YEARS. I was unintentionally probably his biggest fan besides this mans fucking mother.

I died a little in that moment; when I realized I was playing a bard and I'd have to look this man in the eyes and do math in front of him and try to be cool. Try not to be a fucking fan girl freak AND rp with him.

Top it all off, he's playing a PC that was basically me irl. Squishy little map nerd.

I'm absolutely obsessed with him and it's killing me but I love it.

Shout-out to my amazing husband because I told him about my crush and he was like, "Yeah, I know. What do you want? Do you want me to kiss [redacted]?!" He didn't care at all.

I feel like such a loser because me and this guy have a lot of the same interests and it feels like I'm copying him but I swear to glob I'm not. I've independently developed to be me but at multiple turns it feels like I keep uncovering more ways we're alike or interests we share.

Oh how a part of me wishes, dares to fantasize, that I might actually be able to tell him how much he's meant to me. How many ways he's inspired me or comforted me or brought me joy. But I can't say that to him. I could never reciprocate and that kills me a little.

For now I've settled on playing my PC as well as possible (though I'm constantly cringing at how I miss plot hooks).

Every time I make this guy laugh or smile it feels like the sun is shining on my face.

It's so intense and I'm really dumb but it's incredible the situation I've put myself into; I had to shout about it into the void.

[silent-stories]

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐒 - 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄

Pairing: Noah Sebastian x reader

Series summary: After years of building your band’s reputation as one of the most influential in the metal scene, you and your bandmates move to Los Angeles. What you don't expect, however, is that your new neighbors are none other than Bad Omens, and that Noah is a huge fan of your band.

Series masterlist

The warm Los Angeles air embraced you, filling your lungs with that distinct mix of ocean breeze and the city’s characteristic hum. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across your new neighborhood. You, along with your band, had finally arrived at the new place—a house in one of the most iconic cities in the world.

The kind of house that looked like it belonged to your band already, with plenty of stuff scattered around the front yard, half-empty pizza boxes on the porch (Jake wanted a food break at some point), and a van parked crookedly on the driveway.

The familiar chaos felt already like home.

The city felt alive, electric even, when you crossed it to reach the quiet neighborhood you had chosen. It had been a dream for so long, and now, as you unloaded the van with the rest of your bandmates, it felt surreal. Los Angeles had that charm that made everything feel possible.

You tapped your boot on the concrete as you looked at all the unloaded stuff still in the van.

Your band had been at the top of the metalcore scene for a couple of years, with sold-out shows and albums that had dominated charts. You were proud of what you had accomplished, but there was always more to chase, more to create, more to prove.

“Alright, alright, let’s get this done!” Jake, the drummer, shouted over the hum of the van’s engine, already hoisting an amp on his shoulder. His energy was always over the top, even when you were all still half-dead from the long drive.

He was wearing a white tanktop that showed off all the tattoos spread across his arms and when it went up slightly as he mived around, also the ones on his stomach.

His black hair, a mix of soft waves and a short mullet, bounced as he moved and when he didn't have a cigarette in his mouth, he was shouting or eating, he was playing with one of his lip piercings with his tongue. No matter how tired he was, Jake always had that huge grin plastered on his face. He was loud, confident, and always ready to make a joke or prank, and today was no different.

“You can’t seriously be trying to carry that whole thing yourself,” you shouted back, one hand on your hip as you took in the sight of him struggling with a speaker nearly as big as he was.

“Oh, I’ve got it!” Jake grinned, making a show of wobbling dramatically before shifting the speaker with his legs and tossing it toward the garage. “This is nothing!”

“Yeah, well, maybe try to not break anything this time, yeah?” you replied, raising an eyebrow. It wasn’t the first time Jake had managed to destroy something valuable, though, thankfully, his reputation for destroying gear had mostly been exaggerated by your bandmates. Mostly.

“Shut up,” Jake huffed, his usual smile still in place. “Just because I’ve dropped a few things doesn’t mean I’m clumsy.” He gave you a wink, already heading back to the van to grab another piece of equipment.

“Clumsy? Is that what we’re calling breaking everything you even only look at, now?” Alex, the guitarist, chimed in, his voice low but sharp, carrying just the right amount of bite.

Alex wasn’t loud like Jake, but when he spoke, you couldn’t ignore it. His blonde hair was short and his bright green eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint, even if his demeanor was usually calm. But when Jake was involved, Alex’s sarcasm could cut through concrete. They were best friends, of course they teased each other at every opportunity.

“Hey, you don’t get to talk, Mr. ‘I only speak in soft tones,’” Jake shot back. “You know, for someone who loves to read poetry and other shit so much, you sure know how to throw out the best insults.”

Alex smirked and shook his head. “It’s called being subtle, Jake. Something you wouldn’t understand.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, the sound mixing with the warm Los Angeles air, as you set down the mic stand you’d been carrying. “Honestly, it’s like moving in with a family full of idiots,” you teased, shaking your head at the two of them.

“Hey, scream queen,” Jake joked, winking at you as he grabbed another box. “Watch it.”

You rolled your eyes but laughed. “Scream queen, huh? I almost like it.”

“I mean, hey, it works, doesn’t it?” Jake chuckled, clearly pleased with the nickname he’d just given you. “You scream like a pro. People pay good money to hear that sound.”

"Oh trust me, I know. But people pay good money to see all of us on stage."

The last year had been a whirlwind of success for your band. It felt like everything had fallen perfectly into place, each moment more incredible than the last. You remembered the European tour and the US dates you added to it like it was yesterday—sold-out shows in cities you had only dreamed of playing before. Every venue was packed with fans who knew every word, every scream, every riff, as if they were part of the band themselves. It was surreal, the way the energy of a crowd could electrify the air, transforming a simple stage into something far grander, far more powerful.

The crowds had been so loud, you could barely hear your own voice as you screamed into the mic, but the connection with the audience was undeniable. You thrived in that chaos, that passion. It felt like you were channeling something bigger than yourself every night. Each show was different, but the thrill was always the same. The feeling of being alive, of creating music that people didn’t just listen to but felt.

Merch had also been a huge hit. The new t-shirts and hoodies had taken off almost immediately, and fans couldn’t get enough of them.

You loved the ravens on them, the moths attracted by the light, the snakes biting their tales as a nod to the endless cycles of life, and the skulls, that well, represented the inevitable truth: we all come and go. But in between, we leave something behind, something that would be remembered. You and William, who designed each art, had poured your heart and soul into every piece of the merch, from the graphic details to the overall vision.

The designs weren’t just logos; they were pieces of art, reflecting the soul of the music. Each one was a tribute to the themes that ran through your lyrics—life, death, loss, love, hope.

There was something surreal about seeing your merch at every show, people wearing t-shirts with the name of your band written on it, white on black: Dark Waves.

"Yeah, this year's been a blast." Jake agreed, his voice pulling you out of your thoughts.

The weight of the box wasn’t as heavy when you were surrounded by this kind of energy, the laughter and teasing making it all feel a little lighter, even if your muscles screamed from the effort.

William, the bassist, had already moved inside, probably escaping all the noise you were already making.

You could see him coming back from the house with an armful of cables, his long, straight dark hair hung over his eyes as he moved with practiced calm. “You guys done talking about how cool you think you are yet?” he asked dryly, raising an eyebrow as he watched you all.

“Uh, no. I don’t think we ever will be,” Jake replied, shrugging and passing him another speaker. “I mean, we are Dark Waves! We are all cool here. Have you seen yourself? You’re basically a walking horror movie.” He said pointing to the bassist's completely black outfit.

William gave him a deadpan look, then tilted his head to you. "I'm not the one who screams like a banshee on stage.”

“Exactly,” Jake said with a grin, turning back to you. “Scream queen, right?”

You snorted, pretending to gag. “I swear, I’m going to strangle you both in your sleep.”

William just shrugged, smirking as he continued on his way inside.

There was a moment of silence as you all worked, the rhythm of the unloading matching the pace of a song you knew all too well. The house slowly started to take shape, equipment scattered around, ready to be set up.

You didn’t just live for the music; you lived for the moments like this. The friends you have made thanks to it, the jokes, the way your band clicked—it was what kept everything grounded in the chaos of your world.

“Alright,” you said, taking a moment to stretch your back. “That’s everything, right? No more boxes? No more amps?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alex said, grinning as he brushed his hands together. “We’re done here. Now let’s figure out where the hell we’re putting all of this.”

“You guys are fucking terrible at packing,” you teased as you walked toward the front door. “You should’ve seen the van. It looked like a hurricane hit it. Half the stuff was jammed in there, and the other half was just thrown in."

“Oh please, it’s called ‘rock star packing,’” Jake quipped with a wink. “It’s a talent.”

“Yeah, sure,” Alex said with a sarcastic laugh.

With that, the last of the boxes had been brought inside, and as the sun dipped behind the horizon, casting the world in a warm orange hue, you stood in your new home, surrounded by your bandmates. It was finally real.

The noise, the energy, the chaos—it was all yours. There was no better feeling than being here, together, in LA, where you could live with your best friends.

And you had a feeling things were about to get a whole lot more interesting from here on out.

"Los Angeles, Dark Waves has arrived in the city!" Jake shouted, his voice booming and causing an eruption of cheers and laughter from the band. "And we are here to make some fucking noise!"

"Yes, in the soundproof room at the end of the corridor." You said, making the others laugh.

"And didn't we decide that after the last tour we would take a break?" William asked.

"That's what we said, yeah. But I'm sure that in two days Y/N will already be starting to jot down ideas for one of our next songs. And one of you will be coming up with some new cool tunes. Dark Waves never rests, baby."

This was only the start.

Noah was sitting cross-legged on his bed, the glow from his laptop screen illuminating his face as he was fully immersed in whatever he was doing. His long hair, was tucked under the hood of his oversized hoodie, the loose fabric almost swallowing him up. The room around him was a bit of a mess—empty coffee cups scattered across the desk, a few guitars the corner, and the soft hum of music playing through his headphones.

He didn’t notice Jolly walk into the room at first, the only sign of his presence being the faint creak of the door that Noah couldn’t hear.

“Noah, man,” Jolly called, breaking the silence.

Noah didn’t move at first. He was too absorbed in what was happening on his screen.

"Noah!” he said again, louder this time.

With a heavy sigh, Noah pulled off his headphones, the sound cutting abruptly, and looked up. His brown hair fell across his face as he removed the headphones from his ears and gave Jolly an amused glance, his eyes still half-lidded.

“What’s up?” He asked.

“You have no idea who our new neighbors are, dude,” Jolly said with a grin as he leaned against the doorframe.

Noah raised an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued now. “Who?”

Jolly’s grin widened. “The guys from Dark Waves.”

Noah opened his mouth to reply but he found himself speechless for a moment. Dark Waves? He’d been following them for years—since their early days, back when their sound was raw and unfiltered but still heavy as hell. He had all their albums, listened to every song they dropped, and followed their social media account religiously.

But he’d never had the chance to see them live or collab with them in any way. He never got the opportunity to speak to them, to thank them for the music, for the voice that was capable of making him feel like someone was opening his chest up and putting new emotions inside, that had been the soundtrack to his own struggles too.

His mind was racing. “Wait, you’re kidding me.” He couldn’t believe it. “Like... the Dark Waves? Like, Y/N's band? You sure?"

Jolly nodded. “Nope, not kidding. The very same. Our new neighbors are Dark Waves. The Dark Waves you always sing in the shower. It seems like we're not the only band living on this street anymore."

Noah blinked, still processing it.

“No way... c'mon, you’re messing with me,” Noah said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I said I’m not messing with you, man. Come see it yourself.”

Noah stood up, still not entirely convinced. “I’m not believing this until I see it.”

“Trust me, you’ll see,” Jolly said, winking as he gestured for Noah to follow him.

They made their way out of the room and down the stairs, with Jolly leading the way. As they stepped outside into the fading light of the evening, Boo and Harper, followed them along, clearly happy to join in on whatever was going on.

Noah couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. He bent down briefly to pet the dogs, momentarily distracted by the little creatures who lived with them and he loved so much. But he quickly regained his focus as they made their way out the house and into the garden.

And there you were, on the other side of the fence that divided his house from the one next door. Your house.

Standing with Alex Reed, the tall, blonde guitarist of Dark Waves, laughing and talking casually. Noah recognized you immediately. He had seen you in interviews, on your band’s social media, in live performance videos. But seeing you in person was something else entirely.

You were even more stunning in real life than in any video or interview he’d ever seen, even when simply wearing one of your band t-shirts and a long black skirt.

That was the first moment he heard the sound of your laughter in real life and he felt a strange feeling in his stomach. It made him want to smile too, and be the only man who made you laugh like that, even if he wasn't sure why.

He felt like a fucking fanboy.

Jolly leaned in, whispering with a grin, “Told you. You’re totally staring at her, man.”

Noah flushed, suddenly aware that his gaze had lingered a little too long. He cleared his throat, trying to act cool, but the excitement in his voice betrayed him. “No... I mean... What? I’m not—” He ran a hand through his hair, looking away for a moment. “Jesus, she’s... she’s-"

Jolly raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying Noah’s reaction. “I'm sure twelve year old girls looked at One Direction the same way. You’re basically drooling.”

Noah rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop the goofy grin that spread across his face. “This is crazy,” he muttered.

Jolly chuckled. “It’s about to get real interesting around here, man. Come on, let's go say hello.”

Noah followed Jolly out their garden.

"Hey!" Jolly called out.

You and Alex turned around at the same moment, and the sight of Noah standing there, with Jolly beside him, caught your attention. Your eyes widened in surprise as a bright smile spread across your face.

“No way!” you exclaimed, your voice filled with the same excitement Noah was feeling. You took a step toward them, a spark of recognition lighting up your eyes as you looked at the two of them.

Noah’s heart skipped a beat.

“Don’t make this awkward, fangirl." Jolly whispered as you and your bandmate made your way toward them.

Noah hesitated for a split second before stepping forward, extending his hand toward you. “Hi, I’m Noah,” he said, his voice suddenly sounding much smaller than it had before.

You smiled warmly, and when you shook his hand, he couldn’t help but feel like time had slowed down just a little. That brief contact—your hand, much smaller than Noah’s, in his—was enough to send a rush of electricity through his veins. He hoped that moment would last forever.

"Y/N." You said as you proceeded to shake Jolly's hand too. Alex did the same.

“It’s an honor to be neighbors with Bad Omens, my god!" He said.

Noah chuckled. “No, it’s an honor for us to be neighbors with Dark Waves, actually."

"I had no idea you guys lived here." You commented before raising your voice slightly, your eyes scanning the yard. “William, Jake!” you called out. “Come see who’s here!”

Moments later, the door to the house next door opened, and a tall guy with dark hair that Noah immediately recognized as William stepped outside, followed by Jake, the drummer. As soon as Jake saw you standing there with Noah and Jolly, his eyes widened, and for a split second, it looked like he might actually jump with excitement.

He took a few quick steps toward them, clearly trying to keep his cool, but his grin was so wide, it was impossible to miss. “No way! This is insane!” Jake said, his voice filled with pure joy. He turned to Noah, a bit out of breath from his excitement. “Yo, is this really happening? Bad Omens is our neighbor? Am i dreaming? What the hell?”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “I think we’ve all lost our minds.”

Noah laughed too, shaking their hands.

"Where's Folio? Where's the little guy? I wanna know Folio!" Jake asked looking around.

"He's not here right now." Jolly chuckled.

"Damn it! I really wanna know Folio. I love that guy."

"I'll let him know." Noah laughed. Jake was probably the most enthusiastic person he had ever met.

"He really loves other drummers." You commented.

"Especially Folio." Alex added looking at your bandmate with an amused expression.

"Yeah, I definitely see that."

You turned back to Noah with a kind smile. “It’s really nice to know we’ll be neighbors. It can be hard to move to a new city without knowing anyone and I know I don't really know you guys, but I'm glad we're neighbors.”

Noah nodded, still grinning like an idiot. “Yeah, same here. And don’t worry, you’ll meet the rest of the band soon. They're just not here right now, but they’re always around, especially since we all live so close. Our tour manager Matt should be here soon.”

“I’d love that. It’ll be great to get to know everyone.”

There was something so genuine about the way you said it that Noah felt his heart do a little flip in his chest.

The conversation continued for a few more moments, joking about the fact that you all should ask other bands to move there and make it Los Angeles' Band Street.

Then you noticed that it was getting late and you still hadn't finished settling the essential things to spend your first night there, so you said your goodbyes.

When Noah came back into the house, he still had that stupid smile on his face.

Noah and Jolly had settled inside, in the living room, casually talking, when suddenly Noah felt a nudge against his leg. Looking down, he saw Harper, looking up at him with those big, dark eyes.

"Hey, Harper," Noah said, smiling as he reached down to pet the dog. "Where’s Boo?" He looked around the room, his smile faltering when he didn’t see the other dog anywhere.

Harper wagged his tail, but there was no sign of Boo. Noah frowned, trying to recall when he had last seen him. He stood up and walked around the room, calling out, but the house remained eerily quiet.

"Hey, Jolly," Noah said, walking back toward his friend. "I haven't seen Boo. He's not here. You seen him?"

Jolly looked up from where he was sprawled on the couch. "Huh. Nope, haven’t seen him for a while."

Noah’s eyes scanned the room one more time. "He’s usually always hanging around. Where the hell is he?" he muttered, more to himself than to Jolly. His heart skipped a beat as he realized something. "Wait… was he outside with us earlier? When we went to talk to Y/N?"

"Oh shit, you’re right," he said, standing up quickly. "I saw him follow us in the garden."

"No way," Noah said, running a hand through his long hair. "He must've slipped out when we were outside, while we were too busy talking to notice."

"Let’s go check the yard," Jolly suggested, grabbing his jacket.

Noah nodded and quickly grabbed his shoes.

The two of them hurried outside into the darkening evening, the shadows of night already stretching across the yard. Harper trotted beside them, seemingly aware something was off and glad to join the search.

This time, they closed the gate behind her.

Noah called out into the cold air. "Boo! Come on, buddy!" His voice echoed in the quiet street, but there was no response.

"If Matt comes back and Boo is not here, I'm a dead man." He whispered to himself.

They kept calling Boo’s name, voices rising in the growing dark, but the street remained still, silent.

With each passing moment, Noah's anxiety grew more and more. He couldn't have gone that far, could he?

As Noah turned on the flashlight on his phone, hoping it would help him find the dog, a voice cut through the silence of the night and he almost jumped.

"Who's Boo?" Noah saw you come out of your backyard and walk towards him on the sidewalk as Jolly disappeared into the street behind yours.

You were wearing a black t-shirt of your band, with a raven drawn on it and a large unzipped sweatshirt over it to protect you from the cool night air. Noah thought that outfit made you look even cuter.

Noah explained, "He's a small, brown dog," he explained. "About this big," he gestured with his hand to indicate Boo's size, "and he’s got a blue collar. I can't find him anywhere... He must have slipped out when we weren’t paying attention."

His voice was filled with anxiety, and it was clear he was upset about the puppy being missing.

“I’ll help you look for him.”

Noah shook his head, hesitant. “No, really, it’s fine. It’s getting late, and you’ve probably had a long day. You don’t need to help.”

But you insisted, "No, I don’t mind at all. Let’s find him."

He hesitated for a moment longer before nodding. “Alright, if you’re sure. Thanks.”

You both started walking down the block, the cool night air surrounding you as you scanned the streets for any sign of Boo. The conversation flowed naturally as you walked.

Noah glanced over at you, his voice soft but sincere. "By the way, I really adore your music. Your voice is amazing. We listen to you guys pretty often."

You smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, that means a lot. Honestly, Bad Omens has been a huge inspiration for some of our songs, so it’s pretty surreal hearing that from you."

Noah's cheeks flushed slightly, but in the dark, you couldn't see it. He cleared his throat, a little embarrassed. “Well, I’m glad we could inspire you. Your band’s music is incredible.”

Noah and you continued walking through the quiet neighborhood, the sound of your footsteps the only thing breaking the silence. The faint light from your phone illuminated your path as you searched for the dog, but your minds weren't entirely on the search anymore.

“I’m really glad I moved here,” you said, looking up at the streetlights above. “This city has a certain magic to it. Makes me want to start writing again, even though I promised myself I’d take a break after the move.”

Noah glanced over at you, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I get that. I always do the same thing. I say I’m going to take a break—spend the day doing nothing, maybe watch some anime—and then the next day, I’m already working on something new.”

You laughed, nodding in agreement. “Exactly! It’s like you can’t stop the creativity from coming. I’ll tell myself I need a rest, and the next thing I know, I’m scribbling down new lyrics or ideas.”

Noah chuckled. “Yeah, creativity doesn’t care about breaks. It just hits when it hits.”

After a moment of silence, you spoke again. “So, you’re into anime?”

"What?"

"You said you like anime."

"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I like anime."

"What did you watch?" You asked.

"Oh, a lot of stuff. But my favorites are probably Tokyo Ghoul and Attack on Titan.”

“Tokyo Ghoul? I adore that one! You have no idea how long I've been telling the guys about Ayato. Jake probably hates me at this point. They don't watch that stuff. But I’ve never seen Attack on Titan. Is it good?”

Noah grinned, clearly excited to share his interests. “Oh, you have to watch it! It’s intense, but so worth it. The plot is crazy, and the action scenes are insane."

You chuckled.

"What?" Noah asked.

"Nothing. I just like when people talk about something they love. It's cute."

"Well, I- mh..."

Damn it, Noah, say something with a meaning. You have about five seconds before you completely embarrass yourself.

"Hey, did you hear that?"

"What?"

Whatever you heard saved Noah from embarrassing himself even more because you quickened your pace and turned the corner to disappear behind a big light blue house. The word 'cute' somehow associated with him, when it came out of your mouth, made him smile like a stupid.

Again, damn it.

"Hey, wait!" When Noah followed you and turned the corner you disappeared behind, he found you with Boo in your arms licking your face, the scene bathed in the soft, yellow glow of a dim streetlamp.

Noah's heart immediately lifted at the sight of Boo in your arms, the little dog’s tail wagging furiously as he showered you with affectionate licks. Noah couldn’t help but laugh, his anxiety melting away in an instant. Matt was not going to kill him, after all.

"Oh my God, you found him!" he exclaimed, rushing over to you.

You looked up at him, smiling brightly. "I think he just wanted some attention from the new neighbors," you said, as Boo wriggled in your arms, clearly thrilled to see Noah again. "He’s adorable."

Noah chuckled, his breath finally steadying. "Thanks so much for helping me look for him. You just saved me a whole lot of stress."

"No problem at all," you said, handing him Boo with a grin. "Glad I could help."

Noah took the dog into his arms, scratching his head for a moment. "Don't do something like that again." He told him.

You walked in comfortable silence to your homes as Noah sent Jolly a text, saying you found the dog. Then, you parted ways.

“Well, you can tell Matt that Dark Waves helped find his dog.” You smiled.

"Oh, I'm not even telling him that he ran aw- wait. I never told you the dog was Matt's."

You chuckled. "You still think you're the only fan here? I've spent nights watching your live streams."

"You... you- wait, you watch my-"

"Goodnight, Noah!" You said with a huge grin on your lips as you entered your house, waving goodbye and closing the door behind you.

Noah was left speechless, standing there in the silence of the night for a few moments.

"Wow," He muttered as he started walking to the door, a little smile growing on his mouth, "what a day, Boo. What a day."

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[confusingangels]

IN HIS YOUTH, Rob Cantor would often feel left out and forgotten. It was because of this that he decided to start a band with a high school friend named Zubin Sedghi, who would go on to invite another person (who they knew through a mutual friend) named Andrew Horowitz. After this, the three would end up being contacted by Bora Karaca, who had an interest in joining the band after seeing them start it.

They would agree to letting Bora in, and he would be appointed Lead Guitarist. It was around this time as well that they would meet Steve Gallagher, who also was interested in joining a band.

The four members would let Steve in, and he was appointed the Drummer. However, after a short while of him being in the band, he would leave abruptly. No one quite knew why. Perhaps he just did not want to be the Drummer anymore, because of creative differences or something similar.

After he left, the remaining members began looking for a new Drummer, which they found through one of Bora's old friends from school, Ross Federman, who was interested in drumming.

They held a sort of, 'audition', mainly because at the time there was another man who wanted to join who appeared more skilled to Ross.

However, they heard Ross play, and they wanted him in the band more. And so he joined, and the completed band would be named Tally Hall, after a closed food court which was close to where the members (besides Andrew) grew up.

They would tour around the United States upon completing their first album, Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum in 2005, which was named after a museum that they would visit consisting of old, coin-operated machines and a lot of interesting items.

But after a while, things began to get..a little strange.

During concerts, someone would almost always mess up a couple songs in some way. No one knew what was happening, but it started to get a little worrying after a while.

Stranger things would happen as well. Someone suddenly bolting off stage when performing, instruments being dropped, them playing the songs off-tune and barely singing the lyrics. A lot of things happened.

One day, on stage, everything was going normal; things were being played well, everyone looked happy, nothing looked wrong.

But something felt off. Very, very off.

During 'Just Apathy', Rob seemed..almost scared to start singing. Nobody knew why until nearly the end of the song when he collapsed on stage.

Everyone immediately set their instruments down and ran up to him, and people in the back of the crowd would try and peer forward to see what was going on, why they had suddenly stopped playing.

There was a curtain lowered, and the five members didn't come back out again that night.

After three days of that incident happening, a band member (Most likely Zubin Sedghi, the media is lost) would go on to talk about what was next for the band.

Someone would say, “Oh, Rob's fine. We were just really excited to play that night, is all,” when he would infact not be fine.

Tally Hall would go on to play one more concert before suddenly going on a break. All they would say about it is, “We're terribly sorry to anyone excited to go to our future concerts, but we have decided to go on a break for a while.”

No one's quite sure how long they would be on break for, but whenever they would appear on a radio show or an interview, Rob would not be there. Fans started to get concerned; the man was, essentially, completely wiped off the face of the earth, as he didn't post on any of his social medias either.

They still don't really know what happened to Rob. He was just..gone. He had posted something only once, three days after the break, and then never again.

Missing posters started to appear around town, even; but no one would ever call the number, because no one had information on him.

Those posters would get more faded every day and eventually just disappear.

Nobody knew if he was even still alive, and they still don't.

But, eight months after the break, the Tally Hall recording studio would start to receive mysterious packages and letters that were highly believed by the band members to be sent by Rob.

Ross would often be the one opening them, and the contents would vary from scribbled out drawings and messages to stuffed animals and even more.

These would severely unnerve Ross, and so he never told any of the other members about these things until the third one came in; a package with four stuffed animals, each one with a note on it to each Tally.

We're not quite sure what they were, as they never said, only showing the box as proof of a send-in from somebody.

The post that contained the image of the box read, “We got a rather strange package in today. The address wasn't specific at all, so we don't know how it could have possibly been delivered here.”

But the rest of the packages and letters are a different story.

For now, no one has seen Rob in a long while. We hope he'll show up again in something soon.

[mxbitters]

this is one of my favorite photos to exist.  that’s a musician i think is fucking sick but specifically doing one of the most musicianey and relatable things ever.  this has me reminiscing about art schoool freshman year of high school lugging a guitar a backpack and who knows what else daily.  that case looks almost exactly like the case i have for a piece of recording equipment i don’t even know how to use.  this man is my height doing a thing i do in like 200 different bands at any given time, looks like me but simultaneously the most intimidating looking musician at any given local show that you always make sure you’re not in the way of when they’re setting up or getting their gear off stage for the next band, but then you go to the merch table after his band’s set and become unlikely friends who playfully punch each other every time you see each other.  this man is walking outside what i can already tell you is some sort of bar venue that everyone else calls shady but you feel most at home at a place like that.  yet you never see it during the day, you only ever see it at dusk before the show and as you leave and the sky is pitch black.  it’s always pitch black.  this man right here knows the ropes, this man’s taking multiple trips to and from the van and this is his first.  this man’s walking fast with big strides, this man’s probably thinking something stupid and pushing it to the back of his head to focus on finding a place to put this shit so he doesn’t look like a goddamn lazy frontman.  this man would lend the opening band a guitar when they left it at the last stop because he knows how it feels and he’s not an asshole; this man right here is everything i aspire to be, and everything i was and already am and i am so sorry for low key being a frank iero kinnie on main but this photo gives me the most profound feeling and i think everybody should see it

[violetrainbow412-blog]

Queen [E. M]

Eddie Munson x fem!reader

word count: 1.7k

summary: Eddie hates the sudden crush you're having for a celebrity and when you find out why it turns out to be the cutest thing in the world

A/N: okay I have to confess that this one shot it's pure self-indulgence because I have been so obsessed with Queen lately

I liked them a lot when I was a teenager and I think this love had only been dormant in me, lmao

Anyways this is short but I hope you like it!

Eddie walked around the cafeteria, looking around at you. When he found you, you were holding a magazine in your hands and as he walked towards you, he swore he heard a sigh of love.

"Hey, girl," he exclaimed as he plopped down next to you, watching you jump startled.

“Hi,” you said excitedly, as you closed the magazine and put it aside. Eddie took the opportunity to glance sideways and he couldn't contain an annoyed groan when he saw the cover. It had Queen, the group you've been obsessed with lately.

"Seeing that band again?"

"Yes!" you replied, not noticing the annoyed tone your friend had used "I found this magazine at Mitch's stand near my house, can you believe it?" you exclaimed, as you opened it to a certain page. Eddie rolled his eyes when he saw the photograph on it.

"That blond again?"

Roger Taylor.

Eddie vaguely knew the group, he had seen them on television and he didn't dislike them, he could even say that he liked some songs. But now it was different, because your fascination was directly proportional to the hatred he had for them. He didn't even have a valid reason, he just felt extremely angry that you liked them so much. It was difficult to understand and much more difficult to explain. But of all, the one he hated the most was Roger.

"Isn't this guy like 40 years old?"

“He's not just a blonde, he's the most handsome man on earth. Just look at it!” you screeched, showing him the photo. "I'm in something like a fan club and they just sent me these pictures of them in Brazil, look at them," you continued, handing him three small polaroids. There were two groups and one with just the bassist and drummer “He looks so handsome in white. And he just looks at his hair and his smile and his eyes…”

“36!” you corrected him, completely offended.

"Which means he could be your father."

"And what does that matter?" you insisted “If he were here right now, I would let him do with me what he wanted”

“Y/N!” Eddie exclaimed, suddenly modest, but you giggled.

“I could literally melt from how hot he is, have you seen him as a young man? With that long hair that looks so soft. I swear I could…”

"Hello!" Dustin greeted, arriving just in time to prevent you from saying another obscenity out loud. Eddie felt completely ashamed of your thoughts. Sure he knew what sex was and he had a couple of dirty magazines in his bedroom, but it felt so weird to hear you saying those things.

The matter faded as lunch progressed, but he still felt strange looking at the magazine and photos lying next to you, a feeling he tried to ignore.

The days passed, then the weeks, and Eddie felt calmer when you hardly even talked about the rock band. Only an occasional mention or when you took off your headphones and because of the volume so high he managed to hear a little of one of their songs.

Until one day he was waiting for you outside your house to go for a walk and you approached with the biggest smile you've ever had. Eddie thought you were excited to see him until he saw a cassette in your hand and he was oddly disappointed.

"Check out what I just bought!" you exclaimed euphorically, without even greeting him, while you showed him the little plastic box that had The Works written on it accompanied by an image of four men "I'm going to put it on your stereo"

“Hello to you too, how are you? I'm fine, thanks for asking,” he said wryly, but you just laughed softly. The first song started playing when Eddie was already driving down the street; It was something disco.

"Oh, this song was written by Roger," you told him excitedly. It was catchy and good, but Eddie wasn't going to admit it and decided to say something impolite instead.

"Didn't he also write a super weird fuck-a-car song?"

"What? Nope!" you laughed "It's called I'm in love with my car and it's like, huh, a metaphor"

"I repeat, it's weird and that guy is weird too," he snorted, but you didn't register his angry tone because you were too busy nodding your head to the beat of the music.

You had decided that you would go for ice cream and so you did. For most of the afternoon you were talking and talking, while Eddie just ate his ice cream and answered in monosyllables. You thought it was just a passing thing but he kept silent even on the way to your house, which if he was out of the ordinary.

"Why are you so quiet, Ed?" you asked, genuinely interested.

“It's nothing” he lied, even though you knew it wasn't. He reached for you and you thought he would hug you, but instead he opened the glove compartment and pulled out a cassette which he reluctantly tossed into your lap. “I recorded that song for you. I hope you still want to hear that kind of stuff now that you're a Queen fan,” he muttered without much encouragement. But you smiled when you realized what was happening.

“Is this why you are mad? Is it because I like Queen now?”

"I'm not mad," he defended himself, but his crossed arms and the pout on his lips said something else.

When you looked more closely at the cassette you realized that it was covered in purple foil and had both your name and his written in that boy's ragged handwriting.

So in a second everything seemed to click and you understood why Eddie was upset every time you listened to the band or talked about your crush. He wasn't angry, he was jealous.

"God, it can't be, are you worried that I'll stop listening to your music because I like Queen?" you said, trying not to sound mocking, but with a smile you couldn't hide.

"Again I don't know what you're talking about, please go now, it's late and your parents are going to be angry"

"Ed, you can't be serious," you insisted. The whole thing was so silly "Or is it that you're mad because I like Roger?"

“I already told you it's nothing! OK?" he muttered. He really looked upset and you felt bad for a moment, until you heard him speak again “I don't even understand what you see in that guy. He just plays drums and he's white, it's not a big deal” he said grumbling “And lately you just talk and talk about him and how handsome he is and all that shit and he's like 20 years older than you!”

If it had been someone else, you probably would have laughed and told him to go to hell. But it turns out that the one who was sick with jealousy at your crush on a rockstar was your best friend, the same guy who was trying to be a rockstar himself and didn't want to share the job with anyone else. That's why you found the whole thing totally cute.

“Eddie, what the hell are you talking about? I like him, yes, but it's not like he's my next-door neighbor to run away with. He's thousands of miles away from here because he's a fucking Brit who has a huge bunch of fans just like me. And besides, he's married and has kids,” you laughed, punctuating this last part.

And suddenly Eddie felt so dumb. He was being an idiot being jealous of someone you didn't even know and wouldn't know anytime soon and all because he had a bit of a crush on you and hated it when someone else stole your attention. He wanted you at band rehearsals, hearing and complimenting their songs, but that need for attention had gone too far. So he continued to fold his arms and fled from your gaze, but this time out of sheer embarrassment.

"Eddie, could you at least look at me?" said. You were very persistent and he knew it, so he had no choice but to turn to see you. You weren't the least bit upset, on the contrary, you looked the most amused "Does that calm your jealousy a bit?"

"I'm not jealous" he spat, as if you had just done him the worst offense in the world, but you kept talking with that smile on your face.

“Well, in case you were jealous, I have to tell you that you have nothing to worry about. I prefer guitarists, before drummers”

"Really?" he asked, oddly hopeful, but still feeling like an idiot.

"Of course! There is one in particular with very nice curls and brown eyes” you exclaimed. Eddie let go of that angry frown and smiled at this, almost blushing, “His name is Brian May, do you know him? He is part of the band Queen”

"Okay, now get out of the car and go home," he said suddenly, returning to that frown that made you laugh out loud.

"I'm kidding! Obviously I mean you” you exclaimed, approaching him and putting one of your hands on his arm to ease the tension “Corroded coffin will always be my favorite band and I'll be at every concert. And you will always be my favorite musician, I promise you,” you said sweetly, as you closed the distance further and hugged him. That's when he relented and wrapped both hands around you as he breathed in the scent of your hair. Even though it was already clear that it was nonsense, he felt calmer now “What do you say we listen to that song together, huh? I want to know what my pretty boy wrote,” you continued. Eddie wanted to die because you had called him yours and pretty in the same sentence.

Without waiting for an answer you took the cassette and placed it delicately in the player, still with your body leaning against his to assure him that you were serious.

It wasn't metal, it was just Eddie playing the acoustic guitar from his room as he sang in a soft, husky voice. The song spoke of friendship, love, and joy. From a person who was lucky to have another and didn't want to lose them. As the words echoed through the car, your head rested on the boy's chest, and your arm wrapped around his body, a tender smile spread across your face. And so you stayed for a long time, just enjoying the warmth and affection that Eddie emanated.

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