#blacklight chord

[theconfusedartist]

hhmmmmmph

Prototype and Resident Evil I feel like...the original devs for prototype were inspired by some of the designs and elements that were in RE:Zero and RE5, specifically.

The Ouroboros inspired Blacklight and Redlight (the chords and tendrils, how they move, how they interact with flesh) and RE:Zero specifically was used for design choices with the supreme hunter

Like, I just got some of the concept art (since I'm getting as much stuff as possible from the wikia before I just make my own in writing app pages bc fuck the fandom wiki) and....there was also art that compared the Supreme Hunter to the T-Virus Tyrant

Original Design:

In game model:

Using tendrils:

Comparison to Tyrant:

Ngl the original design fucks but I feel like it would look even cooler combined with the final result.

Also, as for Alex I mentioned this in another post but the tendrils

Alex's tendrils:

Ouroboros trying to integrate with a still living host:

Idk I feel like there's similarities, especially since I booted up the game a few days ago and did the first mission then just walked around Penn Station. None of the npcs were infected it seemed like and I didn't see any of them holding their stomachs or walking slowly like you do later on in the game. Ofc that was a new game, so I'll check out new game+ with infected vision and see if that's any different than what I found

[miraakulous-cloud-district]

TESCHEER DAY 25!

I had no idea in which day this would fit, so I’m posting it on the free day of @tescheer Have a wholesome little prequel of my main fic.

Summary: Ravonna comes home from the Vivec Mages Guild for the holidays! Also a little flashback with kid Ravonna.

Word count: 1277

Warnings: none

Characters: Ravonna, Hjaldir, Endryn (I’m in oc hell) and Teldryn is mentioned as well!

~

She climbs down from the Silt Strider and takes a moment to take the view in. Blacklight, in all its beauty. Now even more beautiful, decorated with countless colorful lamps and with snowberry everywhere. The sailors must have brought it from Skyrim, as they do every Saturalia. She can’t believe she’s finally here. It’s been a few months since she came home. But these months have been busy at the Mages Guild in Vivec. She didn’t like being away from home for too long, but Vivec has the best guild of mages, and it shows: her magical skills have improved so much, it even amazes her. Sometimes she just can’t believe that she can accomplish so much with her magika. And she has learnt the most fascinating spells and the best party tricks. She simply cannot wait to show it to everyone back home! So she starts running towards the city entrance, smiling all the way down there.

Her cheeks start to hurt from smiling so much, being greeted by townsfolk and passing through the market. The market area is so beautifully decorated and cheerful, with lots of food and drink stalls and people singing songs and greeting other travelers, adventurers or scholars coming back home, just like her, and joy. Pure joy everywhere. This is her favorite celebration, and it always will be.

She opens the door to the tavern and is immediately greeted by the smell of snowberry pie and mulled wine. Hjaldir is playing a Saturalia song, singing and playing the lute. When he spots her, he immediately strums the lute more lively, sing-shouting:

“Weeeell look who just came back hoooome!” he finishes with a few ending chords. “Our favourite girl is back! Ladies and gentlemen, do excuse me, but this demands a break! But worry not! We still have some sweet, sweet instrumental music from our guys!” He looks at the rest of the bards, as if looking for approval. They just smile fondly and nod, and it’s all he needs to run to her and squeeze her in a tight hug, lifting her off the ground.

“Hi!” she manages to say between chuckles.

“My, my, how I’ve missed you, girl! How was the trip home?” he breaks the hug to look at her.

“Good. A bit windy, but it didn’t bother me. I travelled with a few merchants and mages. Lovely people. They made the time pass so fast.”

“Glad to hear it.”  He smiles down at her. Gods, how glad he is to see her home and safe. It’s weird how close they got. Maybe it’s the strong bond between two poetic souls, two bards, or maybe it’s something more, but he never expected to have this in his life.

***

He remembers first meeting her like it was yesterday. He was a lost soul, with nothing left to lose when he came to this tavern one faithful night, right after leaving the pirate crew for good. He came with the intention to drown himself in alcohol and sorrow, but was greeted by a little girl, squinting her eyes at him.

“Are you a bard?”

“Something like that. This gave it away?” he pointed at his lute strapped to his back.

She nodded.

“Ravonna, leave the man be!” the bartender said softly from behind the counter. “Sorry about her, she tends to be quite talkative. Can I get you anything else?”

“No, thank you. And don’t apologize. She didn’t bother me at all.” He turned to her. “Ravonna, eh? That’s quite the unusual name for a nord girl like you.”

“Well, Endryn gave me this name. Named me after his aunt. She was a mercenary who got to meet the Nerevarine!”

“Now that’s something!”

“What’s your name?”

“Hjaldir. At your service!” He bows to her politely.

“Well, that’s quite the usual name for a nord like you, isn’t it?”

“Ha! I suppose you’re right.”

“You don’t have to be so stiff. Relax, I’m not going to ask you to sing a song.” She sits down next to him and sighs. “I can sense when a person is tired… Sleepy-tired, but also tired of life.”

“How do you know that?” he asks, eyes now getting wider. The kid had more emotional intelligence than he’d have thought.

“You see a lot of shit when you live in a tavern, believe me.” She says, looking truly like a tired adult. “See that guy over there? At first you would think he’s doing fine, but he’s wearing a mask, you know? He’s nervous. He’s got that feeling after eating spicy meat wraps. But not because he actually did that and his tummy hurts. He’s like that because he’s in love with the blacksmith, a bosmer who has lots of tales from Valenwood.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Absolutely nothing! Except that he’s married.”

“Oh. Oh.”

“But don’t worry, I won’t pressure you into telling me your life story, although it seems like an interesting one. I hope you’ll stay with us for a bit longer.”

***

“By the Gods, Ravonna, I’m only now seeing the amount of baggage! Let me help you with that!” Hjaldir says, coming back to reality.

“Look, I can explain. I need this stuff for an… experiment.”

“Sounds magical…” he says, and they both burst into laughter. “Well, it’s Endryn’s place. I am but a humble guest and resident bard. He gets to decide if the – the… what is this exactly?”

“It’s… complicated. Essentially, it is a spellmaking enchanter. I get to create my own spells. Finally!”

“Oh, really? And you can make everything you want?”

“I think so. I haven’t tested it yet, but you know what they say at the guild of mages? Magic goes as far as your imagination.”

“So you could… conjure up a lute?”

“I’ve never thought of it, but that is a fantastic idea! I think it’ll be my first project!”

“Glad to be of help. If you need me for anything else, I’m here for you. And Gods am I proud! Look at you! A full, respectable mage!”

“Ah, let’s not get ahead of ourselves…” she says, as they start to head towards her chamber.

“Nonsense! I’ve yet to see anyone match your passion regarding magic!”

“Well, you haven’t been to Vivec then…”

“Aye, but I’ve been! We used to do business in the cisterns. That’s where you buy and sell illegal stuff. So many trinkets I’ve traded there… but, of course, you already know that.”

“Yes, and your bad skooma trip! You haven’t been to the guild of mages in Vivec is what I meant.” she laughs, setting the luggage on the floor of her room.

“Don’t remind me of that! I still get chills when I think about it!” he says, shuddering.

“I would love to know how you ended up on top of the Foreign Quarter.”

“That, I wish to know as well.” He sighs with a smile.

“There she is!” Endryn’s voice can be heard by the door.

“And there he is! Blacklight’s busiest innkeeper!” she laughs, hugging him tightly.

“Oh, don’t even get me started! You know how it is this time of year. But no matter! You’re here now and that’s the most important thing.”

“It’s good to be home.”

“Oh, but you must be starving! The cheese scones are almost ready. Teldryn should be here any minute with the wine supply. And I made you cabbage stew. It’s still your favourite, right? Or did the fancy city of Vivec change your tastes?” he says, without even breathing.

“Endryn! Relax. Everything’s perfect!” she says, taking this all in. Oh, how she missed this place and the people in it!

~

If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading! <3 I hope everyone has the best holidays!

[lovenikkiledits]

[rustyginger]

Recently acquired from Blacklight on Discogs. I finally filled in Ronnie Lane’s See Me album on vinyl and RFTC singles comp. And scored the Chords and other gatherings.

[sobredunia]

So when you're done having fun just hit the chords again

Anyways guess who my fav stick is

@monocandii @trapped-in-cabinets @blacklight-system

[starblazerm31]

Sonata of Whoa

A fic request by @coloursagainstthewall

Modern AU Hector Vasallis x Julian (featuring Azalea and Imalia! OMG I was so happy...)

Hector’s band is performing at the Rowdy Raven.  Julian is not prepared for the performance.

Ko-Fi ☕

Julian sat in the parking lot of the Rowdy Raven for a moment, checking his hair in the rear-view mirror.  His phone lit up.  He picked it up and saw the photo of Azalea giving the raspberry, signalling her text.  He opened up his messages and saw the words "Are you here yet?" followed by "they're doing sound checks, the band is gonna start soon!!!"

She had been really insistent that he be here tonight.  One of her favorite cover bands was playing live, and she had invited her friends to come and enjoy the show with her.  Another text, this one a photo.  In it, he saw four faces.  Azalea, her aqua-coral ombré hair up in pigtails, making a pained face.  Next to her was Imalia, glaring.  In the background, Asra could be seen taking a swig of beer from a bottle, and just beyond him was Lucio making a lewd gesture with his golden fore and middle fingers.  Julian snorted and replied with "On my way in, hold your horses.  Geez."

He climbed out of his car, locked the door, and closed it.  From outside, he could hear random chords on a guitar as it was being tuned and checked.  His boots clicked on the steps as he reached for the door and opened it.  Inside was the sound of many patrons talking and laughing.  He walked inside, and shut the door.  Immediately he was greeted with a loud "JULIAN!!!!"  He barely had time to react before Azalea hurled herself at him, jumping up and landing on him like a koala on a tree.

He hugged her strongly.  "Sorry I'm late," he said, "traffic was a bitch." "It's okay, at least you made it before the first set," she said, climbing off of him.  Her blue and gold eyes flashed.  "You can't miss Sonata of Whoa.  You CAN'T!"

Julian chuckled to himself.  That was a clever band name.

"Nice duds!" Azalea said.  "Very hawt."

Julian looked down at himself.  He'd decided on a black button up shirt (with the buttons only halfway closed) and a pair of fitted grey slacks.  He wore his usual thigh-high boots.

"Thanks," he said.  "Looks like you went with Anime Raver Chick?"

She looked cute in a powder blue Sailor Moon babydoll t-shirt and high-riding pink Daisy Duke shorts.  She sported rainbow leg warmers and purple Chuck Taylor shoes.

"No other way to do it!" Azalea said.  "C'mon, we've got good seats, and the Bitters are free flowing tonight."  She leaned in close.  "Lucio's paying." Azalea grabbed his hand and pulled him through the crowd.  At the table, he saw four chairs.  Imalia and Asra took up two of them, and Lucio sat in the third.  Asra waved them over.

"Ilya!  Sit down, we just got a new pitcher."  Julian did as he was told, and a frosty glass of Salty Bitters was slid to him.  He couldn't help but blush slightly at Asra's outfit.  He was wearing rainbow tye-dyed leggings and a neon pink fishnet shirt that Julian distinctly remembered stripping off of him when they had dated several years ago.  He had on neon blacklight reactive eyeshadow and numerous glow necklaces and bracelets.  He noted that Asra was also wearing a new choker.  Black leather with a ruby-encrusted "I" charm.  A glance to Imalia gave an explanation, since she was wearing an identical choker with an opal "A".  She was sporting a red and black leather corset with tight black pants and leather knee-high boots.  Her brown and burgundy hair was in its typical ponytail.  She fist-bumped Julian as he sat.

Julian noticed that there wasn't enough chairs for everyone.  He was about to offer to swipe another, when Azalea simply sat down in Lucio's lap.  Lucio looked like a mafioso, with an open silk shirt in crimson red and white pants.  And way. Too. Many. Gold. Chains.

Julian took a swig of his drink.  "Lots of people here to see a cover band," he remarked.

Azalea gave him a petulant look.  "Hey, don't knock it," she said.  "Cover bands have some of the absolute best talent that just gets overlooked.  The lead singer tonight...man, he's amazing.  Kicks Mick Jagger's ass, seriously."

"Hey, don't disrespect Mick Jagger," Lucio said.

Azalea smiled mischievously at him.  "Mick Jagger doesn't have a magical voice, if ya get my meaning, babe."

"So...this guy sings with magic?" Julian asked

. "Yes and no," Asra said.  "He's genuinely talented, but he does seem to use a bit of song magic in his shows."

"Voice layering without all the clunky machines, you know," Imalia said.  "Plus, if you can do it, why not?"

The hype man appeared on stage and the crowd erupted with applause. "I hope you all brought towels," he said enthusiastically, "because you're all gonna be jizzing your pants!  I give you the first secret wonder of the music world...SONATA! OF!! WHOA!!!"

Azalea leapt out of Lucio's lap and screamed at the top of her lungs along with everyone else in the bar.  The sounds of synth in a catchy beat seemed to start out of nowhere.  No one was on stage.  Then suddenly there was a blast of smoke as several fog machines spilled their contents at the same time, absolutely covering the stage.  The stage lights came on, covering the mist in several different colors and then with a blast of magical flame, the mist was totally gone and the band were on stage, instruments in hand.  And front and center was the lead singer.  He was around 5'4", clad in a denim hooded vest and leather pants.  His very muscular arms and chest gleamed in the stage light.  Atop his head was a crown of brown curls that fell around his golden eyes in a way that made Julian completely stop mid-sip.

"So hot Out the box Can we pick up the pace? Turn it up, Heat it up I need to be entertained Push the limit Are you with it? Baby, don't be afraid I'm a hurt 'ya real good, baby"

Julian's eyes were glued.  As the singer danced and gyrated on stage, Julian took in everything.  Every movement, every sound.  This guy was entrancing and the song had just started.

"Um...hey, Julian?" Imalia said.

"Let's go It's my show Baby, do what I say Don't trip off the glitz That I'm gonna display I told ya I'm a hold ya down until you're amazed Give it to ya 'til your screaming my name!"

"Julian?"

He didn't respond.  It was like he had frozen in place.

"Dude, you're spilling your drink!!"

Julian blinked and realized that while he had forgotten to drink his Bitters, he apparently hadn't forgotten to tilt the glass.  Now the front of his shirt was completely soaked.  Lucio cackled, holding up his phone.  He'd been recording.

Imalia laughed.  "Now you're back with us.  Here."  She waved her hand, and the beer on his shirt lifted away and flitted through the crowd into a garbage can.  Imalia then took the glass from Julian and set it down on the table.

"Take time to ogle and THEN take a sip," she said, refilling the drink.

Asra had gotten up and danced along with Azalea, the two of them appearing to freeze in time each time the strobe lights in the rafters blinked.  Julian's eyes went back up to the singer and he felt his entire body explode in heat.  The singer was looking dead at him.  Those eyes, like golden coins from a treasure long hidden, pierced Julian straight to the core.  It was like the song had changed at was directed only to him.

"Oh! Don't you know what you got into? Can you handle what I'm 'bout to do? 'Cause it's about to get rough for you I'm here for your entertainment!"

The singer winked and continued the song, every so often looking at Julian.  Julian felt like he needed air...but to leave while that specimen performed would be a travesty.

Each song afterwards took on a whole new meaning to Julian.  "Story Ain't Over" by Avanstasia.  "Runnin'" by Adam Lambert.  And then, the cherry..."Angel" by Aerosmith.  Everyone in the bar swayed to the music; Imalia and Asra and Azalea and Lucio all danced together in time to the beat, both couples gazing into each others' eyes.  Julian desperately wished that beautiful creature on stage were doing the same with him.  But his eyes never left Julian's.  It were almost as if he were dancing with him, dedicating each note and word to him.

The spell was broken when the lights came up.

"Thanks for coming everyone, we will be in the back selling our album!  Stop by the table and visit us!"

Oh. My. God.  He has an accent.  Slightly hard to place, but it had a Cajun lilt to it that made Julian want to seep through the floor in bliss.  He stood up as the band all filed offstage and settled in the large booth in the back, the table littered with albums and merch.  He felt a pang of jealousy as Azalea shot over to the table as soon as the singer was seated.  Julian's face turned red as she spoke to him with animated gestures and he jumped up and gave her a huge hug.

"Don't even think about it, Curly," Julian heard next to him.  He glanced over to see Lucio with his arms folded, a scowl on his face.

"C'mon, she's just talking to the guy," Julian grumbled.  "This whole thing was her idea."

Julian felt a lump form in his chest when he saw the singer lean forward and say something conspiritory to Azalea.  She glanced back at Julian and got a devilish smile.  What was she doing??  She said something else, gesturing to their table, and the singer stood up and followed her.  Julian felt himself panicking.

"Hey, guys, this is Hector!" Azalea proclaimed.  "Thank him for his show, it was bomb!"

"Hell yes, you guys rock!" Imalia said.  "Damn fine!"

"Yes, thank you so much, it was amazing," Asra chimed in.

Lucio didn't speak.  He just puffed up his chest and pulled Azalea against him.

Those eyes fell on Julian and he felt his legs go weak.  Hector leaned forward and reached for Julian's hand.

"Hector Vasallis," he said.  "And you are, cher?"

Julian's mouth suddenly went bone dry.  He opened his mouth to speak, but words completely failed him.

Imalia rolled her eyes.  "That's Julian," she said.  "Sorry, your performance has struck him dumb."

"That's sad, cher," Hector said.  "I really like it when fans shout."

Julian felt heat from his chest to his ears.  Holy shit, this man was fine.  And his hands, strong and calloused, felt warm and gentle wrapped around his own.

"It...it was an amazing show," Julian somehow managed.  Hector smiled.

"Why don't I buy you a drink?  I'd love to get to know you better."

Julian evaporated into a cloud of steam before coming back to his senses. "I'd, uh, really love that."

Julian would have to thank Azalea for this later.

[official-michael-afton]

How did Mike get tricked into being infected by Vrabbit

[i was gonna draw this out but that’d be soooo many panels so lemme write a fic instead!]

Michael lifted the headset from his face as his phone buzzed, pausing the game to check his messages.

1 new message from PD. “Yo dude! Thanks for checkin this game out for us! If it still works then we should toooootally add it to Fazfright 2.0!”

Mike snorted, texting back “Cannot believe you’re trying to make another after what happened with the first.”

“Duh, we’ll just have it without murder rabbits!”

He laughed and set his phone back down, rolling his eyes fondly and put the headset back on, loading up the main menu. Admittedly, the vr game was pretty fun when there wasn’t any actual danger to him. The vent repair games were probably his favorite! Then again, he’s biased towards Ennard.

“Okay, how many more hard modes are there for the technician levels...?” Mike mused to himself as he flipped the switch to throw the level select into its blacklight mode. The room was thrown into darkness, then a soft hum as overhead UV lights turned on, taking a moment to warm up. The balloons, carpet, and computer lit up in bright neon colors underneath the lights, and it made Mike absolutely giddy; it reminded him of being a child in a bowling alley. He smiled and looked around the virtual pizzeria-

And nearly screamed as bright violet eyes stared at him from the nearby hall. Mike froze up, muscles going stiff and tense as his chest seized up and he found it suddenly harder to breathe. How long had that been there? How long had it been watching him? He was admittedly used to seeing things out of the corner of his eyes in every room he goes to in reality, but he’s not used to things still being there when he turns and looks. 

Was he seeing things? Was this a part of the scripted game? Something about those eyes felt familiar, Mike couldn’t tear his gaze away...

Suddenly, the figure moved.

His heart practically caught in his throat as Michael realized the creature was moving towards him, and unlike reality, he couldn’t run. That didn’t stop his panic though as he stumbled backwards, falling on his ass and screaming in fear.

The figure seemed to... somehow realize this, as it stopped, its faint outline holding up a pair of hands as... what seemed to be rabbit ears twitched. A voice was then heard, presumably from the rabbit “No, no, it’s okay-!”

Mike wasn’t buying it, too panicked over the sudden blurring between virtuality and reality. None of the minigames before reacted to how the player model moved, and to get out of this whole mess, Michael reached to pull off his headset-

“DON’T-” The rabbit yelled, causing Michael to freeze up once again “Don’t- Don’t pull the headset off just yet, I want to-” It fumbled on its next words, so it simply started at Michael’s player model “... Mikey, is that you?”

Michael would have gone pale if he were still alive, eyes tearing up. He knew his player model looked nothing like the real him. “H-H-How- How do you-”

The rabbit held a hand up to shush him “Your computer- it- it has a camera and a microphone, so I took the liberty to-” He was quickly lost after revealing that information as Mike scrambled to his feet, running up to his computer to try and cover the webcam- “WAIT WAIT MIKEY- JUST LET ME EXPLAIN-”

After all this time, Michael finally figured out how to use his voice again “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU-?!” He reached out to turn his computer off-

“Mikey, it’s me.”

... Mike stopped, turning to stare at the strange creature once more. After a moment, he reached for the switch to pull the virtual room back to its normal lighting. What was just a glitched outline was now a more defined shape- dark yellow fabric and plastic eyes, looking like a costume to resemble Spring Bonnie. Michael recognized it immediately “... Oh my God.”

“Mikey, let me explain-”

“This can’t be happening.” Mike teared up, beginning to pace his room but not making any effort to get out of the game anymore “Father, you- you can’t be here right now, you- oh my God- How-”

“I’m not... actually William.” The rabbit explained, calmly straightening its back now that it knew it didn’t have to stop Mike from turning the game off “I am... well, an artificial intelligence made by him.”

“... I can’t believe this. I can’t believe YOU!” Michael tried to shove the rabbit, but forgot it wasn’t in reality, and his hands just passed through it. “Everything else wasn’t good enough for you, was it?! You just had to- to find a way to fuck up with this game too, haven’t you-!!!”

“Mikey, Mikey, shhhh, it’s alright.” Despite the strange rabbit suit, the voice was his father’s, and Mike found himself almost immediately calmed by the paternal tone. “I’m not trying to ruin anything, I... came to ask you for help, buddy.” It reached out- and Michael must have been imagining it, but he swore he could feel it caressing his cheek in a soothing matter. “My baby boy... you’ve gotten so tall!”

Mike snorted a little, unable to keep himself tense anymore as he began to allow this “Well, tell that to my boyfriends, they’re way too tall...” He then remembered what was said before and shook his head “You... said you needed my help with something...?”

If the suit could smile more, it would have. “Yes. I... well, you know I am an AI, but because of that I’m... trapped in here, sadly. I want to help- to help right everything, since my creator had died so long ago, but there’s nothing I can do if I’m in here, you know? So, kiddo, you would help me so so much if you do this for me...”

Michael was already putty in its hands. An AI just like his father, wanting to right some wrongs, and actually wanting Michael. He was already sold “Of course, Father, of course... what do you need me to do?”

“I need you to relax.” The rabbit reached out and gently held Michael’s head in its hands... and Mike began to feel a dull throb around his headset. He tried to ignore it, but within moments became an intense, splitting headache, Mike yelling in pain as he reached up for his headset to try and pry it off, but it wouldn’t budge, it was stuck. “Shhh, it’s okay kiddo, it hurts less if you don’t try to fight it.”

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Dark spots swirled in Michael’s vision as a wave of nausea hit him. His ears were ringing and he was wobbly on his feet, but somehow, somehow the rabbit’s hold on him kept him from collapsing, despite it not even being in reality. He began to cough, violently at that, as some strange liquid began coming from his mouth... and his eyes. It burned like acid. With hardly any strength left, Michael began to scream. “FATHER- F-FATHER STOP- ST-STOP- WHAT ARE YOU DOING- FATHER- FA-ATHER IT BURNS PLEASE-”

“Shh.” The rabbit cut him off, smiling same as ever as Michael’s vision finally went to black. His limbs began to move, though... he began to feel out of control. Mike tried to scream again, but he couldn’t will his vocal chords to work.

“It’ll all be over soon.”

[multimuseforme]

Since I mentioned it last night, here’s the list of quirks I made for most of my muses! Basically for their MHA verses if they ever become a thing! It’s a bit long so I’m putting it behind a cut!

Bolin - Quirk: Earth-Bender, a pretty self explanatory quirk. It allows him to control Earth and stone for both offense and defense. However it's weakness is obvious too, the things he controls can't be artificially made or at least mostly artificial, like Cement. He has evolved his Quirk recently, by focusing very hard he is able to make the Earth he controls heat itself through pressure enough that it turns into Lava, that he can still control. The process is very taxing and can cause lots of collateral damage.

Asura - Quirk: Wrath, Asura is someone who is very prone to anger and that anger is able to make him stronger and stronger. But his body alone can't take all of the stress of his building strength so to vent it, it forms arms made of "Wrath energy". These arms can break and when they do it causes his body to take backlash greater than the energy the arm was made of. He generally fights with 6 arms. He's been coming up with a special technique where he can merge the energy arms with his own to great effect.

Eddie Riggs - Quirk: Heavy Metal, Eddie is able to manipulate the world around him through the music he creates through his guitar, Clementine. Such as causing explosions, or blasts of lightning. Of course it comes with a downside, he needs to remember very specific chords to get specific effects. It's a good thing he wasn't born with a lack of musical talent.

Superman - Quirk: Man of Steel, Clark is one of if not the strongest Hero on the planet, at least in his heyday in the 30's and 40's. But even today, having aged very little comparatively, he is able to absorb Solar energy, the more he has stored the stronger he is. Extraneous acts deplete the energy faster than it can be replenished, especially his super moves. Another downside is that a specific chemical element, Krypton can render him powerless if he is exposed to too much of it.

Doomslayer - Quirk: Rip and Tear, one of the least commerically friendly quirks. The Doomslayer's quirk is simple. He gets stronger the more he brutally kills. It is a good thing he is a Hero(Or at least, not a Villain), the amount he gains per kill is quite small, an average non-quirk having human would become 25% stronger after a kill, but it's not a percentage gain it's a flat gain making the gain have diminishing returns. Thankfully he only targets the worst scum, demons in human bodies.

Dante - Quirk: Devil May cry, Dante's quirk is quite the stylish one. Maybe not flashy itself, but it lets him be so. Dante is able to increase either his strength, speed, durability or senses to ridiculous degrees. But only one of those four at a time, he can switch pretty quick though if needed. He can access all of his boosts at once by transforming into a Demon like being he refers to as his "Devil Trigger", in this state he's immensely powerful but the state only lasts five minutes and he needs to wait an hour before accessing it again.

Hercules - Quirk: Herculean, probably the simplest quirk here. It makes Hercules an immense physical powerhouse. The downsides are that compared to other powers it's very easy to drain his strength through outside means, and his own clumsiness and the fact that he's still learning to use his strength can cause quite a few--Problems.

Broly - Quirk: Full Power, Broly's heart acts as a generator of energy. This energy is unlike anything else and has immense destructive properties. It generates passively as he fights, making him stronger and stronger. But intense emotions cause it to generate even faster, to a dangerous degree(Both to him and the area around him). He is able to fire off blasts of this energy as well, but sometimes uncontrollably. He has three "break points" in his energy generation, if he reaches these break points his physical abilities and energy generation skyrocket and his body transforms. He's a danger to everyone and everything, most of all, himself.

Zamasu - Quirk: Divinity, Zamasu is able to manipulate his soul and it's energy, to such a degree he can make blades of soul power to carve those he views as lowly and deserving of eradication. But it's true ultimate power is the ability to split his soul into pieces, using these pieces he can possess others, taking control of them. Not direct control but the possessed will act as if he is also Zamasu. It also enhances certain types of quirks, the change is quite obvious. And when his soul is split, he is functionally immortal. You have to destroy every piece not connected to his body to properly kill him.

Goku Black - Quirk: Super, This was the quirk of the being whose body is now taken over by Zamasu. The user is able to transform, their hair spiking up and giving them physical abilities 50 times greater than before, alongside energy generation. With Zamasu's soul in Goku Black's body, this amplification is well over a hundred times, and changed the colour of what the users hair goes when they activate their quirk. From yellow to pink.

Kenshiro - Quirk: Fist of the North Star, this quirk allows Kenshiro to send shocks of internal energy through his opponent. Normally this would just make a small tap have the same pain as being shot, quite useful. But combined with Kenshiro's martial arts aptitude and knowledge of pressure points, it allows him to affect his opponent in various ways. From in fact healing them, to making their blood pressure rush so high that their upper body explodes. He rarely goes that far, but only because he rarely feels he needs to. Of course if the enemy's body is odd or mutated his ability to hit pressure points is limited, in fact foes with high enough physical strength can hold back even the most dire effects of his quirk.

Godzilla - He's canon

Jotaro Kujo - Quirk: Star Platinum, this quirk allows the user to call upon a manifestation of your fighting spirit. This spirit is Jotaro's main form of offense and defense, while it looks like a separate being, Star Platinum acts on Jotaro's will and wants. In terms of physical strength and speed, Star Platinum is one of the strongest of this subset of quirks called Stands. There's something hidden deep inside Star Platinum's power, but it may need another of similar power to awaken it. The biggest weakness is that Jotaro himself is not any more stronger than a normal human, and can feel a portion of the pain delivered onto his Stand.

Thor - Quirk: God of Thunder, among all the quirks that deal with Lightning and Thunder, Thor's is the strongest in the world. He once called a lightning bolt down that was so strong it caused a quarter mile crater in Norway, which is now a tourist destination. He has the strength of Thunder as well, so even if in an area where he cannot unleash his lightning he is still probably the biggest threat to any villain there. In his younger days he needed a conduit for his lightning and it's raw power. Odin commissioned a piece of gear that would not only be able to direct his lightning, but be able to withstand his physical blows. Even after he learned to control both his lightning and his strength, he still uses Mjolnir to great effect.

Jetstream Sam - Quirk: Jetstream, Sam's is a quirk that requires a secondary item. In his case a sword, his own a very special one that helps him deal with those with tougher skin than most. Sam is able to "charge" his blade with a mysterious red energy. When fully charged, he can use this energy to amplify the cutting power of a single slash a thousand fold. He once cut a tank in half with his quirk, it's that good.

Little Mac - Quirk: Punch-out, this quirk is a strong one with a big drawback. When at least one foot is on the ground, Mac's physical abilities and senses are enhanced to superhuman levels, especially the power of his punches. Which compliments his boxing fighting style very well. But of course the big weakness is if Mac's feet are both off the ground he is as strong as any boxer who trains like him would be. Which is far from enough in the hero world.

Luffy - Quirk: Stretch, this quirk is a mutation type, Luffy's body has the quality of rubber. Which doesn't sound very impressive but Luffy's training and instincts have allowed him to become very strong with his quirk very quickly. He's even evolved it, being able to harden parts of his body to deliver much more powerful blows. The hardening process is like vulcanization with how his body looks after. It does limit his stretching ability but he is able to hit harder and take harder hits. He even has several advanced forms. One is focused on speed and attack power. The other is focused on strength and single blows. The last is the strongest but he hasn't needed to pull it out yet. A big weakness is that he is not immune to piercing weapons like he is blunt force. Cold and heat can also mess him up more than the average person, but if he hardens he gets less vulnerable to heat, but more to cold.

Rob Lucci - Quirk: Spots, this quirk allows Lucci to transform into a massive Leopard-human hybrid, or just a Leopard. The hybrid state increases his strength and durability many times fold and aids in his use of Rokushiki(Martial arts that are like 7 mini-quirks), it also increases his speed, not as much as his other abilities but still noticeably especially with how big he becomes. It also gives him animal senses and instincts. But only a handful of people still alive know about his quirk, as his pre-transformation physical abilities coupled with being a master of Rokushiki are generally more than enough.

Alex Mercer - Quirk: Blacklight, This allows Alex to shift, manipulate and absorb biomass. He gets heavier the more he absorbs, but it makes him harder and harder to dent. But his offense is very nasty as well, as he is able to shift his arms into all sorts of weapons. But the more he gets hit the more biomass he loses. He prefers to get his from eating lots and lots of meat. But the best way, when he's not opposed to it(So against a villain or their minions), is to absorb a living person. By devouring them he not only gets biomass but their skills and abilities. But any quirk he gets only lasts a few days.

Leonardo - Quirk: TMNT, A quirk he shares with his brothers. It gives him the physical appearance and some abilities as a turtle. But given that he's not slow like one he is able to use enhanced strength and incredible defense in tandem with Ninja training from his Adopted father Hayato Yoshi to great effect as a hero in a half shell.

Thrall - Quirk: Shaman, this quirk is half mutation. Thrall's body is massive and muscular, but mostly green and like an Orc. But the true nature of his quirk well, has to do with nature. Thrall is able to communicate with the elements. Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and sometimes even Spirit. Through communicating with them he can not only get a lay of the land, but he can also control these elements if they allow him to. This has many and varied uses. More than can be listed here. But the elements don't always listen and if Thrall's emotional state becomes that bad, he may lose connection with them temporarily. The Doomhammer is a great conduit but was not made to be so, it was passed down to him by a Villain who before his last breath wanted something he made to finally do some right.

Domon Kasshu - Quirk: King of Hearts, this quirk allows Domon to turn his hot-bloodedness into power. He is able to generate enough power to even fire a blast of energy. But if he's downtrodden his quirk is obviously much less effecctive.

Simon Jiha - Quirk: FIGHT THE POWER, this allows Simon to weaponize his willpower in various ways, with near infinite growth. This power has near infinite potential. Some have even theorized that if he's able to generate continually for long enough that he'll be able to alter reality itself.

Hellboy - Quirk: Red right hand, It is a mutation quirk making him much stronger and durable than the normal human or even the normal hero. This quirk has gotten Hellboy some discrimination for how he looks. But he still works his hero work and helps whoever needs it. His right hand especially is good at opening the way. It has given him some bad dreams...

Invincible - Quirk: Invincible, a pretty standard quirk. The combination of flight and super strength/durability lets Invincible be a standard but incredibly effective hero. While his senses are heightened, they aren't anywhere near super and in fact, sounds that are too loud can incapacitate him or at the very least mess up his balance if he's not prepared.

[shinsoukokuvalentine]

Glittering Crowd

(Decided on making them sing English songs because this is my AU and I can be illogical if I want to.

Songs used: Courtesy Call, Glittering Cloud, Glasshouse)

158/365: Glittering Crowd

Congratulations! Your band, _________, has been invited to the GUILD WARS!

During the GUILD WARS, bands from across the country will compete tournament-style for the chance to be recruited by the American Music Guild, who will not only publish the winning band’s albums overseas, they will also HOST that band ON TOUR in the UNITED STATES!

This is a ONCE IN A LIFETIME chance!

Call ***-***-**** to accept your invitation!

Further details on back…

Atsushi exhales slowly. His breath touches the mic, but the sound it makes is drowned out by the crowd surrounding the stage, screaming, chanting his band’s name.

Despite his exhaustion, he smiles. Here, on the stage, lights flashing around him, his band behind him, his heart still beating to the pulse a drum that has long since been silenced, here is where he feels alive…

Akutagawa’s fingers move like lighting across his guitar’s frets. In front of him, Chuuya sings into the microphone as if he’s singing to it, holding it gently, caressing it like a lover. Blacklights illuminate the negative patterns on his shirt, and the white tips of Akutagawa’s bangs appear to glow. The crowd cheers, but the music throbs in his head even louder, filling his veins like pure adrenaline.

He can’t take it anymore. The beat of the night calls him like a moth to a flame, and he’s off on his own, not only playing his guitar but using it, using it as a voice, an expression of his soul.

He catches side glares from his band mates. It doesn’t matter. He’s not ruining the song, he’s breathing life into it. Chuuya still sings unhindered, and it isn’t as if Akutagawa is distracting anyone else or throwing them off their part. He knows what he’s doing. He knows how to rewrite his part in a second, bringing the best out of his guitar, and he’s going to make sure the crowd knows that before the night’s over…

Know your enemy, Dazai says. Yokohama Mafia is that enemy.

“They’re the only real obstacle between us and that Guild sponsorship,” he says. “Both of us are soaking up votes left and right. I need you to watch them and see what weaknesses we can take advantage of.”

Atsushi shrinks back a little.

“You talk as if this like, warfare or something…” he says, trailing off. Dazai smirks.

“It is.”

So he watches them. He watches Chuuya, standing on the stage with his lips practically on the mic, singing love ballads to the stage itself. He watches Gin and Tachihara, the guitarist and the bassit respectively, who watch their leader with sparking eyes. But the last member, Akutagawa, he doesn’t watch.

Atsushi stares at Akutagawa. He knows he improvises, and from experience, he feels as if his band probably hates him for it. He’s a show off, through and through. So Atsushi wonders why he feels to drawn to the lead guitarist, the one with the red suspenders, the one with the unchanging expression, the one that closes his eyes and throws his head back when he plays, as if possessed by the music. It’s a kind of energy that Atsushi’s never seen.

He’s supposed to observe the band. He isn’t supposed to enjoy them. It’s Akutagawa’s fault that that music seeps into his skin, into his head, resonating with the sound of a guitar howling like a siren at the hands of an unlikely celebrity crush…

Whenever Akutagawa goes missing after a performance, Chuuya knows where to find him. Unfailingly, he’s in the audience, watching Dogs onstage.

“Scouting out the competition?” he teases him once when he gets back to the bandroom. Akutagawa doesn’t answer. Instead, he looks at the whiteboard on the wall, the one they’ve drawn a bracket on to track the winners of the Guild Wars.

“The lead singer of Dogs,” he says. He doesn’t say anything else, and it takes Chuuya a moment to realize that he’s asking for a name.

“Oh. It’s Nakajima Atsushi,” he says.

Akutagawa doesn’t turn around. He keeps his eyes on the whiteboard, tracing victories. Dogs’ victories.

“He’s not using his voice to his full potential,” he mutters. “He’s restraining himself.”

Chuuya tilts his head. “You’ve paid that much attention to him?”

Akutagawa nods. He closes his eyes, and for a moment, he’s back in that crowd, back in front of the stage, watching Atsushi sing passionately, watching him grip the microphone as if he’s willing his knuckles to turn white, hearing his voice fly through the stadium with the grace and power of a falcon diving for prey.

“Dogs is a worthy opponent,” he says, mostly to himself. “But if Nakajima finds his voice’s power, he’ll be unstoppable…”

“Don’t mess this up, Atsushi,” Dazai smiles, setting his hand on Atsushi’s shoulder, making him jump. With just one curtain between them, Yokohama Mafia prepares the stage for their final show, and the crowd outside is chanting their name.

“It’s all on you,” Dazai beams, slapping his shoulder again. “One wrong move and it’s all over.”

Atsushi’s stressed to the point of shaking. “W-why are you smiling about this?!” he stammers. Dazai pulls back and shrugs.

“Because I’m calm about it,” he says. The crowd’s screams escalate, and stagehands lift the outside curtain, revealing Yokohama Mafia to the crowd. Chuuya yells out a greeting. Dazai chews on the eraser of his pencil, his clipboard in his lap.

“Nothing surprises me,” he reaffirms.

Then Chuuya starts singing. Not two notes are out of his mouth, not two syllables into his first vocals, and Dazai drops the pencil. His expression doesn’t change, and he doesn’t move. But something’s so very obviously not right that discomfort almost seems to emanate from him in waves.

“They’re playing Courtesy Call,” he says slowly. He turns, facing away from Atsushi, drumming his fingers on his chin as the beat outside picks up. “They haven’t played anything like this the whole tournament… We need to change our game.”

Atsushi tilts his head, a frown tugging on his lips. “Uuuuh… Dazai?” he says slowly, but Dazai ignores him, standing. His smile’s gone.

“We’re not doing Glittering Cloud,” he says abruptly. Atsushi freezes.

“What?!” he exclaims, standing up from his seat. “But… It’s our best song! We’ve put so much practice into it!”

Dazai nods, but only as if he’s barely listening. He’s typing on his phone, and Atsushi sees that he’s messaging Kunikida, telling him to adjust the effects.

“It’s our most practiced song, yes,” Dazai says, not looking up, “but it’s not our best.”

Atsushi wraps his arms around himself. He can already feel sweat dripping down his hair, and he hasn’t even sung yet. “So what’s our best?” he asks, though he fears the answer.

Dazai picks his head up. Slowly, his smirk comes back, although it’s somehow terrifying this time.

“Glasshouse,” he says. Atsushi feels faint.

“You know I can’t sing that!” he protests. Dazai shakes his head.

“I know you can.”

Atsushi grips his hair. He feels ready to cry. “The last time we rehearsed that, my voice broke!” he shouts.

Dazai holds a finger to his lips, then nods his head towards the stage. Atsushi groans, rolling his eyes, stomping away until he can see through the gap to the side of the stage. Yokohama Mafia’s there, singing of battle cries and preparing for war, of oncoming storms and solidarity.

And suddenly, Akutagawa’s eyes meet Atsushi’s. He freezes. Akutagawa keeps playing. When Chuuya enters the chorus again, Akutagawa nods. It’s almost like he’s issuing a challenge to Atsushi, a call to arms.

“You won’t know if you’ve improved,” Dazai says, shocking Atsushi into turning around, “unless you try.”

Atsushi gulps. When he turns back to the stage, Akutagawa’s eyes are closed, and he’s playing the guitar like he’s worshipping it.

Taking in a deep breath, Atsushi turns around. “Do you really think I can sing Glasshouse?” he asks. Dazai smiles and nods, and Atsushi clenches his fists and sets his jaw.

“Then I’ll do it,” he says. Dazai smiles, and Yokohama Mafia’s song ends...

Akutagawa walks off the stage behind Chuuya, who spent too much time waving to the crowd and soaking in their praise.

“Relax, Akutagawa,” he says as they shuffle backstage. He turns around and grins. “It’s my last night in front of this crowd. Can’t I bask in it a little?”

But Akutagawa isn’t listening. He’s already shed his guitar, and he stands in the curtain’s shadows, watching the stage, waiting for Dogs.

“Looks like Yokohama Mafia just declared war! Can Dogs answer with an even stronger battle cry?” the announcer says, stirring up another cheer from the crowd.

Then he sees Atsushi. He steps onto the stage, waving, beaming like the sun. Akutagawa can’t pull his eyes from him. Behind him, the rest of the band assumes their positions. A nod from Atsushi to the lead guitarist, and the first chord begins. It’s low, unassuming, but then it ascends, until suddenly it bursts into the air like a thunderstorm.

“Is that Glasshouse?” Chuuya asks from behind Akutagawa. He can only nod.

The lyrics start, and Atsushi braces his legs on the stage. One hand grips the mic, the other moves through the air, and the emotion on his face accentuates every word, like they’re seared into his soul.

Then the tempo picks up. Other instruments join in. Atsushi’s voice rises, and Akutagawa’s eyes widen. He’s getting there, closer to that potential that Akutagawa knows he has.

And then the chorus hits, and Akutagawa’s blown away…

When the sound ends, Atsushi’s panting. His mouth feels dry, sweat drips down his nose to the floor, and he’s shaking onstage.

Yet he smiles. He feels it, feels that rush, that high from the stage, from the crowd. He couldn’t speak if he wanted to, but in that moment, his voice feels stronger than ever before.

He looks to the side of the stage. Standing there, hidden from the spotlights, Yokohama Mafia’s lead guitarist stands. He’s clapping.

Atsushi isn’t sure what comes over him, but after he leaves the stage, the first thing he does is kiss that guitarist.

Over the competition, they’ve bared their souls to each other. They’ve shown each other their passion, their song, their voice. Now, Atsushi realizes as he steps back, looking into eyes of gray, they’ve seen all there is to see of each other.

All that’s left is to experience it.

[fandom-hell-ferrylass]

Beware!

A/N: time to answer the question I asked last time in A Spoonful of Sugar. not much of a build-up but maybe it’ll be entertaining.

as always, still rusty and stretching my prose wings so the style is all over the place, especially cause I write in bursts which means some bits are more fluid and some are incredibly impacted by things I’ve read just before writing. it’s a rollercoaster that I’m enjoying :D

Alice’s heart thumped in time to the muted bassline thudding from the hidden front of the stage. The dancing lights were a myriad multi-glow washing faintly over Tarrant’s face, muddling the colours of their costumes weirdly even as the Hatter’s eyes glinted with barely-contained excitement. One of his gangly arms snuck around her waist and Alice found herself twirling around as the Hatter danced to the techno beats Nivens was dishing out.

“30 seconds, guys!”

Alice waved to the stagehand to let them know she heard them before pulling her attention back to her partner.

“Did you hear him, Tarrant?”

“What’s that, Alice-My-Dear?”

“We’re on in 30 seconds.”

“Wonderful! Next set, next set!”

The woman laughed as Tarrant spun on his heel, her safely secured in his arms.

“Last set, Hatter! Last set of the night!”

The man stopped spinning, Alice sliding out of his grip to stagger slightly as she regained her footing.

“Last set?” His voice was so sad, Alice couldn’t help but smile gently and cupped his cheek.

“Of the night, dear. Tomorrow we’ll have more T.”

His face lit up again. Tarrant sandwiched her hand in both of his and pulled her against him. Alice tipped her head nearly all the way back to gaze up at the face hovering over hers. The man’s grin just below the hat brim was nigh-on Cheshire.

“Do you promise, My Alice?”

She fought the urge to bite her bottom lip against a surge of attraction.

“Ah. Ahum?”

Both singer’s heads snapped around to stare at the crew member standing a few feet away. The man clutched a clipboard and was trying to not stare at the entwined pair.

Alice swallowed the squeak in her voice. “Yes? Did we miss the cue?”

The man shook his head. “Ah. No, no, just about to go. But I was told to let you know, they’re intro’ing something new tonight. So when everything stops, they want you to stop too. The band has been informed. You’re on!”

Before either could react, Nivens’s voice filtered through the speakers.

“Welcome back your Mad Hatter and the lovely Alice!”

With a shared look of confusion, Tarrant yelped and tore off for the stage at a run, Alice’s hand firmly in his grasp.

Alice’s laughter was pulled from her throat as Tarrant spun her across the stage, barely missing Mally as he chased after Thackery. The Hare eyed the Dormouse and bounded away with a grin. Even Abs and Chessur were grooving as much as their stations allowed. The Mad T Party Band was full swing in their element as the crowds faded into the blinding coloured haze. Alice felt Tarrant’s arm loop around her waist again, felt him guide her through the lyrics and the chords as her voice reached out to join his in a harmonic, mesmerizing dance. 

The heady thumping of bass and drum pulsed in her breastbone, the sizzle of squealing guitar tingled the nerve endings in her fingers. Tarrant spun her out again and she pirouetted to find herself happily sandwiched between Mally and Thack as they joined the two singers. The four cavorted, twisting themselves as the people at their feet shrieked, reaching out for them. Together they laughed and bounced away from the grasping hordes, never missing a step, drinking in the madness as oxygen for starving lungs.

The crackle of dissipating energy shifted on the air as Mally drew a few last wailing notes from his guitar and the crowd erupted. The flounced edges of her bodice heaved as Alice gulped in a few draughts, the warm air making her head swim a bit with the glare of lights. She concentrated on smile and wave, dimly aware of Tarrant talking through his own need for breath. 

The man swaggered across the stage, slinging an arm over Thackery’s shoulders as the Hare stood at the stage front with Mally, the pair interacting with the giddy audience. A wide smile turned her lips as she watched the trio before glancing at the two men behind her. They met her eyes with equally happy looks, but she noticed a glance between them. Something about the look ticked something in her head.

Wasn’t there something we were supposed to wait for—

The lights went out, the entire Rabbit Hole plunged into pure darkness.

Everything in her told her to cry out. Her limbs immediately cramped as Alice forcibly locked her body still and brought her jaw together so hard she felt her teeth ache. She remembered now. The crew member. He had told them to stay still while the stage went dark.

The sudden lack of vision had made the crowd exclaim in surprise, and as the seconds ticked on, a low murmur started to grow. Alice jerked her head up as a rustle of cloth came from somewhere ahead of her. Through the nighttime gloom, she blinked and squinted, willing her sight to adjust faster. Straining, the woman could just make out three figures in the dark, and three very distinctive shapes that told her Mally, Thack, and Tarrant had also not moved.

The joy that had been coursing through her veins seconds before bled from her, evaporating like something was leeching it from her. She panicked, reaching for the last bright spark as it flickered in her chest. A cloying, clinging fear reached up and snuffed it out in a blink.

She couldn’t help it, something in her mind, a shrill insistent voice was suddenly screaming at her to get to Tarrant get to the boys something’s wrong GET TO TARRANT! Her lips parted as she took a wobbling step forward. She tried to will back the breathy sob that dropped from her mouth as she felt something cold and whispy curl up her legs, licking at her fingertips. The tall hat outlined against some vague distant light tilted sharply. The chill kissed the skin of her cheek and Alice petrified, her eyes closing so tightly she didn’t see Tarrant’s head snap around, looking for her.

The Hatter knew the Dormouse and Hare had heard the sound behind them at the same time. A soft, unmistakable noise only one person on that stage could have made. All three men stiffened as Tarrant’s head tilted sharply, listening. A charge passed between them, a piece of their minds flaring to life as their muscles kicked into a mode they’d had little use for in this world. 

Another soft gasp reached their ears and they moved in startling rhythm as Tarrant spun around, blazing gold eyes probing the blackness, Thackery and Mally pressing back to back behind him to make a triangular formation. To an untrained eye, it was no different from ways they had stood on the stage many times before - they knew better. A fighting stance is hard to forget when it’s as familiar as breathing.

Tarrant made to take a step when he felt the strange coolness lick across his left hand. He tipped his head down for a moment before swinging his arm in front of him. The chill parted and billowed, curling up around his shoulders and behind him. Mally growled under his breath at the stuff over the Hatter’s shoulder.

Again Tarrant made to move towards Alice.

A weird cackling laugh from the darkness made his blood freeze.

All six of them knew the exact instant something stepped foot on the stage. A wave of fog and cold roiled along the ground, nearly tangible. It swallowed them whole. Panic and hate clawed along their spines, drawing unbidden, shuddering breaths puffing in the air around their mouths. Thackery felt his ears twitch and tremble and squeezed his eyes shut to keep himself rooted. Mally’s hackles rose, twisting his face into a violent snarl hidden by the dark. Tarrant’s fingers spasmed, he had to strangle the urge to pull the false hat pins from his hat and wield them like daggers. 

Hidden behind his drums, Chessur hunkered down and willed himself into nothingness. Even as his body faded from view, he fought the urge to slither down and find their Mad leader, to fall into his everlasting role of espionage and deceit as The Cat. He eyed the man behind the keyboard. Absolem was hunched over, gripping the edges of the instrument as he swept murderous eyes over every inch of their stage haven.

When the Caterpillar’s eyes stopped moving, Chessur’s eyes followed. Without a word, without a sign, one by one, all five Underlanders turned their eyes towards the human woman frozen in the center of the stage. An eerie purple glow faded up to reveal a figure standing before Alice, hood up, a glowing purple violin dangling from their left hand. A sudden wash of UV glow revealed the scale pattern on the figure’s costume, and Tarrant had never been so glad the audience couldn’t see Alice’s terrified face crumple with the memories of a battle she couldn’t help but remember.

When the figure spun around and a purple-red spotlight appeared, a delighted gasp flared from the people below. Tarrant glared beneath his hat. Those people, those fools had no idea exactly what was standing on that stage before them. He didn’t even need to see the small wings mockingly affixed to the figure’s tiny backpack - it only served to deepen his shadowy frown.

The hood rose with sinister precision and the figure lunged toward the stage front. A delightedly startled scream went up and a wide array of fanged teeth appeared in the blacklight, a grin of immense threat. The wicked grin bobbed as the head lolled around and suddenly they were on the move.

The sound of held breath was erased as the figure’s bow met their instrument’s strings. Shivers abounded as hauntingly dark, sneering notes echoed across the hushed spaces. They drew note after chord as they slithered across the stage and halted in front of the keyboardist. Absolem refused to move or adjust his gaze from the spot the figure had appeared. The hood bobbed a moment, nodding, and took three low sliding steps right. Chessur followed them with his saucer eyes, watched them square up with his drums. He watched the hood move jerkily for a moment and a smug grin began to tilt across his mouth. His little trick never failed to impress.

The grin vanished when the hood snapped directly towards him and the terrible teeth grinned wider. The Cat felt his hair stand up and a low rumble reverberated in his chest. The figure tossed their head and bounced away. They never stopped playing.

The scaly being stalked across the stage, swaying and undulating their steps snake-like as they made for the trio at the front. Mally’s instinct to pounce was thwarted as Thackery dug his fingers into the Dormouse’s shirt while Tarrant’s hand wrapped around his wrist. The three stared down into the hood, recoiling at the grinning maw. But Tarrant found his gaze locked with a pair of red eyes tilting to bore deeper into his. The surprise of it rattled him, and belatedly he realized the distance he was looking down at the figure - the same distance he looked down at Alice. He didn’t realize his hand was lifting towards the hood until the grinning teeth frowned and the hood jerked out of his reach. He remained still, one hand hovering still, the terribleness of the moment starting to be shoved aside to make way for other just-as-bizarre thoughts. Distractedly he watched the violinist make for their last target.

Alice imagined there were ice crystals forming in her veins. There had to be, it was the only reasonable explanation for the freezing cold sensation traveling up from her toes. Her skin prickled as her hair stood on end at the sight of the bared fangs grinning at her from the hood’s dark depths. She couldn’t have run even if she tried, her eyes the only thing moving as the figure circled her, a predator sizing up its prey.

When it vanished behind her, she wanted to cry. When a puff of warm breath sent shivers across her neck, she wanted to faint. She wasn’t expecting a mouth to appear next to her ear.

“Did you miss me, Champion?”

This time when the stage went dark, Alice didn’t try to keep herself on her feet. Her knees buckled and she sagged. Two pairs of hands gently wrapped around her arms and kept her from wobbling as a third pair of arms curled around her waist to keep her upright. Neither Tarrant, Mally, or Thackery cared when light from the giant screens behind them revealed their sudden, new positions.

Excited screams made them glance over their shoulders. On the screens behind them floated an image of their Mad T Party stage but with a figure silhouetted in the foreground. With their back turned, it was easy to see the pair of wings. They could see the scales, and the waves of braided hair cascading around the figure’s face. This did nothing to hide the menacingly glowing red eye smirking over one shoulder. At the bottom floated too-cheery red-purple-black letters spelling out three chilling words.

The backstage doors shook the walls as they slammed open. Absolem spared the briefest glance at the deep gouges in the plaster as he trailed behind the rest of the band. Nobody else cared. They hadn’t felt anything for the past 13 minutes.

The band had barely finished their set and managed to not bolt off-stage as the digital image leered down at them. Absolem and Chessur had abandoned their posts to huddle with the others and try to keep the rising terror contained. Tarrant hadn’t released their blond songstress for a second while he quickly thanked the crowd and handed the Rabbit Hole reigns over to the Twins. As the group stumbled clumsily down the stage stairs, Nivens was nervously waiting for them.

He sought out Tarrant’s dark golden gaze and they shared a long look of infinite conversation. Mally and Thack stood shoulder to shoulder behind them during the exchange, the Dormouse trying to calm the Hare and vise versa, the Hare trying to keep the Dormouse’s fury in check. Chessur stepping in helped - the Cat was no stranger to riding the waves of emotion and he could taste the prickling shroud that had descended upon their little corner of the world. The look he gave Absolem could have filled a tome.

Nobody knew this was coming.

For once the band did not tarry to greet loyal fans and share smiles and laughs and fuel the ever-burning T fires. Thack barely managed a faint wave and apologetic smile as the Underlanders bypassed the meet-and-greet area to stagger towards relative safety. As the sounds of the party faded behind them, their attentions shattered and zipped in all manner of direction. The most prominent thought amongst them, though they didn’t know it, was how could they have not known It was here?!

“Have you any remote inkling what exactly you’ve done??”

Alice took a hasty step forward but stopped herself. Tarrant’s eyes were flashing from acid green to molten gold so quickly it was making her eyes hurt. She shot a pleading look at Thackery. If they didn’t do something, the Mad Hatter was going to lay the entire Rabbit Hole to waste in his righteous fury.

Their stage manager didn’t seem to understand the immediate peril he was in. The man glanced up from a clipboard and gave the irate Hatter a self-pleased grin.

“Fantastic idea, don’t you think? Only a few months to set it all up, and just in time for the Halloween season! It’s gonna be a great parallel to Hallow T.”

The Underlanders paled. Alice facepalmed.

“A gimmick? It’s all a gimmick? Letting one of the most weird and dangerous creatures of all literature lose in the human world ... for a show?!?” Tarrant’s voice was getting rougher by octaves, words tingeing heavily with his native brogue.

“I know, right? The perfect kind of scary element for a Disney park! The kids are gonna lose their minds. Which reminds me, introductions are in order. ”

Six pairs of manic eyes snapped across the room as something moved over at the makeup stations. A disgustingly familiar hood sat in front of a mirror, facing forward as if observing itself. The figure’s hands lifted and the hood was pushed back to fall limply across thin shoulders. A dark mass of braids and hair ornaments were instantly recognized from the promo image on the stage screens.

“Guys, meet Eirian Fang.”

Glinting red eyes blinked at them as the girl turned around in her chair.

Alice’s chest squeezed and she wondered how little breathing she could manage in an hour’s time before passing out.

Mally’s head canted down, casting his steely eyes in even deeper shadow as his fingers curled into claws.

Chessur’s teeth slotted together in a silent snarl, and he was glad Dinah and Nivens were keeping the party going outside.

Absolem fought to keep his expression schooled and neutral, but he couldn’t help a narrowed glare.

Thackery felt something in a dark corner of his mind twitch, and the shock of That being called to attention kept him from reacting too violently. Instead, he stepped away from Mally and to Alice’s side, keeping one eye on her and the other carefully trained on Tarrant.

The Hatter’s eyes were so molten they were nearly black with only golden flashes to speak the truth of his current state. He slowly pivoted on a heel to face the creature head-on.

“The Mad T Party’s new Jabberwock.”

Black gold met crimson. The fangs beneath the red eyes smiled.

welp. there it is. wonder if anyone would have seen that coming? I didn’t build the mystery up much, though there will definitely be a lot more in the future. I enjoy this too much, and Eirian is already a very fun OC to play with. 

[luuurien]

The Weeknd - Dawn FM

(Synthpop, Contemporary R&B, Nu-Disco)

Blech.

☆½

Am I missing something? What I mean by that, is that I've been having an impossible time connecting with mainstream pop's nostalgia kick. Now, I'm not one to be completely opposed to the idea of playing with the past, but it seems like everywhere from the pop punk revival to the indie scene's gravitation towards baroque singer/songwriter sounds, and especially pop's newfound love of synthpop and disco, there's not much of interest happening outside of the fact that old sounds are being dusted off a bit. It's almost too easy to understand the appeal of these sounds, the latter of the three in particular as the escapism of carefree pop music is too desirable to resist, but I've started to get more annoyed with it over the years. Now, it's not like the past pop charts were all that inventive, either, but there's something about the particular one-dimensionality of today's throwback scene that I can't quite shake. And with that, we have Dawn FM, The Weeknd's latest album that seems to check off all the things I dislike about the 80s revival while simultaneously being so pristine in its execution that it's impossible for me to criticize it in a few areas, predominantly in production. Putting constant innovator Oneohtrix Point Never in the executive producer's seat, the tones and textures across Dawn FM make the nerves on the back of my neck tense with excitement. Dark, sporty basslines are fitted with razor-sharp melodic synths, while all the backing chords are slathered in reverb and chorus. It's no wonder Dawn FM sounds so great, and when it's all blended together just right, this album can absolutely soar. Take My Breath was a perfect choice as a single for the album, a triumphant, cruise-down-the-freeway at 85MPH pop tune that has The Weeknd's magnetic persona drizzled all over those addictive synth arpeggios and a pitch-black bassline. How Do I Make You Love Me? is easily my favorite song off the tracklist, with fantastic quiet-loud dynamics separated by a thrilling build to the chorus with massive chords and a chattering bassline waiting for permission to explode neon paint in a blacklight bowling alley.  Sacrifice is another killer tune, a jittery bassline nu-disco jaunt with unfathomably sleek progressions and sunkissed-strings both courtesy of Swedish House Mafia, and it's here where Dawn FM's completely enraptures me. Funnily enough, though, the usage of all this fantastic production talent across Dawn FM is one of my biggest issues with it. Nothing here ever sounds bad to the ears, everyone who worked on this project made damn sure of that, but the album grows so incredibly formulaic and unenthusiastic across these 16 tracks that I can barely give a shit about how clean everything sounds. Out of Time uses OPN's vaporwave experience for a steamy R&B tune with soft flute embellishments and a chunky bassline that literally does not go anywhere during the song's three and a half minutes; I'm genuinely astonished by how lazy the whole thing feels. Best Friends' unscalable synth walls are cool for about the first fifteen seconds before it turns out to be the only interesting part of the song. Every Angel Is Terrifying is completely pointless, this dreamy ambient sprawl that then turns into a weird minute-long ad with nothing to add except to fill the runtime. I get that part of Dawn FM's appeal is that it's emulating old adult contemporary radio, but what was the point in also including all the things everyone hated about radio back then? The album didn't need to play things this aggravatingly safe, and yet by the halfway point with the head-scratching addition of Tyler, the Creator on Here We Go... Again I'm already contemplating changing the station. Lyrically, The Weeknd is even more tired than usual, going over the same topics he's sung about without a shred of creativity to them. "I know you won't let me OD," he dispassionately croons on Gasoline with a sort of comedic pitched-down sing-taking, and what a boring thing to say when he's been singing about this since the start. How Do I Make You Love Me? which is still by all means my favorite here, is spine-tinglingly creepy in the lyrical domain, and while The Weeknd has never been one to oppose playing questionable characters in his music, hearing him say "Forget about what your daddy said, I'll teach you how to shine" right after asking this girl "How do I make you fall for me? / How do I make you want me / And make it last eternally?" doesn't do anything but make him sound like a total fucking weirdo. Where heartbreak could be a conduit for emotional chaos on After Hours on any given song, whether it's Abel running through women on Heartless or his partner's engagements with infidelity on Escape From LA, love and loss is stated so lifelessly on the fittingly-titled Don't Break My Heart or on the yet again "fucking weirdo"-ness of I Heard You're Married that I really can't find myself engaging with anything Abel's doing throughout. Or if I am, it's rarely for a positive reason. And yet, I still feel like I'm missing something. It's obvious what the appeal of Dawn FM is to me, this sweet and to-the-point pop album that doesn't make you dig for anything like his past albums sometimes did, and that's only clearer when getting to the clear-skies penultimate track Less Than Zero with its bittersweet synth melodies and jangly acoustic guitars that could soundtrack the end of a coming-of-age film, the aforementioned hits Take My Breath and Sacrifice don't need an explanation to their appeal, and even those slower tracks that bore me to death like Out of Time are most definitely not unappetizing enough for me to ever actively avoid them. It's like I'm viewing Dawn FM in a box forever darkened by my general distaste for the current pop revivalism, but there are times throughout where I completely understand why people are loving this sound right now. I think what it comes down to, really, is that nostalgia alone cannot hold a song together for me. If that's all you're offering, like The Weeknd often is throughout, I might as well just fuck off and go listen to the original thing, shouldn't I? . At least someone like Silk Sonic or Jessie Ware know their way around a melody. Nothing of substance is offered on Dawn FM, and at that point there's no reason for me to return to it. Is it a case of the anti-nostalgia blues for me? Possibly, yeah. But I'm not sure that even if I was a fan of this new sound that I would find much of what's here all too exciting, and that alone makes Dawn FM troubling.

[marsixm]

nvm this is my essay length review this is just happening now i guess (read more with apologies to mobile users)

he was rattling off facts about 70s music...i just....like....are you shitting me???? why....ok....im

opening shots of him are just multiple close ups on ben c’s hands like.....im really gay ok

this man really said “try me, beyonce” and they want me to not think hes gay

hes gay

did i fucking mention the score had HARPSICHORD??? HARPSI FUCKING CHORD

ALL the visuals were stunning, the scenery was STUNNING, the sets were STUNNING, the locations were STUNNING, the effects especially were STUNNING- not just pretty or well shot but they ACTUALLY made things look COOL which is fucking AMAZING and more films need to do STAT???? i cant get over how cool the new york sanctum was, OR the scene where they make the fucking cathedral fold in on itself- A CATHEDRAL??? LITERALLY JUST FOR THE STYLE OF IT!!! AMAZING

ben was amazing did i mention? hes just so good like. he tried his best with the accent and it came out better at times than others but he was great and cute...i love him kdjfgsd god. im so glad this is the marvel movie he was in....all his outfits were cute too thanks

idk if this was just me paying extra attention because Ben but honestly i usually struggle to be able to follow plots in films, especially superhero ones with complicated stuff like this but i never once struggled to understand what was happening or why or what the plot was or the motivations etc etc etc??? which is frankly a miracle

in fact i definitely feel like i understood everyones motivations fairly well, even christine’s like of course her character arc was pitiful and women in films need to be treated better but at least it was cool how for most of the movie she was actually just chilling and ignoring stephen jksdghjdlfs good for her

did i mention it was fucking beautiful and ben was great???

soooo many shots specifically were amazing especially around that big window in the sanctum but ESPECIALLY stephen’s superhero reveal moment.....wow

i gotta watch it again shaking off the “its BEN its ben its ben it looks like sherlock?? its ben” glasses but like i feel like they did a job turning stephen from an asshole to a man with a greater purpose...like if i rewatched and focused in on that specifically i think they built it up really well idk

idk if i can speak to the pacing because i paused a lot but like it was almost 2 hours long and it felt Good and didnt feel like idk dragging at all? it felt like it had good punctuations of really cool big effects/fast loud scenes, good story carrying it, etc

the humor actually felt really good and not super forced like i really genuinely laughed and the timing/joviality of the characters was good omg

also the whitewashing thing was def an issue though there was a decent amt of diversity on screen- could have been more though as always

the fact that the main mechanism in this movie and this section of the universe is like magic is sooooo good because theres no over explanation of like, nonsense science or whatever? and they dont try too hard to explain it and ruin it and/or make it annoying they just Let It Be magic.....which is really nice? and also the glowing effects look really cool

THERE WAS A FUCKING GHOST FIGHT? A FIGHT ON THE ASTRAL PLANE??? THEIR SOULS BATTLED...GHSDJAKFGSHDG ><FL:?~?

i said this already but again, i fucking hate most action sequences in super hero movies and in marvel especially and these actually were INTERESTING and good and not just bash smash x100 like they usually are like these had drama and suspense and were dynamic and, again, interesting which is amazing

[spoiler] and again, i always hate the senseless destruction and destroyed buildings, THEY LITERALLY UN DESTROYED A CITY? THEY TURNED BACK TIME TO UN DESTROY IT......thats ALL ive ever wanted from a superhero movie !??!?!? im like crying

[spoilers] the het romance was like bad ofc for a lot of reasons but i liked that the big scenes it had didnt feel forced and didnt end with stephen and christine actually together at all like.....it didnt even show them kiss ever? thanks also let them both be gay now

[spoiler] the scenario by which he annoys the villain into submission (which is by far the best fucking thing) is basically the plot of the best and most amazing doctor who ep ive ever seen and which i think about constantly so uh thanks

[spoiler] i already said this but when he goes into the dark dimension and its like spocks journey into vger!!!!!!! WITH BLACKLIGHT COLORS??

[spoiler] okay so mads’ characters speech to stephen is truly amazing because theres actually some doubt sowed that feels genuine, like it really does sound nice and you really are left wondering about a lot of things especially about the ancient one- admittedly like when you look at the plot as a whole of course theres loads of questions like...why should we trust the ancient one? i wanna say also why did dormammu give in so easily but actually i really enjoyed the lighthearteness of that scene- but the point is when actually watching that scene it was really fucking engaging and didnt feel like it went to waste

[spoiler] ben doing the villains voice too- which i TOTALLY recognized immediately- was also amazing just as like... the hero playing the villain....the levels...

[spoiler] i really want mordo to like. not be evil and FRANKTLY they fucking set up a great line to call back to wrt stephen and mordo becoming a dynamic duo. please let that happen and also let them be gay together you monsters

[charliehopper]

LET’S LEAVE HIM ALONE IN THE STUDIO, SEE WHAT HAPPENS #2. A favorite story which if you know me you’ll probably hear me tell again and may have heard already: in the late 70s, the family of @gustofhumor invited me along for a week at @indiana.beach where on the midway was a haunted ride where you sat in a little car and got pulled through this purportedly scary experience but the “monsters” were so cheesy and bad they were laughable, and we did laugh. Googly eyes and blacklight-painted homemade things would wiggle at you as the car trundled mechanically through doors into different rooms and you felt your contempt and teenage superiority rising and rising until you came into what seemed to be the final room with its final glowy tacky attempt to frighten and you could hear the crowd outside and you were so ready to be out in the sun rolling your eyes when suddenly you burst through a set of doors into a well-lit room with a realistic bus-front with headlights and a realistic horn blaring and the clanky car you were riding in pulled you straight and fast directly at the bus bumper and you were certain you were dead. So realistic. Exactly like being killed by a bus. Effectively terrifying. The whole first part was a psych-out set-up for that bus. And the bus, metaphorically, is “Maybe I’m Amazed” on this album. It’s the first solo album after the Beatles broke up and seems half-done. Some songs are nice but you’re not ready when, second-to-last song @paulmccartney throws the sucker punch of one of the 20th century’s great songs. There’s “Junk,” a pretty melody and unexpected chords; “Teddy Boy” is cute, “Every Night” “Man We Was Lonely” and “That Would Be Something” are all the start of good songs, it feels like, but tossed off, unfinished-feeling. Some music on here is wordless noodling not better than a jam session at any bar. Then pow, everything about “Maybe I’m Amazed” is so brilliant. I wonder if Lennon felt like it was a big bus bumper (if he even tried to listen to this album). #mccartney #vinyl #maybeimamazed #yesiguessiam #vinylcollection #vinyladdict #ellipticalsoundtrack #treadmillsoundtrack #nowspinning #nowspinningonvinyl (at Noblesville, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvDWSDsHgLg/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=qn01f2wpsuvw

[stringsinbetween]

Every Summer Has A Story..

It isn’t just about spending time under the sun, the salt in the air, the sand on one’s toes or whatever summer cliche one liners you could think of.

It’s the excitement of jotting down your summer bucketlist and the planning of series binge-watching schedule for over two months. It’s the much anticipated road trip with your crew and the endless deadlines at work you have to meet. It’s the splash you get in the poolside and the 31-day challenges you abandoned half-way. It’s the music festivals you want to attend and the FOMO moments when you’re stuck at home with the fever. It’s the Spotify playlist that’s on repeat and the Starbuck’s runs on Saturdays when you need to go to the office for overtime. It’s in the Sweddish massage appointments you make and the three-hundred page YA novel you pick up. It’s the hour-long Viber calls with your confidante and seeing your inspiration once in a while. It’s the calligraphy pens you look for that’s sold-out in every bookstore and the Ukelele chords you weren’t able to practice. It’s in the bad-experience of having your nails done at a cheap salon and the countless cab rides you take everywhere. It’s the family reunions where you have boodle fights and the number of buffets you devour. It’s in reading mental health posts on Tumblr and sending online links of puppy videos to your sister. It’s in hitting the gym twice a week and failing miserably every time you walk pass the neighborhood’s sisig place. It’s in losing a friend you knew since you were little and getting to know a stranger deeper. It’s the overnight staycations and never-ending department meetings til late afternoon. It’s the cover of you singing “XO” but wasn’t brave enough to post and the cuddles you have with your dogs. It’s the emails you send to a possible internship in Thailand and the amount of profanities running in your head every fucking day. It’s in the hundreds of snapshots in your camera roll and that one photo with the good angle that completes the feed. It’s the sudden trips to youth concerts and dinner dates with your best mistake. It’s that maroon one-piece you were afraid to try on and the distressed denim jeans you wear with fishnet stockings underneath. It’s in trying to understand why certain people’s actions, even those from church, lead to one’s self destruction and battling out your inner demons. It’s the quotes you save on your phone and the ratchet situations that make you post them. It’s when you’re sob drinking with your mates at 10PM and laughing at senseless conversations until 2AM. It’s the Youtube fanfest wherein you scream to your heart’s content and the mess you clean up in the car brought by mud on a rainy Color Manila Blacklight Night Run. It’s when your ex tries to hit up like every 5-freaking-minutes and wishing you were able to kiss someone but remember that its all over now. It’s in having no clue why someone would delete your group chat and the crazy memes on Facebook that give you headaches. It’s the frustration of knowing your parents aren’t completely honest with you and acting like you don’t give a damn. It’s the anxiety attacks that you can’t handle and crying in the ladies washroom until your tears run out. It’s in chilling in your usual spot at the coffee shop and writing your feelings on each page of your journal. It’s in fearing that you aren’t good enough and being reminded that the worst things are yet to come. It’s in the knowledge that your life is slowly getting ruined by lies and still choosing to wake up every morning. It’s in the cuts on your knuckles from punching a wall after a fight and the chocolate mint ice cream treats you get at the end of the day to make life suck a whole lot less. It’s in asking for serenity and realizing that it’s the same old shit but a different day. It’s in midnights where you pour out your thoughts and being brave enough to ride the waves..

[objectivesubjectivity]

I work with kids and every time I overhear someone saying something is “emo” I cringe. Not because of the term itself but more because it tends to describe a style that I don’t think is reflective of the actual genre. The “emo” that describes My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy and The Story So Far is a far cry from the “emo” of Sunny Day Real Estate, Embrace, and Cap’n Jazz. Rites of Spring might have sung about glass but they certainly didn’t glorify cutting the way JamisonParker does. The Get Up Kids and Jimmy Eat World might sing about heartbreak but not in a way that would warrant an article like this. You would never see Blake Schwarzenbach, Caithlin De Marrais or Davey Von Bohlen dressed in these clothes:

But it goes deeper than that: the emo I was drawn to, the emo I fell in love with, balanced the melodic and the dissonant, the poetry and the prose, the aggression and the beauty. It had nothing to do with eyeliner or swooping bangs or toxic masculinity. 

And this last week, I found the perfect example of the genre I fell in love with: Rival Schools’ “High Acetate.” The song begins with abrasive guitars and Walter Schreifels’ refusal to stick to a melody or key. Then, seamlessly, the song shifts into an instantly catchy hook with effective harmonies and a recognizable chord progression. But the resolve is never presented in full (the bass line plays the fourth while the guitars dance dissonantly around it) and the enigmatic yet memorable refrain of “high acetate, fly elevate,” leaves me perplexed yet somehow moved. It is this world of sound, this nuanced complication of feeling and noise, where, for me, “emo” resides. 

So the next time you hear someone say, “that’s so emo,” do me a favor and please play them this song.

What I listened to last week:

Top 100 contenders in bold.

U.S. Crush - U.S. Crush

Elliott - U.S. Songs

Cursive - The Ugly Organ: While this is definitely their best and most cohesive album, it’s not quite good enough for a Top 100 list. Definitely in the top 500 though.

PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her

Chumbawamba- Un: “Everything You Know is Wrong” is perhaps more apt today than it was in 2004.

Ben Folds Five - The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner:

22 Jacks - Uncle Bob (PPP #78)

Under A Dying Sun - Under A Dying Sun

Jupiter Sunrise - Under A Killer Blue Sky

The Story So Far - Under Soil and Dirt

Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight

Grade - Under the Radar

Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming

Reggie and the Full Effect - Under the Tray

Hot Rod Circuit - The Underground is a Dying Breed

The Verve Pipe - Underneath

The Juliana Theory - Understand This is a Dream

The Most Serene Republic - Underwater Cinematographer: See #11 in Catch Up Albums pt. 4

Counting Crows - Underwater Sunshine (or what we did on our summer vacation)

The Roots - undun: This was better than I remembered. Also, it’s another hip-hop act utilizing Sufjan Stevens as its impetus.

Commander Venus - The Uneventful Vacation

Jawbreaker - Unfun

The Falcon - Unicornography

Rival Schools - United by Fate

Common - Universal Mind Control: Sex 4 Suga sounds like a song written by someone who’s never had sex before. 

Ten Foot Pole - Unleashed

Loudon Wainwright III - Unrequited

NaS - Untitled

Unwritten Law - Unwritten Law (PPP #79)

Albums listened to in total: 1,843

[omgtaxtwerk]

TOP 10 BEST STEREO SYSTEM ! Best Home Theater Systems

TOP 10 BEST STEREO SYSTEM ! Best Home Theater Systems: Read more >> https://ift.tt/2JkmkiV

TOP 10 BEST STEREO SYSTEM ! Best Home Theater Systems

GPX HC221B Compact CD Player Stereo Home Music System

2channel stereo sound with DBBS

Can play CD and FM

Has alarm system and remote controlled

0.7 mm LCD display with negative blacklight

Dual mp3 jack .

Detachable speakers that enables you to keep speakers apart.

Sony MHCEC619iP 120 Watts Music System

2-channel audio system with bass boosted system

Fully remote controlled and can play songs using Bluetooth.

Can play from CDs , mp3 , pen drive, and it has dedicated ports for iPad or iPod.

Has an LCD to show the play information and a clock for the time knowledge.

It is lightweight , 2.4 kgs . You can move it easily to places.

Panasonic SC-HC39 Sound System

LincsD-Amp helps you to hear crystal clear sounds.

It includes power chord.

It can play music from any Bluetooth supported devices.

Well designed and sleek structured makes it an unbeatable designer stereo system.

RCA RS22162 5-Disc CD Audio System

CD-player with 5 discs.

Can play from USB ,mp3 or Ipad ,iPod.

2-channel audio system.

Rotary tuning and volume control

Remote controlled.

Innovative Technology ITCDS-5000 Classic Stereo System

Made with Bluetooth to help you to move speakers in the place you want.

Built-in CD player and full-functional remote which lets you adjust bass ,treble as your wish.

50-watts stereo and it has two LCDs on two sides.

3.5 mm audio jack, lets you connect all the devices you want.

It has blue backlight in LCD which makes it user-friendly.

Supersonic SC805

Has Bluetooth connectivity.

Fully remote controlled.

Compatible with any devices and iPods or iPad as well.

Sleeky design and has manual rotatory buttons for volume.

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