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soupywrites · 3 months ago

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Etched Into My Heart

Craig Cuttlefish, former captain of the NSS, and Octavio Takowasa, DJ and leader of the Octarians, talk about how they got here, in this booth, together once again. (2,782 words)

A cuttletavio fanfiction from a simple soup: I see opportunity for cuttletavio in canon, I write about it :P

Octavio turned back into the booth, grabbing a Team Present T-Shirt and handing it to the little jelly in front of him.

“Here ya go, kid. Don’t go wreaking havoc now, ya hear?” The jelly nodded and ran away happily, leaving a few coins in return for their newest merchandise. He had been asked to run the merch booth by Callie, but he hadn’t known with whom he’d be running it.

The DJ sighed and looked out of the corner of his eye. He saw his partner, his friend, and his sworn enemy, Craig Cuttlefish, handing an Octoling a Team Past T-Shirt. They hadn’t spoken much since Octavio swooped in just in time to save the New Squidbeak Splatoon during the fight with Grizz. A few quick words of gratitude and appreciation were all that was exchanged, and they had yet to address their deeper issues. “Here, squirt. Enjoy the Grand Festival!” Craig enthusiastically cheered the kid on. The Octoling nodded and ran away towards their friends; they were all wearing various team shirts. Octavio smiled at this. He was grateful that the new generation of kids could enjoy each other’s company, squid or octopus, no matter what team they were on. It was refreshing to the king. He turned back to his wasabi sticks and began grating. He focused on listening to the nearby Squid Sisters performance while he did the repetitive task. Grate, collect, compress, and serve. The Squid Sisters are playing the Calamari Inkantation. Grate, collect, compress, and serve. They’re playing the spicy remix. Grate, collect-

“Takowasa.” Octavio squinted in disdain and turned toward the shriveled inkfish beside him, scowling. Craig smiled in apology. “M’sorry. You weren’t responding to anything else.” Octavio grunted and turned back to his wasabi, and Craig sighed and floated down deeper into his chair. Watching his granddaughters, he began humming the song while they sang.

“Y’know, Tavi, I used to love this song. Then, I didn’t. But now, now I do again. It’s nice.”

Silence loomed over them. Octavio groaned. “Fine, I’ll bite. Why’d ya stop?” The DJ pivoted to look at the former captain, who was still staring intently at the Urchin Stage.

“Well, if I tell you, you’ll probably think it’s silly.”

“Nonsense. Y’know I don’t do ‘silly.’” The squid chuckled at this.

“It’s because it reminds me of you. Always has, and I think it always will.” Craig peered over, trying to gauge Octavio’s reaction. The Octoling donned a stern face, as per usual. But his eyes were boring holes into Craig’s as if he was waiting for something.

“Well,” Octavio started. “Go on.”

“Why? You asked, and I answered.” Craig faced the stage again, watching as Callie and Marie were quickly replaced by Deep Cut.

“Don’t start now, Cuttlefish. Don’t start the evasive carp. You know exactly what I’m looking for, here.”

“Y’re right. I do. But I dunno if I wanna tell you.”

Octavio growled under his breath. “Why d’ya always have to be so difficult? We’re sitting in the same booth, for cod’s sake. There’s no one else around; every single inkfish is busy somewhere else. Whatever you’ve gotta say, just say it!”

“Fine,” Craig started. “I loved it once, long ago, because it reminded me of you.” He felt uneasy confessing all this to the warlord. “You, Octavio, were a melody that was deeply ingrained in my heart for a long, cod awful time. Then, history had other plans for us.” He stared off into the distance, not quite focusing on anything specific. Sighing, he continued, “I hated anything to do with you because I was too prideful to admit that I missed you. It was a long time before I’d see you again. Then, you came back. You took the Great Zapfish. And, suddenly, I hated more than just you.”

Octavio was quiet. He put his wasabi sticks down, and he stole a glimpse at the captain’s face. It was tired and full of pain. So much so that the DJ contemplated making him stop talking. Contemplated.

“I also hated the idea of you. I hated knowing that we had become less than what we once were. You weren’t mine anymore. I could no longer call you a friend. It felt like there was nothing left. And, Octavio, when I laid down to die, thinking that I’d never wake up again, thinking that that damned bear was going to steal my life away, I thought about you. And I missed you. And I finally admitted it to myself. I, Craig Cuttlefish, had missed you all that time.”

Craig closed his eyes in thought, slouching further into the chair. He took a deep breath, and, after a moment of silence, started again.

“I missed you so much, Tavi, that thinking about you in that moment hurt more than having the life sucked outta me. Did ya know that, Takowasa? That you had stolen my heart?” There was no answer. “Anyway, being alive after all that really changes an Inkling. Not just what that Grizz fella did. But surviving the war. Surviving the metro. Surviving you. I realized that, for as long as I was lucky, and as long as I was alive, I’d always hear your melodies somewhere. Whether in the Canyon, or on the radio, or up in space. You were obnoxiously everywhere, Octavio. Octavio,” Craig opened his eyes fully now, looking back at the Octoling, who was staring at the Urchin Stage, an unreadable expression on his face. “Look at me. Please.”

Octavio turned to Craig, his eyes wet. Craig smiled. “Thanks. I was starting to think I was pouring this all out to nobody.” No response, but the king never took his eyes off the captain. “When you came to help us up in space, Octavio, I remembered what made me miss you all along. You were always stubborn. But you always cared. I knew you did, somewhere deep down. And hearing those girls sing the Inkantation, watching Lil’ Buddy transform due to the sheer power of some simple song, reminded me of you. And I felt as if it etched itself into my heart again for the very first time.”

Octavio took his glasses off and set them on the counter of the booth they shared. Craig tapped his tentacle, as dry and brittle as it is, on the table, lost in thought. Then, he began to smile.

“That’s when I started loving it again. I started loving it again because I started loving you again. No, that’s not the truth; I never stopped loving you. But, for the first time since the last time, I let myself love you.” Cuttlefish laughed an airy laugh, and, for a moment, he reminded Octavio of when they were young. “You probably think I’m such a sap,” he said.

“I always have,” Octavio replied. There was a pause in the conversation.

“But, yeah, you’ve changed a lot, Tavi. But you’ve also changed me. Thanks for that.”

Octavio, for the first time since he was asked not to, looked away from the Inkling. He stared off into the distance, hearing Pearl and Marina singing Color Pulse. Time passed all too slowly.

“You have nothing to thank me for,” he finally spat out, voice rough.

“On the contrary, old friend.” Craig tentatively put a tentacle on one of Octavio’s. He didn’t protest. “I have everything to thank you for.”

Octavio looked at Craig, who now had a single tear falling down his cheek.

“You were my everything,” Craig whispered, voice cracking slightly at the confession. Octavio hesitated before wiping away the tear on the inkling’s face.

“You did a lotta bad, Craig. A lot of it.”

“I know.”

Octavio stared at him deeper. “I did a lotta wrong. You did a lotta wrong. But, despite that, I never let you go. I don’t know why. It’s like ya found a way to stay in my heart, regardless of the incessant pain that caused me. Maybe it knew that, one day, I’d let myself love you, too.” Octavio turned away, rubbing his eyes. “Cod, now you’ve got me all sappy. Y’know I’m not one for that carp.”

Craig didn’t answer. He just stared at Octavio. And then, he smiled. And then, he laughed. He laughed so hard that the Octoling wondered if his old body could even handle that.

“Geez,” he started in between breaths. “What happened to us?” Craig asked, his happy demeanor changing to one of sorrow.

“You know that answer.”

“Great, now it’s your turn to be all mysterious. Don’t start the evasive carp, Tavi. Y’know exactly what I’m getting at, here.”

“You’re right, I do know. But I don’t think I wanna say it.”

“C’mon, Octavio! Why d’ya always have to be so difficult? For cod’s sake, we’re sitting in the same booth. There’s no one else around, and everyone is busy somewhere else. Whatever you’ve gotta say, just say it to me now.”

“Fine,” Octavio started. “But don’t expect nothin’ pretty. Y’know I’m not good with words.”

“That’s the way we work, Tavi. I write the lyrics, you play the melody.” Craig grinned.

“Yeah, yeah. Shut up and let me suffer this through in peace.” The DJ sighed before beginning. “I guess we happened to ourselves. We had jobs to do, Craig. We had people to protect, even if that meant protecting them from each other. I’ll always regret that, y’know. Not trying harder to stop it all from happening. I was the coddamn king. I could’ve done more, but I was scared. Pathetic.”

“I don’t think that’s pathetic,” Craig said. “What more could you have done? We were young, Octavio. Much younger than we are now, that’s f’sure.”

“Great, reminded once again that I’m an old man,” Octavio said. Craig snorted at this. “Anyway. I hated you so much. I wanted nothing to do with you, and while it was probably easier for me, it was still so hard. And it hurt. I wanted you to hurt, too. I thought you didn’t care like I did. So I buried it all down deep. I forgot about us, the way we used to be, as best as I could. That was easier than trying to fix what was broken because of a war. Cod, the war. The stupid, stupid war. And then, my people, Craig. They were dying. Suffering. And I blamed you for it, because that was easier than trying to fix what was broken. It was easier to steal than to try and ask for help, for a truce. Would you have even given that a chance, Craig? A truce?”

Craig closed his eyes and frowned, thinking. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” The DJ raised his voice at the captain, face contorting with anger. “You don’t know if I had come to you, on my knees, begging for your help, at my absolute lowest point, you’d help me? If you’d help my people?” Octavio’s voice broke, and he looked away from Craig, taking his tentacle back. “That’s the problem, Craig. You never knew. You just- you never once tried to make a truce with me. Why?”

“Because, like you, I was scared. Pathetic, huh?” Craig stifled a sob, looking down. “I don’t know if I would’ve had it in me then to let go of the past, to let go of my pride. But I know now, that now I would do whatever you asked of me, Octavio. I would do anything you wish.”

Octavio remained quiet, Shiver’s singing seemingly cutting through the silence every so often.

“I know now, Craig, with certainty, what happened to us,” Octavio said. “We happened to us.”

“Yeah,” Craig murmured. “I guess we did.”

Silence. The sounds of the crowds became background noise compared to the thoughts racing through their respective heads.

“I have one wish I want t’ask of you, Cuttlefish.”

“Name it. Anything within my ability is yours, Octavio.”

“Good. I wish for you to forgive yourself, Craig Cuttlefish. I’m done thinking about the past. It stings, and it will for the rest of time. But that’s all it is now: a stinging pain in the background. We have so much left to live for, Craig. No use in dwelling on our mistakes any longer.”

Craig couldn’t bring himself to look at Octavio. Silent tears fell down onto the sandy floor of the booth. “I don’t think that one’s in my able-to-grant list, Octavio. Not yet.”

Octavio sighed and rubbed his face with a tentacle. “When will it be?” He grumbled.

“I don’t know.”

“That’s the problem, Craig. You never know. You just don’t. It’s a bad habit, Craig. To not know.”

“I know.”

“Then, you should also know how to forgive yourself.”

“But I don’t.” Craig mumbled. “I don’t think I ever will.”

“Thinking can be changed. You’ve changed, haven’t you? Time to change s’more. Forgive yourself, Craig.” Octavio was pleading at this point, which he found embarrassing; why was he trying to comfort his greatest enemy?

“I can’t, Octavio! I can’t. You’re asking too much of me too soon.”

“Too soon? It’s been a century, Craig. If not for yourself, then for me. Forgive yourself.” Octavio knew why, now. He was trying to comfort his greatest enemy because his heart hoped there was still a chance to reclaim what once was.

They were silent, and Craig’s face was still wet with tears. His expression hardened, and he locked eyes with the commander, the king, the DJ. The Octoling. The enemy. His enemy. His friend. His… lover? No, not his lover. Not anymore. But, just maybe, one day they can be again.

“I’ll forgive myself, Octavio Takowasa, if you forgive yourself.”

Octavio’s face softened slightly; it was in a way that only Craig would have noticed.

“I think I can make that happen.” Octavio grabbed one of Craig’s tentacles and squeezed it, keeping a hold on it. They held eye contact, a silent promise to be better for each other.

“OMCOD, ARE YOU TWO GONNA KISS?!” The two quickly shifted their attention to the young Cuttlefish cousins holding two bowls of noodles from a stand across the pathway.

“Now, now, Callie Cuttlefish! That is no way to speak to your elders!” Craig scolded.

“Sorry, Gramps. But I knew this was a great idea, putting you two together!” Callie motioned to their interlocked tentacles. “Clearly, you two are getting along better than I’d planned.”

“Clearly, you are getting ahead of yourself, young lady.” But their tentacles never left the other’s.

“Yeah, Cal. Gramps is right; yelling at two old men to kiss is slightly inappropriate, albeit situationally appropriate.” Marie smirked at Callie before her expression returned to neutral. “By the way, we figured we’d bring you something to eat on our break.” She and Callie placed the bowls on the counter.

“I didn’t know you two even got breaks,” Octavio quipped. “That’s why I prefer the DJ lifestyle; outta the public eye like that.” He nodded to himself. Callie rolled her eyes.

“That would only be applicable if you weren’t also a king,” she remarked.

“Well, I never mentioned being a king, did I?”

“Ughhh!”

Octavio laughed at her disgruntlement, and he smiled to himself, remembering when he felt the same way about his own performer life. His old life. One with Craig in it by his side. His smile softened at that thought. He could still have that if fate willed itself to be so. If Craig wanted that, too. Suddenly, a jelly ran up to the idols, holding out a tablet and frantically jumping in the air. Marie bent down, grabbed the tablet, and read what was on it, cursing under her breath. She motioned for Callie to read it, who subsequently cursed under her own breath, and both of them said quick goodbyes before quickly leaving towards the main stage. Octavio and Craig sat alone in silence, once again relying on background noise to fill the auditory void.

“Hey, Craig,” Octavio started softly in the now relenting quiet. “You did good with those two, y’know that?”

“I didn’t do much,” he said, smiling. “They’ve always seemed to know everything.”

They fell back into silence. There were so many unsaid words, but neither of them made an effort to speak them into existence. Finally, Craig sighed.

“Hey, Tavi,” Craig started softly. “Y’know how I’m officially on Team Past, and you’re officially on Team Present?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Well,” he began. “I think that while separately we may be on different teams, together we are on one: Team Future.”

Octavio deliberated for a moment and then smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.”

“I missed you, Octavio.”

“I missed you, too, Craig.”

Author’s Notes: Hihi, if you made it this far tysm for reading! I saw the two sitting in the booth together and wondered how that even happened canonically lol. Anyways, likes & reblogs are appreciated but ofc not mandatory. I hope I brought some joy into your day!

- Soupy

P.S.: which of the devs decided to put them together anyway, give them a raise NOW

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shakingparadigm · 8 months ago

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Btw have you listened to any covers by the alstg VA? Do you have any favorites ? Just got reminded bcs omg new akugetsu cover 😮!

SO FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU. it's amazing to get this ask actually because just this morning I was drafting a post about the ALNST VAs and how good they are! They're all so talented, and they fit their roles perfectly. I truly couldn't imagine anyone else playing their roles!

Here's a favorite cover/song of mine from each VA!

(Note: These are all just based on my personal preference, and I haven't gone very deep into each VA's discography yet save for a few. These are just the covers that I listen to most frequently! Please forgive my basic ass taste btw)

Russian Roulette (Red Velvet) by Rubyeye (Mizi's VA)!

I'm gonna be honest, I'm a very simple person. Russian Roulette is just a very cute song! And I think it suits Mizi so well, all bright, bubbly and candy sweet (at least in rhythm)!

I love hearing Rubyeye's voice no matter where it is honestly, she's rather versatile! In ALIEN STAGE, Mizi often sings slower ballads (My Clematis), or in her lower, more mature voice (Ruler of My Heart). She sounds absolutely gorgeous of course, but Rubyeye's voice in more energetic songs is such a joy to hear as well!

My second favorite Rubyeye cover is actually the Mizi version of UTTE! Can you tell that I love hearing Rubyeye's more energetic covers. Can you tell yet. I know it's very unpopular, but I love Mizi UTTE so much. The way that she sings is so incredibly charming to me, she has a lot of spunk in this cover! I love how she sang "ain't nobody but!" I honestly love that lyric more in Mizi's version than I do in the original! It holds a lot of character which I adore.

Catch You Catch Me (Cardcaptor Sakura OP) by C!nah (Sua's VA)!

Once again, I am a simple person. I can't resist a cute and sweet cover.

C!nah's light and angelic voice fits so well into this song! It sounds absolutely lovely. Plus I already loved the song beforehand, so I might be a bit biased lol

C!nah's voice in general is so unique. It has such an clear and airy quality to it! They picked such a perfect voice for Sua.

My second favorite C!nah cover is Sua's version of ROMH! I adore how Sua sings like a whisper. Her voice brings such a haunting feel to the song.

LILAC (IU) City Pop Cover by 6FU;

Being honest, my favorite 6FU; song is actually Drunk and Party.

But if we're talking covers, this one might just be my favorite due to how shocked I was upon listening to it.

Hyuna has a very energetic and rough voice, with such a strong and unique tone. I was expecting it when clicking on this cover, which was why I was pleasantly surprised to hear a much smoother, calmer voice.

And it's beautiful! I haven't listened to much from 6FU; yet, so I might find some new favorites once I do. For now, I'll keep listening to this cover over and over again.

Sweet Dream (Luka Version) by BL8M (Luka's VA)!

OKAY I know this already an Alien Stage song. I don't know if it counts but I'm putting here anyway because GOD.

THE TONE AND TEXTURE OF HIS VOICE. I'M IN AWE.

Was absolutely floored listening to this for the first time. I actually ascended

BL8M is actually one of the songwriters for ALIEN STAGE, and he sang the demo for this song!

You can really hear his expertise. He owns this song.

My "the worst person you know has the voice of an angel" post was literally about this I was going insane

THE WAY HE SANG THE PRECHORUS. THE "save me please" OUHHH...

They couldn't have picked anyone better for Luka. He literally kills every song he sings.

유우리(優里) - 베텔기우스(ベテルギウス) by PARK BYEONG HOON (Ivan's VA)!

PBH's wonderfully rich and deep voice. What a blessing.

I love how soft he sounds in the beginning of most of his covers, slowly growing in intensity until he's fully expressing the song.

The ranges he uses in this cover are so nice to listen to. I love the switching between his deeper lower voice and his soft higher voice.

Thinking about Ivan's voice in CURE and how it's probably going to sound more anguished and desperate than this makes me sick btw.

Anyways please listen to this cover he deserves the support.

Um. My other favorite PBH cover is umm. uh. The short clip of a MANIAC (Stray Kids) cover he posted on Twitter.

GUYS DID YOU FUCKING HEAR THAT ONE. CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT IT??!!! HIS VOICE. THE BASS. FUCK.

I actually went insane. Finally got to hear Ivan's lower, rougher voice and I was shocked to my core. Life changing.

Cistus (KOUSEI) by AKUGETSU (Till's VA)!

HERE WE ARE. MY FAVORITE.

So this technically isn't a cover. It's an original song that AKUGETSU sang vocals for. Sorry. I'm just so obsessed I needed to share it.

IT'S SOOO FUCKING GOOD. SERIOUSLY.

Of all the ALNST VA's I've probably listened to AKUGETSU the most (sorry. Till bias) and this song is still probably one of my absolute favorites from him.

JUST LISTEN TO IT. The guitar in the intro. The quieter vocals in the first verse that build up to a BURST of sound in the chorus. The way he enunciates everything is perfect.

AKUGETSU is such a seasoned singer. He really knows how to work his voice and knock a song out of the park. It's genuinely addicting.

This song is such a fucking banger. Till would sing this. GOD IM SO OBSESSED WITH THIS SONG.

Another absolute banger from AKUGETSU is his cover of I'm Invincible (Ado)! I love the way his voice moves, going high and low in the same line. He's such a dynamic singer.

I adore how AKUGETSU brings an energetic rock vibe to every song he sings. His voice is such a standout.

Sorry for the long ass answer! I love all the ALNST VAs and I really hope they continue to flourish! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about them 🙏

#alnst #alien stage #alien stage vas #alien stage till #alien stage mizi #alien stage sua #alien stage luka #alien stage ivan #alien stage hyuna #asks

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girl-next-door-writes · 1 year ago

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You Matter To Me

Characters: Steve Harington x reader

Summary: A shared moment before heading into the Upside Down where you and Steve both reflect on what is important.

Word Count: 1000 words

Prompt: You Matter To Me

A/N: I have been going through some ‘real world’ stuff recently and this song showed up on my radar again and despite the million fics I have to write I felt this needed to be written. It isn’t perfect, I couldn’t find all the words, but if you are reading this then I want you to know that you matter.

Nobody should have this much pressure placed on them, and yet he had taken it almost willingly. The role of leader, of protector, it weighed heavy on his shoulders, and although he hid it well, there were flashes of the truth hidden in those beautiful, soulful eyes; eyes you could happily get lost in, even on the worst days, perhaps especially on the worst days. Their warm richness comforting, even though the slivers of profound sadness swam in their depths. Each horror he had witnessed haunted him, words left unsaid and yet screaming as the two of you looked at each other. Insecurity, doubt, the fragility of his carefully crafted self-confident persona swam in those sad eyes, shattering your heart into a million pieces.

There were no words. The painful realization that nothing said could make things any better, caused a deep ache in your soul. Taking a seat beside him, you simply shuffled closer, tucking yourself into his side and slipping your hand into his. Interlacing your fingers, you looked down at your hands, silently vowing to stay right there by his side for as long as he would let you.

This beautiful boy had gotten under your skin, and although your emotions for him were largely undefined, he mattered to you. He was important. He was…irrevocably connected to you. How do you even begin to tell someone that? It isn’t as simple as those three overused words, and it was deeper than a romantic desire. You saw him, just as he truly was, and knew that he was enough, that your life was infinitely improved by his existence. Did he know that? Was he aware of how he touched everyone’s life? You felt an almost overwhelming desire to grip him by the shoulders and shake him until he understood that he was so much more than he believed; that he truly did matter. But instead, the two of you sat in silence, holding hands and watching the others preparing.

Steve stole a glance at you, allowing himself a moment to just be a nineteen-year-old boy, sitting holding hands with someone he cared about. It was a little addictive spending time with you. There was just something about the way you listened to him, like you heard all the parts he didn’t say out loud, and you didn’t think he was stupid or broken.

He had a close friendship with Robin, he adored his best friend, and then there were the ‘kids’, and Nancy; well, the Nancy thing was complicated. Now he also had Eddie… All these people depending on him, needing him to step up and take the lead. There was a part of him that wanted to run, to just get in his car and drive away from this hellhole and start over. If he’d gone to college then he wouldn’t be here for this shit, this would be someone else’s problem. The guilt of that thought gnawed at him and he subconsciously squeezed your hand. He was scared, but he knew he couldn’t turn his back, he would never forgive himself.

There was something different about this fight, a shadow in the back of his mind that said they might not all make it. Looking around at his friends, he felt his heart clench. They all mattered. Dustin would probably go on to cure some deadly disease or figure out a way for everyone to live on the moon or some shit. Lucas, he had a shot at becoming a pro athlete, if he focused. Nancy had a bright future as a journalist maybe, blowing the lid off government corruption and saving people… Each and every one of them had such potential to make a real difference in the world. The only person he could even consider disposable in the grand scheme of things, was himself. This might be the one thing, the moment where he might be of some importance, making sure the rest of them got through.

He was brought out of his thoughts by your head resting on his shoulder. It was such a small gesture but it grounded him, and he found himself leaning down, his cheek pressing against your hair as he closed his eyes.

“Steve?” Your voice was so quiet that he could easily have imagined that you had spoken.

“Yeah?”

“You matter to me. More than all this. More than most people.” Your words hung in the air between the two of you and he felt a tear roll down his cheek.

“Thanks.”

“I mean it. Don’t go doing anything ‘heroic’, because if something happens to you then I’m just gonna have to make a deal with the devil, or bring you back as a zombie or something, and then you’ll be screwed. You will feel my wrath.”

“Your wrath?” he chuckled, an eyebrow raising in amusement as he opened his eyes again.

“Yes, my wrath. I will be incredibly pissed at you for doing something so stupid, and for leaving me, and then making me learn voodoo so I can bring you back to yell at you.”

“Yeah, that does seem like it might be a bit of a hassle.”

“A major one. So, just promise me you will try your best to see me on the other side of all this because, for some fucked up reason Harrington, you really matter to me.”

“Okay.” He said softly, his fingers playing with yours as he took your words to heart. Turning his head slightly, he placed a gentle kiss to the top of your head and let out a deep sigh. “And, for the record, you matter to me too.”

You didn’t reply, you didn’t have to. It was obvious that the feelings between the two of you were simultaneously infinitely complex and so simple. Hopefully there would be time to explore each and every nuance of what it meant to matter to each other, but for now, Steve was content to just sit beside you and feel.

#Steve Harrington #Steve Harrington x reader #gndw fic

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i-am-beckyu · 2 years ago

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My Monster to Slay

WOOOOOOO! I DID IT! 8K+ WORDS! Here it is! My 100 follower fic special! Thank you all for 100 followers on my blog! I love you all so much and can’t believe we actually hit such a big milestone! You guys all mean so much to me and I love that you guys like what I create! So without further a do, enjoy! cw: abandonment, child abuse, minor gore scene but no one dies (just a rando animal), fear, fear of death, panic and anxiety, fluff, hurt/comfort, and happy endings (you know me ❤️) word count: 8856

Disclaimer! This story is based on the characters of the Dream SMP and not the real life content creators. Anything that occurs in this story is purely fiction and should be treated as such. Thank you.

It was common knowledge that no one was to enter the Forest on the West end gate of the Village. Those who went in, never came out. What was beyond the shadowy cover of thick foliage was unknown, and those who dared enter were considered dead. So of course Tommy took an instant interest, when it was sung by a bard at the Winter Festival.

Within the forest of the dark twisted wood, A place no one can go, or ever should.

Lies a creature of mischief, filled with dire deceit, Who wanders the woods, hunting to eat.

To the people who enter, full of pride and valour, Though they see themself brave, will all hide and cower.

For the creature that lurks knows your presence is near. It finds all who venture, through the smell of their fear.

And as it speaks, hot breathe spilling from their chin, You know you’ve lost from its treacherous grin.

So listen to my tale, I tell all to thee Leave the forest alone, let what’s within just be.

For all who enter have never come out. Each one a strike, in the beast's victim count.

Well if one song could scream ‘danger’ it was this one, and danger was Tommy’s middle name! The boy at 12 years old knew an adventure when he saw one! A strange unknown setting shrouded in mystery with a potential target to slay? Oh what a perfect opportunity to prove himself to the people of the village if he could bring back the head of whatever lived within the Forest. He’s seen many hunters bring back the heads of deadly creatures from beyond the village walls, and be praised for their services and bravery in protecting the village. But to bring back the head of a menacing monster, preventing the village from expanding their assets to the forest would surely result in an entire parade to celebrate his conquest!

The young boy had eagerly gathered his satchel and a wooden sword before rushing to the West end gate. He would prove his worth, he would!!! For no one is greater than the one and only Tommy Danger Kraken Innit! But of course a quest for glory was not one so simple. The West end gate to the Forest was sealed off and had been un-open nor used for a long time. Heavy reinforced iron gates were chained and locked at their operating point, to prevent anyone from venturing out, or anything from getting in. But would this stop the great Tommyinnit? NO! Using all his might, he tried to break the chains, pouring all this strength into breaking the chains with his wooden sword. But after the 13th or 14th try, he decided to spare the chain and look for an alternative exit.

“You win this battle chain…” the young boy had muttered, as he began to search the surrounding walls.

One benefit of the West end gate being so unused was that the walls weren’t attended to or maintained as well as other sections. So it wasn’t long before Tommy had found a gap just big enough for him to squeeze through and onto the otherside. Before him lay the Forest, the tree cover casting an eerie dark shadow. A last chance effort to keep intruders away. Repositioning his satchel, Tommy took a deep breath in and marched forward into the forest's depths, ignoring how his heart pounded as he began to journey deeper into the heart of the Forest. He would find the Beast, and he’d kill it.

After walking for a while, the thick foliage began to even out and soon light was pouring through the treetops, giving its surrounding a soft, almost magical glow. Seeing this himself, Tommy’s heart slowed as he relaxed and found himself enjoying his new found surroundings. What a wonderful place this would be for the villagers to explore when he returned a hero! When he found a wide enough open clearing, only then did he stop. He’d heard hunters say the best place to find creatures or monsters to battle would be to lure them out into a big open space, and create a false sense of security of having their foe in the open, all the while preparing a surprise attack themselves. When he felt he was ready, Tommy raised his hands to cup around his mouth before shouting:

“HEY! BIG UGLY MONSTER!!! HERE I AM! COME FIGHT ME!!!”

He waited a moment, listening intently for the inevitable sound of the monster approaching, but was met with silence. Well that’s okay. They’re probably doing Monster things and are busy. Tommy could wait. He’d be patient if it meant he’d get to make the village proud.

But as the minutes ticked by, Tommy’s calls were all but left unanswered. He didn’t understand. What could a monster possibly be doing that was more important than battling him?

“HELLOOOO! MONSTER?? I’M WAITING FOR YOU TO COME FIGHT ME!” He called again.

Suddenly a crack sounded from behind him, and Tommy whirled around to face the direction of the noise, hands perched on the hilt of his wooden sword prepared to draw it at a moment's notice.

“FINALLY! I’ve been waiting ages for you to show up!” He said in relief before his eyes settled upon a figure.

Before him stood a tall man with curly brown hair in a long worn trench coat. Upon his nose were gold circle framed glasses that highlighted his sharp glimmering amber eyes.

“You’re not a monster.” He stated blankly, as his face crinkled into confusion.

The man gave him a crooked smile. “I’m afraid not.” He said, his voice melodic in a way. “What are you doing in the Forest little one?”

“I’m not a child and I’m here to battle the monster. Isn’t it obvious?” Tommy said huffing, crossing his arms in annoyance. The man looked him up and down before a smirk appeared on their face.

“I’m not sure a wooden sword is going to be very effective then.” they mused. “Unless the monster you plan on battling is a rabbit.”

Tommy gasped in offense.

“You dare underestimate the power of the Great Tommyinnit?”

“Well I’m just not sure it would be very effective on anything else.” The man replied, stepping more into the clearing. Tommy drew his sword and raised it pointed at the annoying man, as he spoke with confidence.

“It’d be pretty effective at beating up a Wrong-un like you.”

The man burst out laughing as he doubled over slightly clutching his middle as he did so.

“What on earth is a wrong-un?”

“People like you thinking amazing people like me are weak. I’ll have you know I’m the strongest man alive d*******.” Tommy squawked in retaliation to the still laughing man as he tried to compose himself.

“Sure sure. You’re definitely the greatest man alive!” The man said as he began to calm down.

“I’m sorry for thinking otherwise.”

“As you should be. No one messes with Tommy and gets away with it.”

Tommy re-sheathed his sword as the man continued. “So why are you in the Forest to battle a supposed monster? I thought no one was allowed in here?”

“If I kill the monster and bring back its head to the village, I’ll be treated as a hero and praised by everyone!” Tommy replied eagerly, striking a heroic pose as he did so.

The strange man's brows furrowed slightly as he looked at Tommy in concern, but Tommy didn’t notice as he continued on. “Then people will like me and I won’t be alone anymore!”

“Did they send you in here?” The man asked.

“Nope! I snuck out here all on my own! I had finished all my chores for the day and I wanted to prove myself!” Tommy said proudly. “Why are you out here though? Wait, are you here to battle the monster too?”

“No, I actually live here.” The man said, raising an arm to scratch the back of his head as he looked away sheepishly.

“You live here???” Tommy replied eagerly, practically bouncing on the balls of his heels. “Have you seen it?”

“Once.” The man began, eyes drifting down to look into the boy's sparkling wide blue eyes. “It’s not safe to be out here, but I’ve lived here a long time and know this area well. The monster does not come to this part of the forest often.”

Tommy’s heart sank. He’d spent so long waiting and the monster barely ever even came to this area? How could he fight them if they never show up? And he couldn’t really journey much further than this either or he would be unable to get back to the Village.

“Oh.” He said flatly, his shoulders deflating at the realization. The man came forward towards Tommy, stopping till he was just in front of him. They towered over the small boy.

“I guess the monster might come back one day..” They sighed. Tommy’s face lit up.

“Really??” he said brightly. “You think so?” The man shrugged his shoulders, giving him a knowing smile.

“Can I keep coming back until it does?” Tommy asked. The man thought for a moment, looking as if they were debating heavily with themself.

“I guess so.” Yes! Success! He still had a chance then. With that answer settled, Tommy gathered himself up and turned to leave.

“I will be back tomorrow then!” He declared proudly, a bright determined smile plastered across his face.

“See you tomorrow then Tommy.” The man said, turning to watch the small boy leave.

“See you tomorrow uh, um. What’s your name?” Tommy asked, embarrassed that he hadn’t asked sooner.

“Wilbur. Wilbur Soot.” The man- Wilbur replied.

“See ya tomorrow Wilbur!”

As promised, Tommy returned to the same clearing upon finishing his chores and waited for the monster to arrive. Just as before he called out for them and waited for them to appear. Nothing. That’s okay. Wilbur said they didn’t come around alot. He could wait. He would slay the monster!

A little while later, Wilbur appeared. Almost a little shocked to see Tommy at all, as if he didn’t expect them to return. But upon seeing the excited young boy, joined him in the clearing to wait.

“Any sign of them?” Wilbur asked.

“Not yet.” Tommy replied, as he scanned the surrounding tree line once more.

“HEY MONSTER! IT’S ME! TOMMYINNIT! COME GET ME!” he yelled once more.

“Ouch. Give a guy a little warning before you do that.” Wilbur yelped, clutching his ears. “I’ve got sensitive ears.”

“Oops. Sorry. I’ll try to remember next time.” Tommy replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

“So how do you plan to beat this monster?” Wilbur asked inquisitively.

“Well when they get here, I’m gonna cuss them out for taking so long! Then I’ll draw my sword and slice them into tiny little pieces!” Tommy stated proudly, drawing his sword and posing dramatically, his weapon held high in the air. Wilbur laughed at the funny sight before him, as Tommy turned around to face him, stomping his foot in annoyance.

“Oi! Quit laughing ya b****!” he said, as he marched over a little way away from the man, stopping next to a tree to sit on the mossy ground.

“So, what's your favourite colour?” Tommy asked, wanting to change the topic.

“Blue. Yours?”

“Red.” They sat in comfortable silence for a bit.

“You got a favourite animal?” Wilbur asked.

“Cows are pretty cool.”

“Cows? Seriously?” Wilburs face contorted into an amused look.

“Hey cows are pretty intelligent alright? What about you? It’s probably something dumb like a squirrel.”

“Mmm no but I like rabbits. They taste pretty good.” Tommy turned to Wilbur and gasped.

“I meant that you like to look at or find interesting! Not to f***** eat!!!”

“What! I’m just being honest.” The man said at least looking a little guilty. “I’ve gotta eat something out here! Besides, it's not like you don’t eat cows!”

Tommy fake gasped. “I would never eat a sweet innocent cow. They’re so endedible and loveable!”

“I bet you’ve eaten beef in the last week.” Wilbur said, giving Tommy a knowing look as he rested his head into his hand, propped up on his knee.

“No…. I definitely didn’t...” Tommy said looking away, face going slightly red as he fiddled with his hands.

“At least I don’t think it was beef…” Wilbur just grinned.

“Alright alright. How about an animal you dislike? Mine’s an Anteater.”

“What’s wrong with Anteaters?” Tommy questioned.

“Oh Tommy. What’s not wrong with Anteaters?”

(\_(\ (\_/) ? (ง•-•)ง ? (•-• ) ? o/ | | \o ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It continued on like this for several days. Tommy would finish his chores around the village, then journey into the forest clearing and call for the monster where he waited. And not long after calling for the monster, would Wilbur appear and help call for the monster too. When they weren’t doing that, most of their time was spent chatting. Well mostly Tommy, with his rambles as he practiced his sword fighting skills, whilst Wilbur watched the wild child wave his treasured wooden sword around. Sometimes he would relax and nap in the warm sun's rays as the child spoke whatever was on their mind. Occasionally, Wilbur would manage to get Tommy to come sit still with him and would hum a melody or sing and a made up song, whilst running a hand through his blonde curls. The man had a soothing voice and it was almost hypnotic in a way. Tommy wished he could listen to it forever.

Days turned to weeks and soon Tommy was spending almost all his time in the Forest, and while he still called for the monster to fight, he found himself going for a different reason. Wilbur. Tommy had become attached to the man. The man had a gentle presence and treated him in a way that not many in the village did. He treated him with kindness, joy, caring and what could almost be affection, from how often the man insisted they hug before he left after coming to know him. But he couldn’t complain when secretly he loved it. Part of him almost wanted to stay with the man and never leave. But that could not be. He had a mission! Kill the monster and return a hero! That was his mission, his quest! But maybe when he did, Wilbur could come too?

He’d asked the man once before about it, his answer being that the village didn’t really like people like him, so he chose to stay away. Tommy wondered if it was because maybe he’d messed up too many times and the villagers had kicked him out? When Tommy made mistakes, he’d get punished pretty badly. Some nights he’d go to sleep covered in bruises and dried blood. But that’s okay! He’d complete his quest and return as a hero and then never be punished again. But if that was the same reason why the village didn’t like Wilbur, he thought that returning a hero with him would perhaps fix all that? Yes! That would definitely fix everything. How could it possibly not?

It was just another normal day for Tommy, as the young boy made his way to the usual clearing. He'd brought a pastry with him today that the nice baker lady had given him, for him helping her bring the flour bag order into the shop. He set his satchel down and cupped his hands around his mouth as he hollered his challenge to surrounding forest foliage.

“HEY MONSTER!!! IT’S TOMMYINNIT! I’M READY TO FIGHT YOU B****!”

He was about to call again when a rustle of leaves from behind him had him turning on his heels.

“Wilbur!” He called cheerily, not expecting the man to appear so soon.

“You’re here ear-ly…” The words died in the boy's throat as his eyes widened to see not Wilbur stepping into the clearing.

Stood before him huffing in a steaming cloud of rage, was a giant black boar with piercing red eyes. Tommy drew his sword, hands tight around the hilt, trembling slightly at the fierce animal before him. He could do this. He’d been waiting for a monster after all. This was just a uh- a warm up! Yeah a very big, scary looking warm up. But as the boar let out a menacing growl, and Tommy’s fear growing by the second, he took a step back. He-he couldn’t do this. Tommy’s hands loosened on the wooden sword, allowing it to drop to the grass floor below him. The boar taking this moment as its time to charge. Tommy sprinted for dear life. What was he thinking? That he could take on what was supposed to be a terrifying man eating monster alone and win? He’d bought a flippen damn wooden stick to a boss fight! And he wasn’t even trying to escape the supposed monster. It was just some ugly Boar!

Tears began to stream down Tommy’s face. He didn’t know what to do. The Boar was quickly gaining on him and he had no idea where he was going. He didn’t have a decent weapon and he was getting tired quickly. So he did the only thing he could think of and screamed.

“WILBUR! WILBUR HELP!!!” He shouted over and over again, in hopes the man was somewhere nearby and would be able to help.

“SOMEONE?! ANYONE?! PLEASE!!!”

Tommy kept running. He could feel the hot breath of the Boar growing on the back of his neck as the sound of hooves got closer and closer. He was managing to dodge his way out of the approaching jaws of the furious animal, but for how much longer?

Tommy’s luck seemed to have run out, as he soon found himself cornered at the bottom of an overhanging cliffside. He scrambled about looking for a way up, someplace to hide, ANYTHING to help him escape his impending doom, but ultimately was left with nothing. The Boar slowed its approach, knowing its prey had finally been caught.

“WILBUR PLEASE!! WHERE ARE YOU?!?” He shrieked in desperation; one last time.

“Please.” he barely whispered as he backed himself up against the cliffside wall, breathing heavily as he braced his arms against the rocky stone walls. He heard the Boar grunting and scraping the ground, a sign it was about to charge and deliver the final blow. He scrunched his eyes firmly shut and braced for the end. He didn’t want to see it coming.

Suddenly something hit the ground with a heavy thud, creating a small shockwave, causing Tommy to be knocked to the ground from the impact. A blood curdling shriek along with terrified squeals were sent into the air, instantly followed by the sound of several loud cracks and hissing. Tommy lifted his head up and wiped his face of dirt from the ground, slightly dazed from the harsh fall. Tommy’s eyes widened in terror. Before him was a giant brown and yellowish scaled tail. His head followed the scales up, anxiety growing of what was to come as he looked on to where the tail turned to the back of a human torso, of a man with curly brown hair atop of their head. Tommy’s heart stopped as realization struck him.

A Naga.

That was his monster.

But before him is Wilbur.

Wilbur was a Naga.

His Monster is Wilbur.

The monster he’d been calling for and patiently waiting all this time to come, had been Wilbur the entire time.

There was no doubt in his mind that now that the secret about Wilburs’ true form was out, would have them turn tail and devour Tommy alive. After all, that must be why he had come. They probably didn’t want their free meal to be snatched up by some other predator. The Naga had known the entire time why Tommy was in the forest. They knew Tommy wanted his head for the glory it would bring, but had indulged in his wild fantasies. They were probably letting him live till they got bored. That made the most logical sense. Besides, everyone always gets fed up with him eventually. It's how he ended up an orphaned street rat in the first place. People just put up with him till they’re sick of him, then make him get lost. It's why this hurt so much more. Because instead of being abandoned, Tommy knew he was going to be devoured.

Slowly, Tommy struggled to his feet. He had to get out of here. He couldn’t die. He had to escape! He just had too! The Naga was still turned away from Tommy, the now dead Boar hanging limply in its grasp. Ever so quietly, Tommy crept along the side of the cliff wall, around the Naga. He couldn’t afford to be seen. He kept his head and shoulders down and tried to blend in with the wall, doing his best effort to be as unnoticeable as possible. He was almost in the clear when he glanced back at the Naga. He froze in place. Tommy watched as a giant fist raised the dead Boar up in the air, as the Naga opened its giant mouth. Sharp fangs glistened in the sun as he watched them drop the entire dead animal in the awaiting maw, only to snap it shut and swallow the entire thing whole. Tommy watched in horror, as the large bulge of the boar traveled down the Nagas throat. A thin pink tongue slithered out of its mouth and licked its lips in satisfaction. Oh Prime, he needed to leave NOW.

But one wrong step was all it took for a twig to snap sharply beneath Tommy’s foot. The sound rang out loudly in his ears. He didn’t need to look down to realize his mistake. Oh so comically slowly, Tommy turned to face the monster. The Naga’s head had snapped to meet his own, its amber eyes nothing but thin slits. However, upon seeing Tommy, their gaze softened.

“Thank Prime you’re okay.” the Naga said, releasing a heavy sigh.

“I was so worried when I heard you calling that I-” They began to say as they turned to move forward.

Tommy bolted.

“WAIT! TOMMY!” The Naga cried as he lunged for him with an outstretched clawed hand, the small boy just narrowly dodging the giant appendage before the Naga crashed into the cliffside missing.

Tommy booked it for the tree line. He needed to get back to the village. He wasn’t going to just wait to be caught and die!! Wilbur had said he lived in the forest and was the monster.

This was their forest.

Its domain .

He wouldn’t be able to hide anywhere and not be found. It wouldn’t matter if he’d had a 100 meter head start, the monster knew where to go, where to look. Prime! It probably even knew what he smelled like and could track him! Tommy’s only hope of survival was to get back within the Village walls. He took every tight, confusing, twisting path he could take, ducking through small gaps that blocked off openings for larger creatures, praying that somehow this would slow the Naga down. Tommy could hear them approach from the sound of leaves crinkling from beneath the weight of the serpent that was giving chase.

“TOMMY, PLEASE! COME BACK! LET ME EXPLAIN!!!” Tommy heard the Naga plea, as he squeezed through the gaps of several fallen trees, stopping the naga effectively as they were too big to follow.

“COME BACK!”

They were so close. But he couldn’t stop. He had to get to the village. Had to get back home. He just had too!

As Tommy ran through another thicket of bushes, he stumbled into a clearing, tripping over something, falling to the ground harshly and scraping his knees against the rough surface. He cursed to himself as he looked over the now slightly bleeding scrape, eyes narrowing on whatever he tripped on.

It was his wooden sword.

He paused as he processed his surroundings; recognition sparking in his head. It was the same clearing he’d first met Wilbur in. It’s a bit ironic? The sword he wanted to use against the big, bad monster used against him. Tommy felt tears bud at the edge of his eyes. It just wasn’t fair. NONE of this was fair. This was the spot he had met his first real friend. The first time he’d had a real connection. The first time he hadn’t been kicked out for being himself. The first time he had felt like someone actually cared, and it was all a lie.

“Tommy? Are you alright? That must have hurt.”

Tommy whipped his head around to see the now human version of the Naga standing behind him. He turned to run again, but he was no match for the Naga’s speed as they shifted form and snaked around him, effectively trapping him within the giant coil walls. He ran to the edge of the coils and tried to climb out, but the end of the snake's tail trailed its way up the boys torso, wrapping itself around his frail form semi tightly and lifted the boy into the air. “Please Tommy. I just want to talk.” The naga said as Tommy began to thrash in attempts to break free. Instinctually, the tail tightened around him, squeezing the air out of his lungs, causing him to cease his thrashing. Oh Prime! He was going to be squeezed to death! His lungs began to burn from lack of air as the pressure on his ribs slowly constricted tighter.

It hurt .

It hurt so much .

He let out a strangled whine of pain.

“F***!” the Naga spoke above him as the tail immediately loosened, releasing its death hold around the boy, as they greedily gasped for air.

“Oh Prime. Oh S***. I'm so sorry!” The world lurched as Tommy was lifted and placed on a rough, warm surface. He blinked his eyes open, trying to focus on his surroundings between black splotches from the lack of air.

Oh.

He was in it’s hand wasn’t he?

“S***! Tommy! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to squeeze you like that!!! Are you alright?” concern lacing the giant's voice.

Now didn’t that just make Tommy’s heart ache. The jig was up! He knew what Wilbur was. This sick game or whatever it was was over. He had literally just tried to squeeze him to death. Why were they still pretending to care?

“Tommy? Please talk to me!”

“Don’t eat me!” Tommy pleaded, tears freely dripping down his face.

“Eat you?” the Naga breathed, taken aback.

“I don’t want to die!” Tommy cried, as he curled in tighter on himself. He didn't want to see the hungry look of the predator.

The Nags’s eyes widened in disbelief as a gasp escaped him.

“Tommy! I’m not going to eat you! How could you think such a thing?”

“Because you will! You almost squeezed me to death just then!” Tommy wailed as he began to tremble.

They glanced away. At least they had the decency to look guilty.

“That was an accident. I didn’t mean to and I’m so sorry I did!” he paused. “But I saved you from the Boar. Why would I want to eat you if I did that?”

“Because you lied.” Tommy whispered, the Naga taken aback; hurt by the statement.

“Please… I just- I can’t- I don’t want to die Wilby.”

Why did Wilbur have to keep delaying the inevitable? Why did it have to be the first person he’d come to love like that was to be his demise? Why had he been so foolish in believing he could succeed in defeating a monster like him? In a way he’s lucky he hadn’t been devoured sooner. He’d practically been dancing with death every day for weeks. It's not like anyone would even care if he disappeared. No one had cared when he’d disappeared for hours at a time as it was. No one liked him. No one truly cared for him. No one loved him.

“Tommy, sunshine. Look at me.” The Naga asked softly. Tommy lifted his head slightly as he sniffled more wet tears into his knees.

“Tommy. I’m not going to eat you. You mean so much to me. I could never imagine hurting you on purpose.”

What?

“Sometimes, my instincts get the better of me. I didn’t mean to squeeze you like that, I swear.” The Naga spoke gently.

“I came to save you from the Boar because you needed help. Not because I was afraid he’d eat you before me or anything like that that you might be thinking, but because I was terrified I’d lose you.”

Tommy’s whole body stiffened.

He thought he was going to lose him?

“Yes Tommy, you.” They chuckled almost as if he read the blonde's mind.

“When humans enter my forest, I usually just leave them alone because I know they're afraid of me. But that day you came into the forest, I couldn’t help myself. I’d been alone for so long, and you seemed so determined to battle a monster, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by you.”

Tommy uncurled himself to get a better look at the Naga, them taking it as a cue to continue.

“And when you found out it wasn’t around, I didn’t want to ruin that precious smile across your face. So I lied about the monster.“

He had lied because he would have been upset about no monster?

“I didn’t think you’d come back in all honesty. But when I heard you calling for me the next day and you kept coming back, I couldn’t stay away.” Wilbur lifted his hand up to his face so that Tommy was now at eye level.

“I care about you Tommy.

Tommy lifted his head fully, eyes wide looking at the Naga.

“Really?” voice wobbly, he asked.

“Really.”

Tommy’s breath hitched in his throat, eyes scanning the Naga’s face looking for any sign of they were lying.

But all he saw was the man he had come to love. Despite everything, despite them being a Giant Naga, a Monster: It was still Wilbur. Still his friend.

Tommy let his tears pour as Wilbur began to gently stroke his back up and down with his thumb in reassurance. He was okay. They were okay.

__ /) /) (\ (\ | ♡ > ( ›.‹) (⋅.⋅ ) o( づ♡ ⊂)o ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tommy continued to visit Wilbur even after the incident. The two became closer despite the truth coming out, and they couldn't be happier. Wilbur could be honest about his true self, and Tommy had someone he could depend on. Tommy would still call for the Naga though. While he knew that he didn’t need to (since Wilbur revealed he knew when Tommy entered the forest everytime by his scent and how he walked from his crazy good hearing) he still did it as a sort of tradition. It felt wrong not too.

Although, some of his calls were a little less than polite…

“HEY B****! I’M HERE!!” The 12 year old hollered for the snake.

“Where the heck did you even learn to curse like that?” Wilbur laughed as he slithered into their clearing.

Wilbur didn’t shift to his human form a whole lot anymore either. There was no real need too now that Tommy knew. He would occasionally at Tommy’s request, but the boy rather liked the Naga at his giant size. He’d crawl all over the man’s coils and slid down his tail like a slide. Sometimes he’d laze about in Wilbur’s fluffy hair and ramble on while the Naga lazily dozed in the sun listening. Other time’s when Wilbur was being clingy from instincts, he’d hold Tommy in his hands close to his chest. Tommy would complain, scratch and bite for him to let go, before eventually submitting to hand cuddles in defeat. He’d never actually admit that he loved them though. It’s not like it made him feel completely safe surrounded in the comforting warmth of his hands or anything. Nope! Not big Man Tommy liking some silly hand hugs. Nuh uh. Not him!

“So what are we doing today Sunshine?” Wilbur asked, as he lowered a hand for Tommy to step onto.

“Something awesome.” Tommy grinned mischievously as he stepped on and was lifted to sit on the Naga’s shoulder.

“Awesome or hey-OW! TOMMY!” Squawked Wilbur, as the boy launched himself off of his palm, grabbing onto one of the longer curls of his fringe, tugging it down as Tommy swung around wildly.

“Let go, you Gremlin.”

“NEVER!”

“You are such a little menace.”

“Little??? I’ll have you know I’m the biggest man alive!” The boy pouted, as giant fingers gently pulled him away from the man’s face, dangling him in the air briefly before placing him back on the ground. “Yes, I’m aware Tommy. You’ve said so many times.”

“So you’ll let me back up on your shoulder then?”

“Ha! No.”

It was moments like these that really made Tommy want to stay with the giant snake and never return. But despite the bond he and Wilbur had formed, Tommy couldn’t stay with Wilbur forever. He understood why he couldn’t, but he wanted to stay. Wilbur had told Tommy how much he cared for him and he knew that he did, but despite this, Wilbur still made him go home. The forest wasn’t safe for him even with the Naga’s presence, which was made very clear by the boar attack, and Wilbur voiced that he should stay with people of his own kind, within the Village walls where it was safer. He was still so young and he needed the care human’s provided him. Tommy of course had yet to tell Wilbur that he slept in an alleyway alone and all, but that’s okay. He didn't need to worry him like that. What could the Naga do about it anyways?

Although while he couldn’t stay, Tommy would be in the Forest every chance he could! The villagers, of course, now seemed to take notice of their dear little street rats’ disappearance. They didn’t like how their source of free labor was suddenly not around so much. Didn’t like how they suddenly didn’t have a personal punching bag for when they were upset. Concerned their little orphan wasn’t around to control anymore. So of course, they started to ‘inquire’ about it.

“Where are you off to?” The Fletcher asked him one day, as Tommy was leaving after helping sharpen the flint for the arrow heads. “Just going to practice my sword skills.” He replied simply as he turned and walked off.

“Disappearing to the West End District again rat?” The Butcher provoked. Tommy tried not to pull a face as he walked passed.

He hated that name. “What are you doing down there? Don’t you know what lurks beyond the walls?” “I like that it's quiet sir. Good place to practice my sword skills.” Tommy yelped in surprise, as he was suddenly grabbed by his shoulder. Pointed fingernails dug into his skin, as he was twisted around to meet the Butcher's face and a sharp cleaver poised dangerously close to his neck. “Make sure you stay within the walls, Rat.” Tommy’s eye’s darted from the Butchers knife to their piercing gaze. “When people go into that Forest, they don’t come out. Would hate for something to happen to you.” With a sharp blow to his back, Tommy stumbled forward out of the man’s grip and sprinted for the West End Gate, desperate to get away. He ran all the way to the gap in the wall and crawled through.

He didn’t tell Wilbur why he had run to the clearing that day or what had happened to cause the now-forming bruise between his shoulder blades. Simply lying instead about how a heavy book had fallen off a shelf that morning when he helped the Librarian. Wilbur had given him a concerned look before Tommy changed the subject to talk about cows. Tommy hoped that the odd interaction from the Fletcher and Butcher was a one time thing.

But it continued to happen.

Everyday, a different member of the village would question him about where he was going and why. Some would get a little aggressive like how the Butcher had, but he managed to get away with just a mild bruise or graze. He tried to cover them up best he could before visiting Wilbur. The Naga was beginning to get increasingly worried about how many injuries Tommy was showing up with. “Tommy, are you sure you’re alright?” They had asked him one day, when he’d appeared with a poorly wrapped cut across his forearm (a cut he’d unfortunately been unable to avoid from the Cartographers drawing compass).

“Yeah I’m fine Big Dubs. Just got a little reckless with some of the other kids in the village playing swords.” Wilbur raised a brow. “Just, promise me to try and stay out of trouble Toms? I don’t want to keep seeing you show up covered in fresh injuries.” “I promise.” Tommy promised nervously. He hated that he had to lie about this to Wilbur, but it wasn’t worth worrying them over a little scratch.

~~~

It only seemed to grow worse for Tommy as time went on. He’s not 100% sure, but he swore that he’d seen someone following him. Whenever he started to approach the West End District, it felt like holes were being burned into the back of his head. He had started to take back route alley ways to the gap in the wall after that, trying to avoid whatever had been tailing him. But you can only avoid certain things for so long.

“Haven’t seen you around all that much lately, rat.” The Blacksmith stated, when Tommy was unloading a metal order for him one morning. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing of importance sir.” Tommy replied as he kept his eyes trained down. He knew not to establish eye contact. He’d had too many slaps to the face recently to forget that. “Just keeping to myself till needed.”

“Hmpf. I know you’re up to something rat.” The Blacksmith said, stepping closer to the boy. “We know you’re sneaking off through the West End Gate.”

Tommy’s neck bristled, as a shiver ran down his spine. So he’d been right.

Someone had been watching.

“No sir. I would never do that.”

“DON’T LIE TO ME RAT!” The Blacksmith yelled, grabbing Tommy by the collar and yanking him into the air.

“WHY ARE YOU GOING INTO THE FOREST? WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?”

Tommy grabbed uselessly at the back of his shirt in hopes of getting free, as the Blacksmith held him high dangled in the air.

He couldn’t tell them about Wilbur! If they knew he’d been going in there to see him, they’d go after him! They would hurt him!

“NOTHING SIR!” He cried desperately.

“LIES! NO ONE THAT GOES IN THAT FOREST COMES OUT! HOW IS IT THAT YOU, A USELESS CHILD HAS!?”

The Blacksmith flipped him around and threw him harshly to the ground and into one of the furnaces. Tommy jerked his arm back, hissing in pain as it came into contact with part of the hot metal, the skin on his arm immediately turning an angry red. The Blacksmith trudged forward, pressing a heavy boot onto his frail chest.

“I’ll ask you again. Why are you going in the Forest?” They threatened, venom seeping into every word.

“I’m not sir! I know not to go in! I never do!” Tommy wailed, as tears streamed down his face.

“Fine. Be that way.” they hissed, stepping off his chest.

“We’ll get the truth out of you eventually.” They raised their leg back before kicking him harshly in the stomach winding Tommy, before swiftly walking away.

Tommy didn’t visit Wilbur that day.

Or the next.

For 3 days he stayed huddled up, hiding in the shadows. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t even bring himself to move, let alone leave his little shelter in the alleyway .

But even after he felt fit enough to move again, he didn’t return to the Forest. He was too ashamed of what Wilbur would say if he saw him covered head to toe in bruises and fresh wounds. He’d be so disappointed in him if he did. He was supposed to be looking after himself and staying out of trouble. Being good, and making Wilbur proud. Instead, he’d had to spend the afternoon trying to find a shirt with long sleeves that he could use to cover his arms, and hide the would be scars from the Naga, only managing to find a slightly too small red sleeved shirt that was in semi okay condition.

He was such a disappointment.

~~~

The next morning, Tommy helped the farmer. He didn’t want to go back to the Blacksmith. His arm was wrapped loosely in a makeshift bandage beneath his new shirt and it hurt like hell. He was still finding it slightly difficult to breathe, but the villagers had work for him to do and they wouldn’t take kindly to his ‘excuses’. Especially after vanishing for a few days…

The Farmer wanted him to harvest some of the carrots today. Normally, he’d be allowed to take a few of them when he’d finished the job, but today the Farmer had come as he was finishing up and was holding the small pile of carrots Tommy had set aside for himself in their grasp.

“I hear the Blacksmith had a chat with you the other day.”

Tommy stiffened.

“Yes-yes sir.” He stuttered.

“We don't take too kindly to liars boy.” The farmer threatened. “So make this simple for both of us and tell the truth.” “But I’m n-not going in, sir. There’s n-nothing in the Forest!” He stuttered, taking another step back.

“WE KNOW THAT’S NOT TRUE! WE’VE SEEN YOU SNEAKING THROUGH THE GAP IN THE WALL!” The farmer accused stepping forward, raising their pitch fork up. “YOU EVEN DISAPPEARED AFTER SEVERAL DAYS AND TURN UP ACTING AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED!! TELL THE TRUTH! HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?”

“But-but I-I didn’t go in!!!” Tommy stammered, his voice wavering as he spoke. “I was in my alley trying to rest from my injuries!”

“B*******! You expect me to believe that?” They spat. “Even if you were, that doesn’t explain why you’ve been going in!!!”

“There’s no rules that say I can’t go in! I’m just going there to practice my sword skills with a friend.”

“A friend?” The farmer asked incredulously. “Who on earth would be spending their time with a ratty orphan street kid like you? Stop making things up and tell the truth.”

“BUT IT IS THE TRUTH! ” Tommy pleaded in desperation. “WE JUST HANG OUT AND TALK!”

“B***S***! JUST TELL THE TRUTH!”

Tommy pushed himself up off the ground and away from the Farmer as they made a move to grab him, and high tailed it for the West End Gate. He couldn’t take this anymore. He had to get out of the Village NOW. He had to leave. Had to get out!

Even if Wilbur wouldn’t take him in, he had to get out of there. It wasn’t safe.

He ran through the streets, the sounds of angry villagers emerging from their homes to come after him and bring him back, trailed after him, growing in volume. He knew what they wanted him for. They didn’t love him. They didn’t actually care. They just wanted to have control over him. He hadn’t realized it at first, but after meeting Wilbur, he’d begun to recognise the choke hold they held over him. Making him work for approval. Making him work to prove his worth when it would never be enough. Using fake praise followed by belittling comments to control his feeble mind. He had thought that if he came back a hero, they would finally actually want him, accept him for him; not just claim that they ‘cared’.

Wilbur had shown him what being cared for truly looked like. And he’d take that over the s*** the village dished out any day.

He ran and ran till he reached the gap in the wall but skidded to a halt when he realized what the villagers had done.

They’d sealed the gap.

He pounded on the freshly dried layer of concrete sealing the gap over, desperate to break through before eventually giving up. He turned and sprinted for the West End Gate exit and tried to break the chains once more on the operating point.

But it was futile. The Chains remained locked tight, and despite the little bit of muscle he’d built up by practicing with Wilbur, he still lacked the physical strength to even leave a dent in the chains.

The sounds of angry villagers continued to grow louder as they approached and soon Tommy was surrounded on all sides.

“Awwww. The little rat wants to go into the Forest.” One woman snickered.

“Don’t you know you belong to us!” Another spat.

Tommy turned and ran to the iron gates and began to climb his way up. If he could make it over, he’d risk the broken bones the fall down would cause. “Where do you think you’re going?” The Weaponsmith snapped, grabbing Tommy’s ankle, yanking him back down to the ground.

He tried to climb up again reaching for the iron gates but was torn away with a yelp.

“Uh uh uh. You ain’t going nowhere. Not until you tell us why you’ve been going into the Forest.”

“LET ME GO A******!” Tommy shrieked as he struggled to get out of the Weaponsmith’s hold.

“Oh we’ll let you go alright. Right after you tell us the Truth. No one goes into that Forest and comes out alive. We’ll find out what you’re hiding: even if we have to break you.”

“SOMEONE PLEASE! HELP!!! ANYONE!!!” Tommy thrashed about, desperate to break free. He felt helpless. No one in this damned village would help him no matter how much he pleaded. He didn’t understand why the villagers were treating him this way. They had never cared about him before, but now that he had entered and emerged from the Forest unscathed they cared? What the F*** was wrong with them???

“LET ME GO!!” He screeched in vain, as he was dragged along.

Why won’t anyone help me? He didn’t deserve this. He just wanted- he just wanted…

“WILBUR!” Tommy screamed out of desperation. “WILBUR PLEASE!!! HELP ME!!!”

He knew the Naga wouldn’t be able to hear him, but he wanted his brother. Even if Wilbur didn’t feel the same, he wanted to be swept up in the giant’s gentle hands. He wanted to be held close to their comforting chest. He wanted to hear Wil’s rhythmic heartbeat and soothing voice. He wanted to feel Wilbur’s fingers card through his hair, as he whispered sweet nothings.

He wanted to be with Wilbur.

He wanted to be loved.

“WILBUR! PLEASE!!!”

“Your imaginary friend is going to come save you rat.” The Weaponsmith mocked.

“You belong to us and we will do to you what we see fitting-” The words died in their throat as a thud was heard from behind. A flurry of hushes were sent amongst the crowd, as all turned to face the West End Gate. They watched in anticipation as another loud thud hit the gate’s door causing it to creak, as dust floated down from the upper walls like snow.

Something was trying to break in.

“Oh Prime.” the Weaponsmith whispered, as the sound of hissing began to fill the air.

“Go-go, GO! GO NOW!”

The villagers began to disperse into panic, as the thudding increased and the Gate began to cave in on itself, whatever beyond the entrance desperately trying to break in.

“YOU!”

Tommy tried to fight against the Weaponsmiths hold as they pulled him to their face.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?”

But before he could answer, the Gates flew open, debris flying everywhere. Tommy tried to shield himself best he could, as bits of concrete were flung in his direction. The crowd went deathly silent.

Standing tall menacingly within the rubble, was Wilbur; hissing threateningly.

“Where is he?” The Naga demanded.

“Wilbur. WILBUR!”

“Shut up.” Weaponsmith hissed as they shoved Tommy away from the direction of Wilbur.

“WIL! I’M HERE! I’M MPHF” Tommy tried to call, but a piece of fabric was stuffed into his mouth, muffling his cries.

But the Naga heard it all the same.

“TOMMY! I’M HERE!” Wilbur yelled, as worried amber eyes searched the crowd.

The Naga’s eyes locked onto Tommy’s form, a warning hiss filling the air.

“Give him to me now, and I’ll spare you.”

“Never.” The Farmer spat.

“Have it your way.”

Wilbur slithered forward, not caring for who or what was in their way. The villagers scattered beneath him, screaming in fear to avoid the giant snake's tail, some not being so lucky. Wilbur’s eye’s turned to slits, as they let instinct drive them forward. The Naga bared their fangs and hissed in warning as they approached closer. The Weaponsmith trembled as Wilbur raised his torso up, poising themself to strike. Fear had the Weaponsmith turn tail and run, as they hurled Tommy forward trying to put as much distance between him and the boy. Tommy stumbled forward, Wilbur shooting his hand out beneath him to catch him. The Naga’s eyes dilated as they brought Tommy up to their face, eyes searching every inch of the boy. Their frown deepened at the sight of every new bloodied spot, as Wilbur removed the makeshift gag.

“What did they do to you?” Wilbur whispered, voice tight as he gently ran a finger over Tommy’s forehead, brushing the hair out his eyes.

“Wil. I, I-I’m so sorry.” Tommy whimpered.

“Shh shhh. It’s alright Sunshine. I’ve got you.”

Tommy felt himself being moved as Wilbur began to slither away. He kept the boy close as they moved through the Village and back to the Forest, Tommy clutching onto Wilbur’s giant fingers tightly the whole way.

“I was so worried about you Toms. When you stopped coming, I thought something horrible had happened to you.” Wilbur said, as he stopped to rest in their familiar clearing.

“I’m sorry.” Tommy whimpered softly. “I tried to stay out of trouble like you wanted! Really! I did! But the villagers were so convinced that I was doing something wrong in the Forest because I came back! I didn’t do anything wrong Wil! I swear I didn’t!”

“Oh Tommy sweetheart I know. I never should have sent you back. I thought that it would be better if you remained with your own kind. I thought humans looked after their young. But they hurt you. They hurt my Little Brother.”

Tommy’s whole body stiffened.

Little Brother?

“Yes, Little Brother Tommy.” They chuckled, as if he read the blonde's mind.

“Every time you went to leave, I didn’t want to let you go. I just wanted you to stay with me. It was so hard to not just reach out and pull you back into my arms.”

“I thought you didn’t want me.” Tommy sniffled as he looked up at the Naga in disbelief.

“Oh Tommy! How could I not want you?” I love everything about you! Your smile, your laugh, your personality, EVERYTHING. I want you to come home with me. I want to hold you close, protect you and never let go. I want you to be my little brother.”

Tommy could feel tears budding at the edge of his eyes.

“I love you Tommy.”

And Tommy? He broke. Sobs ripped from his throat as he threw himself at the Giant Nagas nose as Wilbur brought his hand up to hug him back in an awkward way.

He Loved him.

Wilbur actually loved him. Finally, someone really loved him!

“I-I love you too Wilby!” Tommy wept, clinging to the giant's nose. “I love you so so much Wilbur. You’re my big brother! No one has ever cared about me like you do!”

They stayed like that for a while before Wilbur pulled Tommy back from his face, tears threatening to fall from the giant's eyes as a fond smile grew wider across the Naga's face.

“Let’s go home.”

/)/) (\(\ ( . .) (. . ) o( づ 💗⊂ )o ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Within the forest by the West end Gate, Journeyed a boy, led in by fate.

A monster they went a looking for. A monster he found, but was not so sure.

Some say the monster took them to eat, Other’s say the boy still searches to beat.

A once monster, fabled in fear, But not to this boy, who holds them most dear.

For while glory they went, a looking for, Instead they found something worth much more.

Within his forest home, the boy now sleeps, With their monster brother, safe he keeps. There they stay loved, never a part. The boy who claimed the monster's heart. ❤️❤️❤️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! I KNOW SO MANY WORDS BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOYED!

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thesixthcavalier · 1 year ago

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I want to rant for a bit here about some of the gameplay elements of Stray Gods that advance so much of the story and character choices that make this story so amazing. Others have probably noticed these things and put them in better words than I, but I've been listening and relistening to various versions of the soundtrack and have an obsession to feed, so here we are.

Much has already been made of the madly impressive fact that the songs are a complex and winding series of choices, where distinct instruments and styles are made to flow neatly from one choice to the next, and each choice you make can drastically change ones you get down the line. And for good reason, that is crazy and amazing and I love it. But what I want to talk about is the way the choices you have, and how they aren't as simple as you might first think, builds characters and relations throughout the game and enhances the story.

To start with, we all know you generally have three options, or flavors, to choose from: Red/Blue/Green. At the start of the game you choose on of these colors to be the sort of core personality of your version of Grace. Green is charismatic, friendly and well meaning, Red is tough and willing to be brash and bold, and Blue is clever and cunning. The nature of this matching of colors to personality is reinforced with several early choices in your interactions with Caliope, Hermes, and the Chorus.

But as the game continues, it quickly becomes apparent that these options get a lot more meat on their bones and that they are not as cut and dry as it might seem on first glance. Yes, Green tends to be more about being friendly while Red is more about a fighty Grace. But the key thing I think, and what really fascinates me, is that it goes deeper on each of these options in relation to who or what Grace is interacting with. Red choices are often confrontational and direct, but that doesn't mean antagonistic. There are several points throughout the game where Red options are definitely cutting through the bullshit or trying to start a fight, but there are also a lot of times where it's a direct and measured response from Grace to try and cut to the heart of an issue.

Blue meanwhile often presents plainly as the clever, thinky option. Again often very true, but I think it also represents the restrained and strategic option. Several blue options are about weighing what is going on, or Grace stepping back to take in her different paths. Green meanwhile has a lot to do with empathy. In my first playthrough I often found myself leaning towards Green options solely because they were instinctive, gut reactions on how to handle people going through something difficult, or to try and mellow out a situation.

All of this is to say, it is utterly fascinating how these choices interact in different scenes in ways that immediately lean into both the character you are choosing for Grace to be, and those she is interacting with. Take Medusa for example. The pure Red track of that fight is all but an actual fight. Grace is taking this in a very hero vs. monster direction and throughout is almost eager to get to actual blows, meanwhile Green leans much more into the angle of Medusa as a victim, a tool being poorly used by the woman who first wronged her anyway. And Blue is manipulative. It sees the paths before Grace and says "I don't need to fight this person, I can use her hurting to get what I want."

We see this even more clearly in Aphrodite's song, and in your first meeting with Persephone, but in different forms. In those songs, while Red is still extremely antagonistic, it takes on much different contexts. With Persephone, Grace is still spoiling for a fight, but a lot of it comes off as less heated. Yeah she is trying to rev up Persephone and cut her down, but it feels a lot more like a poetry slam or rap battle than lines preceding an all out brawl. Meanwhile with Aphrodite it's Grace trying to cut through flowery words and get to the heart of what she sees as the problem with this whole situation.

And to top all of this off, and not go on forever since this is already more than long enough, the way the latter half of the game has you choose another personality trait for Grace, the story not just telling you she has changed and grown but actively making it an element of the game by expanding your special option choices, is brilliant. It naturally, on a first playthrough, leads you into picking a secondary option that is most in line with the way you have been taking Grace as things unfold. If you started the game eager to fight but have since seen the story unfold and feel a calmer, more empathetic approach is warranted, you'll naturally pick that option because it feels appropriate, and same for any other combination. It not only opens up more gameplay, but entwines gameplay with story, and allows you as the player to feel the journey Grace has been on. As yet another link to classical epic poetry it is a slam dunk, and as a gameplay mechanic that reinforces your connection to the character, it's a double slam dunk.

#Stray Gods #roleplaying musical #gameplay #it's seriously excellent in so many ways #the way music art style and gameplay choices come together to make the story more impactful? Fire #No one will read this and that's fine #I just love this game so damn much and need to throw my thoughts to the wind

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melodycalypso · 4 months ago

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Ni No Kuni Music Analysis : “In Loving Memory of Allie”, Joe Hisaishi

youtube

Hey y’all! So… I took a lot longer than expected break on this, but now I’m back and better than ever! Like my break before, the series is very much not on a set timeline.

Anyways, below the cut is my analysis, I hope y’all enjoy!!

Ah yes, the song that makes everyone cry the most from the first game😭😭

I love how this piece has such a simple melody that gets passes around to various instruments.

0:00-0:10

The soft entrance of the harp in this preluding/introductory phrase is very calming. It reminds me of water droplets… maybe those coming out of us and Oliver’s eye balls😅

0:11-0:36

This melody is breath-taking!! The piano solo here is such a great contrast from all of the other pieces featured in this game’s soundtrack. And if you could excuse me for a second, I’d like to dive even deeper into this particular passage…

So pieces of music are composed in different keys that relate to which notes are written. The two main types of scales are called Major and Minor scales. Major scales have a more positively and correct sounding melody where as minor scales sound a bit “sad” and incomplete, in lack of more professional terms. This piece is composed in a minor key and for fellow curious musicians, the key is E minor. So like I mentioned, it’s a sad key!! So this further explains why the music can have this feeling crafted right into the melodic line.

I unfortunately am not the best at analyzing chords so I’m going to leave that be for now. In the future I way come back and do a deeper dive, but I’ll leave it here for now. And by all means, I’d love to see any fellow musicians take a took and try to analyze these chords!! I’d love to see what you find!

0:37-0:59

The entrance of the Glockenspiel here taking over the main theme is very cool! Maybe it is supposed to reflect Drippy’s character in some way? Curious to hear y’all’s thoughts on what you think!

Also the accompanying harp is a perfect complement to the Glockenspiel and adds more depth to the piece!

1:00-1:42

The main theme is played more confidently here and all three instruments are showcased. There’s also an introduction of some other string instruments (most likely violins and cellos). Each part is woven so beautifully into one another and none feel overbearing in any way. This section has to be my favorite part for sure!!

1:43-1:49

Theme from the harp comes back again here, very cool, very cool!!

1:50-END

This building moment right here is very interesting… I know in the cutscene it’s used in, and luckily for us it’s one of the pretty Ghibli ones, that this section happens when Drippy comes to life. Could have Hisaishi composed the piece specifically keeping this cutscene in mind, OR vice versa!?

So, this is the end of my analysis! This piece is beautifully composed and I hope you enjoyed reading and listening!!

I think for my next analysis, I’d like to jump to the second game’s music. Let me know if any of y’all have some suggestions. Anyways, goodbye for now!!🤗🤗🤗

#ni no kuni #ni no kuni oliver #nnk #studio ghibli #ni no kuni music analysis #ni no kuni music #ni no kuni wrath of the white witch #video game music #music

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writesforfun · 2 years ago

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do you love me too? mark lee

fluff, friends to lover au, mark is a studio/company owner, composer, writer, singer with dreamies, y/n is a cafe owner

You really don't know what it was. It could be his eyes, it could be his smile, it could be his laugh, it could be the way that the darn man could do and nail basically everything, or it could be— as simple as he's Mark Lee.

You and Mark had known each other through Haechan, a extrovert person who's basically friends with everyone anyway. It has been almost 4 years since you two know each other, and you have liked Mark since the third encounter you two have.

He took his precious time to take you back to your house because he was "Worried about your safety if you come back home with an Uber this late."

It was 7 PM, probably even half.

"Y/N? What could you possibly be thinking for you to ignore my words just now?" Mark asks, with a almost cheeky smile never leaving his face. You stopped your stupid little daydream to look at his face properly, then your stupid heart started beating faster than a racing car. Good.

"Oh, uh.. no. I was just thinking if I left the stove on." You answer meekly, which is a stupid answer by the way. But as expected from Mark Lee and his goddamn humor, he starts laughing hard at your words.

"That's really funny. But usually if you think about it, it's not true. Anyways, I was saying if you maybe want to listen to my song demo? Cause you're kind of a reaaaaallyyyyy good music critique." Said Mark. He kind of elbowed you so softly, that like a spell you just nodded.

There's exactly two reasons why Mark would say you're a "good music critique."

First, you and Mark have basically the same taste in music. Second, his first solo album you very strongly said to put out even though Mark was still insecure and unsure about it was a big hit with a whopping 142 million listens on the first day.

"Sure."

And so his hand reaches out to his laptop as he started doing his thing. You took a second to look around his studio, and you then realize he hung the picture of you and him that you two took about four weeks ago from a trip you went with Jaemin, Haechan, Karina, and Giselle. It was just a small trip consisting of his friends and your friends whom happen to be friends with Mark and his friends as well, same goes with you.

"Okay, are you ready?" He asked with a dashingly amazing smile on his face. You answered with a small laugh and a nod, and he's preparing himself by letting out a breath and started playing the song. It started off as a melody— a piano melody that's quite bad you're awfully familiar with. It's you playing the piano. You gave him a look of pure confusion but he didn't spare you any glance. His lips are sealed shut as he drank the coffee you made just for him from your own cafe as he stare at whatever it is in front of him.

You're on my mind again today

What you doing? Are you feeling okay?

I wanna kiss your lips but don't want us to be awkward

You're my everything though I just hope you know

You're the sun to my life

From the very first time I've met you in your cafe

I realize then I've fallen for you

And it's getting deeper every single day

I just wanna be yours every day

But do you love me too?

And then a melody plays, this time a sweeter piano melody which you're sure he played. You don't know how to feel. This all seems like a very you and him situation song and you don't know how to feel. The lyrics are beautiful though, that you just wish it's for you. You know it's a stupid thought, but just perhaps—

"It's for you. The song. I don't expect you to answer or anything but, uh, dude.. I really love you so much and—"

You decided to kiss his lips right away. You took the courage to spare a glance at him, and you saw him wide-eyed with a furrowed brow. It took him a few seconds to relax, and then he started shutting his eyes shut and kissing you back. He smiled a little, his moves are slow on your lips as he started cupping your cheek. You couldn't possibly forget the way you feel. You just know your cheeks are as red as a tomato and as warm as a hot stove. Your heart rate isn't normal either, that you're sure of.

But your heart is full.

He let go of you as he felt your breath starting to hitch, and then he laughed a little and hugged you. "I thought it was a one-sided love story trope and wanted a she fell first but he fell harder trope love story but this works too," You said.

He laughed hard at your word and started to stomp his whole feet. "That's sooooo cute. I love you,"

"I love you too."

"I love you more?!"

"I love you most. Nothing could beat that, Y/N. I'll prove it to you every single day. You're the most beautiful and amazing woman alive. Like, dude, I.. I literally thank your presence every day to God. Like.. s-seriously."

You smiled at that. You hugged him tighter as you kiss his neck. "You are so not gonna release that song. My piano sucks. I didn't even know why you would've recorded that."

He smiled. "I recorded that cause it's you. Anyways no promises!"

"Hey!" You protest as you start to tickle his body. He laughed and hugged you even harder, and your heart warms at that.

You can't believe Mark Lee is your boyfriend now, let alone he actually loves you back sincerely.

But you could get used to this.

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kovajean · 1 year ago

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As someone whose favorite movie (second only to Whiplash) is Karate Kid III, I’ll never understand people that think it’s a bad movie.

Although my reasons aren’t entirely objective, it’s still worth writing about. It’s crazy how nearly tailor-made this movie is for me.

The over the top villains in Mike and Silver are perfect, because they have hardly any motive. I love simple shit like that.

Why is Silver doing this? Because his best friend was embarrassed. Why is he doing it in this way? Because he’s evil. Why is he evil? Because he is. Let’s also not forget the fact that he’s a corrupt oil barren. That shit’s hilarious. He’s also hot as fuck and I, as a gay man, am allowed that as a reason.

Why is Mike doing this? Money. Why is he doing it this way? Because he likes beating people up. Why does he like beating people up? Because he does. Who cares that there’s no deeper meaning behind it? I certainly don’t. I like when villains are bad because they like to be. I don’t want anything different. And I especially love that Cobra Kai didn’t retcon his insanity, like they’ve retconned other people’s wrongdoings...

The dialogue is both great and fucking awful at the same time. Here are some of my favorite lines from the movie:

“They made you suffer, so I’m gonna make them suffer—and suffer, and suffer, and when I think they’ve suffered enough, then I start with the pain.” (This line fucking SUCKS LOL)

“When I'm finished with that kid, he'll be begging me to be his teacher. And you know what he's gonna learn from me? Pain. In every part of his body. And fear—in every part of his mind. And here's the kicker: He's gonna thank me for it.” (This is probably my favorite line ever from any movie. It’s so good. The first time I showed this movie to my ex-boyfriend he would quote this shit at me every single day.)

“Johnny, by the time that little twerp steps into the ring to defend his title, I’m gonna have him thinking he’s invincible. Then he’s gonna find out what pain and fear really mean. Right in front of a thousand people.” (This line gives me chills. So good. Would be better if he used something less Disney bully than “twerp”, though.)

“It’s okay to lose to an opponent—Must not lose to fear!” (This along with the majority of Miyagi’s lines are great. I don’t need to go through them all. This is just my favorite one.)

The thing about these movies is that each one has varying levels of dialogue quality. KK1’s dialogue is fucking awful. But at least some of the lines are funny enough to laugh at. There are some good lines in there, but that’s just it. Good lines. Not memorable. Same thing with KK2. The dialogue in that movie is just good. That’s all. I can’t recite a single line from that movie. Because the lines aren’t memorable. Except for, of course, “honk”. Do not get me wrong though. I'm not saying this movie is the best Karate Kid movie. No way. It's just my favorite, and it's not as bad as people make it out to be.

The score had me looping it for 3 months straight. I'm not even hyperbolizing here. The whole of it is just wonderful. The reused and remixed songs like Kata Training are great. But when I get to Silver’s theme, that’s a whole different thing. Listen to this shit:

How is this real? I’m a huge classical music fan, and I could not stop playing this song over and over and over again. Listen to this one:

Did you know that this song wasn’t even used in the movie? This is an alternate version of Terry’s Next Move, which plays over the Kreese and Silver phone call as well as the Mike Barnes Magazine Car Ride. The one they went with certainly works better for the scene, but I love, love, love this one. So much more.

I never thought I’d be hooked on a series of songs from a Karate Kid movie composed by the same guy who did Rocky, but here I am. 6 months strong, too. I was in a high school theater production when I watched this movie for the first time, and every free moment I had backstage was spent looping each piece with any bit of Terry’s theme in it (such as Terry Silver, Terry’s Next Move, Terry Sneaks In, and Daniel Submits. I also had Terry Owns Daniel on loop occasionally, but that song doesn’t have any real instances of Terry’s theme in it–it just sounds similar. And yes, these are the official names of the songs in case you weren’t aware.) I also listened to these songs on loop while doing an art class project (which was of, you guessed it, Karate Kid characters).

I love Daniel in this movie. Love him. More so than any of the other movies. He’s exponentially sillier, he becomes best friends with a girl instead of dating her, he demonstrates color theory, and his irritability and sass are on full display. I also like that he's not super skinny anymore, and that he actually looks his age. (My love for him may also be aided by the fact that I relate most to his personality and appearance in accordance with this movie versus the first two).

I LOVE JESSICA! You will never meet a bigger Jessica fan than me. I love her so, so dearly.

She brings out the good in Daniel.

She shows us that Daniel is good with rejection. When she tells him she has a boyfriend, his opinion of her stays the exact same. He doesn’t push her. He lets it go, and they immediately become best friends. All because she told him that she hadn’t made any friends yet.

I like that Daniel is protective of her despite the fact that they’re not dating. He really cares about her, and he doesn’t expect anything in return. He’s not spoiled. But I also like that Jessica gets mad at him, because he went way too far. She doesn’t let him get away with it or treat him like a hero. She gets upset. Because Daniel just assaulted someone who hadn’t done anything deserving of violence (yet). And when she leaves, Daniel recognizes his mistake. He recognizes all of his mistakes. All because of Jessica. I can promise you, had she reacted positively, the movie would have ended differently. She was the step he needed to snap out of his power trip. And I love her for it.

She also trains with Daniel! None of his love interests did that!

I’m saving the color theory section for a separate post where I will go over every Daniel outfit and what they mean for the scene because I have the free time to do so and dammit I’m not hyper fixated on Karate Kid III enough already so I might as well let myself get worse. You feel me?

Despite the fact that Daniel's clearly nervous around Silver, he’s still a piece of shit during their training sessions. I respect that. He’s also incredibly snappy towards Mike and his gang even though he knows he shouldn’t be. His morals are also on full display if you think about it. He’s mean to mean people, even if being nice to them will work out better in the long run. Because he refuses to be nice to people who don’t deserve it. As well as vice versa. Except for when he snaps at Miyagi. Hmm, I wonder why he does this? Perhaps, is it maybe, the fact that he’s being manipulated to use anger as a coping mechanism?

People go on and on about how whiny Daniel is in this movie, but they don’t seem to consider why.

Daniel is assaulted over and over again by Mike and his gang, and his new best friend gets roped into it. He stores this anger because he has nowhere else to put it. Then he meets Silver, someone who gives him an outlet for it. He finally has something to do with this pent-up rage, until he’s given mixed signals by the people around him when he uses this newfound coping skill. Miyagi gets upset, Silver praises him, Jessica leaves him. How is he supposed to know what to do? Of course he has a mental break. He rants to Jessica about it, then to Miyagi, and he thinks he has his problems fixed. Then, to make matters worse, he finds out that Silver was tricking him the whole time. Now he has to relearn Miyagi-Do. That fucking sucks. I’d go crazy too. This, along with the fact that he wanted to compete in the All-Valley so badly that he brought it up to Miyagi on multiple occasions, was shot down every time, finally gave up, and then was forced to care again? AND Miyagi refuses to train him even though it’s hardly his decision anymore? How Daniel kept going in this movie is beyond me. He’s not whiny, he’s livid. He can’t catch a fucking break.

I’d say his anger is accumulated throughout the movies. This one year has been more eventful than the rest of his life was prior. Everyone he meets seems to want his head on a stake and there’s literally nothing he can do about it. He just wants to be a normal guy, and no one will let him.

He’s also certainly not weaker in this movie in comparison to the second. He’s been broken down by everyone trying to fight him and he’s at a point where he’s trying not to care. He’s trying so hard, but when Mike shows up it’s difficult for him to keep pretending. The fact that Daniel loses to him is meant to show you that Mike is strong, not that Daniel is weak. Anyone that can defeat Daniel after Daniel’s torment in KK2 deserves to be feared. And don’t forget that Mike had the ability to kill Daniel in the bonsai scene. The only reason he’s less threatening than Chozen is because his acting is bad.

If you want to argue that he’s weak throughout the entire movie, then you’d be half correct, I guess? He’s a different sort of strong for the last half of the movie. This is because Silver teaches him different moves. Daniel stops using what he used to know (the style of Karate that we’ve seen him use up until this point), and is now using exclusively this new style. And when you consider that this new style only has 3 different moves, of course he’s going to look weaker. The All-Valley scene Daniel also isn’t weaker if that’s your argument, because there is genuinely no other way he could have beaten Mike than with Kata. Mike is immune to Miyagi-Do. That’s why Daniel never beat him in any of the scenes leading up to the All-Valley. Daniel is also overcome with fear thanks to Silver. The ineffectiveness of Miyagi-Do on Mike and the lasting fear of the manipulation he dealt with is not a good combination. He beat Mike with Kata because he caught Mike completely off guard. That’s how you beat him. We know that’s how you beat him because it’s the first time we see him genuinely lose, other than when he lost to Miyagi multiple times, which is another instance of Mike being caught off guard and losing, because why would he expect an old man to be that good at Karate (and also, it’s Miyagi, of course he’s gonna lose to Miyagi. He’s not comparable to Daniel). Can you assume that Silver told Mike to be wary of Miyagi? He’d never seen the guy fight.

Anyways this movie has been on repeat in my brain since March and nothing I can do can stop it so why not indulge in it, huh? Just a look into my dark and twisted mind

#the karate kid #kk3 #daniel larusso #jessica andrews #terry silver #mike barnes #This essay is 6 months in the making and this isn't even everything I have to say #as i stumbled off at night towards the train tracks

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flamingplay · 9 months ago

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Interview: Everything Everything’s Jonathan Higgs on AI, Education, & New LP ‘Mountainhead’

by Eric Schuster

Atwood Magazine: Each album you all release has a unique style and theme. I read that Mountainhead draws from an allegory regarding “an alternate society whose existence is dedicated to endlessly growing a mountain by digging deeper at its foot — all in pursuit of a mythical mirror that sits atop its peak while avoiding a massive golden snake that lives in the pit below.” What are some of your favorite sci-fi films or novels?

Jonathan Higgs: Definitely Predator. Definitely Terminator. I like any sort of sci-fi slasher genre like that, like Alien where there’s people being picked off by a monster. It’s not very close to what I’ve written though, for this album. Yeah, I think I was looking for something that was simple enough to say in one sentence, but that could have a huge amount of different meanings if you wanted it to. I guess it would be something like, I don’t even know. It’s way too simple for a film. I think it would have to develop a hell of a lot more, but I think in terms of music, it’s sort of enough to hang everything off without it getting too complex and too bogged down with these rules of the world. It was more like, no, there’s just this big one, big idea and everything is sort of under the shadow of that rather than getting too conceptual kind of puts me off if particularly if albums get too wrapped up in detail and all that stuff. It’s fine for films or novels, it’s essential. But I think when you are making something like an album, it needs to be, the songs need to live without that knowledge. They need to be able to be good by themselves

That’s why it has such a simple setup, because I think anything, I think you can go a bit further, but I want you to keep it really monolithic and simple.

You tackle some big issues in Mountainhead, like the unsustainability of unlimited growth and income inequality and Raw Data Feel tackled the problems associated with AI. Do you see AI helping or exacerbating these issues?

Jonathan Higgs: I think it’ll help a little bit. I don’t see why it would make things worse. It’ll probably be some big tech advances that it’ll help speed up things like sustainability is the big one that everyone’s trying to do, so I don’t see how that could make things worse, but it does, of course, rely on some kind of thing. They keep mining for chips, right? I can’t remember. But there is quite a big environmental impact of making the brains of AI and obviously we’ve seen with crypto what sort of length people will go to improve their computing power and how much energy that uses, et cetera, et cetera. But no, I think it’s probably going to help bring about some of the stuff that we need to happen a bit more quickly, like renewable, wherever that may be. Some kind of advancement will probably occur thanks to ai, but it’s not just a one solution type thing. It’s more like it just looks through the options much more quickly. That’s kind of how I feel about it.

You all are very academic and methodical in your approach to writing music and creating art. Do you have any artists that you are currently listening to that are also pushing the boundaries of music?

Jonathan Higgs: I’m more in touch with what some visual people are doing. There’s this guy called Umami who makes these amazing short videos and he’s made this big long series of them and he does do music in it as well, but it’s primarily like an animation project, and I follow a lot of 3D horror guys. I mean, that’s not music either, really. And I guess musically, oh man, this year has been thin on the ground. It’s only a month in, it’s only a few weeks in. I don’t know. I’m not really tuned into anything new at the moment. I guess it’s because I’m working on other projects, I’m just trying to clear my head of musical stuff at the moment, so I can’t suggest anything.

Your website Edexhell mocked the exam quality that you were issued in school, what do you think of the current state of education?

Jonathan Higgs: I have no idea, is the truth. I don’t have any connection to people of that age. Well, my brother’s kids I guess are teenagers, but it’s Scotland and things tend to be better up there anyway. I don’t actually know. Actually, just about an hour ago I read a report saying that girls are doing better than boys at every age from primary up to uni. And that made me ponder for a moment. I dunno if that’s a problem with education, but there’s definitely something going on there, which is pretty odd. But also my mom, she’s retired now, but she was a teacher and teachers used to get it in the neck so much when I was growing up that I kind of made a soft promise to myself never to diss the education. Well, teachers in particular, I think it’s generally the same as it was. I don’t know, is the truth. I’m not involved.

Did you all see the movie Everything Everything and if so what did you think? How do you feel that they co-opted your name?

Jonathan Higgs: No, we didn’t see it. We were not very pleased with that, to be honest. It meant that 99% of Google searches for us just end up with that. Nothing against the film, but it can fuck off.

What job do you think you would have if you were not a musician?

Jonathan Higgs: I’d be in movies. I think I’d be making them, not in them. I’d be somewhere along the creative line, hopefully directing, but who knows? I could happily do that now. I do that now. I’ve directed, most of our music videos have been by me, so yeah, I enjoy that hugely.

Do you have any favorite directors?

Jonathan Higgs: Yeah, well, there’s a lot of good ones at the moment, aren’t there? I really liked Robert Eggers. I thought The Northman was brilliant. I know it was a bit silly, but I absolutely loved it. I just saw Poor Things. I thought that was pretty good. I think it’s actually a pretty great time for film at the moment. This year’s last year’s Oscar bait sort of, well, not Oscar bait, but just the things that are about to get awards in about a month and lots of really great stuff. I thought Anatomy of a Fall was amazing. I’ll always watch whatever Ridley s Scott’s up to. Yeah, I prefer, I get more excited, not prefer, but I get more excited about movies than albums recently just because I’m not, I feel like I’m so in bed with music that it’s a bit like work sometimes and movies is a bit more like I can be a fan rather than somebody who’s involved.

You mentioned that the mirror at the top of Mountainhead represents the fact that even if “you’ve got it all, what have you really got?” What is your favorite material item that you own and why?

Jonathan Higgs: Oh, my PC, no question. I’ve had a PC since I was in middle school, and then there was a long period where I didn’t have one and then I got one again and I was like, fuck, why did I have that period in my life without one? It’s the best tool a human has ever created, easily outside of the stick. It’s brilliant. I absolutely love it for creating. The power I have as one person now compared to when I was a kid on a computer is just extraordinary. The things I can make, the level of quality that you can make now the consumer can make is astounding.

This album deals with what it means to be a “human,” which is something that has been explored for centuries but has gotten harder to define as technology has infiltrated our everyday lives. What do you think are the best ways to connect with other people?

Jonathan Higgs: Sitting round a fire, the oldest one, it’s always being the best one, but if you can’t do that, then face-to-Face Place with breathable air is probably the next best thing. And obviously you can’t always do that, but doing what we’re doing now is okay.

A lot of songwriters seem to slow down as their careers progress, but you all are as prolific as ever, perhaps even more so now. Where do you find the creative energy (and literal energy) to keep creating such thought-provoking and high-intensity albums?

Jonathan Higgs: Well, I don’t have kids, so I’ve got all the energy I ever had, and a lot of my job is sitting down, so to be honest, I could use up more of my energy. In fact, a lot of my songs are about the fact that I don’t use my energy, don’t use my body. So I’ve never had a problem with that. We don’t really get, well, I don’t really get drained of juice because I don’t think making an album is very difficult. Really. We’ve done it seven times and making another one doesn’t sound difficult either. Making a good album is quite hard though.

You said it's not very physical, but that music video for Cold Reactor, you guys are out there in the cold and that looked pretty physical.

Jonathan Higgs: Well, that was a big day. We actually made five music videos that day.

Oh my god.

Jonathan Higgs: Yeah, we did all the whole album’s worth in one day, and there was a big storm that was coming into the Slate Mine, where we were. So that had a bit of a hard limit on it in terms of when we could be there. We were about to die, so that made it kind of fun.

Manchester is a modestly sized city in comparison to many other major cities in the world, yet some of the biggest and best bands of the last half-century have formed there. What do you think it is about Manchester that makes it such a hot-spot for artists?

Jonathan Higgs: It rains all the time. There’s lots and lots of venues that are good, and I think there’s good unis, so there’s good students starting bands, but there’s also this culture of music that’s already, what, forty years old, and I think people go there with the intention of being involved in music, whereas you wouldn’t get that in a lot of cities. I mean, I’m one of those people. I’m not really from Manchester, and I went there to start a band. I knew that was a place where bands could exist. It’s not like a fantastical idea that you might start a band, whereas there’s plenty of places you can go and no one will join your band. Manchester’s always been good for that. I think it self perpetuates really. Now we’ve got this culture and we’ve got this history. Then it generates more good bands.

You all have accomplished a ton in your Manchester is a modestly sized city in comparison to many other major cities in the world, yet some of the biggest and best bands of the last half-century have formed there. What do you think it is about Manchester that makes it such a hot-spot for artists?

Jonathan Higgins: It rains all the time. There’s lots and lots of venues that are good, and I think there’s good unis, so there’s good students starting bands, but there’s also this culture of music that’s already, what, forty years old, and I think people go there with the intention of being involved in music, whereas you wouldn’t get that in a lot of cities. I mean, I’m one of those people. I’m not really from Manchester, and I went there to start a band. I knew that was a place where bands could exist. It’s not like a fantastical idea that you might start a band, whereas there’s plenty of places you can go and no one will join your band. Manchester’s always been good for that. I think it self perpetuates really. Now we’ve got this culture and we’ve got this history. Then it generates more good bands.

You all have accomplished a ton in your tenure as a group. Is there anything you still hope to accomplish in your musical career?

Jonathan Higgs: Career? Oh yeah, definitely. We want a number one album. We want to headline Glastonbury Asbury, all the things that a band could ever want. I feel like we’ve achieved 1% of it, 8% of it. So yeah, you name it. I’d love to have a whole new chapter of the band.

#it took me lots of nerves to edit Higgins to Higgs #not surprised about computer as the most teasured item hehe #Everything Everything #Jonathan Higgs #Mountainhead #Edexhell mention pls

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