#stoprewind

[natewantstobattle-lyrics-daily]

"when'd I become my own enemy? / I don't understand what you see in me / 'cause I'm just another story / (that's not worth the reading)."

- stoprewind

[stargazer-dreamer]

It's on the Tip of My Tongue Chapter 2

character: yami sukehiro

content warnings: denial of feelings, jealousy

reader: gender neutral; ring magic user

chapter list: 1, 2 [you are here]

notes: also on ao3. 2k word count. pre-relationship. part of the stoprewind verse

Mealtimes at the Black Bulls were chaotic. In the week leading up to your official first day, you had no idea—you hadn’t dined a single meal with them. Either out for lunch with Finral during a break, or so focused on getting your room cleaned that you didn’t notice the plate left for you at the door until it grew cold, you hadn’t sat down at the table with everyone until the ebony robe sat upon your shoulders and the paperwork was properly filed away. And even then, it took the witch coming out to find you and bring you back already in the thick of it to get you to understand exactly how hectic things could get.

It was well-past noon, and you and Yami had wandered aimlessly throughout the forest talking. It turns out, he was serious about getting to know you—but his version of this seemed to only consist of asking unrelated questions one after another until you were sure he didn’t actually care about the answers he was getting at all. It became quite repetitive, a question and a reply, the captain barely sparing a moment to reflect on your answer given until he’s moved on to the next.

He probably does this to all the new guys, you thought, stepping over a fallen tree branch in the path, to help them feel included. You were going to be living under the same roof—you figured the plan was that Yami would spend some quality time with you before returning back to his normal routine. Break the ice, learn some facts about you, converse a little. The two of you were, after all, supposed to be working closely together from then on out. It made sense that he would be working from a mental script—he was the captain. This was apart of the job.

Nothing else to it. Nothing at all. But I didn’t know Yami was such a poor conversationalist…

It was starting to get ridiculous. You watched as he bent to pick the branch off of the ground. Pausing for a moment, he slowly rose to full height with it in hand, an unidentifiable look sitting on his face. Eyes on the branch, you watched as his eyebrows furrowed. And then, in a large swooping motion, he whipped the branch to the side. You blinked. He did it again, and again, and again, and with one step forward one more time, before straightening back up again.

After a pause, he looked at you, tossing the branch to the side. He said—“What do you like to eat?”

For a moment, all you could do was stare. What kind of a demonstration was that? And that’s what he decided to ask you? Mouth opening trying to formulate a response, you were needlessly cut off by a rising, grumbling noise. It came from Yami’s direction. The longer it continued, you realized that it was coming from the captain himself. Namely: his stomach.

“Oh!” you bit back a laugh, understanding the question now. “Oh, you’re—okay, yeah! We can find a place in town. Here—” a ring left one of your fingers and hovered in midair between the two of you. “There’s a place I really like that serves—”

“There you two are!”

Voice drowned out by the sudden interruption, the two of you looked skybound. Up higher than the trees, a figure on a broomstick waved, her dark robe stark against the sky. Flying in a sweeping circle, she found a break in the treeline and descend; the wide brim of her hat fluttering in the wind as she did. Landing, she walked over with the stick over her shoulder. Her eyes shone like jewels, tinted lips curving the closer she got. She was recognizable even from a glance—Vanessa Enoteca.

“I was sent to look for you guys!” she said, with a hand on her hip. She was as beautiful as they say. Perhaps moreso, in person. “Figured you guys would be in town by now, but now that I think about it—this makes way more sense!” She smiled at you like she knew something, but you were certain you had absolutely no clue on what exactly that something was. Before you had time to respond however, her gaze traveled. “A quiet little outing—I didn’t expect that from you, Yami!”

The captain shifted his weight, reaching for a new cigarette and swatting at your still-floating ring, causing it to return to your finger.

The action didn’t go unnoticed, but, “Lunch is ready,” she was carrying on. “Let’s get back and eat!” And with that, she turned on her heels and started down the path with a bounce in her step.

Hesitating, you adjusted the now resting ring on your finger. The final piece of the puzzle put itself into place in your mind as Yami’s hand came down gently on your shoulder as he passed you, leaning down so his next words were heard by you only—“Next time,” he said, scratching the hairline at the back of his neck. The action drew him closer, and his next words came quieter, a rumble that shot exactly to where it shouldn’t—“There’s a place I like. I’ll take you.”

---

Despite the order of finding work, it seemed like the entire squadron was there; filling their plates high and chatting all the while, loud and boisterous—this was the Black Bulls you knew. Sitting in a circle around a rather large table, chairs and sofas had been moved to gather around; the common room transformed into a space to share a meal together. The noise was incredible, each person’s voice raised to speak over the other, seemingly in a constant loop that grew louder and louder by the second.

“Captain!” called the man with the mohawk. Magna Swing, with his gloves still on and sunglasses pushed up towards his hairline. “I saved seats for you!” He patted heartily at the loveseat beside him, nestled between him and Finral. “Come eat!”

Vanessa found a seat on the opposite end of the table—and it appeared that the only remaining place for you was right next to Yami. A bit sheepishly, you followed him into the fray and sat down. It was a bit of a tight fit—the loveseat was of average size but Yami’s bulk was anything but average. An unfortunate shift in your seat could have your thighs pressed up against each other—and following that specific line of thought, you snuck a peek sideways out of the corner of your eye.

He was silent, face once again unreadable as he filled his plate with the buffet before him. The reach of his arm going across the table towards the various foods stretched his muscles nicely, and when he pulled back, the shape of his biceps had you—

At least Finral was on the other side of you. “Welcome back,” he smiled. “You two were gone for a while.” There was a certain lit to his voice, one that brought to mind the memory of earlier in the day, when just about everyone had laid witness to the misunderstanding in front of the base.

Your face burned. “N-no! We were just talking!” You looked towards Yami but any additional input you hoped he would have provided was nonexistent—his plate now towered high with several portions worth of food. He slapped thieving hands away, the movement drawing your eyes to the ring encircling his finger. Stealing the light, it sat vivid against his skin and the scars that embedded him. A new connection; a bond formed between the two of you, the ring a symbol of your—

“We were just talking,” was your explanation. For everything. “Just walking around the woods!”

Finral gave you another smile, polite this time, and raised his glass to his lips. “Okay, okay. I won’t embarrass you.”

“Nothing to be embarrassed about,” came Yami’s voice before the overloaded plate was dropped in front of you. “Figured we’d talk in peace. Finally. What with you hogging up my new ride’s time and all.” His face was still indescribable, but the angle of his brows were curious as he locked eyes with Finral. “Couldn’t even offer a simple hello before you started portaling across the entire kingdom.”

There was a certain hardness coming from the captain. A pressure that weighed you down, leaving you sinking into the cushions as suddenly an awkwardness settled within the room; a haze that slowly drowned out every voice. Not so subtlety, conversations stilled and all eyes came to your side of the table.

Avoiding every gaze, you focused your attention on the food. There was just about everything on that plate, the entire buffet’s worth of selection spilling over each other and tumbling down the tower every so often—and a glance at Yami found him without a plate of his own. Admittedly, with so many different flavors and textures mixed together, it didn’t look very appetizing at all—but a fork was passed over to you, so you started to dig in, if only to appear that you weren’t paying attention.

Picking at the bread, you listened as Finral sputtered. “I was just doing what you asked of me!” his eyes flickered in your direction. “Come on, I’m not trying to—we still have a lot of places to mark—”

“Now you suddenly want to work.” Coming from Yami, it didn’t sound like a question.

You knew of Finral’s reputation—he was known to slack off, often found leisuring around the castletowns instead of working. You frowned, remembering that day in the alleyway. The two of you were paired up immediately, imprinting upon countless and countless of locations, so really, who’s fault was it that you were often together? Besides, Finral was working—what was wrong with that? From what you’ve heard, he was usually off flirting…

Cutting through your thoughts like a hot knife, your attention was pulled across the table towards the starry-eyed boy from before as he called out to you. The conversation happening at your side drowned out as you tried to remember the kid’s name.

“Asta!” he supplied. “From Hage Village!” You didn’t know where that was. “I didn’t get the chance to ask you before—what kind of magic do you use?”

His obliviousness to the confrontation happening literally right in front of him was a breather, causing a soft reset in the vibe at the table overall. Slowly, conversations started to pick back up and the noise level steadily grew—not to what it once was, but high enough to no longer be as obvious about the eavesdropping as before.

“It’s ring magic,” you explained, trying to concentrate. With multiple conversations happening all around you—including the one currently flying over your head—you were finding it exceedingly difficult to hear yourself. “I can do a lot of things with it, but it follows the basic functions of rings as a whole.”

Asta shoveled food into his mouth as he looked at you in awe. Without swallowing, he asked, “What’s that?”

“Communication. At least, that’s how I think of it.” You thought of playing with your mother’s jewelry box as a child, and fiddling with her rings. They were cheap things, bought on whims, but you didn’t care. They were beautiful; hers, a piece of her left with you while she worked long hours, away from home. You felt your heart start to swell at the thought of it. Inspired, you carried on. “A ring usually signifies a bond or status, so I can use them as communication or tracking devices. Opening portals is what I do the most though—it’s just so much easier to take one step as opposed to walking all the way across town.”

Suddenly solemn, your eyes lowered as you remembered: “It’s not a really desirable attribute though, since it’s so easily replaceable with actual magical items. And it’s no good in a fight.”

“What are you talking about? It sounds like you could do all sorts of cool stuff,” Asta chewed. “Besides, it doesn’t matter what other people think—aren’t you here because of your magic?”

You didn’t know what to say.

“If you want to learn how to fight, I can teach you!” A messy-haired boy spoke up from the other end of the table. You recognized him as Luck Volta; and if his reputation is anything to go by, you knew taking him up on that offer was a bad idea.

His static raising your hair already, you frantically shook your head—“No, thank you, really, I’m not good at that—”

“If you need help with your magic, you should ask Gauche!” A small girl was stuffing her face. As she paused to down her drink, you were able to catch a glimpse of her features—Charmy Pappitson. She pointed in the direction of the man in question. “He’s usually using an item, too—he could probably give you some good advice!”

Gauche Adlai was looking at a photograph in his hand, hardly touching his food at all. Monotone, he replied, “I only help my sister.”

“Focusing on one aspect of your magic isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Vanessa sipped directly from a bottle. “You’re working on portals, right? I heard you can make a whole lot more than you used to—and it’s only been a week! You should give it a proper spin.” Before you could ask what that meant exactly, the shine in her eyes appeared again as she stood up from her seat. Circling the table quickly, she came to a stop behind you. With each arm, she pulled both Finral and Yami closer, encaging you in a huddle of sorts.

“Okay you two, I think we can all agree that Finral can take a little break,” she smiled. “Yami! Why don’t you two lovebirds go on that mission you were talking about earlier?” She shot you a wink, “The two of you are perfect for the job!”

[darkremnants]

Alright. You want my real, unfiltered, thoughts about Nate?

He is everything.

I don't mean this in a romantic way. I mean every emotion I have, good or bad, revolves around him. I mean the whole world is white noise and he's the only one that cuts through it and makes it seem real. And I don't know if I love him or hate him for that, because it's exhilarating but it's also terrifying, it's safer to stay closed-off and numb but I'm not able to do that with him, so I'm left dreading how devastating it will be when it ends, because it will - it's never gone another way. So a part of me wants to put an end to this, one way or another, before it goes to far, but another part of me wants to dive in head-first and revel in the feeling while it lasts.

And all this while he barely knows I exist.

[noven-warsh]

shoutout to the time I got a store to play nwtb music

[int0themist]

good to know that i can post exactly 0 original things for like a month, let alone smth abt nwtb for like... 4? 5? time is fake. and then immediately come back with another nwtb post and get 15 notes in 24 hours. glad i could be of service to that community 🫡

[starchytart]

nate successfully spins the pizza box in shadow of agony blooper vid reminds me of when he does bottle flip for StopRewind MV on the first try, he can't lose even if he wants lmao

[nwtbobsessedemo]

@starchytart

Merry (late) Christmas!! When i saw you put about the StopRewind music video i knew i had to draw the (to me) iconic ending, hope you like it!!!

@nwtbgiftexchange thank you so much for organizing this i had so much fun!

[the-carlos-cow-eyes]

Why am I just now realizing that I've been listening to Nate's music and have been a fan of him In general for NINE YEARS?? ALMOST A FUCKING DECADE??

The first thing I ever saw him In was Night 3 of the FNAF Musical, which had just come out by the time I watched It because I was keeping up with those videos, and I've been obsessed with him ever since.

That's so fucking Insane to me. He's been my favorite artist for almost ten years....since I was twelve years old. I'm twenty-one now.

He's still my favorite artist to this day. His music has meant so much to me and still does. I even got a tattoo of a lyric to my favorite song of his (‘StopRewind’). It's honestly my favorite one out of the three tattoos I currently have, lol

Anyways, thanks for bringing me so much comfort over the years and In the years to come, Nate. Love you <3

(I know this gif Isn't from Night 3, lol. This Is just my favorite line of his from the FNAF musical as a whole😭)

[xjesslynne]

moments from five days at streamy bearussy's.

initial hype.

more hype.

stream crash. wash, rinse repeat about seven times.

liquid and i paying rent.

USSY.

nate becoming one with nightbot.

getting stuck in a stoprewind loopy loop.

cheese discourse / tier lists.

zack, me and julian getting stuck in chat purgatory.

chevy commercial.

nosebleeds. pulled muscles.

krumping on everyone and everything.

chat bonding over forgotten.

liquid going feral over w & w.

apollo having to pay to talk to his boss.

phantussy / bonussy.

paying nate to get his attention after abandoning us.

four hours of streamn't.

add your own. there was so much chaos. both cursed and wholesome.

it was a stream of all time.

[forgottenxarchangel]

Put your "on repeat" playlist on shuffle, list the first 10 songs and tag 10 people to do the same

1 Phantom -NateWantsToBattle

2 Smoke and Guns - NateWantsToBattle

3 Bleeders - Black Veil Brides

4 In The End - Black Veil Brides

5 Let It Go - NateWantsToBattle (NOT the song from Frozen)

6 Take Me Anywhere - NateWantsToBattle

7 Bones - NateWantsToBattle

8 Believer - Imagine Dragons

9 StopRewind - NateWantsToBattle

10 Wolf In Sheep's Clothing - Set It Off

Tagged by @exxcrucior 

I feel very called out! Bold of you to assume I even had a playlist before this!

I think you can guess my favorite artist XD

Tagging (no obligation, though, this is just for fun if you feel like it!) @compelledcurator @kingoftheravens @ash-muses @reachingtroublerp @envvenena @thegracefallen @alwayshaunted @wrathofthealmighty  @a-very-questionably-unstable-box @staygooddevil

[natewantstobattle-lyrics-daily]

“and I felt it breaking / then you came around / in this world of white noise, you're my favorite sound."

- stoprewind

[stargazer-dreamer]

hi!! hope you’re well, was just wondering when the next chapter of the yami fanfiction would be releasing😅 no pressure! it was just really really good and i’d love more content if you’re still willing to continue it!

i keep telling people it will come eventually—i just dont know when eventually is. im sorry. i cant seem to write anything for this blog for quite the while.

i really do appreciate everyone’s interest in stoprewind. it makes me really happy! its on the tip of my tongue is planned for four chapters in total, and i have the basic idea of what the last two is…but i just cant write. sorry about that.

this isnt chapter three, but here’s a snippet from a future installment (which will also, unfortunately, be slowly, slowly worked on…after tip of my tongue is finished):

---

After what must have been a good half hour, you came across your door at last. You all but stumbled in, turning around and closing it shut with the weight of your body. After that terrible hike, on top of your lingering mana, all you wanted to do was climb into bed and be finally done for the day. A rustling noise caught your attention though, and you turned around to face the room proper.

“Captain?!”

“Ah.” Yami stood there, half undressed, shirt still partially removed in his arms. There was a moment of silence; one where you spent trying, desperately, to not let your eyes roam across his perfect form—before he shifted his weight, and continued staring back. “You’re staring too much,” he rumbled, infuriatingly monotone. “You’re making me blush.”

[th3w00ds]

Introducing: Apollo!

Apollo is my fan made NWTB ego based off of the album Sandcastle Kingdoms by NateWantsToBattle. I’ll explain his backstory and powers here, and his backstory will be split up into what I came up with based on each song in SK.

His backstory and powers are below the cut!

-Backstory Section-

Branded: His backstory starts with him being a popular but struggling behind the scenes music artist, selfish and experiencing creative burnout, believing that while he is well off, he’s in a sort of hell in his life. “Shine so bright this star’s gonna burn out.” 

StopRewind: This one is him thinking about wanting to be something more than what he is now. He thinks he isn’t deserving of his popularity and money and everything, and he realizes that he’d rather start over. “When’d I become my own enemy?” 

Live Long Enough to Become the Hero: This song is the one where he actually gets isekai’d! In my opinion, the lyrics are about how happy he is to finally have to at second chance he wanted and to start over. He also was very unsure about the new world he was in, since he didn’t really mean that he wanted to start over in a whole new world when he wanted to start over. His main intention was start over his career, but… hey, being a prince of a kingdom made of sand isn’t that bad, right? “My whole world was crumbling down, but I’ll still mend… I’ve found the strength and now I know where I can confide.”

To the Ends of the Earth: Again, this one still takes place in the isekai world he’s in. He’s reflecting on his feelings of happiness about being here, and is also thinking about the lengths he’ll go to be able to stay. Even if it meant fighting, which through training he can do now, he would fight to stay in his “perfect world.” “I’ll fight and defend, I’ll see this out till end.” 

Heroes Never Die: Now he’s becoming increasingly arrogant and cocky in his abilities, since he’s spent a lot of time in this world and has fought a lot of beings and people, not just to stay, but for his kingdom, his people. “You don’t call the shots, don’t you tell me when I’m done (Live it up, this life is amazing!)”

Perfect by Design: This song is the turning point in the album, starting the “depressing/sad” songs. This is when he realizes that the world he’s been sent to isn’t perfect as he thought for so long, in fact, as with his old world, it is extremely flawed. He starts to become depressed and closed off, a far cry from what he was just a few months before. He also feels immense guilt for his actions in the past in order to stay in this “perfect world.” He thinks that maybe his old life wasn’t that bad, as he had friends, fame, money. Not that he doesn’t have that now, he has the fame and the money, but not really the friends. As the prince of this kingdom he has a great amount of responsibilities and friends don’t really fit that well into them. “A million strangers walking past and stare… Open up the door I’m leaving soon… How did this get underneath my skin… Let me know when it’s all said and done.” 

I’d Love to Break It to You: This one still is kind of depressing, but more aggressive than Perfect by Design is. He’s spiraling more into his negative thoughts, believing he’s completely alone, and that everyone will forget him. He’s starting to become more aggressive himself, taking it out on others and even his people. “Parading like you own the place, give it time we’ll all forget your face.” 

All I See: This goes back to that “depressing” theme I’ve been mentioning. Unlike I’d Love to Break It to You, All I See goes back to being not very aggressive, like Perfect by Design but a bit faster at times. 

We Are Ignited: This one isn’t really aggressive, but to me it feels like Apollo deciding that he wants to go back to his old world, now wanting better days than he has now. He wants to forget the plethora of enemies he made in his so called “perfect world” as well. “You ventured off, no turning back, you’ve gone astray… The room’s too small to spread his wings out and take flight,”

Sandcastle Kingdoms: Before Apollo can make it out of his kingdom and the other world, a disaster happens. A large tidal wave was displaced somehow (don’t ask), and it completely washed over his kingdom. Some thought that before it happened, a wave from the Ocean of Dreams would bring destruction to the kingdom, but nobody believed them. That caused it to fall, as it was made of sand itself. When the tidal wave hits, it destroys the buildings and a lot of civilians drown, and Apollo also drowns there. “But all kingdoms drown, as tides bring them down… The subjects stay loyal, but don’t wait their turn; Now, blindly they follow their king to the fray, but he has no action and they have no say!” 

TLDR; He got fucking isekai’d..

Powers: I wanted to give him some powers. He didn’t have them in his original world, but in the other one he does, and when he woke back up in his “old world,” he kept them. He can control and manipulate sand, water and light. When using his sand or light powers, his eyes glow yellow/orange, and when using his water powers, they glow blue. 

[orangetintedglasses]

When'd I become my own enemy? I don't understand what you see in me 'Cause I'm just another story (that's not worth a reading) Now you've got me pinned up against the wall Why aren't you afraid that I'll take a fall? There's more that came before me (am I worth believing?) I'm not so sure

[pain-is-too-tired]

"You're My Favorite Sound."

"Eye to eye our worlds collided

Ear to ear you kept me smiling

Kept me happy kept me grounded

Before I flew away

And I felt it breaking, then you came around

In this world of white noise, you're my favorite sound"

StopRewind by Nathan Sharp

Finally drew some more Jake x Michael!

Thinking about Jake supporting Michael when he's stressed about his duties as Head Counselor and still mourning Lee.