#yes I know about garage band life no I don’t know about the 80s

[aroadside-attraction]

“Steve Harrington is a groupie! Steve Harrington is their merch girl! Steve Harrington is a roadie!”

Incorrect. Steve Harrington is the band mom and the sound queen.

In his duties as band mom, he has the guys over the morning after a gig and cooks them all breakfast. His place quickly becomes the place for post gig/practice dinners bc Steve is always willing to open his home to these guys who make Eddie so happy to be around. And yeah, he helps lug some equipment in and out of their practice space and their gigs, but he’s also handing out set lists and keeping his eye on the guys to make sure they have water up there with them. He’s done this since before he and Eddie officially got together.

The sound queen thing came.. slower. It took him a while to get used to the style of music the guys played, to understand who played what lead and what a lead even meant. Music was never really his thing, it was just background to the parties and the hookups, until he began hanging around Eddie. He slowly developed opinions on how the band sounded, felt the feedback grind his gears one too many times before, after practice one day, he tentatively approached Eddie and suggested maybe he could turn the gain down on his mic, just a little bit, on that third song, let that cool thing that Gareth’s doing shine through a bit more.

Eddie, of course, is thrilled that Steve Has Opinions on his music and is getting Actually Involved and encourages it all. He sets him up with their shitty sound board in the garage and let’s Steve experiment with the sound, the whole band giving pointers to Steve. He introduces Steve to the guy who runs the board at the Hideout, and Steve starts spending every show sitting back at the board, listening intently and watching the op’s fingers twitch over the minuscule adjustments to make the band sound just right.

And then they show up for a gig one night and the board op is sick. Like, really sick. And his back up is also sick. And Eddie, man, I’m sorry, but without an op, we can’t have a show. Maybe we can reschedule. And the guys are devastated. They’ve been working towards this one for months, they’re actually starting to get somewhere as a band. So Steve volunteers. He knows this board, he knows the way the guys like to sound, he knows the space. He can manage one show, right?

Naturally, it’s the best they’ve ever sounded. Eddie’s beaming with pride as Steve comes around the back after the show, a few groupies are hanging off the guys elbows, telling them how good they sounded, and hey, when’s the next show? There’s some people who have to be here the next time they play.

And that’s how Steve takes over sound entirely for the band. It ticks off some venues when they insist Steve be at the board, and sound checks take a little longer and require a bit more feedback when they move into new spaces, because Steve’s hearing is a little wonky, sometimes, after all of the knocks to the head, but he manages. Manages pretty well, until the guys have a manager and they’re playing venues bigger than Steve is really comfortable with and really, he knows nothing about recording audio so it’s okay that he’s not the one operating the board when they’re in the studio. But he is in the room, giving his opinions as Eddie smiles. Because, as band mom, Steve knows that Eddie’s got the lead on that first song, and Garett does that cool thing in the third that really should be brought to the front, and Jeff’s harmony in the sixth is a little strong, they’ll want to back off on that a bit and…

[leviabeat]

Volbeat and Asinhell's Michael Poulsen shares the secrets of his success and happiness

Emily Swingle | Metal Hammer | 5/8/24

From bruising hard rock to thrashing psychobilly breakdowns, Michael Poulsen is a heavy metal chameleon. Starting out in death metal band Dominus, the formidable Dane quickly realised the heavy music scene needed a makeover - and along came Volbeat, throwing out big anthems infused with the bounce of 50s rock’n’roll.

Although Volbeat’s latest release, 2021’s Servant Of The Mind, was met with acclaim, Michael deemed it a perfect time to switch things up once more. Last year ushered in his most ferocious outing to date - an 80s-tinged underground death metal monster of a side-project called Asinhell. We sat down with the man himself, to understand what motivates his hectic hunt for a new sound.

DREAM BIG

“A lot of kids dream of being firemen, football players or huge wrestlers… but I always wanted to be a rock star. From a very young age, I was a dreamer, lying on the floor with my head between two speakers, listening to music and drifting away for hours. My parents would come in and tell me I was gonna ruin my ears, but I just couldn’t stop myself.

I created this bubble of sound, just fantasising about the performers and how I could surround myself with music. The idea of becoming a musician wasn’t at the front of my mind, but I was definitely flirting with the idea. The signs were always there.”

IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT

“For my new project, Asinhell, we wanted to be true to the old-school metal sound. Yes, we have access to all this hightech, fancy studio equipment - but we wanted to do it like the old days. Fridays have become ‘Death Metal Fridays’, and we’d rehearse in [drummer] Morten Toft Hansen’s small garage. We even recorded it like we used to, back in the days when we were very young and didn’t have coin for anything. And it was exactly what we wanted.”

STIR THE POT (MUSICALLY SPEAKING)

“When it comes music, everything is about my roots. I started playing death metal when I was 15 or 16, but I also grew up with lots of 50s music. My parents were always listening to Elvis, Johnny Cash and those kind of performers. When I was in my death metal band, Dominus, you weren’t really allowed to mix different elements into the music. So, when I formed Volbeat, I made it my mission to cram as many different genres and inspirations as possible into the sound. It felt so liberating.”

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON

“The struggles I’ve gone through have led to where I am now. There’s no good without bad, light cannot live without the darkness. You have to stay focused, stay positive. I’ve always had that mindset. People go through awful things, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Even though I’ve faced challenges, I’m in the right place now, so it’s been worth it.”

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU

“One of the greatest challenges of my life was becoming a father. Suddenly, it’s not all about you - you’re secondary. Life definitely changed when I had kids. You become more aware of existence, and don’t want to waste time on the wrong things. It forces you to become a better person; you need great personality to bring that to your kids, to make sure they’re good people. Being a parent is an amazing challenge.”

MUSIC CONNECTS US ALL

“When I started, the internet wasn’t really a thing. It was all about getting out there, meeting people - and music was how you could do that. When you loved, say, extreme underground stuff, you quickly became aware of the scene, and you could get involved with those groups of people. The underground scene has always been about connecting with other people.

Even now, you see fans travelling to different cities, different countries, and they immediately know they’ll meet like-minded people at a show. No matter where you go, if there’s a concert, or a music community, you know you’ve got a friend. There’s something very special about the music community.”

LET A PROJECT SPEAK FOR ITSELF

“Before the internet, how you promoted yourself was totally different. The only way to be heard was by tape trading, sending out flyers, or meeting people in people in record stores or venues.

The internet can make it easy to over-hype yourself - and I never want to over-hype my own music. I hate it when certain bands are shoved in your face – you see them everywhere before you’ve even listened to one note. Music shouldn’t be pushed to a level where it becomes overexposed. If it’s good, people will find it.”

YOU SHOULD SEE THE WORLD

“When we started touring, it was magical. Suddenly you were going to another country that you’d never been to, and the next day, it’d be somewhere else new. I’d get home and my family would be so excited, saying, ‘You’ve seen more of the world in one week that we have in our whole lives!’

The lessons you learn when traveling are so important. I’d say traveling is an incredible thing to experience and that everyone should immerse themselves in as many cultures as humanly possible."

...BUT HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

“There comes a time when, after many years of touring, you just want to be at home. I’m not really a fan of traveling, nowadays. I like being with my family, picking my kids up from school, from kindergarten. I am a homebody - when I get back from tour, sometimes it’s a battle for my wife to get me out of my house!”

FAMILY COMES FIRST

“I have a twin sister, and we have such a strong connection. But having a child only made me more aware of how ridiculously special a family connection is. My daughter was born a little too early; when my wife started going into labor, I was actually on tour with Metallica in the US, maybe in New York.

My wife called in the middle of the night saying, ‘My water just broke’, and I knew I had to be there - even if that meant canceling a show with Metallica. When I went to the hospital and held my daughter for the first time, it was the most amazing thing. I can’t even describe it.”

TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY

“I’m a very bad sleeper, so sometimes with touring, the lack of sleep is terrible. Tour buses are a nightmare. When you’ve not slept in five or six days, it really impacts your energy, and my voice really suffers. So I’d say sleep is essential. In terms of the body, I’ve also really gotten into running - I just love it. I need it. It’s like a drug for me, that runner’s high. Runner’s high is an actual high, I promise you!”

WHILE YOU’RE AWAKE, BE USEFUL

“The biggest challenge I’ve ever faced was losing my father. You become very quickly aware of what life is all about, but also how short it is. My father always said, ‘Michael, while you are awake, be useful.’ That’s a great life lesson – I live by it. I’m not good at sitting around doing nothing. Before music, I’ve always had hobbies, be that football, cycling, or breakdancing - I even came second place in a breakdancing competition once.”

…AND IF YOU CAN’T BE USEFUL, KEEP BUSY!

“I’m always extremely busy, and I always want to be. I surround myself with good people who inspire me to keep pushing myself. I’m very, very proud of what I’ve accomplished in my musical career. I could retire if I wanted to, but that’s not how I function. I’m always inspired, I love what I’m doing. Ultimately, life is all about experience. I believe that the more we live, the more we get done, the better people we become.”

[sapphosclown]

Kiss Him You Fool - Willex Oneshot

aka willie and flynn are best friends and she’s done with this mutual pining bullshit. (boys are alive bc i didn’t feel like thinking about ghost logistics today lmao)

so i didn’t get to participate in willex week nearly as much as i wanted to so this is my song fic/au fic (i guess? since the guys are alive? idk) for free day since i didn’t get the idea till last night at 1am. anyways i also didn’t sign up for the gift exchange but i still wanna dedicate this fic to @fairygclds for hosting this week bc she did an amazing job and i love her v much, ty mari <3

title is from Kiss Her You Fool by Kids That Fly, cute song highly recommend

rbs and comments appreciated :)

———

———

That was real right? He didn’t make that up in his head? That happened. Right?

Willie was abruptly knocked out of their thoughts as his board hit a crack in the sidewalk, sending him onto the pavement, scraping his knee. Although, the stinging did help them snap out of the daze he was in, making him realize that yes, this is real life, and yes, he and Alex Mercer almost kissed.

***

“Stop, you’re not allowed to be that good at everything.” Willie teased as Alex just barely completed a loop around him.

“I feel like we are experiencing different timelines here or something.” Alex let out a shaky laugh as he flailed his arms in an attempt to regain the balance he’d just lost. Luckily, Willie held out their arm for him to grab just in time.

“Come on, you’re doing great! Just need to have a little more faith in yourself.” Willie smiled gently, offering extra support with his free hand.

Alex scoffed. “I think I’m a roller skating kind of guy.”

“Well, I disagree but if that’s how you feel—”

Alex rolled his eyes, making Willies stomach flutter. He helped him off the skateboard and they sat down on the couch in the studio. Willie ignored the fact that despite having the entire couch to themselves, they sat right up against each other, and he especially ignored the way their knees touching made his heart beat faster than normal.

“Actually, I think solid ground is where it’s at.” Alex said, only half-joking.

“I guess, but the wheels add some spice that solid ground could never live up to.”

“Exactly. You know exactly what you’re getting with solid ground. Me and wheels have a complicated relationship.”

“Oh really? You guys have a falling out?” Willie teased.

“Ha, yeah. There was some falling.” Alex gave a sarcastic laugh.

“But that’s the fun part! You can get some pretty rad scars from skating.” Willie pointed out.

“‘Rad?’ What, are you from the 80’s?”

“Listen—” Willie shushed him, shoving his shoulder into him playfully.

They laughed for a moment before falling into a comfortable silence. Willie was really tempted to lay his head onto Alex’s shoulder, or hold his hand.

His hand was right there. It would be so easy... But instead he grabbed their own hand and started messing with their fingers.

“So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?” He asked lamely.

“We’re rehearsing for our gig tomorrow night. Luke and Julie are going over the set list one last time right now but we should be starting pretty soon.” Alex replied, checking the time on his phone before looking back at Willie. “Actually, if you wanna hangout while we rehearse, I don’t think they’d mind.”

“Oh, yeah! That sounds great!” Willie smiled.

“Cool.” Alex nodded, and maybe he was seeing things, but Willie could’ve sworn his cheeks were turning pink. That made him giggle.

“So, what’s the set list then?” They asked curiously. He shifted his body so that he could look at Alex, only mildly upset about the loss of contact, but being able to see the faded pink in Alex’s cheeks made up for it.

“Well, usually we start with Edge of Great, but Julie and Luke wrote this new song that is perfect to open with and I just know everyone’s gonna love it—”

Willie stared at Alex as he rambled on about the show and they couldn’t help the soft smile on their lips. Alex noticed almost immediately and stopped talking, almost embarrassed.

“What?” He asked.

“No, it’s nothing.” Willie said, waving his hand for them to move past it.

“No, I feel like you’re judging me!” Alex giggled.

“No! I’m not judging you!” Willie reassured. “You’re just really cute when you talk about music.” He said softly.

Alex went bright red. “Oh.” He replied in the same tone.

The air around them went quiet again, but this time filled with a different feeling. The feeling that there was nothing else in the world but the two of them. And suddenly their faces were a lot closer than Willie had realized. His eyes flicked down to Alex’s lips subconsciously and then back to his eyes, which he found were doing the same thing. There was nothing stopping him, all he had to do was lean in just a little bit more...

“WHO’S READY TO MAKE SOME MUSIC!” Reggie called excitedly as he entered the garage, making Willie and Alex jump apart. Reggie eyed them suspiciously. “Oh, hey Willie.” He said, eyebrows pulled together like he was piecing together what just happened.

“Hey.” Willie breathed uncomfortably. He felt like he couldn’t get enough air.

“Are you gonna hangout for rehearsal?” Reggie asked.

“Actually, uh, I gotta get going.” Willie sputtered before his brain could catch up to his mouth. They stood up and grabbed their things messily.

“I thought you said—”

“I just remembered I have to do something.” Willie cut Alex off. “I’ll see you tomorrow though?”

“Yeah. Yeah, okay.” Alex said quietly, failing at hiding his disappointment and making Willies chest ache.

“Cool.” Willie said. “See ya.” He threw an awkward peace sign at Reggie (who gave him one back) and skated out of the garage as fast as he possibly could.

***

“You are a disaster.” Flynn scolded, grabbing a dinosaur band-aid out of her desk drawer.

“I know!” Willie yelled into her pillow. She plopped down onto the bed in front of him.

“Why didn’t you just kiss him! You had the opportunity and he clearly wanted to kiss you too!” She yelled.

“I don’t know!” Willie whined, throwing the pillow back down into his lap. “I wanted to but I froze! And then Reggie showed up and I couldn’t stay after that! What if he didn’t want that to happen, what if he hates me now!”

“He doesn’t hate you! He’s very clearly in love with you, I don’t know what you’re not understanding about this.” She peeled the paper off the band-aid and carefully stuck it to Willies knee.

“You don’t know that.” He huffed.

“Who do you think you’re talking to? He likes you. When have I ever been wrong?”

They hated to admit it, but there have been very few times Flynn has been wrong.

“Fine. But what am I supposed to do?”

“Go back there? Ask him on a date or kiss him or just literally do anything.”

“I can’t go back! He’s rehearsing! I don’t wanna barge in while they’re rehearsing. And I left so fast it’d be so awkward—”

“Stop making excuses!” Flynn shook their shoulders, as they pouted. “Call him and say you forgot something.”

“I didn’t forget anything.” He said plainly. Flynn shot him a look.

“Duh! I know that, but if you tell him you’re coming back to get something then you can’t chicken out.” She explained, exasperated.

“Oh! Well what should I say I forgot?”

“Your phone, that's a reasonable thing you’d need to get back.”

“Okay. Okokok.” Willie mumbled to themself pulling out his phone and scrolling through his contacts before Flynn snatched it from them.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling him like you said!”

“Use my phone dummy! If you call him from your phone he’ll know you didn’t leave it there!” She opened her phone and before Willie realized what was happening, the phone was ringing on speaker.

“Hello?” Alex’s voice cracked through the phone.

Flynn looked at Willie and then back to the phone when he just sat there mouth agape.

“Um, hi. It’s Willie, not Flynn, I, um, left my phone in the studio and I’m on my way back to grab it.” They stuttered, hitting his head at his awkwardness.

“Oh alright. See you soon, then.”

“Yup. See ya.” Willie threw his head in his hands, their face turning bright red. Flynn ended the call and leaned against her wall with their arms crossed.

“You really are a disaster huh.” She teased.

Willie threw his pillow at them playfully and jumped off the bed. “I hate you.” He laughed.

“Love you too.” She grinned slyly. “Now, go tell your boyfriend he’s cool and you wanna kiss him!”

Willie groaned as he grabbed his things as Flynn shooed him out of her room.

***

“He’s coming back.” Alex said quickly. His friends shared the same look as they all “ooooooo”d at him.

“Guys stop! What do I do!” He cried.

“Man calm down, it’s alright.” Reggie consoled him.

“Why’re they coming back?” Julie asked turning her keyboard off so she can lean on the keys.

“Said they forgot their phone.” Alex replied.

“Mhm, right. Sure he did.” Luke teased. If he were closer Alex would’ve shoved him but he felt like he was glued to his seat.

“What do I do?” Alex asked again.

“I mean, we can keep rehearsing till he gets here if that’ll take your mind off of it?” Julie suggested.

God bless Julie. Alex nodded.

“I don’t know, it seems like he and Willie have some unfinished business.” Reggie winked.

“No! Nothing was happening! Nothing happened, it’s nothing. He just needs his phone back.” Alex tried to ignore his friends snickering but his mind flashed back to Willie on the couch in front of him. He really thought Willie had wanted to kiss him, but if how he left says anything, Alex must’ve misread the situation. They probably hated him.

“Dude, I can practically hear your thoughts and I promise you, he likes you.” Reggie assured him.

“You can’t know that for sure.” Alex mumbled, watching his drumstick twirl through his fingers.

“Maybe not but, we’ve all noticed how they look at you.” Luke cut in.

“It’s not exactly a secret.” Julie said sweetly.

“I just... I care about them a lot and what if you’re wrong and that’s just how he acts with his friends—”

“No, dude, we’re not letting you talk yourself out of this one.” Luke laughed.

“Seriously, Alex, you should go for it!” Reggie said encouragingly, walking around his drums to clap his shoulder.

Alex thought about it, he really did. He really thought for a second that he could do it, he could just lean forward and kiss him and they’d live happily ever after. But he over thought it, as usual.

“I don’t know. Maybe someday.” He shrugged.

“You can’t just wait for someday! You gotta go after what you want!” Luke exclaimed. Julie nodded.

Alex smiled at his friends. He appreciated their support but he couldn’t help but be afraid. Deep down, he knew they were right. He knew if Reggie had been just a minute later... But he still didn’t want to get his hopes up too high. Because there’s always that what if that won’t leave him alone.

There was a gentle knock on the garage doors as Willie stepped into view, he was hugging his arms and had a soft smile on his face. They carefully waved at everyone before he made eye contact with Alex, and suddenly it felt just like they were on the couch again. Just the two of them.

You know what. Maybe it’s time for someday.

Alex stood up from his drums and walked over to Willie, trying to act nonchalant. He heard Julie clear her throat to get the other two to stop staring at them and at least pretend to do something else.

“Hey.” Alex breathed.

“Hey.” Willie replied. “Can I actually see you, out here?” He asked shyly, nodding his head out side.

Alex nodded and followed Willie out of view of his band mates.

“Sorry, I probably should’ve looked for your phone before you got here but—” before Alex could finish his sentence Willie had cupped Alex’s face and pulled him into a kiss.

Alex felt like his heart had just exploded and he wasn’t completely sure if he was real anymore, but then he felt his hand rest on Willies cheek and he could confirm that yes, this was happening.

It didn’t last longer than a few seconds before Willie pulled away again. Their eyes searched Alex’s face for any sign of his emotion but Alex had completely stopped functioning and didn’t quite know what to do until he felt Willies grip on his face loosen.

“I’m sorry—” He tried to retract his hands but Alex held them in place, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He saw Willie’s worry fade and Alex pulled him back into a kiss. This one much softer, less rushed. No longer a question, but an answer.

They pulled apart and Alex noticed Willie shrinking down a bit and smiled to himself.

“Do you have to stand on your tiptoes to kiss me?” He asked cheekily.

Willie raised his eyebrows. “That’s the question you have right now?”

Alex nodded, his smile unmoving.

“I’m glad you have your priorities set.” Willie laughed.

“Definitely.” Alex whispered. “Priority number one, make you stand on your tiptoes to kiss me again.”

“You’re mean.” Willie pouted. Alex laughed and Willie gave him a playful shove before Alex pulled him back onto his tiptoes.

“It’s about time.” Reggie whispered as he Luke and Julie peeked around the door and watched their friend.

“Luke,” He stood up straight and held out his hand.

Luke groaned and fished for his wallet in his pockets, handing him a $20 bill.

“Thank you.” Reggie said smugly, pocketing the cash.

Julie laughed and shook her head at her friends and they all made their way back to their respective instruments. Julie pulled out her phone.

Flynn: did he do it??

Julie: yup. reggie’s $20 richer

Flynn: about time!! took those fools long enough, geez

Julie: really tho

Alex walked back into the studio a blushing smiley mess and sat at his drums again, not saying a word despite his friends staring at him expectantly.

He scanned their faces from his seat behind his drums.

“From the top?”

———

———

a/n: let it be known that reggie used that $20 to buy a fish and he named it Gil and he is the best fish dad ever

[pixiealtaira]

And the Thunder Rolls

This is the first of my Glee Summer Bang fics...but I decided it was too gloomy.

It is a Klaine Break-Up Fic and this Not Klaine or Blaine friendly.

Takes place right after the end of Junior Year:

The crash of thunder shook the house.  Kurt looked out to the pouring rain.  It was nearly pushed horizontal by the wind. “Very Blustery, my ass. Hurricane force winds would have been a better description,” Kurt muttered as he watched chaos out the window.   Kurt still felt that being out in the storm would be preferable than where he was currently at, that the chaos outside would be safer and somehow 'less' than the chaos inside his being as he listened to Blaine. Lightening ripped through the sky, near enough for  Kurt to just see the light of the flash and not a actual bolt  and for the thunder to roll right after it and actually shake the house. He wondered if Finn knew he had a flashlight in his room.  Rachel didn't like power outages. Kurt leaned closer to the window to see if he could see where it might have landed.

“Kurt, I don't think you are listening to me.” Blaine whined behind him. “Do I need to go get Finn and Rachel and have them listen to this as well?  I am setting out guidelines for how I want our summer to be and you just aren't really paying attention to me.  Stop looking out the window and look at me, the boyfriend. I am beginning to think you don't actually love me at all.  You are not at all focused where you need to be focused.” “Blaine, I love you.  I told you that just a few days ago.  And yes, you are my boyfriend.  But that doesn't give you permission to dictate my summer.” Light brightened the whole room again and thunder shook the house and Kurt wished it would just hit the house.  Maybe stop what he suspected would be a defining moment to everything for the whole of the rest of his life. Blaine huffed. “I'm not dictating your summer.  I'm just letting you know how things need to be so we can see each other more often during the summer. My dad got me this job, you know, and it is Important that I am my best during the time I am working and performing.  Important people might be watching, you know.  Nila said that Jason, one of the boys who left the year before I could perform at all, got scouted and got a modeling job and a job as a back-up singer for a band.  That could be me this year, but only if I'm at the top of my game.  I I can only be at the top of my game when I know you are focused on me. You need to know when to keep yourself free to come see me and visit me. If you don't do this for me like I want it done, well then, I'm afraid we will just not be able to see each other at all.” “And I told you I am not going to be going to the amusement park and paying 80  to 100 bucks a day just to see you on your break periods, especially if I'm not 'allowed' to spend the rest of the time enjoying the park.  You can come here on your days off or I can meet you at your place on your days off.” “You cannot go to my place.  I mean...I just haven't exactly told my folks I have a boyfriend yet...so you'll have to wait for that.  And my days off are all booked with family stuff or other things I need to do.  If you love me, you'll come see me on the days I listed at the park.  It is the only acceptable option.  I just do not understand why you are having a problem with this.  A good boyfriend would be perfectly willing to do this for me, I'll have you know. And it's not like I'm asking more than others who work there have.  Nila's boyfriend was there three days a week last summer. Matt and Ryan both worked there, so I guess they don't really count, but it was so unfair watching those guys making out and whatnot and yet the rest of us had to just make due.  Now, this year, I'VE got the boyfriend and so you need to come to the park so I can have good breaks too.  You need to come on the days I listed earlier for certain and also whenever I text that the day would be a good day for you to be there. I NEED you to be there for me, Kurt.  I need to be able to show the others that I'VE got a boyfriend and that he does what I ask of him. But, you also can't like hang out with anyone, or talk to anyone...I mean, you are great and all but you just don't exactly talk about the kinds of things the other kids who work at the park do and so I need you to remember that...but also you need to make sure they know you are only at the park for me...you'll need to sit off to the side of where ever I am, just smiling and making eyes at me.” Kurt closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The lightening hit again and the thunder rolled and the lights in the house flickered and Kurt heard Rachel screech from Finn's room. There had been nothing in any of Blaine's demands for summer about wanting to spend time with Kurt, himself.  Just about wanting to have the boyfriend be there to be seen.  And curtailing as much joy as Blaine possibly could in his demanded excursions. “Blaine. You are being unreasonable.” “I am not. I am being perfectly reasonable. Boyfriends show up to support their significant other when their significant other wants them to, in whatever manner asked.  That is why people have boyfriends and girlfriends.  To have them there when they want them to be there for them.  To show off.  And if you do things the way I told you you need to, everyone will see how devoted you are to me, and to me alone.  It will do wonders for what the others think of me, you there just sitting and looking at me and not even thinking of anything other than me. But, don't try too hard.  And like, don't practice making sexy faces or longing faces or anything.  You don't do sexy.  You do longing OK, so maybe stick to staring at me longingly. It will be cute. Then it will be perfect. I mean, Nila's boyfriend just stopped by to make out with her when lines were too long for rides he wanted to ride, he didn't focus on her only.  Just think how jealous she will be when MY boyfriend just pays attention to Me in such a cute way.”   “No” The flash of lightening hit close enough that even the air in the house felt charged.  The thunder was nearly deafening. It wasn't loud enough to cover Blaine's scream. “What do you mean 'No'? You are my boyfriend, you can't just say no.” “I did just say No. No. I am not going the amusement park, at over 100 bucks a pop when you add travel and food, multiple days over the summer just to sit and stare at you...it is just not happening. There are many reasons why....not the least of which is I would be bored out of my mind. I don't have the time, or money, or inclination to be some sort of living statue for you to use to boost you ego in some sort of ego war with your co-workers. I have work, too, Blaine. And I NEED my paychecks that I get over the summer to be able to enjoy my school year.  They pay for my clothing, any time spent shopping or out to the movies or dinner or coffee or anything else fun.  I could maybe do ONE trip to the amusement park to see you...and to enjoy the park when you can't be with me and thus get my money's worth. I can not go at least twice a week every week all summer long, with a third or maybe even fourth trip to see you on demanded days at a texts notice.” “But Kurt, if you loved me...” And Kurt saw the next bolt of lightening hit.  It hit a transformer on one of the street light poles the block over and half a block down. The thunder shook the house as the lights went out. Rachel screamed like Finn was stabbing her or something.  Finn started screaming as well, telling her to calm down.  Kurt was glad, though, because with the power out Blaine could not see the tears running down his face, with with how Kurt was standing. “I guess I don't love you then.  Not if that is what you think Love requires of me. ” Kurt said, turning to look at Blaine instead of a flames spouting from the blown transformer.  He could already hear the sirens of the police and fire trucks responding to it. “And if you loved ME, and not just the notion of a boyfriend, you would have never demanded any of what you have today.” “Of course I love you.” “No, you don't.  Because if you did, you would know me well enough to not have come here and said any of what you have said in the last hour. You would know me well enough to know I can't afford your plan in the first place.  We don't have that kind of money. You would have listened to me enough to know that I will have a full 40 hour week at the garage every week, and will have hours of work at other places as well.  You would have known about other demands on my time over the summer.  You would have realized I would like to be able to do things with you that I would like to do as well, like go  swimming or go to play mini-golf. Or take you to the car shows with me and have you ride in the parades at the fairs with me.  You would know that I don't like just sitting doing nothing for long periods of time. But you don't seem to know or care about any of that, so you must not actually love me.” “Now Kurt, stop being hysterical and silly. You know none of that is true. You might work at the garage but what do you actually do there, huh? Sweep?  No one needs you there, and what else do you really have to do...that is as important or more important than me?  It is just, face it, your time and my time are not equal.  My folks plans are important.  I need to be there and show up with acceptable company, so  those periods of time are out.  My work...performing is hard, Kurt and the rest of the work at the park is just as difficult.  Do you even know what it is like to have to deal with parents who are upset because their kid is too small for a ride?  That is so much more challenging than anything you might be doing.” “And that just proves you don't actually love me at all.  Blaine, as soon as this storm calms, you need to go home.  Have a great summer. Maybe if I get in touch with Jeff or Nick or anyone else from Dalton, I'll have them say Hello from me, but I won't be getting hold of you for a while.  I need a clean break.  And you need someone else, who can love you like you think love works.” “What are you talking about?” “I am breaking up with you.  This isn't what I want from a relationship. It isn't what I need.” Kurt turned around again and stared out the window.  The lightening strike was far enough away that the whole sky didn't seem to light up with it.  Kurt counted a full Mississippi before he heard the thunder. Blaine was still talking to him, trying to tell him he couldn't break up with him and  how mistaken Kurt was and how Kurt was purposefully being difficult and misunderstanding everything and making a big show and fuss about things. The rain was coming down more vertically again, just as hard and violently, but in a more natural angle and Kurt could tell the fire was out over where the lightening had hit.  He could see a vehicle from the power company over in the area.  The chaos was calming...and things seemed to be easing up.  Kurt wouldn't be surprised if within the next half hour the storm had settled into an steady gentle rain. Oddly enough, he rather felt like he'd settled into an oddly calm and settled state as well.  He wondered if he'd feel bad latter, if he'd feel more crushed and upset at the end of his first relationship, but for now...he felt like he was easing into a peaceful gentle state of being. Not sunshine yet, but the knowing that it could be soon.

[natsugia]

Sneak Previews

I know, I know. I said that the next chapters to The Weight We Carry Is Love (TWWCIL) and Of Soul And Spirit (OSAS) would be up like two months ago, but I'm sadly, I'm still working on them. Writing has been a little bit slow lately, but we're getting there. Hoping to post the next chapters really soon.

For now though, I thought I'd at least give a sneak preview for each chapter, since you guys have been so amazingly sweet and patient, absolute saint-like. Hope this can tide you over until I'm finally able to post.

TWWCIL Chapter 4 Excerpt

“Hey you!” They both turned in response to the shout to find a short Korean girl wearing pigtails and glasses, lips downturned in a frown, rapidly marching up to them.

Jess eyed the girl appreciatively at first -- finally someone that breaks the mold -- until seeing the “Jesus is my homeboy” t-shirt. He quietly groaned. One of them. Wonderful. Just what he needed.

Luke let out a similar groan and opened his mouth to speak, but the girl just plowed right through to Jess, a finger pointed at his chest.

“Listen here you opportunistic, devious, sex-addicted fiend!” yelled the girl as she jabbed him repeatedly in the chest.

Jess’ eyebrows rose sharply. He’d been called a lot of things in his life, even some of these words in a different context over the years, but considering he’d barely been in this town for a day, he had to say he was surprised by the accusation. He hadn’t even had time to do anything devious or fiendish, and where the hell did sex-addicted come from? He made out with Rory once - ONCE - less than twelve hours ago. Surely that’s not enough to ascribe him that label.

He glanced back down at her shirt again and reconsidered.

“Excuse me?” he finally asked her, a bit of annoyance bleeding through his tone. He glanced at Luke, but his uncle only shook his head and sighed in exasperation. Gee, thanks for the help, Uncle Luke.

The girl growled as he leaned out of reach from her finger before squaring her shoulders and placing her hands on her hips. “Where the hell do you get off putting your hands all over Rory like that?” she questioned. She was shorter than him by a few inches, but she easily stood her ground, eyes boring into his with indignation and suspicion.

He frowned. So this was about Rory? Word sure travelled fast. Also, what was wrong with kissing the girl you’ve liked for months? First Lorelai. Then that total circus act at the diner. And now this girl. He did not understand this town. “What?” he asked again in a sharper tone.

The girl again plowed through his confusion. “First off, she already has a boyfriend--”

He might have smiled at that. Sure, he may have dreamt about him and Rory together for months, but he never really thought it would happen. It was a pipe dream. And then he moved in with his uncle who just so happened to live in the same town as her. Which meant he got to live in the same town as her. If he actually did drugs, he would check the quality of his stash right about now.

“--One she’s absolutely crazy about--”

He sure hoped so. Otherwise moving out here would just be another cruel twist of fate in the life of Jess Mariano.

“And even though his dislike for Sting is questionable, he’s perfect for her--”

“Right,” he said slowly as pieces clicked in his mind. Only two people knew how much he hated the British rockstar. He took another assessment of the girl in front of him. Korean, fiery, protective of Rory, and now that he was paying attention, her voice was familiar. This girl could only be one person. His lips widened into a smirk. This would be entertaining.

“--And while he lives in New York, and you look like Stallone’s younger hotter brother--”

“Thank you.”

“--that doesn’t give you the right to put any of your greasy paws all over my best friend. She’s not like that. She’s amazing and brilliant and she’s going to Harvard--”

His smirk turned warmer. “I know.”

“--So don’t even think about messing that up for her since you’re obviously headed to working 80 hours a week in a sweaty garage--”

He nodded once. “Got it.”

“--And I don’t care if you’re Luke’s nephew or where you come from, but if you touch her again, you’re gonna find yourself fending off broken bones from a giant cricket bat! My mother taught me how to swing one.” She shook a fist at him.

He bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing. “Noted. You done?”

She squinted at him. “For now. But I’m watching you. That Metallica shirt barely gets you any points.”

“Ah, but it does get me some points?”

“NO!” she yelled in his face. He grinned.

“It’s just they’re a great band,” she amended with a haughty air before she turned her head and muttered, “And the shirt might match your eyes.”

“Huh.” He turned to Luke. “Imagine that.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Ignoring that.”

"But," Lane interjected with a stern look, "any very miniscule points you may have earned were wiped out by your inability to keep your hands to yourself. And not just wiped out, but negatively netted. You're in the red with me."

"Uh huh. And if Rory asked for the hands?"

Her finger was back in his face. "You!!!" she yelled, outraged.

Luke stepped in between with his palms up. "Okay. Knock it off." He pointed to Lane, who was still glaring at Jess. “If you couldn’t guess, that’s Rory’s best friend, Lane. Lane, this is my nephew Jess.”

Jess watched in amusement as Lane's eyes grew wide as saucers and her jaw dropped, the anger completely disappearing from her face. “Jess?!” she finally squeaked. “As in Rory’s Jess?”

“In the flesh.”

“You’re Luke’s nephew?”

Luke narrowed his eyes at Lane. “You knew about them?”

Lane pointed to herself. “Best friend.”

Luke gave her a pointed look. “Right.”

Jess shrugged. “World’s too small.”

She absently nodded. “No kidding. This is what you look like?” she asked as she scanned him head to toe, surprise still etched in the corners of her mouth.

“Yes?” he drawled out hesitantly. He quickly glanced down at his shirt, jeans, and Vans. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

She blinked rapidly, as if to clear her vision before shaking her head. “So trippy. This has got to be like fate or something.”

He tilted his head in agreement. “The universe works in mysterious ways.”

Slowly a smile worked onto her face as Lane realized just exactly who her best friend was kissing last night. “That she does.”

OSAS Chapter 8 Excerpt

“You!!!” Her shout danced off tables and floors, and how she wished a hole would swallow her now that everyone in the room was staring at her.

Including the guy from the bodega earlier, the book hanging loose in his hand.

Including the Boss, whose eyes felt cold and empty as they locked on hers.

“There a problem?” Bennelli asked in a measured tone.

Her mouth dried up under his gaze. “How are -- this is -- he didn’t--” she stumbled over her words, tongue rough against the roof of her mouth as she stood too in shock over her gaffe, over this mysterious person’s presence at the meeting to truly speak.

Johnny stood slightly behind Bennelli, a wry half-grin on his face. She did not want to know what that meant. Interrupting the Boss as he was speaking couldn’t possibly lead to something good.

She swallowed hastily, the lump barely making its way past her constricted throat.

Bennelli gave her another once over before switching his gaze to the young Italian with the book.

“Jess, you know her?”

Jess. His name was Jess. She had no clue why her brain filed away the information. Probably because of the book.

Definitely because of the book.

Jess shrugged and gestured to her with the novel in his hand. “We bumped into each other while shopping today. She threatened me with a pair of packaged scissors.”

Rory internally groaned as a few chuckles scattered throughout the room. She needed all the cool points she could muster at this point, and that confession was not helping.

“Should have taken them out of the plastic,” she heard Nick mutter as he tightened his grip around the blonde’s neck. “Would have done more damage.”

Angelo next to him just shook his head with a sigh. “Wasted opportunity.”

There was a hint of jibe at Angelo’s words, a mock at the relayed event, but she couldn’t tell if it was directed at her. She turned back to Jess with a sharpened gaze, and that smirk on his face said it all. They were making fun of her. She could see the smirks matching with a young Tristan’s at Chilton, matching the tone of voice as he steadfastly called her Mary. She knew that smirk, and she hated it. So, pushing the embarrassment aside, she grabbed hold of her old friends, wit and spite, and said, ��Funny you call it shopping when you didn’t even pay for the super glue.”

Shit. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say because now the smile seemed genuine. Rory was definitely not looking.

“That is funny,” she heard him say, traces of the Burroughs lingering after the words trailed off, “since I don’t recall you paying for your gum either.”

Rory felt her jaw drop for a second time. “How did you--”

He lifted his eyebrow as he interjected, leaning toward her slightly, “That was a nice touch with the shelves though.”

Oh god, he thought it was intentional. “That wasn’t--” She bit back her reply quick when she saw the Boss’s eyes slide to hers.

“Shelves?” he asked, a hint of curiosity in his tone.

Shit. She definitely couldn’t say that it was an accident now.

Jess had no problem answering though. “She might have knocked over a few as a distraction.”

“I--” she started again, but the words were stuck in her throat. There was definite interest in Bennelli’s eyes now.

She couldn’t stop the shiver at the back of her neck as he replied, “Is that so?”

[knickynoo]

BTTF Headcanons

As suggested by the wonderful @tsukinikawatteus, I’ve put together some of my headcanons. Honestly, these are going to revolve solely around Doc & Marty, because I don’t really have any developed ones involving other characters.

I’ll hide it under a ‘read more ’ in case it gets too long and ramble-y. Which it will, because this is me we’re talking about.

First, I’ll answer the ones I got in the ask.

- How Doc & Marty met: For this one, I just go by the official Bob Gale answer that Marty was 13 or 14, had heard rumors about the crazy old scientist in town, & snuck into Doc’s lab one day & got caught. The comic series actually shows this event happening, but I tend to dismiss that version because honestly, I don’t like the way it’s handled. (Plus Bob Gale has said that the comics/game/etc can be take it or leave it as considered canon, so yay) Anyway, I imagine a young Marty hearing all these whispers around town about Doc and being curious. Maybe he was looking for danger/adventure in going to investigate, but I also like to think that part of Marty felt sorry for this guy who everyone seemed to look down on. So he made his way over to Doc’s lab to see what the deal was & was initially scared when he got caught. But he saw all the cool experiments and the general chaos & was totally into it.  (And btw, in my headcanon, Marty is the one who first refers to him as Doc & establishes it as his “name,” unlike the comic version where Doc tells Marty to call him that?? Def didn’t like that part.)

- When they started to consider each other best friends/what impact did they have on each other’s life: I’d say they considered the other a best friend pretty quickly. Doc was absolutely thrilled to discover that this kid thought he was awesome & was so interested in his work. After spending so much of his life without true connections or relationships, having Marty around really changed Doc’s life. He finally had someone (aside from Einstein) to talk to about all of his experiments and the science behind them.

The same goes for Marty considering Doc a best friend. Seeing as he was growing up in such a dysfunctional environment, with parents who probably weren’t super attentive or close to him, he loved being around Doc. Not only was he treated as an equal, he also had someone to listen to him, which he didn’t get at home. He found encouragement and felt respected around Doc. Plus, my general headcanon is that Marty really doesn’t have other friends & was always kind of an outsider.

Now onto some of my other headcanons....

- As I mentioned above, I don’t see Marty as a guy with many friends. He’s friendly towards a lot of people, but doesn’t have a specific group he belongs to. He really only interacts with his band mates while he’s at practice & it’s more of a business situation than a friendship. Marty gets to practice, runs the show (playing sick guitar riffs) & then just leaves. His band mates serve as a convenient cover story for when he wants to go somewhere with Jennifer, but that’s pretty much it. He has three friends, ok? And one of them is an animal.

- Upon finally settling into the improved ‘85 timeline, once all the time-traveling was over, things were understandably very jarring to Marty. One of the things he found hardest to adjust to was the sudden affection from his parents, namely the good morning hugs & kisses like we see Lorraine give him at the end of the first movie. Marty was previously used to spending the mornings in solitude since his father would already be at work & his mom would sleep in (often because she was still out of it from drinking the night before). The idea of family breakfasts & being greeted so warmly when he woke up, and when he got home from school, was super weird to him at first.

- Marty has ADHD. (this seems to be a very common headcanon, lol). Doc, being the kind of guy who’s interested in a wide variety of topics, came across some research & information on it at some point & instantly recognized the signs in his friend. When Marty came over one day, frustrated after a particularly rough day at school, he sat him down & talked to him about his suspicions. And since Doc was well aware of the lack of potential support (because this is the 80s after all, & SO many people with ADHD just didn’t have resources to get help), he took on the role of giving Marty advice and tips on how he could cope with it.

- Related to above point: Marty found that wearing layers helped keep him calm/feel grounded, hence why our boy rocks the t-shirt/button up/jean jacket/puffy vest look. And honestly, the suspenders might play a role in that too, since they put subtle pressure on part of the chest/shoulders/back. This also explains the leather jacket from part II! Aside from just thinking it looked awesome (and perfectly inconspicuous), Marty liked that it was a thick, weighted material.

-Doc is autistic. As he was diving into the world of research concerning ADHD & other various conditions, he came across a series of studies on Asperger’s syndrome & instantly connected the information with his own childhood and current life. Since he grew up feeling isolated from his peers & like nobody understood him, reading through the studies made him feel like he had found an answer. (A fact nobody asked for: the first study printed in English on Asperger’s syndrome was released in 1981. Yes, I checked to make sure this headcanon would be possible.)

-Doc set up a bed for Marty in the garage partially for the nights they were working late & his friend was too tired to head home, but also because he realized that a lot of the time, Marty simply didn’t want to be at home. Marty got into the habit of sleeping in his clothes so that at any given moment he could head over to Doc’s garage if he needed to. Doc made it clear to him that he was welcome anytime & doesn’t bat an eye when the boy wanders in at night & flops down into the bed.

-For Doc’s birthday, Marty went out & bought him the most colorful, “loudest” Hawaiian shirt he could find. It was sort of a joke, but Doc absolutely loved it.

-On Marty’s birthday, Doc asked him to come over under the guise of needing help with an experiment, but it was really a mini party with the lab decorated with streamers & balloons & cupcakes Doc had gone to pick up. Einstein wore a party hat. 

- We all know Doc & Marty eat a lot of Burger King. When they eat it in Doc’s garage, Marty takes pieces of the fries and slips them under the table to Einstein. Doc does not appreciate Marty encouraging Einstein’s begging but the boy can’t resist sharing with the dog.

- Occasionally, when they’re taking a break from working or are just hanging out, Marty takes out his guitar & Doc takes out his saxophone & they jam. Sometimes they play actual songs & other times they create their own. Whenever they try to make up lyrics, it quickly devolves into complete nonsense, usually ending up with the two of them laughing so hard that they can’t even play anymore.

-Marty also sometimes puts on a Huey Lewis tape while the two of them are working. Doc initially wasn’t really into the music, but he eventually found himself singing along to the songs with Marty. 

Okay, I need to stop myself because. Wow. If anyone actually reads this thing, I commend you on the effort. Kai, you had no idea what you were unleashing when you sent me that ask the other day.

[themissinggenius]

They were nearing a year - a year of freedom, a year of companionship, a year of newfound knowledge for both - the evening they sat on the balcony of their renovated seaside longère in Cancale.

A book was perched between Dr. Lecter’s fingers, and his wife’s was left abandoned, face-down on the table, as she peered off towards la baie du Mont Saint Miche. It seemed as though everything in this quiet town was holy: it was the birthplace of Saint Jeanne Jugan, a noble servant to the true disadvantaged, and there were few places that had not seen her plight nor her crook.

But the significance of their residency there did not seem to entertain Starling at that moment; as her husband observed her, her softened eyes touched the shoreline and settled on the blue waters below. He watched her slow breathing and the quiet smile that tugged at her lips. His book not nearly as interesting as the sight of her transfixed, he lowered it to his lap and continued staring as his tongue unconsciously darted to his upper lip. If she noticed his gaze, she did not let on. Instead, her pupils danced on rhythmic crashing of the waves, and she began to hum.

It was almost imperceptible. She only hummed at first but clearly could not help the whispered words that followed. The corners of Starling’s mouth quickly upturned, and he could pick up the lyrics:

“Michelle, ma belle... These are words that go together well, my Michelle.”

Clarice almost jumped, as if she had forgotten the doctors’ presence, when she heard him reply:

“Michelle, ma belle. Son les mots qui vont très bien ensemble, très bien ensemble.”

Though pulled out of her musings, the look of utter content did not vacate the woman’s face. She looked questioningly at him before prodding.

“I never pegged you as a Beatles fan.”

“I wouldn’t, either.”

“You wouldn’t have sung like that if you don’t like the song.”

“Have you considered that maybe I just like you and wanted to sing along?”

“No,” she paused, considering. Pursing her lips, then, “And the timeline matches well. Hannibal Lecter, you were a Beatlemaniac, weren’t you?”

“Hardly.”

“But you were a fan?”

“Yes.” He started to continue, but she was already gone.

That was all Starling needed to hear. She had been subjected to hours of classical and opera music in the past year, and it wasn’t often that she found the opportunity to listen to the songs of her old life with him, as much as she might have wanted. (Hannibal found Led Zeppelin to be an assault on the senses, Pink Floyd to be relentlessly depressing, and 80s hair bands akin to hot garbage... Well, Clarice couldn’t argue him on that last one). With runner’s grace and childlike eagerness, she bounded in through the glass door, scooped up her keys and purse, and ran out to the garage. Lecter could hear her yell as she ran: “Thanks for the idea! I’ll be right back.” Rather than pursue, he remained seated. He had an inkling of what his wife would do and buy, and he would hardly fight her on it. It’d been too long since he’d heard Rubber Soul, anyway.

It was less than a half an hour before Starling returned from the Cin et Music in Saint-Malo, the desired disc clutched to her chest. They had traded vinyl for CDs in their last move for the ease of travel, and Clarice was eager to eject Gossec (a recent acquisition of Lecter’s) for the Fab Four.

Hannibal had moved to the drawing room when he heard her enter their home, and now they sat together as the music began to play. Forever impatient, the woman quickly tapped the “skip” button six times so that the gentle string plucking came out over the speakers. We hear once again:

“Michelle, ma belle, These are words that go together well, My Michelle. Michelle, ma belle, Sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble -  Tres bien ensemble. I love you, I love you, I love you... That's all I want to say Until I find a way I will say the only words I know that you'll understand.”

Now it is both Lecter’s voice and Starling’s that project about the room. They do not dance the first time it is played; rather, Clarice sits and revels in hearing her husband sing as he stares back at her - looking at her but clearly channeling long-hidden emotion from within. They sit there for the remainder of the album, unmoving except for their caressing intertwined fingers that rest on the couch.

By the time Michelle rings out once again, the couple is up and swaying back and forth to the sounds. Clarice’s whispered French rivals Hannibal’s own, and it is with admiration, surprise, and - most certainly - love, that he observes his dear Starling fall back into her happy reverie. 

A/N: It’s been awhile since I’ve written, but I’ve been listening to the Beatles a lot lately and couldn’t help myself. Also, I’d highly recommend reading more about the town of Cancale that I stumbled upon; Saint Jeanne Jugan’s story parallels Clarice’s beautifully. Perhaps we’re in for some more oneshots soon... Let me know what you think.

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Pokemon: Scyther Line

Who wants a hug?

DESIGN: 

Scyther is one of the coolest creatures ever designed. It’s clearly modeled after the praying mantis, but instead of spiked forearms, it just has swords for arms. Swords for arms are awesome. Scyther is awesome. Scyther has always been awesome. Scyther will always be awesome. And you know what else is awesome? Ninjas. And according to the Pokedex, Scyther has ninja skills. Sword-arm-ninja-bug is the coolest thing I could imagine when Pokemon hit the states in 1998, and you know what? I’m pretty sure it’s still the coolest thing. 

Scizor, then, is a huge disappointment. Instead of sword arms it’s turned into some sort of lobster thing, with a heavy metal coating that vaguely resembles Iron Man. And the thing is, Scizor is still cool. It’s a steel warrior bug with deadly claws. But it’s just NOT as cool as a ninja mantis with swords for arms.

And then Mega Scizor is just… ugh. This thing doesn’t feel like an evolved super powered Scizor, it feels like Dr. Wily made a Scizor in his garage and sent it to kill Megaman. Its ridiculous proportions just make it look like it can’t move, and it’s anime as all hell. Sure, all Pokemon designs are a little anime, but there’s degrees. This thing doesn’t even look like a Pokemon anymore.

One thing you’ll notice about Pokemon is that there’s different designers and designs change over time, but the Scyther line really just looks like the Pokemon weren’t designed by the same people. Yes, there’s clear visual throughlines from Scyther to Scizor to Mega Scizor, but there’s very different ideas and concepts of what to do with each form, such that Scyther is easily the coolest despite being the first form.

EVOLUTIONS:

Scizor is the only lateral evolution in all of Pokemon.  While some Pokemon lose some stats on evolution to gain more in others, like how Metapod and Kakuna have higher Defense than Butterfree and Beedrill, Scizor is the only pokemon whose stat total does not increase on evolution. This alone is really, really weird. Further, Scyther and Scizor have base stats of a whopping 500. There’d be plenty of room for a pre-evolution of Scyther, but we’ve never seen one.

The actual evolution method here is to trade with the metal coat, which I’ve established is dumb, because it could just be Trade or Metal Coat and doesn’t need to be both. 

Mega Scizor is a weirdly unnecessary Mega. Scizor was already really good without it, and the evolution gives much more to defense than attack, meaning even in formats it’s allowed there’s reason to use non-Mega Scizor. It’s still quite good, though, it’s just not such an obvious, necessary upgrade as some Megas are. For this reason, we’ll be talking about all three of Scyther’s forms here.

Art by Clinkorz

TYPING:

Scyter’s Bug/Flying typing is a bit high risk, high reward due to overlap. Immunity to ground and double resistance to Fighting and Grass are big deals, but 4x weakness to Rock is vicious in a game where Stealth Rock exists, and there’s four other weaknesses besides. When Scyther resists a hit, it really resists… But it’s always open for taking big damage.  Offensively, bug is really weak, with far too many types resistant to it. Fortunately, flying can hit most of them, giving Scyther super-effective options against Bug, FIghting, Grass, Psychic, and Dark and only stopped doubly by Steel.

Scizor, on the other hand, is a defensive powerhouse with typing. Steel resists most types, and Bug type covers both Fighting and Ground, leaving Scizor only weak to fire and, sure, it’s 4x weak to fire, but it resists (or is immune to) nine of the game’s eighteen types.  On offense, Bug/Steel gets to be super-effective against one more type than Bug/Flying, but both Steel and Fire resist both its types. Mega Scizor shares Scizor’s typing.

Art by AbelVera

STATS:

At 500 base stats, Scyther has a good 110 attack, a good 105 speed, and then basically average defensive stats. All in all it’s a solid stat lineup that makes for a good, aggressive Pokemon. Numerically, it has no real weaknesses, though its typing makes it more vulnerable to attacks than its defensive stats suggest. On the other hand, Scyther’s one of the strongest Pokemon that can use Eviolite, which ups its base defenses both to 120, and multiplies its other defensive bonuses as well.

Scizor’s stats are still 500, but it trades 40 points of speed to increase attack and defense both by 20. This means Scizor’s a seriously heavy hitter and, combined with its high number of resistances, far more durable.  The lack of 40 speed is actually a pretty big hit from a sweeping standpoint, but 65 speed isn’t so low as to be unusable, and the attack increase is very real.

Mega Scizor adds another 100 points of stats onto Scizor, mostly in the defenses. While its attack does increase from 130 to 150, the big boost is a defense jump to 140 and special defense to 100. It’s still extremely flammable, but it’s going to be able to take the vast majority of attacks in the game safely. So, why still use Scizor? Because the jump from 130 Attack to 150 attack, while strong, isn’t as strong as using a Life Orb or Choice Band, or even a Metal Coat, and Mega Evolution takes your item slot. This isn’t to say Mega Scizor isn’t great, just that it’s not the only good Scizor build.

Art by MorganHowell

ABILITIES:

Swarm, available to both Scyther and Scizor, increases the damage of their bug moves by 50% when their health is at ⅓ or less. This generally means you’re only getting one attack off with it before you go down. While not useless, the second ability is far better for damage.

Mega Scizor’s sole ability, which Scyther and Scizor can both get, is Technician. Technician increases the damage of any attack with base power 60 or less by 1.5x. Scyther and Scizor actually have a lot of these moves, though a few of the better ones aren’t currently available in Sword and Shield. Still, this is going to be the best ability for most builds.

Scyther’s hidden ability, Steadfast, increases its speed when it flinches. While Flinching is certainly a thing that happens, Scyther has enough speed that an ability that only increases its speed under specific circumstances just isn’t worth it.

Scizor’s hidden ability is Light Metal, which drops its weight from 260 pounds to 130 pounds. This is a super situational ability that only comes up if somebody’s going to hit Scizor with Low Kick or Grass not, so the only reasonable use for it is to use on a Scizor you’re intending to Mega Evolve so that you can choose not to Mega Evolve it if you’re expecting the Low Kick… But even then you’re only reducing the base power by 20 and you’re giving up 40 points of physical defense by not Mega Evolving, so it’s real corner-case stuff.

The point is: Technician. Scyther line’s only relevant ability is Technician.

Bug Catching Contest by Sa-Dui

MOVES:

Did you know Scyther invented the Swords Dance Sweep? Oh, sure, it wasn’t the only Pokemon in Gen 1 that could do it, but it was the only Pokemon that learned it naturally and had enough of a speed stat to sweep with it. And this was back when Slash would basically always crit because critical hits were based on speed, so you’d get this Pokemon that naturally learns Swords Dance, Agility, and Slash and you’d just power up and go to town.

What I’m saying here is: Take Swords Dance. If you’re not using a Choice item, all three forms are built to make use of it. Scyther has the higher speed, and (Mega) Scizor can take the hits to spend time building up.

For actual attacks, it’s important to remember Technician here. For Bug attacks, this means the best option should be Bug Bite, but Gen 8 currently doesn’t have a move tutor for it,  If you can’t get Bug Bite on your Scyther, you’re stuck with either X-Scissor or Fury Cutter (Which, with Technician, starts at 60 power for the first, then 80 for the second, then 160 for all subsequent cuts.)  Another strong bug-type move is U-Turn, and though you can’t sweep with it, it lets Scyther or Scizor get in a strong hit while using another Pokemon to defend. 

But let’s be honest here: Bug is only super-effective against three types and it’s resisted by way too many, so if you just don’t have a bug attack, you don’t have a bug attack.

Art by Macuarrorro

For Scyther’s Flying attack, Dual Wingbeat is newly available in the Isle of Armor and it has beautiful synergy with Technician. As a two-hit attack, it actually has 80 power, but reads as 40, so Technician increases that to two hits of 60, for a 120 power hit with 90 Accuracy. Whatever Scyther was doing before (Aerial Ace mostly), this is just better. Though not as good for Scizor due to a lack of STAB, a 120 power Flying move is still good.

Scyther also learns a series of Dark moves in older generations. Pursuit with Technician can be a major hit, and Knock Off is always good, even without the Technician boost. Assurance, still available in Gen 8, does get the technician boost, and serves as a solid Dark attack even without any way to trigger its secondary effect. Further, Quick Attack, while generally weak, winds up being a lot more potent with Technician and the aid of Swords Dance, even if Scyther can’t get STAB with it.

Scizor, meanwhile, gets Bullet Punch, which is just like Quick Attack but Scizor does get STAB with it, meaning an attack with a base power of 40 hits as though its power were 90, which is quite an effective way to deal with Scizor’s lower speed.  Iron Head serves as a stronger Steel type attack, but Iron Head with STAB only matches Dual Wingbeat without STAB, so it’s really not worthwhile. 

Scizor, but not Scyther, can learn Superpower. While not particularly spammable, enough types are weak to Fighting attacks, and its base damage still matches anything else Scizor can do.

In older generations, Scyther can learn Roost, which works great for both forms. For Scyther, it can reliably go before an incoming attack and alter Scyther’s weaknesses, and with a bulkier Pokemon like Scizor (or even Scyther with Eviolite) or a complete tank like Mega Scizor it can seriously increase the Pokemon’s longevity. 

For an actual build, I recommend Swords Dance, Dual Wingbeat, and Roost, with Bullet Punch for Mega Scizor, Bullet Punch or U-Turn for Scizor, and Quick Attack or U-Turn for Scyther as the final attack. 

Art by ChrisMasna

OVERALL:

Scyther is still SO COOL and Scizor is also so cool just less cool. Dual Wingbeat really gives Technician something to work with, as does Bullet Punch, and Swarm’s not a useless ability it’s just… less good than Technician.  My only real complaint is that Scyther lost Bug Bite in the new generation.  Bug is a pretty weak type offensively, and X-Scissor just isn’t very good. Bug Bite, First Impression, or even Lunge would be a serious boon to Scyther and Scizor. 

It’s also sort of weird to me that Scyther doesn’t have a baby version. Scyther is one of gen 1’s strongest first form Pokemon, tied with Pinsir, and with only Lapras, Snorlax, Aerodactyl, and the legendary Pokemon having higher stat totals. While Legendaries and Aerodactyl having a pre-evolved form is hardly necessary, Snorlax already has one, so it’s a bit odd to me that Scyther, Pinsir, and Lapras just appear fully formed as powerful as they are.  Scyther is also one of the strongest Pokemon that can still evolve, beaten out only by Type: Null.  I suppose that explains the unique lateral evolution a bit, but that’s still very odd, too.

Scyther’s just weird, because Scyther was already super cool and then they had to add two more forms to it for some reason. But Scyther is still the coolest.

And he knows it. Art by kenket

[tuttifuckinfruttifriday]

Hi. Match-up please? (Preferably which male slasher) I am pansexual, female, and 5.3. I have shoulder length brown hair, brown eyes with glasses. I am shy and quiet at first and may come off as rude, but the more I know a person the more I open up. I am protective, sassy, emotionally guarded, stubborn, clumsy, tough, touch starved, and introverted. I like the paranormal (even tho I am a skeptic), the 80's, superheros, videogames, horror movies and true crime. I like any metal, rock, punk, or alternative band. I am a major bookworm, collector of anything. I do embroidery, baking, painting, and I am a self taught SFX artist. I have an anger issue, I make stupid jokes at wrong times and slight RBF. I am a tomboy, a farm kid and I have huge wanderlust. Aspiring horror writer.

Thank you. I appreciate it. Sorry that I am kinda all over the place. Lol

Sorry it took some time!^^

I match you with:

Bo Sinclair!

Other possibilities: Michael Myers, Jack Torrance, Thomas Hewitt, Brahms Heelshire, Pinhead, The Creeper, Charles Lee Ray/Chucky, poly!GhostFace

5’3”? Like I said in a lot of matchups, he loves towering over people!

Brown hair and eyes? Cute! He won’t say it, but he likes brunettes a little bit more (personal opinion—)🤫

He’d always tease you and steal you glasses, just to see you angry. He really likes them tho.

Shy and quiet? No fun :p jk

But he’ll wait for you to be more comfortable, even if he’ll still make questionable jokes. Nothing can change that.

Don’t worry about coming off as rude, he’s the king of rudeness, if he wants to that is. He can strangely be really nice and fluffy if he wants ✨

He’ll wait impatiently for you to know him more, and to know you more

You probably won’t really need to be protective, but he really likes that

He secretly wants more of your protectiveness, because he finds it hot cute af👀

Sassy? Boner-

He’s emotionally guarded too you know... so it’s totally okay with him

If you want to talk to him about your emotions or whatever, just know he’s here, even if he certainly doesn’t shows it.

He loves your stubbornness^^

He’d always tease you about your clumsyness tho :’)

Tough? If you want to,you can help him at the garage, he’d seriously not mind.

He’ll give you all the cuddles and hugs you want behind doors <3

Introverted? He doesn’t mind! He’ll let you your space, even if it might take some time.

He’s the most skeptics of the brothers about paranormal. Like, “ who would believe in that shit??”

He doesn’t mind any year, but he still really like the ‘80’s, especially the music(personal opinion 👀).

He obviously doesn’t like superheroes.

What do you need more? He’s here!

What video games—?

He doesn’t really watch movies, but he’s got those old horror movies that his parents had.

True crimes? Heck yes! You’ll even be able to see a true crime in real life:)

He’s definetly more the metal and rock type of guy.

Your music tastes are a plus in his book ❤️

Bookworm? He doesn’t have books, but you can ask his brother or you can ask him to go in town and buy you some.

He doesn’t mind your collections, but if you got weird ones, he won’t hesitate to comment on them.

Doesn’t a thing and doesn’t have patience about embroidery!

Baking?? That’s cool! He seriously wants you to cook for him, like, major turn on 👀

He’s not the artist one, but he can learn some things if you’d want to.

SFX... what’s that??

“You’re telling me you can hurt someone while not really hurting them?? “

He seriously is confused.

But serious talk tho, he really likes it, finds it fascinating.

You help him with his anger issues, he’ll help you with yours. Or you can just scream at each other for hours 🤷🏻‍♀️

Doesn’t mind you make stupid jokes at wrong times, he does them all the time!

He’s 100/100 not taking your rbf seriously.

Likes that you’re more tomboy, but he doesn’t mind anything really.

Like I said, he doesn’t mind that you’re a farm kid! He doesn’t mind anything.

Huge wanderlust? That’s sad, because you’ll probably never wander/travel because he’s protective, more like possessive, af.

He’d support you with anything you do.

But he’d help you for your ideas and help you’d develop your carrier. He doesn’t know a lot, but he can still try.

Don’t hesitate to tell me if I missed some things!

[beaufortswan42]

The Forks P.3

Beau’s POV

“Hey beau! Welcome to Casa Newton! I’ll hang your coat” McKayla cheerfully said. I was told to arrive after school so we could get started with rehearsals. Her house was cozy and seemed more life a vacation cottage than an actual house. “Wow this is a nice home McKayla. It’s all very cozy.” I said while looking at the family pictures on their wall. Baby pictures, birthdays, middle school graduation. Next to the wall was a hall of fame dedicated to their family’s sport accomplishments. Trophies from all different sports and even a few medals with the Newton name.

“Wow, no wonder you’re so good at sports, it runs in your family” I turned to look for McKayla but I froze when I saw her, one leg crossed over the other, sitting calmly on her couch, watching me with a coquettish expression blazed in her eyes.

She softly smiled and let her eyes roam my body. It was the most awkward minute of my entire existence. “Oh thank you beau and yes we have quite the knack for sports. Come and sit down while we wait for the others. There’s no need to be shy, come sit.” McKayla gestured at the seat next to her on the couch. I sat on the other side, praying she didn’t get any ideas. As rude as this seems I didn’t want her to get the wrong impression. McKayla is a pretty girl, if you’re into the cheerleader type but I don’t consider her my type. My only type is a certain girl, skin tone pale as the winter snow with bronze metallic hair, and the most stunning golden eyes I’ve ever gazed upon. I just wish Edythe felt the same about me. The only contact we’ve had was yesterday in bio when she tried to kill me with her fiery golden orbs. But in regards to McKayla I really don’t want to lose a friend over a girl. I know Jeremy has been crushing on her for awhile now. It would be a clear violation of the bro code if I went out with her. But I also don’t like hurting people’s feelings so I need to find a way to let her down gently before things progress any further.

“My family has always been known to be talented in all things physical.” The double meaning was definitely understood. “But enough about me let’s talk about you.” She not so subtlety scooted a few inches closer to me.

“Tell me beau, what makes you tick?”

“Excuse me?”

“what do you look for in a girl or better yet what does a girl have to do to get your attention?” She provocatively said, lust and desire reflecting off her tone of voice.

Uh what? I thought. My face producing red blotches of mortification and timidity.

“Uhhh I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. What did you say?” I pretended I didn’t hear her burning questions as I desperately prayed for the rest of the band to show up. Where in the hell is Allen and Jeremy? If they don’t get here soon I’m going to have to run out when she’s not looking. I hope she doesn’t jump on the hood of my truck. I hope she’s not the type to jump on a moving car. Maybe I can call in sick as well? Maybe I can- what is she doing? I nervously thought to myself as she put her head on my shoulder. I didn’t realize she had completely scooted right next to me while I was in between my inner monologue. I need to get out of here fast...her hand is rubbing on my knee but how do I go about this? Do I push her away?! I’ve never pushed a girl before but there’s a first time for everything if she keeps this up. My hands were already clammy, I could feel the sweat falling off my forehead. I needed to react fast! Then it suddenly occurred to me. That’s it!

“Uhhh hey McKayla can I use your bathroom? I had a lot of water today, like a-aaaa ton of water and I really need to go.” I nervously stuttered to her as I quickly jumped from my seat.

“Um ok, yeah uhh-yeah sure it’s down the hall to the left.” She disappointedly mumbled as she sat back on the couch. I rushed to the bathroom, locking the door quickly and looked at myself in the mirror. Blue eyes and messy short curls staring back at a nervous teenage boy who just avoided getting kissed by one of the most popular girls in school. “What do girls even see in me? I’m not even that cute! I’m a solid 4 out of 10” I washed my face and hands 3 times and did my best to prolong my bathroom visit at casa newton. But what’s gonna happen when I go out? Will she try again? Or is she outside waiting for me right-

Ding Dong! Ding dong!

Someone above must be looking out for me because the doorbell rang, I could hear Allen and Jeremy walk into the house. I’m not religious but hallelujah, thank you Jesus!

I calmed myself down and made my way to the living room where Allen and Jeremy were talking to McKayla. I could see the look of disappointment and frustration on her face from the moment not going the way she planned it.

“Hey beau, how are you?” Asked Allen as he have me a bro hug. Allen has always been one of the kids I connect with the most at school. We’re both introverts, enjoy many of the same hobbies, activities and books. Every time we hangout we don’t feel the need to fill up every empty moment with conversation. Silence is good and is habitual between us.

“Heyyyy it’s my man beau! The rock god! Are you ready for this bro!!” Jeremy yelled as he enthusiastically shook my shoulders. When he let go I could’ve swore there were two jeremy’s in front of me.

“Alright guys lets not waste time any further, let’s go to the garage and get started!” I could tell that Jeremy was very pumped for this, even Allen was more hyped than McKayla who was giving me dirty looks for rejecting her advances. I didn’t mean to be arrogant but I only have eyes for one girl. The same girl who wants nothing to do with me.

I followed everyone to the garage and marveled at the instruments before me. There was a set of drums in the back that were perfectly polished, the guitar and bass looked like they came from a special edition collection. I was admiring the 80s synth keyboard when suddenly McKayla came up to me and gave me what looked like sheet music.

“Ok beau we’re going to perform teenage dirtbag by Wheatus. Here are the lyrics...and yeah that’s pretty much it...any questions? no? Ok great! Lets rock!” McKayla cheerfully said as we took it from the top.

...

We spent the rest of the evening rehearsing and going over everything to make sure it was smooth for everyone. I practiced my vocals, Allen was a master on the guitar, McKayla drove the rhythm with her bass and Jeremy controlled the beat with his drumming style. I must admit that I started feeling more comfortable with my singing and with the idea of performing. If Edythe was there I could use this song to somehow communicate how I feel about her. It’s definitely a step out of my comfort zone, but maybe this is what I need to get some closure if she decides not to talk to me again. The idea of the song itself reminded me of Edythe. The most interesting girl getting crushed on by the dorky new kid; yeah that’s definitely my scenario, minus the boyfriend. I wonder how she will react or if she’ll even be there. Would she like it? Would she know I’m indirectly singing to her? All these questions in my head with no answers.

“Woooooo!!! we sound really good guys! If we don’t win then I’m moving to Canada.” McKayla said, her bubbly personality coming back despite the certain situation that occurred a few hours ago. Jeremy matched her enthusiasm and gave her a hug while saying “oh don’t worry we will win! These other acts are just cheap chumps, it’s smooth sailing from here. All we have to do is control the crowd and rock out like never before. Which means beau you have to bring your A game. You can’t be nervous or stuttering...also please don’t faint.”

“Don’t listen to him beau you’ll do great, you sound awesome...it’ll be ok” Allen assured me as we walked to the front door. I grabbed my coat and we were out the door when McKayla reminded us to come by tomorrow again at the same time for rehearsal before Friday. There’s no way in hell I was coming first again. I learned my lesson. I made it my personal mission to come along with the guys.

“Oh wait before I forget what’s the name of the band?” I asked the group before I got in my car.

“We’re called the forks!” McKayla proudly stated as she walked over to me.

“I’m sorry....what? Did you say the forks?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. What kind of name is that? Now I’m convinced, we would be kicked off the stage.

“Yeah we decided it would show a sign of school spirit and a sense of community.”

“What in the worl- ok I’m sorry guys but I think we should change the name before we go up on stage. If I’m honest the name is terrible and we will be laughed off the stage. In fact they’ll probably throw tomatoes before we perform.” I gently said to them so I wouldn’t hurt their feelings. I thought of how much more Edythe would dislike me if she found out I was in a band called “the forks” I couldn’t bear to see her and her family’s reaction. I was convinced that she would ignore me even more than before.

“Well the deadline is in a few days for name changes so how about-“

“I think the name sounds cool and gives us an edge with the judges” Jeremy defensively said in order to side with McKayla. We could’ve been called diapers and Jeremy would still go with it so he could get McKayla to like him. Before I could answer, McKayla’s dad arrived which means that it was almost past my curfew so I had to race back and beat Charlie. To bad my truck doesn’t go past 65 mph. I thankfully got home a few minutes before Charlie, ate some cereal and decided to call it a night. “Damn, what’s gonna happen on Friday?”

Part of me wanted Edythe to be there but the other half didn’t. The bronze haired beauty definitely seemed like someone who isn’t easily impressed. I could sing with David Bowie, juggle 6 bowling balls and stand on one foot simultaneously and she still wouldn’t be impressed. Fear overtook my body at the thought of her watching me embarrass myself. Me. Beaufort klutzy Swan. On stage. Singing. in front of Edythe-Aphrodite, queen -Cullen. “I’m so gonna fuck it up”.

It felt like I was laying in my bed for hours on a never ending time loop filled with anxiety and pressure. I tried reading but all I read was Edythe’s words from a few weeks ago. I tried listening to the new CD Phil got me, but all I heard was Edythe yelling at me. I pondered more about her and Friday’s event until my eyes started to close and sleep came over me. The last thing I remember was Edythe’s eyes, piercing into my soul. The same scene replaying over and over again. “We shouldn’t be friends...”

[lovemesomesurveys]

1. so. what’s your name? Stephanie.

2. how old are you? 30.

3. where are you from? California.

4. do you have a best friend? My mom.

5. name, please? I don’t want to give that out.

6. how long have you known them? Since I was in the womb, ha.

7. relationship status? I’m single.

8. how long have you been in this status? Several years. A few years ago I was talking to someone and I really thought it could lead to something, but it didn’t. I haven’t had anyone else that I was talking to in that way or even interested in since then. 

9. are you in love with llamas? No.

10. do you run with vampires? I’ve never encountered one.

11. who do you want for president?

12. what’s your favorite movie? I have several.

13. what about book? I have a shitload of favorite books.

14. do you have a favorite band? Linkin Park will always be one of them. 

15. do you like hats? Yes. 

16. what’s the second text in your inbox say? The 2nd person in my text message list or whatever you want to call it (I have an iPhone, so you know how they sort texts) is my pharmacy letting me know my prescription is ready. 

17. what about the seventeenth? It’s a group text with my mom and brother. 

18. have you ever had surgery? I’ve had several.

19. do you have an enemy? “Don’t let me get me, I’m my own worst enemy.”

20. do you know anyone named max? Nope.

21. do you want to save the trees? I cut my paper trail by having my bill statements emailed to me. I love the organizations that plant a tree when you buy something or donate to them.

22. hugs or drugs? Hugs.

23. have you ever killed anyone? Uh, no.

24. do you have any siblings? I have two brothers.

25. how many? ^^^

26. who are they? They’re my brothers. ha.

27. what color do you like to wear the most? Black.

28. have you ever danced around with a broom? Yeah, lol.

29. what size shoe do you wear? 6 in women’s (US).

30. do you believe in magic? “…in a young girl’s heart, where the music can free her…” <<< lol I started singing that, too. Anyway, no, I don’t. 

31. have you ever kissed anyone named josh? Nope.

32. do you cook? Just ramen.

33. what kind of phone do you have? iPhone XR.

34. flakjdf? Yep.

35. do you know someone named tiffany? Yes.

36. do you like taking pictures? I like taking pictures of my doggo. 

37. what’s your favorite holiday? Christmas.

38. pink flamingos? What about them?

39. what’s in your purse? I’ve been using a mini backpack, which right now just has my wallet.

40. what are you wearing? Leggings and a graphic tee, of course.

41. do you have a pet? Yeppp, my doggo, Princess Leia. <3

42. do you like spiders? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

43. what’s the main ringtone on your cell phone? One of the default ones.

44. *headdesk*? Is that like *facepalm*? I’ve never used or seen anyone else use *headdesk*

45. do you like to write? I used to. I haven’t done any writing since graduating 5 years ago.

46. holly, would you turn me on? No.

47. do you own an mp3 player? I still have my iPod Touch stored away that I haven’t used since like 2012. I just use Spotify on my phone.

48. what kind? ^^^

49. why are you hitting yourself? I’m not.

50. do you label people? That’s more like high school stuff.

51. what’s your most embarrassing moment? Blahhhh.

52. what are you going to do for your sixteenth birthday party? I’m almost double that age D: Anyway, for my 16th I had an outdoor party at a venue with family and friends.

53. what’s your mom’s name? Her name is mom to me, ha.

54. what about your dad? To me he’s dad.

55. what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? Uhhh.

56. have you ever won anything? Yes.

57. is revenge sweet? I’m not a revengeful person.

58. have you ever had someone lie for you so you wouldn’t get in trouble? I was a good kid, so if I did it was probably for stupid little stuff.

59. do you like to sing? Yeah. Too bad I’m awful, ha.

60. do you eat pickles? Yes.

61. who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Spongebob.

62. how many xangas do you have? I don’t have one anymore, Xanga died years ago. 

63. do you like night or day better? Night.

64. what’s the last party you went to? It’s been such a long time since I’ve been to a party.

65. do you like finding nemo? Sure.

66. what kind of computer do you have? MacBook Air.

67. what color shoes are you wearing? I’m not wearing shoes.

68. plaid or polka dots? Plaid.

69. do you like cats? Sure. I’m a dog person all the way, though. 

70. have you ever done yoga? Nope.

71. how’d you like it?

72. what’s the closest red object to you? The red on my red and black plaid throw pillow.

73. do you play any instruments? No.

74. if so, what? I used to play some piano, but it’s been over 10 years now and I’d be suuuuuper rusty. My brother randomly decided that he wants to start practicing and is going to dig out my old keyboard in the garage. I should see if I still know anything.

75. are you allergic to anything? Just tangerines that I know of.

76. what do you want to be when you grow up? I’m almost 31 years old and still have no idea.

77. can you think of anything that rhymes with pain and misery? Rain and blistery? 

78. what posters do you have on your wall? I don’t have any posters. I have some canvas paintings and framed ones.

79. who is the person from history that you admire most? A lot of people that have paved the way and made positive impacts and change.

80. what’s your middle name? I’m not sharing that.

81. what kind of car do you drive? I don’t drive.

82. how’s your life? Blah.

83. what do you think about carrots? I prefer them raw instead of cooked. <<< Saaaame. Cooked carrots are disgusting.

84. can you dance? Nope.

85. are you in a band? I can’t sing or play any instruments, what good would I be?

86. do you wear skirts or dresses a lot? Nope. It’s been years since I’ve worn a dress.

87. what’s your favorite tv show? I have a lot of those.

88. is something wrong with you? There’s a lot wrong with me.

89. are there lots of pictures in your bedroom? No.

90. do you like being outside? Only if I’m at the beach.

91. what’s your favorite color? Pastels, rose gold, yellow, coral, and mint green.

92. have you gotten anything in the mail lately? No. I’m waiting on something, though.

93. do you like school? I’m done with school now, but I’d say yes and no.

94. what’s your wallpaper on your computer? Alexander Skarsgard. 

95. how many school dances have you been to? I went to a few middle school dances, winter formal, and prom. 

96. can you swim? Nope. 97. do you like dancing in the rain? I love the rain, but I enjoy it much more while inside.

98. what is your favorite hobby? Reading and doing surveys.

99. don’t you just want to mass murder all barbie dolls? No? I loved Barbies.

100. did you like the survey? Sure.

[periilune]

Answer all 200

damn okay you asked for it:

(this was asked a long time ago and its just being posted now bc its 200 fuckin questions f u kars jk love you)

1. What is your middle name?

Elizabeth

2. Do you have any nicknames?

Liz, Laur, Lau, Squid, Koala, Rhyne, Babe

3. Do you have any allergies?

Not to my knowledge

4. What is the longest your hair has ever been?

Too long,, like I could sit on it

5. Apple or PC?

PC

6. Favorite flavor?

In general probably some kinda cheese but for sweet stuff is cookie dough

7. Have you ever been on a blind date?

Bold of you to assume I’ve even been on a date (no I haven’t)

8. Are you friends with any of your exes?

2 of them actually!

9. What kind of car do you drive?

I can’t even drive,, but I have a Toyota Avalon waiting for me when I can

10. How grammatically correct are you when you text?

It really depends, I’m very correct when texting adults, decent when texting acquaintances, absolute disaster with good friends

11. What foreign country would you most like to visit and why?

Probs the UK or Italy, the UK bc I have several friends there and its very nice, and Italy for good food and good views

12. Creamy or chunky peanut butter?

Creamy all the way

13. Favorite food to pig out on?

Pizza

14. DC or Marvel?

Marvel!

15. Disney or Nickelodeon?

God idk,, probably Nickelodeon

16. Do you have any stickers on your laptop computer?

Yes, one from Kiawah Island (very nice place) and a couple random ones

17. Name/author of the last book you read cover to cover. Do you recommend it?

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, considering that was like my 3rd time reading it yeah I do

18. Do you read any magazines?

Nah

19. Coffee or tea?

Not a fan of either, I guess I’d pick coffee

20. What is your go-to Starbucks drink?

Red Velvet Frappucino

21. How many things can do with your weaker hand?

Oh You Know ;) in all honestly not much, I can catch because I used to play softball

22. Last show you binge watched?

Currently binge watching My Hero Academia!

23. Dogs or cats?

Cats

24. Favorite Disney princess?

Mulan or Moana I think

25. Do you like fast food?

Generally yeah

26. Favorite thing to cook for yourself?

Pasta and some type of garlic or cheesy or toasted bread

27. Favorite song to sing in the shower?

Currently Morning in America by John Bellion

28. Have you ever butt dialed anyone?

I don’t think so

29. iPhone/iPad or Android?

Android

30. Any styles of music you do not like?

Most country tbh, excluding John Denver n Carrie Underwood they’re both great

31. Have you ever kissed anyone of the same gender? If so, did you like it?

Not quite, but pretty close. We were dating so I’d say I liked it

32. Have you ever gotten a ticket while driving?

I can’t drive so no!

33. Favorite emoji?

💖 or 🍒 I think

34. Showers or baths?

Showers for convenience, but the occasional bath is nice to relax

35. Is there anything you regret buying?

Some clothes I have I don’t like, my fake airpods that don’t work

36. Are you fluent in more than one language?

Not yet, but I’m learning Spanish!

37. Any movie(s) you can watch over and over again and enjoy just as much every time?

Black Panther, The Last Unicorn, any of The Lord of the Rings trilogy

38. What is the heaviest you have ever weighed?

Around 155-160 pounds

39. Do you have any tattoos? If so, how many and where?

Not yet

40. Have you ever uttered a spoken hashtag?

Yep.

41. Favorite school subject?

I used to love English but not so much anymore, right now in in Psychology and its really cool tbh

42. Favorite non-chocolate candy?

Fuckin uh,, airheads are pretty good

43. Name one celebrity you dislike.

Johnny Depp is a shitty abuser.

44. If you could have one superpower, which one would you most like to have?

Telekinesis I think

45. From 1-10, rate your singing ability.

7

46. From 1-10, rate your dancing ability.

3

47. From 1-10, rate your cooking ability.

7

48. From 1-10, rate your driving ability.

1

49. Are you religious?

I’m really not sure, I was raised religious but I’m questioning a lot atm

50. Do you drink soda? If so, which one is your favorite?

Yep, I like Cherry Coke

51. Have you ever locked your keys in your car?

No, but I’ve been with someone who has

52. Spring or autumn?

Autumn

53. Do you play any sports?

Not now, but I’ve played soccer, softball, and basketball in the past

54. Can you play any musical instruments?

Nope

55. Are you more introverted or extroverted?

Introverted

56. How easily do you cry?

My dude,, so easily

57. Last musical artist you saw live?

My Lord and Savior Avi Kaplan

58. Favorite YouTube channel?

Not 2 be That person but I genuinely like Markiplier tbh

59. Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Wars

60. How long have you known your best friend?

Well 1 of them funnily enough our moms knew each other when he was a baby and I was unborn, but we really met in 6th grade. My other best friend I met  about 3 years ago :)

61. Have you ever voted for a reality show?

I think so

62. Last CD you bought? uhhhhh maybe a pentatonix cd dunno which one 

63. Have you ever ended a romantic relationship?

Nope I’m the one who gets dumped 

64. Have you ever been broken up with? See above (3 times) 

65. Have you ever been in the audience for the taping of a TV show? Nah 

66. How long was your longest relationship? Are you still with that person?

A year and 3 months currently, and yes

67. Have you seen any Broadway plays or musicals?

Nope 

68. Have you ever acted in a play or a musical?

Yes! I’ve been in The Wizard of Oz (twice!), Little Shop of Horrors, Seussical the Musical, and the Little Mermaid 

69. How flexible are you?

Not very 

70. Have you ever sexted? Yes…  

71. Do you own any clothes from garage sales or thrift stores?

Yep 

72. Real or fake Christmas trees?

We’ve had a fake one my whole life, but I’d like to have a real one some day

73. How many pillows do you sleep with? 2-3 

74. How well can you write in cursive?

Not great, but I can get the job done 

75. What is your political affiliation?

Not officially affiliated, but rather left 

76. Do you like any boy bands?

The Backstreet Boys duh

77. Have you ever broken any bones?

Just a couple small ones in my toe 

78. Have you ever gotten any stitches?

Nah 

79. Do you have any piercings in places other than your ears?

Not yet

80. What is the oldest piece of clothing you still wear and how old is it? One of my favorite pairs of shorts is pretty old 

81.Do you like wearing hats?

Depends on the hat, I have a handful of baseball caps I like 

82. Have you ever dyed your hair?

At one point I had the tips dyed purple, but now I regularly dye it to make it slightly lighter and redder 

83. From 1-10, how competitive are you?

Like 8 probably, I’m not very athletic but I’m competitive about other things   

84. How long have you been at your current job?

Since November 2017   

85. Have you ever studied abroad?

Nope 

86. Phrase you say the most?

“Oof” 

87. Have you ever quit a job?

Nah 

88. Have you ever gotten fired from a job?

Nah 

89. Have you ever won a trophy? If so, what for?

Yes! For cheerleading competitions, 3rd place in making a video for a club, in a soccer tournament, and probably some others idk 

90. Have you ever been a Boy/Girl Scout?

I was a girl scout but that was a while ago 

91. Last thing that made you laugh?

Uhh last night some dumb meme my boyfriend showed me

92. Do you eat meat?

Yes

93. Are you more of a morning or a night person?

Night person, but I’m also old so it’s hard to stay up late

94. Worst habit?

Chewing fingernails, isolating myself from people when I’m sad

95. Deepest fear?

Uhhh that everyone who says they care about me is actually lying and talking about me behind my back

96. Do you believe in ghosts?

Yeah pretty much

97. If you could take home any animal from the zoo, what animal would you take?

An otter! I love them

98. Do you consider rapping singing?

I wouldn’t say it’s singing bc its different, but it’s certainly an art form and it has every place in the music industry

99. Favorite costume you wore for Halloween? How old were you?

When i was a ninja that was sick, i was probably 12-13

100. Favorite store to shop at?

For clothes? Maybe Plato’s Closet (nice secondhand place) but I also do a lot of online shopping

101. Have you ever given anyone CPR?

No

102. Favorite Pokémon?

Cresselia is dope but also Eevee

103. Do you own any homemade clothing?

Probably

104. Do you drink alcohol at all? If so, what is your drink of choice?

I’ve drunk once, vodka mixed with Hawaiian punch and it was p good

105. Have you ever skinny dipped?

No i’m fat

106. Favorite type of cookie?

Warm chocolate chunk

107. Favorite flavor of ice cream?

Oreo or chocolate chip cookie dough. The best thing i’ve ever had was a red velvet oreo milkshake tho

108. Biggest pet peeve?

When people interrupt or ignore me

109. Are you still friends with anyone from high school?

I mean I just graduated so yes

110. Favorite literary character?

Oohhhh, maybe Sam from LoTR? He was the realest friend ever

111. Are your birth parents still together?

Yeah

112. Do you wear or have your ever worn glasses?

Nope, 20/20 babeyyyy

113. How many of your Facebook friends do you actually hang out with?

Like 6, one of those being my mom lol

114. Have you ever been the victim of a prank?

Not that I can remember

115. Do you belong to a fraternity or a sorority?

No

116. Have you ever taken a nude selfie?

perhaps..

117. Are you adopted?

No

118. Favorite fandom?

Ugh fandoms r gross, maybe the rwby fandom? 

119. Oldest memory?

Trying to strangle myself at pre-school aged 4 lmaoooo

120. Have you ever snorted when you laughed?

A couple times

121. Can you drive stick?

Can’t drive at all!

122. Favorite Disney song?

How Far I’ll Go, or maybe Go The Distance

123. Random boy’s name.

Leo

124. Random girls’ name.

Natalie

125. How often do you eat out at a nice restaurant?

Once a month? Not often, I’ve done it twice in 3 days recently tho bc it was my birthday

126. How many people are in your nuclear family?

3, me and my parents

127. What accent do you consider the most attractive?

Gosh, not to be basic but probably British, although I don’t really know many others

128. What is your Myers-Briggs personality type?

INFP i think? Maybe INFJ

129. What is your astrological sign?

Leo! (capricorn moon and cancer rising)

130. Biggest regret?

Trying to make someone care again who had no intention of doing so

131. What type of shoes do you wear the most?

My checkered vans, I swear I wore them every day of senior year

132. Do you like any soap operas?

No

133. Do you listen to talk radio?

Not often

134. What sports team(s) do you root for?

SF Giants, Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Duke, Kentucky

135. Describe your sense of humor.

Ridiculously stupid, inside jokes

136. Have you ever been hit on by someone of the same gender?

Yeah, my ex-girlfriend lmao

137. Favorite video game?

Overwatch

138. Name a moment in your life when you were pleasantly surprised.

When i got a mf perfect score on my ACT

139. Do you believe in serendipity?

I had to look that up but I guess so

140. Have you ever left a movie theater before the movie was done?

I don’t think so, one time the movie malfunctioned and cut off like an hour in and we had to leave

141. Have you ever felt you were born in the wrong period of history?

Nah, everything has always sucked, but now is somewhat less sucky than before bc we have the internet

142. Is sex before marriage wrong?

No

143. Have you ever gotten a song you dislike stuck in your head?

Yes omg, fuckin Girls Like You, fuck you Adam Levine

144. Can you handle spicy food?

Only slightly spicy

145. Have you ever called a non-lover a term such as darling, honey, babe, or dear?

I call my friend Ryker babe all the time, and call most of my friends “love”

146. Do you like MTV?

Nah not really

147. Where on your body are you the most ticklish?

Probably ribs area

148. TV show or movie you quote/reference the most?

The Princess Bride is so quotable, so maybe that idk, I quote memes more than anything

149. Have you ever lived with a roommate you didn’t get along with?

Can I say my parents? I’ve never lived not in my house, but I’m about to go to college and I hope I like my roommate

150. Where do you think is the best place to meet a new lover?

Either school or through mutual friends?

151. Have you ever successfully been on a diet?

I mean I’ve lost weight but it wasn’t a diet, just not eating lol

152. Favorite thing to do outside?

Have a photoshoot, jk I love looking at flowers, also swimming is good

153. Where did you go on your last vacation?

Kiawah Island, for grad week

154. Do you say “y'all” at all?

Yes, I live in the south and started using it ironically but now I can’t stop

155. Have you ever lived on a farm?

No

156. Do you believe in evolution?

There’s scientific evidence for it, so yes

157. What TV channel do you watch the most?

Honestly HGTV those houses are awesome

158. Favorite Beatles song?

Hmmmm, Maybe A Day In The Life or Eleanor Rigby, I Am The Walrus is always good too ngl

159. Have you ever been on TV?

On like the local channels for school awards and such

160. Have you ever been to Disney World or Disneyland?

I went to Disneyland last summer!

161. Do you like horror movies?

Not really, I’m a pussy

162. Do you like to go fishing?

No

163. Have you ever been hunting?

No

164. Do you take medication for anything?

Yes, for ye olde depression

165. Name one item from your bucket list.

Get a novel published

166. From 1-10, how much do you like children?

3 maybe, they’re kinda annoying

167. Have you ever thought about your wedding?

Yes, but my ideas have changed over time

168. Have you ever been bungee jumping or skydiving?

No, but I’d like to

169. Favorite flower?

Hmmm Sunflowers? or Snapdragons, or the pink magnolias

170. Do you collect anything?

Enamel pins, and rwby blind box figurines (it’s not an addiction I swear)

171. Who was the last person you told a lie to?

My mom probably

172. Have you ever been a bridesmaid or a groomsman?

Nope

173. Have you ever had a fortune cookie fortune come true?

Not that I know of

174. What was your favorite toy to play with when you were a child?

Hmmmm I had this little Narnia figurine set that I loved, also a bunch of littlest pet shop toys

175. How good are you at math?

Pretty good, I took AP Calculus in high school and got an A, doesn’t mean I liked it

176. Have you ever learned anything from a how-to YouTube video?

Not that I can think of right now

177. Have you ever participated in a science fair?

Yes, it was required in 6th grade

178. Have you ever wished you were born the opposite gender?

Womanhood is difficult and I often wish I did not have to bear it, but I’ve made peace with it

179. Have you ever participated in a public protest?

No, I’m scared

180. Do you have a pool at your house?

No

181. Have you ever hosted a wild party?

No lol, the wildest was probably my birthday party when we all got high and then had a 1 am McDonalds run because munchies

182. Do you like karaoke?

Not really

183. Have you ever written a love letter?

Kind of yes, I’m rather sappy

184. Have you ever ran a marathon?

God no, I’ve done a lot of 5Ks though

185. How often do you get mad at yourself?

So much, I suck

186. Any guilty pleasures?

Probably shitty old Warrior Cats AMVs, those are great when you’re bored and need to remember your roots

187. Fruits or vegetables?

Vegetables solely because potatoes fuckin slap

188. Do you live in a house or an apartment?

In a house, but I’m about to move into a dorm

189. The countryside or the suburbs?

Suburbs, I’ve lived in them my whole life, also listen to Subdivisions by Rush it’s great

190. Worst job you’ve ever had?

I’ve only had 1 job so I guess working at Chick-fil-A

191. Do you hang out with any of your co-workers?

Yes, one of them was my friend from school as well so I hang out with her regularly

192. Were you ever voted homecoming/prom king or queen?

Nope, but my good friends were prom king and queen!

193. Were you voted a “best” or “most likely to” in high school?

No, but I was “Most Likely To Be President - Girl” in elementary school so take that

194. Have you ever gotten detention?

No I’m a good kid

195. Have you ever babysat?

Yes, we watched disney movies and played dress-up

196. Have you ever taken a road trip just for the fun of it?

Nah, but I’d like to

197. How many drinks get you tipsy?

Idk, I was a little funny after 2 vodka spiked punches so

198. Were you a part of any academic clubs in high school or college?

Certainly yes, Technology Student Association, Beta club, Book club

199. Have you ever given a public speech, aside from your schooling?

I did the sermon one Sunday at church, but I’m not a big fan of public speaking

200. How long have you been on tumblr?

5 years in november! (God thats awful)

@officieel i did it bastard

[theartificialdane]

Andromeda: Requiem

Violet recieves a letter. Her stepfather is dead. This is what happens when a mothers love forces her to face her worst fears. Galactica and Paris AU tie in.

/ Thank you to @veronicasanders for her eternal patience, great guidance and insistence on pushing me beyond my comfort zone. This would not have been made without you.  Dedicated to @imanationalphenomenon - I’m sorry I made you wait this long, but here it finally is!

“Make a right.”

Sutan nodded, Violet guiding him through a tiny suburb outside Atlanta, the city sign saying Lilburn. Violet had gotten the message a little over a week ago that her stepdad had died, his wife barely reacting as she read the letter that had arrived to their New York address from someone who had called himself Dax. Sutan had never seen Violet’s childhood home, had never met anyone from the family that had his wife for the first 13 years of her life. He didn’t know what he was expecting. He turned down the road, it all looking strangely normal. Where Violet had grown up just a normal neighborhood filled with small suburban homes with front lawns, trampolines and garages.

They had attended the service after circling for what felt like hours looking for the right church, the town feeling like it was 80% churches compared to Manhattan. The service was surprisingly full from what little Sutan had heard from Violet about the kind of person her stepdad had been. They had slipped in and sat at the very back, Sutan holding Violet’s hand through the entire thing. Sutan hadn’t even realised he had never seen a photo of Violet’s stepdad, until he was faced with the picture of him next to the casket, a large brunette man looking back at him. Sutan knew that his name was John, and how Violet’s expression darkened when she was forced to talk about him. What was the most bizarre of all though, was when he spotted a short plump woman at the very front of the church. She had to be Abigail Dardo. She was saying hello to everyone, a handkerchief clutched in her hand, her blonde hair in big curls, her blue eyes so unlike his wife, the only thing they had in common the set of their mouth and, as Sutan looked closely, the shape of theirs hands. He had wanted to get a better look at the woman who had attempted to raise the woman he loved, curiosity nearly killing the cat, but Violet had left the church in a hurry after the service, almost like she had spotted something.

”Here…”

Sutan stopped the car outside a completely normal two story house with a porch and a garage. They had circled around town, Violet clearly trying to kill time, though Sutan had no idea what she was waiting for, pointing him in different directions. They had passed a small run down dance studio, Violet gently touching his arm to make him slow down, though she hadn’t asked him to stop. The house had been the first place she had actually talked to him. Another car was parked there as well, Violet jumping when she spotted it, but she hadn’t said anything.

“So.. This is where you grew up?”

Violet nodded, his wife twisting the wedding ring on her finger again and again, the thin gold band rubbing back and forth. Violet hadn’t told him what they were doing here, but he knew she wouldn’t have insisted on going if there wasn’t something truly important she had to do, something she had to get.

“Are you sure you want to go in?”

Sutan looked over at Violet, the woman still quiet, just as she had been on the entire trip to Georgia. “Alright.” It was something he had learned to accept, even if he didn’t like it, but after almost two decades of marriage, Violet’s silence when it all became too much was as expected as how she always curled up in his arms to find enough peace to sleep after a day just like this. “Let’s go.”

Sutan moved to open his door, but Violet reached out, catching his wrist in her hand, stopping him.

“I…”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for coming with me.”

Sutan smiled, his heart filled with tender affection, Violet’s voice so very small. “I’d never let you go alone.” Sutan kissed her gently, before opening his door and stepped out on the cold winter road.

///

Violet took a deep breath, her hand shaking as she reached for the doorbell. Walking up to the house had felt like walking in a dream, everything so surreal. She knew she had fallen into silence, that Sutan was worried about her, but how could she not when everything around was just like when she was small, the road one she remembered so vividly, walking home in her beat up trainers, her heels now clacking on the same pavement that had tormented her.

She didn’t want to do this, but she knew exactly who she had to do it for.

Violet pressed the bell, a riiing sounding from inside the house, a dog started yapping, and Violet could hear footsteps, more footsteps than she expected, and then, the door opened.

“Oh..” This was yet another person Sutan had never seen before. She was shorter than Violet, a few years younger too. “So it was actually you.” She had clearly been crying, her mascara smudged. A toddler was on her hip, a little boy staring at them. “Just when I thought today couldn’t get any worse.”

“Hello Becky...”

“What do you want?”

Sutan could feel Violet’s fingers tighten on his arm, his wife’s nails digging into his jacket. The tension was so thick you could have cut it with a knife, Violet and the woman who Violet had called Becky staring at each other, both looking like they expected war to break out. Becky’s blonde hair was in a half bun, her black dress still on, the child also dressed up.

“Hi there.” Sutan held his hand out. “I’m Suta-”

“I know who you are. I watch TV.”

“Ah.” Sutan put his hand back in his pocket.

“Is...” Sutan could see Violet was visually struggling, his wife looking like she was about to vomit. “Abigail here?”

“She didn’t want to leave the cemetery just yet.”

“Can we come in?” Sutan looked at the stranger.

“Not until /she/-” Becky looked at Violet. “-tells me why you’re here.”

“I…” Violet’s nails dug even further, Sutan swearing he could feel them pierce his skin even through his layers of clothes. “I’m here... I’m here to pick up- It’s-”

“I forgot for a second that you were legally retarded.”

“I’m not-”

“You never could take a joke,” Becky rolled her eyes. “Come inside before Joshie freezes.” The woman stepped aside, bumping the toddler up.

They stepped in, Sutan closing the door behind them. {Who is she?} Sutan whispered as he took Violet’s coat, the French easily falling from his lips.

{My sister}

{You have a sister?} Violet had never mentioned a sister.

{Half-sister.}

Meanwhile Becky had put the toddler down who quickly disappeared, the voices of several kids being drowned out by the television in the next room.  

“Is… is that your son?” Violet swallowed, the woman clearly uncomfortable.

“As if you care.”

“Beck-”

“His name is Joshua, he’s 2. Youngest of three.” Becky turned to them, looking Sutan up and down. “Where’s your kid?”

Violet looked at Becky with surprise. “My kid?”

“I read too. Amazing that I learned how in Lilburn, huh Blair?” Becky huffed. “You didn’t leave her in the car, did you?”

Sutan took a slight step forward, Becky’s tone like every model who had ever thrown her drink; Snide and filled with venom. “Our daughter is at school. We didn’t think it necessary to bring her here.” Neither of them had even told Melati that John had died. Their daughter knew very little of Violet’s family, their child actually fully believing her mother was French until they had relocated to America in her early teens. Melati had never met Violet’s parents, had never even heard their name. Melati had asked, just once, but Violet had told her she already her a grandma, that her Nenek was there and that had been the end.

“Of course. Because nothing here has ever been good enough for you.”

“Good enough?” Violet felt a flicker of anger in her belly, the flame the first emotion besides nausea she had felt since she and Sutan had stepped on the plane in New York. “Good enough for me?”

“Yes. you heard me. You show up now that my dad is dead, show up in your fucking.. Designer clothes, and you want to play family? You want to pretend everything is fine?”

“I’d rather die than ever pretend anything that happened in this house was fine.” Violet knew that Becky had never been on her side, but to hear it from an adult instead of a little girl hurt more than a slap to the face. Their parents had always favored Becky, John calling her his little princess. Becky could do no wrong, the girl always praised by their parents, Violet forced to sit and watch TV whenever Becky wanted to, forced to eat food she didn’t like because Becky wanted it, forced to go to every school event because Becky wanted to with her friends from her grade while Violet did her best to be invisible. She had spent a childhood of being invisible, of having nothing, and even though Sutan hadn’t said anything, she knew she wasn’t alone. She had a life now, an actual life she build for herself. She had a company and a career, a husband she loved, she had friends and her dogs and most importantly she had the daughter she was doing this for.

“You’ve always been so dramatic.”

“I was tortured Becky, tortured for, for years, and the man who did it is finally in the groun-”

“Don’t you DARE say stuff like that about my dad! He was a good man.”

Violet couldn’t do anything but stare, the room going completely silent, the TV still running in the other room. “Is that what you truly believe?”

“You have no idea how hard it was for them. You got into that, that ballet school and then you suddenly disappeared. You stopped coming home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Not even a single birthday card and then you show up in the magazines under a completely different name dating… dating him?” She gestured at Sutan. “And you didn’t even tell us? Mama found out from someone at church, at church Blair! You throw away the only number we have for you and you’re gone, except your face keeps showing up throwing your success in our faces! My dad was a good man who did everything for you, and you never appreciated any of it.”

“Can I use the restroom?”

///

“Close the door.”

Sutan closed the door behind him, quickly locking it as he still balanced their jackets. Becky’s words ringing in his ears. He took a deep breath through his nose, his fists still clenching and unclenching. Sutan prided himself on not being a man who was angered easily. He couldn’t, not in his profession, not with the way he lived his life, but his chest was burning hot. He couldn’t believe what he had heard. How the person who was apparently his wife’s sister defended a man who had done so much damage to the woman he loved. Siblings were suppose to look out for each other, were suppose to protect each other. He couldn’t even imagine how he would have attempted to survive growing up without Raja, a world truly without his sister one he didn’t even want to think of, and here he was, witnessing parts of why his wife was exactly the way she was. Her pride, her walls, the sometimes frightening stoicism that could overtake her when she was pushed to her breaking point.

“Darling-” Sutan wanted to reach out, to touch and soothe and understand. To make sure that Violet was still there and that she was okay, but Violet hiked her skirt up and got on her knees, Sutan freezing in place. “Lovely eyes, what are you-”

“Hush. Please.” Violet tapped her knuckles on one of the tiles next to the sink. “I can’t stay in this house another minute.” Violet tapped another tile, and Sutan got down on his knees as well.

“What’s going-”

Violet tapped a third tile. “There.” Sutan watched as his wife put her nails against the wall, popping the tile out, revealing a small empty tunnel in the wall. Violet reached inside, a whisper of “Oh thank god.” falling from her lips as she pulled a tin box into the light. The box was old, the flower pattern on it clearly painted with a child's hand, a fine layer of dust covering it.

“Is that why we’re here?”

It seemed strange, but also so very very like the woman that he had married; that she would willingly walk through fire for something as absurd as a tin box not even a surprise. Violet nodded, shaking it gently, the sound of several small items rustling inside.

“I don’t want to explain this house, this.. Any of this..” Violet looked at Sutan, her brown eyes blank with unshed tears, her cheeks a pale rose, her lip thick from how Sutan knew she had bitten it. “I don’t want this to be the story my daughter knows, for it.. For it to be her story..” Sutan nodded. Even though Violet was in her 40s, even though they had gone through so much together, she was still trying to escape something, still trying to run away from a piece of herself, and after seeing the scene in the hallway, Sutan felt like he understood it all slightly better.

“She’s so much more than this, so much more than me.. She’s.. She’s so much more than us.” Violet was whispering again. “I have never had words and I’ve never been good at explaining. I mean.. You know that..”

Sutan smiled slightly, his hand finding Violet’s neck, his palms holding her and grounding her. “I do.”

“But I’ll have this now..” Violet gave the box to Sutan. “And that has to be enough..”

“I’m sure it will be.” Sutan kissed Violet, their lips meeting in a gentle, closed mouthed peck, years of comfort and trust in that single movement. “Do you want to go home?”

“More than anything else.”

///

Sutan was sure Violet was seconds from just toeing off her Louboutins and running out the door like Cinderella, but all things considered she was surprisingly calm, her entire body clamping up again the moment he had opened the door to the bathroom.

They made their way down the stairs, just as the front door opened and the worst possible thing that could happen walked through it. Abigail Dardo.

Abigail stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes meeting Violet. “You’ve actually come.”

Violet froze. Pure terror radiating off her, her breath stopping. Abigail looked like a perfectly normal human being. Sutan knew she was two years younger than him and he had nearly choked on his drink when Violet had shared the fact with him. Abigail might actually have looked sweet, like a grandma who tried to stay young, but by Violets reaction, all Sutan could see was someone who had hurt the woman he loved so much that she would forever be damaged by it.

“John would be so happy you’re here, oh I knew you would regret all that nonsense from your youth Blair.”

“Excuse me ma’am, but we were just leaving.” Sutan put a hand in the small of Violet’s back, pushing her forwards as he tried to move in front of her, casually shielding her body like he had done so many times before from interviewers or photographers.

“But you just got here-”

“Flight to catch, can’t wait.” Sutan smiled, taking another few steps towards the door. “We’re very sorry for your loss, may he rest in peace.” Sutan didn’t want John to rest in peace, not even a little, actually he would be quite content if John Dardo spent the rest of eternity in christian hell being spitroasted by the devil.

“Let me see you. You’re so tall.” Abigail blocked their exit, staring at Violet. “You look so different from the last time I saw you..” If the little girl in the photo was anything to go by, Sutan couldn’t agree more. Violet had grown into an adult, a woman who was confident and competent, who carried herself with pride so unlike the few pictures Sutan had seen from her early college days and what little video he had found from the ballet.

“Come here Blair bear.” Abigail reached out, clearly trying to hug Violet, and then it happened.

“NO!”

Violet’s shout was loud and clear, her hands in front of her as she had just pushed her mother away, her eyes large, like she couldn’t believe what she had just done. “No.”

“Blair, what are you-”

“My husband and I are leaving. Right now.”

///

Violet slammed the car door behind her, her pulse racing. She hadn’t seen her mother in the flesh since she was 16, hadn’t seen the woman who had caused her so much pain since she had gotten injured and had dropped out of the Ballet Academy. Violet felt dirty, her skin almost itching where her mother had touched her, light sweat covering her body.

“Can we go?! Please-”

Violet knew she was being hysterical, knew she wasn’t fair, but everything in her told her to chose fight or flight and she had no intention of fighting.

“We can go to the airport right away” Sutan started the car, pulling away from the driveaway and out into the big road.

“No.” Violet couldn’t handle the idea of an airport, couldn’t stand the idea of so many strangers around her, people looking at her, wondering about her. “Just. I can’t fly, I need- Can we just- drive- I- please?”

“It’s a 12 hour drive my love.”

Violet knew she was asking a lot of her husband, knew she was being terribly unfair, knew what she was requesting wasn’t okay, but she couldn’t go to the airport. Her mind was racing at the risk of being followed, and the only thing she could think of that would help was an open highway, driving as fast as they could. “Please.”

Sutan looked at her, and Violet couldn’t help but worry he would say no, that he would tell her she was overreacting and that she was being dramatic.

“Of course darling. Of course.”

////

Melati was typing away on her computer, her art history essay unfortunately not writing itself. Next to her she had the thick dictionary she had gotten as a gift from her aunt Fame. Most of her classmates didn’t understand why Melati prefered a physical dictionary whenever she could, but it just wasn’t the same with an online one, her brain that was heavily anchored in french not truly understanding a new word unless she did the physical act of looking up a word. It was most likely something she had picked up in Paris, her private school there so focused on papers and actual books that even after she had fully transferred into the american school system, there was still something about it.

Melati heard a knock on the door, her mother standing there with a steaming cup of tea in hand.

{How’s the exam going?}

{Okay.} Melati smiled, moving the piece she was working on away so Violet could put the cup down next to her computer, the scent of peach tea filling her nose. {Thank you Mama.} Melati turned her attention back on her computer, but a small cough made her look back up.

{I.. Umh..} Violet sat down. {I have something for you.}

{You do?}

Melati didn’t often get presents from her mom, gifts so much more something her dad excelled at and found delight in.

Violet placed a tin box on the desk. {Here.}

{What is it?}

{Something I had long ago..} Violet smiled, her eyes sad. {I know.. I know I haven’t always been.. Good.. at answering your questions.}

Melati felt a brief stab in her heart. To say that her mother wasn’t good at answering questions would be the understatement of the century, if not the millennium. She had never thought about how little she knew as a child. She knew her father's family, summers in Indonesia with her toes in the sand and she had thought she knew her mother, Autumn in Paris with the leaves falling and slow weekends spend in the country home eating grapes and playing with Frida. Melati Lavender Amrull had known who she was, what she came from, until she had found out that France wasn’t her mother's blood after all, and that there was so much she had no idea about.

{I didn’t.. The reason I haven’t told you much- I… Melati, I want you to understand.. I wasn’t a very happy child.. And that’s.. I want so much more for you, puppet.} Violet gently stroked Melati’s cheek, her cool thumb gliding over brown skin. {I can’t give you everything you ask for, but I can give you this..} Violet pushed the box forwards.

Melati looked at her mother, confusion without a doubt clear on her face as she gently opened the box, the thing creaking slightly.

{These are.. Things, I hid as a child. Things that were important to me. Treasures that brought me comfort and joy.}

Inside there was a picture of a little girl with a backpack that looked almost twice the size she was, a timid smile on the child's lips. Melati instantly recognizing the nose and she realized it was the first photo she had ever seen of her mother as a child. There was a smooth white rock, a piece of thick white ribbon, three light blue marbles, a piece of rosa soap shaped like a flower, a single dangling earring with a red stone and three cents.

Melati held up the photo, studying it.

{That’s from my first day of school. The backpack was my favorite.} Violet smiled. I never really.. I never liked going to school.}

{Why?}

{I might tell you another time.}

Melati nodded. Normally a response like that from her mother would make annoyance rush through her, but as she looked at the things, she realised that this was more than she had ever been told before. Even though the things that had been saved might have looked jumbled to a stranger, Melati felt like she recognised it all from her mother's designs. The childhood treasures all carrying the sense of gravity and wistfulness that so many praised the Chachki universe for. A somber longing for something else. A childish hope that something could change. A promise that the future could somehow be better.

{Thank you Mama. Thank you for these.} Melati reached out, taking her mother’s hand in hers, Violet holding it tight. Violet nodded, the grip of her fingers trying to express everything she couldn’t say with words.

[glitterandrocketfuel]

YBC Hot Takes: Death Valley

This one took me a while! As the story comes closer to the final confrontations, the plots are getting more complex, and more characters make their appearance as Patrick works through the understanding that "solo career" doesn't mean you're only answerable to or influenced by yourself.

Sacrificed in a crime of passion and despair by a demonic Patrick caught in brainwashed hallucinations, Joe takes a journey to the underworld, while Pete and Andy are stymied by the authorities and rescued by a mysterious double-agent. 

Death Valley - When you Walk Through Hell, You Come Out On Fire

Cutting off your creative instincts isn't as easy as depriving it of oxygen. Creativity is an extremophile, and it can survive in adverse conditions because humans are stubborn that way, and creative humans, even moreso. Let's go down into the Underworld below the cut to learn what happens when the Devil meets Joesus...

Patrick's Creative Spark is set free to ascend to the Good Place. But wait--not quite--because while Patrick thought he'd severed that part of him, these ties run deep, and they constantly renew themselves. The kid-herald (fan) hijacks his elevator to heaven and the room is filled with ruddy, infernal light as Joe is pulled down and away from the light.

Cut back to the real world. The first symbol we see is the heavy-looking, official-looking ring of (jailer's) keys on the hip of a (gatekeeper) cop. All the tools of an arrest--the fingerprinting, the mugshot. Yes, we can giggle at the sloppy way they hung the height chart because we all know Patrick is not that tall, but then again, this is a distorted point of view where all your vital statistics are scrutinized and over-analyzed and under the microscope and let's not forget how Celebrity makes those in its spotlight Larger Than Life (including their shortcomings and weaknesses).

The clumsy hook that his Confidence (Pete) jury-rigged onto the stump of his hand is forcibly removed (his tool is taken away, as incomplete a substitute as it was) and his still-wounded stump is fingerprinted. Ridiculous on the surface, but underneath, this is a sort of bastardized stigmata exposed to be poked and prodded and manhandled by the gatekeepers as he is incarcerated and categorized and chained.

In the dark and shadowy interrogation room, his Integrity and Confidence await cross-examination from the gatekeepers. Locked away from the outside world, where their freedom is curtailed by the gatekeepers and dependent on how they interact with those gatekeepers. As they're trying to make a case to the skeptical inquisitors, the zombie-like, broken Patrick (devoid of his Creativity and cut off from his Integrity and his Confidence) shuffles in chains towards the holding cell where the gatekeepers lock him up into a little, pre-defined prison box and leave him there.

Meanwhile, Joe has descended into a hellishly-lit room filled with all sorts of distracting temptations of the senses--scantily-clad dancing girls in high heels, ostentatiously-decorated walls and luxurious furnishings, and refreshments served with cleavage and a smile.

I feel like it's important to note here that Joe is extremely happy having a frosted donut and more interested in a swig and a smoke than, say, motorboating the generous and available cleavages here.

It's one of the consistent trademarks of the Fall Out Boy video aesthetic that these guys are Awkward Around Girls and in point of fact, the women in their videos, even when they're cast in objectified roles, are never themselves objectified, and almost always, the hallmarks of objectification are trope-subverted and played for laughs, gender-flipped, or lampooned outright.

Just as he's partaken, Joe looks up to see the rock god of sinners himself, Tommy Lee, descending the stairs.

Here we can say that Joe turned his focus to his metal band during the hiatus and all the trappings of Hell resemble the 80's metal aesthetic (right down to the donuts as an obscure Van Halen/David Lee Roth reference), but since this is about Patrick and his walk through the Valley of the Shadow of I Miss My Band, Joe as Patrick's Creative Spark, cut off from Patrick himself, wounded by rejection and criticism and failure, has gone to ground in the underworld.

It's important to note here that in most mythologies, the Walk Through the Underworld is not, in fact, a final destination, but rather the journey that must be taken by a god or hero in order to unlock their greatest powers to their full potential. And indeed, it's a walk down a dark tunnel to meet the scariest devil in the underworld--your own bad self.

Tommy Lee, rock legend and fallen god is Joe's future metal self, distilled into the base elements of rock and roll, recursively defined in human shape. Tommy Lee is what happens when there's no direction, no boundary, no guidance placed on that creative urge, where it follows its distractions, sometimes to dizzying heights, but sometimes getting lost in itself until it becomes self-indulgent and inwardly directed and exists only to serve its own ego (kiss the ring, Joe. Get the tattoo that shows the blind/dead smiley with the horns instead of the crown and pyramid).

Back in the jail cell, boxed in by the industry gatekeepers who penalize you when you don't fit into the neat little boxes, Patrick's a caged animal, observed through a small mirror (reflection) by another, unseen inmate for the briefest of moments.

His Integrity and Confidence are not giving the answers the gatekeepers want, and they're getting angry. But a small ray of hope comes in the form of a cryptic note slid under the door, referencing she who wears the crown but is no princess.

In terms of the Parts of Patrick, Patrick is hemmed in by the expectations of the industry, the pressures bearing down on him over performance expectations, and a dwindling financial investment (he said he was never in danger of going broke, but we all know that if you've ever been poor in America, you never really shake the feeling that you're always one disaster away from going right back there).

He's stifled (choked) his Creativity and it's gone to ground in a self-indulgent downward spiral.

His Confidence and Integrity aren't enough to impress the Gatekeepers, but they aren't out of the game entirely. It turns out that the industry has chewed up and spit out others.

Patrick's core selves can learn from their forebears by listening to a woman who wore a crown, but was never a princess. Ladies and gentlefans, I'd like to introduce you to Queen Courtney Love. If anyone had reason to want to torch the music industry and fans, it's the Widow Cobain, the Scarlet Woman, the Trash Queen who took the haterade spewed at her by an industry and a public that blamed her for a tragedy that wasn't her fault, and not only did she accept it, she wore it like a crown. Through it all, she made music of it, mocking the celebrity culture, mocking their caricatures of her and playing so far into the trope that she came out the other side.

Seriously, Hole put out amazing girlpunk and made such great videos and so much of it was underrated and overshadowed by Courtney Love's tabloid drama (echoing the situation of someone else we know, hmmm?).

In this interpretation, though, Courtney severed from her other Selves and failed to reunite. Much like Patrick, she became a slave to the Cult and eventually, its leader. Her Spark, the part of her that was never spoiled from the outside, is instead working to sabotage the cult from within and reaching out to other sparks like Confidence, but she really connects with Integrity--of keeping yourself in the face of the caricature everyone else throws back at you (this is an important internal step for Patrick as he leaves behind the particular malleability of youth in an industry that has no use for malleable grown-ups).

Pete and Andy arrive at the mystery woman's garage (band) hideout. She reveals the extent of the conspiracy that took hold of Patrick and her status as a double-agent in the anti-music cult. She instructs Pete and Andy in the cult's inner workings, gives them targets, then arms them (with really crazy-cool instrument-weapons). As she's pondering the reach of the cult, Andy returns for a stolen moment of affection before departing once more.

Back in the Underworld, Patrick's Creativity is indulging in all the vices including the perception-altering (and let us all just love these little muffins because in the middle of all the gyratin' wimmin, Joe exchanges his best smoochies with his French bulldog).

He's jamming with the Prince of Darkness and shredding with the rock god and plumbing the intricacies of an unbridled, unbound state of existence. Two charming ladies are particularly attentive when Joe takes his unholy communion and descends further into distorted perception. In this tableau thus far, the party has been Joe, Tommy Lee, and a lot of ladies, with a few Men In Suits looking on from the balconies. But one of Joe's ladies gives a Look that can't be accidental and the situation changes.

Into this altered-state of decadence come the sobering (literally, maybe?) Men In Suits. One of whom trades a girl a hot dog (What kind of Hot Dog Hell is this? Nevermind, we're just going with "it's Fall Out Boy"). The change in atmosphere reveals the ladies to be heralds hovering protectively around Joe as he begins to sober up while the party takes a subtle turn.

Meanwhile, Patrick's cell is approached by the gatekeeper again, only this time flanked by two familiar Vixens, one bearing Patrick's hook. As his cell is opened, his Creativity is dragged back out of the Underworld by the heralds.

Patrick is terrified of the Vixens, but the gatekeepers and Vixens are working together--both seek to turn Patrick into a tool for their own ends, and as long as he's separated from his soul-parts, he's powerless to do anything to stop them.

Patrick's Confidence has been armed with knowledge of the moving parts (and let's be honest--Pete has always been very cognizant of the moving parts of fame, celebrity, attention, and buzz, and how they affect your reception and others' perceptions) and the weapon to cut through the bullshit.

His Integrity has Connected with a kindred spirit that provides him with a roadmap that just might lead him out of the darkness.

Finally, having spent enough time down there licking its wounds and dulling its pain, Patrick's Creative Spark is called out of the Underworld. He has seen his own indulgences taken to the extreme--he's been warned--but by the same token, that time spent away from the slings and arrows of the world has allowed his Creative Spark to emerge with new perspective and even greater power for having walked through Hell and come out on fire.

[delicrieux]

anon🌻 said: Hi! So you said that you still write BillxMC and because you write propably the best one I have a request. Could you do the one where Bill and MC spends a day like a muggles. They go on some rock concert, eat junk food(MC never really tried it in her life), maybe get soem tattoos(Bill get his ear pierced or sth). Just something really fluffy and nice. You can write it as a part of your stories or as something new. It would be amazing to read it. Also sorry for my English, not being native sucks a/n: bill knows how to play guitar pass it on. also i changed it a bit!

masterlist | ko-fi

You have come to learn that Bill holds the same, or at least partly same, fascination of the muggle world as his father does. The concept of things existing and functioning without the help of charms and jinxes is entirely new and curious. And being half-muggle – on your mother’s side – you are more than experienced with the magical aspects of the un-magical world: junk food, skate parks, hip 80s fashion. So when he called you on the telephone – yes, he called you – and asked if you were to show him the ropes of being a typical teenage muggle, you nearly screamed with glee.

He got to you via portkey and nearly failed to recognise you out of your school uniform: it’s a hot day and you are wearing something that lets your skin breathe in sunlight. You met him at the station, of course, pulling him into a quick hug that you had to stand on your tippy-toes to manage. He is quite tall, isn’t he? With a chuckle he had ruffled your hair, mumbling a sleepy hello to you as you gave him a once over, “Well…” You assessed his outfit, “It’ll do, I suppose.” He resembled more of a wizard trying to pass as a muggle than a very fashion forward high school kid, “Lose the jacket, perhaps…” you then added, tugging it of off him, “I have so many things planned…Get ready for the best day of your life, William.”

It started with lunch. At first you showed him around local stores, pointed at current fashion trends – he took a particular liking to punk -, had him try on a few silly sunglasses at a local vender. He had been walking by your side and beaming, and before long his hand had made its way atop of yours and your fingers had intertwined. You pretended not to blush, and with a shy smile you took him to the most romantic place you could think of…McDonalds. You ordered him a Happy Meal.

“Isn’t this for kids?” He had asked as the two of you sat down with your orders at a booth. You grinned.

“Maybe.” You replied cheekily, taking a sip of your cold Coca-Cola, “But I wanted you to know that you make me Happy.”

It was his time to blush.

Bill had then convinced you to take him to some piercing place he had seen when you were on your way to lunch. You had asked him to clarify if this ‘deadly cool look’ would sit well with Molly. He never responded. You took him anyway. The place was small and packed with various trinkets and glittering silver and gold earrings. Some gothic portraits were covered by band posters – one you recognised, Sex Pistols. Tattoos were laid on display and the mechanic buzz of the ink machine mixed with rock music playing from the radio. A somewhat friendly looking goth lady eyed you and Bill suspiciously when he requested to get a piercing, but alas caved in fairly quick when you showed her a twenty.

“Nervous?” You had asked him as he took a seat on a nearby stool. He flickered a loose strand of hair from your face with a silly smile.

“No, should I be? Can’t hurt more than the cursed ice.”

“Well, we have a concert at 8 and I don’t want you bawling for the remaining of the time.”

He snickered, “I will hold back the tears if I must.”

True to his word, he had not even flinched when the lady lodged a silver earring into his ear. However, now he was insanely distracted, catching his reflection in every mirror or window and awing, mumbling a ‘wicked’ each time. It was both hilarious and annoying at the same time.

Having no other plans for the time being, you had decided to show him around your humble abode. Your parents were at work, and the house was empty and quiet when you stepped in. The happy day was left outside once the front door shut. It was a stark contrast between the Burrow and here for Bill. He was cautious to talk. He felt as if he was invading your personal space, even if he knew that he wasn’t. Your brother’s disappearance and how much you suffered because of it was now evident and clear by how silent you became. Conversation started flowing once he noticed a guitar hid behind a pile of clothes in your room. You had confessed that it is Jacob’s. Bill, with a grin, picked it up and sat down on the bed as you eyed him curiously from the floor.

“You mean to tell me you know how to play and you never once even mentioned it?” You questioned with a raised brow. You figured it was the new earring that was making him bolder than usual. Bill simply shrugged.

“My dad loves muggle things.” He said, “I might’ve stolen an odd guitar from him a couple of times. Learned how to play. I’m not really good at it though.”

What a charming liar he was, you had realised. He was brilliant with the guitar, at the very least better than Jacob. Not that Jacob was anything to brag about, but still…

Your boyfriend was insanely cool.

8 o’clock struck and you took him to some garage band’s performance in a shady area where all the misfits hang out. Your mum would not like you visiting places as such – grimy, loud, not family friendly – but she wasn’t there to scold you and you felt safer than ever with Bill on your side. You had pushed through the crowd of rowdy teen screaming and dancing, cigarette smoke catching at the back of your throat and so you coughed for most of the time. Once the two of you made it to the front you joined in the fun, letting the lights blind you and the incoherent lyrics fuel your need to dance. Somewhere down the line the two of you started making out.

The night was just getting better and better…

requests are open!

[noiseartists]

HOIRONG, talented post-indie noise bringers from India

Noise manipulators, from the Indian sub-continent, HOIRONG is a brainchild of frontman/guitarist - Kamal Singh. “The fat and ugly stepsister of pop music” is how they describe their music, and their latest album, Cow Gives Milk, is one of the best releases of 2019 from India that delivers an interesting mix of cleverly crafted Noise, Shoegaze, Punk and everything in between.

Basically you alternate between Madness and Pure Joy in beautifully crafted songs. Be ready to be entertained, enjoyed and surprised.

Here are a few example to listen to, illustrating the band’s variety of sounds and influences:

Note that they are part of Noise Artists Indian Shoegaze, Noise & Dream Pop volume 1 with other great bands We invite you in this piece to discover their music, who they are (interview, as whacky as their music can be), where to find their music and more information on the band.

THE BAND

The current line-up is:

Kamal

Akhil

Akshat

THE MUSICAL WORK

HOIRONG diverse musical work to date is as follows:

Cow Gives Milk (April 2019)

Mwah, LP, (May 2016)

The Old Newz, EP, (April 2015)

Dandaniya Apradh, LP, (August 2014)

Nursery Lies, LP, (2014)

A Hoirong Christmas (2013)

The Resurrection Of The Princess Of Woe And Her Vampire Hound Posse, LP, (March 2013)

Singles:

If I Slit Your Throat Would Your Blood Turn To Doves That Fly Out From Your Neck And Leave Me In Complete Awe, Nov 2014

23/24 (Dennis Rodman Tribute), Nov 2014

Under Section 87, 2014

Covers:

I Swear (All For One), March 2015

Lakhan (From The Movie - Ram Lakhan), July 2015

1979 (Smashing Pumpkins), June 2018

Titanium (David Guetta), 2013

Aaja Meri Gaadi Mein Betja (Baba Sehgal, Anu Malik), 2013

2 Become 1 (Spice Girls), 2014

Enter Sandman (Metallica), 2014

Smile (Unknown Artist), 2014

THE INTERVIEW

What is your music about?

Kamal: Living, Love, Laughter and Food

Akshat: Living, Love, Laughter, Food and Suicide

Tell us about the artists you have worked with.

Kamal: They are very good and it was a pleasure to work with each and every one of them.

We look forward to crossing paths once again in this lifetime.

Having said that, there are some people we have never worked with and never ever, ever…. like EVER want to work with them. We also have very bad things to say about them.

Akshat: Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell, that Masterchef guy, and many others. We like to work with Hoirong’s.

Where are you from? Where are you living now?

Kamal: India, We live in different cities…but we could say that we are based in Delhi/Bangalore

Akshat: What Kamal said, But additionally, seems like Akhil lives on twitter since we barely hear from him other than his tweets.

Akhil: We are a dysfunctional group where, half the time, we have no idea what the others are up to. But we get together (digitally) every few months when it’s time to work on music or release something.

What did you study?

Kamal: Quite a few things that I now realise I completely wasted my time on. That does not mean in any way that I had or have better things to do. Not at all. Not one millisecond of that thought even crosses my mind but maybe it did and I am in denial because I am mentioning it and in some way defending it. If it was not true why would I even be saying it.

Akshat: The art of following pursuits which will probably amount to nothing or very little at all

Akhil: Kamal is trying to say in a roundabout way that he studied music therapy. Akshat dropped out of engineering college I think. I studied English literature and journalism for some reason.

Kamal: No, I’m not. I was talking about school and the many things I tried to study and tormented myself.

What is your day job at present if any?

Kamal: Music Therapy

Akshat: New media Artist / FIlmmaker

Akhil: Writer/journalist.

Do you dream to live from your music or is it a passion you do not want to spend your full time on?

Kamal: This is definitely a trick question. My answer is … None of the above…. and …. Music is a dream and time is life. And to freely misquote Steve Vai “Passion is Warfare”

Akshat: No I don’t dream to live

Akhil: Never. Have you heard our music?

You have a great history. Could you tell us more on how the band came to be and its history really?

Kamal: The band came as a surprise. Hoirong began out of the intention of never being a band. It’s just misery to be a band and totally unproductive and completely useless. Why would anyone want to be in a band??? Everything I’ve just said here is a lie. This is just total reverse psychology to myself and everyone who has stood with us through the thick and thin that life has offered us. I would like to apologise on behalf of the band for all our mistakes and for the utter irresponsibility we have carried ourselves with. We have disappointed you and therefore, we hang our heads in shame and self disgust.

Akshat: I was and am a fan of Kamal’s writing before joining the band. One day he asked me out for a date, and I was like “Really”, and he was like “Really” and I was like “Damn, this is a dream come true”, and he was like “Give me 3 Rohypnol” to the chemist. Things are a little blurry after that, but safe to say nothing was the same ever since.

Akhil: Short answer: Kamal started it off as a solo thing to put out his music and Akshat and I barged our way into it and insisted he play with us.

Could you tell me how the band meet and decided to do music together?

Kamal: Mostly we just text each other. Recently we started sending each other voice messages on whatsapp.

Akshat: We usually try not to communicate unless absolutely necessary.

Akhil: Same as above.

Can you tell me the inspiration behind your band? You can detect the influences of noise and punk rock. You took these influences to make your own music, your own sound, which is not easy. Could you tell more?

Kamal: Yes, this is true. We might have done this without realising. By the way, the Air Jordans on Snapdeal, I am told, are fake.

Akshat: The 80’s No-wave movement, the 90’s garage and alternative movements, and basically every sound made by people dressed as bums.

Akhil: All the pretentious art movements of the last many decades.

Kamal: Wow! That’s a lot of putting together. We might have outdone ourselves.

Can you tell us about some of your favourite bands, the music you listen now, some you may want to bring the attention from the reader to?

Kamal: I like the music of Space Behind the Yellow Room and my new favourite band is Lo! Peninsula. Yes, both the bands paid me to say that and yes, I am the promoter for both the bands and so I just take every chance I get to plug them? Yeah!! we plug them both as hard as we can. Plug it to ya! Its plugged in!!!

Having said that, both these band would sound terrible unplugged.

Akshat: Indian bands I love are Lifafa, The Superfuzz, and HOIRONG.

You should definitely listen to HOIRONG. They are better than the other two I mentioned.

Akhil: Hoirong and Carly Rae Jepsen.

Was there a vision of sorts or did you know what you wanted to do when you started up?

Kamal: Yes. It was very clear - don’t waste my time. I did not mean that you are wasting my time. I meant that I and we as some sort of band should not waste time. Please believe me.

Akshat: Yeah there was a vision. It was meant to be like the opening 20 minutes of ‘Almost Famous’, but ended up being more like the ending 10 minutes of ‘The Shining’

Akhil: Just playing music.

Do you have any other musical side projects apart from this band?

Kamal: Yes, we have a few.

Akhil: We’re all always doing something or the other musically. Most of it is shit.

Could you tell me more on the band composition? Do you have plans to add new members, or is there possible departure scheduled from existing band members?

Kamal: Yes, we plan to add band members because there has always been a possibility that Akhil actually finally leaves us and joins a very famous world music fusion band. Well!.... good for him and good for them.

Akshat: I really hope Akhil stops holding us back after this album and quits. Akhil i hope you are reading this.

Akhil: We might get rid of the drummer.

Can you tell us more how you came to have the band’s name?

Kamal: It suited us so well, we had no way to talk ourselves out of it.

Who writes the song and the music and how do you get to the final song? Is it a community process, do you have leaders in composing or arranging music?

I, Kamal, the control freak Dictator won’t let anyone do anything.

Akshat: Supreme Leader and Commander in grief, Kamalala writes the frame, and then together we create the painting which eventually makes people eyes and ears bleed.

Akhil: Kamal writes all the songs (because we let him) and then we work on them - sometimes together, usually individually.

Do you listen to the advice of your band mates? What would you do if they said a song was shit but you liked it?

Kamal: Best way to deal with these situations is not to answer phone calls, ignore text messages and never make the mistake of opening whatsapp messages, you know what I mean? because if you do then the blue double fake nike logos change colour and... that’s that then.

Akshat: Never. I am the best and know better than everyone else in this band. +1 to what Kamal said

Akhil: No.

Was it kind of intimidating going to record knowing people might not be engaging with the songs in terms of hooks and such and trying to deliver an engaging sound on record?

Kamal: Oh! No! not at all. We are very confident and self assured as individuals. We have very high self-worth and self-esteem.

Akshat: Every night while finishing my daily bottle of scotch, I think, nay hope, that people will get our music, but know that it is too ahead of its time, and that they will never, and then I cry myself to sleep. Every night.

Akhil: No, I think we’ve gotten past those insecurities for the most part.

Talking about the lyrics: who write them? Is there a common thread in them, a theme? Who chose the songs’ name?

Who else…. that Dictator control freak.

Do you labor over your lyrics? Is that something that comes easy?

Kamal: Not at all. I wouldn’t say it was easy…. I think it comes fairly easily. Like… not too bad types. Yeah, medium speed and medium pace.

Do you have a message that you want to get across in your music? If so, what are some of the messages you want to spread?

Kamal: Yes we do. Love, Beauty, Peace, Child Labour, E-waste and Save the Forest and also Save the Tiger.

Did your listening habits changed over the years and does it affect what you write?

Kamal: Yes, We have gotten more impatient and maybe that has made us very idiotic as people too. I don't think we'll make it very far if we don't do something about it soon.

Akshat: Yes listening habits have changed. Earlier there was lesser access, but more meaning. Now there’s infinite access, but far lesser meaning, there’s an overpopulation of content and that is diluting the value and timelessness of art. but that’s just me. It affects how one thinks, feels and of course writes music. I think there is more pressure now than ever to write meaningful music and not contribute to the pile of crap already out there.

Akhil: My listening habits change every few months but I think we all will continue to like punk and the dirty guitar rock that informs Hoirong often.

How is your recognition going worldwide? Is it growing? Are you happy with it?

Kamal: It’s terrible. No we are the opposite of Happy. We are turning into a bunch of jealous crocodiles.

Akshat: We are world famous in India

Is it easy to find producers and studios where you live for indie-rock?

Kamal: Yeah, but none of them want to work with us. We keep asking for discounts and tell them we will pay them when we become famous or from the gigs we play but we never do and now they know all this too well to make fools of themselves anymore. I totally get it. No offense meant and none taken.

Your recorded sound is very good, which is not easy. Did you engineer the sound yourself, or did you have a sound engineer with you? If yes could you tell us more about him/her?

Kamal: No one wants to work with us. Viraj Mohan took bait once along with Keshav Dhar but now they know all our tricks.

Akhil: Not that he needs any more flattery, but the new record - as with a lot of the old ones - has been produced by Kamal on his Acer desktop.

Was it a community work to try to have the best sounding music possible or mainly driven by the sound engineer or by the band?

Kamal: Ok. Now you’re just trying to rub it in no?

Can you tell us how the recording process was?

Kamal: Terrible. Boring and very very tiring.

Akhil: For me, it was just recording hundreds of guitar parts to the songs at home and waiting for the mixes to see what made it and how the songs changed shape.

Could you let us know some important technical tricks you learnt during the process that could help other musicians not as experienced?

Kamal: Making Akhil play his parts and not recording him.

Akhil: He’s talking shit.

How did the recording work differ over time?

Kamal: We started paying more attention to the complaints we were receiving. This decision has led to purchasing a new sound card and a couple of headphones along with a laptop charger.

Akshat: We are very democratic and heard the public and acted upon it. One of the main issues people had with our music was Akhil’s crap guitar playing. So now, in this new album, we have basically buried his parts waaaaaaayyyyy in the back of the mix so that they are there but not there.

Akhil: Why is the drummer answering music related questions? Learn to play a real instrument first.

Is the recording material yours when you are out of a studio or do you borrow/rent it?

Kamal: No, no. We own everything we have.

Akshat: We mostly just burn the evidence after. That’s why no two albums of ours sound the same.

Akhil: I bought a brand new soundcard just to record my parts for this album.

Any interesting anecdotes on some recording session you would like to share?

Kamal: No, not really.

Did getting the live experience across on record create any pressure for yourselves in the recording process?

Kamal; No, the other method is severely pressurising, demotivating and very very emotionally destructive.

Akhil: If anything, Hoirong’s live sound (if we ever play live) tends to be very different from how we are on record.

Instruments: Are you mainly a Fender band?

Kamal: We don’t own any fenders but having said that we have seen some of them here and there *ahem* *cough* *cough* *hint* *hint*

Akshat: Dude there is a drummer in this band as well, what the fuck? Couldn’t you have mentioned a drum brand just for courtesy? That’s it, my interview is over.

*throws rock star tantrum and stops answering questions*

Akhil: Fender sucks. I am a left-handed guitar player and I play a PureSalem. I originally wanted a Fender Jazzmaster. But while the righty version was some $700, the EXACT SAME GUITAR left-handed would have cost me $3500 as well as import duties and a waiting period through the custom shop.

Kamal: Ooooo so much to talk about suddenly. “PureSalem”

Do you have one favorite instrument or do you change often?

Kamal: I change often.

Tell us what you are looking when trying to achieve your sounds? Do you experiment a lot or have a clear idea of what you want?

Kamal: Both.

Who is the more knowledgeable with pedals? You use them a lot, to great effect.

Kamal: Akshat is the expert.

PS - I just realised that pedals could mean 5 different things.

He could be the expert in selling drugs.

He could be an expert bicycle guy.

He could be an expert in guitar effects.

He could be an expert in hi hat and kick drum pedals.

He could be an expert race car driver.

See...Now… we will never know the correct answer.

Akshat: Kamal knows me so well.

How many concerts a year would you do on average and what would be the size of the venue?

Kamal: Last year we did one concert. The size of the venue was good. The stage was small so one of us had to stand off stage. It was difficult to concentrate on the gig trying to make sure our bandmate was not feeling out of place.

Akhil: it wasn’t last year, it was 2016.

Kamal: Oh!

Would you mind sharing some good anecdotes from your concerts/touring?

Kamal: Not enough experience to share any anecdotes.

Akshat: Kamal lies. He has a knack of getting into fights with people, which Akshat tries to diffuse, and then he gets angry at Akshat and beats the shit out of him. This has happened at 2 different festivals with people of 2 different nationalities.

Kamal : Akshat????

What are some places around the world that you hope to take your band? Do you have any plans at present to tour in other countries?

Kamal: Yes, we hope to be able to play in at least one more country apart from India.

Is there any reason in particular that you want to go to these places? Is there something about the music scene in those places that makes you want to go there?

Kamal: No reason really.

THE SCENE

Is it easy for an Indian indie bands to be known internationally? Do you have any example?

Kamal: Maybe it is. We hope it is.

Akshat: Not really. No one really cares about Indian bands not singing in Hindi since its not exotic enough.

Has the scene changed since you began, and if so how?

Kamal: Yes, the cover bands have come back. Yay!

Akshat: Yes, when we started there was a live band scene in India, quite a nice one at that. Then the Dj’s and EDM took over and now we don’t have that many live bands and a scene as such. But such is life , and thats a trend everywhere. Not hating, just stating.

Akhil: Not hating just stating lol.

Could you tell us a bit more about your record label and your relationship with it?

Kamal: We have no relationship with any record label.

How did the funding worked for the LP? Did you invest a lot yourself? Was your label supportive in that respect?

Kamal: No, no one supported us. We have no funding and we don’t really invest in ourselves. We learned the hard way. The only reason we are still around is because we believe in ourselves and would not give up no matter what.

Akshat: lol, what funding?

Where does the majority of the money go when you’re paying your own way?

Kamal: The funny part is there actually is no money that comes or goes anywhere when you are paying your own way. The money is just over, finished!

Akshat: lol, what money?

Do you make a decent revenue from your music or is it still very much a hobby?

Kamal: Not at all, we make a killing.

Akshat: Lol, What revenue?

How do you sell your recordings (shops, online, …)?

Kamal: Please Akshat, please surprise me by saying. “Lol, what shops?, Lol, what online?”

Akshat: Shops selling physical music in this digital age? Lol, … (stops himself)

Kamal: Rolls eyes dramatically.

Akshat: Rolls eyes back with double drama.

Akhil: Bandcamp is great. Other than that, we’re now on all the major streaming services, so we expect to make around $0.00006 for every thousand plays.

When is the next album due?

Kamal: Very soon. Akshat: With Akhil, probably in 2 years. Without Akhil, Yesterday

Akhil: Once we figure out our drummer scene.

Any other project (ie movies soundtrack, …) or plans.

Kamal: Yes, A collaboration with traditional Manipuri folk music.

Akshat: I’ve been writing some music independently, and with another band called Mag Phos so more music there

Akhil Sood: I write aimless music at home under the name Free Drone. I recently got a Chinese four-string guitar called a xuian (sp?) so maybe something with that.

Do you plan to continue music for a long time or are you tired of it?

Kamal: Both, I am tired of it but I plan to continue making music for a long time.

Akshat: It’s like that first girlfriend you had, whom you truly fell in love with but are also horrible together. You know you are bad for each other, because it’s all so volatile, but that’s also what keeps bringing you back to it. But it’s also like you’ve both become middle aged now, and are kinda like friends with benefits. How long that is going to last, well we’ll find out.

Kamal: Middle aged?

Akshat: Yeah, middle aged.

Kamal: Ok.

Akhil: Same answer as Kamal.

Anything else you want the reader to know?

Kamal: This interview is very long. Don’t hesitate taking a piss break or having a snack in between, do some stretches, a couple of push ups, watch some tele and then come back.

A good music video to watch

Watch the video of Oppurtunity on youtube.

Where to find your work? Where can people buy you music

Ok Listen, Bandcamp, Spotify and Itunes.

Provide some bands from your country, that would be worthwhile listening.

Space Behind the Yellow Room, Lo! Peninsula, MC Kaur

Anyone you like to thank?

We want to thank ourselves for hanging in there.

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