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oomisluvr · 9 months

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No Caller ID

Your job at The Agency was simple. In fact, there was only one rule: Don’t lose track of your field agent. Unfortunately for you, Agent K is a difficult man to find.

warnings: agent!sakusa x handler!reader, international espionage, i was going for a james bond vibe, no graphic violence but there is a teeny bit of violence, hq! cameos that aren’t important to the story but i thought were fun to include, open ending i think, flirting (???), honestly freeform, i wrote this in 1 sitting lol, sfw, 1.8k words!

You’re on a date the first time he calls you.

The guy you’re out with is nice. Doesn’t interrupt you. Asks about your day. Laughs at all your jokes and pretends not to look down your shirt while the two of you eat. He works in IT, so you know he’s fairly well-off, too.

It’s too bad this is just to keep up appearances.

Your phone rings with no caller ID and you have to stop your eyes from bulging out of your head. In this line of work, it’s best to keep personal calls separate from ongoing projects. For organization reasons. For safety precautions.

It’s for this reason that you have two cell phones. The first is for private calls, to keep up with the life your current alibi would be living. The second phone is for The Agency.

And you’ve never received a call from your second phone before.

You excuse yourself from the table with a practiced smile, adjusting your clothing as you stand. Your date nods. Understanding, as expected. He didn’t notice that you took your purse with you. He must think you’re coming back.

Exiting the restaurant, you pick up the phone with a nervous hand, unsure of what to expect, “This is Pluto speaking.”

“Pluto? Who the fuck is that?” A man’s voice grunts, panting loudly and very obviously out of breath, “What happened to Rin?”

You clear your throat, “Rin has since left The Agency. I’m Pluto, his replacement.”

“That bastard. You’ve gotta be fucking kidding–” Sharp pops echo through the speaker. Possibly gunshots. The cursing that follows suggests that those were most likely gunshots. Everything is so loud.

“Agent K, if you’re requesting for backup, I can send over the twins–”

“Absolutely not. No backup, especially not from them.” Based on proximity, you can tell it’s K who fires next. Two quick rounds, followed by two dull thuds. Bullseye? “Everything is under control. Get me to Croatia before midnight tomorrow.”

The call ends.

The second time he calls you is to complain about the first time.

You defend yourself with all the aggression of a caged circus bear.

K quickly learns not to complain about your work.

Two months pass.

Your job at The Agency was simple.

Fortunately, there was only one rule: Don’t lose track of your field agent.

Unfortunately for you, Agent K is a difficult man to find.

“Pick up, pick up, pick up!” You scream into the phone. You’ve combed through the security feeds of every private business, traffic cam, and ATM machine, but still no sight of him.

The ringing stops, an easy voice floating through the phone, “Hello?”

“Why the fuck aren’t you in Buenos Aires?” You all but yell, “I’ve been searching for you for hours.” It’s silent on the other end of the receiver. You continue your verbal assault, “Are you even in Argentina? In South America at all?”

K snorts. “Where do you think I am?”

You’re furious, “How did you leave the airport without me knowing? I booked your tickets myself. I made the passport you’re using–”

“Don’t worry about it.” He cuts you off, “Do you really want to know where I am?”

His tone calms you, just long enough to answer, “Yes.”

“A baby shower.”

“A… baby shower?” You repeat dumbly.

“Well, I’m not physically at the baby shower, that would be a breach of contract. I’m sitting in an unmarked car, about 100 feet from the festivities. Watching my little sister open her gifts. She doesn’t even know I’m here.” He sighs, and it’s so different from anything else you’ve heard from him. “Nobody does.”

People who do what K does rarely ever have families. Alive, that is. You wonder how old he was when he left home, if his parents know what he does for a living. If they even know he’s alive.

Instead you ask, “Will you be having a niece or a nephew?”

He chuckles to himself, but it’s humorless. Empty. “That’s what I’m waiting to find out. I think the reveal is after they cut the cake. My sister is greedy enough to make everyone wait.”

You’re silent for a moment, at a genuine loss of words. The silence feels comfortable, and whether you’d like to admit it or not, you’ve gotten attached to Agent K. Fond, even. Just knowing he’s on the other end of the line, alive and breathing and not being shot at, gives you an enormous sense of relief.

You stare into the monitors ahead of you, at the sheer number of tabs you’ve opened, the energy you expended to make sure he’s safe.

“How did you get into this line of work?”

“Me?”

“Yes,” you can hear the sarcasm dripping from his voice, “You.”

Nobody has ever asked you that. Nobody is allowed to ask that, you think. “I had an internship the summer after I graduated. My boss at the time has some sort of connection to The Agency. She said I should apply and that she’d put in a good word. My interview was the next day, and I was officially hired by the end of the month.”

It’s silent for a beat, “You do realize you failed the test, right?”

“Excuse me?”

“You aren’t supposed to divulge any personal information to me or any other agents,” He quips, “Especially not any information regarding The Agency.”

“Well,” You start, “You aren’t supposed to run away from missions and lie to your handler about where you are!”

K laughs. An actual laugh. “Touche. Though I’m not running away from anything. This is simply… a brief layover.”

“Whatever. I’ve already booked you a flight from Hyogo to Buenos Aires.”

“You’re sharp, Pluto.” There’s pleasant surprise in his voice, and pride flares in your veins at having caught him off guard, “How’d you know I was in Japan?”

“Don’t worry about it.” You repeat his own words back to him, “Your flight leaves at 8:30PM, Japan Standard Time. Think you can make it by then?”

“Yes, ma’am.” K huffs, “Is that all?”

“Yeah,” you say, “And I’ll be sure not to include this ‘brief layover’ in my reports.”

“Thank you.” He says, and you can tell it’s genuine. For a moment, you feel appreciated, before he adds, “And from now on, please refrain from using fishing boats as a means of escape.”

“Give me enough of a heads up and I won’t have to.” You fight back a smile, recalling your first encounter, and the angry call you got 16 hours later, “But if you ever lie to me again about where you are, I’m leaving you stranded.” It’s a lie. In reality, if it came between you and him, you’re the expendable one.

“Deal.” He confirms, “Oh, and, Pluto?”

“Yes?”

“It seems like I’ll be having a niece.”

These days, your phone never stops ringing. Your second phone, that is.

“Where are you?” He preens through the phone. It’s the last question you’re expecting. You’re at a cocktail dinner for your job. The fake one. The one that The Agency placed you at to keep up appearances.

“Company dinner. Is there anything I can help you with?”

You’ve leaned over the balcony, nursing something with too much sugar and not enough alcohol. The venue is beautiful, probably some millionaire’s summer home, resting on a lavish hill and overlooking the ocean. The party blazes loudly behind you, a stark contrast to the stillness of the sea.

“Yeah. There is, actually.” He decides, “What are you wearing?”

“Excuse me?”

“Your clothes.” His voice is so smooth, sentences dancing off his tongue like a lullaby. “You’re wearing a purple dress, right? Say, is that silk?”

Your breath catches in your throat, your body suddenly alert at the implication of being watched, “Yes,” you find your voice again, making subtle movements to analyze your surroundings, “It was my mother’s.”

He hums, and part of you can hear a smirk in his voice, “Thought so.”

It bothers you that you’ve no clue what he looks like. How many times have you run into him without knowing? K was one of the most talented of this generation, able to adopt and shed identities as if they were clothing, able to blend into any crowd at any time, more dangerous than any traditional weapon. How many times has he been a friendly face on the street, a shadowy figure at the bar, and you simply had no idea?

“On your left.”

A man approaches you, dressed handsomely in a well-tailored suit. Shaggy orange hair falls into his bright eyes. His footsteps are quiet, practiced, holding a corsage in his right hand.

Without sparing a moment, he transfers the flowers from his grasp to yours before spinning on his heels and disappearing into the crowd once again. Your words die in the back of your throat.

The corsage is simple, but pretty. Purple petals to compliment your dress. Tied around it is a small gift box. You return your attention to the phone, “What’s this?”

“A thank you.” He says, “And an apology. And something else. Open it.”

You do. It’s a cartier bracelet, thousands of dollars worth of gold. You flip it over to find your name engraved into the metal. Your real name. You gasp.

“Congratulations on the promotion.” He says your name so differently than anyone has ever said it. You trace the letters in your palm, just faint enough that only you would notice. Just faint enough that you could keep it, and not have it jeopardize your position.

“Just doing my job.” You conveniently left out that the company celebration was for you. Well, you and the five other people who received promotions this quarter. Of course K would find out.

”Don’t get smart with me,” He groans, “But consider it an apology as well. I would have loved to be there with you tonight. You’re brilliant, and I’m lucky to have you on my team.”

You idly watch the yachts float by, some illuminated with neon lights, and some brightened with floodlights. If you squint, you can make out the fishing boat just barely kissing the shore. And the shadowy figure perched upon it.

“Don’t feel bad,” You hum, “Something tells me you aren’t too far off.”

“Goodnight, Pluto.”

“Goodnight, K.”

The call ends.

You clip the corsage around your wrist and return to the party.

i though this would be a fun little story! ok bye love as always, niko ♡

#i feel like i def fucked up the pacing #sorry #sakusa kiyoomi #kiyoomi sakusa #sakusa x reader #sakusa #msby sakusa #kiyoomi #haikyuu #msby #haikyuu sakusa #sakusa kiyoomi x reader #haikyuu fluff #sfw #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fic #haikyu x reader

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themedialmercurial · 1 year

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✈️🪁Asteroid Vibilia (144) and how you travel🪁✈️ pt. 2

This asteroid was named after the Roman goddess of travel, representing both short and long journeys. Depending on the placement of said asteroid, it can point towards your preferred travel destinations and where you may choose to take a journey - - - 🛩️

P.S this is based on my observations, by all means I’m far from a pro. Take this with a grain of salt and feel free to share your thoughts!

See part 1 here!🛩️🛩️

Aspects to the sun-many prominent and important trips during your lifetime

Aspects to the moon-intimate trips, meant to evoke strong emotion, emotional development

Aspects to mercury-trips involving a life lesson, challenges your way of thinking

Aspects to Venus-trips based on aesthetics, art and love

Aspects to mars-action filled trips, fast-paced, living on the “wild-side”

Aspects to Jupiter-potentially winning a trip to a destination, or winning something during a trip, luck

Aspects to Saturn-trips that are structured/serious in nature (defined itinerary), prominent business trips

Aspects to Uranus-random and spontaneous trips, many of surprises during the vacation, expected events

🪁VIBILIA IN THE FIFTH HOUSE🪁

The native with this placement will travel in relation all things self-expression and entertainment as the fifth house is representative of all things fun. They may also embark on their travels as a means of finding romance (maybe even THE one!) if they don't already have a partner. These individuals seek leo-like activities on vacation such as live shows, the circus and cinema overall. As they are prone to seeking the spotlight, destinations where the native can join in on festivities are likely to be preferred.

The native would thrive in a resort-like setting, Jamaica or the Caribbean comes to mind. Plenty of activities in which tourists can join in on such as dancing and singing. They too would enjoy the festival . Also, the native would love the social aspect of the activities! Rather than collecting physical souvenirs, the native would collect many new friends!

🪁VIBILIA IN THE SIXTH HOUSE🪁

The native with this placement may be meticulous in their travel plans, having something that ressembles an itinerary to keep themself organized throughout the journey. Since the sixth house represents also health and work, this individual is likely to embark on trips that remind them of their career somehow or, they may actively seek connections to their career. As per their health, they are likely to actively seek whether food or activities, things that ensure that they maintain their health-style. The native may enjoy collecting souvenirs such as books and stationery to keep their busy minds stimulated.

A travel destination that is suited for this placement would be Slovakia as it is said to have the most public libraries for its residents. Also, the native may prefer a more structured approach to travelling, thus a tour guide with a pre-planned itinerary may help the native relax.

🪁VIBILIA IN THE SEVENTH HOUSE🪁

The native with this placement will travel for affairs related to contracts, whether that be marital or business. This can be someone who enjoys travelling with their partner and/or someone who must travel abroad in order to sort international business contracts. Also, this placement will find great comfort in all that is aesthetic during their travels, with special attention to jewelry and clothes. They will likely see no problem splurging on these items, claiming them as souvenirs.

A libra-like activity that comes to mind is visiting an art gallery or a museum, subjecting the native to an environment dedicated to aesthetics. In particular, the Louvre museum in Paris comes to mind, offering a great balance between visual beauty and learning.

🪁VIBILIA IN THE EIGHTH HOUSE🪁

The native with this placement will travel for reasons related to their thrill-seeking nature as the eighth house represents mystery. This person will likely have a go with the flow mentality while travelling, opting for opportunities they'll never forget.

Some activities for this placement include: bungee-jumping, cave exploration, skydiving, hiking in the woods, national parks and camping to fulfill their desire to complete activities that can be considered dangerous generally. In particular, Yellowstone national park in Wyoming, Montana, deemed to be one of the greatest national parks to exist, should have the native feeling right at home.

______________________________________________________________

As a collective, water signs would likely prefer travel destinations closer to bodies of water such as an island or coastal environment🏝

As a collective, fire signs would likely prefer travel destinations that are warmer in temperature with sun-filled days 🏜

As a collective, earth signs would likely prefer travel destinations that are mountain-filled along side valleys and rocky places. The Appalachians come to mind 🏞

As a collective, air signs would likely prefer travel destinations riddled with cooler, windier weather🌬

Keep your eyes peeled for parts 3!

#themedialmercurial #asteroid astrology #asteroid #astro #astro placements #astro observations #astrology #astroblr #astro notes #natal placements #astrovations

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in-death-we-fall · 1 year

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Sex, Drugs and One Armed Groupies

...is gonna be the title of this since there kinda isn't one. Scans were posted by @fuckyeswednesday13 a long time ago. I really liked this article and now it's nice and easy to read (especially the columns. Ask me how much I hated the columns.) Enjoy! (drive link)

UPDATED FULL VERSION HERE

The Big Day Out. The Australian travelling musical circus that steamrolls its way around Australia and New Zealand every winter with the hottest bands on the planet flying from all over the globe to join down under’s best bands in a mayhem filled fortnight. This year’s line-up, features among others, The Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Jane’s Addiction, Jimmy Eat World, The Hard Ons and deathglam monstrosities, the Murderdolls. So far, the Mid West (sic) based five-piece outfit have been the cream of the festival, appropriately headlining the ‘Essentials’ stage. This is the band’s first time in the Antipodes and quizzical music fans have crowded to see the much-talked about live set. With Sydney copping the biggest crowds of all the legs on the tour, the band are preparing something special. But at 3pm in the afternoon you wouldn’t know it. Most of the band are still in bed from the night before, well, actually… the week before.

The ‘Dolls have been in Sydney for five days before their Big Day Out show and not finding much to do early on in the week they’ve just been getting down to the (sic) rock’n’roll’s most popular pastime: hard drinking. Drummer ‘Big’ Ben ‘The Ghoul’ Graves and bass player Eric Griffin are recovering from last night’s binge. While singer Wednesday and guitarist Joey Jordison are recovering from the night before the night before. Acey Slade, who maintains his sobriety, but still stays out ‘til dawn, has been up since 11am and is the only one ready for the show. With the band on stage at 7:15pm, things need doing. Staggering through their beer can and ‘paraphernalia’-strewn rooms to the showers, they’re down in their van and on the way out to the Big Day Out site just after 4pm.

Situated at the same place that hosted the Sydney 2000 olympics, the festival facilities are first rate and the sell-out crowd of 52,000 festival-goers are making the most of it. The temperature’s pushing a blistering 35°C and being the middle of a drought-ridden summer in Australia, everything’s dry, dusty and cracked. It’s a good 40-minute drive from the city to the festival and the sun’s stinging in through the van windows. Not big fans of the sunlight, the Murderdolls have got their leather jackets up over their heads to avoid even the slightest hint of a tan.

In the cool, air-conditioned shade of backstage I get to sit down with Joey Jordison and singer Wednesday 13 to gind out how the band are doing after their meteoric rise over the past eight months. Joey is straight down the line, measured and professional. “This si the first Big Day Out for all of us. Slipknot have only been down here once but not that (sic) this festival. This is something I’ve really wanted to play – something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time.”

For Wednesday, this is another notch on his rise as an international rock’n’roller. “It’s awesome,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to be out on the front of a rock’n’roll band at a festival like this. After struggling doing my own band for six years I actually quit my job back in April and I’ve been touring every since. I’ve done all the things I ever dreamed about. I’ve been to Europe three times, Japan twice and here we are now in Australia and that has all been pretty much in the last six months! Holy shit we’re doing some things that some bands have never done!”

“We just checked out the videotape from the Auckland show the other day and fuck man, it was awesome!” enthuses Joey. “People are saying we are pulling the most people to that stage out of everyone. Our band has been doing really well especially since we’ve only been going for a short time. We hope that after the BDO we’ll be able to come back and do some real headlining shows down here. We are having fun though, thinking about it, we’ve never had so many days off between shows before, it’s more like the Big Day Off!”

The band wasn’t supposed to be so idle. Most overseas bands on the BDO bill play a bunch of satellite shows in various cities around the country and for a month prior, the Murderdolls had been slated to perform a Sydney show with fellow US rockers The Deftones. But with very little warning, the Murderdolls were dumped from the bill just before the show. What really pissed off Joey and the lads was a lot of the Murderdolls fans had bought tickets on the basis that the band would be playing but in the end had to watch the Deftones supported by ex-At The Drive-In chancers, Sparta.

Without much choice in the matter the Murderdolls issued a statement on their website apologising to their fans and kept trying to fly their flag with some instore appearances at local record stores. One in particular at Utopia Records, was insane. There was such a roar when the band turned up, they looked truly surprised at the number of kids who had showed up, most dressed in black and red outfits.

“Someone told us there was only going to be about 150 kids, which was supposed to be a good turn-out for Utopia records for a new band,” retells Joey. “But when we turned up there (sic) almost 500! We talked to fans and signed everything that they had. We were there for a good three and a half hours. And at the Channel V interview it was pretty much the same story. Hordes of kids that wouldn’t let us get away.”

“That’s the cool thing with our fans,” explains Wednesday. “We’re not a radio band or an MTV band with this created army of little kids which I think is more pure than being the Number One radio band or liking it because someone tells you to like it. I know that our fans are real. It is really cool to see these hordes of kids show up, they are dressed like us, they know everything about us, it is just awesome.”

Thinking further ahead fans will be please to know the band are not going to let up on the groundswell already created by the Murderdolls. “I have to go back and finish recording some Slipknot stuff,” reveals Joey. “Then we (the Murderdolls) are going to do some more touring. There’s usually a three to four month sort of break between recording and when an album comes out so we are going to tour pretty much all the way from the end of May all the way to maybe the beginning of October. Which will be good because there’ll be less sunlight at that time of year,” jokes Wednesday raising his non-existent eyebrows and throwing his arms, heavily tattooed with b-grade horror heroes, into the air.

As the hot afternoon drifts into an only slightly less simmering evening, there’s a small problem with guitarist Acey. He’s got indigestion. This amounts to a small crisis because first aid officials must follow procedure and administer the medicine. This takes two St. John’s Ambulance men on pushbikes in a five minute ride from their base at the side of the main stadium. Very un-rock’n’roll indeed.

With the gig just 45 minutes away, the boys are pacing around their trailer, having their pics taken for Hammer. Acey inside in front of the mirror still applying the last of his make-up, Ghoul is getting powdered up, Wednesday’s still with the photographer, while Joey’s nervously pacing around, in the trailer, out the trailer, back in… Eric meanwhile is ready for the stage and cracks open the obligatory bottle of Jack Daniel’s. As a Murderdolls ritual, they’re applying the slap, the band have to listen to Kiss. “Must. Have. Kiss.” stipulates Joey. “‘All American Man’! We sometimes change that to ‘All American Ghoul’,” chimes in the Ghoul.

Just 10 minutes before showtime and the long lanky frame of Ben Graves is stretched spider-like up against the dressing room wall. “I’ll be in pain afterwards,” he explains. Wednesday has by now finished his solo shots with Hamer’s photographer. The day is hot enough anyway, and under the photographers lights the heat is even more stifling. ‘Jesus, it’s fucking hot!” exclaims the frontman. “But I don’t mind… I’m a naturally dead person in front of a camera” he laughs.

More Kiss blares out from the dressing room, this time ‘Dr Love’! Then the moment comes: ground fucking zero at the Big Day Out! The band clamber into the van and head around the back way to the Essentials stage. The bottle of Jack’s being passed around as they approach the stage the band take a quick peak (sic) to see how the crow’s building up. It’s the biggest yet, taking up most of the grassy area out the back of the main stadium. Joey – who regularly suffers from pre-gig nerves as his pre-stage vomiting on Slipknot’s ‘Disasterpiece (sic)’ DVD proves in all its technicolour glory – is bricking it.

Five minutes before the band are due to hit the powerchords and the guys are milling around in the wings. Ghoul is banging on some warm-up pads and everyone is getting psyched. They’ve left the Kiss CD backstage so they have to hum ‘All American Man’ together. Then they make their way to the stage.

A couple of huge Murderdolls logos adorn the stage and in an eruption of noise and energy, the Dolls take the stage and instantly kick off with ‘Dawn of The Dead’. Jordison in black leather Gestapo hat is jumping around stage left, Acey is wailing away stage right while Eric bangs away on the bass doing his best Nikki Sixx impression, while the Ghoul wrecks the trap kit. Wednesday is the last to take the stage and screaming, “We are the dead, coming for you!” And the crowd goes fucking wild.

The kids down the front, dressed up in full glam-goth regalia, know every word and sing along fervently with the band while among the throng watching from the side of stage are some of the biggest names in the Australian music industry. Members of bands like 28 days, Machine Gun Fellatio, Cog, Jimmy Eat World, Pre-Shrunk, and Sparta all stand wide eyed and mouths agape at the outrageous rock revisionism being unleashed onstage.

By the time the band have launched into ‘I (sic) Was a Teenage Zombie’, ‘Let’s Go To War’ and ‘Slit My Wrists (sic)’, the crows know what they’re in for. Most who have showed up for curiosity (sic) sake are still hanging around, but if anything the crowd is building and everyone looks like they are right into it having fun. The intro to ‘Twist My Sister’ is a kid’s nursery rhyme ‘Old McDonald’ which gets the whole crowd singing along.

Unbelievably, some lunatic in the crowd starts throwing bangers at the stage, but the fireworks only make it as far as the front row of fans before blowing up in their faces. Wednesday tries to get the guy to quit while geeing up the rest of the crowd. “All the people down the front tell the people at the back to ‘Die Die Die… my bride!’ he yells as the band grind into the song…

Today’s set includes two new songs, and we can report that both are killer kitsch rock rippers. The first, set for legendary status is called ‘The Devil Made Me Do It… And I’ll Do It Again’ while the second is the set closer, a crowd sing along gem ‘I Love to Say Fuck’. Wednesday grabs his big black umbrella, emblazoned with the word FUCK, Eric, Acey, and Joey are going crazy, jumping up and down in unison, Ghoul is all arms and legs behind the kit while Wednesday is right down in the crowd’s face urging them to stick their fingers in the air and yell ‘Fuck!’. It looks great to watch. “It isn’t choreographed,” says Wednesday later. “Everything’s pretty much spontaneous. There are some things like we all jump on an ascent in the music or whatever but everything else is stuff that just happens on stage.”

They (sic) crowd are almost passing out from the combination of frenzied activity and the extreme heat, but still manage to scream out for more as the band leave the stage. “A lot of people don’t know that’s what drives a show,” explains Wednesday about his relationship with the audience. “You have to make fans feel part of the event and I think we do it better than anyone else.”

The band then jump back into the van for the two minute trip back to their dressing room behind the main stage. When they get back there the guys are all super hyped up. Excitedly buzzing around their dressing room, drinking beers, telling jokes. Joey is busy analysing the gig, and the BDO circus in general. He and Wednesday have got an interview to do with Australian TV scheduled for 8:45pm. It’s almost 9pm and Joey has another issue: “I want to eat! I must eat before I talk!” he exclaims. The interview is postponed for 20 minutes.

Bass player Eric is hanging around, so I grab him for a quick chat. Of all the Murderdolls, Eric seems the shyest but is probably the one most up for anything, especially if it is party related. He may only be small, (even in his Ace Frehley six-inch platforms he’s still barely average height!) but he’s a true rock’n’roller with a party attitude to match. “‘Machine Gun Fellatio’ that’s a cool fuckin’ name,” he squeaks discussing some of the other bands on the BDO bill. And he does squeak, kinda, like annoying Brit ‘comedian’ Joe Pasquale.

I bring up the fact that esteemed record producer, Nick Launey (Silverchair, INXS) was side of stage watching the show and had an interesting story to tell me about Eric. “I think I know where this is going,” smiles Eric slyly. “I met him about two years ago in LA at a party and we were all fucked up. I got dragged down three flights of stairs by my hair and he reckoned it was the biggest rock’n’roll moment of ‘00 for him. First impressions count, man.”

“It was so rock’n’roll!” Launey informs me later. “It was the launch of Orgy’s album and they had these models dressed as prostitutes lying on a bed and Eric jumps up on the bed with them, which of course you weren’t allowed to do. So the bouncers are dragging him out by his hair, kicking and screaming, down the stairs. His head was literally bouncing down each stair like a cartoon character and all the while he’s just got his middle fingers up on each hand and is yelling out ‘Fuck You!’, ‘Get Fucked!’, ‘Fuck you, mind the hair!’ Somehow he got back into the party and I asked him ‘how’s your head?’ and he just said “Whaddya mean?” - it was just so rock’n’roll!”

Eric has pre-arranged with their tour driver to take him over to the Boiler Room, where the BDO’s electronica acts are playing. He wants to see German electronic innovators Kraftwerk. “One of the bands I was in before the Murderdolls was very digital and computer based,” he reveals. “Kraftwerk don’t do a lot of live shows and I don’t think I’ll ever get the opportunity to see them again. They’re pretty important to the genre and even if I catch just 10 minutes of their set I think it will be worth coming over. A short ride through the back entrance, we arrive at the Boiler Room and manage to get in, via a bit of a labyrinth, through the backdoor and into the main arena just at the side of the stage. The Kraftwerk guys are standing robot-like in front of their computers while the huge dome-like venue is dripping with sweat from the 10.000+ strong punters who have basically been locked in the room all day listening (sic) the dance bands. We get a good vantage point but after about five minutes we’re leaving. “Jeez! That was the most boring piece of crap I’ve seen!” exclaims Eric when he gets back to the dressing room. “But it was worth going because I scored some drugs!”

Acey’s just hanging around backstage with his camera and a little doll from The Nightmare Before Christmas. He has a ritual where he takes a photograph of the doll in front of landmarks all around the world. “I have him in front of the Eiffel Tower for instance,” he says. “The other day I took a pic of him in front of the Sydney Opera House.” And with that he takes a photo of the doll sitting in front of a sign that says ‘Sleazy’. Hmmm. Odd man.

Acey and Eric are loving every minute of the Murderdolls ride. They’re both on their first trip to Australia and according to both of them it is (sic) has been “Cool as hell!” “The Gold Coast was really on,” says Eric. “It’s been kinda mellow since we got to Sydney because we’ve had four or five days off before this show so we’ve just been trying to find out what’s been going on. It’s been building gradually… and we’ve been partying a lot – maybe too much,” he adds sheepishly. Rick the tour manager – who’s passing by – agrees: “Yep, they’ve been very naughty boys – they’ve got to go to bed early tonight with no supper,” he jokes.

“He knows we’re the most dangerous band on the tour,” counters Eric. It’s a fact that seems to deter any other bands partying with the Murderdolls too. “The only band that has even reached out to us are the guys in Jane’s Addiction, in particular, Dava Navarro,” offers Acey. “He actually came out of his way to come over and introduce himself. And pretty much comes up and talks to us everyday he sees us along with the drummer, Steven [Perkins]. Everyone else is just kinda like, ‘What’s Up?’ Maybe it’s because we don’t look like we’re the most approachable band. Then again no-one has done anything to piss us off at all.”

No one may be talking to the Murderdolls but there is talk of the Murderdolls all over BDO. Most centres around their appearance with most Australian musical luminaries agreeing the band are the best dressed at the festival. One member of Aussie band the Resin Dogs even goes as far as to say, “The Murderdolls rock the wardrobe”. Acey is kinda flattered but non-plussed by the comments. “What image?” he exclaims. “This is how we are all day! Obviously we knock it up a notch for the show but this is the real thing. We don’t care if people like us as sexual deviants or not, but one thing’s for sure – they’ll fucking remember us.”

Big Ben Graves strides over to join us at the table. “Did I hear the words sexual deviant?” he announces in his deeply rounded US accent. “I’ve always been like that! Some people have a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other – I just two devils. There is NO voice of reason!”

We ask him if he has had any interesting adventures since he’s been in Australia and then instantly regret it…

“Dude, it has been nothing but interesting adventures. For instance last night, he (indicating Eric) he almost screwed a one-armed girl!”

“She had three tits and one arm,” giggles the dimunitive (sic) bassist.

“Yeah. It was weird,” continues the Ghoul, “one of her arms was like a stump and it looked like it had a nipple on it. I must admit I almost fucked her just for the freakiness of it.”

And with that starter for 10, the Ghoul is off. He starts ranting on with these sick freak jokes that crack everyone up and inside a minute you get a window to his personality. “Our drummer is one bona fide sick fuck,” jokes Wednesday of him later. “He stills (sic) freaks us out. I’ll just look at him sometimes and say to myself, ‘holy shit, dude, what planet are you from?’”

“It was weird on the Gold Coast,” says Eric, picking up on the tour adventure thread. “The girls there were the hottest chicks I had ever seen in my life but by the same token I had never got as much shit for the way I look than I have there as well. It was like two opposite poles. At first it was, ‘hey freak, where’s the funeral?’ and the next was, ‘sit down have a drink with us.”

“As far as people looking at you weird, I found Sydney is where I got the stares,” admits the Ghoul. “Sydney sucks! Although we did have some girls staking out our hotel which was pretty funny and I did have an over-zealous fan thrown out of the bar. The guy was just touching me a little more than he should and I didn’t like it,” he says animatedly. “I was like, ‘man, don’t make me waste this perfectly good bottle of Heineken by breaking it over your head. I’ve done it before’. Eric looks at him and says, “yeah he has!” But he was on something. I remember thinking ‘I want whatever he’s on… times ten!”

“I gotta say though, the Sydney crowd today was one of the best crowds we’ve had so far,” offers Acey as he joins the throng. “It was insane. It is good for us this tour, because the kids don’t know what we are all about yet so we have to prove ourselves. By the end of the set they all had their hands in the air.”

By this time Joey and Wednesday have finished their feed and their hastily re-scheduled interview and are looking for some more mischievous fun for themselves. “First of all, I’m going to go back over to the stage we played because there are a lot of kids hanging around over there still wanting to see us,” explains Joey. “Then after that, I’m gonna go directly where ever (sic) the free drinks are at…” Suddenly, Eric’s doubled over in the doorway of the dressing room. It’s been 45 minutes since he visited Kraftwerk in the Boiler Room and the pharmaceuticals are beginning to take effect. We ask if he’s OK. “Yeah man, I just think I’m gonna spew!” he grins. The rest of the band are baiting him ceaselessly.

“C’mon chuck it up man!” they urge and all crack up laughing together.

In the middle of all the commotion Wednesday is taking a piss in the corner of the dressing room. The place is a wreck: there are empty bottles of booze, food scrapes (sic), squashed fruit, hairdryers, make-up, boots, clothes (black and red if (sic) course) and of course a giant mirror. Wednesday is actually pissing into a bottle of Corona. At the same time I am just about to pick up my freshly opened bottle of Corona from the table which is besides (sic) a now suspicious looking bottle. “Yeah I always piss in the empty bottles,” giggles Wednesday. And then I leave ‘em on the table just to piss off anyone who might want to grab some of our rider or whatever. Just be careful just to get bottles from down there in the ice box, he laughs mischievously. Suddenly the oddly warm bottle in my hand seems less than appealing…

As the clock turns 1am the only people left at the stadium are the cleaners, the roadies and the still-partying Murderdolls. Last to leave, the van is parked just outside the dressing room and all I can see through the opened door is the Ghoul chucking around a baguette, now baked hard as a rock over the course of the stifling hot day. “Look at this - it could be used as a weapon to seriously maim you!” he screams bouncing the French loaf off the wall. A post vomit Eric cracks up, as the two hold a mock baguette joust oblivious to the outside world. They eventually make off back to their hotel room in the city, but don’t hang there for too long. The weekend lights of Sydney beckon and they cruise down William street in King’s Cross, to an underground rock venue called Club 77. It’s glam night, just their crowd and they spend the wee hours of the morning hanging out with fans and getting stuck into the sauce with a vengeance. Australia has officially been Murderdolled!

Blood and Glitter

Gavin Braddeley charts the rise of shock rock

Glam is hard evidence that what goes around comes around. Long dismissed as the definitive climax of 70s bad taste, in recent years glam rock has arisen from the grave, albeit with a veil of cobwebs draped over its original dusting of glitter. Originally a violent reaction to the 60s happy fad for all things natural, worthy, meaningful and drab, glam was all about being deliberately artificial, selfish, throwaway and garish.

In the States Alice Cooper was impaling baby dolls and throwing blood bottles around the stage from ‘70 onwards culminating in the vaudeville theatrics of the ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ album/tour of ‘76.

Back in the UK, the Glam pioneer was lame pop pixie Marc Bolan (sic), photogenic frontman with T-Rex, who caused a sensation when he took to the stage on Top of the Pops in ‘71 with glitter under his eyes, clad in what looked suspiciously like drag. Never one to miss a trick, the lizard-like David Bowie soon jumped from the hippy ship to take on his otherworldly Ziggy Stardust persona.

The older generation may have thought that smearing make-up on your face and covering your clothes in sequins made you look like a ‘pooftah’. Alice Cooper got around this by replacing Glam’s overt ‘fagginess’ with ghoulish melodrama, prompting one critic to observe that Americans were more comfortable with necrophilia than homosexuality. And then came Kiss. Gene Simmons’ monstrous blood vomiting, fire breathing ‘Demon’ persona enslaved an entire generation of US children crossing Glam’s theatricality with heavy metal machismo to create one of the most influential bands in rock music history.

W.A.S.P. and Mötley Crüe supercharged Kiss’s sleaze and violence quotient to spectacular effect in the 80s, and provide the missing link between Glam and the Murderdolls, who happily cite the back-combed bad boys as a large part of their creative DNA. The chief inheritor of the Glam tradition in the last decade, however, is cross-dressing controversialist Marilyn Manson. Bowie may have metaphorically murdered his creation Ziggy Stardust in the summer of ‘74, while Bolan (sic) died more literally in a car accident three years later, but quarter-of-a-century on, Manson used his own dark arts to conjure their spirit on ‘Mechanical Animals’, his own tribute to pop’s most decadent decade.

Dead… and loving it!

The Murderdolls’ five favourite movie death scenes of all time…

The Murderdolls are proof positive that nothing gets some folks’ creative juices flowing quite so freely as a truly delicious cinematic death scene. Joey and Wednesday have a few favourites – both carnage connoisseurs identifying the ‘74 classic power toolfest The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as the gory cream of the crop – a movie currently being remade with a certain Mr. Manson in the soundtrack composer’s chair. (As a curious aside, you never actually see the girl hung on the hook – just a shadow – but such is the film’s sordid impact that most viewers swear you do!)

Joey 1. Texas Chainsaw Massacre “The girl on the hook.”

2. Friday The 13th Part IV “When the knife comes through the bed and impales the chick.”

3. The Exorcist “When the priest is hucked out through the plate glass window.”

4. A Nightmare on Elm Street “Where the girl is getting dragged across the rooftop.”

5. Necromancy “Where a group of devils and monsters take a girl apart.”

Wednesday 1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre “The girl on the hook.”

2. Dawn of the Dead “When the spiked ball comes down and rips the guy’s head apart.”

3. Phantasm “A silver ball hits the guy in the head and sucks out all his brains.”

4. Hellraiser “Where (sic) the end sequence where the guy is being chased by all these hooks. They attach themselves to him and rip him apart.”

5. Nightmare On Elm Street “Where Freddy rips out the guy’s veins and uses them like strings controlling a puppet.”

Schlock n’ Roll

B-movie classics that have influenced shock rockers of now and then…

Some horror movies are best watched not so much with your tongue in your cheek, as thrust firmly through it, films that by accident or design are more about fun than fear. The same could be said of numerous horror loving bands, including the Murderdolls, where an ‘everyday is Halloween’ ethos prevails. Here are a few examples of B movie blood fests which may not have won any Oscars, have been paid tribute to by schlock loving bands over the years…

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1957) It is no surprise that the mother-of-all cult movies inspired the mother-of-all cult bands, and when Glenn Danzig created a label to release early Misfits material he dubbed it ‘Plan 9’. Frequently voted the worst movie of all time with its ludicrous script, mind bogglingly bad special effects, cardboard sets, and even more cardboard artistry, Plan 9 From Outer Space is irresistibly entertaining. Directed by the cross-dressing caliph of crap Ed Wood Junior, featuring proto-goth babe Vampira and Bela Lugosi (dying of drug addiction, he was replaced mid production by a stand-in who looks nothing like him).

The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971) Featuring horror cinema’s kind of camp Vincent Price as the fiendish Phibes, avenging the death of his wife using maniacal methods borrowed from the biblical plagues, all against wonderful, strangely psychedelic sets. Also possessed of a strange psychedelic sensibility are punk pioneers the Damned, though in the 80s, lead singer Dave Vanian’s horror sensibilities took centre stage, attracting a goth following. The 80 track ‘13th Floor Vendetta’ is a classic example of the band’s game-topping which, if you listen carefully, is all about ol’ Doc Phibes.

Mars Attacks! (1996) Director Tim Burton’s tribute to the drive-in shockers of the 50s and 60s, Mars Attacks! was actually based upon a ‘62 series of bubblegum cards, discontinued because of their gruesomely graphic pictures of earthlings being exterminated by alien invaders. As such this inspiration might suggest Mars Attacks! has little by way of plot, but for anyone with a weakness for vintage schlock sci-fi it’s a true Technicolor treat. This must certainly include the Misfits and when they reformed, they did so without the blessing of founder Glenn Danzig, but with their monster movie obsessions intact – among a multitude of horror movie tributes on their ‘97 comeback album ‘American Psycho’ was ‘Mars Attacks’ (and even an instrumental coincidentally titled ‘Abominable Dr Phibes’!)

I Was A Teenage Werewolf (1957) The drive-in movies of the 50s and 60s typically featured juvenile delinquents or monsters, and this bargain-basement effort delivered both in one lurid package. Before becoming ‘Pa’ on TV’s Little House on the Prairie Michael Landon stars as a troubled teen – though when he starts growing hair in strange places, it’s more than just hormones to blame. A howl from beginning to end, Teenage inspired a number on ‘Songs the Lord Taught Us’, the ‘80 debut from drive-in movie loving ghoulish rockers The Cramps.

Murder, mayhem and a right old mess

Minging Murderdoll tales from the Big Day Out

Who is the messiest Murderdoll of them all? Wednesday: “That would be Eric and The Ghoul. They are just messy as fuck. But you know you’ve just got to get used to living with these people. We’ve been on the road since July. You live on a bus for six weeks which means you’ve got (sic) live in everyone else’s shit.”

Who is the tidy anal doll? Joey: “No-one. We’re all pretty fuckin’ messy.” Wednesday: “I just took two garbage bags of mess out of my room. And just put it in the hallway. Just full of chicken bones and beer bottles and all sorts of shit like that, it was just smelling really bad so I had to get rid of it.”

So you do that yourself? Wednesday: “I don’t let the cleaning staff come into my room and tidy up. I put the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign for the whole week I am there.” Joey: “The housekeepers are scared shitless to come into our rooms anyway so we keep it easy for them and put the ‘Do Not Disturb” signs up the whole time. They are going to be so scared to come into our rooms and clean up after we’ve been there for a fuckin’ week!”

#metal hammer april 03 #interview #murderdolls #wednesday 13 #joey jordison #ben graves #eric griffin #acey slade #this thing is fucking 5500 words jesus christ

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lackablazeical · 1 year

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Addams! AU snippet 5: 'Kidney'

FULL CREDIT TO WRITER NewFallenLeaves ON A03! SHE HAS SO MANY BANGERS, THIS IS JUST A TINY TASTE OF HER TALENT!!!! PLEASE GO READ HER STUFF AND SUPPORT HER!!!! I SAY PLEASE BUT I AM DEMANDING NOT ASKING!!!!! GIVE HER LOVE!!!!!

As always, additional art! I'm sure this is what Mikey thought he looked like in this snippet, lol!

Full snippet below the cut! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

“Donnie!” Mikey dashed into the lab without knocking and flung himself onto the dissection table. “Take out my kidneys.”

“Not that it’s going to influence my answer either way,” said Donnie, already unfurling the blades on his mechanical hand, “But why?”

Mikey dug through his pockets and unrolled a burlesque magazine. He pointed to the front cover and a model who was wearing an orange, pink, and black laced corset with frills and embroidered sugar skulls, reminiscent of ‘Day of the Dead’ festival decorations. “I wanna wear that.”

“So wear it,” said Donnie. He filled a syringe with a noxious-looking yellow fluid. “You dress in that tawdriness regardless of how many times we’ve said it makes you look asinine. What’s that got to do with your innards?”

“I tried a corset from the costume bin at Mama’s, like the highwire dancers wear, but it doesn’t look the way it’s supposed to.” Mikey leaned down to buckle his ankles into the dissection table’s straps. “I read that human ladies got their ribs and kidneys and livers and stuff taken out to get the shape right. So you can do that for me, right?”

“Of course I can, but removing your internal organs will have no bearing on the forms of your carapace and plastron, those are inflexible.”

“Wait, you mean you ca–aahhhhhnnn’t…” The word trailed away as Mikey slumped backwards, limbs slack, head lolling.

“Oops,” said Donnie, removing the syringe from Mikey’s neck. “Did I accidentally administer sedation before you could retract your request? What a shame.”

He set the needle aside and snapped a surgeon’s glove onto his hand, ignoring the puncture that already marred the palm and the stains from the samples he’d been working on previously.

“Well, the subject volunteered and is already fortuitously in a prepped state. Might as well make sure the opportunity to harvest doesn’t go to waste. What was that, Mikey? How many organs did you say I could take?”

He strapped Mikey’s arms in place and straightened his head by locking a clamp around his neck.

“As many as necessary?” Donnie said. “What a generous offer! I always knew you wouldn’t hold out on me. Not like Leo.”

Donnie clicked one of the bone saws on his mechanical hand into place and it began to spin, pitching into a piercing whine.

“This is why you’re my favorite brother!” Donnie said, raising his voice above the noise. He slid his goggles into place and peered at the armored ribbing along Mikey’s side. “And because of that, while I’m at it, I’ll see what I can do about the plastron and the carapace. What do you say?”

He reached his free hand up to Mikey’s head and gave it a nod.

“Great! We’ll make this a quick outpatient procedure. You’ll be on the highwire by the end of the night, and my freezer will be stocked.”

And with that, he got to work.

***

Barely three hours later, Leo watched as Mikey twirled through the living room in his corset, imitating the routine he’d seen the highwire dancers perform. Unfortunately, he seemed to lack their grace. His feet dragged clumsily across the concrete and each dip and sway made it appear as though he were drunk.

“Leeee-ooooooh,” said Mikey, “Do I look preeeeeettttyyyy in my corset?”

Leo eyed him thoughtfully. An intoxicated Mikey was a completely normal occurrence. So was the choice of clothing; he was always wearing showy outfits for the circus. This one seemed to fit a little more snugly than usual, but not in a way that looked out of sorts.

No, what alerted Leo was something else entirely.

“Mikey,” said Leo. “Why are you yellow?”

“Hm?” Mikey tried to spin on one foot and wound up tumbling into Splinter’s chair. “Whaddya mean?”

“Your skin should be green. Not the same color as your spots.”

Mikey held up one arm and twisted it in front of him, as if looking at it for the first time. “Oh!” he said. “That’s the jaundice.”

“And why are you jaundiced?”

“I think,” said Mikey, scrunching up his face like a toddler thinking very hard about something. “Donnie said…it was because of my kidneys. No! My liver. That thing. Wait, maybe both! Because they’re gone now. To make room inside my plastron!”

“Uh-huh.” Leo grasped Mikey by the wrist and hauled him up out of the chair, towards Donnie’s lab.

“Did you know,” Mikey giggled, allowing himself to be dragged, “That human ladies take out their ribs and stomachs and lungs and stuff so they can wear corsets?”

He was still sniggering when Leo toppled him back onto the dissection table.

“Hey,” said Donnie, “Don’t clutter my workspace with little brothers.”

“Fix him,” said Leo.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Put Mikey’s organs back.”

Mikey gasped and sat up. “But then I won’t fit into my corset!”

“See?” said Donnie, “He doesn’t even want them!”

“Donnie…”

“I was just about to put them in the embalming jars!”

“If I can’t wear a corset then what’s the point of living?”

“All the experimentation timelines will go to waste! I have them prepped!”

Leo folded his arms. “Put Mikey’s organs back, or I’m telling Mama.”

“Gasp!” said Donnie.

“Snitch!” said Mikey.

“You’re bluffing,” said Donnie. “You despise talking to her, you would never.”

“I hate you groveling over her approval more, but I’ll leverage it if I have to,” said Leo. He spun his sword to open a portal, and through it, they could clearly see Mama’s plush office. He took a step towards the gateway. “I don’t think she’d approve of you jaundicing her favorite little circus pet.”

“Okay okay okay!” said Donnie, desperately. “Mikey, sit still.”

“No!” Mikey lurched like he wanted to roll off the table, and looked ready to run. “I won’t go back to being a corset-less turtle!”

Donnie extended the titanium arms from his shell and grappled with Mikey as he began to thrash. “Leo, quit with the blackmail. Be useful and help me.”

“You made the mess,” said Leo. He swiped the portal out of existence. “You fix it.”

If Donnie was being completely honest, his efforts were not completely wasted. He did get to do exploratory surgery and pioneer a plastron/carapace shaping technique that did, in the end, make Mikey’s waist a bit narrower. Plus, he got to strap Mikey down and sedate him twice in the same day.

Small victories.

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theroyalsandi · 1 year

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Albert II, Prince Jacques, Princess Gabriella, Louis Ducruet and Camille Gottlieb attend the 45th International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. | January 22, 2023

#royaltyedit #theroyalsandi #albert ii #prince albert ii #hereditary prince jacques #prince jacques #princess gabriella #louis ducruet #camilla gottlieb #monegasque princely family #my edit

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graceandfamily · 4 months

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Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco with their daughter, Princess Stephanie, at the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival in Monaco. December 1, 1976.

#princess grace #prince rainier #princess stephanie #1976

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gracie-bird · 4 months

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Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco, accompanied by Cary Grant, at the International Circus Festival in December 1978.

#grace kelly #princess grace #cary grant #circus #1978 #cirque #festival du cirque

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falsepsychictales · 2 years

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Spent the last few weeks making the unnamed capital of Grulovia in Cities: Skylines, and decided to make a fake brochure rather than just spam screencaps and headcanons. This one’s set roughly around the time Lucrecia was there, either just before or after the war.

Full text under the cut.

Glory to Grulovia!

Nestled in a mountain valley where the Valermo River meets the Grulovian Sea, the city of Grulostrog is renowned for its natural beauty. The Valermo Dam, a true marvel of modern engineering, provides the city with fresh water, clean energy, and stunning views of the city.Stay up late and watch the northern lights! Learn the history of our cobbled streets and traditional architecture! Huddle with hot tea and scones or ski the snow-capped mountains in our world-class resorts!

Centuries of Tradition!

Grulovia has achieved peace and stability under the benevolent guidance of Gzar Theodore Malik, the latest of an illustrious dynasty stretching back at least a hundred years or so. See the glorious pageantry for yourself at the palace gardens!*

*For a reasonable fee. Protesters will be ejected from the premises.

Charming Countryside!

Looking for something more quaint? Visit traditional cottages and pet some authentic Grulovian cows in the humble peasant village of Grulovo!

Fresh Fish!

Did you know? Grulovia is among the world’s leading producers of caviar! Get a taste of a traditional fishing town in the seaside neighborhood of Grulosko, where you’ll find ocean views, thrilling boat tours, and friendly locals. Catch your own dinner at one of our rustic piers, browse our seaside markets, or try out our quayside gourmet establishments, which only smell a little bit like old fish.

Summer Fun!

Despite its chilly reputation, Grulovia boasts pleasantly mild summers. Open air markets throughout the city offer everything from cheap souvenirsto priceless antiquities. Take spin on the rides or watch thrilling performances from world-famous acrobats at the National Circus!

Winter Wonderland!

A little cold never stopped Grulovians from having fun! Our annual Winter Festival features intricate ice sculptures, discount prices at skating rinks, nightly bonfires, and the exciting Valermo Dam Skiing Challenge.

The Grulostrog Metropolitan Area

The ruggedly beautiful terrain is no excuse! Grulostrog can now be easily reached by direct flights to Grulovia International Airport, or travel in style with luxury cruises across the Grulovian Sea! Rail and highway travel offer incredible views of the surrounding mountain ranges.Even with the wealth of convenient public transportation options available within the city itself, many visitors seem to get lost for some reason. Consider it an adventure! You never know what you might find in Grulovia!*

*Grulovia Tourism Inc.™ is not responsible for injuries or deaths sustained by tourists, especially not from the abandoned coal mines at Grulosk. Note that wooded areas such as Mount Grulosko Nature Reserve may contain bears.

#psychonauts #psychonauts 2 #psychonauts 2 spoilers #i can upload bigger versions of these pics if anyone's interested but for now i'll refrain from spamming #ah goddammit just realized advertising bear wrestling tours would have been a funny shoutout to pn1 but i'm not remaking this whole brochure #anyway next up: recreate the valermo dam disaster and rebuild the city in a more modern-ish style #hopefully the pics aren't too small i made this on a large-ish laptop

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royal-hair · 3 months

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Princess Stephanie of Monaco at the awards gala of the 46th Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival - 23.01.24

#princess stephanie #monaco princely family

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half-man-half-lime · 7 months

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Hey, just to put the ask out- does anyone want to join the TTRPG campaign I'm running? We've been in some mini-arcs while I try to put the next big arc together (very, veeeerrry slowly), and the second of those mini-arcs is about to end, and then we'll likely take a few weeks off due to scheduling issues and resume when the arc is done.

I wish I could say it was almost done, I just took a week of half-days with my PTO to try and chip away at it, and I did make progress, but it's not there yet. At the very least, that should give anyone who's interested time to get caught up with the campaign and come up with a character?

This arc is meant to be a big turning point in the campaign as things get closer to the climax, at which point it'll be up to the players as to what to do next.

EDIT:

Anyway HMU if you're interested! Info on what's happened and what the next arc is about below the cut:

The current story- based on a comic I wanted to make for a while, the setting is based on WW1-WW2 America, featuring a team of pilots (at first , before player turnover and replacement PCs) whose society was isolated in an ancient, cracked dome, and set out looking for ways to bring their struggling population out into the wider world- all the while, a war overseas with a secretive, strange army is getting more tense.

Throughout the campaign, the players have:

Saved a literal flying circus from arson

Gotten caught up in conflict between the mob and a corrupt power company, inadvertently leading to two horrific creatures from either side being mashed together into a spiraling deer-tree abomination they had to stop

Played heel-villains in staged superhero fights in exchange for money and strange artifacts

Been morphed into story-book pirates in a patch of warped reality, fighting the ghost of the pirate who kept them trapped there

Gone undercover in a Lovecraftian town where gathered businesspeople and international diplomats planned to awaken the ancient gods, only to get caught, panick, and blow up those diplomats, pissing off multiple governments and a clairvoyant lobster-worshipping cult

Partied and fought racist square-dancing vampires in a New Orleans-inspired town's werewolf jazz festival

Handled one crisis after another at an international war summit in a Wild West theme park, from anarchist moth-worshipping cults to a disgraced Thomas Edison expy burning himself and his workers out with psychic weather machines, to stopping the kidnapping of world leaders by a teleporting sniper who was trying to stop some pretty horrible colonialist violence; and narrowly negotiated their way out of being taken in by the secret agents who came to arrest them

Linking their brains and going on a mind journey in search of one-another's forms of happiness to help one of the PCs with her lifelong anhedonia

And now concluding soon, done a stint as radio interns in a Night Vale knockoff town, working to stop a StrexCorp expy from taking over.

This next arc will have the players exploring one of many ancient, destroyed domes like the one the original party came from, sitting on a native reservation in the desert.

(I confess I've had a hard time doing the research on the real life cultures and history this place is inspired by, I'll do my best about the representation but let's just say I'm glad this one will only be experienced by a small group, I may have taken some shortcuts for inspiration.)

#Excitement and Adventure #Excitement and Adventure Spoilers #E&A Spoilers

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royalchildreneurope · 1 year

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Prince Albert II of Monaco, Prince Jacques of Monaco, Princess Gabriella of Monaco, Louis Ducruet and Camille Gottlieb attend the 45th International Circus Festival : Day three, in Monaco -January 22nd 2023.

#prince albert #prince albert ii #prince jacques #princess gabriella #louis ducruet #camille gottlieb #monegasque royal family #monaco #2023 #january 2023 #international circus festival #international circus festival 2023 #royal children #my edit

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landofanimes · 2 months

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Kaleido Star 20th Anniversary Music Festival (2024)

Merchandise: Kaleido Stage Performance Postcard Set

They turned the in-universe performance posters (on and off-Kaleido Stage) into postcards! I'm surprised they included Theatrical Camp but not The Princess and The Fool (1st OVA) but this is really cool!!!

From Season 1:

Romeo and Juliet

Golden Phoenix

Cinderella

Rosetta, The Princess of Diabolo

The Mermaid

The Arabian Nights

Theatrical Camp

Freedom

Ultimate Illusion

From Season 2:

Monkey Heaven (Journey to The West)

Dracula

Salome in Vegas

The 30th International Circus Festival in Paris

New Romeo & Juliet

Swan Lake

From the 2nd OVA:

Legend of Phoenix

#kaleido star #kaleido star 20th anniversary music festival #sora naegino #layla hamilton #mia guillem #anna heart #leon oswald #may wong #sarah dupont #kaleido stage #If I was there I would DEFINITELY buy this

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amphtaminedreams · 5 days

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June 2021->June 2023: Photo Dump No.23

DATE SAVED, L-R BY ROW:

11th July 2021 [Bella Hadid photographed in Miami, December 2019], 10th November 2021 [Southbank, Lambeth], 26th June 2023, 24th August 2022 [GIANT Art Gallery, Bournemouth Town Centre], 16th September 2022 [Et Ochs RTW S/S23], 30th June 2023, 2nd March 2023, 28th November 2021 [the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea], 27th June 2023 [Lyme Regis, Dorset]

26th September 2023, 1st June 2023 [Colors Festival @ Camden Lock, Camden], 10th January 2023 [Scorpio Platform Boot, Shelly’s London S/S23], 15th September 2023 [Bermondsey, Southwark], 24th September 2022, 8th December 2022 [Twisted Museum, Oxford Circus], 22nd July 2023 [Yayoi Kusama: You, Me and the Balloons @ the Factory International, Deansgate, Manchester], 6th September 2023, 14th November 2021 [Glass Animals live @ Portsmouth Guildhall, Hampshire]

17th February 2022, 29th September 2022, 17th October 2021 [the Other Art Fair @ the Truman Brewery, Brick Lane], 12th July 2023, 31st May 2023 [source: instagram account @howtobehumanpod], 26th August 2023 [Salou, Tarragona], 9th April 2022 [source: instagram @_brightsouls_], 5th September 2021 [John Galliano RTW S/S92], 27th August 2023 [Salou, Tarragona]

31st March 2023 [He Cong photographed by Leslie Zhang for Marie Claire China, issue 298, April 2023], 28th August 2023, 15th July 2021 [Normani BTS on the set of the “Wild Side" music video, released July 2021], 27th May 2023 [source: instagram account @howtobehumanpod], 30th May 2023 [details @ Coach RTW F/W23], 13th March 2022, 21st July 2023, 23rd August 2023 [Sitges, Catalonia], 27th September 2023 [The Design Museum, Kensington]

27th September 2023 [“Hallgarth” boots, Roker RTW F/W23 @ REBEL: 30 Years of London Fashion exhibition, the Design Museum, Kensington], 15th March 2024, 1st December 2022 [Yayoi Kusama: Mirror Infinity Rooms exhibition @ Tate Modern, Bankside], 28th July 2021 [Christchurch, Dorset], 22nd March 2023, 3rd February 2024 [source: instagram account @sadborderlinebitxh], 14th February 2024 [Luar RTW F/W24], 16th March 2024 [CUTE exhibition @ Somerset House, Strand], 11th August 2021 [Beyonce shot by Campbell Addy for Harper's Bazaar, August 2021]

8th January 2024 [Disneyland Paris, Marne-la-Vallée], 7th December 2022 [Liberty London, Soho], 9th December 2023, 13th December 2023, 3rd November 2021 [Ulyana Sergeenko, Haute Couture S/S19], 29th December 2021 [Untitled from the Fractal Scars, Salt Water and Tears collection, Ester Teichmann @ GIANT Art Gallery, Bournemouth), 30th November 2022 [source: instagram account @mantramagazine], 9th January 2024 [Marne-la-Vallée, France], 28th May 2023 [Elle & Dakota Fanning, February 2023, via @ellefanning on instagram]

6th May 2023 [source: instagram account @howtobehumanpod], 1st August 2021 [Dua Lipa wearing archive Jean Paul Gaultier on the set of the “Demeanor” video, released July 2021], 9th August 2023 [the Southbank Centre, Lambeth], 29th December 2021 [It's a Rave Dave exhibition @ GIANT Art Gallery, Bournemouth], 21st July 2023, 28th October 2023 [Nili Lotan RTW F/W23], 31st October 2023 [Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets], 15th October 2023], 1st November 2023 [Disney, 100 Exhibition @ ExCel Centre, Custom House]

5th April 2024 [Museo Picasso, Málaga], 8th February 2024 [Bella Hadid for Italian Vogue, May 2024 issue], 28th July 2021 [Bournemouth Centre, Dorset], 23rd January 2024 [source: instagram account @wrencraftt], 21st March 2023, 28th September 2023 [Philipp Plein Resort 2024], 9th February 2024, 21st August 2023 [source: instagram account @_mysunbeam], 7th April 2024 [Benalmádena, Andalusia]

9th April 2024 [Málaga, Andalusia], 29th August 2021 [source: instagram account @aniko.arts], 4th April 2024, 21st June 2023 [Summer Exhibition @ the Royal Academy, Mayfair], 10th May 2023 [Zendaya photographed by Elizaveta Porodina for Vogue Italia, July 2022 issue], 2nd October 2023 [source: instagram account @eggsdoodz], 14th July 2021 [Lana Del Rey performing live @ L'Olympia, Paris, 27th April 2013], 22nd December 2023 [source: Pinterest account @gobrielle], 30th March 2024 [Hove, East Sussex]

February 2nd 2023 [Objects of Desire: Surrealism and Design 1924-Today @ the Design Museum, Kensington], 10th April 2024 [Benalmádena, Andalusia], 3rd April 2024 [Mijas Pueblo, Andalusia], 19th September 2021 [Van Gogh Alive lmmersive Exhibition, Kensington Gardens, London], 7th November 2023 [Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture F/W23], 28th October 2023 [Bermondsey Street, Bermondsey], 2nd April 2024 [Benalmádena, Andalusia], 10th April 2024, 10th April 2024

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in-death-we-fall · 11 months

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Six Feet Down Under

Metal Hammer 112, April 2003

Touring and whoring on the other side of the world, Hammer kept a diary of death with the Murderdolls through their residency at Australia’s Big Day Out festival. Shock horror: Mark Hughes. B-movie hero: Tony Mott.

(drive link)

The ‘Dolls have been in Sydney for five days before their Big Day Out show and not finding much to do early on in the week they’ve just been getting down to the (sic) rock’n’roll’s most popular pastime: hard drinking. Drummer ‘Big’ Ben ‘The Ghoul’ Graves and bass player Eric Griffin are recovering from last night’s binge. While singer Wednesday and guitarist Joey Jordison are recovering from the night before the night before. Acey Slade, who maintains his sobriety, but still stays out ‘til dawn, has been up since !!am and is the only one ready for the show. With the band on stage at 7:15pm, things need doing. Staggering through their beer can and ‘paraphernalia’-strewn rooms to the showers, they’re down in their van and on the way out to the Big Day Out site just after 4pm.