#i have not actually heard a recording of my voice since i started T and my voice dropped and WOW I SOUND DIFFERENT | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

alastor-simp · 3 months

Text

Be My Valentine - Alastor x Female Reader

♥️HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE! Also I know Alastor is AroAce, but lets just assume in this fic he is not. Enjoy♥️

It was finally Valentine’s Day in Hell, a little holiday that some demons enjoy doing with their partners and others that find it absolutely ridiculous, like a certain deer demon. Alastor didn’t much care for a silly little festivity like this. He found romance a bit ridiculous, but he wouldn’t go as far as to make fun of someone else in a relationship, it wasn’t who he was. He did find Charlie and Vaggie’s relationship adorable, since he saw how happy the two of them were together. The little sparks between Husker and Angel were easy for him to spot, and it led to lot of teasing at the hands of Alastor, which earned him a middle finger from a certain cat on occasions.

Since it was Valentine’s Day, Charlie thought it would be a great idea to decorate the hotel. Heart paper strings were hanging from the ceiling, along with XOXO and heart balloons on the walls. It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without some sweets, so Charlie along with Niffty made some chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels for everyone else to enjoy. You were trying to figure out how to help liven the mood. “Music would be nice” you thought. Heading over to the record player, you skimmed for any good songs to play. Frank Sinatra was what you picked, and you decided to play that. The melody began to carry out all throughout the lobby, catching everyone ears, causing them to sway. “Ah! Excellent choice my dear!” You heard Al’s voice call out from behind you. He was sitting on one of the chairs, with a hot cup of coffee in his hand, wearing a pleasing smile. Smiling back, you made your way over to the couch and took a seat, listening to the tunes.

Soon Charlie came running back, “Okay everyone! Ready to start the Valentine gift exchange!” Before the decorations were put up, Charlie suggested that everyone pitch in and do a Valentine gift exchange. The gifts would be exchanged between two individuals: Charlie + Vaggie, Angel Dust + Husk, Niffty + Sir Pentious, and You + Alastor. Everyone got together and presented the gifts. Charlie had given a bottle of perfume and new hair bow for Vaggie. Vaggie gave Charlie a unicorn plushie and T-shirt with their faces on them. Angel got Husk a fancy bottle of Italian wine. Husk gave Angel a popular perfume from the Lust ring plus some mini outfits for Fat Nuggets. Niffty had actually handmade mini plushies of Sir Pentious and his egg bois. Sir Pentious got Niffty some roses plus a new sewing kit.

Now it was time for you and Alastor to exchange gifts. While you did have something for Al, there was something else you wanted to give him, but it was a surprise. Alastor was smiling down at you, hands behind his back, holding a mini box and bouquet. “Here you are my dear!” He handed you the box and flowers. Ahh he remembered how much you loved (your favorite flowers). Thanking Alastor, you opened the box, which contained a beautiful ruby necklace

“W-ow Al! This is beautiful! Thank you.” Holding the necklace up, you looked up at Alastor, face flushed. “You’re welcome, my dear! Allow me!” Grabbing the necklace from your hands, he motioned his body behind you, helping to place the necklace around your neck. Turning back around, you pulled out your gift and presented it to Al, “Happy Valentines Day Al” Grabbing the black box with red ribbon from your hand, he opened it, revealing a new rose tinted monocle. He had broken the one he had before, and didn’t have the time to replace it. “Ah I needed a new monocle. Thank you kindly, y/n!” Smiling you nodded your head and faced back towards the others

Al looked into the box again and saw a little piece of paper that was placed underneath the monocle. Turning away, he took the paper out and read it:

“ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴏꜰᴛᴏᴘ ᴀᴛ 8 ᴘᴍ”

Well well, what was this? Another surprise, perhaps? Smile widening on his face, He placed the paper in his suit pocket, before turning back to everyone like nothing happened. The day continued as normal, with everyone chatting about random topics and participating in some bonding activities like board games and watching some random romance movies. It soon gotten late and it was time for everyone to head to bed, or so you thought. The glances you saw between Charlie and Vaggie hinted that they were going to be doing something else. Even Husk and Angel dust, especially since you saw Angel dragging Husk into his bedroom, well good for them, they make a cute couple. Going to head up and finish your plans, your eyes caught Al who had looked right at you. You smiled and walked away.

**8 PM- Alastors POV**

"Hmm I wonder what the little darling has planned for me?” Al thought to himself, as he made his way to the location you told him in the note. Ascending up the stairs, Al arrived at the door that led to the rooftop and opened it slowly. His eye widen at what he saw. In front of him was a small dinner table with chairs, decorated with candles and roses.

He was left stunned by what he saw. Walking closer to where the table is, he admired the little set-up. "Do you like it?" Turning his head around, Al saw you standing there, wearing a flowy black dress, bright smile place on your face. Alastor looked back at the table, then at you, "Was this the little surprise you had planned for me? If you wanted to have dinner with me, all you had to do was ask, my dear." Alastor gave a soft smile, making his way to you, lifting your chin, "You look positively radiant, darling." His words caused you to flush, "T-thank you. Go and take a seat Al. I'll be right back," Alastor smiled and let you go, heading over to the chair to take a seat.

Soon, you came back holding two plates, the aroma wafting off of them was mouth-watering. Placing them down, the smile on Al's face had widen. In front of him was a tender venison steak, his favorite, along with a side of salad and baked potatoes.

After that, you had grabbed a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and poured it into the wine glasses for both you and Al. Once everything was set in place, you slowly took a seat on the other side of the table. "This is my first time cooking venison, so I hope you like it." You fidgeted with your fingers under the table. "This looks spectacular! Thank you my dear!" He grabbed his wine glass and held it up in front of you, "Cheers, my dear!" Smiling, you grabbed your glass, bumping it against Al's, letting out a small clink. The both of you started to eat the meal you prepared, well you were watching Al more than eating, monitoring his reaction. You knew about his diet and what he mainly ate, so last thing you wanted was for him to try the venison you prepared and do a spit-take. The fork in Al's hand, held a piece of steak, and slowly it made its way into his mouth. The whole time you were sitting there, gazing at his reaction to see if he liked it. His expression didn't change, but he went back in for another bite, and another, and another. Heaving a sigh of relief, you were happy that he liked the meal, letting you go back to your meal.

Soon the both of you had finished eating, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Delicious!" Al said, wearing a pleasant smile. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Are you in the mood for some dessert?" You said as you got up from the table, and made your way over to grab the dessert that was hidden. Walking back, you placed a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries on the table.

"My dear, you know I'm not a fan of sweets." Al said to you, while looking at the bowl with strained face. "I made these myself using dark chocolate, so they won't be as sweet, trust me." Grabbing one of the strawberries, you held it up towards all, "Say ahh." Al raised an eyebrow at that, but he shook his head, amused at your actions, before taking a bite. Looking at him, you were expecting him to spit it out, but surprisingly he swallowed, "Not bad!"

Whew, glad he liked them. Now it was time to tell him what you were thinking/feeling. "Um Al? Can I ask you something?" Alastor looked at you, smiling like the joker. "Of course my dear! What is it?" He leaned in, placing his elbows on the table, lifting his head up with his hands. The butterflies in your stomach were going crazy, and your palms were sweating. Your eyes looked down at your hands, until you turned your head back up to look at Al. "W-will you be my valentine?" Alastor eyes widen at that statement, but he continued to gaze at you. Feeling nervous, you looked back down to your hands, "Y-you don't have to answer, I understand you find romance and stuff a hindrance." you said. The two of you were sitting in awkward silence, until you heard his chair scrap across the ground, indicating he had gotten up. You knew it, he was going to leave. You had made him upset.

A hand was placed under your chin, making you look up. Alastor hadn't left, he had only gotten up to get closer to you. "Stand up, my dear." He said to you. Moving slowly, you got up from your chair and stood in front of Al. He continued to look down at you, his eyes flashing crimson. Then he got closer, and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a warm hug. "What an adorable request! I must admit, developing relationships with another is still new to me. However! I wouldn't mind forming one with you, my dear. I accept!" He whispered all of this in your ear, causing goosebumps to form. Your eyes got teary, as you hugged him back. After a while, Alastor moved a bit, placing one hand under your chin, and the around your back. He had a small smile on his face and his eyes were soft. "Happy Valentines day, my doe." His head moved closer to yours, causing you to slowly shut your eyes, letting his lips press against yours in a soft kiss.

~END~

Tagging:

@pepperycookie , @yourdoorisunlocked, @ghostdoodlen, @aceofcards0-0, @jyoongim, @saturnhas82moons, @unholycheesesnack , @luujjvi, @forbidden-sunlight, @pinkcrystal44 , @veethewriter , @rains-sleeping @danveration , @demoarah, @cookiekyo , @iiotic, @delectableworm , @91062854-ka , @alastorsgoldie , @lokis-imaginary-friend , @themysteriousslenderman

951 notes · View notes

skibidi-mimic-division · 17 days

Note

[Transmission incoming.]

[Transmission accepted]

The large screen in from of the human shows nothing but black and white TV static for a few moments before the video on the other end starts to clear up.

"Dammit!" a raspy English voice calls out before a loud clang can be heard, likely the person on the other end wacking their own video broadcasting device. The video clears up almost immediately after the device is hit, the TV static lingering on the edges of the monitor before dissipating.

"Human. Nice to finally see ya properly, kid." the same raspy English voice says, the voice belonging to a man in the middle of the screen. It's none other than Chief! The leader of the Firehose Faction. Said man is wearing a simple long sleeved white t-shirt and some khaki cargo pants.

"Now I'm not one to beat around the bush but I got word of your mimic division and I thought I'd try to contribute to it. One of my boys mentioned meeting you briefly a while ago after we put out a shop fire." Chief rasps out quickly, turning his head to the side to look at the human with one eye, his metallic bronze head glinting in the soft light of the video feed.

"See, I'm a beach man, I like going to the beach and dipping my toes in the sand and what not, and with Summer approaching we've been going more frequently and only recently we've started seeing some... particularly odd things in the ocean, scares the shit outta of Hoseman." Chief continues, leaning on the table the monitor is on, which js attached to his recording device. He moves, what is presumably, a mouse around and clicks a few things before an image appears on the human's end of the transmission.

"Sorry for the bad quality, kid. It was overcast and foggy that day, and frankly, we aren't camera units, so pictures and videos ain't our thing." Chief says before continuing, "I want to think those things are mimics. Something aquatic. But they aren't those speaker mimics like your friend Pal, or that one Clif guy either. They've got fins on their tails and backs, even one on their head, and as far as I'm aware, speaker mimics have frills and wings, not fins. Except for that Clif guy. But I wanted to inform you of this, I don't want to put my people at risk because of some anomalous aquatic entity that could possibly be a mimic out in the water. I think I'd actually be the one most at risk of this." Chief pauses, rubbing his hands together, a few scars showing in the dim light of the room he is in.

His, and the human's, attention is drawn to the door when Veteran steps into the room. Chief straightens up a bit, his posture stiffening before his shoulders go lax at the sight of Veteran. His one visible eye flicks between the human and Veteran before he speaks, "Veteran." is all that comes from Chief, he sounds firm, even a hint of nervousness barely detectable in his voice. "I hope this one doesn't end up like your last one. Not to insult your protection skills or anythinf." Chief says, crossing his arms and stepping back from the monitor a bit. "Old fart." he mutters quietly, "But that's not what I called for. Do you think you have any ideas or clues as to what may be in the water, kid?" Chief asks, tilting the front end of his head down slightly.

. . . Hello, Chief. It has been a while since we last spoken...and I thought I remembered telling you to keep that between you and me. My chi--...(ahem), my charge is currently in good hands and is thriving while under the care of me and the alliance. I can't change the past...but I can prevent it from ever happening again. I can promise you that.

Uhh? You two know each other...? Oh! I...uh...well then! Hello! Nice to officially meet you, Chief! It's nice to hear from the Fire Squad for the first time! As for the photos you sent in, I will have to say that those mimics are NOT in our database! Judging from their appearance, I think those mimics may be strictly fully aquatic or oceanic in nature! I'm a little sad that you didn't manage to get their heads in the photo, but some evidence is better then no evidence! We will be sending out some scouting drones and I will be asking Clif if he knows these mimics! Keep an eye out and make sure to stay safe until we can gauge their hazard level! Thank you for your contribution to our archive, Chief!

#katarikitten #skibidi toilet #skibidi toilet mimic #skibidi mimic #skibidi tag #my art #Fire Brigade #Mimic Sighting

12 notes · View notes

in-death-we-fall · 11 months

Text

The Songs That Saved My Life

Kerrang 1633, August 20 2016

This Iowan drum demon has been a bit quiet of late. But now he’s back, we couldn't resist the offer of getting together with him to crank up some metal. And Stevie Wonder…

This week: Joey Jordison, Sinsaenum

(drive link)

The song that reminds me of home is…

Celebrate Me Home Kenny Loggins

“This is so hard because there’s tons for me. I grew up on music, I’ve been listening since I was in the fucking womb, man. But I think the song would be Celebrate Me Home. When I was growing up, Kenny Loggins was played heavily by aunts, uncles and parents in their households. I was very young, so now when I’m on tour sometimes, I think about that song. It comes from before I discovered metal or even hard rock at all. It always has this deep, gloomy, kinda sentimental place in my heart.” FIND IT: Celebrate Me Home (1977)

The song that made me want to be a musician was…

Little T&A The Rolling Stones

“My dad brought their Tattoo You album home after work once, this must have been around 1981. It’s still, to this day, in my top 10 favourite records of all time. My dad had built these huge-ass speakers in the basement of where we lived. I heard those riffs cranked up and they hit me. I thought, ‘Whatever it is, that’s what I’m doing!’ Little did I know when I was five years old and hooked on this record what T&A actually was. I remember asking my parents – and they tried to call it something different! Keith Richards [Stones guitarist] was just on fucking fire on this and Mick Jagger’s voice, the riffs, the drums, the way it’s produced… This song is unbeatable!” FIND IT: Tattoo You (1981)

The song I’d like to cover is…

Deuce KISS

“My friends, my bands, my management and my lady will tell you the list of songs I want to cover is very long. They’re all like, ‘Fucking enough with those cover ideas!’ You gotta make sure you do it justice and be really careful about how you do it. I bought [1975 live album] KISS Alive! when I was super-young. I saw them on TV and I had to have that cassette. The reason I bought a live record first was because of the cover and how many songs it had on it. It wasn’t like a regular record – I was like, ‘Oh my God, this album’s so long!’ Deuce was the first song, and KISS Alive! is still, to this day, one of my favourite fucking records of all time.” FIND IT: KISS Alive! (1975)

The song that makes me want to stage-dive is…

Suit And Tie Guy D.R.I.

“Have you ever seen the video? Look it up on YouTube – it’s the ultimate stage-dive video. It’s like, you hear that song, and even if you don’t like stage-diving, you’re gonna have to! Otherwise you’re not a fan. If you look back at old Slipknot videos, I always used to stage-dive. In Murderdolls, I’d jump 20 feet down from a PA stack. There was this one time I was barely caught – I swear I must have been, like, 10 inches from landing on my fucking ass before they got me! I used to crowd-surf with the guitar. I almost broke my ass, literally my tailbone. I just don’t do it any more. If someone’s gonna stage-dive, catch their ass and be supportive – don’t be a fucking asshole and get out of the way!” FIND IT: 4 Of A Kind (1988)

The heaviest song ever is…

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath

“The heaviest song ever written is still, to this day, fucking Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath. It’s unbeatable and will never, ever fuckin’ be out-heavied. It’s the most evil song ever, easy. It’s the most eerie song ever, it’s the heaviest song ever – the lyrics could not be more creepy. The album cover is the fucking best, and it started a whole fucking generation. Besides the bridge where it gets climactic, there’s three notes in the fucking heaviest song of all time! No-one has ever come close to that scariness for me, and, to be honest, I don’t think anyone will come out with something that tops it.” FIND IT: Black Sabbath (1970)

A secret about one of my songs is...

Iowa Slipknot

"We recorded my drums in a small room. Everyone was in there, right in my space. When we did the song, we all drank, we each got a little bottle of cough syrup and slammed it – we were all tripping balls on it! We went in, turned the lights down, the producers were in there, the techs were in there and you could not move. We were right in each other's faces, drank all this remedy liquid and I counted in the song. We were in such a fucking zone, it could never, ever be recorded again like that' FIND IT: lowa (2001)

The last song I listened to was…

Take Me Out To The Ballgame Melvins

"I'm a huge Melvins fan. They're pretty much my favourite band of all time. I was just listening to their new record, Basses Loaded, so the last song I actually listened to was Take Me Out To The Ballgame, which is the last track on it. That record just came out, make sure you check it out – as well as Ozma, Bullhead, Houdini and The Maggot. Go and graze on the amazing back catalogue and the genius of this band!” FIND IT: Basses Loaded (2016)

The hardest song of mine to play is…

Scissors Slipknot

“Fuck! Man, this is fucking tough. You know what, I won’t say it’s hard to play, necessarily, but it’s very intricate as far as the space and time of things that need to happen within the song, and that song is Scissors – the last song on the first Slipknot record. It’s not technically difficult, but the many things going on and which need to happen to make the song sound right are all controlled by the drums. There’s so many things going on, so if my tempo is too fast, this song sucks. It’s a very emotional movement – that’s why it’s the last song on the record. We really needed to be in the zone for this one because you cannot play that song if you’re not in the mood. When we used to play this song live, I’d do a fucking insane drum solo before the end. The song is like a fucking head-fuck and you have to have your emotion and your head in it to even start it. That’s a tough one.” FIND IT: Slipknot (1999)

The song you wouldn’t expect to find on my iPod is…

More Than A Woman Bee Gees

“There’s a ton. I actually have the entire Bee Gees collection on my iPod. Which song? I don’t know… fucking More Than A Woman? They are the kings of falsetto, for sure. I don’t even care the fuck you are, you just cannot go wrong with the Bee Gees. You know, before I discovered KISS, when I was five years old, the Bee Gees were my band. Then I turned!” FIND IT: Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack (1977)

The song that makes me want to cry is…

Isn’t She Lovely Stevie Wonder

“It’s gotta be Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder. This one gets me every time! He’s the man, an absolute musical genius. You sit there and you try to learn it, and you stop yourself after a couple bars, like, ‘How in the hell did he write this?’ It pisses me off! So, cheers, Me Wonder, this song gives me the eye fountains. I salute it!” FIND IT: Songs In The Key Of Life (1976)

The greatest song ever written is…

N.I.B. Black Sabbath

“Nothing beats this riff! People can try all they want, but no-one’s gonna get close. First of all, i love the song because it’s catchy – one of the catchiest riffs of all time. Then on top of that, it’s heavy. Tony Iommi [guitar] is simply unbeatable. Bill Ward [drums] will forever be the forefather and god of metal drumming. And Geezer Butler [bass] is the only guy that can pull off a bass solo through a whole song and still hold a rhythm.” FIND IT: Black Sabbath (1970)

#if you want anything else scanned lemme know #joey jordison #sinsaenum #they erased the rest of them from this picture and that's so funny #kerrang 1633 aug 20 16 #interview #you can absolutely go wrong with the bee gees 💀#this wasn't supposed to post today but it did so enjoy 😅

50 notes · View notes

oceansssblue · 4 months

Text

[THE BAD BATCH]— "CANVAS"

ECHO/OFC 💖

OMEGA HAS THE BEST IDEA. SHE HAS BEEN EYING THE ARTIST ACROSS CID'S SALON FOR OVER A WEEK NOW; AND SHE'S FINALLY GOING TO ORDER THE BEST PRESENT EVER FOR ECHO.

WARNINGS: FLEETING MENTIONS OF ECHO'S BODY ISSUES&EXPERIENCE (NOTHING EXPLICIT). 99% FLUFF.

ONE-SHOT INSPIRED BY THIS WONDERFUL @cloned-eyes ART PIECE OF TATTOED ECHO! 💙✨

Omega counts the credits in her hands. She has been saving them for months, now; no more unnecessary mantel mix or cool accesories for her bow even if they make her momentarily happy. She's sure Echo's reaction will top all of that; and she has finally collected enough to buy the present she has being eying since she discovered the small tattoo parlour across Cid's salon. It's a cool place; full of bright neon lights and colourful images and shapes painted all over the walls. She has never actually entered the parlour; but she has seen enough through the displays of the window. She wasn't actively looking for a place like that at all, to start with; but once discovered, Omega couldn't think about anything else.

It's not just tattoos that the artist makes; but she draws and paints on every single surface imaginable too. Omega has seen a long line of clients bringing her all sort of pieces for her to decorate, to give some life to; house accesories, jewelry, books, speeders... Everything is a canvas for her. Omega's favourite one was probably a landscape design painted in a beautiful modern style on the back of a datapad.

She's got talent, the young woman that works with his collague in the shop. While she does the main art, her co-worker seems to take care of supplies and management. He helps with purely ink-on-skin jobs too. They're both not human, though they're not too far off anatomically speaking. They're definitely on the humanoid range; just small variations to their features and a whole different set of colour palette. Omega wonders if they came to Ord Mantell together from their native planet or if their encounter here was a mere coincidence. She's always curious; even about strangers that have nothing to do with her.

Their skin has a natural faint purplish tint, and they have big eyes with a pronounced double circled iris –the inner layer a darker lilac colour, the outer one a vibrant gold– and washed-out white marks on their neck and face. She has short purple hair, barely grazing her chin, and always wears six or more small braids that sometimes join together in beautiful ways. A bunch of earings hang of each of her slightly pointed ears; and tattoos roam all over her arms and the sides of her neck. She has two small ones on one cheek as well; black figures and dots Omega's not sure if they hold meaning or not. His co-worker looks and dresses in a similar way; comfortable cargo pants with military-like boots, a red T-shirt and black vest. They both look so cool Omega hasn't grown tired of staring at them yet.

The young teenager half skips happily to the parlour; a replica of Echo's prosthetics inside the bag hanging heavily on her shoulder. She had asked Tech to build them a week and a half ago; explaining her idea to the goggled clone and inmediately achieving his aproval. Tech had told her it was a very considerate and original gift. He had jumped at the challenge of building a copy of Echo's three main prosthetics –his scomp, and both of his cybernetic legs– in record time and without any of the others noticing it. Well, except Hunter, who had obviously heard his quiet screwing in the middle of the night and had quickly been informed of the plan.

Omega radiated energy when she opened the door to the parlour. Her big eyes quickly found their way to the artist that would make her idea come true, and she walked towards the front desk with a spring to her step.

"Hi! I love your work, and I'd like you to draw a bunch of stuff for me, please" she blurted out, her enthusiastic innocent voice inmediately catching the attention of the humanoid.

The artist tilted her head to the side, examining the young girl up and down. The new comer looked to be around thirteen or so; a shock of beautiful blond hair complementing her tanned skin. Her purplish-golden eyes sparkled with curiosity and humour.

"You're a bit young to get your skin inked, kid" she answered with a small chuckle. "Luckyly for you I don't really have an age minimum 'round here. Don't come crying next week when you change your mind, though. Erasing is always a torture, and a loss of my time. You sure?"

Omega's eyes widenned comically. She laughed while shaking her head vigorously to the sides, one hand coming up in a clear sign of rejection.

"Oh, no! No. I don't want to get a tattoo!" she frowned, the posibility passing through her head a second later before she nochalantly shrugged it away. "At least not now. I actually brought you some pieces for you to customize? Like you did with some of your other clients?"

The woman chuckles at Omega's lively personality. She points at the heavy bag hanging of her shoulder.

"I'm assuming they're in there?" She guesses, and Omega quickly nods and carefully places the bag in the floor, opening it up for the artist to see.

The woman crouches down and curiously peers into it. She frowns in confussion, and one hand cautiously hovers over one of the pieces while she tries to make the shape of the pile of cramped metal in her head. She realises what the girl is carrying and tilts her head up to her with clear surprise in her face.

"Are these prosthetics?"

Omega nod's proudly.

"Yeah! My brother Tech managed to make an extra improved pair for Echo –he's my other brother– in no time and I wanted you to decorate them before I give them to him. He's had his own for a while now, but I know he's not fully comfortable with them yet, even if he tries not to show it. So I thought personalizing them a bit would make him feel like they're more him, you know?"

Omega waits for the womans aproval. Tech said it was a good idea, so it must be, right? Anyhow, she kinda wants the opinion of the artist herself too. She makes a living of this; of giving soul and personality to pieces that form a part of others lifes.

To her relief, the woman seems gladly surprised. She slowly takes out one of the leg prosthetics and turns it carefully in her hand, examining the surface and caressing it here and there in an almost distracted way.

"It sounds like a cool idea, kid" she hesitates, not wanting to be the one to break the young girl's heart. "But customizing such large complex pieces is pretty expensive, specially if you want to add specific details yourself. Do you have the money?"

Omega nods proudly and takes the credits out of her pocket. She shows them to her with a smile.

"Yup! I have been saving for weeks now. It's enough, right?"

Omega sees the expression on the artist face fall, and her eyes widen. She looks back and forth between the credits on her hands and the artist; knowing what's going on.

"Is it that much more expensive?" She asks, worried, nibbling on her lower lip, trying to think of a solution to it. "I-maybe I can ask Tech and Hunter for more, uh maybe Wrecker, or I can sell some stuff around and..."

The artist interrumpts her rumbling with a hand on her shoulder, standing up besides her.

"Look, sweetheart... I can't use all my current materials in this pieces for this price, but I must have some old stock somewhere in the back. Outdated stuff is much cheaper, and we can forget about my personal fee as well, so you won't have to pay the extra. Or my time of work. Just the pure old raw materials, that should cut the price drastically" she eyes her expectant expression and the hope in her big eyes and sighs, pulling up a smile. "You can give me what you want and we'll call it a deal, alright?"

"Really?" the blonde nearly squeals, knees bouncing up and down, and the artist's smile widens.

"Yeah. Take the pieces to the front desk and lay them out. Do you have a clear idea of what you want to do with them?"

Omega quickly follows and she inmediately grabs her datapad –one of Tech's old ones– and starts pulling up photos and ideas of designs she had been investigating these last few days. She turns the datapad to the woman and grins.

"I've got loads!"

The artist smiles in amusement and pats the chair next to her. Omega hops on it and tilts her face to her, expectantly. The humanoid nods and points at the datapad with a vague gesture.

"Okay. Let's hear it, then".

(•••)

Viana didn't make a habit of being underpayed. Every inch of the fee for her job was perfectly detailed and taken into consideration; materials, time, number of details, backgrounds, how large was the piece, if it required a special varnish to seal the art, colours, layers... It wasn't the same customizing a watch with barely more than the first letter of someone's name than to decorate someone's speeder; so her prices really varied depending on each request.

The girl's –Omega, she had after learned– story had moved her enough to do a little favor for her. Just an exception to her usual strict rules. The blonde had showed her several images on her datapad –pointing out his brother Tech had runned a check up on her and decided she could be trusted with said information– and the woman had quickly put two plus two together. Those guys were clones, and not the ones that followed the laws of the Empire. These were guys that still remember what was honour, respect, doing the right thing. Viana still remembered how Rak and her had been able to escape their home planet with their help.

Truth is the saasra has always admired them. They were great soldiers, great men; and she had come from a tribe of warriors herself. She had long left those years behind; but she still payed attention to the same things. Plus, Echo's particular story was something else. Omega hadn't really gotten into details; just quickly passing of a coment on how he had been gravely injured in battle and how his body looked like now. Viana had read into the images shown before said change; the proud posture of the ARC trooper surrounded by his brothers and friends. She couldn't imagine what he had been forced to push through; not only accepting his own new body, but coping with the loss of so many dear people too.

She hand't been able to think on anything else after Omega left her workshop. The feeling of a new exciting project surged within her, ideas and splashes of colours and shapes constantly popping in her mind. Viana knew she wouldn't be able to sleep that night unless she started with this unusual project; so she had begun with the initial designs.

She always follows the same process. She draws a lazy sketch; absolutely everything she thinks could go well with the piece. Then she picks them out; re-doing them in better shapes and lines on a new datapad canvas. Once that is done, she meassures the original piece and replicates the dimensions on her app; moving her figures and details and overlapping them in layers so everything is taken to it's destined spot. She plays with colours and details –nothing too specific– in her datapad too; and then she moves onto the real piece. She draws the final selected sketch on it and then it's all a matter of colours and definition; swirls and micro-details. It's her favourite part; watching her ideas finally take life. Making dull pieces stand out.

Three days after Omega's arrival on her parlour, Viana has already drawn the main sketches out. She wanted to personalize everything to the detail, like Omega had requested; every inch of the former soldier's cybernetics was perfectly planned out. Though Omega would probably like something vibrant and jazzy best, the saasra knew it had to be something discreet enough so it wouldn't interfere with Echo's posible future misions. Viana didn't exactly knew what they did for a living, or what the future held for them; but she could get an idea. Times were difficult now, dangerous. She couldn't make the prosthetics striking enough to catch people's attention. It had to be somewhat subtle.

With that main reason in mind, she had designed a background of greys, blacks and reds for all of the three pieces in her hands. The lines parted separetly on the top of the scomp prosthetic before travelling down and crossing each other and swirling at the end; joining together in a splash of dark red. The same went for the legs; full opalascent black for were the top part attached to real skin and slowly switching to a gradient grey as they went down to the feet. Small streaks of dark red also swirled around each other as they went; almost following the shapes of human muscles in soft and precises curves. Not wanting them to look too perfectly made –he was a soldier, after all, not an inmaculate coruscanti model– she added some groundge details too; smearing some black and grey paint together here and there without any particular shape, and with her metalic sharp brushes, simulating scratches and dips on the surface.

Once that was out of the way –she had chosen those reds, greys and blacks to match the rest of the clone's armour by Omega's pictures– she followed with the small details. Viana had given it much thought. She wanted the prosthetics to really feel part of Echo, as Omega had in mind too. She wanted to give him something with which he could feel like himself. That right after he tried them on, he'd feel more confident and reassured. And not just because it was a –poorly– payed comissioned job.

Viana decided on a mix of what seemed to be the clone's most important aspects of his life. Omega had more or less explained parts of his life to her, so she could understand what to work with. Viana knew she needed to include five main pieces of Echo's life in these; the Jedi, Clone Force 99 –Omega's brothers, herself included now–, Captain Rex, the Domino Squad, and his twin Fives.

For the Jedi, Viana drew tiny light-sabers on the edges of each prothesis that at first glance looked like a line of simple stiches. She couldn't plant something on the surfaced that screamed "hey, Empire, right here, i'm your enemy" after all, so it was an unasumming little thing. No-one would find out unless they specifically looked for it. Hell, Echo might not even realise it himself.

For Clone Force 99, she designs four washed-out white skulls to compliment the one already etched on the top left of his chest plate. She adds a very carefully hand-drawn detail for each one, so it represents the rest of the members of the squad; one skull crossed by a delicate black bow, another with a stripe across the head for the long-haired clone's bandana, one with the crosshair on the right eye and the last one with a myriad of scars coming from the left side of the skull and ending on the left.

She adds a splash of a hand print for Captain Rex around the prothesis holding the scomp. The blue sticks up too much with the rest of the colour pattern, though, even if its a dark shade with some black in between; so Viana adds some minor swirls and slashes of the same tone here and there.

Following Omega's idea, she draws five small domino's in black and grey around one of the cybernetic's ankles; tying them up to each other with a thin line of scarlet red. A black five is a perfect replica of one of Omega's pictures on the other ankle; red and greys and blues swirling around the number as if trying to cling to it.

Viana gives a few extra last touches and examines the three pieces in front of her. Satisfied and proud, she gives them a final varnish so they hold all kind of atmospheric adversities; and two weeks after Omega's request, the woman has her art ready to be send on it's way.

(•••)

Viana makes her way to where Omega told her their ship would be docked with her request carefully placed inside a box with the parlour's purple logo. It's heavy, but not as much as she first imagine the prothesis would be; she's able to carry them without much effort til she's standing right in front of the Marauder –Omega's home–.

She examines the external appearence of the ship with intrigue. Omega's a bubbly thing, and she couldn't stop talking in excitement when she visited her workplace. Viana had half-listened distractedly while she pulled out basic designs and drew quick sketches for the blonde to sway in one direction or the other. By the way her eyes filled with warmth and her smile widened while talking of this ship, the saarsa knew it wasn't just a ship for them at all.

There's two men standing on the outside, one crouched down while examining something with a pack of wrenchers and tools by his side; the other observing with his arms crossed. After spending a few hours of the last two weeks staring at Omega's pics, they're easily recognizable; the one with the long hair and red bandana is obviously Hunter, while the one doing the repairs is Tech. She can't see the other two –Wrecker and Echo himself– so she asumes they're either inside or somewhere else in Ord Mantell.

Hunter's eyes flicker around his surroudings before they land on her. It's like he noticed someone staring; she wondered if she had been doing that with too much intensity. To show she's not a threat –this guy is clearly ready and alert– she shows a small gentle smile and hesitantly takes a step towards them.

"Can we help you?" Hunter asks, frowning unconsciously, his stance widening slightly while turning towards her.

Tech glances up and his eyes quickly roams over the newcomer's appearance, quickly drawing the right conclusions by the expresion on his face.

"Oh! You must be the artist from Omega's most recent quest" he nods as a way of hello, standing up and adjusting the right lense of his goggles before continuing talking with her. "I asume that you bring the final results?"

Viana nods and brings the box in her hands up as a demonstration. Hunter relaxes and Tech nods, curiously walking towards her.

"May I have a look?"

They're really polite, and really handsome too. Most clones are, of course. It's no wonder people used to like going to clone's pubs before.

"Sure" Viana answers, her mere observation not making her shy away in the slightest.

She patiently waits while Tech lifts the lid of the box up and takes a peak inside. Hunter can't hold back his curiosity either and follows him. They both stay silent for so long that Viana starts to feel a bit nervous and hesitant about her work.

"Is it... Is it what Omega hoped for?"

She's usually very confident about herself; but Echo's situation is delicate, and the details she has added in the cybernetics, albeit by Omega's request, are too personal for a stranger to play with. She hopes she hasn't overstepped.

"It exceeds my expectations, in fact" points out Tech, to her inmediate relief. "And I am sure Omega's as well. I'm particularly surprised at how detailed and lively this are without drawing too much attention to it, nothing too vibrant or extravagant. It should work perfectly well with our kind of lifestyle. Congratulations are in order, I believe".

Tech has a weird way of speaking; Viana's lips almost tugging upwards in another smile. She feels proud and happy at his observarions, though; and Hunter thinks the same as well by his firm grateful nod.

"Thank you for doing this" the latest says, his voice slightly rougher than the average clone but equally gentle. "I know for a fact Omega doesn't have enough credits to pay for this. She can be very persuasive, I should know. We can pay you a bit extra ourselves".

The offer is tempting, and Viana has spent a lof of her free time doing this; but she wouldn't feel good if she took the credits in. She feels this project has been made personal –there's always one of those once in a while– and she just feels lucky and proud to have produced such an important piece. It's obvious these guys don't have much themselves considering they don't even have a proper house; and she's sure they've already been through a lot. A bit of generosity and genuine compassion wouldn't hurt them.

"Save it for your family" she answers, then. "It has been a fun experience for me. Plus, I'm glad I'm able to do something for you lot".

Hunter watches her in surprise. They're different enough from the original clone templates that people don't usually associate them with clones, specially with a kid by their side; furthermore, they don't usually find people grateful for their service anymore.

Viana smiles.

"I'm native from Saar" she explains, and Hunter inmediately recognises the planet's name. "I remember".

A heavy silence falls between the three of them. Saar was completely destroyed by the Separatists back then; the army of warriors ruled by King Jarelan refusing to lay down their weapons after their monarch's death. They had called for the Republic's help; and two battalions of clones had been sent to them. They hand't been enough to save the planet form the separatist wrath; but they had saved uncountable lives, and the saarsa's had been able to relocate in another planet with the help of the Senate.

In that moment, someone walks down the Marauder towards them. Viana's attention is quickly snapped to the new presence; inmediately recognising the soldier in front of her. He frowns in confussion at the stranger talking with his brothers; but Echo quickly asumes she's just another woman swayed by Hunter's –or maybe Tech's– appeal and doesn't pay her too much attention while he turns to him.

"Hey, Sarge, I'm gonna go replenish our suplies now" he notifies, feeling a bit restless under the stranger's attentive purple and gold eyes. "Com's open, if you need something. Be back in a few".

Hunter nods, gives a small worded agreement and Echo's eyes glance one last time at the woman before walking away. Viana is sure he has some body issues like Omega explained; but right now he looks so confident and handsome –every bit of the perfect soldier– that the saarsa can't help but feel intrigued and attracted to him.

"Always this interested in your clients?" Hunter quietly asks, amused.

Viana tears his eyes from Echo's retreating figure and laughs.

"Not usually, no" she answers calmly, unashamed of being caught by them. "But you can learn a lot about a person from customising their things. And I had a lot of pics and details from him from that blonde girl of yours."

"So you are interested in him, then?" Tech pops in, and Viana shrugs while a telling smile makes her way on her face.

"He's hot, isn't he?" she places the box in Tech's hands, and decides it's time to return to her shop. "Tell Omega I said hi."

Hunter hums thoughtfully while watching her leave.

(•••)

Echo makes his way to the tattoo parlour with a mess of emotions twirling inside his mind. He couldn't even describe what he first felt when he opened Omega's present and his eyes landed on a new customized set of prosthetics; couldn't explain how it felt trying them on. Every swirl of paint, every line and detail... It was all him, the batch's reds and greys and Legion's 501 blue's; the brave people he had sworn to serve and his two families etched on his second skin now, both Force Clone 99 with each of their distinctives, and his Domino brothers. And Fives. Oh, Fives. He would have thought his prosthetics to be the coolest shit ever if he had been there to see him.

Echo had always had a tough time getting used to his cybernetics. He had been forced to accept them pretty quickly, mind you –inmediately jumping back to the fight in Anaxes and after that–; but there had always been a residual disgust and sense of inedequancy in the silence of his mind, after all was set and done. Suddenly half droid, it had been difficult to adjust; even if his new abilities were actually valuable to the team now. This prosthetics, on the other hand... They carried so much meaning. They hold little parts of his story, of his people; and he had felt inmediately conected to them. Echo opened the doors of the shop with a mess on his mind but feeling confident in his steps like never before.

His eyes inmediately found the stranger from the day before and he aproached her in contemplative silence. She was working on something, eyes stuck to her datapad and one of those tech-pencils on her right hand; brow furrowed and lips pursed in concentration.

"We're not taking any more clients for today" she barely mumbled, without taking a glance at the newcomer. "Come back tomorrow, please".

Echo studied her. She resembled a human, but she was undeniably different; her skin a faint purple and her eyes shining brightly even when pointed down at her datapad. His eyes wondered over each mark on her face.

"I just wanted to personally thank you" he voiced, patiently. "You did a great job with these".

She took a fleeting glance at him, nodding distractedly; inmediately abandoning her current sketch when she recognised who he was and straightening in her chair.

"Echo!" she exclaimed, surprised. He gave her a small nod and smile, and tried to stay still while her bright eyes roamed over him.

She hummed appreciately and showed him a wonderfull grin.

"You make a good-looking canvas, soldier".

Echo chuckles, left hand shyly travelling to the back of his neck, and pulls a smile as well.

Gathering up his courage, he tilts his head.

"Fancy going out for a drink, now that your closing the shop?"

Viana is momentarily stunned; but she melts and quickly nods, eager. Hunter and Tech must have pointed out her interest to him; but she doesn't really care. Echo is hot –undeniably so wearing her work–and she hasn't got any other plans for tonight.

"Give me five to close this up and we'll go" she asks.

Echo is surprised –and at the same time, relieved– at how easily all of this is; and waits patiently for Viana to finish her sketch and lock the doors. They walk to none other than Cid's salon chatting with each other and stealing glances along the way.

Maybe he can have some luck after all.

THE END.

---------------------

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

DAMN, THAT WAS A LONG ONE! I FELT SO INSPIREEEED. I'M HAPPY WITH WHAT CAME OUT. DID YOU LIKE IT TOO? LET ME KNOW! HELPS ME STAY MOTIVATED TO CONTINUE WRITING : )

REBLOG IF YOU CAN!

REQUEST/PROMPTS OPENED. WHAT WOULD U LIKE TO READ NEXT?

MORE CLONE WARS & ARCANE CONTENT COMING!

Xx,

Sky.

12 notes · View notes

thruheavenandhighwater · 1 year

Text

Pairing: Eddie Munson/ Reader

Requested By: NA

Word Count: 6,676

Summary: When Corroded Coffin finally starts to make a name for themselves, you couldn't be more proud. Your boyfriend and his best friends dreams are coming true. But that doesn't stop the ache in your chest when he has to leave for weeks to go on tour.

Stranger Things Masterlist

Eddie Munson Masterlist

Based loosely on the song Carrying Your Love With Me by George Strait. I also haven't posted anything in a few weeks since I've gotten to be super critical of my own work so please be nice to me.

~~~~~

You knew this day was going to come eventually. Corroded Coffin had been slowly gaining traction for the past few years. You weren't sure when or how it happened, really. All you knew was that all of the sudden a few more people than normal started showing up to The Hideout on Tuesday nights. After a few months of steadily growing crowds management moved them to Thursdays. When they did even better on Thursdays, they were moved to Saturday nights. The "big leagues" as Eddie called their new slot.

And those boys kicked ass every single week. You loved watching them on stage. The way they controlled the crowd, pouring every ounce of themselves into their sets. They were magical to watch.

Then, eight months ago they'd been offered a contract by a small label out of Chicago. An honest to God record contract. You'd been so proud of Eddie when he told you. He was sweaty, having just gotten off stage but you hugged him tightly and kissed him deeply, hoping these would convey how you felt after words didn't seem to be enough.

You were proud of all of them. Your boys. After spending years being the only person who actually showed up to watch them, it was nice to see more people coming back week after week. You'd even started selling t-shirts for them at the back of the small dive bar after Andy had floated the idea.

Two weeks later Corroded Coffin was in a studio in Indianapolis recording their first EP. "Baby, I wish you were here," Eddie sighed into the phone when he'd called you from the hotel his first night away. "God, I miss you. And Bill snores like a goddamn chainsaw."

"You'll be back the day after tomorrow," you reminded him.

"I could just come home tonight. I can't sleep without you."

"You got gas money for all that driving?"

"No," he whined. You heard fabric rustling on the other end as he rolled over in his bed. "But… I just-"

"I miss you, too." You whispered, not trusting your voice not to break if you spoke louder. "The bed feels too big."

He laughed quietly, but it sounded forced. Faked for your benefit. "I definitely don't have that problem. Cheap fuckers only got us one room and Paul is an even worse bed hog than you, if you can believe it."

"He better not be a better cuddler," you giggled. "I'll beat his scrawny ass."

"Now, now, sweetheart, I can't have you threatening my bassist before he records his parts." You could hear the smile in his voice. "Even if he does play with my hair and call me snookums."

"Shut the fuck up, Munson!" You heard Paul on the other end. Eddie's laugh filled your ears. You felt your chest tighten at the familiar sound. You really did miss him more than you thought you would.

"Oh, come on, pookie," Eddie teased. "Don't get shy on me now just 'cause I got your competition on the phone."

"They can have you." Paul grumbled. "And newsflash, Romeo, some of us are trying to sleep."

The line was quiet for a moment, all of the joking suddenly gone. "I'm sorry, babe," Eddie sighed.

"No, he's right." You told him as a bubble of emotion grew painfully in your chest. "Get some sleep, rockstar."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"I'll call tomorrow?" He asked almost expectantly.

"I'll be waiting." You answered, already wishing it was tomorrow. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

And suddenly the line was dead. The click followed by the loud dial tone almost enough to shatter you entirely. You ended up sleeping on the couch both nights Eddie was gone. The bed was too big for just you, after all.

But the most exciting news had come just after the winter snow started to melt. It was still cold, but the occasional 35° day felt like a gift from the heavens when they happened. You were bundled up on the couch, a blanket that Uncle Wayne had gifted you for Christmas a few months before wrapped tightly around your shoulders when Eddie burst in the front door like a raging bull.

"Baby!" He squealed excitedly as he closed the door behind him. "It's happening! It's really fuckin' happening!"

"Jesus Christ!" You yelled, your hand flying to your chest as your heart threatened to beat clean through the skin. "What is happening?"

"We're goin' on tour!" He yelled, clapping his hands. "We're gonna be, like, a real fuckin' band now."

"Eddie!" You cried out as you stood from the couch, the blanket dropping lazily behind you. You threw your arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss as his hands wrapped around your waist. "I'm so fucking proud of you, baby." You told him before kissing him again. "My little rockstar."

You'd spend the next ten weeks excitedly helping Eddie and the guys prepare for tour. It was a short stint, just a few weeks as an opener on the Midwest leg of some bands world tour. But they were over the moon about the opportunity to be on a real stage. And you couldn't have been happier for them. This was their dream finally coming true right in front of your eyes.

And since it was their dream you never even thought to tell Eddie how badly you didn't want him to go. You didn't want him to be gone for 19 days and 18 nights. It was selfish and you knew that. That's why you kept your mouth shut, encouraging them and helping Eddie decide which shirts to take instead.

Now, it was just two days before he'd be leaving. The record label had rented a van for the band. It was small, but it got the job done. It had been decided that each person could only bring one bag, otherwise there would be no space for their equipment. Eddie had borrowed an old, beat up leather bag from his uncle and you were currently pulling all of his freshly washed laundry from the dryer. You folded each of his shirts as you pulled them from the dryer.

They were still warm as you held each of them in your hands. Each one carried a memory with it. The Iron Maiden shirt he'd worn on your first real date. The Metallica shirt you'd gotten him for his birthday two years ago. The KISS shirt that he had lent you to wear to bed the first night you stayed at his house, when he was still living with his uncle.

Sharp tears pricked painfully at your eyes as you held a Dio shirt to your chest. You took a deep breath to compose yourself. You didn't need to be getting tears all over his clothes. But you couldn't help it. He was going to be gone and you'd miss him. The two nights you'd had to spend on the couch were bad, but this was going to be so much worse.

"Got some new socks," Eddie suddenly called from your living room. You hadn't even heard the door open, too wrapped up in your emotions. As quickly and quietly as possible you sniffled and wiped your eyes with your hands to hide the fact that you'd been crying.

But Eddie knew you. After this many years together, it shouldn't surprise you. As soon as he rounded the corner and saw you standing in front of the dryer, he knew. He stepped towards you, setting the pack of white socks on top of the dryer behind you as he pulled you to his chest. One arm wrapped around you while he cradled your head in his other hand.

"Sshhh, baby," he cooed. His hand began to gently rub your back as he held you. You wrapped your arms around him, balling your hands into fists at the back of his shirt. "It's gonna be okay. I'm not leavin' forever."

"Long enough." You whimpered into his chest.

"I know, sweetheart." He whispered before planting a kiss on your hair. "I'm sorry."

Your heart fell to your knees. He shouldn't be sorry. You knew this was his dream when you met him. You knew it the first time you'd watched him play. This band was too good to stay in Hawkins forever. And you knew that.

"Oh, man," you said with a smile as you pulled away. "Who knew I was such a crybaby, huh?" You pulled your arms from around his torso and wiped your eyes.

"Dude, I cried in the car in front of Melvalds!" A laugh fell from your lips before you could stop fresh tears from falling. "This is gonna suck, huh?" He asked, his palm meeting your tear stained cheek.

"Sure is," you agree with a forced smile.

By the time Eddie had finished packing a few hours later, the brown leather bag sat barely half full on your bed. "So you do have room for more than one pair of jeans!" You said as you picked up a faded pair of Wranglers from the laundry basket.

"I don't need anymore jeans!" He whined from where he was leaning against your dresser.

"You only packed one pair."

"Plus the ones I'll be wearing when we leave!"

"That's gross." You told him flatly as you finished folding the jeans and tucked them into the bag.

"I'm sure we'll be able to wash our clothes," he smiled. "That's just taking up extra space."

"You better!" You said, turning to face him. "If you bring this thing home smelling like dirty balls and van nachos I'm gonna throw all of it away."

"You'd never," he teased, fake hurt written across his smiling face.

"Try me," you told him, crossing your arms over your chest.

And now you stood in you front lawn, barely holding back tears while Eddie loaded his guitar case into the back of the van. The old, beat up bag felt like a boulder as you gripped the frayed handle in both hands. He was downright giddy as he slid the sleek black case into place. You wanted to be excited for him, you really did. But all you could think about was how much you'd miss him.

"Oh, honey," he whispered as he pulled the bag from your hands, handing it off to Bill to put into the van. "C'mere, sweet thing."

He pulled you to his chest. It was almost too tight, but you didn't care. You wanted to be as close to him as possible before he was three states away. It surprised both of you that you were able to contain your tears while you stood there. You knew the guys were watching you, probably going to make fun of Eddie for being so soft after they pulled away. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was commiting Eddie to memory as fully as possible.

"I'll call tonight?" He whispered into your hair.

"When?"

"Probably after we play," he sighed. "Don't know if I'll have time before."

"Yeah," you sniffled into his shirt.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

He pulled away from you slightly, his arms still around your shoulders as he looked down to you. He kissed you, sweet and hard, like he needed your lips on his to live. And you loved it. Knowing that he hated this moment as much as you did made you feel just a bit less selfish about it. He broke the kiss, smiling at you before his lips were suddenly on your forehead. You heard him inhale deeply through his nose as his hand found the back of your head, pressing his lips even deeper into the kiss.

"Be good," he whispered when his lips left your skin.

"No," you sniffled, smiling at him.

He giggled, high pitched but almost sad as he finally pulled his hands away from you. Shaking his head he took a few small, cautious steps away from you.

"Eddie, dude!" Andy called from the driver side window. "We gotta goooo!" He yelled, drawing out the last word. Eddie rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed that Andy didn't seem to understand how difficult this was for the two of you. He leaned forward, his hand catching your arm as his lips fell to your cheek.

And then he was gone. You waved, plastering a fake grin across your face as you watched the van drive down the street. You already missed him. You finally let your tears fall once you watched the van turn a corner and it finally felt real. He was really gone.

The bed was too big again as you tucked yourself into the blankets. The blankets that smelled like cigarettes and cheap soap. Like Eddie. You grabbed his pillow without thinking, holding it desperately to your chest as you cried silently. He was still in city limits, but your heart missed him like he was on the moon.

When you woke up a few hours later your head hurt and the bed felt cold. You sighed as you placed Eddie's pillow back in its spot next to yours.

You walked into the living room, checking the time on a clock on the wall. Quarter to three. It would be hours before Eddie would be able to call you. You decided to make yourself busy while you waited so that your brain wouldn't eat itself alive with worry.

You suddenly hated how clean you kept the house. By the time you'd done the dishes, folded the laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and vacuumed the entire house it was barely 5 o'clock. Still a few more hours until you'd hear from Eddie.

You wrapped a blanket around your shoulders and bunkered down on the couch after putting some mind numbing tv show on. You weren't watching it. You just needed the noise. Something to occupy the part in your brain that wanted to just cry and cry until Eddie was back in your arms.

The sudden, shrill ring of the phone woke you from where you'd started to fall asleep on the couch. You jumped up, the blanket forgotten in your path as you ran to the phone.

"Hello?" You answered eagerly. You held the phone so tightly in your hands that your fingers almost hurt.

"Hey, sweetheart," His voice was angelic in your ears. You almost started crying on the spot, so happy to hear it. You let out a breath you felt like you'd been holding all day. Leaning against the counter, you felt your shoulders relax for the first time since he drove away.

"Hi, baby," you sighed. "How was the show?"

"Fuckin' incredible." He sounded so happy that it made you feel guilty for how badly you wanted him to come home. "There was so many people. Probably more than when we saw Sabbath last summer in Indy. And seeing all those people from the stage was trippy." He laughed.

"I'm so damn proud of you," you told him. And you meant it. Even if you missed him so bad it made your head hurt, you were proud of him.

"Thanks, babe. I can't wait for you to see us up there."

"18 days," you told him, a pang in your chest. "I miss you already."

"Miss you, too." He admitted, his voice quieting. "D'ya see my present?"

"What present?"

"I left it on the dresser!" He told you excitedly. "It's nothing, really, just-" you didn't hear the rest of his sentence. You'd set the phone down and jogged down the hallway to your bedroom. When you reached the dresser you didn't see anything at first. Your perfume, a few lighters, some tapes stacked in the corner. But then you saw it and your heart swelled in your chest. His necklace. His guitar pick necklace.

He'd made it from the pick he used the first night you saw Corroded Coffin play at The Hideout, using a safety pin that he'd heated over the flame of his zippo to poke a hole in the thin plastic. He told you it was special, a good luck charm. He claimed it was this magic little pick that had brought you to the show, and definitely not his incessant nagging for a week prior. He'd never taken it off in all these years. But here it sat on top of your dresser.

You smiled as you walked back to the phone, clasping the simple chain around your neck as you walked. The chain was longer than you'd normally wear, the pick coming to rest in the middle of your chest.

"-ello? Hello? You there?" Eddie sounded worried when you picked up the phone from the counter.

"I'm here," you smiled into the phone, your hand tightly wrapped around the necklace. "But what are you gonna do without your good luck charm?"

He chuckled, a sound you could listen to forever. "Don't you worry, sweetheart. I got something even better."

"What?"

"I'll tell ya when I see ya in Indy."

"18 days," you repeated.

"18 days."

You hung up shortly after that, Eddie saying that Bill was finally out of the shower and he was not gonna miss his turn at the hot water. After hanging up the phone you felt much better than you had all day. Eddie promised to call every night after his set, which put your mind at ease knowing that he never broke a promise. He'd also made dramatic kissy noises into the phone, which pulled a real honest to God laugh from you. Even miles and miles away the boy knew how to cheer you up.

It was five days into his absence when the very bad, super crappy day happened. First, you burned yourself on the coffee pot. Then you couldn't find the one specific shirt you wanted to wear to work. Searching for it made you late to work. The sandwich you'd gotten from the deli for lunch was wrong. And finally, you'd stepped in a mud puddle on your way into your house and one of your white work sneakers was now stained and soaking wet.

You needed Eddie's call that night more than ever. You looked forward to it from the moment you stepped inside from work even though you knew you had a few hours to wait. You just needed to hear his voice. You needed him to call you babe in that way that he does and tell you that he loves you. You just needed him.

The phone rang while you were cleaning up from dinner. You slammed the refrigerator door closed, not even finishing putting the Tupperware bowls in it.

"Eddie?" You asked.

"The one and only," he giggled. You could see the smirk on his face. You missed that smirk.

"Today has been, like, the worst day ever." You sighed.

"What happened?"

And you told him everything. Unloading all of your issues from the day into him while he just listened, occasionally making affirming noises from the other end of the phone. "And now I've got my shoe soaking in the sink hoping it magically turns white again."

"Could always dip the other shoe in the mud puddle." Eddie suggested.

"God, it's a good thing you're pretty, Munson." You laughed. You truly appreciated how easily he could turn your mood around. He was special. Almost magical in his ability to save even the worst days.

"There ya are," he said sweetly. "Missed that laugh today."

"I need a hug," you sighed. "And a drink, but mostly a hug."

"Promise I'll hug ya extra tight in Indy."

"14 days." You said quietly, looking at the calendar that hung in the kitchen. As soon as Eddie found out that the Indianapolis show would be the last one Corroded Coffin would play it was circled in every color pen the two of you could find.

You couldn't help but count the days. You counted hours, really. Hours until Eddie would call. Hours until 2 pm on the 19th. Hours until you could see your favorite person again.

"Two weeks," Eddie said suddenly, pulling your attention. "I can't decide which sounds worse. 14 days or two weeks."

"They both suck," you chuckled.

"You're going to bed soon, yeah?" He asked.

"Gonna shower when we hang up, then try to sleep." You answered. "Same as every night. Why?"

"Because when you go to sleep it'll be basically tomorrow and then it will only be 13 days."

"Ever the optimist," you smiled. You really did appreciate that he was trying to help. It wasn't his fault that you'd had a bad day. But your heart yearned for him, and the fact that he wasn't within arms reach was unbearable.

You talked for a bit longer. Eddie told you all about the night's show, even though it was exactly the same as every other night. But you didn't mind. You'd listen to him read the white pages in pig latin if it meant keeping him in the phone for just a few extra moments.

When you yawned into the phone he suddenly halted his story. "Bed time?" He asked.

"Not yet," you yawned again.

"Sweetheart, you're fallin' asleep on me here," he giggled.

"Not yet," you repeated. "I'm not ready to say goodbye yet." Your voice caught in your throat as tears suddenly threatened to fall.

"Okay, baby," he said. "Not yet."

You insisted that he finish his story. It ended the same as it always did. But you just needed to hear him. Hear his voice. His sighs, his chuckles, his soft whispers. You needed to hear him.

When he ended his story with the same line as always, "It was fuckin' incredible, baby." You begged for another tour story. Any story. But the yawn that interrupted your pleading gave you away.

"You're gonna hate yourself tomorrow if you don't get some sleep," he told you, gently but his voice was serious.

"I'm not ready," you whined.

"I know," he sighed. "How about I call tomorrow morning? Before you go to work?"

"You can do that?" You asked, maybe a bit too loudly.

He laughed and you felt your heart jump. "Course I can. We don't do anything all day until it's time for soundcheck."

"I would love that."

"Then I'll call in the morning. But right now you need sleep."

"Okay," you finally agreed. "I love you."

"I love you, too. More than I could ever say."

There was a pause. It was your turn. He always made you say it first. This had to be your choice.

"Goodnight, Eddie."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

There was just a moment of silence before you heard the familiar and heartbreaking click. Then the deafening dial tone. And he was gone.

You and Eddie quickly settled into a new routine. Morning phone calls before work, evening phone calls after his show. On the days that you didn't work you kept him on the phone for hours. You didn't even talk sometimes, just hearing him breathing brought a bit of normalcy to your life. It was nice. It was exactly what you needed. The extra calls made the days move by just a little quicker.

It was still agonizing having to sleep in your bed alone. He was insistent that eventually you'd get used to it. He joked that you'd make him sleep on the couch when he got back. But every night he wasn't there felt like an eternity. You even began to miss the way he'd aggressively grab your thighs when you were trying to sleep, tickling you just to annoy you. 11 nights in you decided that you'd never push his hand away again, no matter how much it tickled.

Finally, mercifully, the day came. Today was the day you were going to Indianapolis to see the show. Today was the day you'd get Eddie back.

During your morning phone call both of you were antsy and excited. Your eagerness was almost debilitating, causing you to nearly drop one of your favorite coffee mugs and knock over a stack of tapes in the bedroom as you danced around excitedly. But you didn't care about any of that. Today, instead of counting hours to phone calls, you were counting hours until you were back in his arms.

"God damn, I'm so ready for tonight," His voice was high pitched, almost giddy as you two made your plan for the evening.

You would drive to Indianapolis and he would meet you at the box office. His badge could get you in for free. Once there you'd hang out with him backstage until Corroded Coffin played. You hadn't decided yet if you wanted to stay for the rest of the show or head out immediately to the hotel after their set. "Let's play it by ear," he said.

You'd booked a room at a hotel. You made sure to get a completely different hotel from the one the rest of the band would be staying in. You wanted Eddie all to yourself tonight.

As you drove to the city you couldn't stop smiling. Your cheeks actually started to ache the closer you got. But you didn't mind at all. Aching cheeks was a lot better than an aching heart, or an aching head from crying too hard. This was a pain you could handle. A pain you almost liked, because it meant that all of your waiting was over.

You parked at the venue and all but ran to the box office. True to his word as always Eddie was standing inside the small building talking to the person taking tickets.

"This one's mine," he told the older lady behind the glass. You began to cry as you watched him open the door and walk outside. His arms were spread wide and you wasted no time burying your face into his chest. His familiar scent was intoxicating as you breathed him in deeply.

"I missed you," you said through tears. "I didn't know it was possible to miss someone this much."

His hands held you so tight to his chest that you wondered if it were possible for two people to actually become one. One hand tangled itself into your hair, holding your head in that soft, strong way he does. His other arm wrapped around your shoulders. All you could feel in that moment was Eddie. It was perfect.

He pulled away from you just enough to look down at you. His brown eyes sparkled like gems under the summer sun. His cheeks, sprinkled with dark brown stubble, dimpled as he smiled at you.

"Missed ya, babe," he whispered.

It was so nice to hear his voice again. Sure, you heard him on your phone calls. But this was different. You felt his chest rise and fall as you clung to him. You felt his breath against your hair as he pulled you to him. His lips on your temple, soft and strong. You finally felt whole again.

The two of you stood outside the box office for probably far too long. But you couldn't help it. You'd missed him so much that separating from this embrace for even a moment felt undoable. Eddie didn't seem to mind. He kept his arms around you, running his fingers through your hair while you reacquainted yourself with his presence.

It was only when other cars started showing up in the parking lot that Eddie suggested you go inside. You agreed, squeezing him tightly one last time. His arm stayed around your shoulders, now loosely draping around your neck as he turned to stand beside you. You both smiled at woman in the box office, Eddie flashing his badge as you walked through the turnstile.

"I'm so excited to see you guys play again," you told him as he led you through the front door of the venue.

"The Hideout got nothing on these stages, babe" he laughed. "You gonna be in the crowd or in the wings?"

"Not sure. Which is better?" You asked, reaching up to link your fingers with his that hung over your shoulder.

"Crowd, definitely." He answered. "You can even get right up front and center."

"Finally keeping you around for all these years is paying off." You teased.

He smiled, a chuckle falling from his lips just before his lips touched gently to your temple again. "'Bout damn time I'm good for something, huh?"

When you reached Corroded Coffin's dressing room you were immediately torn from beneath Eddie's arm by Paul.

"God, I'm glad you're here." He said, pulling you into a hug. "Your boyfriend's fuckin' annoying. How do you sleep in the same bed with him every night? You deserve a fuckin' medal."

"Right!?" You said dramatically, grabbing his shoulders as you pulled away from him just a bit. "Did he make you be the big spoon too?"

"No," Eddie laughed behind you. "I let Paul be the big spoon. He practically begged me."

"Can you take him home now?" Paul asked with a smile. "We really don't even need him for the show."

You laughed as you turned back to Eddie. He was trying to force a dramatic pout to his lips, but he just couldn't do it. His lips curled high onto his cheeks with a bright smile.

Bill and Andy greeted you with hugs, too. You missed all of them more than you had realized. It felt so right to be in a tiny dressing room with the guys.

You spent the next few hours on Eddie's lap on one of the faded black couches in the back room. Even though you'd heard all of their stories already you loved hearing them again. They were all so excited to tell you everything. You suspected that they had missed you just as much as you missed them.

A few minutes before the doors opened for the show you and Eddie made your exit from the group. He led you through hallways to a metal door and pushed it open. Suddenly it was just you and him in the middle of the large room. You walked hand in hand to the front center of the barricade. Eddie's hands held both of yours, his thumbs rubbing the backs of your hands softly.

"Ready to get your face rocked off?" He asked.

"Oh, hell yeah," you answered, pulling one hand from his. You tucked your ring and middle fingers under your thumb, leaving your pointer finger and pinky extended. Sticking your tongue out, baring your teeth, you brought your hand to your face.

"Goddamn it, you're so fucking cute." He gushed, bringing both his hands to your cheeks. Just as his lips crashed to yours you heard the loud noise of the venue doors opening. People started to file in, excitedly talking amongst themselves as they walked toward you. Eddie sighed before kissing your forehead softly. "I'm gonna have security pull you after our set, yeah?" He asked. You nodded silently, smiling to him before he removed his hands from your face and turned to walk away.

The guys were amazing. Eddie was right when he said that the shows you'd seen at The Hideout were nothing compared to this. They had actual lighting and a much better sound system than The Hideout could ever even hope to have. And the extra bodies in the crowd seemed to spur the band on, even if they weren't necessarily there to see them.

At more than one point in the show you caught each of the members watching you in the crowd. You were the only person that was screaming their lyrics back to them, so you were easy to find. Eddie had his big solo during the second to last song of the set. He always shined during his solo, but he was on fire tonight. As he hit the high final note of his solo he stretched his guitar out over the crowd, pulling a loud round of applause from you and everyone around you. He didn't seem to notice, his eyes firmly on you as he grinned down to you. Before he walked back to his microphone to the left of the stage he threw one hand up, two fingers extended and his tongue out just like you'd done earlier. You laughed, throwing your head back and bringing your hands to your chest.

Their set ended and the four men gathered at the front of the stage. They all took a quick bow, Andy raising his drumsticks in the air before they left stage in a single file. Eddie pointed at you and winked as he followed Bill across the stage.

A few moments later a large, tattooed security guard was walking toward you. When he reached you you leaned over the barricade, his lips just inches from your ear. He said your name, his voice lifting at the end in question. When you nodded he put his hands out to you. His hands went under your armpits while you braced yourself by placing your hands over his shoulders. You were impressed with how easily he lifted you over the barricade. Once you were on the other side he put his hand on your back, between your shoulder blades as he walked you towards the door you'd come through earlier.

Eddie was waiting on the other side, his million watt smile pasted to his face. As the door closed behind you he wrapped his arms around your thighs and lifted you off the ground. You wrapped your legs around his hips, your hands holding tightly to his shoulders as he spun the two of you in a circle.

You kissed him deeply as he held you. Your back hit a wall suddenly as Eddie kissed you back. "What'd ya think?" He asked breathlessly when he broke the kiss.

"You're a rockstar, baby." You beamed. "I'm so fucking proud of you." He kissed you once more before releasing his grip on your thighs, allowing your feet to hit the floor. "Can we leave? Or you gotta stay the whole time?"

"We can leave," he answered as he linked his fingers with yours. "Gotta help pack up first."

As soon as the heavy back door of the venue closed behind you Eddie pulled his cigarettes from the front pocket of his jeans. You watched as he placed one between his pillowy lips and lit it. He allowed the lit cigarette to dangle from his lips as he bent over to help Bill lift an amp into the back of the van.

It didn't take long for the guys to load up all their gear. Clearly the weeks of practice had paid off. Eddie left his heavy black guitar case propped against the side of the van, insisting he take it with him rather than trust his best friends with it. Once everything was loaded up he bid farewell to the guys as he grabbed the guitar case and his uncle's old leather bag.

"Ready?" He asked. There was no need for the question and he knew that, as he didn't even wait for your answer before leading you away from the rest of his band.

"Born ready, my love." You answered, falling into step beside him.

When you checked in at the hotel Eddie demanded he take a shower before he would touch you. "Trust me, this is for your benefit, sweetheart." He giggled as he closed the bathroom door behind him.

His leather bag was set next to the door. It was half zipped from where he'd sloppily pulled out a clean pair of boxers and a pair of black sweatpants. You barely glanced at it, not really paying it any mind. Until a flash of bright color caught your eye against the black of his clothes.

You stood from the bed and picked up the bag, placing it on a table. You slowly unzipped the bag. Your eyes grew wide as the item that had caught your eye came into view. It was your shirt. The shirt from the very bad super crappy day that you'd torn your house apart trying to find.

You pulled the shirt free from the bag. The bright, colorful stripes that ran across the chest so familiar. You had so many questions running through your mind as you held it. You heard the running water cut off, followed shortly by the bathroom door opening behind you.

"Feels good to be clean," Eddie giggled as you turned on your heels to face him. You still held the shirt in both hands, your eyebrows furrowed. Your lips parted to speak, but you lost your words. You didn't even know where to start.

Eddie's face bore the same look it had the night the two of you had gotten caught getting high at Starcourt when you were in highschool. He reached one hand toward you, his mouth opening as if to offer an explanation. Instead he simply shrugged as a sheepish smile came across his lips.

"Why do you have my shirt?" You finally asked.

"I took it." He answered plainly.

"You took it?"

"Yeah," he shrugged again. He took a few steps away from the bathroom, steam following him as he walked to sit on the edge of the bed.

"I've been looking for this for two weeks!" You cried as you shook the shirt in his direction.

"I didn't know that was the shirt!" He defended.

"Why'd you take it!" You weren't mad, though the volume of your voice might suggest otherwise. "This is one of my favorite shirts, Eddie!"

"That's why I took it!"

You sighed. Your hand that held your shirt fell to your side while the other ran through your hair. "You took my favorite shirt… Because it's my favorite shirt?" You asked as you pinched the bridge of your nose. "That doesn't make sense."

You opened your eyes to look at him when a chuckle fell from his smiling lips. "Made sense in the moment, babe," he said. "I just wanted to have a piece of you with me. I had it on my amp on stage every night. It's my new good luck charm."

Your demeanor softed at his confession. You knew that he'd missed you, but only now were you beginning to understand how much. You sat down beside him on the bed and reached one hand up to cup his cheek in your palm. His persona of confidence and control melted away as you slowly moved your hand to rake your fingernails through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Missed you, rockstar," you whispered.

Eddie closed his eyes and leaned into your touch. "You have no idea how much I missed you," he mumbled. You gently pulled him towards you, your lips touching his softly. The kiss was sweet, but needy as he opened his mouth, his tongue trailing your bottom lip lightly.

You moved to lie on your back, Eddie following to hover above you. His lips never left yours while he held his weight on his forearms on either side of your head.

"So glad you're here, babe," he mumbled into your neck before he began peppering wet, desperate open mouthed kisses to your jaw and neck.

"Me, too," you sighed. "Wish we were home, though."

He pulled away from you, lusty smirk on his lips. "There's no fuckin' way I can wait till tomorrow." He growled.

"Do you have any idea how many people have probably done it in this bed?" You asked with a giggle.

"Oh, no, sweetheart," he breathed, bring his lips to the curve of your ear. "I promise you this bed has never seen anything like this." You shivered beneath him as his hot breath fanned over your skin.

"Promise?"

You felt his smile against the goosebumps on your neck. His teeth grazed lightly against your collar bone.

"Promise," he answered, his voice muffled against your skin. "Gonna show ya how much I've missed you, darling."

~~~~~

I wrote this in August and have been sitting on it since. Idk if it's good or not, as I'm not a god judge. Like I said, I've become extremely critical of my own work over the last year. Either way, I hope you all enjoyed this!! I know I had fun writing this last year 🥰 Feedback is always appreciated!!

#eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fan fiction #Eddie Munson fanfiction #Eddie Munson fan fic #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fanfic #eddie munson/you #eddie munson/reader #Spotify

26 notes · View notes

lovelywooz · 1 year

Text

Boo Seungkwan - Night Walk

This is kind of a short open letter to him if I’m honest? I see so much of myself in Seungkwan. He’s a wonderful soul. One of my favorite people to have been born on this Earth. I’ve had something in my drafts about him for a while, but I wanted to wait to post it. Here it is now<3

Word Count: 743

Warnings: None, could be a little bit angsty? It’s short which I know takes some people out of the zone.

As you’ve gotten to know him, you and Seungkwan both see so much of yourselves in the other. You started going on nighttime walks about a month ago to let go of your deeply set stress together.

*******************************************************

Everything about Seungkwan is so tranquil. The way he holds your hand gently, but with a loving firmness. The way your pairs of feet make a tiny splash with each watery step on the park sidewalk. The way raindrops pitter-patter so effortlessly perfect you could be fooled into thinking its a studio recording.

You’ve each got one earbud in. The wired kind since Boo says that it’s ‘more intimate’ that way. Your left ear and his right ear both tune into the audiobook you’ve chosen for the night: Alice in Wonderland. It’s actually quite a long book and each chapter is about 45 minutes of blissfully calm narration. Both of you enjoy a little light ASMR here and there. You figured it’s good to start with the classics, since Boo said he’d never read most of them before and frankly it’s been a long time since you had either.

This little habit of yours, walking at night hand-in-hand while listening to an audiobook, has become an essential part of your relationship with Seungkwan. Though it’s only been a few months since you started dating, you’re not sure you ever truly lived without him.

He can see you’re stressed. You can see he’s stressed. And so the earbuds and umbrella come out and you’re out the door. This routine works to serve both of you. Sincerely you hope that you can bring him even half as much comfort as he gives you just being in his presence. His aura is like that of a blanket thats been warmed next to a roaring hearth. Even in the nighttime rain, you can still feel his burning heart through your connected palms. He’s the guy you wished- no, prayed was out there waiting for you.

Suddenly, he comes to a stop next to a large tree. He always looks around in peaceful silence, but he’s never outright stopped during one of your walks before. He speaks in a calm tone, still audible enough to be heard over both the rain and the narrator’s voice in your ear. “I used to walk here by myself a lot when I had thoughts to sort out”, he releases your hand and reaches his fingers out to trace them over the bark, “It makes me so happy that you like coming here too”.

“Any place with you next to me makes me happy” you chirp. A smile blooms across his features as he turns his head to look at you.

“I’m sorry that,” he hesitates, “that I don’t tell you enough. That I can never seem to show you or put into words how I’m feeling”. Knowing that you’re going to deny his words right away, he puts a finger to your lips. “Don’t go saying that it’s not true, because I know it is”. Despite what it seems like, Seungkwan doesn’t sound sad at all. His tone indicates more of a reflective mood than anything else, like he’s somehow collected all his thoughts and is ready to lay them out one-by-one. This is a rarity for him.

He continues, “Part of why I feel so drawn to you is that we are so similar. In some ways I love that we can instantly figure each other out, we know what the other needs without saying anything. It also makes me feel so bad for you at times, because I know how complicated you feel when you’re hurt. It’s hard when we choke up each time we’re asked how we’re doing. Because we honestly don’t know”.

His index finger reaches up from your lips to brush a strand of hair from your face. “When I look in your eyes, I see all the fondness I once begged for, the assurance that I need, a reflection of what I have always wished and hoped would come to me. It amazes me all the time that there is someone who just- gets it. That understands me. As if we’re bound by some cosmic force that I can’t see. Or cut from the same cloth”. He laces your fingers together once again. “I just have to say it, while I’m feeling brave, and I have you here in front of my eyes, I have to tell you what I’ve been feeling”.

The audiobook chapter ends, just in time for you to hear him clearly between the patter of the rain on your umbrella.

“I love you”.

#boo seungkwan #seungkwan #seungkwan fluff #seungkwan angst #seungkwan imagine #seungkwan drabble #seventeen #seventeen imagines #seventeen fluff #booseoksoon #seventeen drabbles

42 notes · View notes

lordeemailarchive · 1 year

Text

OUR SUN SETS — tour reflections edition

(28/03/2023) (Solar Institute Bulletin No. 21) (From Auckland)

She emerges! by Aleks Zaric

Hello darling friend, Whoaaaaah it’s been a minute since I wrote. Something died inside my laptop, and I’ve been putting off the repair for a few months (stubborn refusal to form a relationship with another bit of tech?), but the realisation that I was actively not doing my job due to not having one made me bite the bullet. How have you been??? Last time we spoke I was in South America, just about to turn twenty six, at the tail end of a big year of shows. Got off the plane in New Zealand and torpedoed straight into bed with a fevery cold, emerged a week later into the chaos of December, typically the start of the beautiful summer days here, instead that of several months of storms and humid rain. I wrote this, back then: “I’m playing this song my brother showed me, Mariella, over and over. It sounds like how I feel these days, soft with some pain, the voice of someone who’s touched a lot of beautiful things. This year has wrung me out. I’m a rag. I’m the t-shirts and underwear I hand-washed in so many hotel sinks. Christmas is a tall wave and I haven’t bought anyone gifts.” Always amused by the drama of the past self! Had some lush swims between the storms, cooked a lot of fish, set off on the Aus/NZ tour feeling relaxed and unwound.

Off grid bb.

A couple days ago, we played the last official sundial-and-eight-band-members show for Solar Power, the last of 70 shows in 20 countries (!!). I feel actual pride in myself, something that’s extremely hard for me to let myself feel, not just for completing it but for loving it, relaxing into it, feeling really open and free and not tight and fearful like tours past. I want to thank you for your part. I’ve always felt that pop music is a collaboration between artist and audience, that a pop song isn’t truly finished until listeners add their voices to it, and I think the same goes for your participation in the show. You show up and you sing every word, and all of our voices is what we all hear. At this stage in the piece I feel there are no casual fans, just people singing extremely loudly and clearly for 100+ minutes, and the commitment and generosity of this is not lost on me. The final show in Perth was an encapsulation of how special and right this tour has felt. We played at a beautiful grass and stone amphitheatre outside the city. I cried at soundcheck thanking the crew, overwhelmed by the love and care behind this group of people working so hard to get it right for me. At showtime the stars were clear and you could smell eucalyptus mixing with the smoke machine. We did the show for the last time looking over at one another and smiling, savouring all the last times we’d do things. I took my place for Royals and in the first flash of white light I saw a silk thread. In the next flash I followed the thread down to find a thick black spider, maybe an inch and a half long, two feet away from my eyes. I gasped and drew the microphone towards me, watched it slowly travel all the way back up the truss. Some kind of special omen.

Touring this record changed how I heard and saw the album — I wonder if you felt this too? — showed me that a work is constantly shifting and in progress, the definition changing all the time. Looking back yesterday at some of your pictures from the show, sourced by the very dedicated and special twitter account Lorde_fix, I realised that you give me the opportunity to see myself in states of power, glory, grace, sides of myself I don’t think I’d be able to access or see as clearly if not for these nights together.

Your pix I loveeeeee <333

I said onstage that night that making and touring this album has set so much right inside me, I truly think it’s bought me decades in this bizzzzniz, can’t wait to show you what I mean. I finish this chapter feeling for the first time not like I need to get away from the world but like I want to get deeper inside it, more countries, more flavours, more life. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Here’s a little Aus tour diary, by Aleks Zaric:

Moments after coming offstage in Perth

Levitating!

Makeup removal, and a scenario with MUNA that I cannot fucking explain -so special to have them join us on this run

11:52pm: standing on the stage in Sydney after you all went home.

So. Where to now? [REDACTED] I guess I’m not telling, not for a while. I’ll send you an update from time to time though, now that the laptop’s back online. Special books I’ve read recently: Notes by Eleanor Coppola My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley Getting Lost by Annie Ernaux Second Place by Rachel Cusk Life’s Work by David Milch Dinner With Lenny by Jonathan Cott Books I’ve ordered: Love Me Tender - Constance Debre The Nature Book - Tom Comitta Small Fires - Rebecca May Johnson Animal Joy - Nuar Alsadir Alma Mahler’s diaries The People’s Hospital - Ricardo Nuila Idra Novey - Take What You Need Gwendoline Riley - First Love Jenny Odell - Saving Time

Oh, I had a party in December and made a really nice punch based off a post I saw from Stissing House. I’m copying the loose/made-up recipe here, give it a try if you like! 1 cup gin 1/2 cup chartreuse 1 1/2 cup green tea 1/2 cup pineapple 3 cups soda water 1/2 cup citrus (lemon/grapefruit/lime) Lots of fresh mint Topped up with extra citrus as the night went on.

Leaving you with a beautiful bit of fan art, basically how I envisioned the SP universe, a fitting way to say — for the last time — serve the bees… wear sunscreen… thank you and goodniiiiiiiiight! I love you so much. Speak soon, from somewhere, E

PS. BONUS SECRET CONTENT::: The pillow I commissioned from Bode for my dressing room before the tour started, feat. all the things that make me feel calm — grapefruit fruju, hibiscus, kissing, Pearl, books, bud.

(source: received this email)

26 notes · View notes

remy2fang · 2 months

Text

So about them Season 2 SF6 Leaks

If you’re curious what the leak is, it can be seen here:

https://x.com/daryo1989/status/1769861372740042895?s=46&t=iEGeYIIN_aP028wRnoVcUQ

There were a mixture of reactions for this. The people who main those characters are happy while everyone else, which I think it’s the majority, were really upset. The leaker is supposedly Vergeben, who actually had a hit or miss record in leaking info. But his leak for the SF6 season 1 characters was almost 100% accurate, down to “Cammy wearing pants.” To me, if there’s a short written description of the characters’ appearance, they tend to be true as oppose to just naming the characters. But I read that this Vergeben may be an imposter because that’s not his real Reddit account. His real account is DasVergeben while the most recent one is shinvergeben. But the DasVergeben account hadn’t posted anything in the past 2 years, so who knows if shinvergeben is the same guy or not, but created a new Reddit account.

Ngl, when I saw the list, I was kinda sad. F.A.N.G’s purpose in Street Fighter 6 is to revive Bison and Shadaloo. This was known since the TOXICITY story was released in 2018. I’d like to see how his revival journey would unfold in his Arcade or World Tour Mode because it sounds like a compelling character story. But if Bison comes back as a DLC before a playable F.A.N.G, that could mean FANG’s moment to shine in SF6 would become unlikely because his goal had already been met, so what’s the point. Sure, we might see FANG’s revival journey through Bison’s story, but it would be much better if it was through a playable FANG. It would give more meaning and significance to his story. Alas, I guess I’ll just accept FANG as an NPC for the entirety of SF6. FANG would be happy for Bison’s return, at least. But I’d still be salty that Capcom decided to steal FANG’s thunder. It would be nice if both FANG and Bison were to some back to SF6 in the same season…preferably FANG coming before Bison. Oh well. Dee Jay and Ed spoiled me so much because they proved that characters don’t have to be super popular in order to come back to a Street Fighter game.

Anyway enough of my rant. Regardless if the leaker source is true or false, I personally believe the Bison part is true. Back many months ago in October, I found unused voice clips for F.A.N.G. I had a feeling they’ll eventually be used in a later dlc. At first I thought they would be heard in the Ed DLC, but that didn’t happen. So I have a feeling they would be used in the Bison DLC instead. F.A.N.G did say Bison’s name twice in unknown contexts, and they were not heard during the AKI dlc. I’m assuming he either thinks about Bison or he finally sees Bison alive again. You can listen to extracted unused voice audio here, starting at 0:39 :

youtube

Now I have my own thoughts on what may happen during the Bison DLC. Based on the voice lines above, I think the avatar would be helping F.A.N.G in finding resources to revive Bison and Shadaloo. Unused lines like “You have my gratitude” and “Splendid job” sounds like you’re doing some tasks for him. I did mentioned about this in an older post:

If the avatar is indeed helping F.A.N.G revive Bison, then the avatar is both hero and villain!

#street fighter #f.a.n.g #m. bison #m bison #street fighter 6 #sf6 #sf6 world tour #sf6 thoughts #sf6 leak #Youtube

6 notes · View notes

ginzburgjake · 1 year

Text

Statement of Martin Blackwood, regarding his encounter with a ghost. Statement given January 25th, 2017.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Sasha says gently. Tim is beside her, wearing a worried expression, while Martin is sitting on the opposite end of the table with a running tape recorder placed in front of him. His hands are wrapped around a steaming cup of tea.

“Ooof,” he sighs, bracing himself. “Alright, I — alright.”

“So, the day started as normal, I think — maybe it was a bit more cloudy than usual, but nothing too out of the ordinary. I took the tube, arrived to the Institute on time, signed in with Rosie, all that stuff. I came in, and Sasha was there, already recording, so I decided not to interrupt her and busy myself with my own case. I sat at the table, laid my things out — because I had to bring them home, you know, what with the mysterious haunting of this place. Didn't want to lose track of any more pens than necessary, heh.

I did some follow-ups, called a couple of contacts to check the details for, er, for that, that 'uncanny students' report? Yeah. So, it was about eleven-ish when I heard something... weird from the document storage. It was like… a whisper, or a call. A very quiet one.

Now, the thing is, that was far from the first time I heard something like that in the Archives. Those whispers, and sudden brushes of cold wind, I suppose, have been following me since, um, the middle of September. I’m not the most superstitious person, but I can’t very well deny the uneasiness that flooded my mind with every such… incident. Still, there weren’t any words being said in an ominous voice, no blood oozing out of the walls, no foggy mirrors, or, or anything, to indicate that it wasn’t just me freaking out without reason, so I kind of — let it be? I mean, it’s not like I could do anything. There isn’t a, a ghost manual or whatever, and you guys never noticed the things I did.

I must admit that I… am sorta fan of Ghost Hunt UK. I’m not big on conspiracies and deep scary mysteries, but their channel is — it’s honestly really good. They conduct proper investigations and stuff, and I know we as academics are supposed to, to despise their work out of principle, but… I simply never saw them as rivals. They do a lot of what we do — breaking into places, unearthing evidence, recording their findings — even if they lack the resources we possess. I’ve watched some of their content regarding old haunted basements, a while back. You know, the Archives are actually unbelievably good-fitting for the ‘haunted basement’ profile; the Institute was built in the early 1800s, and its structure has remained the same since. Despite there being only one exit, at least two archival employees have managed to vanish without a trace from what is essentially a closed room. There was blood found on the desk, for god’s sake.

I’ve emailed to Melanie King — she’s the main host — asking for her opinion. That was back in December, and I didn’t hold much hope for a proper answer. She must be quite busy, after all. But, surprisingly, she replied, uh, two days later? She needed more details — were there signs of possession or compulsion; have I seen, heard or smelt anything else odd or unnatural; was there seemingly a problem with electricity, heating or pipes that refused to go away, yada, yada. Based on what I’ve told her, she said it might indicate a minor poltergeist, possibly an Archivist, trying to finish their mission on this plane. I didn’t know whether I believed it. Anyhow, true or not, it’s a terribly sad way to exist, don’t you think? Permanently tied to your place of work, bound to fill out papers until the end of time. Ugh.

Melanie said ghosts such as these are usually deemed harmless, and unless I cared to confront it and discover its goal, there’s, as I suspected, very little that could be done. I wasn’t worried, not then. A disgruntled workaholic ghost? Pshh, just another strange thing about this job, right? Hah. And, well, today… today the issue became a lot more real.

As I said, there was a whisper coming from the document storage. I registered it, which was almost routine at that point, and waited for the cold to pass. After five minutes or so, its presence lessened significantly — although it hadn’t gone away completely. I had two layers of clothing on, so I was fine.

It’s — hard to remember what exactly I wanted to do? I know I went in to retrieve a box of files, probably related to the reports of… uncanny… um, skin people. I entered the storage — I held a reference file in hands, I think — and… there it was. A hand. Transparent, floating, detached from anything that might have resembled a body, human hand. It — it was kind of positioned where a person’s hand would be if they, uh, reached for something above their height. Which sounds ridiculous, of course — ghosts can levitate, can’t they? Or maybe I’m thinking of the vampires…

Anyhow, the hand, it — it grabbed a, a file from an open box at my eye level, and it pulled — and, and the file moved, like there was real physical force behind that gesture. I think I screamed. It was just so… impossible. There’s scary movies and books, and spooky podcasts that you listen to while going to sleep to shake yourself up a little — and then there’s that. I didn’t expect to see it because it shouldn’t have been real. I didn’t… I didn’t.

The next thing I know — I’m sitting on the floor, breathing heavily, with a very concerned Sasha crouching down besides me. She — she asked me what happened, led me to the break room, offered some tea. I turned to look back when we were exiting the storage — and there was nothing. No hands, no chill, no levitating objects... Just a bunch of dusty old boxes lined up in rows. I’m not sure whether I felt relieved or not. And, well, then Tim arrived, apologising for oversleeping, so that pretty much wraps up my experience, I suppose.

S-statement ends.”

< part 2 part 4 >

#tma #the magnus pod #the magnus archives #tma fic #ghostchives #tma au #martin blackwood #sasha is the archivist #there’s a ghost loose in the archives!#no one knows what the ghost is going to do next #least of all the ghost

49 notes · View notes

snezfics-n-shit · 9 months

Text

Sicktember Day 11: Beginner's Guide to Faking Sick

Fandom: Ace Attorney Characters: Larry Butz, Apollo Justice, Trucy Wright, Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth Notes: Despite an ill-fitting reputation as a slacker, Larry has never faked being sick in his life. There are over a hundred good excuses out there, should he ever need one. Pretending to be sick was far too risky, anyway. However, as the time for his visit to his boyfriends grows shorter, and his boyfriends’ work days grow longer, Larry may just have to step out of his comfort zone with help from two unlikely sources. Post-SoJ, one mention of Apollo’s whereabouts following the game, but he’s in Japanifornia focusing on the here and now, so assess how risky you personally find it if you haven’t finished SoJ. You know the drill, married Wrightworth mutually dating Larry, and Trucy is in college (they grow up so fast!)

“Another one!?”

Even if the phone couldn’t hear him, it felt good for Larry to shout his frustrations at his latest received texts.

“What’s up?” A muffled form of Apollo’s voice came from inside one of Trucy’s magic boxes. “Is it a good enough excuse to get out of this box?”

“No,” Larry groaned as he rested his cheek on Phoenix’s desk, “Edgey just had to call in another witness, so he and Nick are gonna be working all day again.”

“Damn, I guess you’re stuck here with us, then.” Apollo helped himself to opening the top of the box to climb out, provoking merely a look of disappointment from Trucy once she entered the office just in time to catch him in the act. “Funny how even after I’ve been gone for a while, the boss still hasn’t given Athena her fair share of cases.”

“That’s not true, Polly!” Trucy eagerly corrected him. “This was actually Athena’s case originally, but,” she couldn’t help but giggle, “she’s playing hooky to go on a date!”

“What?” Apollo raised a brow. “I could’ve sworn I heard you tell everyone here that she had the flu, and in graphic detail at that.”

“That’s what I told you, yes.” Trucy blew a quick, playful raspberry. “She needed a good excuse to take time off, so I came up with one.”

“Jeez, I wish an excuse like that could be enough to get someone else to stay home,” Larry lamented, “then the days leading up to my next book fair appearance wouldn’t be so lonely.”

“Who said they couldn’t, Uncle Larry?” Even though Larry was now dating both of Trucy’s dads, the ‘Uncle’ part still stuck. “When I got my appendix out, Daddy and Papa dropped everything just to stay with me.”

“Well, yeah, they’re your parents and you had a major surgery.” Larry countered.

“Didn’t the boss and Mr. Edgeworth take a week off when you had the flu, Larry?” Apollo wondered aloud.

“Yeah, but I was actually sick, and it was awful.”

“Who said you have to be actually sick?”

The cogs in Larry’s brain needed a moment to turn.

“Oh, no! No way!” Larry refused the potential suggestion adamantly. “I have never faked sick in my entire life. It would be too risky to start now.”

“But that would make you more believable!” Trucy insisted. “Didn’t you say Papa used to get away with faking sick all the time because he was so well behaved?”

“Yeah, but I’m not.”

“Sure you are! You have, um,” Trucy pressed a finger to her cheek, “a record of credibility! Yeah! Daddy and Papa would never suspect a thing!”

“But I don’t know the first thing about faking sick!”

“Polly and I can show you the ropes!” Trucy giggled once she saw Apollo’s reaction to being volunteered. “Polly pretended to be sick so we wouldn’t find out he got backstage passes to–”

“Hey!” Apollo interrupted, even though it was obvious those backstage passes were a privilege earned by being the boyfriend of Klavier Gavin. It wasn’t even that big of a deal, since everyone and their mother already knew that, but Apollo liked pretending his relationship was still a well-hidden secret. “I’ll help, just… Just be quiet in exchange!”

“Alright, alright.” Trucy needed a moment to settle down. “First thing’s first: looking the part!”

. . .

The makeup was so itchy.

Sure, it helped Larry look like he was at death’s door, but why did it have to be so uncomfortable? This was the stuff Trucy wore for every magic show? This was the stuff Nick wore for Ivy University’s theatre productions? Larry was so thankful that despite his very long résumé, such heavy makeup was never required; even the Steel Samurai live shows just needed the costumes and that was it.

“He looks like a zombie…” Apollo muttered. “I thought we were going for a few days of bedrest, not the walking dead.”

“That’s because I haven’t applied the blush yet, Polly!”

Oh god, there was more.

“How much longer is this gonna take?” Larry didn’t mean to sound like he was complaining, but it did feel like forever.

“Just a few finishing touches, aaaaand… We’re done!” Trucy presented a hand mirror for Larry to assess the results.

“Wow, I look like shit.” If it had been any other situation, that wouldn’t even be close to the compliment it was right now.

“Perfect!” Trucy bounced on the balls of her feet. “That means Polly can help you with the next part!”

“What?” Why me?” Apollo pointed to himself, almost hoping there was somehow another ‘Polly’ in the room.

“You lose your voice all the time from yelling stuff like,” Trucy took a deep breath, “‘I’M FINE!!’” She cleared her throat. “You know, like that.”

“I don’t do it on purpose.” Apollo retorted.

“Well, how else is he going to sound sick?”

“Um,” Larry chimed in, “I could just take a nap with Pess and get congested that way; that’d make me sound pretty sick.”

“Nope! Not allowed!” Trucy was quick to dismiss the decision. “You’ll ruin all my hard work on your makeup if you do that!”

“Alright,” Apollo conceded with a sigh, “let’s get shouting.”

. . .

It took until dusk for the excess yelling to do a number on Larry’s vocal chords, but what mattered was that it worked. Even when Apollo suggested he just give up, Larry kept going.

Now he looked, sounded, and honestly kind of even felt sick enough for even the most perceptive of lawyers to fall for his performance.

Trucy and Apollo had opted to leave the office and grab something to eat, mostly because Trucy couldn’t stop giggling and Apollo feared she would give everything away. For a girl who took the art of the poker face so seriously, Trucy sure had a difficult time maintaining one whenever her dads were involved.

All Larry needed to do was just wait for just the right moment to pull the thermometer from the mug of hot water that Trucy had prepared, and all would be right. His boyfriends would immediately take pity on him, call in some substitutes, and spend all their newly gained freetime pampering him.

Life would be so good.

As soon as the door creaked open, it was showtime. Larry quickly plucked the heated thermometer to slide under his tongue, wincing as it slightly burned the inside of his mouth.

“Sorry we’re late.” Phoenix spoke mid-yawn as he and Miles hung their coats on the office coat rack; surely this meant yet another late night of going over case notes… that is, if it weren’t for Larry’s brilliant ruse. “Good news, though: the trial wrapped up today.”

What!?

“It actually wrapped up earlier today, but we needed to run some more errands.” Miles explained.

“Miles and I were actually–” Phoenix’s attention was soon grabbed by the sound of the beeping thermometer. “Larry?” He gently pulled the device from his boyfriend’s mouth and sighed at the numbers it displayed. “A hundred, on the dot.” He kissed Larry’s forehead. “Pretty low, so that’s probably why you don’t feel very warm…”

“If you’re feeling unwell enough to need to check your temperature, I’d say that alone calls for getting some rest.” Miles propped Larry up on his shoulder. “Let’s get you home. We can postpone tomorrow’s plans for a later date.”

“Wha–” Larry tried to ask what plans Miles was referring to, but his voice was just completely gone.

“Oh, geez.” Phoenix made a noise in sympathy. “Yeah, it wouldn’t be much fun riding a rollercoaster with that nasty case of…” He started to snicker.

“Darling, don’t.” Miles advised.

“Larry-ngitis.”

Larry instinctively glowered. He forgot how much Phoenix loved that pun whenever he lost his voice. First missing out on a roller coaster, and now this. Good grief!

“Of course, it could be something that will pass fairly quickly, like a 24-hour bug.” Miles speculated, much to Larry’s relief. “We’ll just have to see how you’re faring tomorrow.”

“Yeah, now that I think of it, it did come on fairly quickly.” If Phoenix was saying that out of suspicion, given the new circumstances, Larry would not have minded at all. “Maybe what you need is a nice hot cup of tea with lots of honey.”

That sounded so nice, to be allowed a night of pampering and an amusement park date with his boyfriends. It would be like that one saying, having a cake and eating it too, even though Larry didn’t quite understand what the point would be to have a cake and not eat it.

All he had to do now was hope his voice would be back in shape in the morning, and all would be well.

. . .

Alas, Larry’s voice was, in fact, not back in shape in the morning.

Well, at least he’ll have his day of pampering, which, he would have to sullenly admit, was not nearly as fun as a date at the amusement park.

#snez attorney #my writing #my fics #sicktember #sicktember 2023 #guys I had SO MUCH FUN writing this #writing interactions with Apollo are fun in general tho haha

6 notes · View notes

cato-of-blamesociety · 7 months

Text

32 Weeks Tracklist/Song Picks pt. 3 (weeks 17-24)

How/Why did I choose/chose to use the songs I did

*Full breakdown, updated in real time(weekly)*

17. Killer Mike ft. El-P, thankugoodsir x Don't Let The Devil

I have always respected Killer Mike as an artist and I a few years back respected his political endeavors. Mike has never let me down lyrically when I heard him on features. Honestly, though I respect him, I never really got into his music. I did at one point either last year or the year prior, check out his album "R.A.P. Music" and I started listening to the RTJ series. His vocal presence is one of a kind. I have this thing where I feel that an artist's recorded voice really determines if I want to hear them. There are several emcees that I just can't get into due their voices not being conducive to my ears. Mike and El-P have amazing deliveries. In June (2023) Killer Mike drops 'Michael' and I knew from the very first listen that this album is/would be a classic. I listened to it on repeat for a week. Andre 3000 makes an appearance on my favorite track "Scientist & Engineers". I actually have many songs on this album I f*ck with: "Something for the junkies", "Motherless", "Slummer", "Talk'n that shit", and "Run". In June, I was nearing the end of writing for #32weeks, and I was having a hard time (as usual) finding a beat. I knew I wanted to incorporate some instrumentals from this album. I truly wanted to use "Scientist & Engineers" but I didn't feel as eccentric as Dre, and the intro before the beat drops, was too long lol. Instead, I landed on "Don't Let The Devil'. I had this melody in my head that came when vibing to beat. It becomes those opening lines "Tell me, do you smell me? That's peace of mind, and deep patchouli" (the fragrance oil I have been wearing since my early 20's) and it led me to to rhyme Halle Berry. Then I went on a tangent to try an remember where did I hear "almost went Eric Benet....never do Eric Benet" and then I remember it's Jay Z's line from "Kill Jay Z". After I complete the comparisons, I launch into some metaphors that to this day are some of my favorites on this project. I used one more instrumental from this album, but I will share when it's time. Hope you enjoy the track!

youtube

18. Pusha T ft. Jay Z, Pharrell x Neck and Wrist Don't Lie

If there is one thing you can guarantee from Push, when he releases a project, not only will the album but fire, but he usually has a great knack for themes/motifs/stories, but dude is soooo creative at giving the listener "dope" lines. Like when I want to hear a rapper speak about cocaine...I usually prefer Pusha. His wordplay, and metaphors are immaculate when it especially outlines hustling/moving coke. Which is why I didn't even hesitate, as soon as "Almost Dry" came out, I was all over it. The beats, the cadence, and stories made that project amazing. going into #32WeeksMixtape, I quickly understood that I wanted use a beat from his album. So many good ones, "Brambleton", "Dreaming of a Past"(Donnie's sample gives me chills and makes me tear up each time I hear this come on...), "Just So You Remember"(reminds of a movie that I can't recall the title of..), "Diet Coke"(only I can have a snow fight...damn fire) "Rock N Roll"(Ye and Cudi...c'mon man what else you what) "Scrape it off"...basically you see the problem...all of them are hot. I just kept coming back to "Neck and Wrist Don't Lie". This one just was more so my cadence/vibe. The first line that came to me one while airing the beat on repeat "Roll around the South side, stereo banging.." That bar lead to talking about my Orgone pendant. Then I flowed into the idea of talkign about my wife...I couldn't resist...which is a reference to the track before (week 17) where I mention my smell/colgne/oils I wear are Patchouli and Peace of Mind. AFter knocking out those lines, I got into a string of drug based lines, which are derived from the "cooking" analogy. After I got to "Rappy Mason", I got stuck again. But then we changed gears and I wanted highlight that I admire Dolph and Nipsey for their business ventures and I too would love B.L.A.M.E to be a company/brand that I run and nothing else. I want to be the boss. Anyway I hope you enjoy the visuals. I love when things don't straight away make sense, this makes us think harder, and even ask questions. So please feel free to comment on here or on the video with questions or thoughts!

youtube

19. Vince Staples x Rose Street

YOOOOO!!! In case you don't know, Vince's "Ramona Park Broke My Heart" album is just incredible. I will do my best to keep this brief...🤞🏾. Ok, first off this album dropped last April (2022). I had been wishing on a another album from Vince because "Vince Staples" (self titled) was lit. Anyway, a few days or weeks, honestly I have no clue, it is posted that Vince was to do a "live" or streamed version of the album via Moment House in May of that year. I was soooo geeked. I had missed the ONE concert that came to St. Louis in Feb 2022. It was the "Call Me If You Get Lost Tour". My wife and I did want to see Vince, but since he wasn't headlining...(and since this is before my indoctrination of Tyler, the Creator's music), we decided against it. 😢😒 My dumbass. haha. Anyway, I had selected the Monday, May 2, for our viewing. I was enchanted that entire show. I f*ck with Vince because of his musical ability, but really for his art that surrounds it. His videos are always sharing a message about class/race/violence/dangers of the music show business. "Ramona Park Broke My Heart" has some dope tracks. Like literally I can't really just list a few...but I will try my hardest. Ok.."When Sparks Fly', gave me hella chills. He basically makes you think off the bat that he is talking to his woman...and then he immediately pulls the rug out from under you. *plot twist* lol. This song reminds me of Nas' 'I gave you power'. I don't want to ruin the surprise, if you don't know, you have to listen to both songs and witness the greatness both artists display on these tracks. The other favorite that truly sticks to my mind, mainly due to the production is "Rose Street"(the skit right before it IS POWERFUL!!). I love the idea that he states he "don't sing no love songs". That might be true regarding women, but "When Sparks Fly" is nothing short of a love ballad. Rose Street was not the first beat I wanted to use. I think "Playa Ways", and "Lemonade "were top contenders, however, they just didn't fit the direction I was moving with #32weeksMixtape. "East Point Player" has high replay value, but was too slow for my flow. Rose Street's theme of denying love for women(or rather the idea of falling in love with women), or not being able to trust them, and being married to the streets had me wanting to flip the vibe. The chorus was the first idea that came to me, "She know we in love, all in, Us, all in, Trust, all in...I'm married to my very bestfriend. And it's gone be like that until the very end." The next thought was how to go about that topic. Out of nowhere, I was like "I will never forget the time you chose to say yes". I am so happy that I wrote about my proposal. It's one of those things that I guess I deemed sacred, and didn't want to ruin it by sharing it with the world. But as an artist I have come to realize and understand that the best music is the relatable stuff. If you have proposed to someone, you would know that universal feeling of 'what if they say no?'. I hope you enjoy, share, like, and comment on the video with your thoughts. It would be dope if people share their marriage proposals either on here or my "YouTube Channel Community Tab" . I love stuff like that. If you are reading this, thank you, I love you, and I hope you are well. 💙💙💙

youtube

20. Killer Mike ft. Young Thug, Dave Chappelle x Run

I know what you are thinking..."Bro, didn't you use a track from this album already?" YES!!! I Did!! Honestly I wanted to keep a tamper on the amount of artist I would use in the project, and came to the conclusion that I would use some artist/albums more than once. I actually wrote to "RUN" before I wrote to "Don't Let The Devil". I have already outlined why I gravitated to this album, so I want to highlight my content in this track. The verse is written in vignettes(I am uncertain if that is the correct word to use) but each section is a quick blurb about a point in my life. The first is me getting arrested...and not running. Second, was me getting stopped by an officer on my way to the school's gym to practice, and how that could have ended horribly...there were no witnesses, I was by myself, and truly at the mercy of this officer. He wasn't ignorant, but still.. you do get it....right? This was back in like 2006 or 2007. The next story is me playing on the team. I had respect and that's all I needed. I know I wasn't the best. I will talk that more around Week23. Next, I lay the summary of my foot game. I walked everywhere. That was life changing. My mama gave me freedom to visit friends, get a job, and I did it all independently so that I wouldn't have to wait or rely on others. It did get tricky in the winter, but even then, I would double up my jacket/hoodie and walk or run to work. I was serious about making my bread. I touch briefly on the emotional ways I ran from relationships. Gratefully, Erin would remain in my life even though I ran from her love all those years. The final story is me opening up about a being involved in a consensual sexual experience with 5 other people. I learned that day that exhibitionism or group sexual acts, were NOT my thing. I know for some this isn't big deal. But I was very uncomfortable. I also learned that it is ok to walk away/run from something like that. I am grateful that I didn't allow the pressure to keep me in that room that night. I remember everyone that was there...we really haven't talked in years, 2 are actually not on this plane of existence anymore. I am happy I found a way to express to this incident because it bothered me for years not getting it off my chest. With all that said, if you read all this...thank you again for listening. I hope all is well with you. I would love to hear from you. Feel free to hit my Youtube Channel, My email, or message me on here!

youtube

21. Kanye West ft. Roddy Ricch x Pure Souls

I'm gonna cut directly to the chase, the first(second, and third) time I listened to "Donda"...I didn't get it. Then I realized/learned that Donda was his mother's name. During the process of writing #32WeeksMixtape, I had already seen the Jeeny-uhs Documentary(full documentary on NETFLIX). That sh*t broke my heart. I remember hearing years ago about how much his mother poured into that boy/man. He truly felt invincible. So even though as someone who hasn't lost their mother, but has lost a father, I didn't comprehend fully his messages, but I FELT it. I knew I wanted to use a Ye beat for this project, but the issue was where would I pull from. My first instinct was to use the KIDS SEE GHOST album...so many fire tracks to use. Then I was I like, nah, maybe The Life Of Pablo---No way. I knew I couldn't live up that hype! Yeezus, though dope af, is too experimental for my style. I started clicking through Donda... Jail...OMG. I love those "guitars" in the intro, but there aren't any drums...which I prefer lol. God Breathed was a big pull, but nothing popped in my head. I think Off the Grid was a HUGE fav from this album. But again, nothing came to mind, at least nothing good. Then I heard that intro of Pure Souls, just...well you know. I am playing it right now as I write this and I am tearing up. "...and I can not sell my soul!" - fire. I sat with this beat for at least a week. I heard that "truth is what you get away huh" and it started clicking. I knew that at the top of the verse I would go into a traumatic event that happened to me during my first year as a school counselor. Not to go into too many details, but a child had nude images of themselves on their district iPad, but in a way that suggested that they did not take the photo themselves. The photos were shown to me nonchalant and something like "Look this boy got porn on his device, smh." I was the one to point out that it was the child and not an adult. THAT SH*T F*CKED ME UP!! There were several images. Protocol was violated, I did my part like I was supposed to, I did a mandated call and some more stuff. After dealing with that parent who was clearly gaslighting, hiding evidence, and was manipulative..it did a number on my psyche. Earlier in the year I had been researching about Past Life Regressions. This one guy on YouTube named Astro Einstein, was uploading his sessions with his clients and truly opened my eyes to how it could help me. One day I will share my experience more in-depth but I do talk about it on it slightly in my mixtape, week 11, Tyler, The Creator x Massa verse. Later, I was able to find a therapist to talk through it as well. I learned so much about boundaries and protecting my peace. I won't let someone violate me like this again. Anyway, I hope you rock with the song. Every time I play through the tape, after this song, comes week 22, and it always brings a sense of relief because the sequencing sets up a sort of endorphin release...you will see😉. I think those who are going through it, or just coming out of a storm, will feel the relief the most. If you are reading this still, thank you!! And if no one has told you today that they love you, motherf*cker, I do!!

youtube

22. Metro Boomin ft A$AP Rocky & Roisee x Am I Dreaming

YOOOOO!!! Ok lets go back to May of this year 2023...I don't know about you, but the sequel to the most dopest animated Spidey film was about to drop(yes I know this trailer is from Dec. 22)...but what makes this even more special...it is announced that muthaf*ckin' Metro Boomin was going to be the lead on the soundtrack. A month later, in June, the album/soundtrack is released! My wife, kids, and I had it on heavy rotation; "METRO BOOMIN PRESENTS SPIDER-MAN ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE". The whole project is fire. Some songs grew on me over time but overall amazing replay value. As you should know by now, June was heavy #32weeksMixtape writing era. I turned this on and knew I had to pick something...even though I had already used a Metro Track, "Umbrella" (from "Heroes and Villains"). "Annihilate" comes in so hot. I wanted it so bad but couldn't find a version online that sounded good enough. My next pick was "Givin' Up(Not the One)" because I think I sound as good as 21 Savage over a Metro Boomin beat. *Don't forget he is in Umbrella!*. But I felt the tempo was just slightly too slow. "Self- Love" stood out instantly however, the words just didn't come to me. OMG, I almost forgot, Danger! JID killed it, and I felt I couldn't get away from his type of flow, or do any better for that matter. This leaves me with 2 other picks that I actually land on. "Calling" & "Am I Dreaming". I will talk more about "Calling" in a few weeks. "Am I Dreaming"...those strings, they get me every f*cking time. Even now as I write this, it's playing in my earbuds. For those who haven't seen the film, which I am sure everyone has at this point, the movie's ending credits feature this track. Perfecto! Anyway, at this point in writing the project, I was just over halfway, and felt this immense burden lifted. I start reflecting on the process and the hook came to me. This was written before I saw the movie. Climbing/falling, swimming/drowning, doubting/making it to the next round, ultimately defeating myself(fear, doubt, disbelief, old behaviors) and becoming a more evolved me. this works on two levels as I introduce my big brother. I say a lot about his athleticism, (which I go into more the next song), because we bonded heavily over basketball. I mention in week 20 (RUN remix) about how he was/is great which is how I knew I wasn't great. So imagine seeing someone who is great and still rejected! I had to include it. My brother, David, has been through a lot. I remember being old enough to see his flaws, his bad choices, and immaturity. I told myself I would never be like him. I referred to him as the role model for what I didn't want to be. Which is crazy, because as a youngin'--with out a father, I wanted to be as cool as him! As time passed, having my own kids, seeing my brother rise and fall, dealing with my own issues, it finally clicked. My brother was a human. Nothing more and nothing less. Humans make mistakes, we learn, hopefully evolve, and do less harm as we proceed. It is truly an eye opening, mind blowing, bone crushing reality, to acknowledge that someone you put on a pedestal falls...but it hurts more when you see yourself in them (empathy and compassion). David, if you ever read my sh*t, I hope you know I am proud of you. You are worthy of love. You are an awesome father, brother, uncle, and more! You have been blessed with so many f*cking talents and gifts. My hope and wish is that you see what I see when I look at you today....SUPER!!! Those of you coming and checking for Cato's sh*t, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years (ha!)from now, I love you and hope that you tell those people that you really care about that you f*cking love them too! Enjoy the song and the visuals!!

youtube

23. Lil Durk ft. Morgan Wallen x Stand By Me

I am very new to listening to Lil Durk. I remember seeing some of his early mixtapes many years ago, but wasn't interested. Students I would work with also brought him up in a few different conversations. During summer school this past year (SY 22-23, June '23) which was deep #32weeksMixtape writing era, I actually asked some kids, what Durk song(s) should I check out. This was about a month after the album dropped, which I had no idea about. The album is titled "Almost Healed". The kids told me to check out "All My Life". They recommended the track "Expedite This Letter" from the Album/mixtape "7220". Listening to it now, it cringes me out thinking that these elementary scholars shared this one with me...if you check it out, you will see why I feel grossed out. Anyway, back to "All My Life". This caught me by surprised because it features J.Cole! I was like, "Ok, I most definitely have to check this out." What I noticed is that the album opens up like a "Therapy Session" which as a school counselor, hooks me right in. Especially coming off that "Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers" almost on a daily basis, this makes me happy that another artist is opening up in a seemingly genuine way about their issues with out the bravado. This made me feel like, "I f*ck with dude." I delved into the album, now lets list the tracks I wanted to fool with the most..."All My Life" instantly I had to let go because Cole already snatched it. I didn't feel I could add anything to it. But the song is amazing. "Put Em On Ice" has a vibe I like, however, nothing came to mind. "War Bout It ft. 21 Savage"...at this point, you know when Savage is a feature, I usually f*ck with it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a solid remake beat. There were 2 others I liked and actually used. Cross the Globe ft. Juice Wrld, and "Stand By Me". I will get back to you on Cross the Globe. "Stand By Me" comes on and I hear the melody, instantly I feel nostalgic. "Ok, Lets Go Way Back..." I began with a string of exercises that I did with Big Bro Dave. I mention him in the previous post. Those days left such an impression on me. We kept track of our progress, our reps, and were really getting shredded. By Middle School my muscle mass was awesome. All the exercise I did helped keep my asthma in check. Also to clarify, Varsity did not win the state championships! SMH. I had to research it(after I already completed the damn video), and saw my school actually came in 3rd that year...which still a huge accomplishment. The game that I reference was big game because it was the last game for the season, and by winning got us a spot to play in the championship tournament. Apart of me is embarrassed for making this mistake, and being negligent in not double checking the facts. The other side of me, the artist, says who cares?! We were so f*cking excited and elated, that it FELT like we won the motherf*cking state championship title! Anyway, at this moment I would love to shout out my team mates, I appreciate those years playing along side you. I also want to shout out the coaches. I doubt you will ever see this, but I appreciate the life lessons of always hustling to get what you what, getting up and at it, and REBOUNDING! Not only is my son currently playing ball, my other son is interested as well, and I have the honor of coaching the elementary school kids I work with! These kids are just as hardworking as they are hard headed, but I love it. Appreciate anyone who is reading this right now. Let this long as post remind you that: 1. nothing lasts forever(esp pain) 2. You can always try again 3. A break can fix you(a day off, a step back, take a breather, then come back harder/better than ever). If no one has told you today, I love you...Now share that love with someone else!

youtube

24. Joyner Lucas ft. Timbaland x 10 Bands

First off, I knew Joyner was cold. I just never really got into him. My wife actually was bumping his sh*t before me. She shared with me ISIS...and I was like WTF!!! I had been into Logic at the time, going through his catalog. It was around this time she told me play ISIS. Hearing Joyner I was like this dude on a whole 'nother level. It took awhile but I had went through his whole album 'ADHD'. Fast forward to the #32weeks writing era, and I remembered that ADHD had some dope ass instrumentals. Lets see...ISIS is tough, but too fast, not my style, and they already murdered it twice..."double homicide kill the beat and the verses..." "The War" is sonically pleasing but I don't think I could come up with anything. "I love" is a banger for sure. Not my vibe though....ok I don't know what's going on, but sliding through this mf right now, I f*ck with all these beats. I don't what I was thinking, I think "10 Bands" came on/I found an instrumental that had good quality and closest to the original and the hook just came to me. "Parenting, Parenting, Parenting, this go out to the parents yeah!" There is one more beat that actually use from this album...i use the title track. It is something about the way the beat wobbles and is wavy. We will talk about that soon. Anyway, the verse for 10 Bands is just a blub about my boys. I try to include them in all my works now that they are here. They inspire me so much. The idea for this song is that I lay out their annoying traits, but then follow up with their amazing qualities. What is even more crazy is that as a parent we see our own personalities within our children play out in many different ways. I love them boys for real. I don't know how that video will be up. As of now they enjoy seeing themselves on the screen, but if that should change I will take it down. I almost forgot! In the verse I say "I told you they were little sh*ts.." This is a reference to the actual track/theme song of the Little Sh*ts Podcast my wife and I had did awhile back. In the video I have the Spotify track on display and circle it.

youtube

P.S.

I can't believe that this is number 24...like I have been consistently creating visuals, creating snippets of those(about 2-4), posting each of those on each f*cking social media site that I have an account for, writing up the "behind the music" post on here...EVERY F*CKING WEEK FOR THE LAST 24 WEEKS!!! I know this isn't exactly the info to put in theses posts, but I know that *you*(maybe a week from this post, or a year, hell even 5 years now) will be reading this like, "Damn n*gga, it's not that hard.." 1st off, remember I work a full time job every week day, I have a family, these activities that contribute to fulfillment of a project that as of today isn't "seen" at all or taking serious. Like on my mama, this definitely the greatest project that I have ever endured. I mentioned to people before I started releasing tracks, that the #32weeks itself (the writing, the time consumed on my mf phone/CPU, the struggle to maintain sanity while dealing with tough 8hr work day, to stay connected to family, and through it all, actually see this visual mixtape to its completion! So please make some noise for me on the internet. Help me make history. Time is not on our side, but time spent building something incredible that make life feel more limitless, to me, is time well spent. Apologies if that all sounded bitter and crass, it just feels like no one sees that effort that goes into this. I love you and hope you are taking care of yourself. Give the tracks play and please share it all with a music geek who can get into my music! 💙💙💙 I just found out today another acquaintance from earlier in my life has passed. He went LIVE on Facebook and basically expressed that he was tired, he felt alone, and felt like no one loved him. He made that video yesterday(~12/20) and I saw that new of it today (12/21). RIH RM. I know I can't be there for everyone, but apart of me wishes that I reached out to him the minute I saw his video...and I didn't. 💔 So my heart is slightly heavy as I write this. I know I am not to blame, because I don't have the power to control a man's decisions. To counter the negative feelings I have right now, I chose to practice gratitude. I am grateful for my life, grateful for my wife, grateful for my sons, grateful for my family, grateful for my homies[Domo, Tyson, Will, Paris(💔💙), Brandon, my f*cking brother Dave]grateful for the chance to create music, grateful that I have grown, grateful for love...Love is...beauitful. If you see this, well mf, I am grateful for you as well.

3 notes · View notes