#maybe we could call it the nostalgic version | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

curiositymemes · 1 month

Text

STICK SEASON: WE'LL ALL BE HERE FOREVER.

taken from the 2023 album by noah kahan. trigger warnings for mental illness, trauma, medication, references to suicide, and the exquisite agony of life in rural new england. feel free to change wording and pronouns and provide context as necessary. do not add to this list.

northern attitude.

how you been?

you settled down?

you feelin’ right?

you feelin’ proud?

you settle in to routine.

what does it mean?

i’m not how you hoped.

you’re gettin’ lost.

scared to live, scared to die.

you’re feelin’ lost.

stick season.

you must’ve had yourself a change of heart.

now i am stuck between my anger and the blame that i can’t face.

it’s half my fault, but i just like to play the victim.

i’ll dream each night of some version of you that i might not have but i did not lose.

i thought that if i piled something good on all my bad i could cancel out the darkness i inherited from dad.

i miss the way you laugh.

you once called me forever now you still can’t call me back.

that’ll have to do.

my other half was you.

i hope this pain’s just passin’ through, but i doubt it.

all my love.

how have things been?

well, love, now that you mention it.

i’m sayin’ too much, but you know how it gets out here.

now i know your name, but not who you are.

it’s all okay, there ain’t a drop of bad blood.

you got all my love.

if you need me, dear, i’m the same as i was.

what i’d give to have you out of me.

i still recall how the leather in your car feels.

and at the end of it all, i just hope that your scars heal.

i swear i was scared to death.

i smiled stupid the whole way home.

you said, ‘i’ll never let you go.’

she calls me back.

there was heaven in your eyes.

everything’s alright.

look at me and don’t you lie.

don’t you hold your head up high.

for bullshit, i do not have time.

do you lie awake restless?

why am i so obsessive?

this town’s the same as you left it.

the radio is taunting me.

i don’t get much sleep most nights.

i’m seeing you in every dream.

if only i could fall asleep.

i’ll love you when the oceans dry.

i was too afraid of living life in your footsteps.

come over.

it was there when we got here, will be there when we leave.

you won’t have to guess who they’re speakin’ about.

i’m in the process of clearin’ out cobwebs.

i was takin’ the wrong meds; feels good to be sad.

my house is just barely big enough for my family.

my mouth was designed for my foot to fit in it.

i promise you, darlin’.

you won’t ever go back.

i know that it ain’t much.

i know that it ain’t cool.

you don’t have to tell the other kids at school.

someday i’m gonna be somebody people want.

new perspective.

makin’ me nostalgic.

we were kids; but that don’t make this less hard.

if i could fly i doubt i’d even do it.

i’d probably get high and crash or somethin’ stupid.

gave me your word.

i can’t pronounce it.

no thing so sure that i can’t learn to doubt it.

everywhere, everything.

would we survive in a horror movie?

we trust everyone we meet.

we’re littered with scars from our preteens.

i wanna love you ‘til we’re food for the worms to eat.

‘til our fingers decompose, keep my hand in yours.

i know every route in this county.

maybe that ain’t such a bad thing.

i’ll tell you where not to speed.

it’s been a long year.

orange juice.

honey, come over.

it’s yours if you want it.

we’re just glad you could visit.

feels like i’ve been ready for you to come home for so long.

i didn’t think to ask you where you’d gone.

why’d you go?

my heart has changed and my soul has changed.

you just asked me to hold you.

it made you a stranger and it filled you with anger.

my life has changed.

the world has changed.

don’t you find it strange that you just went ahead and carried on?

are we all just pullin’ you down?

strawberry wine.

darling, speak to me.

don’t you say a word.

you thought you were cursed?

i’m in love with every song you’ve ever heard.

if i could lose you, i would.

all the time we used to have.

the things i miss but know are never coming back.

no thing defines a man like love that makes him soft.

growing sideways.

finally found some middle ground.

i said, ‘i’m cured.’

i divvied up my anger into thirty separate parts.

i’m still angry at my parents for what their parents did to them.

it’s a start.

but i ignore things and i move sideways ‘til i forget what i felt in the first place.

i know there are worse ways to stay alive.

everyone’s growing and everyone’s healthy.

if my engine works perfect on empty, i guess i’ll drive.

i forgot my medication, fell into a manic high.

now i’m sufferin’ in style.

why is pain so damn impatient? ain’t like it’s got a place to be.

if all my time was wasted, i don’t mind.

i’ll watch it go.

it’s better to die numb than feel it all.

halloween.

the dawn isn’t here, the sun hasn’t rose.

they got money to make and children back home.

i worry for you, you worry for me.

the bridges have long since been burnt.

i’m leavin’ this town and i’m changin’ my address.

i know that you’ll come if you want.

i’m losin’ myself.

i’m seein’ my life on a screen.

i know that you fear that i’m wicked and weary.

i know that you’re fearin’ the end.

i only tell the truth when i’m sure that i’m lyin’.

homesick.

are you bored yet?

the weather ain’t been bad if you’re into masochistic bullshit.

this place is such great motivation for anyone tryna move the fuck away from hibernation.

time moves so damn slow i swear i feel my organs failing.

i stopped caring ‘bout a month ago, since then it’s been smooth sailing.

i would leave if only i could find a reason.

i got dreams, but i cant make myself believe them.

i’ll spend the rest of my life with what could have been.

i will die in the house that i grew up in.

i’m homesick.

still.

i don’t wanna say goodbye.

it only falls into place when you’re fallin’ to pieces.

you miss something that you can’t place but you can’t deny it.

you can’t stay here.

it’s hard to face and it feels too ugly.

it’s like i’m still here with you.

can i fix what is broken?

the view between villages (extended).

for a minute, the world seems so simple.

i am not scared of death.

i’ve got dreams again.

there is meanin’ on earth.

i feel so far from it.

it’s all washin’ over me.

i’m angry again.

the things that i lost here, the people i knew.

they got me surrounded for a mile or two.

i found a town big enough for anything i want.

i’m not a city girl, by any means.

it still has a lot of meaning to me.

i grew up there.

your needs, my needs.

you ain’t gotta tell me what it means.

i promise to be there this time. alright?

you were a work of art.

that’s the hardest part.

i’m naming the stars in the sky after you.

dial drunk.

i promised to forget you.

i ain’t takin’ any fault.

am i half the man i used to be? i doubt it.

forget about it, whatever.

it’s all the same anyways.

i ain’t proud of all the punches that i’ve thrown.

for the shame of being young, drunk, and alone.

i gave your name as my emergency phone call.

i’d die for you.

from charmin’ to alarmin’ in seconds.

i’ll let the pain metastasize.

i beg you, sir, just let me call.

let’s wait, i swear she’ll call me back.

son, are you a danger to yourself?

fuck that, sir.

son, why do you do this to yourself?

paul revere.

this place had a heartbeat in its day.

nothin’ was the same.

it just ain’t that simple, it never was.

one day i’m gonna cut it clear.

i’m not from around here.

i’ll leave before the road crew’s out.

i’ll turn up the music and i’ll forget.

i’m not ready to let go yet.

i’ll just pretend i didn’t hear.

it’s typical, i fear.

folks just disappear.

if i could leave, i would’ve already left.

no complaints.

i thought i had something and that’s the same as having something.

i get mad at nothing.

i pull no punches, then feel bad for months.

thought i was raised better, tried to fake better.

now the weight of the world ain’t so bad.

i saw the end, it looks just like the middle.

i filled the hole in my head with prescription medication.

who am i to complain?

now the pain’s different. It still exists, it just escapes different.

yes, i’m young and living dreams.

i’m in love with being noticed and afraid of being seen.

call your mom.

oh, you’re spiralin’ again.

don’t you cancel any plans.

stayed on the line with you the entire night ‘til you let it out and let it in.

don’t let this darkness fool you.

i’ll drive all night.

i’ll call your mom.

oh, dear, don’t be discouraged.

i’ve been exactly where you are.

if you could see yourself like this.

you’dve never tried it.

stayed on the line with you the entire night ‘til you told me that you had to go.

throw a punch, fall in love, give yourself a reason.

don’t wanna drive another mile wonderin’ if you’re breathin’.

won’t you stay with me?

you’re gonna go far.

this is good land, or at least it was.

it takes a strong hand and a sound mind.

it makes me smile to know when things get hard, you’ll be far from here.

pack up your car.

put a hand to your heart.

say whatever you feel.

be wherever you are.

we ain’t angry at you, love.

you’re the greatest thing we’ve lost.

the birds will still sing.

we’ll be waiting for you, love.

we’ll all be here forever.

we spent so long just getting by.

that’s the thing about survival; who the hell likes livin’ just to die?

you told me you would make a difference.

it won’t be by your own volition if you step foot outside this town.

it’s all we’ve had for always.

you’re gonna go far.

if you wanna go far, then you gotta go far.

forever.

let’s drive for no reason.

you look fine in the evening.

honey, it’s starting to storm.

used to wish i meant anything to anywhere, to anyone.

i’m glad i get forever to see where you end.

i won’t be alone for the rest of my life.

i’ll meet a girl in the heat of july.

i’ll tell her so she knows.

i’m broke, but i’m real rich in my head.

when i hold her close, i might loosen my grip, but i won’t ever let her go.

50 notes · View notes

hoes4hoseok · 1 year

Text

enhypen as folklore

i enjoyed writing this so so so much and i had forgotten how much i liked writing these! the last few i churned out from a sense of obligation but i had a lot of fun with this one :) i hope you like it!

ni-ki as my tears ricochet

"cursing my name, wishing i stayed, look at how my tears ricochet"

i'm so sorry for this...we sure are starting with a bang because the lyric "i can go anywhere i want, just not home" physically makes me ache when i'm thinking about ni-ki 😭

1. he's literally far from home irl & 2. if you were with ni-ki...he'd feel like home & any end to the relationship would make you feel lost

overall, i just associate that type of hurt with ni-ki (yikes🤧💔)

jay as mirrorball

"i'm still on that tightrope, i'm still tryin' everything to get you laughing at me"

oh my goodness jay is such a mirrorball.

i'm not saying that he's desperate for attention or that he doesn't get any, (that's not what the song describes, anyways) but rather that he's trying. his best.

i get it if you don't understand the vision at first glance but after i gave it some thought i can see it so clearly

jungwon as seven

"we can be pirates, then you won't have to cry, or hide in the closet"

this song is so sweet & innocent in how it describes a childhood perspective of things & how simple we thought problems were then

i think that jungwon maintains a little bit of that innocent optimism even though he's older now :)

what really seals the deal for me is that he's the leader & literally solves problems for the group all the time (presumably)

i don't mean that he solves them like a child would, but the nostalgic comfort that the song brings is similar to the comfort i feel you'd get talking to jungwon 🤧

jake as august

"august slipped away into a moment in time 'cause it was never mine"

jake is wouldn't hurt you on purpose, & i think that goes without saying because he seems like such a sweetheart

but man, if you catch him at a vulnerable moment when his heart resides with someone else...he will break. your. heart.

the whole idea of not being able to call the end of a relationship what it is in your heart because you were never really together & he never really cared the way you did...CHILLS. terrifying. (my heart goes out to those who have experienced that irl, i'm so sorry).

jake fits the idea because i think he's trustworthy. like,, he could smile & you'd probably be sold (no offense)

again, at the end of the day, he didn't mean to hurt you. maybe that's what hurts most 👊

heeseung as illicit affairs

"you know damn well, for you, i would ruin myself a million little times"

i've always heard this song in two ways: a very literal sense of having a physical affair in secret && a more emotional version of it

personally, i can picture myself getting my heart broken by heeseung in both senses! might just be me though 😀

the thing is, he seems so charming & falling fast for him would be so easy that if you did, it's very possible that he wouldn't fall in the same way you did (i'm crying the song has been playing on loop for ten minutes now)

i was originally gonna give this one to jay & mirrorball to heeseung!! lmk what you think

sunoo as betty

"the only thing i wanna do is make it up to you"

sunoo would 100% be willing to serenade his apology...that being said, i do not think he's a cheater!

i feel like if he hurt you he'd want to make it up to you & apologize at the same time instead of hoping you just take the apology alone...like this man will make you feel WORTH IT

AGAIN he'd never cheat though ✋ (i think) but if he made you feel bad he's gonna fix it,, he isn't leaving you feeling like an old cardigan under someone's bed

for the record, i'm a 'betty takes james back' truther though.

sunghoon as the lakes

"i'm setting off, but not without my muse, no, not without you"

i am so passionate about preaching how this song & sunghoon are perfect for each other EEK

i love assigning songs about heartbreak to sunghoon because i just see him as a heartbreaker (whoops) but whoever he DOES end up with (if anyone) is one lucky mf

the idea of "all you need is each other" makes me melt because it's so so so romantic

it's not realistic for all couples & that's okay but i can see sunghoon wanting that kind of relationship someday :)

but beyond that he's also private & not very social (by his own description) so he just generally seems like he'd resonate with it 🥰

txt version ☆ evermore version ☆ masterlist

143 notes · View notes

mephinomaly · 5 months

Text

[TL] PYSCHOBREAK/Chapter 1

[ This post uses Ois~su ♪ ]

Time: 10 days after the AIIE experiment.

Location: In the ES building, RhythmLink office

Rei: This is a grave set of circumstances.

Adonis: That gives me a sense of déjà vu.

Rei: Umu. I said those same words prior to our participation in the AIIE experiment.

Though this time, the situation is clearly much worse than before.

Kaoru: My head hurts. In more ways than one.

Koga: Ugh~...Durin’ it we had t’take sleepin’ medication, ‘n we kept wakin’ up ‘n goin’ back to sleep. My head’s a real mess.

I don’t feel like this real—

Kaoru: Ahaha, need me to pinch your cheeks for you?

Koga: Piss off, don’t touch me! I’ve already got a headache!

Adonis: I have one too, Oogami. During the one week of that experiment, I slept away half of each day—

Maybe because of that, I have this unusual feeling, like the boundary between reality and dream has become blurred.

Rei: If only this was a dream.

Let us summarise. For a week, we were isolated from the outside world in order to take part in the AIIE experiment. And during said week, mysterious phenomena have occurred.

We resided in the facilities, played cards and various games in our waking hours, all whilst being unable to participate in idol activities—

Yet. On the outside, us, UNDEAD, had a breakthrough and gained wild popularity.

Kaoru: What does that all mean? I know I said this before, but I feel like we're being conned.

Koga: Ain’t it just that fake versions of the real us have been made? That’s what I’m thinkin’ at least.

So whilst we’ve been away, those fake copies of us have been doin’ whatever the hell they like.

Rei: Umu. That is my understanding of the situation. Despite your head being all messed up, your intuition is still as sharp as ever, Koga ♪

Koga: Ya think so? Hehehe. It’s called wild intuition! I’m a noble wolf after all ♪

Kaoru: It’s cute when you don’t realise you’re being made fun of, Koga-kun.

Adonis: I understand but–

…who are these fakes?

Rei: That, is not yet clear. They have taken up the name HELLSING, and are performing radical, immoral activities which were the original concept for UNDEAD.

More specifically, they have not participated in any light-hearted variety shows and completely refrained from appearing on TV. Their focus is on stage performances only.

Kaoru: It’s kinda nostalgic, right?

Adonis: At Yumenosaki, that sort of thing was popular.

Rei: Umu. They have completely copied our songs, and are performing them with a strong rock theme. More radical than us, more immoral than us—

One could say that they are embodying the ideals that the world believed UNDEAD to have.

HELLSING is an orthodox, evolved version of UNDEAD that, in reality, could never happen.

Koga: Tch, even though they’re fake, they’re more real than us. We shoulda kept UNDEAD the same from the beginning instead’a changin’ things up.

Adonis: It’s already too late for that. It only worked when ES was first established.

Rei: It’s rather tedious to rehash the same argument. What we should discuss is what to do with those fakes that have suddenly appeared.

Koga: Huhh? It’s normal t’complain ya know? Those HELLSING guys are usin’ our songs without our permission, right?

Adonis: I see. If we sued for copyright infringement, we would most likely win.

Kaoru: We’ve spoken about this before, right? Like with the drawing AIs—

…Wait. I just thought of something that’s kinda impossible but.

Rei: I believe I am thinking the same as you. Speak your mind, Kaoru-kun.

Kaoru: You know. We took part in that weird experiment recently, right?

That AIIE experiment took place because they wanted to create AI idols.

And we had data from our brain taken—

Adonis: Wait, I think I understand what you’re saying.

But, is that even possible…?

Kaoru: If it was impossible, how did it take place~? ES is funding it because they know that their dreams could become reality, right?

Koga: Oi, wait a sec, what are you tryna say…?

I don’t believe it—

Rei: It doesn’t seem possible, no.

This is all guesswork at this point in time.

But there is a high probability that this HELLSING, these fake copies of ourselves, are a result of the AIIE experiment.

[ ☆ ]

BIOHAZARD/Chapter 12

Directory

Chapter 2

#ensemble stars #enstars #translation #kaoru hakaze #adonis otogari #koga oogami #rei sakuma #undead climax

14 notes · View notes

katytheinspiredworkaholic · 8 months

Text

WIP Wednesday

Dreamwalker (Eddie’s Story)

Summary: Steddie Canon compliant/fix-it fic paired with a corresponding story in Steve’s POV, each chapter happens in tandem with the other. Eddie wakes up alone in the Upside Down, not knowing how he survived, and unable to reach anyone topside in Hawkins. Wounded and alone, he finds shelter at the Harrington’s house (the place is a damn fortress after all), and while hiding out there discovers that he has gained the ability to walk into other people’s dreams.

((unbeta'd snippet from Chapter 03 that probably has some incorrect information in regards to the Upside Down/history of the show but I haven't gone back to fact check just yet. Also remember Eddie does not have some information that the others do so there are missing pieces there as well: for instance, he is calling the Demogorgon a Nazgûl (because we are doing lots of LotR references, and he never actually saw a Demogorgon in the show). He is currently hiding at the Byer's old house, and ends up falling asleep there while the creatures ourside are hunting. This is the first chapter where Eddie doesn't dreamwalk with Steve -- but with someone else. And therefore learns that he can walk into anyone's dreams. Also sets the tone for the rest of Eddie's story. There's 15 chapters total, if that helps paint the picture of how much more there is untold. Another stupidly long snippet, but it will probably be my last one for Eddie for a while. I'm wishy-washy on when the fic will be posted, and the logistics of formatting dreams vs. reality, but more info will come when the time nears. For the purpose of this snippet, the dream is in italics and reality is in regular))

—

Eddie dreams, and almost immediately he knows it’s not his own.

After finding himself walking through Steve Harrington’s dreams, Eddie discovers they feel very distinctly different from experiencing his own. It’s less confusing, for one thing, and he’s more sure of himself and his body as he moves around within the dreamscape. But he’s only dreamed with Steve twice, both when sleeping in his bed in his home, and there’s something very not Steve about this dream.

For one thing, he’s back in the woods. Not the Upside Down version of the woods, either, because the trees are intact and the air smells less foul, and there’s a different hue to the darkness here. Almost like it’s lighter, more familiar, nostalgic to his rattled senses.

He spins around, hands in his jacket pockets, once again wearing his battle vest (he misses it a lot, maybe Harrington kept it for him) and his Hellfire shirt. His armor. His go-to outfit. If he was to be drawn like a cartoon character in Scooby-Doo or some shit, wearing the same thing every frame, this is what he’d have on. And when he looks out into the darkness, he finds himself alone. Very much alone.

But this isn’t his dream.

How does he know this? Don’t fucking ask him. Eddie can just… feel it. Like when you step outside and can tell it’s about to rain. The atmosphere is just different.

He can also tell this isn’t Steve’s. Steve’s dreams feel like wearing a warm sweatshirt, they are crisp and confined and comforting even when they are facing something scary. But this… this feels more brittle. More watery. Smaller.

Then, Eddie sees him.

A little boy, standing in the woods. The towering trees seem to press in on him from either side, the forest floor is a shag carpet of leaves, roots and dips in the ground that could swallow that kid whole. He looks so small, and lost. Eddie had been lost in the woods before, when he didn’t know that if you just keep walking in one direction you’ll eventually hit a road. So he makes his way towards the boy, and only pauses when his vision fails him.

Well, it must have, anyway. Because Eddie could have sworn it was a little boy, about nine years old, and then like a movie-frame shutter the boy ages a few years. And then the click shutter happens again. It’s very ghost-story-esque and Eddie isn’t sure he wants to get much closer after that. The boy shutters between ages: maybe 10 years old, then 12 years old, 15 years old, and back to 10. If he had to guess.

But his presence doesn’t go unnoticed, the kid turns to him and looks at him with wide eyes. He’s got a rather unfortunate bowl-cut and big watery eyes and is looking at Eddie like he’s one of the Nazgûl come to eat him alive. So Eddie raises his hands in the universal gesture of ‘I come in peace’ and – it takes him a moment to realize he’d done something similar to Chrissy all those months ago. Trying to make himself not look so scary for a moment, when he spends most of his time otherwise doing his very best to have ‘Fuck Off’ stamped on his forehead.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he tells the kid, who about trips over his own feet to back away. “I’m not gonna hurt you. What’s your name?”

The boy licks his lips in nervousness, shutters between 10 and 12 again, a courage in his eyes as he finds his voice.

“Will Byers.”

…Oh, shit.

Eddie’s eyes are a little wider, now, and he lets out a deep breath as he tries to gain his bearings. He’d fallen asleep in mini-Byer’s room, and now he was in his dream.

So that’s how it works.

“Will Byers,” he murmurs, still a little shell-shocked. “Your friends with Wheeler and Henderson.”

He blinks and the kid is 15, almost as tall as he is, looking at him with more curiosity now. But then he’s 10 again, fingers clenched at his sides, suspicious and untrusting.

“Who are you?” he asks, his little voice doing its best not to shake.

“My name is Eddie.” He’s usually good with little kids, and he’d get down to the other’s level if he didn’t have a tendency to switch between four feet and six. But the spark of recognition is worth the softer tones, because the kid immediately connects a bunch of information Eddie isn’t privy to. But he gets the same look in his eyes that Henderson does when he figures something out.

“Eddie who died?” Will Byers asks, confused, hopeful.

“Yeah, Eddie who died,” he says back, and wow that feels like a kick to the chest. He puts his hands back in his pockets and leans on one hip heavily. At least they still talk about him, topside.

“Why are you here?” Will asks. Eddie just shrugs in response.

“I don’t know, man. It’s your dream.”

There’s a noise off in the distance, a dark guttural growl and heavy footsteps – both Eddie and Will look to it, snapping to attention and not moving an inch. ((This is a dream.)) Eddie reminds himself, like he has to do every single time. But the Nazgûl and Vecna could probably penetrate dreams as well as minds, so who’s to say that the thing in the distance wouldn’t be able to hurt them, here.

Will’s back to a small child, the same face and wide eyes that had been on missing posters three years ago. And he’s looking up at Eddie, whispering so as not to be overheard by the monster in the forest. “Do you know somewhere safe to hide?”

It takes him a moment to consider it. In fact, Eddie almost retorts with the same line as before. It’s your dream, kid. But then again, Eddie did have more control of himself so maybe… maybe he did know a safe place. Max had hidden from Vecna in happy memories, right? Dreams were just a compilation of memories and imagination. Eddie knows how to weave a tale, so yeah – why not?

He nods, steps closer, and offers his hand to the kid.

“This way.”

The woods are dark and dense and kind of lovely in their own way. The two can hear the Nazgûl in the background, although Eddie really wants to ask what the kids called it instead, and as he walks through the woods he just… focuses on the areas of the forest he knew well. In particular, the place he set up shop almost every day of the week.

And like magic, it appears.

They step into a small clearing in the woods, and there’s the picnic table he had last sat at with Chrissy Cunningham. Making a fool of himself to get her to laugh so she wouldn’t look so scared of him. Now he knows she wasn’t really scared of him at all, but the hallucinations Vecna had plagued her with. He swallows thickly, not wanting to think about Chrissy now – not when his very thoughts are driving where they walk – and then they are rounding the bleachers of the high school football field. Crossing the parking lots, and ducking through the East Entrance doors. Will had changed again, he’s older now, maybe 12 or 13, and looking around in curiosity.

Interesting.

“Have you ever been here before?” Eddie asks, because he needs to know. If Will had never been to Hawkins High, then he wouldn’t be able to dream it at all. That would mean that Eddie could create things out of thin air in a head that wasn’t his own. Both a very cool and very scary thought.

“Only a few times for school stuff. The others knew it better than I did. When I was lost they had El do her mind-walking here, so she could search for me. They made a sensory deprivation tank in the gym.”

Mind-walking. Eddie is even more interested now, and he wants to pry every little bit of information out of mini-Byers head if he can. “That’s the girl with superpowers?”

“Yeah, she’s like my sister.”

“And she can walk through minds?”

“Kind of,” and woah the kid’s voice dropped. He was older now, and taller again – probably the actual age of Henderson and Wheeler and Sinclair. “She walks through dimensions, but she can also walk through memories.”

“What about dreams?”

He almost doesn’t ask, but he also doesn’t get an answer – because then they make it to his hideout.

Eddie opens the door to the Drama room, where (low and behold) the Vecna Lives! Campaign is still set up from the night of the basketball game. The night Chrissy died, and Eddie’s entire life with her. The stage lights are set low, he’d created the perfect ambiance, and the table is still full of the havoc of their campaign. Those little shits won by the skin of their teeth, all thanks to Erika Sinclair. He’d never expected that. But it had been such a wonderful, delightful surprise. It’s a good memory, and Eddie holds onto it, lets it warm his chest and ease a smile onto his face.

“Woah!” Will’s face is pure awe, and there’s a handsome little smile on his face as well as he looks over the entire board. “Is this… you did all this?”

“It’s the night before I became a fugitive. My last and greatest campaign,” Eddie laments, shutting and blocking the door (just in case the Nazgûl decides to take up tracking) and then circles round to his Dungeon Master throne. Flops down in it with his legs hanging over the arm, and relishes in the familiarity of it. It’s the throne the props people built for a few plays over the years, and Eddie had to beg the Drama teacher to let him keep it for Hellfire. It was perfect. Set the tone immediately. All the other players got little folding card chairs, but Eddie was in charge and this was his domain. The throne never let them forget it.

Will looks around the board with skilled eyes, taking in each part of the story, and then his gaze lands on Henderson’s seat, where the character sheets and books are still set up. He must recognize the name, or the handwriting, because suddenly he’s frowning. The seat next to Henderson is Wheeler, and the frown deepens.

“Those shitheads,” he mumbles. “I begged them for months to play D&D with me last year, and as soon as I’m gone they join a club for it with a kick ass DM.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment” Eddie tells him with a wave of his hand, like the royalty he’s trying to be. “But yes, that was rather shitty of them. They told me all the time about how you’d wreck the campaign. Your presence was missed, Will the Wise.”

And it was true. Henderson had often shouted to the D&D heavens when Eddie’s hidden monsters would destroy half their party and demand to know where ‘Will the Wise’ was when they needed him.

“So,” he draws out the question, wanting to get back to the mind-walking girl, but he can see there is something still bothering the little Byers. “Did Henderson take over the campaigns? Or did you fill my empty throne upon your return?”

The smile falls from his face like a cinder block, and Will sits down in Wheeler’s seat heavily, gaze still roaming the complex board on the table.

“No, there’s been no games since everything happened.” He sounds sad about it, but Eddie gets the feeling it doesn’t actually have to do with D&D at all.

“How come?”

“Well, it’s kind of a… sore spot,” Will admits, and then he glances guiltily at Eddie. Who doesn’t get it for a minute.

Oh.

Oh, crap.

It must show on his face that he knows it’s because of him. He was the ringleader of Hellfire, after all.

“Dustin doesn’t even really like talking about it,” Will confides in him. “But he doesn't really talk to anyone about anything, we don’t see him that often. Mostly just at mom’s family dinners when Steve drags him there.”

“I heard about those,” Eddie murmurs, picking at the flaking black polish on his nails to mask the guilt clawing at his chest. “Good ole Steve.”

“He’s trying so hard to take care of everyone, but I know he spends a lot of time with Dustin. And Max. I really should visit Max more,” he murmurs now, his gaze going further away, and Eddie isn’t sure if he’s waking up from his dream or if Eddie is actually losing him in all this maudlin talk.

“She’s in the hospital, yeah?”

“The doctors aren’t sure if she’ll wake up,” Will tells him. “She’s just… in a coma. El is worried she’s stuck somewhere between the realms, but everyone else is worried she’s just… gone.”

Okay, they needed a topic change.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Eddie says, nearly flipping out of the throne in a manner that might have been a little over the top, but it shook the sadness from Will’s eyes and that’s what Eddie was going for. Court Jester, extraordinaire. It worked on Chrissy, it’ll work on little Will Byers. (Although not so little anymore.)

“Sure?”

He fumbles upright, and sits down in Henderson’s chair so he can finally level with the kid.

“You were stuck in the Upside Down when you went missing, right?” He knows he’s right, Henderson had gone into great detail about how it all started, but that's not the point of asking the question. Will nods, confused but intrigued. Super. “Okay, so – how did you hide and like… stay sane? You were just a little munchkin and all but you were in there for days.”

“Time moves differently there,” Will points out, but then shrugs and thinks about it. Looking up at the stage lights in thought. “I hid in this old fort of mine in the forest, it was something I had built myself and it didn’t make me feel so alone.”

Castle Byers, Eddie had seen it. He nods and motions for Will to continue with an exaggerated hand flourish that makes the kid smile.

“So, here's my theory – after talking with El and some of the others about it, and about how Max hid from Vecna – I think maybe because it held such good and safe memories for me, it protected me like no other house could. I think that’s how I wasn’t caught again.”

Now that, that gives Eddie pause… because his safe spot right now was Harrington’s house. But he had never slept in Steve’s bed before in his life. (Dreamed about it? Of course, but Eddie had only ever stepped foot in his kitchen to do business during house parties. There was no connection to the property itself.) So why was it safe now? Was it Steve’s memory that made it so? A combination with the fact there were no vines inside? It was a lot to mull over, and Will was taking his silence as a go-ahead to continue on.

“Basically, if I had to give any advice,” Will draws out, trying to see what Eddie was angling for. Yes, advice would be greatly appreciated. “The Upside Down is a direct mirror of Hawkins, so go and find the bits of yourself that still exist out there. Things that make you feel more like yourself, and less like you’re living in hell. Clothes or pictures or books. Something that’s not dangerous to carry around, but reminds you of home.”

That makes a lot more sense than Eddie had expected it to.

He looks back to Will, and gives the kid a grin that is equal parts impressed and appreciative.

“Thanks, kid. I think I’ll just have to do that.”

Will beams at him, a little hero-worship shining in his eyes that Eddie has witnessed before from his little hellion sheep. But then a spark of something like recognition crosses those wide eyes and Will’s gaze narrows at him in suspicion.

“Wait, why would you want to know that?” he questions, and Eddie doesn’t answer. Stays kind of tight-lipped about it because… he could just tell mini-Byers that he’s alive in there and that he should get Good Ole Steve-O and Nancy Wheeler and superhero girl to come rescue his ass. But would he believe him? Or remember?

And he recalls how fast the Nazgûl attacked once he fucked with the lights. The gate was closed, opening it could open up a whole can of worms or whatever that no one was ready to deal with.

Maybe… maybe he should just sit tight, for now, and see if he can help them all out somehow?

((Where was all this self-righteous bullshit coming from?))

Analysis time would also be a problem for Future Eddie.

“Let’s just say, it’ll come in handy for me,” Eddie relents. A little hint. Knowing those shits they’ll figure it all out anyway.

Instead of elaborating, he extends his hand, and waits for Will to clasp it like all good boys had been taught to do.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Will the Wise.”

He’s slow to smile again, but it’s a genuine thing and Eddie takes it for the little speck of Gold it is. “I’m glad I finally got to meet you, Eddie the Banished.”

And Eddie knows he has Henderson to thank for that nickname, but he would wear it proudly for the rest of his days if he ever manages to make it out topside again.

Although Byers might give Henderson a run for his money on ‘favorite child’, at this rate.

—

When the blood red morning dawn creeps in through Will Byer’s windows, and Eddie crawls out from underneath his bed, there’s a lot of thoughts tumbling around his head as he gathers his things.

In particular, the thought that trying to contact the other side might not be the best idea at the moment.

For his health? Yeah, possibly. He can’t actually live on moldy food the rest of his days, however short that may be, but he has to think of the bigger picture here. Everyone was having a rough time topside, in a completely different manner to Eddie’s own, but that old saying really rang true to him – shit was tough all over. They were all trying to heal, and knew there was a fight on the horizon. Eddie knew that eventually, everyone else would make it back to the Upside Down to finish this fight. He just had to live long enough to see that day.

So… why didn’t he just use his placement as an advantage?

Why doesn’t he do what he imagined himself doing, and really commit to the bit of espionage? Eddie could commit to the bit so hard he got himself in trouble most of the time. No use switching that up now.

So he gathers his things, tip-toes through the house, and runs right back into the woods. He has quite a few stops to make, but there’s one he needs to do first and foremost.

It takes the better part of the day, but he finally comes to the trailer park. The chasm splitting open the Earth glows and pulses with an intense heat, and there’s things prowling all around, but Eddie stays pressed to the backs of the trailers and dips and ducks around as best he can. Avoiding bats and rats and dogs and what might be a cat-like creature but he’s not entirely sure. Margaret’s trailer is much further down the road, where he’d biked when the bats chased him, so her bunker of Doomsday materials would have to wait.

Will said to find the things that reminded Eddie of himself, so that’s what he was going to do.

Uncle Wayne’s trailer is split in two, but Eddie’s room had been at the back end so it survived – to a degree. He crawls through the wreckage, picking through stuff that’s burnt and probably leaking radiation or some shit (seriously how has he not dropped dead at this rate?) and finally finds the tiny space that used to be his closet. It’s full of shirts and clothes he hasn’t seen in a couple years, but at the bottom is an old metal tool box that he’d stashed a bunch of sewing shit inside of. Patches. Bits of old band T-shirts, and sure enough – he lifts the lid, and finds the very origins of his battle vest. It’s still a jean jacket, at the moment, with sleeves covered in patches and safety pins – he ripped them off the summer between his second and third senior year – but on the back is the freshly hand-stitched Dio logo taking up the entire back panel. It’s gorgeous, and he immediately slips it on under Steve’s leather jacket. He’s lost enough weight the past few weeks it still fits, but he has a feeling he might be ripping off the sleeves sooner rather than later. Because he has some work to do, and some weapons to practice with.

But not before he goes and retrieves the final missing piece of himself.

His sweetheart is lying on the ground, covered in ash, some of the strings rusted. He whispers apologies to her as he picks her up out of the rubble. She’s a beautiful blood red Warlock NJ Series electric guitar that he spent two years saving up for, and as soon as he clips on a strap and slings her across his back, he feels more at peace than he had in a long time. Will the Wise had been right, he feels like he could take on the world with these bits of himself restored.

Harrington’s house was twenty miles away, and sundown was in only a few hours. He had errands to run, a distance to cross, and a realm of monsters in between them.

But he also now has a bike (discarded in a pile from Spring Break just waiting for him to pillage), and his guitar, and his battle jacket.

Fuck Vecna and his minions. This was Eddie’s world now.

Time to get to work.

—

tbc

—

Series Snippets:

- Dreamwalker (Eddie’s Story) (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5)

- Subconscious (Steve’s Story) (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)

#eventually ill decide when this is going to start being posted #i keep going back and forth on if it should be finished first #but if i do that then no cap its going to be like January #we'll see if i make it #wip Wednesday #Dreamwalker Subconscious series #steddie #god i hate that summary i really need to rewrite it #snippets no one asked for #like 3k of it and my god the fact checking and typos i have yet to do still #i prepped this Tuesday while in a depressive episode to cheery myself up #its a good ass snippet #cw character death mentioned #eddie uses profanity as adjectives and adverbs #pre steddie #eddie munson is a good egg and he'd be so sweet to will #katyswriting

17 notes · View notes

2darklymelanatedstories · 1 year

Text

Dance with my mother (ft Trunks)

Inspired by the song

Dance with my father

Luther Vandross

"What do you mean you can't?!",father shouted, his fist clenched with her necklace in it.

"I'm so sorry but I can't. It's against the Grand Priest's orders.",Shenron said, he looked truly sorry that he couldn't do anything. Grand Priest forbid the Dragonballs from bringing someone back to life until all the Super Dragonballs were found. Sounded pretty suspicious to me. But what did I know. I was a kid.

"Damnit Shenron!!" My father slammed his fist onto the ground, breaking half of the lookout in the process. He held back otherwise it would've been obliterated.

He couldn't hold it back anymore. He broke into tears. I ran over to him, tears also running down my cheek, and for the first time in forever, I embraced him. At first he pushed me away but I guess he needed a reminder of her so he pulled me back. We were on our knees crying. Fxck Saiyan pride. It didn't matter.

He didn't care about his pride at that moment, he didn't care that everyone saw him at his most vulnerable. What he cared for most was gone. My mother was gone. And she wasn't coming back.

It's been 4 years since the incident and to be honest we still weren't coping but we survived.

To be honest I think the only real reason we tried to keep it together was because of Bulla. My spoilt, little sis. Daddy's princess. I remember how I was disappointed when I found out I was getting a sister but now seeing her blue hair, pretty eyes and fascination with my mothers old tools, it just reminded me of mom. She was a little version of my mom. Stubborn, beautiful and smart...even for a baby.

I was babysitting my little sis and she ran off somewhere when I wasn't looking.

"Not again." I sighed.

I went around our large house to look for her and finally reached my parents old room. Father doesn't sleep there anymore. Too many memories that it hurt him to wake up with my mother not next to him.

I quietly entered and found the little troublemaker playing with my mothers old CDs. I quickly grabbed them before she could damage them. Big mistake.

She burst out crying and I didn't know how to calm her this time. So in panic of getting a huge scolding and maybe a "discipline" from my father, I quickly put it in her CD player and played it. On it came one of her favourite old songs by this one artist. Luther I think. Luther Vandross, Nothing better than love.

Even though she's ahead of the times, my mom found nothing more enjoyable and nostalgic than playing an old song her parents listened to when they were teens.

Immediately Bulla calmed down as she listened to the music. I lifted her up and started swaying to the beat. Usually I would hate listening to this but I felt connected to my mom when I did. It reminded me of the times we'd dance together.

When I'd dance with her. How I'd love to dance with my mother.

All the memories came flooding back. When my mom's favourite song would play and she get us to dance, and force my dad to as well, though I could tell he enjoyed it.

Family bonding, she'd call it.

I danced with little Bulla in my arms. She smiled and giggled which warmed my heart a bit. Dang, I become such a softie when I'm around her.

Unfortunately our moment was ruined when an angered force entered. Father.

The music stopped and my heart sank.

"What are you doing?",he asked angrily.

"I-I was just, Bulla got-"

He held the disc in his hand and I could see and those emotions he bottled up were ready to be set free.

"Get out!",he yelled, startling Bulla. The poor thing started sobbing which broke my father's heart. His eyes told me.

He sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just-"

"It's okay, dad. We'll leave.",I said as I headed to the door trying to calm Bulla. "Come on sis, let's go watch SpongeBob."

The mere mention of his name perked her up.

I heard my dad sigh and the door shut. I turned around but he was nowhere to be seen.

"He finally went into the room."

As Bulla and I were watching her favourite ridiculous show, I heard something. Something breaking.

I put her down on the carpet and ran towards my mother's room. I listened outside the door.

It reminded of the days I would do so when he locked himself in there. When he was tired of being vulnerable in front of people and just needed to be alone to let out his sadness.

I heard something else break.

No.

I kicked the door down and lunged myself at him to stop him from destroying a framed picture of our family on vacation. My mother looked especially beautiful, like always. I grabbed the picture from him.

"Stop!",I yelled.

My father's eyes were red and a bit puffy but I tried to ignore that. He bared his teeth in anger.

"Boy!!" He raised his hand and I shut my eyes preparing for impact. He's never been violent with me before, it's the first he's even raised a finger at me. I guess he finally broke. And you know what? I was gonna take it.

He brought down his hand and muttered an apology before leaving.

I looked at the picture frame in my hand and realised I crushed it by accident. Tiny shards of glass fell onto the floor in slow motion. The picture was still okay. That what mattered.

If I could get another chance, another step, another dance with her. I'd play a song that would never end.

"How I'd love to dance with you again, mom."

I just put my lil'sis to bed and my father was nowhere to be seen. I understood his pain. There's a reason Saiyans were raised with little love and emotion.

I went to my room early. Today was too much. My emotions were killing me. And I was only 12. Where have the years gone?

I played the CD I saved, in my room and shut the door.

I let myself fall onto the bed and listened to another song by Luther Vandross. Dance with my father.

The title and song needed tweaking for me.

I decided to rest my eyes a bit and enjoy the music.

I opened my eyes to another familiar setting. The lookout. Shenron was in front of me with the grand priest.

I was on my knees, tears in my eyes. Next to the Grand Priest was my mother. My dear mother. I tried to stand and grab her but it was as if I was stuck to the ground.

"Why are you here child?",the Grand Priest asked.

"I want-I need my mother back. Please!",I begged. "Me, my father, Bulla. We need her. Our family isn't the same without my mother."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. For you see-"

"I know, damnit!!!",I shouted.

"My, my, what a feisty child.",Grand Priest said. "Just like your mother."

"I'm not asking for much." Tears started flowing to my eyes. "Could you just bring back the only woman he ever loved? Please. Dear Lord he's dying...to dance with my mother again."

The grand Priest tilted his head and tapped his chin.

"Hmm.",he hummed. "No."

My sadness turned to anger. I turned Super Saiyan as I tried to attack him but I was stuck. "Damn you!!"

"If I could get one final step, one final walk, one final dance with her...",I whispered. But a miracle happened. He heard me.

"Very well then."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What? Really?! But-"

Before I could continue, I heard my mother's voice as she ran over to me. And as if the weight of what was holding me down was lifted, I got up and ran towards her. She hugged me and I felt compelled to keep her in my arms.

"I'd play a song that would never ever end." I looked my mom I'm the eyes. "Because I'd love to dance with my mother again."

She wiped a tear from my cheeks, her eyes starting to water. "Don't cry mom.",I whispered. I was so happy. She was here again.

As if on cue the music started playing. Yep you guessed it. Luther Vandross. I felt a bit obsessed with him.

I started dancing with my mom enjoying every moment until I felt an arm on my shoulder. I looked back to see my father with Bulla in his arms. I took Bulla in my arms and watched as my parents danced together. Like the good old days.

I hoped this song would never end.

Thing is...

It did.

Once it did, everything went dark. My mother vanished and my father turned to dust. I reached for my sister but the closer I got, the further she did.

I let out a scream and before I knew it...

I woke up. It was a dream. The same yet different. The songs never did play forever. Which was weird because this time I put it on repeat. I sat up and went to check on the CD. It was gone.

"He needs it more than me."

I went back to bed and thought about my dream. We were happy, after so long. But it never lasts. It never did.

Everytime I fall asleep, this is all I ever dream.

#trunks #bulma #Vegeta #beerus #dragonball super #dragonball z #dragon ball #supreme kai #shenron #bulla #luther vandross #trunks x reader

28 notes · View notes

lollitree · 1 year

Note

Your tags under the pokemon poll are SO TRUEE and it hurts how many people dont understand that

I grew up in the change from pixel art to 3D and have nostalgia for bw, xy AND sm. So i think because of that, I can see the good and bad in all the games but don't feel like any of them 'peaked''. They're all different games, so they are really hard to compare.

On a related note tho, its so sad to see so many fans praise one of my childhood games and not the others. And like, I get it because gen 5 is more similar to what they grew up with.....but every time I say I love xy, sm and even swsh i get told they are terrible and usually imply that I shouldnt like them :/

That only happens online, though......irl all the fans ive met, no matter their ages, just say something like 'i didnt like it, but i'm glad you did!'. Growing up in irl fan spaces and having to move online during corona was AN EXPERIENCE omg

Yeah! It's super interesting how much we are affected by nostaglia.

There's usually a pattern you can notice with this stuff too. There are two lines that go up as time goes on. The one everyone talks about as being great and the newer one people hate on, usually to do with nostalgia of the now older original audience of the game.

My full reply got long so putting it under a read more skfjsh

My first Pokemon game was Colosseum, so gen 2/3 pokemon and gen 3 sound effects are pretty nostalgic to me.

Then I grew up mostly playing Diamond/Platinum/PMD2/Ranger2. I LOVED Team Galactic. I restarted the games so many times just so I could play through the story again with Cyrus and the Galactic Grunt theme. (I have also played through pmd2 many many times). I remember in my early teens seeing people on the internet hating on DPPt a lot and it making me sad. I recall someone saying that the gen 4 Pokemon sucked and I remember thinking "aw I guess they're right, some of these pokemon are really boring or annoying" and then I learned later that the pokemon I was thinking of were all gen 1 pokemon sdfkjsh

Gen 5 was hated when it first came out because it wasn't very fun for new players. I bet it also didn't help that the advertising for B2W2 was pretty poor and also came out after the 3DS did. I didn't even know it was a sequel until years later. That's why they went in the complete opposite direction for gen 6, and added gimmicks!

I have heard multiple people call the designs from gen 5 horrible over the years (And they're all wrong). Those comments are nowhere NEAR as frequent now, but they almost always come from people with nostalgia for the ones they grew up with.

I was 13 when BW first came out. I think I've only beaten it once, MAYBE twice. I'm not entirely sure why, because I was still replaying DPPt a lot. I would guess it's because the game is super linear in terms of gameplay and every playthrough will start exactly the same. You don't really get to make decisions on your team and how you play until later. Kid me loved the beginning of the main pokemon games the most because they were the most fun bits to play usually. So I suppose when you've already played it once, the beginning becomes quite boring.

And to compare. I did not like XY when it first came out. I was 16 and very against change and also my fav types at the time were dark and dragon so fairy type was the worst thing ever. I said previously that I really liked Team Galactic, so Team Flare was just a bootleg version of them to me. BUT I did immediately replay the game when I finished it. The character customisation plus the huge dex gives the game a lot of replayability. Because while I didn't like a lot about the game it was still fun to play, and it was the first time online was really accessible to me. I went back to 2013/2014 on my blog and there's SO much positivity about the game it's amazing! Over time people only remembered the bad parts and started hating it. I bet there'll be an influx of nostalgia for it before long. We can even see it in the hope people have for SV having Kalos DLC.

I need to replay sun/moon or play USUM because in my brain currently it sucks. But I'm very aware that that's because I only played it once, it's been years, and I played it when I started to grow out of Pokemon. So I'm excited to play it again now that I can appreciate it better. (Also the Sun/Moon anime is my fav so I have a lot of love for the characters now)

And finally, I loved SWSH! I didn't finish it the first time I tried to play it. Mostly because I spent HOURS trying to get a shiny hatenna before doing the fire gym skdfjhs. But then I SPED through the game with a bug type only run before Legends came out and I really enjoyed the story! One of those things that's more enjoyable if you're only focused on enjoying the story (and playing the game through with a joltik as the lead and trying to make sure they stay strong enough to beat the game with pfft) Also Leon was the first ever Champion I actually thought was cool and enjoyed seeing while playing the game (as ridiculous as his outfit is)

If I were to logically plot out the best for me based on how nostalgia works and taking into consideration that public opinion ABSOLUTELY influences me. I would have said BW was the best and XY(or SM) was the downfall, even though I had way more fun playing XY than BW as a kid

#pokemon #boy that got long #I really wanted to be transparent in sharing my own nostalgia #ACTUALLY I HAVE BEAT BW TWICE #I forgot I played it in pokeMMO with my friend like 5 years ago #it's WAY more fun in that because you get follower pokemon and I got to play with my friend #also they let you reset EVs after you beat the game so it's more balanced in that regard #man I need to play USUM soon #I want to play with a cutiefly now that I'm not a grumpy old man and don't hate fairy type #also I didn't mention it in the post because it wasn't relevant to my point but I love XY now through exposure I love it all dksbfk #Ive done so kuch research and Im so gutted at the wasted potential it really needed a 3rd version #also with the pokemas villain arc I can now officially say I like lysandre #love a villain who doesn't lie it's such an interesting trait for someone keeping quiet about wanting to murder millions of people

24 notes · View notes

cyberslam · 2 years

Text

baby, don't deny what your poor heart needs

trans! 1-2-3 Kid/Razor Ramon

hi! On my bullshit again but god I've got Kid/Razor on the mind and I wanted to write something purely self indulgent between commissions. So here's some absolutely dripping in personally inspired trans narrative Kid.

Anyway I got to talking with Scotty and we talked about how getting your first suit as a trans man is such a big thing, and I thought it'd be sweet if Razor bought Kid his first suit.

I have a whole list in my head of headcanons for this version of Kid I may or may not post?

Also loosely related to Xentex's lovely standalone fic for his trans Diesel muse.

TWs:

needles/injections in the first part, nothing descriptive, internalized and mentioned transphobia, NSFW content.

[Ao3 Link]

Kid was laid flat on his stomach on the cushy hotel bed as he watched Razor tapping away air bubbles from the syringe in his hands. Ever since he began running with the Cuban, he insisted on doing Kid's t-shots for him. He had said it was something nostalgic for him. Kid was a little annoyed at first, but he was quick to relent given that Razor was a hell of a lot better at injecting him than he was. It sucked to have to do his shots in his thighs, and having to wrestle right after usually would put him in a ton of pain.

Instead, having the shot done by his hip was just more comfortable.

"What're you wearing to the charity dinner?" Kid asked, smushing his cheek against the pillow he was resting on as he caught Razor's eye.

"Eh, maybe just gonna throw a white suit over the usual on and call it a day." Razor shrugged. He was already replacing the needle. Kid didn't know how Razor had it all memorized. It basically took him half an hour to get through all the steps, having to consult the worn out instructions sheet he kept with the vials. Sure Razor had a good memory, but he did it with so much ease.

"Man, even you're wearing a suit?" He pouted. He'd basically asked every wrestler what they'd be wearing at this point. Shawn was gonna be in a suit, Diesel was going to be doing just a button up with a sportcoat, hell even the Bushwhackers had suits! Kid didn't even own a button up. Most events Vince made them do were casual enough he could get away with a t-shirt, jeans, and his leather jacket. But this one was all fancy, way more formal and stiff than anything Kid had attended. The last time he wore a suit must've been…never. He frowned more, realizing he'd never owned a suit.

Razor ruffled his hair, taking him out of his thoughts as the taller man rounded the bed. He pulled Kid's waistband down, wiping the injection site down with an alcohol pad.

"What, you're not?" Razor asked, waving his hand over the alcohol to dry it off.

"I don't have a suit, Raze. Never did. Always had to wear dresses to big stuff." Kid sighed. He couldn't help the way it made him feel. His mom had always spent so much on those dresses, he never had the heart to tell her he didn't want to wear them. He knew how important having a daughter was to her; for a long time he was worried he'd just break her heart so he kept quiet.

He was thankful puberty never hit him too hard, though. A loose enough shirt usually got the job done to hide his body.

Kid came out to his mom when he first broke into wrestling. He couldn't make himself wrestle the women's division, or in any women's promotion. His mom had struggled with it. They fought. He moved in with his grandparents who were somehow more understanding.

The King had helped him out a ton, too. He owed him for being the reason he got to wrestle in the men's divisions.

"Ready?" Razor's voice brought him out of the past. He nodded, the slight sting hitting him as Razor pushed the needle through the skin he held taut. "So you never had a suit? Never been fitted for one?"

Kid shook his head as Razor pulled his hand away, depressing the plunger. "Never Raze. Makes me kinda nervous, going to buy a suit. I mean I can get one off the rack at Macy's or something I guess, but I can only afford the discount stuff and all that's too big on me. I'll look like a kid playing in his dad's clothes."

"Then get one tailored, chico."

"I don't think I need to tell you why that makes me nervous." Kid scoffed, rolling his eyes as Razor pulled the needle out, replacing it with an alcohol pad held gently against his skin. "Like, y'know what if they take inseams and they like…notice."

"If you pack they won't." Razor took care of disposal as he spoke, gently pulling Kid's waistband up.

"I don't know man…you know I usually don't anyway.

"Oyame, chico. I'll take you to my tailor. He won't say shit to you, he made suits for Vinnie. Does suits for dykes too. I'll explain it to him, okay?" Sharps disposed, Razor sat on the edge of the bed with a smile as he looked down at Kid.

The young man wouldn't admit it to his face, but he loved when Razor actually smiled. Not that slimy smirk of his, but a real smile. He couldn't help himself from smiling back.

"Alright Raze, but I don't know if I can afford that."

That got him a smack to the back of the head.

"The fuck you think I am? I'm gonna make you pay for this? It's a gift, niño. From me. You wear that shit and if anyone asks, you tell them Razor Ramon got it for you, got it?" He had pulled the toothpick from his mouth, pointing it at Kid as he spoke, making him laugh.

"Yeah I hear you big man. Mr. Ramon so kindly bought me my suit."

"Damn straight." He leaned down, pushing Kid's curls back as he placed a kiss to his forehead. Kid stuck his tongue out in response, before sighing.

"Thanks Raze."

"You're running with me. That means you get the best, or nothing." Razor patted him on the back, "we'll go tomorrow, all right?"

"Alright. You're the boss, Mr. Ramon."

"Damn right I am."

—

Razor managed to pull off a pretty comfortable experience for Kid's first time getting fit for a suit. Measurements weren't any different from when he would get fitted for wrestling gear, there was just a lot more to measure. Thankfully, his tailor offered private rooms so Kid didn't have to deal with any of the anxiety provided by someone potentially walking in.

He also couldn't deny the way it made him feel a lot more like a man to even go through the experience of getting fitted.

To save time, they had picked out a premade suit to be altered, given the charity dinner was that weekend. Razor had been pretty upset he couldn't pay for a suit to be made for Kid, but Kid reasoned that he didn't even need to wear them all that often in the first place.

Come Friday morning, the suit was ready.

Razor had picked it out, not that Kid had a problem with that. It was navy, with a black trim on the inside. According to the big man himself, he chose it because cool colors suited Kid more than blacks or anything warm.

For the most part, Kid had no idea what Razor would be going on about so he just nodded along and agreed.

Still, trying it on was something different. Razor had pretty much picked out everything else: the dress shirt, shoes, tie, belt…

“I’m worried I’m going to look stupid.” Kid was frowning as Razor was tying his tie for him.

“Ay niño, you look handsome. You look like the man you are.” The taller man chided him, speaking with a cigar in his mouth as he tightened the tie up to his neck. “That comfortable?”

Being called handsome by Razor of all people always made Kid’s chest swell with joy. “You really think so?”

“Don’t be stupid. The fuck would I lie to you for?”

Kid grinned as he was scolded, putting on the coat jacket as it was handed to him.

“There’s three buttons, you just button the top two.”

“Got it, boss.” Kid rolled his eyes, secretly appreciative of how much Razor gave instruction. If it wasn’t for him, he’d end up going to the dinner looking like he rolled in right off the street and Vince would’ve had his head for it. Slim fingers worked on the buttons before straightening the jacket out. He had to admit, it was a lot more comfortable than he expected. There was something nice about having the layer of the jacket to hide any awkward bumps the dress shirt wouldn’t.

“Alright. Now that’s a handsome guy. Turn around.” Razor was grinning at him pulling his cigar out of his mouth as he looked down at Kid. With one hand, he gently turned Kid around to face himself in the mirror.

Kid normally tried not to let his emotions really get to him in any big way, but this time he couldn’t help it. There was just a prick of tears in his eyes as he looked himself over in the full body mirror. Head to toe, he looked like he actually belonged in men’s formal wear. The pants gave enough of a drop near his crotch he wouldn’t be too uncomfortable even if he did pack, the jacket drew away from his chest and gave him a boxier looking frame instead of emphasizing how petite his body usually looked. Even his shoes didn’t look too small. He couldn’t help but smile as he checked himself out in the mirror.

“That’s not all. Here.” Razor pulled a small box out of his pocket, giving it to Kid. “Open it, c’mon.”

“Geez man, just like wait a second.” Kid huffed, pulling the golden cover off of the small box. Inside was some actual gold; two gold cufflinks and a chain. He was stunned, mouth slightly agape as he looked down at the gift and then at Razor.

“It’s real gold, chico. We’ll have matching cufflinks. And I figured you can wear the chain with just the shirt sometimes. When I take you out, I mean. You’ve been rolling with me this long. I can't have you without at least some gold, yeah?” Razor looked real proud, moving closer to Kid, pulling the cufflinks out of the box and affixing them to the ends of the sleeves of the jacket.

“Raze, this is too much isn’t it?”

“What, you stole my money and now you’re too good for my gold, huh? This shit is as real as it gets, chico.”

“Okay you like, already got over that. And I mean, this is different. You bought this for me. This must’ve been expensive.”

Razor took a puff of his cigar before he pointed it at Kid. “Nothing is too expensive for Razor Ramon, comprende?”

Kid huffed, before grinning. “Only because it’s you Raze, am I even worried that you spent money like this on me. I’d be out the door with anyone else.” He looked at the cufflinks, admiring the way they complimented the deep blue of the jacket.

Razor just shook his head in response as Kid looked himself over again in the mirror.

“I almost don’t want to take it off.”

"Mm. I can help you with that niño."

Kid watched as Razor put the cigar out in the ash tray. The larger man stepped in closer, pressing himself flush against Kid's back. He rested his chin on Kid's left shoulder, clearly scheming something.

Kid watched the two of them in the mirror. For once he didn't feel like he was fighting to look like a man, especially next to Razor. Not that anyone said shit to him ever since they started rolling together. Anytime some jobber even whispered that Kid looked "girly" in the locker room, they'd suspiciously have some injury and never end up on any of the shows.

Razor's rough hands began wandering around Kid's body, undoing his belt buckle as he watched the reaction of the younger man. Kid squirmed, feeling his face get hot.

"Razor…" He huffed, watching his belt being tossed aside as his dress shirt got pulled out. His coat jacket was pulled off next, laid gently on the ottoman to their side, and Kid wasn't sure if he wanted to be transfixed on the image in front of him or look away. "I can undress myself, c'mon. You know I don't like looking at myself like this."

"Kid." Razor's voice was stern, and the lack of a nickname made the slimmer man stand up a bit straighter. "You look so fucking handsome. C'mon, look." He grabbed Kid's face, turning him towards the mirror.

Kid's eyes met with his own, struggling to face the feelings stirring inside him. His eyes wandered down as Razor's deft hands undid his buttons, one at a time. Exposing skin. Before he undid the last few buttons, Razor slipped a hand in to cup his chest, calloused fingers rubbing at his nipple. Kid bit his lip, trying to stifle a moan as he looked away. Quickly, a rough hand turned his face to the mirror.

"Don't look away." It was a command.

The reflection was uncomfortable. His clothes were the only thing that made people see him as a man. Some days he didn't mind looking at himself. Hell, usually he didn't, but it wasn't like he spent time checking himself out in the mirror naked.

Kid watched his flushed face, the way he kept biting his lip, the lazy but hungry look in Razor's eyes as he fondled him. He kissed up Kid's neck, sending shivers down his spine. Wet, sloppy kisses to his ear made his knees nearly give out.

"You look so handsome, niño." He was practically purring into his ear. That low, rumbly voice was made of wet dreams.

"I look–"

Always a little dramatic, Razor pulled the dress shirt apart, fully exposing his torso. "Like a man."

The shirt was discarded as Kid looked on at himself. The way his chest curved. Razor grabbed at each pec, squeezing them, playing with him. Kid whined, leaning back against the broad chest behind him.

"Remember what I told you. If anyone tells you you ain't a man, you come to me?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

"That counts for you too. Cause you've got more machismo than half the guys we work with. This chest? This face? These hips? All a man's." With each body part, Razor put his hands there and gave a squeeze.

Kid was happy he wasn't prone to tears, because he'd be crying just about now. He knew he was a guy. A man. Not just some boy. And he knew his body was a man's body, but being around a bunch of cis guys who were bigger than he'd ever be, comfortable being nearly naked in a way he'd never be; it would give him some pause sometimes. Maybe Razor noticed. Maybe he saw how Kid had been lately and knew he needed his.

"Alright don't get a big head about." There was that smack to the back of the head to ground him. He shot Razor a nasty look, getting a slimy grin in return. "Sit."

He was gently pushed back onto the chaise chair, until he sat down on it.

Razor kneeled in front of him in a sight that Kid wished he could take a photo of. He watched as the man at his feet undid the laces on the oxfords, slipping them off his feet and placing them to the side. He lifted Kid's heel up to his mouth, kissing his ankle.

Kid wanted to squirm at the sensation. He held his breath watching Razor, who looked up at him and gave him a wink. He pulled the dress socks off before moving up, kissing at Kid's thighs through the fabric of the pants. His hands snaked up the outside of Kid's thighs until he was grabbing a handful of his ass, kneading his fingers into it.

His lips made it up to Kid's stomach, before kissing back down to his happy trail. His hands slid around to undo the fly as he looked right at Kid. Razor pulled his pants down, until they were completely off, and laid them next to where Kid sat.

The Cuban firmly pressed his lips to Kid's crotch, eliciting some small moans from him. His fingers snuck into the waist band of his boxers, pulling them down to expose Kid fully. Razor tasted how wet he was, his tongue licking through his folds and up to his clit before sucking on it.

Kid couldn't keep himself from moaning then. He panted, Razor working him up quickly. His hand found it's way to that slicked back, curly hair as he pulled Razor forward. It didn't take long for Razor to make him come, fucking him with his tongue and sucking him off like he was.

Climax overwhelming him, he tried to wriggle away from the overstimulation but strong arms kept him in place. Kid bit down on his own hand to keep himself from nearly screaming. He collapsed backwards, feeling his muscles twitching as they tried to relax, not even noticing that Razor had pulled his boxers back up.

Breathing slowly, Kid slowly sat up. He didn't know when Razor had grabbed his cigar and relit it, but he sure had.

"Gotta say of all the guys I've given head to, you're my favorite." Razor teased him, taking a puff of his cigar before blowing the smoke in Kid's face.

The smaller man frowned as he waved the smoke away. "Oh shut up."

He stared down at his legs for a moment.

"Thanks Razor."

"No problem niño." Razor ruffled his curly hair, before stepping away. "Get dressed, let's get outta here."

"Sure thing, Mr. Ramon."

#d is writing #razor ramon #123 kid #the 123 kid #wwf #wwf fic #this was probably the quickest ive written a fic to be posted in a while!#trans!123 kid

42 notes · View notes

random-meme-bot · 9 months

Note

When did you initially come up with your oc's? Like... long has the concept of hexes on the shelves existed in your head? :0

Also, this may be a hard question but do you maybe have any voice headcanons for them? :o

Ok this is actually a hard question to answer, since the actual idea of a duo of character that can see ghost and it's ghost partner started way way back when I was a kid due to a pair of Spanish educational point & click adventure games called "Central de Fantasmas" (ghost central)

While the games are surprisingly high quality for the standars of educational games (the guy voice actor also does Fry in futurama as well as a lot other characters in other shows), all things considered they didn't do much with the ghost idea, so it led to my kid shelf imagining this stories about a duo of characters one human and one ghost, I'll be honest I don't remember anything about them.

A few years back, on 2022 I got really nostalgic for this games and decided to play them (took a while to make them run since these where designed for Windows XP tops) and the memories of me playing came back and through the next days of playing I started again tinkering with the idea of a human/ghost duo, it all clicked when YouTube recomended me the song "All my friends are ghost" by Dib Dooley (the original non music video is older but it's no longer on her channel)

youtube

That's the point where my mind gave form to Ely, this parody of a mystery children book protagonist, unlike those who pieced things together out of clues that then would lead them to traping the villan thanks to their quick thinking and resourcefulness, Ely was clumsy, almost always was in the wrong track with her assumptions, and only managed to catch the bad guy at the end and survive fighting against literal crime bosses because of her friend Dan, a grumpy ghost who despite what he says really cares about Ely and makes sure to protect her, all lead to this.

The first ever art of Ely & Dan.

Ely's dressing was roughly inspired by another parody of Kids mystery books, Jenny LeClue, while Dan's was inspired by Gibson from the Webtoon "Greetings from Grisley".

Despite the fact that Jenny doesn't have a hat while Gibson does, the hat actually was originally drawn as part of Elly's design to complement the detective look, then it was given to Dan as it's design looked to simple.

The idea kept going in my head and some questions started to form "Why can Elly see ghosts?" "Why does Dan want to become a writer so bad?" "How does Dan manage to pay the bills with him being a ghost and his book store not making any money?".

That's the point where I decided to actually make a story out of this and started to learn how to use adventure game studio, when I more or less had an understanding of how everything worked and had programed a way to switch between normal Ely & Dan Elly, I realized that I didn't have any sprites or artist abilities, after some days and a bunch of re doing I had the sprite versions that I posted over here.

I decided to park the project for now and develop some art skills moment in which I started to draw other ideas I had (check the art section in my pinned post for more on that).

The Ideas for Ely & Dan keep going in my head evolving until their current version and at that point I just couldn't take it I needed to share them, so I took your advice and decided that even if they weren't going to look the best they could at least they were going to look, and so Elly & Dan were posted.

So yeah, to answer it simply, the concept as we know it today, middle of 2023 more or less, the original concept more or less middle to late 2022, the Original idea 2010 or so...

Also about the second question, I don't, I've tried to come up with voices for them both in English & in Spanish but they always change.

#ask #Oc #my Ocs #hexes on the shelves #HotS #long post I know and I also rambled about unrelated stuff but I've always wanted to talk about their origins #Also yes‚ Elly has orange hair & glasses because of Jenny‚ although I really like what I ended up doing with the glasses.#Not sure if it can be seen since pencil doesn't look great on pictures but Ely had freckles that I removed when I made her older in V2 #One Idea that was from the beginning and I've ended up liking was Ely having really pale skin because of the saying #“you look like you've just seen a ghost” that people say when someone gets pale

5 notes · View notes

miniar · 7 months

Text

So Apparently Diablo IV is coming in a perfect display of Blizzard's ongoing downfall.

Blizzard Entertainment went and fucked up a while back by banning a Hearthstone tournament champion from competing because he voiced support for Hong Kong protesters in an interview and since then things have only gotten worse.

Diablo 1 and 2 were iconic games along with the warcraft and starcraft series. For a long time these games were praised and loved as reliable good fun and the blizzard servers that let you play with people around the world were... well.. they existed and were perfectly serviceable.

The games ofc would connect to blizzard net by default so when that whole thing was discontinued that was simply that.

Then World of Warcraft happened, and a popular cash cow that was. It fast became the most played MMO around. I played it.

Of course, when you reach late game content it was all a tedious grind requiring multiple hours of multiple days of commitment to attend, and you were required to have the correct gear and correct stats and correct skills to be permitted to attend, and so any individuality or desire to do anything but this meant you might as well be playing a single player game if it wasn't for the (usually toxic) chat.

When Diablo 3 came out, many of us old timers bought it and played it. It had references to the old stories and it was a good time. Fun even. It had it's flaws, ofc, but there are some lines from that game that still play in my head when the situation is about right.

I had no idea Diablo 4 was in the works. To be fair, I'm not paying as much attention as some do, but given how big the Diablo franchise was, it came as a complete surprise to see it suggested in my Steam queue. A tiny nostalgic spark went off in my head and I wondered what direction they'd take the story from where it left off, what kind of heroes would be called, whether maybe I should pick it up and play necromancer again, my go to "bring your own army" build dreamily dancing in the far back of my old goth mind.

And the video trailer gave me absolutely no information what so ever. It was a popular song (you should see me in a crown) playing over the unimpressive "reveal" of a succubus-esque form followed by shots of mid combat chaos.

And nothing else.

Nothing.

No interesting characters, no indication of what the class options are going to be, no suggestion as to what the story is, or why, or anything remotely interesting.

Just, "check out this sexy boss we made, also here's some combat".

It REEKS of half-assed cash-grab mediocrity, at best.

And that's the thing. In the last decade or so, Blizzard's slowly but surely becoming known for shit customer service, product decline, and absolute lack of anything remotely resembling a spark of creativity.

Diablo 4 looks like a knock-off diablo phone game.

Blizzard, by the way, created a phone game, and instead of reworking their earlier games and porting them to a phone where a younger generation could experience the iconic franchise for what made it popular and older players could come back and bask in nostalgia, they built a boring, superficial mess.

And just to make it worse, just like their shitty phone game, it looks like Diablo 4 is gonna force you to be connected to the internet.

And you know, I'm annoyed, because these games were in the stack of things that made playing a game something I enjoyed doing. The stories, the characters, the challenge, it was all a good time. And now we're getting the "sad wankfest" versions from what used to be a pretty good game dev company.

It's like finding they've replaced one of your favorite fruits in the supermarket with an artificially flavored wax version that isn't actually for "eating" but you can chew and spit out pieces of it for the "experience" of what it might be like to eat a fruit as interpreted by a person who's only experience with said fruit was a picture and a third hand description of the flavor.

If you've never had an apple in your life, sure, maybe this'll be a good time for you, but for the love of all that is holy, please, there are better options out there, some of them are even free.

#diablo 4 #blizzard #gaming

4 notes · View notes

bookishtheaterlover7 · 5 months

Note

Hi all one of bookies friends here.

Everyone needs to calm down

Look at the facts.

Video- showed her without ANY ring a lot

Video-could he be anymore obvious with his left

hand.

Everytime he does or has something come out she does something. This time she shot herself in the hand twice.

And no I no longer find Chris attractive. If your team real i dont care. I just dont like seeing my friends on here who are team or get all worked up bwcause its nothing. It is for nothing we've, proven its fake.

How many holes can you put into a hot air balloon before it can't fly anymore?

To the GP (genaral public) they are married so right after all it was exposed the rings are fake. teams are gunna have to do or try and do clean up for a while. We knew this was going to happen. I expect to see shit about one flying here or the other flying there or they both fly to meet each other. I mean how many roumers in 2 days can start about who is where? It just

makes it look worse and more comical. A real couple wouldnt do damage control at all. Just because a website publishes an article doesn't mean it's a website that reports news or the truth. Remember People mag, US weekly etc is are still mags they use click bait. Don't freak out everytime you hear a rumor that she flew here or did this or that . The fact is its been de bunked disproven if they choose to continue on with the PR BS thats on them a lot of fans are not playing along any more. Im.not playjng along anymore im done with it. I saw a post in instagram that sums everything us well it said

"I am on team PR. But if he wants people

to believe he's with her, then we should

just leave him to it. It's true he owes

us nothing but we also don't owe him

our support anymore."

What point is there to get upset or nervous or anxious over something just because there a rumor about a plane ride. If you wanna believe theres a plane ride maybe its to sign a new contract that this shit is over.

You know its fake i know its fake. And you know what they showed they were gifts from cartier. Maybe her team would shse poney up the money to get cz versions. Frankly it would be even funnier.

We dont owe chris anything.

If you feel silly or stupid or being duped by thibking he was a better man than he is dont be, everyone was. It only goes to show the man could've had awards by now if he picked better scripts

Clean up is gunna happen. WE HAVE SEEN IT. the less you play into it the faster itll be over with.

But dont let this distract you or upset you from a joyus holiday season or take away any happiness you're experiencing or could be experiencing. Focus on something positive and happy. At the very least i saw a blog with a debate about who qas hotter Sam or Castiel. Now THAT is some shit worth arguing about. Not an airheaded Nazi

Thank you, my dear An🫶n.

Honestly, this is a serious wakeup call to a lot. That ring debacle/exposure is something to note, and it could be the sign to many of being done.

And if they aren't, well, I'm happy to partially become the blog that becomes a nostalgic stop for old Chris, Chris Evans before he was a shit person in a shit relationship with a shit person, and Chris Evans Characters Appreciation and absolute SIMPING!!! Oh, and the occasional Albitch hate post, because I still hate her 😆

I'm even thinking it's time to add more Fandoms to my roster. Marvel characters are high on that list. So are book discussions, because I am enjoying that as well 😁

We'll see. The world is my oyster now, especially with that big bomb that fell into our laps, as well as the fact I'm on break and about to undergo the busiest month of my life!!!

It's going to be filled with holiday cheer, family love, Christmas shopping, reconnecting with everyone, and focusing on improving the one love that came back a few months ago, after years... Writing 😊

So, my beautiful weirdos, can we PLEASE take steps towards something new? I think we could use some respite after months, maybe even years of PR Debunking Hell... 🫶

Also, there are certain topics that I don't want to be discussed on here. Because I don't feel comfortable being in the middle of any debate whatsoever (you can ask my dearest friends on here, they know I hate politics and avoid discussing, and eventually debating it, as much as possible). Until my next post, Beloveds 🤗

#An🫶n asks #thank you!#booky reacts #chris evans #chris evans fandom #still a place to hate Albitch.#booky answers #on to new horizons #Happy 25 Days Before Christmas to those who celebrate it Bitchez!!!!#Happy Hanukkah as well... don't know when but figured #I should embrace different cultures on here 😁#DON'T AT ME ABOUT THE WAR EITHER

2 notes · View notes

iamtooasharptool · 2 years

Text

The Oblivious Traveler’s First Kiss with Amber

cast: gn!reader x Amber

content: gn!twin calls gn!reader a fool in Latin

summary: what would the first kiss between Amber and The Traveler be like if The Traveler was as perceptive as Paimon; abrupt ending because I don’t know what I want to do with it yet

You would call yourself a modest person, though your twin would call it oblivious. So when Amber starts spending more time with you, you don’t consider why. When she smiles at you brightly during any time of day, you assume she smiles at everyone; that she’s a cheerful spirit or a positive thinker. You don’t consider how she must be tired, frustrated, or concerned sometimes, and how it isn’t always easy for her to keep showing only the best parts of herself to someone. You just assume this is how she always is. You don’t catch the furrow in her brow when you compliment other people. You don’t notice how quickly and loudly she volunteers to assist you in a quest. You would call yourself modest, but your twin would laugh at you in public and then in private would make sure you’re really listening before they told you, “that woman wants you, you fatuum.”

But your twin isn’t here now to protect you from your own ignorance. But Amber’s here. She is sitting on the balcony railing on the second floor of the tavern while you stand next to her and lean against that railing. As the country of wind, there is almost always a level of breeze sweeping through Mondstadt, and you feel a nostalgic pang when there isn’t any action around you and that breeze brushes across your skin. You don’t pay any attention to how Amber has been looking to the side to see you better, even when you feel her tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear.

Maybe for a moment, somewhere deep inside of your unconscious you might be thinking some version of “by golly isn’t it swell how we’re becoming such close friends?” because you don’t notice how she looks at you, and how her hand pauses for a moment after she tucks that strand of hair behind your ear. You have no Teyvatian idea of how she is considering the moment and if it is the right one for her to finally pull you close. You’re looking at the city streets, the architecture, and the people nearby, foolishly missing the attention you haven’t earned from this woman.

She groans angrily, which startles you.

“Huh?” is the kind of questioning noise you make.

Her nostrils are flaring. You haven’t noticed how hard she’s been trying to get or keep your attention tonight, or any other night, so you don’t understand how her groan is timed perfectly to her inner thoughts about you.

“It’s nothing,” she huffs, because she’s tried it all. She’s tried talking to you to get you to open up, which you have. She’s tried flirting with you, which you either responded to with playful sarcasm or inappropriate seriousness. Tonight she touched your arm over dinner almost relentlessly and the one time she felt bold enough to rub her booted leg against yours, you actually said “excuse me” and shifted in your seat to make sure your legs weren’t in her way.

“You seem upset,” you tell her.

You can’t tell for certain, but you could almost swear she was quietly growling.

“Amber?” you insist.

“Let’s have dinner again tomorrow,” she says.

“We have dinner together every day,” you chuckle. “And breakfast and most lunches.”

She turns to you with her expression that’s starting to seem less angry. “Just the two of us tomorrow.” You don’t know that you love her directness, because you don’t spend any time thinking about how good her behaviors make you feel.

“Is everything okay?” you ask her. “It’s not like you to put off telling me something.”

She scoffs, and then shakes her head. “That’s me, super upfront Amber,” she says in the same tone she tells people she’s an outrider, but there’s a twinge of sarcasm there you’re not used to hearing.

Now you’re feeling confused. You wonder, isn’t that exactly who she is? But it isn’t who you are, so you don’t ask any more questions. Instead, you climb onto the railing to sit next to her, having become used to sitting on the edges of cliffs or up in tall trees together. Since words aren’t helping you, you wonder if you should put your arm around her or try to hold her hand to comfort her, but instead you bump her shoulder lightly with yours.

She’s surprised, and you don’t realize how much you love watching the quick shifts in her facial expressions. If you blink you’ll miss her squinting at you in mock anger and then her mouth perking up at the corners before she rolls her eyes and gently nudges you back. You’re not insightful enough to understand how you could watch her expressions change for ages. You don’t realize how much Amber speaks not only with her words, but with her face and her body, especially when she’s around you.

Her thigh is against your thigh and you don’t know how this speeds up her heart rate. She’s brave enough to put her hand on your thigh as well, and you make her feel exasperated when you pat her hand like you would a child’s. She’s breathing differently but you don’t understand, even though your eyes are stuck to observing her every move and gesture. If only you could comprehend that while she’s honest and direct, she’s still capable of feeling vulnerable. She turns her hand to lace her fingers with yours, and are you finally getting the messages she’s been sending?

She turns her body towards you and yours instinctively turns as well, as if it’s in on the secret. She puts her hand on your jaw, her thumb lightly on your chin, and you could almost swear she’s trembling. She’s getting close to you, her gaze darting from your eyes to your lips, and you don’t realize she’s kissing you even when she finally is. It takes maybe three, maybe four sweet kisses and her eyes checking in with yours before you even consider she is doing this intentionally. It takes until you finally close your eyes and kiss her back for you to think she wants to be kissed back. It takes until her hands are in your hair and her breasts are pressing hard against you for you to formulate the realization that she’s kissing you, on purpose, and she wants you, specifically, to kiss her back.

[To Be Continued, maybe]

#amber #outrider amber #genshin fanfic #amber x reader #genshin impact fanfiction

34 notes · View notes

bi-bard · 1 year

Text

my predictions for who i'll write about in stories inspired by the songs that might be on the deluxe edition of Noah Kahan's "Stick Season"

So.

Noah Kahan has been busy working on the deluxe version of Stick Season... and teasing it on his TikTok.

Just for a bit of fun, I wanna give some prediction on what I think each song we've heard (so far) will inspire me to write because we all know that I'm going to write stories for them.

Again, this is just for fun. This is not set in stone because I don't know the whole songs... or even which of these are going to make the album, so... yeah.

It's just using clips from his videos.

Also, this starts from the most recent audio shared and then goes down the list of videos.

SPECIAL NOTE: I have absolutely no idea how many of these are actually going to end up on the deluxe album. I simply don't. I just kept going until I got tired. Sorry.

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

"Medicate / meditate / swear your soul to Jesus / throw a punch / fall in love / give yourself a reason..."

I think this will end up being a Dean Winchester imagine. I think somewhere around season 10 to season 11 because I think that's where we see the most distinct moments of Dean truly seeing himself as something bad and undeserving of love and forgiveness.

"I ain't proud of all the punches that I've thrown / In the name of someone I no longer know / For the shame of being young, drunk, and alone..."

Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto from The Bear. That boy is damaged and messy and I think this song is going to be a great way to look at the pitfalls of the behavior that we see from Carmy in the show.

"So pack up your car / put a hand on your heart / say whatever you feel / be whoever you are..."

I don't have a specific fandom, but I'm looking at a found-family story where the reader says goodbye, either to what they knew before or to their found-family. Mostly because this song reminds me of the scene in Supergirl where everyone is saying goodbye to Winn. I'm juggling between something like Titans or something like Doctor Who.

"I saw the end / it looked just like the middle / got a paper and pen / and a page with no space...."

this story is going to be so personal to me. i can already tell. I'm leaning toward a superhero story or a Supernatural story. A life after being with these people. Maybe that life was scary and seemed pointless, but now that their free, they have to deal with missing what was familiar and the guilt of not feeling grateful enough to something better.

"There's a tiny tourist trap a few miles off the interstate / and I watch as it empties out..."

I don't have a character in mind, but I have an idea that it'll be a very tearful goodbye and kiss and shit. Maybe a reunion too? Maybe?

"Quietly you're coming home from work / Forty hour week minus commute / for a dream of planting flowers on the porch / For now, my love, store-bought will have to do..."

I want to write a childhood friends-to-lover kind of thing, but I'm not sure what it'll be yet. I just know that much.

"I'm the tall glass of water you lost in your kitchen / I'm casually cruel like a senior prediction..."

This could also play as a childhood friends-to-lovers story, but I am not nearly as sold on that one. This one is such a strange one to me. It's very nostalgic but also angry?? I don't know. I'm still thinking about it. I'm kinda thinking that Hannibal might work, but there may be another Hugh Dancy character that would fit better, so I make no promises...

"County line, I'm counting down / mailboxes until my house / This place had a heartbeat / in its day..."

I'm leaning toward Doctor Who on this one. I don't know which Doctor it'll be, but I think it would work out well.

"I hear you call / me somewhere only we know / I'll hold out hope / when my eyes open, you'll show..."

This will be a very sad story. I can promise that. It's about grief and it's very complicated process. I have every intention of writing for that.

#imagine #x reader #fanfiction #noah kahan #supernatural imagine #supernatural fanfiction #dc imagine #supernatural x reader #dc x reader #dc fanfiction #doctor who imagine #doctor who fanfiction #doctor who x reader

3 notes · View notes

jentlemahae · 2 years

Text

Let’s Get Physical – K-pop Fans and The Physical Album Phenomenon (Article)

Data based on this survey.

Here’s a little fun trivia for you – what do physical albums, Blockbuster and dinosaurs have in common? Answer – they are all extinct. With the emergence of MP3 players, smartphones and online streaming services, tangible versions of music have sunk into oblivion by now, becoming but a nostalgic memory for those over 20. But despite that overall decline, physical sales of Korean music have been skyrocketing for quite a while… but why is that? Why are K-pop fans still buying physical albums? Let’s find out!

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that you probably know what physical albums are, but if anyone is unsure, let me quickly put your mind at ease. Physicals are the material format of an album – they are sold by a retailer to a consumer, who then becomes the sole owner. In short, they are what you would commonly call CDs.

I know what you must be thinking – ‘Grandma alert! No one uses CDs anymore!’. And yes, that is indeed true! With the advent of the digital era and the takeover of streaming services, the vast majority of people have switched to listening to music in online formats, rather than with CDs. After all, why would you spend €15+ to buy only one album, when for a much smaller monthly fee you can have access to millions of records? And that’s not even touching upon the influence of piracy (where you can have all that music for free), or how CDs have become so obsolete, tech companies no longer include space for them in laptops… Simply put, by now physical albums have become a thing of the past.

But while that is true, we have seen a strange turn of events in the past decade with K-pop albums. Whereas the sales of physical Western titles have been plummeting globally at an annualized rate of over 10% since 2010, K-pop physical sales have been on the rise since 2013, when boy group EXO managed to sell 1M units. Afterwards, K-pop physical sales began steadily increasing, both in South Korea and on a global scale. So much so that it is now almost a given that a K-pop artist will become a million seller sooner or later.

Albeit being an impressive achievement, I think it can’t help but make you wonder why. I mean, it’s not like K-pop fans don’t listen to music mainly on streaming services just like everybody else these days, so why are they buying physical albums?

After racking my brain trying to figure it out, I finally got an epiphany last week – why don’t I simply ask them? That is, why don’t I directly ask K-pop fans why or why not they choose to purchase physical albums? And that’s exactly what I did.

I launched a survey on social media within an online community of K-pop fans, and quickly received a few hundred responses. Very few participants owned no albums at all, as most of the respondents had between 20 and 40 units, and many even surpassed the 100 mark! Some of the results I got were to be expected, while some were rather surprising to me. But I now have a better understanding as to why so many people buy albums, and why so many others do not.

But before we dive into the survey’s findings, let’s talk about what exactly makes K-pop albums so special…

K-pop albums – more than just music

The K-pop industry is best known for many things – complex choreographies, fun and uplifting beats, and charismatic variety content, just to name a few. But what truly makes the industry stand out from its music peers is the constant impeccable attention for visuals.

Between fashionable and avant-garde-esque styling, and music videos and live performances that could put blockbusters to shame, the visual aspect is placed on the same level of importance as music in K-pop. Thus, it should come as no surprise that even the way the music is packaged and distributed is meticulously cared for.

Whereas physical albums by western artists usually consist of just a CD in a jewel case and (maybe) a lyric booklet, K-pop acts take the traditional conceptualization of physicals and move it on the next level (pun intended). CDs and lyric booklets are still there, but they are accompanied by photobooks (containing all photos used for the album’s concept and promotions), random photocards (i.e., a hard card with a picture of an idol on the front), stickers, posters, and even innovative goodies sometimes.

Moreover, K-pop albums can come in many different shapes and forms, foregoing the old jewel case format. They can vary from intricate classics like f(x)’s mockup design of a VHS tape for Pink Tape, or EXO’s comic book-inspired The War: The Power Of Music, to more minimalistic designs like BTS’s Love Yourself trilogy (which even received a Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package in 2019).

Not only does this help the artist stand out more from the masses, it also ensures fans actually enjoy themselves while unboxing their favorite albums. Opening a K-pop album is not just an act – it’s an experience. Fans get to have fun during the unboxing, discovering all the details and hidden features in the packaging, and finding out which random photocard they received. It’s even become a trend for fans to film themselves while unboxing, and then upload their reaction on YouTube, where the videos can even receive millions of views.

K-pop albums are where creativity meets commerciality – they are the product of a tug-of-war between being art and being a commodity. They have to be fun and creative, but must also be usable and trendy enough for fans to think they are worth the money. And most of all, they have to be so visually appealing they can transcend the music they accompany. The power of a K-pop album lies in the fact that it can make people want to possess it without listening to (or even liking) the music it contains.

In fact, buying an album and actually using it are two separate activities for K-pop fans, and generally they are not consequential. In my survey, only 40% of respondents indicated they actually use the CDs after buying them, with many specifying they use them only when listening on online streaming platforms is not a viable option (e.g., if their car does not have an auxiliary port).

But then, why do K-pop fans purchase physical albums? And why do they not?

Pretty and expensive

Unsurprisingly, the main reason behind the purchase of K-pop physicals as indicated by respondents (80%) was “I think the content inside (photobooks, photocards, posters, etc) is pretty / visually appealing”. Why is this not surprising? Well, as we covered in the last section, K-pop physicals are pretty darn nice to look at – so, it doesn’t come as a shock that people want to have them for the aesthetics of it all!

What did actually surprise me was how many people indicated they buy K-pop physicals for collection purposes, be it photocards or the albums themselves – either option was selected by 35% of respondents. Even though I already knew there were plenty of collectors out there, the statistics still caught me slightly off guard, since K-pop albums are not exactly cheap… actually, they are quite the spendy thing!

Simpler (= Western) physical albums can already round up to €15+ a piece, but when you factor in the added expenditure of photobooks, photocards, posters, stickers, and so on… you can imagine that K-pop physicals will cost you a bit more. With an average between €25 and €55, they definitely fall on the more expensive end of the spectrum. And on top of that, there are also harsh shipping fees, which are usually pretty steep for those outside South Korea (more often than not, they are as much as the album…).

Not to mention, K-pop physicals face a major scarcity issue. That is, they are hard to get a hold of after the preorder period ends, because the amount of albums in stock is reflective of the preorder numbers. Thus, if you did not preorder, you are not sure to find a copy after the official drop, which forces you to make the purchase in a limited time window. And adding fuel to the fire, there’s the peculiarity of K-pop physicals increasing in monetary value after the official release of the record. Meaning that even if you’re lucky enough to find a copy, the price will probably be inflated. As one respondent put it, “Buying K-pop albums feels like a chase and race”.

That’s why the fact that “I cannot afford it financially” being the #1 chosen response (61%) for respondents who do not buy physicals did not surprise me in the slightest. Not everyone has 70 bucks to drop on a K-pop album, and that is okay!

The usefulness of the useless

Another option which I knew was going to be a popular choice among non-buyers was “I do not have any use for them / I do not care about them”, which was chosen by 50% of the cohort.

Given their price and utility (or lack thereof), K-pop physicals can be categorized as luxury goods purchasable for hedonic consumption, which is not something everyone enjoys. If you are not really sure what that means, worry not – I’ll give you a sparknotes explanation of what that entails. To put it simply, hedonic consumption refers to the usage of products in order to spark emotional arousal in oneself, rather than to fulfill primary needs (which is referred to as utilitarian consumption). Hence, it is something used to describe the purchase of luxury goods (i.e., products that are not essential but are highly desired).

As the utility of K-pop physical albums doesn’t really go beyond making the owner happy, they check all the boxes for luxury items. Thus, they are not worth the money for people who are not willing to spend that much on something with no practical use. As one respondent bluntly put it, “[K-pop physicals] are just an overpriced decoration”.

Pride and parasocial

The second most popular reason (50%) for buying physical copies was “I want to support the artist and increase their sales”, which is yet another unsurprising result.

Parasocial attachments (i.e., one-sided relationships between fans and media personalities) are a widespread phenomenon within K-pop fandoms, and it’s common for fans to feel a sense of pride and/or fulfillment whenever their favorite artists reach commendable achievements. Ergo, it’s not unusual for fans to believe their duties as supporters extend to contributing to the artist’s paycheck by buying anything they put out.

Knowing this, K-pop companies capitalize heavily on these parasocial interactions by maximizing on the amount of content offered and producing different design versions of the same album. The inside (the music) is the same, but the outside is different, and that makes it worth a few more euros in the eyes of fans. And the higher the sales are, the higher the artist will place on music charts, which is the goal to both companies and the idols’ admirers.

Companies want their acts to score a high spot on music charts for obvious reasons (more fame and revenue for themselves), and fans’ reasoning is not that much different… Actually, it is not at all different. Fans want their favorite artists to have more fame and revenue not only because they think the idols deserve it, but also so they can have bragging rights on social media.

Many fans see accomplishments of their favorite celebrities as an extension of their own, and I have long known that this phenomenon is particularly strong within K-pop fandoms. And that’s why it’s a custom among fans of the genre to bulk buy thousands of copies of an album, in order to boost the artist’s final sale numbers.

As one respondent commented, a short-coming on the idol’s part is “embarrassing [for their] fans”. Being a K-pop enthusiast with an active presence on social media, that remark did not faze me at all.

K-pop albums go green

Unfortunately, bulk buying has quite the drawbacks. Not only does it call into question the validity of K-pop acts’ album sales (are those 1M albums going to 1M different people, or just the same 100k?), but it also has strong environmental and social negative impacts (which was indicated as a concern by 30% of respondents).

First of all, the fact that so many units are brought en masse makes you wonder, where do the extra copies go? The answer is both nice and disturbing – they get donated to orphanages.

That seems nice in theory, but many Korean NGOs who work with orphanages have complained about it at length, pointing out how the donations are actually useless to children in those establishments. “What you’re doing is not donating, you’re dumping your garbage on us” said a spokesperson of an organization, and that “These so-called donations [do not] come with good intentions”. Chilling words, if I may add.

Moreover, manufacturing so many albums has quite the sizable ecological footprint, and when you take into account that a large portion of the copies will go to waste, that just seems ridiculous.

Nevertheless, there are some K-pop companies which took this into account, and attempted initiatives to make their sales greener. Several artists have announced their physical albums will be manufactured with recycled materials, and some are even going as far as trying to eliminate them almost altogether, in order to dramatically reduce their carbon footprint.

For instance, boy group VICTON launched an initiative for their comeback in Jan 2022 called a “platform album”, which offers fans the opportunity to purchase a digital version of the record, where you will only be mailed the photocard and be emailed a download code for the songs. This is a brilliant idea, as photocards usually are the most valued and desired element of the physical contents, and this way the environmental impact won’t be as large. Fans are happy, idols are happy, and the planet is happy – a win for everyone!

The road ahead

So, what is the future of K-pop physical albums? Will people keep buying, or will sales start to plummet?

Well, I think it’s safe to say that sales will not go down anytime soon, at least according to my survey. Despite many respondents stating they have environmental concerns, or criticizing bulk buying and how physicals are used by companies in their ploys to manipulate fans, 75% said they will continue (or will start) purchasing physical copies in the future.

Furthermore, the notion that buying physical albums is part of your “duties” as a fan is still going strong among K-pop aficionados. To quote one respondent, there is a lot of “inner-fandom shaming that goes on whenever you don’t own any albums”. And that’s not helped by companies actively exploiting this form of mob mentality via the release of different physical versions of the same record.

Just as it’s not likely for fans to stop mass buying, odds are K-pop companies will not stop mass producing. After all, we’re talking about giant corporations here – the choice between ethics and money is an easy one for them, and we all know which option they will ultimately pick.

It is a vicious cycle, one which neither companies nor fans are likely to exit in the foreseeable future. It’s just like that song goes – they just made a million and they’re STILL not satisfied. But how many more albums will it take for everyone to be satisfied?

thank u for reading <333

#PLEASE READ TT #i really loved writing this ^^ pls read heheh #and thank u again to everyone who took the survey !!#yes it's long but what u gonna do

36 notes · View notes

x--daughters-of-darkness--x · 2 years

Text

Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia: "in the music world, if being sexy is the only thing that you have to offer, that’s kind of sad.”

Cristina Scabbia faces your questions on 'female-fronted' metal (sigh), videogames and life in Lacuna Coil

She may share vocal duties with the growling Andrea Ferro in Lacuna Coil, but Cristina Scabbia has always attracted the spotlight. For a quarter of a century, she’s been Milan’s most gothic export, flooring crowds with her soaring voice. Such is her charisma that she’s in demand all over the world, and has collaborated with everyone from Megadeth to Alter Bridge. She also uses her downtime to stream on Twitch and is a bona fide videogame know-it-all. Does she even sleep?!

Here's how she fared when we threw some of your most pressing questions at her.

What is your favourite Final Fantasy game? @CMilesRacer

“VII, without a shadow of a doubt. The first one I played and the most iconic. It was the first one on PS1. It changed the world of videogames, especially in the RPG genre! I was really into the story and it came out when my love of videogames was getting even bigger. And I had a huge crush on Sephiroth.”

If you and Andrea had to swap roles, who’d sing the other’s parts best? Rhiannon Clark, email

“Probably me, because they call me a parrot in the band; I like to imitate other people’s voices. I wouldn’t be as good as he is with growling, but I would definitely try my best to imitate him.”

Hammer: Is there ever a point, when you’re playing live and he’s singing, where you go “I wish I had this bit!”?

“I want to try growling, because I’ve never done it. I feel that, if I knew the technique, I’d be really good because I have a lot of volume on my diaphragm. There was one time in Atlanta where I had to sing the whole show because Andrea was in the hospital with a dislocated shoulder. We didn’t want to cancel the show. It was a lot of fun and extremely special, because I was singing those parts in a different way.”

Did it piss you off to be lumped in with the whole symphonic thing in the early 2000s and all the ‘female-fronted metal’ shit? Lexi Johnson, Facebook

“It doesn’t really piss me off, because I understand that many people don’t know the kind of music we play. If you say ‘female-fronted band’, they kind of have an idea of the music you’re playing, even if every band is different. What I hate is when they put you in one category: ‘OK, the girl is gonna sing this way.’ You don’t ask a guy: ‘Are you part of a male-fronted band?’ It’s not a genre; it’s an indication that there’s a female who sings. So, if you like female voices, you’ll like it, but it’s not a genre.”

Are there any people/artists you would like to collaborate with that you haven’t already? @Leonski700

“A million artists! But I’ve always liked Korn. I know Jonathan Davis as a person and he’s awesome, and I’ve always found his vocal lines very interesting. I like the way he writes, even when he’s alone and writing soundtracks. I love music that was written for movies and videogames. I get a lot of inspiration from soundtracks. So, there are many artists I’d love to collaborate with and Jonathan is definitely one of them.”

Hammer: What franchise soundtrack would you love to do?

“Final Fantasy, although I don’t know if I could do ‘proper’ music for it, because it’s very classical. I’d love to do something for an action series or movie. Not Marvel or DC, though – maybe something more like John Wick, and especially the villain parts.”

Are there any more Italian-language songs on the horizon? Comalies was so beautiful! @jennyalaking

“Not at the moment. We are writing new music and we just recorded for a special project. When we do write Italian parts, we don’t do it on purpose. For us, the sound of the words we’re singing is really important. Italian is perfect for traditional music, but if you use it in metal, it sounds weird.”

Hammer: What’s the special project? “We’re basically redoing Comalies from scratch. We wanted to celebrate its 20th anniversary but not in a nostalgic way. We were very against a remastered version. We asked: ‘How can we celebrate it while being fresh and modern?’, so we rewrote it as we would have written it in 2022. We’ve changed the music; most of the parts are completely different.”

You’re a tour guide in Milan for the day. What’s on the agenda? Joe Stile, email

“Definitely the Dome. It’s in the city centre, so it’s the first thing you see when you get out of the underground in Duomo. The view is stunning! It’s one of the most beautiful cathedrals you will ever see. Then I’d take them to eat panzerotti [a smaller version of calzone] at Luini. Everybody would be really impressed, because it’s really good. I’d also take them to [Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting] The Last Supper. We have the original in Milan, so that’d be cool. Then I’d take them out for a good pizza.”

Who are the king and queen of the goths? Alex Carr, Facebook

“Peter Steele and Siouxsie Sioux.”

As a former winner, should there be a future for magazine features like ‘Hottest Chicks in Metal’? Jo Fleischer, Facebook

“I’m honestly split. I hate when the image of a woman is completely sexualised, especially if there is talent behind her. But, at the same time, if you are in complete control of that sexualisation and you are the one deciding to present yourself in that way, it’s actually really empowering. There’s nothing wrong with liking yourself or feeling sexy and beautiful and showing it. Put it this way: in the music world, if being sexy is the only thing that you have to offer, that’s kind of sad.”

When was the last time you thought Lacuna Coil might break up? James Young, email

“It happened at the beginning of our career. Our first line-up split right after the first tour. Our EP wasn’t even out! That was the only time that I thought it could end. Marco [Coti Zelati, bass], Andrea and I decided to go on because we wanted to and the label [Century Media] asked us to. It never happened again. We’ve never had any doubts.”

Are you an Interista or a Milanista? @TimeTr4veller

“Are you really asking?! AC Milan! I Rossoneri forever!”

Who’s the metal band that should be way bigger than they are? Caren Poccok, email

“Twelve Foot Ninja. They remind me of Faith No More. I think they could be and should be much more popular.”

Would you ever consider a solo album? What would it sound like? Sam Petersson, Facebook

“Not at the moment. I think it would make sense if you could do something totally different to what you do in the band and, in Lacuna Coil, I am free to express myself. One day I will do it, but just to see if I’m actually able to put together something cool.”

What was your favourite Lacuna Coil record to make and why? Bindi Louise, Facebook

“I don’t have a favourite record, but maybe [2019’s] Black Anima, the last one; it’s fresher to my ears. I certainly know which one is my least favourite. It’s not because of the music or songwriting, but it’s [2016’s] Delirium. My life was a mess, with a lot of illness around me. If you want to look at the positives, it made the vibe of the record more intense, but it was very difficult to rehearse and record that album.”

What is your favourite Lacuna Coil song? So many to choose from! @Rustymoon88

“I’d say it’s between Veneficium [from Black Anima] and Blood, Tears, Dust [from Delirium]. I don’t have favourites, but they’re the ones that I’m enjoying on stage very much at the moment. You might as well be asking a mum to name their favourite son or daughter!”

What videogame are you most excited about that’s coming out? Leianna Smith, email

“God Of War: Ragnarök. That is definitely the one that I am looking forward to. There’s a great collectors’ edition coming out in a few days with Mjölnir as well. I really hope that I’m going to be able to get it. I still regret that I didn’t get the Elden Ring collectors’ edition with the helmet. My boyfriend got it, so I said, ‘What do I need it for?’ Then I saw the helmet. Now I want one!”

#Cristina Scabbia #Lacuna Coil #2022 interviews

9 notes · View notes