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the-red-mafia · 7 months

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The Game

A morning video game session goes sour when the video game Maroon got turns out to be cursed. Now, the team is separated inside of it with no way home. Will they be able to find each other, or will they be stuck there forever? Also available on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/TheRedMafia Next Update: [Updated] Word Count: 3423

2 weeks after “The Prince”

Maroon pushed Thorn down onto the couch in between Mad and Solana. Ae looked up at aer friend with a confused look, adjusting the light pink sweater ae were borrowing from Maroon.

“Maroon, what’s going on?” Solana chuckled.

“They didn’t fill you in?” Thorn shook his head.

“Maroon recently got a new video game from Zaeor,” Mad began, crossing one of their legs over the other, “They didn’t tell us what it is, but they want all of us to play it together.” The older teen smirked.

“Alright, a video game challenge, then. You’re on, Mar-Mar.” Maroon smiled at their friend.

“We’re just waiting on Velvet.” Mad’s screen displayed a question mark, drawing the younger teen’s attention towards it.

“Maroon, do you remember what happened last time you tried to get Velvet to play video games?” Maroon nodded but crossed their arms.

“Yes, but this time it’ll be different. It’s not rainbow road levels of difficulty, so-”

“I hope I didn’t just hear what I think I just heard.” Maroon quickly turned to the doorway of the living room, where Velvet now stood. Her red zip-up covered most of the skull-patterned tank top she was wearing underneath it. The younger teen shook their head.

“We’re not playing Mario Kart, I promise.”

“Good, ‘cause I was going to walk away.”

“Please don’t, it’ll be fun!” Velvet glanced at their teammates lined up on the couch. Solana was still in their pyjama pants and tank top, their hair tied up in a messy bun. He looked like he had just been dragged out of bed by a certain excited teenager. Mad was in their blue jean jacket paired with a grey shirt and white skirt, much more put together than the elf next to it.

“And…what exactly are we playing again?” they asked, crossing their arms. Maroon smiled and quickly disappeared into the kitchen. Velvet raised an eyebrow. Solana let out a quiet chuckle and scooted closer to Thorn.

“Come on, take a seat Velvie.” She rolled her eyes but obliged. When Maroon emerged from the kitchen, they were gripping a video game box in their hands and blocking the label.

“Where were you hiding that?” Mad questioned, “I didn’t see it when I was making breakfast.” Maroon shrugged and took the disc out of the box. Velvet leaned forward as they placed the box upside down.

“What’s with all the secrecy, Mar-Mar?” Thorn called out.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Well, yeah, but we’re gonna see it in a few seconds anyways.” Maroon scooped the five controllers in their arms, returning to the couch and handing them out one by one.

“It’s more fun this way.” Thorn laughed.

“Alright, whatever you say.”

“This better not be something stupid,” Velvet muttered, “I have things I could be doing.”

“Like what, drama queen?” Solana joked, holding down his controller’s power button. Velvet glared at them.

“Research. Training. Literally anything else.”

“Oh come on, you’re a nerd.”

“I am not.” Maroon plopped down on the couch in between Thorn and Mad, remote in hand. They navigated through the various menus until they clicked on a rainbow-coloured icon. After a few seconds of blackness, a loud whirring sound came from the TV.

“Is that…a part of the game?” Solana asked, turning to Maroon. The teen stared at the screen before shaking their head. Mad began to stand, but a loud laugh stopped them in their tracks. Before anyone could move, a bright light enveloped the room.

Thorn instinctively closed its eyes until it felt the couch disappear from underneath it. Their back slammed onto some kind of floor, knocking the wind out of them. Ae gasped for air for a few moments until ae slowly sat up and forced aer eyes open.

Gone was the familiar red of the Mahogany Mansion’s living room, now replaced with ugly yellow wallpaper covered in grey flowers. The air was stale, smelling of mold and dirt. A hallway stretched in front of them, a few more coming off of it as well. He quickly jumped to his feet.

“Guys? Anyone there?” it called out. A loud thud came from down the hallway, followed by a loud groan.

“Fucking hell,” Thorn heard Velvet yell. The older teen took off down the hallway, turning down one of the offshoots to find her slowly sitting up on the ground. They jumped a little when Thorn arrived.

“Shit- Where are we?” they asked, standing.

“No idea, I figured you’d know.”

“Well, I don’t. Have you seen the others?” He shook his head, causing Velvet to groan again.

“Perfect, just perfect,” they muttered, “Exactly how I wanted to spend my Friday morning. Thanks, Maroon!”

“W-who said that?” A voice called out. Thorn glanced at Velvet.

“Maroon?”

“Maroon.” The duo ran back into the hallway. Velvet pulled a small throwing knife out of a small pouch attached to her belt. Thorn stared at them.

“Since when did you have that?” Velvet rolled her eyes.

“Since I woke up, frūx. You just don’t pay attention.” Ahead of them, Maroon’s head popped out from behind a wall.

“Velvet, Thorn!” They slowed in front of them, Thorn pulling them into a hug.

“You okay, mushroom?”

“Y-yeah.”

“What the hell have you gotten us into, Maroon?” Velvet demanded, crossing her arms. Maroon looked towards the ground.

“I-I didn’t know this would happen, I thought we were all just going to have fun playing the new Johnny Darlington game and-” The assassin cut them off with a loud groan.

“Really? Johnny Darlington game?”

“Y-yeah I thought it’d be f-fun.”

“So, does that mean we’re in the game?” Thorn asked, gesturing around them, “Because this doesn’t look very Johnny Darlington-core to me.” Velvet narrowed their eyes at him.

“It doesn’t look very what?”

“Johnny Darlington-core.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It means it’s not very Johnny Darlington-core.” She groaned again before turning back to Maroon.

“What’s supposed to happen in the game?” Maroon looked at them.

“It’s supposed to be a team game where you work together to help Johnny Darlington escape a maze. Although, I don’t think it’s supposed to look like this.”

“Because it’s not Johnny Darlington-core.”

“Thorn, I am going to throw you into a reactor core if you don’t shut the fuck up.” Maroon laughed nervously, carefully stepping in between their friends.

“Anyways-” they began, looking between the two of them, “Shouldn’t we find Mad and Solana?” Velvet’s eyes widened.

“Fuck, right. Solana! Mad!” The group went silent for several seconds but no other noise came from inside the hallways. Maroon turned to Velvet.

“W-where are they?”

Mad looked around the small room Solana and them were standing in. They glanced at the elf.

“Did you hear something?” it asked. Solana shook her head.

“No, did you?”

“I thought I did, but I’m probably just hearing things.” The elf raised an eyebrow.

“Can you even hear things that aren’t real? That feels counterintuitive.” Mad shrugged.

“I don’t think it was in my original programming, so it must be a soul thing.”

“Huh, interesting…” A smile appeared on their screen.

“Anyways, enough about me,” it began, “We should find Maroon, Thorn, and Velvet.” Solana nodded before stifling a laugh. Mad’s screen flipped to a question mark.

“What?”

“Pfft- just, we’re off to hunt down the angsty teens.” Mad chuckled.

“True, although I’m not sure I’d call Maroon and Thorn ‘angsty’.”

“Really? They’re still pretty angsty, just in a different way than Velvet is.”

“I guess…wait. If they’re the ‘angsty teens’, what’re we?” Solana paused for a minute.

“Well, I’m obviously the cool, criminal uncle,” she started, earning a chuckle from the droid, “And you…are the very tired dad of the group.” Mad’s question mark flickered slightly. Solana let out a laugh.

“Or mom. Whichever you prefer.”

“W-why me?” The elf leaned up against one of the yellow-print walls.

“I mean, you are the one who makes sure we all don’t kill each other.” They laughed again as Mad’s screen went blank before they stood up fully again.

“Any luck with calling any of them?” Mad stared at him for a second before shaking their TV.

“I imagine some kind of magic is involved. I think we got teleported into the game,” it said, a frown appearing on the screen, “But…why would Zaeor…” Solana raised an eyebrow.

“Why would he what?”

“Nothing, nevermind. Where do you think the teens could be?” Solana looked up and down the hallway.

“No idea, but we should start walking around. We’re not gonna find them standing here.”

“True.” A crash echoed through the halls, causing the duo to stop in their tracks. It was followed by a loud, shrill scream. Solana turned to look at Mad’s blank screen.

“Was that a kid?” The assistance droid stared towards the source of the noise.

“I think so.” Solana cracked his knuckles.

“Well, what’re we waiting for?”

It took a few minutes for Thorn to calm their friend down, all of which Velvet spent leaning against the yellow wall, thinking. Thoughts ran through their head like wildfire, despite the blank expression their teammates saw.

This is definitely some kind of magic, she thought, taking a deep breath, Although, I’m not sure what spell could cause something like this. A curse, maybe? But why would someone waste time cursing some stupid video game? No…something’s wrong. But what?

“V-Velvet?” Maroon’s quiet voice brought the assassin back to reality. They looked up and locked eyes with them.

“What?”

“Are you okay?” Velvet narrowed her eyes at them but sighed.

“Yeah, fine. Just thinking.”

“So do you know what’s going on now?” Thorn chimed in, crossing his arms. Velvet shrugged.

“Partially. My best guess is the game was somehow cursed, no idea how. If it’s a curse, then we’ll have to find the catalyst.”

“Catalyst? What does that mean?”

“It’s basically just the object the spellcaster puts the magic to maintain the spell in,” the teen replied, standing, “It’s probably the game disc itself, but I don’t know how we’re gonna access that here.”

“Maybe there’s a physical apparition inside the game?” Maroon asked.

“I mean, it’s possible.”

“So we just find this catalyst and break it, then we can go home?” Velvet looked at Thorn.

“We’ll have to find Mad and Solana first, but yeah.”

“What are we doing standing around, then? Let’s find this thing.” Thorn took a step forward, but Velvet quickly pulled it back.

“Hold on a second. I doubt our being here is the only effect the curse has on the game, that’d be a waste of a curse. We have absolutely no idea what we’re up against right now.”

“When do we ever, Velvet? What’s the worst that can happen?” Velvet let out a strained laugh and crossed her arms.

“I have a guess. Try using your powers, either of you.” The two teens looked at each other before both raising a hand. After a few moments, nothing happened. Thorn’s eyes widened as he looked down at his hand.

“W-what?” Maroon mumbled. Velvet sighed.

“Just as I thought. Whoever put this curse on the game completely cancelled any other magic.”

“And that means?” Thorn demanded.

“It means our powers won’t work,” Maroon said quietly, lowering their hand, “And they won’t work until we leave.” Velvet nodded. She reached into her small pouch and pulled out another throwing knife. They handed one to Thorn and Maroon before pulling out another for themself. Thorn stared down at the pitch-black blade.

“It’s not much, but it’s something,” Velvet began, spinning their knife on one of their fingers, “Hopefully you don’t have to use them. Stay behind me and keep up.” Maroon nodded, but Thorn didn’t move. Velvet narrowed her eyes at him.

“Thorn?” they called out. Their teammate snapped back to reality, quickly looking up.

“What?”

“Were you even listening?” Thorn glanced at Maroon before chuckling.

“Nah, your voice nearly put me to sleep.”

“I swear to gods-” the assassin paused, “Whatever. Let’s move.”

“Got it, drama queen.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Not a chance.”

There were a few things Mad expected when it and Solana turned the next corner. One of them was more winding halls, complete with ugly yellow wallpaper and seemingly water-damaged carpet. Maybe even a child in the corner, scared out of their mind. What they definitely didn’t expect was Johnny Darlington, gripping a kitchen knife in his right hand. Mad pulled Solana to a stop as a twisted smile overtook the boy’s face.

“What the fuck…” Solana breathed.

“Why hello there~” the character called out, raising his weapon, “Welcome to my…game.” The blade flew through the air, flying right over Solana’s head as he ducked.

“Shit,” they mumbled. Mad quickly turned around and grabbed their friend’s arm. It took off back down the hallway, Darlington’s footsteps and laugh echoing behind them.

“What the fuck?” Solana shouted. Mad glanced at her before groaning.

“Of course, how could I not see that?” Solana glared at them.

“See what, Mad?”

“Whatever magic brought us here must’ve messed with the game’s code. All the puzzles and NPCs-”

“Mad, 3 words or less.” The elf pulled them around a corner as another knife soared past their TV.

“Um, okay. Uh…everything is wrong.”

“Great,” she said sarcastically, “Exactly what I was worried you’d say.” A knife sliced through one of Solana’s pyjama pants, causing the elf to let out a string of curses.

“Are you okay?” Mad asked.

“Yeah, fine,” he replied, “These are just my favourite.”

“They are good pants.”

“Why thank you, Mad-” Another blade flew in between the duo, cutting her off. Solana let out a strained laugh.

“Right, that.” They quickly turned another corner, but Solana began to slow. Mad stared at her.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s…a dead end,” they muttered in between breaths. Mad stopped as well, their screen going blank as more shrill laughter echoed behind them. The droid glanced down towards the yellow wall blocking their way. Solana turned the other way, quickly raising their hands.

“Solana, wait.” The elf looked back at them.

“What?”

“There’s a bat by the wall.” His eyes lit up as he quickly spun and sprinted down the hallway. Mad followed suit, Darlington’s laughs getting louder and louder behind them. The elf snatched the metal bat off of the ground, a wild grin overtaking her face.

“Perfect,” she breathed, swinging it in the air, “Hey, Darlington! Let’s dance!”

Maroon let the knife sit gently in their left hand as the other two teens led the way down the hallway. Velvet and Thorn were silent ahead of them. Velvet stared at the various tears and markings on the walls, seemingly trying to decipher the language. Thorn, on the other hand, was strolling with his hands in his pockets. Marook looked between them, nearly running into Velvet when she stopped walking. She quickly balanced them as Thorn turned around to look at them.

“Can you guys hear that?” the assassin muttered. Thorn raised an eyebrow.

“Hear what?”

“It’s a buzzing, almost like that buzz Mad makes sometimes.” Maroon straightened out their glasses.

“Do you think Mad’s around?” they asked. Velvet shook their head.

“No. That’d be too easy.” Thorn rolled his eyes.

“Sure, mhm. Of course.” Velvet ignored it and took a left down a hallway. Maroon hurried after her, Thorn following behind. As they walked, a quiet buzzing soon filled Maroon’s ears.

“I hear it now. What do you think it is?” Maroon asked.

“Nothing good.”

“Helpful,” Thorn muttered. The group turned another corner as the noise hummed loudly around them. A bright, neon green light quickly enveloped the trio. Maroon shut their eyes tightly and grabbed onto one of Thorn’s hands. A loud thud echoed loudly, causing the teens to jump. A cold breeze flew through the area.

The light slowly faded away, allowing Maroon to open their eyes once again. The ugly wallpaper had been replaced with dark grey concrete blocks stacked on top of one another. The entrance was gone, with a solid wall now in its place. Another cold wind blew through the chamber, hissing as it went by. Thorn shivered next to them.

“What is this place?” Ae asked. Velvet turned to look at them.

“My guess is it’s another level in the game.”

“But don’t you have to, you know, do something to advance?”

“Maybe the curse did it,” Maroon chimed in, “If we got too close to the catalyst…” Velvet’s eyes widened slightly before she let out a groan.

“Of course. The curse wouldn’t want us to break it.”

“Um…not exactly.” Velvet quickly turned and threw their knife towards the new voice. A squeak echoed as Maroon and Thorn raised theirs. In tje blink of an eye, Velvet drew two more blades from their bag.

“Wait, please! I brought you here!” Velvet kept the knives raised but glanced at Maroon.

“This is Darlington, right?” Maroon’s eyes widened.

“What?” The assassin stepped to the side, revealing the body of a middle-school-aged boy slumped against the wall. Velvet’s red and black blade pinned the fabric of his blue polo shirt to the…concrete?

Maroon took a step towards Johnny Darlington. The boy flinched but Maroon placed their hand on the wall. Instead of cold concrete, it was soft and pushed inwards.

“Is this…foam?” they asked, looking down at Johnny. He nodded profusely. Maroon kneeled down and gently pulled the knife out. They tossed it back to Velvet, who promptly caught it and placed it back in the bag. Maroon held a hand out to Johnny. The boy glanced at Velvet and Thorn before taking it.

“Are you okay?” Maroon asked. Johnny stared at them for several seconds and quickly shook his head.

“I’m fine, but you guys won’t be. You need to get out of here.” Velvet raised an eyebrow.

“Why?” Thorn asked, “What’s going on?”

“The game is cursed-”

“No fucking shit, I had no idea,” Velvet mumbled.

“-There’s another me running around, but he’s trying to kill everyone. You have to leave.”

“We can’t,” Velvet interrupted, “We can’t leave until we break the curse.” Johnny’s eyes widened.

“That’s not possible.”

“Johnny, have you ever heard this…alternate you talk about a curse catalyst?” Maroon questioned. The boy was quiet for a moment.

“Yes, but-”

“Take us to it.” Johnny turned to Velvet as she crossed her arms.

“What?”

“You hear me. Take us to it so we can destroy it.”

“He’ll kill you. I won’t be able to stop him.”

“Does it look like I care?”

“My magic- I won’t be able to-”

“What happened to your magic?” Maroon chimed in, stepping in between Velvet and Johnny. Velvet glared at them.

“It’s not working, I’m not sure why. But the point is, I have no way to protect you. I can’t, in good conscience, let you face him. I’ve seen what he’s capable of.”

“Listen, Darlington-” Velvet began, but the boy cut her off.

“Please, Velvet, just call me Johnny.” Velvet raised a knife again, narrowing their eyes at him.

“How do you know my name?” He smiled at them.

“I know the names of everyone who’s ever watched my show.” Maroon’s eyes widened.

“So you know-”

“Yes, Maroon. I know your name.” The youngest teen’s eyes lit up and a smile appeared on their face.

“Do I want to know how that works?” Velvet mumbled, lowering the weapon.

“I have a guess,” Thorn began, “Magic.”

“I hate you.”

“Feeling’s mutual.”

“Guys…” Maroon said quietly. Thorn glanced at their friend before letting out a sigh.

“Right, sorry.”

“Sorry. Johnny, can you take us to the catalyst now?” Velvet asked. The boy looked up at her again.

“I told you-”

“We can handle ourselves, Johnny,” Maroon added, “We’re not going to die.”

“You have no idea-” Thorn walked up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Johnny, everyone here is in danger. If you can just take us to the catalyst, we can save everyone here.” The boy looked between each of the members of the Red Mafia before sighing.

“I…okay. Fine. But you have to promise me you won’t die. Please.”

“Oh my gods, we’re not gonna die,” Velvet groaned, “Just take us there already.” Johnny reached out and grabbed Maroon’s hand. He pushed Thorn’s off of his shoulder and grabbed it as well. Velvet raised an eyebrow.

“What are you doing?” she asked. Johnny smiled at them.

“Teleporting. Grab on.” Velvet let out another groan and stepped towards Maroon, taking their other hand. In a blink of an eye, the four of them were gone.

#/the red mafia #/trm part 4 #/chapter 042 #/the game #/maroon #/maroon pembrooke #/thorn alviar #/mad valentine #/solana #/solana roison #/velvet #/velvet bolton #/johnny darlington

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playedlist · 1 year

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night sight (for nourishing the soul)

Lofi, Jazz, Soul, R&B, D&B, Electronica

Track List:

1. Sur une chanson en Français - Paradis

2. Toi et moi - Paradis

3. Asylums for the feeling feat. Leila Adu - Silent Poets, Leila Adu

4. goodbye - Mk.Gee

5. Nostalgic Montage - Salami Rose Joe Louis

6. Double Astral Move - Rejoicer

7. Chowdr - Mndsgn

8. Afternoon Shuffle - Mndsgn

9. Instantané - Paradis

10. Recto Verso - Paradis

11. Setting Out - Daedalus, Amir Yaghmai

12. TRACK ONE - Sam Gendel, Sam Wilkes

13. Teardrop - Massive Attack

14. Butterflies - Dardust

15. Næturflug - Yakamoto Kotzuga Remix - Dardust, Yakamoto Kotzuga

16. In Dark Trees - 2004 Digital Remaster - Brian Eno

17. The Big Ship - 2004 Digital Remaster - Brian Eno

18. Intro - Mk.gee

19. cz - Mk.gee

20. dimeback - Mk.gee

21. Song For Spirit Flights - Rejoicer

22. Earth Talk - Rejoicer, Sam Wilkes

23. My Beans - Rejoicer, KerenDun

24. Lemons - Rejoicer, Jenny Penkin

25. Eternal Loop - Sam Gendel

26. Waraku3 - Sam Gendel

27. They B All Like - Sam Gendel

28. Summer Madness - Kool & The Gang

29. Bahia Dreamin' - Karriem Riggins

30. kometostai.aintreallynootherwaytoputitro - Knxwledge

31. Auntie's Lock/Infinitum - Flying Lotus, Laura Darlington

32. Licorice - MF DOOM

33. Swimming - Maple Glider

34. if you're not the one for me who is - keshi

35. Mockingbird - Uma

36. Jazz Club After Hours - Barry Can't Swim

37. Time Moves Slow - BADBADNOTGOOD, Sam Herring

38. Nice & Shiny - Slohmo

39. And We Go Gentle - Hiatus Kaiyote

40. Red Room - Nick Hakim Remix - Hiatus Kaiyote, Nick Hakim

41. Action Line - Dorothy Ashby

42. Imagineering - Nightmares On Wax

43. Ghostride - Crumb

44. Stone Or Lavender - Hiatus Kaiyote

45. Atari - Hiatus Kaiyote

46. Time, Being - Johnny Nash, Suzanne Kraft

47. Locket - Crumb

48. Crust - Flying Lotus

49. Them Changes - Thundercat

50. QACHINA - Damien Jurado

51. Camel - Flying Lotus

52. Melt! - Flying Lotus

53. Comet Course - Flying Lotus

54. Merry Go Round - The Equatics

55. Imprint After - Toro y Moi

56. Koko - E.VAX

57. Eagle In The Lodge - Rejoicer

58. Plantasy - Resavoir

59. Some Thing's Coming - I Monster

60. Summer Nights - Lonnie Liston Smith, The Cosmic Echoes

61. Together Is A Beautiful Place To Be - Nala Sinephro Remix - Nubya Garcia, Nala Sinephro

62. Gentle Persuasion - Keith Mansfield

63. Thomas The Fib - Red Snapper

64. Be Right With You - HOMESHAKE

65. She Wakes Up / First Dimension - Salami Rose Joe Louis

66. ache for - always centered at night, Moby, José James

#nightsight #car music #Thundercat #jazz #r&b #soul #electronica #playlist #mf doom #mk.gee #massive attack #hiatus kaiyote #Spotify

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the-hindu-times · 8 months

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KULA SHAKER - 100 Club 4/9/23

Since Kula Shaker reformed in the mid 2000s, I've seen the '90s' Britpopers in a few various-sized-venues; including the Kings Cross Scala, the Chalk Farm Roundhouse, Tower Gateway Wilton's Music Hall, Guildford G Live and Shepherd's Bush Empire (as well as Chrispian Mills' The Jeevas, at Canterbury Kent University [now vegan!], before that). Tonight's 350-capacity-basement, the 100 Club (formerly known as Feldman Swing Club [from 1942-1964]), was by far the smallest. As the band walked on stage, through the [mostly middle-aged] crowd, to a Hindi female vocal backing track (possibly the voice of London based Hindi and Bengali music teacher, Gouri Choudhury, who has featured on Kula Shaker recordings and in their videos), the band's influence from Indian culture, along with the club's decor (still the same since the 1970s), remain unchanged.

Of course, Kula Shaker were always a bit different from the others in the Britpop movement; Whilst Dodgy were leaving their house (later shared with The Bluetones) in Hounslow West to put on their club night in Kingston, Crispian Mills (Kula Shaker singer/guitarist [born in Hamnersmith and brought up in Hampton]) and Alonza Bevan (Kula Shaker bassist [born in Hounslow]) were doing the same thing at the back of Richmond Ice Rink - but with the added craziness of Crispian's mum(actress, Hayley Mills)'s boyfriend, Marcus Maclaine, sporting riding boots whilst whipping the Sun newspaper live on stage, as they performed under the name Objects Of Desier.

After reinventing the South West Greater London / Middlesex / Surrey recidency scene, since the days of The Rolling Stones at Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, Crispian travelled to India, where he has been inspired by Hinduisim and their culture ever since naming the band after the 9th century Indian King, Kulasekhara.

On the opening day of the UK's Indian summer, tonight's set was made up largely from 1996's 'K', with a couple from 1999's 'Peasants, Pigs and Astronaughts' thrown in too. Of course, there were some great tunes missed out from their heyday (the last time they were with Kent Keyboardest, Jay 'Jesus' Darlington, who's now back in the band for this tour) but that wasn't to make way for any tracks from their latest 2022 album '1st Congregaional Church...'. In fact, there was nothing from 2007's 'Strange Folk' or 2010's 'Pilgrim's Progress' either... and only one song from 2016's 'K 2.0'. There were four new songs from forthcoming album 'Natural Magic', including new single release 'Waves', so, the majority of tonight's musical offerings are from when Jay has been present.

Lyrically, Kula Shaker mix different Indian languages (Crispian singing in Sanskrit and English, with the additional vocals in Hindi and Gujarti) whilst musically, the crossover between the two cultures saw the Western instrumentation performed live, as the tradional Indian instruments (sitar, tamboura and tabla) were on backing track, until Johnny Kalsi jumped up to play The Dhol on a couple of numbers, making us wonder if a large theatre show with all live musicians would be an even better experience than tonight's intimate event. With Crispian Mills, now 50, having as much energy and enthusiasm as ever before, there's plenty more time for another reincarnation of this band.

Nic Bennett & Mittal Patel

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writer59january13 · 1 year

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The boss aka Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen

born at Monmouth Medical Center

in Long Branch, New Jersey,

on September 23, 1949.

His nationalities include hodgepodge

of Dutch, Irish, and Italian descent.

He grew up Catholic in Freehold, New Jersey.

I dedicate the following poem

to aforementioned musician, whose figurative guitar finger kept on the throbbing pulse resoundingly reverberating

across American heartland.

this cautious man (bobby jean) born in the u.s.a.

grownin’ up in the badlands of atlantic city

bonded with blood brothers

felt born to run along backstreets

in brilliant disguise that did cover me

frequently blinded by the light

of the full moon

casting silhouettes against darkness

on the edge of town

which lunar shafts pierced candy’s room,

while immersed in book of dreams

describing better days on a Cadillac ranch

where devils & dust - visible dancing in the dark

celebrating like calendar showered 4th of july

or other glory days in darlington county

even though I ain’t got you.

livin’ in the future

mine hungry heart hankered

and felt like I’m on fire

for you, this fire in me craved human touch

desire - roaring into the ole factory fire

because I wanna marry you

because the night populated

with girls in their summer clothes

each dazzling like 57 channels (and nothin’ on)

in imagination of my american skin

descended from when adam raised a cain

before last to die forecasting kingdom of days

now dwelling in celestial mansion on the hill.

now rightfully claim status of I’m a rocker/ local hero and I’m goin’ down

meeting across the river

if I should fall behind

on the downbound train as living proof

within light of day magic jungleland

policed by highway patrolman i.e. johnny 99

alias johnny bye bye – held up without a gun

defending this lucky town

established on Matamoras banks

from an incident on 57th street

thus celebrated

as local hero every independence day

when, with murder incorporated

firing point blank out in the street

that staccato new york city serenade

from no surrender outlaw pete

originally from nebraska.

it’s hard to be a saint in the city open all night

within my hometown

once my father’s house, now my city of ruins

where tis moot to ask

does this bus stop at 82nd street?

one step up

into the pink Cadillac

hops the ramrod queen of the supermarket

teasing audio dials sans radio nowhere

a red headed woman

racing in the street toward secret garden

to save my love –

with thee angel rosalita (come out tonight)

offering reason

to believe roll of the dice real world

and to prove it all night

from spare parts – shards of roulette wheel

housing souls of the departed

please save my love and stolen car

for sherry darling – that spirit in the night

she’s the one among souls of the departed

no longer stopped by state trooper

precinct based along streets of philadelphia

some crackling like streets of fire

straight time mandate

for those armed to the teeth

along tenth avenue freeze-out.

requiem per terry’s song – what love can do

accompanied by e street shuffle

performed in somber tones

rumbling down thunder road

for souls of used cars

two hearts crushed

along this hard land

for: the ghost of tom joad

the last carnival homage

to wild billy’s circus story

the price you pay when you’re alone

working on a dream

now wreck on the highway.

we take care of our own from youngstown

when heading of to the promised land

the rising distant mystical eden

where you can look,

(but you’d better not touch)

espying the river of salvation

joining eternally the ties that bind

a tunnel of love

or like the wrestler

pinning opponent tougher than the rest

like laborers working on the highway

chiseled like this hard land!

0 notes

only-johnny-deppp · 2 years

Photo

Johnny Depp, as John Dillinger, 14 years ago (2008) on this day (March 19), during the filming of “Public Enemies” at the Lafayette County Courthouse, in Darlington, Wisconsin, USA.

At that time, during most of the filming days, Johnny was always surrounded by fans who used to wait for hour for a chance to see him. Although he couldn’t greet them closely due the schedule, he was always greeting from afar until the end of the filming when he used to go greet personally his fans.

#Johnny Depp #John Dillinger #Public Enemies #Behind the Scenes #Lafayette County Courthouse #March 2008 #On this Day #Lovely Moments #Greeting Fans #Darlington #Wisconsin

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steel-and-asphalt · 7 years

Photo

A group of cars consisting of Herb Thomas (#92), Ray Hendrick (#44), Johnny Dodson (#83), and Clyde Parmer (#30) race on the banks of Darlington during the Southern 500. NASCAR Grand National Series, Darlington Raceway, 1951 Southern 500

#nascar #grand national series #grand national #darlington #darlington raceway #1951 #southern 500 #herb thomas #ray hendrick #johnny dodson #clyde palmer #racing #motorsport

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bobbyjean · 3 years

Text

Good morning everyone! Johnny works in a factory And Billy works downtown Terry works in a rock and roll band Looking for that million dollar sound And I got a little job down in Darlington But some nights I don't go Some nights I go to the drive-in Or some nights I stay home I followed that dream Just like those guys do up on the screen And I drove a Challenger down Route 9 Through the dead ends and all the bad scenes And when the promise was broken I cashed in a few of my dreams Well now I built that Challenger by myself But I needed money and so I sold it I lived a secret I shoulda kept to myself But I got drunk one night and I told it All my life, I fought this fight The fight that no man can ever win Every day it just gets harder to live The dream I'm believing in Thunder Road Oh baby, you were so right Thunder Road There's something dying down on the highway tonight I won big once and I hit the coast Oh, but somehow I paid the big cost Inside I felt like I was carrying the broken spirits Of all the other ones who lost When the promise is broken You go on living, but it steals something from down in your soul Like when the truth is spoken, and it don't make no difference Something in your heart turns cold Thunder Road Is for the lost lovers and all the fixed games Thunder Road For the tires rushing by in the rain Thunder Road Me and Billy we'd always sing Thunder Road We were gonna take it all and throw it all away

#me greeting customers

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stephensheffield · 3 years

Photo

Tonight We Are Drinking: SUFFERING BASTARD cocktails 1oz. Bourbon 1oz. Gin .5oz. Lime juice .5oz. Simple syrup 1 dash Angostura bitters 4 oz. ginger beer Add bourbon, gin, lime juice, simple syrup, bitters into rocks or Collins glass filled with ice and stir. Top with ginger beer and garnish with orange slice. The recipe is from the book Booze & Vinyl by André and Tenaya Darlington and their cocktail interpretation of Johnny Cash, Live At Folsom Prison. #sufferingbastard #johnnycash #boozeandvinyl #sheffieldcocktailhour #cocktails #cocktailtime #collageandcocktails #homebar #homebartender (at Cohasset, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTqJywLrb0v/?utm_medium=tumblr

#sufferingbastard #johnnycash #boozeandvinyl #sheffieldcocktailhour #cocktails #cocktailtime #collageandcocktails #homebar #homebartender

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confusedgenzstudent · 4 years

Text

MP's who voted against free school meals: Part 1

Nigel Adams (Selby and Ainsty),

Bim Afolami (Hitchin and Harpenden),

Adam Afriyie (Windsor),

Imran Ahmad Khan (Wakefield),

Nickie Aiken (Cities of London and Westminster),

Peter Aldous (Waveney), Lucy Allan (Telford),

David Amess (Southend West), Lee Anderson (Ashfield),

Stuart Anderson (Wolverhampton South West),

Stuart Andrew (Pudsey),

Edward Argar (Charnwood),

Sarah Atherton (Wrexham),

Victoria Atkins (Louth and Horncastle),

Gareth Bacon (Orpington),

Richard Bacon (South Norfolk),

Kemi Badenoch (Saffron Walden),

Shaun Bailey (West Bromwich West),

Duncan Baker (North Norfolk),

Steve Baker (Wycombe),

Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire),

Steve Barclay (North East Cambridgeshire),

Simon Baynes (Clwyd South),

Aaron Bell (Newcastle-under-Lyme),

Scott Benton (Blackpool South),

Paul Beresford (Mole Valley),

Jake Berry (Rossendale and Darwen),

Saqib Bhatti (Meriden),

Bob Blackman (Harrow East),

Crispin Blunt (Reigate),

Peter Bone (Wellingborough),

Peter Bottomley (Worthing West),

Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine),

Ben Bradley (Mansfield),

Karen Bradley (Staffordshire Moorlands),

Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale West),

Suella Braverman (Fareham),

Jack Brereton (Stoke-on-Trent South),

Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire),

Steve Brine (Winchester),

Paul Bristow (Peterborough),

Sara Britcliffe (Hyndburn),

James Brokenshire (Old Bexley and Sidcup),

Anthony Browne (South Cambridgeshire),

Fiona Bruce (Congleton),

Felicity Buchan (Kensington),

Robert Buckland (South Swindon),

Alex Burghart (Brentwood and Ongar),

Conor Burns (Bournemouth West),

Rob Butler (Aylesbury),

Alun Cairns (Vale of Glamorgan),

Andy Carter (Warrington South),

James Cartlidge (South Suffolk),

William Cash (Stone),

Miriam Cates (Penistone and Stocksbridge),

Maria Caulfield (Lewes), Alex Chalk (Cheltenham),

Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham),

Jo Churchill (Bury St Edmunds),

Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells),

Simon Clarke (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland),

Theo Clarke (Stafford),

Brendan Clarke-Smith (Bassetlaw),

Chris Clarkson (Heywood and Middleton),

James Cleverly (Braintree),

Therese Coffey (Suffolk Coastal),

Damian Collins (Folkestone and Hythe),

Alberto Costa (South Leicestershire),

Robert Courts (Witney),

Claire Coutinho (East Surrey),

Geoffrey Cox (Torridge and West Devon),

Virginia Crosbie (Ynys Mon),

James Daly (Bury North),

David T C Davies (Monmouth),

James Davies (Vale of Clwyd),

Gareth Davies (Grantham and Stamford),

Mims Davies (Mid Sussex),

Philip Davies (Shipley),

David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden),

Dehenna Davison (Bishop Auckland),

Caroline Dinenage (Gosport),

Sarah Dines (Derbyshire Dales),

Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon),

Michelle Donelan (Chippenham),

Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire),

Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay),

Oliver Dowden (Hertsmere),

Jackie Doyle-Price (Thurrock),

Richard Drax (South Dorset),

Flick Drummond (Meon Valley),

David Duguid (Banff and Buchan),

Iain Duncan Smith (Chingford and Woodford Green),

Philip Dunne (Ludlow),

Mark Eastwood (Dewsbury),

Ruth Edwards (Rushcliffe),

Michael Ellis (Northampton North),

Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East),

Natalie Elphicke (Dover),

George Eustice (Camborne and Redruth),

Luke Evans (Bosworth),

David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford),

Ben Everitt (Milton Keynes North),

Michael Fabricant (Lichfield),

Laura Farris (Newbury),

Simon Fell (Barrow and Furness), Katherine Fletcher (South Ribble), Mark Fletcher (Bolsover), Nick Fletcher (Don Valley), Vicky Ford (Chelmsford), Kevin Foster (Torbay),

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford),

Lucy Frazer (South East Cambridgeshire),

George Freeman (Mid Norfolk),

Mike Freer (Finchley and Golders Green),

Richard Fuller (North East Bedfordshire),

Marcus Fysh (Yeovil),

Mark Garnier (Wyre Forest),

Nusrat Ghani (Wealden),

Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton),

Peter Gibson (Darlington),

Jo Gideon (Stoke-on-Trent Central),

Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham),

John Glen (Salisbury),

Robert Goodwill (Scarborough and Whitby),

Michael Gove (Surrey Heath),

Richard Graham (Gloucester),

Helen Grant (Maidstone and The Weald),

James Gray (North Wiltshire),

Chris Grayling (Epsom and Ewell),

Chris Green (Bolton West),

Damian Green (Ashford),

Andrew Griffith (Arundel and South Downs),

Kate Griffiths (Burton),

James Grundy (Leigh),

Jonathan Gullis (Stoke-on-Trent North),

Luke Hall (Thornbury and Yate),

Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon),

Matt Hancock (West Suffolk),

Greg Hands (Chelsea and Fulham),

Mark Harper (Forest of Dean),

Rebecca Harris (Castle Point),

Trudy Harrison (Copeland),

Sally-Ann Hart (Hastings and Rye),

Simon Hart (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire),

John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings),

Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire),

Chris Heaton-Harris (Daventry),

Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne and Sheppey),

Darren Henry (Broxtowe),

Antony Higginbotham (Burnley),

Damian Hinds (East Hampshire),

Kevin Hollinrake (Thirsk and Malton),

Philip Hollobone (Kettering),

Adam Holloway (Gravesham),

Paul Holmes (Eastleigh),

John Howell (Henley),

Paul Howell (Sedgefield),

Nigel Huddleston (Mid Worcestershire),

Eddie Hughes (Walsall North),

Jane Hunt (Loughborough),

Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey),

Tom Hunt (Ipswich),

Alister Jack (Dumfries and Galloway),

Sajid Javid (Bromsgrove),

Ranil Jayawardena (North East Hampshire),

Mark Jenkinson (Workington),

Andrea Jenkyns (Morley and Outwood),

Robert Jenrick (Newark),

Boris Johnson (Uxbridge and South Ruislip),

Caroline Johnson (Sleaford and North Hykeham),

Gareth Johnson (Dartford), David Johnston (Wantage),

Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough),

Fay Jones (Brecon and Radnorshire),

David Jones (Clwyd West),

Marcus Jones (Nuneaton),

Simon Jupp (East Devon),

Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham),

Alicia Kearns (Rutland and Melton),

Gillian Keegan (Chichester),

Julian Knight (Solihull),

Greg Knight (East Yorkshire),

Danny Kruger (Devizes),

Kwasi Kwarteng (Spelthorne),

John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk),

Robert Largan (High Peak),

Andrea Leadsom (South Northamptonshire),

Edward Leigh (Gainsborough),

Ian Levy (Blyth Valley),

Andrew Lewer (Northampton South),

Brandon Lewis (Great Yarmouth),

Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater and West Somerset),

Chris Loder (West Dorset),

Mark Logan (Bolton North East),

Marco Longhi (Dudley North),

Julia Lopez (Hornchurch and Upminster),

Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke),

Jonathan Lord (Woking),

Craig Mackinlay (South Thanet),

Cherilyn Mackrory (Truro and Falmouth),

Rachel Maclean (Redditch),

Alan Mak (Havant),

Kit Malthouse (North West Hampshire),

Anthony Mangnall (Totnes),

Scott Mann (North Cornwall),

Julie Marson (Hertford and Stortford),

Theresa May (Maidenhead),

Jerome Mayhew (Broadland),

Karl McCartney (Lincoln),

Mark Menzies (Fylde),

Johnny Mercer (Plymouth, Moor View),

Huw Merriman (Bexhill and Battle),

Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock),

Robin Millar (Aberconwy), Maria Miller (Basingstoke),

Amanda Milling (Cannock Chase),

Nigel Mills (Amber Valley),

Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield),

Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire),

Robbie Moore (Keighley),

Penny Mordaunt (Portsmouth North),

David Morris (Morecambe and Lunesdale),

James Morris (Halesowen and Rowley Regis),

Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills),

Kieran Mullan (Crewe and Nantwich),

David Mundell (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale),

Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall),

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire),

Robert Neill (Bromley and Chislehurst),

Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North),

Jesse Norman (Hereford and South Herefordshire),

Neil O'Brien (Harborough),

Guy Opperman (Hexham),

Owen Paterson (North Shropshire),

Mark Pawsey (Rugby),

Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead),

John Penrose (Weston-super-Mare),

Chris Philp (Croydon South),

Christopher Pincher (Tamworth),

Rebecca Pow (Taunton Deane),

Victoria Prentis (Banbury),

Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin),

Jeremy Quin (Horsham),

Will Quince (Colchester),

Tom Randall (Gedling),

John Redwood (Wokingham),

Jacob Rees-Mogg (North East Somerset),

Nicola Richards (West Bromwich East),

Angela Richardson (Guildford),

Rob Roberts (Delyn),

Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury),

Mary Robinson (Cheadle),

Andrew Rosindell (Romford),

Lee Rowley (North East Derbyshire),

Dean Russell (Watford),

David Rutley (Macclesfield),

Gary Sambrook (Birmingham, Northfield),

Selaine Saxby (North Devon), Paul Scully (Sutton and Cheam),

Bob Seely (Isle of Wight), Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire),

#never trust a tory #tory incompetence #tory mp #united kingdom #pandemic #kids #marcus rashford

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tryalittlejoytomorrow · 4 years

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my darling @sunshineandsciencebabies and @gizkasparadise tagged me forever ago, thanks!!!

Rules: tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better

Top 3 ships: currently, Kevin and Madison from This Is Us, Alex and Darlington from Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, and Rick and Kate from Castle (I did a marathon in like a week and I regret nothing they own me)

Lipstick or chapstick: lipstick forever because I own a shade for my every mood

Last Song: Dancing With Your Ghost by Sasha Sloan

Last Movie: Emma, which was aesthetically very pleasing and I love Johnny Flynn, even though it didn’t bring much more to the table and it doesn’t compare to the BBC mini series with Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller

Reading: The Power by Naomi Alderman

What food are you craving now: honestly? any food I didn’t cook myself, but mostly fries

tagging @jemmablossom @queenofchildren @alienor-woods and whoever wants to do it!

#Angèle babbles

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a-fandolarian · 4 years

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Song title tag game

Rules: Answer each category with a song title. Go with the first song that comes to mind or fill in your favorites. Then tag errr 5 people

Something to wear - Little Black Dress - Sara Bareilles

Something to drink – lots of drops of brandy- the chieftains

A Place - Darlington County - Bruce Springsteen

A food – Chicken Fried- Zac Brown Band

An Animal – the blackbird - Silly Wizard

A Number – 9 to 5 - Dolly Parton

A Color - A clear blue morning - wailin Jenny's

A Girl’s Name - Emmylou- First Aid Kit

A Boy’s Name - Ballad of Ira Hayes - Johnny Cash

A Profession - highwaymen- the highwaymen

Home - The State of Massachusetts- Dropkick Murphys

Flower - Wild Flowers - Wailing Jennys

Day of the Week – Sunday Bloody Sunday- U2

Tagging @woakiees @sailingthenightsea @bathingwithdiggory @thirstyvampyre @kissedbydragonfire

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the-red-mafia · 6 months

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The Catalyst

Johnny leads the teens through the area, safely reaching the stairwell to the catalyst before being ambushed by Darlington. Will Mad and Solana be able to reach them in time, or will they be lost to their minds? Also available on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/TheRedMafia A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry this one is two weeks late, we needed extra time to prepare it. Double post today so after you're done reading this one, go check out the next post: The Assassination. Next Update: 11/11/2023 Word Count: 3026

Immediately after "The Game"

Solana’s bat collided with Darlington’s stomach again, sending the boy flying down the hallway. He let out a laugh before glancing back at Mad, whose screen was blank.

“You okay, Mad?” the elf asked, lowering the weapon.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” it replied, “Mostly, at least.”

“Is something going on?”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this place,” Mad said, causing Solana to chuckle.

“Cursed places will do that.”

“Well, yeah. But…I don’t know. We’re sure Zaeor gave Maroon this game, right?” Solana frowned.

“As sure as we can be, I guess.” Mad crossed their arms and looked up at the grey ceiling.

“Why would Zaeor give Maroon a cursed video game? Surely he knew about the curse, right?”

“Maybe he didn’t,” Solana replied, “I don’t think he would intentionally give it to Maroon.”

“Maybe…” The elf leaned against a wall.

“Or maybe he needs to get rid of this curse and wants us to do it.”

“But why not tell us so we’re prepared?” Solana shrugged.

“I don’t know, I’m not a god. I’ve got no idea what he’s thinking.”

“Right…” Mad mumbled, “Wait, where’s Darlington? Shouldn’t he be back by now?” Solana frowned and pushed herself off the wall.

“Yeah, you’re right. Where is he?” They looked down the hallway, but no one was coming back.

“Um- excuse me-” Mad quickly turned around, barely managing to step out of the way before Solana swung their bat at the boy behind them. He quickly stepped back but was hit by the elf’s second swing.

“Nice try, Darlington,” they muttered, raising the weapon again, “Ready to get pummelled again?”

“W-wait! I’m not who you think I am!” Mad put an arm out in front of Solana.

“Who are you then?”

“I’m Johnny Darlington, but n-not the one you were fighting! That’s an evil version of me, I swear!” A smile appeared on Mad’s screen.

“I believe you. What are you doing here, then?” The boy took a deep breath.

“Your friends. I was h-helping them get to the catalyst and…well. They’re in danger.”

When Velvet, Maroon, Thorn, and Johnny rematerialized, the surroundings had morphed once again. Velvet looked around at the lines of desks and chairs, computers sitting on top of each of them. The yellow wallpaper was back, although it was partially covered by various frames. Instead of holding paintings, however, they were all white paper.

Next to them, Thorn lurched forward. Velvet groaned and quickly grabbed a trash bin. They handed it to him, and he promptly turned around and threw up into the bag. Maroon stepped away from aer slightly.

“Thorn, are you okay?” They didn’t respond.

“Teleporting makes some…weaker people lose control of their stomachs,” Velvet said, smirking. Thorn flipped them off. Maroon placed a hand on their shoulder. Thorn looked up at them and smiled weakly before returning to the trash can and vomiting again.

“Where are we, Darlington?” Velvet asked, crossing her arms.

“This is as close to the catalyst as I can take you,” he began, “My magic doesn’t work any closer.”

“Of course,” the teen muttered.

“I don’t remember this level from the trailer. What-”

“It’s not a level. This is what goes on behind the scenes. It’s where all the mini-games and puzzles are monitored.” Thorn set the trashcan on the ground and grabbed a tissue off a desk.

“So which way?” Velvet began. Darlington led her to an exit door which led to a concrete stairwell. Maroon helped Thorn to follow them as Velvet looked up and down.

“If my info is right, at the top of the building is where the catalyst is.” Thorn looked up at the dozens of stairwells and groaned.

“All the way up?”

“All the way up.”

“Fuck,” he breathed. Velvet chuckled before starting up the stairs. The others followed behind, Thorn still grumbling behind her. The sound of printers rumbling came from the closed doors along the stairwell. Voices came through quietly as well, immediately putting the assassin on edge.

“Are there other people here?” They demanded. “J-just NPCs. nothing to worry about.” Velvet narrowed their eyes.

“Mhm…sure.”

“You’re being paranoid, Velvie,” Thorn called out. The assassin flipped him off as the voices suddenly stopped. Velvet froze at the top of the steps. There were only two more flights to the top but Darlington choked back a sob.

“He’s here,” he breathed, “I’m so sorry.” Velvet raised two of her throwing knives.

“Stay behind me. I’ll take care of it.” They glanced back at their teammates but they were gone. The corridor was completely empty as a laugh echoed up and down the stairwell. Velvet gripped the throwing knives tighter and sprinted forward. Footsteps reverberated behind them but they quickly kicked the door open before slamming it closed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

A cold breeze hit her back, causing her to turn about. Their throwing knives had disappeared, along with the red zip-up and scars down their arms. A black, short-sleeve dress took its place and fell just below her knees. They stood in front of a large brown door, dozens of stickers scattered on it. In the middle was some kind of word: C-A-R-

“What the fuck,” the teen breathed. Their heart skipped a beat as they spun around. The marble walls, the dark brown doors, the towering glass window behind her-

“Fuck- How-” She turned back to the door. A rainbow was peeling off now, and an odour wafted towards them from underneath. They clenched their fists.

“No. I’m not doing this. Whatever you’re trying to do, Darlington, it’s not happening!” Another laugh, followed by the sound of a gun loading right behind her head.

“Open the door, dēvotiō,” Unor’s voice whispered, “Your surprise is behind it.” Velvet could still hear the smirk in his wicked voice. They took a deep breath and stepped forward.

It’s not real, it’s not real- they repeated as they turned the knob. The door slowly pushed open and the assassin shut her eyes.

“Open your eyes, Velvet,” Unor’s voice muttered again, “Look at him. You did this, you know.” The stench was overwhelming, to the point where Velvet knew exactly what was in front of them. She slowly opened her eyes before slamming them closed.

Maroon spun around as a chill went down their spine. Thorn’s warm hand was long gone along with Velvet and Johnny in front of them. The teen took a deep breath and raised their hands.

“Where are you?” They called out. A laugh came from behind them.

“Right behind you, Margaret.” The dull grey walls of the stairwell seemed to melt away into brown and white and various seats materialised on either side of them. A large white cross hung on the wall in front of them with several young children sitting in pews. The rest of the seats were empty and a man dressed in a black robe stood at the front of them. All eyes turned towards Maroon as someone shoved them to the ground.

“Margaret. How lovely of you to finally join us,” the man in the robe said. Maroon froze.

“She was playing around in the forest again, Father,” the person behind them stated coldly, “Sleeping under a tree, no less.” Maroon could feel tears running down their face as they took a deep breath. The robed man walked towards them. Maroon heard their own voice tell him to stop, but he didn’t listen. Every step that he took brought a familiar feeling into them. Their hands grew cold as the robed man slapped them across the face.

Maroon took another deep breath before mushrooms exploded around the church hall. They grew through the wooden floor and wrapped around the robed man’s legs. His screams pierced Maroon’s ears and were shortly followed by the high-pitched screeches of the children. The adults shouted at them but their words reached deaf ears. The robed man now lay dead on the floor, mushrooms growing out of his ears. His head exploded, his brain now turned into tiny pink fungi. Several other adults followed suit. Maroon closed their eyes as the ground shook, the walls soon crushing the remaining living humans in front of them.

“Maroon!” Thorn shouted, gripping the knife so hard his knuckles were turning white. When the laugh echoed, he quickly slashed behind him. The area rapidly changed around aer, morphing into grey stone walls. Paintings hung up on either side of it but they were drowned out by various vines in front of them.

A red slash hung in the air where Thorn’s knife had sliced. A silhouette began to form around it before it solidified. Thorn stared in horror as his red-haired mother’s body slammed into the ground. The knife, blood dripping from it, fell out of its hands.

“No-” he whispered, “No, it’s not real. It’s not-” His mother let out a loud scream, forcing the prince to cover aer ears. The word ‘no’ kept dripping out of his mouth as the queen continued to scream and writhe on the floor. Footsteps thumped down the hall and the door behind him flew open.

“Love!” The king shouted. He stopped in the doorway as Thorn slowly turned towards him. His sword was drawn, just as it was.

“Thorn…” he breathed, “Son, what happened?”

“They…they…” the queen’s voice faded out. The king looked at Thorn and his eyes fell to the bloodied knife at aer feet.

“Thorn…” He whispered, “What have you done?”

“I didn’t- I didn’t mean-”

“You ‘didn’t mean it’?” the king’s voice grew louder and Thorn quickly closed his eyes. It wrapped itself in its arms and took a deep breath.

“Thorn, look at me!” The king demanded. Tears began to form in the prince’s eyes as he breathed again.

It's…not real, they thought, Maybe if I just…do it…everything will go back to normal.

“Thorn!” The king shouted again. They felt his rough, calloused hands through the thin sleep tunic they had on. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the king. A few tears ran down his face as he shouted, demanding to know what happened. Thorn shrugged the king’s hands off and picked up the knife.

The image froze right as they dug the knife into his stomach.

Solana felt a little nauseous after the “good” Johnny Darlington teleported them. She looked over at Mad, whose screen was still blank. The robot tried to look around but Johnny quickly grabbed their arm and pulled them across what seemed to be an old office.

“They’re this way!” he called out, “He used his magic on them-” He opened the stairwell door and sprinted up them. Solana had to sprint to keep up with the surprisingly agile boy. As they climbed, laughter began to echo down. The trio stopped on a landing, Solana pulling Mad behind him and raising his bat.

“They’re…they’re a few more flights up,” Johnny mumbled. The “bad” Darlington floated down, still laughing. The two of them looked almost identical, except for Darlington’s pitch-black outfit compared to Johnny’s jeans and a t-shirt.

“At least we can tell them apart well enough,” Solana mumbled.

“That’s what you’re focusing on?” Mad replied. The elf shrugged.

“Just glad we won’t have a switcheroo situation.” They stepped forward and swung the bat at the floating middle-schooler, but he just floated upward. Solana watched him reach his hand out as it glowed a light lilac. The room suddenly grew dark and Darlington disappeared from view.

Solana was sitting down all of a sudden, the inside of a small ship surrounding them. A small window was in front of her, a younger Nolan on the other side. A chill shot up their spine.

“No,” they breathed.

“Solana!” Mad’s voice pierced the ship, the walls rippling. Solana turned to where she thought the noise had come from.

“Mad?” The ship snapped back to the grey walls of the stairwell. The elf shot up, panting. Darlington was groaning on the floor down a level while Johnny stood in front, facing him down. Mad was to her left, taking her pulse.

“What happened?”

“He tried to trap you in your worst memories,” Johnny said through gritted teeth, “Like he did with the kids. It’s a twisted version of my magic.” Solana jumped to their feet.

“How’d it stop?”

“That was, uh, me,” Mad mumbled. It sheepishly raised Solana’s bat and handed it to them. Solana smiled and turned back to Darlington, who was once again getting to his feet.

“Let’s do this, then,” she began, “Maybe if we pummel him enough he’ll let them go.”

“Maroon!” Their eyes shot open. The ruins of the orphanage were covered in green plants now, and the dust had settled. Their mushrooms had receded into a small patch at their feet, still growing slowly.

“W-who’s there?” Boots hit the grass behind them and Maroon turned around. Velvet walked towards them in their mission uniform, hair short once again. “Maroon, wake up!” They kept walking towards them, but their mouth didn’t move.

“Velvet?”

The prince looked around at the frozen image. Their dad’s blood floated, the smell of iron in the air. His mom’s screaming had stopped but his heart kept beating hard.

“Mom, Dad?” it called out. No response. Thorn let out a relieved breath. Warm arms wrapped around aer, causing aer to jump slightly. A familiar smell slammed into their nose.

“...Maroon?”

“Thorn!”

Velvet felt tears run down her cheeks as Unor held her eyelids open. His laugh seemed to shake the ground. The red blood seeped towards her, forming a pool at her feet. Bright emerald green eyes stared up at the ceiling, blood splattered on his chin. The bullet was still buried in his heart underneath the pale, ripped skin.

Her heartbeat thumped as she kept staring and Unor kept laughing. Quiet shouts came from behind them, followed by a loud thud. Velvet’s eyes widened and she quickly spun around. Unor didn’t resist, his arms frozen up where he was holding her. His laugh continued but his mouth didn’t move.

“What the fuck?” the assassin muttered. A high-pitch scream came from what seemed to be below the floorboards.

“Darlington,” she growled. They blinked before they were back in the stairwell, lying on the floor. The shouts were louder, and she made out Solana’s voice calling out to Mad. Velvet shot up and ran to the railing. Below, Solana dodged a knife thrown by Darlington, not the one from earlier, and Mad caught it mid-air. The other Darlington took the knife from the droid and threw it to Solana, who then chucked it back.

“Mad, Solana!” Velvet shouted. The trio looked up and Solana’s eyes widened.

“Velvet!” Solana replied, “You okay?”

“I’m fine! What’s going on?”

“Evil Darlington had you all trapped in a spell,” Mad said, “We’re distracting him now. See if you can wake Thorn and Maroon up!” Velvet groaned but pushed herself away from the railing and sprinted down the steps. Maroon and Thorn were unconscious two floors down. The teen took a deep breath before kneeling down next to Maroon.

“Maroon!” they called out, “Maroon, wake up!” A few seconds passed and Velvet lightly shook them.

“Velvet?” Maroon’s eyes slowly opened and scanned the room. Eventually, they locked on Velvet and they shot up, pulling her into a hug. She attempted to squirm out of their grip at first but stopped when a small tear hit her jacket sleeve.

“I- I-” Velvet sighed and quickly propped them up, pointing at Thorn.

“Go wake Thorn up. I’m going to destroy the catalyst.”

“Velvet-” The assassin put her hands on Maroon’s shoulder.

“Come on, Maroon.” They were quiet for a second before nodding. Velvet stood up and leaned over the railing. Darlington slammed into a wall as Solana laughed. Her heartbeat was still racing and her breathing was shallow.

“They’re fine,” Velvet mumbled, “Get it together, Velvet.” She sprinted up the stairs again. A chill went down their spine as they opened the door, but they let out a relieved breath when the door simply opened to a dark room. In the centre was a pedestal with a floating green disc above it. A light green glow emitted from it, illuminating the symbols etched onto the floor. Velvet kneeled down and ran her hand over them.

“Hm.” Velvet grabbed another throwing knife and rolled up their jacket sleeve. They quickly etched a rough sketch into the top layer of their skin before standing.

I’ll ask Zaeor later, Velvet thought. She quickly grabbed the disc and snapped it in half. The green light disappeared as the assassin let out a sigh of relief. Velvet turned around and stuffed the knife back in her pouch, pulling her sleeve down. Maroon had their arms wrapped around Thorn, Mad now hovering over them. Solana had a wooden bat and stood next to the “good” Darlington, who looked up at her when she approached.

“Thank you, Velvet,” he began, causing the rest of the mafia to turn towards them, “I don’t know how much longer we could’ve held out.”

“That’s it?” Velvet replied. Darlington nodded.

“That’s it.” The teen narrowed her eyes but handed him the snapped disc. He looked down at the pieces before chuckling.

“My own game. How ironic.”

“Are you good, Velvet?” Solana asked. The teen raised an eyebrow.

“Fine. Why?”

“Darlington just trapped you in your worst memories and you’re ‘fine’?”

“Oh, that’s what his powers were. Makes sense.” A question mark appeared on Mad’s face.

“Did you…not-”

“I did. But I don’t want to fucking talk about it,” Velvet interrupted, “Just take us home, Darlington.” Mad didn’t push it further, but Solana gave her a look. Velvet simply gestured to the beaded red bracelet on her left wrist and the elf nodded. Darlington took Solana’s right and Velvet’s left hands before smiling down at Thorn and Maroon.

“Are you two ready?” Thorn took a deep breath and stood, helping Maroon up. Maroon grabbed Velvet’s other hand and Thorn’s. Mad grabbed the remaining hands, completing the circle. Darlington sighed and his hands glowed a light blue.

“Thank you. Thank you all.”

#/the red mafia #/trm part 4 #/chapter 043 #/the catalyst #/solana #/solana roison #/mad valentine #/johnny darlington #/velvet #/velvet bolton #/maroon #/maroon pembrooke #/thorn alviar

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