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glitteronadumpsterfire · 3 years

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🇮🇹🤘 Italian indie rock bands masterpost 🤘🇮🇹

So I'm seeing a LOT of support toward Måneskin from people pretty much all around the globe by now and that made me so damn happy that I decided to make a post about some Italian bands from the alt-rock/metal scene I know/listen to that I think you (hopefully!!) would love as well <3

Måneskin

What's more to say about Måneskin? I've known them for ten seconds and they're already consuming my life. Peak bisexual energy. The lyrics are what I wish I could write; Damiano's voice is what I wish I sounded like; their instrumentals is what I wish my life was like; their aesthetic is how I wish I could dress like. God speed beautiful you bastards, can't wait to see you at the top of the world

IN NOME DEL PADRE ("In the name of the Father") is angry, sleazy and sinful, just like Damiano comparing himself to Jesus Christ in the lyrics for all the times he "died" (ergo the failed attempts to break through as a musician or, more generally, all the hardship he went through his life) but every time it was worth it (Son morto più di cento volte, mai morto invano trad. "I died more than one hundred times, but never in vain").

He states that he won't forget the past and all the people who doubted him, looked at him as if he was insane or didn't take him or his passion seriously because of his young age, that he'll never stop aiming for the sky (Toccare il cielo e tornare a mangiare asfalto trad. "To touch the sky and come back face down in the dirt"), that the stage isn't enough for him and he hungers for more (Ehi, fate spazio, fatene tanto /Che adesso non mi basta il mondo, non mi basta il palco trad. Hey, get out of my way/ Because the stage is not enough, the world is not enough for me). I get Mötley Crüe's Too Fast For Love era and Appetite for Destruction vibes from this, anyone else?

Go check out "Coraline" (heartbreaking ballad about a girl who grew up with huge insecurities in an unfriendly environment and great sensitivity to whom the singer offers a possibility to open up to him, pure poetry) and "Vent'anni" ("Twenty years", it's along the lines of In nome del Padre, talks about the youth who isn't taken seriously by others when they talk about their dreams, especially if that dream is to become a musician/artist, 10/10 very angry) if you haven't already! They're two of my favorite songs by them who am I kidding the whole fucking album is my favorite song by them

Afterhours

they're the spiritual fathers to Måneskin in a way (Afterhours' singer, Manuel Agnelli, was their coach when the band entered X-Factor's latest edition) and a pillar of Italy's indie scene. The singer looks a worryingly lot like Severus Snape but that adds to his decadent hero's charm

cryptic lyrics, haunting bassline, tormented voice: Male di Miele literally means "pain of honey" or "honeyache" (a juxtaposition that i find brilliant) and has been defined as "the italian Smells Like Teen Spirit" which I think is incredibly accurate

check out "Dentro Marilyn" ("Inside Marilyn") from their first album too to appreciate Manuel's vocal abilities at their fullest!

Superhorror

Previously named "Superhorrorfuck", they're the epitome of what I want the "Glam/Shock rock revival" to be like. Exhaggerated, flashy, just too much and unique in the modern scene, they resurrected what KISS, Mötley Crüe, Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper started back in the 70s and 80s: it doesn't take too long to realize where they took inspiration for their iconic makeup from! Edward's maniacal voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard (but, like, in a good way) accompained with loud, raw and hysterical guitars that make you feel like you snorted ten lines of coke. If Ed's appearance reminded you of a blond Marilyn Manson I'm pretty sure it was his intention.

Here's something from their latest album, came out in 2020, "Italians Die Better":

also little side note: THESE DUDES LITERALLY COME FROM MY OWN TOWN LMAO??? DO I NEED TO SAY MORE LIKE, I THINK THE GUITARIST WENT AT MY SAME HIGHSCHOOL AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT IT'S SO FUCKING COOL

Subsonica

Coming straight from the 90s, another important band in the alternative/electronic italian scene. They all look like they could be my uncles, I trust them

Here's probably their most famous and recognizable song from 1999, "Tutti i miei sbagli" (All my mistakes):

Verdena

another military stone in the alternative/psychedelic rock/grunge scene in Italy, for fine connoisseurs only. if i had to choose only a word to describe them, i'd say "visionaries": every album of theirs is a trip to unexplored, indefinite territories that take you to an undescribable dimension (pretty sure their music is the closest to what overdosing on xanax feels like) and their lyrics don't necessarily make sense. either that or Alberto (the dude on the left in the pic who looks both like Charles Manson and your 14yo cousin who thinks he's a man bc he smokes and has one chesthair) is an alien sent from space and is speaking the language of the gods, but we don't have the means to understand what he's trying to communicate. either way, shit slaps, dude pls make another album

Their first single from 1999, Valvonauta ("Valvenaut"???? A valve astronaut??? I think???? idk man) (don't worry about trying to understand the meaning, more than 20 years have gone by since it came out and nobody has got it yet):

Tre allegri ragazzi morti

literally "Three Happy Dead Lads". Idk man they put me in a good mood while at the same time giving me nostalgia of memories I never had and times I never lived. Great listen if you want to have an existential crisis

if "Male di Miele" is the italian Smells Like Teen Spirit, I consider "Il Mondo Prima" (The World Before) to be the corrispondent to In Bloom: sounds like a very happy-go-lucky song but has a very dark and melancholic meaning behind the lyrics:

The Bastard Sons of Dioniso

Coming from Trentino Alto Adige, the Bastard Sons of Dionysus classified second place at the second edition of italian X-Factor. Their style is very... Theatrical? It's very unique. It's like if a group of renaissance minstrels who used to entertain the Gonzagas took a ride on the time machine (probably invented by Da Vinci, wouldn't be surprised if he thought about it back then or actually made some prototypes even) and got teleported in the future, where they discovered modern instruments but still talked about court life in their lyrics using the dialect of their own time. Oh and also they could kill you, don't test them. Basically Ezio Auditore's favourite band

Yes, L'amor Carnale ("Fleshly love") is about sex, but considered what I told you about them before, you can guess they put it more... Elegantly than say, Mötley Crüe and sleaze rock bands from the 80s 😂😂😂

Umberto Emo

*inhales deeply* now, how can I describe how much I love these boys. They're the equivalent of both having a nervous breakdown and shitposting on main at the same time. Their sound say Bring Me the Horizon but their lyrics say Children of Bodom. You laugh the whole time hearing the singer talking bullshit, but then he'd just scream something that hits you so hard you need to sit down and think about life, as if you were at a party and you were having the time of your life and idk getting drunk tits and dick out and getting head by that hot guy you always had a crush on, and all of a sudden the alarm goes off and you snap out of it realizing that oh you were just dreaming and you remember that you actually don't have any friends and the dude you thirst for has a girlfriend already. These rats from Verona's sewers are one of the few reasons that make me feel proud of where I come from. The only people who know about them are me, my best friend who introduced them to me, and probably their aunts and I wish they were known by SO MANY MORE people and that they had the success they deserved before they split up after such a short timespan of activity. Gone, but never forgotten 😔✊

"Dr. Bepis and Mr. Aids" is a very, very long piece (lasts about 9 minutes) but it is, in my opinion, the one that represents what Umberto Emo is all about the most. it's more of a rage filled medley, where they put all their drabbles and a lot of throwbacks to their other songs together. some of my favorite verses (that can be translated) include:

Datemi un sogno, un sogno banale/ tagliamoci un dito e facciamoci male (trad. "Give me a dream, a mundane dream / let's cut our fingers and let's hurt ourselves"),

Questa è la storia del cavallo omofobo, trottava al galoppo con in culo un microfono / Questa è la storia di Frate Agostino, girava nei bagni e ti offriva un pompino (trad. "This is the story of the horse that was a homophobe, he'd trot and gallop with in the ass a microphone / This is the story of Brother Augustine, he'd skulk in bathrooms and offer you a blowjob"),

Scusatemi per tutto questo, scusatemi ma non ci riesco / E in fin dei conti è colpa mia, in fin dei conti è colpa tua, in fin dei conti non importa / E domani siamo sabbia. (trad. "Forgive me for all of this, forgive me but I can't help it / And in the end it's my fault, in the end it's your fault, in the end it doesn't matter / And tomorrow we'll be sand."),

Io ho mangiato sassi per anni, senza sapere che gusto avessero/ Masticavo i miei stessi denti, privandomi del desiderio / Travolto dai ricordi, come sabbia in questo tempo (trad. "I have been eating rocks for years, without knowing their taste / I've been chewing my own teeth, depriving myself from the desire / Overwhelmed by memories, like sand of this time")

or the self depreciating, passive aggressive Sono ancora triste, quindi uso parole difficili tipo sesquipedale /Che schifo la punteggiatura (trad. I'm still sad, so I use complicated words, like sesquipedal / punctuation sucks)

and the timeless chorus Mario Giordano sei un rettiliano (trad. "Mario Giordano you're a reptilian" I don't know honestly what statement they wanted to make with this other than it rhymes lmao)

which as you can see, range from being completely demented to blasphemous to become a punch in the gut to complete and utter nonsense (and it's only one song!), but the majority of their verses could be simply translated as [angry italian unintelligible screaming] (which, honestly, is a mood anyway). I urge everyone who sees this to go listen to them (especially my italian mutuals) even if you can't understand shit of what they're talking about. I'm sure their music will transcend language barriers

Btw sorry not sorry for the wall of text, they just mean so much to me and I could write a 56 pages long essay about them and their lyrics 😭😭😭 other songs I recommend are Il fumo uccide ma è parte del piano ("Smoking kills but it's part of the plan", opening with "It's raining shit"), Barbara D'Urto (a play on words on an italian talk show host's name Barbara D'Urso,"urto" means bump, clash, collision, but it's also a way to describe someone who rubs you the wrong way), Qvando Cera Lvi (don't worry, the title is nothing but a mockery of the fascist slogan and the lyrics is the epitome of the demented) and idk, everything else they have really, which can all be found on YouTube

Punkreas

i included them almost exclusively because i love the pun they made with their name. as every good punk band out there, they remind you how much society sucks and that you should go against its rules no matter what while making you bang your head to their tunes

"Total disgust" is not only a mood and a critique to politicians and society's consumerism's ways in general, but also a punk rock banger from 1992:

Furor Gallico

Probably the only people from Milan I wouldn't hate on sight, "Gaelic Fury" is a folk metal band who I can't say for sure they have true Gaelic origins, but they sure wish they were born in that time (and if you didn't know, believe me when I tell you this particular metal subgenre is very big in Italy, especially in the northern regions). Their music will take you to distant places forgotten by man, and Davide is the creature of the enchanted forest who'll whisper his land's secrets to you through his lyrics

Diluvio ("Flood") is an inspired and evoking ballad about a man who loves rain and thunderstorms (can relate) in all its forms and at the same time an ode to the marvel of Nature when it unleashes its fury (I could write another whole essay about this song but I'm gonna restrain myself)

Other bands worth checking out bc tumblr doesn't let me add more than ten pics and ten audios in one post: Negrita (I define them the Italian Red Hot Chili Peppers, very chill they put you in a good mood), Litfiba (hard rock for dads), Linea 77 (another important punk rock band from the 90s), Caparezza (a peculiar man, it's hard to describe him lmao but he's a great songwriter and always tries to evolve his style), Rhapsody of Fire (inventors of Epic Power Metal. It's like Power Metal but with more dragons and Christopher Lee)

To anyone who joined me in this journey and stuck around till the end and checked out all the artists:

✨💕Thank you💕✨

I could kiss you rn I'd love to know which one was your favorite and talk about them!!

To anyone who read about only some of them and didn't listen to any or just some of the songs:

💖Thank you💖

I really hope you liked those you checked out!! Tell me what you think and don't be afraid to ask me about the lyrics or something!!

To anyone who couldn't handle the whole 34-pages-long essay and just scrolled past this post/couldn't be bothered to read my ramblings and just went for the songs:

💫💞Thank you💞💫

even only for your patience alone, sorry for clogging your dash with my bullshit lmao (not only with this post, just in general) and I hope you have a great day!!

@ italian mutuals feel free to add more!! Let's make the italian indie rock scene more known to the world!! Unleash the mammamia spirit ❤️❤️❤️

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nerdypanda3126 · 3 years

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An Interesting Little Relationship

This was written for the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Fic Challenge.

The "rules" are three 15-minute sprints with 24 hours for light editing, which includes new writing to smooth transitions or make it feel complete. Except I broke a few rules on this one... so I used I think six sprints total (lost count a bit 😅) and in between sprints I let myself keep writing until I got stuck.

This time around I used the prompt: "As if life hasn’t been hard enough lately…you just met your soulmate, and they’re not even human. (Supernatural/monster AU)"

And @airi-p4 wrote this minific based on a Julie and the Phantoms AU and it all just kinda clicked in my head. Although fair warning for those of you who know the show, I did take away the ability to handle the instruments to play more with the "can't touch real things"... thing.

Read on Ao3

The question had been on Marinette’s mind ever since she first met Luka. Which wasn’t too out of the ordinary. For those with visible marks, it was often the first thing people noticed. Marks stood out like wedding bands—jet black for those still waiting, brilliant color for those who’d already found their soulmate, a permanent reminder of the first touch.

Luka had three black marks like smudges across the backs of his fingers, as if he were destined to brush his knuckles against some stranger’s at some point in his life and discover what everyone hoped to.

The problem was, Luka’s life was already over.

He and the band had first shimmered into existence when she found their demo buried along with the rest of their things in the attic and popped it into the dormant CD player. As she’d listened, nodding her head along to the punk rock beat and appreciating the skill of the guitarist, suddenly there they were, three ghosts standing right in front of her.

She’d screamed. They’d screamed. Eventually everyone calmed down enough for Luka to explain that her attic was their old studio and introduce his sister, Juleka, and their drummer, Ivan. And as he gestured to himself, her eyes went straight to those three black marks that she’d been watching ever since.

She rubbed at her own mark—three black streaks on the side of her neck, just below her ear—as they worked on writing a new song together. Luka was brainstorming aloud, pacing back and forth soundlessly, while she handled the pen.

Touch was tricky for him. If he focused sometimes, he could pick up small things. He’d managed to grab a pick once and strum it across his guitar in its stand and he’d been giddy about it for days afterward. Sometimes it made her think that maybe it wasn’t all that crazy that her marks seemed to match with his. Maybe it was possible…

“Hey, you okay, boss?” Luka asked, breaking her out of her thoughts as he took a seat next to her on the old couch and laid his arm casually along the back of her seat. She could almost imagine his weight settling into the spot, although of course he himself was weightless. She frowned at the unburdened upholstery under his thighs as if it had personally offended her.

“Isn’t it weird?”

“Isn’t what weird?”

“You can sit there, and you can pick things up sometimes and you don’t go through the floor or anything, but you can’t touch… other things.”

As if to prove her point, Luka propped his legs up on the small table she’d brought up, crossing his graffitied high tops across her notebook and smirking. She rolled her eyes and went to shove him off out of habit. Her hand passed right through him, making his feet look like a staticky TV picture for a second before they were back to normal. She frowned at them, too.

Luka seemed to take her meaning because he moved his feet back down and leaned forward on his elbows instead, tracing lazy patterns on her notebook with his painted fingernail as his eyebrows furrowed in thought beneath his blue-tipped bangs. The paper crinkled under his touch in the quiet between them.

“Yeah, it’s weird,” he finally agreed.

She kept her eyes focused on those three black marks. For a moment she fantasized about taking his hand and tracing them, but she knew her hand would pass through his like she was trying to hold onto air. “It just doesn’t make sense,” she started again, “if you can’t touch people, why do you still have your marks?”

He laid his hand flat on the table, then, considering them. She rubbed at hers again self-consciously.

“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I guess it’s maybe because I died before I met them. You know, seventeen. I didn’t have much time. Jules still has hers, too.” His eyes flicked to her hand covering her mark. “Why do you ask?”

“It’s stupid,” she muttered. “I’ve just been wondering if maybe… you know…”

His eyebrows disappeared behind his bangs as a disbelieving grin spread across his face. She wished she could shove his shoulder or tug his beanie down over his nose or flick the gauges in his ears or do something to him. As it was, she tossed her pen at him, taking what small pleasure she could from it when it passed between his eyes, at least marring that grin for a split second.

“Shut up,” she said, her face flaming as she turned away. “I told you it was stupid.”

“What if it wasn’t, though?” he asked. “I mean, you said it yourself, I can touch other things. And who knows how these things really work, right? Maybe it doesn’t have to be a touch, maybe it can be… I don’t know, the intent of a touch, or—”

“Luka…” His name came out half as a warning and half as a sigh.

“I’m just saying, maybe we could try. Maybe—”

“It’s not you, Luka,” she said, her tone slipping out with more petulance than she meant it to. Which one of them was she trying to convince, anyways? “It can't be you. You’re—well, let’s face it. You’re a ghost. You're not real. Even if it was you—which it’s not, but if it was—I mean, how would that even work? I can’t touch you, you can’t touch me, and the marks only change when someone touches you for the first time. Everyone knows that’s how this works, and we—”

She stopped when she caught sight of his face again. Only a moment ago she’d been wishing she could wipe the grin off his face and now that it was actually gone, now that his shoulders were slumping in disappointment and his eyebrows were furrowing again, now she wished she hadn’t brought it up in the first place.

It hurt more than she thought it would. That maybe he’d thought about it, too, and wanted it as much as she did.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, avoiding his eyes. “Forget I said anything.”

She felt it when he poofed away a moment later, like a small bubble had popped leaving the atmosphere a little harder to breathe. She groaned and let her head fall against the table with a heavy thunk, then thunked it again a few more times for good measure.

***

And he did forget about it. Or at least he didn’t bring it up again over the next few weeks, although she did catch him looking at her marks more often. Usually with the same concentration as when he was trying to write his own lyrics down using the pen he was getting better and better at manipulating.

It wasn’t until she overheard him and Juleka arguing one night that she realized it was even still on his mind. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but Luka’s exasperated tone made her pause before opening the door to the attic.

“She deserves someone real, Jules. Her real soulmate, whoever the lucky bastard is, and I’ll never be able to give her that. I mean, okay, let’s say I do tell her, and by some miracle she wants to give up waiting for her soulmate and be with me. Our options are basically I stay here, forever stuck at seventeen, and I watch her grow old and…”

The way he trailed off made Marinette picture him turning that focused gaze of his on his guitar as his jaw tensed, the way he sometimes did when his words failed him. It always made her think he wished he could let the guitar speak for him.

“I mean, she can never have a family with me, we can’t share our lives together,” he continued bitterly after a moment. “Hell, she can’t even tell anyone I exist because they’ll think she’s insane. Or what if I somehow manage to cross over and she’s left to try to figure out how to move on? It’s just…” For once Marinette actually heard him sit heavily on the couch, the leather whooshing out from under him and the supports creaking under the weight of his emotion. “I don’t see the point in telling her.”

There was a long pause and Marinette was starting to wonder if Juleka was even still in the room with him, but then she heard a sharp smack and Luka’s annoyed protest.

“The point,” Juleka shot back with more force in her voice than Marinette was used to hearing, “is that I’m sick of watching you moping around like this. And besides, don’t you think Marinette deserves to know?”

“Well—”

“Look, maybe you’re soulmates and maybe you’re not. You may never know, right?”

“Jules, I don’t think you understand—”

“But you love her, don’t you? Regardless of fate or whatever.”

“Of course, but—”

“So tell her.” Juleka’s voice was like steel and it made Marinette shiver to think of being on the receiving end of it.

She waited, breathless, for Luka’s response, but she only heard a small pop as one of them left. Tentatively, she pushed on the door and let it swing open. Luka was still on the couch with his head in his hands and his fingers dug into his hair as he stared at his shoes. He didn’t seem to notice her entrance until she knocked on the doorframe. His head snapped up and his eyes widened, but before she could even say ‘hello’ he popped out of the room, too, leaving her mind spinning and her heart pounding.

***

He wasn’t avoiding her. If anything, they spent more time together now than… before, but he always managed to make sure someone else was around. Her parents, especially, because he knew she wouldn’t talk to him in front of them, but that didn’t stop him from doing those annoying ghost things that drove her crazy.

Like pushing her plate to the side just as she was about to take a bite, or turning lights off randomly and grinning at her when her parents wondered about the fuses, or tucking doodles and notes and lyrics torn out of her own notebook but in his scratchy handwriting into her shoes and her hair bands and her backpack and—why did he have to be so infuriatingly adorable?

She was running out of reasons to explain why she was blushing and smiling so much nowadays. Especially since her mark was as black as ever.

***

It took a while, but eventually he slipped up. It was a band meeting. Juleka was missing, which wasn’t surprising; she’d been gone more often than not and anytime they asked where she’d been she’d mutter an excuse and hide, blushing, behind her hair.

So Ivan was acting as Luka’s buffer, preventing her, as usual, from asking him about what she’d overheard, until Luka mentioned a name, Mylène, and Ivan went quiet before he popped away without another word.

Luka muttered an apology to the air Ivan had been occupying before he froze and turned those same wide eyes on Marinette. She half-expected him to poof out, but instead he picked up his pen and started twirling it nervously through his long fingers. After what felt like an eternity of silence, she huffed out a breath and dove in.

“I heard everything, Luka.”

He nodded, flicking his eyes up briefly before focusing back on the pen. “I know.”

“So? What happens now?”

He shrugged and leaned back against the couch, avoiding her eyes. “Your call, boss.”

He was trying to look indifferent, unaffected, but she could tell by the way his pen was still spinning that he was only trying to distract himself. She rubbed at her marks, considering, then shifted closer to him. If he were actually sitting next to her, her knee would be leaning against his. Instead the boundary between them shimmered like a mist. It gave her a strange sense of warmth mixed with melancholy. She put her hand out on her knee, palm up, offering it to him.

All but his pen had frozen when she moved, but when his eyes flicked down to her hand, the pen slipped out of his focus and clattered to the floor.

She couldn’t help her small giggle at his astonishment. In a daze, he reached out to hover his hand over hers, his fingers arched so that his fingertips were poised on top of hers, but not quite daring to close the distance.

When he finally did, both of their shoulders fell when his hand passed entirely through her.

Luka pulled away with a small, bitter chuckle. She flexed her fingers, wishing that they felt any different. It should feel different. It was only because he wasn’t—no, not that he wasn’t real , because he most certainly was. And she couldn’t even say he wasn’t alive either, because Luka was the most alive person she’d ever known. Or at least that’s how he made her feel. So, then, it was only because they were on two different planes of existence. Two different places. That’s why they couldn’t…

“This is an interesting little relationship you and I have,” he muttered, but when she looked over he was smiling, flexing his fingers the same way she was.

She nodded to agree. Interesting. That was a good word for it.

***

“When did this happen?” Marinette asked as Juleka sheepishly moved her long hair aside to show the bubblegum pink mark across the back of her shoulders.

Juleka shrugged and hid her eyes behind her hair. “I dunno. A week ago maybe?”

Marinette shared a glance with Luka. About the same time she started disappearing from band meetings, then. She couldn’t help letting her eyes travel down to Luka’s hand. Juleka found her soulmate in the afterlife. That proved it was possible, right? Or what if Luka was meant to find another ghost like Juleka? What if she was actually the one standing in the way of his happiness? What if—

That strange sense of warmth passed through her and she realized Luka had come over to stand next to her and pass his hand through hers. It was a simple reminder of the other day and she got his message loud and clear.

I choose this.

If she could’ve, she would’ve laced her fingers through his and squeezed. Instead, she passed her hand back through his, echoing his message with her own.

Me, too.

***

The ache to touch him didn’t fade. It was always there, tugging at her heart. But it was nice, what they had. She was getting used to his way of being with her. The way he would sit closer now, letting his shoulder not quite brush against hers. Or the way he would reach for her hand, not seeming bothered when it went through her and instead letting his intent speak for him.

Maybe it wasn’t how she thought things would go. But it was working for them.

She was leaning over her notebook with her headphones in, focused on writing something for him when it happened.

She didn’t even know he was there. Usually he’d give her some sort of indication that he’d entered the room. A prickle on the back of her neck or an impression of warmth on her cheek or he’d make some sort of noise as he sat down. Maybe he did and she didn’t notice, but she did notice when her hair was gently pushed aside off her neck and it fell over her shoulder instead. She did notice the lingering sense of a featherlight touch. And not the ghostly touch she was used to. An actual touch.

She froze and pulled her headphones out and turned to find Luka standing behind her with a look of absolute awe on his face, his eyes locked onto the small expanse of skin he’d managed to bare. He’d managed to touch.

On the side of her neck, just below her ear.

“You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he breathed.

#lukanette #Pro LukaMari #lukanette endgame #endgame lukanette #marinette dupain cheng #luka couffaine #julie and the phantoms au #soulmate au #LBSC sprint fic challenge #panda sprints

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i-dont-want-your-hysteria · 3 years

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The Hangover (Def Leppard x Reader)

(Happy birthday to my blog!! To celebrate 3 years of the place where I concentrate my insane Leppard obsession, I thought I’d celebrate by posting the FIRST Def Leppard fanfic I EVER wrote ((which I have NEVER posted anywhere before!)) I began writing this exactly 3 years ago today- the day I made this blog ((February 19th, 2018))- and officially finished it about a year later. This is not intended as a romantic/sexual fic, it’s simply just an x reader in which the reader is basically one of the guys. In other words, it’s on crack.)

((I am aware this is kind of cringe-worthy at times... but I still like a lot of things about it. While I revised it very slightly before queuing it, I was still 16 when I started writing this, okay... gimme a break...))

(Illustration by @paper-sxn)

Words: 8,684 Prompt: Dublin, 1984. You’re with the Leppards in their early pre-Hysteria era house. You all wake up with hangovers after a boozed-up night at home, and you each try to put the pieces of the previous night back together. Meanwhile, you’re praying that one particular piece won’t fit in anywhere... (partially inspired by the “Blitzgiving” and “The Pineapple Incident” episodes of How I Met Your Mother)

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Gently piercing white light made its way through the windows of the bedroom. It hit your eyelids, and it hit your brain, igniting a brief but killer headache. As your eyes clasped together more, you turned your face into the gloriously soft pillow. For a second you asked yourself why you would have a headache so early in the morning, but then…

You laughed quietly into the bed, recalling without warning some vague happenings from the night before. There wasn’t much you remembered, but you clearly saw the image of the guys flat out drunk at some point (you along with them). There were some blips of you all singing together, Sav hanging from a door frame, you chugging some scotch, Joe chugging some vodka, Steve’s hair being in pigtails, and you think Phil might’ve been giving you a lap dance... or vice versa. It was, all in all, hysterical (at least- that’s what you wanted to think).

Other than those faint events, unfortunately, the night was gone. Still, you were thrilled that it happened. Crazy times with your boys were always good.

You rubbed your eyes, ready for more sleep to combat the pounding in your head. When you did, they opened a little, and you realized… this wasn't your room you were in. Squinting around, you noticed that you were sleeping in Phil’s room instead of yours.

Oh, it’s not that much of a problem, you mused, I’m sure he doesn’t mind. I’ve woken up to worse in this place.

You let your eyes close again easily, and you found peace as you began to fall under again. That is, until you felt someone move next to you.

When it happened, you became aware of the warmth coming from someone else in the bed. They only shifted in their sleep a little bit before going still again. Your eyes went wide, and you held your breath. You don’t remember getting into bed with someone (in fact, you don’t remember getting into bed at all). Turning your head, you looked to see what sort of stranger was in bed with you currently. Instead of a stranger, scraggly blonde hair over a kind and shy face met your sight, and you were instantly calmed upon realizing that it was just Steve. That was good, that was good, but why were you and Steve sleeping in Phil’s bed? You were sure you didn’t have sex last night- at least, not with Steve. This tiny moment of appeasement and confusion was cut short by the faint sound of guitar chords coming from downstairs. The music echoed to your ears, signaling that it had to be Phil, and that he was playing the opening to Bringin On the Heartbreak. Cautiously taking the covers off you- not wanting to wake Steve- you felt obliged to go to the other guitarist. When you stood up and began walking, you nearly fell forward from the sudden vertigo of your hangover. You had to hold onto the counter of Phil’s dresser for extra support, and that’s when your reflection in his mirror caught your eye. Not only that, but that’s when your outfit also caught your eye. One of the guys’ Union Jack tank tops had been slipped over you somehow, and two hand prints were on either side of your face in dried paint; one was blue, one was green. "What…?“ you whispered, touching your face and feeling the shirt on you. It seemed to fit you alright, which made you wonder whose it really was. You were also in black underwear, and nothing else. While eyeing yourself, you took notice of Steve in the reflection. You now saw a few big red lipstick stains on his face, untouched and unsmudged. It was pretty cute, you had to admit, but another thing that came to your attention was that it wasn’t you who was wearing the lipstick at the moment. So then who kissed Steve all over his face? You treaded carefully down the hallway, putting one foot in front of the other and dragging a hand on the wall for support. The melody of the distant guitar didn’t cease the whole time you trekked through the house to get to Phil. When the chords of the song dragged on to the part where the vocals should have begun, no vocals came. Everything in the house looked remarkably the same (despite everything you remember from last night). There were large, ripped pieces of cardboard in the middle of the hallway; scattered out as if leaving a trail. Alongside that, there was a piece of paper labeled “pay 2 the orerr of Rick: one fuckin bendee straw” in what may have been Sav’s handwriting on top of the stairs, and blue paint smudged on the railing going downwards (guaranteeing that whoever did that eventually got to your face, too).

Step by step you descended as the scenery of the house teetered around you (a little too reminiscent of Me & My Wine, you would add). When you reached the bottom of the stairs and looked into the living room, sure enough, Phil was there, strumming away.

“But it’s easy come and easy go…” he hummed.

“You’re…” you mumbled, burped a little, and continued, “Awake. How?” He stopped playing and crossed his arms, quietly sassing you, “Ah, she rises again. You regrettin’ anything yet?” You blinked and rubbed your eyes, scratching a little bit of paint off of your face and inquiring in a scratchy, tired tone, “I guess so… but- how? You, how?” Phil took off his guitar and stood up with his hands in his pockets, “Because I barely drank at all last night, and I also sure as hell didn’t shag Steve in someone else’s bed!” “How do you mean- I didn’t- wait- and Steve- what?” you rubbed your head, getting dizzy, causing Phil to guide you to the couch. “I didn’t- I didn’t shag Steve last night,” you insisted. “Mm hmm,” the guitarist hummed disapprovingly, “Alright.” “What the hell are you on about?” Phil smirked evilly and laughed, “He carried you upstairs, we heard the door close, and then some rather happy noises were heard, so we all just assumed-!” “That’s not-” you swallowed and lay your head back on the couch, “-a valid assumption.” “Oh, you poor thing,” came the sarcastic remark, “You really don’t remember, do you?” “Well I figured if I ever fucked any one of you I would- you know- remember it!” you raised your voice at him, then rubbed your temples. “I’m touched, really. But I’ll fill you in a bit,” Phil yanked up his guitar he’d put down, placed himself next to you, and played the into to “Ballroom Blitz”. Then a bit of the night came back to you. “Oh... that’s what started it all, didn’t it?”

~The night before~ Rick began banging out a tune on his drum kit in the house with you, Sav, and Steve sitting close by, them being at the ready with their guitars. “You ready, Steve?” you mimicked the original lyrics. “Uh-huh,” he replied exactly like Steve Priest in the original song. “Savy?” you said next. “Yeah,” Sav bopped his head to the beat. “Rick?” “Okay.” “Alright, fellas,” you called out, “Let’s go!” The two guitarists let their instruments ring out around the house, playing the all-too-familar tune. As soon as they started this, the front door opened, and none other than Phil and Joe walked in. Joe was holding a bag that was weighed down by the mass inside it (a painfully obvious sign that there were a few bottles of booze). Although the two of them weren’t talking, they were physically hushed upon hearing the situation you and the others had created. “Oh life’s been getting so hard, living with the things you do to me…” you sang lowly and quietly along with the music being made, just to make sure the musicians knew their places. You noticed Phil run out of the room in excitement, and into the one where he keeps his guitars. Joe, on the other hand, stayed put and watched the rest of you from afar, fighting a smile. “My dreams are getting so strange, I’d like to tell you everything I see…” You stood up, and Joe began walking towards you when you called out the next line of the song, “Oh- I see a man in the back, as a matter of fact, his eyes are as red as a sun!” Joe chimed in without warning at the next line, putting an arm on your shoulder and pointing at you, “And the girl in the corner, let no one ignore her, ‘cos she thinks she’s the passionate one!” *** “It’s, it’s a ballroom blitz, it's, it's a ballroom blitz,” Phil sang the ending teasingly to you when he put his guitar back. It felt like he was rubbing his energy in your face (since you lacked it). Before Phil could continue, Joe suddenly appeared in the doorway. “Yeah! It’s a ballroom blitz!” he announced, throwing his arms into the air and taking a bow. He sounded a bit tipsy still. Joe was wearing his Union Jack shorts, but no shirt. Instead of a shirt, though, he had the words “PROPERTY OF DEF LEPPARD” sloppily painted across his chest in blue and green paint. Right over his nipples there were also two handprints, almost exactly matching the ones on your face. Joe stumbled in the doorway, falling to his knees and groaning in discomfort, “Ohh... probably should’ve stayed in bed.” Phil sluggishly trekked over to the singer and pulled him partially to his feet, yanking him towards the couch, “Oh yeah? And by ‘bed’, you mean-?” “Definitely not the bathtub.” Joe assured him, but winked at you. “No matter where you slept, it’s still not as bad as where she slept,” Phil pointed at you, “And what she did there.” “Why? What’d you do?” Joe’s tipsiness wore away in his sentence, making him sound genuinely concerned and curious. You rolled your eyes, knowing exactly what Phil was going to say, “Phil, I-” “It’s not what she did, it’s who she did- she shagged Steve in my bed!” the guitarist accused you again while pointing a finger. Immediately Joe exclaimed, “Nice!” and held up a hand to high-five you. “Joe!” you scolded him, surprised that he took this as good news. “Oh-uh, not… nice?” he took away the offer of a high-five and scratched the back of his head awkwardly instead, “Also, is that my shirt?” You took a look down at the Union Jack tank top you were wearing and back at Joe’s torso. Then something clicked in your head. “Ohh…” you continued staring at Joe’s chest, feeling yourself blush as old memories unraveled in your head, “I think... I think I remember something else that happened last night.” *** You were all drunk; it was no lie. After your quick jam session, there was a booze-filled music fest going on in the house. Joe had even put on his Union Jack outfit, pretending he was getting ready for a show. At one particular point of this “festival” you'd all created, records were being played, and you ended up dancing in front of Joe to REO Speedwagon’s “Take It On the Run”. “You’re bringing up your white lines, you’re pullin’ on a bedroom eyes, you say you’re going home, but I won’t say when,” you sang the wrong lyrics as you swayed and drunkingly made flirty faces at Joe on the couch. Sav, meanwhile, was playing with some old craft paint off in the corner. The blue and green substances were all over his hands (but somehow, one color managed to stay on each hand). “Yeah, you dance for him, Y/N!” Rick cheered you on from the kitchen as Steve and Phil sat on the couch. Phil was perfectly sober, and Steve was giggling and laying with his head on Phil’s lap. You, on the other hand, were now moving closer to the singer, almost like you were giving him a lap dance. “You take it on the run, baby,” you sang along, slowly taking Joe’s Union Jack tank top off of him (with no objections from below), “If that’s the way you wanna, baby...” In return to Joe being shirtless, you slowly took off your own shirt (triggering wolf-whistles and cheers from the guys) to replace it with Joe’s tank. “Sav, mark him up!” you ordered the painted bassist in the corner as you tried to dress yourself. He happily made his way over to you and questioned, “What should I mark him with?” A single hazy idea came to you, and you eagerly whispered it into Sav’s ear. He giggled in response, and proceeded to move over to Joe, drawing something on his chest in the paint. To keep Joe from looking at what it was, you went behind the chair and covered his eyes, ordering coyly, “No peeking!” “All done!” Sav announced and retreated back to whatever he was doing in the corner. “Now, wait, Sav!” you sped over to him, lifted his hands up, and double high-fived him, getting the paint on your hands as well. To finish off what Sav had started, you ran back over to Joe on the chair, and slapped your hands on his chest, right over his nipples. Laughter erupted from everyone in the room (including Joe) and you repeated Sav’s words. “All done!” Joe gazed down at the words “PROPERTY OF DEF LEPPARD” on his chest as you continued to dance to the song playing. “You’re mine, now! You take it on the run, baby... if that’s the way you want it, baby...” Joe tried to tell you in a sexy voice, “Am I your baby now?” “If that’s the way you want it baby,” you repeated the words from the song to him, “Now I’m done dancing for you! Somebody dance for me!” Steve began pointing at everyone individually, childishly suggesting, “It should be, eenie, meenie, miney, Phil!” “Why me?” Phil laughed in objection as you took a seat across the room. “Because you’re not wasted,” his terror twin argued, poking him on the nose. The sober guitarist looked over at you with happy anticipation, awaiting a comment, while all you did was wiggle your fingers at him with a goofy grin. After that, you returned the gesture to the man on his lap, giving Steve a sexy wink. *** “Oh my god...” you put your head in your hands shamefully as Phil and Joe giggled at the memory of the previous night, “I can’t believe I did all that...” “That was a treat!” Phil laughed, hugging you from the side and pulling you closer to him in consolation, “It was funny! We never get to see that side of you!” “There’s a certain reason why you don’t...” you moaned with embarrassment, then asked out of guilty curiosity, “How many times did I grab your ass during that lap dance...?" Phil thought for a bit before telling you, “Four. Well- four and a half...” You gave a loud groan of protest as Joe laughed and slumped back into the couch. “Oh, you only did those things because you weren’t thinking!” Phil consoled you, swayed back and forth with you in his arms. Joe chimed in, “Yeah, and see what happens when you don’t think? You do! Most importantly, you do Steve!” “I didn't do Steve!” you shot your head up and yelled at Joe. You received only laughs and snorts from both men in reply. Suddenly, Sav appeared on the staircase and began singing “Squeeze Box” by The Who with a tired yet cheeky smirk, “Mama’s got a squeeze box she wears on her chest, and when Stephen comes home, he never gets no rest-” Joe and Phil joined into his song with, “Cos' she’s playin’ all night, and the music’s alright! Mama’s got a squeeze box, Stephen never sleeps at night!” You just put your head back in your hands, trying not to accept your fate of being teased. You didn’t want to think that you possibly shagged Steve. He always seemed so innocent to you in a way, and you feared that this would kill your friendship. If everything the boys said was true, you would never hear the end of it, and you don’t even know what Steve would think of you from now on. Was it possible that he remembered anything about the night before? “It didn’t happen, it didn’t happen...” you repeated to yourself in a whisper as Phil unwrapped his arms from you. Sav came all the way down the stairs; his body language making him look grumpy with the world, but his tired grin signaling that he was pleased with seeing you. “Oh, it happened, sunshine!” the frizzy-haired bassist laughed, but quickly regretted it and rubbed his head with his still-painted hands, “Ah- yep, it happened. You could probably hear you two up the whole damn street.” As Sav wearily joined you all on the couch, Joe complained, “Sounds like that was a treat; I wish I remembered it!” Phil was caught off guard at the comment. His head turned to Joe in the blink of an eye and gasped, “Wait, you don’t remember hearing them?!” “I wish I could say I do, but there’s nothing there,” Joe stood up after he spoke, and quickly held onto the wall nearby. His hand went over his stomach as he whined, “Oh... fuck, Y/N, why did you make me race you last night?" “'Race me'?” you squinted as you inquired, “Race you with what?” Joe didn’t answer, but slowly took steps into the kitchen, using the wall as his guide. His answer came when you, Sav, and Phil all heard him throw up into the sink. You sighed, resting your hands over your eyes, trying to remember the cause of Joe’s sickness, “Oh no, was that really my idea?” *** “Look what I found!” you trotted into the room tipsily, holding two bottles; one of scotch, one of vodka, “Only half full! Who wants em?” While you weren’t full-on drunk, it was no secret that the title wasn’t that far away. After your little Ballroom Blitz, it was one beer after the next, then it was digging into the fancy liquors that Phil and Joe had just brought home. Your judgment was impaired, no doubt about it, and so was the judgment of all the guys. Joe even changed into his normal live-show-only Union Jack tank top, claiming that he was gonna "put on a show." The only one who was still sane and sober was Phil, who seemed to be staying away from your poison. Upon registering your sacred offer of alcohol, Rick ran forward, chanting, “Me! Me!” You lifted the bottles away from him, commanding, “Uh-uh! I get the scotch.” “Oh, bollocks, then you can keep the vodka,” the young drummer grumbled and turned away from you. Just as Rick rejected your offering, Joe sprung up and eagerly trotted over while shouting happily, “I’ll take it!” “Sold!” you handed the bottle over to him, “Betcha can’t finish before me!” “Betcha I can!” he sneered back before taking the cap off his bottle. There was no official “ready, set, go” for the race; you both just kind of went for it without any saying. While your throat and stomach were already protesting your actions (and you could almost sense that Joe’s were doing the same), you didn’t stop once; neither of you did. You held up your bottle and announced, “Done!” Looking over, you saw Joe was also finished. “I finished first!” “Nuh-uh!” you insisted, “It had to be me! Tell him, guys!” The four others hadn’t been paying attention to you and Joe’s little competition; they were instead focused on a box that Sav had pulled out from a cupboard. From the box they pulled out bottles of paint and various types of used makeup.

Joe scolded them all in a more sober manner, “Oh come on, you lot weren’t even watching!” “Yeah, yeah, it was probably a tie, anyways,” Rick chuckled, pulling out more items from the box. “This box is much more interesting, too," Phil protested, holding up a stick of lipstick as Sav held up two bottles of paint, "This is a box of makeup that I had for me and the lads in Girl! Just look at it all! Think we can have some fun with this?" "Oh, piss off," you threw the empty bottle onto the couch, "We need some music." Joe had slumped down onto a chair, and you stumbled your way over to the shelf with all the records on it, flipping through and eyeing them all as carefully as your body would let you. After only a few seconds of searching, your eyes lit up at a discovery. "Here's a good one!" you exclaimed as you pulled out a copy of Hi Infidelityby REO Speedwagon, "Let's give it a spin!" ***

Joe wandered back into the room and fell onto the empty couch with a grumble. “Sorry, Joe...” you muttered over to him, realizing that you pressured him into more consumption of the booze. “It was probably gonna happen anyway...” he admitted, wiping his hands over his face, “It’s was my stupid choice to go through with it.” “Woah,” Phil pointed out out of nowhere, looking at you with great surprise, “What’s that on your neck?” You felt your heart drop into your stomach. “What!?” you shot up from where you sat (bringing on more dizziness), and rushed over to a mirror. Once your dizziness subsided, and you could finally see your reflection, the pink shape of a hickey on the side of your neck was now clearly conspicuous. You wondered how you hadn't noticed it before. Joe exclaimed with a smug and proud grin, “Is that from Steve!?” You groaned angrily, feeling yourself become more and more defeated. “I can’t believe it,” you gasped, slapping a hand over the mark, “Something did happen between us-!” “Y/N,” Phil pointed out again, “There’s lipstick on your thigh...” Looking down at your legs, you saw that he was right. There was a single red symbol on your right thigh that marked a kiss from the night before. Upon seeing this, what you saw when you woke up popped into your head. “Looks like Steve went to town down there,” Sav smirked at you, only wanting to rub it in more. “Guys,” you softly noted, “That wasn’t Steve... he has lipstick marks all over his face from someone else...” The three men all exchanged confused looks with each other. There was a dead end to the story of the previous night. None of them knew how to solve the mystery of the lipstick. Not even Phil, who was as good as sober 12 hours ago, didn’t have any input. Sav suddenly blurted out, “Wait a minute, I know what happened- I think...” No one said anything, but eagerly leaned forward, ready to hear the tale the bassist had to tell. “You lot remember how we found that box of old makeup last night?” he began, “Well, I walked into the bathroom with you afterwards, Y/N...” *** Rick looked at himself in the mirror in the bathroom, carefully applying the makeup to his lips, and being extra careful to not get it on the blazer he was wearing. The drummer put on his best suit just to see how it would look with the makeup he was putting on. He thought he was doing a good job for the most part; he didn’t look half bad at all! It was far easier than he expected it to be, and wondered if he was good enough to help you with your makeup at times. Thinking of you seemed to have made you appear in the doorway next to him. Both of your hands were still covered in paint. “Sink,” was all you commanded of the drummer. He moved without a word and you began to wash your hands. At the same instant, Sav appeared nearby. He grabbed the doorframe and began to swing from it, leaving conspicuous handprints afterwards. “Aren’t you gonna wash up, too?” Rick crossed his arms to sass him. “Nah, I want the colors, they’re makin’ me feel- colorful...” Sav grinned, walking over to you at the sink, requesting, “C’mere.” You looked up, only to have your face taken in Sav’s paint-covered hands. He softly giggled as you squared your vision in on him with a sneer. “Rude,” you teased, then went back to washing your hands; paint now all over your face. “What’s really rude,” Rick pulled back the shower curtain and taking a step into the tub, “Is you two interrupting my makeup time! Good night!” He sat himself down in the tub and laid himself down as if he was going to sleep.

Before he had the chance to catch some shut-eye, you marched over to the tub and objected, “Rick, if you’re gonna sleep, I want a goodnight kiss first.” Without another word, Rick sat up and planted a kiss on your thigh (since it was closest to him). There was now a bright red imprint of his lips on your leg. “Thank you.” you smiled down at him, “Now goodnight.” “Don’t leave the water on, you hear?” Sav nagged him, pointing a colored finger, “You’ll drown." Rick chuckled with his eyes closed, “I’ll drink myself out. I'm in a drinkin mood, anyways." “Oh yeah? You haven’t got a straw or anything,” the intoxicated bassist continued to argue with him. “Then don’t let me drown! Get one!" “I’ll get you one later. I’ll just-“ Sav burped, and continued, “I’ll write a note or something.” “Sounds good, mate,” Rick slumped further into the tub and pulled the curtain closed, “Now you gonna stay here all night?” “Actually,” you noted out loud to yourself, different alcoholic emotions boiling up inside you, “I wanna go downstairs- I just need to see Steve- like right now...!" You turned on your heels, speeding past Sav and flying back down the stairs. *** “So that explains the paint on my face, and the paper in the hallway, and the lipstick, but what happened after that?” you asked Sav, as you were now slumped on top of Phil’s arm again. “Beats me,” Sav ran his still-painted hands through his hair, “That’s all I’ve got.” “But wait, if you said that Rick fell asleep in the bathtub...” Phil began his sentence, only for you and the other two men to exchange knowing looks with each other. All four of you immediately sprung up and rushed (as much as you could) up the stairs and into the bathroom. Upon getting there, Phil flung back the shower curtain to reveal a partially awake Rick, dressed in a suit, and still wearing the lipstick from the night before. “Mornin’,” he groaned as he stretched, then winced, “Ah, fuck- sleeping in here wasn’t the best idea for me neck.” Sav looked back at the paint on the doorframe and asked the drummer, “So then why did you sleep in here?” “Oh,” Rick looked around the tub, stating as-a-matter-of-factly, “The porcelain keeps the suit from wrinkling. I guess drunk me was very careful last night.” “I’ll say,” Joe complemented, “The lipstick’s still holding up pretty well.” Phil halted the conversation, “Wait, so you were in here when I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night?” Rick chuckled, “Yeah, and let me tell you, for a smaller guy, you’ve got a big bladder.” “Wait,” you slowly turned and pointed at Joe, “I thought you said you slept in the bathtub-?” He gave you a cocky smirk in return, “I told you, ‘definitely not the bathtub’...” Rick sleepily laughed and pointed at you, “Ha- Y/N, you look like Joe!” “Why, just because of the shirt?” you inquired, pointing at Joe’s tank top on you. “And the paint!” Rick corrected you, “I can’t believe you guys didn’t wash it off yet!” In a second, you felt a rush of worry upon realizing that Rick hadn’t said anything about you and Steve yet. It made you suddenly come to the possible conclusion that he may not know about it all. “Wait,” Phil snapped his fingers, “So you do remember some stuff from last night?” “Yeah, a bit, I think. Why?” “Philip Kenneth Collen, don’t you fucking dare....” you growled at him in an almost pleading manner, rubbing your temples and grinding your teeth. “What do you remember?” Phil asked him, not giving any sort of reaction to your begging. Rick thought for a few seconds, clearly as hungover as the rest of you. It didn’t take him long to list off some brief happenings he recalled. “Well, I remember us singing Sweet, there was a lap dance, I remember- uh, being denied a bottle of scotch, there was, uh... there was lipstick... and did I try to ice-skate on pieces of cardboard down the hall...?” “Is that why there’s cardboard all down the hallway?” you motioned towards the door. Rick gave you a big proud smile and a nod in response. “So...” Joe looked around, definitely looking eager, “What’s the last thing you remember before falling asleep?” Rick rested his head back on the tub again, thinking as hard as his hungover mind would let him. You hoped to every god there was that he didn’t say anything about Steve. “Just Phil comin’ in here and having a long piss, that’s all.” came the verdict. “You sure you didn’t hear-“ Phil anxiously began to ask him, but got a hand slapped over his mouth by you. “No!” you yelled on impulse, sending more daggers through your burned-out head. All eyes were now on you, and silence fell. For a few tense seconds, you stared into Phil’s eyes, sending him visual messages of both threats and desperate requests. “...what the hell happened last night?” Rick broke the silence in a tone of utter confusion, knowing that something more serious than what he remembered had taken place. You pulled your hand back from Phil’s face, “Yuck, Phil, come on!” “You licked her hand, didn’t you?” asked Sav. “Yes,” Phil confirmed, and continued without missing a beat, “And I’m glad you asked that, Rick, cos' I know what happened after Y/N and Sav paid you a visit last night.” “Phil, if you love me in any way, shape, or form, you will not tell Rick what happened,” you begged to him as you began to walk out the bathroom door, heading back downstairs to wallow in more of your shameful hangover, “I refuse to believe it happened until there’s hard proof.” “Well what more proof do you want? A positive pregnancy test?” Phil shrugged, but suddenly slapped his own hand over his mouth, realizing what he’d just said. You shot him an angry look. You were too tired to have it out with him, so you stumbled away. Right about now, you were ready to give up and accept the fact that you probably did shag Steve. Phil turned to Rick, gaping, and slowly began to speak again, "Right... so last night, after those two were in here, I think that’s when they came back downstairs..." *** "So why are you tying up my hair again?" a drunk Steve asked Phil, who was happily putting his hair into pigtails. "Because I knew you’d look pretty, and I knew you wouldn't object, either," the other guitarist laughed evilly as he finished tying the second bundle of golden locks together, "There, you're all done now." "Cool... I think," Steve tilted his head, staring at himself in the mirror on the wall as footsteps began pounding their way down the stairs. "I think you look pretty, Steve. Pretty, pretty, pretty," Joe giggled as he was flipped off by the pig-tailed guitarist. As this happened, you trampled the stairs in your descent, calling out, “Steve- Steve! Come here!” More than happy to be ripped away from Phil’s pigtailed plans, he let you run up to him as you belted out, “I’ve got an idea...!” He didn’t say anything, but he did let you whisper something in his ear. The second he heard your idea, his eyes lit up and an evil smirk crossed his face. Steve was always in the mood for causing terror. You pulled back and exchanged the same look of understanding with the guitarist. He stared at you with a sort of appreciation, and without another word, swept you off your feet, carrying you bridal style now. With a quick smooch to your lips, he began carrying you up the stairs as you giggled with some sort of glee. Phil’s jaw dropped, looking at Joe with astonishment in the process. The singer’s face mirrored the exact same expression. “I should’ve bloody known...” Phil gasped in astonishment, “She’s been eyeing him up real funny all night... I can’t fucking believe it!” Sav came down the stairs slowly, his life depending on the railing as he dragged his hand on it. He left a long streak of blue paint as he did so. “What’s gotten into their pants?” “Each other, apparently,” Joe scoffed, taking a sip of a beer he found, “Lord knows how the hell that happened.” *** You were all sitting back on the couches in the living room, all seemingly regretting the night before (you knew you most certainly were). Everyone knew that the end of Phil’s story was the true ending of the night. Now there was really a dead end to the whole tale. “I can’t believe it,” you whispered with sorrowful acceptance, “Me and Steve...? What happened next?” Joe scoffed, “Well that’s kind of a stupid question.” “That’s where it ends, Y/N. I went up to bed afterwards, only to hear-“ Phil cleared his throat to impersonate you and Steve, “‘Oh, Steve! Yes!’ coming from my room! So after an immense helping of disapproval, I slept in Rick’s room.” “No, no, that can’t be it!” you insisted, “Guys, what really happened next?” “Can’t say,” Joe mumbled, holding his head. “Sorry, mate,” Rick apologized. Sav remained silent, but looked apologetic. “That can’t be where it ends...!” you persisted, “Sav? Tell me I’m right!” Sav rolled in his lips, and darted his eyes away from you. You continued to stare at him suspiciously, but no one else thought anything of it. Phil tried to finalize your fate sympathetically, “Give it up, Y/N, at least it’s all over now.” “But it still happened! What am I gonna say to Steve when he wakes up? You know what- no. It didn’t happen, I refuse to believe that it did.” “How much more proof do you want?” Rick shrugged, pointing at Phil and Sav, trying to make you face the terrible truth, “They both heard ya, and Steve even gave you a hickey.” You hung your head, thinking you might just decide to cry out of shame. Yes, you loved Steve, just as you loved anyone else in the band, but you never had (or planned to have) any sort of sexual relationship with them. Even if you ever did, you were afraid it would ruin everything your friendship had stood for. “Sav, what’s wrong, mate?” Joe asked out of the blue. The bassist in question was still avoiding the conversation, staying eerily silent and weaving his hands together. At this point, you noticed that he was also blushing. “That wasn’t Steve.” he stated bluntly, still not looking at you. “What wasn’t Steve?” you asked as you stared at him dead on, your heart now pounding. “That hickey... that wasn’t Steve,” he paused, “That was me.” Immediately you gasped and slapped a hand over the mark on your neck. “What?!” the other three exclaimed. Joe and Rick immediately hissed at the searing pain their outbursts caused. “Sav, what the hell?!” you scolded him, finally happy that you weren’t the only one being called out for their mistakes. “Now before you say anything else,” he finally looked at you and held up a hand, “It was your idea.” Your face fell, softly asking him, “What do you mean?” “Well, after you and Steve-you know- and only Joe and I were downstairs, you actually came back down, too- wipe that smug look off your face, Joe. You’re not entirely innocent here, either.” *** You stumbled down the stairs, giggling to yourself. Your mission was now accomplished, and Steve was asleep upstairs. In a word, you were pleased. In two words, you were still drunk. Records were still being played when you returned to the living room, and Joe currently had his copy of Sheer Heart Attack on the turntable. “She Makes Me (Stormtrooper In Stilettos)”flowed softly from its speakers. “There’s our killer queen!” Joe cooed to you happily. He was now sprawled out on the couch, two empty beer bottles on the floor beside him. Sav wasn’t too far off. The paints on his hands were now dry, and he was reclined in a chair across the room, twiddling a bottle in his hand. They both looked ready for bed, and it made you wonder how they held out for this long. The singer slurred on with an interested smirk, “You two have fun?" Sav spoke up with a scoff-like laugh, “Sure sounded like it!" “Oh, you know it,” you gave them a wink, setting yourself down on the couch next to Joe, “Guess Phil finally ditched, huh?” “Yeah, the wanker went to bed- but you’ve lost your pants!” he gestured to your black underwear, made room for you to lay down with him, and took you in his arms like a teddy bear with a sigh of appeasement. You reached back and playfully poked at Joe’s dimple, “Steve's fault." “Well, that’s no good,” Sav objected, pushing the footrest of the chair in and returning to a sitting position. “What isn’t?” Joe asked him, "Steve gettin' into it with her?" “No, that cuddlin' you're doing- it’s boring. You stay like that, you’ll fall asleep on me!” He was certainly right about this. With you in Joe’s arms and his face nuzzling into your hair like some sort of animal, he was already falling asleep. “What do you want us to do?” you chuckled, thinking that Sav was only jealous of his friend. Joe mumbled happily into your hair, “How 'bout you just do me like Steve, and we’ll be good.” At this point, you noticed the feeling of something pressing lightly against the bottom of your back; a certain weight where Joe’s hips were, and a weight that wasn’t there at first. “Joe,” you whined at him, “You’re fucking gross.” He chuckled, then slowly moved his hips to lightly rub himself against you, a low quiet moan rising in his throat from the temporary pleasure it provided. “Ah- Joe!” you protested again, reaching back and hitting him as best as you could. You wiggled out of his embrace as he burst into giggles like he had just accomplished something. Sav, on the other hand, cringed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re even hornier than when you’re sober!” you grabbed a pillow and whacked Joe with it. “You’re one to talk! You just shagged Steve!” he smirked evilly, "Why not me?" “Ha! The only way I’ll do you is by some miracle, or at least a dare,” you threw yourself onto the other couch, picking up a nearly empty beer bottle and pouring whatever was left into your mouth. Sav’s eyes finally lit up, “That’s what we oughta do- truth or dare!” “Ooh, sounds like terrible fun,” you turned yourself so you were sitting upside-down on the couch, “Sav, truth or dare?” “How come he gets to go first?” asked Joe, “I wanna get down to business!” “Dare,” Sav declared, ignoring the singer’s objections. Immediately, your intoxicated mind thought of a scheme. Despite the plan you and Steve had executed ever so perfectly, you were still a child seeking more terror. You knew Joe wanted you, and it was no secret either, so how exactly would you use Sav to reign terror over him? You wanted something to rub in Joe’s face- something that would leave a mark on him. “I dare you to-" you clumsily pointed to your neck, "Gimme a hickey.” Joe's jaw dropped with offense and jealousy; exactly as you had expected. Sav began to laugh rather loudly at the request, and stood up, now understanding your true intention of making Joe jealous. “C’mere,” he motioned with his hand. More than happy to obey the command, you strutted over to him and paused, waiting for him to make the first move. He took a step so your bodies were practically pressing together, moved your hair out of the way on your neck, and dove right in. You smiled with glee, taking in the feeling of Sav’s mouth and tongue moving over your skin (as well as Joe’s groans of protest coming from a few feet away). As the bassist sucked on your neck without hesitation, it only made you think of one thing: “Wow, there’s definitely gonna be a mark after this.” *** Rick and Phil were staring at Sav with their mouths open in shock. You kept a hand over the mark he left on your neck to prevent everyone from looking any more than they already had. “So, wait, if it was you who gave me this, why didn’t you say anything before when we said it was Steve?” you asked Sav, more suspicious than outraged now. “I- ah, didn’t... wanna say anything...” he looked away, beginning to blush again, “I guess I was too embarrassed." “I think the only person who should be embarrassed is you, Joe,” Rick turned his attention back to the singer, “You fuckin dry humped her!” Joe exclaimed in his own defense, “Yeah, and I don’t even remember it! It’s not my fault- I was drunk and horny!” “See! Just like me and Steve! I don’t remember shagging him, either! So I guess we’re even.” “Even Stephen,” Phil scoffed. You slumped into the couch more, staring blankly ahead and realizing, “So I pretty much got to second base with all of you last night...?” “I think you made it all the way home with Steve,” Rick pointed out. “Thanks, Rick,” you kept your head hung, “I feel like a slut.” “You mean you’re not?” Phil joked, only to be hit in the arm by Sav.

Just then, you all heard the sound of movement upstairs. Your heart stopped and your blood ran cold; Steve was awake now. Everyone's jaws hit the floor, and for a second, you thought they were all afraid of what you were fearing. "He's awake..." Rick announced in a sing-song voice, teasing you. “Oh no...” you gasped quietly, “Oh no, oh no! Oh god, what am I gonna do? What am I gonna say to him?!” “Hate to break it to ya, but this isn’t necessarily our problem!” Joe shrugged in a panic, hearing Steve’s footsteps get closer. “But guys! You’ve gotta help me! You’re his best friends! What should I say to him?!” “Just act like it didn’t happen! Maybe he doesn’t remember-?” Sav proposed. Rick suggested, “Just straight up ask him if he remembers anything!” “Just get out of here!” Phil made a swatting motion towards the other room. “None of those are gonna do me any good! It still happened!” you yelled at them in a whisper, “I have to live that with that fact, even if neither of us have any memory of it to live with!” It was too late for any salvation; Steve was already at the top of the stairs. The band members held their breath, and- without words or warning- all scrambled out of the living room. “No!” you whispered, “Guys- wait!” You caught Rick by the wrist when he stood up. “Rick, c’mon, please don’t leave me here!” you begged. He yanked out of your grip and apologetically condemned you, “Sorry, Y/N, but this is your business.” As the four of them retreated, you tried to bolt after them. As soon as you hit the doorway, however, Phil turned around and pushed you back on the couch nearby as slowly as he could. It was so sudden that you were on your back before you knew it, and they were all gone. “Hey!” you called out after them, “Assholes!” Steve’s voice suddenly came to your ears (rather closely, too), “What’s their problem?” You jumped, “Ah- Steve!” He had a silent step, and made it down the stairs and across the room without making a sound. He also looked just as he did a little while ago when you first woke up; scraggly hair, lipstick stains all over his face, but no visible evidence of a hangover. “Hey, wow,” you forced an awkward chuckle at him, “Nice- uh, nice- lipstick...” Steve slumped down onto a chair and grumbled, “Thanks. Who even did this to me? Doesn’t look like it was you.” “That was, that was Rick- I’m assuming... I don’t remember that happening and I don’t think he does, either. He’s still got the lipstick on, too.” He played off the remark with a tired smile, “Oh, nice... last night really was something, wasn’t it?” Heat rushed to your face, and you tried to look away without being conspicuous. “Ha ha... yeah... really something!” you faked your amusement for him, now wondering if he was implying anything about the previous night. Steve leaned forward and asked, “Do you remember Sav and the paint? That was pretty funny, wasn’t it?” Still blushing, you darted your eyes around the room and nodded in agreement, “Mm hmm, yeah... he was like a toddler or something.” He sunk back into the chair again and closed his eyes, reminiscing about the events of the previous night. For a second you thought you were in the clear, and that maybe he didn’t remember the specific event that Phil and Sav did.

That illusion was shattered when his eyes snapped open, whispering “Wait a minute”, and sitting back up. Immediately, your heart dropped into your stomach.

“How did our plan go?” he questioned quietly, figuring that the others were still somewhere nearby and listening. “P-plan?” you stuttered, partially afraid of what he meant, but partially caught off guard, “What plan?” “You know-” he whispered again, thinking you remembered, “It was your idea. Did they believe it? We were convincing enough?" You darted your eyes down to the floor, confused, but also embarrassed. 'Convincing'? What did that mean? "Oh come on, don’t tell me you don’t remember!” he smiled playfully. As you stared at him with fearful confusion in your eyes and redness on your cheeks, his smile was suddenly wiped away. He muttered under his breath as his face fell, "Oh... you don't remember... bloody hell, okay, this is gonna be hard to explain..." "Then explain it, because I'm really fucking confused..." your voice wavered with a sarcastic chuckle. Steve sighed and leaned forward, slowly weaving his hands together. He didn't know where to begin. "This is one of the few things I remember from last night..." he started off, "And there's no way to make this sound... good... in any way, but you came up with the idea of us pretending to shag- like making noises and shit like that- to trick the others into thinking we really did. For some reason I thought it was a great idea, and I'm pretty sure I carried you upstairs, too.” Instantly, a huge weight was lifted off your shoulders. It wasn't real; you didn't shag Steve, and he could even tell the guys himself! You blew out a big sigh of relief, and slumped back into the couch, closing your eyes. "Oh, god," you slowly panted, "What a huge relief- I suppose we were really convincing, then." "Why d'you say that?" You laughed tiredly, now feeling rather thankful for your raging hangover, "The guys are all convinced that we fucked last night. Only Phil and Sav seem to remember it, though. They've been hounding me about it all morning. I kept telling them it couldn't be true- and I was right!" "What, would it be so bad if we actually did?" he teased you in a hushed voice. "Well, I've had to live my day so far under the impression it did happen. I was teased, ridiculed, embarrassed, and felt guilty about it. I was afraid it'd ruin our friendship if it was true... I was kinda hoping you didn't remember so we could just forget..." The red in your face returned all over again. Steve, however, didn't seem bothered. "If you really want to, we can keep pretending it happened and steer into the act; give em' what they want." "What? No!" you laughed out loud, standing up, "You're crazy, Clark! I think I better go tell the others the bad news. They'll be disappointed-ha!" You walked across the room to go find the others and disclose unto them the "bad news", giving Steve a pat on the shoulder when you passed him. Once you were gone and out of sight, Steve also blew out a big sigh of relief. "She didn't remember anything," he thought to himself, "That was a close one." While he knew you two didn't go all the way the previous night, he figured if you didn't remember it, then it was for the best you didn't find out. It was nothing serious; just a bit of fooling around, really. Just a bit of drunked-up teasing, and nothing more. The guys had no proof that anything actually happened between you two, and you were about to tell them the partial truth anyway, so why say something to reignite the suspicion? After all, they were all hungover to begin with, so there wasn't much memory of the whole affair, either. "Thank god for these hangovers,"Steve thought, "Thank god. I couldnt've asked for anything more." ~Epilogue~ When you got to the top of the stairs, Steve put you on your feet and spun you around. "You ready?" he whispered, childish excitement in his voice. You nodded with equal excitement, "Take me away, Clark." The two of you began eagerly walking hand-in-hand to whatever room you pleased, but before either of you had the chance to pick one, the bathroom door opened, Rick popped his head out and commanded, "Stop right there!" Both you and Steve froze and looked at him. He still had his lipstick and his suit on, and a kind of serious look overtaking his face. A finger was kept in a pointing position at you, a few large pieces of cardboard were underneath his other arm, and he slowly took steps down the hall to meet you. Neither of you moved, but both of you waited. When Rick got to you, he didn't say a word, but did take Steve's face in his hands (dropping the cardboard in the process), and proceeded to the kiss the man all over his face.

Steve remained silent, and let Rick have his way until he decided to stop. When he did, there were several lipstick stains on various parts of the blonde's face.

"Thanks, mate," Steve muttered sarcastically as Rick kicked some of the cardboard pieces in different directions. He then stepped on two of them, trying to slide down the hall on them as if they were ice skates. When he got back to the bathroom, he went back inside and shut the door again.

Without another word, you turned Steve's face toward you, gave him a peck on the cheek as Rick had done, and kicked open the door behind you (which just so happened to be Phil's bedroom). You both fell back into the room, giggling with makeshift lust in your eyes.

After all, you had to make this authentic, right?

#def leppard #def leppard fanfic #def leppard x reader fanfic #def leppard x reader #steve clark #phil collen #rick savage #rick allen #joe elliott #original content #i'm still proud of this ngl #it was hard tying up the loose ends but i had a LOT of fun writing this throughout 2018

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engineer-in-space · 3 years

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a simple call of the wild review that is totally professional and not way too detailed by me (February)

It's gonna be a bit of comparing to previous powerwolf albums/songs and remember everything is my own opinion. If you disagree/agree we may talk about it in a civilized way, I actually love talking to others about this shit!

But otherwise (hate, insults, etc.) you can keep your opinion somewhere where I can't see it :) Also, the album has barely been out for a day and things change with time and I may grow to like certain things more. (but there's not too much that I don't like tbh) But I hope you enjoy this metalhead-gremlin's ramblings!

Faster than the flame

I had to listen to it quite a few times before I could say anything about it. It's a powerful start into the new album, however, it is (as previously stated) powerful but didn't blow me away like the first songs on the previous albums. (Fire &forgive, Blessed &possessed, amen & attack - wait am I just now noticing a pattern here? oh my god. Anyway.) Maybe I got that personal feeling that I want it to be Fire & Forgive, which is, of course, not possible and would be boring. So i think I'm not even critizing the song but rather the order of the songs.

It feels like a typical powerwolf song; both lyrics and instrumental. Fast, heavy, something about flames and burning - awesome. The two Latin parts (I think it's called the pre-chorus? man, I have no idea and will just throw around these words because my internet connection is too bad to look this up. But if you listen, you'll know which parts I mean.) already give me goosebumps. I also really, really liked the bridge (again?? idk??) aka the "flame, flame, burning wild in heavens name" part. This was the most memorable part for me after the first time listening. Of course, the guitar arrangement throughout the whole song is just... god bless. I must say that using the word "pastor" is dangerous because my stupid brain keeps thinking Attila is singing about "pasta" again... Oh well, moving on!

Beast of Gevaudan

Man, I've been listening almost non-stop since it was released as a single! At first, my head was comparing it somewhat to army of the night but after a few times this feeling was gone and it became an awesome new idea/song. The choir and orchestra part are so well placed and support the rest of the instrumental and Attila's voice perfectly. Again, much fast, very powermetal. I've grown very fond of the guitar solo. The lyrics tell us a little about the story of the beast and I. Love. Storytelling. In. Songs. Glad matthew finally came around to put his idea out there!

This song also has a video, which left me speechless at first. I love Attila's acting so much??? And making this sort of their own story of Jesus was such a cool idea. Production is high quality as well (didn't expect anything less after The Sacrament of Sin MVs) and there were really nice shots in there. I doubt that I will get tired of this song and this video anytime soon!

Dancing with the dead

That choir stuff in the beginning, following by that awesome guitar riff already had me. I couldn't stop listening to this one either. This might be, in my opinion, the most catchy song on the whole album. The intruments are in perfect harmony with Attila's heavenly voice. The transition into the guitar solo is so damn smooth and well done. I'm having a whole crisis about how good this song is.

The lyrics are interesting too! Again, there's a story to be told. As far as I can interpret it, being introduced to some darker powers and growing to enjoy them, despite previously having lots of faith, is what's going on here. It has this slight feeling of... corruption (in a good way of course). This makes me want to go dancing (with the dead)

This one also has a video! Once again, very high quality. Every band member had their "special moments/shots" and just looked stunning. But Attila left them all behind this time. Slow dancing, in a suit, with that smirk on his lips??? Well done, my dude.

Varcolac

This one's dark and heavy. It brings me back to the good ol' times of Lupus Dei and Bible of the Beast. Just with more orchestra, choir and overall harmony. It makes me so happy that Powerwolf is using so many real life legends and figures on this album! And they did such a good job with them as well. If this song was alive, it would be a scary beast.

The typical metal elements and orchestra/choir parts are very well balanced. And the organ throughout the whole song is fitting. It supports the dark and sinister feeling of the whole thing. My favourite part may be the "And as army we bing fire..." parts! Man, I just love werewolves. Also, I think Attila's famous gibberish singing made a return in this one!

Alive or undead

Oh boy,here we go. The piano in this one is incredible. "Here we STAAAAAAND!" Goosebumps and shivers. Everything about this is so emotional andreading the lyrics while listening just makes me want to cry, ok?! T_T Powerwolf has become so flexible, exploring different ways to make music. This could have been some kind of typical powermetal song but it's not and I'm glad about it.

Even if it's a little different, they never stray to far from what makes them special. The few parts, reminding one of typical church music would not have been necessary but are appreciated! They know when to leave out the guitars and go slowly. What bothers me a little, is that it somehow feels like Attila's voice had a tiny bit more potential up to the chorus. It could've been a little bit softer? if i can put it that way. But honestly this song is raw emotion and everything still fits together. If you thought their first ballad was emotional, buckle up, this one kicked me right in the feels.

Blood for blood (Faoladh)

Powerwolf ventures again into the folk metal territory and successfully conquers it! Could be a headline of something. Anyway, this song is a very worthy successor of Incense & Iron! It just makes me happy, its melody is so light - combined with your typical Powerwolf lyrics. Perfect song to start jumping up and down! It radiates motivational energy. Just like Dancing with the dead, this song has a very smooth transition to the guitar parts.

The melody is strong but still easy enough to quickly get into it! I can barely sit still and write this aaaa. Seriously, I am just happy with this song and will go jump and headbang a while to it!

Glaubenskraft

I have returned from jumping and oh no. It's a German song. Bold of them to go all out on that Latin beginning... it works really well though! It might be because I'm German but this song hits hard. Very hard. It's not easy to make this language sound good and ( if you don't happen to know much about German) the lyrics consist of a bunch of old words and grammar you wouldn't normally use anymore. But they made it fucking work!!! The quiet verses only make the pre-chorus and chorus itself heavier and blow me away. And SOMEHOW this super epic song with (made up, at least I'm pretty sure they don't exist like that) Latin words is about.. you know what Powerwolf writes about a lot. And I LOVE that. It's so subtle and only if you read into it, you're like "wait a minute".

This song has a feeling of corruption too. But not in a good way this time. It feels evil and intimidating and - honestly, I can't get enough of it. Everyone of my neighbours will think I'm some kind of weird Christian fanatic because I WILL yell "Glaubenskraft" just as much as I yelled "Stossgebet". Worth it, tho.

Call of the wild

The song with the same title as the album! (or the other way around, whatever.) This song is just catchy from the beginning to the end. Like many other songs its fast and hard. Just how I like it. Don't take that out of context.

The lyrics and instruments go wild (haha get it), with a really neat Latin pre-chorus. It's very fun to listen to. Personally, it makes me feel like I belong to the pack. That we're strong together, that we can say fuck it once in a while and just go crazy. The chanted part near the end of the song reminds me strongly of Sanctified with dynamite (ya know "die, die dynamite" and "call, call, call of the wild") and it's really cool they pick up on old things once again. Be it intentional or not. It's a reminder that they still are who they were back then - and their music is still fucking incredible.

Simply an epic song, strong vocals, strong guitars. I really, really like the intro. Attila has to sing so many words in such little time, does he even need to breathe now and then?

Now I'm wondering what came first; the album title or the track title? Chicken or the egg?

Sermon of swords

First of all: WHAT IS THAT OMINOUS VOICE IN THE BEGINNING. Mark me down as horny and scared. Ahem.

I really like how the verse and the chorus have their own theme and melody going on and yet they're connected. The chorus is super catchy too! And just say it yourself "Sermon of swords", how cool does it sound??? The choir in the beginning is a really neat introduction into the whole song. The lyrics match the whole album, very much a soundtrack to go on a crusade to, like Raise your fist, Evangelist or Christ & Combat. Just... "AAMEEN!" Ok, I'm actually going insane here, calm down, Feb. These might be my favourite lyrics of the whole album I think?? (unless I said that somewhere else already, then i have more than one favourite.)

The whole song has a more "classical" feeling to it, not only in the Powerwolf sense but also in the Heavy Metal sense in general. BUT. Orchestra and choir are prefectly mixed, especially supporting Attila in the chorus. The guitar solo is really cool and sounds very Greywolf-y, if you know what I mean. It's just Matthew's style.

Undress to confess

The name of this song says it all. This is your friendly reminder that no matter how much they preach about Jesus or the Devil, Powerwolf should not be taken too seriously. When I first saw the title I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

The melody is pretty catchy and easy to remember, the organ and general approach reminds me of Demons are a girl's best friend. I absolutely love how the lyrics are on that thin line of somewhat poetic and ridiculous. Let me provide two examples here: "all the world we posess for desire and sin we carress" - man, this sounds pretty.

And there's also "dressed to hide the dark, and obsessed to ride him hard on the.... crucifix." Yeah, I... I don't know what I expected here. Anyway, this is how you describe church sex without actually using explicit words. (why are you booing me, i'm right)

Still really nice to listen to and have a good time!

Reverent of rats

We arrived at the last song of the album! And here we picked up on the speed and power again! The way the organ is played during the verses makes it so... sinister. Again, this piece reminds me of Lupus Dei. The verses keep the sinister feeling while the chorus picks up more... drama? An epic melody mixed with epic words make my soul ascend to heaven.

This guitar solo is also the absolute good shit. It might be my favourite from all the songs of this album?! Additionally, the drums? I don't know why but they really stand out here. Love how fast paced they are.

Aaaaand that's it! If you've read all the way through holy shit, you are actually a badass. Thank you for staying with me, my werewolf friend. Maybe we'll meet where the wild wolves have gone. But always remember: Metal is religion.

#powerwolf #call of the wild #album review #well sort of #come talk to me about it i love the whole thing!!!!

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purpleyellow · 4 years

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characters unlocked

basic info:

Chung Minkyung/Mae

The Boyz 12th member

birthday: 1999/01/14

birth place: Seoul - South Korea

Chung Minji

TXT 6th member

birthday: 2001/05/31

birth place: Sydney - Australia

a/n: have I gone insane and made two ocs at once? kind of. actually, I haven’t made up my mind about actually going forward with them yet but I’ve had this idea for about two months and my mind couldn’t rest unless I actually wrote it down. and since I already had it typed out, I might as well share it right? (awkwardly laughs and runs away).

also disclaimer, this is 100% focused on the ocs and not on their groups, you may be asking why since I never really cared this much about backstory before... I honestly don’t know, my brain thought of it like that and that’s how this turned out.

2011

Minkyung watched the teacher leave the room from the corner of the classroom and began packing up her things as the girls around her whispered between themselves. She didn’t blame them for talking, considering this was the first time in months she had made it through the first period without her mother showing up.

Actually, some days she wouldn’t even go to school due to her day packed with auditions and art-centered classes. But this time she had, and just for a moment, she allowed herself to think she would have a normal day. Until the teacher had to answer a knock.

Walking back inside, the middle-aged woman speared a pitied glance at the girl and nodded once she excused herself. The official routine of letting her know her mother had arrived was long gone after the fifth consecutive time it had happened.

Going outside as fast as she could, so she wouldn’t hear anyone talking about her. Minkyung met her mother near the school entrance.

“Let’s go, we can’t be late” The woman rushed her, picking up her backpack and throwing on the backseat before circling her car and sitting in the driver’s spot. She barely waited for her daughter to buckle up before driving away from the parking lot. Wheels scratching the pavement as she did so.

“What is it this time?” She asked with half the excitement of her mother, leaning her head on the window as she watched the school becoming small in the rearview mirror.

“Acting gig. You got this in the bag” The older woman spoke cheerfully and Minkyung hummed. Once they stopped at a red light, her mother turned to her and brushed her a strand of hair behind her ear “Hey. I know you’re growing tired but I think this one might be it. Just blow them away with your talent, alright baby?”

“Alright, mama”

2011

Minji sat at the curb as she watched her friend jumping into the backseat of her parent’s car.

“Are you sure you don’t want a ride sweetie?” The friends’ mother asked her leaning out of the window “Eliza was telling me you usually wait quite a while, I can talk to you mother and arrange a carpooling system with her”

“No, it’s fine Ms.Smith” Minji hugged her lunch box and smiled sweetly, her small feet tapping the ground in a rhythm she had made up “Mom should be arriving soon, I don’t want her to worry if I’m not here”

“Well okay, be sure to mention that to her so next time you don’t have to wait” The blond woman smiled politely before driving off.

Minji waved at them and stared at the empty sidewalk in front of the school. Checking her pink watch for the fifth time, she noticed she only had to wait five more minutes before she gave up on waiting and walked home.

The girl knew there wasn’t a big chance of her mother remembering she had a younger daughter to pick up, but still, she allowed herself to wait for an hour every day. Just in case she would show up.

After the five minutes were up, the 10 year old grabbed her stuff and began her usual walk home. The neighborhood wasn’t too dangerous and she would only have to walk six blocks to arrive, but still, it felt too cruel for the teacher to see it happening constantly.

The woman had walked half of her way to get to the girl when she saw a tall man approaching, she sighed relieved as Minji gasped surprised.

“Dad” She jumped on the man’s arms and he laughed, waving at the teacher before picking her lunch box that had fallen on the ground.

“I came home from work earlier today, I figured you’d want some company on your walk home” He patted her on the head and the girl smiled brightly “I’m sorry for not being able to do this every day”

“It’s fine. Come, I’ll show you the pet store I walk by. Oh, and there’s this old lady resting on her porch every day, she always gives me a good afternoon” Minji smiled pulling him by the hand as they made their way back.

2014

Minkyung quietly stood in the hallway as she heard her parents discussing. Earlier that day, her mother got an email confirming her acceptance into a trainee program in Korea, the multiple years of singing lessons and learning various instruments had finally given a bigger result than the acting route had.

The girl had never seen her mother more excited than after getting the news, but since she told her father about it they had been locked in the kitchen arguing about the changes this opportunity brought to the family.

“I don’t know about this, it sounds pretty expensive” Mr. Chung sighed walking back and forth.

“It’s an opportunity for our daughter to finally become someone. She worked so hard for it, we don’t know when the next one might come. This is her chance”

“She is someone already. She’s our daughter, a sister, and a student. What will happen with her studies after she’s gone?”

“She can keep them overseas, she’s homeschooled after all”

“Only because she couldn’t keep up with school and your obsession for making the girl famous”

“She wants this just as much as I do”

“What’s going on?” Minji showed up out of nowhere startling her sister, who whispered for her to keep quiet and listen.

“They’re discussing moving to Korea” Mikyung waved her off and returned to listen, but the younger slapped her arm and frowned. “Ouch, stop that dumbass”

“Why would we move to Korea?”

“I passed an audition there. Mom is convincing dad to accept it”

“No, absolutely not” Minji shook her head, walking determined downstairs only to be stopped by the older “Let me go. I’m not moving because of you”

“Minji don’t, let them discuss this, mom almost has him”

“I’m not moving. I don’t care what you want. Different from you I have friends here, I have a life. I’m not going because of you”

“Hey, stop that” Their father opened the kitchen door to stop the two arguing girls.

“No, I’m not stopping. You’ve always given Minkyung the fancy tutors and expensive courses without thinking twice. She can go on her own, I don’t want to leave our home”

“We are a family, if one of us is going, the rest is too” Her mom spoke up pointing a finger at her “And this might be your home, but Seoul is your dad’s and mine. We’d be going back to our family. No more trips during holidays and all of that. Think about it, it would benefit us all”

“No, it wouldn’t. Dad would have to leave work, and I have school and my friends. We built a life here” Minji cried out looking between the two of them. In the back, her sister leaned on the wall and watched them ultimately deciding her future.

“And you’ll build a new one in Korea too. Think about all the work your sister has done for us to have this chance”

“This is her chance. Not ours”

“Minkyung” The man spoke, shutting the two up and getting the girl’s attention. “Do you honestly want this? We would be investing a lot once you sign with them”

“Yes, I’m sure of it” She answered, it was honest. But considering that was the only thing she had worked for her entire life, there was no way it wouldn’t have been.

2015

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go in there with you?” Minkyung’s mom asked her again as they made it in front of the building.

“Yes, mom” The girl rolled her eyes fixing the big duffel bag under her arm “Most people leave their families for this. I don’t want to brag that mine follows me no matter where I go”

“They deserve to know we support you” The woman cupped her face in adoration and she laughed.

“It isn’t a matter of support, some people just can't afford to move around”

“Okay, but I’ll come by your accommodations later to bring the rest of your stuff and you’ll tell me everything then”

“Fine. Oh, and mom. Can you give Minji my guitar, she might have a better use for it than leaving it untouched”

“You don’t want to have at least one of your instruments with you?” The woman frowned, reluctant in passing by her daughter’s belongings to the younger.

“I’m sure they’ll have a bunch I can practice on” The girl shrugged moving around on her feet.

“If you say so. Don’t forget not to let the boys mess with you okay. And don’t stress if you don’t get along, remember this is only one phase for you to become the star you were born to be”

“Uh, okay. I have to go” Minkyung gave her a hug and walked inside the building, blushing furiously as her mother screamed good luck to her.

Walking to where a receptionist was, she noticed a boy, a little older than her, getting some credentials with her. Standing behind him, she waited until the woman asked for her name.

“Chung Minkyung” The girl said and she nodded.

“Right, the girl from Australia. I have your stuff here too” The woman said and the boy, who was puzzly looking through his papers, looked up at the mention of the Country and quickly stared at her, wondering if he should introduce himself or wait a little more “You’re both going the same way, press two in the elevator down the hallway and go to the room on the far left”

Thanking her, Minkyung picked up her things and nodded for the boy, giving him a tight-lipped smile as they walked together.

“I’m sorry, I think I overheard you’re from Australia. I’m from Canada, and my Korean is a little rusty. Do you speak English?” He smiled embarrassed and the girl nodded.

“Yeah, no problem. Mine would be too, but my mom made me take lessons as a child because speaking both languages would be good for the resume” She told him as they entered the elevator “A little TMI, I’m sorry. I’m bad at making friends”

“It’s fine” He laughed nervously and looked around before hitting him that he hadn’t introduced himself “I’m Jacob, sorry for not saying my name”

“I’m Minkyung but I guess you can call me Mae if you want to” She smiled generously at him and he nodded. The elevator’s doors opened up for them to step out.

Walking inside the room they were told, several heads turned around to stare at them and a buzzing boy came straight to greet them.

“Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Youngjae. Where are you guys from?”

“Uh- My name is Jacob, I’m from Canada”

“Oh, you came from the international auditions, right? In that case you can call me Eric, I used to live in LA” Eric smiled and looked expectantly at the girl.

“I’m Mae, I came from Australia” She smiled nervously and he gasped.

“Oh wow, we’re all from different places”

“Yeah um could you show us around, I’m kind of lost right now” Mae said and Jacob nodded from her side making Eric laugh.

“It’s my first day too actually” He said making both their eyes widen “But everyone seems nice, let’s introduce you to them and they’ll help us figure things out”

“How are you so comfortable?” The girl asked on a whim and cleaned her throat embarrassed after realizing what she had done “Sorry, I’m sorry. I- I suck at meeting new people”

“It’s fine” Eric laughed, intertwining his arm with hers “We’ll get along, all of us. Let’s talk to the others because they’ve been staring for a while”

2017

“Your sister is debuting today?” One of Minji’s friends, Yoojung, gasped on her left as they stood in the food court at the mall. The three of them wearing their school uniforms while deciding what to eat.

“Yeah, and my mom is a mixture of excitement and annoyance at home, that’s why I’ll stay in this place until her and dad leave for the stage”

“Annoyance?” Jisoo, her other friend asked while looking at the ice cream store “Let’s go to the parlour”

“Sure. And yes, her original plan was for Minkyung, I guess Mae now, to go solo after a while. But last month she came home exclusively to tell her she wasn’t going to leave her group” The girl said nonchalantly as if it were old news for her.

“Wow, that’s so cool” Jisoo gasped, making Minji roll her eyes.

“Why are you not going to the debut showcase?” Yoojung asked again, making her shrug.

“We were never that close, since she became a trainee we haven't talked at all. I’m sure she won’t miss me that much”

“Still, you would meet a bunch of good looking idols, I’d give everything to be there” Jisoo said in a dreamy tone and both of the girls laughed at her expression.

The three of them were slowly walking to get their sweets when a couple stopped them in the middle of the aisle, quickly handing a card to each of them and introducing themselves as scouts from an idol company.

“We’re holding auditions tomorrow and it would be lovely if you could attend, I’ll make sure to remember each of your faces” The lady smiled politely, her gaze sticking a little more on Minji than on the other girls.

They gave some more information to them and gave a quick goodbye. Looking at the card and back at the girls, Minji tried to sound as casual as possible while asking if they would show up for the process.

“Nah” Yoojung said making Jisoo nod along “But you should, they seemed more interested in you than us”

Humming along, Minji stuck the piece of paper on her pocket in the promises of deciding that night.

2019

“Hey, what are you doing?” Mae asked after coming out of her room and seeing Kevin, Changmin, and Haknyeon huddled up around a computer.

“A new group just debuted” Kevin mumbled, scrolling down what seemed to be an article and she snorted.

“So what, rookie groups show up literally every day” She rolled her eyes standing behind them and reading some of the words flying by “Tomorrow X Together, isn’t that Bighit’s new group? Wait, why are they talking about us there?”

“Because there’s a rumor that one of the members is your sister” Haknyeon said and as if on clue Kevin stopped in a picture of Minji.

Feeling like time had frozen, Mae widened her eyes and gasped, pulling Kevin away and scrolling down herself to check if she wasn’t having a fever dream.

“You never said you had a sister” Q noticed casually as she freaked out in front of the computer.

“She never came to visit us either” Kevin complained for a second and then gasped “Wait, was she missing? Did you just find your missing sister?”

As the boys began sharing conspiracy theories as to why they didn’t know about the existence of Minji, Mae turned to them with a shocked expression and waited until they fell silent to quietly mumble

“That little devil never told me she wanted to become an idol”

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howaminotinthestrokesyet · 3 years

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Behind The Album: OK Computer

The third studio album from Radiohead was released in May 1997 by Parlophone Records. This would mark the first album that Nigel Godrich worked on as their producer. The band would self produce the entire album themselves, which they have done on every record since. In 1995, Brian Eno asked the band to contribute a song to a charity compilation for War Child entitled Help. They were scheduled to do the recording in only a day, which led to the track, “Lucky.” Godrich would say of the recording. “Those things are the most inspiring, when you do stuff really fast and there's nothing to lose. We left feeling fairly euphoric. So after establishing a bit of a rapport work-wise, I was sort of hoping I would be involved with the next album." This track would form the foundation of what would become OK Computer. In early 1996, the group took a break from touring because they found it a bit too stressful. Thoughts now turned to a new record with the mindset of distancing themselves from anything similar to The Bends. Drummer Phillip Selway would say, “There was an awful lot of soul-searching [on The Bends]. To do that again on another album would be excruciatingly boring.” The label gave the band a rather good sized budget for recording equipment for the new release. A number of producers were considered for the album, but they kept coming back to Godrich as an advisor on equipment. Eventually, the band hired him as the producer. Ed O’Brien said of the album, “Everyone said, 'You'll sell six or seven million if you bring out The Bends Pt 2,' and we're like, 'We'll kick against that and do the opposite'."

In early 1996, Radiohead began proper recording of the LP at Canned Applause Studios in Oxfordshire, England. Issues immediately came up as the band had difficulty staying focused on one song all the way to completion. Selway would talk about this later, “We're jumping from song to song, and when we started to run out of ideas, we'd move on to a new song ... The stupid thing was that we were nearly finished when we'd move on, because so much work had gone into them." Although the members of the group were considered equals, the voice of Thom Yorke always represented the loudest one in terms of musical direction. Godrich would talk about his role within the group in an interview. They “need to have another person outside their unit, especially when they're all playing together, to say when the take goes well ... I take up slack when people aren't taking responsibility—the term producing a record means taking responsibility for the record ... It's my job to ensure that they get the ideas across." His permanent role on each Radiohead album would lead to the producer being called the sixth member of Radiohead. After only recording four songs, the band left the Canned Applause Studio for a variety of reasons Including the fact that the studio had no bathrooms or dining rooms. They decided to take a break from recording in order to support Alanis Morissette on tour, which gave them a chance to try some of their new tracks live. Around the same time, Director Baz Luhrmann asked the band to contribute a song to his film, Romeo and Juliet. “Exit Music for a Film” would be played as the credits rolled during the movie, but they did not give Luhrmann permission to place the track on the movie soundtrack. Yorke would later observe that this song became very important to the album. It “was the first performance we'd ever recorded where every note of it made my head spin—something I was proud of, something I could turn up really, really loud and not wince at any moment."

In September 1996, the band began recording again at a mansion in Bath, England owned by actress Jane Seymour. Jonny Greenwood would say the environment represented a much more pleasant change for the group. It “was less like a laboratory experiment, which is what being in a studio is usually like, and more about a group of people making their first record together." One quality that the band enjoyed during the sessions came in the fact that they took full advantage of the natural environment of the mansion. “Exit Music for a Film” utilized some natural reverb courtesy of a stone stairwell. They recorded Let Down” in an empty ballroom at 3 o’clock in the morning. The group worked at its own pace as Ed O’Brien observed later. “The biggest pressure was actually completing [the recording]. We weren't given any deadlines and we had complete freedom to do what we wanted. We were delaying it because we were a bit frightened of actually finishing stuff." A majority of the album would be recorded live with no overdubs because Yorke hated them. The band completed the rest of the album at the studio in Saint Catherine’s towards the end of 1996. In January 1997, the strings for the album were recorded, then they spent the next two months mastering and mixing the album. Actually, the mixing of the album only took a couple of days. Nigel Godrich would later comment, “I feel like I get too into it. I start fiddling with things and I fuck it up ... I generally take about half a day to do a mix. If it's any longer than that, you lose it. The hardest thing is trying to stay fresh, to stay objective."

Several artists would influence what would become the finished product of OK Computer. First and foremost came the 1970 album Bitches Brew by jazz great, Miles Davis. Thom Yorke would tell Q what he saw in that recording that made up his vision for this album. “It was building something up and watching it fall apart, that's the beauty of it. It was at the core of what we were trying to do with OK Computer." Other artists that helped to inspire the record included Elvis Costello, REM, PJ Harvey, the Beatles, Can, and composer Ennio Morricone. Jonny Greenwood would describe OK Computer as an attempt to recreate the sound on all these great records, but they missed the mark. The band would expand their instrumentation for this album to include electric piano, Mellotron, cello and other strings, glockenspiel and electronic effects. Spin would say this about the release, “A DIY electronica album made with guitars." The lyrics to the album focused on themes much more conceptual when contrasted with The Bends. Yorke would sing about a wide variety of topics including transportation, technology, insanity, death, globalism, capitalism, and more. The singer would say, “On this album, the outside world became all there was ... I'm just taking Polaroids of things around me moving too fast." He also took inspiration for some of the lyrics from a selection of books including Noam Chomsky, Eric Hobsbawm's The Age of Extremes, Will Hutton's The State We're In, Jonathan Coe's What a Carve Up! and Philip K. Dick's VALIS. Despite the abstract nature of the lyrics on the record, many critics have looked upon OK Computer as a concept album. They argue that there exists a singular theme running throughout the record, but the band has consistently denied any attempt at making such a release. Jonny Greenwood commented, “I think one album title and one computer voice do not make a concept album. That's a bit of a red herring." They did pay particularly close attention to the order of the tracklist taking almost two weeks to complete it.

The album opens with “Airbag,” which highlights the drumming of Phillip Selway. The track had been inspired by the work of DJ Shadow. The band would later admit that they represented novices in this attempt to base a song on DJ Shadow due to their lack of time with programming. Yorke had actually read an article in a magazine entitled “An Airbag Saved My Life.” Another book that helped to create the basis for the song lyrics emerged in the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Yorke had always been obsessed with the idea that any time you get into a car you could possibly die at any second. The second track “Paranoid Android” stands out as one of the longest tracks in the band's entire catalog. Two songs inspired it from classic rock, “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” by the Beatles and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. The lyrics are meant to reference the alien from Douglas Adams’s A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Yorke got the idea after watching a woman lose her mind after a drink spilled on her at a bar in Los Angeles. “Subterranean Homesick Alien” referenced “Subterranean Homesick Blues” by Bob Dylan. The lyrics are meant to refer a person who is abducted by aliens, then returns home to realize his life is in no way any different. The beginnings of the theme for this track actually began for the singer in private school when he had an assignment to recreate a British literary movement called Martian poetry. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare inspired the lyrics to “Exit Music for a Film.” This should come as no surprise as the band had specifically created the song for a remake film. Yorke would use it as a chance to simply recap the entire narrative in the song because Zeffirelli’s version of the film greatly affected him at the age of 13. “I cried my eyes out, because I couldn't understand why, the morning after they shagged, they didn't just run away. It's a song for two people who should run away before all the bad stuff starts.” The singer had tried to replicate Johnny Cash’s Live at Folsom Prison as he sang along to his acoustic guitar. “Let Down” represented an attempt by the band to recreate the sound made famous by Phil Spector and his wall of sound. Yorke would later comment that the lyrics are “about that feeling that you get when you're in transit but you're not in control of it—you just go past thousands of places and thousands of people and you're completely removed from it.” The singer would look upon such lyrics as perfect symbolism for Generation X, which had strongly influenced the direction of it. “Karma Police” contains two major sections that alternate between piano and guitar, which originally came from “Sexy Sadie” by the Beatles. The title of the song was an inside joke between the band during the previous tour. If something bad happened to someone, they would say that the karma police were going to get them. The short Interlude “Fitter, Happier” became something that the Radiohead frontman wrote in 10 minutes while on a break. The voice came from the Macintosh Simpletext software application. He would later describe the words as a “checklist for slogans from the 1990s.”

“Electioneering” turned out to be one of the band’s heaviest rock oriented songs probably ever with lyrics that were inspired by the Poll Tax Riots. Another source of inspiration came in the book Manufacturing Consent by Noah Chomsky. “Climbing Up the Walls” has been described by Melody Maker as “monumental chaos.” The track was arranged by Johnny Greenwood for 16 instruments based on composer Krzysztof Penderecki's “Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima.” No Surprises” would be initially inspired by “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by the Beach Boys, but they really wanted to replicate the mood of “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong or the soul music of Marvin Gaye. Yorke would say the song’s narrator is “someone who's trying hard to keep it together but can't.” The track that started it all “Lucky” was actually inspired by the Bosnian War. Yorke wanted to illustrate the actual terror of that conflict on the charity album, Help. Another theme that he drew upon emerged in his own anxiety about transportation. Critics have likened the guitar on the song to 1970’s Pink Floyd. The final track on the album “The Tourist” was specifically arranged by Jonny Greenwood to create a bit of space on the LP. The lyrics originated from Yorke witnessing tourists in France trying to see as many sites as possible. The title of the album came from the 1978 radio series based on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy when character Zaphod Beeblebrox says, “Okay, computer, I want full manual control now." They had first heard the line while listening to the series on the bus for their tour in 1996. Yorke would say this about the title later. It “refers to embracing the future, it refers to being terrified of the future, of our future, of everyone else's. It's to do with standing in a room where all these appliances are going off and all these machines and computers and so on ... and the sound it makes." The artwork would be created by both Yorke and Stanley Donwood using a computer. The Radiohead singer would observe this about the art, “It's quite sad, and quite funny as well. All the artwork and so on ... It was all the things that I hadn't said in the songs."

Leading up to the release of the album, the band got very little support from Capitol Records because they did not have too much faith in the commercial potential of it. Much of the pessimism came in the fact that the record did not have any singles to put on the radio. Ed O’Brien would call it the “lack of a Van Halen factor.” The singles that were released from OK Computer included “Paranoid Android,” “Karma Police,” and “Lucky.” All of the singles charted in the top 10 in the UK, while they also did very well making the top 20 on the US charts. Their official website was created in order to promote the record, as well as some non-traditional promotional techniques by the record label. One such idea came in their decision to take out full-page ads in popular British newspapers and magazines with only the lyrics to “Fitter, Happier.” Another promotion sent out floppy disks to people in the press, which included many Radiohead screensavers. Upon its official release, OK Computer would debut at number one on the UK charts, while in the US the record made it to number 21. Please note that this was the highest American debut for the band. By September 2000, the release had sold 4.5 million copies worldwide.

Critics loved the album across the board. Writer Tim Footman would comment, “Not since 1967, with the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, had so many major critics agreed immediately, not only on an album's merits, but on its long-term significance, and its ability to encapsulate a particular point in history." Many critics saw it as a very important album. Mojo wrote in their review, “Others may end up selling more, but in 20 years' time I'm betting OK Computer will be seen as the key record of 1997, the one to take rock forward instead of artfully revamping images and song-structures from an earlier era.” The New Yorker would congratulate the band on taking many more risks artistically then their contemporaries like Oasis. “Throughout the album, contrasts of mood and style are extreme ... This band has pulled off one of the great art-pop balancing acts in the history of rock." Most of the reviews that were slightly mixed seemed to focus on the fact that when compared with The Bends, this record did not contain as many catchy songs. The release would go on to win the Grammy for Best Alternative Album, but did not win Album of the Year. The praise for the album seemed to inundate the band a little too much. Also, Radiohead did not agree with the universal assessment that they had made the greatest progressive or art rock record since Dark Side of the Moon. Thom Yorke would say, “We write pop songs ... there was no intention of it being 'art'. It's a reflection of all the disparate things we were listening to when we recorded it."

The legacy of the album came to be represented in a variety of ways. First, the release of OK Computer coincided with the election of Tony Blair. Some writers have pointed to the pessimism on the record as a sign of things to come. Stephen Hayden would write, “Radiohead appeared to be ahead of the curve, forecasting the paranoia, media-driven insanity, and omnipresent sense of impending doom that's subsequently come to characterise everyday life in the 21st century." Second, the arrival of this album directly coincided with the decline of Britpop. The Oasis album Be Here Now did not attain the commercial or critical success that What’s the Story Morning Glory had received in 1995. Third, OK Computer directly influenced a new generation of artists including bands like Bloc Party and TV on the Radio. The album has landed on many lists over the subsequent years as one of the best releases of the decade and all time. Yet, not all retrospective reviews have been kind to OK Computer as it has also landed on some lists as one of the most overrated records of all time. A New Musical Express column criticized the release as the exact point when Radiohead stopped being good, but instead started to become important.

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etlunainmorte · 3 years

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Music And Us Two

~ Aaand the NeroV fic I was talking about in my announcement! 😍😍😍❤❤❤

~ This is my first time writing NeroV, so I hope it is to your liking. ☺☺☺🙈🙈🙈

~ Tagging @dreaming-gamer because I know how much she loves NeroV! 😍😍😍❤❤❤

NOTE: In the word, "piece", I embedded the link of a song, and I hope you would listen to it as you read the fic. Thank you!

***

Part 1

***

"Nico, for the hundredth time, I don't wanna go to this sissy concert!"

"Shush, psycho! Everyone will hear you."

Nero looked all over the place, his eyes roaming from one fancy - dressed patron to another, all the while ignoring the strange looks he's getting from some middle - aged ladies from his left, who started whispering amongst themselves.

Nero was never a fan of all things classical. Music, most especially. Well, the youth has been in an indie rock band where he's the lead guitarist and vocalist for almost two years now.

A life of rock and roll and head banging! That's what Nero wants. He doesn't want lullabies, he wants solo performances! He doesn't bother with musical arrangements, he creates them! And most especially, Nero doesn't sing, he screams!

So, being forced by his good friend Nico to wear a tight tux, a fancy bow tie, and a pair of shiny shoes made Nero very, very uncomfortable. It felt so unnatural, so strange. And what's more, being in the Grecian lobby of the most prestigious theatre in the city really bothered him a lot.

However, despite Nero's discomfort, he knew all too well that Nico was only doing her best to cheer him up after the terrible things that happened to him during the past few months. First, he got low grades on most of his exams, and it might cost him his scholarship. Second, his band's bassist called it quits just because he refused to be in Nero's "shadow". Said he's tired of being only second to the youth. And thirdly, and probably the hardest, his father wanted him to abandon the band. Despite the overwhelming support he got from his mother, Nero knew deep inside that his father wanted him to take his studies more seriously. Nero knew his father wanted him to take over the family business. He even refused to see his performances. And honestly, it made the young man anxious. And sad.

So, Nico came to the rescue! But,... not in the way he expected. He still hated his clothes, this fancy atmosphere, and this elegant theatre!

Oh, but, hey, it's the thought that counts, right? After all, Nico was the one who bought the tickets to this, apparently, very expensive concert. Said it would surely lift Nero's spirit's up.

"What is this Tchaikovsky Night thing, anyway?" Scratching his head in confusion, Nero questioned as he looked at the fancy pamphlet in his hands.

"You'll see." Nico answered with a huge grin on her face. Grabbing Nero's arm, she added, "Let's get goin'!"

Nero felt even more uncomfortable the moment he and Nico took their seats inside the theatre, itself. Gazing at the intricate sculptures of fairies and other mystical creatures that adorned the ceiling, the pillars, and the walls, the youth felt it was a crime for him to be here. The soft and very comfortable maroon chair beneath his bum made him feel like he was being tortured, and the hushed conversations of the people around him made him think he was going insane. Even the very strong perfume worn by the lady who sat right next to him made him feel nauseous. Everything around him felt alien to Nero.

Where's the loud noise he's so used to? The different neon lights dancing all over the room? The vibration coming from the floor from all the jumping and dancing of the audience to the tunes being played live?

Nero sighed and slumped back further into the plush chair. He simply couldn't wait for the evening, and this damned concert, to be over and done with. He just wants to go home and play his guitar. Maybe invite a friend or two over for a music session. Nero just wanted to go home -

"Ah, finally!" Nico breathed as the lights went out, signaling the beginning of the concert.

For almost an hour, Nero sat helplessly as he listened to the renowned composer's music. Some of them he recognized as the famous pieces from The Nut Cracker, and Swan Lake. Some of them, he almost slept through.

An unapologetic yawn, which made the lady with the strong perfume look at him in disgust, just came out of Nero's mouth the moment a tall, dark - haired man in a crisp black suit walked towards the center of the stage next to the conductor.

Ah, a violinist. Disinterested, Nero thought as he looked at the expensive looking instrument at the performer's tattooed hand. Ha! Be a lot cooler if you're playing an electric guitar, instead,...

Nero's unamused and tired eyes watched as the musicians started playing yet, another sleep - inducing piece. However, the moment the dark - haired man began playing his violin, Nero's attention was caught.

That face, that smirk,… heck, the way he carried himself as he skillfully played the instrument,...

That violinist,... reminds him of someone,...

"Man, he really is all grown up now!" Nico whispered with a soft whistle. And with a nudge of an elbow against Nero's right arm, she added, "You think he'll recognize you after all these years?"

"Huh?" With a raised eyebrow, Nero mumbled in question. "What do you mean?"

Nico just rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Can't remember the guy? You two used to play together! You - "

"Quiet!" The woman with the strong perfume whispered savagely, giving them an annoyed look.

What's Nico trying to say? The question invaded Nero's already confused and tired mind. We used to play together? Me and that man?

Wait,...

Violin? Tchaikovsky?

Wait! No,...

No, no, no, it can't be!

Is it,... possible?

"Is that," Nero mumbled, his eyes now entranced by the black - haired violinist on the stage. " ... but, no. It can't possibly be, right?"

Nico chuckled at Nero's disbelief. Shaking her head, she answered, "You're unbelievable!"

It took Nero at least one more hour before he could see the man again. But, during his performance, the youth felt he was hypnotized. The way he performed that piece from Tchaikovsky, and the way his music resonated within his being,...

This was actually the first time a classical piece attracted Nero's full and undivided attention. He used to ignore it until,...

... until this man. Yes, probably this man. And what's even more interesting was that he actually knew this man. He was very close to him during his childhood days. He just thought he wouldn't see him again since he moved to Europe with his family after they graduated from Middle School. They were,... actually the best of friends.

And his music,... it actually touched something in Nero's heart, mind, and soul. It was as if part of what's truly making him happy went back to him and gave him that glimpse of emotion once more. Like he found that precious something that he lost a long, long time ago.

Nero wanted to hear more from him. And he,... wanted to meet him. After such a very long time.

And so, after that one more hour, when the concert was finally over, Nico dragged Nero towards the theatre's expensive - looking restaurant, and already - !

V, Nero's precious childhood friend, and the violinist who entranced him with his music, was already waiting for the two of them to arrive.

***

TO BE CONTINUED

***

#Vitale #Nero #DMC5 #Music And Us Two

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sierrabinondo · 3 years

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2020

damn my last tumblr post is the last day of woodland creatures, did i not do a 2019 wrap up?? i feel like i did. oh well lmao

so, arguably the most tumultuous year in modern history (at least, american history- all pandemic and political events considered) is about to come to a close. it was very not fun experiencing a pandemic as millions lost their loved ones to covid. i was part of the 20% of people that became unemployed as a result of the economy taking a huge dump. i would not want to experience this same year again if it meant that every life lost could be saved. with the year i was given, i made the best out of it that i could.

like every other person on this earth (except for where the virus was already spreading), this year started out normal as hell for me. i was hating my job but chugging through each week, with the occasional show to worry about and then planning our band’s 2020 release plans. despite my salaried job, i was barely making enough to put anything away in savings, forthcoming disney trip aside. i really felt like i was putting in all this work at a full time job just to barely stay afloat and it grated at my soul. i don’t dream of labor, and i only take jobs like this because nothing i am passionate about truly makes money and the marketing jobs i would actually care about are never available to me/never come to fruition after submitting myself for consideration.

disney was a huge highlight of my year despite being deathly sick. i keep wondering if i had covid (i never figured it out), but it sure as hell felt like it. i feel like if i did have it i would have passed it on to jeremiah and his family but i didn’t. i could still kinda taste, but not smell because i had the worst sinus infection i ever had in my entire fucking life. like i know i get them a lot but really, holy shit. i really had it bad. it started when we were in the studio the 2nd to last weekend of february on the last studio day. i had to go back to the studio several months later because i was that unsatisfied with how the vocals came out. i didn’t want to fuck up these releases and have my performance be mid so i was willing to pay to have to re-do everything. i assumed if this was like any other sinus infection, it would go away in a week.

lmao.

i had that infection for THREE WHOLE FUCKING WEEKS. i played a show with that monster sinus infection, and went to disney with it. i went two weeks without meds because i really was convinced it would go away on its own. before we left for disney i finally got antibiotics at urgent care and couldn’t drink most of the trip which sucked. but that finally did the job, and the infection waned when we returned from disney. despite being physically weak, in pain (there was one friday my body pains were so horrible that jeremiah contemplated taking me to the hospital), and leaking snot all over my sleeves the entire trip (LIKE IT WAS THAT UNCONTROLLABLE. I HAD NEVER GONE THROUGH THAT MANY PACKS OF TISSUES IN MY LIFE. I WAS LEAKING SO MUCH I HAD TO LOCATE THE BABY CHANGING STATION IN MAGIC KINGDOM. IT WAS LIKE A SECRET STERILIZED TROVE OF HAND SANITIZER, WIPES, TISSUES AND BABY OIL.) i had an amazing time at disney. and it was my first time going with a significant other so it was incredibly fun. it was also a wonderful opportunity to spend time with his family. the only very not fun part was missing our nephew in the main street parade because some bozos fucked up the info they gave my sister-in-law and we were out walking around when his high school band had actually marched earlier than we thought.

it’s funny, because that weekend after we returned was the last weekend of “freedom” everyone had before lockdown. we were weary of covid while in florida but still living it up on vacation. at that time, there had only been 3 cases in orlando. 3!!!! i had plans to go to a party once home but i cancelled only because i still wasn’t completely out of the woods and 100% well again. i felt so bad cancelling because it was for my friend’s party and she never really did parties usually :( and i thought it wouldn’t be a good idea considering i may or may not have had covid.

then... the following week came.

monday we got a weird email from our CEO saying there was going to be salary cuts and that it was essential for the company to survive a downturn. i pouted but my parents consoled me saying it was better than nothing; maybe look for a new job. and then- i got the nothing! a day or two later, i was let go. and i could tell my manager was absolutely not souped to be giving me this call at all. she literally prefaced it like, “this sucks, but-” and gave me the news. and i was utterly devastated, sobbing controllably, because i was just scraping by on this income to begin with. and i had JUST, finally, received health insurance through this job. i was asked to continue working through friday the 20th, which i would be paid for, and then i would have to return my laptop and any other work materials (like printouts and promo stuff) i had possession of.

that day and the days following i had coworkers calling me or emailing me telling me they were so sorry. i was the first to be let go, and they were kind enough to extend words of encouragement to me. clients i worked closely with, a couple of them around my age, assured me that i could use them as a reference. many of my colleagues were my higher-ups, but were very down-to-earth people. one call that stuck out to me was from my colleague sarah.

sarah was candid with me and said, “y’know how i was unemployed for 6 months?” i knew this well though we had only worked together for a year and a half; it was an important part of her path to where she was in her career now and why she chose it. she continued, “those were the best 6 months of my life.”

and i would come to find out that yes, me too being unemployed was the best fucking time of my entire goddamn adult life.

when i posted i was officially unemployed i had an outpouring of support from my friends, and received enough animal crossing commissions to pay one month’s rent. the first day i finally felt peace was when i was sitting on my porch on an abnormally warm march day playing animal crossing following my last day at my company. it was like the universe was giving me a hug and telling me everything was going to be all right.

what would come was a pretty chaotic couple of months. jeremiah, my roommate and i would stay up until 3 am either watching anime or playing video games, subsequently sleeping until 11 am or noon. pair having fun, drinking (mostly me lmao) and lounging about with the scary realization that thousands of people every day were dying of covid and it could be my high-risk parents. i would cry at night and be so fucking scared. my sibling would tell me my family was being reckless, running unnecessary errands, and whenever my dad showed up to drop off food or necessities i would cry because i couldn’t hug him. i’m even getting choked up thinking about it now. and it was a fear that returned during the second spike around the holidays because it is the loss i fear the most.

amidst this really horrible time, i would play games almost every other night online with my friends and it was so much fucking fun because all of us were either unemployed, furloughed or working from home. we’d laugh so goddamn hard our voices were hoarse. one of my favorite memories is playing quiplash with the creatureposting gang and then my big friends from college. and a really fun night in particular was SIIE release night, i popped a bottle of champagne and got absoluely zonked lmao. every few days i would have something to look forward to, some sort of virtual plans with my friends. this would continue until july when my friends were slowly starting to go back to work.

most of my early quarantine days were as follows: wake up, watch anime, work on commissions for most of the day, order extremely good food for delivery, play video games, and then bed. at one point commissions became so overwhelming i started to get slower at churning them out. though this became a daunting project, WOW it really forced me to become a better artist. and this year i got to spend so much more time drawing, which was fantastic.

one thing i DID NOT spend a lot of time on at all? ugh. MUSIC. FUCKING MUSIC. i barely touched my guitar, stopped writing lyrics after july, and barely completed the instrumentals for about 3 songs. the only thing i consistently practiced was singing (because i would literally curl up and die if i didn’t). do you have any idea how much i blabbed to my therapist in 2019 about how much i would get done if i didn’t work full time and could just focus on my creative endeavors? and then life HANDED that shit to me on a silver platter the following year. i really did nothing insane musically with my time. and now i am really kicking myself for it. if i think about it, it was mostly because i was so exhausted from doing AC commissions, and partly because i was really intimidated about the prospect of struggling through songwriting. now i really wish that i had tried.

one thing i started doing this year was streaming. i originally planned to just do it for fun, because i am horrible at video games and i really didn’t expect much out of it. i thought it would be cool if my friends could watch me play animal crossing. and then i unfortunately learned that this 3rd expensive pasttime is actually really, really, really fun. i started to spend half my week streaming and it led me to either getting closer to some online friends i only talked to a lil previously and making new friends. viewers would ask me if i continue to stream after the pandemic was over, and i enthusiastically assured them i would. and i meant it. even with the difficulties of returning to work and the band playing shows again considered, i really wanted to. i don’t get invited to things anymore anyway, so fuck it if that’s what i stand to lose lmao.

when the curve flattened in jersey i decided to become lenient again and start meeting with my bandmates. we spent the year trying to finish some new material and chip away at what work we have to do for the full length (yes, a full length). we had plans to tour this year and it sucks that fell through. we also had plans to do so much more content during the pandemic and we faltered under the stress of... well, existing in a pandemic. we did finally get to drop a new single though, and the difference in hype now vs when we dropped our last work was incredible. i am so thankful we were able to build an audience with nothing new for two years. i still often beat myself up because god every day i look around me, at our peers, and wonder where the fuck we’ve gone wrong to have such a slow build. and even daily just trying to stand out and prove that we have cut our teeth/deserve a chance is so demoralizing. i feel like it’s even worse than before. i literally have to talk to myself out loud, both alone and during interviews lmao, to remind myself that we truly have accomplished so much. and to take in and appreciate the little positive things. because this could all be over in a second. and this won’t be forever. the older we get the more we are risking for this, both time and resources, and it won’t do to let myself get bogged down over my inner competitive voice. but god it’s hard. like even with new music we still didn’t even TOUCH any of the goal numbers we set for ourselves in may. though we did put out less music than we had planned, and we really hope to change that in 2021 forreal.

there was a single we were supposed to put out this year that’s on hold due to some pending assets but goddamn. if we really don’t break some sort of ceiling with this one i don’t know what will. i have the strongest gut feeling about the next single and in my opinion, it’s the best one we’ve had to date. when we play it at shows, the air in the room sometimes shifts. i’m eager to see what the response is and i’m so ready to push it with everything i have.

fuck this is getting so much longer than i planned i have to try to wrap this up lmao.

with our government stimmy money we turned around and got the dog of our dreams. we figured, i’d be home enough to watch him, and it was finally goddamn time. it’s why we moved into a house and not into another apartment. i was so scared meeting the puppy parents, and totally on edge the entire day. we went out to meet the breeder to test my allergies and see how i would react. samoyeds are not 100% perfectly hypoallergenic, but they were often lauded for being so. honestly? i still didn’t feel confident after two hours with the dogs because the pollen out there was bad (one of my WORST allergies) and i had mysterious hives on my arms i couldn’t figure out where they came from. for months jeremiah and my parents had to calm my nerves and remind me i lived with 3 cats before i moved out (i’m more allergic to cats) and that i would be fine. i had to do a lot of work on myself to get out of my own way about being excited about finally owning the dog of my dreams.

this little fucking boy. i couldn’t believe he was real. neither in the pictures i often looked at about 20 times a day on the breeder’s facebook page nor when we went to meet him. and he was truly, truly perfect. our little shithead. when we went to go pick him out, he sat apart from his puppy pile of brothers, sniffing around the room and trying to rip off his ribbon collar. we locked eyes and he fuCKING APPROACHED ME. i could not fathom any other puppy in the room being brawly. this was the one. we could already tell he was a mischevious smartass, because once he untied his ribbon he proceeded to rip off the ribbons of all the other puppies. but he was the cutest, flopping over on his back when you were near to get belly rubs.

ever since we have picked him up he has simultaneously been the biggest joy in our lives and the most source of stress lmao. that first week, and the next couple, werE FUCKING ROUGH. i had a horrible anxiety attack when i couldn’t calm him for bedtime the first saturday he was home and i was loudly sobbing to jeremiah that i couldn’t handle this shit lmao. he was so scared i was having regrets but i am just a fucking anxious wreck and not used to having a DOG!! this is my first dog!!! but while i can remember what life was like before him i cannot imagine going back. the first time he got sick and we took him to the emergency vet i cried so hard. when he is wagging his tail happy to see me and he looks like a fuckin seal because his ears are folded back it is the best feeling. i’m so excited for when he gets older and we’re vaccinated for covid so that we can take him on so many adventures. he is truly the best.

there is so much more i want to say but this is long as shit. this is even painful for me to read lmao. it’s always been for me, a guy with dogshit memory, to remember everything, but so, so much happened. so i’m gonna wrap up the real descriptive stuff with this.

being unemployed allowed me to just experience life. to wake up each day, enjoy the sun in my backyard, have time to try new recipes, go for long walks, GET A DOG, get better at art, get better at singing, spend more time with friends (virtually), bond even harder with my amazing, beautiful boyfriend, create amazing work with my bandmates, improve at video games, connect with people all over the world, and so much more. all my life i let money dictate my every move. i am insanely privileged to have experienced this but when i had to just live within my means off unemployment i did just fine. i once believed i was perpetually indebted to my employer when i was discarded like it was nothing. i can get a job anywhere and be fine. it strengthened my class consciousness and while i have control over my own destiny it is our country that has so royally screwed us of living the lives we should be living. our lives do not revolve around labor. so until we win the fight and get what we deserve, i will be returning to work next month (full time... in commercial real estate.... again), but i will do whatever it takes to replicate the everlasting feeling of joy i felt this year for the rest of my godforsaken life. if that means struggling for 2021 to build up my twitch channel and the band, working 9 hour days and then streaming/writing music for another 4, so be it. i felt from a young age i was not destined to live a normal life and that feeling has stayed with me no matter how much i have tried to play the game of life as i have been told. i finally have the confidence to pave the life i want.

so, if you are here at this very spot because you read everything, thank you. if you are here because you scrolled to see how long this was, here’s the TLDR of my best parts of 2020:

- tapping out cover

- the 2 shows we played lmao, maybe 3 tops

- disneyworld

- ACNH outside on the porch on release day in warm weather

- making banana bread

- learning how to BRINE meats

- watching anime until 3 am, namely the time we watched pokemon journeys until 3 am

-watching so. much. anime.

-watching livestream concerts with my friends (the chon one was a real good time)

-playing jackbox with my creatureposting friends, the volcano saga (if u know u know)

-playing jackbox with my big friends

-the first time we ever had panchos and juanchos

-finally having sushi again after painful cravings and being grumpy

-the first time we had chinese food again after the lockdown began

-hitting the punching bag for the first time in forever (my dad bought me one)

-the first time we had ramen in forever

-surprising joe with cake at his doorstep for his birthday (we thought he would be the only one with a pandemic birthday lmao)

-playing monopoly and wheel of fortune on the switch, surprisingly having fun

-jeremiah’s birthday

-getting PAID for my ART

-writing + recording ONE (1) acoustic demo

-finally finishing the singles, fixing the vocals

-shooting band promos

-unus annus

-meeting samoyeds

-meeting BRAWLY

-streaming except for the times 13 year olds cyberbullied me

-my birthday when my mom got me a terrifying singing birthday candle contraption and my sibling curbstomped the shit out of it (i was literally crying laughing like that kind of noiseless laugh cause you’re laughing that hard)

- getting the stamp of approval from andrew wells and anthony green

-my friends having their first baby!!!

-dying from thanksgiving charceuterie board

-that week i binged ghibli movies on an hbo max trial and did nothing else

-filling the front porch with plants and most of them SURVIVING the fall, possibly winter but we’ll see in 2021 lmao

- (in general) nailing riffs i fucking sing over and over when practicing but prob won’t get down good enough to sing in front of others lmao

-solo inflatable pool hangs

-thursdays with sarah in the fall playing with the puppy

-the release of the first WSA single in two and a half years

-virtual movie night with sarah watching happiest season

-the music video shoots

-brawly experiencing CHRISTMAS

-receiving really thoughtful gifts from jerry and my parents

-deciding i would work towards being a full time streamer to supplement being a musician

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goodbysunball · 4 years

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Quarantine Rock

Been a minute. I’ve been driven back to the ‘net by the unfortunate situation the entire world is in. I’m trying hard to keep occupied and keep cool instead of binging news and Instagram, and music, as always, has been a salve. Most of the below titles are just new to me, though not necessarily new - but we’ve pretty much all got the time to reminisce or to go back and search for buried gems, so here goes.

Tori Kudo, The Last Song of My Life LP (An’archives) / Tori Kudo & Kayo Makino, Ein Traum Für Dich LP (Black Truffle)

Tori Kudo’s always been on the periphery of my listening, but aside from the Mu Ji Ge 7″, this is really my first time diving into his extensive body of work. His newest solo LP is The Last Song of My Life, where as bandleader Kudo leads a melancholy saunter meditating on one motif for its duration, occasionally pocked by noise, apparently “depending on their response to the film work that was being projected.” You don’t need the film to get to the emotive heart of this, and the motif will be stuck in your head for days. Strangely beautiful, and somewhat disarming, even if the errant elbow strikes you in the ribs now and then. My go-to reading soundtrack lately. Beautiful presentation by An’archives, as usual. This one flew off the shelves, so be sure to grab it if you see it in the wild.

Last year Kudo released a collaborative LP with Kayo Makino on Black Truffle, and if you’re daunted by The Last Song of My Life, this one goes even further down the rabbit hole. I prefer Ein Traum Für Dich though; Kudo’s on piano, playing Satie on the A-side and some meandering progression on the flip, and Makino digitally distorts and heightens Kudo’s playing, occasionally adding spoken word samples and processed noise. The A-side is interesting, both of them playing with the possibilities of this pairing, Makino layering and offsetting Kudo’s melody to nauseating effect. The B-side is the reason for tuning in, though: Makino’s static stretches and overwhelms Kudo at points, making for a hypnotic and immersive 20+ minute ride. It’s a trip, the whole album acting as an audial blackout curtain, or the mesmerizing escape we all could use. Grab the LP from Forced Exposure for 15% off now.

Hardijs Lediņš, Tiny Crabs of Deep Waters LP (Musiques Electroniques Actuelles)

Been digging into the NSRD collective’s work a bit lately, though I’m not gonna pretend like I’m some sort of expert - the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art published a comprehensive book about the group a few years ago if ya wanna become one, though. I’m partway through the book; my takeaway so far is that the NSRD collective, led by Hardijs Lediņš and Juris Boiko, found ways to subvert oppressive Soviet rule through a freedom of expression and thought seldomly encountered. Part of that expression was of course music, and the Workshop For the Restoration of Unfelt Feelings compilation on Stroom is the best introduction (good luck finding the LP). The music was largely electronic, somewhat ahead of its time and also totally cracked given the relative isolation of Latvia during this time. Tiny Crabs of Deep Waters is another entryway to the group’s music, this time a reissue of an impossible-to-find CDr from Hardijs Lediņš. The synth-heavy, largely instrumental record should appeal to fans of the soundtrack work of Tangerine Dream or John Carpenter, but the whole thing carries this strange sense that something is a bit off. Cartoonish keyboard effects collide with rich bass tones in a conventional yet dizzying manner, if you lean in close. The LP’s been a great shot in the arm when the day gets too sleepy, especially when the beat kicks in on the 13-minute “La Danse Binoculaire De Paris.” Top notch reissue, released at the end of last year, and can still be had on Discogs.

Teitanblood, Death 2xLP (Norma Evangelium Diaboli/The Ajna Offensive)

Yeah, this one makes sense right now: absolutely blistering black metal from Spain, the 2014 follow-up to modern classic Seven Chalices that I didn’t check out for some reason until now. Teitanblood is smothering and chaotic, and hardly conventional, but an admittedly complicated method exists behind the screen. There’s hardly a more cathartic record available to me than Death, especially the duo of “Plagues of Forgiveness”/”Cadaver Synod” that takes up face B. The band released The Baneful Choir last year, and that one smokes, too. Grab both LPs from Hell’s Headbangers or direct from the Ajna Offensive and burn straight out of this reality.

Martina Lussi, Diffusion Is a Force LP (Latency)

A totally engrossing and absorbing sound world created by Switzerland’s Martina Lussi on Diffusion Is a Force. The samples used - wheezing breaths, dribbling basketballs, roaring crowds - introduce a human element to the rich, warm tapestries. No beats to ride on here, but a track like “Higher Energy” cuts to the core with a Loren Connors-esque guitar part, which is then slowly displaced by rumbling, punctuated bass. The album feels very light and warm, as if in a fog, and the careful sequencing shifts the mood imperceptibly from track to track. Obviously I am not well-versed in electronic music, and there’s probably a name for what Lussi does so well here, but whatever it is, Diffusion Is a Force hits me right in the chest while gettin’ the synapses firing. Find the LP on Discogs, or support 2 Bridges Music Arts during this time of small business strain.

Reek Minds, s/t 7″ (Edger) / Suck Lords, True Lords Music 7″ (Edger) / Pig DNA, Mob Shity MLP (La Vida Es Un Mus) / Pig DNA, Strong Throat 7″ (Square One Again)

It’s inevitable that some anger will boil over from time to time, from the ineptitude shown by governments worldwide to the jackass hoarding hand sanitizer right here in Tennessee. These four records will stomp the anger right outta ya so you can get back to staring at the ceiling and forcing yourself to breathe calmly. Reek Minds’ 7″ is new this year, and they blaze through 8 tracks, coming off like the late, great Sickoids while still sprinkling in some mosh-worthy bits (see “A.M.”). Matt K. at Yellow Green Red thinks Iron Lung will be calling for Reek Minds to join their ranks soon, and I agree. Apparently there are 2 copies of Reek Minds’ self-titled 7″ left at Bandcamp as of this writing. They share members with Suck Lords, who somehow play even faster, approaching powerviolence speeds, their drummer giving Jerry’s Kids’ Brian Betzger a run for his money. The Lords are a little more goofy than Reek Minds, though you wouldn’t know it if they hadn’t included a lyric sheet and a “Getting to Know the Lords” insert with last year’s True Lords Music record. Grab some Lords from Not For Everyone.

Pig DNA, for their part, drop an atomic bomb on the whole thing, their 2015 MLP Mob Shity sounding strangely prescient and utterly unforgiving. From the opening track “Foire,” Pig DNA throw down the gauntlet, every track seeming to possess more ludicrous levels of noise smothering the piledriving riffs than the previous one. There’s d-beat in there somewhere, but I’m not gonna stick my hand in the caustic stew to find it. “Scums (City Rockers)” is my pick, but the whole thing is an unrelenting assault and worthy successor to Kriegshög’s s/t LP. Hard to handle nuclear material, so it’s still available for as low as $6. The band followed up Mob Shity with Strong Throat, possibly the shortest 7″ record I own, that continues down the same path. It’s worth hunting down (here ya go) for the B-side, where the drums drop out and the band still gnashes and claws at the walls with all its got. Insane. May their message live on in these chaotic days ahead.

#Tori Kudo #Kayo Makino #Hardijs Lediņš #NSRD #Teitanblood #Martina Lussi #Reek Minds #Suck Lords #Pig DNA

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jessejostark · 4 years

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“YOU KNOW, I LOVE HARD”

Jesse Jo Stark. The woman who’s worked with Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols, Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses, has Cher as her godmother, her parents as the founders of Chrome Hearts and is friend with Bella Hadid.

She’s the woman who’s worked with Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols, Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses, has Cher as her godmother, her parents as the founders of Chrome Hearts and is friend with Bella Hadid. But forget about all those names, she is Jesse Jo Stark, a super talented young woman with the soul of an old lady.

As a singer and songwriter she sings about themes like death and love and she calls her style ‘Horrific Hillbilly’. On 9th May she had her very first gig in Berlin as a support act for The Coathangers at Berlin’s Club Maze, in the cellar of a brick building in Kreuzberg. The gig went on for about 30 minutes and was filled with a lot of energy, Rock ‘n Roll and sex appeal. You could say the stage belonged to her.

The next day we met at the Hotel de Rome, in the centre of Berlin. Surrounded by her cousin, the guitarist of her band and her manager we had some coffee and croissants and chatted about love, life and the successful end to her tour.

LUCAS AVID HÜBNER Thanks for your performances yesterday and thanks for having us!

JESSE JO STARK Thank you!

LAH You said once in an interview that you are always nervous before a concert. How did you feel at your gig yesterday?

JJS I think it was nerve-wracking simply because we had been on tour. So I’m so jet lagged, but which also lends to it, it’s kind of nice to be a little tired, but yeah, I was nervous of course, I was not sure who was coming so I was very excited and it was cool to be opening up for this band. The minute I get on stage I’m fine, it’s just it gets dark so late here I was like ‘I’m all dolled up and it’s bright outside’ so this was kind of funny.

LAH So yesterday was basically your first gig in Berlin?

JJS I’ve been in Berlin once before and I played in a mall, but I only played like 4 songs and I was 19 so I’m counting this as my first time. Do you know what I mean?

LAH Which mall was it?

JJS Ellen von Unwerth was shooting and it was for either MIU MIU or MARNI, I can’t remember. I don’t remember which mall it was and I also didn’t now where to go. Afterwards we went to a couple of pubs and got really drunk and didn’t see anything and we ended up in this random night club – but this is the first time that I’ve gotten to explore the city. We had ramen last night and than we walked through Berlin and today we went to the spa. I’ve gotten to live it a little bit more here and so far I’m just fascinated I wanna stay longer.

LAH How did it happen that you decided to come to Berlin actually?

JJS Well, we had some meetings that I had to attend and I was like ‘If I’m gonna be out there I’d love to play. Can we try to find a show?’ And The Coathangers were looking for support acts so we just booked that show, and we happened to be in London so it seems to be like an easy hop and it’s the way we ended our tour so it’s been just pretty lovely to end on this now.

LAH I remember that you covered the song ‘Bette Davis Eyes’ by Kim Carnes at your gig yesterday why did you choose that song to play?

JJS Well, I love that song and we covered it and I just love to throw a cover here and there, songs that I love and respect and make them my own and then also it gets the audience going because they can related and ‘Bette Davis’ is just such a good song and I feel like singing that for me is just like I make it my own and it’s fun, it’s just good so we put it in the set. I changed up the covers a lot, I did a Rolling Stones cover last week, but ‘Bette Davis’ is just so fun.

LAH It’s actually more like a pop song isn’t it?

JJS I feel like we rock it out a little bit, I mean I love a good dance tune you know.

LAH So let’s talk a little bit about your background. You grew up in an environment that was shaped by many creative people like your parents Richard and Laurie Lynn Stark, founders of the jewellery label Chrome Hearts, and your godmother Cher. When you think back what kind of impact did they have on your career and your personality in general?

JJS I think that your environment when you grow up is so … you’re like a sponge, you know, you either take a lot from it or you run away from the family, right? But my family was so inspiring to me and I was around a lot of adults growing up and a lot creatives and a lot of music, around fashion, a lot of Rock ‘n’ Roll and I think that it just kind of stuck with me. My parents always drew me into their environment, they never like kept me away from it so I was always in the factory when they were creating things and fitting people, making garments for different people that happen to be musicians and my dad played tons of music for me on the way to school, so it just stuck in me.

LAH So it seems that you were surrounded by a lot of adults during your childhood, did you also hang out with friends of your age?

JJS Yeah I had friends, but I always felt a little misunderstood. You know, I love hard! I really waned to have this like crew of people that I could hang with, but I always felt really misunderstood and I was kind of angry, like I just never fit in anywhere. And so to be kind of expected so little and be around adults and my parents would let me hang with them I just felt that I absorbed more from that than from the kids my age, you know. Now I have peers and I am growing into myself and I have some really cool friends, but when I was younger it was just I felt like I was surrounded way more by adults.

LAH What about your siblings?

JJS They didn’t come til I was 13. So I got to be the only child for 13 years. When they were born I had a little more freedom.

LAH How is your relationship with them?

JJS Amazing. They are little entrepreneurs, my sister has a bikini line, my brother has a line where its about being active. My parents raise them the same way where you know there – it’s just a different respect level they don’t treat them like they are little, we all communicate. And my brother and sister, I would say I couldn’t love anything more unless I guess I had a baby because they’re just magnificent.

“I don’t fucking know why he didn’t like me!”

LAH Let’s talk a little bit more about your music. How did you know you wanted to pursue music?

JJS I just feel that I’ve always been fascinated with it and being able to create and write. And when I was little I just asked my dad like “Can I take piano or guitar lessons?” So they put me in lessons for different instruments, guitar, piano and some vocal lessons, so that was when I started writing my own poetry and wrote my first song I was really young.

LAH At the age of?

JJS I was like 9 or something. And it just became this thing that didn’t go away and I started recording covers because I thought my writing wasn’t good enough to record so I did random covers, like a pop cover, country cover I have like 50 covers recorded – I swear – and then I sought out to find a band.

LAH So you wrote your first song when you were 9? What was it about?

JJS ‘My heart’s on fire’. And it’s about a boy. It’s actually about this one boy from high school that didn’t like me, his name was Chase.

LAH Why didn’t he like you?

JJS I don’t fucking know why he didn’t like me! I still don’t know why. I remember writing that song, I was with my vocal teacher and she said “What are you gonna write about?” and I was like “I just feel…I just feel my heart is on fire.” And she was like “That is a song name.” And it was very short and had my best friend in the background doing vocals, it was very pop. And then I recently wrote a song called “Fire of Love” so I feel like it’s a full circle for me.

LAH So you said you did a lot of covers when you were young. If you could choose an artist to work with who would it be and why?

JJS I would say Merle Haggard, but he passed. Um …Oh, wait Stevie Nicks would be insane and Rhye, I love Rhye. I’ve been really embracing new bands lately because I’m usually only listening to old music. And some of the greats that are sadly passed like Lux from the Cramps or like Elvis. Just to name a few.

LAH So your musical background is also quite huge. You’ve worked with people like Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols for your first record, Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses and Cher. How have all these musicians influenced you in your music?

JJS I just think that one think they all have in common is they never bullshit me, they’re not gonna just tell me I’m good, they’re not gonna tell me it’s easy, you know. They challenged, me they challenged my creativity, being honest and like if i’m showing them a song they’ll be like – so Steve one day – the reason I worked with Steve was, well, I’ve known him forever but I played him a song and said “What do you think about this song?” and he said: “Well, love, I think it’s shit.” That was what he said. But it was actually really amazing it was during my time recording my first EP in my early 20’s.

“I want to look like a lady, but a little bit like fucked up as well!”

LAH So it actually helped you that he was so direct with his opinion.

JJS It helped. And I said well “If you think that it’s shit why are you even producing a record for me? Don’t just say that.” But he did and in the end we did like 5 songs together and now it’s the first body of work that was really important to me. He really pushed me in the studio and it was really cool to work with him and have his ear with my stuff. It’s important to meet that there is honesty and being challenged constantly. ‘Cause there are a million bands and there are a million artists and a lot of them are great, but a lot of them suck, so you gotta be yourself and you gotta push, push, push!

LAH We already talked a little bit about it, but besides music you are also interested in fashion. You did a collaboration with vans in 2011.

JJS I think I was like 19 they just came to me and “Wanna to do something?”

LAH How did this happen?

JJS I have no idea! There was this girl that was really cool actually this was when blogs where everything. What was it called… it was called like ‘Bleach Black’. Have you heard of it? It was really cool. And she loved me and she worked at vans, but then she left and she was just like “I want you to work with this girl Melissa” and they did this huge thing and I said I only wanna do it if we incorporate my music. And they did. And it was so fucking fun and then they rented out the Troubadour for me and I had a show and that was my first real show. They really incorporated and embodied me with fashion and with my music.

“I think I can honestly say right now in my life love is the scariest thing!”

LAH You also worked together with your parents for their label Chrome Hearts and also helped work on Bella Hadid’s gown for the Met Gala last year right?

JJS Well, you know we did a collaboration with Gareth Pugh a while ago and Bella is a dear family friend of mine and she is so involved with Chrome Hearts. She’s such a supporter we grew up together and we where just hanging and she was like “I’m wearing that to the MET” and then we decided she needed a veil and then we made this amazing veil and I was placing gold on it. It was just a really nice family project and she just rocked it and that was amazing, so things like that just happen when you are at the factory.

LAH How would you describe your style in terms of fashion?

JJS First of all, I have to be comfortable for the most part, it’s rare that I won’t be. I like to be warm and, I don’t know, I want to look like a lady, but a little bit like fucked up as well, and not always pristine ’cause I have a lot of vintage on, then probably add some crazy big earrings. I think it’s always changing, I like to dress up. It’s just an extension of my mood like anyone’s, if I am in a bad mood I probably wearing creepers this big and stomping around in them.

LAH Your look yesterday on stage was a mix of sexy and comfortable.

JJS My friend owns this line Tigra Tigra and it’s brilliant and she gave me that zebra dress. But then I go buy all of these fabrics and I just make a bunch of them and that’s my stage outfit. And than I costum-made those boots, they are really like my second feet, I feel so naked without them. I love them. It took a while to make them.

LAH What are your fears in life?

JJS Life.

LAH Well okay true, life in general is very scary.

JJS No. Okay, well, i can’t tell you my actual fear because I don’t want anybody to know that. Fear! … In the end I guess being loved is like the coolest thing and loving someone else so i guess…

LAH Not being loved?

JJS Like love, not not being loved, but love .. Love is kind of scary right? But i’m not scared of anything with my career, I think we manifest and we create what we wanna see for ourselves and that’s up to us. No one’s gonna do that.

LAH Yeah it’s the same over here, with love.

JJS Love right? I think I can honestly say right now in my life love is the scariest thing!

LAH What has been the proudest moment of your career?

JJS I think it’s all been really cool. I mean fuck i’m here right now, like this is amazing and I get to talk to you in Berlin, I played a show and I got delicious ramen and I was naked all day walking around the spa. It’s not bad. But I think one of my goals that I’ve wanted to make was going on tour. My next goal’s to play festivals. One of my proudest moments was the vans collaboration because I did that separate to my family and I made my own money and I killed it and I designed and I performed and I felt really satisfied and happy that I got to do that at a young age, you know?

LAH So now you are in Berlin sitting with me on this couch. What’s next for you? Flying back to L.A.?

JJS I will go to Paris to meet my mother and then have some meetings, but then I’m going back to L.A. to write an album. I’m gonna put out my first album.

LAH Awesome news. So are you planning to do that this summer?

JJS Yes, I’m planning to release it before next year.

LAH So in summary, there is a new album in planning, you want to play on festivals, more touring..

JJS Yes, more touring, come back to Berlin, maybe this September (winks).

And then we clinked our cups for her successful tour (mine filled with black coffee and her’s with milk tea).

#jesse jo stark #interview magazine #interview #2019

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kalluun-patangaroa · 5 years

Text

Suede

SKY magazine, December 1993

written by Simon Witter

"HELLO! WHAT HAVE WE GOT HERE?!" asks Brett Anderson rhetorically, staring at the fluff he has just removed from his ear. "I haven't taken these earrings off for about nine years."

It may seem an incongruous moment to ask the 27-year-old indie pin-up about his personal style, but hey, that's the kind of guy I am. "Tatty," replies Brett with a wry smile. "I haven't been able to get out and go shopping."

Brett Anderson, frontman of Suede – the British pop sensation of 93 – is hotly rumoured to have a great dress sense. Today however, perched uncomfortably behind an executive desk at the central London HQ of his record company, his head inadvertently framed by a halo of Right Said Fred promotional balloons, he is sporting a navy blue jeans'n'top ensemble he accurately describes as "just anything". Brett has been telling me how he spends most of his time with people who work in shops or are unemployed – "real people, not in the business" – so I presume this boutique bonding provides a clue to his supposed, though temporarily non-evident, style savvy.

"Oh no," he gasps. "Not clothes shops! Most of my friends are in food shops. So I know a good bit of brie when I see it."

The thought of Brett Anderson having, at any point in his life, ever eaten food, conjures images of pigs flapping their trotters as they sail past this second floor window. But we press on with the personal style enquiry.

"I want to change it at the moment," he says. "I'm sick of wearing second-hand things. I used to have a grudge against new clothes because I don't like wearing things that another thousand people are wearing. It's nothing to do with being into clothes from years ago, or tatty clothes at all. I'm quite keen to toy around with my style until I eventually find something, to have clothes made for me. There's never anything, when I go out and look for clothes, that I really love. I've got quite a strong vision of what I want, which would be very, very well fitted things. I don't like baggy things. I like lots of ethnic looks. I really like the Spanish look, that sort of matador thing." By way of explanation, Brett strikes a pose, clicking imaginary castanets above his head. "I like that shape. Prince wears a really brilliant little thing sometimes. When I kept getting my bellybutton out, it was really a desire to achieve that shape more than anything, nothing to do with flaunting my navel."

It's well worth flashing your bellybutton while you still can, I assure him, a rueful hand on my own expanding waistline.

"Yep," he smiles. "Well I can't anymore. Not after that chinese last night."

In May of 1992 Suede released their first single, 'The Drowners'. They had already been on the cover of Melody Maker – before they had a record out – and would grace 18 other British magazine covers over the next year, including the cover of Q on just their second single. Their eponymous debut album, released last March, went straight to No. One in the charts and went on to win the Mercury Prize, and last autumn they released a full-length concert video Love & Poison. At this rate, it will be time for their memoirs by easter.

Within the bizarre, incestuous fishbowl of the British music media, Suede have become almost self-damagingly important. After a couple of wilderness years spent faffing about, finding their feet and being universally loathed, their overnight transformation into the most hyped band in the world was nothing short of miraculous. Yet it created impossibly high expectations of their music. A German friend told me how surprised he was, after long distance exposure to their media glare, to discover how average Suede sounded – a judgment that casual discovery of the first album would hardly have elicited. And while touring America, their support act the Cranberries famously outshone them by an enormous factor when it came to album sales. Yet phase one of Suede's career has been – or appeared to be – so extraordinary, that they are going to be hard-pressed to follow it up with anything similarly momentous.

For now, we have 'Stay Together', a new, epically long single. As a measure of Suede's magnitude in the reality-starved world of British indie pop, I am treated to an absurd preview of the track the day before meeting Brett. Before entering the listening room I am subjected to a bag search to check – I kid you not! – that I'm not carrying a concealed tape recorder.

In LA, the world capital of muso control freakism, I was played U2's Desire, the immediate-follow up to their 15-million selling Joshua Tree album, eons before its release without anyone thinking twice. Yet now, without a hint of humour or irony, I am being treated as if I not only know anyone who cares what the next Suede single sounds like, but would be willing to pay for a tape of it recorded through a leather bag.

After regaining consciousness, I join in the fiasco, insist on a full body search (well, at less reputable establishments you'd have to pay good money for this touchy-feely experience) and am seated. The label boss places two speakers on each side of my head, facing my ears from about 20" away, turns it up LOUD, and begins to do that embarrassing, pseudo appreciative in-chair grooving that only people who work in record companies and recording studios have the gall to indulge in. "It's not pompous," he assures me, "even though it's eight minutes long."

Of course any pop song – as opposed to dance record – that lasts eight minutes is by definition pompous. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was gloriously, defiantly pompous with a side order of pomposity to go. But, despite the circumstances, 'Stay Together' sounds like a fine, many-hued song, liberally doused with Bernard Butler's life-saving guitar, that is destined neither to win many new fans nor shock the devotees.

"It's about a sense of unrest I feel about the world," Brett tells me the following day, in an ill-advised shot at an explanation. "An attempt to make some sense when everything seems to be going slightly insane. I do get a real sense of impending doom, but not in a depressing way, not like we're all gonna die, let's go and rape people. I feel quite content with it. We're living under some shadow, and I'm not quite sure what it is. It's a bit like the fears I felt when I was growing up, when things were unstable and there was the threat of nuclear war, or the fear that your parents could die of aerosol poisoning."

Brett grew up, together with Suede drummer Mat Osman, in the soulless satellite town of Haywards Heath, between London and Brighton. According to Osman, if they'd been the tea party fops people make them out to be, they would've formed a grunge band. They only wanted to be really glamorous because of their stultifyingly dull working class backgrounds. Some might say that that would lead to the three-Es-a-night, dance-and-forget syndrome, rather than the formation of a glam rock band.

"Hopefully we're not a glam rock band," Brett shudders defensively. "You can escape those surroundings by taking a load of Es and ignoring it. Another way is to create your own myth, to try and become romantic in your own eyes, to create something beautiful out of the rubbish and the shit. It all sounds very Oscar Wilde, but that's the way we did it. None of us were brought up in workhouses, but we haven't had easy lives at all."

Suede claim to be obsessed with fame because they were excluded from it. Yet surely fame is the one classless thing people aren't born into?

"Lots of people are constantly privileged," says Brett, who has clearly spent an unhealthy amount of time pondering the abstract qualities of fame. "If you're born in Soho to rich professional parents, and you've got Jonathan Wotsisname coming round to your house every night to see your father, then you've got this world that you slip easily into. When you're excluded from it there's a desperation, you're desperate to have it. It doesn't come as second nature to you, like professionally famous people who hang out in Beverly Hills. It's not something you're comfortable with, but that mutates it into something far more interesting, a bit prickly and far more creative, because you're not just sitting there lapping it up."

Suede's appearance coincided not unfortunately with the post-Madchester 70s revival. But was their styling something more than just the result of being unable to afford new clothes? Personally, I had thought the emergence of Gary Numan had killed off the idea of anyone ever again wanting to be David Bowie (not to mention Bowie's recent records). Then along came Suede, with their rough guitars, their androgyny and their theatrical singer.

"I never thought of ourselves as '70s," Brett insists. "David Bowie is a genius, but the rest of all that rubbish I always found laughable. As for the clothes, I always thought we looked more 60s than 70s. It's all tied up with this whole kitsch thing, this Magpie and Porridge and rediscovering the culture of British music journalists' youths. Kids of 14 didn't know what anyone was talking about, it was just that the people in power had reached a certain age where they were getting sentimental about their youth and started remembering Magpie. That's all it was, all a complete load of rubbish. As soon as we were aware that this scene was going on, we wanted nothing to do with it."

Brett's voice is a highly variable instrument, perfect and beautiful on slow numbers like 'The Next Life', but occasionally, when he affects that archly operatic Bowie yodel, a whiney, sneering sound like Rik Mayall on speed boring into your brain – absolutely maddening. It goes without saying that his delivery owes much to the most overrated British pop star of the last decade, Morrissey.

"I forced my voice in that way because of how we were born, musically, playing shitholes. It was the only way I could make myself heard. I didn't want to sing in the murmuring way that was the style of the time. I wanted to project my voice, because I was writing songs that I wanted people to hear the words of. I wasn't just writing about fluffy little clouds, which is what everyone was doing at the time. People read into my intonations a theatrical seventiesness, but it was a complete accident."

Overworked as the subject is, it's hard to avoid asking why Brett thinks his androgyny caused such a fuss. It's not the first time it has been done; it's not even the tenth time. Genderless, mincing fops are to classic British pop what hairspray is to American rock, a staple ingredient. Brett, by comparison to most, is pretty tame.

"I don't know," he sighs. "We certainly weren't thinking 'oh let's be androgynous', it's just the way we are. I'm naturally quite an effeminate person – not all the time, I do play on things. I think it was because, at the time, people were so incredibly boring. We had been through five years of the cult of non-personality, and we never wanted to go with the flow. When everyone had their heads down, chugging away, we wanted to twist things a little bit. It's like at school, when you find that something annoys someone, you keep on doing it more and more. And that's what happened really."

A female psychologist wrote recently about the overt sexual expression of pre-pubertal girls at pop concerts, the way in which, amidst the non-contact hysteria of the pop experience, they could sometimes experience their first orgasm. She was, admittedly, talking about a Take That show, but I can't help wondering if it looks like that from the stage to Brett Anderson?

"No, nothing like that," he purrs, "nothing sexual. I always feel like people are putting it on."

Having their first fake orgasm?

"It's a bizarre thing in my head. I know they really like me, but I can't really take it seriously. When I'm onstage, and it's working, I feel like I can do absolutely anything. I feel as though there's no limit, even in the sense that I could fall asleep if I felt like it, because I'm that relaxed. I feel much more comfortable on stage than walking down the street. I could go off into a corner and do a crossword or shave my head. I feel ridiculously relaxed. I really enjoy the power of being onstage. It's to do with the circuit of the flow between the audience and you, when it's an audience willing you to be good. Your own power is an expression of how the audience is feeling, but I can't say I ever feel sexual, even if it looks that way. I think that to call the power purely sexual is to belittle it. When I've been to incredible gigs, it hasn't been a sexual thing, it has been something far more magical than that. "

Brett and Osman came to London in the mid 80s to study, respectively, architecture and politics at UCL and LSE. Suede began after they placed an ad in the NME in 1989, but initial concerts had audiences shouting "Fuck off!", critics calling them effete wankers and record companies running for the hills - a three-pronged invitation to eat shit and die that would have spelt the end for most bands.

"That X factor that made people despise us," muses Brett, "was something we managed to turn around in our favour. It's like being in love with someone, and exactly the same things you adore about them, completely horrify you when you've fallen out of love. We went away and learnt how to write songs, and came back transformed. And those qualities that originally pissed people off, we transformed into something provocative. I think the fact that we went through all that rubbish was a fucking good thing for us. People forget that the Beatles spent five years in Hamburg. No one would touch them in England, cos everyone thought they were an utter load of shit. They spent five years getting it together, suffering a bit and fighting for it."

A typical lyric from those hard years was Brett's line about "shitting paracetomol on the escalator". When they were recently described as chemically saturated, I had assumed more interesting chemicals were involved.

"That's about pure mundanity, being off your face every night and your staple diet coming from your bathroom cabinet. It's a metaphor for a humdrum life, going up and down the London underground, which I spent five years of my life doing."

In many ways this – Suede's poignant soundtracking of new depression Britain – is their strength. But if they are Her Majesty's equivalent of slackers, it hasn't made America any more amenable to their cause. Indeed, despite Brett's avowed loathing of the British character – "negativity, small-mindedness, lack of faith" – there may well be a Britishness about Suede which prevents America from getting the point.

Brett makes the mistake of quoting a Smiths song to me – something about innocence, fragility and trust – forcing me to point out that American audiences don't want to be trusted with something precious, they want to rock out with their cocks out. Evan Dando may wear a dress and pigtails, but the wider American market is notoriously unkeen on sexual ambiguity. Queen were big in America until the early 80s, when Freddie Mercury started appearing in full clone gear. They never toured America again, and didn't have a single hit until after his death (and then only thanks to Wayne's World). In fact, America's association of guitars and manliness make Suede fundamentally unsuited.

"No!" storms Brett. "I don't think we're fundamentally unmanly. All you have to do is come and watch us live. We're about sexuality, power and emotion, things that everybody feels."

Whether or not America is destined to fall for his Morrissey-meets-Larry Grayson stage persona, Brett's much-aired desire to move to America (and less well-known plan to live in Paris) has, for now, been replaced by a much smaller act of bedouinism.

"I've moved from Notting Hill to Highgate," he announces proudly, "from a fashionable place to a place where you're living in the last century pretty much. I was living in a very small flat in Notting Hill and it was driving me insane, I couldn't write and was being bombarded with nonsense all day long. I needed the peace and quiet, and now I have a bigger flat with a studio room in it and I'm writing quite prolifically. It's more serene, there's more space to think. It's quite a beautiful place, but you do feel like you're living in the last century, like you're some sort of oddity, or in a play. You keep going into these odd characters. But it's a great place."

In person, and despite the affectation of much of his thought processes, Brett Anderson is quite charming. An endearing smile – which seems to hibernate when cameras are around – plays constantly around his face, suggesting shared confidences which, to some extent, he delivers. Like so many people cocooned by over-protective minions, he is refreshingly open and approachable. I like him. But he is deeply shocked and incredulous when I paint a picture of the special treatment afforded him by those he works with.

"They treat me with the respect I deserve," he jokes defensively. "I don't have tea with Lenny Kravitz. My best friend works in a chip shop, and that's why I like it, it's a complete escape. One of the beautiful things about being successful is that it can rub off onto your friends as well. Not fame and all that bullshit – the really brilliant thing about being successful is the self-confidence, the sense of life having a purpose, that life is a wonderful thing. You open the shutters in the morning and the sunshine pours through. That sense of vitality about life can completely rub off on your friends. Sometimes it doesn't, it can go the other way, with friends ignoring you cos they think you don't have time for them, but that never happens with your proper friends."

And yet, engulfed in the sweltering perversity of his peer group, Brett has come to hold some pretty crap views, views that seem utterly irrelevant beyond the borders of saddo indie land. He worries about being thought a sell-out, thinks Suede are radically honest because they admit to having ambition – as if people didn't get over all that bollocks a decade ago – and, worst of all, that people don't talk enough about music in interviews. Oh dear!

But, despite all this, Brett's public image remains unshatterably cool. He exudes waves of sultry, sulky hipness. I feel an urge to know what naff items lurk in the corners of Chateau Anderson, his ownership of which will shock Suede devotees to the core. Brett tells me he's been to see Aladdin, listens to jazz music, likes The Orb and Verve and has just bought the new Shamen single. To prove it, he even does his Mr C impression - "Comin' on like a vibe, y'know!". This won't do at all.

"I like Terence Trent D'Arby," he admits, trying harder. "I think he's really good."

It's good, but it's not right.

"I bought Billy Joel's River Of Dreams album. I like that one."

Aha – as Inspector Clouseau used to say – now we are getting somewhere! What about films?

"No, I've got impeccable taste when it comes to films."

No feature length On The Buses video stashed chez Brett?

"No. I have got Crocodile Dundee."

Bingo and Bullseye! So much for impeccable taste.

"Well, my perennial favourite is Performance," he flusters wildly. "I can virtually quote the whole film from start to finish. And there's a brilliant film which I've just discovered called The Shout, with John Hurt, Alan Bates and Susanna York. It's about a man who has spent years in the Australian bush learning the secrets of the bush doctors coming to this ridiculously reserved Cornish village and turning two people's lives upside down. It's like an animal alive within this village, and when he shouts, everyone within a mile radius dies. If Alan Bates' part had been played by Vincent Price, it would've been laughable, but it's incredibly powerful, one of those great lost films."

It's a nice try, but nothing can erase the impression created by Billy Joel and Crocodile Dundee.

#suede #brett anderson #press #interview #sky #1993

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globgor-of-mewnie · 5 years

Text

Since When Has Our Relationship Ever Been Easy?

Hey everyone! Thank you for all your love and support for the prologue of this story! I hope you continue to like what you see! This next chapter takes place a few weeks after the prologue, so our star-crossed lovers are still children at this point. Without further ado, let’s continue!

PS-Ugh, I’m sorry, but Globgor and Eclipsa won’t meet until the next chapter! It just felt right to stop the chapter where it did. I hope you all enjoy this little extra backstory for our main heroes! Take heart in the fact that by the end of the chapter, they’re on their way to meeting each other!

Prologue CH1

Ages

Globgor: 8

Eclipsa: 7

CH1-I’m Not Good at Making Friends

Booted feet skid down the stairs as the Solarian Warrior sped towards the entrance in order to meet up with her most adored queen. She had her arms filled with paperwork as she took the stairs two at a time. Of course, this caused her to drip and send her work flying. She mentally cursed as she quickly gathered them up again.

“Mina, what’s taking you so long?”

Mina jumped and zipped over to the side of the Her Majesty. She gave a sharp salute, making sure to stand tall and proud. “Ma’am, please forgive my tardiness, ma’am!”

Solaria raised an eyebrow. “Is that toast in your mouth?”

The young woman was quiet before she spit out the offensive breakfast that she had stuffed in her mouth at the last minute.

The queen sighed, but smiled at the loyal soldier regardless. “Well, it’s nice of you to finally show up. I really don’t want to attend this pointless negotiation without my support group.” She threw a saddle on her unicorn as she continued to grumble. “Just the very thought of sitting in the same room with these savages is enough to make me want to lose my lunch.”

Mina didn’t look much happier. “With all due respect my Queen, why’d ya agree to even toy with the idea of talking things out?”

“Believe me, if it was up to me alone, I’d strike our enemies down while their guard is down.” Solaria made a fist and glared, as if she could see her hated foes right in front of her. “However, the High Commission ‘strongly suggested’ that we attempt a temporary truce with the monsters. Their attacks on the castle have been too frequent.”

“Ah, so what?” Mina took a battle pose and threw a few mock punches. “If they try anything, me and the rest of the Solarian Warriors will show ‘em what for! Just like we have been!”

Solaria put a hand on the young woman’s shoulder and lead her off the side. “Yes, Mina. My warriors’ loyalty and strength are second to none, particularly yours. However, I can’t take the risk. I can’t allow any of my servants to be harmed, or the loved ones of my allies…” The queen held a hand up to the balcony of Eclipsa’s room. “Not to mention the princess of Me-“

Her words cut off as a small body suddenly leaped from the spot she was pointing, giving a little cry as she landed squarely in the bushes below.

“Eclipsa!” Solaria ran over to the bush and immediately dug her daughter out. She held her up and examined her for any injuries. She seemed fine with just a few sticks and twigs sticking out of her curls.

Eclipsa looked sheepish as she went under visual interrogation. “Eheh…..Hey Mommy. I thought you’d be gone by now…”

Solaria, seeing her daughter was unharmed, set the small girl back on to the ground. Okay, worried mommy was done. Time for angry mommy. “Eclipsa, what in the name of corn were you thinking?! Did you actually jump down from your balcony like some sort of crazy beast?! Answer me, Eclipsa!”

The princess sighed and put on a familiar face of guilt. Anyone could tell that the girl had been scolded like this many times in the past. She was used to it, but didn’t really enjoy upsetting her mother all the same. “I-I was aiming for the bushes…..I made it, didn’t I? Aren’t you impressed?”

“My pride in your courage and agility is not what’s important here! I told you to stay in your room!”

“But Mommy, I can’t anymore!” Eclipsa wailed, giving her curls a sharp tug. “I want to go outside! I haven’t been outside the castle in so long! I’m going crazy!”

Solaria sighed. She knelt down beside her daughter and patted the top of her head. “Yes my sweet, I understand. It must be hard for your free spirit to be contained as much as it is. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the monsters have made it unsafe for all of us, most especially a young girl like you. One day you’ll be able to go about freely without a care in the world. but not until we’ve put those monsters in their place.”

Eclipsa couldn’t suppress her groan. That was all she ever heard. No Eclipsa, you can’t do this because of monsters, you can’t do that because of monsters, only after monsters are gone, Eclipsa. This wasn’t fair. How long was this fight going to go on? Mewmans and monsters had been fighting for what she was pretty sure was her entire life. What if this went on forever? What if she was never free?

“Mommy…..I’m tired of this. I’m so lonely….”

Solaria sighed again and closed her eyes. She shook her head, her long braid swishing back and forth. “Lonliness. Such nonsense. One thing a royal should never feel is lack of companionship. There’s always someone around, needing your immediate attention, and then another person right on top of them.” She opened her eyes. “Still…I understand you’re still young and are not yet burdened with the heavy weight of running a kingdom. I can understand why you would still feel the need for companionship.”

Solaria turned her head to look at her purple-haired companion. “Mina, you’ll stay behind and keep Eclipsa company.”

Well, that wasn’t meant with a positive response.

“WHAT?!” both girls cried in horror.

“B-But your majesty! Y-You need me beside you in case the negotiation goes south, which I’m pretty sure is more likely to happen than not! I can’t just stay here and be the kid’s babysitter!” Mina wailed, giving the young princess an accusatory look, as if she was personally out to get the warrior.

Her words were instantly silenced by the steely glare given to her by the queen. “That ‘kid’ is your future queen, Mina. I’d advise you to watch your tongue.”

Mina gulped. “Y-Yes, your majesty. I meant no disrespect…”

“But Mommy, I don’t want to play with Mina! She’s crazy!” She exchanged an unkind look with the warrior before continuing. “Plus, I want to be around kids my own age! I mean, I love Uncle Jushtin, but I’m tired of being around adults all the time!”

“Well, I’d hardly call your uncle an ‘adult’, but….” Solaria nodded. “I do understand where you’re coming from.” She once again looked at Mina. “Go fetch the princesses from the Spiderbite and Ponyhead families. They should be in the courtyard with their parents. Send them a formal invitation for a playdate with Princess Eclipsa.”

Mina saluted her queen before zipping off to carry out her commands.

Eclipsa looked up at her mother with a large smile. “Thank you, Mommy! Now staying inside won’t be so bad! This is going to be a lot of fun!”

~~~

I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong….

This was way worse that being alone.

Oh sure, Eclipsa enjoyed herself a nice cup of tea as much as the next girl, but she could do with far more entertaining company. She had thought hanging around kids her own age would allow her to get away from the boringness and dreariness of politics, but not so. Not so. The princesses from the Ponyhead and Spiderbite Kingdom were just as obsessed with talking about the future of Mewni. For crying out loud, they weren’t even queens yet! Didn’t anyone just want to have a good chat with a spot of tea?

“The monsters still consider us one of them, despite our totally clear alliance with the Mewmans! They just, won’t get the memo!” Pom-pom Ponyhead said with an eyeroll.

Grissy Spiderbite nodded, resting a hand against her swollen cheek. “I hear you, but count yourself lucky! At least you don’t live next door a monster stronghold. It’s almost impossible to go anywhere without running into their ugly little faces. Not even the spiders can keep them out!”

Eclipsa tiredly dipped a finger in her tea. “Hey, do you girls want to play hide-and-seek or something?”

“-If they go around killing all your spiders, you guys may have to rename your kingdom!”

Eclipsa blinked. Did they not hear her? “Or maybe we could draw something?”

“-don’t be ridiculous. The Forest of Unlikely Spiderbites will always have spiders on stand by. Trust me, the breeding is insane.”

Eclipsa leaned back in her seat, staring straight up at the ceiling. Well, this was the absolute worst. If she stayed there much longer, she was pretty sure she was going to die. Or fall asleep. One of the two.

Her dark eyes looked around the playroom, desperate for something to occupy herself lest she be defeated by the iron grip of boredom. The talk between the other princesses was just white noise to her by this point. The Butterfly princess did manage to brighten up a bit as she saw a lone guitar sitting in the left corner of the room. How long had that been there?

Without even excusing herself, Eclipsa made her way over to the instrument. She giggled mischievously as she put the strap over her shoulder and gently touched the strings. It was time to liven up this dreary tea party a bit!

Eclipsa lifted her hands and began slamming heavy notes out of the guitar, the noise somehow sounding like a high-pitched wail. The princess bobbed her head sharply to the music, sticking her tongue as she felt the harsh sound ring deliciously through her body. Yeah! Nothing made her feel as free as the sound of her blaring music! Sadly, her guests didn’t share her enthusiastic opinion.

“What are you doing, Eclipsa?!” Grissy groaned, covering her ears and shaking her head.

Pon-pon was in a state of near panic. “Grissy, help! I don’t have hands to cover my ears! This is torture!”

“What? It’s just music!” Eclipsa called over the sound of her tunes.

“That is not music! I’ve heard music, that ain’t it!” Pon-pon wailed.

Grissy quickly snatched the instrument from Eclipsa, holding it away at arm’s length. “Why can’t you play like a normal person? A calm, classical tune? Hammering away like is barbaric and an insult to my ears!”

Eclipsa gave a small smile while shrugging good-naturedly. “I don’t have anything against slow music, but what I was doing was a new form of music I’ve seen some Mewmans do. Doesn’t it sound so exciting? Really gets into your blood, right?”

The princesses stared at her, their faces clearly lost on the notion.

“……You’re so weird,” Pon-pon said.

“I guess it’s not your fault though.” Grissy adjusted the guitar so that she was holding it in a position that could be played. “I mean, just like at your mother. It seems madness is just a key factor in the Butterfly bloodline.” With that, the Spiderbite princess began to strum a quiet melody while humming an old song passed down by her people.

“……” Eclipsa watched the two play for a moment before deciding she could be spending her time doing something better. Almost instinctively, her mauve-colored eyes roamed over to the window positioned behind her.

…..

In retrospect, if she stayed in a location that had Mewman adults, she didn’t have to worry about coming under harm’s way. They’d protect her and she would still be able to get a little fresh air.

But what would her mother say?

…..

Eclipsa didn’t bother to give the princesses another glance before making her escape.

~~~

The rat had been minding his own business in his little self-made hole. He hadn’t been bothering anyone. He had just been collecting a few unwanted scraps of food in order to store away for later. So of course, when he saw a tiny scrap of cheese delivered right in front of his hole, of course he didn’t think anything of it. Maybe the monster residing here had noticed his presence and had decided to provide him with a welcome to the neighborhood party.

His theory was quickly crushed once the minute he left his safe haven, a small, red form leaped on top of his back and pressed a stick against his neck from behind.

“You’ve met your match, you pest!” the tiny monster cried. No matter how hard the rat ran and tried to buck off his captor, he didn’t gain his release. Instead, he felt himself being steered against his will towards the wall he had been living in. Instead of being sent straight into his hole however, he was sent headfirst into the solid wall. His world began to spin as he finally submitted to the terrible beast and slumped on to the ground. He gave one last thrash before his world went dark. The last thing he saw was two sets of eyes on top of one another, all four gleaming at him with satisfaction.

~~~

“Well, that’s it! I got ‘em all!” Globgor declared as he returned to his average size. He picked up the rodent he had just rendered unconscience and tossed it in the pile of the rest of his captive pests. There had to have at least been a little over a dozen.

“So you did. Heh. I guess you really do have a bright future as a soldier, if that’s how quickly you can dispatch your enemies.” Gooblah gestured towards the front door with his head. “Now, if you could just carry them out, I’ll be happy to-“

He stopped his words as he watched the young monster gobble up the pile of KO’d rodents as if they were nothing more than a pile of potato chips. “Did you say something?” Globgor asked, before slurping up a tail like it was a noodle.

Gooblah grimaced. “Um, no. Nothing.” He handed the boy a large sack tied with a knot on the top. “Here. Breakfast and lunch in exchange for you handling my little rodent problem.”

Globgor took the package hesitantly. “Our deal was just for breakfast.”

The older man shrugged. “Yeah, well, everyone deserves a break once in awhile, and I had a little extra food.”

Globgor shook his head and sat the sack on the floor. He opened it and began handing the other back some of the food. “Then it should be going to the really young kids, or the crippled, or the sick. I don’t need any handouts. I can earn my keep.”

“I can’t tell if you’re selfless or just stubborn.”

“Well, what about you?” Globgor folded his arms and gave the man a frown. “Are you seriously going to meet the Monster Carver in person and not bite her head off?”

Gooblah sighed, obviously having had this conversation many times. “Honestly Globgor, it hurts me to hear you say that. This is a sit-down. We agreed to meet in peaceful terms. You would have us go back on our word?”

“For the sake of monsterkind, I would.”

“Then you have no honor. And that makes you no better than Solaria.” Despite his rising temper, Gooblah didn’t take joy the offended and even hurt look that appeared on the boy’s face. Still, he had no father to teach him these things. The two of them only shared a kinship due to being the only Size-Shifters in Mewni….maybe even in the whole multiverse. They were hardly family to each other. That didn’t stop the older of the two from feeling sorry for the younger though. It was hard having to watch a hardworking child be corrupted by the selfish mistakes of adults. There didn’t seem to be anything he could do to help him though.

Globgor snatched up his breakfast before heading to the door. “I don’t know why they agreed to your stupid sit-down plan. As if the Monster Carver would ever form any kind of truce. We had her backed into a corner with the attacks on Butterfly Castle! We could be taking the whole place right now!”

Gooblah frowned. “Oh? ‘We’? I wasn’t aware you were out there risking your life with all the adults.”

Globgor glared. “She’ll smite you the minute she lays eyes on you!”

“Then she will be the villain, not me.”

“You’re an old fool. You deserve whatever happens to you.” With a slam of the door, Globgor was gone.

A melancholy sigh escaped Gooblah as he listened to the boy run off.

“Maybe, child. Maybe.”

~~~

Globgor grumbled angrily to himself as he quickly scarfed down his hard-earned breakfast. He didn’t have time to waste. Not on breakfast and not on that foolish old man he had the misfortune of sharing his breed with. He needed to get down by the river and see if his net caught any fish last night.

As he was scarfing down the last bit, his ears perked up at the sound of nearby laughter. His face twitched as he looked to the side to see a group of monster kids playing with a ball nearby. They were playing keep away from one member, who still seemed to be enjoying himself regardless. They teasingly pushed each other followed by endless bouts of laughter and cheering.

….

Globgor shook his head at their childish behavior. How could they act so carefree like that? Didn’t they know that the adults were out there fighting for their very lives? That at any moment the Mewmans could come and steal away their home? Their food? Their very livelihood? Monsters were being robbed of everything they held dear, and what were these guys doing? Playing a game, like it was the most important thing going on in their dull lives.

Globgor stood up and straightened his tunic out. He didn’t have time for such nonsense. He knew what was truly important. Every monster needed to lend a hand if they were ever going to win this war. Let them have their ridiculous games. He had fish to deliver.

“But Globgor, you’re not even a teen yet! Aren’t you due a little fun before you actually grow up?”

The boy blinked in surprise before looking up to find the owner of the voice. Once he saw who it was, he simply rolled his eyes and continued on his trek to the river. “Not now Banana Hat Muscle Whale. I have work to do.”

The muscular mammal floated after his creator. “C’mon, why don’t you ask them if you can play too?”

“Ha! I wouldn’t be caught dead!”

“You act like you’re so tough, but I’m starting to think you’re just a snob!”

“It’s called being an adult!” Globgor hissed. He hadn’t stopped walking. “Not that you would know what that is, considering you’re not even real!” He crossed his arms and stuck his nose up in indignation. “I’m not going to be one of those kids who act like everything is fine and there aren’t monsters out there fighting and dying for us. Not only is it a disservice to monsterkind, but everyone is already expecting things from me. Don’t you realize what it means to be a Size-Shifter? When I learn how to increase my size, there’s nothing that will stop me from bringing justice to my people. I’ll be able to swallow up an army in one gulp! I’m going to be the best soldier ever! And a soldier doesn’t waste time acting like a fool, playing a bunch of mindless games. Let the kids do that. This monster already decided to grow up!”

Banana Hat grinned teasingly. “Yeaaaah. You’re really grown up, being so lonely you had to make up an imaginary friend to keep you company!”

“That’s it. I just decided you lose again Lord Ridex. It’s canon now.”

#CH 1 #I'm Not Good at Making Friends #queen solaria #the monster carver #mina loveberry #globgor #eclipsa #globclipsa #fanfiction #mun writes #SWHOREBE

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fyeah-chanyeol · 5 years

Text

The Eℓyxion [dot] in Seoul DVD & Photobook; Chanyeol’s Q&A

“On the stage I want to go crazy. When I let go of ‘me’ and leave myself to my instincts, when I bring out the instincts of EXO, I feel an insane amount of delight.” Question: Can you give your thoughts about finishing EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn[dot]? Chanyeol: Out of all the various things that we do as EXO, I like concerts the most. Recording, practice, filming dramas, movies, or photoshoots are things that EXO prepares to show to the fans, but concerts are a space where EXO and EXO-L can meet, run around and play together, and interact directly. I really like it because it feels like EXO and EXO-L are becoming one. So I’m very sad when one of our concerts ends. I was very sad when EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn[dot] ended too. But because of that I look forward to the next concert, and I think I work even harder to make it more fun. It feels good that as the years go by, it feels as though EXO and EXO-L are fitting together better. Finally, I want to say ‘thank you’ once again to EXO-L. Q: You just performed your fourth concert, can you pick which concert you enjoyed the most? Chanyeol: If we’re talking about the concert I enjoyed the most with me in the spotlight, I would say EXO PLANET #3 - The EXO’rDIUM, but if we’re talking about how complete the concert felt as a whole, I would say EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn[dot]. The props and videos on stage, the dancers etc. felt more polished as a whole. We also got to do solo performances, which let us show of our individual charms, which I enjoyed. Q: The ‘Sweet Lies’ rap you performed as part of the EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn[dot] was very charming. I feel like it would have been very satisfying to perform a song with rap as the main rapper of the group, how did it feel? Chanyeol: ‘Sweet Lies’ was a song that tormented me. It was very difficult to write the rap lyrics. Because I’m not a bad boy, it was hard to write lyrics about sweet lies, hahaha. It was so stressful that I actually had dreams about writing lyrics. I kept changing them until 10 minutes before we recorded. But overall, I was really pleased at how ‘Sweet Lies’ turned out because I led to a good performance where I could show off a sexy and mature side. I created the stage with the thought of ‘I am a lethal man’ hahaha. Q: You showed off a solo performance for EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn[dot] with ‘Nine Hands’, how did you plan this performance? Chanyeol: During out initial concerts I got to show off the things that I like through drumming, playing guitar, and the DJ performance. So for EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn[dot] when I was planning the performance I thought a lot about “what would be good on a stage”? The ‘Nine Hands’ performance was less about ‘let’s do a good rap’ and more about ‘let’s show who I was from an EXO trainee up until now’. While I was creating music with director Shim Jaewon, the lyrics of ‘when you’re fatigued hold tight onto the hands of all eight of us’ came to be, and that became the centre of the song ‘Nine Hands’ Q: During a reported interview, you said that when you were writing the lyrics to ‘Nine Hands’ and even when you were performing it, you thought a lot about the members and the fans, what did you mean? Chanyeol: ‘Nine Hands’ is very much a story about me. Whenever I was fatigued the EXO members would pat me on the head, and I gained strength from feeling their warmth. I think that it’s not just with me, everybody has points in their lives when they go through hardships. It’s important to have someone next to you when this happens. Because if just one person is there to support and comfort you, you feel as though you can get through any hardship. I felt that I could get through tough times without falling thanks to the EXO members and EXO-L. Because EXO-L are members of EXO too. Q: I feel as though you would have not been able to feel happiness during your debut compared to now as a successful singer, do you think you’re happier now than you were back then? Chanyeol: I think the standards of happiness differ. When I had just debuted, it was very hard physically. I barely had any days to rest, and I wasn’t sure how EXO would mature as a group. But I was young then. I had the firm belief of ‘it will be okay’, and I was happy at the simple fact that I would do music. I would have been happy with a simple spinning top. But now, as a singer of 7 years, I feel a lot more responsibility and pressure. I miss being able to write lyrics happily without any worries, like I did when I was younger. Q: During EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn[dot] you displayed a duet performance ‘We Young’ with Sehun, when you were practicing with Sehun what was your fondest memory? Chanyeol: We were resting in our dormitory when I heard this ‘thud thud’ sound. Sehun was practicing ‘We Young’ while dripping in sweat. I joined in and we both practiced ‘We Young’ for over 2 hours while sweating. I remember that moment. We used to always say ‘we should make a cool performance together’ to each other, so to be able to show such a performance during the concert made me really happy. Q: You also had a duet performance with DO. When DO sang ‘For Life’, you played the piano, which was very impressive. How long did you practice for that stage? Chanyeol: I didn’t feel too pressured because it was a performance about DO’s singing, not my piano playing. I only thought ‘let’s not get in the way of DO’, so I tried very hard when playing the piano. Q: How was it hearing DO’s voice while playing the piano? Chanyeol: DO’s voice is always grand. When I first heard the demos for ‘For Life’ and ‘Sing For You’ I thought ‘if DO sang that in English it would sound much better’, and he must have had the same thought too. One day he suddenly said “should I download the ‘For Life’ MR and sing it in English?” and I couldn’t stop myself from saying “it would suit you!” Q: During the last concert EXO PLANET #3 - The EXO’rDIUM you showed off a guitar performance, do you think between the guitar and the piano, which instrument holds more charm? Chanyeol: I think for performances, piano just can’t beat guitar. I tend to prefer band music, and I’ve always liked the lead guitarist the most no matter what band it was. The movement is also much freer compared to piano or drums. I still go back to the video of me playing electric guitar from EXO PLANET #3 - The EXO’rDIUM and watch it again. I’m still satisfied at my guitar performance that day. It’s my ‘life video’. Q: Compared to your initial concert you coordinated the stage with your dance team, how was that? Chanyeol: It was fun. It was fun while preparing the concert, and it was great to be able to do an international performance with the dance team, which is like family to us. They helped us fill up a large stage, and visually it was a much more dynamic performance. It was great to both give and receive energy from the dancers on stage. We also didn’t want to lose to their level of energy, so we ended up performing even harder. Even during parts where we would have stored some of our energy, we didn’t want to lose to the dance team so we tried even harder and sweat so much. I feel like watching the heat of the dancers brought something out in me. Q: During the concert, the EDM section became much more cut down and the huge DJ booth disappeared. I feel like because you more or less led the entire section, it was a shame to see it go. How was it? Chanyeol: I wasn’t ashamed at all. I felt that the EDM section needed changing. The EDM section was good at raiding the heat on the stage, but I didn’t want to show a similar repertoire over and over again. So it wasn’t just me, but all the EXO members together, that suggested to director Shim Jaewon, that we should reduce the scale of the EDM section. During EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn[dot], it was fun to see the completion of an EDM section that was different to the initial concert. Q: During the concert, you usually play the role of talking to EXO-L. “shall we play?”, “everybody scream!”, “shall we go crazy?” are some of the things you say, what sort of interaction are you having with the fans when you say this? Chanyeol: Yes. I wanted the entire audience of EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn[dot] to go home thinking “wow, that was so much fun, I had such a good time”. I feel like if I want them to feel satisfied without any regrets, I need to give them energy. So I try to commune with them by shouting even louder. Q: When you’re talking to EXO-L on the stage your voice always raises by about two tones. Are you raising your voice in hopes of trying to become even closer with Exo-L? Chanyeol: To be honest it’s really hard to talk with my voice raised like that. It’s really hard to say ‘lets jump together’ while performing. Because I’m shouting during the parts where I should be breathing. Even so, when I’m talking I try to raise my voice to try and get my words across more clearly. The stadium is very large so if I talk to the audience at a regular volume they can’t hear me as well. So when I talk more loudly my energy comes across more. I feel as though the tone of my voice can control the temperature of the audience. When you’re listening to music and playing it’s easy to become loose during the speaking segments, but if I raise my voice by even one tone I can carry the tension through. Q: During concerts you sometimes use the expression ‘going crazy.’ You say ‘shall we go crazy?’. What does it mean to go crazy on stage? Chanyeol: You’re placing down the concept of ‘me’ and trusting yourself to the music, without worrying about the person next to you, without thinking about what you look like and being caught in a trance, I think that’s what it means to ‘go crazy’. Being excited and playing based on your instincts, that’s when you say you’re going crazy. Q: You like to mess around with EXO-L, especially with Baekhyun. Particularly you would copy EXO-L singing ‘Universe’. Do you mess around with EXO-L in the hopes of getting them to laugh one more time? Chanyeol: It’s not particularly intending ‘let’s make EXO-L laugh’, I’m just naturally very playful. I don’t have a strong sense of wanting to be funny on the stage, but there are times on stage where a screw goes loose and I joke around. Q: During the speaking segments the part where you copy Baekhyun’s moves in a ‘capture dance’ was also funny. Do you often copy members dancing? Chanyeol: I tend to observe EXO member’s performances deeply. And I often hang around backstage copying member performances. The EXO members like my capture dances. That day Baekhyun’s last pose was very impactful, so we were talking about it, and I naturally copied him. That wasn’t me thinking ‘I should show off the capture dance’, but before I could think about it I was joking around like that. Q: When DO was filming with a shaved head he asked “will it be okay?”. You replied “I think it will be weird any way I look at it”. “It doesn’t look bad, does it?”, what was your reply? Chanyeol: I said “it’s bad”. It’s funny, what could I do about that? Hahaha. I still think I did a good job not overreacting to it. Truthfully, I kind of felt admirable that DO could remain so calm in that situation. I could have never done that. If that were me, I would have worn a wig or a hat, hahaha. Q: During the encore stage you said “I often think of the first, second, and third concerts”. You said particularly that you think about EXO PLANET #3 - The EXO’rDIUM. What parts do you think about? Chanyeol: It wouldn’t be an over-exaggeration if I said that EXO PLANET #3 - The EXO’rDIUM was the concert that matured me. I figured out how to commune with the fans, and it was the concert that created my ‘life video’, the performance of me playing the guitar. Everything from the concert stage to the crowd reaction stays fresh in my memory. Q: You also said “I had something to say, but I must have forgotten it”. Do you often think of what to say beforehand? Chanyeol: I don’t particularly prepare speeches beforehand. It was just that when the EXO members were talking on stage I was thinking ‘I should say something about this’, but when it came to my turn, one of the members asked me a question and I forgot what I wanted to say. Q: Another thing, you said “I was watching all the EXO-Ls while on the stage, and I feel proud that you’re having so much fun”, what are EXO-Ls like from up on the stage? When are you proud? Chanyeol: When I see the EXO-L ‘go crazy’, hahaha. Like I said before, I’m happiest when I see EXO-L ‘go crazy’ without paying attention to who’s around them and enjoying the songs and dancing. When I say ‘everybody scream!’ EXO-L replies by cheering. In those moments I think that I’m not performing, but communing with the fans. I don’t perform to try and look cool, but to try and make the people watching happy. Q: What was the most impressive moment of your fans during EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn[dot]? Chanyeol: During the ‘Drop That’ performance EXO and EXO-L both jump and play together. That moment sticks with me the most. And when they sung for us before the encore performance, that was very touching too. Even when I’m feeling down in the waiting room, when I hear that song I jump straight up on instinct. In an instant I feel like I’m being charged with energy and I think ‘I have to go back onto the stage’. It’s touching not only visually, but audibly as well. Q: What are EXO-Ls to EXO? Chanyeol: EXO-L are EXO’s friend and family. EXO and EXO-L are one. We Are One! Translation by fyeah-chanyeol (Please take out with full credits)

#chanyeol #exo #text: interview #text: trans #elyxion dot in seoul dvd #trans

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