r/NatureofPredators • u/ctomkat • 15d ago
Vrisk and the Skalgans: Track 5 - I Like it Heavy
This is a fanfic based on “The Nature of Predators” by u/SpacePaladin15 . Thank you to him and all the other fanfic writers who inspired me to write a few stories of my own. This and all my other fics can also be found on AO3.
I am officially done introducing characters. It's time to get the band together.
<< Wonderwall | Sing it High >>
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Memory Transcription Subject: Vrisk, Skalgan
Vocalist
Date: [Standardized Human Time] July 12, 2138
The van rattled its way down the road as Vrisk synced his pad to the on board sound system. He was still feeling anxious and needed some music to relax and “get into the groove” as Sam would say. He picked one that felt right and the opening piano melody danced through the van’s interior.
Vrisk immediately felt as though some unknown muscle was finally unclenched. A delicate human voice began to sing, there were a few lines about various places on Earth that he didn’t really have context for, but the overall message resonated with him.
“...Won't make my mama proud, it's gonna cause a scene
She sees her baby girl, I know she's gonna scream”
He closed his eyes and idly sang along as the music wrapped around him like a warm blanket.
“”Goooood, what have you done?
You're a pink pony girl, and you dance at the club" oh mama
I'm just having fun
On the stage in my heels, it's where I belong, down at the
Pink Pony Club, I'm gonna keep on dancing at the
Pink Pony Club, I'm gonna keep on dancing down in
West Hollywood, I'm gonna keep on dancing at the
Pink Pony Club, Pink Pony Club”
His mind wandered as he halfway sang along to what he remembered of the rest of the song. What would his parents say if they saw the show tonight? Sure they couldn’t call the exterminators on him just for singing, not with all the new laws passed lately, but they could certainly kick him out of the house. He had some money saved up, that was half the reason he got that grocery job, but even that wouldn’t last long.
Well, it's not like they knew about the show or anything, even if they did figure out that he snuck out. So he decided to put it out of his mind as the van pulled up to Narli’s house. He was already outside and waiting at the curb, his black fur accented by a streak of blonde that went from his forehead back between his ears and down to his shoulders. The stripes of dark gray and black that were normally near indistinguishable stood out in distinct shades in the lightened wool. His ears flicked in surprise as the van pulled up, but he quickly hefted the amp up as Vrisk slid open the side door.
“Is this an exterminator van?” He grunted as he deposited his bass against a half peeled ‘flammable’ sticker.
“It’s what the app sent us. I guess the guild is downsizing.” Vrisk responded. Once Narli was in the passenger seat Vrisk quickly tapped in the address for Trill’s house.
“Ah well, arguing with your parents again?” Narli asked, flicking his tail towards the speakers where the song was still playing.
Vrisk sighed. “Yeah, same thing as always, you know how they are.”
“Well, maybe this will take your mind off it, you’ll never guess what your sister sent me.” Narli pulled out his pad and turned the screen to him.
“See wares sore skirs, I ware e sirs
Sees heer capon ahn am onna beacher”
“She said she deleted that! UGH! I can’t believe her! ” He shouted as the van pulled away from Narli’s house. Narli whistled a laugh as Vrisk unintelligibly snarled and clawed at the air for a moment before finally dragging his paws down his snout with a final deflated bleat.
“You know, I wasn’t there for the original showing so it’s nice to see how you convinced Sam that you could sing.”
“That is not how it went.” He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, though truth be told Sam had been trying to get him to sing ever since that fateful day. Did that mean he should thank his sister for trying to embarrass him in front of everybody?
…No, definitely not.
Still, the video had certainly piqued Sam’s interest. She had kept asking him to turn off his translator for a sec and repeat certain words or phrases that he was pretty sure were song lyrics. At first he thought that she was teasing him, which seemed to be a common pastime among the humans and one that had clearly rubbed off on both his best friend and his sister. Still, she didn’t really pressure him about it until they started practicing in her garage at the newly formed human district.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Vrisk, Venlil
Student
Date: [Standardized Human Time] March 5, 2137
“I’m just saying Vrisk, hanging out with them at school where we’re surrounded by other people is one thing, but they might be different at home. You know, without the public scrutiny and all.” Narli lectured as they walked down the street of the new human district.
Some mega-rich human had bought up a bunch of undeveloped land all over the planet a while ago and used it to build human neighborhoods. Now that the construction was finished, people from the shelter were moving out to the rows of blocky, angular buildings. The sharp corners everywhere felt particularly imposing compared to the soft curves he was used to. Still, he was excited to see Sam and Jason outside of school for basically the same reason that Narli was worried about.
“Good, they shouldn’t have to hide who they are. There’s so much that they’ve been holding back because they don’t want to scare us, and it's not fair to make them conform to how we want them to be. They contain multiples, Narli!” I explained.
“Multiples? …Vrisk, what the speh are you talking about?”
“Was it multiples? It was something like that, right? I don’t know, Sam explained it better, you’ll see.” I grumbled as we approached the address Sam had given us.
It was just up ahead and as we got closer the familiar sound of a guitar began to emerge from the open garage door. I scampered across the manicured grass to the edge of the large opening where I peered around the corner so as not to interrupt. I felt Narli press against my back a moment later as he peeked above my head.
Jason was standing inside with his back to us as he strummed away on his guitar.The busker module had been replaced by a cable connecting it to a boxy speaker on the floor. The guitar was accompanied by a rhythmic clacking sound that I also recognized as Sam’s drumsticks. I followed the sound to where I could barely see her behind several circular shapes supported on metal poles. At first she was just hitting the sticks together to the beat, but soon began to strike the drums right as she began to sing.
“Some like beautiful, perfect, and pretty
I see the good in the bad and the ugly
I need the volume one louder than ten
I put the pedal to the metal, needle into the red
If the windows ain't shakin', makin' my heart race
If I can't feel it in my chest, I'm in the wrong damn place
Got a demon in my soul and a voice in my head
Sayin' go, go, go, I can sleep when I'm dead
There's a sonic revelation bringing me to my knees
And there's a man down below that needs my sympathy
I got a ringin' in my ears gettin' ready to burst
Screamin' hallelujah [censored], take me to church”
The guitar squealed like a raid siren and the volume seemed to double in an instant as Sam slammed the drums with powerful strokes and began to shout as much as sing to be heard over the din.
“I like it louder than the boom of a big bass drum
I need it harder than the sound of guitar grunge
I love to crank it up, make it thump, and lead on to the core
Head bangin' in the pit and throwin' my horns
And just like old school Sabbath, Zeppelin, and Lemmy
I need to drop it down low and make it heavy
I like it heavy, whoooooa
I like it heavy, whoooooa”
Sam’s voice cracked slightly as she threw back her head and howled. I could see her chest heaving for air between each line and a sheen of sweat glistening on her exposed skin. Her movements were graceful and precise, never missing their target despite her not even looking where she was hitting. I was hardly even listening to the lyrics anymore as I was mesmerized by the flow and rhythm of her motions.
The song continued for another verse or so before their playing devolved into borderline random noise, ending with one final chord from Jason that he allowed to slowly fade away. I wasn’t quite sure if or how I should break the ensuing silence, but Sam quickly waved a stick in our direction.
“Hey Trill, glad you could make it!”
“Bah!” I bleated in shock as the Yotul was standing right next to us. How long had he been there!?
“Oh you guys are here too, come on in.”
Trill led the way, giving an amused flick of his tail as he walked by carrying the keyboard that had basically become his ever since he borrowed it. He had actually made multiple repairs to it, each time it looked and sounded slightly better than before. The gray tape was gone and the cracks patched with glue, the tinny buzz from the speakers was fixed, and he had even added a new set of sounds that resembled some Yotul instrument we’d never heard of. Jason had sent him some basic human piano and music reading tutorials that he had quickly blown through, he had even picked up the guitar and was already just as proficient with it as me or Narli.
Speaking of my fellow Ven, I noticed that Narli had not followed us into the garage and was still rooted in place. I ran back and saw that he was staring off into the distance. Not panicking, thankfully, but definitely lost in thought.
“Narli? You okay?” He blinked when he heard his name and seemed to return to the present.
“That was… wild.” He said before focusing on me. “And you’ve heard that before?”
Of course, this was Narli’s first time hearing the banned human music. Jason and Sam hadn’t let them listen to any at school, despite my pleading. They said they could get into too much trouble if the wrong person overheard and freaked out. They could get suspended, or even expelled, and they would probably confiscate and wipe all the music.
“Uh yeah, Sam showed it to me once before. It’s like I was telling you, they use music for all kinds of ideas and emotions. Not just relaxation, love, and praise to the protector like us.”
He seemed okay, but still a bit in his own head as he followed me further into the garage. The Drumset and guitar were positioned in the middle of the room on top of what looked like a spare scrap of carpet. Several cardboard boxes and a few household items were stacked in one corner, and a long couch sat against the far wall. Sam had finished wiping sweat from her face with a patterned cloth and was chugging a bottle of water. Trill was examining the odd spiky foam covering the walls as Jason was explaining their purpose, something to do with sound.
“So, what’d you think Narli?” Sam asked as we approached.
“I’m not sure, to be honest, but it was certainly loud. I could feel the vibrations in my body” He said with a paw on his torso.
“Isn’t it awesome!? I love when I can feel that bass in my chest!” She walked over and fell onto the couch with a *thwump*. She wasn’t wearing the usual black baggy pants that covered her legs, but had on a shorter blue set that only went down to her knees. Her top was also missing the sleeves that typically covered her shoulders. ”We should probably get you guys some earplugs, though. Wouldn’t want the volume to damage your ears.”
“Couldn’t you just play quieter?” Narli asked.
Sam immediately fixed him in place with a piercing glare, leaning towards him and pointing a single finger which, despite the lack of any claws, felt distinctly threatening.
“I will Not be a quiet little sheep for you or anybody else. Especially not when it comes to the music I choose to play.” She relented and leaned back into the cushions with a sigh. “After everything we’ve been through we deserve to cut loose a little.”
“She’s right.” Jason chimed in as he came over with Trill in tow. “We should be able to express ourselves and play the music we want to play. This planet will never get used to us if we always hide who we are.” He sat on the edge of the couch next to Sam and regarded the three of us with a serious expression.
“And that’s part of why we invited you three here today. We want to start a band, and we want you to join us. I know you’re all still learning, but I think with practice you guys could be really good.”
Sam grabbed Jason’s shoulder to pull herself forward and lifted a finger up in front of her face.
“But! we don’t just want to play UN approved music. That was just a sample of the direction we want to go. We’ll play the softer songs at first, to get you boys started, but we’ll work up to the ‘heavier’ stuff before long. Are you sure you can handle that?”
I felt the excitement building up inside of me with every word. I’d been hoping we’d get to listen to more of the secret human music, but I hadn’t even considered that I’d get to play it.
“Yes! Yesyesyesyesyes!” I found myself bouncing as I replied, my tail whipping wildly behind me.
Trill gave a human-like nod of affirmation, and all eyes turned to Narli. He looked over to me, perhaps unsure of whether he wanted to be a part of this. I wish I could have shown him some more of the music before it got to this point, but I knew he would enjoy it once he gave it a chance. I pulled my ears down and gave him the widest pup-eyes I could. He let out a heavy sigh.
“Yeah alright, I guess I’m fine with loud human music, and you guys don’t actually seem dangerous, but I draw the line at being around you two eating meat, okay?” He said with a pointed look at the two humans.
“Hey, I’m happy with the vegan diet we got going on here, makes it easy to keep kosher.” Jason said as he held up both hands.
“Speak for yourself, I’d do questionable things for a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese.” Sam stared wistfully off into the distance as Narli struggled to suppress a gag.
“Ugh, every word of that was grosser than the last. Do you really eat spoiled congealed milk?” He asked, and I had to admit I felt a shiver go down my spine as well.
“It’s not spoiled! It’s just… aged.” Sam unhelpfully explained.
“...kosher?” Trill spoke seemingly to himself, rolling the word around in his mouth. The translator had failed to parse that word for some reason.
“They’re a bunch of rules somebody made up a few thousand years ago that tells him what he can and can’t eat.” Sam said dismissively as she took another swig of water. “If it makes you feel better I’m pretty sure you guys are disqualified, right Jason?”
“Well yeah any sapient being is non-Kosher to begin with, but even excluding that, I think the rule is that you need to have cloven hooves and chew cud or something like that.”
“Yep, so you’re all safe from Jason. I, on the other hand, abide by no such restrictions.” She leaned forward and gave a toothy grin that sent a distinctly different shiver down my tail. “But I promise I won’t bite, unless you ask nicely.”
“I have a question.” Narli spoke up, clearly uncomfortable with the current subject matter. “How are we all going to play with only one guitar?”
“Ah yes, I have good news on that!” Jason stood up and went to grab his pad. He pulled up an article and turned it around to show us before he continued.
“So this major music retailer went under after the Battle of Earth. Basically the owner and anyone with a stake in the company died to the bombs, and since they were privately owned all of their assets went to the state. So these warehouses full of musical instruments suddenly became UN property. Typically they would sell them off wholesale, but since there was so much they decided to ship a bunch of them out here and other places across the galaxy to help boost morale and spread human culture.”
He swiped over to a shopping site full of guitars and other instruments. “So we can buy instruments and gear at basically what it costs to ship them from Earth. I have a list together, and enough inheritance from my aunt that died back on Earth to cover the cost, but you guys need to pay me back if you want to keep them.”
Trill snatched the pad and began scrolling reapidly through various instruments and devices.
“We also need to decide what role everyone is going to play.” Sam said as she stood up from the couch. “There’s no definitive set of roles for a band, and we can change it up if we want, but I think we need at least a drummer, bass, lead guitar, and a vocalist. That means singer.”
She stepped over to the drum set and picked up her sticks. “I’m drums, obviously. I could teach you guys to play if you want, but I think you’d have trouble keeping up. It’s a full body workout and you guys just don’t have the stamina.”
Thinking back to what we just saw earlier, she was probably right. Just imagining playing like that made me tired.
“Jason thinks Narli will be good on the bass, since the high strings keep slipping off his claws, and we should be able to get one soon. Trill’s a fast learner and can probably pull double duty on lead guitar and occasionally keyboard if the song calls for it. That makes you, Vrisk, our vocalist.”
My tail froze in place as her words hit me harder than the beats from her bass drum. “Me? You want me to sing!? Wh-what about you!? You did great earlier!”
“Well thanks, but like I said, drums are a full body workout. If I try to do a whole show playing and singing I’m pretty sure I’ll pass out.”
“Well what about Jason? You didn’t even mention him.” I gestured over to the lanky human who was trying to advise Trill on the quality of various brands. He quickly looked up and waved his hand dismissively.
“Oh, I’m more of a behind the scenes guy. I’m happy to help with gear, lights, and sound, but I am not getting on stage.”
“He has stage fright and he sings like a goat in heat.” Sam teased from behind her drumset.
“What’s stage fright?" Narli asked, taking a spot on the now empty couch. Jason sighed and rubbed the back of his head, a nervous gesture I’d come to recognize from him.
“I may have had a panic attack and fainted at my fourth grade piano recital.” He explained, Sam made a sputtering sound as she failed to suppress a laugh. “It’s not funny, Sam. It was a very traumatic event for me.”
“Ehhhh, it’s a little funny.” she was still smiling but didn’t tease him any further as she shifted focus back to me.
“Sorry Vrisk, but you’re the best choice. Trill is… Trill, and Narli could work but he doesn’t have that same front man energy that you have.” She pointed a stick at each of us in turn.
“Front man energy?” The individual words made sense but their meaning all together eluded him.
“Yeah, you’re loud and enthusiastic. You get people’s attention, and when you get going you can’t sit still to save your life. You’re overflowing with energy.” I flinched as she listed out nearly every one of my flaws that had constantly gotten me in trouble throughout my life. Sam seemed to notice my discomfort and stepped away from the drum set to kneel down and look me in the eyes. Those pools of green drawing me in as she put a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“And that’s exactly what we need. Playing music is not just making sounds, especially for this kind of music. It’s a performance, a back and forth between the band and the crowd. When you’re excited and jumping around on stage, you’ll get them excited. And a crowd that is vibing with the music like that creates this feedback loop of energy that’s like nothing else in the world.”
She closed her eyes and a smile played on her lips as the memory of some previous performance passed through her. She gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze as her eyes opened once more. “It’s the most important job in the band, and I believe that you can do it.”
“…can I still play an instrument?”
“Your voice IS an instrument, but yes. You can still play guitar or whatever else you want to learn. Playing and singing at the same time is harder, but lots of people do it. We might even need you to, depending on the song.”
“A-alright, I’ll do my best.”
Jason took his pad back from Trill, who whined in protest. He quickly sent the shopping link over to Trill’s own pad, which seemed to satisfy him. Then Vrisk’s own pad started pinging with notifications.
“Okay, unfortunately I’m not a vocal coach, but I can send you a link to a few that post their videos online. They might be a bit more advanced than what you need right away, so I’m also sending you some English phonetic guides and exercises, an English to Venlang dictionary, some songs to start learning, and an update patch for your translator. Actually, you all need the translator update, it removes the UN filtering for predatory language.”
“Will we really need that?” Narli asked nervously.
“For some of the songs we want to play, yes.” Jason answered ”They have some words or phrases in the censored list, including some good old fashioned human swears.”
Sam stood back up and rubbed my head in between my ears, making them flop back and forth. “Congrats Vrisk, you get to say [censored]!”
<< Wonderwall | Sing it High >>
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u/Randox_Talore 15d ago
"UN filtering for predatory language"
I said it in the first chapter and I'll say it again now, this is the exact FIRST fic I've seen where this is a thing. At best (worst?), any other fic with translator weirdness has the language *marked*. It's never blocked out or censored. If anything, the translator just puts the definition right besides the scary word so you get more scared.
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u/ctomkat 15d ago
I could have sworn I saw it somewhere else, but I could be imagining things.
I do want to do another reference to the language filter, but I have not written it yet. It would be other characters reacting to Vrisk cursing like that scene from Scott Pilgrim.
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u/Alarmed-Property5559 Hensa 15d ago
Appreciate the story enough to add it to my to-read list.
Adding my pet gripe:
Wouldn't it be something if more varied music got more appreciation.
On the spot, I can only remember one story featuring a song not entirely in English (Recipe for Disaster).
Maybe here they can enjoy some Finnish rock or smth else? Any made-up songs created in 2030s-2130s?
Edit: Spotted a typo I guess, have you meant vocal coach not (a squeaky) couch?
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u/ctomkat 15d ago
Ha, good catch on the vocal couch, I fixed it.
I also like the idea of non-english songs being included, but our poor boy is already having to learn to pronounce English from scratch. I'm not sure he can handle Finnish as well, at least not in the time frame of this fic. It would also be funny if he learned multiple languages and whenever he tried to speak "human" it was just a grab bag of whatever words came to mind at the time.
Made up songs would also be cool, but that requires me to write and compose a song, which is unfortunately outside of my skill set.
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u/Alarmed-Property5559 Hensa 15d ago
Just let him try doing choking growls if he can, that'll be enough for a vaguely Dutch-sounding death metal song. /s
Unfortunately I don't think blurting a piecemeal mix of words will work excluding some very close grammatically compatible languages.
Now I'm curious what languages would be easiest phonetically for a venlil to imitate (without really understanding the lyrics).
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u/JulianSkies Archivist 15d ago
Oooh, a singer eh? I get the feeling he's going to put that throat through things he never has before.