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Here's the antagonist in Simone's backstory: Tommy the inquisitor. Once a friend, then traitor. Find some lore below these images but it's very summarized:
Thomas / Tommy used to be a folk woodwind musician living peacefully in a glorious empire. He joined Simone's band, but later learned that they were spellcasters and rebels against his home. After some internal conflict, he took matters into his own hands and got them arrested (but Simone escaped).
Now he's an inquisitor climbing up the ranks, thus ending his flutist career. His motives and fate are unknown, but it seems he got his hands on Hector's recording tech, and he's contributing to an invasion on the neighboring free city harboring mages and fugitives (does he know Simone is there?)
Here's some more art of him during various moments of the story (while the first 2 pieces are him in the present, these are from the past)
(bro has a lot of hairstyle changes, will be a nightmare to make a reference sheet)
His design and name were secretly inspired by Thomas Giles from Between The Buried and Me (particularly the long hair & beard phase, and his younger self) but shh 🫣
the blue nowhere by btbam <3
aaaaaaaa there's a new BtBaM album coming in September and there's a new SONG that came out recently and I finally LISTENED TO IT
"is it a good song" y'know, I have NO IDEA and that EXCITES ME
this is like Coma Ecliptic on steroids, they're leaning more into the not-metal sounds, this is some smooth rock music, except it's not, it's rocky and bumpy and eclectic and BTBAM!
it's also like the latter half of Colors II, a synth-heavy sound, like a reinterpretation of 80s music but performed by the single most talented metal band I've ever heard.
do I like this song??? I have no idea! it will depend on how the whole album works, it may recontextualize this, and plus with more listens I'll get a sense of what this song's doing! but my gut reaction is like "Memory Palace" on Coma Ecliptic: I cannot identify the beats, there is little Heavy Metal for me to headbang to, and this is a really odd choice for a single, and yet... I am fond of it! maybe like neutral! but fully trusting, because I know what these fuckers can do, I know how their music works by now! this is the music of experts, whereas I am barely a beginner! I can Learn so much about Music by listening to these experts!
what the fuck is this song!!!
the music video's neat, it's liminal space-y. I get the impression this is going to be a liminal space album. and I am definitely here for that.
do any other metal enjoying people also really love white girl music??? like ill be listening to btbam and norma jean one minute and then britney spears and chappell roan the next
I'll just keep waiting... You'll just keep waiting... In the cold, to supplement...
We've lost some friends, we drove the bends, so small...