{"id":337,"date":"2023-06-15T01:00:41","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T06:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/?p=337"},"modified":"2024-02-10T10:23:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T16:23:14","slug":"fans-fangs-and-fried-pickles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/fans-fangs-and-fried-pickles\/","title":{"rendered":"Fans, Fangs, and Fried Pickles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The band had barely gotten through their post-show coma nap when they were whisked across town to a \u201csurprise\u201d fan-organized event\u2014set up by the local promo team as a thank-you for playing in what Thane kept referring to as \u201cthe bovine apocalypse barn.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The venue?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A themed restaurant called \u201cWolf Howlz BBQ & Arcade.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes. Really. The sign out front was a neon werewolf holding a rib like a guitar. Its animatronic arm moved. Barely. It looked like it was dying of rabies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel lit up like Christmas. \u201cI love this place already.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie stared. \u201cIt has a moon bounce.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark squinted at the sign. \u201cIt also has animatronics with mange.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane muttered, \u201cI\u2019m going to start drinking again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Inside, it was even weirder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The place was decked out in faux wood paneling, wolf-themed murals (bad ones), and weirdly sensual velvet paintings of howling beasts. Every table had pawprint napkin holders. The air smelled like brisket and existential crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the back of the dining room, under a blinking sign that said \u201cFANGS & FRIENDS FAN FEST\u201d<\/strong>, sat nearly forty<\/em> people in custom-made Feral Eclipse shirts. Most looked fairly normal. Some looked… committed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One guy wore fake fur ears and had painted claws. A woman in the front row was clutching a plushie of Gabriel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rico muttered, \u201cIt\u2019s finally happened. We\u2019re a cult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel leaned over to Thane. \u201cIf someone proposes marriage, I accept.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The meet-and-greet kicked off with a mic that cut out every third word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fan 1: \u201cThane, what\u2019s your inspiration<\/em> when you\u2019re\u2014\u201d
crackle-pop-zzt<\/em>
Fan 2: \u201cGabriel, is it true you sleep upside down in a guitar case?\u201d
Fan 3: \u201cMaya, can I duel you for dominance?\u201d
Maya: \u201cTry it and I\u2019ll beat you with a cheese grater.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonah took a photo with a teenage fan who asked him to sign her prosthetic leg\u2014he did it without missing a beat, adding \u201cDrum on!\u201d above his name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark was asked if his fur was real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He just deadpanned, \u201cNo. I buy it from Etsy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane was offered a ziplock bag full of \u201cauthentic werewolf hair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He blinked. \u201c…This is dog hair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fan nodded proudly. \u201cBut it\u2019s husky<\/em>, so it\u2019s close.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel was in his<\/em> element \u2014 posing, hugging, signing whatever was put in front of him. He arm-wrestled a guy in a wolf kigurumi and lost\u2014on purpose, of course. Probably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came the fan art.
So. Much. Fan art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of it was stunning.
Some of it was… anatomically confusing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie politely clapped.
Rico bit his tongue.
Maya visibly gagged at one.
Mark stared for a solid five seconds, then said, \u201cWell. That\u2019s a perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Eventually, food was served \u2014 BBQ nachos, fried pickles, and sliders the size of hockey pucks. A karaoke machine wheezed into life, and suddenly a girl in a hoodie was belting a surprisingly accurate<\/em> cover of \u201cLunar Burn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel gasped. \u201cShe nailed my scream!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane raised a brow. \u201cRecruit her. Fire Cassie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie: \u201cI will set you on fire with a microphone stand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

By the time the night ended, the band was half-asleep, full of grease, and emotionally overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of their fanbase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they stumbled back toward the van, someone tapped Thane\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He turned to see a small, quiet-looking kid with a sketchbook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUm… hi. I just wanted to say… your music helps. A lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane\u2019s expression softened. \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kid handed him the sketchbook. \u201cI drew your whole band. I made sure you all had claws and fangs… but you\u2019re smiling. You don\u2019t smile much in photos.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane blinked, flipped through it… and genuinely smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel leaned close and whispered, \u201cTold you we\u2019re more than a band.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane ruffled the kid\u2019s hair gently with one clawed hand. \u201cYou\u2019ve got a hell of an eye.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They left the restaurant not just with leftovers, but with warmth. Real warmth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The band had barely gotten through their post-show coma nap when they were whisked across town to a \u201csurprise\u201d fan-organized event\u2014set up by the local promo team as a thank-you for playing in what Thane kept referring to as \u201cthe bovine apocalypse barn.\u201d The venue? A themed restaurant called \u201cWolf Howlz BBQ & Arcade.\u201d Yes. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3245,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337\/revisions\/3245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}