#AM I GONNA TOP A SAX PLAYER?

[ctommyisnt]

OR IS THE SAX GOING TO TOP ME

💯🙏💛🟨👍

[rayofsun936]

Haikyuu Band AU: Seijoh

AU where all the Haikyuu dorks go to the same high school and are in the Concert + Marching Band Together

Oikawa - Trumpet

Is your stereotypical egotistical trumpet player

Has been playing since elementary school

Pays for private lessons once a week for the past 10 years

Always gets the trumpet solos

Likes to play jazz music dressed up in a suit and sunglasses at the mall for extra cash (Iwazumi always stops him after two hours)

Didn’t know how to feel about Kageyama switching to trumpet for marching at first but when Atsumu started making his move he gets slightly possessive (also Iwazumi told him to get over it already)

Matsukawa - Clarinet

Joined in middle school with Hanamaki to fill in their schedule

Likes band well enough, and marching season is… interesting (mainly because the bus trips to games and competitions are… as he said, interesting)

Chill and laid back when talking about band to non-band members about band which the non-band members appreciate

One of the few band kids that actually knows how football works and will explain the rules and ranks to those who want to know

Pays close attention to the actual game during game days, so he’s always ready when the band has the opportunity to play a stands tune (people think he’s psychic when it’s common sense if you pay attention)

Hanamaki - Bassoon, Color Guard (Marching)

Started in middle school with Matsukawa, not really knowing which instrument he would choose, wanting to leave it up to fate

“Look Issei! A bazooka! I’m gonna play it!”

Marching season rolls around and he is very disappointed he can’t march the bassoon

Chose color guard cause “It needs more male performers! Plus I am not learning a whole new instrument, no thank you.”

Realizes this band’s color guard is cutthroat and semi regrets it and then full blown owns it

“Wow, Nishinoya! You are really hard core for making your own reeds. Can you teach me? Also go you for playing such a big instrument.” (“What did you say?!” - Noya)

Iwazumi - Tuba

Has been playing since Oikawa dragged him to his youth orchestra group and the director was like ‘your’e here, must mean you want to play, here’s an instrument’

Likes playing so continues to play in middle school

Gets really into obscure music and composers no one has ever heard of and Oikawa won’t stop making fun of him for it

Is in Takeda’s music theory/history class and enjoys the deep philosophical debates that occur (other students include: Semi, Shirabu, Suga, Kenma, Ushijima, Akaashi, Konoha at the moment)

Eventually teaches himself how to play the piano and gets Kiyoko to tutor him every once in a while

His favorite performance was when the band played to a Godzilla clip (my band had a piece where we synched up with a video on a projector to the audience, it was a lot fo fun)

Part of the ‘Keep Keishin Sane’ group

Yahaba - Alto Sax

Came from a family of older siblings who were all in band, so it was a no brainer to join in middle school

Saxophone because no one else in his family plays it

Is very determined to become one of the best even though he isn’t very good at rhythms with 32nd notes

Dislikes the marching uniforms, for they are unflattering and extremely hot, ruining his hair and making him smell awful

Doesn’t understand what Kyoutani’s deal is and goes off on him one day after practice during concert season (they become really close friends by their senior year)

Joins Winter Guard because the costumes are So much better than the marching band uniforms, and it’s indoors, with AC (also now he has the ability to hit people he doesn’t like from a distance with his flags)

Watari - Flute

Is your very helpful, very nice, super sweet flute player

Joined in middle school and chose flute because his younger sister really likes the instrument (like Hinata’s situation, only difference is that Watari isn’t tone deaf)

Is among the top band kids to bring in the most money during fundraisers; there’s just something about him that makes strangers want to give him their money

Always has extra supplies in his locker such as snacks, sunscreen, water, hats, socks, incase anyone needs them (he accidentally got assigned a big locker and even though he has a small instrument)

Floats between the different band groups (calm squad, energetic/rambunctious group, chaotic bunch, Keep Keishin Sane club, ect.)

Kindaichi - Clarinet

Joins in middle school wit Kunimi so he wouldn’t be alone

Is good at sight reading and deciphering complicated rhythms

Works really hard to be a really good player, and got fed up when Kageyama went up to him one day saying his efforts weren’t enough

They make up by the end of high school after having some space and being surrounded by other really good players who try really hard in a band that just doesn’t know how to not improve

Tries really hard to understand football but can’t for the life of him

Started using plastic-reeds for marching season becuase somehow his regular ones kept breaking on the bus before performances

Kunimi - French Horn, Mellophone/Pit (Marching)

Was told to join band to get him an extracurricular ( “Maybe it will motivate you to be more active.” - Kunimi’s parents)

Didn’t pick an instrument so his middle school director put him on French Horn

Everyone is surprised how good he is because they never see him do individual practice

Like he doesn’t bring his instrument home ever, no one has seen him practice outside of practice, yet he only messes up a handful of times during class the next day

Gets lectured a lot to put more effort into the dynamics during rehearsals (he’s just saving it all for the performances)

Minimum effort into marching season

Enjoys playing in the stands more than the actual marching

Eventually goes to Pit his senior year (now he doesn’t have to move)

Kyoutani - Alto Sax

Was taken to a lot of different music concerts as a kid by his parents and didn’t understand what the big deal was until he was at a particular jazz concert and the saxophone soloist hooked him

Saves up his allowance and buys himself an alto sax and self learns how to play

Officially joins band in middle school and was severely disappointed there was no jazz ensemble at his school

Gets to high school and states he will only play in the jazz band, so he doesn’t march his first year, and only participates in concert band because he wouldn’t be allowed in jazz if he didn’t

Yahaba didn’t like how Kyoutani was all high and mighty about only participating in jazz band and gave him a piece of his mind

Joins marching band after that and surprises himself in liking it (doesn’t admit to liking it until after they win their district’s competition very reluctantly)

Eventually joins the “What did you say about marching band?” group (Tanaka, Yamamoto, ect.)

Bonus: Yuda Kaneo - Trumpet

(The one crying third year from the short Seijoh ending where they all eat ramen and then the third years almost throw up from playing volleyball immediately after, idiots)

Cries at the end of every football game because he loves band so much and can’t believe it’s over for the night

Is so supportive of everyone and all of their endeavors: You want to play a grade 7 piece for solo and ensemble? Do it! You want to enter your composition to the Junior Composers Competition? Go for it! You want to learn Another instrument? I’ll help you find one! etcetera

Loves everyone and everything about band

Is a complete mess during each graduation ceremony

Part 1: Karasuno | Part 2: Nekoma | Part 3: Fukurodani | Part 5: Shiratorizawa | Part 6: Dateko | Part 7: Inarizaki | Part 8: Miyagi Girls | Part 9: Miyagi Boys | Part 10: Kamomedai | Part 10: Additional Haikyuu Boys |

[sanstropfremir]

oh my god i am SO in love with lord of the dance. however i never think about michael flatley first when i think about it because in my mind gillian norris is the most important and iconic person in that show.

i used to have it on a dvd when i was little, i must have watched it like two times a week and never got bored of it. it was the original 1996 dublin stage, the only version i enjoy to its maximum capacity. fun fact, they came to bucharest in 2014, and i wanted to go, but ultimately didn't. and thank god for that. i found clips on youtube after that and everything was worse: the music, the outfits, the acting.

fortunately there are clips on youtube of the 1996 dublin stage too, as well as the whole show. i still sometimes watch them. and after much consideration, i have come to the conclusion that fiery nights, warriors and gypsy (however unfortunate the name) are my favorite numbers, in that respective order.

fiery nights wouldn't be what it is without the soundtrack, that fucking saxophone. i saw somebody say that that is what sex sounds like. i have heard the same thing said about ateez's desire outro. these things are so unrelated right now but i honestly can hear it and feel it for both and it makes so much sense to describe them that way. gillian norris is so mesmerizing, so captivating, like i am fucking seduced through the screen. and when she starts dancing with the guy who plays don dorcha and gives him that smile you can only see a brief second in shitty 360p quality? i am positively passed out. after they leave the stage the rest of the performance is kinda meh because the other girls don't give me any passion, much less the guys. they're lucky the choreography is so tight tho.

warriors is a fucking experience from start to finish. the "oh shit it's going down" vibe right from the beginning, the intensity of the dance, the speed, the accuracy, the synchronization, the piercing looks of don dorcha - i am both horny and intimidated. today's warriors number doesn't even come close to sparking up the same kind of heavy feeling the original did. it's so... cartoonish.

and finally, gypsy, which was my og favorite. i really wonder how i did not turn out bisexual, because gillian norris definitely made me question some things. i was always impressed with her elegance and power of seduction, my dream was to be sexy like her but also to jump as high as her for my birdies. sadly i never did learn irish dance. also i really wanted her hair.

special shoutout goes to breakout tho. i don't even know if i love the first half of it or the second more. bernadette flynn as the leader all the other girls follow, girlboss moment. her unspoken duel with gillian, exchanging those fucking murderous looks, i was SO there for it!!! again, watching today's version, it's like watching a bad disney channel series. there's no seriousness to it, no commitment, it's like putting on a puppet show for kids, which this musical is so not.

ugh, i'm probably gonna go and watch some scenes again. thank you for letting me rant in your inbox!! i've only really shared my interest and love for this show with my parents, who only like it a moderate amount (not because they think it's bad but because it's just not something they're passionate about) and my ex, who couldn't care less about dance and acting and who wasn't really interested in it.

if it's okay, let me ask, how did you get interested in stage performances, dance, theatre, all that jazz? for me, it was because i did cheerleading and dance for 5 years when i was little (then i quit because i thought i had it hard in school in 5th grade). i regret not continuing with it so much. and i daresay i was pretty good at it too. oh well, at least the passion for dance remained. it's the main part i got into kpop!!

it's no problem at all!! like i said, this is my virtual pub please come talk about about random things while i serve you a pint!! i love reading about other people's passions, this was lovely!

i only think of michael flatley because he's top billed and also one of the producers so his name is always on it, and also i haven't actually seen the whole show since probably 2005 because it didn't much strike a nerve with me as a kid. i think it was probably because i watched waaaaaayyyy too much cirque. i won't say very much on it but i will say that adolphe saxe knew what he was doing when he unleashed the saxophone on the world and we are still dealing with the repercussions (i say this lovingly as a saxophone player). i'm also a horrible person and i cannot watch any fiddle + flute based musical and not think of the the lord of the rings musical, because i love the lord of the rings musical.

well i got into theatre kind of unintentionally because i thought it might be fun to try doing stage crew for the musical when i started high school and then a year later i was the stage manager. my tragic flaw is that i need to be in a position of knowledge and authority at all times, but i’m slowly getting over it. i liked it so much that i decided at like 14 that it was going to be my career and here i am over a decade later. but i also watched a lot of perfomance and art programming as a child because my parents were weird hippies, so lots of cirque du soleil, a lot of classical ballet, and also shows like toy castle (do not click on this is you are in any way afraid of clowns or frogs) which is mildly horrifying in the way all children's content is mildly horrifying in hindsight but as a child in 2000 i ate that shit with a spoon. i also dated a contemp/ballet dancer in high school and then had a very weird and ethically dubious affair with another ballet dancer in undergrad. it's a long story. it helps that i'm truly obsessed with performance and art in pretty much all its forms and i'm one of those awful people that draws in art galleries and watches shows that i know are going to be bad so i can analyze them and avoid making the same mistakes in the future. kpop was a thing that just happened as a byproduct of being friends with lot of first gen asian immigrants as a kid. i've been around and aware since 2008 but i didn't get that deep into actually following releases until first lockdown because i just didn't have the time. but i'm glad i did, because it's been a really nice hobby!

[why-are-you-even-here-tho]

AALSKDJFAHLKJDF OKAY GUYS STORY TIME

okie bit of background first

so our first chair (first standing dot?) percussionist. let’s call him D, for the sake of ease. he’s almost always doing something that he probably shouldn’t be doing: wandering around the room, going out of his way to annoy our first chair alto, just. general kinda annoying things. nothing ever over the top. nothing that really interrupts class. really funny guy; good jokes, surprisingly perfect timing to go with those jokes. he’s that person that everybody likes.

so i’m in band today right and we’re all kinda on edge cause we’re running through the songs we’re going to play for the elementary kids right. D seems a bit worse affected than the rest of us. he is a low-energy distraction throughout all of class today.

so we’re going through each instrument and the song they’re gonna do right. 

we finally get to the last song, which is a marimba duet. and halfway through or so the girl doing the bottom part looses where she is. 

and cause nobody in this dumb ass band knows how to be anything close to a proper musician it’s pretty scary to mess up during what’s basically a solo, she starts panicking about it. 

out loud.

“oh my god i’m sorry” she cries. “i swear i was gonna come back in!” 

and suddenly the band goes really quiet

of course you can probably guess that every single one of us is imagining ourselves in that position and feeling really freaking bad for this one girl.

this one fucking percussionist sees his chance.

the clouds roll apart, a single ray of sunshine glows on this guy, angels sing for a moment. the field next to the school glows greener with each word he then speaks.

“that’s what she said.“ he utters.

and the band fucking looses it.

i’m laughing so hard i’m crying. 

our only tenor sax? he’s fallen out of his chair and is now rolling around on the floor. 

even our director’s trying (and failing) to hide her snickers. 

i think the people in study hall (about 15 yards away at the minimum) could hear us. in this moment i’m immensely thankful that there’s no choir class last period as the two music rooms are connected.

in the meantime, the other marimba player has finished the song. mind you, he’s also laughing. the pitiful splutter of applause that was supposed to be for the people on mallets has now turned into a thundering round of applause for this one percussionist. 

the teacher tries to calm the class despite her own failure to stop her laughter. “D!” she gasps through her snickers. “go to the office.”

the band room is eerily silent for a moment.

“wait. really?“ D asks, any last thread of amusement wiped form his face.

“yes, really. i may be laughing but i’m serious.“ the director replies.

D slowly makes his way to the door. he’s laughing again; this time out of a more morbid disbelief. 

“you can’t send him to the office! you’re laughing!“ comes the first challenging cry from our tenor sax. he’s back in his seat by now.

“that’s not how this works! i’m in charge!“ the teacher explains, exasperated.

an echo of similar protests arise from around the room. D is leaning against the doorframe to the hallway; a smug grin making its way onto his face.

“this can be a democracy if we let it!“ the tenor cries, back out of his seat but this time on his feet. “we just won’t do what she wants us to!“

“there’s a door right there! if you send D to the office, i’ll walk out!“ a flute adds on. 

“no! D! to the principal!“ the director exclaims. “This is final!“

“wait! what am i supposed to tell him? that my teacher was laughing at a ‘that’s what she said’ joke?“ 

“just tell him exactly what you just said! go!“ 

D walks sullenly from the band room. i’ve never seen a person look as upset yet content with their actions. 

“okay,“ our director breathes. “pull out the the ma-“

“wait so do i just walk into his office? that seems kinda rude..“ 

the class again breaks into laughter. much calmer laughter, yes, but laughter all the same. 

“yes! just go!“

D really does leave that time.

we don’t see him again until class has ended and everyone is packing up instruments to take home. 

turns out D has a detention. just one. not for being a steady distraction all class. not even for the joke in class. 

it’s for what he laughed at while he was in the fucking principal’s office.

turns out that the principal was telling him a story about another group of boys that got in trouble for this kind of joke. 

“Three openly gay boys,” i was told the principal opened. my hand hit my forehead immediately. this could not be going anywhere good. “they got in trouble for walking around, arm-in-arm. not for that necessarily. it was the fact that they kept calling themselves the ‘three muska-queers’ that got them in trouble.”

now i cannot stress enough that i do not blame D for laughing at this. it was a great joke. 

the principal?

didn’t think so. 

[smallrunningmachine]

I am at last coming to the conclusion that my school's theatre department is basically the real life version of Newsies and this is gonna be a multi-parter but I'll explain why.

(This is going in no particular order)

Race: Our friendly neighborhood BTC lookalike. Inseparable from our Spot, chaos embodied. Tall bean; he's like a shark- if he stops moving he'll probably die. There's a photo of our theatre group and he's lying on the ground and our Spot has just tackled him. People love him but they love his Chevy even more. Sweet but VEEERY ADHD. Terrified of our Smalls and said once that I "scare him sometimes". (For the record I'm 5'2", have the BMI of a popsicle stick, and cried watching Top Gun.)

Spot: Looks like a very good replica of Tommy Bracco. Ex-football player. Our Race's shorter shadow. Scared the bejesus out of me at first but is actually pretty nice. Scares the hell out of the underclassmen and then immediately befriends them.

Crutchie: My best friend. A literal ray of sunshine, impossible to dislike. I could go on about her forever but I'll settle for saying that she's truly one of the sweetest people I have ever met

Albert: An upperclassman, looks like Sky Flaherty with curly hair. Seems a bit standoffish, but pretty nice, just really serious.

Smalls: Another one of my best friends. She's 4'10" and a third-degree black belt in tae kwon do. Also dangerously smart and would absolutely be my one call if I ever got arrested

Katherine: Another upperclassman. In my homeroom class, has a massive collection of vintage sneakers and cameras. Constantly sassing our Blink, Spot, and Albert. Her dad was on the select board and coaches my skiing team.

Blink: My neighbor. Looks scary as all hell, is scared of firecrackers. The ringleader but works behind the scenes and really deserved better. Incredibly smart, plays guitar, sax, and more. Looks like he could kill you and probably could but probably won't. Had to say the f bomb in a line once and just stopped, broke character and looked absolutely shocked but at the next rehearsal walked in to see some forgotten chaotic scene unfolding, said deadpan, "What the ****?" and walked out. Also one time I said "paper plates aren't good for much but it's satisfying to throw them into a fire" and received the reply "So are little brothers." Is currently going out with his onstage fiancée and we're all rooting for them.

Stay tuned for more if this catches on!

[universal-shenanigans]

New Surroundings

     A truck and a small car parked in front of a large building. This was a new night, and a new start for everyone who worked at Swing. The employees piled out of the truck and started bringing their instruments and other equipment inside. Alex made sure that they were fine before joining Alexa, Andrew, and Robin. The four of them walked through the front doors of the building, and entered the extremely bright casino. There were slot machines, poker tables, and bar stands as far as the eye could see. The four of them took a small stroll through the casino before ending up in the building’s other half: the night club. They looked amongst the sea of people, the glamorous lighting and bar, and the stage. Robin could tell by their faces the trio was excited, and nervous to stand on such a large stage. Alex swallowed the hard lump stuck in her throat, and chuckled nervously. “Whew. Never uh, seen so many people. Gotta admit, I’m gonna shit bricks if anything goes wrong.”

     “Don’t worry about that. Security is everywhere, and always on the lookout.” Don V had appeared behind them and placed a hand on her shoulder. Alex shot him a glare, which only made him keep his hand there a tad bit longer before slowly taking it away. He motioned them to follow, “Come on. I’ll show you to the back stage.”

     The five of them made their way through a door and up a small flight of steps. Once at the top, they dropped all of their things and walked around the large platform. It was ten times bigger than Swing, had two separate dressing rooms, and the band had plenty of room for their instruments. Alex couldn’t help but smile at the sight. “Daaamn.”

     V chuckled to himself, “Knew you’d like it. Now, you all have 20 minutes till showtime.”

     “Yeah, about that, is there somethin’ specific ya want us to do? Anythin’, spontaneous, or somethin’ like that?” She asked as she set up her music stand.

     “No! Keep everything exactly the same. Remember what I said about you all having something special? The way you do your shows is part of that. Same shtick, different venue, remember?” He looked at his watch and disappeared past the curtains. “15 minutes. Break a leg.”

     As soon as he was out of sight Alex made a choking gesture at his exit way. Alexa glared at her, “Knock it off. Ya know, I’d absolutely love to know why you and Andrew despise him so much.”

     The two looked at each other, and then back to her. Alexa glared between them, and waved her hand. “Well?” Both band players looked nervous at the sudden interrogation. Suddenly, one of the other band members walked up and placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Hey we’re all tuned up, and we’re ready to roll. Which song are we starting with?”

     Her gaze was broken and she cleared her throat. “Right! We’ll let y’all know what it is c’mon Andy!” She quickly turned and walked over to the band, and Andrew quickly followed. Alexa narrowed her eyes at them as they walked away. It wasn’t like them to withhold secrets from her. And why would they keep a secret about someone they clearly dislike? If anything, they would tell her so that they could bring him to some sort of downfall. Many questions buzzed around in her head. She growled at the fact that the cause of some of her friends’ strange behavior was Don V. Who the hell even was he? And why is his reputation so bad that it’s practically unspeakable? As these questions continuously made their rounds in her brain, she had completely forgotten about the show. The sound of Alex introducing the band brought her back to reality, and she quickly slipped into her dressing room before the curtains opened.

     The band started strong, a song they knew was a real crowd-pleaser. Robin and V watched from the audience. They could both tell that the patrons were starting to dig the music, but it still only looked like a few people were enjoying it. This worried V, and he was quickly glancing between the band and the crowd. Something felt like it was missing, but what? Robin noticed this and lightly nudged him. “Sir, they didn’t change anything. Just wait. They know what they’re doin’.”

     The band had reached the climax of the song. The energy had increase tremendously, and Andrew and Alex were whaling their horns. It was almost like a large gust of wind had blown the audience, and soon everyone was dancing and bobbing their heads to the song. Don V relaxed his posture, and Robin chuckled at his relief. “Told ya. Just gotta give it some time.”

~

     Alexa could hear the applause and cheering from outside her door. It gave her a small boost of reassurance about going on. There was a knock at the door. “Come in!” Robin walked inside, and scoffed at the women helping her get ready. “Wow. He’s really pullin’ out all of the stops isn’t he?”

     “Heh, that’s a bit of an understatement.” She thanked the ladies and they smiled and exited the room. There was another knock at the door. “Come on in! Not like I go on in five minutes, but you know it’s okay.” Alex and Andrew walked inside, and quickly shut the door behind them. 

     “Whew! God damn I thought we were gonna flop out there.” She noticed Alexa and smiled. “Well well well. Don’t you look regal.”

     “Thanks Al. Although, I don’t think that’s what I need to be goin’ for when it comes to the songs I’m singing tonight.” She stood up from her chair and showed off her dress. It was long, and a train followed behind her as she walked around the room. “I mean, not that I’m not in love with it, because I am, it just  looks like I’m preparing for the Oscars.”

     Robin shrugged, “I don’t know. I think it fits ya. Almost like royalty.” She rolled her eyes at his statement. He chuckled and checked his watch. “Oh shit! 30 seconds y’all!” Everyone hurried out of the room and into their places. The curtains opened and Alex stepped out. “Hello hello everyone! Thank you for taking time out your night to come here to witness our performance and services! If ya don’t already know me cause of bullshit my family either started or was involved in, I’m Alex Vandem. Me, my band, and several others came here to start somethin’ new. Reach some new people to show’em what we’ve got, and Andrew, that was the guy on the sax, and I were only just the beginning.”

     Alexa was on the other side fixing her gloves and listening to the dramatized introduction her friend was giving her. “Ladies, gents, especially the gents, we have a real treat for you tonight. The prized jewel of our show. She’s glamorous, charming, and eye-catching. And I mean, really, eye-catching. Now, without further ado, I proudly and graciously introduce our fabulous Alexa Vandus!” She quickly disappeared behind the curtain and stood in her place with her trumpet in hand. However, she had no idea what the song was, and neither did the band. A minute went by before someone in the started playing the beginning notes of one song. It was something light for now until the end of the show. Alexa had immediately recognized the first few notes and started singing. The curtains slowly opened, revealing the stage and the lights slowly growing on the trio. V’s smile grew when she sang. Her voice was lovely. Almost hypnotizing, and the audience agreed with him. Everyone was enjoying her show, and the men were giving out the occasional ‘wolf whistle’.

     However, one man just watch intently in the back. He stroked the soul patch on his chin as he watched Alexa sing. His eyes were completely fixated on her, and they never left. His eyes narrowed at her, and he clenched his glass. The thoughts that were running through his mind were many, and if they were to be said aloud, one would be extremely concerned. He traced his finger along the rim of the glass, and watched the rest of her performance with malicious and horrid thoughts. Don V had noticed his expressions, and grew suspicious of the man. He continued to watch Alexa’s performance as well, but kept a close eye on the man in the back.

[killiantaylorua]

Chap 2 The Start Line, And a Skill Gap

Chap 2 The Start Line, And a Skill Gap

The Names Jaqueline Roberts, but I have already thought about my hero name. JaqRabbit. I used to tell my friends everyday, that I would be one of the best pros in America. Fame and fortune, and a large record of saving lives. Oh, my quirk, well technically i have two. Rabbit, all the gifts that entails, that includes super jump, incredible speed, exceptional hearing and smell, and finally powerful claws that aid in combat and digging, exceptional for those caught in mudslides. Thanks mom for an awesome quirk! My secondary quirk is JackHammer, my legs have a motor that vibrates up and down, striking the ground or whatever surface I am standing on and smashing it apart. However, if im not careful and I overuse the motor, I get the shakes in my legs. I cant move them till they stop moving from the recoil. Thanks Dad, for something. His quirk ended up pairing up with my rabbit quirk, providing my legs a passive boost that causes my jumps to shatter the surfaces i jump from unintentionally. Makes trying to be a QBall player very difficult.

What! You have never heard of QBall! So normal sports became hard to regulate, so a new one was created. Q ball, or Quirk ball, based around soccer, an indestructible ball is put in the middle of the field. The teams using their quirks have to get the ball from the center into the enemies net. The net is similar to a soccer net but with tough metal chains instead of the regular netting. You can do anything to get the ball into the other teams net, however, teleport quirks and others that are far beyond everyone else ability, blitz type runners specifically. You know, cause no one can stop because they are so fast. The teams are made up of a brute, one runner, two offenders, two defenders, and one net guardian. UA America has one of the best QBall teams, and i Intend on getting on that team. As well as become a hero. Wouldn't it be awesome if i became a hero and a Qball Athlete. I could do both!

The start of my dream though. It's the spring UA America Entrance Exam, which is today. I left my house in a hurry, excited and ready to begin an awesome adventure. I ran there and i came upon the opening gate. I walked forward headed toward the entrance. As I walked, I noticed two guys that made the news but i couldn't remember who they were.. One a shaved head, red skinned guy, covered in muscle wearing sneakers, a wife beater, and some khaki shorts. He had a big stupid grin as he stared at the entrance to the school.

“This School, think it'll be useful Corvus? Give us some experience we haven't seen in the field, haha?” His voice was slightly higher, he spoke with some cockiness, oozing with pride.

“Careful Thermite, this may bore you, but we could use the exposure. Imagine, if we showed how strong we are, we might get some interesting villains to hunt us.” This one was drastically different. A black turtleneck, black jeans, black socks, black sneakers, even a weird black mask covering the top half of his head. It gave his head a dome like appearance. He had a shy voice, but intelligence and curiosity seemed to sprout from his voice. Also hunger. He was also muscular but the turtleneck and jeans were a little big so his body was mostly hidden. He seemed to be much more humble. I tried to walk over to say hi and listen to their conversation, but…

“Ooh i'm so sorry!” I ran directly into the strangest person I have ever met. He wore a forest green hoodie, black gloves, blue jeans, white socks and some gray sneakers. He wore a mask that covered his entire head and seemed to go under his hoodie. It was black, skin tight and had a weird hypnotizing effect. When you moved it switched from black to crimson constantly, it was… calming.

“Oh, no, I'm so sorry, i… I didn't see you, just oh i'm nervous I didn't see you, I oh!” He had a kind voice, nervous, scared, high energy. Yet oddly, i dunno cute.

“No it’s alright, I walked in front of you, it's my fault.”

“Oh…” Suddenly he ran off. Way too terrified. I looked at my watch and nearly fainted. The orientation was about to begin. I ran into the building, following the signs to the orientation room. I made my way to the back of the room. And stared out over the crowds of people. The lights blacked out, and on a stage in the center of the room, a square of the stage fell out, and a man rose out. He was dressed in some nice brown slacks, shoes, socks, and a brown coat over a yellow button up with a crimson ascot. He wore a brown top hat, and a smile from ear to ear. He seemed to be constantly bouncing, spinning around on a solid brown cane with a mic on the top. Speakers came down from the ceiling, and screens with old timey black and white backgrounds came down. Swing music, played primarily by sax and jazz played through the room. Suddenly an old time radio voice, accompanied with what we thought was an old radio filter but was just his voice.

“Hello, hello, wannabe heroes! Welcome to the hardest test you will ever have. HaHa!”

Suddenly his voice changed, it went from jovial to serious. “Its been over 6 months since we lost the symbol of peace. So.. we altered the test! You will be fighting robots in different fake cities. Each robot has different points, except for one, the strongest, as it has 0! Get the most points and the top 40 of you will officially be added into our hero program. However a twist has been added. Normally we have something called rescue points and that usually is related to helping your fellow heroes, however, thanks to HUC or the Help us Company have volunteered to be some civilians. Simply bring them to the safe zones and you get your points. There is also a surprise, But I can't ruin My fun! HaHa!”

“In front of you cards have been given, they tell you what cities you will be battling at. We made sure to split you up, so you would have to team up with other heroes if you want to buddy up. Oh beforehand, you have a written test, but now the pressure of the fighting will disrupt you brains! Heroes have to be able to think with stressful situations! Have fun!”

We were ushered out to a similar room and had the written test. I gotta admit, i'm a very physical person, don't care much for education. But I did practice. After 6 hours, it was time for the combat. We were bused out to different cities. I got city E along with Thermite. As we approached the city, we saw huge concrete walls and an equally large door. It completely shielded the city from sight so we never got a good idea of what we were entering.

We hopped out of the bus and I limbered up. Gotta stretch before crushing some, and what the hell is happening? An explosion ripped through the walls of the city. As the smoke cleared, we saw a burning city and sidekicks of some of the Pros.. The sidekicks met us at the entrance, wearing numbers, points, wait.

“So trainees, there might have been a slight lie. Instead of robots, sidekicks will be your targets! And we begin in , 3, 2, 1! Sorry kids but this year is…”

Before he could finish Thermite jumped in. He was covered in flames, white flames! He swung out and the pro hero was sprawling on his back. Thermite was giving off so much heat that when he got close the sidekicks were burned and had to fall back to avoid 3rd degree burns. Thermite removed his flames, and put his foot on the sidekicks and they surrendered immediately. Thermite turned back to face the others.

“Ok heroes,” Thermite called. “Outta my way, if you get burned, know you idiots were warned. I'm gonna take down every villain i see. Time to show these sidekicks who the true best hero is! Now get Lost! He turned and ran into the city. It was at that moment The conversation he had earlier made more sense. He was cocky because he knew how good he was and had the strength to dominate the competition. Suddenly I remembered who he was. He was part of the duo of villain hunters in Anderson. Thermite and Corvus, captured 30 villains on their own. Corvus never takes credit, saying Thermite did everything, but Thermite gives him credit anyway, though no one knows why.

Two more Sidekicks came out, but known of us knew how to proceed. “They’re wearing weights, slowing them down, making them easier to defeat.” A powerful voice tore through the air coming from the back. A man wearing a suit with a Black vest, white button up with white gloves, black dress pants, and black dress socks, and black dress shoes. His eyes were a ruby red, he looked young, and highly analytical, though he seemed to be focused. Black metal started leaking from his mouth, before he suddenly through his head back. He opened his mouth and it coming pouring out covering his face, hands and shoes. It hardened looking like knights armor on those parts. Yet more poured out of his face, falling on the ground. It formed a battleaxe that he picked up and swung it at the heroes. 

“Let me eviscerate you!” He shouted. He moved with extreme speed and knocked the two sidekicks too the ground with the flat side of the battleaxe. They didn't get up absolutely terrified. 

“Surrender weakling heroes,” This man start laughing hysterically, insanely.

“If you weaklings are gonna stand out here, then I'm going to have so much fun,” He tried to regain his exposure. His voice Cracked, “Sorry, battle lets some, emotions out. Come on, let's clear this City.” He ran into the city, and I looked at the others. It was time to take the courage and step forward. I'm going to be on that Qball team, and a hero. Whatever. I run forward into the city ready for anything, or so i hope!

[skeletorific]

Play My Heart in Swing Time- A Ko-fi and Kisses Drabble. GN!Reader/MT!Papyrus+UT!Sans+US!Sans

a drabble for @iliterallyhavenolife , who has been wonderfully patient. Hope you like it, it was a lot of fun to write!

“You know, if you guys ever relaxed the dress code, I might actually swing by this place more often,” Sans said, adjusting his tie for the twelfth time while he did a sweeping glance of the smoky interior of Grillby’s bar. Lucky had no doubt that this alternate of his brother would quickly be stripping both it and the dark blue sports coat he had donned for the occasion, but frankly, he had larger concerns right now.

“I QUITE LIKE IT, ACTUALLY,” Blue said, who had favored a light grey with cyan pinstripes that matched his eyes. “STILL, ALL THESE CIGARETTES CAN’T BE GOOD FOR HUMANS-”

Lucky held up a hand for silence, leaning across the bar to try and catch Grillby’s eye. Normally he didn’t like being rude but he was a bit desperate to make sure he hadn’t missed it.

Finally, the blue fireman saw him and came over, wiping out a glass. “back again?” He crackled softly.

“ARE THEY-”

“They’re still on,” he said, with definite amusement, but Lucky only sighed in obvious relief, collapsing onto a stool.

“Alright, man, what’s up? You’re looking a bit rattled.” That joke was even weak by his brother’s standards, but he couldn’t manage more than a vaguely annoyed glare before riveting his attention to the stage. Sans took a seat on his left side, leaning on the counter and ordering a drink.

“YES, WHAT WAS SO IMPORTANT? INK SAID YOU SOUNDED...URGENT.” Blue said, sitting down on his right.

“.....THERE’S THIS PERFORMER.” Lucky said quietly (well, quietly for him). “THEY’RE...NOT FROM AROUND HERE. AT LEAST, I DON’T THINK SO. THEY’VE BEEN PLAYING HERE ONCE A WEEK, AND NO ONE AROUND HERE SEEMS TO KNOW MORE THAN A NAME. I WAS WONDERING IF EITHER OF YOU THOUGHT THEY LOOKED FAMILIAR.” Human tourists weren’t uncommon these days. Ink made his traveling service available to pretty much everyone who knew how to get in contact with him, and it wasn’t uncommon to see plenty of wide-eyed humans wandering in a world that wasn’t their own.

“ONE OF THE DETERMINED HUMANS, OR...” Blue said, referring broadly to the Frisks and Swap Charas.

“I...I DON’T THINK SO. THEY DIDN’T LOOK LIKE ONE, AT LEAST.”

“they causing trouble or something? why do you need information this bad-”

“....I-I WAS HOPING FOR AN INTRODUCTION.” Lucky blurted out, cheekbones glowing a bright vermillion.

Blue and Sans exchanged a look and then matching mischievous grins.

“I SEE...”

“so, the crack shot finally took a...bullet to the heart, huh?”

“MMM!” Lucky groaned, burying his face in his hands. “LOOK, YOU TWO...YOUR WORLDS SEEMED LIKE A GOOD FIT AND...FOR WHATEVER REASON I FEEL LIKE YOU’RE LESS LIKELY TO BALL THIS UP FOR ME.”

“OF COURSE WE’LL HELP!” Blue said, patting his shoulder encouragingly.

“And hey, even if we don’t recognize them, might work as wingmen-”

“UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES.”

“its starting” Grillby said, who had been watching this whole conversation. Lucky sat bolt upright, making the other two snicker. Still, neither Blue nor Sans could resist looking with interest at the stage as the last performer was ushered off with applause and Mettaton took over, looking around the crowded bar with a dazzling metallic grin.

“Well, hot dawg, aren’t they just marvelous?” Scattered applause. “Kisses, darling, thanks for coming out. And now, for a returning favorite, and an old friend, its Shyren, with a new member of her little band, Kai! Knock em dead, dolls!”

Shyren, Aaron, and Napstablook took the stage, Shyren looking like she wanted to pass out from nerves, as always. Napstablook sat down by the drum. Aaron flexed for the pleasure of the audience (several of whom screamed very loud), before picking up the sax.

Alongside was the cutest human any of them had ever seen. They were a bit chubby, with a sweet open face under bright blue hair that caught the stage lights well. They seemed fairly nervous too but gave a bright wave out into the audience. Sans could notice the blush growing brighter on Lucky’s cheekbones, and bit back a smile.

Kai picked up the guitar. The band all exchanged nods, and then Shyren signaled the piano player.

“A one two three four...”

The band meshed well together. None of them could tear the eyes of their human. They were focused on their performance, to be sure, but they seemed to be having fun with it. When Shyren would stumble on a note they’d make a goofy face, emboldening her a bit. The audience began to get into the performance and they seemed to latch onto that, encouraging it along.

“THEY’RE...” Blue seemed to be developing his own flush.

“AMAZING” Lucky said with a forlorn sigh.

Sans tried to make a joke, but in the end, all he could do was murmur “fuck”

After far too short a time, the four of them exited the stage, flushed and excited. Mettaton started introducing the next act but the three of them just exchanged a look.

“SO...ANYONE, YOU KNOW?”

Blue shook his head, straining his neck to try and keep an eye on them

“think I’d remember something like them” He mumbled.

“WELL...IT WAS WORTH A SHOT...” Lucky said weakly, unable to tear his eyes away.

“.....fuck it, we’re going over,” Sans said, getting to his feet. Before the other two could react he’d wrapped his hands around their wrists and teleported to the other end of the room, near where they are. Both of them were startled and started to protest, but realized they were within earshot and shifted into whispers.

“WE CAN’T JUST-”

“Look, I think we’re all gonna regret it if we just let it slip past. If they’re not from any of our worlds, then who knows when we’ll see them again.” He stuck out his hand towards both of them. “We’ll all make our shot and let them make up their mind. Deal?”

“.....” They both looked at the hand, clearly wavering.

“WELL...I ALWAYS AM UP FOR A ROMANTIC ENCOUNTER.” Blue said, putting his hand on top of his.

Sans looked at Lucky. “c’mon, you really wanna spend another few weeks attached to the counter of this place, wishing you’d acted sooner? A one in three chance is better than months with no shot at all.”

Lucky grimaced...but straightened his hat, placing his hand on top of the pile. “ALRIGHT”

“MAYBE WE’LL GET LUCKY AND THEY’LL LIKE ALL THREE OF US?”

“We’ll see, bud, we’ll see.” Sans broke it and turned towards them, tapping them on the shoulder.

They turned to face him and smiled. “Oh, hi!” Fuck, they were even cuter up close, their face had a whole galaxy of freckles going on.

“hi,” he said, recovering quickly and shoving his hands in his pockets, grinning. “Uh, me and my friends back there just wanted to letcha know we enjoyed the show.”

“Oh, thank you so much! Um, to you too” they said, turning their smile on the other two. Lucky stiffened a bit and Blue smiled back just as bright. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Name’s Sans. Sans the Skeleton” He held out his hand.

“Oh, Kai!” They shook his hand enthusiastically. “And, you two?”

“I’M BLUE,” He said, coming forward and shaking their hand too.

Kai grinned and gave him a light buddy punch, which made Blue giggle. “Nice to meet you, Blue.” They finally looked at Lucky. “Oh, hey, I’ve seen you here before haven’t I?”

“....YES....”

“Well, it's nice to finally meet you.” They held out their hand. “Kai”

Before the other two could blink Lucky had taken their hand and pressed a gentle kiss to their knuckles before releasing it just as quickly, doffing his hat and giving them that boyish smile that made him seem like such a non-threat to the cops. “LUCKY. NICE TO MEET YOU TOO. I’M A BIG FAN.”

Damn it, looks like the family charm came for both brothers. And he was such a stammering blusher before...

“We were just wondering if you and your friends wanted some drinks,” Sans said. Probably for the best if three strange men didn’t immediately try to get them somewhere alone.

“Well, my bandmates are actually gonna be heading home. I should be getting back myself, but...I’d love a drink before I leave!”

They all grinned. Perfect.

“RIGHT THIS WAY,” Lucky said, swooping in before the others and gently escorting them to the bar. Blue and Sans exchanged grins. Oh, no way were they letting him lead this whole thing.

“SO WHERE’D YOU LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR?” Blue said, moving onto the other side of them.

“These two are gonna fret you with questions, of chords”

Needless to say, they didn’t so much as think to call Ink for several hours, and they were treated to the sound of that laugh more than once, as well as a few puns of their own. They all left with their number, and the promise of more to come...

[teveywonder-blog]

Borderlands 3

So I figured I’d talk about the game play trailer for Borderlands 3 and talk about what I liked, what I didn’t, and what it got me thinking about. right off the bat it looks like they’ll be diving more into the Siren lore quite a bit more. This trailer revealed four sirens will be in the game. additionally I think the fact that they introduced a new child character with Maya makes it seem like she’ll be very plot relevant. If you missed it (like i did on the first watch through) the first shot of our new baddies, the Calypso shows that the white haired female (Tyreen) has siren markings on her arm but covers the markings that would be visible on the chest and neck. wait... white haired siren as the bad guy... let’s hope they get Commandant Steele right this time. It also looks like they’ll be giving Lilith a beatdown for a vault key, and I’m guessing this will be pretty early so they can show the new villains are in fact a threat. I get why they would do that but a part of me isn’t crazy about making past player characters look weak; after all, we have seen first hand what they could do. I don’t have much to say about the villains since its still early and motives are unclear, but I still have one thing I want to talk about. They are dressed like they could be Pandoran Natives. Series entries so far have usually used outsiders affiliated with corporations or military groups as the main antagonist (not to say that native forces are unimportant in the story). having a corporately unaffiliated main antagonist(s) would be a first for the series. That being said, it still looks like a hot topic puked on them

On to the player characters 

The siren- I guess I’ll call her ability phase fists for now. I’m really interested in how she got involved with the story because like I said, I think this is the game where they start answering questions about sirens. There was one brief flash 1:05 in the version on the borderlands youtube channel that looked like she was doing something like a titan smash from destiny, but I have no idea if that is the main purpose of her ability. Also proving that not all sirens are pale with anime hair colors.  

Timothy?- Is this dude Timothy AKA Jacks doppelganger. I thought the body double we killed in B2 was timothy but as far as I know that was never confirmed. it looks like he has a similar ability and he kind of has the look too. It is looking like the time skip was a long time. who knows? y’know...besides gearbox and 2k

The Beastmaster- I was wondering when we would see a player character with a pet skag. the various other critters that appear behind them in their flash introductions makes me think that the ability will be a bit more than send out skag.

Girl with mech- betting money that this is the next “soldier” class. I’m gonna guess the name will be either the mercenary, or combat mechanic. she seems to be the owner of the big mech (it also looks like other players can ride on top). She is also the only character I recall riding in the new “circle bike” so I wonder if that is actually part of her skill rather than a new vehicle. That might be a stretch though. a very small part of me wonders if this is fiona from Tales from the Borderlands I don’t really think this is the case but Rhys made a clear appearance but Fiona did not so I’m curious to where she is and am connecting dots that probably aren’t there.

Worlds plural

looks like we won’t just be on Pandora. Early teasers and easter eggs pointed to Promethea as a point of interest for B3 and I’m hyped at the idea of travelling between planets. At the same time I hope they don’t stretch themselves too thin. The story so far has been more a story of Pandora than a story of the characters. I really hope that wherever they send us can develop the same level of depth and I would hate to be sent to five new planets just for most to fall flat.

other things I like

Rhys and what appears to be the rebirth of Atlas. God I hope they aren’t evil but it would still be so cool if they were. also the fact that he’s with Zer0 who he totally respects and definitely doesn’t have a mancrush on.

all the mustaches

the music in the trailer + Brick’s sax solo

ITS NOT A BATTLE ROYALE!!!

Things I didn’t like (can’t have many complaints when all we have is a trailer)

I was really hoping this one would have more than 4 vault hunters on release. I’ve always thought that Borderlands made most of their DLC worth the cost, new characters included. But I thought that since this one has been so long in the making and it is the first one made for the current gen of consoles they would give us one or two extra characters without an extra transaction.

[attract-mode-collective]

Not An April Fools Gag; That’s A Game Boy Advance With A GameCube Stick Affixed For Reals

What you're seeing is a modded GBA that I spotted on eBay. It's a real thing! Though it doesn't magically grant analogue control to all the digital input only games on the system, which is all of them for the record (sorry). Then again, it could be argued that the controls in WarioWare Twisted is technically analogue...

That aside aside, welcome to yet another recap of stuff posted over at the Attract Mode Twitter! Though this time it's gonna be a bit on the short side, relatively speaking; even I know covering two entire whole weeks has led to hard to handle Tumblr posts, so I'm going to try concentrating on just one week at a time/attempt weekly updates.

Let's see how well that goes...

Hey, it's SF2 IRL thanks to ARKit (via prostheticknowledge)...

At the time, when I first tweeted about it, there were only three left of Amanda Visell’s Player One Mario; no idea how many there are now...

When you can make a decision regarding lunch (via @Mechazawa)....

If you appreciate both the ease of slip-on sneakers and the taste of ghosts, then Games Glorious has something for you (via miki800.com)...

As a connoisseur of video games on the printed page, it is my goal to one day own a copy of Namco's newsletter that was distributed in game centers during the 80s & 90s, NG (via miki800)...

Remember that time Namco got someone from Yellow Magic Orchestra to hawk their wares (via namcomuseum)...

Both in print and on TV…

The YMO member in question, Haruomi Hosono, also did a Xevious remix album, which longtime readers of the blog will hopefully recall.

Sticking with Namco CMs, there’s a pair of longtime faves that I could have sworn I’ve already posted as well, yet cannot find. Though as noted, many times already, the search functionality here is broken.

So here’s a boy playing with his Famicom in the middle of the woods...

And here’s a girl playing with his Famicom in the middle of the woods...

Back to the subject of print, can’t seem to find any info on the Futabasha Fantasy Novel Series, which (I think) was a line of video game novelizations; this one appears to be written by the creator of Xevious himself (via shmups)...

The focus here is supposed to be the Lawson’s reward card with Kirby on it, but I am all about that Space Invaders whatever the heck it is (via miki800)...

Spent MANY hours at Japanese bookstores during my college years, flipping through Sega Saturn Magazine; seeing these VF Kids ads again makes me feel all warm & fuzzy (via thesegasource)...

This (what I believe to be a) farewell image of the face of the Saturn from the very first issue of Dreamcast Magazine, also gives me the feels (via oldgamemags)...

BTW, everyone knows the identity of Saturn's pitchman (Segata Sanshiro), but what about the Mega Drive's? (via yokosuka87)...

Back to the Saturn; I love how Sega want from Segata Sanshiro to Hidekazu Yukawa for the Dreamcast. This launch edition of the console, btw, was spotted at VideoGamesNewYork...

It's also where they Kira Kira Star Night DX for twice the asking price, as @gamespite)...

Speaking of music, to fully enjoy this animated gif of Eggman running…

… you need to have this song playing (via lunaticobscurity).

And to fully enjoy this image of Eggman on the sax…

... you need to have this song playing (via very-territorial-oak).

@ondoruragitan sez: "whoever designed that clown lady in ace attorney is probably the most horny artist to ever exist" (it's funny cuz it's true)...

So the big news these past few weeks, especially among video game folk my age, has been the end of the Toys R Us. Many have been sharing artifacts from the glory days, with my fave example being these old flyers, with the obvious highlight seeing all the original MSRP prices (via retrogamerblog)...

Oh, and don’t forget the gifs (via nintendroid)...

The following are more appropriate for my way, way overdue batch of game culture snapshots, but since we're on the subject of retail anyway; I recently stumbled across Nintendo's collab with Bloomingdale's that I had no idea even existed...

Took a bunch of pics, but unfortunately, due to the harsh lighting at the SoHo store, it was impossible to capture the women’s section, hence the abundance of men’s wear...

These women's sweatshirts are the best example of the line's overall design sensibilities, or lack thereof; it’s just a bunch of random Nintendo sprites on attire that is available at Bloomingdale's, period. That's all it aspires to be, nothing more...

... And that's a real shame, cuz aside from the quality of the clothing itself being high, some of the ho-hum looking designs could be really engaging with a few minor tweaks, like this b&w women's jacket with a very random assortment of b&w Super Mario World sprites...

In addition to clothing, you had accessories, like iPhone cases...

Plus sunglasses, which revealed Super Mario World playing on what appears to the naked eye to be a blank, white screen....

Speaking of Super Mario World, here's a hamster enjoying the game (via @kousuke_teppei)...

The lil guy also owns an original Famicom, and here we is playing Solomon's Key (thanks to @Topherocious for helping me to identify the game)...

Being that friend who is REALLY into video games means I'm asked a wide variety of questions from folks who are not, like why @beesmygod  is "freaking out" over a Sonic & Garfield two pack for the PC...

... I'll be honest, I don't really understand why either.

Here we have a mockup for an ad blocker that replaces banners with GBA screenshots, which I really want to see happen (via @tinycartridge)...

I also really want to see this happen too (via @truongasm)...

Back to Tiny Cart; that's where I found out that you no longer have to play emulated Tiger handheld games sans backgrounds...

Nothing beats a pic of a dimly lit arcade, especially when it's shot on ACTUAL film (via mendelpalace)...

As for this particular arcade show, @kappuru theorizes "it looks like cinestill film, or a filter designed to mimic it." (via parkerwoods)...

"WHO IS THIS NUN?! WHY DOES SHE LOOK SO SINISTER?" is a great KOF related question (via vice-s-assistant)...

And "BOWL BEFORE ME" is a great KOF related gag (via brondeef)...

"this is the best cosplay i’ve ever seen" is a a great costume play related observation made by lunaticobscurity...

"how to get away with playing super mario odyssey in class" is the caption given by retrogamerblog...

"Stardew Valley gave me 500 characters to use as my farm name, so I put down an entire 1-star amazon review for an Independence Day DVD" is the explanation given by @NoahHafford...

Hey, you never know, maybe one day a homebrew dev might make “Shinjuku-Nichome Gay District Serial Murders” a reality? (via mendelpalace)

When you’ve got one copy of Melee with two boxes, and one copy of Air Ride with zero boxes… just gotta improvise (via stellatuna)...

When you’ve got a killer Game Genie code but no paper to write it down on... and then you discover the code does something totally different (via theassortment)...

And when I asked what this 4koma featuring a Dreamcast VMU was all about, @JonahD was kind enough to explain: "VMUs are playing hide and seek, Black is seeking. One VMU thinks hiding in the controller would be good but it makes a bunch of noise and they’re found immediately" (via posthumanwanderings)...

Whereas I have yet to find out what all these Sonics are doing at a German airport (via sonicthehedgeblog)...

I normally don’t let the weather get to me, yet the constant cold weather in NYC over the past few weeks began taking its toll, to the point that I’m starting to resemble an upside down Super Famicom/European SNES (via sixteen-bit)...

I also really wish I could have checked out Sakura-Con, and not just cuz the weather is so much nicer in Seattle, but to pick up @alexisparade's Monster Factory zine...

I stared at gif illustrating the wacky perspective-related behavior of Super Mario 64’s trees for an entire day, no joke (via suppermariobroth)...

Here we have the rarely seen alternate angle of the internet famous "LAN party gamer duct-taped to the ceiling" photo (via reddit.com)...

Turning the clock back even further, here's yet another kind of party, one that doesn’t involve first person shooters but shoot ‘em ups; it’s the 1986 Hudson Caravan (via videogamesdensetsu)...

Recently, a modded NES Max controller showed up on Kotaku, in which the cycloid nub has been replaced with an analogue stick...

... Which actually appeared the day after I spotted that modded GBA at the very top of this page. I am also willing to admit the disappointment over my tweet not catching on as expected/hoped it would, hence why I'm sharing another pic...

At any rate, I was also reminded of my buddy Nick Santaniello's modded Jaguar controller, which allows for arcade perfect Tempest 2000 controls...

... Which in turned led to me republishing the post from which it hails from originally, my recap of Nick's Shmup Appreciation Night, for Medium (and also sharing additional pics on Twitter)...

BTW, for those wondering, based upon the last round of tweets; the kitchen isn’t just for playing old Mega Drive & PC Engine shmups… you can also play old Naomi fighting games (via internetflexin)...

Guess that's it for now? Sorry, but it finally feels like spring in NYC, and I feel the need to step away from the computer & enjoy weather! Just like Mega Man (via arcadequartermaster)...

[classic-rock-roller]

1. You and Kevin are trying to teach Mal how to swim. He’s nervous of the water and won’t go in with you. Kevin picks him up and says, “I got this.” He picks Mal up, and tosses him into the water. “Swim bitch!” “Kevin! What the hell?” “What, that’s how I had to learn!” How do you respond?

“Still Kevin, that’s not how you teach a kid to swim. That’s how you scar them for life.”

2. Your band is getting back on the bus after doing a meet and greet with fans. It was exhausting, but you love meet and greets. You all get onto the bus and Daryl collapses onto his bunk before saying, “Good God I hate fans. They’re the worst.” How do you and the others respond?

Me: “You realize they are the reasons we can do this right? Without fans, we wouldn’t be here.”

Bonham: “Yes Daryl, get your head out of your ass.”

Erik: “But...his head isn’t in his ass.”

Linus: “Jeez Daryl, how rude can you get. I wouldn’t want to be your fan.”

3. You and Bonham are super close friends and are known as the second generation of the Terror Twins. Lots of your fans think you’re together and/or ship you, so much so that you’re both asked about it in interviews, but separately from each other. How do you two respond respectively?

Me: “I’ve known Bonham for a very long time and she is my other half. She’s like a sister, and she’s my work wife.”

Bonham: “I’m very close with BabyCarrot. We’ve been friends for years. Together we’re the Terror Twins and apart we’re both the Micc. There’s no in between.  

4. Randy was killed a couple of weeks ago in a plane crash, and it’s got Bonham in a funk. Your band has an interview scheduled, and when there the interviewer asks, “So Bonham, we heard about what happened to Randy, how do you feel about what happened?” Bonham just answers, “It should have been me, no question. He’s–sorry, he was– a better musician, a better person, and a better inspiration. He should be the one that gets to do what he loves. It should have been me.” How do the interviewer and the rest of you respond?

The interviewer would kind of regret asking.

I’d hug Bonham and whisper, “I’m so, so, so, sorry. I wish I could take this heartbreak from you.”

Linus, Daryl, and Erik would hug her too but not say anything.

5. Kevin and Randy were fucking around and long story short, now there’s a hole in your ceiling. You ask Bonham to fix it while you and Kevin are out one day. He’s worrying all day that she won’t get it done, but when you get home she’s just finishing up. “Wow Bonham, I didn’t think you could fix that.” he says. “What’d you think I was going to do, Kevin? Have some faith, jeez.” she says. How do you respond?

“Of course she was going to fix it. Faster than you would have too. You would have kept putting it off.”

6. You and Kevin and Randy are doing a road trip, and you end up in Colorado for a night. You’ve pulled off the highway to get gas when Randy says, “Hey pull over, that bar says they have live music, let’s go.” Kevin pulls off the road and into the parking lot and you all go into the tiniest bar you’ve ever seen. You get in and there’s not even a stage, there’s just an area where tables were moved and there are 3 people playing Nights in White Satin; a guy singing and playing an electric guitar, a Vietnam Veteran singing backup and playing acoustic, and a significantly younger woman on sax. You sit in and listen as they play Lodi, Country Roads, and The Green, Green Grass of Home. Kevin says, “These guys are a little ragtag,but I’m glad we stopped. Thanks, Randy.” Randy’s not listening. He’s watching them finish up Lodi and says, “I have to talk to that sax player.” After they finish Lodi, they all go to the smoking section on the porch. Kevin says, “Come on, I’m gonna go talk to them.” You all go out there, and Kevin wastes no time. “You guys sounded great, what’s your group called?” You join him, and you’re all having a great conversation. Eventually, the sax player says, “Y’all are great, but who’s Blondie over there? Come on sunshine, we don’t bite.” How does everyone respond?

I pull Randy up and go, “Oh this is Randy Rhoads. He’s a phenomenal guitarist in the band Quiet Riot.”

Kevin: “Which I’m in as well by the way. I’m the singer.”

Randy would just blush and not look the sax player in the eye, “H..hi.”

7. Bonham’s been acting differently ever since you got back from your first tour. You ask if she’s on drugs, and she just says, “Nah, man, don’t worry about it.” You take her word for it and roll with it until Randy’s over at yours and Kevin’s house one day. “I found tons of coke and acid in Bonham’s stuff and I just don’t know what to do.” You’re hurt that she lied right to your face. How do you respond and how do the three of you proceed?

“What?! We promised each other we’d never do it. Did I do something to make her want to do drugs?”

Kevin and Randy would both have to calm me down and then we’d go about the best way of approaching the subject with her.

8. You’re on your way home from your first date with those cool guys from that band QR. You and Bonham are in the back, Kevin is driving and Randy is in the passenger seat. There’s a lull in conversation before Kevin quietly says, “Do the thing.” Randy giggles and says, “Okay.” He rolls down the window, leans out, then shouts as loud as he can, “Fuck me in the ass cause I love Jesus!” He and Kevin are laughing their asses off, and Bonham’s starting to laugh out of the sheer randomness of it. How do you respond?

I give this weird look and whisper under my breath, “Ok, but what the actual fuck?” Before I’d kind of just sit there awkwardly with no idea what to do.

9. Bonham calls you one day at a ridiculously late hour, “Get here, now. We’re at 72nd and Kipling.” When you and Kevin get there, you see that someone’s keyed both Bonham’s and Randy’s cars. Randy’s bears the word fag, and Bonham’s says fag hag. How do the four of you proceed?

Me: “Why are people like this? It fucking pisses me off.”

Bonham: “Calm down, I’m pissed too but that won’t solve anything.”

Kevin: “And I don’t want to have to bail you out of jail again.”

10. You’re auditioning bass players since Jess left, and one of them comes in and is beyond awful. You tell him to leave and he comes up to the table you and Bonham are at. “Come on please, I need this gig.” He looks around for a second before grabbing your thigh. “20 bucks and I’ll make you see heaven. And you give me the gig.” How do you and Bonham respond?

Me: “While I am flattered and a little creeped out, I have a wonderful boyfriend at home who already makes me see heaven.”

Bonham: “Ew, I don’t need to hear that and I’m sorry buddy but no sexual favors will get you anywhere with us we both have boyfriends we’re happy with. So I suggest you be on your way.”

11. You and Kevin are walking on the street one day when you see a young woman wearing a Quiet Riot shirt, but it looks weird. You end up in line behind her at the crepe stand, and see that it was one that Kevin and Randy signed, and she cut it into a crop top. Kevin’s upset and says to her, “you can’t just do that!” The girl says, “I can do whatever I want, it’s just a shirt with signatures from a couple of nobodies. I got it from my dad anyway.” How do you and Kevin respond?

Me: Oh my god, I think I’m having an aneuysm.

Kevin: Hey! Randy and I aren’t nobodies!

--------------------

1) You are telling your singer that you are pregnant and tell her not to tell anyone else in the band. Daryl has overheard and says, “I will keep it a secret only if its a boy you name him Daryl. Someone has to carry on my family name.” Your singer gives him a weird look, “Daryl, your family name is Skraps.” How do you and Daryl respond?

2) You’ve met your singer’s cousin a few times and you don’t like him at all. Every time you have met him, it’s just been when he’s gone to his dad for money. One day, you come back to you and your singer’s apartment to find her screaming at her cousin about how he’s been treating her family. The next thing you know, he slaps her across the face hard enough for her to stagger and says, “Never talk to me that way again.” Your singer gets back up and glares at him with tears in her eyes. How do you respond?

3) The GNR tour is in full swing and so far it’s been good. Kevin hasn’t killed Axl yet and the bands are being civil. One night, you’re in your singer’s hometown and her sister is backstage to support you guys. Axl screams to the crowd, “Good night everyone! That’s it! Now it’s time for the sucky band!” as he walks off. You and your singer are glaring at him as he comes off and her sister is giving him the fuck you look. “Good luck,” he says to you and then turns to your singer’s sister, “Hello there sweetheart.” How do you, your singer, and her sister respond?

4) You have decided to do the collaboration album with Crue and it’s the first day there. You can tell your singer is really nervous to see Nikki but the minute he comes in he pulls her into a hug and says, “I am so, so, so sorry for what I did to you. It was a bad time I was high on drugs and thought it was a good idea. I’m clean now and ok. I just wanted to apologize to you, Bonham, and Kevin.” How do you, your singer, and Kevin respond?

5) Randy and Kevin are over at you and your singer’s apartment. You have a cat named Nikki and he’s having his “crazy time” at the moment. Randy and Kevin can hear it and go, “What is that?” Your singer looks up and goes, “Oh that’s Nikki having his crazy time.” Kevin looks offended and goes, “What?! You didn’t name your cat after me but Nikki Sixx instead!” How do you, your singer, and Randy respond?

6)  Your sleeping in bed one night when you feel something around your neck. You wake up to feel Randy’s hands around your neck and he’s choking you. He’s doing it in his sleep and you scream at him, “Randy! Randy, wake up!” He does and immediately lets you go, “Oh my god! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He puts his head in his hands before saying, “I could have seriously hurt you and the baby.” How do you respond?

7) During your GNR tour, you have Mal, Will, and Jeremy backstage one night. They all have earmuffs on to protect their hearing. Axl comes offstage while you and your singer are near the boys playpen talking. Axl picks up your singer’s son, Mal, and says, “Hello Tiny Satan.” He then goes to you two, “What’s so appealing about a baby? All they do is eat, sleep, and shit.” He then pretends to drop Mal. How do you and your singer respond?

8) One day, your singer wakes up super early and comes out into the living room where you, Kevin, and Randy are. She’s extremely chipper and when Randy asks, “Why are you so chipper at 7:30 in the morning?” She gets this huge grin and screams at the top of her lungs, “SUNDAY ADVENTURE!” Before running back to her room to get changed. How do you, Randy, and Kevin respond?

9) Your tour with GNR has landed in your hometown and you’re walking out of the arena. There are people lined up on either side to get your autographs and screaming at your singer because you’re technically their “home band.” When GNR comes out, someone lobs a beer bottle at Axl and screams, “That’s for dissing our home band.” How do you, Randy, Kevin, and your singer respond?

10) You and your singer are swimming with your kids. Mal, Will, and Jeremy know how to swim but your singer’s son Edward doesn’t. He’s on a shallow ledge in her uncle’s pool that drops off to three feet. At one point you hear Will scream, “Eddie!” And your singer goes and plucks him out from the water. He fell in but wasn’t in for too long. She takes him out to make sure he’s ok and her great aunt goes, “Oh he’s fine. That’s how all my kids learned how to swim.” How do you and your singer respond?

11) You, your singer, Kevin, and Randy go back to your singer’s hometown for Musikfest and bring all the kids along. You’re having a good time in the kids’ section when Kevin says, “This is still fun, but it’s less fun with kids. You can’t get drunk.” Your singer goes, “We can always drop the kids off at my parents place and come back. They’d love to watch the kids.” How do you and Randy respond and what happens after you go back without the kids?  

@osbournebemydaddy  your move Bonham love 

[sorryihavemarchingband]

so im a sophomore and I start marching band for the first time this year and it's gonna be on a fucking tenor sax and I've only played it like 5 times. I'm trying to get lessons but I probably won't get them before school starts so I gotta teach myself how to play it. I'm an oboist. any tips?

wow! this is a big switch! i am just gonna say, these are general tips for playing saxophone, and that i play an alto, not a tenor. if a tenor sax player can give some more advice beyond what i’m gonna say, feel free!

since you are a woodwind player, you are well aware of the issues with reeds, and the constant burden of spit. i recommend that since you are a beginner player, you use a reed that is not too hard to use. (my reed strength is a 2.5, though i’ve used reeds of a much higher strength, i feel my sound is better on the types i currently use) and of course if your reed is chipped, it won’t have good sound! since you are an oboist, im sure the mouthpiece is also quite a bit different for you! it is wider, and you must place your top teeth (lightly) on the mouthpiece while you play! i would also highly recommend mastering the general fingerings on a saxophone to built up speed, and it will help with memorization of songs. since you are also new to the neckstrap, try not to lean forward while playing! posture is key! and though the tenor sax is a lot heavier than oboe, bag posture can greatly affect the way you play. for the love of all things music-related, please clean your saxophone. saxes can have a bunch of spit build-up beneath the leather padding, and in the bottom of the instrument due to it’s unique shape. find some easy music to play! as a beginner sax player, you will want to work yourself up to harder songs. once you get the feel for the instrument, it will be a lot easier to test out new music. you can also go online and find videos on general tips on how to play the saxophone. and you can also ask your band director for some help. as far as i know, most, if not all, band directors had to go through the process of learning each instrument. they should be able to give you basic advice.

sorry if this wasn’t very helpful! but if you have any more questions, feel free to ask! and if any tenor sax players have more advice on this, please comment!

[francisthegreat]

I have a kinda filthy prompt for you: Hux is a musician (he plays sax) and Kylo isn't. Before doing the nasties, Hux likes to treat Kylo to a "concert" in which he plays raunchy sax.

SO! I am combining this with an anon ask that requested Hux as a piano player, since they are both music related. Since I play the piano, that is what I went with, but the rest of it answers this prompt. Hope that’s okay! 

“I have a request.”

Hux looks up. Kylo’s leaning on thebar, all big ears and dark eyes and long, curling hair. He nods at the grandpiano and his smile looks – smug. He’s the last person here.

The bar’s cleared out, the airheavy with smoke but finally quiet, and Kylo’s already locked up. He’s wipingdown the bar and watching Hux wind down: generally after a gig, Hux takes tenminutes to sit at his piano and smoke a cigarette and just. Stare. At the keys,at the strings inside. He likes to think about how they work, how they fittogether. After hours of all the talking and yelling and music, it’s. Quiet.

Hux raises an eyebrow and turnsback to the keys, keeping his cigarette between his teeth and cracking hisknuckles. He always indulges Kylo his little requests. The money’s not good atthis place. But the bartender’s –

The bartender’s alright.

“What’s your request then?” Huxasks.

Kylo grins and hops over the bar,comes and settles down with his forearms on the piano, watching the strings onthe inside. Watching Hux. His eyes are so dark and when he smiles his teeth are crooked. Itmakes Hux dizzy, it always makes Hux dizzy.

Kylo’s voice is soft and low whenhe answers, and Hux must be imagining the heat in his eyes when he says,“Sinnerman.”

Hux, inexplicably, blushes. “Sinnerman.”

Kylo nods, eyes warm. “I know youknow it, you play like you know it.”

Hux furrows his eyebrows. “Like Iknow what?”

“Jazz.”

Hux laughs, takes a drag of hiscigarette and watches Kylo lick his lips. His stomach drops a little.

“What do you think I know about jazz?”

Kylo chews his lip and neverlooks away from Hux’s face. Had he gotten closer?

“The shit it says. The shit jazz musicalways says.”

Hux raises his eyebrows and waitsfor Kylo to continue.

“Pain. Love.” Kylo takes a stepforward, hands sliding along the edge of the piano, and lowers his voice.“Sex.”

Hux ignores the flush on his chest.“That’s a bit melodramatic for a bartender.”

“Just play the song, Hux.”

Hux.He always got a little thrill when Kylo said his name. He lets the cigaretterest between his teeth and puts his hands on the keys. Kylo's right, ofcourse. He does know it. It's one of his favorites, one of those things heplays only for himself. Only at night.

He looks up at the empty bar, atthe chairs on the tables, at the rows and rows of whiskey and at Kylo’sscorching dark eyes.

“Sinnerman, then.”

At the first note Kylo’s gaze goesglassy and unfocused, and he closes his eyes. Hux closes his eyes, too. He knowsthis. His hands know how to play it so well he imagines he could do all sortsof things while playing it. He imagines closing the top of the piano, havingKylo sit on top of it and spread his legs out right in front of him.

Sinnerman,where you gonna run to?

He's singing it under his breath,quiet and dark and almost only for himself, but when he opens his eyes Kylo isright there, right in his space. Hux’s fingers stutter just a little.

“Don’t stop,” Kylo says, and he'sso close Hux can feel his breath on his face. He smells like the shot ofwhiskey he’d poured himself when he locked up. His proximity makes Hux’s wholebody hot, and the music he's playing seems like it's inside them and fuck, the blue notes are so blue with Kylo’s body so close.

His hands are unsteady but somehowthat makes it better, it comes out desperate and shaking and wrecked, painful in a way he generally didn’t allow his music tobe, searingly hot and so dissonant and beautiful, exactly like the way Kylo’sface looks.

Iran to the Devil, he was waiting, I ran to the Devil, he was waiting-

Kylo kisses him. He kisses him hotand wet and open with no preamble, no lead-in, no build-up. Just Kylo’s huge handson his face, Kylo’s pinkies under his jaw and Kylo’s thumbs brushing over histemples and Kylo’s tongue in his mouth. Hux stops playing and pulls Kylointo his lap, doesn't even cringe at the sound it makes when Kylo leans on thekeys to drag his cock against Hux’s through their clothes.

Hux curses. Kylo pulls back justenough to grin against the curve of Hux’s jaw.

“Wanna get out of here?” 

[peppurthehotone]

I’m propped up in bed, writing you from my AirBnB studio apartment in Brooklyn. A row of colorful shelved books face me. Some familiar, many not. On those shelves, I’ve noticed an award for writing; the owner is a writ-ah! I’ve been lead to the write place.

And so we begin.

After work each day in Mid-town, I arrive in the BK (Brooklyn) after a 45-minute subway ride on the C-train, wherein I people watch and people listen and sometimes meditate. With eyes closed, I’m rocked to and fro via the rhythm of the screechy train as it tunnels through the city. I stand in front of the closing doors and I try really hard to look for my third eye chakra that seems to be fading.

When I was around ten years old, there was a friend from school who would come over…her name was Tammy, or Paula or something. She was magical. Her adolescent teeth were caked and yellowed and she had a late ’70s pageboy cut to her pale blondish hair that framed her mesmerizing, light-blue eyes. I would sit with her, enthralled, outside on my wooden stairs, not quite cool enough to be a stoop, but private stairs, nonetheless. These were sky blue stairs to a 3-bedroom blue house at the end of a cul-de-sac in Kenosha where we moved to and became a disengaged family of four instead of full-on five after my parent’s divorce. Tammy (or Paula) and I would sit hunched on the stairs and she would tell me that I was psychic. She would tell me that all I needed to do to tap into my special powers was close my eyes and look to my third eye. She said it was in the middle of my forehead and that it was bright blue….I’d close my eyes tight. Chin lifted. I could see it. I believed her. I HAD the third eye! I was special.

The other day, I called mom and asked her if she remembered Paula (or Tammy). I described the teeth. And my third eye. Mom didn’t remember. I wonder now if magical Tammy was actually real at all.

On the C-train, I face the closing doors, no matter how crowded the train. I close my eyes and hold onto the seat rail for balance. And then, because I’m a trained dancer, I reprimand (ok, coax) myself to “Dude, find your center!” So I tuck in my butt, drop my shoulders, pull up my spine, suck in my gut and find my center. I slowly let go of the rail. I am free. I am balancing; I am. I look to my third eye. I see her. I breathe. I tell her I am powerful, I tell her I am an accomplished writer; I tell her these things so that she can guide me and I rinse and repeat until the interruption of the next stop. And, I’m not fully embarrassed to tell you all that more than once I have been banged out of the meditation moment and back to a Canal or 34th Street existence due to my forehead zonking on the window due to me losing my centered balance. (I only hope I’ve made someone else’s blog as “That Time I Saw a Girl Bang Her Head on The C-Train.) In spite of the zonks, I think I’ve been successful with my meditation, because, you know, I’m special like that.

When I was in Prague and spending all that time in November 2016 getting into baby manifesting mode, I would meditate in my flat. I’d put on the YouTube mediation sound-of-the-day and I would sit on my pink yoga mat and get into the z-o-n-e. My third eye was alive and kickin’! Sometimes I would zing out and get really light and like disappear into a worm hole of bright colors and stuff only to pull myself back because I wasn’t sure where I was cosmically going, and was afraid that like after a bad drug trip, I wouldn’t actually come back.

Back then, I was tapped into a specific purpose and outcome and that blue-eyed Anja chakra was giving me “Yasss honey” all day long. Right now? Not so much, exactly. I don’t hear her as loudly. I also feel different. Since I’m psychic, I think I know why.

Back in November, I asked for a birth. Maybe some signals got crossed because what I’ve been blessed with is a rebirth.

What I’m saying, friends, is that I’m (re-living) in New York because of a series of events that may or may not be directly related to my purely psychic abilities.

After my relationship ended awfully in October 2017, I found myself on the broke-down skids in Baltimore and on the doorstep of my dear friend, with whom I worked in New York. (This was a “coincidence”; when I moved to B’more, totally didn’t know she lived 15 minutes from me!) We’ll call her Xtacy, because she is. Back in the Sex & the City days, we WERE those girls. We would pre-party with vodka sodas at her cute Carrie Bradshaw apartment on the mid-upper west side. We would go out at 11p on weeknights in our half-tops and our early 2000s style-stilettos and dance and dance. We’d taxi or gypsy-cab home at the crack of dawn and roll into work the next day (mostly on time) with hangovers covered up due to Xtacy’s eye-creme fetish, loads of coffee, and energizing tofu, naturally. I loved her then, I love her now. She is a married mom of three now and thanks to my break up, I was able to spend healing moments at their huge family table in their homey craft home — 6 o’clock cocktails in hand, with children running amuck while she and her husband and I laughed and laughed and laughed about those Sex & the City days.

I wrote how back in October I also I spent some time in New York to visit my former work family and my blood family….including a cousin who used to also run with Xtacy, without me, thank you very much, as they became steadfast friends, too. During that fateful trip, my work family coaxed me into coming back in the new year to cover a maternity leave. At the time, in October, I wasn’t sure if my head was going in or coming out of my ass, so I didn’t know what to say, but I said ‘Yes’ to keep the door open, because I knew that they knew better than I at the time, because they loved me.

So, here I am. It is April. I’m working at my old company (where I met Xtacy), in my old office (like, my same actual office space that I left in 2004 for the lands of LA). The irony is not lost that I sit in an office chair once inhabited by a (lovely) pregnant woman who has since given birth to her first beautiful child. While she trained me prior to her leave, she was so generous with her belly and letting me feel those alien protrusions; it was magical.

While I love using my words, I really can’t find all of the ones that I want to use that fully explain how grateful I am that these people, these moments and this love have enveloped me, buoyed me and built a magical bridge that I’m walking on to what will be my next phase in life.

While all of this is a result of some crazy pain…my own loss, and my father recently “celebrating” the one-year wedding anniversary of his four-month-long marriage that will result in July being the one-year anniversary of his own loss…this “result” has been amazing. My father has landed on his two size 13 feet. His Plan B came around and he’s finding his way. I’m in New York trying to live my life like it’s Golden, Golden.

My rebirth has been showered with so many gifts, including many from Prague. While here, I spent some quality sisterly time with my BFF from college and her sister who is my sister.  I’ve gone to museums and art shows and writer’s groups and the movies and events and one very fantastic one on race and identity at the Brooklyn Historical Society. I’ve walked the streets pointing with head cocked at restaurants and corners I think I remember. Coincidentally, my Prague sister-friend is also here and she’s working her ass off to make 90 meetings in 90 days so that she can go back to Prague an entrepreneurial winner. Another Prague sister, a Prague Bettie, mind you, happened to be visiting and the three of us went to ChinaTown for some amazingness. More dynamic friends I met in Prague have breezed into town and as a result, I met a UN representative from Kenya who has my book and has journeyed back to her gorgeous land with it. (Le sigh!) I fed my dance soul and went to a Horton dance class at Alvin Ailey (first time!) with a friend from work. I went to a taping of an LA friend’s TV show, of which another LA friend coincidentally produces. (Surreal and so great to see these women in their element!) Witnessed another friend being honored for her amazing dedicated community service to Harlem. Listened to yet another friend speak on speaking up.  And spent mesmerizing time with another cousin of whom I haven’t seen since around 1984 or something. Turns out my cousin is a sizzling sax player and gigged at a burlesque bar here in NY, of which he took me to this past Friday. Whaaaaat? #runsinthefamily #BrownBetties #HarlemsAwakening. (I Ubered home to Brooklyn at 3am and I will tell you that no eye creme, tofu or coffee helped me Saturday and most of Sunday.)

And on top of it all, I’ll go back to LA after all of this. I truly thought I would stay in this city; that I would be nourished from it once again, full time. Alas, the Universe has given me another gift, (one that was sorta there all along) of which I will immediately open upon my return to LA. I’ll tell you all about that, soon.

Life is good. Life is grand. Life is crrrazzy. It’s a good thing I’m psychic or I wouldn’t have been able to see it all coming with eyes wide open. I’ll continue to work on my meditation manifestation for whatever is next. I’ve got a few things cookin’ but I think old blue eye is gonna put her foot in it, too. By the way, friends, whatever your C-Train, I encourage you to tap in and get zinging; no telling what life will bring.

I love you.

    Note: featured photo by my cousin, Henry Young.

  How being psychic lead me to New York I'm propped up in bed, writing you from my AirBnB studio apartment in Brooklyn. A row of colorful shelved books face me.

[13thfloornz]

  I’m not sure if he rode like the wind, but 80s hitmaker Christopher Cross and his 6-piece band took over Auckland’s Town Hall to relive his glory days and to play a few new tunes along the way.

If you’re over a certain age, you’ll be more than a little familiar with Cross’s three big hits…Sailing, Arthur’s Theme and Ride Like The Wind…they were all over the radio 35 years ago. But the artist’s more recent creations would be a different kettle of fish.

Cross hasn’t bothered the charts in years, but judging from what was on display last night, it’s not from a lack of quality material, simply that taste in pop music has moved on.

So, after a brief, but well-received set from Rikki Morris, a pre-recorded female voice announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Christopher Cross!”

Cross, wearing his trademark cap, and his band dutifully took the stage and began with a new tune, as yet unreleased, titled Haila. The vocals were handled by the two female singers from Nashville…Marcia Ramirez and Stephcynie Curry. Meanwhile Cross played guitar while the rest of the band jammed, using this first tune as a warmup for the evening.

The band consisted of Andy Suzuki on sax and keys, bass player Kevin Reveyrand, drummer Francis Arnaud and an excellent keyboard player whose name I didn’t quite catch, but may have been Jerry Leonide.

It was apparent from the start that these cats could play. No matter what you may think of Cross’s voice or his songs, the musicianship was of the highest calibre.

Cross decided to spread his three big hits though the set, serving up Sailing just after Haila, with Arthur’s Theme showing up about halfway and Ride Like The Wind closing the show.

“We’re gonna pace them out so you don’t get too restless”, he quipped.

Not to worry, newer songs such as Walking With Avalon, Dreamers and In The Blink Of An Eye proved that Cross hasn’t lost his mojo.

I particularly enjoyed Baby Its All You, another new song from the upcoming album, Take Me As I Am. It had a distinct Steely Dan vibe…think Aja…with Cross playing a superb guitar solo.

My only quibble was the loudness of the drums, which overwhelmed Cross’s rather delicate vocals at times…particularly during Never Be The Same.

The third quarter of the show was mostly acoustic. Say You’ll Be Mine, a tune from the very successful first album, was given a new arrangement as the three voices joined together with just acoustic guitar and a hint of keyboards.

Cross duetted with each of the backing vocalists and though each woman have distinct styles…Marcia more country, Stephcynie more soul…the blend worked beautifully.

When they did get to Ride Like The Wind, the tune rocked with an urgency that seemed lost in the studio version.

With all the hits played out, they returned to present an, um, imaginative arrangement of John Lennon’s Imagine.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Ivan Karczewski:

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 16%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

  Christopher Cross set list:

Haila

Sailing

Never Be The Same

Reverend Blowhard

Walking In Avalon

I Really Don’t Know Anymore

Baby Its All You

Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)

In The Blink Of An Eye

Dreamers

Think Of Laura

Say You’ll Be Mine

Spinning

Open Up My Window

Minstrel Gigolo

No Time For Talk

All Right

Ride Like the Wind

Imagine

    Christopher Cross – Auckland Town Hall August 30, 2017 I’m not sure if he rode like the wind, but 80s hitmaker Christopher Cross and his 6-piece band took over Auckland’s Town Hall to relive his glory days and to play a few new tunes along the way.