#Guitar Pick Medium

[tikpik]

Unleash Your Picking Power: Mastering the Art of the Guitar Pick Grip

For many guitarists, the Guitar Pick is an extension of their hand, a tool so familiar it's barely considered. But beneath its simplicity lies a world of techniques and nuances that can significantly impact your playing. One often overlooked aspect is the Guitar Pick with a Grip - the way you hold the pick can dramatically influence your sound, technique, and overall feel.

Beyond the Basic: A Deeper Dive into Guitar Pick Grips

The grip you choose for your Guitar Pick is crucial, shaping everything from your picking technique and tone to your overall control and comfort. It's not just about holding the pick; it's about finding a grip that complements your playing style and allows you to express yourself fully.

Common Guitar Pick Grips and Their Advantages:

Let's explore some of the most popular Guitar Pick grips and their unique advantages:

The Traditional Grip: Often the first grip taught to beginners, the traditional grip involves holding the pick between your thumb and index finger, with your middle finger resting against the back of the pick. This grip is versatile and comfortable, suitable for a wide range of playing styles, from strumming chords to intricate picking patterns.

The Three-Finger Grip: This grip involves using your thumb, index finger, and middle finger to hold the pick. Your thumb and index finger form a pinch, while your middle finger provides additional support and control. This grip offers greater stability and precision, particularly for intricate picking patterns, fast-paced rhythms, and demanding lead lines.

The "Pinch Grip": Often favoured by experienced guitarists, this grip involves holding the pick between your thumb and index finger with minimal contact from other fingers. It provides a looser, more fluid feel, allowing for quick transitions, dynamic strumming, and a more expressive sound.

The Hybrid Grip: This grip combines elements of other grips, often incorporating the middle finger for additional support and control, while maintaining a relaxed, flexible feel. This versatility makes it ideal for various playing styles, providing a balance between precision and fluidity.

Grip Variation for Different Guitar Styles:

The choice of Guitar Pick with a Grip often depends on the style of music you play. For example, a tight, controlled grip might be suitable for intricate picking patterns in classical or finger style guitar, while a looser grip might be preferred for aggressive strumming in rock or metal.

Acoustic Guitar: For acoustic guitar, many players favor a relaxed three-finger grip or a hybrid grip that allows for a balance of control and flexibility, offering a natural and expressive sound.

Electric Guitar: Electric guitarists often experiment with various grips depending on the style of music they play. For example, a tight three-finger grip might be used for lead playing, while a looser pinch grip might be preferred for rhythm guitar.

Blues and Jazz: Blues and jazz guitarists often use a combination of grips, incorporating a looser, more relaxed approach for improvisations and a tighter, more controlled grip for chord work.

The Power of Experimentation

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to Guitar Pick grips. Experimenting with different grips is essential to discover what feels most comfortable and delivers the sound you desire. Pay attention to how each grip affects your tone, control, and overall playing experience.

Beyond the Basics: Exploring Pick Thickness and Shape

While the grip is crucial, the choice of pick thickness and shape further influences your playing. A thicker pick provides more attack and a brighter tone, while a thinner pick offers a softer, more mellow sound. The shape of the pick, whether it's pointed, rounded, or triangular, also affects your picking technique and feel.

Tik Pik: Picks Designed for Optimal Grip

At Tik Pik, we understand the importance of grip in shaping your playing experience. Our Guitar Picks are crafted with attention to detail and ergonomics, ensuring a comfortable and secure hold that enhances your playing. We offer a diverse range of pick shapes and materials, allowing you to choose the perfect pick to complement your preferred grip and playing style. The Guitar Pick grip is a fundamental element of your playing, often overlooked but profoundly impactful. Experimenting with different grips, finding the one that suits your style, and understanding its role in your overall technique can lead to a more dynamic and expressive sound.

[codesquire]

Went by my old favorite guitar shop today, first time in years, and dragged my son along.

The above is what he found for me.

That's pretty cool.

[possumcorpse]

while i was in japan seeing boccher merch all i could think about is if they made guitar picks id buy like. 25. or 50. because i always lose mine

well. im back in the philippines and kearned next month(?) theyre releasing boccher guitar picks in a magazine

[toiletclown]

breathless. (part two.)

spencer agnew x gn!reader

mostly fluff, a little angst.

summary: to 'train' for an upcoming guitar hero stream, you head to spencer's for the first time in weeks. the tension is thick, and you have to call your best friend, angela, for some input. your feelings were growing to lengths you weren't sure you could handle -- but what other choice do you have?

word count: 2251

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

It was not fine. The AC in Spencer’s apartment had broken sometime between him going into the office and him coming back home. He sent you a text to let you know, and even offered to bring all his stuff to yours if that was easier, but you knew how many cords and controllers that entailed and told him it was fine, you’d just wear something you’d be comfortable in.

However, you were not prepared for just how warm his apartment was. You came over in a cropped baby tee and some comfy shorts, but you had worn a very thin cardigan over the shirt, hoping it would be thin enough you could keep it on. But alas, the world was constantly against you, and about fifteen minutes into your visit you knew you had to shed the layer. The windows were open but there was no breeze, and the standing fan and ceiling fan were working overtime. 

So here you were, standing in Spencer’s living room, attempting to hide your Guitar Hero skills while also trying to hide your discomfort. Honestly, you weren’t even sure why you were uncomfortable. It’s Spencer. He’s seen you in worse. At least this outfit is cute, right? When you finally pulled yourself out of your thoughts, you realized you were beating Spencer in 1v1 by a country mile. What the hell was he doing? You knew he was good at this game, and despite you purposefully missing every few notes and hitting the whammy bar much too late, he was still way, way behind.

You paused the game and turned to look at him. You had been standing in front of the couch, since it was a little harder to play the guitar when sitting down. He, however, was sitting on the couch in gym shorts he had no right to be wearing (They were so short that if he moved one inch the wrong way there would be a problem. Why did he pick such slutty little shorts??) and a Zelda triforce logo tank top. His arms were on full display, along with his gorgeous legs, and you had to admit your words got caught in your throat when you saw him. You hadn’t really looked at him with much precision when you arrived because you were more focused on how warm the apartment was, but now, seeing him with his leg balanced on his knee and the guitar lazily draped in his lap, you were borderline salivating.

“You okay, Peach?” He always called you that, since you had a penchant for snacking on peaches and preferred to play as Princess Peach whenever the two of you played Mario Party or Mario Kart. He never let it slip at work, but a part of you wanted him to. Just to see how someone else would react to it. Would they hear it as a platonic, long-term-friendship type of nickname, or would they pick up on a subtle romantic vibe beneath that? Was it crazy to want that romantic connotation? 

“Oh, yeah, I’m okay. Are you, though? I’m not very good at this and I’m still beating your ass. You good over there?” You willed your blush away at his nickname for you, knowing he, realistically, didn’t have any romantic implications behind it. You knew why he called you that, and it made sense. Let’s not think too hard on it, okay? No need to make a romantic mountain out of a friend-shaped mole hill.

Spencer sighed, opening and closing his mouth a few times before finding his words. “Yeah, sorry. The heat is kind of making my brain blank out, I guess.” He stood, pulling the string on his ceiling fan to move it from medium to high speed. You were silently wondering why it wasn’t already on high, but chose not to question him. You also knew he was lying. You’ve been friends with Spencer (on top of having severe unrequited feelings for him) for far too long, and you knew him better than he knew himself. You knew all of his tells, and currently, he was avoiding eye contact and picking at his right thumb, which he always did when he was nervous and/or lying.

You sat down next to him, still leaving some space due to the heat. You were both quite physically affectionate with one another, but lately you had both pulled back in that regard, though neither of you wanted to say anything about it. While he had basically stopped being touchy-feely altogether, you still attempted that contact sometimes. He didn’t react the way he used to.

“Spence, honey, I’ve known you far too long for you to lie to my face. What’s going on?” You voiced your concern with a gentle hand on his thigh, close enough to his knee that it didn’t come across wrong, but also far enough away from his knee that you felt a whoosh in your stomach. It was too late to move it now without him calling you on it, though, so you left it there.

He took a deep breath, seemingly gearing up for a word vomit. But instead he shook his head. “Sorry, I’m just dealing with some… personal stuff, I guess, and I was lost in my head. We can get back to it, I’m sorry, Y/N.” He patted your hand with his, before moving to grab the guitar again and start the game back up. You pulled your hand away, burning, and decided you needed to leave. 

“Oh, it’s… it’s okay. I’ll head out, leave you to your thoughts. You can always text me if you need me, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow?” You stood to start gathering your stuff, and you felt Spencer’s eyes on your back as you bent over to pet one of his cats. The cropped tee was definitely showing off more of you than he had seen before, so it was only natural for him to look. But you wondered what he was thinking, too.

“Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow. Sorry again about the AC being broken. Maintenance should be coming by soon,” Spencer supplied, walking with you to the door. “Hopefully I won’t have to sweat to death for much longer.”

You both laughed, and you held your arms out for a hug. Spencer hesitated, before returning the hug and reassuring you that he’ll see you tomorrow. You offered him a goodbye and told him you loved him, like you both did every time you parted. You didn’t miss the fact that he didn’t say it back this time.

//

Angela, please help me. You didn’t know who to talk to about this. Your thoughts had been a bubbling mess for hours at this point, and you couldn’t talk to Spencer, and you weren’t quite ready to talk to Courtney about it. Courtney should be your go-to about this situation, but you weren’t sure how to broach it. Hey, you went from coworkers to friends to lovers. How do I do that? wasn’t exactly the best icebreaker to get into the conversation. Angela had heard you vent many times before, and although you never, ever named Spencer in the conversations, you had no doubt that little Italian gremlin knew you were talking about him. Angela was very intuitive and just because you leave a few details out and refuse to use his name in conversation, that doesn’t mean she can’t pick up on everything else. Especially since Erin was clearly picking up on it. Among others.

What an ominous text to receive at 1am. What’s up babe? 

Holy fuck, was it that late already? You checked the time and sure enough, it was 1:03am. You’d been in your head for far longer than you thought.

Oh fuck I didn’t even realize it was that late lol my bad queen :(( we can hold off till tmr it’s nbd!

NOPE you’re not pulling that shit, ft me rn

You sighed, but it was near impossible to say no to Angela, so you turned your desk lamp on and hit the FaceTime button. You needed to get this out of your system soon anyway, it was starting to eat at you. With other people seeing it clear as day you felt as though you should probably work your feelings out before Spencer realized.

“Hello there my gorgeous best friend, what’s on your mind?” Angela was clearly in bed, face lit only by her phone and the fairy lights she kept strung up around her room. “Is it Spencer?”

Your face went pale at her question, which answered her for you. “Oh, so it is Spencer! Did you ask him out? Did he ask you out? When’s the wedding? Can I sing at the reception? Oh, that might be weird, right? What would I even sing? Oh, I know–”

“Angela.”

“Sorry, go on.”

She let you ramble on for a few minutes, starting from the beginning. When you were hired and instantly bonded with him. When the movie nights turned to movie sleepovers and the game nights turned to game weekends. When he got promoted to cast, then you got promoted, and suddenly your friendship felt different. The first Erin Dougal meme, the second Erin Dougal meme, and finally, whatever the fuck had happened tonight. The way he was distant, but not cold. The way you could feel his eyes on you, and the two times you caught him “lost in his thoughts” as Erin had phrased it. His lack of response when you told him you loved him tonight. That was what hurt the most. He had never left you hanging when you said it, and he said it more often than you did. At lunch, on set, while watching him play Fortnite. You always reassured each other in every aspect of life. And suddenly, it was like that reassurance and friendship was going dormant.

“I just don’t know what I did wrong, I guess? It seems like out of nowhere we lost our friendship and we’re back to being acquaintances, in a way. He’s not as touchy anymore, and he gets weird when I am. He rarely invites me over anymore. I haven’t stayed the night in months. And he didn’t say he loved me before I left tonight. He’s never not said it back. And like, why? What changed? What did I do wrong?” Once your word salad was out and in the open, Angela sat for a minute, thinking on how she wanted to respond.

“Okay, I have a question before we proceed.”

“Ask away.”

“Do you want me to respond as your best friend or as your coworker?”

“Is there a difference?”

“Only slightly.”

“Then as my best friend, please.” You took a breath in, knowing with this selection came some harsh words. If she was responding as your coworker she would be nothing but kind, but with the best friend response you knew she was going to drag you, hard. But at this point, you needed that, didn’t you?

“Y/N, my sunshine, my flower, my angel. He’s pulled back significantly as of late because he thinks that his feelings for you are one-sided.”

“His–”

“Don’t interrupt me, you clown!” 

“Okay!” You laughed along with your friend, knowing that this conversation was going to be hard but it was necessary.

“He sees all these things in a different light because, somewhere in the timeline of your friendship, he got it in his head that you would never reciprocate his feelings. So now, all those things he used to enjoy, almost hurt now. Your touch on his skin is no longer comforting, because he wants more. And he doesn’t think he’s capable of getting that. He’s scared. He doesn’t want to lose you, but he also is having trouble coping with the fact that he doesn’t know if he can ‘just be friends’ with you. Spencer might have held his façade quite well for quite some time, but it’s cracking now and he’s scared. He doesn’t want to lose his best friend, but he also doesn’t want to be strictly friends anymore. He wants to love you openly, and he thinks he can’t do that.”

“Jesus, Angela. How do you even know all this?” You were absorbing her words, letting them flow through you. Spencer thinks his romantic feelings for you are one-sided? Spencer has romantic feelings for you? What the hell is going on, man?

“Because three and a half minutes before you texted me, he also texted me. I was basically reading his text out loud, word-for-word. And before you yell at me for breaking his trust, you are my best friend and I am legally obligated to tell you everything, just like you are legally obligated to tell me everything. Even though you seem to think I can’t parse that the guy you’ve been obsessing and gushing over is Spencer despite your obvious phrasing. You're not as slick as you think, babe.”

You sat in silence for a moment, really trying to let everything sink in. Your feelings weren’t one sided. You had a chance with him. He didn't suddenly dislike you, or hate you, or not enjoy your company. It was just harder now. And that, that you understood, quite thoroughly.

“Ang, how do I unfuck this?”

“I already have a plan for you, Peach.”

You groaned, “Okay, that’s not fair!”

“I know, I know. So here’s what you're going to do…”

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

taglist: @lokidokieokie (thanks for being my first ever taglister hehe)

[thediaryofaurora]

General HCs

Ticci Toby/Tobias Rogers

Sorry this took so long!! I’ve been contemplating writing one shots, but I feel like I should get the head canons out first. If any of you have any ideas for one shots (x readers, char x char, nsfw), my request box is open! I’ll get around to them as soon as possible. :)

- 5’11! Sleeper build and scrawny, but extremely strong upper arms. He’s not as fast as Kate and Brian, but he makes up for it with how long he can run. He never gets tired and can chase victims for hours. Lots of freckles, too!

- White with mostly German heritage. He doesn’t know very much German, just baseline stuff he learned from his mom. (Connie grew up in Germany until she was 15.)

- Medium brown hair and dark brown eyes. He’s pretty pale, but being outside most of the time he does have a slight tan, lots of freckles too.

- His dad was extremely abusive and would beat him, his mom, and his sister, it was rare for him to not be drunk. Toby killed him only a few hours after his father beat his mom to the point she was unconscious. He’d rather his mom lose both of her children and her abusive husband than endure so much pain, he cared about her more than anything. He didn’t want to sit idly by as he loses his sister and mother.

- His fingers are TORN up. Bites and picks at his nails, cuticles, dry knuckles, all of it. His fingertips and palms are also super calloused.

- Hangs out with Jeff and Ben most of the time. He’s closer to Ben and thinks Jeff’s a douche, but he puts up with him since sometimes the three of them have fun.

- He can be a jerk, but if you’re able to break past his shell he’s super sweet. He’s still sarcastic and snarky, but not necessarily mean. VERY smug.

- Had Jeff do a tattoo of Lyra’s birthday on his shoulder. It turned out surprisingly good. He was originally going to do her death date, but he felt like it was better to honor the time she was alive.

- Halloween junkie. He has a massive sweet tooth and loves autumn, so it’s the perfect day ever in his eyes.

- This guy DESTROYS in poker and blackjack. The few times his dad would spend time with him they’d play together. Even though he hated him, it meant a lot to him when he was little. Has the teeny tiniest gambling addiction, makes a bunch of bets with other residents of the mansion and usually wins.

- MIDWESTERN EMO BOY!!!! I will die on this hill. Music taste, clothing, all of it.

- His tics are pretty rare now that he’s older, but when he’s anxious they get bad.

- Exclusively wears comfortable clothes. Not because he gets uncomfortable, he could (and does) sleep in jeans and not be bothered. When he was younger he would always be forced to wear slacks, dress shoes, button ups, and ties for church or family gatherings. He HATED it.

- Him, Tim, and Brian are usually put on missions together. They’re all pretty compatible, and it’s nice to talk to just some regular ass dudes. Sometimes all three of them will go to run down diner’s if they finished their mission early, it’s the most normality any of them have in their lives.

- He and Tim bicker a LOT, but he secretly find comfort in it. He sees Tim as a protective older brother, rather than someone who just hates him. With how his dad treated him growing up, he thought all arguing was yelling and being aggressive, but Tim’s is more disagreement or annoyance.

- Almost knows how to play the acoustic guitar. He’s a quick learner, but he doesn’t have a crazy strong desire to get better at it.

- Pretty much always wears a big bandaid over his cheek gash. He’s not necessarily insecure about it unless he has a crush on someone, but it’s hard to eat or drink when it’s just open.

- He’s actually not to bad at soccer! Sometimes when it’s nice out him and Cody find a ball and play.

- Anywho, I’m in love with him.

Feedback and requests are welcome! Thank you for reading. :)

✩☆✩☆✩☆✩☆✩☆✩☆✩☆✩☆✩☆✩☆✩☆✩

[simdertalia]

🎵 ACNH Music Stuff Set - Part 1 🎵

My lovely patrons wanted to have this set split into 2 parts so that some of it could be posted today, so here it is!

Sims 4, base game compatible (Piano is functional & requires City Living, as it uses the keyboard as its base). 48 items 💗

Always suggested: bb.objects ON, it makes placing items much easier. For further placement tweaking, check out the TOOL mod.

Set contains: -Amp (large, medium & practice sizes, functional music players, can be stacked) | 8 swatches each | 1202 poly each -Analog Reel 1 & 2 | 3 swatches each | 372 & 714 poly -Book Stand | 4 swatches | 1176 poly -Cello | 3 swatches | 1205 poly -Clarinet | 1 swatch | 1078 poly -Clarinet on Stand | 1 swatch | 1200 poly -Drum Set | 10 swatches | 2398 poly -Effects Rack | 10 swatches | 1222 poly -Floor Monitor (functional music player, can be stacked) | 1 swatch | 1191 poly -Guitar Bag | 5 swatches | 412 poly -Headphones | 11 swatches | 1172 poly -Headphones (wireless) | 11 swatches | 866 poly -Marimba | 1 swatch | 2352 poly -Metronome 1 & 2 (clicker out and in) | 5 swatches | 1168 poly -Mix Master Table Decluttered | 10 swatches | 314 poly -Ocarina | 2 swatches | 514 poly -Pan Flute | 1 swatch | 1042 poly -PA System for Floor (functional music player) | 1 swatch | 826 poly -Pedal Board | 3 swatches for body, 3 swatches with "light on" 6 swatches total | 1202 poly -Percussion Mallet | 1 swatch | 258 poly -Phonograph (functional music player) | 2 swatches | 1092 poly -Piano Bench Seat (is a chair) | 10 swatches | 1214 poly -Piano: Upright (functional, requires City Living) | 2 swatches | 2176 poly -Portable Record Player (functional music player) | 7 swatches | 1217 poly -Record Box | 16 swatches | 1146 poly -Sampler | 8 swatches | 820 poly -Sax: Alto & Tenor (2 items) | 1 swatch each | 1062 poly -Sax: Alto & Tenor on Stand | 1 swatch each | 1184 poly -Sign Dueling Pianos | 6 swatches | 222 poly -Snare Drum | 4 swatches | 706 poly -Snare Drum on Stand | 4 swatches | 1202 poly each -Stool (seat) | 4 swatches | 1072 poly -Tambourine (table & wall decor, 2 items) | 1 swatch each | 602 poly -Thumb Piano | 5 swatches | 1190 poly -Timpani | 4 swatches | 2394 poly -Timpani Single 1 | 4 swatches | 1270 poly -Timpani Single 2 | 4 swatches | 1124 poly -Tools | 2 swatches | 1200 poly -Trumpet | 2 swatches | 1094 poly -Trumpet on Stand | 2 swatches | 1192 poly -Wooden Fish | 3 swatches | 942 poly

Type “acnh music" into the search query in build mode to find quickly. You can always find items like this, just begin typing  the title and it will appear.

As always, please let me know if you have any issues!

📁 Download all or pick & choose (SFS, No Ads): HERE

📁 Alt Mega Download (still no ads): HERE

📁 Download on Patreon

Will be public on June 1st, 2024 💗Midnight CET

Happy Simming! ✨ Some of my sets are early access. If you like my work, please consider supporting me (all support helps me with managing my chronic pain/illness):

★ Patreon  🎉 ❤️ |★ Ko-Fi  ☕️  ❤️ ★ Instagram📷

Thank you for reblogging ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

@sssvitlanz  @maxismatchccworld @mmoutfitters  @coffee-cc-finds  @itsjessicaccfinds  @gamommypeach  @stargazer-sims-finds  @khelga68  @suricringe  @vaporwavesims  @mystictrance15 @moonglitchccfinds @xlost-in-wonderlandx @jbthedisabledvet

Other Instrument Downloads & Related: -Theramin -Gong & Bamboo Drum -Ukulele -Harp -Festivale Drum -Pipe Organ -Street Organ -PA System on Stand -Radios

-Music Tag

The rest of my CC

[a-leg-without-fear]

Can I have a medium drip coffee with Matt please? 👀

Of course you can! One medium drip coffee, coming up!!

Exploring music is always interesting when it comes to Matthew Michael Murdock.

Two songs, almost identical in tune and rhythm, could garner vastly different reactions from him. One could make him smile softly, eyes falling closed, while he sways lightly to the beat. The other could make him screw up his lips in disgust and ask for you to turn it off immediately.

You had concocted a playlist you have named "Matt's Music." A wide range of songs, from every single genre there is, all carefully picked for Matt's reactions. If he gave even an inkling of enjoying the song, onto the playlist it went.

So, when you'd inexplicably hit shuffle while you cleaned or did laundry, the mood would drastically shift in tone from one song to the next. From "Maneater" by Hall & Oates, to "Only You" by The Platters, to "Plowed" by Sponge, to "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder. It was almost funny how wild your playlist had become after the time you've spent with Matt.

The two of you were cooking dinner. You were chopping potatoes to throw into a pot, Matt was sautéing some veggies in a large pan, and your playlist filtered quiet songs into the open apartment.

Smooth guitar and trumpets filled the air as "The Girl from Ipanema" by Frank Sinatra started playing. You glanced at Matt out of the corner of your eye. His eyes fell closed, a small smile tugging at his lips, as he started to subtly sway to the song. You felt an involuntary grin spread across your face.

He always looked so peaceful like this. In his safe space, both in the apartment and with you, doing something he enjoys, cooking, and listening to songs that don't overwhelm his senses. It was almost hypnotizing, how at ease he was.

The words slipped out before you could stop yourself, "Dance with me."

Matt tilted his head in your direction, eyes still closed. He hummed in response.

"Get over here, Mrs.Murdock."

You set down the large vegetable knife clutched in your hands and crossed the small kitchen. He shifted the pan off of its burner. Pops and sizzles ceased as the veggies were removed from the heat.

Deft, warm hands smoothed over your hips. Experienced fingers tracing the waistband of your leggings and finding their place on your waist. You looped your arms around his shoulders.

The two of you fell into step in time with the song. His hands pressed gently into your hips to guide your movements. You could hear quiet hums to the song rumbling in his broad chest.

When it came to the Spanish part of the song, a cocky grin spread across his lips. He started singing along. Perfectly. You were blown away. All the smug bastard could do was smile at you.

"Que pasa?" he asked lightly. You sighed, playfully rolling your eyes.

"Okay, avocado at law," you replied with a laugh. Matt couldn't help but join in, the two of you continuing to sway to the song.

It was peaceful. Tranquil. Right.

[carlyraejepsans]

Hi! Since ur a ut expert in my mind i was curious - do you think the story of undertale could ever be successfully adapted into a different medium? I remember back in 2016 some people i talked to REALLY wanted a ut movie, but i feel like the story would fit better into a tv show. But to change the format would be to change some of the meta narrative elements, which while would be hard, i still think could be possible. Anyways, do you have any thoughts?

i don't think any UT related anything aside from additional extracanonical character content (see, the grillby's special comic from the newsletter) would ever be adaptable to a non-interactive medium. undertale is so intrinsecally a videogame story that anything short of that would fail it, both in story execution as in themes wait. wait hang on.

actually no scrap that, the ONLY good undertale adaptation would be as an afternoon live reading circle to a bunch of kindergardeners. you have them pick one in the group as The Fallen Human and then you tell them the story making up voices for each character and asking them what they should do at certain choices and you get other teachers to play other characters and every now and then interrupt the story with physical puzzles and challanges to substitute the gameplay. also you should have a speaker for music in the appropriate areas. and possibly a real guitar for "Undertale" when you reach new home

[redrobin-detective]

Simon Petrikov headcanons

Only child, had loving parents who supported him but often left him alone for long stretches of time. An eager, empathetic child, he craved relationships with others and struggled to find them. The people he cares for, he loves completely and with everything he has.

He and Betty were such an obnoxious couple. They were each other's first everythings and became attached at the hip from the moment they started dating. They did everything together, mostly because it was Betty helping Simon with all his books and expeditions and research. Dated 2 years before proposing and things fell apart not long after. Simon had his doctorate while Betty was finishing hers, they planned the wedding for after she got her degree.

Was in his mid-late 30s when he first put on the crown. He'd just gotten his PhD and proposed to Betty and was at the happiest point in his life. Secretly believed but never really acknowledged that the reason Betty disappeared is that he accidentally killed during during his first bout of crown induced madness. That lingering grief and guilt was a major driver of his later princess kidnapping mania, seeking out the princess his heart knew was gone. He calmed down again once he realized Betty was alive.

After Betty disappeared, he became a hermit to avoid hurting others and the War happened a few years later. He was affected enough by the crown's magic to not suffer from the radiation sickness. He met Marcy a few years after.

Always wanted children, even when he'd been a child. Was somewhat resigned to it never happening until he met Betty. One of their first big discussions as a couple was about their mutual desire for kids. They both wanted a big family.

Has a somewhat addictive personality which is one reason why he could never truly abandon the crown. Goes through phases with food where he'll only eat a certain thing for months on end. Smoked like crazy, he was trying to quit because it bothered Betty but never quite managed. Even a thousand years later, he still wakes up sometimes craving a cigarette.

Is actually quite different physically from modern humans. Future humans only have 4 fingers and toes, they also have a slightly different internal organ structure that evolved post-war. Simon and humans give each other slight uncanny valley vibes, facial/skeletal shape is mostly the same but a bit tweaked that they can tell something is off slightly. Oooans live longer, are more durable and have more flexible bones. Simon nearly faints when he sees Finn bend his arms in ways that's impossible for him.

Simon retains some effects of the crown. His dark brown eyes became a piercing light blue after that first time and never went back. While he loses all magical ability, he has a higher sensitivity towards it. Has a crazy high physical cold tolerance and can survive temperatures that would harm a normal person. However, his mental tolerance for cold is low. Hates being cold and bundles on layers whenever it's chilly.

He didn't keep memories well while as Ice King. When he came back to himself he found he remembered cold hard facts he learned as IK (names, events, general history of Ooo) but personal memories were only 'dreamlike impression'. People will tell him things he did and Simon will not remember, he finds it very upsetting. Every now and again, a memory will bubble up and no matter what he's doing he'll need to hide away out of embarrassment.

A musical prodigy, someone who can pick up and learn instruments quite easily. Could have done music professionally if he'd been so inclined but preferred it as a hobby. In order of proficiency it was piano -> keyboard -> harmonica -> acoustic guitar -> fiddle -> violin -> ukulele*. *Can only play his and Betty's song which he sang when he proposed.

Drums was never an instrument he learned pre-crown, it was never something he wanted. He learned as Ice King, a way to express his innate musical talent in a medium that fit the cursed king. Plays intermittently after being freed but it takes him years before he becomes comfortable with them.

Taught Marcy the basics of guitar while they traveled together. She'd already expressed an interest in music and he was happy to teach her and sing to her as a way to keep up her spirits. Often joked guitars weren't his specialty but they were easier to find/more portable in an apocalyptic world.

Every couple of months, he and Marcy will pick a venue and play together. Its never announced, they just show up someplace and start playing. The audience goes wild but they're just having having a little family jam session.

Goes grey early. He has a massive panic attack when he first noticed streaks of white in his hair. He thought he was turning back into Ice King before he realized he was just getting old. Its a concept just as foreign and frightening.

It took a long time for Simon to admit what Marcy was to him, it felt presumptuous to think of her as his own when he could barely provide for her and was slowly losing his sanity. Meanwhile Marcy saw him as a parental figure right away. They've since talked about it and acknowledge it but just call each other Marcy and Simon for simplicity's sake. Sometimes, when she's feeling fond she'll call him 'old man' and it makes him feel like a king.

Marcy has a serious fear of Hunson taking offense to Simon filling in the father role. Its one reason she doesn't call him dad even if she feels it. Hunson is cruel and apathetic and possessive. She won't risk Simon falling victim to his petty whims.

Worked hard to make up his past behavior to the people he'd hurt. Many were forgiving but some weren't and he had to learn that some people would never accept his efforts. Took a long time for he and PB to get on good terms. Bubblegum holds grudges and Simon was so ashamed over his actions he would've avoided her if not for Marcy. For her sake, the two of them painfully, awkwardly made peace with each other. They're now quite friendly and even hang out occasionally without Marcy.

Is super uncomfortable around Gunter/Ice Thing for a while. Takes him awhile to work up the nerve to go back to the Ice Kingdom. Ice Thing thinks of Simon as his father and refers to him as such which initially flusters Simon but he gets used to it. They're friendly, but not really close. Ice Thing houses the majority of Simon's book/artifact collection until he donates it to museums. Simon visits every now and again for research purposes and to see the penguins who mutually miss him. The more Simon feels separated from Ice King the easier time he has with Ice Thing.

Everyone but Finn realizes that Simon has basically adopted him. Finn continues to live with Jake until he dies then alternates between crashing at Marcy's, PB's and Simon's place and disappearing on quests for months at a time. Simon worries and dotes on the young human: making meals, keeping his place clean and generally being supportive until Finn is a bit more stable. Finn's obliviousness to Simon's paternal feelings makes him back off a bit more into friend territory but he still worries.

Simon not only moves out of his museum apartment but also out of the floating human city. It isolated him up there, being so unrelatable to the other humans. Moves back down to Ooo and Bubblegum gets him set up with a big house with plenty of extra bedrooms for his friends kids to stay in.

After the events of F&C, he throws himself into his third chance with a gusto. Still has bouts of depression and anxiety the rest of his life but its more controlled. He helps formalize education across the board and creates the first higher education institute in Ooo. Teaches not only about pre-war history but becomes the historian on the history of Ooo. Keeps records, writes books and does interviews that help capture the world which are referenced far into the future. While he will always be associated with Ice King, Simon makes a name for himself as well.

[technicolorfamiliar]

D O U B L E F E A T U R E !

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Dir. Robert Weine 1920 // Orlacs Hände (The Hands of Orlac) Dir. Robert Wiene 1924

I recently watched both, Caligari specifically because I was invited on a friend's podcast to talk about the film (I was totally normal about it and definitely didn't make color coded note cards about the making of the movie… I did, I did make color coded note cards). So I figured I would lump these two in one post to switch things up.

--- Even though we talked about the movie for an hour and change, the conversation we recorded for the pod easily could have gone longer. There's so much to unpack about The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Between its historical, cinematic, artistic, and cultural significance and legacy, but also the various players on and off camera, not to mention the film's genesis from concept to page to screen -- there's no shortage of rabbit holes to go down.

Something I wish I had brought up during the recording was the score: The score matters! These updated silent film scores really do affect the viewer experience, and they're so often hit or miss. Of course, the original score for Caligari has been lost to time, but I read that the premier of in New York had classical music (Prokofiev, Stravinsky, etc) played along to the screening; part of me thinks this would be fun to try to recreate. I have no memory of the music when I first saw the film in 2009, but when I rewatched Caligari about a year ago, early in my Conrad Veidt journey, I chose a version on Internet Archive (which is, as of late October, sadly still out of commission *cries in nerd*) and the updated score was almost entirely minimal strings, which created a suitably eerie effect. I couldn't find that exact version elsewhere, so I this time opted for the 2014 restoration that's on Kanopy. The 2014 score is… fine. It’s very busy, trying too hard to sound like a traditional movie soundtrack. There's another version with a really painfully bad guitar-heavy score that I couldn't sit through even 5 minutes of, and still another that's entirely synths. Apparently the new 4K UHD/Blu-Ray that was just released has two new options for the score -- hopefully at least one of them doesn't totally suck!

I noticed deep into my third time viewing the film that I hadn't reached for my phone once. These days, I'll occasionally pick it up and mindlessly scroll through social media while watching a movie. But I think Caligari and a few other silent films require closer attention since they're a purely visual medium. I found myself greedily devouring every frame of Caligari. No shot or scene feels wasted. Honestly, I feel like every movie should be 90 minutes long or less. Anything longer should be turned into a miniseries. But in all seriousness, Caligari is another film I want to physically walk into. It would be pretty easy to recreate these sets, life size in grayscale black and white. The more I think about this, the more I need it. So, so bad.

I also came away this time with a lot of questions, mostly about the main part of the narrative, the story Franzis is telling. But the framing device makes the questions pointless. If the main story is just Franzis's delusion, then the absurdity of the script is totally fine I guess? Except the script that Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer wrote didn't have Franzis as a patient at the asylum, they hated the framing story twist that was forced on their movie, so all those weird parts of the script and character choices that I'm overthinking and reading too much into are rendered meaningless. It's all in Franzis's head! The story and the characters in it don't matter! Or else are just part of his subconscious! Face palm. Eye roll.

Does the movie even work without the framing device? It would be interesting to show an edited version of the movie without the first and last scenes to someone who's never seen it. And if the twist ending was supposed to dumb down the anti-authoritarian message of the script, I don't know that it's successful. In the end, I still have empathy for Franzis. And we still have an ambiguous ending: Caligari/The Asylum Director looks at Mad Franzis and says, "I know just how to cure him," and there's a creepy iris wipe in on Werner Krauss's face that maybe leads us to think Franzis isn't as delusional as we think he is. So like… even if the whole Dr. Caligari with his sleepy twink in a box story is fake, whatever is happening at the asylum is probably just as messed up if not worse.

Speaking of the twink in a box, I love that Conrad Veidt's German Expressionism is totally different from Werner Krauss's German Expressionism. They both trained and performed with Max Reinhardt, so their foundations as theater actors in the 1910s and 1920s were likely similar. But, regardless or in spite of that shared experience, they are diametrically different human beings and that comes across in their performances in this movie. These two actors are like the textbook definition of "showing" your art vs. "being" your art. Krauss as Caligari is like "ooOOOoo look how ooky spooky and evil I am!", whereas Connie's performance as Cesare, even though it's hyper-stylized, is infused with something deeper, something primal that feels believable in the context of the film.

If Cesare has been asleep his whole life, waking only to be fed Chunky Campbell's Soup and commit murder at Caligari's bidding, then no wonder he reacts the way he does when sleeping Jane finally brings him out of his trance. When she freaks out, he freaks out too because he's had no opportunity to learn how to behave like a human or how to filter his primal emotions in a socially acceptable way. He hasn't lived his life except to be a madman's puppet. He reacts to Jane's panic on instinct and impulse, his desire and fear feel feral, like he's more creature or an animal than a human man. He may not actually want to hurt Jane, but he reacts violently because fight or flight is a basic human stress response! He runs away and eventually collapses because his body can't handle the sudden onslaught of stress and emotion he's never before experienced! And this internal, instinctual tendency to violence is subtly alluded to in the final scene when Asylum Cesare both caresses and slowly picks apart the flowers he's holding. Ahhhhh, I have so many FEELINGS.

And that said… Connie's performance here is wild, but it's real in a way that Werner Krauss's work could never be because Connie was a spiritual humanist who cared deeply for others and Krauss was an anti-semitic piece of shit who therefore could NEVER dig deep enough into his soul or into the collective unconscious the way Connie did to breathe life into his characters. So everything Krauss is doing here and in The Student of Prague is all surface, it's "showing" the audience his training and his actor toolbox rather than bringing a level of honesty and in-the-moment groundedness to these roles.

This is not to say Connie's intense commitment to his work couldn't be, uh, excessive. I really hope Lil Dagover was being serious when she said he would lurk around the studio in character when off camera. Can you imagine? You go up to the craft services table for a snack. Suddenly you feel like you're being watched. You look up and he's looming over you in the shadows, his unblinking glazed eyes boring into your soul. God, I hope this happened and I hope whoever it happened to peed themselves a little.

I also wish we had a behind the scenes photo of Connie in costume with the Cesare dummy. I can't believe someone actually had to make that prop. It'll haunt me forever. (The 1920 Cesare Dummy isn't real, the 1920 Cesare Dummy can't hurt me.)

Bottom line: It's an important film, I appreciate it for both its timelessness and timefullness. But it's not a movie I need to revisit often, regardless of how enchanting Connie's nostril acting may be.

---

The first time I watched The Hands of Orlac, I was floored by the visuals, the staging, and the heavy eroticism. Up until that point, I hadn't seen very many silent films, certainly few as visually striking. I think my initial impressions of this film were somewhat muted on a second watch, but that may just because I knew what to expect.

This time, I wasn't as swept up in the magic of silent era German Expressionist cinema, although stylistically I'm still absolutely 100% obsessed. Art direction wise, this is my favorite between the surviving Wiene-Veidt films (I haven't seen Furcht and I don’t plan to). Orlac is like the darker, sexier, more grown up sister to Caligari's mall goth teen. It's Vampira vs Lydia Deetz.

Orlac is just as much if not more of a cinematic feat than Caligari. The production design and art direction alone feels more mature and in itself tells more of a story.

Very early in the film, we're thrown into a very impressive, very realistic train crash. Opening the movie this way was a really interesting choice -- we don't get to meet the characters before the accident that starts Paul and Yvonne Orlac on their doomed and bizarre trajectory. There is a brief establishing scene of Yvonne reading a really horny letter from her husband, and one of pianist Paul at his final concert before returning home. Then there's a very long sequence of the aftermath of the train crash that almost kills Paul, and this scene brings a level of realism you don't really get in other films of this genre/done in this style. The set construction looks expensive; the mangled train cars piled up in heaps may have been fabricated in the studio, but because of the lighting in the night scene, the billowing smoke from passing locomotives and fires from the crash, it looks pretty damn real for 1924. It's extremely effective and harrowing, especially as Yvonne races to the site of the crash and climbs through the wreckage to try to find her husband. The chaos of the scene, made all the more disorienting by the movement of search lights and the haze of smoke and steam, feels true to life. People are running around, pulling bodies from the ruined train cars, carrying them away on stretchers. Survivors look around dazed, clutching their belongings in shock. It's such a well directed moment in the film, but maybe not the first thing people remember about it. And I think it's inclusion is important because it offsets how weird the movie's about to get.

And boy, does it get weird. However, the doctor does say Paul suffered a skull fracture, so it's not a huge stretch to think he also has some kind of brain injury. So I wonder if that has something to do with how the filmmakers chose to show Paul's intense fear and paranoia, as well as the movie's shift in tone and style after his accident. The nightmarishness of the film, from the exaggerated performances to the set design, feels like an extension of whatever might be going on in Paul's head as a result of his injury.

Regardless, I love the choices the art director made. The set, especially the Art Deco mausoleum the Orlacs have for a home, is so perfect. The huge, cavernous rooms are completely unnecessary, but they make the characters look and feel so helpless, like dolls in a doll house. The lines of the walls and the furnishings draw the eye through the frame with just as much intention as the painted sets of Caligari. Even places outside their house become symbolic and iconographic. The news stand is just a window cut out of a massive wall of loose sheets of newspaper that takes up the entire frame. The interior of Orlac Sr.'s house is like a old, drafty castle, looking more like the home of an evil, miserly king. The tavern where Paul is confronted by Nera feels dank and subterranean, just a lamp or two removed from literal catacombs. The outer world is fully a reflection of poor Paul Orlac's inner torment and despair and I AM LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

The new music composed by Paul Mercer is perfect, too. It's all skronky violins and cellos, ominous percussion and piano. It's just atmospheric enough, creating moments of soundscapes, echoing footsteps, aural suggestions of the oppressive cave-like rooms where the story unfolds. There aren't really any memorable themes like in the updated score for The Student of Prague, but that works for this movie. I would buy this soundtrack and actually listen to it on its own, it's that good.

Everyone in the ensemble is basically on the same page in terms of acting style, no one feels out of place or miscast. Connie of course steals the show, but Alexandra Sorina as Yvonne gives him a run for his money. She's a good match for him, delivering an appropriately desperate and hysterical (and deeply, deeply horny) performance as the touch-starved wife. Their scenes together are maybe some of the best on screen romantic moments of Connie's silent film work because these two are wildly hungry for each other. This movie is so funny, it tells you immediately how horny it is; in the first 30 seconds of the movie, Yvonne gets a letter from Paul that says, "I will feel your body beneath my hands," like they're telling you straight up this is going to Horn Town. And the way she grabs at him, presses her open mouth to him, hovers over him in his hospital bed, she is DTF anywhere any time. And no shame, no shade, good for her. This is a sex positive film, and we love to see it. But she's not just the sexy wife, she's also totally ride or die for Paul. She truly trusts him and believes his absolutely buck wild story about being blackmailed by a dead psycho killer. What a gal.

Then there's Paul, aka Eraserhead Baby… because when he wakes up from surgery covered in bandages, he looks like the Eraserhead Baby. Connie is doing some of his finest nostril acting in this role, I have to say. As always, I am fascinated by his physicality and the choices he's making with movement and gesture. When his bandages are finally removed, he reacts as though drugged, his movements slow as though underwater or in a dream. And when he confronts his surgeon after discovering the original owner of his newly transplanted hands, he holds them out and away from his body as if they were coated in something dirty or disgusting. As Paul's life and sanity unravel, his hands and fingers are in almost constant motion, curling, twitching, clutching; his body language becomes more creature-like, moving in a way that calls up Cesare the sleepwalker -- interestingly, the two characters both seemingly at the mercy of forces outside their control.

We don’t get to know what Paul was like before the accident, how much this traumatic event changed him. There's something this movie is trying to say about trauma and how it affects people. The doctor tells Paul, "Nature and a strong will can overcome anything." But if Paul sustained any kind of serious brain damage, who’s to say his personality wasn't affected, or that he wasn't fragile and suggestible to begin with? Either way, in the wake of the accident, Paul's vulnerability and circumstance makes him a perfect target for Nera's grift.

Even without being targeted by a sick weirdo con artist, it's no wonder Paul's really going through it. He tortures and punishes himself relentlessly for something that wasn't his fault! (Been there.) He puts on a recording of one of his old concerts and crumples in grief for having lost not only his livelihood but also his outlet for creative expression -- not being able to do what you used to creatively because of trauma is REAL. He's trapped in his misery. Even his handwriting is different, now a violent scrawl he imagines is due to the murderous acts his hands supposedly committed. He secretly retrieves the planted murder weapon in order to further convince himself he's somehow become evil, wielding it as through he committed the crimes of the dead man whose hands now belong to him. And the scenes where Yvonne comes to him, wanting to both devour and comfort him, he cannot bring himself to touch her. Clearly they love each other very much and their relationship was very physical, so the agony and yearning in his face when she embraces him is UGH IT'S SO GOOD. It's heartbreaking. There's a lot to unravel here about trauma, body dysmorphia, and intimacy that I'm interested to dig into during subsequent viewings.

Final thoughts: There's an annoying part of my brain that wants the movie to make sense, for the timeline to be clearer, for loose ends to be tied up. But I know that none of that really matters because this movie is better received as a dream or a nightmare. And by that logic, it doesn't have to make sense. The Expressionist beats are being hit particularly hard, but the surreal quality allows the filmmakers and cast to get away with it. For fans of Conrad Veidt, this is a must-watch, even before Caligari -- he gets more screen time in this film, gets to play with his silent film artist's palette, and gets to do pathos like he's the king of tragic, pathetic characters. He's gangly, glassy-eyed, and trembling like a small wet dog the whole time and it's superb. Despite not really getting a chance to know the Orlacs before they're thrown into their own personal hell of body horror and credit debt, they're both pretty sympathetic. From psychological commentary to the erotic visuals and tension, it's all very ahead of its time.

[deadguywalkin]

seb+sam+alex hcs because i am STILL gay and extremely evil + some pre t seb hcs because… sigh

( sam+alex centric!! aside from the last part )

cw: dramatic switch from ‘yeah alex and sam are traumatized’ to ‘sam likes boobs’. that pretty much sums this up. (minimal nsfw and most of it is jokey)

jewelry:

alex: minimal. no rings or bracelets because they get in the way. ‘does sam’s pick count? c’mon, i’m an edgy boy too!!’

sam: medium. face piercings and some rings

sebastian: not actually that much, but he only wears silver. gothic necklaces of dragons on swords, silver rings, and the likes. maybe even a blood vial.

hands:

alex: missing his whole index finger?? big big hands with some little scars. engulfs whoever’s hand he’s holding.

sam: calloused fingers, tiny scars from hurting himself a lot on accident. he has very shaky hands. also has his little memory bands

sebastian: thin fingers and careful, steady hands. chipped black nail polish. there is more of a reddish tint on his knuckles.

—————

sebastian carries bandaids on him because sam is an idiot and alex is also an idiot (they’re not idiots they just have 0 spatial awareness)

alex wears sam’s guitar pick as a necklace. i refuse to draw him without it

alex carries their band equipment when sam whines about being too lazy to do it

seb never gets scared during horror movies or any horror experiences. however samalex are gripping onto each other like they’re about to die

alex cannot bear to watch super violent graphic stuff for obvious reasons. sambastian will always skip those parts ahead in movies for him because they already know. not that he can’t do it himself, but it’s just a small gesture.

alex is a huge ‘i’m sorry, did i do something wrong? I’m really sorry. you can tell me if i did.’ kind of guy when the vibes are off. he just has a fear of being useless or annoying and needs to be reassured.

sam needs to be reassured that he doesn’t have to always take care of everyone or constantly be the emotional support beacon. he also needs some support and to take a break!!

sam just has his best friends memorized by heart. ‘you were gonna ask abbie to hang out..? bro, don’t you know? she’s gonna have a headache tomorrow.’

sam has a habit of biting at his lips, ‘my mouth gets bored!

samalex are insanely emotionally intelligent, compassionate and understanding even if they’re not all there. they’re more tender and sweet when it comes to someone opening up and just know exactly what to say and what they need to hear.

on sebs end, he’s pretty bad at reading people and understanding everyone even if he’s smarter than the other two are. he’s quick to get it but doesn’t know how to comfort people and is more of a chill ‘oh.. that sucks, dude. me too, anyways, wanna light a blunt and talk about it?’ kind of guy

^^ he’s only good at that stuff when it comes to understanding books/movies/music. that’s where it’s over for samalex (sam aside from the music part

“what are you watching?”

“a 6 hour commentary video about sonic.exe”

“adventure time!!”

“black mirror.”

“oh..”

(sam has a short attention span but locks in when it comes to commentary videos about random niche shit)

pre-t trans seb down here

alex to pre top surgery seb: “c’mere.. stress balls”

post top surgery seb to alex: “c’mere.. stress balls.”

sam just enjoys having his face stuffed in boobs. doesn’t care wether they’re pecs ‘boobs’ or regular boobs.

seb is confident in his gender pre t or not. he’s more of a ‘i genuinely believe and know i am a man’ than a ‘i want to be a man’

..as confident as he is and as much as he loves them, he feels a slight resentment to samalex because he just feels this hint of jealousy and insecurity around them. they’re just such big representations of masculinity. it makes him feel a little sick that he feels that way because he knows he should love and appreciate them for being patient, he just can’t help it. he will find himself comparing them to him.

sebastian randomly showed up at sam’s house on a random night when he was younger and came out to him before he asked for help cutting all of his hair off. he already had his emo shag but ended up keeping it 

seb has a hard time remembering to take his binder off.. though it makes him feel better in his skin, his ribs are about to explode.

cuddling and then a hand just reaches up and.. squeeze (seb doesn’t even question it)

this ones a bit of a shorter dump;p

[tikpik]

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[charmac]

Okay! The Gang are playing Rock Band.

Dennis: Vocals. Always on Expert. Stops to smirk at everyone when he perfects every high note. Whenever he doesn't 100% a track he blames Dee’s attempts to sing along and Charlie’s ‘insane grunting’ being picked up on the mic. Stands in front of everyone so he has more room to move (sway his hips). He gets to pick every song.

Mac: Bass guitar. He started on lead guitar Expert but he was the sole reason they’d fail almost every track, and still kept failing on Hard. He claimed it was because his ears are actually tuned better for bass and took it from Dee. Alternates between Hard and Medium based on how tricky the track is. Claims he has to do that because when the song is fast his fingers get too sweaty and slip off the keys. Refuses to sit while playing even though it would greatly help him. Is the reason they stop playing because he ends up breaking both guitars.

Dee: Lead guitar after Mac snatches bass from her. Wants to be on vocals but Dennis won’t allow it because he says she’ll fail them faster than Mac does on guitar (but it’s really bc Dennis can’t do any other instrument well). Loudly sings vocals when Dennis picks a song she knows she can do better. Actually near-perfects guitar on Expert if she's sitting on the ground. Spends any break she has attempting to trip or elbow Mac.

Charlie: Drums. Literally just goes fucking crazy on Expert, no one’s sure he’s even actually looking at the TV but he’s somehow always hitting 100%. Mostly squatting or kneeling as he plays, never sits properly. Makes weird grunting sounds that aren’t in rhythm with what he’s doing. When he has an easy run or a break he speaks completely normally like drumming takes no effort. Always fucks up selections by absently drumming while they're on menu screens.

[dixons-sunshine]

✮ Nicknames: Georgie (everyone) Ginny (Vec) Gin (Vec) Marianne (Scud) GG (Michonne) G (T-Dog, Tyreese and Glenn) Gia (Maggie) Hawkins (Abraham) Bunny (Daryl)

✮ She was born on July 19th.

✮ She was born and raised on the outskirts of a small town in Swanton, Ohio, but moved to Atlanta for university.

✮ Her best friend is Lydia Rae Vector, and they have been friends since they were little kids.

✮ She’s 5’8’’, with medium-length light brown hair that reaches just below her shoulders, and brown eyes.

✮ She was thirty years old when the outbreak happened.

✮ She was an elementary school teacher in the old world.

✮ She has a scar on her lower abdomen due to an altercation with a patient at the hospital she volunteered at the patient had stabbed her.

✮ She was doing volunteer work in the emergency room at Atlanta General when the chaos happened.

✮ Her dad, Leo, was from England and her mom, Maria, was from Germany, but she was born and raised in America. She picked up on the ‘typical’ American accent instead of a German or British one.

✮ She has a younger brother named Matthew. He’s two years younger than her.

✮ Her dad was a sergeant in the military, and he lost his life in the line of duty.

✮ Before his death, she was extremely close with her dad.

✮ She did not have a good relationship with her mom. Her mom cheated on her dad when Georgianna was only nine, and left to be with the other man when she discovered she was pregnant. Georgianna had not really been in contact with her since.

✮ Her dad’s sister, Josie, helped her dad raise her and Matthew.

✮ Georgianna has strong feelings regarding infidelity. She doesn’t respect a cheater. There are very few circumstances where she would make an exception to that.

✮ She’s extremely passionate regarding women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.

✮ She’s very empathetic, kind, compassionate, loyal, understanding, and caring, which made her the clear favourite for her students amongst all the other teachers. They knew that if they needed somebody to talk to or needed help in any way, Georgianna would be there.

✮ Her and Vec ended up in the quarry camp after a week of struggling to get out of the city.

✮ She has a rabbit tattoo on her inner forearm, hence the nickname “Bunny” from Daryl. She also has a tattoo of a sun on her right hip.

✮ She likes drawing. She does so in her spare time.

✮ She knows how to play the acoustic guitar due to her aunt having taught her how.

✮ She’s fluent in sign language, due to her brother being deaf.

✮ She absolutely despises onions and tomatoes. She’d rather starve than eat them.

✮ She’s dyslexic.

✮ She has claustrophobia.

✮ Her favourite colour is yellow.

✮ Her favourite song is “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica.

✮ Her favourite flowers are sunflowers. She never really paid much mind to what her favourite flower was until Daryl gave her a sunflower once and told her why he felt like if she were to be a flower, she would be a sunflower.

✮ She’s a very bubbly, high-spirited, optimistic person.

✮ She’s an extroverted introvert. She can be awkward around new people, but she’s also a complete people person and loves meeting new people and talking to them. It’s a weird thing and not even she can fully explain it.

✮ She was a decent fighter before the apocalypse. Vec taught her everything that she knew, Georgianna knows enough to hold her own in a fight. After she meets Daryl, he teaches her how to fight as well, making her confident enough to take anyone on if she had to.

✮ She’s a total geek. She grew up obsessing over Marvel comics. Her favourite is definitely the Scarlet Witch.

✮ Other than Vec, her closest friend is Michonne.

✮ Would never admit this to anyone, but she loves Scud (platonically). Touch him and she’ll kill you.

✮ If she hadn’t become a teacher, she would have become a photographer. However, she does do freelance photography.

✮ She loves rabbits. Her dad used to call her ‘his lil’ Thumper’, and he used to take her and Matt out camping to a spot that had a million rabbits hopping around. He even got her a rabbit plush when she was nine. Rabbits are a huge comfort to her.

[danwithouttheplan]

I'll soon be delving into a new medium of art (resin guitar picks). Perhaps I will have fun images to show in the coming days.

[rastronomicals]

12:16 AM EST November 20, 2024:

Rush - "The Sphere A Kind Of Dream" Live at Pinkpop Festival, Landgraaf, Netherlands (Recorded June 4, 1979)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

Having talked some shit about "The Trees", I figured I'd write with your kind permission a little something more complimentary about another part of Hemispheres. Can I talk about "The Sphere A Kind of Dream?"

The sixth part of the sidelong title track is so beautiful it nearly leaves me wrecked. You know how you sing along? I mean, we all sing along, right? Well, I can never get through the last part of "Cygnus X-1 Book Two." My voice always cracks, and I give it up. It's so stunning, it leaves me wondering how *Geddy Lee* can even get through it.

If you can argue that Hemispheres is the apex of Rush albums--and that's an argument I'm highly sympathetic to*--then it seems to me that "The Sphere" is the apex of Hemispheres. "Circumstances" was a nice single, "The Trees" is an anthem but also problematic, "La Villa Strangiatto" is a technical showpiece, but the band admitted right there on the album it's an "exercise in self-indulgence."

Yes, "Armageddon The Battle of Heart and Mind" has those incredible zigzag guitars and that amazing first verse. But "The Sphere" is the capstone to it all, in theme and in exquisite, gorgeous melody.

We can walk our road together If our goals are all the same We can run alone and free If we pursue a different aim

Let the truth of Love be lighted Let the love of Truth shine clear Sensibility Armed with sense and liberty

With the Heart and Mind united In a single   Perfect     Sphere

_______________ * If you think about it, Hemispheres is like Slayer's Reign in Blood: an album so masterful and so extreme that its creators knew that further forays in its direction were doomed to failure. So they didn't even try; instead each band just changed direction.

Permanent Waves is still proggy--but not like Hemispheres is. Permanent Waves introduced a ballad with "Different Strings" and "The Spirit of Radio" was designed to be a hit along the medium it was named for. Similarly, with South of Heaven, Slayer knew there was no way they could get faster, so they cut the tempos in half, and picked up the technical aspects.

File under: Codas