#HES JUST SANDERS-SAN TO ME

[apollos-boyfriend]

i'm gonna be real. i completely forgot the politician guy's name was yoshida. i've literally only ever heard him referred to as sanders-san

[mirai-e-jump]

Beautiful Catalog Vol.3 ft. Kamen Rider Ryuki Cast Members Takashi Hagino x Ryohei Interviews & Photoshoot (translations below)

Publication: September 30, 2003

Takashi Hagino (Takeshi Asakura/Kamen Rider Ouja)

-I no longer make impulse purchases, like when it comes to snake print clothing (laughs)-

With a bright smile on his face, Hagino-san entered the studio. His pure white, rough style was perfectly balanced with the grass zori (sandals) on his feet, which was a unique choice! At first glance, it looks loose, with only the innerwear fitting to his body, but, it gives off a masculine feel. Against the natural materials, his silver accessories stand out.

Hagino: Fashion…..I'm not too picky about it~

He mutters to himself. His style is modest, contrary to his seemingly carefully coordinated choices.

"First off is the staff's favorite, here he is wearing a fluffy knit sweater."

Hagino: Uwah, who's that, me? My hair's all curly (laughs).

"We were most interested about this one. The growing reactions from those around you saying, "Cute~!," caused you to look nervous, which in turn made you look even cuter."

Hagino: During the time of that shoot, I was asked, "Please hold this plushie." Do I have to? It seems that stuff like that is becoming pretty common these days (laughs).

"What's your favorite fashion to wear?"

Hagino: Last year, all I wore was black. Black tanktops and such. Right now, I really want to wear whites. It's nice isn't it~? White! The other day, I saw Beckham wearing white on the cover of some magazine. He was also wearing pants like the ones I wore today. I thought, "Let's do this! I have the same fashion sense as Beckham" (laughs). From now on, I want you to call me Beckham (laughs).

"B-Beckham?? You want us to…..? Next, a jacket with fur that gives off an affectionate big brother feel. It's a very refreshing look!"

Hagino: I feel like I've never worn something like this either. It has a natural feel, like when you go out to walk your dog. By the way, the other day, for two days straight, I went to this pet store and was obsessed with this half chihuahua and papillon breed. When I looked at them, they hid in embarrassment. It was so cute! I was really hesitating whether to buy them or not, but the price for such a small and cute dog was 380,000 yen ($2,500)! The store is open until late in the morning, so I spend alot of time there. The shiba inu's and all the other dogs are just so cute to look at.

"Do you ever make impulse purchases?"

Hagino: Not anymore. Due to the "advice" of some store employees, I no longer buy snake print clothing (laughs). At the time, clothing with snake patterns were hard to come by, so when they saw me looking they said, "That'll look good on you~." They said, "We'll lower the price (alot)~." I thought, "Alright then~," and bought it. If you go shopping with friends, you'll have someone to stop you, but if you don't and go alone, you'll end up getting stuff that you can't afford. It's dangerous (laughs). I had to learn that recently.

"I'm not very particular when it comes to brands, but, the ones I like are Jil Sander and Dolce & Gabbana."

Hagino: I can't afford to buy all that because it's expensive, but, I do think it's really cool. Lately, I've been thinking that it would be nice to dress in a more formal way for such occasions. Wouldn't you want to try it? A dinner party on the roof of a building with a swimming pool. I'd even prepare business cards with a alot of lies on them (laughs).

"With fashion, Hagino-san says, "It's fun, it's like playing a game." What do you wear when you go to bed or to just relax?"

Hagino: It's either denim shorts or cargo shorts. I'll wear a T-shirt or tank top on top, which I'll take off when it's hot. The rest of the time I wear tracksuits (laughs). When I go to work, I'll wear either a T-shirt and jeans or tracksuit. I like to be able to change into my costume quickly and then take it easy.

"Finally, this last outfit is a multi striped suit with a strong sense of personality. With his hair up, he's transformed into abit of a bad boy. The manager said he looks like, "A respected elder brother." Hikawa Kiyoshi-kun from our office wore a similar suit for his "Zundoko Bushi" MV, but the vibe is totally different."

Hagino: It's so cool, the look reminds me of Lenny Kravitz! He's fashionable and looks good in fur, T-shirts, and all kinds of strange stuff. Compared to when I was first wearing the knit sweater, I feel like I've relaxed abit. It feels like I'm back (laughs).

"By the way, I hear you're very particular with your eyebrows."

Hagino: If I forget to draw my eyebrows before going out, I feel very uncomfortable (laughs). When I draw it myself, it's like a straight line. I'm not improving at all. I don't check my whole appearance in the mirror before going out, but I always pay attention to my eyebrows (laughs).

-I'll be a prince! But before that, I'd like to play a dirty role-

"He started doing karate about 3 years ago because he was attracted to the civility of the sport after playing many detective roles in the past. He takes time out of his busy schedule to attend karate, which he says helps him maintain his health and improve his voice for stage plays."

Hagino: I'm currently a yellow belt (6 kyu). I hope to be green this year, and brown within the next two years. Even before shooting for the photobook, I ran a marathon, went to karate, and did push ups when I'd wake up in the morning……that all I keep doing (laughs). Surprisingly, I don't mind doing these things.

His photobook, "Actor, Takashi Hagino," is filled with emotional and sensitive words that resonate with the heart.

"You say so many wonderful words."

Hagino: I wondered, "What can I do with this photobook?" I thought maybe I could include some words or afew sentences. But, it felt like, "As soon as you add color to a painting, it's ruined." I thought it'd be more interesting to write down what I was currently thinking, like a time capsule, so that later on I can say, "This is who I was!" I personally really like the poem "Confirmation."

"What's your favorite outfit in the photobook?"

Hagino: I liked the denim jacket~. That guy near the swingset, he may have been more offended by the unlikely setting of swings, rather than the fashion I was wearing (laughs).

"How was the stage play, "Yokosuka Dobuita Story," in which you played the leading role?"

Hagino: I really enjoy the stage experience. I also like the live feel of it. Since the foundation of a play is the stage…..I fully felt the determination of everyone around me, and while it was fun, I also fully enjoyed the live conflict that only a stage play can bring. I thought that as the rehearsals continued, I could feel so much of the warmth, cheerfulness, and sadness coming out of them.

"What do you think of Joji, the role you played?"

Hagino: In the beginning, he wasn't a nice guy…..but, he was a good guy. I think I was able to show him having fun and being sincere, so I'd like to add more variety if I ever play a role like that again.

"What scene was most memorable?"

Hagino: In the proposal scene with Kaori, played by Junko Mihara-san, she changed the way she spoke each time we performed it, and did so with different tricks, such as sulking or teasing. Gradually, our rhythm and breathing become the same, and my lines came out without being conscious of it. The scenes with Mihara-san were alot of fun to do.

"It's been announced that you'll play the role of the prince in the Cinderella musical. A bad prince…what's that about?"

Hagino: Quiet! (laughs). I don't think that's it, I think it's just a regular prince, but the script hasn't come in yet, so I don't know all the details. I am looking forward to the dancing in the musical. Although, I'm worried about singing. You know how the dialogue suddenly flows into a ballad like song with, "Why~"? I become nervous the moment, "Why~," comes up (laughs). But. I'll keep practicing and show you the fairy tale prince in all his glory.

"Will the prince's costume be……white tights?"

Hagino: My manager told me that if I wore white tights, right here (his crotch), would look really cool (laughs). No, rather, it's a wonderful fairy tale like costume. The show will be held in more than 20 locations across the country, so please look forward to it!

"What kind of roles do you want to play in the future?"

Hagino: Since I've already decided to play a prince, I'd like to play a serious and grim role before that. Something like a dirty role.

In his photobook, Hagino-san affirms that he loves humans, as he wrote, "Are you a human being? If you're a human, then you must be a wonderful one." This love for people is what makes his acting so refined, as he focuses on the essence of humans. We're really looking forward to seeing him as a fairy tale prince and in serious roles.

Ryohei (Shuichi Kitaoka/Kamen Rider Zolda)

-Is this too subtle? When it comes to this coordination, I think I should do my best.-

In a quiet studio located in a certain part of Tokyo, the sound of a camera shutter clicking resonates. The sounds are followed by rhythmical changes in facial expressions, poses, and overall atmosphere, creating the rich and colorful, "Ryohei World," almost like a perfectly beautiful picture were being painted.

Within the light, he strikes perfectly balanced poses that'll take your breath away, while occasionally trying to make us laugh by crossing his eyes and saying, "This is what real coordination looks like!"

While casually flapping his white coat, he says:

Ryohei: About 2-3 years ago, I used to wear clothes like these all the time during the Fall and Winter, but now, I don't wear them anymore. It's exhausting to wear them all day, don't you think? These days, I think it's better to dress comfortably. I wonder, have my shoulders become more relaxed as I've gotten older? Well, it's nice doing something like this once in awhile! It makes me feel motivated to strike the perfect poses.

"You picked out that coat."

Ryohei: The length is perfect! This half coat actually is a half coat. For some reason, usually, a half coat is a short coat, and a long coat is a half coat (laughs).

"Were there any problems with the size?"

Ryohei: No matter how big the clothes are, when I wear them, I always think, "These are way too small!" I do adore more loose fitting clothes. I can't pull off the look though (laughs).

"While not being particular about brands, Ryohei-san says, "I don't think something being expensive makes it better." He enjoys buying secondhand clothes, with sneakers making up half of his collection. He also claims to have about 50 pairs of unopened shoes. Today, he's wearing stylish leather sneakers."

Ryohei: I love sneakers. I sometimes think, "Even if they last a lifetime, I wonder, do I have enough?" I'll also put them in their box and stack them, it's really cool to look at (laughs). I don't really do it anymore, but there was a time when I used to pick out clothes that matched my shoes.

"Do you check your whole appearance in the mirror before going out?"

Ryohei: That's essential. Sometimes I'll dress in a way that makes me think, "Is this too subtle?," Although, I'm usually pretty ok with it. Fashion is like an extension of my hobby, so I think I should be doing my best at it. During the times I go on a date with a girlfriend, I think I should only make decisions when I really have too.

"Do you make snap decisions for a date??"

Ryohei: It depends on how long we've been together, but in the early stages of a relationship, a man wants to make a big impression (laughs). Well, if you've been together for 3-4 years, I think, "Alright, who cares~."

"That's terrible?!" (said by the entire female staff)

Ryohei: I don't think you have to be so cool in front of your partner all the time……I think it's okay to just look natural. So, it's not terrible, it's really not (laughs).

"What if after 3-4 years, she's wearing something she doesn't really care for?"

Ryohei: Well, that's exactly who I am. That's why I think we'd be compatible (laughs). You do your best at first, and once you're familiar with them, it doesn't matter what you look like.

"Do you care about your hairstyle?"

Ryohei: For me, I'm not particular with hair, so everyday my hairstyle is slightly different. When I go for a straight perm, my hair loses all its volume and flattens, regardless of how thick my hair is. A tip I can give, is to only use your hair dryer on areas that are particularly annoying and have strong frizz. It's easier to set up the look that way.

"Your eyebrows have a nice shape to them."

Ryohei: I don't do anything with my eyebrows. I don't want them being thin. It makes me lose the "impact" of my face and causes my appearance to change (laughs).

During the chair sitting shoot, the chair was too low compared to Ryohei's height, so he brought out a stepladder by himself, making it a very interesting shoot. Wearing a knit hat, Ryohei's beautiful face looked even more attractive, and he looked like a European college boy with an unfamiliar expression on his face.

"What is key to dressing well?"

Ryohei: I don't have any particular stances…..but, I don't want to be outdone by clothes. I want to make an effort to wear them, and even if I think they don't look good on me, I'll try and find a way to make them look good.

"You seem to be very good at posing."

Ryohei: During my time staying at motels, I studied my poses by looking in the mirror, so I wouldn't have to do them on set and feel embarrassed. It's like it's already been ingrained in my head. If I don't do them properly, the photographer won't be able to take any photos.

"While at Hagino-san's house, the two of them once practiced posing together while looking in the mirror. During the shoot, Hagino-san laughed and said, "Posing by Ryohei!," and he did the same pose Ryohei did, showing that they seem to get along really well. What advice do you have for for making your appearance look more beautiful?"

Ryohei: Pose standing slightly diagonal…doing so will make you look thinner. Always think of ways to make your appearance more slim (laughs).

"When did you first discover your style?"

Ryohei:…..I still haven't found it (laughs).

"Normally, wouldn't you discover fashion in the same way a girl would?"

Ryohei: Hmmm……It think it's alittle different from that (laughs). Rather than about clothes, I was thinking more about how to make people laugh and how to entertain them. When it comes to the clothes I'm wearing now, I don't think I can say whether they're good or bad. I might say later, "Why did I think this was cool to wear?" Fashion is an indifferent thing for me, but it's like a time capsule that reflects that moment in time……It's something that reminds me of who I was at one point.

-The action was difficult. Since my reach is different, it's difficult to get the timing right.-

"How was it working with veteran actors (Natori Yuko, etc) on "The Woman Prosecutor of Kyoto"?"

Ryohei: There was alot to learn just by listening and watching. The way they said their lines, it was so natural, me on the other hand, I'm still trying to perform well. In my head, I can see it all very well. But, it's hard to actually do it. On set, we called her "Professor Natori," since we had alot to learn from her.

"You made your first attempt as a voice actor in "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED," correct?"

Ryohei: Actors can make facial expressions while speaking, right? It's easy to tell when someone's "angry" because they speaks in an angry tone and has an angry expression on their face. I looked at the voice actors and thought that they're skilled at manipulating their voices. They do whatever they want. The way they react, the way they breath…..as an actor, I've learned alot from them.

"I heard that the shooting for the upcoming film, "Bird's Eye," in which you play the lead role, was difficult due to wire acting."

Ryohei: It was quite difficult. But, it was something of a challenge for myself.

"Please tell us some highlights of the film."

Ryohei: It's an action film. But, I only had 3 days to practice. I couldn't even meet the person I was going to be working with until the day of filming. Being so tall, I had a different reach from my partner, so it was very difficult to find the correct timing. When you punch, you take a step forward, right? But when I step forward, I get too close, so I end up performing a limp punch (laughs). I'm sure there must have been a better way to do it, but unfortunately, I didn't have time to do any research.

"The way you beat them up was impressive though."

Ryohei: I was mostly on the receiving end (laughs). RIKIYA-kun (Kawaguchi Rikiya), who played Tsuyoshi, used to box, so as expected, his punches were excellent.

After the photo shoot, Ryohei-san went to the waiting room. Among the outfits there, he found a pair of yellow pants with purple square patterns on it, and his eyes started to sparkle.

Ryohei: This, it's amazing! I want to wear it right now! Can I try this on?

Just as Ryohei enjoys fashion with a carefree attitude, and takes on challenges with an open mind, while also exploring new areas as an actor one after another, absorbing them naturally and without hesitation. His sincere attitude to cherish every moment and his mischievous spirit of challenge expands "Ryohei's World" endlessly, by giving off a refreshing charm. We won't take our eyes off his future challenges.

[prodigal-explorer]

my roleplay information/application!

hey guyssss, so like i'm kinda desperate for rp partners so i'm just gonna try my luck here and see if any of y'all are interested in rping with me! feel free to read through this information and message me if you are interested!! as long as you meet my requirements, i would love to rp with you!!

basic information

i am 18 (19 in a few weeks) and i'm okay rping with any age, but i will not rp anything relating to nsfw with a minor. not even implied nsfw, it's just very uncomfortable. but if you're 18+, i'll rp anything on this list with you!

i only rp semi-lit/descriptive. this means at least five sentences, detailed responses that aren't just surface level. it's hard to respond to stuff that's lazy, so please please please just put in the effort if you want high quality responses in return!

the fandoms i roleplay are sanders sides, undertale, your turn to die, and omori. i dabble in oc rp, but it's not very common for me since i don't really have many ocs that i like enough to rp with.

my favorite types of roleplay are heavy angst and whump. i love really dark concepts, and it's rare that i won't do something that's dark and angsty. i struggle with concepts that are just fluff because i prefer rps with a lot of conflict and struggle.

my only triggers are constant discussion about body type/comparing body types and descriptive talk of medical needles. other than that i will do literally anything lol.

i am filipino-american, audhd, physically disabled, and i love to incorporate these aspects of my identity into the characters i play. if you don't like that, we probably won't make very good rp partners.

i hate hate HATE poking. please don't remind me of the rp after ten minutes of me not responding. please don't remind me of the rp after ten HOURS of me not responding. i know it exists, i just need time to reply. if you nag me about responding, i probably will wait even longer to reply because it's intimidating.

i love to chat oorp! feel free to leave a silly message, even if it has nothing to do with rp!

scroll all the way to the bottom of the post if you want to see writing examples!! below are just specific tidbits of information pertaining to each fandom i rp!

sanders sides specific information

the main side i love to play is roman. i will always want to play roman in every single tss rp, he's just me, he's my number one homie, my favorite character of all time.

i can also play any of the other sides, but my characterization for them is not as solid as roman.

i don't really like patton in roleplays unless he's a minor character or an antagonist/villain. i am very good at playing patton as a villain, but i don't really like playing him in any other context. i have so many aus where patton is a villain or antagonist, so if that's your jam, you've come to the right place!

i will do mindscape or human aus, i love both!

i am okay with ocs but i will not do canon side x female oc. it just makes me very uncomfortable to ship sides with female characters.

some of my favorite ships are roceit, prinxiety, logince, anaroceit, analogical, intrulogical, and loceit.

the only ships i WILL NOT do are moxiety, royality, moceit, logicality, intruality, and remrom. every other ship, i'm completely okay with.

i love rping as remy or emile picani!!

i have SO MANY IDEAS for this fandom. like literally hundreds of aus. so please message me if you want to rp anything with angst, or drama, or anything like that because i have SO MUCH.

undertale specific information

so fun fact i'm actually kind of bad at undertale rp.

it's not that i'm awful i just don't have a lot of experience, but i'm working on it!

the main characters i like to play are papyrus, undyne, alphys, toriel, asgore, and gaster.

i can also play asriel/flowey, sans, frisk, mettaton, grillby, and chara if necessary.

i am totally fine with ocs, bring them on!

i don't really like rps with the au sans stuff? nothing against it, i just don't really know much about it and in the nicest way possible i don't really care. i prefer to stick with canon and prequel/sequel aus instead of aus that change up the characters' personalities and stuff.

my favorite undertale au of all time is handplates i have so many thoughts about it and i would love to rp it!

i love angsty rps but undertale is actually one of the only fandoms where i love to rp fluff for it. undertale is just such a goofy game and i love emulating that style of humor in rp!

ships i enjoy are soriel, papyton, alphyne, sansby, and whatever the ship name for alphys x gaster is?

the only undertale ships i WILL NOT rp are anything involving the child characters (frisk, chara, asriel, monster kid), and anything that ships undyne with a guy. i'm also not a huge fan of asgore x toriel but i'll do it if you really want me to!

your turn to die specific information

i am so new to rping in this fandom but i really want to anyway!! trust, i know all the lore, i just need some solid experience!

my favorite characters to play are jou, reko, nao, gin, kai, shin, hiyori, and sara.

i will play q-taro, mishima, or alice if necessary!

i am very bad at keiji, i don't think i can play him well.

i love canon and au roleplays equally! i would love to do either way!

i like pretty much all the ships, it would be easier to list ships i don't like.

i don't like any ships that involve the little kids (kanna, gin, hinako), any ships with a huge age gap (especially sara x keiji), and shin x hiyori. it's just...no.

omori specific information

i am very new to the fandom, so please have mercy on me if i get something wrong lol!

my favorite characters to play are kel, hero, aubrey, and mari!

i can play sunny if necessary.

i will not play basil. i actually don't like basil being present in roleplays, he's just a character i personally dislike. i'm fine with him showing up occasionally as a minor character, but i just don't like him being a big part of roleplays.

i will roleplay canon and aus! i love both! but bear in mind i am a bit more hesitant to rp ships in canon, but in aus i have zero reservations!

my favorite ships are anything involving sunny, kel, and aubrey being together, but my number one otp is hero x mari!

the only ships i WILL NOT do are ships that have basil in them, especially basil x sunny or basil x kel. they just don't sit right with me personally.

i don't really know much about the minor characters of the game...i might need a bit of guidance if you want to use a character that isn't a part of the main six! but i am completely fine with it as long as you're okay with me being a bit clueless.

writing samples!!!

The streets were soft, the dusty sidewalks concealed by powdery snow that made Brooklyn look like a wedding. Roman stepped lightly, wondering how high he would have to hold himself to keep his foot from sinking in the snow, ruining the shiny white blanket that protected his bare feet from the cruel asphalt.

His book remained tucked under his jacket, as if it needed protection from the biting wind. Roman didn’t think it was possible for something that carried such beautiful notions and ideas to be unfeeling, so he acted as though there was a beating heart somewhere between the pages. Nobody had ever told him there wasn’t one, so what was the harm in believing if it made the sky feel brighter, and the air feel warmer, and the world feel more connected?

When he came back to the small, tucked-away alley that he and his brothers were currently living in, he was happy to see a little fire that he could warm himself beside while he opened his new book, aching to see what was inside.

--

"Protect...me?"

Roman was unfamiliar. He was always used to protecting other people. He was tall, graceful and beautiful. Couldn't really throw a punch, but he had a way with his words that could get him absolutely anything he wanted. Including peace. He was used to standing between bullies and victims, seducing with his sweet smile and long eyelashes. Making anybody feel like they've been blessed just looking at him. With his parents always gone, and nobody to hold him during nightmares, Roman had gotten used to holding himself. But now, he just wanted to be protected so badly. He wanted to be truly loved by somebody besides himself.

"Okay..." he whispered, "Okay."

--

"Oh! Do you guys want to go to that restaurant across the street?" Patton asked, "We performed so well tonight, I think we all deserve a treat! Virgil, you hit that syncopation perfectly, and Janus, that riff was amazing! The crowd went wild for us! Drinks will be on me, as long as you all promise not to drink too much. I'll be the designated driver too. What do you say??"

Of course, this invitation was not extended to Logan. Patton didn't even notice Logan in the area, assuming that he was off sweeping the stage or packing up the van. Patton was the one who decided what everybody did, and he usually gave Logan the grease-work like that. He didn't really care very much about Logan, just because Logan wasn't as close to the group. There wasn't that bond of performing show after show, having fans that requested autographs, being followed and gushed over by paparazzi.

Since Logan was never onstage, nobody knew the face or identity of the man who wrote the songs that all these fans were so crazy about. And Patton sort of preferred it that way. He didn't really like the idea of Logan being a face of their band. Unlike Janus and Virgil, Patton wasn't sure how the public eye would recieve Logan. The man wasn't remotely ugly, but he was rather plain-looking. He tended to blend into the background of the rooms he occupied. He wasn't the type of look one would expect to be in a hugely successful band.

All the others had their "niche". Patton was the sweetheart, the nice one, the innocent one. Virgil was the quiet, brooding, mysterious one. And Janus was the charmer, able to seduce anyone with a wink and a smile. What was Logan? He didn't talk very much, he wasn't particularly nice, brooding, or seductive. Patton didn't like that Logan didn't exactly have an archetype. He didn't quite fit in.

--

Roman tilted his head with a polite smile and an appropriate amount of interest as Logan disclosed his name. It was nothing familiar to him, but he did think it was a beautiful-sounding name. He always loved when people's first and last names started with the same letter. It felt like a name out of a fairy-tale when it had that feature.

Listening to what Logan was saying, Roman couldn't help but go red, very embarrassed. He was bad at English, but he certainly wasn't stupid. He could tell that Logan was euphemizing heavily in order to preserve Roman's feelings, which made Roman both embarrassed that Logan felt the need to do this, and honored that Logan cared so much about how he felt. It was a really sweet gesture, honestly.

"You write music too?" he asked, very curious. "I would love to sing a song by you wrote. You will...pay me? Money?"

Roman wondered if Logan was offering him a job, or just wanting to have a jam session as friends and colleagues. He would be happy with either option, but he wanted to manage his expectations there and then, so there would be less awkwardness from false assumptions.

--

Roman looked at it and smiled as he read through the lyrics, his eyes carefully scanning from left to right as he ingested each lyric. His smile only grew.

"It is okay," he said, "I like messy handwriting. It means...it means your brain moves fast, and your hand must hurry to follow. I like this song. I think...I want to sing it. Do you want me to sing here? In front of everyone?"

Roman would definitely be willing to give Logan's song some publicity. And he adored the thrill of singing a song for the first time in front of a whole crowd of people. Roman wasn't the type to get stage fright. The more risky a performance was, the more excited he was to try and execute it. Roman had a bit of a shame deficiency, such was obvious with him singing those lyrics he wrote out loud multiple times.

His eyes were shining with enthusiasm, but also, with gratitude. He was thankful to Logan for the opportunity he had to bring this song to life, this brand new song that no one had ever heard before. The idea that its first breath of auditory life would be coming from Roman's own voice was so romantic that it almost made Roman want to sing it right there and then so he wouldn't have to wait anymore.

[snowdice]

Unplanned Consequences (Part 3: Remy) [Sometimes Labels Shift Series]

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Remy & Logan, (background) Remy/Emile

Characters: Remy, Logan, Emile (briefly)

Summary: Remy is asked to help with something.

Notes: This takes place after Best Laid Plans

Part 1 Part 2

When the doorbell to the safe house rang, Remy found himself flinching to his own embarrassment. However, when he looked at Emile over the little kitchen table, the tension around his eyes told him he wasn’t the only one on edge.

“Probably just someone trying to sell us solar power panels,” Remy said. “I’ll go tell them we rent.”

Emile nodded and followed him without a word. He picked up the gun that had been laying on the table between them and carried it with him. Remy knew Emile wasn’t exactly a fan of guns, so seeing him pick it up with so little hesitation both made him feel better and worse.

Emile hung back out of sight of the door while Remy approached, though he did his best to stay where he thought his shadow couldn’t be seen through the pulled curtain on the front door window. Cautiously he stretched so he could glance out of the curtain.

The fear that had been rolling in his stomach swiftly transitioned into being pissed off.

He almost ripped the door off its hinges. He probably would have if Logan was any worse at picking safe houses. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Logan himself in all his dumb motherfucking beaten to hell glory was sitting (not standing because Remy was well aware he had a broken leg) outside the safe house.

“Good evening, Remington,” he said irritatingly calmly. He was in a wheelchair. What had Patton been thinking getting him a wheelchair? Now he was mobile. And a mobile Logan, as was evident, was an idiot.

“Give me one reason,” Remy said, gripping the door frame so hard he was afraid he might bend it, structurally sound or no, “not to finish the job right now you bitch.”

“There is a task that must be done, and Patton is not in the mental state to do it.”

“And you’re in the physical state to do it?!” Remy asked. “How the fuck did you even get here?”

“I designed my vehicle years ago for adequate functionality no matter what my physical and mental state,” Logan explained. Remy glanced behind him to see a car he’d never seen before and didn’t recognize the make or model of at all.

“You have a concussion, dumbass.”

“It is mostly self-driving when needed,” Logan waved him off.

“Mostly?! I fucking hate you.”

Emile had approached, sans gun after hearing the conversation going on. “Perhaps we should keep this conversation quieter,” he suggested, in a more level tone.

“That is likely for the best,” Logan agreed.

“You can shut your mouth,” Remy snapped at him, though he did keep his tone quieter. “Why don’t we go inside?”

He realized his mistake instantly when Logan glanced meaningly at the porch steps. Right. That explained why the man hadn’t used his complicated secret knock. He couldn’t get up onto the porch and was likely still suffering from power exhaustion. Fucker shouldn’t have even put forth the effort to ring the doorbell. “Or I’ll just come to your car,” Remy said, glancing back at Emile. Emile nodded and stepped back into the house.

Remy went down the steps and whacked Logan’s hands away from the wheelchair wheels.

“I managed to get here,” Logan reminded him, a little bit grumpy which was actually a nice change from the businesslike tone he’d been taking so far.

“You are supposed to be on bedrest, so fuck you,” Remy replied, moving to push him towards the car. “Now how do you get in and out of this thing?”

“Step back,” Logan said. Remy did with a raised eyebrow and then had to bite his tongue to keep from making a loud exclamation of shock. It went too fast for him to quite make out what happened and if he didn’t know better, it looked like the car basically just… swallowed Logan wheelchair and all. In a blink, Logan was in the driver’s seat.

Remy gaped at him for a moment before shaking himself and rounding the car to get into the passenger seat the normal way.

“Okay,” Remy said, once seated. “Explain to me why I’m not driving you immediately back to Patton so he can put you into a medically induced coma until you heal.”

“Well, for starters, I am in the driver’s seat.”

Remy rolled his eyes.

Logan took a breath. “I am very injured,” he said. “In a way I cannot hide in my personal life. At this point, it seems unlikely we are already compromised. Delaying returning to our normal lives is very quickly becoming more of a risk to our identities than continuing to hide.”

“And?”

“We need to crash my personal car,” Logan said, “and I need to go to the emergency room.”

“Oh… shit.”

“Will you help me?”

“Well,” Remy said, “I’m not letting Patton or Virgil for that matter do it, so I fucking guess.”

“If it helps, I believe my powers have recovered enough that neither of us will need to be in the car during the crash.”

“It doesn’t help. I hadn’t even been considering that. Fuck you.”

Logan was silent, giving him a moment.

Remy took a deep breath. Man, this had been a fucking disaster of a few days.

“You better…” he said. “You better get better soon, so I can beat the shit out of you myself. Okay?”

Logan didn’t say anything for a long moment. He just stared out of the windshield with an expression on his face Remy couldn’t identify. It was a bit terrifying.

“I appreciate it,” Logan finally said. “You are a good friend.”

“Yeah, well,” Remy said. “Fuck.”

“‘Fuck’ is a good summary of recent events,” Logan said. “At least it’s a better summary than I can come up with.”

Remy snorted out a laugh and shook his head.

Logan moved his hands on the car wheel very slightly and Remy was startled when the car hummed to life under them.

“We will also need to cover for the fact that my injuries are already beginning to heal once I get to the hospital,” Logan said.

“Yeah, I can handle that for you too,” Remy promised. It would be a long night, but not the longest one in recent memory.

Want to read more? Click below!

Labeled Master Post.

My Masterpost.

[quitealotofsodapop]

In the Wukongverse what is Wukong's and Macaque's singing voice like?

Oh I do Love me some singing hcs. Took me a while cus I bad at actually remembering singers. I'm just trying to add as many song links as possible.

LMK: These two's english VAs (Sean Schemmel & Alejandro Saab) have sung before, and I will repeat my thoughts. Whilst Macaque is the more "stage friendly" of the two and can interact with an audience and put on a show, Wukong is stupidly good at singing. Like, LMK!Mac is dumbfounded how good his Wukong is. Wukong's stage fright gets to him tho, so his voice cracks the second he detects anyone listening to him - only Mac, the kids, and baby monkeys know his true voice. He destroys everyone at drunk karaoke tho.

HeroIsBack: SWK's singing voice is initally very harsh (not use much in 500 years) but grows softer/more confident as he sings. I can almost hear it as being like the song in the film itself "The Feeling of Flying", just full of joy. Also dubbing bonus; Jackie Chan singing the Cantonese version of "I'll Make A Man Out of You" from Mulan (1998). HeroIsBack!LEM's voice is similarly underused but a hidden gem. Mostly reserved for lulling infant monkeys to sleep. A tenor like Thomas Sanders. Gets embarassed quickly because his singing voice "doesn't match his face" (Dasheng disagrees).

Reborn: You could say his warped view of his own demonic identiy hasn't exactly left Reborn!SWK a positive idea of his singing ability. His actual singing voice is surprisingly deep with a lot of octave range; example Jonathan Young. 100% would jam with anime opening songs. Secretly gets really excited when he duets. Reborn!LEM is much less confident in their performing ability than the other LEMs, his voice is much softer, quieter, and soprano-pitch. Ethereal almost; like Ben Whishaw in The Tempest. And this LEM might just sing "Ariel's Song/Full Fathom Five" too - since his six ears often "hear "pick up" songs of the future. May use his voice to guide the lost souls he chariots.

Netflix: This SWK do be singing, and he penned his own theme song! Hidden talent at composing? I hc that he's singing voice is the metal version of his theme as done by Voodoo Kung Fu & Ian Honeyman. Probably scares the other monkeys (sans Reborn!SWK who starts rocking) the first time they let him take the mic and he goes full heavy metal on them. Has a hidden softer tune only his pilgrims + LEM know about. Netflix!LEM would say that they'd rather eat glass than sing in public, but like their main inspo (Aubrey Plaza - "Get Happy") they are ridiculously good at swing/jazz style music where the singer interacts with/insults their audience. A good example of them singing (whether for a con/trick) would be Amber Gray in Hadestown.

NewGods: This SWK sounds like a smooth cruise /lounge singer. This man can bust out a Sinatra that'll make the room shake. He however can get really emotionally into the music and end up crying at the oddest songs. Good reference would be Richard Cheese. NewGods!LEM gots broadway vocals like Josh Groban, and will completely shred you with his Phantom of the Opera performance. Unless he decides to use his voice for mischief and starts singing filthy blues songs with his SWK.

2000sCartoon: I bet these two dont really flex their singing muscles much so they dont sound "good", but SWK loves him some travelling songs and shanties, and his LEM provides good backing. SWK has a crackly, higher pitched singing voice like George Salazar (Be More Chill + Percy Jackson Musical). 2000sCartoon!LEM's voice I can see being smoother like Ashe (of "to ashes" on youtube), and once he becomes more confident in himself; its one of the first clear distinctions the two monkeys can make between one another.

Meihouwang: I could see Shihou & Mihou having "younger-sounding" singing voices similar to Zach Callison (of Steven Universe fame), and Jeremy Jordan (Tangled Series + Death Note Musical) respectively. Absurdly good for monkeys with no formal musical training.

Smash Legends: This Wukong has a pretty good singing voice but he uses it for goofy "meme" songs (ex Loney Island) since he's actually a little mic shy. Has potiential for greatness. "Serious" singing voice is similar to Sam Tsui. Smash!LEM aka SixEars is a legit indie music star along the lines of a "faceless" nearly-online-exclusive artist - best comparasion I can give for his "typical" vocal ranges (remember perfect mimicry/pitch) is between Aly & AJ to Taron Egerton. Will leave the other monkeys in the dust in a competition.

No matter who's the "better" singer of all of them one thing is for certain; you turn on that karaoke machine around the SWKs and LEMs, and there's about to be a whole lot of monkey business.

[oatmealdaydreams]

Invisibility vs Visibility

Theory Time!

A shorter theory because brain is low on braincells. Enjoy :D

Edit: haha, nope. Not short. It is, in fact, very long. Biggo post. Extra long motherf*cker. Giraffe-long theory we've got here.

Disclaimer: I am referring to the character Thomas Sanders, not the real person. I may make reference to the real person for a few different things, but the main one I will be discussing is the character.

Trigger/Content Warning: discussion of morals/morality, religious themes, discussion of intrusive thoughts, brief discussion of self-harm & grief/death

[Masterlist]

Thinking about the 5 Years Anniversary video, and how Remus mentions whispering the whole 'bubblegum shrimp' thing to Roman in his sleep. Then, I thought about how in Remus' introductory video (DWIT), there's the sticky note that says "Aunt Patty Naked" in the background. I remember how Roman had said the whole 'Aunt Patty Naked' thing in a previous video.

Which got me thinking: what if some of Roman's weirder outbursts were from Remus' influence?

And that got me thinking: but how would he be able to whisper things like that during a video? And before his introduction??

One answer: twin telepathy, which would be both funny and fun to mess around with as a fanfic writer.

However, I thought of something else.

What if the Sides had an Invisibility side effect?

I'll explain.

===

A. Imaginary Characters

The Sides are all imaginary characters, made of Thomas' psyche to better help him through dilemmas. They're all aware of being technically-real-but-also-not-real people. Metaphysical, as Logan might say.

They're just parts of Thomas, given specific roles to what they represent. Originating from Vine characters and turned into their own personas, sans Remus and Janus. They're fictional. They are aware of them not being entirely real, to some degree (the dark Sides moreso as they constantly break the fourth wall).

So, how would the imaginary appear on screen as if they were real?

Ignoring the fact that they're fictional and played by Thomas himself. We're focusing entirely on the Sanders Sides canonverse/Sanders Sides universe.

Anyway: they appear on screen like real people because it's Thomas' knowledge and awareness of them. They're Thomas' Sides. They're as real to him as the parts of his personality they're based on. It's his psyche, his imagination, his characters. As long as Thomas is aware of them, they appear on screen and become somewhat real (in the SaSi universe).

To prove my point: remember the first and only three Sides we saw visibly for the first two episodes?

Logan (Logic, Sense of Reason), Roman (Creativity, Passion, Ego), and Patton (Morality, Emotions/the Heart).

The "light" Sides, as they're called.

Why are they the only three on screen? Because Thomas is aware of them and already knows about them.

Just because the Others aren't seen doesn't mean they aren't there.

They're just not known to Thomas yet, sans maybe Virgil.

(he's a special case; you'll see what I mean a little later into the post)

-=-=-=-=-

B. The Lights & Being Visible

The Lights: Logan, Patton, Roman

Thomas knows these three the most out of the six of them. The Lights are the ones in the forefront of his mind, in the 'spotlight'. They're the ones labelled as 'welcomed' and 'good'.

Logic and Sense of Reasoning? Humans have Logic instilled in them since the beginning of their creation. Logic isn't just intellect and smarts, it's literally what helps the brain most when functioning a human being. It's something so physical that it'll never go away. It cannot fade away. It's there to stay.

That being said, it's still a part of personalities because it's also intellect and smarts. It's also Common Sense. It's Learning and Wisdom and all that entails.

Thomas is a very smart individual. He's neurodivergent (irl Thomas literally has ADHD and made a whole video about it). Neurodivergents (NDs) tend to have a higher intelligence. So yeah, Thomas is very intelligent and curious. He depends on his Logic for a whole sh*t-ton of things. He's used to Logan, his Logic.

Morality and Emotions/the Heart? Morals are such an important part of humans and their values. Emotions are something we can't always control. Our Heart and Morality goes hand in hand. Our morals can shape our heart and vice versa. Both are equally important.

Thomas has a big Heart. He feels things and Emotions very deeply. He's a sensitive person. Dare I say, he's an empath. His morals lay heavy on his Heart. Because of his Catholic upbringing, his Morality tends to follow that of a religious standpoint. And that affects how his Heart grew and got shaped during his childhood development.

Since Patton is also his Love for Dad Jokes, and an obvious dad character, it makes sense for him. Morality and morals? Well, who teaches you morals, right from wrong? Your parents do. The people who raise you do. So yeah, Patton has this Preacher Dad thing going on. But I digress.

Anyway: Thomas is used to Patton. He's the embodiment of some of his core beliefs. So yeah, definitely a Side he's well aware of.

Creativity, Passion, Ego? So many things to tackle here.

First off, Creativity is literally where a lot of his intelligence comes from. Thomas is a creative type, a creatively intelligent person. He made his entire livelihood based on his creative merits. Though only half of his Creativity, Roman is definitely an important character of Thomas' personality.

Passion means many things: romance, career/hobbies, creative passion, and just a whole lot more. Since Roman is definitely one of the gayest motherf*ckers in terms to romance, it's safe to say him being Thomas' Passion means a lot of different things. He plays a big part in Thomas' romantic love life. He's passionate about his creations, as Creativity, and what he provides for Thomas. He's passionate and dramatic in general, especially considering he represents most of Thomas' love for theatre and acting.

The Ego? Oh boy, is this an essential part to Thomas. The Ego, put simply, is a person's sense of self-worth and self-esteem. It's kept healthy by positive reinforcement and attention. It's in no way bad. In fact, it's a very good thing. It keeps peoples' mental states healthier.

Which explains c!Thomas' mental breakdown, but I digress.

Anyway: The Ego (aka: Roman) is super f*cking important and essential. Thomas knows Roman as the Ego (amongst other things). He's very much used to his Ego, his [family-friendly half of] Creativity, his Passion and romantic Side.

Thus: yes, these three are known enough by Thomas to be appearing on screen. They're visible to us because they're visible to Thomas.

Which explains the dark Sides (and Virgil).

-=-=-=-=-

C. The Darks & Invisibility

The Darks: Janus, Remus, Orange

As I mentioned above: the Lights are visible to us because they're visible to Thomas, known by Thomas.

So, it follows that because Thomas doesn't know the Darks until later, they aren't visible to us until they're visible to Thomas.

Deceit and Self-Preservation? Deceit/Deception and realizing your capacity for it is very important. Lying and deceiving others isn't exactly the best thing on its own, but it can keep you alive. It's a part of emotional/physical survival. It keeps you out of trouble. It can help protect your being and Self. Self-Preservation is, put simply, preserving your Self and your sense of Self. It's protecting your mental and emotional health. It's protecting your Ego and self-worth. It's keeping you alive, trying to preserve your mental state. It's trying to keep you from snapping and completely losing it. Self-Preservation will keep things from you because you aren't ready for them yet, because forgotten memories hurt you, because you need to be in a different place to handle certain things better. Having Deceit and Self-Preservation paired together makes more sense than not.

For Thomas, I'd say he had a lot of Deceit going on for the purpose of Self-Preservation and protection. Especially considering he grew up as a gay Catholic kid in 90s Florida. And thus is a similar experience for most of us fellow queers.

Anyway: Thomas hadn't realized his capacity for Deceit yet, not had he brought his Self-Preservation to light. His mental was indeed suffering, and he wasn't being entirely honest with himself. He was a bit deep in Denial. His Self-Preservation was keeping things from him (other Sides of him, Janus himself, the hard truths he had yet to face), which plays into Denial and possible Self-Ignorance.

The other Sides, that he knew at the time, were trying to hide the existence of Janus as well as convincing him Lying Is Bad, period. His Morality swore off lying, it wasn't right, we shouldn't lie. His Anxiety went off at the thought of lying, even if for good reason (this also had something to do with Virgil's general distaste for Janus). His Logic was a bit neutral to it, as far as I saw. His [known] Creativity, as well as his Ego and Passion, wavered between lying and telling truth. Roman mostly acted in Self-Interest, if only to boost Thomas' Ego or play positively into his passions.

Only did Thomas start to realize his Deceit, and his Self-Preservation for mental health specifically, when his Morality is faced with a more shades-of-grey question. Janus shifts into Patton to appeal to him as something he already knows and is aware of before revealling himself (CLBG). Things go from there to Janus helping him realize how truly f*cked his mental is (SvS & POF). Only then does he become visible.

Intrusive Thoughts and [Darker] Creativity? As much as they aren't welcomed, Intrusive Thoughts are important to note. The more frequent you have them, the more likely your mental health may need to be checked in on. They don't make you any less of a good person. Thoughtcrime isn't real. Thought doesn't equal action. You choose whether or not to act on the thoughts you have. You have control. You'll be okay.

I digressed a little bit. Whoops.

Anyway: Darker Creativity is super f*cking important, especially for a creative person (like Thomas). The darker side of Creativity helps explore more mature ideas and concepts. Without it, many things might not get addressed in your creative works. Things like self-harm, the darker things of mental health, the cruel reality of many different things, grief and death, etc. That includes Intrusive Thoughts (heh). With Darker Creativity, you could explore gore and such monstrosities. Horror games? Thrillers? Cruel realities and dystopias? Body horror? All from that comes from Darker Creativity. Your favourite shooter games? Zombie Apocalyptic fiction? Yep, Darker Creativity.

Having Intrusive Thoughts paired with Darker Creativity makes a little too much sense, honestly.

For Thomas, he had shunned away his Darker Creativity. He repressed his Intrusive Thoughts. Repression does no one any good. Ignoring something like that is more harmful than anything. He shackled his Creativity by repressing and shunning the darker parts of himself like that.

Funny how both of his Creativities feel shackled and restricted, huh?

Moving on: his Self-Preservation helped hide away (in a way) his Darker Creativity. A part of himself that just wants recognition and attention. Remus literally said, and I quote, "Thomas, you made me this way." When you shun a part of yourself and repress it, especially so deeply, it becomes intrusive. When something is so foreign to you and labelled as 'bad', it becomes intrusive. No matter how dark your mind or Creativity is, you're still a good person. Thoughtcrime isn't real.

I need to stop diverging from my point, jfc-

The point: Thomas didn't know his Darker Creativity until much later. He didn't recognize his Intrusive Thoughts as Intrusive Thought until much later. He was denying himself until much later.

Only when his mental was really drowning in the depths of a self-deprecating sea did he see those things. Only when he was so close to a mental breakdown did he start stop repressing those parts of himself.

Only then did Remus pop out, finally able to be recognized for something, and got seen.

Wrath, Jealousy, Regret, and every mystery of Orange? Yeah, this will be a tricky one. We haven't seen Orange on screen just yet, so this is heavily theoretical territory.

Basing everything of Orange on all the random theories I've collected in my lil theory hoard of him.

First off: Wrath relates to anger (it's literally defined as 'extreme anger'). Among that, I believe it can also relate to Righteous Anger. Both are 100% important for humans to have. Wrath, both repressed and expressed, is just as needed as any other feeling or emotion. You're going to feel angry when you're hurt or upset. You'll feel angry or mad when you've been wrong, or at least when you feel like you've been wronged. When you've been mistreated or shunned, there'll be angry. In the case of Thomas, and my fellow queers/minorities, there is the feeling of Righteous Anger. Not righteous in a religious sense/context, but in a sort of vengeful way.

When you've been mistreated for things you cannot change about yourself, you are angry and want Justice. Who are they to say such things about you? To assume this and that? They hurt you, so you want Justice. Sometimes, this can come in the form of vengefulness.

Aka: Karma.

Jealousy? You most often get angry when you get jealous of someone or something. You want to have what they have. You should have or be what they have or who they are. You want that career, that attention, that romantic partner, that family life, that friend, that house or car, etc. It's important to pay attention to that Jealousy, and to see what you really want. Chances are it's more than just wanting something of someone else's. Jealousy is what I believe to be a form of anger.

Regret? This can be more of anger directed at yourself. Guilt. Shame. Regret. You can be angry with yourself for doing or saying something dumb (or that you think is dumb). Why would you do that thing? You hurt that person; now look at the mess you've created. Why would you do that/say that? Why, why, why?

^Regret is important. It's a form of Shame and Guilt unlike any other. Regret also comes from your sense of Morality, and it can be a result of Anxiety.

And all those things I've said for Orange? They're all equally important things Thomas could learn and realize.

Only then, when he finally realizes whatever Orange represents, will we see Orange.

Overall: the Darks are not seen by us until they're seen by Thomas. They remain invisible to us, though they're still there. They're known to us once they're known to Thomas.

And Thomas still has some learning to do.

-=-=-=-=-

D. The Neutral Side & His Flickering Visibility

The Neutrals: Virgil

Virgil represents Anxiety. There's already a two-part episode entirely about him and his role (AA, part I & II). There are many parts to Anxiety, as we've seen. He's a former Dark, a current Light (as far as it's somewhat implied), and a definite Neutral. He's a bit in-between the black-and-white imaginary for the Lights and the Darks. He's both sides and neither of them at the same time.

And how does this affect his visiblity?

Well... it does and it doesn't.

The defining factor of being seen or unseen is Thomas himself.

Virgil is first seen, assumingly as a Dark, in the third SaSi episode (Taking on ANXIETY [TOA]). He goes through his arc and (also assumingly) becomes a Light during AA (parts I & II).

Going back to TOA: Thomas was already aware of his Anxiety, to some extent. Virgil popped in, scared Thomas (lmao), and Thomas immediately recognizes him for who he is. He recognizes his Anxiety; Virgil's no one new. However, at that point, Thomas recognized Virgil as a somewhat obsessive Anxiety. An overbearing Anxiety. Something only there to be negative and annoying.

This, of course, changed as the series progressed. Not the point, though.

He is seen because he is already known. BUT! He was seen as a Dark because that's how he was known.

He is then seen as a Light because that's how he becomes known as.

He never once, to Thomas, is seen or known as a Neutral.

This is important. Virgil is already seen. Then he is seen again, in a different spotlight. But he still isn't seen.

It's almost like his visibility shifts and changes, almost like a flickering streetlight. Like a transparent png file, he isn't all there. Not yet, anyway.

Virgil isn't entirely seen until Thomas recognizes and realizes him as a Neutral Side. As far as I know, that hasn't happened quite yet. Perhaps, with the coming days of Orange, he will be seen then.

And only then will he be seen in his entirety.

*Side Note: I cannot articulate clearly of what I mean exactly about the 'flickering visibility' yet. Brain ain't got the braincells for that today. May revisit and expand on this later.

[haunted-the-vagabond]

WHO IS THIS GUY?

Yo!

My name's Ryan, aka HAUNTED THE VAGABOND, aka HAUNTED, aka HAUNT, aka some other nickname that I have gained over the year, like... Fademan Haunt or something, call me what you like!

I'm a 28-year-old, asexual icon who goes by he/him pronouns, and I am a Canadian originally from Saskatchewan, but currently living in British Columbia.

I work as a Radio DJ by day, and I do a bunch of other stuff on the side, like streaming, podcasting, and being a pro wrestling announcer!

Big music guy, beginning to collect vinyl, hoping to get a sick setup soon. I do have a heavy leaning towards rock, metal, prog, punk, and hardcore, but I fuck with a lot of shit, and I'm always hunting for more stuff to listen to, open to all suggestions!

FIVE ALBUMS TO GET TO KNOW ME:

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here: Essential Floyd, everyone talks about Dark Side or The Wall, but Wish You Were Here is where it's at. Best album to put on and get lost in it

Deftones - Koi No Yokan: Top to bottom there isn't a song that isn't a bop or a banger on KNY. From "Swerve City" to "Tempest" to "Entombed", all heat

Pharoah Sanders - Pharoah: If you have a Sunday where you gotta do a bunch of housework, maybe it's raining, put on Pharoah, it's something you'll remember forever

Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?: I'm not a Fantano fan by any stretch, but I gotta thank him for putting me on Jessie Ware. A modern disco album that fucks this hard? That's rare as hell!

Death Grips - Powers That B: "Black Quarterback" is my Fuck Shit Up song, "On GP" makes me emotional, great album

SPORTS

Big sports guy, I'll watch damn near anything from Hockey to Darts, if there is competition, I'm in there.

TEAMS/ATHLETES I SUPPORT:

Hockey: Vancouver Canucks (Main), Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, PWHL Minnesota, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL), Seattle Seahawks (NFL)

Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays (Main), LA Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals

Basketball: San Antonio Spurs (Main), Toronto Raptors, Saskatchewan Rattlers (CEBL)

Soccer: Machester United (EPL), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS)

College Sports: Michigan Wolverines (NCAA), Saskatchewan Huskies (USPORTS)

Lacross: Saskatchewan Rush

Combat Sports: Israel Adesanya (UFC), Tyson Fury (Boxing), Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston (AEW), CM Punk, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn (WWE)

Golf: Tiger Woods

Video Games

I like them.

FIVE GAMES TO GET TO KNOW ME:

VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartending Action: Easily my favorite VN, entertaining characters, engaging world, I wanna get lost in it.

Halo 3: ODST: What if the cast of Firefly were in Halo and listened to a lot of Jazz? Yeah, peak.

Transistor: This is a beautiful game, it has a wonderful story and, a lovely soundtrack, a must-play if you love Supergiant games.

Hotline Miami: Soundtracks go a long way to elevate a game, and Hotline Miami is no different. Hotline Miami also boasts some real fast-paced, addictive gameplay. #TonyTime

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne: Gameplay of a John Woo film fantastic noir story, Max Payne is one of the great characters in the medium.

Movies

I watch them.

FIVE MOVIES TO GET TO KNOW ME:

Clerks: Kevin Smith is one of my favorite directors, and Clerks is my all-time favorite comedy.

The Raid 2: If you loved the Raid, then you owe it to yourself to watch the Raid 2, it's just the Raid with a story, and it's fantastic!

Rocky: There are a lot of Rocky films, counting Creed as well, but nothing tops the first Rocky movie, the best top-to-bottom film in the series.

Porco Rosso: Everyone loves Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, and they are right to do some, Miyazaki is one of the GOATs for a reason. But in my eyes, his best film is Porco Rosso. The landscape shots showcase his love of the Adriatic and Italy, the characters are lovely, and the dub, oh my goodness Michael Keaton as Porco is *chef's kiss*

Treasure Planet: Peak Disney movie, hyper fixated on it as a kid, and still love it to this day.

Anime

They alright.

FIVE ANIMES TO GET TO KNOW ME:

BECK Mongolian Chop Squad: This is the quintessential HAUNT anime. Very down-to-earth, simple but engaging story about someone finding their place in the world. In Beck's case, it's Koiyuki becoming this amazing singer/rhythm guitarist, and helping Beck become a premiere band in Japan.

Gurren Lagann: It's mother fuckin Gurren Lagann man, go watch it.

Steins;Gate: The group chat between me and some of my closest homies is called Future Gadget Labs NA, if that doesn't tell you how much this show brought me and my friends together, then I don't know what else to tell you. Never played the VN but the Anime was great!

Samurai Champloo: Life-changing anime, changed my whole perspective on music and my relationship to it. Helps that the show is GAS, with one of the hardest dubs out there.

Eden of the East: Just a straight up solid show with some good movies attached to it.

Fandom Shit

I don't really participate in a lot of Fandom discussion, I just will reblog stuff I like from my interest. An avid fan of D&D, Wrestling, Fighting Games, Hockey, Football, Anime, and a bunch of other crap I'm forgetting about.

So that's me, if you like what you see, hit me up!

[edupunkn00b]

Decoherence, Ch. 9: True Faith and Allegiance

Creative Commons 1.0, Public Domain

Prev - True Faith and Allegiance - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ] - Playlist

“I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same…” -United States Congressional Oath of Office

WC: 2112 - Rated: T - CW: swearing -

2035, April 9 - The White House, Washington, D.C., US

“Lo!” Remus shot up in bed, hand scrabbling at the cold, empty expanse next to him. “Lo?” he called again, louder, but the ensuite was dark, empty. He rushed to his closet, the lights automatically flicking on with his movement. His suits and dress shirts lined one rack, more casual clothes tucked neatly into their little cubbies along the other wall. 

“Lo?” he said one more time, quieter. Was it all a dream?

There was a sharp knock on the hidden door just before it opened and a Secret Service agent—Craig? No, Keith—stepped inside. “Mr. President? Are you alright? We heard shouting.”

“I’m fine, Keith, thank you,” Remus nodded, swallowing hard against the growing lump in his throat. It had felt so real. “Just a dream,” he smiled. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Very good, sir. Sorry to intrude,” he said and stepped back into the hall, closing the door behind him.

Both hands tracing the chain around his neck, Remus gently pulled it from under his pajama top and kissed the rings. They were warm to the touch, clinking quietly together in his shaking hands, and they shone under the bright closet lights. 

These rings were real. 

Lo was real. He had to be.

Lo’s voice echoed in his mind. “Find me, Meus… Find me…” Gold had glinted on his hand as he’d poured the wine. Their matching rings had clacked together when they’d held hands. It was real… real-ish, at least. The rings were real. 

He stood in front of the mirror, curls frizzed and sticking out from every which way on his head, eyes wild and he clung to the rings from his dream. 

His vision layered and he saw himself tucking two gold rings under his shirt. Under a bright green tank top, a worn and patched blue denim button down layered with a heavy leather apron. An open nehru collar, golden flowers stitched on green silk. A shirt and tie underneath a white lab coat emblazoned with CERN on the breast pocket.

It was all real.

The computer screen next to the closet door dinged and droned out the day’s agenda. Moving by rote, he let his hands ready himself for his jog, mind wandering through possibilities as he dressed. He needed more information and startling the Secret Service with out of the ordinary behavior was not the way to get it.

~

“Gladys,” he buzzed the intercom. “Can you gather my appointment books for the last six months, please?”

“Of course, Mr. President,” she chirped back, hesitancy in her voice. “Your calendar on your computer should be up to date, sir, if you wish to query it.”

“I… I know.” He’d already scoured the calendar for any mention of Lo. There’d been nothing. ‘Dr. Sanders’ floated through his mind, but he couldn’t find any Sanders or Lo named in any of his appointments. “The sign-in book sometimes has extra details. Assistants’ names, that sort of thing.”

“Understood,” she replied, clearly not understanding. But that was alright. It certainly wasn’t the first odd request he’d ever had, and likely wouldn’t be the last.

While he waited for her to gather the books from Archives, he paced the office, reciting his speech for the new Climate Accord ratification ceremony. He was due to tour the new flood plain outside San Francisco this afternoon, with Airforce One due to take off in three hours. He’d review as much as he could before the flight and, with any luck, might begin to unravel whatever the hell was going on.

2036, September 15 - London, England

Saturday dawned muggy and quiet.

Remus woke early, a swirl of thoughts pulling him in different directions from the moment he opened his eyes. He had the distinct sense of jet lag, but he’d finally drifted off at a reasonable hour the night before.

Shaking his head, he pulled himself out of bed and straightened the quilt before padding across the room to shower. The familiar space gradually cleared his mind and he moved automatically, stripping off his sleep shorts and quickly washing and conditioning his hair. He reached without looking for his face soap, wishing he could just as easily scrub away errant thoughts.

He stepped out of the shower and brushed his teeth, staring at himself in the mirrored cabinet. There were two doors. The right side had held his toothbrush, aftershave, and mustache wax. His hand shook as he opened the other side of the cabinet.

His toothbrush clattered to the basin.

The shelves were lined with familiar products. Another toothbrush. That vanilla spice pomade. A bottle of aftershave. An eyeglass repair kit.

Remus rinsed his mouth then pulled out the aftershave and uncapped it, breathing in the scent of cinnamon and sandalwood and vanilla. It was him. It was Lo’s. He was real, he’d been here. Carefully, reverently, he replaced the cap and moved to the wardrobe. It wasn’t until he’d caught sight of himself in the mirror that he realized he’d lost his gold chain.

Hand slapping his chest, his own gold ring sparkled. Remus stared down at his hand and touched the smooth gold band. If he was wearing his ring, where had Lo’s gone? 

One hand reached up and clawed at his neck where the chain had once been—had he worn it last night? He must’ve… He could feel it under his flannel pajama top. Without really thinking, he checked the hamper. But he hadn’t worn pajamas, just shorts. Too hot for that in their little flat with only a ceiling fan to keep it cool. 

Remus hurried back to the bed. He ripped off the quilt, feeling along the seams of the mattress, the pillow cases, the joints along the bed frame. He checked the floor and under the bed, retracing his steps between the closet and the main room.

Lo’s ring was gone.

He’d had two rings, hadn’t he?

He stared down at his hand. It looked right. A vague recollection of making a ‘practice’ ring for his brother and his partners flitted across his mind and he shook his head. 

Coffee. Everything would make more sense with a little coffee. He started toward the bedroom door and realized he hadn’t dressed, so he took a moment to straighten the quilt and pillows on the bed, the mundane action meditative, then opened the wardrobe.

His own clothes were there, familiar and worn.

But, impossibly, so were Lo’s. They weren’t labeled, of course, but… These were Lo’s. A rotating tie rack held a rainbow of colors, hanger after hanger of neatly pressed button down shirts and soft sweater vests. He stepped into the closet and pressed one to his face. It smelled like him.

Lo was real. So where the fuck was he?

Remus dressed quickly and hit the streets. Shoving his keys in his jacket pocket, his fingers brushed his phone screen. He yanked it out. Two missed calls.

Stabbing at the screen, he sighed, disappointment and guilt mixing when he saw it was his brother, and he checked his voicemail. Just Ro announcing they’d made it to the train station for their trip, then again just before they hit the trail to the cabin and lost cell service. Remus scrolled through his call history and found Lo’s contact. 

He was real. He was in his phone. Remus’ thumb shook as he tapped call, but the number went right to a generic voicemail greeting announcing the mailbox was full.

Sighing, Remus pocketed the phone and let his feet guide him down the quiet pavement.

~

Remus walked for hours, finally looking up when his grumbling stomach reminded him he’d skipped breakfast. He turned on the spot, working out just where he’d ended up. He’d passed a café down the street and the rich scents of freshly baked bread and syrupy coffee drinks grew stronger as he approached, likely the trigger of his sudden hunger.

He got a table outside and, after drinking half his coffee in one gulp, nursed the rest as he waited for his order. Foot traffic had picked up during his walk, and the quiet street had transformed around him into its typically bustling state.

Families filled the pavement, likely taking in a bit of fresh air before the late afternoon sun left the streets too balmy to breathe. A doting couple stopped in front of the hat shop—a haberdashery, Lo’s voice filled in—across the street, one turning to the other to straighten a skewed collar.

It hurt to watch, and Remus looked away, fuzzily scanning the opposite side of the street. His eyes snagged on a man at the far end, distinctive blue and grey Aldi’s vest tucked under one arm, eyeglasses barely visible, head down as he maneuvered through the busy walkway. But his raven hair was unmistakable.

Heedless of traffic, Remus stood and ran across the street, only vaguely registering a blaring car horn. He waved it away and stopped a dozen paces from the man.

“Lo—” he began but the man wore no recognition in his eyes and the splash of grey at his temples and lines around his mouth and forehead weren’t Lo's. Remus started to turn away, but then remembered. “Wait—you’re the guy at the store.”

The man—his name badge said ‘Luke’—looked him up and down and shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t know you,” he said, side stepping him and continuing on his way.

“Please, wait!” Remus called after him, stopping short when a large group of young tweens poured out of the Daiso shop next to him, chattering about their purchases. “Wait, Luke, please, do you know—”

He wormed his way through the gaggle of laughing children but by the time he’d cleared the throng, Luke was nowhere to be seen. Moving more carefully this time, he crossed back to the café and reclaimed his seat. Dreams clashed with reality but Remus was now more certain than ever Lo really was out there.

He just had to find him.

1838, August 21 - Wyoming, United States

“Knock, knock, knock,” Ro called from the other side of the heavy bottom half of Remus’ barn-turned-workshop door. He unlatched the little hook and pushed it open, hinges creaking. With a peal of laughter, Virge dashed into the room ahead of him, a flash of denim and grasses clutched in his hand. 

“Uncka Re! Wook wha’ I made!” Virge announced proudly, tugging his sleeve and drawing him closer to the big workbench in the center of the barn.

Remus pulled off his smoke-lensed visor and lifted his newly four-year-old nephew up onto a stool. “Well, look at that,” he murmured, tilting his head at the hay-stuffed doll Virgil walked across the worn wooden surface. “May I?” he asked, hefting the toy in his palm.

“Poppy he’ped me put sand in his tummy and feet and hands so he’d sit,” he grinned, clapping briefly when Remus sat him up against a roll of spectrometry paper. The doll sported big eyes, dark blue dots with wide circles drawn around them in the shaky hand of a four-year-old still learning to write.

“He’s wonderful, Virge,” Remus ruffled his hair with a smile. “What’s his name?”

Virgil laughed up at him, his tiny face scrunched adorably. “Unka Woe!” He pointed at the circles around the doll’s eyes. “See? Those are his g’asses!”

“What?” Remus’ wrench hit the floor, narrowly missing his toe and taking a big bite out of the packed dirt floor. “What’d y’say?” 

“Hey, Vee,” Ro crouched down and met Virgil’s eyes. “What’s this little guy’s name?”

The little boy’s smile wavered as he looked between his uncle and his dad. “He’s my friend,” he finally said, plucking up the doll and hugging it close before curling into Ro’s arms. He tucked his chin over Ro’s shoulder and watched Remus’ expression.

“Oh, you’re all tuckered out from running your foals, aren’t you?” Ro cooed. “How about we get a little supper into you and then call it a night, yeah?”

He nodded against his dad’s shoulder, nervous eyes following Remus’. “Y’can ho’d him,” he whispered and pushed the doll into Remus’ hands. Virge smiled and wiggled the doll in his hands. “He says ‘It’s supper time.’” 

“Come, now, Meus…” Lo’s laughter fills my mind. “The dynamo needs to charge. You worked through the midday… It's supper time.”

“Oh, really?” I pull off the smoked visor and tiptoe closer, swooping in at the last moment to scoop Lo up into my arms. He’s warm and solid and melts into my hold like he was meant to be there. “Only if you come along with me!”

“I reckon he does,” Remus nodded, ruffling Virge’s hair. “Lead the way!”

[glapplebloom]

The new songs I listened to this year...

Song’s Eligable for this...

NOTE: I have decided to disclude Death Battle and Death Battle related songs since I feel those would be too easy to fill up this list since I do tend to listen to those songs. Songs used in fan made Death Battle Trailers on the other hand will be okay.

Shatter by Code Orange (Premiered in 2022, but only heard the full version in 2023)

You've Got a Friend in Me - Disney Friendship Mash-Up presented by Thomas Sanders

Priceless from VHS Christmas Carol Live

Moon Girl Soundtrack

Greedy Greedy by the Kuromis

Big Balls (Cover) by Scratch21

Ayleeyuns by Scratch21

Delivered Us The Moon (Feat. Tony Mac & Sega) by Jakeneutron

Lil Nuggit by Chi-Chi

Ordinary (Cover) by Anna

Jack Hornet Vs Dr. Eggman by Freshy Kanal

Rocket Queen by Team Shachi Featuring MCU

Happy Sounds by Kyle Allen Music

Smell of the Game from Guilty Gear Strive

Just the Two of us by Neco Arc

Look at This from Helluva Boss

Red Flags by Tom Cardy Featuring Montaigne

Song of the Dead by @kana-boon

Kindness by BB-Panzu

Evil As Can be from Broken Karaoke

Nerdy Prudes Must Die from Nerdy Prudes Must Die

Our Love is God from Heathers

Komi-San Vs. Wile E. Coyote from Rabi

A Little Theorizing by the Stupendium

Wah & Only (Waluigi Rap) from Mashed

Sidechain Fever from Scratchin’ Melodii

Voices (2023) by Rev Theory

Unbeatable from Mario’s Madness V2 

#10 - Look at This from Helluva Boss

I enjoy Helluva Boss. It’s crass but there are definitely worse shows out there. And I have no real connection to Fizzarolli’s voice actor, who was apparently Beetlejuice for the Broadway Play. Still, between this song and Two Minute Notice he has proven to be my favorite singer among the cast. Hopefully things turns out well for this series as well as Hazbin Hotel.

#9 - The Beyonder from Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Talk about a Glow up! The Beyonder was pretty meh despite being so powerful in the comics. But Moon Girl really showed just how entertaining he could be with the right people behind it. Laurence Fishburne does a great job with him and honestly the Music Choices throughout the show was great! I got the soundtrack too! So here’s hoping Season 2 continues to bring banger after banger.

#8 - Rocket Queen by Team Shachi Featuring MCU

So I found out this year Capcom did a crossover with some K-Pop Band and they were going to take down the game based on it this year. Never noticing this, I decided to listen to the song and I enjoyed it. It has the energy I really enjoy in songs and even though I don’t know the lyrics it was well performed that I could enjoy it regardless. I also love the Sax part in the song and the music video.

#7 - Red Flags by Tom Cardy Featuring Montaigne

This year, I’ve seen a lot of memes based off one part of this song. The original singers even did an Uno Reverse version of that part so people can have more options. But I wanted to hear the original to see why this was memable. And MAN, I feel like people overlooked the HUMAN CENTIPEDE part to focus on the awkward date part. The song is hilarious and I am glad I gave it a shot to listen to the full version. The Meme is definitely underselling this song.

#6 - Nerdy Prudes Must Die from Nerdy Prudes Must Die

I feel bad for putting Starkid on twice but man, this year showed off their best stuff. Their newest part in the Hatchetfield Series was so fun and the best song in my book is the title song: Nerdy Prudes Must Die. I also like Hatchet Town. But man, the main song is so fun for a villain. And the whole “who will pray for me” bit was definitely selling how much of a threat he is.

#5 - Priceless from VHS Christmas Carol Live

I instantly fell in love with the VHS Christmas Carol Live when I saw it early this year. It is so good, not only did I get the soundtrack I also downloaded the Live Performance so I can listen to it all on my i-Pod. My favorite song from the entire thing is Christmas Day, but it is pretty much combining the best songs from the show into one. So I’m picking Priceless because that part really gets me on Christmas Day. I recommend everyone to watch it.

#4 - Shatter by Code Orange

While he appeared with this song in 2022, I never got the chance to hear the full version until this year. And I love every minute of what I listened to. I was listening to this song so much even before Bray Wyatt’s sad passing. He was taken from us too soon. I hope whoever is close to him is alright. Still, this is a great song and while I don’t think it is great for a tribute to him, it is great to listen to and remember the great stories he given us during the time he was alive.

#3 - Happy Sounds by Kyle Allen Music

I’m not much of a gamer. I’m more interested in the stories of games than playing them. So My Friendly Neighborhood was definitely a story I was interested in since I was curious how they would do this story compared to many other games. To my surprise, as Game Theory suggested, it's not a story about corrupted souls trapped in puppets, it's about the puppets trying to save a world already corrupted. This song captures that story in 3 minutes and I love it for that. I would recommend this song and the game in general.

#2 - Song of the Dead by @kana-boon

I will talk about my experience more in the One Shot next month, but this song is the reason I saw Zom 100. The song is full of life and energy and it's everything I want in a song. And if you want an English version, I think Dangle did a great job transferring it to English. Regardless, this was a song that was instrumental into me trying a series I would have probably passed by. Definitely give it a watch.

#1 - Smell of the Game from Guilty Gear Strive

So how did I find out about this song now of all times? Well, I noticed Evo was actually streaming this year and decided to give it a watch. It was before the Guilty Gear Strive and during the countdown I hear people singing the chorus of this song. That got me interested in hearing the full version and I don’t regret it. The Lyrics may sound random but man, it really gives you the energy to sing it out loud when you do hear it. I get teared up a little bit too. So thank you Evo for letting me get the Smell of the Game.

[noddytheornithopod]

Attending Supanova Melbourne 2023

So yeah, went to Supanova this year. Gonna put everything under the cut in case it gets lengthy.

First, how did the big thing go? Well, here’s the autograph I got.

Wasn’t too surprised the wait for Tem was a decent amount of time, but I was standing there for a decent amount of time. Honestly the worst part was having to hear the Jurassic Park theme blared over and over because of this anniversary attraction they had set up.

The meeting was fairly brief and impersonal, but he seemed pretty chill. Was too nervous to really say much or speak properly, but oh well, at least I got to meet him for a minute. XP

The line to get in wasn’t too bad, actually. I saw many people in cosplay at the train station so was expecting a lot to get in, but it turned out fine for the most part.

Lots of food stalls. I’m sceptical of con food so I just got a smoothie, though I was offered some cookie later on which was nice. One of the weirder things we spotted was what seemed to be... recruitment for Australian intelligence agency? No thanks, not joining the army. :v

Got to see many stalls too. Mostly artist ones, saw some stuff I recognised both fandom wise (MANY modern cartoons) and even one or two artists I actually follow. Didn’t really do much in that regard, but it was nice to see. Probably what was most amusing was that I saw a stand with body pillows, another with those boob mousepads, lol. A couple of other nice stands too, like one focusing on Polynesian heroes, and a lot of the expected fan organisations like I think the Mandalorian Mercs?

Anyway... the most fun part was definitely seeing all the cosplay. Here’s everything I can recall that stood out to me.

So to start, I met up with a friend I occasionally see IRL, and he knew some other people, and they were cosplaying from the Guilty Gear games. I don’t know anything about the franchise, but I just have to commend the effort, because this guy got a whole ass coffin made, and he was wheeling it around everywhere with us. From what I can find, the character’s name is Goldlewis Dickinson? Two of the others were dressed as this one blonde girl with a yo-yo, and another was an alien that would pose inside the coffin.

So much Star Wars. Was to be expected, but still. So many Mandalorians (and many Din Djarins specifically). So many Grogus I wish I had a tally to count how many I saw. There were a few Boba Fetts, a few Jedi and Sith (only ones from memory I think I recognised were Obi-Wan and Kylo Ren, yes he’s not a Sith but whatever lol). Noticed some stormtroopers and TIE pilots too. There were some clones, one or two Rexes, and at least one 501st clone. Got to see a clone scout trooper too, which was cool. the only thing on my bingo Saw a remote controlled R2-D2 and another remote controlled astromech I’m not sure I remember, but I think it’s the one Obi-Wan took with him to Utapau in Revenge of the Sith? The colours were close at least. Think I saw some Leias and Padmes too, and even a Narkina 5 prisoner. Besides the clone scout, probably the highlight was someone in a whole Gonk Droid costume. They had the box and everything.

This was pretty small, but a guy was dressed as a chef and had a raccoon on their head. Yes, that was Raccaconie from Everything, Everywhere All at Once.

There was a guy dressed as Ronald McDonald... with Colonel Sanders’ decapitated head. Even had “I’m killin’ it” on the back of the outfit.

Yep, I found some Danganronpas. No Tsumugis (come on guys it’s such a meta idea someone please do it), but I did spot a Komaeda. without a Sans I saw at least one or two Junkos, but I noticed a surprising amount of Mikans? And like, I even saw Nurse Joy from Pokemon around, so I was able to tell when the nurse outfit was hers. Also found an Ibuki and I think a Chihiro and a Toko? Also a couple of Monokuma style outfits, one guy had cool facepaint that mimicked the character.

Saw a couple of Owl House cosplays. One person was I think Willow, I saw a Lilith, and maybe an Amity too? Think I saw someone dressed as Luz too.

Noticed a few Doki Doki cosplays. There was one really cool Monika as I was entering I wish I was able to catch a photo of. There was a couple I struggled to be able to tell, but maaaaybe I spotted a Sayori and Natsuki... or two? I recognised a Yuri though, and she was with one or two other Monikas.

Some Doctor Who stuff I noticed. A purple Dalek, and one of the classic ones at a stand. Think I might’ve seen an Eleventh Doctor and maybe also an Amy Pond? Was hard to tell.

I saw a few of those blow up dino costumes, lol.

I’m CERTAIN I saw someone with their head covered with Red Guy from Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.

I did spot a group as MLP characters.

There were furries attending!

There might’ve been a Spyro? It looked like a Spyro onesie at least, but they were wearing something over it so IDK.

There were some She-Ras, I’m pretty sure one was even a guy crossdressing. And it was the old fashioned skimpy design too.

Someone had the Lord Farquaad dress up with the giant head, lol.

There was a Miles Edgeworth.

Lots of the expected superhero outfits, but one that stood out to me was Joker and Harley but it was the guy as Harley and the girl as Joker.

Many Pokemon cosplays, some Nurse Joys as I alluded to, but also a blow up Pikachu costume, and I think I saw this group of this one Pokemon I don’t remember the name of, but they looked like they had green hats or something? My friend I was with said they might be based on kappa.

I think there was one of The Last of Us zombies?

I didn’t recognise shit cuz I don’t know the franchise but apparently there was a lot of Genshin Impact?

Oh yeah... LOTS of Homestuck for some reason.

[naminethewriter]

For the Ask game:

14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

Thank you for the ask, Edu! I have answered 14 already, you can find the answer to that here!

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

This is kinda mean for you to ask when you are literally in the process of helping me brainstorm a title for my Big Bang fic 🤭 /j But usually, they just come to me? I'm not big on using quotes or song lyrics, personally. I mostly just find something that vibes with what I have written, though for some reason that is getting harder for me recently 🤔

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

Uff, okay, there was one fanfic I was writing when I was still in the Undertale fandom. It was called Floodtale and used a lot of different Sanses and multiverse shenanigans as well as some own characters. I scrapped it because 1. I fell out of the fandom and 2. I just didn't feel comfortable using those fan characters anymore at some point? I just felt like I didn't know them well enough to do them justice. That was also when I started being very strict with myself about not posting stories that weren't finished or I was positive I would finish.

I stopped in the middle of Chapter 6, here's the beginning of Chapter 3, the introduction of the Sans I created:

They stared at the stranger in silence. Well, stranger might be the wrong word, since the skeleton in front of them was definitely a Sans, but none of them had met this particular version before. The bones of the newcomer were grey; his eye sockets empty and black water was flowing out of them. It was running down his face and then disappeared from view under the collar of his black raincoat, which covered half of his face, while the hood covered the back of his head, so his eye sockets and (non-existent) nose were the only visible parts of his skull. One of his hands was buried in the coats’ pockets, the other hanging at his side, the same black water dripping from his fingertips down to the ground. His dark shorts stopped shortly before the rubber boots he was wearing. All in all he was a strange sight to behold, but not the weirdest the four had encountered.

There aren't any Sanders Sides stories I have completely given up on, so this is what you get ^^ Thanks again!

[arandombloginthemiddleofnowhere]

Hello everyone! I haven't introduced myself so let me do so now.

You can call me Random (like my username) and I go by It/its primarily but Xe/xem (or Xe/xir both work) and or He/him if you really dislike using either of those.

・I'm a proud aroace genderfluid transmasc person. (Although for simplicities sake I'll usually say aromantic as that label fits me the best)

・I have a partner of about a month (Bugs I would literally burn the world for you 🥹)

・I absolutely adore Undertale (proud Undertale lover since December of 2021)

・My favorite characters are Flowey, Sans, Papyrus and Chara

・I pronounce Chara as "Car-a" (Char-a pronouncers I love y'all <3/p)

・I have autism, ADHD, depression, straight up anxiety, (they didn't tell me what it was RIP-) and that's just diagnosed. I also need sleepy meds for insomnia 👍

・Besides Undertale I have an adoration for Deltarune (Jevil my beloved/p), Sander sides, FNAF (I love the lore to death + Glamrock Chica can go f&%k herself for making my playthrough feel like hell for SB), Teddy Ruxpin of all things (I binged the whole series in a month and those are 20-40 minute episodes 😀), Smile precure (Smile precure 🤝 Glitter force), Little Big Planet (mostly 2,3 and SABA), TADC (The Amazing Digital Circus, also Caine>>>>>>Jax), DannoCalDraws/Short Wars (RIP Preston/Clone Riggy), Portal 1+2 (I'm late to the party by a lot but Whealty 🤝 GlaDOS=consuming my brain cells), SMG4 (SMG3 and Mr. Puzzles my beloved 😍/p), Omori (WHICH I BEAT FINALLY, GO F$&K YOURSELF HUMPHREY) and I could go on tbh.

・Proud Animal Jam player 👍

・Semiproud gachatuber of nearly 3 years (My @ is Peachy_yaboi and my main name is Peachy_bling4 on YT)

And I forgot what else I was gonna say so erm...thats all 👍👍👍👍👍👍

(Pls send me asks I beg of you 🙏/nf)

Edited as of 12-5-24 💖

[frostbite-the-bat]

Dream journal copy pasted from discord

----

I had a dream i had one last final test for school and life stuff to take and I forgot to study for it bwcause it took us a while to get to the place where I could do it

Before I got there moon suggested I wait for them on the bridge we have here and tbimas sanders pulls up and I go "AH HELLO" and then a lot of ppl pull up behind him and it's just a pride event walk

I walk past and under/next to the bridge and meet moon and I go DUDE I SAW VINE DUDE THOMAS SANDERS and they go YEA Ik

And I'm like OK let's get this test done where do I go

And suddenly I have a big bag of plushies and we go on the bridge again and there's this one building nearby that's a restaurant irl but in the dream it was a government building

I sit down in the waiting room and I show off the plushies

I was gonna give away some but keep a few that were good but most were weird and misshapen and had mismatched parts and moon and I laughed at it

Then a lady comes to me and is like ah you already have your test paper so just give it to me and come forward so you can do it

And I'm like ah OK lemme find it. Then I look at moon. "MOON I STUDIED 2 WEEKS AGO HELP ME MOON"

ans I go do the test ans suddenly it's.. Pixel art. Top view. There's a chair. Sans undertale is on it. I talk to him ans he jokes

THEN MY YEST BEGINS?? AND ITS?? A WEIRD LIKE POLER CHIP GAME

I HAD TO ROLL DICE BUT NOT RLLY I ALWAYS HAD A SELECTION OF 4 PRE-DONE ROLLS AND I PICKED ONE

AND IF I PICKDD MORE THAN THE NPC IN FRONT OF ME (not even sans??) I GOT TO TAKE THEIR CHIPS

AND THE POINT WAS TO "BET" A BIT MORE EACH TIME

AND IN THE MIDDLE WAS BASICALLY A HANGMAN BINGO THING FOR THE ANSWERS

SO YOU HAD TO WIN THIS GAME TO GET UR ANSWERS

AND IM HERE. I DIDNT HAVE TO STUDY OR PANIC THESE BITCHED PULLED UP GAMBLING 😭😭😭

BUT NPC KEOT ROLLING SIXES AND I LOST TWICE

AND ONCE U DO IT U GOTTA SUBMIT IT OR ASK... someone.. To let u re do it

I'm so mad bc, since I lost, the answers were obviously dumb

Like I had 3 "yeaaahhh!!!!!!" in a row and I was like NO...! I'M GONNA FAIL

And i read the back of the paper

"bring to the coo to re-do" and I'm like. THOMAS SAGGS?? WOOO!!

And I CANT FIND HIM tho

And in between all this in the waiting room there's like a drag show thing but what became pupular is getting a big weird wide mouth short legs, looking like a kid and being like.. Shrunk and alieny. So kids would alter themselves to look this way and it was ridiculous and like every 6 minutes or so the dream stopped to show 2 more contestants and we'd go "OOOKAY THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS THIS KID GOTTA BE LIKE 4"

And then I'm in my room with my brother and mom and I'm speaking on czech and I ask if they know where Thomas Saggs is but I say it like "Thomas sex" because of Accent..?

My brother laughs and I hope to go find Thomas to redo my test but I WOKE UP

And at an unknown point I was playing toontown and they added a new cog type. This one had randomized "genetics".

It was an anthro furry cog who's skelecog you could see in their body for some reason like their shell was translucent

But their head was always solid? And they came in lightly different colors, mostly shades of brown and like.. Cream.

But their eyes had different colors too and I was looking at a petz eye color chart and I was like THESE GUYS USE IT...!

At some point we had a new cogs only member too and it was a roleplay acc for someone's the sims oc and it was a guy using a mod that makes ur Sim a... "werewolf Jerma"...?

Yeah.

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

CHARLES GAYLE, FREE JAZZ EN LIBERTÉ

“Charles’s intensity on the horn was so powerful in person. I had never experienced anything like music of that intensity before! He pulled me into the sonic center of his sound and raptured me.”

- Michael Wimberley

Né le 28 février 1939 à Buffalo, dans l’État de New York, Charles Ennis Gayle Jr. était le fils de Charles Gayle Sr., un ouvrier dans l’industrie métallurgique, et de la mènagère Frances Gayle. Charles avait également une soeur, Dorothy, qui était de deux ans son aînée.

Gayle avait commencé à jouer du piano à l’âge de neuf ans, avant d’apprendre à jouer du saxophone en autodidacte. Il jouait aussi du piano à l’église. Lorsque durant la seconde moitié des années 1950, Gayle avait ressenti le besoin d’apprendre un autre instrument, il avait opté pour le saxophone. Les premières influences de Gayle comme saxophoniste étaient Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins et Dexter Gordon.

Gayle avait aussi appris à jouer de plusieurs instruments durant ses études au high school. Il excellait aussi au basketball et à l’athlétisme. Durant son adolescence au début des années 1950, Gayle, qui avait été particulièrement inspiré par des pianistes comme Thelonious Monk et Art Tatum, s’était produit avec plusieurs groupes de jazz et de blues.

Après avoir décroché son diplôme au Hutchinson Central Technical High School en 1957, Gale avait brièvement étudié au Fredonia State Teachers College.

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Après ses études, Gayle était retourné à Buffalo où il avait commencé sa carrière musicale. Gayle avait d’abord joué de la trompette et du piano dans des clubs locaux. Par la suite, Gayle avait commencé à se concentrer sur le saxophone ténor. À la fin des années 1960 et au début des années 1970, Gayle avait aussi participé à des jam sessions avec Archie Shepp et Pharoah Sanders.

Pour rejoindre les deux bouts au début de sa carrière, Gayle avait également occupé un poste dans une usine de la compagnie Westinghouse. Il avait aussi travaillé dans une banque qui se spécialisait dans les prêts à des entreprises possédées par la communauté noire.

Gayle a fait ses débuts sur disque en 1965 avec le contrebassiste Buell Neidlinger et le battteur John Bergamo. L’album a été réédité en 2015 sous le titre de ‘’Gayle Force.’’

De 1970 à 1973, Gayle avait été assistant professeur de musique à la State University of New York at Buffalo (maintenant devenue l’Université de Buffalo). Parmi les étudiants de Gayle, on remarquait le saxophoniste Jay Beckenstein. Plus tard, Gayle avait aussi enseigné au Bennington College.

Lassé de ses responsabilités d’enseignant, Gayle avait quitté l’université et s’était installé à New York où il s’était consacré exclusivement à sa carrière musicale. Gayle était resté à New York durant environ dix ans avant de décider d’aller vivre dans les rues. Il faut dire que le style de jeu très agressif de Gayle au saxophone lui avait vite mérité la réputation d’être un peu trop centré sur lui-même.

Comme Gayle l’avait expliqué au cours d’une entrevue qu’il avait accordée en 2014:

“I just walked out one day and that was it. That was one of the greatest experiences I had in my life, though I didn’t do it for that reason. You have nothing and you’re not asking anybody for anything. We seek security, and you learn about how people perceive you because of what you look like or what they think you’re about.” 

À l’époque, Gayle avait presque tout sacrifié pour pouvoir jouer sa propre musique. Gayle, qui vivait comme un sans-abri dans des conditions d’extrême pauvreté, arrivait à peine à trouver de quoi manger. Comme il l’avait expliqué plus tard au cours d’une entrevue accordée à Fred Jung du magazine Jazz Weekly, ‘’ "I was going to do this or freeze to death out there.’’ Le contrebassiste Hilliard Greene, qui avait plus tard fait partie du groupe Gayle, avait raconté ce qu’il avait ressenti lorsqu’il avait entendu le saxophoniste jouer par la première fois: ‘’I heard the sound of this saxophone in Grand Central Station one day and ran all around until I found this guy in an overcoat who was playing for change. It was Charles, who is an amazing musician."

Décrivant son travail dans la rue, Gayle avait commenté: “Playing out there is obviously different than playing on a stage but that is so rich out there. I used to walk from Times Square, for instance, all the way to Wall Street playin’. I could walk back and never stop playing. I didn’t think about it as anything other than what it was.”

Dans le cadre de ses performances, Gayle se déguisait souvent en clown, ce qui lui permettait de se livrer à une certaine critique sociale et de réfléter ce qu’il appelait les choses ‘’that are in your heart." Décrivant sa fascination pour les clowns, Gayle avait commenté:

“It was really that simple. I saw a lot of clowns when I was young in the circus, but it was so liberating to go out in an audience while the band is playing and give a lady a rose or get rejected by her and everything — I can’t do that with regular clothes on. It helps a person mentally to escape — there’s a purpose in the escape, and it is the same thing as being in the music and trying to get past certain things. In order for me to do that I had to disappear.”

Même si en 1973, Gayle s’était aussi produit avec le groupe du batteur Rashied Ali, il se produisait surtout dans les rues à l’époque.

À l’époque, Gayle avait du matériel prêt pour publication par les disques ESP d’Albert Ayler, mais le projet avait été réduit à néant lorsque la compagnie avait fermé ses portes en 1975. Après avoir ressurgi de ses cendres en 2005, la compagnie avait publié un album live de Gayle qui avait été enregistré en 1994.

Gayle avait vécu durant plus de quinze ans comme sans-abri, se produisant dans les rues de New York jusqu’à ce qu’il effectue un retour en 1987.

DERNIERES ANNÉES

Vers 1987, le promoteur Michael Dorf avait entendu Gayle jouer dans la rue et avait décidé de le prendre sous son aile. Dorf avait engagé Gayle pour jouer tous les lundis soirs dans son club de Manhattan, le  Knitting Factory. Dorf lui avait également loué un petit appartement dans le Lower East Side. Afin de pouvoir rejoindre Gayle en tout temps, Dorf lui avait aussi procuré un téléphone cellulaire. Très reconnaissant à Dorf de lui avoir permis de se produire à nouveau sur scène et d’enregistrer, Gayle avait expliqué plus tard: "There really is no way to express my gratitude for that, for them being there.’’

À la fin des années 1980, Gayle avait aussi été découvert par le contrebassiste allemand Peter Kowald qui lui avait obtenu un engagement au Sound Unity Festival.

En avril 1988, Gayle avait enregistré trois albums avec le contrebassiste Sirone qui avaient contribué à le replacer dans l’actualité du jazz. Ces albums, qui étaient intitulés respectivement ‘’Spirits Before’’, ‘’Always Born’’ (enregistré avec le saxophoniste danois John Tchicai, le contrebassiste Sirone et le batteur Reggie Nicholson) et ‘’Homeless’’, avaient été publiés par la maison de disques suédoise Silkheart Records. 

Par la suite, Gayle avait aussi enregistré avec les compagnies de disques FMP, ESP-Disk et Black Saint.

Musicien très électique, Gayle, avait également fait des incursions sur la scène du rock expérimental de New York. Durant cette période, Gayle avait collaboré avec le groupe Blue Humans ainsi qu’avec le chanteur punk Henry Rollins avec qui il avait enregistré deux albums. Décrivant son ouverture aux autres musiques, Gayle avait expliqué: "You create your own path. I'm a risky person by nature."

Après avoir fait une tournée en Europe avec le contrebassiste William Parker, Gayle avait rendu hommage à John Coltrane en 1991 dans le cadre de l’album ‘’Touchin’ On Trane.’’ L’album, qui comprenait une longue suite en cinq parties et qui avait été le plus grand succès de la carrière de Gayle, avait été enregistré en trio avec Parker et l’ancien batteur de Coltrane, Rashied Ali. Après l’enregistrement de l’album, Gayle avait formé un quartet avec William Parker au violoncelle et au violon. Le groupe avait publié trois albums en janvier 1993, dont ‘’Translations’’ et ‘’Blue Shadows.’’ Gayle avait enchaîné le mois suivant avec l’album live ‘’Avant Knitting Tours.’’ En 1994, Gayle avait enregistré l’album ‘’Look Up’’. Dans le cadre de cet album, Gayle avait rendu hommage à deux de ses principales influences, Albert Ayler (sur la pièce ”Homage to Albert Ayler”) et Eric Dolphy (sur la pièce “I Remember Dolphy” sur laquelle il jouait de la clarinette basse).

En 1996, Gayle avait également collaboré avec de grands noms du free jazz comme le pianiste Cecil Taylor (album ‘’Always a Pleasure’’, 1993) et le batteur Sunny Murray.

Au cours de sa carrière, Gayle avait enregistré dans le cadre de différents formats, que ce soit en trio, en quartet ou en solo. En 1994, Gayle avait également joué du piano sur l’album ‘’Kingdom Come’’ avec un trio composé de William Parker à la contrebasse et de Sunny Murray à la batterie. Gayle avait également publié de nombreux albums live avec son trio. En 1997, Gayle avait aussi joué du piano et du saxophone soprano sur l’album live ‘’Solo In Japan.’’

Toujours dans les années 1990, Gayle avait également créé un personnage appelé Streets qu’il faisait apparaître sur scène vêtu de son célèbre costume de clown. En plus de jouer du saxophone, Gayle se produisait dans le cadre de mises en scène très théâtrales et élaborées qui lui permettaient d’exploiter ses talents de pantomime dans des scènes souvent très marquées par la violence. En 2012, Gayle avait même consacré un album complet à son personnage de Streets. Gayle a souvent expliqué qu’il avait un peu l’impression que Streets faisait tellement partie de lui-même qu’il se trouvait avec lui en dehors de la scène une fois débarrassé de son maquillage. Pour Gayle, le personnage de Streets lui permettait également d’exprimer des sentiments qu’il n’aurait pu véhiculer par sa seule musique. Gayle précisait:  "It's acting out, to a degree, love, pain, joy and things that happen in life — it could be a situation like your heart is broke, and I'll tear hearts up and start crying, and try to play it on the piano, too, or the horn. It's just things that are in your heart, that's all I'm saying." Gayle, qui n’avait jamais vraiment apprécié d’être sous les projecteurs, avait précisé: ‘’Streets means to me, first, a freedom from Charles. I'm not good at being the center of attention…. It's a liberation from Charles, even though it's me on the stage, it's a different person."

Au cours d’une entrevue accordée en 2013 pour le magazine Cadence, Gayle avait déploré que ses croyances religieuses avaient souvent été incomprises. Il faut dire que Gayle prononçait régulièrement des sermons apocalyptiques sur scène, et qu’il ne s’était pas gêné pour exprimer son opposition à l’homosexualité et à l’avortement, et ce, même dans le cadre de ses performances. Gayle expliquait:

Ajoutant qu’il ne pouvait séparer sa foi de sa musique, Gayle avait précisé:

“People have told me to shut up and stuff. I understand that I can turn people off with what I say or do. The problem that people have with me is not me. It’s Christ they have a problem with. I understand that when you start speaking about faith or religion, they want you to keep it in a box, but I’m not going to do that. Not because I’m taking advantage of being a musician; I’m the same everywhere, and people have to understand that.”

Un peu comme son idole John Coltrane, Gayle avait été très influencé par le gospel. Le séjour de Gayle dans la rue l’avait énormément changé et lui avait fait redécouvrir sa spiritualité. C’est d’ailleurs au cours de son séjour dans la rue que Gayle avait adhéré au mouvement Born Again Christian. Mais les sermons souvent moralisateurs que Gayle avait prononcés dans le cadre de ses concerts avaient laissé plusieurs de ses admirateurs sceptiques. Comme l’écrivait The Rough Guide to Jazz,

“His reclusive street existence and the born-again Christian preaching (which he has thankfully stopped) threatened to overshadow his identity as a player“, as put it. However, if one could get past the politics and disagreements that one might have with his attitude, one could never deny that Gayle was an astonishing musician.’’

Plusieurs des compositions et des titres d’albums de Gayle étaient d’ailleurs directement inspirés de la Bible. En témoignent des titres comme ‘’Repent’’ (1992), ’’Consecration’’ (1993), “Testaments” (1996), “Daily Bread” (1998), Ancient of Days’’ (1999) ‘’Delivered’’ (avec James Jones au piano, Gerald Benson à la contrebasse et Kalil Madi à la batterie en 1997) et  “Christ Everlasting.” (2015)

Commentant ses croyances religieuses, Gayle avait précisé: "I grew up with religion. I'm a believer. My hope is to be as open and honest as I can. I'm not saying my music is about God, but I dedicate my music to Him."

Refusant de confiner sa carrière à un simple rôle de divertissement, Gayle avait expliqué:

"I just felt a lot of times that playing wasn't enough for me, especially since I've been in the street. If it's a very major part of your life--not just playing, but eating out there, and hanging out, and sleeping out there, sometimes--it's not all about performing, and playing, or something very formal.... It wasn't a show to try to entertain anybody; it's just something I had to do for myself. It wasn't to try to bring some different art or anything to anybody; it's for me."

Dans les années 2000, Gayle avait aussi commencé à enregistrer en solo au piano. L’année suivante, Gayle avait d’ailleurs enregistré un album de standards intitulé ‘’Jazz Solo Piano’’, sur lequel il se produisait exclusivement au piano. L’album était un peu la réponse de Gayle aux critiques qui prétendaient que les musiciens de free jazz étaient incapables de jouer du bebop. En avril 2003, Gayle avait également publié un autre album de piano solo en concert intitulé ‘’No Bills.’’ En 2006, Gayle avait récidivé avec un autre album en piano solo intitulé ‘’Time Zones.’’ Contrairement à l’album ‘’Jazz Solo Piano’’, le disque était composé entièrement de compositions originales.

En 2004, Gayle avait aussi collaboré avec le Sirone-Bang Ensemble (qui comprenait Sirone à la contrebasse, Billy Bang au violon et Tyshawn Sorey à la batterie) dans le cadre de l’album ‘’Configuration.’’ En 2007, Gayle avait retrouvé ses vieux partenaires William Parker et Rashied Ali à l’occasion de l’enregistrement de l’album ‘’By Any Means’’ sur lequel il jouait du saxophone alto. Le groupe avait également enregistré en 2014 un album en concert intitulé ‘’Live At Jazzwerkstatt Peitz.’’

Véritable multi-instrumentiste, Gayle jouait non seulement du saxophone ténor, mais aussi du saxophone alto et du saxophone soprano, du piano, de la viole, de la clarinette basse, de la contrebasse et de la batterie.

On peut également voir Gayle se produire avec le trio du contrebassiste allemand Peter Kowald dans le documentaire “Rising Tones Cross.’’ Tourné en 1985, le film était produit et dirigé par l’ancienne épouse de Gayle, Ebba Jahn. Dans le film, on voyait Gale jouer avec Rashied Ali, Marilyn Crispell et plusieurs autres musiciens. Il était également interviewé.

Cisco Bradley a également consacré une biographie à Gayle qui devrait être publiée en 2024. Gayle s’est marié trois fois, mais tous ses mariages se sont terminés par un divorce. Gayle, qui qui avait toujours été plutôt discret sur sa vie privée, avait justifié ainsi son désir de protéger certains aspects de sa vie personnelle: “I had to shed my history, my life. Everything had to stop right there.”

Atteint de la maladie d’Alzheimer, Gayle avait dû ralentir le nombre de ses enregistrements et de ses performances au milieu des années 2010.

Charles Gayle est mort le 5 septembre 2023 à Brooklyn. Il était âgé de quatre-vingt-quatre ans. Même si les causes de la mort de Gayle n’ont pas été précisées, il est possiblement décédé des suites de la maladie d’Alzheimer, dont il souffrait depuis plusieurs années. La mort de Gayle avait été annoncée par la danseuse et organisatrice communautaire Patricia Nicholson Parker, qui avait elle-même appris la nouvelle par le fils de Gayle, Ekwambu. Parker avait annoncé la mort du saxophoniste dans le cadre d’un communiqué publié conjointement avec son mari, le contrebassiste William Parker. On pouvait lire dans le communiqué: "His immense genius was a gift to a suffering world. Yet a healing music flowed like a river through him. Charles Gayle was a master musician for all time."

Outre Ekwambu, ont survécu à Gayle ses deux autres fils Michael et Dwayne, ainsi qu’une petite-fille.

Gayle avait enregistré son dernier album en 2017. Il avait présenté son dernier concert l’année suivante.

Le batteur Michael Wimberley, qui avait travaillé avec Gayle depuis le début des années 1990, l’avait qualifié de père, de mentor et d’ami ‘’whom I had the pleasure of creating some of the most adventurous improvised sounds, shapes and musical dialogues with.” Wimberley avait ajouté: “Charles’s intensity on the horn was so powerful in person. I had never experienced anything like music of that intensity before! He pulled me into the sonic center of his sound and raptured me.”

Le son de Gayle au saxophone ténor, qui était une sorte de combinaison entre le style d’Ornette Coleman et d’Albert Ayler, était souvent énergique et désordonné, et reflétait un certain sentiment d’urgence. Gayle ne faisait pas que jouer dans les rues; sa musique était en communication constante avec les bruits de la ville de New York, qu’il s’agisse des sons du métro, des autobus, de la circulation automobile ou des sirènes de police. Le critique Ben Ratliff du New York Times avait commenté: “He plays tenor saxophone in cries and gabbles and interval jumps and long tones; his music usually describes motion and spirit rather than corresponding to preset tonal centers, rhythms and melodies.”

Lorsqu’on avait demandé à Gayle pourquoi il jouait toujours avec une telle fureur, il avait expliqué: "Why do I play the way I do? I just feel driven. I feel like I haven't even started to play--that I'm just getting into it. Sometimes I think I could switch styles tomorrow and go onto some other kind of music. But first I'll have to burn this out." Souvent comparé à Ayler, le jeu de Gayle avait fait dire au critique Chris Kelsey du All Music Guide,  

"His improvisations feature long, vibrating, free-gospel melodies, full of huge intervallic leaps, screaming multiphonics, and a density of line that evidences a remarkable dexterity in all registers of his horn (especially the altissimo). Gayle is also capable of great lyricism, imbued with the same bracing intensity present in his high-energy work."

En 2000, Gayle avait d’ailleurs démontré un grand lyrisme dans le cadre de l’enregistrement de l’album ‘’Ancient of Days.’’

Comme plusieurs de ses contemporains, Gayle avait été particulièrement influencé par Albert Ayler et John Coltrane. Mais loin de se contenter d’un simple rôle d’imitateur, Gayle s’était servi de ses modèles pour aller plus loin musicalement. Un des collaborateurs les plus réguliers de Gayle, le contrebassiste William Parker, avait déclaré au cours d’une entrevue accordée au magazine Jazz Times en 2019: "Charles was a legend, in a way. Musically he has this energy — an electric, acoustic, organic energy coming out of his horn. And everybody who heard it said you could hear all the history of the saxophone in there: Sonny Rollins, Albert Ayler, Coltrane. But it was Charles." 

Même si Gayle jouait parfois de la viole et de la clarinette basse sur certains de ses albums, son deuxième instrument demeurait toujours le piano.

Sorte de Don Quichotte moderne, Gayle avait manifesté son intention de retourner vers un jazz plus traditionnel en 2013. Il expliquait: ‘’I don’t want to leave it out now… and I want to try to really get in it more, inside.” 

Même s’il était reconnu pour être plutôt humble envers lui-même, Gayle était quand même conscient de ses propres capacités. Un jour, Gayle avait suggéré au saxophoniste ténor David Murray de se tenir éloigné des standards, sous prétexte qu’il n’était pas aussi bon dans les transitions que Johnny Griffin ! Ironiquement, quand Gayle s’était produit au club Knitting Factory dans les années 1980, il avait interprété le standard “I Want to Talk About You”, une pièce souvent associée à Coltrane mais qui était aussi devenue le titre d’un des albums de Murray.

En plus d’avoir influencé plusieurs musiciens de jazz, Gayle avait également inspiré le poète Steve Dalachinsky qui lui avait consacré un recueil de poèmes intitulé ‘’The Final Nite: Complete Notes from a Charles Gayle Notebook’’ en 2006. Le recueil s’était mérité le PEN Oakland / Josephine Miles Literary Award. En 2014, le Vision Festival avait aussi décerné à Gayle un Lifetime Achievement Award pour couronner l’ensemble de sa carrière.

Grand admirateur de Gayle, le saxophoniste de free jazz Steve Baczkowski, avait déclaré à son sujet: "He was one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. The way he functioned was merely to serve the music. His music was never offering anything to do with calling attention to himself."

©-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

[alanalfordsportstalkshow]

Corey Deion Wright, DB & RB Drives Over 2,200 Miles to Attend the XFL Orlando Showcase!!!

Thank you, DB & RB Corey Deion Wright, @primeballa, @heavycat___ for answering our questions on the @alanalford_ Sports Talk Show!!! Here's a Gross Understatement: Corey is EXTREMELY HUNGRY! Corey drove all the way from Arizona, which is over 2,200 miles to attend the XFL Orlando Showcase at 7:00 AM EST!   I personally have not met or heard of anyone else, out of over 300 men, who traveled this far! Not to mention Corey achieved this feat on absolutely NO SLEEP!   In addition, Corey plays both Offense and Defense, so he literally did a two a day at the Showcase! As if this wasn’t enough, Corey is even planning on attending the Final XFL Showcase in San Deigo this Saturday! After knowing all these facts, there’s absolutely no excuse for anyone not appearing at an XFL Showcase. Just think of Corey! Now that’s starving HUNGRY!!! This all plays into why Corey’s middle name is Deion. Yes, that’s right! Corey’s middle name Deion. Which is named after Colorado HOF Coach Deion Sanders aka Coach Prime @deionsanders It’s Primetime! Wow!!! Remember, Corey plays both Offense and Defense! Coach Prime may have his haters, but Corey Deion Wright is unequivocally not one of them! Thank you again Corey! I pray for Corey in his football dreams plus goals! I wish Corey all the very best! Thank you, @xfl, @xflguardians for granting me media access to the XFL Showcase! I tremendously appreciate you all! More to see! 💯🙏🏽🏈👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🎙️🙂 #alanalford #alanalfordsportstalkshow #coreywright #primeballa #heavycat #football #xfl #orlando #orlandoflorida #orlandoguardians #theusfl #nfl #colorado #coachprime #arizona #coachprimetimedeionsanders #motivation #deionsanders #danygarcia #therock #redbird #dedication #athlete #xflshowcase #sandiego #tryout

[andrewlovely]

Homecoming

USS George H.W. Bush USS Gerald R. Ford They dock in my hometown and dominate the landscape. Holy Roman Empire Such power is seductive… You can’t take your eyes away Two Bechtel A1B nuclear reactors Five squadrons of multirole air superiority strike fighters

Who could oppose them? And who would even think to? We are nothing. Provincials on the outskirts of Rome

I want to believe in Big Brother I want to rest easy knowing that Father protects the world And beam with pride whenever I see his warships coming on the horizon. Guardians of the Free World Sentinels of the West

But I’ve been too close and seen too much I know too much and I know better

Satanism in the frat house Machiavelli’s acolytes thirsty for blood But they’ll settle for red death and sexual assault. A brood of vipers A school of sharks who eat their own young

They turn on each other out of a kind of boredom Or simply because they know of nothing else better to do. Brotherhood is betrayal

Patio get-togethers with smoked salmon queso carrot dips and forced laughter. Amidst the bad jokes and the desperate cackling my dad’s friend tells me how much he loves Batman and how much he misses killing people.

Post 9/11 lonestar quarterback varsity cheerleader pep-rally culture Band of Brothers jingoism and Republican family values Post Reich Fourth Reich zeitgeist propaganda films Our dear beloved Hero of The Fatherland Our dear beloved American Sniper scouting the aisles of HEB for Always Ultra Maxi Pads and cheap microwave dinners.

I’m getting Laguna Beach flashbacks and Homeland Security Orange Terror Alerts. Over a million killed in Iraq, But Janet Jackson’s exposed nipple is somehow the pinnacle of moral depravity. Wealth is health.

Long gone the Comanche trails we used to hike and the old wooden watchtower where the good Christian children warned of strange nightly rituals and animal sacrifice. Now they paved the sacred grounds with another shopping mall and you can buy arrowhead souvenirs where every burger joint meets every coffee shop. Interstate I-95 on the next exit. Highway marker 279. Food and gas in 16 miles.

I woke up on some European toll road federal highway built by Colonel Sanders’ military junta. I could just as easily have been driving back from San Antonio Airport. Home of the 1999 NBA Champions. The signs are the same everywhere But they all lead back to the same source.

Rick was a driver for Halliburton. Always spoke to me in a heavy drawl about the importance of having a good attitude. “We gotta fight ‘em over there so we don’t fight ‘em over here, Andrew.” I always thought that was just the way he talked. Turns out it was the highballs and the VA drug cocktail he drank every morning. He wasn’t even from Texas.

I never did find out who “they” were. The ones we were supposed to “fight over there.” But apparently they were in cahoots with whoever it was he fought in Vietnam.

Rick had a pretty good attitude about driving a truck I guess. About as good of an attitude as you could have really. He went to church every Sunday and blew his brains out on the Fourth of July. A patriot to the very end. Yeah, they used him up pretty good alright.

Beverly was a Dallas debutante with a sweet disposition, if maybe wound up a bit too tight for the likes of Austin. I probably seemed alien to her and maybe too polite, or too gentle for the rugged “boys will be boys” expectations that southern women seem to cater to and delight in.

She always asked me if I wanted more sweet potato casserole with a mixture of disappointment and confusion. I think I just seemed strange to her. But she was nice enough, and everyone was always “doin’ good, ya know And we’re all just doin’ fine… And you know, Doyle just bought that new boat he was wantin’ And I think we’re finally thinkin’ ‘bout sellin’ that old house finally.”

Beverly eventually jumped off the roof of a nine story parking garage. But that just got swept under the rug right alongside everything else.

There was a murder in Dallas and all Americans carry it three layers deep in different forms of societal conditioning and infra-red shades of misplaced anger and resentment. “The military industrial complex now permeates all aspects of our national identity and daily life: the political, the economical, even the spiritual.”

Ordinary citizens are buried and there’s nothing left, they’re all used up. Empty vessels filled to the brim and then discarded At the brink, at the brink, the cracks always form at the brink!

Lightning strikes splitting down Dick Van Dyke’s milk bottles, crazing through the glass, and just at the moment of critical eclampsis, the water cannot hold, it’s too late for the light, too late for Japanese Kintsugi, and everything not saved will be lost.

There will be no apotheosis, no final reckoning with the cowardly and dastardly adversaries who always hid themselves, but who, thinking their time nigh and the hour at hand prepared duly and dutifully beforehand to be utterly invincible, their case bulletproof, their charge noble and steadfast, now suddenly dare to reveal themselves, [and what a gift (!)], so you can finally stand up and fight, so you can finally show yourself, and show your power, and fight them head-on, and fight them in the light of daybreak, and fight them in the light of high noon, and with no more evasions, and with no more doublespeak, and with no more shadows, no…

There will be no final apology, no great apocalypse, just a tired whimper and a bewildered release.

Now the casket was lowered with military honors, and we all saw that, we all saw it. But The Beast was never slain. It gave the eulogy at its own funeral dressed in drag. Hairline trigger fingernail painted black. The CIA has operatives with dreadlocks and man-buns now. They meet all their diversity quotas. All of the bureaucratic vestiges of The Republic have been allowed to persist. They carry on the day-to-day affairs of The Empire and seem to please the people Conjuring up images of some past glory or vaguely reminiscent of some new half-promise half-remembered. It’s been a successful rebrand.

We all live on three job credit cards, but if we can just figure out which bathrooms we’re allowed to use, we’ll probably be OK. - Lovely