#Mini Tempo for Shifting

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[householdpackersindia]

[scarybabe]

Thank you so much for being open about your strong fat journey!! It looks amazing on you!!

Would you be open to sharing a sample week workout write up, or some other reference tips to create a routine? As a fellow gainer girl it would be great to have a reference that works for my body type, and I love your results!

Forgive me if you’ve already shared this, or stated that you don’t want to (if that’s the case just delete the ask)

You’re a wonderful voice in the community, thank you so much for doing all you do!!

Ahh thank you!! I do have a weightlifting coach, she makes my workout plans every day but I can share my nutrition plans + my usual mobility stretches - this makes a huge difference since I was starting from being a couch potato 💕

Nutrition- 3 meals with at least 30-40g of protein each meal and minimum 2,700 calories but more is good! I like the chocolate mutant mass protein powder and put unflavored collagen peptides in everything. At least 100oz of water every day

Mobility stretches (look these up) - 12 reps of Cat Cow, Superman Arm Sweeps. 10 reps of Dynamic Thread the Needle (on each side), Kneeling Hip CARS (each side), 90/90 Hip Shifts ** my mobility stretches change slightly depending on what area I’m working out

At the gym - 4 x 6-10 reps deadlift on smith machine, 3 x 6-12 dumbbell hammer curls, 3 x 8-12 dumbbell Romanian deadlifts (RDLs), 3 x 6-12 cable machine lat pulldown, 2 x 15 each side mini band standing glute hyperextension (one foot on a riser while the other leg extends), 2 x 20 hip abductions (usually there’s a machine for these)

If you’re new to lifting the first number is the number of sets - take a minute to rest between sets or even a bit longer if needed. Second number is the range of reps you do. When researching these I would look up the right tempo for eccentric/concentric muscle contractions because that can really maximize the efficacy. I usually do a practice set with as little weight as possible before the actual set of each new exercise to make sure my form is good, bad form can cause sprains, imbalances or soreness.

I finish my weightlifting with some cooldown stretches - today it’s 60 secof wide leg oblique stretching, 60 sec childs pose lat stretch, 60 sec prone cross over leg glute stretch

~~~~~

Monday - Friday I rotate through different muscle groups so I just shared my Monday routine (pull day!) and my coach tailors it to my personal goals as well. There’s a lot of good weightlifting programs online for free! I don’t do an ounce of cardio either, only strength training.

Thank you for your kind words, I hope this sparks interest in anyone else who may wanna try getting strong. I have a membership to a cheap 24/7 local gym because when I first started I was kinda shy to be watched as I figured out my form and all that 🤣 places like that are good for beginners

[autonomyofadeer]

your ambessa x sevika x reader was SO good i wish it had a bit of comfort from sevika at the end tho😭 but fr u write amazingly i loved it <33

heyyy my bad lol! i wrote that at 4 am after a long day of work.. to make it up for you, here you go!☺️

! sevika x reader fluff !

summary -;- after a one night stand with a woman you met at the last drop last night, you wake up in the morning in her bed. what more could happen?

tags -;- fluff, kissing, domestic stuff really

it was a long, long night. you had met her at the last drop. it was your first time fully enveloping yourself in zauns pleasurable businesses. the streets were littered with children, older men and women, spokespeople, clerics, etc.

you make your way into the bar, a bit nervous from the bustle and quick tempo of the atmosphere. you wander your way up to the bar to the barkeep. i glance up at the menu then back at the bartender.

"first time here 'ey?" a tall and built man asked you. a small whisper of a yes comes out of your mouth.

"no need to be afraid 'ere. names vander, i own this place. whatdya want?" he asks you, a smile never leaving his face.

you order a drink and you take a seat on the edge of the bar, protecting your drink as you people watch.

a little girl with blue hair runs by with a older girl with pink hair closelt behind. people of all sorts, animal people, zaunites, fighters, sellers, the lonely. you name it, they were here. until a certain someone caught your eye.

she was beautiful. grey eyes that shone in the light, a perfect bob with a mini bun in the back. you watched her closely as she shuffled her poker cards. she flicked her gaze up at you and you quickly focused back in on your drink.

'fuck. please don't notice me.' you think to yourself as a faint hue of pink rise on your cheeks in embarassment.

the night passes on, you stole a few more glances from her every now and then.

you decided to get back home before you get too intoxicated. you sit up and briskly walk to the bathroom, turning the corner to fix your makeup in the mirror. the door opens behind you so you shuffle out of the way for whomever to get by. until you heard the strangers voice.

"saw you starin'" she husks out, catching your gaze in the mirror as your blush comes back. you trip over your words for a second before your form a coherant sentence.

"i-im really sorry i am. im new here and i was just looking around- i wasnt staring at-" you turn around and suddenly realize just how close she is. "you.." you whisper out.

"names sevika. what about yours doll?" she whispers to you as she pushes you against the wall.

...

beep. beep. beep.

you shift around in your bed into you roll over to turn the alarm off, except you're stuck in something. you move to push whatever off of you into you realize it was an arm.

a small yelp escapes your lips until you look up, realizing who it was. your cheeks tint pink. sevika raises her arms to rub her eyes as she groggily looks up at you. "hey dollface.." she mumbles to you.

you look at her with confusion, no recognition at all. you nervously chuckle.

"shit- you mustve been real drunk." she laughs awkwardly as she sits up, pulling you into her lap almost. "s'okay. we kinda fucked then went to bed. y'know?" she states to you, as if that was normal.

she could tell from your expression that that was not your usual end to a night. a small laugh escapes her mouth as she leaves a few kisses on your forehead as an apology. "look, i gotta do some errands today for some people. so c'mon." she tells you as she gets out of bed, the shests slipping down and revealing she's still bare-naked.

a gasp escapes your mouth as you close your eyes shut tight. sevika laughs and walks over to you, moving your hands as she put a oversized shirt on. she hikes you up with ease, you laugh softly as you wrap your arms around her neck. her laege hands gripping your thighs around her hips as she waltzes into the kitchen.

she grabs some cereal from the cabinet, along with milk, a spoon and a bowl. she nudges then towards you as you sit down at her bartop. you smile at her as a gesture of appreciation.

"sorry for... yknow.. last night" you tell her as you fill your mouth with cereal.

"you're fine dollface. it was one of the better fucks ive had in a while. might just keep you around" she mumbles to you as she wraps her lips around the base of your neck, shivers running down your spine as she wraps her arms aroujd your waist and pulls you in closer.

this was gonna be a good day.

[aihoshiino]

chapter 157 thoughts

Chapters Since The 143 Kiss Happened And Went Entirely Unacknowledged And Unaddressed Count: 14… IN THIS CHAPTER OF ALL CHAPTERS…????

Aqua Hoshigan Status: White

Congrats to 157 for taking 144's crown as the Oshi no Ko chapter that has vexed and confused me the most. Taken entirely in isolation, it's a sweet, lowkey, calm before the storm moment… but it's entirely because it stands in such stark isolation from the events surrounding it that it feels so baffling. It's like an amped up version of the issues with 156 - when viewed in isolation, you can't strictly say there's anything wrong with it, but as a part of the sequential storytelling of Oshi no Ko it just feels off. I'm reminded of the weird, off-kilter pacing of the Movie Arc, where story beats fell at weird places as if the story was falling out of tempo with itself. Because of that, this chapter review is probably going to be a bit disjointed but tbh besties i am fighting for my life on this one

I will say at the top of things though that it's darkly funny to me that we're fastforwarding through so much of the B-Komachi tour lol. Offscreen no Ko strikes again!

Honestly, this chapter in general kind of defies any attempt at a beat by beat analysis though that does seem to largely be by design. As the chapter title suggests, this is simply some pagetime spent on letting us stew in what a calm, ordinary day looks like for the twins and for what it is, it's sweet and chill. Taken on its own there isn't really a ton to pick apart, other than just pointing at what moments I found cute which was like 90% of them. I want a 5 chapter mini arc of AQRB goofing around at the grocery store and squabbling over the cooking together.

I also really like that Aqua is the one to suggest doing something nice for Miyako and that he joins Ruby in waiting up for her to get home and see it. It feels like a sweet and warm acknowledgement of the subtle shift in their relationship after 155, with the two of them properly stepping into their roles as parent and child.

As nice as this chapter is though, it does kind of feel like too little too late. One of the major complaints across the series (that I do largely agree with) is that Aqua and Ruby's day-to-day dynamic is for the most part underbaked and that the two of them don't really feel like people who grew up in the same household for 16+ years. I think a few more moments like this properly threaded through the manga would have helped but… well, considering OnK's pacing, do I really want to encourage much more downtime…

Moving on from the things I liked, as cute as this chapter was it's also just kind of weird that so much of it feels like the framing device is a recap episode lol. I guess it isn't the worst idea in the world to have one as we're heading into the final stretch of the story but… well, again, see my point above about weird pacing.

It's also just baffling as fuck to see Ruby frame these events in a way that distinctly did not happen lol. Like, sure, she was definitely having fun doing idol stuff for a lot of it but seeing her so warmly gas up stuff like Tokyo Blade when the anime airing right now is reminding us that Aqua was going through the SpongeBob horror hallway the entire time is so jarring - especially when Aqua (and thus, implicitly, the narrative) agrees with her. I mean, fuck, even putting Aqua aside it's WILD to see Ruby framing "Dig Deep" as having been fun for her when her major contribution to the show was manipulative drama stirring for the purposes of chasing clout that she herself said was having an impact on her mental health. I've criticized the story for the ways Ruby's black hoshigan arc amounted to nothing but there's a special kind of infuriating in seeing it specifically call back to that arc and still fail to actually acknowledge any wrongdoing on Ruby's part.

This is part of a much bigger trend in OnK right now of Ruby being super coddled by the narrative and coming off in some really unpleasant ways as a result. I didn't mention it last chapter but something that's been percolating in my brain since after I wrote my review is just how fucking bonkers Ruby's total non-respose to Mem's situation is. "Oh, you're getting stalked by the press? Sucks to be you, thank god I'm Miyako's special little favourite tho 🙏". Not only is this just kind of a shitty response to begin with but it feels insane coming from a person like Ruby who, you know, saw her mother's life blighted and then ended by this kind of treatment. No concern for Mem, tho!

Idk. I don't want to dislike Ruby but man. A lot of the ways Akasaka has been playing favourites with her lately has the effect of Ruby coming off, in universe, like a deeply self centered and callous person in ways I don't think narrative intends or even realizes and thus fails to interrogate in a satisfying way. But that's a rant for another day. And I'm pretty sure you guys already know what today's rant is gonna be. Which is to say, uh…

HEY. AKASAKA. ARE THEY GONNA TALK ABOUT… ANY OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MOVIE ARC?? ANYTHING AT ALL????

This is what I meant when I said this chapter utterly fucking bamboozled me. The way the story has contorted itself into knots to avoid letting Aqua and Ruby have a conversation even when they're literally in the same room is already insane, but giving us an entire chapter of them alone together with ample opportunity to have any sort of meaningful discussion as to the gigantic elephant in the room looming over their relationship and……. literally nothing happens???

This is made even more insanity inducing by the fact that this is, as stated above, more or less a recap chapter and not only does Ruby talk about the movie specifically but we even SEE a flashback to the HikAi kiss…. but not the one Ruby jumpscared him with at the end of 143!!!

What the fuck is even going on anymore? Was it retconned? Resolved offscreen?? Did we collectively hallucinate it??? Is Akasaka gaslighting us????

If nothing else, this chapter has proved to me once and for all that whatever goes on with Aqua and Ruby, that resolution is going to come entirely at the speed of plot, as and when Akasaka decides to do it and not when it would be natural and organic for development to occur. This is an issue that has plagued Aqua and Ruby's r/s from the start, where Akasaka simply refuses to let them communicate, seemingly for the purposes of drawing out the drama rather than because of any narrative justification. So I'm giving on predicting what direction their relationship is going in and what the outcome is going to be. The inner machinations of Aka Akasaka's mind are a mystery to me.

To pre-pick some nits before I leave off… I've seen some people calling this a 'Tanabata chapter' and insisting this is intentional/foreshadowing aquruby end/etc and uh… sorry to be that guy but no it's not lol. Even accounting for the differences in calendars that scatters Tanabata celebrations across July and August, August's Tanabata falls on the 10th this year - and even in the anime world, celebrations across Japan took place on the 'official' date of 7/7. And while there is a Tanabata festival being held in Sendai today… that's just in Sendai, which is all the way up in northern Japan, nowhere near Tokyo where the series is set (and which itself had its Tanabata celebrations on the weekends surrounding 7/7 as per usual.)

There's also just the fact that this chapter… has nothing to do with Tanabata? There's no imagery or iconography and it takes place in the middle of December lol. I simply don't think it was intentional at all on Akasaka's part. It's a cute coincidence, sure, but still just a coincidence.

break next week. i love biweekly manga, oshi no ko.

[qqtxt]

[🌸] be mine w/ txt

✿ pairing: ot5 x reader / idol!txt / non.idol!you / tooth-rotting fluff 🌸 / minor cursing/curse words (none with ill intention!) ✿ mini-fics with each member for the same situation / less than 500 words for each member / altogether, word count: 1,894 words ✿ happy valentine’s, lovelies! 💖 [masterlist 🌸] / other members under the cut! / @kflixnet​​ ✨

[🐰] soobin / my sweet valentine although soobin’s a shy bean, he still manages to make you shy with the way he had intended for valentine’s to roll out. from asking you to be his valentine through a sticky note he left in his notebook and asking you to open the book to reveal his attempts of writing as cleanly as possible: ‘be my valentine?♡’

ooh... choi soobin is one smooth little shit.

the cute setup allows for soobin to show up at your door with a single rose and that smile on his face when you surprise him with a single rose. it’s like looking into a mirror; hilarious, stupidly sweetly in love. fast forward to now, being in his arms cuddled up in front of the television linked to netflix with an anime rerun he loves to watch but really, it was always just an excuse to have you in his arms. the feeling of your lips pressed to his chest as you partially lean into his embrace to have your eyes glued to the screen; your hands, laced by his hip as you squeeze him every now and then to shift to a comfortable position but always, always by his side.

that makes soobin smile as he curls his arm around your shoulders to shift you closer. it’s the way you silently oblige, willing to be as close to him as possible and the gentle kiss you leave on his chest. he rests his cheek to the top of your head and occasionally allows his eyes to glance at the two stems of roses by the television console.

tl;dr: this cutie might not make it a big deal to ask you to be his valentine’s (as he doesn’t see the need to have to wait for valentine’s to do something sweet) but would see it as a way to kind of playfully show you his affection. say it with me: he :”) feels :”) happy :”) seeing :”) you :”) happy :”) so he’ll definitely try to show you in some way during valentine’s either a small gesture, a cute date, as long as he gets to spend some sort of time with you. (if not, he may just send you flowers or a little something!)

[🦊] yeonjun / my silly valentine you try not to spoil the fun when the second you open the door and yeonjun’s fumbling with his phone because he’s trying to play a love song, only for spotify to fail him. the loading screen makes you snicker quietly, a hand still on the door, the other pressed to your chin to hide your smile. he squints his eyes at you and it makes you drop your smile, now both hands up in front of your chest as a hey, i’m not laughing. just watching you, my guy.

he soon breaks out to a grin when the upbeat tempo of i just called to say i love you by stevie wonder starts playing. he keeps one hand on the phone, juggling the small bouquet of flowers and he extends his other hand to you. before you can reach for his hand, he already juts to grab ahold of it; pulling you close to him to start swaying you to the music even if you didn’t plan on dancing in front of your doorstep with nothing but a shirt and shorts on.

it’s not what you had intended (your box of chocolates for your lover boy over here stashed away in the fridge and he most definitely beat you to it) but with the way yeonjun’s smiling at you widely, trying to dance around with you and make you smile is all you could possibly ask for on valentine’s.

tl;dr: be prepared for extra-ness or just one of the most heartwarming gestures despite it being something simple. i can see he’ll either go all out or resort to being “simple” but... c’mon, we all know even if it’s “simple”, jun’s still going to find a way to make it extra. buying you flowers? man will try to serenade you and force you to take the flower from his hands. buying you chocolate? he just may feed you one by one. regardless, valentine’s is just another excuse for him to shower you with love and his appreciation; be it grand or simple, it’ll have his whole heart.

[🐯] beomgyu / my lovely valentine beomgyu’s a romantic, and it shows even on a day like valentine’s that’s over-commercialised for the sake of ripping out profits from lovesick couples. yes, gladly give me all the damned festivities at the cost of more than what it’s worth, right now. you can’t even see him properly with the balloons that block your view but it’s the way he struggles with his yelps and shouts is what reassures you that yes, this is the man you love past all the silliness and goofiness he does just to see that smile on your face.

“be my valentine?” his voice is nearly drowned from your eardrums but your laughter reaches his ears just as effortlessly.

“do i have an option here? you looked like you robbed the entire party shop,” you try to grab ahold of some of the balloons, luring them in so beomgyu has the chance to step into your home. past the door, he ditches the balloons when they’re able to be constrained to your ceiling. he gently grabs ahold of your wrists to give them a shake so you let go of the balloons and when he’s able to look at you face-to-face, he gets down on one knee with the plethora of balloons surrounding you, framing the silly, lovable sight in front of you that is choi beomgyu looking up to you with sparkling eyes.

“c’mon, i’m not getting up until you give me a solid answer–”beomgyu’s words are left stuck in his throat when your hands move from his grasp, cupping his cheek to give him a kiss that shuts him up completely. it’s brief, but it’s impactful. you’ve officially knocked all the wind out of his lungs and breathed life back into him all at once.

when you pull away, he blinks at you in a daze; entranced... but his personality is never diminished.

“if i knew buying you balloons will give me kisses like that, i would’ve robbed the party shop a long time ago.”

tl;dr: playful and romantic; the perfect combination of choi beomgyu. he’ll make it fun but you can tell it all comes from the love he has for you. apart from the typical cheesy stuff, he’ll find new ways to innovate this forsaken celebration and make it something you look forward to. even if he doesn’t have anything planned, it’s the way he asks you to be his valentine (with a cute twist) is what makes valentine’s worth celebrating. he doesn’t think he needs to do something on valentine’s to show his love but rather, he wants to just because he loves you.

[🐿] taehyun / my sincere valentine it’s an hour or two past midnight that taehyun returns home to you. just the beginning of valentine’s in the wee hours of the new day that he snuggles in bed with you. past the slumber and sleep ebbing away in your consciousness, you can feel his kiss to the side of your head as he curls his arms around you.

“you okay?” your voice groggily reaches him; but it’s always as clear as day, gently nudging his ribcage. he chuckles softly and nods, able to decipher just how tired you sound but it never manages to faze the concern and worry you have for him.

“mhm,” he hums, “better now here with my valentine,”

“hmph,” he feels you huffing against his chest, yet your actions prove otherwise when you circle your arms around him and nuzzle into his embrace, “you didn’t even ask me.”

“oh, sorry,” he mumbles, pressing a kiss to your forehead and whispering: “be my valentine?”

“get me chocolates tomorrow, then i’ll consider,” you mutter under your breath, to which he snickers, “who said i didn’t? it’s in the fridge already.”

“...you’re good, kang taehyun,” you sigh, eyes remaining shut as you allow yourself to succumb to sleep. before you do, taehyun doesn’t miss the way your words reach his ears, and it makes him pull you closer with a smile on his face to await for the day to begin officially in a couple of hours that he’ll get to spend with you.

of course i’ll be your valentine. always have been.

tl;dr: his approach is rather simple but it’s not any less sincere than the rest of the boys. he goes for a more... “rational” and lowkey approach, but with the way he expresses his love for you and what he feels on this day is what makes your heart feel full. if there was something he’d want to do or a place to bring you, he wouldn’t wait for valentine’s but he wouldn’t be opposed to using valentine’s as an excuse, either.

[🐧] kai / my soft valentine *pun intended upon opening the door, you’re greeted with a plushie so huge, it almost swallows the person holding it. apparently, it’s–”kai!”

“a little help would be great!” he yells back, past the fluff engulfing him that you lunge forward, easing part of the weight as it begins to topple over you. kai’s signature laughter rings in your ears when you’ve decided to give up, laying on the floor with this huge fluff of a teddy bear on top of you. his animated, excited voice is mumbling something of how adorable you looked; sounds of camera captures entering your ears.

“kai, get this off me!”

“only if you promise to be my valentine,” he huffs, kneeling beside you with a cheeky grin now that he sees you can’t move with this teddy bear on top of you.

“huening,” you deadpan.

“yes, pretty?” he smiles; so sweetly in contrast to your death glare.

“i agreed to be your valentine’s countless of times now since we got together. it’s kind of a given at this point so please, get this off me!”

“benny,” he corrects, already peeling a part of the teddy off you so you can sit up. with narrowed eyes aimed at him, he chuckles, “i named him ‘benny’,”

“you can ask benny for kisses, then!” you manage to nudge the teddy bear at his face so you can sneak away. with a hey!, kai’s quickly closing your front door and terrorising you with the bear he’s bought you... which later on, ends up being a cute movie night of kai leaning against benny behind him with you in his arms in front of him. a kind of combination he won’t switch for the world if it meant having you in his arms.

tl;dr: this boy would approach valentine’s similarly to how he expresses his love for you (and his guilty pleasure) of plushies. he views valentine’s as an opportunity to do something grand, or maybe something just as silly as getting you a big-ass plushie as a joke (but not really, lol). either way, he’ll kinda show you his affection as he usually does on any other day, but just add something a lil’ extra.

[misspeonirs]

Q dicas vc daria pra uma pessoa q tem varios mini shifts ao longo do tempo mas "nao" acorda diretamente em uma realidade especifica ?

 ࣪     ── ۪ ♡ ۫ ooooiii bem vinda ou vindooo

amiga, a culpa é sua kkkkkk, perdão por falar assim, sério, mas seu subconsciente só obedece você, você não é controlada pelo seu subconsciente nem pelo consciente, é você quem controla eles. e você vive o que manifesta.

é o seguinte, uma coisa que eu amo é saturar meu subconsciente e eu nem preciso acreditar nas afirmações.

você tem uma crença ( provavelmente que veio da comunidade em 2020 por aí ) que te impede, é isso, pq você muda a todo momento. tudo o que você tá vivendo hoje é consequência do seus pensamentos, daquilo que você acredita.

então, já que entendemos que seu subconsciente é vulnerável, manipulável e ele é o responsável por você viver as coisas no 3d ( já que 95% da mente é o subconsciente esse gostosooooooooo e 5% o consciente que crítica sua manifestação)

Mas meu conselho é: seja delulu.

seja doida das ideias mesmo, temos que ser assim! seu subconsciente não vai questionar, só aceitar.

o que é ser delulu: basicamente, pelo meu entendimento, é você viver ter a plena certeza que está vivendo o que você quer. vou citar um exemplo: é simplesmente incrível o poder do meu subconsciente, só hoje eu consegui shiftar umas 5 vezes, shifting é ridiculamente fácil para mim.

quando você ver uma pessoa botando crença limitantes no tiktok, por exemplo, ria na cara do perigo ( pelo celular) e diga para si mesma que isso é mentira, que shifting é absurdamente fácil.

eu também gosto de afirmações robóticas e macetar as afirmações negativas rindo delas e falando coisas exageradas para mim mesma pro meu subconsciente entender que eu quero mando.

enfim, espero que você tenha entendido, não dá atenção pra esses pensamentos e alimentando isso: eu ainda não shiftei, amor, você faz isso toda hora a todo momento, você é foda. nada impede você.

qualquer coisa pode comentar aqui, mandar outra ask ou mandar no meu pv, vou tentar ajudar.

[oliverreedmasterass]

Synopsis: A young Greta Van Fleet find hope in a local battle of the bands competition to finally catch their big break.

Words: 6.9k

Notes: Sorry for the wait, @infinisonicosm! (and thank you for creating this fic idea)

________________________________

Day One

After a solid eight hours of practicing, Sam hoped that he would be able to fall asleep fast, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, he laid under his plaid comforter, frowning up at the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling. Since he hadn’t gotten around to talking to Josh since they were all too focused on practicing, Sam was forced to deal with his doubts, and crippling self-esteem on his own, secluded in the darkness of his room. 

Sam shifted around and looked down at Danny, who was snuggled into a sleeping bag beside his bed, on the carpet. He looked so peaceful (and not to mention like he really needed the sleep). Sam had taken note that Danny was drumming exceptionally hard during their practice. He was playing with so much intensity, it almost felt like he was auditioning for the band all over again, like he had to prove something. Sam knew that he needed to be in a similar mindset since there was a lot on the line with the competition, but he was struggling. There was just too much happening in his head. Sam considered waking Danny up to talk through things, but Danny let out a window-rattling snore that convinced Sam to not disturb his slumber. 

So, instead, he returned back to facing the stars and blew out a hefty sigh. He enjoyed playing the bass, that was definitely true. But he had other things that he liked doing too, and it felt like the band was starting to consume all other aspects of his life. They were playing multiple gigs a week so he had to spend all of his free time working on homework so he could graduate. Sam had managed to get solid grades throughout high school and even applied to some pretty impressive colleges back in the fall, but he and his fellow classmates were still waiting to hear back. Sam figured that’s where a good deal of his anxiety lay. He knew it was a shot in the dark, but he had applied to Harvard’s engineering program, and found himself daydreaming about that life. Being on a gorgeous campus, learning from the best, and building things that would blow his bandmates’ minds. Plus, he could have a social life if he went away to school. 

Sure, he had friends at school and all, but he and Danny had missed some serious milestones. They didn’t go to their prom since Jake and Josh had signed them up to go on a mini-tour across the state, playing in as many bars as they could access. Sam had dated a few nice girls, but all of their relationships were severed when they told Sam that he was spending a lot of time with the band and not putting enough effort into the relationship. While his friends went to parties, football games, and the movies, he was in the garage, plucking away at his bass. He didn’t like that a lot of the most formative years of his life were spent in that garage. 

But he did enjoy playing with his brothers. It was something that they were able to bond over, and he had to admit that he had never felt closer to anyone than Jake, Josh, and Danny. Their band had its ups and downs, but Sam was proud of how far they had come, even just in the five years since they had formed. Jake’s guitar playing was reaching new levels that entirely baffled Sam; it was like he transformed into a god anytime he flicked his amp on. Josh’s vocals, in a similar vein, turned heads left and right since it was so unique and strong. Danny never played out of time, and even though he was the newest addition to the band, he had all of their songs down as if he had been in the room with them when they wrote them. He was even growing comfortable switching up tempos and taking off into long-winded solos that would make John Bonham nod with approval. And then there was Sam. Sam just played the bass and sometimes played the wrong notes. 

Sam spent the rest of the night with a frown etched across his face, wishing that the fan above him could smash him so he didn’t have to go to the competition the next day. The early morning sunlight started to crawl through the breaks in his curtains, and soon enough Danny was sitting upright with a loud yawn, stretching his arms towards the sky. 

“Get some good rest in?” he asked Sam once his yawn was fully released. Sam remained on his back, glaring daggers at the ceiling fan, and let out a grunt. He called out in protest as Danny jumped to his feet and yanked Sam’s covers off of him. “It’s a big day!” Danny told him, as if Sam didn’t already know. “Perk up, this could be the first day of the rest of our lives!” 

That made Sam all the more motivated to stay in bed. Danny frowned as Sam flopped over on his back so he was facing away from him, and curled up into the fetal position, clutching one of his pillows into his chest. 

“Are you nervous?” Danny tried to guess. Sam didn’t even know what words to assign to whatever the hell he was feeling, so he shrugged. “Gassy?” Danny tried again. That got a snort out of Sam. 

“What’s going on?” Josh popped his head into the room, and then joined Danny’s side. “Why’s Sam all folded up like a pretzel?” 

“He won’t tell me,” Danny replied, sounding concerned. 

“I’m sure it’s just some pre-show jitters,” Josh rationalized. Then, he turned his attention to Sam and thrust his hands at him, latching onto his shoulders. Sam squeaked out in shock as Josh shook his body around, hollering at the top of his lungs. 

“COME ON SAMMY, SNAP OUT OF IT! GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME AND GET OUT OF BED! WE’VE GOT A BIG DAY AHEAD OF US!” 

“Let go of me!” Sam tried to swat his older brother away, to no avail. Josh came down close to Sam’s ear and tucked his long hair out of the way so he could whisper, 

“If you don’t get up, Jake will be here any second with a bucket of ice cold water.” 

Jake had done that to Sam enough times that he knew Josh was being serious. He smacked Josh’s hands off of his shoulders, and hoisted himself up, to the applause of Danny and Josh. 

“Happy?” he asked between them. 

“Thrilled,” Josh gave a cheeky grin back. 

With Danny and Josh close to his side as if they were his bodyguards, they made their way into the kitchen where Josh had been working on brewing some Folgers coffee. Sam thought about asking Danny to go back to his room and grab something for him so he could be left alone with Josh to talk, but Jake ruined that plan. 

“What do you think?” he asked as he came into the kitchen, motioning down at his clothes. Sam, Danny, and Josh took in his women’s flare pants, paisley button up shirt, and floppy hat. 

“Absolutely not,” Josh cut in. “You look like a member of the Mamas and Papas.” 

“And that’s a bad thing?” Jake retorted, crossing his arms across his chest. 

“You think it’s a good thing?” Josh shot back, looking alarmed. 

“No,” Jake sighed, and then motioned back towards their shared room. “Help me?” 

“Yeah,” Josh nodded. “You need it.” 

Sam watched his brothers leave the kitchen, and held his head in his hands. Danny had been at the fridge, helping himself to some yogurt, but joined Sam’s side, sliding onto the barstool next to him. Sam could feel Danny’s eyes on him, but he refused to turn his head in his direction. 

“Do you not want to play today or something?” Danny asked Sam. That got him to immediately tense up. “I’m surprised you’re not more excited for this.” 

Sam took long enough to answer Danny’s question, that he was worried Danny could tell he had pinpointed his emotions exactly. “It’s not that,” Sam struggled to speak. He couldn’t think of what to say next, so he left it at that. 

“You know you can tell me if something is up,” Danny’s voice softened. “You seem super on edge right now and it’s kinda freaking me out.” 

“There’s just a lot on the line right now, that’s all,” Sam thought aloud. 

Danny put a supportive hand on his back and rubbed it around a bit. “We’re sounding better than we ever have before, Sam. The key is just to go out there and have fun. As long as we do that, I think we’re gonna be pleasantly surprised.” 

Sam appreciated Danny’s feedback, but was disappointed that Danny wasn’t able to pick up on his anxiety surrounding the band and his own future. Danny seemed to believe that this competition was a clear shot straight to his dreams, as opposed to Sam, who saw it as an inconvenient fork in the road. He knew it wasn’t worth bringing up, just in case it got Danny upset, so he pursed his lips together and gave Danny a quick nod to show that he agreed. 

At that moment, Josh popped his head back into the kitchen with a large grin. 

“Get your butts back to my room,” he told them both. “We need to get our outfits sorted out.” 

An hour and a half later, Sam found himself sitting in the front seat of Danny’s car, on the way to the fairgrounds. He was wearing some red satin pants that he had bought on a whim at a thrift store the previous year and then proceeded to throw into the back of his closet. When Josh discovered them, they were immediately forced into Sam’s hands. On top he wore a busy patterned blazer with nothing underneath except a collection of gold necklaces, taking Jake’s advice that having their nipples out was the coolest thing rockstars could do. For what it was worth, he did feel closer to a rockstar in his outfit than he had felt in a while. 

The rest of the car looked good too. Danny had on a pair of black skinny jeans and a black vest with stunning swirls of gold dancing across the fabric. His hair was pulled part way into a bun, letting a small bit of his curls lay around his shoulders. In the backseat, Josh proudly wore a top that closely resembled a silk robe, decorated in a red, purple, and blue floral pattern. The number of chains and medallions around his neck was so substantial, he made a clinking noise with every move. Sitting next to him, Jake was dressed in a dark jacket with golden tassels falling over his shoulders, his bare chest on full display. He only had one pair of clean pants in his closet, so he was stuck wearing a pair of faded skinny jeans and his favorite Chelsea boots. 

Danny was blasting what he jokingly called their “hype music” which was just Crazy Frog on repeat. Jake had threatened to chuck Danny’s phone out the window numerous times, but never did anything. They reached the old county road that would lead them to the fields on the outskirts of town, and Danny called over the music, “Get ready, it’s about to get bumpy!” 

Sam had trouble continuing on with his brooding and concerned thoughts, he was bouncing around so much in the passenger seat. If Ian really was going to be in the trunk with their friends on the drive out, he was as good as dead. As they lurched around in their seats, their heads nearly hitting the roof of the car with every pothole hit, Sam saw the main stage coming up closer in sight. God, that was a massive stage. It looked so big, Sam thought he would probably feel like he was on top of the world standing up there. He shook his head and forced himself to frown again. 

Danny pulled into the special parking lot they had been instructed to use, and killed the engine, luckily making Crazy Frog stop. Jake heaved out a sigh of relief. Next to him, Josh was still bouncing around, even though the car had stopped. Sam watched him in confusion, until he realized that he was simply excited. 

“I can feel it, you guys,” Josh shared with the car. 

Danny held a hand up to get him to stop. “Hey, don’t jinx it,” he said, though there was a twinkle in his eye. 

“Remember,” Jake reminded the car. “We take this one step at a time. Focus on the round that we’re in. Don’t look ahead to the end.” 

Sam’s eyebrows furrowed at Jake’s advice. Maybe he did have a point. 

The band exited from the car and got to work dragging their countless instruments and cords out from the trunk of Danny’s SUV. Sam grabbed his bass and Danny’s snare and started to carry them in the direction of the stage, following behind Jake, who was holding his guitar cases with care. Sam took note of how Jake was walking with his head held high, and tried to mirror his body language. He figured that, maybe just maybe, if he acted like he was feeling good, he would actually start to feel that way. He was hoping that would get his stomach to stop twisting in tangling knots. 

They found the dropoff area for their stuff and, right beside it, there was the order of bands going on stage. 

“We’re going first,” Jake announced to the band, pointing out their name on the list. Sam’s stomach flip flopped and he clutched at it when no one was looking at him. 

“That’s good,” Josh tried to assure them all. “We get to set the tone for this whole thing.” 

“Who are we up against?” Danny asked. Jake squinted his eyes at the list. 

“Some band called Bloodhound Venom?” 

Danny thought it over. “They’re not the ones we need to be worried about.”  

“I’m worried about them though,” Josh begged to differ. “That band name is fucking terrifying.” 

“It’s a group of fifteen year olds,” Danny patted Josh on the back. “Trust me, you’ll be okay.” 

“So which band is the one we need to keep our eyes on?” Jake looked at Danny with intrigue. Danny looked back at the list and pursed his lips as he scanned over the different names. 

“That one,” he finally spoke, jamming his pointer finger into a name that was set to play later that afternoon. Everyone looked closer at the paper taped on the side of the stage. 

“Fellowship,” Jake read aloud. “Oh, those guys must be good.” 

“They’re alright,” Danny shrugged, trying to hide the threat they posed. That was enough information for Jake, since he turned on his heel and headed back to their gear.  

He took a brief pause and called over his shoulder, “Josh, you better start warming up.” 

Sam didn’t appreciate how fast the day was speeding forward. Though, granted, it didn’t give him a lot of time to dwell. In the two hours they had to wait until they went out on stage, he passed the time looking at the cars on display with Danny, greeting his friends and family, and throwing up in one of the porta potties. Sam usually wasn’t the one to let anxiety get the better of him physically, but after seeing all of his loved ones stationed in front of the stage, carrying signs and banners in support of Greta Van Fleet, the weight of their performance crushed him like an anvil. 

Once the contents of his stomach were fully cleared, he found himself back with his band, Josh handing him his dad’s bass. Sam nearly dropped it, he was shaking so much, but he was glad that no one else seemed to notice. Danny had both of his drumsticks clutched in his fists, and bounced from foot to foot in anticipation. Jake was stretching his hands out and cracking each of his fingers louder than seemed humanly possible. Sam noticed that Josh’s eyes were on him. Before he could say anything, Josh grabbed Sam softly by the shoulder and dragged him out of earshot of Danny and Jake. 

“You look really pale,” he observed. Sam studied his feet and nodded. “Are you good?” 

“I don’t know,” Sam admitted. “I’m a wreck.” 

“Well that’s sure as hell not what I want to hear from you right before we’re supposed to go out there. Can you tell me what’s up?” 

Sam let out a disgruntled breath. He really didn’t know how to explain his situation. 

“I’m just nervous, is all.” 

“You’re usually pretty level-headed when it comes to playing in front of people though.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Sam raked a hand through his hair. “I guess I’ve just been thinking a lot about what’s on the line with this competition, and how it might be our big moment.” 

Josh’s eyes were trying to find Sam’s and, when they connected, Sam was relieved to see that Josh was nodding his head, looking like he finally understood what the problem was. Sam was even more relieved when Josh patted his back. 

“I’m nervous too, Sammy,” he assured him. “We both have our own things that we want to do, but this band is something we can all share and that’s pretty special, right?” Sam could only shrug in response. He did get what Josh was hinting at. “We can talk about this more later,” Josh decided when the host of the competition went onto stage to announce their band. “But I want to know that you’re gonna be okay.” 

“I’ll be okay,” Sam forced a smile at him. 

“Good,” Josh smiled back. “We’re gonna blow shit up, it’ll be electric.” 

“I sure hope so,” Sam managed a laugh. 

To really no one’s surprise, they went out there on that stage and, in their scheduled five minutes, played the most energetic and impressive version of Fast Train Blues to date. Sam wasn’t sure if it was from nerves or excitement, but Danny upped the tempo slightly, which Jake took as a challenge to insert Eddie Van Halen-esque solos in their breaks. After the first chorus, Sam finally felt some form of ease since he had trained his eyes to never fall on their cheering section, instead scanning just above their heads. He plodded around the stage in his bare feet, which he and Josh had started trying out recently, and let the low hum of his bass make the floor tremble. He felt a power swelling in him that, as the song kept going, started to feel addictive. Josh managed to propel the lyrics out of his small frame so his voice hollered over the cacophonous music. When they finished, Sam’s ears rang over the applause from the crowd, but he knew that they had accomplished something terrific. 

That was entirely verified for the band when the host greeted them at the side of the stage. 

“I’d heard of you kids before, but god damn,” the older man chuckled out. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard live music like that. I saw people running into the fairgrounds from the parking lot to get a look at you guys.” 

“Thanks, sir,” Jake told the man with genuine gratitude, still trying to catch his breath. 

Danny was right to say that they had nothing to worry about with Bloodhound Venom. As intimidating as their band name was, they opted to attempt a cover of War Pigs that quickly fell apart during the solo. Sam and Danny remained on the wings of the stage to watch their performance while Jake and Josh wandered around to try and find some craft beer to chug, and Sam winced as he watched the bassist. He didn’t want to compare himself to someone to boost his own morale, but the poor kid could hardly play any of the notes. Sam noticed that the bass line suddenly vanished from the speakers, and shook his head in sadness when he saw that the kid had given up and was faking his playing. Sam had never put on a performance like that before; even if he got lost, he could usually work out some notes to play that at least fit with the sound. 

When the kids finished their song, they tried to hurry off the stage with their heads hung low. Sam reached out and tapped on the lead guitarist’s shoulder to get him to turn around. Out of all of them, Sam could tell that he was the one who had put the group together, and was trying his hardest to keep them from falling apart. 

“That’s a tough song to do,” Sam told the kid when he looked back at him. “You’re gonna get it down, you’re super close.” 

“Thanks dude,” the kid told him, though Sam could tell the kid was thinking he was full of shit. He let the band leave them then, and Danny nudged Sam in the side. 

“That was nice of you to say.” 

“It’s true,” Sam commented. “Give them a few years and they’ll pull it off. Jake, Josh, and I sounded like them when we first attempted to play Communication Breakdown, but we eventually worked it out.”

“I do remember you guys trying to play that one at Fischer Hall,” Danny’s face scrunched at the memory. Sam had to laugh at his brutal honesty: for what it was worth, they had sounded like absolute garbage. It didn’t help that the hall’s cheap ass microphone kept shocking Josh every time he put his mouth up to it. 

Jake and Josh both came back to their side clutching large steins of beer in both hands. 

“They were on the house!” Jake called in glee. “They didn’t even check our IDs!” 

Josh finished one of his steins and slammed the glass onto the stage with a whoop. At that moment, Tom and Leah came around to the backstage area, grinning wide. Sam and Danny left Josh and Jake behind with their own vices to greet their friends. 

“How is Ian doing?” Danny asked before they could shower them in praise. 

“He survived the trunk,” Leah laughed back. 

“We had enough space for him in the second car, but he insisted on sitting back there,” Tom added. “He said the bumpy part was actually a lot of fun, though that might just be the concussion talking.” 

“God,” Sam chuckled, “I hope not.” 

“I gotta say,” Leah looked between Danny and Sam, “you both are incredible at what you do.” Sam could feel his cheeks flush the brightest red at Leah’s compliment. “Seriously,” she continued when she was met with embarrassed silence, “we’re always talking about how much time you guys put into this band and, geez, I think it really is paying off.” 

“You looked like rockstars up there,” Tom agreed with Leah. “It was almost like I didn’t recognize you.”

“Quit stroking my ego or I’m gonna have a bigger head than Pete Townshend,” Danny warned Leah and Tom. Sam could tell that they had no clue who Danny had just referenced, but they laughed anyway. 

“I think you guys are practically guaranteed to go to the second round,” Leah said. Sam gave her a testing glance, and she laughed, knocking her fist against her forehead. “Knock on wood,” she said directly to Sam. “I’m just glad we’ll get to see you guys play again. I’ve literally never had this much fun at a concert before and I’ve seen Pink before. Do you know how big of a compliment that is?” 

“Not really,” Danny and Sam both replied. 

Josh joined their side and, after greeting Leah and Tom, motioned back to the stage. 

“Jake wants us to get some more practice in with our Round 2 song,” he explained apologetically. “It’s kind of a new number that we’re trying out.” 

“We won’t keep you then,” Leah said. 

“We’ll see you soon,” Danny promised her and Tom. “And, genuinely, thank you so much for coming out today. It really means a lot.” 

“Hey, we wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Tom assured him. They both gave Danny and Sam hugs, and then they headed back into the growing crowd. While another young band was attempting to play through Back in Black on stage, Danny tried to talk to Sam over the music. 

“Josh mentioned you were a bit off before we went out there. Are you okay?” 

Sam glared at Josh, who was a few paces ahead of them, oblivious to their conversation, and shook his head. 

“I was just going through some pre-show nerves, but I’m doing better now.” 

For what it was worth, Sam was feeling reasonably better than he had just a half an hour before, when he was emptying out the contents of his stomach into the smelly plastic toilet bowl. Josh’s words had really struck a chord with him and, when he saw his brothers and best friend standing alongside him out on that stage, he realized that it did feel like home to him. He did enjoy creating art with them, and challenging himself to compose music that he wanted to hear. It was a privilege that not everyone got to experience, so he tried to keep it close to his heart that this band was something he was lucky to have. 

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Danny looked sincere. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize, I would have tried to do something to perk you up.” 

“Like play Crazy Frog?”

“How did you know?” Danny pretended to act surprised. 

Josh led them to a tent that was reserved for the musicians and they found Jake sitting at a folding table, working on tuning his acoustic guitar. When they approached his side, his head snapped up, and Sam was concerned to see that he had familiar frown lines etched into his face. It looked like Sam wasn’t the only one dealing with nerves for the day. 

“Now what’s your problem?” Josh quickly broke the ice, pointing at Jake. Jake scowled at his twin and directed his attention back on tuning his G string. “Jacob, answer me,” Josh continued to prod. 

“I’m just worried how I’m gonna sound singing, okay?” Jake finally snapped. “Maybe it was stupid to pitch that we play an acoustic song. I might screw up and then everything will be ruined for us.” 

“I can sing your part, if you want,” Josh suggested quietly. Jake’s head shook back and forth so hard, he looked on the brink of giving himself whiplash. 

“I need to know what pressure like this feels like,” Jake countered. “It’s, just, it’s fine, it’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.” 

“We’re obviously worried about it though,” Danny chipped in. Sam had to nod. When Jake’s confidence was wavering, the rest of the band wasn’t too far behind. 

“Look, you can still sing, just stick to the backing vocals, okay?” Josh tried to compromise. “You don’t have to take the second verse and bridge.” 

Jake seemed to be contemplating it, but then clenched his jaw and shook his head again. 

“I need to suck it up.” 

“What you need to do is tell yourself everything is gonna be okay,” Danny corrected him. “Just do Josh’s vocal warm ups and you should be fine.” 

“You sounded really good singing during rehearsal yesterday,” Sam wanted to let his older brother know. He had heard Jake sing countless times through all of their garage sessions, but the day before Sam had really started to appreciate how strong and full Jake’s voice was sounding. If anything, he was on the brink of giving Josh a run for his money, which was some seriously high praise. 

For whatever reason, Sam’s words seemed to be what Jake needed. He finished tuning his guitar and then stood and pointed towards a secluded area behind some moving trucks. 

“Wanna set up shop back there?” he asked. “They’re announcing who’s going on to the next round in a couple of hours so we should have enough time to get some more practice in.” 

They set up a circle of folding chairs next to the back of an eighteen wheeler, away from the amassing crowds. Sam had his bass with him and a portable amp that did the trick. Danny and Jake were both equipped with their acoustic guitars, and Josh was holding his maracas like he had the most important role in the band. Sam looked around at his bandmates in a new light than he had earlier in the day. He had separated himself from them in his mind, assuming that they were all on the right path while he was straying away from the life he was supposed to lead. He was starting to believe that less and less. While they practiced, Sam caught himself making eye contact with everyone and grinning. They were all putting their heads together to create something that sounded incredible. It was like they had a kind of magic surging between them. 

In spite of this, Jake was having trouble with his singing parts. He was able to get through his harmonies with Josh and Danny, but when it came to that second verse, Sam had never seen him act more like a perfectionist. On their fifth runthrough of the song, Sam felt like they had hit their groove and were in a great place. But no. Jake immediately stopped playing and threw his hands up to stop everyone after he sang half of the first line of his verse. 

“I was out of tune,” he admitted once everyone muted their instruments. 

“You literally weren’t,” Josh told him. Sam and Danny nodded in agreement. Jake had sounded perfectly fine. Maybe a little bit soft so it was hard to hear him over the guitars, but he still sounded good. Jake started playing from the beginning of the song again without another word. Silently, they followed his lead. 

After their thirteenth runthrough, Josh started to grow frustrated. 

“I’m gonna wipe my voice out before we can even get out there,” he rattled his maracas at Jake to try and prove a point. “I’m starting to feel hoarse!” 

Danny shrugged like he could keep going, but Sam knew that it was time to take a break before they started really butting heads with each other. He gently set his dad’s bass in the grass and made his way to the backstage area where he had seen a table set up with a portable kettle and some tea bags. He didn’t know a whole lot about how to keep vocal cords in shape, but Josh was an avid tea-drinker when it came time for them to perform, so it only made sense in Sam’s mind. He fixed three cups of earl gray tea with lemon and honey and carefully brought them back to the group. When he returned, Josh was trying to teach Jake one of his warm ups. 

“You just do a lip roll and go up as high as you can and then back down, oscillating back and forth,” he instructed. Jake looked back at him like he wasn’t sure if Josh was pulling his leg or not. Indifferent to it, Danny was giving it a try and seemed to be enjoying himself. Josh motioned for Jake to give it a go, but Jake looked like that was the last thing he wanted to do. When he caught sight of Sam, his frowning face opened up into a relieved smile. 

“Thanks, Sammy,” he said to his younger brother, accepting one of the paper cups from him and chugging it down. Sam winced since it was still pretty hot, but Jake didn’t seem to notice or care. Josh and Danny gladly took their own cups as well, but opted to nurse them. 

“Jake,” he said as he took a seat back in his folding chair. Jake looked up. “Don’t overthink things.”

“Not exactly easy to do, Sammy,” Jake replied. 

“You enjoy singing,” Sam reminded him. Jake had never outwardly admitted it, but Sam heard him singing Black Keys songs in the shower enough that he knew it was true. “Own it or we’re never giving you this opportunity again.” 

Jake looked at him with a twinkle in his eye. “Since when do you make decisions for the band?” 

“I’m as much a part of this band as everyone else here,” Sam stated. It felt good to say. “I want to see us make it to the finals, and if that means raising the stakes for you to get over yourself and get out there and perform, then so be it.” 

“Those nerves really are gone, aren’t they, Sammy?” Josh joked into Sam’s ear. He swatted his brother away. Across from him, Jake seemed to be running Sam’s words through his mind. 

“How will you know if I ‘own it’?” 

“If we make it to the next round.” 

“Fair enough,” Jake had to agree. 

From the stage, the host was stationed back in front of the microphone, congratulating the bands for participating in the first round. The members of Greta Van Fleet realized that the winners of the first round were about to be announced, and rushed to the side of the stage where the other groups were huddled. 

“Everyone give a large round of applause for our eight bands who have made it to the second round!” the host beamed out at the packed crowd that was squeezed in front of the stage. Sam peeked out and saw his parents and friends on the right side of the stage, clasping their hands together in eager anticipation. “Our eight bands are Fellowship, Boogie Down, Fred Fender, Astound the Fury, Invalid Password, Greta Van Fleet, The Bellhoppers, and DaveTM!” 

Sam felt a rush of relief wash over him, which was so drastically different from how he was feeling on the car ride over earlier. Sam had been wondering if he could do anything to get them eliminated in the first round, sabotaging their dreams of a big break. It had seemed like a good solution to his problem at that time, but now Sam was glad he was wrapping his grinning bandmates in tight hugs, feeling one step closer to the big time. 

The second round’s schedule was posted shortly afterwards, and Greta Van Fleet was set to face off against the group of college kids who went by Fred Fender. They mostly played indie pop music but, as Danny softly explained to them, the drummer had recently been replaced, and the new guy couldn’t keep time to save his life. It felt like the odds might be in their favor yet again. 

Instead of going back and practicing more, Sam was glad that Jake chose to remain at the side of the stage, watching the other groups play. They were going third, so they were able to see Astound the Fury and The Bellhoppers compete. Sam enjoyed Astound the Fury’s rendition of a Moody Blues song that he frequently listened to on his parents’ vinyl, but The Bellhoppers seemed like they might squeak into the next round since their lead singer had an intoxicating charisma about her that the crowd seemed to eat up. Their rendition of Blondie’s Call Me had Sam bouncing in place. Sure, it wasn’t the kind of clean cut live music most people were used to catching in their city’s largest stadiums and arenas, but there was something invigorating about how raw everyone sounded. This was music at its core. 

It was slightly nerve-wracking to go out there on that stage, armed with acoustic guitars, after such an electrifying performance, but there was no turning back. Sam watched as the stagehands set up four wooden stools at center stage, three in front of microphones. Sam knew that his stool was the one on the far right, with no microphone to block his view. Thank god his brothers didn’t feel it was necessary to pressure him into singing. 

This time around, when he walked out on stage, he did take note of how many people were there to hear them. And, by some miracle, the sheer number of intrigued faces made him all the more excited to plug his bass in and play away. A brief glimpse at Jake caused him to frown though. Jake looked about as pale as Sam had felt earlier, before the first round. He seemed to be having trouble steadying his hand so he could plug his guitar in. Sam, Josh, and Danny must have all noticed at the same time, because they huddled around him, their backs to the stage. 

“You’re gonna be fine,” Danny was the first to talk. “I’ll sing backup on your verse and bridge so you have something to fall against. Just kick me if you want me to stop.” 

“Remember to sing from your chest, not your throat,” Josh reminded him. Jake gulped and nodded. Sam gave his shoulder a squeeze and looked into his panicked eyes, trying to communicate to him, I got through this, and so will you. The host popped back out to announce that they were performing a cover of Ragged Wood, which was met by a loud applause. Jake looked like he wanted to remain hidden from the crowd, but took one more fragile breath and then turned to grab his seat on the stool. 

Sam looked around to make sure everyone was ready, and then counted them in. Jake and Danny’s acoustic guitars playing earned cheers from the crowd. Josh was getting into his maraca shaking, and started to project out the vocals in a way that Robin Pecknold would approve of. Jake and Danny joined in on the harmonies during the chorus, and Sam grinned when he spotted Jake singing with a wide smile, his eyes closed so he was fully engulfed in the music. His voice floated through the crowd, warm like whiskey on a winter’s day. Sam spotted his parents watching Jake get through his verse with awe. It was an added bonus that their fan section erupted into applause once Josh took back over for the chorus. The bridge was just as strong and, after going into a condensed guitar break, they closed out the song. The applause was thunderous, so much so that Sam wondered if they were really reacting to them. It almost felt surreal. 

They took their bow, Sam made sure to wave to their group, and then latched his arm around Danny’s back as they hopped off the stage. Jake and Josh were right behind them, and both had their goofy grins wide. 

“So, I’m still allowed to sing, right?” Jake gave a toothy smile at Sam. 

“We gotta find out if we made it to the next round first,” Sam crossed his arms with a smirk. Jake gave a booming laugh and then focused his attention back to the stage where Fred Fender was setting up. 

They all tried to be as respectful as possible, but it was hard to keep a straight face when hearing their take on Where Is My Mind. It didn’t help that the drummer was somehow managing to use the bass drum on all the off beats. That obviously threw the rest of the band off, so it wound up sounding like a piece of experimental music that the Beatles would produce in their LSD era. Their hopes were high that they would be able to continue the competition into the next day. 

Since they had played their two planned songs, they spent the rest of the second round with their heads together, trying to create setlists for the next day. A lot of name calling and shoving went down but, in the end, they came out with a list that seemed to showcase all of their talents, giving each member some time in the limelight. Sam still felt his stomach slightly clench at the thought of performing a solo in front of a crowd of that size, but he tried to push it out of his mind. He was focusing on the present, all his other problems weren’t real until he was facing them head on. 

To their joy, it was announced following the car show that Greta Van Fleet was indeed going to the next round, alongside their three final competitors: The Bellhoppers, Invalid Password, and Fellowship. Their friends and family showered them in love and praise, taking them all out to Zehnder’s for a large chicken dinner to celebrate their success, and hopefully what was to come. 

Sam filled himself until he felt like he was going to burst, and had to take a pause from his jovial laughter to look around at everyone he was sharing his meal with. There was a lightness in the air like everyone could sense something really good was just on the horizon. And this time around, Sam wasn’t afraid of it.

Next Part >>>

[rvindropped]

E-GIRL PACK GIVEAWAY !!

Italian below for all my Italian friends <3

This new season of MCL surprised me in different ways, so i’m going to divide a bit my opinions in different categories.

History and Gameplay

We all probably grew up playing MCL and the shift of target perceivable. I finally feel very engaged with the dialogues and they made such a good job into making it interesting keeping the game very chill and enjoyable. I can’t wait to have more.

One thing i also love about the game is that we have the possibility from the beginning to meet our crushes also outside the offices. I feel it to be more real and it gives me the impression to be closer to the crushes.

+ the little private messages are so cute, i love the fact that we can interact with them when the ep is over aaaa

AP, VIP and Jokers

Ok SO. I’m so happy the VIP option is out. I love how it is structured and i love the fact that there are some fits/rooms included. It gives me the possibility to buy some more clothes for the contest without loosing the chance ti follow the story as soon as a new ep. comes out.

I also like the fact that even without VIP, I personally found the AP system very accessible. I’ve only bought a VIP out of the three possible and the previous times, by using my jokers correctly, I’ve always managed to finish the episode having some AP still left.

Mini games

The room, the goose, i love this SO much. When i was little, for the previous games, i didn’t have the possibility to buy cool clothes with real money. THIS finally gives me the opportunity to have more and my inner child is so happy about it.

First of all, the missions can give you some complete fits/rooms, so our closet gets bigger and bigger.

And then we have the contests!! I love them so much because i like to spend time dressing up my candy, but i also really like the interaction between the players. Since i’m not an usual visitor of the forum, it makes me feel closer to them.

that’s it<3

ita 🇮🇹

Allora !! Questa nuova season di MCL mi ha sorpresa sotto diversi punti di vista, dunque scriverò le mie opinioni dividendole in categorie.

Storia e Gameplay

Penso che qui siamo un po’ tutti cresciuti giocando a MCL e si può decisamente percepire il cambiamento di target. Sono così felice di sentirmi di nuovo coinvolta con i dialoghi. Credo che sia stato fatto un ottimo lavoro nel rendere il gioco interessante, mantenendolo sempre molto chill. Non vedo l’ora di avere nuovi ep.

Un’altea cosa che adoro del gioco è l’avere la possibilità sin dall’inizio di incontrare le nostre crush anche al di fuori l’ufficio di lavoro. Non so, sento che sia più reale e mi dà l’impressione di essere più vicina alle crush.

+ i messaggi privati sono carinissimi, amo poter interagire con le crush quando l’episodio è finito hehe

AP, VIP e Jokers

ALLORA. Sono troppo felice del fatto che ci sia il VIP!! Mi piace il modo in cui è strutturato, mi piace l’inclusione di fits e camerette, mi piace tutto!! Mi dà l’opportunità di comprare dei nuovi vestiti per il contest senza perdere la possibilità di seguire la storia non appena un nuovo episodio è fuori.

Mi piace anche il fatto che il sistema AP sia accessibile anche senza acquistare il VIP. Personalmente ho comprato solo uno dei tre VIP e le volte precedenti, usando saggiamente i miei jokers, sono sempre riuscita a finire l’episodio avendo ancora degli AP rimasti.

Minigames

La stanza, la nostra oca, li adoro!! Quando ero piccola, giocando i precedenti MCL, non avevo la possibilità di comprare vestiti cool per la mia dolcetta con i soldi dei miei. La mia inner child ora è felice, sapendo di poter avere nuovi fits gratuitamente.

Prima di tutto, le missioni ti danno un full outfit/camera, quindi il mio armadio si fa sempre più grande.

E poi i concorsi!! Li adoro alla follia, mi pome passare il tempo a vestire la mia dolcetta e adoro l’interazione che gli altri giocatori. Non essendo un’assidua frequentatrice del forum mi fa sentire più vicina agli altri!

Questo è quanto <3

Thank you @tetrakys for the opportunity !!

[blog-expert-2024]

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[crowparties]

not me once again in xyx brainrot thinking about camping i am so violently ill

robo deep in the xyx tag talked about how xyx likes radio plays and would go on roadtrips w his family and im like just sitting here wondering how they managed to make xyx even more my type

idk how to do READ MORE on mobile forgive me

he rents out a camper van for you both. you sit on the passenger seat, feet kicking. “is there anything i can do to help?” you ask, shifting your weight to turn and face him.

he tweaks your nose, his eyes crinkling at your pout. “don’t worry love, it’s all set. i’m just checking on the power supply and battery. we’re going to be off grid for two days. i just want to make sure.”

“i didn’t know you were a car guy, xyx.” you tilt your head to get a better look at him. he laughs, “it’s not my first rodeo. we have an old VW camper back home, it’s parked further out back, so it makes sense you wouldn’t have seen it during the holidays.”

you turn back, and watch him work through the passenger mirror. when he slams the compartment shut, he eyes the contorted visor and strikes a pose. “can’t get enough of me doll, can you” a pleasant flush runs across his face when you answer genuinely. you have no right to be that adorable.

this is what the drive is like: radio plays and informative podcasts that you two spent the past few nights carefully curating. one of xyx’s hands is on the wheel, while the other is entangled in your own. you’re absentmindedly running circles on his hand, eyes closed, taking in the sunlight. there is a map in your side compartment, and a camera in your lap.

(and he’s seen you in many fits, but this feels different. this is not the glitz and glam, or the sweats and beadhead, or the business casual paired w a kiss out the door. it’s not just everyday casual, it’s your shoulders slacked, the way the sun kissed your hair, and most importantly the small smile graced across your lips. and its terrifying and comforting all at once, how he wants this moment forever. it’s different than you hugging him from the back of a motorcycle, but welcome and beloved all the same).

you don’t know much about camping, but he’s ecstatic to teach you. by the end of the night you were able to light their stove properly and set about preparing the meal the two of you brought. it’s thrilling to work in such a small space, shoulders bumping absolute no leg room. the van’s back doors are fully open, along with the side door allowing for maximum airflow. music is softly playing from the mini speakers you brought, and he takes small notice of the way your body sways to the beat of the song. (later that night he spins you around outside, it’s no soft tempo jazz or upbeat club music, but something valuable all the same).

he loves to see what you take pictures of. an oddly shaped tree, a rock that looks like a wizard hat, a strange bug thats a common pest you haven’t encountered yet. there’s something nostalgic about it, something about it that makes him want to show you the world if you’d let him.

that night when you both are curled up staring at the stars through the starlight. he presses a kiss to your temple. “hey, doll?”

“yeah?” god, your sleepy voice is adorable.

it doesn’t escape his notice that your hand is already reaching for his, at the sound of his voice. “how about when we both get home, we give my folks a call about bringing the old VW camper out of retirement?”

he squeezes your hand, grinning as he feels you return the gesture. yes, you’d like that very much.

[tinygmusic]

K-POP BOY GROUP P1HARMONY RELEASES 7th MINI ALBUM "SAD SONG"

Rosa Gulliver of TINYGMUSIC | 20th September 2024

Korean singer-songwriter/rapping six-member group P1Harmony delivers a heroic 7-track project “SAD SONG” tackling themes of overcoming loneliness through positivity; performed over lyrics and productions composed by the group members and collaborators. The project covers the terrain of many genres, extending the K-pop’s influence into new musical territory. 

Starting out strong with title-track “SAD SONG,” P1Harmony instantly captivates in this quintessential dance track with its quick Hip-Hop Latin-inspired beats and catchy lyrics. It features an upbeat yet addictive piano riff, complemented by the distinctive voices of P1Harmony members. The album also includes an English version of the song as its last track, welcoming even more global fans to connect with their lyrics. The song is centred around sadness and feeling stuck while incorporating addictive song writing elements. 

“It’s Alright” follows, which helps establish the groove of the project.  It features an upbeat yet addictive piano riff, complemented by the distinctive voices of P1Harmony members. Its relaxed tempo, percussive embellishments, and vocal melismas help the listener settle into its suave and addictive vibe. The lyrics convey the message of self-determination connecting even more so to the audience. 

Next is the ultimate K-pop group anthem “Last Call”. With many musical ties to the 2010s, this song’s timbre creates a familiar yet enticing addition to the classic style. The intense electronic sound and refreshing electric guitar create an energetic melody. The song shows the reward for pushing through, celebrating the heat of the moment, and making the final moments of the party even more electrifying. 

As the group shifts back to earlier harmonic themes, “Welcome To” intensifies the overall project by mixing traditional rock elements with electronic percussive themes. It combines an addictive trap beat, powerful electric guitar sounds, and dynamic vocals. It delivers a message of hope, encouraging listeners to trust each other, rise again, and embark on a new chapter even in the face of hardship. 

P1Harmony - Photo Credit: FNC Entertainment

The work connects various elements from many genres and continues to do this with “All You”. Starting out feeling like a 90s hit with its R&B piano feel, it soon develops into a beautiful blend of past and present with its captivating synth and electric sound components. The song is about a shy confession with the subject realising they're like the other person and wondering if it’s love, with a hope to keep their connection forever. 

Furthering its nostalgic elements, this is followed by P1Harmony’s first “unit” track “WASP” featuring their members INTAK and JONGSEOB, in a new light. It’s an experimental hip-hop track with a strong, challenging vibe, characterised by a gritty bass sound. As an instant call back to the 2016/2017 United States rap, this expands the musical attributes of their discography. 

The dark, intense vibe, with sharp raps and lyrics, evokes a wasp—symbolising a rebel striving for success in the music industry. With a call back to their first track on the project, “SAD SONG” in English proves the perfect cadence as their last song for their release. 

This project follows a successful first half of the year, charting on Billboard, and performing and appearing at many special events in the US market, aligned with their packed-house P1USTAGE H: UTOP1A headline world tour. The group performed at Governer’s Ball, marking their first US festival; they made a special first US award show red carpet appearance at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Dallas, which saw the group hanging out with Gov Ball headliner Post Malone backstage among other acts on the red carpet. It also followed a first pitch toss from THEO at a Cubs game in Chicago at Wrigley Field where KEEHO also sang the 7th inning stretch. Hitting special landmarks in each city they visited, the group went on an exclusive tour of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts exhibit “Hallyu! The Korean Wave”, which caused a stir on social media (@MFABoston). And most recently, the group participated in the annual KCON LA 2024 at Crypto Arena.

About P1HARMONY

P1Harmony (피원하모니)’s six multi-talented and bilingual singer-songwriters and rappers (KEEHO, THEO, JIUNG, INTAK, SOUL, and JONGSEOB), continue to build their P1ece fanbase across the globe with consistent catchy releases and intoxicating dance choreography that permeates language barriers. Nearly four years since their debut, the bilingual K-pop group has released seven mini albums and a debut full length album. P1Harmony’s ongoing sonic evolution attracts adoring fans, including more than 1 Million monthly Spotify listeners, to their signature harmonisation and captivating raps. 

P1Harmony’s 10-track debut full length album “때깔 (Killin‘ It)” marked the group’s first No. 1 album in Korean music show. It also debuted at No. 1 on Billboard World Albums chart, No. 2 on Billboard Top Album Sales chart and No. 10 Spotify Debut albums chart. Group members INTAK and JONGSEOB co-wrote the lyrics for the entire project and KEEHO, and JIUNG co-wrote tracks as well.  The synth-driven title-track/single, ‘때깔 (Killin’ It)’ which incorporates a catchy 808 base with well-crafted rap flow paying homage to a fusion of K-pop and 90s hip-hop. P1Harmony’s “Fall In Love Again” rose to No. 24 on Top 40 radio, an impressive achievement as the first independently-signed 4th generation male Korean group to chart the longest time on US Top 40 radio. The 3-albums of ‘DISHARMONY’ series and the most recent 3-album ‘HARMONY’ series were highlighted by break-out singles: “JUMP,” nodding 25 Million YouTube views, “Back Down,'' also performed on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and “Do It Like This” which sees the fans dance… and chant at everyone of the live shows! 

The group members have won over the hearts of music peers alike, including Jelly Roll, Post Malone, Paul Russell, Sabrina Carpenter, Paris Hilton, Nessa Barrett, while on the road; and support from tastemaker media including NY Times, Vogue, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Kelly Clarkson Show (((watch here))), The Daily Show (((watch here))), GMA3 (((watch here))). TIME, Forbes, NME, Teen Vogue, PAPER, PEOPLE, HYPEBAE, Refinery29 and Grammy who named P1Harmony one of the “...K-Pop Boy Groups To Watch….” 

Keep up with P1HARMONY

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[s-------i-------g]

Khimera Puzzle Island

Super Mario RPG

Venineth

Grapple Dog

Lone Fungus

The Iron Claw

Wonka

Fitzcarraldo

The Other Side of the Wind

Sculpting in Time by Andrey Tarkovsky, translated by Kitty Hunter-Blair

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns 30th Anniversary Edition by Frank Miller with Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley

Batman: Justice Buster Vol. 1 by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi

Damage Control: The Complete Collection by Dwayne McDuffie, Ernie Colón, Kyle Baker, Salva Espin, et. al.

Berserk Deluxe Edition Vol. 2 by Kentaro Miura

Neptune's Lair by Drexciya

A1 - D1 by Gescom

Hidden Cinema Soundtrack by Foehn

Named by EOD

Accelerator by The Future Sound of London

Harnessed the Storm by Drexciya

Moog Grooves by Edd Kalehoff

When in Dream by El Huervo

Grava 4 by Drexciya

Journey of the Deep Sea Dweller I by Drexciya

Journey of the Deep Sea Dweller II by Drexciya

Journey of the Deep Sea Dweller IV by Drexciya

Blood Sweat and Fear by Scattle

Mini Disc by Gescom

ISS:SA by Gescom

EAP Tracks by EOD

Questionmarks by EOD

Swurlk EP by EOD

Warmwoods by EOD

Rayline EP by EOD

Zone by EOD

Clean Pit & Lid by Disjecta

N-Plants by Biosphere

BBLO by Jinjé

Amya by Jinjé

Special Dry by Jinjé

The Finest by Jinjé

Be Yourself by Jinjé

Solace by Jinjé

We Need More Heart by Jinjé

Feetupfeetdown by Jinjé

I'm Psychic by Jinjé

Are Those Really Birds? by Jinjé

Single Minded by Jinjé

No Luxury by Jinjé

Closer to the Sun by Jinjé

A Ship Full of Ghosts by Jinjé

All but a Glimmer by Jinjé

Boost by Astrid Sonne

How Far by Astrid Sonne

Staying here by Astrid Sonne

Do you wanna by Astrid Sonne

Microgravity by Biosphere

Polar Sequences by Higher Intelligence Agency and Biosphere

Insomnia by Biosphere

Nordheim Transformed by Arne Nordheim, Biosphere, and Deathprod

Cirque by Biosphere

Substrata 2 by Biosphere

Shenzou by Biosphere

Autour de la Lune [Reissue] by Biosphere

Birmingham Frequencies by Biosphere and Higher Intelligence Agency

Compilation 1991-2004 by Biosphere

L'incoronazione di Poppea by Biosphere

Patashnik 2 by Biosphere

Patashnik (Reissue with Bonus Album) by Biosphere

Departed Glories by Biosphere

The Hilvanrenbeek Recordings by Biosphere

The Senja Recordings by Biosphere

Angel's Flight by Biosphere

Shortwave Memories by Biosphere

Inland Delta by Biosphere

Ask the Ages by Sonny Sharrock

Conder-Rhyptik by Oberman Knocks

Beatcroff Slabs by Oberman Knocks

Beatcroff Slabs Remix EP by Oberman Knocks

Dilankex EP by Oberman Knocks

Trilate Shifts by Oberman Knocks

Remhex Coyles EP by Oberman Knocks

Rehmunvhurse Optikonn EP by Oberman Knocks

Songs about Fucking Steve Albini by Kid606

Split Series #10 by Christoph de Babalon and Kid606

Down with the Scene by Kid606

ps I love you by Kid606

ps you love me by Kid606

Why I Love Life by Kid606

Kill Sound Before Sound Kills You by Kid606

Who Still Kill Sound? by Kid606

Resilience by Kid606

Pretty Girls Make Raves by Kid606

Die Soundboy Die by Kid606

Shout at the Döner by Kid606

Don't Sweat the Technics++ (1997-1998) by Kid606

Let's Get Radioactive (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Nuclear Energy) by Kid606

Lost in the Game by Kid606

Lost in the Game (Remixes) by Kid606

Happiness by Kid606

We Love You Mark Bell by Kid606

Waves of Now by Steve Roach and Robert Rich

Great Doubt by Astrid Sonne

Hitomi Tohyama - Night Tempo Presents the Shows Groove by Hitomi Tohyama and Night Tempo

[gemtvusa]

Sony X90K Review, Design, Price and Release Date: Sony’s full-array LED 4K TV Bravia XR

Sony X90K/X90CK TV Review Launched in 2022, the Sony X90K/X90CK positions itself as a superior mid-tier 4K LED TV. Nestled between the Sony X85K and the premium Sony X95K, it proudly stands as the entry-point model of 2022 that boasts the full array local dimming attribute. At its core lies the Cognitive Processor XR, Sony's advanced engine for motion and picture refinement. It incorporates the Google TV smart system, offering a seamless interface abundant with app options, all navigable via the intuitive Google Assistant. With size options spanning from 55 to 85 inches, there's a variant to cater to diverse spatial requirements. Gamers aren't left out, with the inclusion of HDMI 2.1 compatibility and the coveted variable refresh rate (VRR) that curtails screen disturbances. By 2023, the spotlight shifted to its successor, the Sony X90L/X90CL. SONY BRAVIA XR X90K: KEY DETAILS Price: - $999.99 Screen Specifications: - Size: 55-inch - Model: XR-55X90K - Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160 pixels - HDR Support: HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG - Refresh Rate: 120Hz Connectivity Options: - HDMI Ports: 2 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x HDMI 2.0 - USB Ports: 2 Audio: - 30W output Smart Features: - Platform: Google TV Physical Dimensions (without stand): - Size: 48.54 inches (width) x 27.99 inches (height) x 2.84 inches (depth) - Weight: 38.4 lbs.

Gem TV USA Perspective on Sony X90K TV

The Sony X90K TV scores well across various uses. Cinematic experiences in dim settings are amplified, courtesy of its commendable contrast ratio and rich color spectrum. While it holds up well in moderately lit rooms for regular shows or sports events, the presence of intense lights or direct window glare can pose challenges. A drawback lies in its limited viewing angle, making it less suited for spaces demanding broad seating arrangements. However, for the gaming enthusiasts, this TV shines with its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth facilitating high-tempo gaming, support for variable refresh rates, and a swift response time coupled with minimal input lag to ensure a fluid gaming journey. PROS Deep, inky blacks achieved with a notable contrast ratio, though minor blooming is present. Impressive SDR peak brightness. Google TV offers an intuitive smart platform experience. Colors are vibrant and truly come alive. CONS Performance wanes when faced with intense window glare. Restricted viewing angle.

SONY X90K: QUICK OVERVIEW

The XR X90K emerges as an elevated series in Sony's vast LCD TV portfolio, sitting right beneath the premium X95K models. While the X95K boasts mini-LED backlighting, the X90K is armed with a robust full-array LED backlight. In our examination of the 65-inch X90K model, we observed radiant images with striking brightness levels. The local dimming orchestrated by its full-array backlight rendered profound blacks with intricate shadow nuances and minimal backlight seepage. Given its price point, the X90K meets and might even exceed the expectations of discerning viewers. This X90K lineup is Sony's successor to the celebrated X90J series, retaining many esteemed features. It encompasses Sony's signature XR Triluminos Pro panel, harmonized with the Cognitive Processor XR and Contrast Booster XR, resulting in HDR visuals teeming with dynamic contrast and vibrant colors. The lack of X-Wide Angle, which enhances the viewing experience from varied angles and is present in the high-end XR95K series, might not pose much of an issue if one stays within a 30-degree vantage point. An audio treat, the X90K's Acoustic Multi-Audio system, places distinct tweeters on the upper left and right, ensuring clarity and an immersive Dolby Atmos experience. Opting for an external soundbar can amplify the auditory experience, but until then, the in-built speakers suffice. The user interface harnesses the capabilities of Google TV for seamless streaming and configuration. Voice control is facilitated through an inbuilt microphone or via Sony's remote. It's packed with popular streaming applications, with an additional perk for Google users to access exclusive features. The design stands out, especially with its adaptable stand catering to soundbar accommodations. However, the diminutive remote can be a tad challenging to operate in dim lighting. Despite its exhaustive on-screen settings, investing time in setup dramatically enhances the viewing experience. Gamers, rejoice! With HDMI 2.1 inputs, 4K/120Hz support, VRR, and ALLM, the X90K is tailored for gaming experiences, making it exceptionally compatible with Sony's PlayStation 5. As 2022 draws to a close, the X90K emerges as a valuable contender, offering perhaps the most value-for-money experience in Sony's expansive TV lineup.

SONY X90K OVERVIEW: KEY ATTRIBUTES

- Smart Interface: Google TV offers a seamless browsing and streaming experience. Integrated Google Assistant facilitates voice-activated searches, available both through the TV's built-in microphone and its remote. - High Dynamic Range: The X90K is equipped to support Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG, providing enriched colors and sharper contrasts for a premium viewing experience. - HDMI 2.1 Support: With two out of its four HDMI ports, the X90K introduces features including 4K at 120Hz, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) for improved gaming and viewing experiences. Plus, eARC ensures high-quality audio pass-through. - Next-gen Broadcasting: The built-in ATSC 3.0 tuner is a significant highlight, making these models ready for future TV broadcasts in the US. It means access to features like 4K resolution coupled with HDR and immersive Dolby Atmos audio. - Apps Availability: Users can effortlessly dive into a world of entertainment with preloaded apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV, Disney Plus, among others. - Advanced Processing: At its heart, the X90K is powered by Sony's Cognitive Processor XR. This, combined with the XR Contrast Booster, optimizes the TV's local dimming, resulting in dynamic contrasts. The XR Triluminos Pro panel, which employs quantum dot technology, promises a broader and more vibrant color palette, especially with HDR content. In a comparative landscape, the X90K stands shoulder to shoulder with several other offerings in its bracket. However, when matched against some of the best 4K TVs out there, its feature set might seem slightly limited, particularly concerning connectivity options and the absence of a mini-LED backlight.

Sony Bravia XR X90K TV Design Overview

The X90K from Sony exudes a design that's typical of the brand. Encasing its display on the top, right, and left sides is a beveled frame, which, despite its slim profile (under a quarter-inch), lends a sense of magnificence to the TV. A somewhat thicker bezel (0.6-inch) adorns the screen's bottom edge. Tucked away centrally beneath this, and somewhat inconveniently placed for those using the TV on a stand, are the Power button and the toggle for the TV’s built-in microphone. If you opt to wall-mount your TV using the 300x300mm VESA mount points on the back, this wouldn't be a concern. The rear design continues the TV's aesthetic charm. It showcases a grid of square patterns, with a distinctive X emblem in the center, reminiscent of the Bravia branding. The TV's stand is not only visually appealing but also functional. Assembly is a breeze — simply plug each leg into its respective slot until it securely clicks into place. Additionally, the package includes risers which, when installed, elevate the TV by an extra 1.5 inches. This elevation creates room to snugly fit a soundbar beneath the display, ensuring no part of the screen is obscured.

SONY X90K PICTURE QUALITY EVALUATION

Highlights: - Vibrant and true-to-life colors. - Impressive black depth and satisfactory brightness. - Some challenges with off-center viewing. The X90K's default Cinema mode presented colors that were fairly accurate, though it leaned towards a reddish hue. Additionally, the gamma settings rendered mid-tones a tad darker than desired. Fortunately, calibration with Portrait Displays' Calman software rectified these slight missteps. In our tests, the TV achieved 95% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, the standard for 4K Blu-ray and digital cinema mastering. While it didn't match the full coverage of Sony’s A80K OLED TV, it was on par with other budget-friendly LED-backlit TVs such as Vizio’s M-Series QX. The peak brightness of the X90K reached 964 nits in its standard HDR mode and 450 nits in its Cinema HDR mode. Though this is typical for its class, TVs equipped with mini-LED backlights can offer superior brightness. Some newer OLEDs, like the LG G2 series, also outshine this. Like many LED-backlit LCDs, the X90K has its challenges with off-axis viewing. Colors and contrast diminish when viewed from an extreme angle. This won't be problematic for most viewers, but models like the Sony X95K, with its X-Wide Angle feature, surpass the X90K in this area. Key Details: - Sizes Available: 55, 65, 75, 85 inches. - 4K Resolution. - QLED Technology. - HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG. - Audio: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, DTS. - Smart Platform: Google TV. - HDMI: 4 Ports (2 with HDMI 2.1 support). Despite the limitations compared to mini-LED counterparts, the X90K doesn’t skimp on brightness even in well-lit rooms. When viewing conditions are dimmed, the image is dynamic with prominent highlights and deep blacks. While watching "The Green Knight" on Ultra HD Blu-ray, shadow details were impeccable. Some minor backlight blooming was observed in a few scenes, but with the TV's local dimming set to medium, it was minimal. "Elvis" proved slightly challenging for the X90K, particularly in scenes showcasing the Las Vegas skyline at nighttime. The overall brightness seemed to amplify a touch. That said, the hues in "Elvis" were captivating. Scenes like the King's TV Christmas special and his Las Vegas stage performance exhibited vivid colors and stunning contrast. SONY X90K ASSESSMENT: SMART TV INTERFACE & SETTINGS Key Features: - Google TV platform - Google Assistant voice functionality - Some repetitious options in the picture menu The X90K utilizes the Google TV platform which, while comprehensive, can feel a bit cluttered, as is often the case with contemporary smart TV interfaces. Users will find an extensive range of streaming applications, ensuring popular services are all within reach. For those invested in the Google ecosystem, logging in with Google credentials offers added customization, such as showcasing personal Google Photos as a screensaver. A welcome privacy-centric feature is that the Google Assistant voice function is inactive by default during the initial setup. Activating the remote’s input control reveals a panel at the screen's base, displaying inputs (like HDMI 1, HDMI 2, etc.) and digital TV channels. Additionally, users can customize this to include frequently used streaming apps. While most setup settings are intuitive, the picture menu feels overloaded with some seemingly repetitive choices. This overabundance can make fine-tuning a more tedious task than necessary. A more user-friendly design would offer direct access to essential controls like brightness and contrast via the remote, eliminating the need to navigate through multiple layers of menus. SONY X90K ASSESSMENT: AUDIO PERFORMANCE Highlighted Features: - Individual tweeters ensure precise sound positioning. - Acoustic Audio Calibration adjusts sound to suit the room. - Dolby Atmos support with efficient 3D surround enhancement. The X90K series incorporates Sony’s Acoustic Multi-Audio approach, which combines the use of bottom-mounted speakers with tweeters strategically placed at the top corners of the TV. This design aims to offer a more immersive audio experience, making it feel as though the sound is originating directly from the screen. It's worth noting that this isn't the same as Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ technique that employs audio actuators behind the screen. Additionally, the X90K series offers Acoustic Audio Calibration that fine-tunes the audio output based on the room's acoustics, Voice Zoom to enhance dialogue clarity, and a feature for 3D surround sound enhancement. My impression of the TV's audio quality was that it's notably above the norm. However, I noticed a tendency towards sharper treble, which is accentuated by the limited bass depth from the built-in speakers. Fortunately, by utilizing the on-screen audio equalizer, I was able to achieve a more balanced sound, particularly evident when enjoying the musical segments from "Elvis." The dialogue clarity on the X90K is commendable. While watching "Top Gun: Maverick" on Ultra HD Blu-ray, speech was consistently crisp and understandable, even during intense aerial sequences. The Acoustic Multi-Audio feature further impressed during these scenes, providing a tangible and directionally accurate representation of jet movements.

SONY BRAVIA XR X90K Review Price and Release Date

Sony Bravia XR X90K TV Cost and Availability: Sony Bravia XR-55X90K Priced at $999.99 Sony Bravia XR-65X90K: Available at $1,199.99 Sony Bravia XR-75X90K: Tagged at $1,699.99 Sony Bravia XR-85X90K: Listed for $2,199.99 It's worth noting that while image quality is anticipated to remain consistent across all sizes, audio handling varies for the 50-, 75-, and 85-inch models. Further details on this can be found in the section mentioned below. Sony Bravia XR X90K TV Evaluation: Conclusion In the $1,000 price bracket, there's no shortage of appealing TV options, and the Sony Bravia XR X90K stands out as one of the most well-rounded contenders. Its vivid, true-to-life imagery is a testament to Sony's cutting-edge processing, while its intuitive remote control and Google TV interface make for a remarkably user-friendly experience. While there are TVs like the Hisense U8H that might dazzle with greater brightness, they may also come with their own set of shortcomings and picture inconsistencies. Some TVs might boast superior color accuracy under certain conditions, and others might cater more directly to gamers with reduced input lag and additional HDMI 2.1 ports. Yet, considering everything, the Sony Bravia XR X90K emerges as a strong contender. It's the ideal choice for those who may not have a definitive checklist but are certain they want quality. Read the full article

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