#aside from the occasional performance of my own songs the last time I was regularly performing was undergrad 5 years ago

[articulately-composed]

I'm gonna be performing live at a homestuck event!!! If you're on the west coast or just wanna come fly out to promstuck, you should come see us!

GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT: We are so happy to announce that we'll be joined by some of the members of the modern iteration of BROADWAYSTUCK! Get ready for some of your favorite Broadwaystuck songs performed LIVE ON STAGE by DAVE, KARKAT, KANAYA, ARADIA, and VRISKA!

[rjhpandapaws]

Music and Magic among Knights and Thieves

Chapter 1: The House of Lies Shall Fall

House Arkait was one of the oldest noble houses in the country. They were a family of strong magic, it was what had given them their prowess. Except that in recent years they hadn’t been much more than a symbol of intimidation. Up until Connor and Silas had been born no one in the past one hundred years or so had been able to actually use magic. House Arkait as it was now known was built upon appearances and lies. Connor could use creature magic; he could change his shape as well as understand animals. Silas had been born with pyrokinetic magic which had been interesting to say the least. Richard had been born with script magic, he could see runes and use them as he wished. After generations of nothing House Arkait had three gifted mages within its ranks. It would come across like their place in the council of nobles had been saved. Except Connor had changed shape and made off in the night as soon as he was of age. He sent letters occasionally, but took care not to say where he was in the case that someone other than Silas or Richard had gotten a hold of it. Silas was the next to leave. A mercenary has been travelling through town and caught his eye. They had left together when the mercenary couldn’t find anymore work to do. Which had left Richard on his own, at the mercy of their advisors.

He would the first to admit that he had caught a bit of wanderlust from the letters he received from his brothers. He was left to learn and take on the role of the figure head for the house. Keep their secrets, and continuing to tell lies on the behalf of the house, anything to save face. Personally he would rather the house finally fell, he just didn’t want to be around when it did. Nobility and its ruled were relics from a bygone era. Richard started slowly. He collected all of the spell books  that were in the main house; the rest were too much of a risk. The more out dated ones he sold which left him with enough money to safely travel and about six books he could use in the event that he ran into trouble. He packed as lightly as he could, he planned to spend most of his time on the road and he didn’t want to be overly weighed down. He packed the bare minimum of medical supplies, he was fairly decent with healing magic. Travel clothes that wouldn’t immediately mark him as a noble. Lastly he packed his lute and violin. He was great with magic, but that much better with music, The full moon was high in the star littered sky when the last heir of House Arkait vanished into the night. The last standing pillar began to crumble. Without loyalty in a house of lies, what was left? With the last of them gone all that remained in those once hallowed halls were the secrets and lies. It would only be a matter of time before the house fell to the hands of those it had wronged. Richard slipped trough the iron gates. He looked over his shoulder at the manor house one last time overcome with a sense of freedom. This was the start of something amazing.

Richard’s first few weeks on the road was a crash course in how the real world worked. He might not have looked like a noble, but his lack of knowledge on even the most basic things definitely seemed to mark him as one. The people who went out of their way to rip him off aside, he had not been prepared for how expensive living on the road could actually. Performing in taverns as well as on street corners was making him considerable money, but not quite enough so he had to sell a few more of his spell books. Authentic written magic caught a high price and since they were rare he could always track them down again if he needed to. He sold three of them and went on his way. It was a couple months after he had left when he started to hear the first few whispers of change. He found himself smiling at the ‘rumors’ that the last heir to House Arkait had vanished into the night without a trace. He was having something to drink and a light meal before he performed. As he ate he listened to a rowdy green eyed stranger go on about it. He was in the armor of this city’s knights and given the size Richard had the suspicion that it was stolen, but it was none of his business.

“You see,” The man said gruffly, he sounded just this side of waisted, “I think the little noble was kidnapped. Coming from a family like that would fetch a pretty bit of gold. Not to mention, Imagine being even just a part of the group that caused the fall of House Arkait.” It took everything Richard had in him not to laugh or throw in his two cents.  The acting head of house had put out a reward for his return so he would be wise to keep his head down. The last letter he had gotten from his brothers said they were doing the same thing. Both Connor and Silas were presumed dead because how long they had been ‘missing’, but one small slip up could change all of that. Richard wasn’t so lucky, he had to keep a close eye on himself so he wouldn’t slip up. Richard finished his meal and paid for it. He grabbed his things,  checked the time, and then made his way to the stage to get set up. He put an amplification spell on his lute and another one on his throat to make his voice louder. Performing like this easier on him, but he was only planning on doing it until he was used to performing regularly because it felt too much like cheating.

He sang two sets and felt like he had eaten sandpaper afterward. Normally he only would do one set and maybe an encore if he was up to it. The crowd tonight had been very receptive so he found himself going longer than he should have. He packed up and made his way back to the bar to order something to soothe his throat. Richard hadn’t even put his hand up to flag the bartender when a drink was set in front of him. He looked to his left where the drink had come from to find the ‘knight’ from earlier. He looked a little more sober now. “Thank you?” Richard questioned, “Might I ask what this is for?” “You performance mostly.” The man responded as he settled into the seat beside Richard, “We don’t normally get musicians like you around these parts.” Richard swallowed thickly, it hurt his throat but he needed a moment. Had he screwed up? Did this man know? He took a breath and schooled his expression, “Care to explain what you mean?” “Magic users.” The man clarified, “You lot normally stick to the nobles, they pay better than taverns. So I suppose I’m just curious as to what would bring you to a place like this.”

Richard felt all of the tension melt from his body and he smiled, “I wanted to see more of the world.” He said honestly, “Playing for the same crowds every few weeks paid well, but by doing this I can write my own songs.” “There’s no one you have to worry about pissing off.” The stranger supplied, “That has to be nice.” “It is.” Richard agreed. He used magic to check his drink for poison before he tried it, “Could I ask your name?” “Most people just call me Reed.” He replied, “Got something I can call you?” “Nines.” He replied, and then turned his head away to cough, “Forgive me, I sang more than normal this evening and my throat isn’t too pleased with me.” Reed seemed to understand. He continued to keep him company and told tales of his travels. Richard was relatively certain he was exaggerating quite a few details. Reed seemed delighted when he asked if it would be alright to use some of his misadventures in his songs.  They parted ways reluctantly when Richard found himself struggling to keep his eyes open. When he reached his room and settled in for the night he hoped he would cross paths with Reed again soon. To maybe have an adventure like his someday.

Winter was creeping its way along the coast and Richard had gained a bit of a reputation as a travelling musician. He had been gone for nearly a year when he heard more whispers. It seemed as though House Arkait was finally starting to crumble. Secrets had found their way into the open and people were beginning to demand answers. He would hate to be the acting head of house right about now. She was little more than an advisor, but she had been pulling the strings for as long as Richard had been alive, if not longer. He felt no guilt in leaving her head on the chopping block since she had all but been orchestrating things.  Just like before, he took steps to keep his head down. He would watch as the House of Lies fell, not too unlike one made of cards. When this was over he would at last be free to become whatever he wished. To carve out his place in a world he had only gotten to watch through a window.

[radramblog]

Album Discussion- Shinjuku Mad

Usually on a Tuesday I like to take my time with a blog post. Listen to a full album, do a little research, put some real effort into it.

Unfortunately, time is not my ally today. So I kinda have to do one that’s a bit easier- in this case, I think I’d rather go after one of the ones that’s already on my phone, in case I have to do this on the bus or something.

(wait, I drove in today…)

Today we’re going to go into a self-titled album that is somehow not the artist’s debut. Rather, Shinjuku Mad is the second of two albums released under the name- the reason I specify as such is that one of the two (and later, the vocalist would help out again) members would go on to relative fame under a different name- Vaportrap pioneer Blank Banshee.

Peering into this album is like looking at a beta version of what was to come. It’s very much a different genre, an IDM album that completely predates Vaporwave’s explosion of popularity and Blank Banshee’s seminal album, Blank Banshee 0. It’s a solid enough album in addition to this, but it’s kind of hard to talk about seeing as there’s basically nobody who knows about Shinjuku Mad that didn’t learn about it through Blank Banshee. As such, expect a lot of BB coming up in this post.

Also a block of words, because no music videos exist for this at all. It’s one of those obscure albums.

This album opens on Cure for Fear. It’s one of those introductory tracks you often get in albums, at about a minute and a half long, with very reverb-y percussion and vocals and an almost ethereal haze of noise. It’s got these chimes that occasionally come up, reminiscent of some of the tracks from the AKIRA soundtrack, but beyond that there’s not a huge amount going on here. It does introduce a problem, however, one which we’ll get to later. It’ll be pretty evident if you’re listening along, though.

Track 2: Kowloon. I really did forget how short a lot of these songs were, with this being 2:13- the whole 10-track album clocks in at under half an hour. There’s a mix of drum machine and hollow wood percussion on this track that gives it a really interesting sort of feel, and some of the effects on the vocals feel extremely vaporwave- it’s no surprise that the dude behind this went on into that genre. Here’s where I can’t help but hammer on that issue I mentioned earlier, though.

The vocals on this album are quite weak. I know they’re very much trying to be ethereal, the reverb and falsetto make that much clear, and that style very much suits the instrumentation. But it just doesn’t sound great. It kinda comes and goes, but by and large I’d label them as subpar. I don’t really think it’s the fault of the performance either, it’s not like the bloke is missing his lines or mumbling more than is necessary for the album’s aesthetic, but there’s just something about them. They might be too loud in the mix for this kind of genre? I’m not 100% sure.

Resistor, the third track, is the best known song from this album by an order of magnitude. I mean that quite literally, as the track as over 540,000 monthly listens on Spotify as compared to Kowloon’s 32000. It’s kind of shocking, I mean for such an obscure album with zero singles, why is this of all tracks the one people suddenly latched onto?

As it turns out, it’s because again of the artist’s future work as Blank Banshee. Resistor would be reworked into one of the more popular tracks from BB0, Dreamcast, and it would appear that people got curious as to what the source was.

The thing is, aside from sharing a vocal performance, the tracks are very different. As it is, Resistor is a much faster track than the previous, driven by this fast percussion and bassline, making for a genuinely solid exercise track of all things (I say from experience). It’s got a fun little synth solo in the middle, the vocals are pretty solid (aside from like right at the end of the last chorus, holy shit), and the song’s coda and outro are a fun little bit of controlled chaos. I’d put Resistor as one of the better tracks on the album, is what I’m saying.

I’m going to do something I haven’t done in a while when discussing music on this blog- I’m going to jump through a few things. As much as I like this album, the songs aren’t nearly interesting enough to justify a song-by-song breakdown. I think if you listen to Resistor and like it, it’s probably worth chucking on the rest of the album- it is, again, less than half an hour long. But its an album where it’s more valuable on a meta level than it is sonically.

Shinjuku Mad as an album feels a lot like a hybrid between older IDM trends and the synth/vaporwave elements that would become popularised in the 2010s. There’s also tracks like Inductor, which border on rock songs with the power behind that bassline and percussion- in general much of the instrumentation is cleaner than you’d expect from an artist like this, especially considering how muddied much of the vocals get. There is a real focus on the vocals, which as I’ve discussed is a weakness of the album, but I do think it’s possible to look past that issue. There’s some really fun synth lines, some excellent percussion, and real aesthetic. Songs like Human Wave Attack feel stark and lonely, notes echoing into the void, which ironically is not at all like Track 4, Void- with synths and vocals disguising a guitar and drum line that feels extremely garage band. As in, the concept, not the program. Singularity is a song that feels again predictive of Blank Banshee’s future work, a low, slow synth track reminiscent of BB songs like Hyper Object or Metamaterial.

There are some genuine gems on here in addition to Resistor, though. City of No Tomorrow, the eighth song, has got to be one of my favourites- somehow, despite featuring none of the instrumentation typical of the genre, it’s extremely cyberpunk, a sense of struggle and futility resonant through the track. It’s the one song on the album I listen to regularly, getting myself lost in the groove of the bass and tapping my foot along to the percussion. It’s just really good, man.

If this isn’t your first time encountering Shinjuku Mad, reading this might cause you to go back and have another listen, upon which you may notice a few somethings missing. I don’t expect that to be the case for literally anyone reading this…but I needed a segue. This is because, upon the reintegration of Shinjuku Mad and its predecessor Organic Thoughts from the Synthetic Mind into Hologram Bay’s catalogue for the 2019 reissue, two songs were cut, likely for fears of legal issues regarding sampling. The version of this album that I remember has those tracks!

Those songs are Negatives (formerly track 6) and Neon Exodus (formerly track 12). Negatives is another one that’d show up as a Blank Banshee track (in this case, Gunshots), and is actually really solid? Like it integrates a raid siren into the instrumentation without having it sound weird, out of place, or, well, alarming. Neon Exodus is…wow I just don’t know this track at all. It’s fuckin aesthetic though. Welcome to this spontaneous live-reaction, I guess. I recognize the sample this is built around (and thereby why it isn’t on the album anymore) but I cannot name it for the life of me. It’s, uh, interesting. I dunno, 6.5/10?

Anyway, part of the reason I bring this up is that before I want to close this out I have some complaining to do. Said 2019 reissue was something I tracked at the time, and noticed both SM albums were releasing on Vinyl, Cassette (because, you know, nerds), and digitally. But not CD. I threw an email at the website about it, and they did eventually respond (it genuinely took like two months though), but not in the positive. The reissue had no plans to include a CD, unlike all three previous Blank Banshee albums.

But the original 2010 version of the album, along with a few slight differences in songs and in album order, does have a CD release, albeit an extremely limited one, according to Discogs. These CDs have to exist, they’re now listed on the new Shinjuku Mad website. Apparently one sold 6 months ago through Discogs. I need to find a copy, though considering on that site 7 people list it as owned and 72 (including myself) list it as wanted, it’s probably not going to happen.

And that, ultimately, is Shinjuku Mad. It’s a very odd piece of history as far as vaporwave goes, considering it’s both a prototype and also something completely, utterly different. The album is pretty decent on its own, but not mindblowing, and something you could probably live without. There are like two tracks (three if you include Negatives) that are 100% worth it, but the rest are skippable. Which is a shame, but mediocre music has to exist somewhere, right?

That I apparently haven’t discussed Blank Banshee on this blog before (aside from when I was talking about Vaperror) is actually kind of shocking. I suppose, then, that there might be some lacking context. I probably will have to do that at some point, though I probably won’t do BB0 because I like picking the hipster options- so either BB1 or MEGA. Metamorphosis didn’t really pique my interest, and I somehow missed GAIA existing in the first place and still haven’t listened to it. So if you’re interested in seeing me ramble over some of that, I’ll see you then. I mean, it’ll still happen if you aren’t interested, but nobody’s going to make you read it.

Or am I…?

[phantastus]

Separate person here, but I’d love to see the tag meanings for the other characters!

I tried to answer this once and then mysteriously lost the post, but I’m doing it again! Thanks for the interest, guys-- I’m really glad that my weird bird tags have been a source of intrigue and curiosity!

(And to address specific bits in these replies/tags: 1. Yes the coincidence with Heather’s bird name is the coolest thing ever and I can’t even take credit for it, it just worked out completely organically. 2. Yes you can totally reblog it, sorry for the Readmore! 3. Yes the title is from the lyrics to Hometown! Good eye!)

NOW FOR THE DEETS, follow the Readmore!

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TRAVIS GRADY | CATHARTES AURA (Turkey Vulture)

If you’ve driven on just about any highway in the U.S., you have definitely seen one of these guys. They’re not just desert birds; they can be found just about anywhere in the Americas. Given Travis’s traverse-oriented line of work, a bird so associated with man-made roads just seemed appropriate.

Turkey vultures feed almost exclusively on carrion, and Travis unsurprisingly has a lot of roadkill themes and imagery in his Otherworld (he even has a monster CALLED “Carrion”!). Being an animal lover, Travis feels a lot of guilt about roadkill, whether it’s animals he hit himself or just ones he sees dead on the roadways. Although vultures are considered creepy for eating dead prey off of the ground (and Travis himself seems to be considered disconcerting by people around him), they’re smart and often friendly birds that perform the important role of cleaning up decomposing stuff that would otherwise just rot and go to waste. Plus,eating already-dead things instead of killing stuff themselves makes them objectively less scary than... most birds tbh.

Sort of like the other protags and their “corvids=pests” deal, vultures are not just seen as an annoyance but often actively considered disgusting and filthy. Travis doesn’t have an easy time making friends and a lot of people seem to consider him scary/bad for reasons that honestly don’t match up with his actions. SH0 has a weird dumb plot that doesn’t make a lot of sense (or even try to tbh) but edgy bad ending aside, Travis has always struck me as a bit of a gentle giant who’d rather avoid violence if he can. Also my firm headcanon is that he’s gay and experiences no small amount of alienation/perceived scariness because of it, so there you go.

Interesting fact! Turkey vultures lack a syrinx, the vocal organ that most birds have. As a result, their vocal communication is more or less limited to the occasional hiss or grunt. Travis isn’t much of a talker either.

EDDIE DOMBROWSKI | LARUS MARINUS (Great Black-Backed Gull)

Gulls are big, extremely opportunistic predator-scavengers. They’ll eat fish and crustaceans. They’ll eat eggs. They’ll eat garbage. They’ll eat anything. They’ll walk right into a convenience store and take a bag of chips without paying. I’m not about fat-shaming here, but Eddie is kind of unavoidably characterized by gluttony. And for eating mystery food he just found unattended in the middle of an abandoned building.

Gulls are also, well, kind of mean. While they’re not considered particularly dangerous, they rank right up there with geese on ‘do not fear God or man, WILL fight you if you look at them wrong’. Especially these guys, who are mostly found in New England and are freaking huge. they have very few natural predators (assuming they can make it to adulthood). The only things that regularly take down fully-grown GBB gulls are literal eagles. Other than that, they’re big and strong enough push around most other birds, and frequently do. Eddie is a victim of bullying, but also very quickly becomes one the second he realizes how easily he can turn the tables.

IDK, maybe it’s the blue-and-white striped shirt, but for some reason Eddie has always had, like, a maritime vibe to me. I just see him being from a coastal town. Maybe with a dad who spends lots of time working away from home on the big fishing boats.

Nobody likes gulls except me. And nobody likes Eddie except me*. :’(

One time a seagull snatched an entire (very large) slice of pizza from my room-mate and flew away with it without even faltering.

ANGELA OROSCO | MACROURA TURTURILLA (Mourning Dove)

Unlike most of the other birds on this list, mourning doves are NOT predators-- they are not only prey for wild animals, but are also hunted by humans for game. Mourning doves and Angela both have a lot to fear from the world around them.  

While I PERSONALLY think they are very soft and beautiful, coloration-wise they are very unremarkable-- the plain browns and grays are perfect camouflage for the forest floor. Angela also spends a lot of time trying to avoid drawing attention to herself, for obvious reasons.

They’re very skittish, and despite staying under the radar most of the time, when they take flight in a panic it’s VERY noticeable. Their feathers make a distinctive whistling noise when flying. Angela’s tendency to be calm right up until the point where something is Too Scary (tm) and she just takes off kind of reminds me of a startled dove.

Mourning doves were totally among the birds featured in That Scene, The One With The Birds (tm) in Chapter 10 of Gravity. I am speaking from experience when I say that a previously-unnoticed mourning dove very suddenly taking off in front of you is extremely alarming.

The mourning dove gets its name from its call, which just sounds very forlorn and sad. Angela is also forlorn and sad. :(

Technically the ‘turturilla’ is a subspecies not found in North America, oops. I should change that but I’m lazy.

STANLEY COLEMAN | LINARIA CANNABINA (Common Linnet)

Linnets are a finch-like bird that were once a popular pet, leading to a lot of references to them in classic poetry, particularly to their sad status as an often-caged bird. While that’s sort of fitting since he was institutionalized, this is not why Stanley’s bird is the linnet. 

BIG TW FOR STALKING / DISCUSSION OF ASSAULT

Stanley is the linnet because of this stanza of the SH3 Crematorium Puzzle: “Song of the Linnet: "He seeks out her soul by his own black ambition, Frightening her out of her wits. Whispering love songs into her ear, What cruel Linnet wants, he gets."

Stanley is literally the scariest thing in SH3 imo and the poem not only canonically refers to him (the poem is a clue leading to his body as part of the puzzle solution), but describes his actions towards Heather with very little exaggeration. He follows her around the hospital, always just out of sight, and leaves messages for her that get progressively more disturbing and graphic/sexually-charged as time goes on, repeatedly referring to her as his lover and describing what he’d like to do to her. She in turn is completely repulsed by Stanley and actively afraid of him.

Literally how could I pick anything else, I mean, there it is.

I THINK I will save the last three for another post, but hopefully these are interesting addons to the first four!

*i know i’m not the only one who likes eddie lol, but a consistent pattern over the years of being an SH fan has been me playing the Eddie Dombrowski Defense Squad to other SH friends until they appreciate him as a character more.

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Rock and roll the night away!

What better way to escape than getting lost in music? Headphones on, thoughts off - nothing like some good bops to help get you through the day.

KK Slider's been looking into expanding his musical repertoire so he's been playing around with different genres in hopes of creating a brand new sound. And that's how rock and roll night came to be!

Joining us on this musical adventure are Sonja, with her siblings Robbie and Tiffy, and cousin Bubba. It's been ages since Daisy Jane and I have last hung out with Sonja so it's nice that she and her fam dropped by for a visit. I've hung out with Robbie and Bubba a handful of times while this is the first time I've met Tiffy.

Sonja's been meaning to stop by the camp for a while but life has gotten busy. She also wanted her dad and stepmom to come along too but then something came up so they were unable to make it at the last minute. Same thing for her grandma, though to be honest, camping isn't really her thing so it's probably for the best that she didn't come.

Old Thelma Lou may come across as a cantankerous old lady but she really is a nice person once you get to know her. Underneath that rough exterior is a protective, dedicated, and tough mother figure who wants what's best for you, even if she kinda has a hard time showing how much she cares about you. We video chatted with her before the concert and she's still the same old Thelma Lou, keeping an eye on her children, grandchildren, and their friends in her own unconventional ways.

We also chatted with Buzz and Skeeter, both who are doing well. The reason why they weren't able to join us at the camp is because Skeeter's pregnant again. She and Buzz were going to have a boy last fall but there were complications and the baby was stillborn. So far things are moving along smoothly, but to be safe, Skeeter's on strict bed rest. In about four months, Sonja, Robbie, and Tiffy will have a little sister!

Sonja has been busy working on her graphic novel, which she plans to release in the fall. She's a freelance graphic designer and illustrator, known for posting relatable and funny comics online. I love her art - it's got a sketchy and loose style that's sorta minimal yet super expressive. When I got into digital art, I took some inspiration from Sonja's work by using pencil brushes for line art and the gouache brush for coloring.

After working in the studio for hours on the book over the past several weeks, Sonja felt she could use a change of scenery - which was the main reason why she wanted to come to the camp. She also wants to get back into using traditional mediums like painting so she brought along some canvases and paints. The great outdoors is perfect for finding inspiration when you're in a rut!

Robbie runs a fix-it shop in Elmstown with two of his friends. His specialties are clocks and anything that has a lock thanks to his grandma and dad - Thelma Lou likes collecting clocks and Buzz's a locksmith. He's the reason why the family saves so much on repairs - Robbie and his friends can pretty much fix anything! Elmstown is pretty far but I'm keeping his business card in case I need something fixed like my computer since that'll be more cost effective than sending it to the store where I'll probably get overcharged.

It's a good thing we have Robbie here to help KK Slider with the equipment. He had some old amps and guitars that he'd been meaning to get fixed but since they were custom made, it's hard to find parts that need replacement. Thankfully, Robbie never leaves home without his toolbox and with his magic, we were able to improve the stage setup.

Bubba's still living with Thelma Lou, though he's in the process of moving out to his own place. He's not leaving Rayetown though, just moving to the other side of town so he can be closer to the post office. Along with delivering packages for the citizens of Rayetown, Bubba's also a drummer and occasional lead singer for The Cogwheels, a local band that regularly performs at the Chili Bowl.

Thelma Lou and Bubba have a sweet relationship. He's the oldest of the Harp grandchildren through Thelma Lou's daughter. His parents pretty dumped him on Thelma Lou's doorstep when they moved halfway across the country, which wasn't very nice of them. His mom and grandma have a stormy relationship so that explains why Thelma Lou's kinda overprotective of him, and in return he respects her a lot. Recently though, Bubba and his mom have been keeping in touch sporadically - thanks to Uncle Buzz and Aunt Skeeter. As for his dad though, since he walked out on his mom, he hasn't heard from him in years, which he feels is probably for the best.

And there's Tiffy, the youngest (so far) of the grandchildren. She's seven and a half years old and likes to sing and dance. This is her first time being away from home for a couple days so she's pretty excited about it. Plus, she gets to spend time with her siblings, something she always looks forward to since they live far from home. By the time she was born, Sonja and Robbie had already long moved out of Rayetown. Up until Tiffy came along, Sonja and Robbie rarely visited home, a deliberate choice that they both kinda regretted but at the same time felt it was necessary.

Tiffy's looking forward to the new baby - and she's absolutely certain that things will work out this time. She was really bummed about what happened with her brother, especially since she always wanted a little sibling. Buzz and Skeeter had been trying for years to have another kid - they didn't have Tiffy until about six years into their marriage - and that was after being told many times that they missed the boat. It's a good thing they didn't give up or else Tiffy wouldn't be here today!

While helping KK Slider set up for the concert, we also went sightseeing outside the camp. Now that the weather's warming up and the sun's staying out longer, we can venture further out. The first place we went was the mountains, where Sonja was inspired to pull out her canvases and paints. She's been working on landscapes and backgrounds so it was the perfect opportunity. Since she had a lot of fun doing that, I figured we could do the same in other places outside the camp like the woods or the meadows.

As they were testing out the equipment, KK and Bubba were jamming out while Tiffy danced. She definitely inherited Buzz and Skeeter's dance skills! Tap dancing and ballet are her favorites and she definitely wants to branch out to other forms of dance. Her parents are looking into more dance classes for Tiffy, which she's excited for. One of the reasons why she's looking forward to having another sibling is so she can have a dance partner in the future. Imagine, Tiffy and her little sister, dancing together!

Later, Robbie joined in on the jam session, playing the bass. Apollo, Static, and Cherry joined in as well, and before we knew it, all of them were writing new songs that eventually became the setlist for the concert! Sonja later got into the jam session after Daisy Jane showed her around the cabin and her studio. I sense a collaboration between the two in the near future...

Around 5 we finished setting up for the concert and began preparing for a barbecue dinner. By the time all the food was set up, it was time to rock and roll! I have to say, KK and the campers really outdid themselves with the stage setup. It was a mix of performances by KK Slider and jam sessions by us. The concert was an awesome experience!

In the span of one hour, Bubba and KK wrote Road Ode. KK came up with the intricate melody that's a perfect fusion of his signature sound along with elements of classic rock. Bubba came up with the lyrics, taking inspiration from his relationships with his mother and grandma. Easily one of the highlights of the night.

Apollo sang lead on a number he co-authored with KK Slider titled Old Man Blues. It's a bluesy rock and roll tune with a catchy guitar riff that's stuck in my head as I write this. The light show visuals really add to the vibe of this song, elevating it to another level.

Static and Cherry performed Heavy Metal Ballad as a trio with KK Slider - another song that was just finished today. The song was actually three different compositions that merged into one. Cherry has been playing around with a cool heavy metal beat for a while. She had a good thing going on but had trouble turning it into something, so she put it aside in hopes of finding the right spark to kick it off. Static came up with lyrics for the chorus, originally through a little ditty he called Lightning Muses. And like Cherry, he had something but couldn't figure out what direction he wanted to take it. Then along comes KK Slider, who saw the potential in these two wildly different compositions. Somehow, with his verses and additional melodies, he created an instant hit!

In an unexpected surprise, KK Slider got Daisy Jane and I on to perform a new KK original as well as a couple songs from Lilac and the Cadillacs. The new song, Sky Blue Twilight, is a collaboration between me, Daisy Jane, and KK Slider. It was something we came up with a while back, and I had almost forgotten about it until today. I'm pretty rusty from songwriting but working on this piece was pretty fun! I really should get back into writing music...

Sonja, Robbie, and Tiffy also joined Bubba on stage for another new song, titled All That Rock 'n' Roll. Tiffy sang lead vocals with Sonja on the keys and Robbie on bass. Along with being a fantastic dancer, Tiffy's a great singer! I filmed the whole thing for Bubba so he can send it to Thelma Lou, Buzz, and Skeeter. I have to say, KK Slider and Bubba make a great songwriting team!

Another fun song is Violet Blaze, an upbeat rock and roll tune by KK Slider, Candi, Kabuki, and Spike. KK Slider really outdid himself on that guitar solo! With riffs like that, there's no other song fitting to be titled Violet Blaze. What one can't put into words, music expresses it - one just has to listen and feel.

And of course, in between the new songs were KK Slider classics, but remixed. It's amazing how changing up the genre can give well known songs a fresh makeover! That's what I love about KK Slider's music - the versatility. In terms of reinventing his sound while staying true to himself, I'd say KK Slider succeeded with flying colors!

Aside from Tiffy and the early risers, the rest of us have been rocking and rolling way past midnight. I'm still a bit buzzed from the concert, which just ended less than an hour ago, so I'm gonna unwind for a bit before going to bed.

[eldritchsurveys]

782.

Have you ever had a computer virus before? >> Nope, never. I don’t know if I’m just especially lucky or what, but I have zero experience with malware, viruses, or any of that.

Are you dependent upon anyone? >> Of course. Everyone’s dependent on someone, even if only indirectly.

Are there any book characters you'd like to portray? >> Like, as an actor in a movie adaptation or something? No, thanks.

Who did you last text? >> I sent Sparrow a bitmoji in response to her text.

Is there anything on your bed right now? >> Yeah, me. Also, an assortment of plushies, two weighted blankets, a hoodie, my phone, and my headphones.

When was the last time you went to the grocery store? >> It’s been a couple of weeks since I personally went. I stopped doing the grocery runs because of the mask rule; Sparrow is way better with wearing masks than I am. What way would you like to die when it's your time? >> As uneventfully as possible, please.

What are you most afraid of in the world? >> Some possible aspects of death. Also, confinement of any kind, like incarceration or being put in a mental hospital.

Have you ever been caving? >> Nope.

Do you do well in math related things? >> I don’t know, I don’t usually do any math-related things aside from the most basic kind.

What is your favorite fruit? >> I don’t have one.

If you had to choose, which sibling would you live with? >> ---

Do you have any tattoos? >> Yes.

Are you planning on getting any in the near future? >> No.

When was your last date? >> ---

When did you get Facebook? >> I don’t remember when I first signed up for it. Probably like 10 years ago or thereabouts.

Are any of your family members in jail? >> ---

What was your first pet's name? >> Roxie.

Are you good when it comes to computer issues? >> I don’t think my skill level at dealing with computer issues is particularly high. I basically just google the problems I don’t immediately know how to solve and try out different solutions, which literally anyone is capable of doing. I think what I’m good at is not having computer issues in the first place, considering every machine I’ve had has performed remarkably well over a pretty decent lifespan (except for Normandy, which just randomly died one day, but I think that was a heat issue and I’ve learned from it).

Are there any people at your job who absolutely hates you? >> ---

What was the last book you read? >> The last book I finished is The Poisonwood Bible.

Have you ever read any books in one day? >> Sure.

What was the last thing you bought? >> A nightstand.

What are your plans for tomorrow? >> I don’t have any plans for tomorrow.

Is there any jewelry you wear constantly? >> Yeah, I never take out my earrings or nose ring.

Are your fingernails painted at the moment? >> No.

Do you prefer cool, warm or neutral colors? >> I like a variety of colours for different reasons.

Have you ever taken art classes? >> Only in grade school and probably junior high.

What's the most boring movie you've ever seen? >> I have no idea.

Do you know how to work a cash register? >> I mean, I could figure it out.

Fact or fiction novels? >> A novel is fiction, period. But if you mean whether I prefer historical and realistic fiction, or fantastic fiction... well, usually the latter.

Have you ever suffered from depression? >> Yes.

Do you think you're a clingy person? >> No, because I’m not.

Do you enjoy kisses on the cheek? >> Not particularly.

Have you ever been in a physical fight before? >> Yes, quite a few times.

How often would you say you disagree with your parents? >> ---

What color shirt did you wear yesterday? >> Black.

Do you have a job? If so, do you like it? >> ---

Have you ever been called a slut before? >> Maybe.

What's something you've been craving? >> I’m not really craving anything that I’ve noticed.

Have you ever slept with your window open? >> I sleep with my window open for almost the entire year, actually. Even in winter I have it cracked at night, because I get really hot in my sleep.

Can you play violin? >> No.

What was the last desert you had? >> I don’t remember the last time I had a dessert.

Have you ever had a wild animal as a pet? >> No.

Do you know anyone you talk to on Facebook but won't talk to in person? >> No.

What color are your mother's eyes? >> ---

Do you have a best friend? If so, how long have you been best friends? >> I do not.

Do you cry easily? >> I mean, I don’t think so.

Have you ever been into a court room? >> Yes.

How many necklaces would you say you own? >> I own five necklaces. Soon to be six, when it gets here.

Do you plan on being strict towards your children? >> ---

Do you own any tie-dye shirts? >> Nope.

What would you say is your favorite day of the week? >> I have a particular affection towards Wednesday, but I don’t really have a favourite day of the week.

Do you ever wear lipstick? >> Ever, sure. But not usually.

Do you own a pool? >> No.

Do you have a Tumblr account? >> What’s a tumblr

Would you say you're overweight? >> I wouldn’t.

How many colors are in your hair? >> Well, two that I can see.

Do you flirt with a lot of people? >> I don’t flirt with anyone.

How many bank accounts do you have? >> One.

Have you ever been falsely accused of starting drama? >> Probably.

How old are you? >> 32.

Do you attend church regularly? >> I don’t.

Have you ever found a song that describes your whole life? >> No song can describe my whole life, but there are songs that fit uncannily with certain aspects of my life.

What time did you wake up this morning? >> 7 or so.

What time do you plan on waking up tomorrow morning? >> I don’t plan for that, I just wake up whenever I feel like it.

What kind of car do you drive? >> I don’t.

What kind of car would you like to have? >> ---

Have you ever been to Dairy Queen? If so, what's your favorite thing to eat from there? >> Yeah, I’ve been there, but I don’t have a favourite thing from there. I don’t care for their stuff.

How old did you turn on your last birthday? >> 32...? This is basically just the same question as before, innit.

Ever felt like falling apart? >> Yes.

Have you ever been in an ambulance? >> Yeah.

Do you tend to worry a lot? >> No.

How old were you when you lost your first tooth? >> I have no idea.

Do you remember your first time on the internet? >> I only vaguely remember it.

Which website do you email from? >> Gmail.

Do you enjoy receiving souvenirs? >> I don’t really receive souvenirs. Which is perfectly fine.

Do you get angry with people easily? >> No.

Do a lot of people dislike you or is it the other way around? >> I don’t know if a lot of people dislike me, it’s not like people are often up-front about that sort of thing. I don’t dislike too many people.

Have you ever had the flu? >> No.

What about strep throat? >> No.

What would you say is the worst kind of emotional pain? >> I wouldn’t say, because it makes no sense to me to “rate” pain like that.

Have you ever been to a psychologist? >> Yeah.

What's the worst part about school? >> You know, the whole thing.

Do you normally have a lot of homework, if you're still in school? >> ---

When was your last vacation? >> January.

Would you ever consider going on a cruise? >> I’d consider it.

What did you last buy from the store? >> I haven’t been inside a store in a few weeks.

Would you say you enjoy being single or in a relationship more? >> I wouldn’t say, because that’s not really how it works.

Do you try to stay busy a lot? >> No.

What's your favorite quote? >> I don’t know, man.

Do you lie a lot? >> I rarely lie.

Do you still act childish most of the time? >> No.

Did you ever enjoy gym class? >> The only time I enjoyed it were the semesters I got to take archery.

What is your biggest insecurity? >> I have no idea.

Have you ever painted a room alone? >> No.

Speaking of which, when did you last paint your room? >> I didn’t?

What does your favorite jacket / hoodie look like? >> The hoodie I wear the most (aside from the one I just wear around the house) is a New Orleans Museum of Death hoodie.

What's for dinner tonight? >> I don’t know.

Do you ever drink alcohol? >> Yes.

Have you ever had a terrible hangover? >> No.

Do you ever get migraines? >> No.

Do you know how to garden? >> I mean, I generally know how to put seeds in the ground and water them. The specific mechanics of growing specific things are not necessarily known to me, but that’s what the internet is for.

What was the last thing you plugged into an outlet? >> Probably my computer charger.

Do people consider you to be a funny person? >> I don’t know, do they?

Do you have any bad habits? >> Of course I do.

Do you like children? If not, why is this? >> I like them fine. At the very least, I respect them as people, even if I can’t stand to be around them for [usually] sensory reasons.

What is your favorite snack? >> I don’t know, I have a few go-tos.

Do you own any gaming systems? >> We have several.

How old were your parents when they had you? >> My father was 52 and my mother was in her early or mid 20s.

Is there a big age difference between you and the person you like? >> ---

Do you trashtalk people a lot? >> No.

What is the most amusing thing on the internet, in your opinion? >> Just... memes. I like memes. Also animals being derpy.

Does the future excite you or scare you? >> It has little to no effect on me, I don’t properly conceptualise the future as a thing.

Have you ever been to Disney World? If so, how many times have you been? >> No.

Do you try to spend a lot of time with family? >> ---

How often do you shower? >> Every couple of days.

What would you say is your favorite genre of music? >> I wouldn’t say. I like a lot of genres.

Do you need to clean your bedroom? >> Yeah. I’m going to finally do it when the new nightstand gets here, so probably Wednesday.

What do you plan on doing with the rest of your life? >> You know. Living.

Do you enjoy Chinese food? >> Occasionally. Most of the time I merely tolerate it.

Do you smile a lot? >> I don’t know, what’s a lot?

What is your favorite movie from the nineties? >> Maybe Event Horizon.

Which decade were you born in? >> The eighties.

Are you good at giving advice to people? >> I don’t know, I don’t usually do it.

How many huge secrets do you have? >> Zero.

How many people know these secrets? >> ---

How many times a day do you brush your teeth? >> Once, if that.

Do you ever floss? >> No, it feels horrible.

Have you ever been in a long-term relationship? >> Yes.

Ever considered suicide? If so, did you try to commit suicide? >> Yes and yes.

Is there anyone out there who makes you feel completely useless? >> No, I usually do that on my own.

Do you like texting or calling people more? >> I only text.

What's your favorite band? >> Zeal & Ardor is one.

Do you have a lot of friends? >> No.

Have you ever painted something and been impressed by it? >> I don’t know, maybe when I was young.

Would you rather go out to eat or stay in? >> Right now, I’d kill to eat somewhere that wasn’t my apartment.

When did you last babysit, if ever? >> ---

Do you have any younger siblings? >> No.

Have you ever thought of someone as useless? >> Not that I can recall. It feels weird to think of people in terms of what “use” they can be to oneself.

Have you ever considered bleaching your hair? >> Yeah, and then I did it.

Do you drink vitamin water? >> Nope. Do they even still sell that? I haven’t seen it in a while.

Do you ever straighten your hair? >> No.

What's the best way to end a conversation? >> I would assume that depends on the nature of the conversation and the depth of the relationship between the participants.

Are there any old movies you absolutely love? >> Of course.

Have you ever had a Big Mac before? >> Yes.

Do you think you attract the opposite sex at a reasonable rate? >> The reasonable rate for me is zero, so yeah, I think so.

Where is your favorite place to travel? >> Oh, you know. Almost anywhere.

What is your goal for the next few months? >> I have no goal. Except, I guess, maintaining equilibrium.

Can you count to ten in another language other than your own? >> Yeah.

Do you own a lot of shoes? >> Nope, I own two pairs (and two pairs of weather boots).

What is your favorite season and why? >> Spring. It just is, man.

Does photography interest you at all? >> Not really. I like looking at photographs other people have taken, though.

Have you ever played on a sports team before? If you have, what was that sport and when? >> When I was in school. I tried field hockey and predictably sucked total ass at it. (I say “predictably” in hindsight. I had no concept of my abilities and disabilities back then.)

Have you ever filed a lawsuit on someone? >> No.

Do you think you're a good singer? >> I think I can hold a tune, but if I was going to be good I would need to practice more and probably get a coach. Fortunately, being “good” at singing isn’t a priority of mine, so I’m perfectly happy just being able to hold a tune.

Would you rather wear jeans or sweatpants? >> Sweatpants, absolutely.

Do you think you have a good sense of style? >> It’s good for me.

Do you enjoy reading often? >> Yes.

Have you ever had a deadly illness? >> No.

Ever had food-poisoning before? >> Yes.

Where did you last eat dinner at? >> On the couch, watching Sparrow play Persona 5.

Have you ever shot a gun before? >> No.

[hsj-scenarios]

My internet friend is an idol AU with keito and the reader knowing about jump please!

Note: I wrote this as if Keitopinionweren’t a JUMP related blog but something that Keito had started on his own asa sort of release so, for the purpose of this, keitopinion will be referencedbut there won’t be any mentions of JUMP in his entries, there will also be madeup entries where I did my best to try and portray Keito. Hopefully I’ve done mynumber 1 justice! – Mod C

It had been a long day. Concert prep wastaking a lot out of Keito and, while he definitely enjoyed it and was excitedto be doing lives soon, he couldn’t help but be happy when he finally made ithome. Throwing his jacket down on the couch, Keito pulled out his phone andmade his way into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of juice. He paused, handon the fridge handle and a smile spreading over his face as he read the messagethat was waiting for him.

ABeautifulDream: I listened to that song you recommended. How do youalways know what kinds of things I like?

How could I not know? Keito thought. Typing a quick reply, he slid his phoneback into his pocket and finished grabbing his snack before going into theliving room and settling on the couch.

OddlyCharmingGentleman: I have my ways （⌒▽⌒ゞ

OddlyCharmingGentleman: I’m glad you liked it though! I have a few more Icould recommend if you want.

This had become a regular occurrence inKeito’s daily life for the past few months. He hadn’t intended on making anynew friends, especially not ones that he couldn’t see or physically talk to. Hehad simply been looking for a way to express himself outside of his activitieswith the other boys. Keito had just wanted a place to share his thoughts andmaybe see if there were people out there who felt the same way that he didabout some things. So, he set up Keitopinion, a regular blog on a regularserver squeezed between thousands of other entries by people all over theworld. He had a few readers, but there was one who had stood out.

ABeautifulDream: Of course!

ABeautifulDream: How are you, by the way? Spreading happiness bygiving up your seat on the subway? hahaha

This person, whoever they were, not onlyread his blog but commented almost every week and had since the blog wascreated. They ran a similar one of their own, where they commented on orreviewed movies, shows, and books that they were enjoying and Keito found itinteresting, so he began to comment on their posts as well. “I liked thatmovie, too!” “I heard that author was good, but I haven’t read that book yet.Maybe I will when I have time haha.” “Ahh, you should warn for spoilers!! Ihadn’t seen this episode yet.”

Aside from general encouragement on eachother’s blogs, Keito hadn’t expected much. That is until they shot him amessage to apologize about spoiling the episode. The two had been chattingregularly ever since and getting to know each other. It was a refreshingfeeling for Keito to be able to talk to someone outside of the company whogenuinely just liked talking to him and not Hey Say Jump’s Okamoto Keito.

OddlyCharmingGentleman: Hahaha nothing like that today. You make fun butdoing things for other people really does make me happy

ABeautifulDream: I know, I know haha I actually really like thatabout you. It’s nice, most people aren’t like that.

There was that familiar pull in his chestthat Keito occasionally got while talking to them. It had been happening moreoften lately as the two of them got closer and he had been trying not to payattention to it. As much as he loved talking to this person, he didn’t knowthem or even what part of the world they lived in or really anything. Butstill, those small compliments and the very frequent offhanded flirting werestarting to get to Keito.

OddlyCharmingGentleman: What about you? Did you have a good day?

ABeautifulDream: Could have been better, but I can’t complain either

And so, the two of them talked for over anhour, Keito letting them retell that day’s events as he got ready for bed. Thatone coworker who was always causing trouble. The project they were working onthat they were both excited and nervous about. The coming weekend and whattheir plans were.

ABeautifulDream: But enough about me! What did you do today?

Drying his hair from his shower, Keitocouldn’t help but frown down at his phone. It was times like this when he felta bit bad about the friendship the two of them had built. While they hadmaintained a certain level of anonymity, neither asking for full names or evenwhere the other was from, it wasn’t very fair that they were being so open tohim and he could never honestly answer when they asked how work was or what hedid during the day. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to. But he wasn’t exactlysupposed to be running the blog in the first place, so telling his friend thathe was an idol was out of the question.

OddlyCharmingGentleman: Same old, same old.

OddlyCharmingGentleman:JDC241.JPG

OddlyCharmingGentleman: Thisweek’s playlist! Let me know which songs you like, okay?

ABeautifulDream: Will do!Last week’s Pink Floyd was great, by the way. And I liked the bit of jazz youthrew in too. How do you come up with these playlists?

OddlyCharmingGentleman: They’rejust the songs I listen to the most throughout the week haha nothing special

ABeautifulDream: I’d begto differ. You’ve got great taste!

ABeautifulDream: I’m not saying it’s not a good book. I’mjust saying some of the characters lacked depth. Great plot, great writing.Just needed a bit more character development.

OddlyCharmingGentleman: You’realways such a critic

ABeautifulDream: Hi, nice to meet you, let me redirectyou to my review blog. Oh wait, you’ve been following it for months now hahah

OddlyCharmingGentleman: Okay hahathat’s fair

ABeautifulDream: And it’s not even like she does anything! She showsup late to every meeting, criticizes everything the rest of the team suggests,and then has the nerve to take credit for things when the supervisor says helikes it!

OddlyCharmingGentleman: And this person still has a job because?

ABeautifulDream: She’s the chair’s niece…But! On the plus side, I’m ashoe in for a promotion once this project is finished so I’ll be in a differentdepartment and won’t have to worry about it.

OddlyCharmingGentleman: ✧*｡٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و✧*｡

OddlyCharmingGentleman: That’s me celebrating

ABeautifulDream: Hahah thanks Keito

OddlyCharmingGentleman: Okay explain again why you think I’m a spy?

ABeautifulDream: Well, you’ve never told me what it is you do for aliving and you’re always very vague when I ask how your day was, so I figurethere’s no way you have a normal job.

OddlyCharmingGentleman: And so your first thought was spy?

ABeautifulDream: No…it was just the most interesting

“Honesty”

What does it mean to be honest with someone? I’ve been thinking about thesekinds of things a lot…Expressing yourself fully, telling someone something evenif there may be consequences…There’s no doubt that being honest with yourselfand the people you care about is the right thing to do.

So, why is it so hard?

I think sometimes honesty is selfish. You’re selfish if you are dishonestbecause you are not taking that person’s feelings into account. But you can beselfish if you are honest, too. Why? Because what if the consequences aren’tworth it?

These are my thoughts lately. To be honest or to keep it to myself to saveeveryone the trouble.

Hopefully, I will figure it out.

Keito clicked post on his most recententry. It had been a few days since he had talked to his friend, a bitoverwhelmed and exhausted from rehearsals, the concert drawing closer and closer.They still messaged, though, even if Keito didn’t have time to respond. He wasgrateful for that because seeing that they thought about him made him feel good.

ABeautifulDream: Update on the work project: we’re halfway there andmy supervisor said it’s looking good!

ABeautifulDream: Today’s weather? Cloudy with a chance of meatballshaha I’m babysitting and this was the movie of choice

ABeautifulDream: I’ve been listening to Nirvana a lot lately thanksto you.

ABeautifulDream: There’s a concert I really want to go to, but I’mscared that tickets will sell out before I can buy them. Wish me luck!

ABeautifulDream: In my Keitopinion, I think honesty is always thebest policy. Do you want to talk about it?

The last message reached him not longafter he had made the post, the soft chime from his messenger catching him offguard as he was cooking dinner. Did he want to talk about it? He did, more thananything. He wanted to share his excitement for the concert tour with hisfriend. He wanted to tell stories from rehearsal the same way that they toldstories from the work conference room. He wanted to talk about the new song hehad written and how 7 was going to perform it as a special stage and he was sohappy because he really felt useful.

But what if it changed everything? What ifthese months of friendship dissolved when he told you who he was? He didn’twant to bear the weight of another scandal, but he also didn’t like not sharingequally in this relationship the two of you had. Putting down the knife he hadbeen cutting vegetables with, Keito couldn’t help but laugh a little. Relationship. Was that the right wordfor this?

OddlyCharmingGentleman: Hypothetically speaking, what are the chances thatwe would ever meet?

ABeautifulDream: Well that depends on a lot of things. Where and howfar away you live. How well I feel like I know you. Whether or not you’reactually a spy

OddlyCharmingGentleman: Hahah I promise I’m not a spy. I was just curious isall. And we certainly wouldn’t have to if you weren’t comfortable with it. Ijust thought I would ask.

There would be no point in being totallyhonest if they had no intentions of meeting Keito to begin with. He would feelless guilty about concealing who he was if there was no chance or really anyreason for you two to meet in person.

ABeautifulDream: Hmm…How’s this sound? I did manage to get tickets tothat concert I wanted to see and it’s this weekend. The friend I was going togo with is sick but, if you’re serious about wanting to meet me, maybe we couldhave lunch and go together?

OddlyCharmingGentleman: What concert is it?

ABeautifulDream: Ah, I know I know you’re a jazz and classic rockkind of guy, but hear me out when I say that this idol group is really good andthey’re one of my favorites. They’re called Hey Say Jump!

Keito couldn’t log out of his messengerfast enough, cheeks flaming after he had read the message once, twice, threetimes. Of course. Of course, they were a JUMP fan. Knowing that left him withmixed feelings. On the one hand, he felt honored that Jump was their favoriteidol group and happy, if not even bubbly, at the fact that they were open tothe idea of meeting him. But, they were a JUMP fan. There were too many waysthat meeting could go wrong, too many ways that he, the group, his fans couldget hurt. Too many ways that youcould get hurt. Even though Keito wanted to believe that wasn’t his maindrawback, he knew that it was. Best case scenario where you didn’t care that hewas an idol and your friendship or even relationship continued after you foundout, Keito didn’t want to risk exposing you to the treatment that often befellthose that dated idols.

So, instead, he lied.

OddlyCharmingGentleman: Ah, I’mnot really into idol music. And, like I said, it was a hypothetical question.It wasn’t like we would be able to meet anyway…

ABeautifulDream: Oh haha…Yeah, I guess you’re right…

Messages became a lot less frequent and heknew. Keito knew that he had hurt their feelings and thinking about it botheredhim but not thinking about it made him feel guilty. The days leading up to theconcert, even though he didn’t post on Keitopinion, he still logged onto theserver to see if you had posted anything. For 3 days, there was absolutelynothing. Until the day of the concert.

He was in the dressing room, one of thefirst ones ready for the opening number, so he was relaxing. Or at least tryingto. Knowing that somewhere in the audience sat the person he had been chattingwith, the person he had gotten so closed to only to push them away, left himwith mixed feelings. He needed to do his best for every single person out inthe audience and for the other members. He needed to do his best for them, too,and so he checked their blog one last time before the show, surprised andrelieved to see a post for an hour before.

It was a picture, something that theynever usually posted in an attempt to keep up that anonymity, and a fewsentences. It took Keito a while to make it down to the actual post because hecouldn’t take his eyes of the picture.

There you were, standing on your own infront of one of the concert posters, the biggest and most beautiful smile Keitohad ever seen plastered across your face. You were dressed comfortably butcutely and in your hands was a big Keito uchiwa. He couldn’t help but smile ashe looked at you, that same pull in his chest returning, his heart pounding abit at the fact that you were attractive. Scrolling down, he looked at yourpost.

Not my usual content, I know, but I’m so excited to be seeing Jump today!I’ve been dreaming about this for so long! And, to my number one, OkamotoKeito, I’ll see you soon!

Again, he was hit with a wave of mixedemotions. You looked so happy to be at the concert, so happy to be seeing yourfavorite group and so ready to proudly wave an uchiwa for your favorite member.Him. But he had lied to you. He was your favorite member and he had lied toyou.

A tap on his shoulder from Kota let Keitoknow it was time for them to head towards the stage. Taking one last look atthe photo in your post, Keito made up his mind then and there, setting hisphone down on the table and following the rest of the members.

That night,he saw you. You were fairly close to the end of the stage so, when the membersran down to sing Asu e no yell, he could see you, waving your uchiwa andsinging your heart out. He knew that he was wrong, that you would probably hatehim if you found out who he was, but at that moment you were smiling so muchbecause of him, so much because of what he and the rest of the boys were doing,and he wanted you to remember it. He wanted this to be a good night for you andfor you to remember your number one in the best way possible. And so, wheneverhe was on your end of the stage and whenever the performance would allow, hesmiled at you. He waved at you. He sang for you. Because he never wanted to seethat smile leave your face. Especially not because of something that he did.

ABeautifulDream is online

Keito read those words over and overagain, debating whether or not he wanted to message you. True it had been goingon a week since you had talked to each other, a few days after the concert. Hehad seen the long addition you had made to your first concert post and feltkind of bad because of how happy he was seeing you fangirl over him. It wasn’tvery fair of him to do that to you, but you were happy, so was it really wrong?

He was surprised when you were the one whomessaged him first.

ABeautifulDream: Hey. I know you’re online. I also know you’ve beenlurking around my blog.

OddlyCharmingGentleman: How’d you know that?

ABeautifulDream: I have a view counter…Although I was only guessingat it being you.

OddlyCharmingGentleman: I was just checking in on you…Was curious about howyou were doing?

ABeautifulDream: You know what’s a great way of checking in? Sayinghi.

OddlyCharmingGentleman: You got me there.

Keito paused for a moment, fingers restingon is keyboard. You had said that you believed that honesty was the bestpolicy, so Keito was going to do just that. He was going to be honest.

OddlyCharmingGentleman: So, I have another hypothetical question for you…

ABeautifulDream: Okay, let me hear it

OddlyCharmingGentleman: If I were to have a few days off from spy work,would you still be interested in meeting me?

ABeautifulDream: Why would I do that? Hypothetically speaking…

OddlyCharmingGentleman: Ipromise it would be worth it.

Keito was nervous. And honestly a bitsurprised with himself. After convincing you to meet him, he had called in afavor to get the two of you some privacy. He wanted to be able to talk to youwithout too many watching eyes. He wanted to be able to talk to you as the himyou had spent months getting to know, not the him that was an idol.

So when he saw you waiting for him ata table at his friend’s café, Keito needed a second to breathe. Checking hishair in the window and fixing his clothes, he let out a breath before goinginside. You had been reading a book someone had recommended to you to review,but when you heard the door open, your head instantly turned to look.

You were at a slight disadvantagebecause he hadn’t told you what he looked like. Keito had prefaced your entiremeetup on the need for you to trust him and, because of how sincere his requestwas, you agreed. Maybe he was shy and didn’t want to send a picture in case youwouldn’t want to meet afterwards, you thought.

However, when you saw the man makinghis way towards the counter, your heart stopped and you hurriedly looked backdown at your book. Noting that you hadn’t gotten anything other than a muffin,Keito stopped to order drinks for the both of you before clasping his handstogether awkwardly and moving to join you at your table. Your heartbeat onlyquickened when he sat down across from you.

“(Y/N)?”

His voice was gentle as he said yourname and it wasn’t long before you were putting two and two together. Here hewas, Keitopinion, your OddlyCharmingGentleman, the obscure blog owner that youhad allowed yourself to chat with for months because he was willing to listenand didn’t judge you, even when the two of you had differences of opinions.Here he was, your number one, a member of Hey Say Jump, an idol. Here he was,the man you had developed a crush on and had also had a crush on for years.

“Keito…”

Giving you a shy smile, he said, “It’sreally nice to meet you.”

[what-even-is-thiss]

I don’t have a favorite sanders side. Therefore, I have a lot of things to say about all of them. I gushed over Patton in a reblog to a post that was talking about how he’s under appreciated. @darude-sanderstorm asked if I could talk about the others too. My Patton bit was just copied and pasted from that post.

Patton/Morality

-He’s the reason Thomas is so gosh darn nice. Do you know just how accepting that man is? Patton makes him see the best in people, be excited over dogs, love everyone, and be the best person he can possibly be.

-He’s so proud of everyone. He is a proud dad. He’s proud of himself (the other sides and Thomas) he’s proud of Thomas’ friends. He’s proud of us. He’s just a great dad.

-The inner child and the dad. Who doesn’t love the innocent character? Endless source of misunderstandings.

-Way smarter than he appears on the surface. Able to compromise and notice things that the others don’t. He knows big words and also doesn’t know some simple ones. He knows what they need at times and just generally seems to embody most of Thomas’ emotional intelligence.

-His memory problems are so relatable. Like, seriously. Forgetting what your own apartment looks like? Yeah.

-Being the sense of morals can’t be easy. You have to find a balance. You have to make some tough decisions. You have to realize what questions are best left unanswered. There are no set rights or wrongs and Patton is the one that walks that line.

-Dad jokes are amazing and he is a walking cartoon character. Even more so than the others and all of them are cartoony.

-He knows how important all of them are. He knows he’s important and is really sad when he’s pushed aside and irritated when Anxiety is pushed aside. He seems to view the importance of each of them the most accurately.

-Off topic slightly, but have you seen the dad character in Thomas’ vines/shorts? Those are some of the best ones. They always make me smile.

-He knows how to distract and redirect a conversation. Absolute pro at distracting.

-He’s so genuine. You know when he’s sad, scared, or happy. Even when he’s distressed when he’s smiling he says so. You know what’s happening. There’s a lot to be said for a character that’s an open book like that. It’s not a sign of weakness.

-He has the ability to be serious when the situation demands it and he’s genuine with that too.

-If Anxiety and Roman cover Thomas’ self esteem issues and what self hate he has, Patton personifies his self love and that is so important. It’s really clear how much he loves the other sides and it’s shown through him just how much Thomas wants to accept all of himself. And he’s trying really hard to do that. I’m proud of him.

-He’s just really great and just as wonderful as the others. Being happy and relatively simple doesn’t make a character bad or uninteresting. He’s still just as important and wonderful as the others and deserves just as much appreciation.

Roman/Creativity

-Oh my gosh is he extra. Half the stuff he says is so dramatic I love it.

-Who doesn’t love an egotistical character? It’s funny and makes him flawed and interesting and causes some useful conflict.

-All the Disney, mythology, and pop culture references. I live for that kind of thing.

-He has such amazing phrases. Bitterly jittery and not very glittery. Gosh darn song dang. Great Odin’s eyepatch. He says a huge chunk of the things we all quote regularly from the videos.

-The best at insults. I cannot come up with insults that good.

-He’s probably what gets Thomas to do impressions, sing, perform, and come up with interesting and/or hilarious things for videos. Patton may be why Thomas started making vines but Princey probably comes up with most of the ideas.

-Thomas has so many cool hopes and dreams. Becoming a cartoon. Performing. Being in a Disney program. It’s amazing.

-I really like his name. I didn’t name myself after him, I’d like to make that clear, but he did influence my decision somewhat. Roman. I just love that name, even if it does cause confusion sometimes since I decided to call myself that.

-The way he moves and talks grabs your attention immediately. The way Thomas plays him, he’s really fascinating and entertaining to watch.

-Creativity is necessary for many basic everyday things. Getting to stuff you can’t reach, talking, etc.

-He’s representing Thomas’ struggle to love all of himself and get past some of the things society has engrained in him. I’m very proud of how far he’s come.

-Thomas says he represents his femininity, or what society would normally classify as that. Yes. Cis guys expressing their feminine side is a great thing and should be done more.

-He may be the ego and be a jerk sometimes but he means the best and he’s improving. And if he had less influence we wouldn’t have the Thomas we have. I love theatre people. Roman is great.

Virgil/Anxiety

-He’s a good guy sometimes yes, but he can also be the bad guy. Everybody loves a villain.

-He’s just trying to protect even though he doesn’t always go about it the right way.

-He’s really closed off even when he wants to be open. He’s uncomfortable feeling positive and can’t accept compliments. I’m like that too. He’s really relatable in that way. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing that he’s like that.

-He’s slowly accepted as a part of the group. He works his way in and is brought back when he ultimately decides to leave. The accepting of the character is slow and feels very believable.

-So done with everything. So edgy. I love that. Seriously.

-He has such a classical name. As a mythology/history nerd I seriously love it a lot.

-Seems to cover Thomas’ apathy, which is great. Slouching and barely trying. Making “your mom” jokes. Hissing. Endlessly entertaining.

-Notices the weird things Logan does. Probably because he’s filmed last and a lot of Logan’s lines are improved. “Is anybody going to acknowledge that he just dabbed?”

-He has an interesting character arc. He goes from being comfortable in his role to doubting to feeling a bit useful to feeling completely useless and eventually leaving to beginning the process of accepting his existence.

-He’s not trying hard sometimes but in his case that can be a good thing. He’s trying to protect Thomas and that is great. Even if he makes a lot of mistakes along the way.

-He just has a really entertaining personality. He’s so dark and determined to feel left out even when the others acknowledge that he added something good to the. Conversation.

-Actual proof that there’s a part of Thomas, however small, that is edgy and emo. He’s Thomas’ inner emo. Gotta love that.

-The emo villain character has only been in two shorts but I really liked them. He was so confused when the prince character wanted to be put to sleep and was so reluctant to give up the rabbit. It’s amazing, honestly.

-He’s just super relatable, entertaining, interesting, and occasionally evil. Really great and interesting.

Logan/Logic

-He info dumps like crazy. I also do that. Exposition dump characters are really important.

-He’s got some malapropisms and those never get old, honestly.

-Random facts galore.

-Does not understand emotions fully and often times is held back by them. Is practical and objective to a fault and doesn’t always take feelings into account. Going so far as accidentally calling the others unimportant when he was trying to say he loved them.

-I like the way he talks. He talks fast and even stutters sometimes and yet is really interesting to understand. Like any good teacher he is very good at simplifying difficult concepts and making them easier to digest.

-I’d like to have him as a science professor, tbh. He likes dogs and makes things easy to understand. Plus his temper could get interesting.

-He gets into conflicts with all of the others but doesn’t seem to hate any of them. His frustration is usually directed at the situation.

-He’s on his way to realizing that he’s not necessarily the most important. I feel like sometime soon he’s going to gain a bit of humility and that is an awesome thing to look forward to.

-He’s really learning more lately how important Patton is. He’s learning to accept being wrong and he’s doing so much better. Character development, people. Love it.

-He’s serious all the time and sometimes he’s really not serious and he flat-out denies it. Just admit you make teacher jokes. Admit it!

-He studies so hard and still doesn’t understand slang words. Characters that don’t understand slang words. Endless source of comedy.

-Some great lines. Teacher jokes. Unintentional dad jokes. E=MC scared. Tomato. He is such a nerd and I love that.

-He’s such a huge nerd and is the friendly local exposition dump character. A great teacher and he’s so proud of himself when he learns new things. Did you see his face when Thomas learned things at the end of negative thinking? He’s a great proud teacher. He’s got a character arc going on even if it’s not obvious or it’s slow.

Okay I think I’ve talked enough. I could say more about all these guys. They all have really great things about them and I truly don’t have a favorite. I’m so fond of all of them in such different ways. Thomas made such amazing characters. I love them so much, you guys. Seriously.

[recentanimenews]

Squared Circle Otaku: How Anime Inspired Wrestlers

  Two rivals stand across from each other, ready to throw down. This is the culmination of weeks of blood, sweat, and tears of high emotion and raw power. Everything fans have been waiting for is about to happen in an explosive, no holds barred battle, where only the strongest survives! If you had to pick whether that passage described your favorite anime action series or professional wrestling, you might have a hard time picking between the two of them; the fact of the matter is that wrestling and anime have a lot more in common than most people think they do.

  Several weeks ago, we did a video on that very subject, focusing on the ways in which these two seemingly different types of entertainment crossover with one another frequently. But were you aware that many wrestlers are big anime fans? Whether its wearing gear inspired by their favorite series, special attacks with homage names, or simply wearing their love for anime on their sleeve, many of today’s titans of the ring have a deep love for anime. If you’re curious about some of them, we’ve got a few wrestlers to grapple with here, but trust us when we say this is just the tip of the iceberg! 

    If you’re already a fan of both wrestling and anime, you may have immediately thought of Xavier Woods, member of the longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champions, the New Day, as well as host of video game channel Up Up Down Down. Xavier is a well known fan of anime and games, and the New Day’s Dragon Ball Z themed Wrestlemania entrance is legendary! But aside from that nod in the ring, Xavier has talked about his deep love for anime and gaming for a long time, and he regularly attends conventions such as Dragoncon in full cosplay, pulling off an impressive Sailor Mercury cosplay last year!

  On his YouTube channel Xavier routinely plays anime themed and inspired games and occasionally talks about anime with his guests, such as one episode devoted to the Sailor Moon fighting game featuring fellow WWE wrestler and huge Sailor Moon fan Sasha Banks! Sasha has routinely mentioned her love of Sailor Moon in interviews, even stating that she identified the most with Serena/Usagi when she was watching the show while growing up. Longtime readers here at Crunchyroll may even remember that Sasha and Xavier appeared on an episodes of our very own Lighting Round back in 2016, answering our burning anime questions for them, which you can check out here and here if you’re curious.

    Xavier and Sasha are far from the only WWE talent that wear their love for anime on their sleeve, though. NXT Superstar Brennan Williams is another longtime anime fan, whose original signature move in the ring was the “Nico Nico Knee,” an homage to everyone’s favorite Love Live idol and gremlin Nico Yazawa. Williams is perhaps even more obvious about his love of anime than most, and with a Twitter handle like “GREATBLACKOTAKU,” it’s hard to argue with that! Brennan’s Twitch channel has a Pop Team Epic inspired logo, and he regularly posts about anime and games that he’s playing and watching when not training or entertaining in the ring. His streaming partner and fellow NXT Superstar Shane Thorne shares similar enthusiasm for anime, even having a Brand of Sacrifice tattoo on his abdomen and professing his love for Berserk on Twitter.

    Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, and Berserk seem to be big hits amongst wrestlers, as shown by WWE wrestler and former NXT North American champion Ricochet, who back when he wrestled mostly in Japan dressed up as Frieza for Halloween, accompanying fellow wrestler (and now NXT Superstar) ACH, who had dressed up as Ash Ketchum. ACH is perhaps another go to for wrestling and anime fans in the know, as he’s been combining his two loves into his performances for a long time. ACH’s signature ring entrance pose is inspired by One Piece’s Franky, would be introduced as hailing from the Planet Vegeta, and he even wears a Naruto ninja headband with his gear as well! In my own experience, I even got to see ACH after a show cradling a brand new Naruto figure he picked up while in town for a show, keeping his work life and hobby life alive at the same time!

Loving anime on your free time is one thing, but incorporating that love into your moves in the ring is quite another. Although some like Brennan Williams have found some success with it, there’s probably no greater nod to a love of anime than Samoa Joe, whose signature move the Muscle Buster is a very obvious homage to the famous Kinniku Buster from Kinnikuman! Although he hasn’t used the move in quite a while, checking out replays of his matches in NXT will give you a chance to compare the two; we have to say, Joe’s version is quite authentic and just as devastating as Kinnikuman’s signature finisher. Joe also posted back in 2017 that his youngest child had become interested in boxing anime Hajime no Ippo, and there’s nothing quite as heart warming as seeing one of the most destructive wrestlers in the world share his love of anime with his kids like a good dad.

But which wrestlers are the MOST anime? That is a bit of a hard question to answer (and, for the sake of simplicity, we’re not including wrestlers who are literally based on anime like Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask), but for this particular article we’ll leave you with two very special people: WWE’s Asuka and NJPW’s Minoru Suzuki.

  Asuka, who wrestled in Japan under the name Kana, has a long history of enjoying anime and manga, as well as video games. Aside from her wrestling career, Asuka owns a hair salon named Another Heaven, and worked as a graphic designer and video game journalist. Her background in these, coupled with her love of anime, leads to some pretty amazing moments, such as her Twitter re-creation of the infamous stand off between Dio and Jotaro, with herself and WWE’s Charlotte Flair taking the roles! Asuka has always had a flair for the dramatic, flashy, and colorful, and her non-wrestling related tweets tend to involve games (she’s a huge fan of Okami and retro games!), and just recently posted that she’s anxious to read the newest issue of Manga Action that’s due out in May. Asuka’s twitter is routinely filled with various games, anime, manga, and art that she enjoys, making her one of the most vocal wrestler anime fans by far!

    Finally, that brings us to Minoru Suzuki. Infamous for his extremely threatening aura and physical style in the ring, Suzuki is also a diehard manga fan, especially One Piece! There may not be a wrestler that is a more avid and open fan of anime than Suzuki, who has been such a vocal fan of One Piece that he’s even appeared in it, voicing the character Minoru Kazeno (A combination of Suzuki’s own name and reference to his classic theme song, “Kaze ni Nare”). If you want to see Suzuki in anime form, you can check it out right here on Crunchyroll! But it doesn’t quite stop there with Suzuki; he’s such a huge fan of One Piece that he shaved the Devil Fruit design into his hair, and has appeared on a few shows to discuss his love of the series. In an episode of the variety show SMAPxSMAP, Suzuki showed up as part of a trivia challenge, walking away the victor after a series of grueling superfan questions!

    And that’s still not all; Suzuki has even had his own official One Piece themed spin-off in Saikyo Jump’s One Piece Party, known as One Piece Corner, where he discussed things going on in and coming up in One Piece at the time. Suzuki also hosted a podcast called “Manga King Minoru Suzuki,” where he talked about manga he was reading and his opinions on them. And his classic theme song, “Kaze ni Nare,” is famously sung by Ayumi Nakamura, who has performed theme songs for shows like Magic Knight Rayearth. When it comes down to it, it’s pretty hard to beat Minoru Suzuki when it comes to that marriage of anime and wrestling, but take it from us, I think I’d let him win any manga debates he wanted to have…

  As anime and manga become more popular, its only to be expected that more and more people come to love and appreciate them, but it is certainly interesting to see the mixture of wrestling and anime take form in the way wrestlers bring their love of the hobby into the ring with them. And we’re sure that there are many more anime loving wrestlers out there, as this list is by no means exhaustive, but simply a way for you to see that anime really is for everyone! Now, we suggest you follow Suzuki’s advice, “be like the wind,” and settle down for some anime and wrestling binge watching! Nothing says anime marathon break like a few hours of amazing wrestling, right?

Did you find out anything about some of your favorite wrestlers? Maybe considering giving wrestling a chance if you haven’t before? Know of any wrestlers we didn’t mention? Let us know in the comments!

----

Nicole is a features writer and editor for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[rbeatz]

Space Mom, Rezz, is my #1 act of 2017

Billboard recently dubbed Dance’s Breakout Artist of 2017 to REZZ, and I couldn’t agree more. I had the pleasure and opportunity to cover her Mass Manipulation World Tour this Saturday at the Playstation Theater in Time Square, New York City, New York, USA, North America, Planet Earth. It didn’t feel like planet earth; however, as I was sonically and visually transported to another dimension in time and space. Below is my Rezz discovery story, my transformation into a Rezzbian, my review of the events that took place last Saturday at Playstation Theater, and photos I took from her unforgettable performance.

In 2017, I’ve seen Rezz 4 times: Bonnaroo, Electric Zoo, Lost Lands, and last Saturday in New York City. I’d never heard of Rezz before Bonnaroo. I had a slew of friends adamantly tell me I should go see Rezz at Roo (Bonnaroo’s nickname) because “she’s incredible.” I typically know which friends to trust musically at this point, and these emphatic murmurs were coming from trusted sources.

That low end play @OfficialRezz #Bonnaroo http://pic.twitter.com/QneNP8MSNK

— rBeatzRadio (@rBeatzRadio) June 11, 2017

I was blown away by the downtempo, experimental-bass music that was coming at around 100 BPMs (Beats Per Minute) or lower. I’d classify it as beautiful, trippy bass music from space for the masses. When I was younger, I loved dubstep; however, at the ripe age of 27, the 140 BPM intense energy drops can exhaust me. Rezz’ music kept those industrial sounds at a lower tempo, giving me the tonality and texture I always loved from dubstep at a lower speed and energy I could get behind.

I loved dubstep, also, because of how creative and crazy I could get with my whomping or headbanging as most would call it. I always called it whomping because that’s what dubstep sounds like. If you don’t know what whomping is, check the video below of a mom whomping. You can really get creative with it. It’s kind of like dancing to heavy metal with A LOT more moves. With Rezz’ music, I was still able to WHOMP, combining my two favorite elements of dubstep with the unavoidable passage of time. This is WHY I loved her music the first time my ears laid ground to the frequencies she was combining and arranging.

After Bonnaroo, I was hooked. When I got home, I read about her and listened to all her music. Standard operating procedure when you’re blown away. I found out she really blew up on deadmau5’s mau5trap label and was found early on by Skrillex. She released her first two EPs in 2016: The Silence is Deafening and Something Wrong Here (both released on mau5trap), and peaked at #19 on the Billboard Dance Charts late in 2016.

When I saw her at Electric Zoo, I spent the most time with my camera in my backpack dancing alone to her set. I couldn’t have been happier. This was her debut show on her Mass Manipulation World Tour.

I wanted to see her on the biggest stage with more lights and her accompanying visuals around her. Another aspect of Rezz’ show that is out of this world is her visual performance. There is an essence of hypnosis in the majority of her visuals; a perfect compliment to her sound. There is typically a lot of red and black spirals of different patterns that put listeners into a visual trance. Occasionally during her sets, there will be other Rezz animations there to mass manipulate. The more Rezz’ the merrier in my opinion.

#EZoo2017 @OfficialRezz Riverside stage was too small for her http://pic.twitter.com/rUwJWLy82j

— rBeatzRadio (@rBeatzRadio) September 2, 2017

Aside from the apparent tone of the above tweet, Rezz was still one of my favorite sets at Ezoo. I ended up buying her Snek T as my only merch purchase at Ezoo. Rezz’ merch was so popular, they only had one small left. I still wanted it, so I bought it and gave it to my girlfriend.

It glows in the dark, which is pretty cool if ya ask me.

Click HERE to get your OWN.

Lost Lands was more like it. It was another stop on her Mass Manipulation World Tour. Rezz did her THANG at a New York City festival; however, it’s like when you see a HUGE Great Dane in New York City. You think to yourself, “Dam, that dog is really limiting their potential in such a small area. I need to see it run free in a huge field.” Lost Lands gave me just that. The sound and visuals were everything I dreamed of, and she was in a prime-time slot. She started her set with her hit single, Relax, which provided the calming, hypnotic, spacey, weird, and exciting vibe that would carry through her entire set. I took the video below.

Rezzbians yelling, “SPACE MOM!” were out in full force. I felt weirdly at home in the middle of Ohio that night, finding so many people who were just as obsessed with Rezz as I was. After Lost Lands, I found out there’s a Facebook group called The Cult of Rezz, which I joined immediately after gaining that knowledge. I was enamored by the creative collaboration by the Rezz fans (or Rezzbians) participating in the group chat. There is a sense of respect and compassion in the group that’s been passed down by the group’s mother, Rezz. Click HERE to check the group out on Facebook.

After seeing her crush three festival stages, I was eager to catch her at a venue. I saw she was playing at Playstation Theater in my hometown of New York City, and thankfully rBeatzRadio has done enough to be able to get me access to such amazing shows.

I wrote a preview for the event, which you can read by clicking HERE, and I joined the Facebook event Cult Meet Up @ Playstation Theater to interact with my fellow Rezzbians before and at the show. In the preview, I revered Rezz’ storytelling techniques. Music is storytelling, and it takes another level of skill to do it so well with just sounds. A lot of her music doesn’t have lyrics.

I packed up my camera, and headed off to my 3rd iteration of Rezz’ Mass Manipulation World Tour. I headed straight to the bar when I got it, that’s where I saw Playstation Theater was serving a special Rezz drink. I didn’t get it because I like beer. I wondered, though, if this was her idea or not.

Mad Zach was one of Rezz’ openers. I thought he was a perfect warmup to Rezz’ more intense, higher-energy vibe. He loves experimenting with sounds, just like Rezz.

I interviewed Mad Zach earlier this year for the release of his EP, Fortress. I was impressed with his acute interest in sound design and experimentation. He’s also been taken interest by Ableton and Native Instruments, helping these music tech companies create unique sample packs that other producers can use in their music. Click HERE to read the full rBeatzRadio interview with Mad Zach.

.@madzachofficial was the perfect opener for @OfficialRezz _ http://pic.twitter.com/QBFvi6LF3P

— rBeatzRadio (@rBeatzRadio) December 19, 2017

Rezz agreed because, duh, she PICKED HIM, and she’s super involved with her fanbase. She makes it a point to really be there for her fans when she can, regularly replying back when you catch her attention. This is another aspect that makes Rezz great, and another reason that she was named Dance’s Breakout Artist of 2017 by Billboard. Rezz has truly built up an organic, engaged audience through the last couple of years. These fans are also super devoted to her cause because she’s there for them.

Couldn’t agree more !

— ᴿᵉᶻᶻ (@OfficialRezz) December 19, 2017

She started off with, Relax, which is such a good song to start with. As I said above, it sets the tone for the rest of the night, letting listeners know to throw all their anxieties away because this isn’t a scary bass performance, this is REZZ.

She eventually delved into an evil edit of Porter Robinson & Madeon’s Shelter, which is a favorite of mine because that vocal chop melody is super catchy and comforting, then the script is flipped, adding power and grit creating a stark contrast. The bass was so heavy, as you can see from the video taken below, thanks to Playstation Theater’s in-house sound system powered by JBL.

Rezz relies a lot on sub-bass in her song compositions. According to Google, sub-bass is “low-register pitched pitches approximately below 60 Hz and extending downward to include the lowest frequency humans can hear, assumed at about 20 Hz. In this range, human hearing is not very sensitive, so sounds in this range tend to be felt more than heard.” Therefore, her music is very much FELT. This also explains the movement of the phone, as it’s unable to hold still from the heavy sub-bass.

After the evil edit of Shelter, you can hear her going into probably her 2nd most popular song off Mass Manipulation, DRUGS! She obviously played most songs from the album since that’s what the tour was about!

  One of my favorite drops was when she played Rage Against the Machine – Killing In The Name (Just A Tune Flip), bringing that heavy metal/ punk rock feel to a modern day electronic setting.  Bringing back those old-school rock style vibes into a bass music setting is a fantastic way to change it up during sets. The nostalgia factor kicks in, where everyone in the audience remembers that old song, and goes crazy to its modern day spin. I loved this song, so I posted the Soundcloud embed below.

Killing in the name of @OfficialRezz _ http://pic.twitter.com/3Lryx2SBoL

— rBeatzRadio (@rBeatzRadio) December 19, 2017

From time to times, Rezz would slow it down and play some noticeable vocals. At one point, playing her song with Laura Brehm, Melancholy from her Billboard chart topping Something Wrong Here EP. Rezz’ melodies are quite noticeable, creating a sense of uncertainty and anxiety. A lot of her songs don’t have lyrics; however, the storytelling in her songa speak to a contrast between confusion and power.

This drop also had my head spinning. Since Rezz has such a sinister vibe to her show, I decided to put this old-timey black and white filter over the video. I’m not sure what the song is and have been trying to find it ever since! Someone help ID!

Towards the end of her set, she played her new single with Isqa, Psycho.

New single by @officialrezz & @isqamusic – Psycho _

A post shared by rBeatz Radio (@rbeatzradio) on Dec 19, 2017 at 12:29pm PST

Overall, Rezz has been my favorite artist to go see in 2017. She’s not only my current favorite up-and-coming artist. She is my #1 favorite artists at the moment for everything I described above. There are still tour dates for Rezz’ Mass Manipulation World Tour, so if you’re feeling the vibe and notice she’s playing in a city near you…

Click HERE to purchase tickets to Rezz’ Mass Manipulation World Tour

Photos from Rezz @ Playstation Theater

from rBeatz Radio http://ift.tt/2oMAGmG

[salsa-cas-blog]

Term #2 Reflection

My goals for each section are as listed:

- Increased awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth: Creative: My results for my piano diploma really encouraged me to apply the same attitude for other tasks or challenges, such as with my clarinet practice. I’m extremely pleased with the outcome of my piano exam; I believe that I have developed more knowledge not just on music theory or music composers, but what type of preparation really works for me in order to achieve the standard I’d like. It has been quite the eventful term for my creativity activities, as I am now enrolled into taking the Grade 8 clarinet exam, which I never would have expected had I not had meaningful conversations with my new teacher and constantly practiced. Something I have noticed is that I’ve become much more stable and confident in my clarinet playing due to the guidance that my teacher has provided me, as well as the fact that I have gained a genuine passion for clarinet; I really find myself enjoying the time I dedicate to practicing my pieces. To improve, I believe the technical part of my playing needs to be enhanced, and this can only happen if I spend my time playing more exercise-based pieces, which will hopefully train both my speed and stamina.

Activity: Something I wanted to work on this term was to construct a workout plan, consisting of a variety of exercises, so that I could work on strengthening and toning different parts of the body, whilst improving other aspects of my fitness such as my endurance, speed and stamina. Whilst I already do Body Pump, which is both strength and cardio, I added on hiking as a regular activity, which focuses on resistance and endurance training, as well as the occasional yoga classes and table tennis games with my father. Something I will need to push for next term is to either try out a range of new activities and stick with a few, or make the current ones regular.

- Undertaking new challenges: Service: This term I aimed to tie more closely together both the members within the council and the members in my year group, and to be more accepting of others especially when working with new or simply different people when organising an event. This was made possible through the events we organised such as the Y12 Social at the beginning of the term, where I saw different people mingling with other groups, and genuinely having fun. We also had the Sixth Form Music Social, which I’m extremely proud of; it was the first big event we planned, and the execution was almost flawless, because of how well we all worked together despite working with a larger group - I hope to be able to extend this ability to develop a fellowship and good workmanship with others to other events in the future.

Activity: I wanted to work on training my strength and stamina in preparation for the Gold Duke of Edinburgh trip coming up this summer, and so I aimed to do this by bringing a backpack filled with weight (e.g. shoes, water, books) and increase in weight every few weeks. Whilst I did try to be consistent about this everytime I did go to Bukit, the fact that I did not go regularly made my training inconsistent, and so there wasn’t much of a progression in my training. I will aim for the same thing next term, but to be more consistent with it or perhaps try out something else that is just as effective.

- Planned and initiated activities or part of an activity: Creative: My goal this term was to participate in a concert, which is exactly what happened! Despite almost missing the opportunity, I managed to pull it together just before the deadline and thankfully was successful in my audition. The night went very well overall, and I enjoyed listening to the other proficient performers.

Service: As mentioned previously, Plugged in the Park was the main achievement of this term - a completely new idea, executed with unexpected fluency, and reflected upon well too. It was quite a large-scale event as well, which our council initiated and followed through throughout, which I am extremely proud of.

- Collaborate with others: Service: Being in the Upper Years Council constantly places one in an environment where they have to work with others, no matter the differences in their character. This opportunity was given to me in our student-initiated events, which we looked at and reflected upon very carefully (such as with the social at the beginning of the term). Something I learned and would like to put into practice more to achieve better efficiency is the idea of specialisation and motivation: getting each member to do what they’re best at, praising them, and pushing them forward helps to form good teamwork, easy management, and top quality results! Furthermore, detailed pre-planning can never go wrong.

Activity: This skill is required in another one of my activities: Duke of Edinburgh. My group is quite a socially mixed group, though despite this, the practice weekend showed that we were all able to put our differences aside and work to the best of our ability; I am delighted to be able to say that about our group. I personally aimed to take a more active and supportive role in my group, which I believed I managed (and will continue to do so), especially on the trek in regards to helping one another and splitting jobs up.

- Shown perseverance and commitment: Creative: Adib and I are more frequently meeting up to discuss ideas and produce songs, which I find very encouraging and pleased about as I enjoy doing so. Though I prefer our first song, this newly released song has a different feeling to it, a more nostalgic and melancholy tone, which is exactly what is needed in a “good artist”: variation. I hope to make more songs with him in the near future, and explore different genres and even instruments that we may like to feature. In regards to the other two activities, I am happy with where I am as even after my piano diploma, I am continuing to play pieces that I am interested in myself and therefore simultaneously practicing my sight-reading skills, whilst with clarinet, I am making my weekly practice much more regular.

Service: Being in the Upper Years Council requires a lot of commitment; despite each of our busy schedules regarding our academics and school life, we have to keep check of our progress ourselves, initiate events with our original ideas, and stick to the plan throughout, and motivate and push along others when needed. This was shown through the main event of this term, Plugged in the Park, which was a 5 month project we had to make sure resulted in something of top quality. This meant that we had to have weekly meetings, distribute tasks equally or to people who specialise in certain areas, etc. Whilst there were issues with deadlines for some people, we managed to bring it back up in the end and created an unforgettable moment, for many members of the Sixth Form.

- Global significance of activity - “Think globally, act locally”: Service: This is probably the objective that I need to work on most - as I am not going on the Borneo Project trip at the end of the year due to the Gold Duke of Edinburgh trip clashing, my service with Borneo Project stops this term as the teacher organising BP only requires those going on the trip for the rest of this year. Even so, I did have one last chance where I was able to contribute raising money for the trip; that was through both the Y12 Social (the money from the barbecue and drinks went to BP) and Plugged in the Park, where the money raised for the internal school stalls went to the school’s charities: Cambodia Project (in which the money goes to funding a heart operation for a child in Cambodia) and Borneo Project.

- Ethical implications of your actions: Service: Being a part of the current council as well as the council next year has meant that I am placed in an environment where I will need to work with different types of people all the time, learn to negotiate, and handle people well during more difficult or stressful periods of time. This is why I aim to be a cool-headed, open-minded and supportive member of the council, as well as to the whole student body. This came through when organising Plugged in the Park, in which we had a team of 15 people working behind us - no big issues were present, which is a great success for us as first-timers. I also try to be a positive figure in each of our daily school life, and I do so by asking people outside my circle how they are every once in a while, or simply by greeting others whenever I pass them.

Activity: The same applies to working with my group in the Gold DofE - though one’s own safety is the top priority, I tried to help out my team members both mentally and physically whenever I could. This is a good trait to have as it does not only make others feel supported and confident; it is a reminder to yourself that you are able to make a positive change in someone’s life, which I intend to keep doing.

- New or extended skills:

Creative: Something I aimed to achieve was to become more technically fluent in my clarinet playing. This included the ability to have nifty fingering, as well as adept tonguing, and being able to adopt the required style for pieces from different musical eras. Doing Grade 8 was not just a surprise for me; it is an opportunity for me to exercise these skills that I intended to achieve, and I believe that with more practice I will do exactly that.

Activity: As mentioned in my previous reflection, I really wanted to train my weaker and smaller muscle groups, such as my shoulders and triceps. I would say this term’s exercise routine has allowed for some success - I did manage to pull through many of the previously difficult tracks, as well as increase my weight - though I believe I can still push myself further for the next term.

All in all, this term was definitely more productive than the last, and I hope for this level of productivity to continue for the next few! I am extremely pleased with my progress so far, and would like for it to continue at this rate. Something that I will need to work on for all my areas is the regularity and consistency in attending certain things, such as with Bukit.

[recentanimenews]

Squared Circle Otaku: How Anime Inspired Wrestlers

  Two rivals stand across from each other, ready to throw down. This is the culmination of weeks of blood, sweat, and tears of high emotion and raw power. Everything fans have been waiting for is about to happen in an explosive, no holds barred battle, where only the strongest survives! If you had to pick whether that passage described your favorite anime action series or professional wrestling, you might have a hard time picking between the two of them; the fact of the matter is that wrestling and anime have a lot more in common than most people think they do.

  Several weeks ago, we did a video on that very subject, focusing on the ways in which these two seemingly different types of entertainment crossover with one another frequently. But were you aware that many wrestlers are big anime fans? Whether its wearing gear inspired by their favorite series, special attacks with homage names, or simply wearing their love for anime on their sleeve, many of today’s titans of the ring have a deep love for anime. If you’re curious about some of them, we’ve got a few wrestlers to grapple with here, but trust us when we say this is just the tip of the iceberg! 

    If you’re already a fan of both wrestling and anime, you may have immediately thought of Xavier Woods, member of the longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champions, the New Day, as well as host of video game channel Up Up Down Down. Xavier is a well known fan of anime and games, and the New Day’s Dragon Ball Z themed Wrestlemania entrance is legendary! But aside from that nod in the ring, Xavier has talked about his deep love for anime and gaming for a long time, and he regularly attends conventions such as Dragoncon in full cosplay, pulling off an impressive Sailor Mercury cosplay last year!

  On his YouTube channel Xavier routinely plays anime themed and inspired games and occasionally talks about anime with his guests, such as one episode devoted to the Sailor Moon fighting game featuring fellow WWE wrestler and huge Sailor Moon fan Sasha Banks! Sasha has routinely mentioned her love of Sailor Moon in interviews, even stating that she identified the most with Serena/Usagi when she was watching the show while growing up. Longtime readers here at Crunchyroll may even remember that Sasha and Xavier appeared on an episodes of our very own Lighting Round back in 2016, answering our burning anime questions for them, which you can check out here and here if you’re curious.

    Xavier and Sasha are far from the only WWE talent that wear their love for anime on their sleeve, though. NXT Superstar Brennan Williams is another longtime anime fan, whose original signature move in the ring was the “Nico Nico Knee,” an homage to everyone’s favorite Love Live idol and gremlin Nico Yazawa. Williams is perhaps even more obvious about his love of anime than most, and with a Twitter handle like “GREATBLACKOTAKU,” it’s hard to argue with that! Brennan’s Twitch channel has a Pop Team Epic inspired logo, and he regularly posts about anime and games that he’s playing and watching when not training or entertaining in the ring. His streaming partner and fellow NXT Superstar Shane Thorne shares similar enthusiasm for anime, even having a Brand of Sacrifice tattoo on his abdomen and professing his love for Berserk on Twitter.

    Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, and Berserk seem to be big hits amongst wrestlers, as shown by WWE wrestler and former NXT North American champion Ricochet, who back when he wrestled mostly in Japan dressed up as Frieza for Halloween, accompanying fellow wrestler (and now NXT Superstar) ACH, who had dressed up as Ash Ketchum. ACH is perhaps another go to for wrestling and anime fans in the know, as he’s been combining his two loves into his performances for a long time. ACH’s signature ring entrance pose is inspired by One Piece’s Franky, would be introduced as hailing from the Planet Vegeta, and he even wears a Naruto ninja headband with his gear as well! In my own experience, I even got to see ACH after a show cradling a brand new Naruto figure he picked up while in town for a show, keeping his work life and hobby life alive at the same time!

Loving anime on your free time is one thing, but incorporating that love into your moves in the ring is quite another. Although some like Brennan Williams have found some success with it, there’s probably no greater nod to a love of anime than Samoa Joe, whose signature move the Muscle Buster is a very obvious homage to the famous Kinniku Buster from Kinnikuman! Although he hasn’t used the move in quite a while, checking out replays of his matches in NXT will give you a chance to compare the two; we have to say, Joe’s version is quite authentic and just as devastating as Kinnikuman’s signature finisher. Joe also posted back in 2017 that his youngest child had become interested in boxing anime Hajime no Ippo, and there’s nothing quite as heart warming as seeing one of the most destructive wrestlers in the world share his love of anime with his kids like a good dad.

But which wrestlers are the MOST anime? That is a bit of a hard question to answer (and, for the sake of simplicity, we’re not including wrestlers who are literally based on anime like Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask), but for this particular article we’ll leave you with two very special people: WWE’s Asuka and NJPW’s Minoru Suzuki.

  Asuka, who wrestled in Japan under the name Kana, has a long history of enjoying anime and manga, as well as video games. Aside from her wrestling career, Asuka owns a hair salon named Another Heaven, and worked as a graphic designer and video game journalist. Her background in these, coupled with her love of anime, leads to some pretty amazing moments, such as her Twitter re-creation of the infamous stand off between Dio and Jotaro, with herself and WWE’s Charlotte Flair taking the roles! Asuka has always had a flair for the dramatic, flashy, and colorful, and her non-wrestling related tweets tend to involve games (she’s a huge fan of Okami and retro games!), and just recently posted that she’s anxious to read the newest issue of Manga Action that’s due out in May. Asuka’s twitter is routinely filled with various games, anime, manga, and art that she enjoys, making her one of the most vocal wrestler anime fans by far!

    Finally, that brings us to Minoru Suzuki. Infamous for his extremely threatening aura and physical style in the ring, Suzuki is also a diehard manga fan, especially One Piece! There may not be a wrestler that is a more avid and open fan of anime than Suzuki, who has been such a vocal fan of One Piece that he’s even appeared in it, voicing the character Minoru Kazeno (A combination of Suzuki’s own name and reference to his classic theme song, “Kaze ni Nare”). If you want to see Suzuki in anime form, you can check it out right here on Crunchyroll! But it doesn’t quite stop there with Suzuki; he’s such a huge fan of One Piece that he shaved the Devil Fruit design into his hair, and has appeared on a few shows to discuss his love of the series. In an episode of the variety show SMAPxSMAP, Suzuki showed up as part of a trivia challenge, walking away the victor after a series of grueling superfan questions!

    And that’s still not all; Suzuki has even had his own official One Piece themed spin-off in Saikyo Jump’s One Piece Party, known as One Piece Corner, where he discussed things going on in and coming up in One Piece at the time. Suzuki also hosted a podcast called “Manga King Minoru Suzuki,” where he talked about manga he was reading and his opinions on them. And his classic theme song, “Kaze ni Nare,” is famously sung by Ayumi Nakamura, who has performed theme songs for shows like Magic Knight Rayearth. When it comes down to it, it’s pretty hard to beat Minoru Suzuki when it comes to that marriage of anime and wrestling, but take it from us, I think I’d let him win any manga debates he wanted to have…

  As anime and manga become more popular, its only to be expected that more and more people come to love and appreciate them, but it is certainly interesting to see the mixture of wrestling and anime take form in the way wrestlers bring their love of the hobby into the ring with them. And we’re sure that there are many more anime loving wrestlers out there, as this list is by no means exhaustive, but simply a way for you to see that anime really is for everyone! Now, we suggest you follow Suzuki’s advice, “be like the wind,” and settle down for some anime and wrestling binge watching! Nothing says anime marathon break like a few hours of amazing wrestling, right?

Did you find out anything about some of your favorite wrestlers? Maybe considering giving wrestling a chance if you haven’t before? Know of any wrestlers we didn’t mention? Let us know in the comments!

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Nicole is a features writer and editor for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com