#don’t look at the bass idk how to draw instruments

[hrtzbeat]

ryo

[bvannn]

Weekly Update February 16, 2024

I’ve been mostly okay this week except Thursday and I also haven’t been sleeping well. I assume I’m basically equilibrated on the medicine I guess thursdays are just gonna suck for a while, oh well. I got stuff done this week. I’m a bit tired from lack of sleep so sorry if I ramble.

Music: today I just went and recorded a bunch of stuff on the fancy practice room pianos with the petals. Not everything I need for current projects but the way I’m looking at it for now: the fancy keyboards have 2 advantages over my Casio: damper petals and dynamics (they have quiet petals too but it doesn’t look like midi files record that). I don’t know how many VSTs I have that even utilize dynamics, I assume most of the pianos do though, and obviously damper petals are important for piano as well to get that extra reverb. But for other instruments, not as important. So I can use my Casio for most of what I do, which is great because I don’t have to walk through a giant snowstorm to get to it. Problem is a couple of the songs I’ve been focusing on have been character themes for OCs, Romeo and Shaun specifically. The two piano players. So the songs use a lot of piano.

As for the songs themselves, I’m making reasonable progress. The main ones I’m working on are (1) character theme for Romeo, ambient, (2) an EDM type vocal song that is basically done except for the lyrics and vocals, (3) a symphonic rock vocal song that is basically done except for the lyrics and vocals (and maybe I might redo a verse melody but that’ll take like, 10 minutes), (4) character theme for Shaun, low priority because I’ve had to basically scrap and redo it from the ground up because it sounded like shit, (5) song of storms medley that I have everything recorded for basically I just need to plan out instruments and get the other parts separated, which really shouldn’t be hard at all idk why I’m procrastinating, and (6) video game retro boss fight style song that I have written down a plan for and have a melody idea in my head but all I’ve actually made so far is a drum and bass line. I got a couple other ideas and Melodies I’m holding onto but I want to finish some of these first. If I get another burst of recording energy I’ll try for that boss fight theme tonight but that’s unlikely. Next steps will probably be finishing up Romeo’s theme by tempo fixing the recordings I did today, and plugging them in to the master edit, if I need to add more instruments I can but I already have like 13 layers in that file (mostly ambiance and percussion) so I’m hoping I can make do with what’s already there. Then next priority should be taking another stab at lyric writing or practicing with vocaloid again.

General drawings, a couple OC drawings done this week, I’d like to do more but I just haven’t had time. Comic thumbnailing is going pretty well though, I’m at 18 pages. I’m aiming for 32 total, but because my initial writeout had me going over, I’ve been trying to keep the page count low here. If it’s too low, I can add back in some more dialogue conversations, since again, more character interactions and ghost exposition would probably be appreciated by readers, but not justified enough to excuse extra pages. But if there’s extra pages, why not add it back in? Well, it might break pacing but as long as I watch that it shouldn’t be a problem. Whatever.

Also been playing a bit with other stories I’ve had as lower priorities. Obviously Backstage is the next most fleshed out story after the O’Malley Foster Home, and I’ve been thinking through plot and character stuff for that, but also some other stories that are so underdeveloped they don’t even have central themes yet. Once I get central themes, they’ll basically write themselves, but until then I need to focus on individual character conflicts until I can find common ground between them, and it becomes the theme. What that culminates to is rotating characters in my head and trying to imagine dynamics with them until eventually something will click. If I get anything I’ll draw it, but I want to try to put more thought into that, since I think some of my insomnia is just me running out of sheep to count, so I need to find more things to ponder, and I think that’ll be a good one.

Still no animation anything but with Romeo’s theme so close to completion I’ll probably throw together a small animation of him playing the piano or something. I don’t mention it much but the majority of the OCs I post are musicians in some capacity. Mikey, Jack, and Thomas are all guitarists, Shaun and Romeo play piano, Emrys is a drummer, and Josh sings. Animating that could be fun, but it’d probably get repetitive after a while. I’m kinda poking at other animation softwares too, since I kinda want to give animating in clip studio another shot, plus I have certain characters meant to be really visually different from others, so I’m considering trying Blender for a cutout style animation or something. Plus the more I think about it, the more certain I am that I’ll have to animate more flowy stuff like long dresses or ghost tails in after effects instead of flash. Annoying but I can learn, I can always learn.

Final tiny note keep getting on and off pushes in motivation for the anime campaign game I’m preparing, still not sure if I’ll try to find players in person only or online or a mix. But I have some art for it on the side I’m working on, as if the epithet 52 isn’t enough epithet erased style art. It’s fine I’ll hopefully take a break and do more OC art again soon.

Next week looks to have a absolute ton of homework so good chance I’ll be unproductive, although every time I say that I find a way so who’s to say. I’m hoping I’ll be okay medically too, since I mostly was this week and today (except this morning when I woke up early from a nightmare, but that was before I took my medicine so it doesn’t count). My bigger condition also flaring up on and off this week too but I’m already doing everything I can about that so it’s fine. I thought last week that a consult for the next surgery got cancelled, but turns out it was a miscommunication and I’m actually still fine, so that’s a relief. This next week I’ll do what I can, hopefully finish a song, and get a couple more drawings done.

[dilfsuzanneyk]

Thank you for tagging me @spineless-lobster​ :D

1.  Are you named after anyone?

nope! it SOUNDS like i’m named after Wise Elder Vex but my chosen name was originally just a joke really bc i found out what vex/vexing means after the Captain used it in an episode? and i liked the word and it became like a vocal stim/echolalia for a bit. i found out what it meant and it was like “haha annoying like me” kinda thing? being named after a yonderland character is way funnier though i should have found yonderland sooner   

2. When was the last time you cried?

a few days ago bc i was watching sweet tooth. no spoilies though

3. Do you have kids?

nope! i don’t think i’ll ever have kids either

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

yeah, to the point my mum thinks i’m being sarcastic even when i’m not 

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

either their shoes or the way the speak? 

6. What’s your eye colour?

brown! my partner said they look like honey in the sunlight

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

scary movies!! but a happy ending once in a while is good too 

8. Any special talents?

i can play like four instruments?? if that counts? and i write my own music too but idk if that’s special

9. Where were you born?

singapore!

10. What are your hobbies?

i like to play my bass, write, draw, read and build those mini lego things :]

11. Have you any pets?

seven cats babey

12. What sports do you play/had played?

i used to play football! still play floorball but not as much as i used to

13. How tall are you?

last i checked i was 1.55m? that’s 5 foot 1 i think (thank you to the mutual who told me this that one time)

14. Favourite subject in school?

history, biology and literary arts (it’s my major, we mostly just study how to write a buncha different writing forms)

15. Dream job?

if income and stability wasn’t a worry for me, screenwriter, or a musician. but realistically i think i’d like to do something related to history? a teacher or in a museum!

i’m tagging: @catboyrightsdefender

@poets-and-bards-beloved @natequarter @thatgordongirl (no pressure and sorry if you’ve been tagged before!!)

[fantasyw0rldwithn0name]

thank you bee for asking <3 @pluto-powerbee . you didn’t specify a specific oc, so here’s all of them

Can your oc play any instruments? Have they ever wanted to learn how to play any? Why?

pax: no, had a fleeting interest in piano as a child but it didn’t stick

violet: no

mitsue: something. idk what, but something. not in like high school band tho. something classical. like flute.

amaryllis: no, but she does choir.

charlie: yea, but again i don’t know what instrument. something less classical. maybe like bass or electric guitar or drums.

star: yea, piano and also ae sings a lot.

How well would your oc fare as a teacher? What subject would they be best at teaching? What about the worst?

pax: he’d be fine at it, but like no one would actually like him as a teacher. like he wouldn’t be anyone’s favorite. he could deal with little kids well, but as soon as they hit 5th grade and start being mean, he’d just be insulted constantly for being quieter than all the students. he’d be good at english.

violet: she’d be fine at it, especially with younger kids, but like with older kids if they look away for two seconds she’s rolling her eyes and flipping them off behind their backs. she’d probably be an elementary school teacher that just teaches the basics of everything instead of one specific thing, or like a science class that focuses on medical stuff. idk i’m not a teacher.

mitsue: god no. with the younger kids they would just yell at them constantly, and the older kids would love them but they wouldn’t ever teach anything. the cool teacher who just lets you do whatever and doesn’t teach shit.

amaryllis: they’d be a good art teacher. chill, the students would actually listen to them. like specifically 2d art like painting and drawing. terrible at art history, can not remember the names of any art pieces, but still teaches ap art history cuz everyone else they work with is garbage.

charlie: he wouldn’t be a teacher. not because she’s be bad at it necessarily, but she just would never want to. no interest in teaching.

star: ae would be so fucking good at teaching. ae’s very energetic? excited? about what ae likes, so there would literally never be a boring minute in the class. theater, music, science(specifically like astronomy), math, literally ae would be good at all of them.

How dangerous is your oc? Are they completely innocent, or someone to be feared? Do others know?

ah idk. like most intimidating to least intimidating is

- mitsue

- violet

- charlie

- amaryllis

- star

- pax

but the danger level, idk none of them are really dangerous. most dangerous are probably charlie, star and violet cuz they actually know how to fight/defend themselves.

[swanimagines]

jenni!! congrats on 2k 💕 i’m so happy for you!!

for 💞: my name’s lee ella, but you can call me leela :) i use the pronouns she/her. i’m only 5’5, but i like to wear big shoes to make up for it platform docs are *chef’s kiss*. my hair’s dark brown and curly and reaches just below my shoulders. i cut it to my chin this summer, but now i’m trying to grow it out (i’m going for a 90s era helena bonham-carter vibe). i honestly could not tell you what color my eyes are even if i tried lol. they’re kinda bluish-greenish most of the time, but sometimes they look grey?? i’ve noticed them being more grey lately so idk what’s going on- anyway, i’m pale and on the skinnier side, and with that and the dark circles under my eyes, i could pass as a tim burton character. at this point, i’ve kinda just embraced it by wearing dark eyeliner on top of the circles because if i’m gonna look tired, might as well make it ✨aesthetic✨. i don’t have any particular style that i stick to in terms of clothes. one day, i’ll have on a grandpa sweater and mom jeans, and the next i’ll be wearing all black. it all depends on my mood that morning, and if i’m really not feeling it, i’ll just wear sweats. i’m an isfp slytherin and an enneagram type 6. for the most part, my personality is an open book. you can almost always tell what i’m thinking based on my face, whether it’s anger or excitement. i’m only ever serious when i’m mad about something; any other time, i’m all jokes and sarcasm. almost all of my emotions are felt to the extreme. when i’m happy, i’m excitable and chaotic, ready to drag my friends out for a laughter-filled adventure. when i’m sad, i shut myself away from people, distancing myself and retreating into my head, where i can overthink everything and make the whole situation worse. i shut myself away when i’m angry, too, so i can have time to cool down and not lash out at someone that doesn’t deserve it and to distract myself until i’ve moved on. despite how quickly i make friends, my social battery gets drained pretty quickly, and i tend to spend more time alone than i do with others. i can be perfectionistic at times, making finishing projects harder than they need to be, and on top of that, i’m a horrible procrastinator. i think my focus plays a lot into that, because i’m either all-in to the point time is irrelevant and i accidentally skip a meal or not at all. i’m one of the oldest people in my friend group, so i can be protective of them, but not necessarily in a motherly way, more of a slightly intimidating older sister kind of way. it hasn’t happened yet, but i’m not above decking a creep in the name of friendship. aside from writing, i like to draw, act, watch movies, daydream, skate, and be a general menace, including, but not limited to, waking my dog from a deep sleep to cuddle, eating the food my mom’s trying to cook/bake with when she’s not looking, constantly popping my joints, and accidentally sending the same meme to people several times in a row bc i didn’t think it went through the first time listen to music. there’s a long list of instruments i’ve told myself i would learn to play but never did, but i have yet to try bass guitar, so maybe one day, that’ll be the one. speaking of my dog, his name is bowie and he’s my favorite living, breathing creature on the whole planet, even if he does get his blonde fur all over my black hoodies- on the flip side, spiders and clowns are my least favorite living, breathing creatures on the whole planet. i think i’m invincible until i see a spider on my bedroom floor and then it’s game over. i also can’t stand anything to do with math 🤢 i can’t sleep without some kind of stuffed animal on the bed and have oddly vivid dreams that are usually really funny. as far as the type of ship, i like both drabbles and headcanons, so just do whichever you’d prefer! i’ve been thinking a lot about little women lately, so of course my laurie laurence obsession has come back, so i’d like to be shipped with him. thank you so muchl!! <3

Aaaahhh so glad to see other people not being able to sleep without their stuffed toy, I mean irl people look at me weird or laugh at me almost every time I tell them of my beloved Dami.

The beach day with the Marchs and Laurie was just what Leela needed from her day. She and Amy were sitting there side by side, sketching. Amy drew the sight what she saw - her sisters playing in the water, but Leela was sketching Laurie. She almost did it unconsiously, until she heard Amy giggle from beside her.

"What?" she surely had a flushed face and she pulled the sketchboard against her chest protectively, which gave it away that she exactly knew what Amy had seen, but she still tried to save the situation.

Amy looked at her face, a smirk playing on her lips. "I knew you like Laurie."

Leela's blush grew even deeper, "No I don't!"

"Yes you do," Amy giggled again, "And it's so cute. You're drawing him and dreamily staring at him all the time. I know it, Jo knows it, Meg knows it, everyone knows it."

"That is not true! He's too fancy for me, I don't like the kind of parties what he hosts, too many snobby people." Leela said, trying to defend herself. But she couldn't deny the fact that she was doing exactly that, she'd know how to draw him even without a reference from how much she had stared at him.

Amy narrowed her eyes and cocked her head, still smirking. "Oh? You've never told me you don't like being there. Strange how you still always come along when I invite you if you don't like it. Or then you come along purely because of him..."

"That's different," Leela snapped back, "you're my friend, and Laurie is... a friend too."

"But you wish he would be your boyfriend, right?" Amy smiled as she said that, making Leela's face go bright red again. "Oh trust me, he likes you too. It's obvious, and he's going just as red as you are right now when I point it out. You should have seen his face when I invited you here today."

Leela blushed harder and Amy continued, "So you can stop lying to yourself and just approach him, see what happens."

Leela sighed, standing up. "It's not that easy."

"Why not?" Amy asked, looking up at her.

"Because I'm scared of what might happen. If he gets annoyed with me or thinks I'm a weird-"

"You're afraid of rejection? That's ridiculous! You think he'll reject you? You really are a little silly sometimes, Leela. You act like he's some big scary monster."

"I know that!" Leela said quietly, "He's just a nice guy who doesn't want anything more than friendship. He's not interested in girls like me."

Amy sighed, standing up as well. "Well, I think you should still give it a try."

Suddenly Leela felt a lick on her hand and she looked down. It seemed like Meg had finished in throwing ball with him, and Bowie seemed to sense what Leela and Amy had just been talking about as he turned his face to Laurie, wagging his tail.

"Oh, not you too." Leela murmured.

Laurie came over to them, giving Bowie a pat. "Hey, are you doing okay here?"

"Yes," Amy replied, "But Leela wants to ask you something."

Leela gave Amy a death glare, but Laurie didn't seem to notice it. Amy left the scene and Leela slowly turned to look at Laurie. She knew it was a huge risk for their friendship, but she also knew that Amy was right - she'd have to ask at some point before Laurie would find someone else.

"Um... I was wondering if uh, you'd like to spend time with me. Just you and me."

Laurie raised an eyebrow, "Just us?"

"Yeah. Well, I mean, we could go to a walk."

Laurie was quiet for a second, just enough for Leela starting to panic. But then he started to smile. "Sure, sounds good. Would tomorrow be okay for you?" Leela nodded with a wide smile and he smiled back, "Great, I'll pick you up at noon?"

"Noon. Okay. That's fine." she smiled, biting her lip and the boy nodded, smiling at her one last time before turning back to the beach, Bowie running after him with his ball. Laurie chuckled and began to throw it for him, and Leela sat back down with her sketch board, continuing her drawing of Laurie with a whole new feeling, motivation, racing heart and a tingle in her stomach.

Tomorrow was going to be the best day ever.

[ricky-rawrasaurus-rex]

Hello there! @thesadboisguidetolife tagged me in another one of these so here I am again! Apparently it’s 20 questions w/ 20 mutuals and I don’t know if I have that many but I’ll see what I can do!

Name: Ricky

Pronouns: He and him

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Height: the official consensus is now 6’0”

Time: currently it’s 11:54pm on a Thursday which I’m thankful for because the weather finally decided to cool down a bit

Birthday: May 8th

Nationality: Mexican-American

Fave bands/groups: Music kind of questions are kinda tough for me because I like sooooooo many (especially because I’m more someone with favorite songs as opposed to favorite artists I think) but off the top of my head- Paramore, Panic! At The Disco, Pierce the Veil, Mayday Parade, The Academy Is..., Waterparks, The Dresden Dolls, With Confidence, Fall Out Boy, Florence + The Machine, Sleeping With Sirens, No Doubt, MUNA. Note: weirdly enough the majority of these are from when I was younger and I’m not sure why I don’t really listen to like bands now as an adult

Fave solo artists: SZA, Beyoncé, Lizzo, Mitski, Adele, Amy Winehouse, Rina Sawayama, Janelle Monae, FKA Twigs, Ryn Weaver, Lana Del Rey, Lauryn Hill, Patsy Cline, Aretha Franklin, Mary Wells, Halsey, Willow Smith, and I’m sure there are plenty others I can’t recall at the moment

When you made your blog: oof hell if I know. I think it’s pretty old though? Like maybe 8 years or so? That’s just a guesstimate, I could be totally wrong though but I feel like I first joined this site at like 17ish.

Why you chose your URL: I’m horrible at making like usernames for anything whether it be social media or like video game tags, etc. but at the time I wanted something unique that included my name and it just sounded neat to me at the time. Also I think it was the only one available that I had wanted haha

Last show you binged: So in the last ask game I got tagged in that asked this question, I said it was Yasuke on Netflix but I’m not sure if it counts really because although I watched it in one sitting, it was rather short overall so I’m gonna go with season 4 of Infinity Train, which is a great animated show so if you like cartoons or would like to watch a really cool one then I highly recommend it

Following count: no clue and I’m too lazy to check haha

Follower count: same as above and think the majority of them are bots, like I’m pretty sure the majority of them are bots

Average sleep hours: hmm I wanna say it’s pretty much usually around 6-8 give or take if not less. Due to my sleep schedule being all out of whack since last year, I usually stay up until 4-5am and then wake up at around 12-1pm

Other/side blogs: so I won’t mention their names but I did have a couple. I know I had one that was dedicated to like neon pictures since I think like neon tech, signs, etc. are really cool and nice to look at. I also had one that was dedicated to like poetry and music lyrics I liked that I would then edit into “aesthetic posts.” And the last one I had was a NSFW blog. It was kinda hard trying to manage all of them and I would get confused sometimes about which one I was logged onto which then would result in some reblogging and posting of content that didn’t fit haha so eventually I kinda just only became active on my personal blog but who knows, maybe I’ll revive them especially because I kinda want an art blog but we’ll see. For now I’m okay with just having this and my NSFW-ish Twitter haha

Last thing you googled: reference photos for drawing because I’m trying to work on this piece for MerMay and I cannot draw bodies off the top of my head haha

Lucky number: hmm I wanna say 3 if not 5

Currently wearing: this black button up with like a neon sunset and palm tree and some pink shorts. I know clothes are just clothes but sometimes I wanna wear stuff that says “not straight” and I think this counts, I’ll add a pic of it at the bottom although keep in mind I’m tired and in need of a haircut haha

Instrument: Piano, barely some guitar, and even less some ukulele. I took classes in the first two and even did like a year or so of choir as a bass but the only one I kept up with really was piano and some singing for like fun. I can’t read sheet music to save my life though but I’m good at following YouTube tutorials haha

Dream trip: answered this one before which was pretty much Japan or a cross country road trip somewhere by car or train. The other trip that sounds nice right now is like maybe a good week away in a cottage or cabin near a body of water. Idk just some place with some quiet and a really nice view

Fave food: ooooooh I can’t just pick one so instead I’ll mention like a favorite food type I enjoy so like anything bite sized is really nice I think so like sushi, dumplings, chicken nuggets, etc. are all pretty great

Fave song: ughhhh yeah I like way too many but one of my faves of all time that come to mind is “The Origin of Love” from Hedwig and the Angry Inch because aside from being just really beautiful in my opinion, it really builds as it goes on (which I enjoy) and the lyrics are really great and I love how its built around a creation myth. Other songs that come to mind as being favorites are “A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell, “Song to the Siren” by This Mortal Coil, and “No Me Queda Mas” by Selena. As you can tell, I’m kind of a sucker for love songs haha

Top three fictional universes: The Last Airbender (I’d probably live somewhere in the Earth Kingdom), Steven Universe (Beach City is pretty and Little Homeworld looks cool), and BioShock (Rapture and Columbia seem pretty neat and would’ve probably succeeded as societies were they not led by white men, js)

Thanks for tagging me again @thesadboisguidetolife since this was also fun! I think I’m just gonna tag the same people (sorry if I’m bugging you with these!) from last time since I don’t think I have that many mutuals so apologies and definitely no pressure and no rush to participate!

@kaminaepicwin @songswordsfeathersbirds @vidibit @mrbearloover @midians-world @psyrinn @legendaryherooftime @mainbstaysgold @directlyindirect @traviskduran

[jellyfishdoodler]

Ladies and Gentlemen and all the beautiful people outside and between, it’s my honor to present to you the new barbershop troop of the Ego Universe:

The Septic Quintet!

I have fought with myself for like 2 weeks on this drawing but I’m SO happy with the results!! I hope you guys like it to! ^^

Bonus: Transparent polaroid version, playlist of songs that inspired me while working, and some headcanons/ drabbles under the cut! :D

Playlist of Barbershop/ songs that inspired me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gADlgxrnAdQ&list=PLQvnEz4p9_4d23rgrqkBGYxsW3nI1TvBj

*cracks knuckles* Here we go! (I talked about these headcanons a lot with the awesome @owletry and @pistachio-lan so I can’t take all the credit for all these. Thanks for putting up with my bullshit guys lmao)

Everyone’s parts (highest to lowest): Marvin as first tenor, Chase as second tenor (and lead of the group), Schneep as baritone, and Jackie as bass.

Schneep and Jackie are able to trade parts quite easily but they prefer where they are in the group.

While Jameson can’t *sing* with the group, he still is an important member! He not only acts as like a director for the boys, he also plays accompanying instruments like the ukulele, trumpet (yes Sean’s blue trumpet specifically), and sometimes kazoo if they’re singing more of a joke song for fun. He also whistles tunes when it’s called for!

And before every show/ performance they ask the audience if there’s any deaf folks in the crowd. If there is, Jameson perks up happily and sets aside his instruments and instead signs for those who need it.

Since it’s these dudes, I can’t imagine them being a totally serious barbershop quartet/ quintet- so their style is heavily influenced by comedy and the group “The Newfangled Four” (there’s a few of their songs on the playlist and they’re EXACTLY how I picture the egos are like on stage. Especially with Chase and Jackie beat-boxing like in TNF’s Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Schneep nudges them and they get back into their regular positions for at least a moment before moving to the next bit)

Schneep pretends to TRY and keep the others under control but in reality it’s just for the bit and he’s having a lot of fun being up there with them.

Jackie and Marvin have an on-going bit of where they go back and fourth about who’s the better singer of the group and often have mini sing-offs (they usually sing “Anything You Can Do” from Annie Go Get Your Gun and it’s a crowd favorite). Chase is egging them on and keeping the audience engaged while Schneep rolls his eyes and pretends to be all like, “MUST you two do this EVERY time?” It’s all in good fun tho.

Not only does JJ play instruments and act as a sort of director for the others, he also runs a lot of the VISUAL gags and hands out props to the others when it’s required. Also he put on big reactions to what they’re singing to try and have the audience do the same (like laughing, booing, cheering, and just over-all getting them involved while the boys sing).

The whole barbershop thing was Chase’s idea and it came out on a whim while the five of them were all drinking together one night. They were all messing around singing random songs and bar shanties together and Chase noticed, “Oh damn we actually sound good?? Dudes, let’s make a band.” And after a lot of research and a some more (sober) practice they all decided, “Oh hell yeah, this is gonna be cool.”

They started out just going out and singing in bars/ on the streets spontaneously (after JJ helps start with a pitch pipe). It always drew a crowd and turned heads and it was awesome! And eventually they started getting invited to events and parties to perform for.

Anti isn’t in the group for a few reasons. 1) He’s an asshole. 2) Can’t sing worth SHIT (sounds super auto-tuned lmao). 3) He thinks the whole idea is stupid and he fuckin’ hates their dorky-ass outfits. (Marvin: “I’m not a fan either, but at least I make it look good.”)

But since they got an extra outfit/ hat they use what would have been Anti’s hat as a tip jar. But being the ass that he is, Anti would claim the money was his. “It’s my hat, so it should be my cash.” (Chase: “... Bitch?”) 

Chase and Henrik’s favorite song to sing (about Anti) while JJ plays the ukulele aggressively is “No More ... To Give” by Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq. It’s just.. so perfect. And animation worth... Hm.

Smol angst/ fluff time! :D Song

It gets hard sometimes, yaknow? Some nights Chase’s depression gets the best of him so he just mopes in the kitchen drinking in his sweatpants. The others find him and share some sad looks before Jameson gets an idea. He casually saunters over with his hands behind his back while whistling a tune that they all recognize with silent snickers and grins. Chase perks up at Jameon’s whistling and the other’s singing, starting the first song they ever learned as a group. Marvin taking the lead to start with Jackie and Schneep joining vocals soon after, “Whenever life gets you down, keeps you wearing a frown, and the gravy train has left you behind. And when you’re all out of hope, down at the end of your rope, and nobody’s there to throw you a line...”

They all pause and look to Chase with hopeful expressions and the father shakes his head with a grin and continues the song, “If you ever get so low that you don’t know which way to go, come on and take a walk in my shoes. Never worry about a thing, got the world on a string ‘cause I got the cure for all of my blues~”

“All of his blues~” They all sing in soft harmony for a moment, crowding around Chase in a sort of hug before taking a breath in unison and singing as a group, holding back their laughs to try and make it through the first part, “I take a look at my enormous penis~!”

“And my troubles start-a melting away~”

They found this song when first getting into barbershop and it never failed to make them all burst into laughter by the end of it. Singing it together always cheered them up almost instantly because of how ridiculous and silly it was. Yes it may have been a little immature, but c’mon! It’s a good song and they sound DAMN good singing it together. They never sang this one in public, of course- unless it was requested at a bar or something- so they keep it more to themselves as an inside joke and therapy song that always pulls out a giggle from them

And I think that’s everything! If you read through all that.. wowie. XD I’m sorry? I’ve just been really into this idea while working on it and I really wanna draw all of the ideas but I’m so lazy/ fleeting motivation idk if I’ll ever get around to it ^^;; But if you have any ideas/ headcanons for this dumb idea of mine, please share!! I’d love an excuse to gush more about these musical bois lmao

If you got to this point put a “:d” in the tags so I know how crazy you fuckin are lol

[rexcaliburechoes]

You know that game idea I was kicking around for a bit? And I ended up writing like. A bunch of paragraphs for it? Yeah, that one.

Well, I made some mock designs for it.

As it goes, I know 0 about character design and I am not very good at posing and proportions, as well as the fact that this is all a WIP and will probably never go anywhere. Good? Good.

Warning, this is pretty damn long because I discuss some potential character interactions and the designs because I need to talk about it lmao (obligatory readmore because I talk too much lmao)

Viola

Viola’s the odd one out of the three because I he just kind of popped into my brain one day and I went “sure let’s roll with that” simply because I was throwing around ideas for the rest of the String Quartet as it were (Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass). The other two I sat myself down and said “I’m doing this today okay” and then I did it but he’s weird because he just naturally occurred as it were. 

I’ve imagined him as something of a moody teen. He’s also kind of defensive and prickly and a bit angsty. He’s sweet under that outer shell of thorns, though. He has something of a inferiority complex to Violin, since as far as I am aware, violas don’t usually get solos in classical orchestra (though I could be 100% wrong and I’m admitting that bc I don’t remember much of symphony orchestra. Actually I remember a lot of symphony, but not enough, sadly).

Violin teases him a lot, but she makes it known that she doesn’t mean any of the joking barbs she throws at Viola. She knows he’s important in his own right, but still the jokes can hurt, so he’s distant from her. He wants the spotlight too, but he’s also a little afraid of it because what if he makes himself a laughingstock when he finally gets his solo? Poor thing.

Design-wise, I think he’d wear probably a dark red hoodie with white trim, or something. Idk. Yes, he wears skinny jeans (in black, probably), and no, I don’t know why I drew him with cuffed pant legs. He’s a Converse kind of guy, I think, and his hair is is a bleach blond. No clue if his hair has any other color in it.

He doesn’t wear his hood up all the time though. When he’s particularly moody, he’ll probably pull it over his head (I imagine his default sprite is him with his hood up because I think he won’t be that open to the player just yet) and close the strings, but otherwise, his hood is up enough because he wants to or it’s down because he wants to.

Imagine though, if the player gets enough “bond points” with him, his default will change to him having his hood down because he’s more comfy with the player, in general (and maybe the player like seeing his face idk) and that’s a barrier broken. Imagine Viola being a cuddlebug with the player because they’re so warm and it feels nice to be around them. Imagine Viola smiling more instead of looking grumpy. Imagine Viola finally opening up and learning that he is worthy of being a string instrument and he is loved and cherished for who he is and that he doesn’t need to be better than Violin to have worth because he is is own person, and that’s what matters.

Imagine him mending fences with Violin in a sidequest. Violin stops teasing him so much (but since she’s like a sister to him, of course she’s going to annoy him- it’s what siblings do) and Viola being more open to her and showing her that warmth he too has.

Gameplay-wise, since he’s a member of the Strings family, he would have a higher ATK stat with lower DEF and HP as a tradeoff. However, he’s more beefy than Violin, who probably is The Glass Tank to the entire String family. Maybe Stradivarius is the Most Glass Tankiest out of all of the Strings. I dunno.

Guitar

Okay, so I’m not gonna lie, Guitar is my favorite design out of the three here. I don’t know if I wanted him to be bishounen or ikemen but since I can’t draw ikemen at freaking all, I went the bishounen route. but I think he’s still more handsome than pretty, so maybe he’s already ikemen?

So, I imagine Guitar as more of a mellow guy. He’s nice, maybe unremarkable, but that’s what’s great about him. He’s definitely handsome though, and he knows it. He’s most definitely a flirt. He takes pride in his appearance, but isn’t vain. Out of the Guitar brothers, he’s probably the most “chill” one. He’s also “cool” because… yknow. Guitars are cool. I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t really didn’t know what else to put for his character, so I might add or change things as I see fit in the future.

Design-wise, I wanted him to be pretty. In fact, the first thing I had in my mind was a white button-down and a vest. What I did not foresee, however, was how much of a pain in the ass drawing a collar was. I forgot how much I hated drawing collared men’s shirts lol. I actually wanted one side to be untucked, giving him like… a roguish?? Sexy??? Vibe. But I decided against it because it didn’t look good At All.

The vest was also a “should I or should I not” thing. Maybe it was because I really liked how I drew the shirt. i was worried that he’d look too formal, but I don’t think he looks too formal after it was finished. The coat slung over his shoulder was a “cool” booster lol. He never wears it, just like he’ll never button the top button of his shirt.

His color palate would probably be tans. White shirt, tan vest. Probably black pants, and the jacket is a wildcard. No clue what color it would be. His hair is probably a sandy brown and shiny. It looks very soft and it very much is. Most of the guitar players I see have long hair and/or a beard, so maybe he’ll have a little stubble? Dunno.

Imagine the player getting enough “bond points” with Guitar and him actually meaning what he says because initially he wanted to tease the player a bit or that was just a way he jokes around but now… he cares for their well-being deeply. Imagine Guitar being goofy and an utter prankster like his brother Electric Guitar. Imagine him being a bad influence to the younger/more impressionable instruments and getting all of them in trouble with the player because he too is cheery and bright but he’s just more well known for being mellow and romantic and smooth and he just keeps up with that image because he’s worried that others view him as strange or they would abandon him because he’s a popular hobby instrument but sometimes hobbies don’t pan out well and he’s been left in some attic alone and unplayed and abandoned only to be sold again to another person.

Imagine him worrying over his brothers because they’re doing something dumb and he has to bail them out. Imagine in a sidequest, he loses his cool and goes absolutely feral because his brothers are in mortal danger when he initially had more of a distant relationship to them.

Gameplay-wise, I imagine him to be a little more like the Brass family (of which I have yet to actually do anything for)- more beef in exchange for ATK. But since he’s from the Strings, he naturally has higher ATK and has more skills associated with the Strings family.

Violin

Okay. I have played violin for over 7 years guys. I haven’t played in an orchestra for a while though so my inf might be outdated or something because I’ve not been in an orchestral environment for two years.

So I’ve imagined Violin to be something of a drama queen? That’s too strong of a word for it, but I can’t think of anything else. Dramatic, perhaps, suits her better. She’s certainly formal and definitely haughty and “cultured” but she’s as cultured my file directory (aka not at all). Well, that’s a lie. She certainly has class. She likes attention but she’s not an attention whore and also she doesn’t have that much of an ego.  She takes her job very seriously, too, and is a perfectionist. Perhaps she’s more like Viola than she lets on…

She appreciates the “little guy” as it were and is not one of those “ohime-sama” characters. Yes, there’s a stylistic difference between a fiddle and a violin (bluegrass/country vs classical and jazz), but in the body and neck of the actual instrument, as well as the range, there is very little to no difference. The main differences are the strings (fiddles typically use steel strings for a brighter sound compared to violins which use synthetic or traditional gut strings) and the bridge (flatter for string crossing/chords and rounded for single note playing).

I’m getting ahead of myself. I imagine Violin parties hard in addition to simply being all wound up and “classy”. Like, she’s probably the one doing karaoke and shots and in general being Wild while also being her typical Responsible, Classic, Dramatic self. She’s also quite sweet and is a hopeless romantic, but she has something of a short fuse and can get really scary when she wants to be. She’s probably Disaster Bi.

Design-wise, my first thought was concert blacks. Seriously. Whenever you hear “violin”, please tell me that you, too, hear someone in an elegant black dress, absurdly beautiful and pristine? Just me? Okay. She has beautiful brown hair that’s wavy and silky and soft and maybe it’s magic but it changes color slightly in the light when you see it at a different angle.

Imagine the player getting enough “bond points” with her and she finally starts to let her hair down. Imagine she invites the player to a karaoke bar or simply to a small party/gathering she and a few other instruments have planned because she wants to have fun. Imagine she sets up a drinking game that includes Spin The Bottle or 7 Minutes In Heaven or something because she can be fun and she’s not just uptight and known for being for the nobility. Maybe she’s insecure about how others see her because she’s been seen always as a tightly wound person and she too can have fun and be wild and free and happy and not a stick in the mud. Maybe she’s a perfectionist because that’s what’s been drilled into her from her creation because she’s usually a sign of nobility and nobles have to be perfect and she must be perfect to charm crowds of people and she’s only beautiful because she’s perfect but she’s beautiful even with her imperfections and her quirks and she doesn’t need to be Wild to prove that she can be fun and that’s okay.

Imagine her and Viola making up in a sidequest. She knows that she teases him and pokes fun at him a lot but she really doesn’t mean it. She knows that he’s an important instrument in orchestras and she tells him that yes he is needed and is important and yes, she’ll stop poking fun at him because she realises that her comments actually do hurt and she doesn’t want him to feel unloved. But she’ll still annoy him because that’s what big sisters do but she’ll stay away from those kinds of jokes because she doesn’t mean it and it’s mean so she’ll stop.

Gameplay-wise, she’s definitely on the more glass canon side of things. She has excellent ATK, but her DEF and HP are kinda… shit. I’d pair her with other String instruments that have higher DEF and HP to help balance out her flaws or even put her on a team with Percussion or Brass or even have her with a Woodwind to help with healing and she’ll do the damage necessary.

[revol-lover]

dreams don’t end at “30″

so i just had a little breakthrough and maybe this wont sound like anything to anyone else but i just have to share it

so i’ve talked about this before. about how my friend and i were both planning these personal development like goals for this year that covid got in the way of. and he said something, about how this is his last year in his 20s and he wanted to get some goals accomplished before 30 

and i thought about that and realized something.

i have been feeling similarly about a few goals that i’ve been hanging onto for years and years. like i’m going to be honest with you, some people might remember this if you’ve been around here for a long time but probably not. anyway when i was in high school i really wanted to make music, sing, learn an instrument. and i did make some covers that i posted on myspace (showing my age here lol) and youtube but then i kind of gave up on it when

 1) became 18 and realized my dream to go to NYC and pursue music when i was 18 wasn’t happening because of a million reasons (it was very much a pipe dream, right? i mean you can’t have that dream and not prepare for it and i didnt. also i was too scared at the time to even move out to my own place if i had the funds to do so because my parents wouldnt have really approved and i was still so under their thumb) 

2) broke up with my musician boyfriend. which needed to happen. but he was the only person super passionate about that kind of goal at the time around me (till he ran lol)  and he actually is still doing music now so good for him but basically 

because of those 2 reasons i just let go of that dream all together as something i thought i wanted to do but was “unrealistic”.

but the thing about turning 30 and feelings like you needed to achieve all these personal/dreamy/goals in your 20s. what is that bullshit? why? 

what changes when you cross over to 30? i’ll tell you one thing. media pushes movies, books, films, everything about people chasing their dreams in their 20s and “settling” down in their 30s. where’s my inspiring movie about the 32 year old mom who finally wrote a song and performed it live after being terrified her whole life of doing so?

 think about it though

in your 30s you. *might* have a better paying job than you did in your 20s. which means, if you can manage to find time or a way for it, you *might* be able to save a little more money or afford to do something like, buy that guitar and guitar lessons in order to learn to play and write a song and live out your dream in some way, even if its just learning to play so you can play at an open mic. and maybe you’ll like that and you’ll somehow connect with likeminded people and form a band. idk. your dreams dont have to end in your 20s. 

you dont have to fall into the trap of your 20s are for your dreams that are so big you feel like the chance of achieving them is getting struck by lightening

and then your 30s are for fancy adult goals like buying a house, and going on a $10k vacation and those things are probably just as hard as the goals you had in your 20s but the world wont make you see it that way. its seen as “selfish” to prioritize and budget for your artistic goals - but not a house. no that’s responsible and what you “should” do. but its ok to prioritize something that’s going to give your soul fulfillment too! we need to believe that! because it’s true. we are not here just to work our jobs and live mundane colorless lives once we aren’t considered “young” anymore (but 30s are still young. not what i’m saying)

 you’re always going to be chasing something big and if you let the world control what that thing is you’re always going to be on some rat race. 

it’s fine if you achieve your goals in a different order than the world says you were supposed to. i got married young and had a child young, that was how my life played out and i’m happy with that because, yes, finding love and becoming a mother very much were goals of mine.

yes i dropped out of college because i couldn’t afford it and i couldnt find a major that felt worth being in debt for. and also, because hey guess what? contrary to what a lot of people will try to lead you to believe, college is not for everyone. and college does not = success. college drop out does not = failure. it’s just an option of something you could do with your life. AND if you didn’t go to your college in your 20s it doesnt mean you can’t in your 30s. or 50s. hell my husband, who did go to college saw elderly (think, 80s!) people going to his college as students! college isn’t just for 18 year olds fresh out of high school. 

My 27th birthday is in 2 weeks and no, i have not yet to worked up the courage to write an original song from words to music, or have the courage to get on a stage and sing anything, or talk to a stranger, or publish any of my writing or art, goals i’ve had whirling around in my brain since I was 18, but, it’s going to happen. maybe this year. maybe when i’m 35, but it’s going to happen. a number is not going to be the thing holding me back.

that whole mentality of “my youth is slipping away i need to achieve all these dreams before midnight the day of my 30th birthday” is so stupid and flawed and we all deserve to see ourselves, and our individual potential as more than that. 

last part of this rant - one of the reason i even became so passionate about reignighting some of my dusty, old goals, that it turned out, i still cared about, is because i had a moment where i was like

ok i am a mom. i am someones mom. how will my daughter see me, as a person, not just her mom? 

kevin and i always talk about how between the two of us we’ve both had a lot of quintessential young adult experiences that we look forward to sharing with her. like, quitting jobs, getting in car accidents, that one time i unknowingly participated in an illegal bonfire and ran from the cops then lied straight to their faces and somehow got away with it (literally my ONE act of teen rebellion), changing college majors like 3 years in (kevin), failed classes, tried cigarettes, etc like i’m ready, and hope that one day she will feel comfortable talking to us about things because we’ve been through things and have a lot of input and two different perspectives to offer

but further than that, i realized that i want her to know that her mom is a person too. i want her to know that mom is also passionate about writing, and music, and somehow tackled some of her goals in regards to that so that SHE can feel that SHE, too can do those things. and i know that, that is in part how it works 

because,

my dad IS an artist. my dad IS a musician. yall. my dad is SO talented.  my dad is brilliant. besides his artistic abilities which include, drawing literal realistic as fuck portraits, sculpting, painting, playing guitar, bass, piano, mandolin, he also knows music composition, etc etc etc beyond all of that, he also taught himself fucking PLUMBING and ELECTRICIAN SHIT to fix things in our house growing up. like he bought a book. and taught himself. my dad. i grew up thinking that was normal but i realized not everyones dad can just tear down the bathroom and rebuild it from scratch down to the plumbing without being a licensed professional.

but anyway the point is - as talented as my dad is, he doesnt really pursue his artistic dreams much. and its sad. i’m glad that i’ve seen some of the work he did when he was younger. i’m glad that if i bring it up, he’ll show me something he can do. but he doesnt pursue it anymore really. my dad works an exhausting physical labor job but even he, as a 50something year old has fallen into that trap of like, i dont have time to draw, but he will scroll his phone and read articles for hours and i’m not shaming him. i’m just saying we all have this problem in the modern era of technology and social media and what not (hell i am writing a post on tumblr instead of my book right now).

but if timing was different and my dad grew up in a different time, where lets say something distracted him from doing the little bit of art and music that he did when i was a kid that i was able to witness, if i hadnt seen that. i wouldnt know that.. in a way.. that’s in me. i mean, he’s my dad. if my dad could pick up a craft and work at it to be good at it, why can’t i? there are so many musicians and (kind unrelated but not rly - i think being “self made” is an art) business owners in my family. there’s either some common thread in our genetics ORRRRRRRRRR just growing up around people working at and succeeding at those kinds of goals shows you that it CAN be done so you’re more likely to believe in your abilities

and i want that for my daughter. because even as an almost 3 year old i can see that she has a gift for music, and reading. and even if i’m wrong about that and she grows up wanting to do some other thing as a job or hobby, i want her to know, by seeing her mom do it, that she can achieve anything she puts her heart to. you don’t have to box yourself in because of your age or your sex or the fact that you’re a parent. 

and your dream doesnt have to become your career. it can be a hobby and still be fulfilling. like yes, 18 year old me dreamed about some life in nyc singing in clubs or bars or whatever and being ~famous (lol) and that did not happen, but i can still get out there and play open mic downtown and get that love of music, and desire to face my fear of performing out of my system. maybe i’ll love it. maybe i’ll hate it. but i’ll have done it. and that’s the ultimate goal. 

sorry i went off but i had to get that out of my system and i’m very passionate about 

[michaelmilkers]

I saw in one of your tags that you mentioned how 21 pilots made emo pretentious and im actually curious about why you say that (not hate i just never knew about them that much)

my friend you have asked me about a topic i am very knowledgeable and very angry about so prepare yourself for what you have wrought

it isnt just twenty one pilots but theyre just the biggest and most popular example

like. take my chemical romance in the early-mid 2000s aka the peak of emo. it was very melodramatic and theatrical, the way emo should be. there was a presence of “we are not like other people” in a lot of the songs, but it was never just that. it was more of a “we have been cast out and we kinda suck but thats okay.” one of the best examples of this is, ironically, i’m not okay.

take, for example, the opening to the mtv music video:

[Ray] You like D&D, Audrey Hepburn, Fangoria, Harry Houdini and croquet. You can't swim, you can't dance and you don't know karate. Face it, you're never gonna make it. [Gerard] I don't wanna make it, I just wanna...

this immediately establishes the song as being about social outcasts and people who dont fit the mold. the fucking tag line of the song is “i’m not okay” ffs, that really tells you all you need to know about the song. but the important thing is it doesnt take itself too seriously either. the music video takes place in a private school, and shows scenes of the band members eating lunch alone, being bullied by jocks and preps, etc., but it ALSO shows scenes of frank putting swim goggles on in chemistry class and ray drawing on his test with a crayon and then licking it, and at the end they all ambush and beat the shit out of a guy in a mascot costume. all of this is cut up by text saying things like “if you ever felt alone” “if you ever felt wronged” “if you ever felt anxious”

do you see the juxtaposition here? the music video could very very easily be a fake deep bullying psa, but its not, because while theyre getting bullied and playing their music in a garage they are also, unequivocally, total fucking losers for obvious comedic effect. it is a very exaggerated and lighthearted version of real phenomena, which makes it more relatable to a wider audience.

the same can be said about the song itself. it has some pretty heavy and angsty lyrics (”i’m not o-fucking-kay”) but the instrumentals are punchy and energetic and catchy and gerard’s vocal delivery is very theatrical but also very deliberate and he still puts real emotion in the words. it sounds like its taking the piss out of not being okay, which is exactly what i as a clinically depressed 13 year old needed, and i bet a lot of other people can say the same. i’m a loser and thats okay. i fucking suck in school and thats okay. i feel shitty and thats okay. i’m not okay and that, in itself, is okay.

with twenty one pilots, on the other hand, there is no theatrics, theres no taking the piss, theres no over-the-top melodrama that made emo what it was. 

take, for comparison, the opening lines of heathens:

All my friends are heathens, take it slow Wait for them to ask you who you know Please don't make any sudden moves You don't know the half of the abuse

and this presents, immediately, one of my biggest criticisms of twenty one pilots: their rampant appropriation of mental illness.

because my first thought when hearing this is as an abuse survivor and someone with ptsd they can kiss every single square inch of my ass.

Welcome to the room of people Who have rooms of people that they loved one day Docked away Just because we check the guns at the door Doesn't mean our brains will change from hand grenades You're loving on the psychopath sitting next to you You're loving on the murderer sitting next to you You'll think, "How'd I get here, sitting next to you?"

they try to do the same kind of nuanced poetic lyrics that my chemical romance did and in my opinion is just doesnt fucking work because they take themselves SO. FUCKING. SERIOUSLY. it sounds JOYLESS. 

and the song closes out with this:

Why'd you come? You knew you should have stayed (It's blasphemy) I tried to warn you just to stay away (Away) And now they're outside ready to bust (To bust) It looks like you might be one of us

this is what i mean by pretentious. there is a clear separation of the person/people from whose point of view the song is told and the people the song is meant to be listened to by from the greater population, but theres no high energy or comedic self deprecation to counteract it. 

now take some lyrics from heavydirtysoul, a song i actually really like the sound of, im not just shitting on this band bc its not to my taste yall:

There's an infestation in my mind's imagination I hope that they choke on smoke 'cause I'm smoking them out the basement This is not rap, this is not hip-hop Just another attempt to make the voices stop

Nah, I didn't understand a thing you said If I didn't know better I'd guess you're all already dead Mindless zombies walking around with a limp and a hunch Saying stuff like, "You only live once." You've got one time to figure it out One time to twist and one time to shout One time to think and I say we start now Sing it with me if you know what I'm talking about

right back at it again with that appropriation of mental illness symptoms! and some dumbass critique of our generation that doesnt fit in with the rest of the song at all, closing out the verse with “we are not like you” shit. the vocal delivery at least has more energy than heathens, but the lyrics just feel like a mishmash of different points theyre trying to make that have nothing to do with each other.

the best line of the song is undoubtedly “death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit” but its poetic just... for the sake of being poetic? its one of those lyrics that sounds like someone came up with and was like “bro we gotta put that in a song” but then couldnt actually figure out how to fit it into a song in a way that would flow. another example of this is “i cant drown my demons they know how to swim” in bring me the horizon’s can you feel my heart. not shitting on bring me the horizon, i really like sempiternal, but thats another line thats just poetic for the sake of being poetic. and to be put on t-shirts. i know this because when i was 12 i had a shirt that said “i cant drown my demons they know how to swim” on it.

i could do more analysis on other mcr songs, namely welcome to the black parade and famous last words, but i would be here for literal hours and idk if people actually care that much.

to sum my points up:

they take themselves too seriously. they appropriate and romanticize mental illness (forgot to mention that top’s website, at one time, described their music as “schizoid pop” lol). they pull a lot of “We Are Not Like Other People..,.,.,,...” shit. 

that last point is not inherently a bad thing, for example the new slipknot album is literally called “we are not your kind” but the song that contains that line as a lyric is all out life, and corey taylor is screaming that entire song and the instrumentals are reminiscent of speed metal with how fucking energetic they are. its edgy and its GREAT. twenty one pilots just sounds like they think theyre the shit.

also, and i want you to read the following sentence in a bass boosted voice to best understand how i feel when i say this:

the twenty one pilots cover of cancer is an embarrassment that completely misses the point of the original song and changed it into a weird amalgamation of lo-fi synth pop.

emo music is dead. thank u and goodnight.

[hrker-a]

ANSWER TWENTY - ONE QUESTIONS.

tag twenty - one people you’d like to know better. some questions may be ‘ ??? ’ instead of answered.

NICKNAME :  coffee

REAL NAME :  [ static ]

ZODIAC :  sagittarius

HEIGHT :  1,61 m ( get with the right measuring system )

WHAT TIME IS IT ?  : 11:25 AM

FAVOURITE MUSICIANS / GROUPS :  stop this is impossible . all my friends know i’m a gross nick cave / tom waits fan . i also love gorillaz though haven’t digged their newer stuff . but i listen to a lot a lot a lot of things and have different obsessions over time . right now i’m crazy about rosalía , rico nasty , idles , uhm ... and idk just been listening to a lot of flamenco music recently especially estrella morente . can’t wait to get a new obsession though .

FAVOURITE SPORTS TEAM :  sporting . it’s a portuguese football team . i support it because my family supports it but that’s about it .

OTHER BLOGS :  too many , please don’t hate me . but like @hornscrown / @dinnerhost / @detectiev / @laughshe / @hellhim / @desertio / @hebelieves  i have a lot a lot a lot of accounts and they die as much as they kick back up . i suck .

DO I GET ASKS ?  :  yes sir . got my memes all piled up there .

HOW MANY BLOGS DO I FOLLOW ?  :  i follow 47 blogs on this account .

ANY TUMBLR CRUSHES ?  :  i got them , they know who they are , and the whole dracula family is taking over my heart .

LUCKY NUMBER :  23

WHAT AM I WEARING RIGHT NOW ?  :  shitty black pants , shitty brown shirt , ridiculous oversized hairy slippers .

DREAM VACATION :  i been to a lot of places all over friends . but i really want to go to egypt . and i’d like to do all of north america so i’m free to visit whatever country i like and get expelled from the us for seven years .

DREAM CAR :  anything that looks like a bathtub .

FAVOURITE FOOD :  i love shrimp don’t look at me .

DRINK OF CHOICE :  coffee . and whatever has vodka in it .

LANGUAGES :  portuguese , spanish , english and i pretend to speak french very well .

INSTRUMENTS :  i used to play bass guitar but now i just sing in the shower .

CELEBRITY CRUSHES :  willem dafoe , vicent cassel , saïd taghmaoui , pedro pascal , aubrey plaza , rekha , benjamin clementine , mads mikkelsen , it goes on and on .

RANDOM FACT :  i’m an illustrator / graphic designer and i’m currently drawing one witch a day until the 23rd of january . why ? i don’t know but i should be drawing right now .

TAGGED BY :  @fantomese ❤ TAGGING :  i hope all of these people have been tagged already but @revoide , @movrningbride , @hlmwood , @thrylcs , @wmina , @draculyr , @nezhnosts , @livegance , @hagyak , @cmninocte anyone i’ve forgotten because i’m too dumb to live 

[nosferatyou]

I was tagged by @lazingonsunday and @shes-outta-sight to do one of the long tag, get to know them, type of things. Which I absolutely love by the way. I don’t talk about myself much.

What was the last thing you read?

Well I was editing the latest chapter of my fic of that counts? If not some random josh one shot a couple hours ago lol.

Favorite Movie?

Man it’s ever revolving. It was Django Unchained for a long ass time, but now I think it’s Baby Driver.

Favorite Book?

Misery by Stephen King. I read it years ago and I have a lot of good memories tied to it. Me and my friend became closer through his works and this was the first one I read. It’ll stay close in my heart.

Dream Date?

It’s one I’ve been on before but just Vinyl Shopping. It’s simple and easy but music in a relationship is important to me. I gotta make sure they have good picks. But there is something so soft about it all.

Do you have a crush?

Sadly no. But I’m fully in Joshes lane rn if that means anything?

What are your hobbies?

Oof okay. I mostly draw like all hours of the day. But I very actively keep up with guitar and bass. I write as well. I make videos for my friends. I collect old and beat up vinyls. Lot of art stuff

Favorite time of day?

Night time. Like from hours 10-3. That’s my true alone time and it’s something I cherish and look forward to everyday.

If you could look like anything, what would you like to look like?

I don’t wish to change anything about my body. I think I’d be silly to. But man I wish I could actually afford clothes I’d like to wear. Real bellbottoms you know? I want that vintage shit.

Are you romantic?

In a secure relationship yes. I show too much emotion too fast in the beginning. But boy oh boy when I get romantic. I get very touchy feely. Man date ideas. Lot of carefully curated playlists.

Favorite type of weather?

That time in like August/September when I can wear jeans and maybe a light jacket. But it’s still warm, you know?

What do you like talking about?

Music. I talk about it all day long. The foundation behind it. The artist. I could discuss guitars and instruments with people all damn day. I just. I love everything about it. But also GVF is my hyperfixation rn and my friend is ready to shoot my head off if I speak another word about Jakes guitar playing.

What are your turn ons?

Ngl I’m akin to a boy with long hair. It’s my vice. I’ve only dated long haired musicians. But I just want someone who radiates some kind of light you know? I’ve seen too much darkness. I want someone genuine and real. Is it too much to ask for a positive person?

What are your turn offs?

I���ve dealt with a lot in my past. Basically anything that’s negative. Ignorance mostly. I don’t want someone who refuses to learn. It’s stupid. I just want honesty and someone with an open mind. Anything else is a no go.

If you got a tattoo what would it be and where would you get it?

Okay so. I really want tattoos. I designed something about a year ago I want really badly but it’s so expensive. Thinking rationally. Right now I’d really like some line art of bust. Idk what tho.

Do you have any pets?

3! 2 dogs, Ruby and Nellie, both too six year old mutts. Nellie is the weirdest god damn dog I’ve ever had. And ruby is basically a fox dog. And then there is Friday my cat. He can be a bitch boy but he’s a sweet boy who’s just being a cat. (I also have ten plants but most people don’t consider them pets)

Dream Job?

I’m still searching for that. Recently my heads been floating towards playing live shows as a guitar or bass player. But I’m no where near the point of even considering. I’m pretty shitty. But how Cool would it be to play that violin bow with my guitar on stage?

Dream place to live?

Not considering any potential jobs. I just want to live in a big log cabin somewhere on the outskirts of a town. Out in the wilderness and free to just live.

Dream vacation?

I’ve never been to Europe. I’d love to just road trip around in a van honestly. But before that visit my great grandfather grave in Scotland. He was a kings hand and did a lot back in the day. I’d be cool to see. But then I’d fuck around in Europe.

Do you have any piercings?

I’ve got my nose and ears pierced. I’m pretty happy with that

If you had kids what would you name them?

Man I don’t even want to think about that.

What are your best traits?

I’m a great listener. I’m extremely compassionate. Will do anything to help friends. And I feel like my music taste isn’t half bad.

Worst traits?

The compassionate thing tends to bite me in the ass. I’ve got a lot of emotions. I also have 20 things I want to do all at once all the time. I loose sleep because of it. There is more but I’d go on too long.

Worst fear?

Weirdly enough any type of natural disaster. When I was way too young I watched “The Impossible” and then shortly after learned about techtonic plates and I never forgotten about it or where they are.

What do you want to eat right now?

Brownies. And a fucking burrito.

Best vacation you’ve been on?

I went on a road trip to Chicago recently and I just makes so many good memories. I saw ninja sex party’s 10th anniversary, which was fantastic. But I got to visit a friend all weekend. But my favorite part was the ride back. The whole time we just talked but also sang to old 50s songs and just had this moment of unity. I still think about it

Favorite City?

I haven’t been to too many places yet so I’m gonna go with my hometown, Nashville. If you look past all the tourists. It’s got a very rich musical history and in certain places you just feel it. I loved living there and it made me who I was.

Favorite social media platform?

Tumblr. It’s really the only one I ever check anymore. Plus I’ve made some great friends on here.

Favorite article of clothing?

My fucking bellbottoms. I wear them whenever I can. They give me so much confidence.

Do you play any sports?

Fuck no. I have no coordination whatsoever.

Favorite meal of the day?

Lunch. You have a lot more options. Plus I just like the vibe

What are you excited for?

Starting the tenth I have a lot of good things coming my way. In that week I get to finally end this semester, the new Harry styles album releases, I get a new bass, and I get to see fucking Greta Van Fleet. None of you know how excited I am for that. Pit tickets. Jesus it’ll be good.

Not excited for?

Finals. And an um.. upcoming funeral.

When was the last time you cried?

I honestly can’t remeber and that really scares me.

Dream house?

I basically answered this earlier but gimme that big ass log cabin.

Something you hate about this world?

Don’t get my started. I hate that everyone hates themselves all the time when they have no reason to. I hate that 8 people have most of the worlds money and are doing nothing to help global warming. I hate the man that’s in power and what he’s helped cause. I hate everyone who refuses to accept literally any fact. I hate that my future is bleak because of some old ass white men.

Something you love about this world?

I love the light that radiates off of certain people. I love that our generation has hope and that some people are actually trying to make change. I love the raw creativity I see in others and I love that we are bringing back the resurgence of peace and love.

What scents do you like?

Old records and books. Its the simple pleasures.

What kind of sleeper are you?

Typically heavy but sometimes I Sleep so little it feels like I got nothing at all.

Cat or dog person?

Don’t make me pick! I grew up with both, and very partial to both.

How long would you survive in a zombie Apocolypse?

I wish I could tell you. I’d like to think I’d live awhile but I would probably be the ones who look like they have hope and then accidentally get taken out.

Are you trusting?

I used to be. I realized recently how thick my walls really are.

What fictional character do you identify with?

Sorry to be boring but nothing is coming to mind. But then again I never felt akin to anyone really?

What labels do you commonly get?

In high school I was called “the quiet one” if that tells you anything.

What song would be your life anthem?

Sunshine on my shoulders by John Denver is the only one coming to mind. I think I just want the feeling it gives me to be what I feel all the time.

What issues are you dealing with right now?

Two friends in the last month Um. Took their own lives. One being an old friend. I’ve never dealt with death. My brain doesn’t know how to handle it. I also think I might have ADD. But. That’s the tip of the iceberg rn

How can someone win you over?

Typically I’m drawn to people who are the loudest in the room. I like that their confident and can speak their minds but what wins me over about them is when they really open up. When I learn about the real then rather than the face that they put on. Most of the time it goes that way.

What’s something people don’t know about you?

I’m making a short film with some friends who go to Columbia. Should be out soonish.

I tag

@pvre-mourning @peacelovekiszka @fretavangleet @aint-no-denying @sosozoso

[astral-obscura]

21 questions

Rules: answer 21 questions, tag 21 people who you want to get to know better.

Tagged by: @asimplereckoning​ (thanks ♥)

Nickname: I don’t have one, I’m just Anna

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Height: Somewhere around 5′6″

Last Movie I Saw: Pan’s Labyrinth. I love Guillermo Del Toro

Last Thing I Googled: “hour of the wolf”

Favorite Musician/Band: Marilyn Manson or Tom Waits idk

Song Stuck In My Head: “Swingin’ Party” by The Replacements

Other Blogs: Just one, @maledicted (sometimes nsfw / tw)

Do I Get Asks: Yep, though I can’t always get to answering them all

Blogs Following: Just astrology-related ones, some tarot mixed in

Amount of Sleep: Uhh I don’t know. Definitely not enough lmao

Lucky Numbers: I have no idea. Maybe 8, that’s my life path number

Dream Job: I want to direct films. That’s my primary life goal, honestly

Dream Trip: France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Australia, everywhere 🌎

Favorite Food: Most fruits. Also rice, and anything deadly spicy

Play Any Instruments: No, but I would like to learn bass or guitar

Language: English. Aussi j'apprends le français -- en essayant lol

Favorite Songs: This is too difficult ssjksj I can’t choose off the top of my head. Right now, I’m obsessed with “I Wish You Lonely” by Morrissey

Describe Yourself As Aesthetic Things: I don’t really know how to do this lmao, just look at my ~aesthetic~ blog, that’s all I’ve got

Eye Color: Very dark brown

Current Hobbies: Writing -- or, more accurately, thinking about writing, watching movies & thinking about those too, drawing badly, doing tarot readings for myself, and of course astrology. Trying to read more as well (and any book suggestions are desperately welcome, astrology or not).

Tagging:

@transiting​

@taurusesque​

@twelvehousemoon​

@daydreamsigh​

@scorpioenergies​

@fauxastrology​

@venusian5​

@ms-m-astrologer​

@scorpio-astrology​

@plutonian-paradox​

@astrologanize​

@astrologymarina​

@astrology-addict​

@ascendingmoon​

@ayyries​

@sagpluto​

@astrolomen​

@astrologylunarfish​

@astrolovecosmos​

@venuspapi​

@capstrology​

[ivansart]

OC BAND LINEUP

Hey i’m gonna ramble about my OCs here!!

OK so I mostly just wanted to lay out the main three bands in this world? I guess?

 So first there’s The Heathens. My main hoes! Their earliest concept was from YEARS ago and they were actually a jazz ensemble, but now they’re a super cool goth heavy metal band that does a lot of Pop covers because the leads’s BF likes that kind of music LOL. So here’s the line up....Damon-if you’ve been following me for a while you should be familiar with him lol. He’s lead vocals and plays additional instruments when needed, including guitar, piano, saxophone, and violin! Next is Phyllis Julian, she plays bass. She’s a big tall goth lesbian who is a ray of sunshine and I love her. Stacy plays guitar, and she is pretty much the creative director of the band and usually is coming up with the album art and set designs :) and finally Bunny our drummer...she’s just...HOT. Like she’s just a hottie...a lot of fans think she comes across as a bitch but she’s just..kinda shy, and a lot quieter than the others :/..a misunderstood babe..

OKAY the second group is VALHALLA...A cool Viking metal band! they aren’t AS well developed as The Heathens, those characters I’ve been drawing for much longer, and honestly these next two bands were abandoned ideas from high school that I only recently decided to revive! Anyways...Our lead vocals and lead guitar...Bjorn. God he’s just this big beefy dude who really just trying to live his best Thor life lol. He’s got this poker face thats hard to read but there’s a lot going on behind it. and idk how much I’ll get into in this post, but he’s uh secretly dating one of his rival band’s members. YEAH....TEA.. Ok so the next two members are twins but don’t have names! I’m still playing around with designs, but the tall twin plays guitar, and the short twin plays drums...and there’s the bass player, He’s problematic. Like he’s a really shitty guy and starts a lot of drama for the band, and..he’s just an asshole. Spoiler they end up kicking him out but basic design and name has yet to come.

Finally the last band in this group are The Field Mice. They Were originally the doormice I think...or maybe it was the other way around. idk, anyways for awhile I was thinking they’d be a folk metal band but now I’m leaning a little more towards prog rock? Like Rush. Okay SOO this is the group thats the least developed. SO there’s Kat who plays guitar. And Peter who’s the most developed, he plays drums and the flute, and piano, lol. YEAH so he’s dating Bjorn on the down low. From there there’s going to be three other members, who still need names, designs, personalities....LOL. But I know that the lead vocalist is going to be DRAMATIC AND FABULOUS, kind of Like Damon...maybe she’ll be a drag queen that would be fun... 

SO here are the three main groups. VALHALLA is the most well known band, and are big internationally, The Field Mice are close behind them in notoriety. This plays into their rivalry. Which all started at some battle of the bands incident, idk some of the members probably went to high school together or some shit. Peter actually joined TFM AFTER the battle of the bands incident so he does’t really GET it. which is part of the reason why he and Bjorn can look past the rivalry and just make out. The Heathens are a much smaller band, they’re very popular locally, and put on really high energy shows that are ALWAYS packed. But when it comes to the charts orr selling out huge venues they’re not as big :/ they’ve opened for VALHALLA before, buuut most of the members still have day jobs and they just play at local bars lol. 

So I’d also like to add other bands and artists, like maybe an older band that’s seen it all and are just LEGENDS. U know like big thrash metal bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden, I also want to make some pop stars, similar to early Britney cos I love that shit and it’d be fun. ALSO a big part of this, and that needs more attention is that in the middle of all the band drama is a music radio show run by two women...who need names...and their show needs a name...lol

ANYWAYS So yeah, just some more info on my ocs and bands. If you read all of this I love you and appreciate you. Maybe I’ll do another post about their personalities and shit like that. I don’t want to get TOOO deep into the drama because I do hope to make comics about this someday and I don’t want to spoil all of it :))

[buddyhollyscurls]

blossom (do all 3), blush, bright, candlelight (or whenever your last dream was), cuddly, cutie pie, daylight, euphoric, fairy, garden, glow, jiggly, kisses, prince, princess, rainbow, starlight, soft, toot, whiffle, wispy (sorry there were just so many questions i liked!!!)

MY DEAREST DIANA U ARE AN ABSOLUTE TREASURE THANK YOU SO MUCH

blossom; favorite book/movie/song?:

favorite book: the pigman series by paul zindel, because of romek by david faber, and the catcher in the rye by jd salinger 

favorite movie: life is beautiful, la strada, coco 

favorite song: ironia by mana, back to black by amy winehouse, i’ve been good to you by the miracles 

blush; what was your stuffed animal as a child?: when i was about 12? or so my brother got me and my sister a gift card for build a bear workshop lol i got a bunny i named babz she has on a purple sweat suit. i kept the box and her birth certificate but my niece messed them up and lost her jacket when she was a baby :( but i still have babz she sits on my vanity in my room i don’t think i’ll ever be able to give her up. 

bright; mermaids or fairies?: definitely faires i hope to be a fairy in my next life preferably a forest one who is able to make plants grow

candlelight; what did you dream about last night?: the last dream i REMEMBER had something to do with my trying to prevent death?? IDK BLAME GOBLIN I HAD JUST FINISHED WATCHING IT AND IT WAS SERIOUSLY AFFECTED THAT SHOW FUCKED ME UP 

cuddly; what’s your favorite time period?: the 60s have always held a huge fascination for me. like i remember i used to love February bc that was when we would talk about the civil rights movement and stuff and through that i remember being like 12 and seeing documentaries about the black panthers and woodstock. 

most precious item you own: i have a lot of those babz is one, i’m a very sentimental person i have a hello kitty box filled with pics friends have given me i have a Berenstain bears book i once put in a time capsule with my sister and brother that we had to dig up super early bc we moved ummm i still have cards and stuff friends have given me one is even from my tenth birthday, drawings my niece has made me, a shoebox full of journals i’ve filled up things like that i feel if i made them or if someone gave them to me they’re super precious. my book and movies as well.

favorite album of all time: tie between back to black or stg peppers 

talk about someone u love: i’m going to talk about my nieces and nephews rn bc i love them so much: adelie is the oldest she’s ten and my favorite person in the whole world. when she was born i took care of her a lot even stopped going to school for about a year so my sister could go and we got so close bc of that she is just so funny and silly and loving i hate that my girl has to grow up i want her to be little forever. next is my nephew Malcolm he’s so energetic and he plays a bit too rough with adelie and his brother and sister but he’s a great big brother he looks out for them and he and adelie get along super well. nicole is next she is an actual angel she is the sweetest girl in this entire planet she is so nurturing and she is super helpful and gentle. and finally my nephew diego. he’s three and the exact clone of my brother i even have this ig post of a side by side photo from when my brother was little they’re wearing red shirts and i stg they even have the same smile. my little man is so cute. when he was born it took a little while for him to warm up to us bc we don’t get the chance to see him as much as we did when adelie was born. but now its a complete 180 sometimes i’ll be walking and he’ll just run up and give me a hug and it makes my heart soar 

fairy; do you have a pet?: sadly i don’t haha i want to have a senior cat or senior dog but that’ll have to wait until i get my own place. hopefully whenever i get into something called a serious relationship we can get a puppy together and raise it together but who knows when that’ll come i don’t want a puppy until then tho

garden; how many languages do you know?: outside english i know spanish and a tiny bit of italian and portuguese just barely tho lol not enough to have a conversation but i can probably pick up a few sentences i want to learn italian portuguese french (that one is SUPER HARD THO FRENCH WTF) and maybe arabic 

glow; list the top 5 things you like about yourself

1: ppl tell me i’m funny

2. i’m really honest 

3. i’m tenacious 

4. i’m very empathetic 

5. for the most part i’m a postive person i’m one of those ppl that are just everyone’s personal cheerleader 

jiggly; what do you usually like to do on weekends?: watch movies lmaoooo this weekend alone i saw train to busan, silenced, see you tomorrow, this is not what i expected, turn left turn right, and lust caution. i don’t see movies during the week (during school anyway) so usually all week i try to be like what am i watching this weekend. it’s very rare i willingly make plans over the weekend we can hang out during the week but weekends are for movies.

kisses; what romantic cliché do you wish for most?: i am a romantic sap lol i am the cheesiest person i know but for some reason i’m not into cliches i guess like hmmm i guess for me the one i want most is to fall in love with my best friend. like i meet someone and we just click and they make me do the chris evans laugh A LOTand i’m able to open up and just talk with them and gradually one day its like oh snap. so this is the person i’m supposed to be with. tight. 

prince; how would you describe your handwriting?: atrocious. sometimes i can’t even read what i just wrote. but i hear ugly handwriting is a sign of high intelligence so theres that lmaooo. 

princess; do you play any instruments? if not, are there any you wish you could play?: uuuuhhh i don’t :((((((((( if i could i wish i could play guitar (i only know a few chords) drums, piano, bass, even the sitar ok brian and george made it look sick af 

rainbow; what was the last line of the last book you read?: “For the first time ever, I think Haddock may have a point, you know.” my mad fat diary by rae earl (if u haven’t seen the show i highly rec it it’s one of my fave ever just a side note)

starlight; what was your favourite show as a child?: hey arnold ok don’t even get me started on it i’ll talk forever how great it is even now its just timeless even adults should watch it and i’ve said this before and i’ll say it a million more times helga g pataki is probably one of the most complex, interesting, well written female character EVER on any show i owe craig bartlett my entire life. 

soft; describe your favourite spot in your house: the dining room its huge and its got big windows i love looking out windows so when i write i like sitting at the table to look out every now and then sometimes i’ll just look out that window when i wake up and be like damn its a new day. 

toot; what is something you find unique about yourself?: hmmm…. i guess how idealistic i am. and how intense i feel about things. when i was a kid i thought everyone had strong feelings about something and just LOVED things all the time but getting older i realize being passionate about things esp things like books and tv and movies is really………. odd haha. like even now i will type paragraphs about a favorite movie or something that happened in a show and my friends will be like why are u like this. the same goes with how idealistic i am like thought it was normal to have so many things u want to do and see in the world but when i talk to my friends theyre like oh i just never thought about doing that so it makes me feel odd sometimes bc i know i expecet a lot out of life hahahaha. 

whiffle; if you could have a magical power, what would it be?: either flight or invisibility 

wispy; do you like the place where you grew up? do you think you will live there when you get older?: i LOVE san diego and i LOVE california (in spite of how damn expensive it is here) but even when i was little i didn’t see myself living here as an adult with a family. i just always felt like this world is so big why live in one place your whole life. one day i want to live somewhere green and have my farm with my little animals and soccer team of kids haha. like linda and paul mccartney. 

[onestowatch]

First Look + Q&A: I Don’t Know How But They Found Me Travels From The ‘80s To Release Debut Track & Video

If you could encapsulate an entire film & art collective into an individual person, that would most definitely explain the personality of Dallon Weekes. Imagine if famed film director Quentin Tarantino was a good-looking musician with a great head of hair and magical glitter tears painted on his face—add in a heavy dose of vintage-synth sounds, a unicorn-hair colored drummer, and you’ve got Dallon’s latest project: I Don’t Know How But The Found Me.

If you’ve ever had that friend who references ‘80s movies dialogue, random BBC television crime series and other obscure pop culture facts--then this is the band for you. Just as “I Don’t Know How But They Found Me” may be the best band name you’ve ever heard, you’ll be happy to hear that it comes from the ’80s cult classic film Back to The Future and that essentially everything surrounding the band (imagery, lyrics, etc.) has some sort of ancillary material that you can read up on in between the elusive song release schedule.

You may know Dallon as the long time touring bassist from Panic! At the Disco, and drummer Ryan Seaman is best known from Falling in Reverse, The Bigger Lights, and Weekes’ former band The Brobecks. The long-time friends are taking their next-level project and leaking sonic magic and visuals all over the Internet.

Dallon’s return to center stage comes as more than just music, but more of a concept with a whole backstory. After falling down an accidental virtual rabbit hole with 1980’s cable access talent show videos on YouTube, Dallon knew that his new project only made sense as a band from the early 1980s who appeared on the Superstar Showcase Cable Access TV show and had their tapes and songs go missing for the last thirty years. I Don’t Know How But They Found Me is the best-kept secret living in a time capsule all these years, if albeit by accident.

For the last few months, the band has only released bizarre GIF’s on their Instagram and has had no music released officially, until today. But they’ve leaned into the mysteriousness of it all by playing small shows all over Los Angeles--capturing the attention of fans wondering just what the f*** is actually going on. The lucky ones who have managed to catch them live have kept the rumors flying. The duo are charismatic and theatrical and everything you hoped for from a band with a matching theatrical name.

With their first release, “Modern Day Cain,” those strange Superstar Showcase GIFs suddenly make sense--as the band appears as a musical guest on the show, complete with a random grandma on the organ. Take a look at the video here, and then get the firsthand account Dallon in our Q&A below.

OTW: How did this whole thing start? How did you and Ryan meet initially, because he's obviously in a different band, and you were on tour with Panic. How did it happen?

Dallon: Ryan and I have known each other for like 10 years. He used to play drums with Brobecks for a while, which was my band that I did before Panic. I've been wanting to make a record on the side for a while, and he was always in a similar situation--being a hired musician, playing for another band, so it made sense. I brought him in to play some drums on the record that I was making. It had been a while since we had hung out. I was telling him about what I was wanting to do with this project, and he was really interested, and wanted to be a part of it.

OTW: Where did the band name come from?

Dallon: It comes from the movie Back to the Future, when the Libyan Nationalists find Doc Brown in the parking lot at the Twin Pines Mall. I've always just really liked that--not just that part in the movie, but that phrase. “I don't know how, but they found me”--I just always liked the sound of it. It always implied that there was another story behind that sentence. It's not part of the movie; you had to create it for yourself. Maybe that's the writer in me, trying to make sense of people being vague.

OTW: Everything has been super secret so far, with the exception of a few LA shows. Why so secretive?

Dallon: Having this whole thing be a big secret was really a fun way for us to get it started. We didn't want it to be a secret forever, as fun as it was. I think anyone who's creative, who makes a project, or some kind of art--they want that thing to be as successful as possible, and that's the case with us. We will try to think of some stuff to keep people on the lookout. It's been working for us--having things that people need to discover on their own. I hope that that's always a part of what we do.

OTW: Let's talk about the video for “Modern Day Cain”, how did you come up with the concept of the band appearing on a weird cable access show?

Dallon: While I was in the middle of making the record, I was up late one night and I fell into this weird YouTube vortex of these old cable access talent shows from like thirty-something years ago. It was so bizarre to see this parade of people--like each of them were so sure that this cable access show was their big shot and that they were going to be a star. I was fascinated by it. I immediately fell in love with it, and I wanted to be on this show so bad, but obviously that’s not really possible. The whole idea of IDK being an act from thirty something years ago, who was on this show, and got that chance--that's where it started.

OTW: So your live shows, you play bass, Ryan plays drums. That’s kind of an obscure thing to do live as a duo.

Dallon: We use backing tracks when we play live, which is a pretty common thing now. It wasn't so much ten years ago. I think it used to have a really weird stigma attached to it. If you were a band, and you were using tracks, people would really look down on that. I think over the last decade, it's become more commonplace, more acceptable. When we went into this, we wanted to make sure first and foremost that it was something that was going to be fun for us, but also something that would be simple and inexpensive, so keeping it a two-piece made sense to do for those reasons. I make all those tracks on my own at home--they're taken from the record.

OTW: How does the songwriting process work? Do you guys play other things when you're writing?

Dallon: I'm not a great guitar player, but I do play a little bit. It was the first instrument I ever learned. I think the only thing that I don't really dabble in is drums. I wouldn't call myself an amazing musician, but I do dabble in just about everything.

OTW: “Modern Day Cain” —the song itself— Is there a concept behind the song? What do the lyrics mean to you?

Dallon: It was inspired by a TV show on BBC called Broadchurch. Particularly the priest character, who is played by Arthur Darvill. I really got into that show. I still love it--I have a soft spot for BBC shows in general. When I was in the middle of writing this new idea I had, I was really inspired by that character and his part in the series.

OTW: I feel like there's ancillary material, like assignments that we need to be given to read and watch before we listen to IDK. What are you inspired by?

Dallon: When it comes to drawing inspiration, there are bands and artists that I love that I don't necessarily ever want to sound like or that don't necessarily trigger me to write something new. I think inspirations are more subliminal, they can come from anywhere. They can come from things like a TV show or a movie, or a commercial you heard when you were a kid. They come from everywhere, because that stuff is all around you. All of these exterior things are going to influence you somehow--whether you know it or not.

OTW: What do you hope happens when somebody hears the song or sees the video? What do you hope happens for them?

Dallon: I hope that when people come across it or discover it, that it strikes a chord--that it means something. Anytime that I create art, it has to mean something to me first. It's always my hope that I won't be the only one that cares about this thing. When I put it out into the world, I hope someone else will care about it--maybe not in the same way that I do, but it will carry some kind of meaning for them.

OTW: What is your relationship with Panic! At the Disco at this point?

Dallon: Brendon [Urie]'s my friend--he and Spencer Smith changed my life. I owe a lot to both of those guys. Brendon has been generous enough to keep me around for eight years, and still have me play bass for Panic when they go on the road. It's an amazing job, and I love being part of it.

OTW: So let's say it's five years from now--what do you think you would want the project to be like then?

Dallon: Oh man, “what if’s” are always a little dodgy. I just want this project to be as successful as it can be. If we're making art that resonates with people or not--I hope that we are--but that's what I see this whole experience as: an exercise in making the best art that I can make and hope that it connects with people.

OTW: When you first got up on stage to play the first show ever, and no one had heard anything, was that nerve wracking?

Dallon: To be away from center stage for a long time--I sort of had to figure out how to do it again. The last time I did it was in Brobecks, maybe like six or seven years ago. It's also one of the many reasons why we wanted to start playing around LA secretly, to find those roles again and figure out how to do this thing. We knew if we going the standard route of a press release and a big announcement: "Hey come look at us,”--that there would already be a built in fan base, ready to come see. We didn't want to exploit that. We didn't want to take advantage of fans that way. We wanted to find out our roles again and how to do this thing first and the best way to do that was to start playing secretly.

OTW: After you played your first song live, and people seemed to like it, did that ease your mind?

Dallon: It eases your mind, it makes you feel 10 feet tall, like you're on top of the world. That was another one of the reasons that we wanted to play live shows secretly. LA crowds are notoriously unimpressed with people. It's an entertainment town, so they've seen it all, and they see it all on a really regular basis. To catch the attention of an LA crowd is a challenging thing to do. We wanted to take that challenge head on. We wanted to play for a room full of strangers that didn't know who we were, didn't care, and weren't there to see us and see if we could get their attention.

OTW: What's the story with sticking your pick on your forehead? You do it in the video and you do it on stage.

Dallon: I've just done it for years. As a musician, you go through picks like they’re nothing. They just sort of tend to disappear on you, and fly away. I guess the habit started when I was in The Brobecks. It was a really, DIY project, really low budgets, and picks were a hot commodity. They're probably your most common expense. Rather than dispose of one, anytime that I had to switch from picking to playing with fingers, I would just stick it to my forehead so that I didn't have to lose that pick and have to buy another one later. Pretty much everything I do, was born out of being a necessity somehow.

OTW: What about the glitter tears? How is that a necessity?

Dallon: Oh, that is definitely a necessity right now. I wanted to do something that made me look and feel different from how I am on stage with Panic or Brobecks. I wanted everything to be new--to feel new on stage. That's not something I've ever done before, so I thought I would give it a try. It helps to put me in the zone of playing an IDK show.

OTW: What’s next for IDKHBTFM? Is there a plan or are you just going to see what happens?

Dallon: There is a plan, but we're playing everything close to the chest right now, because we're still a DIY operation. We're trying to figure out the best way to put a record out. There is a whole bunch of stuff, that we want to put out and release into the world. It's just a matter of finding the right way to do it and the matter of timing too. Nowadays, you don't necessarily need a record label to put music out, you know you can do it from your kitchen table or anybody, anywhere, with a laptop and a microphone can make a record and put it out. That's pretty awesome I think. We want to put our stuff out on a scale that's as large as we can.

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