#justice for bassists lmao

[ame-to-ame]

ok here's my gbc ramble:

first of all. one thing about the 5 members of togetoge is that their appearance showcases personality very blatantly. You take one look and you know what role they're going to play. Tomo *looks* like a tsundere. Subaru *looks* like she's a proper rich lady. Nina *looks* like a kid. It's a design choice that some people might enjoy some people might not. Stereotypes exist for a reason, and i think given the short format of the series + lack of source material to establish characters in a slower fuller way it's understandable for gbc to lean into those stereotypical designs. The con of showing who characters are like before we get to know them is that it's less impactful if it's sort of expected, but having the comfort of knowing what to expect might also be a pro for some.

imo tho i kinda think it's extra understandable bc of how much focus is put on nina's characterization compared to the others. i saw a comment somewhere abt how 40% of gbc is used to characterize nina. I have thoughts on that but touching on that later. My thing really is that it makes other members of the band feel like bg characters or plot devices sometimes. At some moments it feels really like "nina and mmk! and the others". Here are my concerns with some of the characters:

while nina has raw talent and a good voice, subaru isn't as professional as the others. her involvement in the band starts out as an escape from acting. she doesn't have as much of a drive to make it pro initially and is just going with the flow. It makes her a less prominent voice in the band bc she doesn't have a fiery motivator or goal like beating diadust. and she has a way out technically (she's rich). her plot point has ended the moment her grandmother is seen seemingly enjoying tgtg's music. How will gbc keep her relevant in the future or will she just be one of the mediators between nina and mmk?

Rupa. Oh Rupa. Justice for bassists. I cried for her few scenes. But she's got the least backstory explained. Everyone's kinda got a conflict or hurdle they can get over while being supported by the other members of tgtg: nina and her proof of being right/feeling supported, mmk and her anxiety for failing again at her dream from maintaining her own character and voice in her work, 486 needing to come clean about not wanting to act despite the heavy expectations placed on her, tomo being afraid of being critical and wanting others to be serious about their shared goal. What the fuck do you do about Rupa's trauma. "New found family! living without regrets now!" stfu her parents died out of the blue while she was still a child and now she has to act like an adult for a bunch of kids around her age 😭😭😭 She's treated as a foreigner in a very homogeneous country and she has practically nobody but Tomo 😭😭😭 even if she had to grow up quickly and she's handling it well despite circumstances. they are not good circumstances and she'd have all the right in the world to be as angsty as Nina. But instead she's mature and takes care of other people despite unfortunate circumstances. But her snippets of backstory begs so many questions. How did she get into bass? what's her reason for wanting to make it pro, or is it just because she's responsible for Tomo as her guarantor? Her role in gbc is the dependable older sister figure who knows what to say and can do anything. and an alcoholic. So she's like. perfect as a tool to carry things along and lighten things up when the story/infighting is getting a bit too heavy. But she's always in a supportive role. Anyway justice for bassists always in the background never in the front light lmao

Momoka. She's so integral to the story that it's really a shame she loses some personality and charisma later on in the series. You don't quite understand how this could be someone who at least 2 other people in the series with names and faces are die hard fans of when you see how she's constantly at the edge of giving up. She wanted to stay to hear Nina sing because it reminds her of the old her who sang not for money nor fame? Then why try to get her in a band knowing what that does to people (they have to consider popularity and can't just sing what they like) and that being the exact opposite of what she wanted? Just go sing karaoke or post covers/original songs online then. You can sing whatever you want as long when you don't rely on it to survive. In her defense she didn't want to go pro, Nina did. But there's a lot going on and all I can say is that Nina is lucky and tgtg is lucky. And this all could've been prevented if mmk knew how to handle relationships with fans. Do not let a fan Inside your house woman what have we not learned about saesang behavior

But tbh given the format of the series the issues are not damning. 13 episodes of about 20 minutes you have a story to tell so sometimes u gotta do what you gotta do. the characters are still enjoyable. I mean, I cried for Rupa so I think the job was done well enough. looking at the progression of the story the pacing isn't bad: first few episodes are nina running away and meeting mmk forming the three piece and getting nina into band, then adding beni-shouga, trying to decide whether to go pro or not, setting up diamond dust as a rival/goal, resolving family issues for nina bringing it full circle to the start, festival (imo should've ended there! for a good season ending! ep 13 felt like it belonged in season 2 to start out new setting new conflicts). So honestly yeah no the story progression itself feels guided and directional. I also realized that gbc is not one of those series u watch while applying logic. Brain out of the window for this one we watch with raw emotion only. Why is there a bass track when there's no bassist. Why do kyoko and the drummer know how to play the song almost immediately in the first episode (ig they could be really good ig). Why did mmk bring a fan home. How was there not a scandal the next day: former diamond dust member sleeping with fan (17 y/o jk!!). Trying not to think about how realistic things are in the show because it's practically a fantasy based on a modern real life setting atp.

On that note the animation style really does help with characterization and making the characters likeable in little time. I'm typically not a fan of 3d and i prefer 2d, but gbc makes their 3d very fluid and expressive which makes it feel like 2d sometimes. Even while characters are in the background they're still moving and etc which really adds motion to the scene and makes it feel more alive. You get to see little bits of their personality even when the main story beat isn't about them! The expressions really amp up the intensity. personally aesthetic wise i'm not a fan of nina's little red and black spikes whenever she goes angsty because i think the voice actor makes the change pretty apparent, but i understand that it's visually easy to see and understand.

i don't want to word vomit too much so I'll ramble abt nina later bc Oh boy do i have thoughts

[herrscherofmagic]

Collection of WIPs for my newest honkai 3rd AU: a synth- and post-punk band AU! featuring the band “Mirror Mirage”

More art and an explanation further below

I dont want to put too many details down yet since i intend to do more with this and don’t necessarily want to spoil future story stuff, but the gist of it is that its an AU focused on the villainous Herrscher personas (except Veli, but she fits the vibe lol)

The tentative setting I’m working with for now is Central Florida and its meant to be a more serious/realistic AU with a focus on young adult life, not late-teens stuff. Think less “fun times at Perfect Fairytale College(TM) with my besties! Lets have fun and study today!” and more “rent is due, my roommates are assholes, the hourly bus is 20 minutes late again, and i almost got hit by a drunk driver on my way to work for the third time week and it’s only Tuesday”. That sort of thing lmao

I’m not sure if there’s any real interest in a story that focuses more on some underrated characters like Herrscher Mei (not normal Mei as a Herrscher, but her alternate persona), much less a story that also deals with more serious IRL issues

Mei is bassist and a vocalist, formerly lead until Kiana (more precisely HoV in Honkai terms) joined; Mei also handles the finances as she is an accountant in her day job working at a community redevelopment agency. Has a strong sense of justice and puts on an air of confidence and superiority on stage and when fending off hostile folks, but acts with great humility with the ordinary people she encounters in her daily life.

Kiana is the (new) lead vocalist. Works the graveyard shift at a gas station and is a self-proclaimed “cynical asshole” that barely gets along with anyone else; also plays the guitar occasionally. She was dragged in by Mei and reluctantly joined the band, leading to an awkward and tense relationship with the others, but her incredible skill as a vocalist means the rest of them put up with her shitty attitude.

Seele is the lead guitarist; she is an immigrant from Estonia and came to the US with Elysia a couple years back, in early 2022. Keeps in touch w/ Bronya, who is still living back in Europe. Tends to be a bit withdrawn but is very loyal to the band and would throw hands to protect the crew. Seele has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and is a system comprised of two alters: Saule and Veliona. Veliona is the one that actively plays in the band.

Elysia (HoC in Honkai terms) is the synth player and mixer, and does a lot of work in planning and executing complicated tracks both live and in studio recordings. Despite being having no local heritage, she loves switching between a southern cowgirl persona and her usual preppy nice-girl persona. Since Elysia is said to be from “Vladivostok 51” in Honkai canon, that would make her Russian; however for the purposes of this story im headcanoning her as Ukrainian (which ik is far from Vladivostok irl), simply to mix things up a bit, lol

Fu Hua (Senti in Honkai terms) is the drummer; still a college student, shes a bit of an odd one out in the group, but was there since the beginning and has grown close with the rest. Has a bit of an attitude and says cocky things, but is much more timid at heart and acts a lot more calm with her friends at school.

A huge part of the inspiration for this story is a desire to try and depict the more ordinary aspects of urban life, adding flavor to mundane daily activities without relying on magic or scifi or high-octane action and drama. The villains of the story aren’t comic book supervillains, but rather its the various systems that the characters have to live within- corrupt governance, financial struggle, societal divide, etc.

I also really want to tell a story that emphasizes the queer experience. Not just the usual lovey-dovey girls-love stuff, but what life is actually like for real women in real sapphic relationships when living in the state that passed the infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill IRL. As much as I love the canon KiaMei relationship in Honkai 3rd, i think it’s hella sanitized and can’t really convey the depth of the history and culture of the LGBTQ+ community. So I’m hoping to address this by placing their relationship in a specific real setting, one where LGBTQ+ folks (including myself) have to fight for our rights, acceptance, and representation.

As for musical inspiration I largely draw from a few big sources: one of the bigger inspirations is ASTROPHYSICS & MINTTT, as well as more recently Chappell Roan; genre influences include rock/punk, synth/EDM, and Sovietwave! This is both inspiration for their vibes and also for what type of music i imagine this band would play

The last image is a more suggestive one but ive hastily and sloppily censored it, so hopefully that is okay with y’all x-x

I rarely make spicier content like this, but having listened to The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess for the first time today and then listening to it 4 more times in a row, I couldn’t help but push the limits of what i usually do just that little bit, lol

[ginevrastilinski-ocs]

New Glee OCs!

When I will I stop making Glee ocs? For sure not today. Most of these live on vibes only but whatever

Veronica "Ronnie" Nell - part of an all-girls band (lead singer); New direction Member; baby lesbian; socially awkward but really nice; Quinn Ship Her fc is Maya Hawke!

Susan Cole - part of the band (guitarist and second voice); Cheerio and New Direction Member; Her faceclaim is Vanessa Morgan!

Harper "Honey" Hayes - part of the band (drummer); not ND Member; called Honey but ain't sweet Her faceclaim is Sophie Thatcher!

Lula Delaney - part of the band (kayboard player); not ND Member; Her faceclaim is Saoise Ronan!

Audrey Clay - part of the band (bassist); not ND Member; into witchy vibes (you should see her room lmao I love her) Her faceclaim is Barbie Ferreira!

Connie Sanchez - future star; joins Glee in season 2 with Sam (but she's a Freshman!); basically just New Directions baby; basically no plot just vibes Her faceclaim is Madison Reyes!

Linda Berry - Rachel's half sister; named after Glinda from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; totally a Diva; oblivious as hell (aka "this girl hates me/ we're total enemies" when the other is highkey in love with her) Her faceclaim is Victoria Justice!

Jennifer Glynn - "Beware The Quiet Ones" Trope Queen; doesn't know how to express feelings bc of shitty parents; angry face is her basic face (Is she angry all the time? No. Does she look like it? Absolutely); doesn't understand why the girl she likes hates her but she's sure she deserves it (no, you don't dear 🥺) Her faceclaim is Liz Gillies!

Melody Wells - Lyra's twin; Little Miss Sunshine; pure vibes Her faceclaim is Dove Cameron!

Lyra Wells - Melody's twin; Little Miss Badass; ready to kill you in any moment lol; just like her sister... pure vibes Her faceclaim is Dove Cameron!

Cosette Chamberlain - Actress; Rich Bitch Energy; her and Cooper briefly dated when they were in high school; still good friends; will eventually end up together again Her faceclaim is Tilly Keeper!

Chrissy Chamberlain - Blaine's best friend (due Cooper and Cosette); Crawford Country Day's student (at least at first); Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold until you piss her off (she can totally kick your ass so don't try it trust me) Her faceclaim is Peyton List!

Carina "Cara" Fabray - Quinn's "less popular and weird" sister; a sweetheart; lowkey acts dumb on purpose; wants to be a photographer; Rachel ship Her faceclaim is Aimee Lou Wood!

Kathleen Bao - Hopeless romantic; firmly believes bakery is a form of art; looks sweet, is sweet, still doesn't take anyone's shit; Artie ship Her faceclaim is Lana Condor!

Garreth Duke - English teacher; sigle father; also basically ND's honorary father; a bit man-child but would die for his honorary kids; Emma Pillsbury ship His faceclaim is Paul Rudd!

Ramona Solomon - Cheerio; McKinley's Queen Bee; lesbian princess who comes from a queer rich family; Quinn ship Her faceclaim is Sarah Jeffery!

Kipp Hudson - Finn's twin brother; silly loveable jock; mainly lives on vibes His faceclaim is Milo Manheim!

[charleslelurk]

band au??? mark me down as intrigued, i’d love to hear more about it! (the fic graveyard is highly relatable i fear)

Fic Graveyard

The band au is really just a series of plot points in a doc, with the tldr being Daisy Jones and the Six but make it my faves on the grid.

It was going to feature Daniel as the lead singer/rhythm guitarist, Charles as the keyboardist, Lando as the drummer, Max as the bassist, and Carlos as the other guitarist. I wanted it to feel very documentary ish so it would cover years of the band's lives across all the drama and tours and breaking up and getting back together (as a band, although break ups and getting back together would happen in the band too). I also played with the idea of adding more members later, Oscar joins the band when they get back together down the road after they've taken a break for solo careers and their lives.

I wanted it to mimic the teammate relationships across time, so like early on Max and Daniel are together and then like ten years later when the band gets back together again, they have a situationship all over again. And the music writing was going to emulate on track battles, with Charlos arguing all the time about the music and orchestration and lyrics but then being civil outside of the studio, or lestappen absolutely fucking shit up in the studio and like getting fired up at one another but it always ends up being the best songs they create when they act like that. I also want there to be a carlando storyline, but I don't explicitly have any bullet points for them in this mess of a document, just some vibes.

It would also be messy af though, with like some people sleeping with multiple other band members and cancelled concerts because someone refuses to play after finding out. Also probably some dumb decisions made under the influence of recreational drugs because that's in a disturbing amount of my fics lmao.

I think ultimately I lost inspiration for this idea because I realized I do not know enough about music writing and playing to do it justice. I have no musical talent myself, so the most I can do is write like one off lyrics to quote in the fic, but I couldn't even necessarily write whole song's lyrics because I don't get how to structure syllables for a beat so like I just don't have the knowledge to make this fic what it should be, or what would make me happy enough with it to post it. Like ultimately, to do this idea justice in my head, it would need to be written by someone who plays or writes music.

[disengaged]

Do you know of examples of how the band treated Jason? I’ve seen a lot about how bad their behaviour was but now I’m wondering wtf they actually did?

essentially, just a shit ton of hazing & immature bullshit. sort of a trial by fire lmao, he's said before that the first 3 years were the worst of it.

apparently the rest of the guys would routinely trash his hotel room, charge their room service to his tab, snark off about him in interviews, that kind of thing. they also told everyone he was gay for some reason ???

excerpt from the infamous 2001 playboy interview:

(i don't have a timestamp but i believe he discusses it more recently in this interview too)

there's also the wasabi story, which he talks about here (i don't have a timestamp for this one either, sorry!!!! but basically: he got shitfaced, kirk convinced him to eat a lot of wasabi, & then i guess he passed out in a booth and the band ditched him with the bill LMAOO)

i'm like 99% sure there was a lot of worse stuff too tbh :-/ jason's always been really classy and really careful not to shittalk on metallica, but i'm certain there were worse & more x-rated incidents in addition to the ones we know about. james likened it to "trying to beat the fanboy out of him"

people also still debate whether the lack of bass on ajfa was part of the hazing thing, but ..... imo i don't think so, i don't believe it was a purposeful or vindictive slight against him as a person. still must have hurt like a bitch tho !!

excerpts from Birth School Metallica Death:

at the end of the day it was probably a real shitty time, but jason's a resilient guy w a great sense of humour & i think that definitely helped him tough it out. like. i think they went too far with the callous pranks, but i also don't think they were straight up abusing him into a mental health crisis or anything

[anxxiiety]

“I heard that you've been self-medicating In the quiet of your room Your sweet suburban tomb And if you need a friend I'll help you stitch up your wounds

I've heard that you've been having some trouble Finding your place in the world I know how much that hurts But if you need a friend Then please, just say the word You've come this far You're all cleaned up You made a mess again There's no more trying Time to sort yourself out Hold on tight This ride is a wild one Make no mistake, the day will come When you can't cover up what you've done Now don't lose your fight, kid It only takes a little push to pull on through With so much left to do You'll be missing out And we'll be missing you Come on! I've heard that you've been having some trouble Finding your place in the world I know how much that hurts And if you need a friend Then please, just say the word You've come this far You're all cleaned up You made a mess again There's no more trying It's time to sort yourself out Hold on tight This ride is a wild one Make no mistake, the day will come When you can't cover up what you've done Now don't lose your fight, kid It only takes a little push to pull on through With so much left to do You'll be missing out And we'll be missing you Grit your teeth Pull your hair Paint the walls black and scream "Fuck the world! It's my life and I'm gonna take it back" And never for a second blame yourself Hold on tight This ride is a wild one Make no mistake, the day will come When you can't cover up what you've done No you can't cover up! 1, 2, 3, 4

Hold on tight This ride is a wild one (This ride is a wild one) Make no mistake, the day will come When you can't cover up what you've done Now don't lose your fight, kid (don't lose your fight, kid) It only takes a little push to pull on through pull on through With so much left to do You'll be missing out, And we'll be missing you”

____

Hey, @willy-the-fan, I hope you’ve been having an amazing week since last Tuesday. I can definitely say I have.

I’m just going to get straight into today’s song because this is different from what I normally post. I was originally going to write this and queue it a couple days ago before I saw All Time Low in concert but I decided against it for this reason. Previously, I was going to share a different song than the one I chose for today, but then I had the opportunity to experience this song live and I had to share it with you. 

This song is called Missing You, and it is soo important to me. this is gonna get really cheesy at some points so brace yourself lmao

Missing You was the first song I had ever heard by All Time Low during 7th grade, so this song is a total throwback for me. It’s kinda funny because I remember sitting in front of my computer late at night and receiving a message from my sister saying “check this song out.” During that time I was going through some really tough shit. I was a mess. still a mess today but whatever. Little did I know, this song would change my life. It’s the tiny things, y’know? It’s those small things in life that make everything worthwhile. For me, this one song was that tiny thing that made all the difference.

While at the concert last night, a video was displayed on a large screen. Multiple people explained how this band saved their lives, how they met their life-long friends at their concerts, and how this band was their only escape. It was incredible to hear such amazing things and to be able to relate to something like that. 

I wanna apologize for the shitty video quality, for the random ass hands blocking the view, the flashing lights in the way, and the waving phones in air, but if you decide to watch the video above, you can see the lead singer, Alex Gaskarth, and the bassist, Zack Merrick, obviously performing the beginning of Missing You. And honestly??? God damn I cried through the entire song lmao but seriously it was such an emotional moment because this song saved my life. I think I’d do this band justice by also saying that they saved my old friend too. 

I was told by my old friend that All Time Low was her first real band that she had ever gotten into and I guess it was kinda because of me? I don’t want to take credit for that or anything but I introduced her to the band and she really had a liking for them. She used to listen to Missing You all the time and I’m so happy she was also able to experience their music for herself. 

That’s also why this song means so much to me. It’s absolutely mindfucking to be able to save someone through just a couple of words, but it’s so damn real. At least, that’s how I feel. Being able to sing along with so many people that had been impacted by this song just as I had was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. 

I’m not sure if you noticed this, but usually where I’d quote a couple lines from a song at the beginning of my Tuesday posts, I included all of the lyrics to the song. I hope you don’t mind and I know I’m being hella extra rn but I just need you to read them. I need you to hear them. Maybe if you did, you would understand that I wouldn’t be here today if not for this song. 

I know I’ve already blabbed a lot about random shit this Tuesday so I’d like to end it here by saying that All Time Low has given me a home for what feels like such a long time now. Their music is home. Everything they say feels like home to me. Alex’s voice is like heaven and Jack’s crazy energy is so inspiring and Zack’s shyness is honestly so relatable and just watching Rian drum with so much passion makes me so fucking happy to be alive and I know that’s sounds stupid as hell and I’m practically fangirling at this point but just fuck man this concert was one of the most uplifting things that I didn’t know I needed until now.

My point is, I hope you can see how important this band is to me and how much they mean to me. Maybe, if I’m lucky, they can mean something to you, too. I hope you enjoyed today’s song and I hope that maybe you can find some confinement within this song when you’re feeling down or when you think you’re about to give up, because I sure did and look where it got me. Just don’t forget, it only takes just a little push to pull through so even on those days where you feel like things can’t possibly get any better, you can’t give up on yourself just yet. You’ve come so far now. Why stop here? There is so much left to see and do, so no matter what you’re going through, it always gets better. I promise.

“If you remember one thing, remember this: Rock n’ Roll won't solve your problems, but it will help you figure them out!" ~Cole Becker, SWMRS

Love, @anxxiiety.