#violins is not the answer

[arttsuka]

Request: Jed and octavius dancing on/playing the piano like in that scene from the movie Big.

(Your art is amazing)

Like this? 🎹🎵🎶

Maybe they can have an iPad too

[majorshatterandhare]

[Answer options in order are:

1. Yes, guitar, mandolin

2. Yes, piano/keyboard

3. Yes, violin, viola, cello, bass (inc. electric bass)

4. Yes, percussion

5. Yes, a woodwind

6. Yes, a brass instrument

7. Yes, multiple

8. Yes, something not mentioned here

9. No, I do not currently play an instrument but I sing

10. No, I do not currently play an instrument and I do not sing.

End Options]

Please specify in the comments or tags!

I’m sorry there aren’t more options, I only had 10 spaces or I would’ve included more. I tried to go with the most common and obviously with groups!

What counts for singing is up to you. I think most people sing some amount, but you can decide if yours counts or not. The reason for this is because you can teach yourself an instrument, so not requiring lessons or anything for either instruments or singing.

If you want to learn an instrument, especially if you don’t currently play any, I would love to know if you shared!

Please reblog! I wanna know how many of us play instuments ourselves and what that distribution is.

If you don’t listen to the Mechanisms don’t respond to this poll! I’m sure your answer is very interesting, but it will skew the results!

[wcrldssmallestviolin]

" Skeppy from the eggpire!! I have come for more yummy gems!! please please ? " a slime, decked in gems littering their skin and hair, in a las Nevadas worker uniform beamed. bouncing on the balls of their feet with a rusty old bucket and a biiig grin. what a goofy slime assistant..

-> @cannibals-casino

"Gems... Sure. Whatever."

He muttered, his voice a stark monotone compared to its usual upbeat. Red eyes looked over the Green slime hybrid.

"May I ask who you are while I give these to you..."

He moved over to a nearby chest in the room holding The Egg, Pulling out Diamonds who turned a ruby red in color from the corruption, letting them float behind him as he walked over to the Slime once more. Motioning the diamonds to drop within the bucket.

"Not to be rude but not many hybrids like you exist now adays. It's rather difficult to gain that much control over yourself no? How long did it take you?"

He asked, keeping his questions vague. But he wasn't one to not recognize a slime hybrid. He knew them well after all from his past.

[bluetorchsky]

Yooo wait do Accordion and Violin have a sun-and-moon motif to them??

Boy howdy, do they! They’re the moon and sun, and their kids are the stars!

Fun fact! Accordion and Violin were actually the opposite before they got married.

Accordion was the moon and Violin was the sun. But when they got married while still with the Music Dragons, they exchanged their symbols along with their colors.

So now, Accordion is the sun, and Violin is the moon. You may notice that I’ve given them some new face markings, and that’s to symbolize what they once were while being the other; Accordion’s scar is now crescent moon shaped, and Violin has four small sun rays scars at the corners of his eyes. These appeared after they were burned in the fire and when they got their Music Magic.

Inspiration under the read more (thanks again @zerguette for showing me this! )

[1-upboys]

So ummm, about the giveaway. Was thinking of Mario playing the violin, or conducting an orchestra of Toads. Feel free to do whichever feels more natural:)

I love the bros as musicians <3

Hope you like it :3

[limeston-lane]

Misty is a violin player. She absolutely is and would be emo about it.

She plays slow and smooth, but the moment anyone asks her to play, she gets really nervous. It comes out squeaky a lot and usually has incorrect notes or tempo.

The songs she usually plays are based on her current emotion or energy. Slow while feeling calm or sad and faster when happy or angry.

She often corrects Buck when he asks if a fiddle is different.

[karniss-bg3]

With all the talks about Kar'niss as a bard, I was wondering if you could write something with Tav and Kar'niss dancing together? (though I guess given how tall Kar'niss is, it might be difficult)

The air was thick with the aroma of burning wood from the nearby campfire. A blanket of stars spanned across the sky, twinkling from a far off distance. Tav had broken away from the group for some quiet time, wandering toward a nearby stream so they could bask in the crisp night air. Once they settled on the shore near the forest line they pulled out their violin from it’s case. They took time to tune the instrument, desiring a moment to play a pleasant tune for their pleasure. Tav sensed eyes on him from the nearby treeline, their head turning to see the familiar silhouette of a drider lingering between two trees.

“You’re welcome to join me if you’d like. I’m not opposed to the company,” Tav said.

Kar’niss froze once he realized he had been spotted, his hands clasped together to rub them in a nervous fashion. He emerged from the underbrush and wandered over to where Tav was seated, maintaining a small measure of distance.

“What are they doing?” Kar’niss asked, peering over their shoulder at the violin.

“Taking a moment while we have it. I haven’t had the chance to play for a bit, now seemed like a good time. Do you play any instruments?”

Kar’niss’ brows knit, mulling the question over. “We...used to. Don’t anymore.”

“Oh?” Tav perked up, interest piqued. “What instrument?”

“Violin, flute at times. Long time ago, doesn’t matter now.” Kar’niss waved a hand dismissively, turning his face away from Tav.

“Well, would you like to with me? A duet sounds fun. We have an extra violin in camp.”

Kar’niss scoffed and reared his head back as if insulted. “We cannot play anymore. We would ruin your music with our screeching.” Tav chuckled while pushing themselves up to stand. “I doubt that. Just give it a try. If you hate it then you aren’t obligated to continue. Please?” Tav leaned forward and boldly bat their eyelashes at the hesitant drider.

His cheeks puffed out with indignation. “Are they mocking us?”

“No, not at all. I’d just like to try something with you, that’s all.”

He growled under his breath, tapping a single leg against the ground while considering the proposal. “...Fine. One song only. If the instrument breaks it is not my problem.”

“Wonderful! I’d not worry much about the violin honestly. I think Astarion stole it from some merchant or another, won’t be much of a loss if it snaps. I’ll be back!”

Kar’niss watched Tav scurry back to camp to retrieve the item. He crossed his arms tight against his chest, his pedipalps trembled in place, betraying his anxiety for the performance soon to come. He’d not have to wait long. Tav had been swift in their retrieval of the instrument, they ran up to Kar’niss and held it up for him to take.

“Phew, there you go,” Tav panted, wiping a bit of sweat from their brow.

He lifted the violin and bowstring into his clawed hands, looking over each piece as if he’d been reunited with an old friend. It felt strange in his grasp and the jagged nature of his fingertips made either item a challenge to grip. Tav stood back and let him become adjusted to them, watching as he plucked a few strings to test their muted chords in succession. His nose wrinkled with some concern.

“What is it you wish to play?” Kar’niss asked.

“Have you heard of the waltz of the feywilds? It’s a bit complicated but it is one of my favorite songs.”

Kar’niss squinted and mulled over the request, his tongue darting out to swipe over his lips. “We are not certain. The title sounds familiar, it has been too long since I have played it.”

“Tell you what. I’ll start playing solo and if you catch the rhythm feel free to jump in as you wish. How does that sound?”

He hummed and nodded. “Very well.”

[Music]

Tav tucked the butt of the violin under their chin and rested the bow over the strings, straightening their posture. Kar’niss mirrored this, relearning the proper stance. It was a bit awkward as his chin now had an extra layer molded over top via the hardened chitin but he managed to adjust well enough. Tav positioned their fingers over the proper strings on the violin neck and began to play, a gentle melody rising from the instrument into the night air.

Kar’niss closed his eyes as Tav began to play, opting to focus with his pointed ears rather than his sight. He listened to the first notes of the song and honed in on it, digging deep into the recesses of his memory in search of something he’s heard before. It took him a moment but he soon willed himself to play the first note, sliding into Tav’s solo to turn it into a duet. At first he struggled, his fingers larger than he was accustomed to which made hitting the right strings a struggle. He’d strike off key or hold a note for longer than it was meant to be but Tav didn’t seem to mind.

“You’re doing great, keep going,” Tav insisted.

He exhaled his nerves and stuck with it even if he felt the urge to drop the violin and walk away. Steadily, he became accustomed to the added bulk of his chin and fingers, shifting the instrument in such a way that it worked for him rather than against. Once he did so the notes flowed smoother, in line with Tav’s own contribution. This made Tav smile, their body bobbing up and down on their knees once the music started to hit their core.

Their playing continued, gradually picking up pace into an uplifting harmony. Even for as stiff as Kar’niss could be he felt the draw of the music seep into his skin, pulling him back to a different time in his life. As his comfort levels grew his confidence in manipulating the instrument to his will increased, playing with a bit more passion than at the start. Despite his best efforts he found himself swaying from side to side in time with the beat, his long legs curled while rocking his large body like a pendulum. Tav took notice, unable to wipe the growing grin from their face. They chose to join him by shuffling their feet on the grass below, stepping from side to side to match Kar’niss’ rhythm.

He tipped his head to the side slightly at the sight of the display, deciding to up the ante a notch. He lowered his front half toward the ground, extending his pedipalps to drum against the dirt when he felt added percussion was needed for the melody. Tav unleashed joyful laughter due to Kar’niss’ improvised antics, finding them clever. They stepped forward and began to dance around the drider while he tapped at the ground, spinning and skipping around his impressive abdomen, soon returning to his front. All the while the two continued to play, their song growing in intensity as they progressed.

Kar’niss had become lost in the duet, the faintest of smiles threatening to stretch his mouth. The ballad increased in pace and came to a high pitched mid point, the pair putting their all into assaulting the strings with determined ferocity. Kar’niss closed all of his eyes and tipped his head back, matching Tav tit for tat. Once the mid point had passed they would side step to and fro while facing one another, Tav spinning around in place and Kar’niss following suit. Albeit his turn was slower thanks to his extra girth, but he still managed to do so with grace. Tav stepped toward their partner and Kar’niss stepped in to meet them before both walked back to restore distance between them. His legs stamped at the ground in sync with the anthem, his torso bending into the violin as he leaned into the more fast paced tone. His rounded abdomen swayed and rocked concurrently with his legs, putting his entire body in motion.

Both continued to prance from one side to the next in unison with one another, turning around in place at proper intervals, lowering their bodies into a crouch then springing upright. The smile Kar’niss had fought came out victorious, fully visible on his expression. It was a toothy grin that was both endearing and haunting at the same time. Despite his impressive size Tav wasn’t intimidated with his dance partner, rather savoring his enjoyment knowing how rare such a treat was for him.

The pair were reaching the crescendo of their song, the very apex building in urgency between the pair of them. As the final elongated note was shared between them, Kar’niss lifted his body upward while he held the high pitched sound, pushing until he was balancing on his back four feet. The other four extended outward alongside his pedipalps, opening wide as if he were in a defensive stance and yet that was far from the case. He tipped his torso back until his hair fell from his shoulders and dangled freely in the air, Tav watching the display in awe of his beauty in that moment.

The lengthy note was dropped, the final chords played afterward in rapid succession to end off the song with a flourish. Both Tav and Kar’niss played the final refrain in a quick strike and once finished they dropped into a low bow in front of one another. Their arms extended outward, bow string and violin clutched in either hand jutting from their grasp. They held the lowered position for a moment to catch their breath, Tav the first to lift their head to find they were eye level with Kar’niss; A rare thing indeed. Their gazes met, the drider offering the smallest of smiles in Tav’s direction, his hair a mess across his face.

“You did it,” Tav whispered.

Before Kar’niss could respond the pair heard the sound of clapping nearby. Tav stood with a jolt, looking behind them to see others at camp had gathered around. Wyll in particular seemed enthused by the performance.

“Well done, well done!” Wyll called out.

“Got an encore in you??” Karlach shouted.

Tav smiled sheepishly at the pair and shook their head. “I doubt it, but glad you enjoyed it.”

Kar’niss made a face at the unexpected audience. He dropped the bow and violin, backing away as he felt a tingle in his cheeks.

“Kar’niss, are you alright?” Tav asked.

The drider growled ever so slightly and then turned, quickly scuttling away from Tav and the others. He fled back into the underbrush of the forest and disappeared from sight, having none of it.

“Ah shit, did we scare him off?” Karlach asked.

“We’re sorry Tav, we didn’t think it’d be a bother.” Wyll added.

Tav exhaled and wandered over to retrieve the discarded instrument, looking it over with some fondness.

“No, nothing to be sorry for. I think he is a bit more shy than he lets on. Give him time, he’ll return when he’s ready.”

Kar’niss wandered back into the forest and climbed into the tree he picked to call home for the night, complete with scattered webbing throughout the area. He’d settle on a thick branch, his arms crossed as he worked through his temporary embarrassment. Part of him was still in disbelief that he’d done that at all, that he still could. The feeling of an instrument in his hands felt better than he dared admit aloud. Once he started to calm down he turned his gaze to the stars, a sight he often favored while alone. The tips of his pedipalps began to gently tap at the branch below, one, two, one, two. He bobbed his head from side to side and before he knew it he was humming the song they had just played. He continued to do so while training his eyes on the sky, his wobbled smile making a return.

For now at least.

[prettylittlelyres]

Do any of your caharacters have any fears that they have faced, or have they gotten worse from trying to confront those fears

Ooh, great question! Thank you for asking :)

Florian is terrified of talking about his feelings and doesn't really get much better at it in his book, Curls of Smoke... BUT is going to learn to do it in his sequel!

Katharina from the Violins and Violets series is scared of being herself, or letting anyone get close enough to her to find out who she really is - quite literally, because she's in disguise - BUT ends up having to face this fear when her identity gets uncovered.

Gordon from This Still Happens is scared that the person who tried to kill him will try again, or target his friends, and... Yep, he has to face that one as well. He's also very scared to let his guard down even when his attacker isn't around, but learns to do it and start trusting the people he loves again.

[thechaosjunkie]

Ye ole tag dump

[rockgodklav]

do you only play the guitar or do you also play other instruments?

“Piano and flute. I tried the violin once, when I was younger, but, alas, it never clicked.”

[charlie-francis-spring]

As a drum player, what do you think about classical music?

i mean, it IS nice but i don't have much of an inclination towards it...i always thought it was nice when victoria played a classical piece on the violin though

[ts-sides-head-canon]

Henlo. I had a thinky thought.

Ya know how I mentioned Janus' snake, Basket? Just had a thought for a little secret he has. He can also summon arms like Janus can. Nobody, not even Janus, knows. Janus is also rather confused at the matching piano that always seems to accompany his violin practice. The snake can play the goddamn piano.

I LOVE THIS XD

[bluetorchsky]

How do your stick ocs interact with the canon stick characters? Are they besties with anyone? Is there anyone they hate? 👀

Ohh, let me see...this is gonna get long if I do all of my OCs (especially with how much I delve into every one of them), so I'm only going to do the husbands to start. This got really long so I'm putting it under a read more.

Accordion

You would think that the big guy wouldn't really have many friends for how quiet and imposing he looks. However, the first two canon Toppat friends he made were Matilda Ivy and Jack Doogan. In my AU, they're both siblings and they were tasked with training Accordion and Violin on how to use handheld weapons. Matilda was the first one to give him a nickname, Acorn, and he's gotten to know her and her brother more. He's also made friends with Carol Cross, which is a surprise for everyone since she's 1) An Elite Toppat so she can handle herself pretty well and 2) The only people she hangs out with are the other Elites and she will only interact with the lower ranked Toppats to get something that they owe her. It's a bit of a mystery on how the two became friends, one that Carol isn't too keen on sharing cause it could ruin her image.

Now there isn't any Toppat he hates, but he does get annoyed by Kabbitz's antics of trying to square up with him and Violin, just because they became the tallest Toppats to be on the Airship (beating him by a few inches). It's absolute pettiness from Kabbitz, that's pretty much it. Another Toppat that he gets annoyed by would be Sven Svensson. In my AU, Sven Svensson is pretty much an asshole and acts like a suck-up to the Elites and higher ups, in hopes he will be promoted to being an Elite one day. When everyone was weary of Accordion and Violin during the first year of being in the clan, he stoked the fires of the clan's worry, hoping he would get noticed by the chief, which ended up backfiring and ruining two relationships he had. Even when Sven has dialed back his attitude, Accordion does get snappy with him as he does not enjoy his company at all and he will remind him of that when the time calls for it.

Violin

Like his husband, the first Toppat friends he made was Matilda Ivy and Jack Doogan. But after that, he made friends with Earrings (she made Violin and Accordion's outfits), Howie Howitzer (saved his behind on one of his first missions), Gremlin (he humored her climbing onto his back to try and surprise attack him), Herb Stokes (he listened to Herb talk about his love for geology, mostly talking about coal), and Wallace Dogwood (he actually introduced himself to the husbands, finding them an interesting addition to the enforcers). Violin is more talkative and open of the two, giving off a friendly and relaxed vibe, to make it easier for the other Toppats to approach them.

However, Violin isn't all that friendly to some Toppats. Aside from Kabbitz and Sven Svensson, he's not very fond of Clement Warrantine (an elite Toppat that sometimes mentors other Toppats including Sven; he adds fuel to the rumor mill about Violin and is usually smug about it), Quincy Tattlemuffin (always rubs it in his face that he wasn't born rich and into the clan like he was, after learning of how Violin grew up poor), and Bartolomeo (just angry that Violin has a better singing voice than him, even though Violin has complimented his voice several times; it's mostly pettiness that he gets over at some point but it takes a really long time). Another one I would add would be Mr. Macbeth, but he was just annoyed by both Violin and Accordion messing up one of his trains during a mission, even if it helped saved a lot of Toppats. He goes easy on them once he learns of Sven's treatment towards them, since Sven and Earrings (siblings in my AU) were adopted by him. He makes up for his past attitude by teaching Violin how his trains work, which he does show some interest in it after some time.

Music Husbands

The only reason I'm making a section for both Accordion and Violin is because there some Toppats who do like being around both husbands. Like Thomas Chestershire and Geoffrey Plumb. They would be the one of the higher-up pairs that welcome Accordion and Violin warmly, unlike some of the others. In my AU, they're in a queerplatonic relationship and have been by each other's side since they first met on the Airship. They became quick friends when Geoffrey was detailing his latest plan for a heist, and the husbands made some recommendations to it. Thomas challenged their ideas, not as a way to bring them down but to see if they would stick to their guns about what they were thinking. Seeing their loyalty to each other and to the clan, despite being members for just a few months, made the duo stick by their sides more after that.

The Witch is also a friend to the husbands, as she doesn't have much information on Music Magic, so they help give her information and show some of their spells so she can record them. She also enjoys their company, as she always tell them that their combined aura always calms her down. Her brother, Burt Curtis (in this AU), is also a friend to the husbands since his mom, Calypso (my OC), is friends with them, but also because they were some of the few Toppats that have stood up for him, especially from Sven (who he has had some bad history with). Although he is quite the monotonous Toppat, he finds himself smiling when the husbands visit him and has, embarrassingly, asked if he could record them singing and playing so he can fall asleep more easily. There is some history that he and The Witch have with the Music Dragons, albeit as children, but it's not too big of a deal. He only remembers how their music and singing always put them at ease, and someone from the clan who convinced him to not run away from his new adopted family.

And before I forget, the husbands also make friends with Dave Panpa, when he gets taken in as a prisoner. The Toppats don't really have much ideas to do with Dave, aside from keeping him there since he saw something he wasn't supposed to, so they delegate Accordion and Violin to stand guard at his cell so he doesn't do anything. But because of Dave's cowardice, they see no reason to be there aside from being isolated from the clan. Dave ends up asking them questions first and it ends up as a full blown conversation, with the husbands sneaking food to him as what he is delivered isn't always enough. The husbands hadn't been caught for a long time, since Burt always made sure to not mention it (and he enjoyed hearing their conversations), but when it was time for the day for Reginald to decide what to do with Dave, the husbands actually made a case for Dave to not get killed, but to offer him a spot in the clan, based on the stories he told them about once being taught espionage. While Reginald is angered that they made small talk with a potential enemy, he does end up seeing what the husbands, and some other Toppats, are talking about. He decides to keep Dave in the Brig, but not as a prisoner, until they reach their secret base where the rocket is being built. From then on, Dave is able to hang out with the husbands a bit more but only has a limited area he can explore. His passion for being a guard reignites and he starts training under the husbands to be a future Toppat guard that patrols the halls (a sub-division that Burt helps lead as part of the main Airship/Orbital Station Division).

Wait, I forgot about Reginald and RHM. Ugh, and also Sir Wilford and Randy Radman, and to an extension Terrence Suave. Okay, so, let me start with Wilford, Randy, and Terrence. Randy is unfortunately the reason why Accordion and Violin’s wedding was crashed by Government soldiers, the loss of a substantial amount of Dragons members, and the reason why Accordion’s lower arms are gone. This made Randy incredibly guilty because the Toppat Clan and the Music Dragons Clan had a strange unofficial alliance, but they would still help each other out. When the commotion was settled, Wilford visited the Music Dragons and made a contract with Frankie and Gherry, to make up for what Randy brought upon their clan. Terrence had gone with him to observe the meeting as a witness, but he desperately wanted to be there by Randy’s side and anywhere but there. The terms of the contract was to allow Oliver and Trent to join the Toppat Clan with no questions asked. The reason for this was because Frankie foresaw the tension between their clans rising, fearing that it will cause a divide between them.

Frankie was right, unfortunately. After Sir Wilford disappeared and Terrence was made leader after the “death” of Randy Radman, he became delusional and made many questionable decisions. What caused the rift was when Terrence was on a heist with some Toppats and they got into a bit of trouble. Some of the Music Dragons saw this and jumped in to help out, but Terrence saw them as actual enemies and ordered his Toppats to shoot them down. It angered the clan and there would be some small fights here and there, until the Dragons chose to move to another place. When they moved, Terrence was overthrown by Reginald and RHM, two people who were his friends that had to make a difficult decision to stop his madness.

Now, Reginald and RHM have different views of Accordion and Violin. Reginald blames the Music Dragons for causing them a lot of strife, even though most of his reasonings are based on rumors and baseless evidence, while RHM is more cautious but welcoming to Accordion and Violin. He had been there on the day Terrence ordered the attack on the Music Dragons, but he also saw how they wished to help despite what happened in the past. Their interactions with the husbands will change over time, as more information of the unofficial alliance between the Toppats and the Dragons is uncovered, with Wilford’s contract being the starting step.

I'd be happy to answer any questions and/or go over anyone else

[miaprime]

what string instrument do you play 👀👀👀

violin! not professionally or anything haha, i started during the pandemic and just never stopped

[00lari00]

Curious, but how do you think Pollo would act around my boys, Accordion and Violin?

OH!! Sorry for taking so long to respond to this! But now I have time to draw and plan things so here's a little bit of how Pollo would react to them!

Pollo would be nervous about Accordion spying on him sometimes to see if he was taking good care of himself. XD He's not so used to someone taking care of him like this. I imagine Accordion sometimes letting Danny know how Pollo is doing and if he's not doing anything mad scientists would do XDD But anyway, he's not used to other toppats taking care of him like this, but he really appreciates it.

I also noticed that these two are very strong toppats, compared to Pollo's height they would be able to easily pick him up in their arms XD At least this way it's easy to get him out of science stuff sometimes

But in other matters such as work in the clan, Pollo admires and respects them both for their hard work and also for their story. Most of the Toppats, Pollo tends to treat them with indifference and coldness all the time because he is too tired to talk or be friendly, but with these two Pollo would at least be more respectful and friendly around, he is happy when he helps Accordion fix his arms. He doesn't show many emotions usually, but at least with them, Pollo tries hard to be nice.

Pollo really likes their approval... It means a lot to him

But... Related to this post.. Accordion and Violin are the kind of Toppats that Pollo would NEVER dare fight or argue back... He's intimidated by looks like that

-----

This was definitely not an excuse for me to draw them because I loved these ocs.../j

I hope you enjoyed! ^^

[actuallycassidyiambusy]

How do you think would one go about “doing the tango” with Brook? Would he use one of his bones? Something else? (Asking for a friend)

Go to bed.