#and the same applies to professional musicians!

[misskamelie]

It's very nice to see how certain crafts are being approached by more and more people (ex. Drawing, music, writing, etc), but I hope this won't make people be less suprised by the qualities of the professionals of the field

[aflame4goinghome]

Bad Reputation

s.f.k. x reader

chapter one

Series Summary: As a local jazz pianist in Nashville, you never fear being in the spotlight. Living in the same city, you’ve become very familiar with Sam Kiszka, a young musician who’s managed to gain a bad reputation in the city and throughout the country within his band’s fanbase. You’ve always just ignored Sam’s promiscuous and impulsive ways, but when you’re approached by the band to help repair his image, you’re given an offer you can’t refuse.

Word Count: 6k

Chapter Warnings: swearing, drinking, mentions of sex, mentions of smoking (tobacco & marijuana), flirting, arguing, sexual tension… you get it ;) (no smut… yet)

A/N: Hi guys! I’m so excited to share this series with you all. The idea came to me and I think it really ended up so good, I can’t wait for you to read it. Let me know in the comments or in my messages if you want to be added to the taglist for this series! See you soon :)

Listen to the playlist here :)

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The club was dark and crowded as you entered through the front door and made your way backstage to begin setting up. Your shoulders brushed past other people in the crowd, making it difficult for you to get to the back. On your way there, you paused for a moment, deciding to stop at the bar first for a much-needed drink.

“Hey, Sebastian!” you said, leaning over the bar as you greeted the bartender. You’ve been playing here for so many years, these guys were some of the closest friends you’ll ever have.

“Y/N, hey! Need a pick-me-up?” he said, turning his attention to you fully for a moment as the bar was bustling with other customers. Better make this quick.

“Can I just get a double rum and coke? Only a little bit of ice in it,” you asked, smiling politely as he nodded and began making your drink.

You take a second to look around the club as you wait, feeling a bit nervous as you take in how many people are actually there. You’ve played big crowds before, sure, but tonight felt extra intimidating for some reason.

You had sensed for a few months now that your big break might be coming soon, at least that’s what you’d hoped. You’ve grown to be quite popular in the greater Nashville area, but your reach hasn’t gone much further than that. You hope to branch off and move to New York one day, to play there professionally full-time.

For now, though, you make your living by playing gigs weekly, posting your music online, and taking a few brand deals here and there. It’s working well, and you make enough money to get by, but you’re not entirely fulfilled.

“Double rum and coke for the lovely lady,” Sebastian said, sliding your drink across the bar toward you with a smile. You return his smile and take it in your hand, tipping it toward him as a thank you.

“Thanks, Seb. I’ll be back later, you know I’m gonna need it,” you muttered, taking a long swig of your drink before squeezing your way through the rest of the crowd and finally making it to the backstage door.

Pushing the door open, you turned the corner toward your usual dressing room and started to set yourself up. You take your coat off, place it on the small couch with your tote bag, and then turn to the mirror to touch up your makeup before you take the stage in 15 minutes. You hear the door crack open, so you turn your head to look and see who it is.

“There you are, Lucy!” you exclaimed, moving to the door to greet her with a hug. “Where the hell have you been? I didn’t see you at the bar before.”

“Sorry, babe, Seb had me refilling the kegs downstairs for him… lazy bastard,” she scoffed, moving past you to plop down on the couch. “That’s a man’s job! That shit is so heavy!” You chuckle at her, finishing off your drink and then turning back to the mirror to finish applying your lipstick.

“He’s building up your strength, Luce! What happened to equal rights?” you laughed, making eye contact with her in the mirror as she rolled her eyes at you.

“Whatever, Y/N. I don’t see you lifting any heavy things,” she mutters, crossing her arms and throwing her head back.

Lucy was probably your best friend in the whole city. You met her in high school, being in the same jazz band class together, and immediately clicked. She works at Seb’s jazz club part-time as a bartender and server, which is how you started playing there. You play plenty of gigs at other places too, but this place became your regular haunt, thanks to Lucy’s help. She asked Sebastian to give you a chance to audition 4 years ago, and you’ve been playing there ever since.

The two of you live together in a little apartment in Midtown, only a couple blocks away from the club. After graduating high school, Lucy decided to go to Belmont for journalism while you ended up just starting to work on your music full-time. You made ends meet and helped pay rent while Lucy went to school, and she’s worked to make it up to you ever since.

She’s in her last semester of graduate school now at Vanderbilt, getting a business degree with hopes of founding a newspaper of her own one day. At 24, she seems like she’s finally getting her life together, but for you, it feels like you’re only just getting started. You try not to compare yourself to her or anyone else, which was something your mother always nagged you about. You knew she was right, but you can’t help it.

Despite all of that, you’re sure that you’ll break into the industry soon. Seb had planned to hook you up with his buddy who works in one of the recording studios downtown to get you in and record your own stuff. He’s just waiting on your word to tell him that the album is ready, but you haven’t been able to finish it for the life of you. You’re not sure if it’s fear or perfectionism, but it just doesn’t feel finished to you yet. For now, you’re filling your time with gig after gig, hoping to find inspiration.

“Stop sulking in here and get back to work, I have to be out there in 5,” you say, turning around to give her a stern look. She scoffs at you and then stands up, walking out the door.

“Break a leg!” she shouts as she rounds the corner, leaving you alone once more.

You have to admit that you’re feeling nervous. You compiled a few originals to test out tonight with the crowd, hoping to get some excited reactions to some stuff that you planned to include in your record. You had a few classics in the setlist too, including your favorite arrangements of Misty and Lullaby of Birdland, to make sure that the crowd doesn’t get too lost. But you hope that you’re new stuff will keep them captivated.

You take a deep breath, brushing your hands down your dress a few times to straighten it out and taking one last look in the mirror before exiting the dressing room and heading toward the stage. You hear Seb announce your name as you turn the corner and stride onto the stage, flashing a quick smile at the crowd before sitting down at the piano.

The crowd hushed as your fingers plinked out the first few notes, and then you started your first piece. Your hands glided across the keys with ease as you closed your eyes, getting lost in the music. Your first original piece went off without a hitch, the crowd cheering loudly at your extensive solo. They were enraptured by the covers you chose and your confidence was truly shining brightly off of you.

The set ended as quickly as it began and the club erupts in applause as you played the last note and stood up to take a bow. You look out into the crowd and see your friends back at the bar, flashing them a wide smile. Your eyes pan across the rest of the room, seeing all of the people cheering for you. This was what you were made for, you were sure of it. This is what you’re meant to do.

As your eyes stop at the back corner of the room, your expression quickly drops when you see the group at the large booth. It was a group of men from a band that you were very familiar with, bumping elbows at all the music venues in Nashville. It wasn’t the band specifically that you had a problem with, but just one specific man who always gave you trouble. Sam Kiszka.

“Fuck,” you mutter under your breath, flashing one more smile at the crowd before rushing backstage to your dressing room. You were so not in the mood for his antics tonight, not after putting on such a good show. The rest of his brothers, you could deal with, but not him. You refuse to let him tear down the confidence in yourself that you only just built up.

You grabbed your things in your dressing room and then hurried back out to the bar, needing to get a refill on your drink before even attempting to socialize with anybody.

“Seb– another, please. Pour it heavy,” you lament, resting your elbows on the bar and putting your head in your hands. You hear him chuckle as he starts your drink and you let out a low groan.

“I take it you saw them, then?” Lucy said, leaning against the bar next to you. You nodded as your head still sat in your hands, not bothering to look up at her. “Y/N, they’re really not that bad, I don’t understand what your problem is.” Your head shot up and you glared at her frustratedly.

“Not that bad? Sam takes every opportunity he can to belittle my music and talent every time I see him,” you scoffed, taking your drink from Seb and taking a long sip. “And when he’s not berating me, he’s trying to get in my pants.” Lucy rolls her eyes, stepping behind the bar to grab some drinks and put them on her tray.

“As if I’d ever stoop that low. That man’s been in bed with every single woman in Nashville. Probably even taken women, too!” you ranted, crossing your arms and taking another sip.

“Just ignore him, babe. I know the rest of them would like to see you,” Lucy said, lifting the tray to rest on her shoulder. “These are their drinks. Just come with me.”

She walks away with the tray toward the other side of the club to find their table. You linger for a moment and then let out an annoyed groan, throwing back another sip before reluctantly following behind her.

You followed Lucy with your head down, trying not to look too eager or willing to go with her. As you approached the table, Josh was the first one to catch a glimpse of you, a toothy smile growing across his face.

“There she is, the woman of the hour,” Josh remarks, opening his arms wide to pull you in for a hug. You accept, squeezing him tightly before pulling away. You smiled shyly as the others greeted you as well, except Sam, of course. He was distracted, seemingly complimenting the top Lucy had on. Barf.

She’d already been there, done that, which isn’t exactly surprising. Your best friend always had an affinity for one-night stands, never really wanting to settle down or get too serious. You never cared at all, until she told you one morning that she went home with Sam after a show one night. She promised that she didn’t plan to do it again, claiming she used him just as much as he used her, and you left it at that.

She kept her word, never going home with him again, but that didn’t stop him from flirting with her every time he came in here. You rolled your eyes as you watched him glance down at her cleavage subtly, but not subtle enough for you not to notice. He finally notices you standing there, turning toward you with a smirk. Here we go.

“Y/N… that was quite the set,” Sam said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall next to their booth. Josh and Jake excuse themselves to go outside for a smoke, and Danny takes a seat back in the booth, scrolling on his phone. Alone, great.

“Thanks, I think,” you say sarcastically, taking a sip of your drink as you look up at him suspiciously. You didn’t trust that look on his face one bit, and you were determined to find out what he was up to.

“Oh, that wasn’t a compliment,” he said smugly. “If you’re gonna arrange music, at least write a song where the chord progressions actually make sense together.” He raises his beer bottle to his lips and tips his head back to take a sip. You scoff at him, trying to take a deep breath before you blow this entire thing out of proportion.

“Samuel, you wouldn’t know a good arrangement even if it hit you in your smug face,” you bit out, still doing your best to hold yourself back. You swing back the rest of your drink, letting the cold ice hit your lips before slamming it down on the table next to you. “It was a B flat and E flat blues. Who crowned you the king of jazz composition?”

His smirk grew wider across his face as his back left the wall and he began to tower over you. You sucked in a deep breath, wondering if you should've just kept your mouth shut, but frankly you didn’t care. His long hair frames his face as he looks down on you, his eyes dark and cold.

“I did,” he answered, his face growing uncomfortably close to yours. “You’re sexy when you’re angry.” His tongue skims his bottom lip as his eyes bore into yours. No. No. He is not gonna win this round.

“Is that why you enjoy bothering me so much?” you asked, keeping your eyes locked on his, insistent on not backing down. His lips turn upward into a smug smile as he leans back away from you, placing his back on the wall once more.

“Maybe. Or maybe I just think it’s fun,” he answers, smirking down at you.

“You’re such a fucking freak,” you scoff, crossing your arms. You notice a change in his eyes at your words, and you start to wonder if you took it too far.

“You’ve got no idea, sweetheart,” Sam says, stepping forward again to stand over you.

“Gross,” you mutter under your breath, looking up at him, trying to keep a straight face.

“Now, I don’t think you mean that,” Sam whispered, leaning down further to speak into your ear. “I think you like it, actually.”

“You wish,” you state, still maintaining eye contact. His mouth twitches and turns up into a smirk as one of his arms snakes around your waist.

“All that blushing you’re doing says otherwise, doll. Even in this dark club, you can’t hide it,” he whispers against the shell of your ear. Fuck.

“That’s what I thought,” he smirked. You watch silently as Sam puts his beer bottle down on the table and then reaches into the front pocket of his shirt, pulling out a lighter and a blunt. “C’mon Daniel, let’s go outside.”

Sam shoots you a wink before nodding his head in Danny’s direction and the two of them walk toward the front entrance. They pass the twins on their way out, who both turn to look at you with puzzled expressions as they sit down at the booth. You sit down next to Josh as you try to adjust the annoyed look that is so clearly plastered across your face.

“What the hell was that all about?” Jake asked, raising his eyebrow at you and taking a sip from his glass of whiskey sitting on the table. You crossed your arms and rolled your eyes, not even having an answer to give.

“The usual, of course. Can’t seem to leave me alone,” you muttered. The two of them let out a breathy laugh as Josh reaches over to put his arm around you.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about him, darling,” he offers, smoothing his fingers along your shoulder. “It’s all just show.”

“For it just being show, it sure does feel pretty insulting,” you say, fiddling with your fingers atop the table.

“You’ll adjust eventually,” Jake says. “We like havin’ you around, so don’t run off just yet.” A smile grows across your face at Jake’s subtle attempt at an olive branch.

“I’ll tough it out, I promise,” you answer. You suppose you can adjust to Sam’s antics to spend time with them. You could use all the friends in the industry as you could get.

“How long have you been playing piano?” Josh asks, taking a sip of his tequila soda.

“Oh, I started lessons when I was 6,” you answered with a smile.

“That’s sick, I started pretty young too,” Jake replies, resting his arms on the table. Bonding with successful musicians has been your dream and the fact that you’re getting along so well made you really happy.

“Yeah, so I’ve heard! Believe it or not, I am actually a bit of a fan of your band. Casually, of course,” you smile, trying to be chill about it. It wasn’t entirely a lie, you are just a casual fan, but you’ve definitely watched an interview or two as well, leading to you knowing more about them than you intended to.

“Oh, yeah? Which one of us is your favorite, huh?” Josh asks smugly, raising an eyebrow at you hopefully. God, the amount of testosterone in this room could be cut with a knife.

“Hmmm… Danny,” you jest, elbowing Josh softly. The three of you break out into laughter before you check your phone to see the time. 12:32 am. Yikes, it’s late.

“Well, I gotta head out, unfortunately,” you say, standing up from the booth. Before you had the chance to walk off, Josh stopped you.

“Hey, uh, we’re gonna be in the studio on Monday for a few hours to work on some new music… would you wanna stop by?” Josh asked, looking up at you hopefully. “It could be a cool way for you to get exposed to how the recording process works.”

“Oh, wow, that would be incredible!” you smiled. “That’s such a kind offer, thank you so much! I’ll definitely be there.”

“Perfect! I’ll text you the details,” he says with a smile, and you wave goodbye to them both and walk over to the bar to find Lucy.

“Ready to head out?” you ask, leaning over the bar toward her.

“Sure, let’s go!” she answers, turning around to grab her jacket and bag.

“God, I have so much to fill you in on…” you say as you walk out the door toward your apartment. You told her all about your brief run-in with Sam, and then Josh’s invitation to the studio as you walk down the street. She quite literally squeals when she hears the news.

“OH MY GOD, Y/N this could be it! This could be your big break!” she exclaimed as you turned the corner to the path to your building. “If you get in with their producers, this could really get you started! You have to make a good impression.”

“Don’t you think I know that? I’m freaking out! I really can’t screw this up,” you said as you turn the key in the door.

“You could never screw it up, babe. They’re gonna love you, I promise,” Lucy reassured you, hugging you tightly before branching off to her own bedroom.

All you had to do was get through the weekend, and then the day of your dreams will be all yours. Fuck, you don’t have anything prepared! As you shut the door to your bedroom, you rushed to sit down at your keyboard, turning it on. You pulled out your phone and opened the voice memos app, pressing start and then setting it down. You have to get a good demo down if you want to impress the producers at the studio and book a session there.

You spent all of Saturday and Sunday recording a few of your originals on your phone, taking dozens of takes to make sure each of them was perfect. This is it, it’s your moment.

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Your alarm goes off at 8 am, giving you two hours until you’re meant to meet Greta Van Fleet at the studio. Josh texted you yesterday with the time and address, emphasizing that you shouldn’t overthink it. He knew that you’d be freaking out, and he was right.

You’re hoping that a cool shower will wake you up and help you shake the nerves off. You get up out of bed, rub your eyes, and then grab your towel and walk out of your bedroom to the bathroom.

As the cold water hits your back, you start to think over the day that you have ahead of you. If everything goes the way you planned, then you might leave today with a record deal, or plans to meet up to make a deal. You appreciated Josh’s help so greatly, you really weren’t expecting it. He’s always been so kind to you, more so than the rest, but you figured that it was just the way he was. Now, it feels like he really has your back.

All you had to do was make it through today without any incidents with Sam. You hope that the other guys have already briefed him and told him to be on his best behavior, but you doubt that he’ll abide by that. You can hold your own, though, and you doubt that he’d pull something too obscene while working.

After drying off and getting ready to go, you find that you still have about 20 minutes until you need to leave. To pass the time, you sat down in your bed and opened up Instagram to scroll mindlessly for a little while until you had to drive downtown.

As you scroll down, your eye is caught by a post by The Nashville Fiddle, which is a local magazine. The Fiddle posts mostly about drama and celebrities, and you usually ignore everything they post, since you try not to give gossip the time of day. But this time, your eyes were stuck on their post, with a video of Sam Kiszka, belligerent and wasted outside of a club downtown Saturday night.

In the video, you can see Sam flirting with a girl outside of the club when a big, burly man comes up to him angrily. Clearly, this girl was taken, and her boyfriend was not happy. You can see Sam hollering back at him, getting in his face as he slurs his words before the man takes a large swing at him. Then, you see Danny show up behind him and pull him back, dragging him down the street, far away from the scene.

How could he be so stupid? Flirting with girls with boyfriends is bad enough, but it’s even worse to get into an argument and get caught on camera. He should know that he’s a public figure and that people can spread this kind of stuff around. What was he thinking?

You check the time and see that it’s about time to go, so you grab your tote, pick up your keys, and then head out the door. As you drive downtown, you take a few deep breaths. It’s not a big deal, you tell yourself. Everything will be fine.

Soon enough, you pull into a parking spot in front of the studio and put your car in park. 9:59 am. Just on time. You get out of the car, throw your keys into your bag, and then head toward the front door. After opening the door, you walked in and told the person at the front desk that you were meeting the band, and they directed you to the right studio.

As you enter the studio, you walk in to only find Danny sitting there. He looks up from his drum set and waves, standing up to greet you.

“Hey, Danny… where are the others?” you asked, hugging him and then taking a seat on a chair nearby. Danny lets out a long laugh, trying to compose himself before answering.

“Oh, they are never here on time. This is considered early,” he answers, smiling widely as he goes to sit back down at his set. “I wouldn’t expect any of them for at least another thirty minutes, if not longer.” You laugh along with him, tucking your hair behind your ear.

“Ah, Josh should have told me! Now I feel embarrassed for being so early,” you say, looking down at your phone for the time. 10:11 am.

“Nah, he just can’t admit that he’s always chronically late. He’s in denial,” Danny jokes. “Do you want anything while we wait? There’s coffee and tea over there.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice actually,” you answered, standing up to walk over to the coffee cart. “I’ll be honest, I’m not much of a morning person.” Daniel laughs, standing up to walk over with you.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever met a jazz player that was,” he says with a smile. “I think it’s just part of your DNA.” You laugh, nodding your head in agreement.

“You might be right. It’s not our fault, we play at night!” you say, pouring yourself a cup of coffee.

“Sam’s the same way, y’know. Stays up ‘til ungodly hours of the night, and then doesn’t roll out of bed until after noon,” he notes, laughing to himself. You laugh awkwardly as you add cream to your cup, cringing at the possibility of having anything in common with Sam Kiszka.

Almost as if he read your mind, Sam walked through the door, sunglasses blocking the dark bags under his eyes. He’s clearly hungover, rubbing his temples as he waltzes over to the cart and grabs the pot of coffee, pouring it into his own cup.

“Rough weekend, Samuel?” you asked teasingly, having already read about his escapades from this weekend. You can see his eyes roll behind the tint of the sunglasses as he takes a sip of his black coffee.

“Don’t start with me today, sweetheart,” he mumbled, pouring more coffee into his cup to make up for what he already drank, and then walking over to the corner to sit down on the sofa. He puts his feet up on the cushions as he takes a sip and then lays his head back against the armrest.

“See what I mean?” Danny asks, laughing as he walks over to his set and starts playing on his own, seemingly practicing. The idea sends a shiver down your spine. Could you and Sam be more similar than you thought? No, no way, you thought to yourself.

Not long after, Josh and Jake walk through the door and things can finally start moving. Josh walks over to make a cup of tea and then takes a seat on a stool, taking a slow sip. You walk over to him, hoping that his usual cheery disposition would calm your nerves.

“Good morning, lovely,” Josh smiled, patting your shoulder softly. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good, I’m good,” you answered nonchalantly with a shy smile.

“Good. We’re still waiting for our manager, Jodie, to arrive, so just hang tight,” he says, taking another sip of his tea.

“Hey, you know what? How about you play us something?” he asks excitedly, his eyes lighting up. “Could be a good way to wake us up, huh?”

Your eyes shoot open, looking around the room at the rest of the guys. Danny is nodding excitedly and Jake walks over to his guitar stand, picking up his Gibson SG and slinging it over his head. Sam isn’t paying attention, his sunglasses have come off and his eyes are shut as he reclines on the couch.

“Well, okay… I guess it couldn’t hurt,” you answered, walking over to Sam’s keyboard next to the drumset. You turn it on and adjust the settings, giving it a funkier sound before taking a deep breath and starting to play.

You decide to play Higher Ground, by Stevie Wonder, falling into the groove of the intro of the song as your fingers move across the keys. Danny’s face lights up as he listens closely to what you’re playing, then starts playing along. Jake follows suit, adding his guitar into the mix, and playing along with you. Of course, everyone knows Stevie Wonder, but being able to play with a band was just so cool to you.

People keep on learnin’

Soldiers keep on warnin’

World keep on turnin’

‘Cause it won’t be too long

Josh sings along, his voice fitting perfectly in the range of the song. The four of you are really grooving now, and it is so fun for you. It’s been years since you’ve played with others, and you loved it.

You watch as Sam lifts his head from the couch, opening his tired eyes to look over at you all. For a moment there, you almost think that he might be smiling, but you shake it off. You’re surprised to see him rise from the couch and walk over, grabbing his Rickenbacker off the stand and putting the strap over his head. Oh, he’s gonna play along…

Sam starts plucking his bass, along with the rest of the song. You knew that they’d all played in jazz bands before, and this song was a staple, but it surprised you how easy it was to join together and play. It was almost like you belonged there.

As you start a short piano solo, their manager walks through the door and sits down on the couch. She seems to nod at you to keep going, so you finish your solo and then end the song. You’re suddenly caught by surprise as Josh starts applauding, smiling widely as he walks over to you. He stands behind you, putting his hands firmly on your shoulders, squeezing them.

“You’re an incredible talent, Y/N, truly,” Josh remarked, smiling from ear to ear as he left your side and went to sit back down. You smile shyly and get up from the bench behind the piano to go sit down on the couch with Jodie. The rest of the guys start talking cacophonously as you start your conversation privately with her.

“It’s true, you’re really good,” she says honestly, reaching out to shake yours. “I’m Jodie, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Oh, you have? Thank you so much, it’s great to meet you. I assume it was Josh who told you about me, he’s the one who invited me today,” you answer, smiling shyly at the compliment.

“I first heard about you from Sam actually… he had a lot to say about your talent on the keys,” she says, catching you completely by surprise. Sam? Is she being serious right now?

“Did he now?... Interesting,” you replied, your tone feigning confidence. “Well, I’m honored to be here today. I’ve been meaning to finally get into a studio here in Nashville.”

“Yes, I heard from Josh that you plan on recording an album of original songs,” Jodie remarks. “I’m happy to have you here! Hopefully, we can get you to work a bit! Not to mention, it’s quite nice to have a bit more of a gender balance.” You laugh together for a moment before she gets up to greet the guys, going over the agenda for the session.

They go through a few new songs, trying to get it all down perfectly. You just sit and watch, absolutely mesmerized by watching the professionals work. You even escaped to the booth for a while to see the mechanics of the equipment, talking to some of the sound techs that work there. It was a really rewarding learning experience for you.

“Okay, that’s a wrap, guys! Good work today, we’ll be back here at the same time on Friday,” Jodie says. “Sam, can you hang back for a sec?” She walks back over to sit next to you on the couch, nodding her head to motion for Sam to join you. Once she’s certain that everyone else has left the studio, she starts talking.

“So, I’ve had an idea. Just hear me out,” she started, somewhat apprehensively. “Y/N, I was thinking about how highly the guys speak about you, and how much untapped talent you have.” Okay… this is getting weird.

“And Sam, I’ve been thinking about ways to improve your public image and get you out of your rut,” she finished, trailing off as she saw Sam’s annoyed expression.

“Okay, first of all, I am not in a rut,” he said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms as he leaned back on the couch.

“That’s not the point,” she snapped back. “My point is that I think I might have thought of a way to solve all of our problems.” You raise your eyebrow at her, still not really understanding what she’s getting at.

“What could possibly solve both of our problems?” you ask suspiciously.

“Like I said, just hear me out…” she says, but Sam interrupts her.

“Jodie, just spit it out already,” he groaned, growing frustrated.

“I think you guys should pretend to date!” she finally spat out, looking nervously at your reactions. Your jaw dropped as she finished her sentence, unsure that you even heard her right. Sam, however, already shot up out of his seat and stood angrily above you both.

“No, fuck no, absolutely not. This is ridiculous,” he starts ranting, but she cuts him off.

“Just listen to me, Sam. You’d improve your reputation by having a charismatic and talented girlfriend, the fans would love her! And Y/N, you’d gain followers and fans for your music career, and our label can get you started in our studio. Boom, both problems are fixed.”

“No! How could I even pretend to be interested in him? It’s impossible,” you complained.

“Woah, okay, try not to sound too disgusted,” Sam said, crossing his arms with a scoff.

“Don’t act like you didn’t react the exact same way, you asshole,” you scoff, staring daggers into him.

“Whatever, it’s not the same thing,” he spits back.

“Whatever, this isn’t productive,” you admit, crossing your arms in your seat.

“Exactly. It won’t even be that bad. Besides, you’re both benefiting here! It’s perfect,” Jodie says proudly.

“Well, I don’t know about perfect, but I guess it does kind of make sense…” you muttered, looking up at Sam nervously. He raised an eyebrow at you, walking toward you.

“You want to be my fake girlfriend, Y/N?” he teased. You roll your eyes and stand up to be more level with him, hating him towering over you.

“Shut up, Sam,” you replied, a hint of pink tinting your cheeks as your eyes locked on his.

“So? You guys are in?” Jodie asked hopefully. You and Sam exchange a look, then look back at her and nod.

“Yeah. Yeah, we’re in,” Sam answered, looking over at you with a smirk before walking toward the door. “Now, are we done here? I’ve got places to be.” You roll your eyes and reach down to grab your bag.

“We’re done here, go,” you mutter, slinging your bag over your arm. Sam walks out the door as quickly as he had came in, and you follow soon after him.

As you drive back home from the studio, you think about all of the day’s events. You almost can’t even believe that you agreed to be Sam’s girlfriend, fake or not. But you have to admit that it’s going to be great for your career, this is exactly the big break you need. You feel confident that her choice to ask you was based on your talent, so the unconventional means of gaining popularity didn’t bother you.

It kind of excited you to be included with such a famous rock band like theirs– going on tour, going to the studio, seeing the magic happen. Having to spend time with Sam was just the price you had to pay to jumpstart your music career and get into the music industry. You’re not sure what type of a commitment this arrangement is going to entail for you, but you’re honestly kind of looking forward to it. You have to admit that “Rockstar’s Girlfriend” kind of has a ring to it.

•┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈•

chapter two

Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment or send me a message if you want to be added to the taglist for this story, or if you want to be tagged in all of my stories! See you soon :)

Taglist:

@highladyofasgard @gvfpal @childinthegardenn @myleftsock @peaceloveunitygvf @gretasfallingsky @gretavanfan @itsafullmoon @jordie-gvf

[swallowprettybird]

Adam Ledger for Bachelorette @aniraklova 💅🏻

More about Adam

🌌 Live in Del Sol Valley

34 years

Professional actor/producer

ambitious / hot heated /cringe

likes/dislikes included

cc: mostly genetics + hair/everyday

private download if participate

* Adam's next movie poster+ ost (titles and names are fictitious, all coincidences are coincidental)

Born and raised with family in Vancouver, he is of partial French and German descent. Adam spent almost his entire chilhood life on film sets. Started with short commercials and TV shows. Then, got his first supporting role in the popular action-adventure movie "The Omens League" at 14 years.

In his teenage years, he changed four schools due to his difficult personality and repeated hooliganism. The boy often skipped classes and did not receive excellent grades. But he had a vivid and lively imagination.

His parents divorced when he was 10. His mother worked as a set designer in a theater. To prevent Adam from completely succumbing to harmful addictions, she managed to get him a part-time job at the same theater as an assistant. Impressed by local performances, he decided that he wanted to become an actor. That's when he started filming.

A few years later, mother married jazz musician Brian Boucher, and they all moved to the Del Sol Valley together. Adam takes acting classes and actively participates in movie auditions. One of them eventually brought him real recognition

Playing one of the main roles of the young seer Paul in the mystical drama series "The Lost Kingdoms", Adam remaining in the main cast for long ten years. During this time, he gained real popularity and love of fans

On the other hand, it took him much more effort to continue his career and get rid of the image of a "one-man show" actor. Only now can he boast of a worthy list of projects, that are completely different from his old role.

At the same time, news recently broke about the high-profile divorce of Ledger and his wife, with whom he had been married for almost eight years.

All the tabloids wrote about it and many unpleasant details surfaced. For example, about Adam's past alcohol addiction and clashes with the police, as well as about the secret affair between Selena Ledger and her co-star Tom Lewis

Now Adam Ledger is applying to participate in The Bachelorette. What is it? Many haters are convinced that this is nothing more than speculation and PR. But in reality, Adam just wants to start over.

At first, he thought it was a bad idea, but really, what's stopping him? A good friend of his from television kindly offered to join, and he agreed. In the end, charming Yasmin really impressed him. Maybe something will come of it.

[writers-potion]

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Magic System Ideas

Magic is an inherent part of our fantasy novels, and often the most attractiv piece of setting.

Here's a list of different types of magic systems you may

01. ♫ Music-Based Magic

 an ancient song of summoning or a pied-piper type of hypnosis.

What if inanimate objects were a part of the musical process? Beyond just magical instruments, how do the surroundings, the acoustics, and the environment react to the music and the magic?

Does musical magic require years of study and practice? Or does it require natural talent? If only some songs are magical, how does that affect the world’s perception of musicians?

Just like music is often played with multiple instruments, in what ways could your magic be enhanced by a larger group or a specific number of musicians, such as a quartet? What if magical beings were needed to join in before the magic worked?

If a magical creature reacts aggressively to magical music when it hears it, how does that change your system?

02. 🎭 Culture-Base Magic

Magic is derived from culture.

How does the history of magic impact your user?

How is the cultural knowledge of magic passed down across generations?

Does it rquired cultural experiences, such as a pilgrimage?

How does this "magical culture system" interact with the government, religion or education?

If cultural norms are broken, how does it affect your magic?

Is a community of people required fr the magic to work?

03. 🎨 Art-Based Magic

If only some art is magical, what makes it magical? What happens to non-magical art and non-magical artists?

Does your magic require extremely specific forms of art or a specific medium?

If your magic requires a work of art, how does that art come to be? Who has access to it?

What if your hero is a starving artist?

What would a magical art museum be like? What would people be experiencing in such a place?

04. ⏳ Time-Based Magic

If you could create fire, but for only one minute a day and only at the same time every day, how would you use that ability? Now apply that to your magic system.

If a magical ability or magical energy is strongest at a specific time, what happens to the use of that ability?

If you cast a spell that only takes effect in 24 hours, how much planning would your character have to do to make sure that the spell was successful?

What if your magic system changed with age or changed over time?

05. 👗 Fashion-Based Magic

If your mage has to be well dressed for their magic to work, what happens if they have to use a spell inconspicuously?

If access to fashion is restricted, how does that affect your world and your magic?

If your main character has no sense of fashion, how does that change the way they interact with a fashion-obsessed world?

What spell effect would cause someone to change the way they are dressed?

If it is always visually obvious who is capable of which spells, how does that change magical conflicts?

06. ⚔️ Weapon-Based Magic

Legend-born magical swords, chakras and tridents: Excaliber, Riptide, etc.

Is there a condition for the user to become the "true owner" of the weapon/tool?

Does the magical weapon have it own "consciousness"?

Is there a cost for someone to claim the magcial weapon?

07. ⚗️ Science-Based Magic

Where magic must be theoretically researched and experimented in order to be developed.

Who is allowed to experiment with new, dangerou magic?

What facilities are required to development new magic spells/substances?

Are there different types of magic? If yes, how are they different from each other?

Is there an institution that professionally carried out magical research?

08. 🌑 Substance-Based Magic

Potions and magical foods, plasma, or pills.

Are there any consequences of intaking too much or too little?

Does the substance need to be stored/ingested in a particular way?

09. 🤝 Relationship-Based Magic

Where lovers, soul-bounded friends, families can wield speical magic.

Is there a bonding ritual for the magical power to be bestowed?

Do the people in this relationship have to be together for the power to work?

What happens to the other when one party dies?

Is there a way for this "relationship" to be reversed?

10. 🙏 Religion-Based Magic

This is where the gods grants magical powers based on a character's faith.

If gods grant powers, but they have been forgotten, what happens? What do the gods do?

How can multiple religions interact with the same magic system? How does this affect the ways your people use the magic and whatconflicts can arise from these differences?

Instead of the typical “forces of evil versus forces of light” trope, how could your religious magic system have contrast? What other forces and conflicts could be built around the religious system?

Combine your magic systems! That makes them that much more interesting :)

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

🖱️References

https://habitwriting.com/7-magic-system-ideas/

[indiaalphawhiskey]

Hii India

You already said a few things about Harry taking a break.. now that the last show is over and Harry saying goodbye over Instagram, what do you think?

A lot of people have the opinion he’s going to be gone for quite a while now. Whatever it is I’m glad he’s taking the break. For me it’s a confirmation that he’s still dealing with the mess that fame is in a healthy way and I’m going to be here for when he decides to come back. I’m going to miss him so much though.

And I would love to hear your take on things. Do you think this is a goodbye for a longer time period? Or is it more an goodbye for him, to be okay with the fact that things might never be the same as they were during this tour? That his fame is changing and he accepts that he doesn’t have to control it?

Hi, love 🩵

Hmm. So, I can’t believe I’m actually going to say this, but practically speaking, for the first time, the set up of a new stunt is a hopeful sign. If they’re finding a way to keep Harry in the press, however low the profile (🤞🏼), it’s for a reason. My hunch is that he is tying up with Loewe in some way, and in that sense, I don’t think it will be long ‘til we see him again, physically (however infrequently).

But, I also think touring is tougher than he makes it seem, physically, mentally and emotionally. I think all the things he realized during COVID, about being a better son/brother/friend (and partner) is a driving force in this seemingly more urgent need to find balance. It’s certainly a shift from the way he was working/talking during Fine Line, but I also think that’s the point.

He’s now in a very rare “natural” break in his career as a musician. We haven’t had any confirmation that he’s re-signed with Columbia (although I have no doubt that he has), so for all intents and purposes, he’s currently publicly free from professional obligation for the first time in a long time (at least in terms of his music) and that is going to feel very, very odd for someone who’s been working essentially non-stop (whether in the spotlight or behind the scenes) for over a decade. I think that novelty and sense of impermanence is something he’s trying really hard to embrace; to meet with excitement rather than fear. So, for the most part, I stand by my original thoughts.

But, if I can add:

I think Harry is the kind of person that is very aware of the gravity of fate and sheer magic that has gone into his success. You can see it in the way he talks about there being “no reason he should be getting to do this instead of anyone else” and how “we’re all the same” and “this doesn’t happen to people like me very often”. In this way, I think there’s a constant groundedness about his person and an acceptance of the vulnerability of his career and his success — in other words, he knows that lighting really might not strike thrice, and I think he’s preparing himself for that. There was a moment on the last Late Late show, when he was comparing himself to Will Ferrell and he said something like “Will has longevity and I’m more a flash in the pan” (untrue, but I digress) and what struck me about that line was how acutely aware he is that things can change for him at any moment. It’s similar to his “whatever people say about you, it’s not true. If people say you’re the best thing ever, it’s not true” quote on Howard Stern; like I think it’s one of the themes of his life, having to have a firm hold on reality so that the ‘inevitable’ crash is manageable.

He also seems to be trying to learn from the lives of other musicians/celebrities, and take those lessons to heart by applying them to his life and his work. in the end, I think what he’s trying to do is just accept that there are no guarantees; that he doesn’t know and has no control over whatever happens to the world while he’s away or what he’s returning to. I think the reason it sounds so definitive and scary and existential is because it is all of those things, for him. This is a big change, and he’s giving it its space and weight for the first time, because it is the first time he’s been able to say a proper goodbye (1D hiatus was rushed, HS1 went directly into FL, FL ended abruptly during COVID… there’s a pattern.)

Bottom line though, is that I know for certain Harry fucking loves music and touring. It’s a compulsion, for him. It’s in his DNA. And that’s why I’m not scared that he’ll leave forever, because I’ve always hard the feeling his music nourishes him just as much (if not more) than it nourishes us. He does what he does for himself, and we’re a bonus, and as an artist, that is the best reason to do anything and the only reason to keep coming back to it, regardless of the uncertainty that awaits him.

Not to make this novel any longer than it is, but I’ve also had a recent thought that occurred to me: Harry is 29, which means he’s currently going through his Saturn return.

I’ve asked my therapist (who is also an astrologist) for a bit more literature on Saturn returns, cause I’m super curious about how that might be affecting him. (For background, all my friends got married around the times of their Saturn return, and both my best friend and I picked up and moved halfway across the world during ours so at least for the people in my life, it seems like it is consistent with big change, and from the way Harry is talking, it seems it might be affecting him the same way.) I’ll get back to you. 😉🪐

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Walter Franklin Anderson

The grandson of formerly enslaved people, Walter Franklin Anderson, classical pianist, organist, composer, jazz musician, community activist, and academician, was born on May 12, 1915, in segregated Zanesville, Ohio. Walter was the sixth of nine children of humble beginnings.

Information regarding his parents is not available. Anderson, a child prodigy, began piano studies at age seven, and by 12, he was playing piano and organ professionally while still in elementary school. He was the only Black student to graduate from William D. Lash High School in Zanesville in 1932. Although a talented musician, Anderson was not a member of any of the school’s music ensembles, including the Glee Club or orchestra. Afterward, he enrolled in the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio, 100 miles north of his hometown, and received a Bachelor of Music in piano and organ in 1936. Anderson continued his studies at Berkshire (Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra) and the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio.

From 1939 to 1942, Anderson taught Applied Piano, Voice Pedagogy, and music theory at the Kentucky State College for Negroes (now Kentucky State University) in Frankfort. In 1943, Anderson married Dorothy Eleanor Ross (Cheeks) from Atlanta, Georgia. They parented two children, Sandra Elaine Anderson Mastin and David Ross Anderson, before the marriage ended in a divorce in 1945.

In 1946, Anderson was appointed the head of the music department at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, thus becoming the first African American named to chair a department outside of the nation’s historically black colleges. Two years later, Anderson was a Rosenwald Fellow in composition from 1948 to 1949, where his variations on the Negro Spiritual, “Lord, Lord, Lord,” was performed by the Cleveland Orchestra. Moreover, John Sebastian, the conductor of the Orchestra, commissioned him to write “Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra” for a performance with the same orchestra. In 1950, Anderson’s composition, “D-Day Prayer Cantata,” for the sixth anniversary of the World War II invasion, was performed on a national CBS telecast. In 1952, Anderson received the equivalent of a doctoral degree as a fellow of the American Guild of Organists. He left his administrative post at Antioch College in 1965.

In 1969, Anderson was named director of music programs at the National Endowment for the Arts, where he created model funding guidelines and pioneered the concept of the challenge grant. In addition, he spearheaded numerous projects and developed ideas at the then-new agency for supporting music creation and performance, specifically for orchestras, operas, jazz, and choral ensembles and conservatories.

Anderson was the recipient of four honorary doctorates in music over his professional career, including one from Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, in 1970. He retired from NEA in 1983. During this period, he became a presidential fellow at the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies and a recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize for Distinguished Service to the Arts. In 1993, the American Symphony Orchestra League recognized Anderson as one of 50 people whose talents and efforts significantly touched the lives of numerous musicians and orchestras. He was also a member of the Advisory Council to the Institute of the Black World at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Center.

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/people-african-american-history/walter-franklin-anderson-1915-2003/

[painted-bees]

Can you tell us about a time Magritte was surprised (in a good way) at Raf's behavior or vice versa?

aw, this is a cute ask haha

Let's see here... Raf is very frequently surprised by Magritte's behavior; she's not really like anyone one else he's gotten to know before, and the way she responds to obstacles and failure, he finds very inspiring. She's remarkably adaptable and doesn't have very high expectations of anything, ever. But--not in a cynical 'always expecting the worst' kind of way. Rather, she just seems constantly surprised and delighted when things go well, or something nice happens--and is very rarely upset to any significant capacity when things don't go as planned. A very, genuinely "it is what it is!" kind of person who'll make things work with the hand they've been delt. Magritte herself is just one big, ongoing, pleasant surprise in Raf's life haha

I guess there are two comics that already show instances where Magritte has been kinda taken off guard/surprised by Raf's playfulness

x

x

But she's also endlessly surprised by Raf's seemingly effortless gestures of support for her music. I mean, once she moves in, the guest room--her room--slowly finds itself furnished with more and more instruments and music supplies. Things that Raf purchases with no desire to use himself, but he knows Magritte will make excellent use of.

But beyond even this, she has been more than surprised on the rare occasions when Raf has gone out of his way to pull strings for her with regards to her musical career specifically. It's not something she'd ever dare to ask of him, but Raf gets really tired and fed-up on her behalf after seeing her try to seize opportunity after opportunity to get her work recognized, and receiving rejection after rejection. A lot of it is just due to the fact that she doesn't come across as very professional--unless you only listen to her music. Attempting to speak to her in a professional context, she seems incapable of composing herself properly for longer than a few minutes at a time before her own excitement unravels her. She's very giggly, and wiggly, and her vocabulary is unrefined and childish, and sometimes rather crass. She doesn't know how to talk about her own music, or how to explain her process in a way that makes sense to anyone who isn't her. She doesn't have a way to describe why she makes certain choices with her musical compositions... She comes off as very young, inexperienced, and unreliable.

And, though it frustrates him to no end, Raf can't blame anyone for reading her this way. After all, he was rather quick to do so himself when he first met her. It was only thanks to an uncharacteristic nibble of curiosity in the back of his mind that he felt there was more to Magritte and her music than first impressions led on. Sure enough, Magritte is the closest he's ever met to what he'd comfortably describe as a 'genius'. He hates the word, having been called a 'genius' for much of his life growing up and knowing that what he accomplished was only possible due to forfeiting his childhood to hours of endless hard work and practice--and the tyrannical manner in which his parents funded and 'supported' his career. But he doesn't really know what other word exists to describe Magritte's sheer aptitude for music. The way she approaches and applies certain concepts is not something that he feels can be taught, it's a unique perspective she has that he can't even fully understand. Her brain, it seems, is just wired differently. And she could change people's lives with that unique perspective of hers, the same way she has changed his...

If only she had the proper structures of support to back her up.

Raf does not like calling in favors, or being made to feel like he owes anyone anything. And so, when he goes out of his way, unrequested, to get her booked as a performing musician at one of Vancouver's many highly attended music festivals (on the condition that he also play and allow his name to be used as part of the promotional materials), Magritte is elated to tears and beyond words haha

[11queensupreme11]

Ever since I saw your ask on the mini series/one shots you were planning on making in the future, I saw one of them which suggested a potential one shot (or mini series) of a possible “No Curses AU”. I loved the idea so much that my mind just had to mess around and use my free time just to think of how the AU would look like in a world without curses. I swear, I didn’t have to waste my days like that for thinking about this idea so extensively and yet, here I am! This is just my own ideas on the AU and I thought I should share it with you since you were the one who inspired me to make my own “No Curses AU”.

So imagine this:

A “No Curses AU” where Yuji and Sukuna are twins (Sukuna’s the older brother). Their mother died during the birth process (I wonder how 👀) leaving their father and grandfather to take care of them until the father died not too long after from unaliving himself because of the tragedy of losing his wife. Ever since then, Yuji and Sukuna have been raised by their grandpa. Sukuna met Hime at night when they were both kids: he was taking a walk to get his mind off of things when he found Hime running away from some older drunk guys. She was annoying him so he beat up the drunk men and tried leaving but she stuck by him (Idk about u, but I’m getting some Sukuna and Shisui vibes from this 👀). She was all alone at night because she thought she could sneak away from her father when he’d be sleeping. Ever since then, Sukuna grew to like endure her staying by his side. (Hime’s parents are Sanyu and Susanoo in this btw). They used to go to the same school (with Yuji).

When the three of them turned 15, Yuji and Sukuna’s grandpa died in the hospital which left the twins a bit lost on where they should go right now (Yuji was saddened by their grandpa’s passing while Sukuna felt indifferent but did feel some kind of respect for the old man. Hime was there with the two to support them.)

Not long after that however, Hime decided to help the two twins into enrolling them to the new school she was going to be in: Tokyo Jujutsu High. After some pestering and begging from Susanoo, he begrudgingly recommended Yuji and Sukuna to the higher-ups to which they got accepted.

Now, they both attend Tokyo Jujutsu High where it’s a school for either elites, students that come from traditional old families, people with unique talents, people who worked hard to get there, or it’s either all of the above or one of them. As you can see, the system for enrolment is pretty unfair for some since others can simply be applied for being born in the right family while others have to work hard to get there. This creates discrimination and separates a lot of groups together.

Just like in the original universe, Jujutsu High is a place for the community and provides mediation, general support, education, and shelter. The buildings also visually are the same so nothing about the looks of the school has been altered. It’s location is also where it should be: it’s well hidden on Tokyo's outskirts, far and high in the mountains since it’s so exclusive.

The uniform system is the same as in the original universe as well: you can customize your uniform however you’d like by sending a request paper to the school, regarding them of how you’d like your uniform to look like for your satisfaction.

Tokyo Jujutsu High

The 1st year students are Megumi Fushiguro, Yuji Itadori, Nobara Kugisaki, Junpei Yoshino, and Hana Kurusu.

Megumi Fushiguro has been enrolled for his ancestral traditional roots.

Yuji Itadori got enrolled for his physique and inhuman stamina. He might become a professional runner.

Nobara Kugisaki for working hard with her grades in the countryside.

Junpei Yoshino for being recommended by Yuji. He aims to become a movie critic.

Hana Kurusu for mastering some music instruments. She wants to be a professional musician or even a conductor someday.

The 2nd year students are Maki Zenin, Toge Inumaki, Yuta Okkotsu, Sukuna Itadori, Mizuhime Uchiumi, Panda, and Uraume.

Maki Zenin, Toge Inumaki, Mizuhime Uchiumi, and Yuta Okkotsu have been enrolled for their ancestral traditional roots and individual talents. (The ones between these four who got recognized for their talents were Maki for mastering weapons, and Mizuhime for her impeccable swimming.)

Sukuna has been enrolled for his immense strength and intelligence. His future is looking….quite interesting (so fucking dark omg what-)

Uraume has been enrolled for their excellent cooking skills. Naturally, they are aiming to become a five star chef.

Panda is actually an AI that took the form of a panda. He’s mostly seen on a movable average-sized screen. His appearance has been based off of one of Yaga’s dolls. He was made to learn more about the potential of artificial intelligence.

(I really didn’t wanna exclude Panda from this since he’s one of my favourites so I had to improvise lol. Also, Toge can’t speak in this au. He just interacts with writing on paper or uses sign language for people like Megumi who know how to understand it.)

The 3rd year students are Kinji Hakari, Kirara Hoshi, Hajime Kashimo, Choso, Haruta Shigemo, and Yorozu.

Kinji Hakari got enrolled for his talent in dancing. He’ll be a professional dancer.

Kirara Hoshi got enrolled for being an amazing fashion designer and stylist.

Hajime Kashimo and Choso have been enrolled for their ancestral traditional roots.

Haruta Shigemo has been enrolled for….being lucky.

Yorozu has been enrolled for her intelligence (albeit a very stubborn one) and her immense knowledge for insects and how she plans on using them for the future.

(She’s a nudist but the school strictly, and understandably, doesn’t allow her to be naked so she’s forced to wear the basic jjk uniform *the same one Nobara wears*. She only wears the white shirt and skirt though. She won’t allow anything else. Yes, that means she walks around barefoot even during winter 💀.)

Since the students have different talents and projects they’d like to engage in, the school has teachers who help them sharpen up their skills in order to use what they have for the future.

All of the teachers have been hand selected by the higher-ups above Yaga (which is why the teachers are all past students but Yaga doesn’t complain about that. It leaves him less trouble to explain how the school works compared to if the higher-ups did in fact hire teachers who have never been students here before lol).

Some students, depending on what they’re good at, have managers to help them deal with what they’d like to do for the future. The student can choose the manager they’d like since they’ll stick with them for their whole school years.

(*the managers used to be students who learned how to specifically become managers for other future students*)

The principal for Tokyo Jujutsu High is Masamichi Yaga (passionate doll and puppet maker).

The teachers for Tokyo Jujutsu High are:

Satoru Gojo (professional model) teaches the 1st year students.

Atsuya Kusakabe (detective) teaches the 2nd year students.

Nanami Kento (business man) teaches the 3rd year students.

Kiyotaka Ijichi (manager)

Akari Nitta (manager)

Yu Haibara (manager)

Takuma Ino (side manager)

Shoko Ieiri (doctor) takes care of the students if they have severe or even minor injuries.

Kyoto Jujutsu High

The 1st year students are Arata Nitta, Ranta Zenin, Rin Amai, Remi, and Iori Hazenoki.

Arata Nitta got enrolled for his impressive coordination and teamwork. He’d like to become a manager for Kyoto Jujutsu High.

Ranta Zenin got enrolled for his ancestral traditional roots.

Rin Amai got enrolled for his gambling games. He’s likely turn out to become a game maker.

Remi got enrolled for her beauty model pictures she took. She’s learning to become an influencer.

Iori Hazenoki got enrolled for boxing. He aims to become a professional boxer in a ring.

The 2nd year students are Mai Zenin, Kokichi Muta, Kasumi Miwa, Noritoshi Kamo, Aoi Todo, and Momo Nishimiya.

Mai Zenin, and Noritoshi Kamo have been enrolled for their ancestral traditional roots.

Kokichi Muta has been enrolled for his robotic engineering.

Aoi Todo has been enrolled for his workouts and trainings.

Momo Nishimiya and Kasumi Miwa have….worked A LOT to get here.

The 3rd year students are Naoya Zenin, Takako Uro, Ryu Ishigori, and Charles Bernard.

Naoya Zenin has been enrolled for his ancestral traditional roots.

Takako Uro has been enrolled for modelling. She has the looks and body for it.

Ryu Ishigori has been enrolled for his sweet tongue and aims to become a professional taster.

Charles Bernard has been enrolled for his art. He’s aiming to become a mangaka.

The principal for Kyoto Jujutsu High is Yoshinobu Gakuganji (perfects in electric guitar music).

The teachers for Kyoto Jujutsu High are:

Mei Mei (freelancer) teaches the 1st year students.

Utahime Iori (song and poetry writer) teaches the 2nd year students.

Yuki Tsukumo (explorer) teaches the 3rd year students.

As for the relationships in this au, GOD DAMN THERE’S SO MUCH DRAMA-

For one, Sukuna and Yuji DO NOT get along with each other. Since they’re twins and all, people generally assume that they get along very well, when in reality they can’t stand one another. While Yuji has great friends like Megumi, Nobara, Junpei, Hana, and the rest of the 2nd year students, Sukuna doesn’t have any friends and is perfectly satisfied without the need to have some. The only one who he usually hangs around or becomes chattier than usual with is with Hime. Mizuhime is Sukuna’s childhood (and only) friend (who he also somehow convinced after junior school that they should be ‘friends with benefits’ to which Hime surprisingly agreed). She’s the only exception and Sukuna plans on keeping it like that forever. When she’s around other students, Sukuna just boredly entertains himself to pass the time or just listens from one ear to what Hime’s talking about with the others. He also only talks to other people if he has to or if he’s looking to get something from them. Another exception to his private circle, is Uraume. They are exceptional at cooking so Sukuna usually keeps them around even when Hime’s there. Uraume doesn’t mind cooking for Sukuna when they want to since they admire the guy. In short, Yuji’s friend group consists of the 1st year students and the 2nd year students, while Sukuna’s “friend” group consists of Hime and Uraume.

Of course, just like Tsunami and Bloodflood, the yandere circle does not change so Hime will STILL have a hard time dealing with the suitors even if this is a “No Curses AU” since they’ll all attend her school 💀

Except that there are some additional relationships here and there:

1. Hana is into Megumi but Megumi is into Yuji and Hime.

2. Sukuna and Yuta are into Hime but they’re both in the same class (rip Hime….)

3. Yorozu is into Sukuna but Sukuna is into Hime.

4. Yuji has a secret crush on Hime but Sukuna is aware of it. He loves to hurt him by having some fun with Hime since she and him are “friends with benefits” now. (But as much as Sukuna keeps saying that about his and Hime’s relationship, he actually does have deep feelings regarding her and doesn’t just see their relationship as a way to mess around.)

5. Uraume deeply respects Sukuna but often wonders why he likes having Hime around.

6. Gojo is into Hime and Geto (Geto quit any connection to the school) but since Geto isn’t in the school with him anymore and doesn’t teach like him, Gojo gets to see Hime more 💀

7. Choso and Hajime are into Hime but they’re both in the same class…. (rip Choso 😭)

So yeah, Hime….Good luck 👹

(before i start, how on earth did you manage to send such a long asks, whenever i try to send ppl long asks, i get cut off after like.... 5 sentences 💀 is it because i use anon mode???)

this is probably the BEST (and longest) ask i have ever gotten.... like, ever. i don't think i've ever gotten an ask this good 🥹

MY FAVORITE PART IS THAT THERE SOME PARALLELS BETWEEN THIS AU AND THE ORIGINAL. mizuhime running away from a creep and meeting sukuna that way = shisui running away from a tiny cursed spirit and falling face first in front of sukuna 😂

your entire au gives me such kdrama vibes, idk how to put it. it lowkey reminds me of boys over flowers with poor girl (sukuna) getting sent to an extremely elite school cuz she helped out a rich kid (mizuhime). the clear divide between the school elites and the ones who got into the school through hard work alone.... every time i think of a no curse AU, i ALWAYS imagine sukuna as the poor dude, rags to richest guy 😂 like, he starts out poor and looked down on but through sheer grit (and violence) he climbs up until HE'S at the top of the hierarchy and you've covered that perfectly 😩👌

THE HAREM VIBES TOO AHHHHHHHH

i'm sorry but despite the yandere harem in this au, i HAVE to ship sukuhime. the story and background you made for them is just waaaaay too good. i bet you sukuna totally found a way to get gojo-sensei arrested for pedophilia for his obvious attraction to his student (mizuhime) 💀

AND IMAGINE IF YUTA AND MIZUHIME GOT ARRANGED INTO A MARRIAGE SO SHE HAD TO STOP THE FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS THING SHE AND SUKUNA HAVE GOING ON ANDAEHFAUFGVAUYF

AND I LOVE HOW YOU ADDED YOROZU LMAOOO THANK YOU FOR THAT, SHE'S HILARIOUS I REALLY LOVE HER

this whole AU you thought up is so perfect i love you and ur big brain omg 💖

(there's only one thing i gotta ask... shouldn't sukuna and yuji not be twins tho??? you put them as twins but yuji and sukuna are in different years???)

[starmybrainrot]

Hi!

May I request how bts members first met their partner?

Thank you 😊

np bb <3 sorry i was so late to answer- i had to make sure they made sense.

ALSO- Lmk if you’d like to see any of these adapted into full-length fics

___________________________________________

How BTS Members Got With Their Partner

Jin

A mutual friend. During college, the stress of studying had put too much pressure on your relationship. Your boyfriend left you for another girl in your class, and it hit you pretty hard. To get you out of the rut, your friend decided to set you up on a blind date. “Trust me!” She’d said. “He’s totally your type.” You didn’t trust her at all, but you still went out. Might as well. You went to a barbecue place and about ten minutes later, a tall,very handsome guy appeared. Immediately, you were a bit more nervous. You still didn’t think he’d be your type, but my lord was he pretty. It was a sweet date. Lots of laughing, a tiny bit of wholesome flirting. He paid in return for showing up late. You’d agreed to go on another date with him. You still weren’t head-over-heels, but he was nice. And so started a courtship. Every two weeks or so, he’d find a way to take you on a date. Dinner, an arcade, the aquarium, a cafe. Picture-perfect, but a very human energy. He wasn’t a boy from a drama, he was just a sweet person who wanted you to be happy. After a couple months of this, he officially asked you to be his partner. “I know we’ve been dating for a bit, but I wanted to know if you’d like to be official. I like you a lot, Y/N. Could I be your boyfriend?” Of course, you said yes.

Yoongi

The need for sleep. When Yoongi moved to Seoul and started all his jobs, he gradually stopped making new friends. There just wasn’t enough time for it. You yourself were powering through a couple jobs to pay for college and rent. At one of these jobs, you two often had the same shift. You weren’t super close, but he’d been kind enough before the burnout set in. You still said hi and talked somewhat, but it was professional. However, when he started slowing down, you started getting worried for him. Something was up with his shoulder or something. One day, you offered a spare key to your apartment. “You seem exhausted all the time. I’m kind of scared you’ll fall on your walk home or something. I live right up the block and it’s really quiet. If you ever wanted to crash there, you could.” Shockingly, he accepted the offer. He started crashing once every couple weeks or so. Most of the time he’d just sleep in the couch and leave before you woke up. But sometimes, you two would talk. You got to know how talented he was, that he’s going to be a musician. Over time, you fell for him. And he started falling for you. You’d stuck with him through all of the physical and mental struggles of his training and debut. You were the person he was most comfortable with, no doubt about it. And one day, on one of your typical crash-days, he asked you out by mistake. He hadn’t meant to, but it ended up working out for the two of you.

Hobi

A dance competition. During his pre-debut days, Hobi was already a well-known dancer. One of the things he would do was go to showcases and competitions. Even if it was something he’d already applied to or won, you can always learn from new dancers. One of these competitions was a co-ed competition. Groups of mainly guys, groups of mainly girls, mixed groups. All of them competed against each other. It wasn’t super serious- you only won about ₩1500 and you got to say you won it. Still, it was a fun semi-annual competition. During the second 2012 competition, he was doing it for the last time. He was more determined to win that usual. Given that he was about to debut in a group, he didn’t know if he’d ever have time to compete again. It was your second time competing- last time you’d almost won. Got to the quarter-finals of the tournament, but not last that. You didn’t win this time, but you got to the finals. It was your group and Hobi’s group vying for the win. It was close, but you’d ended up losing. You weren’t as beat-down as you thought you would’ve been- it more cemented your need to come back again. Victory was so close. One more time and you could get it. On your way out of the studio, Hobi had run up on you. He was out of breath and grinning. He explained that he was so scared he was going to lose, and right when you were about to yell at him for gloating, he asked for help. “I want to know how you fall down so smoothly. That handless cartwheel into a split? I can do that, but I don’t know how to transition. It was like you melted into the ground.” He asked for your number, because if you ever had a free day he’d want to practice with you. You guys became dance buddies, and even after his debut you’d still practice sometimes. He broke BigHit’s “no dating” rule after a couple months and asked you put.

Namjoon

The gym. Even though he enjoys working out alone, it’s not terrible to have a gym buddy. One day, while you two were doing cardio at the same time. You’d kind of forgotten you were there alone, so you were just talking to your friend. He didn’t mean to, but he started eavesdropping. You made a joke to your friend- something about a human hamster wheel not being practical. “Imagine it unhooks and I just go flying down the street. Explain that to an ER nurse.” Despite it not being particularly funny, he laughed at it. While he was having a water break, you walked past him to leave. He told you that he liked your joke about the hamster wheel, and you two just had a superficial conversation about your favorite exercises. After going at the same time a few times by accident, he asked for your number and you started going together on purpose. Your relationship grew from there.

Jimin

Out clubbing. In an effort to avoid the pressure of celebrity life, Jimin started frequenting more clubs- ones that people didn’t go to, ones that tons of people went to. The goal was just to have fun and forget about fame. You started frequenting clubs because of music and liquor. Pretty good combination. You’d gone to the bar to get a whiskey sour, but your friend had your wallet and you didn’t know where they were. Out of muscle memory of kindness or pure impulse, paid for you. He had no clue why, and neither did you. But it was a good decision. You started up a conversation with him as you drank. Obviously, you knew who he was. But you didn’t make a big deal out of it- there was no way he came here for the paparazzi. It wasn’t a deep conversation, just jokes about the people in there. He was great to talk to, and even in the dark purple light, he glowed. You asked for his number when he was about to go, but he said no. He said he didn’t really like to give it out. “But if we ever run into each other again, I might.” You agreed. He went back to that club a few nights that week to make sure you weren’t a stalker. You actually ended up running into him at a different club. He was the one who came up to you. True to his word, he gave you his number. You two decided to talk and dance with each other all night. The next morning, while battling a hangover, you got a message from Jimin. “Hey, Y/N. Hope your head doesn’t hurt too bad. Lmk if you’d ever want to go out sometime. I’d love to talk without yelling over ppl.”

Tae

A café. Cafés are quiet and pretty. Much like the boy who started coming to your favorite one. It was a study spot for you- good food, good music, good atmosphere. Good, good, good. You’d sit in the back, alone at this round table. He’d sit at a little table a few paces away. One day, the café was busier than normal. His table was filled up, so he asked if he could sit at the other end of yours. You said yes, it’s just a table. He wasn’t very talkative, but he smiled a lot. Between bites of food or spurts of typing, he would check his messages and clearly try to hold in a laugh. He had a very stern, cold face, but it was obvious that he was a funnier and happier person than it seemed. He’d sit at the end of your table when it was busy, and because of that, you started to develop a bit of a crush on him. You didn’t realize the crush he had on you. He loved the way your nose crunched when you focus, the way your eyes lit up when your coffee came over, how concentrated you’d get on your work. Your existence was pretty to him. You ended up asking each other out at the same time. Both of you had reached your breaking point and just blurted it out. The coincidence made you laugh to hard you almost got kicked out.

Jungkook

An art class. When he started learning to draw and paint more, he decided to take a couple classes. It was fun, the class- very calm with very talented students and teachers. Something this teacher prioritized was teamwork. Art is personal, yes. But if you ever make it your job, you may need to work with others. So she put everyone in groups. You had to use all the techniques you’d learned to depict what you would define “beauty” as. You, Jungkook, and a third person we’re paired together. This third person bailed, and while you worked on your painting, you bonded over a mutual annoyance for this guy. It wasn’t mean, more of a running joke between new friends. About a month and a half later, when the project was done, Jungkook asked if you wanted to keep hanging out. “Like go get a coffee or see a movie or something.” He was sort of nervous and it was cute, so you agreed. How could you not?

[y2klostandfound]

Beat Planet Music on Dengeki Playstation Issue 123 (12/11/1999)

Scanned by kitsunebi

Translation in English:

BEAT PLANET MUSIC

Janurary

SCEI

5,800 Yen

MC(15 blocks)/ AC(DScompatible)

With Beat Planet Music (BPM), anyone can be a musician! Create your own original music in the network world of the future!!

A full-fledged music composition tool is now available on PS!

"BPM" is a full-fledged music creation software that follows in the footsteps of "DEPTH (FLUID)". By collecting sound patterns online and combining them, you can create your own original music. It feels like a complete package of instruments, musicians, and a studio. Master it and enjoy composing freely!

First in PS history! - Equipped with sampler!!

A unique feature of "BPM" that was not found in existing sequencer software is this sampler function. You can import parts of phrases from music CDs and use them as one of the tones in your own original songs. Up to six captured phrases can be saved on a memory card. You can also combine your favorite phrases and save them.

Operation is similar to that of a CD player. It also has an excellent function that changes only the pitch of the sound without changing the tempo of the song.

…That means You can create original songs using phrases from your favorite music CDs!

The procedure for capturing(sampling) sound is described on the right. You can freely change the pitch and tempo of the sampled sounds, and loop it (Repeat the same phrase over and over again) to process it to your liking. Let's try various things and think about how to use them effectively.

Sampling -First, listen to your favorite music CD on PS and search for the phrase you want.The dialogue part of the soundtrack might be interesting.

2. Play around with things -After capturing the sound, cut out and process the necessary parts. Effects such as delay, reverb, and reverse playback are also available.

3. The song is complete! -Combine with a separately created song and remix. You can loop phrases endlessly, or use them as accents.

Run fast on the six tracks and get sound material!!

Rhythmic action in the net space!

This "BPM" has a rhythm action mode like RCG running in 3D space. The course is divided into six lines, and when you catch the sound particles placed on each line, a sound will be heard. This combination of sounds allows you to play songs while running. You can also incorporate the captured sounds into your own original songs as sound material. The more you run, the more sounds you can use.

While changing the line, press the button at the right time to catch the sound! There are different patterns.

Run around the world!

Running in the net space and moving around the world. The sound atmosphere is different in each area.

Combine patterns and compose freely and easily!

The main feature of "BPM" is this song editor mode. You can create original songs using sound sources collected online or phrases sampled from music CDs.There are six tracks of sounds that can be played at the same time. With approximately 700 patterns available, anyone can easily create a song exactly as they envisioned. When you have completed an exciting song, why don't you try to make your professional debut with it?

-The six tracks correspond to courses in the net space. You can even run a track for a song you created in this mode.

-The hexagonal plates represent the sound patterns. Listen carefully and choose.

Full-featured arrangement functions that will surprise even professional musicians

Patterns can be changed freely! Circular marks lined up on the track indicate when the sound will be played.

The variety of effects is amazing! You can apply effects to each track individually according to your preference.

[dustedmagazine]

Butthole Surfers — Hairway to Steven (Matador)

Photo by Pat Blashill

Hairway to Steven is a phrase well fitted to the contradictions intrinsic to the Butthole Surfers’ music in the late 1980s. It’s a goof, a jest, a mangled pun; it’s a joshing nod to the bloated metal and self-regarding prog rock of the mid-1970s, and a monstrous appropriation of that music’s grandiosity, distorting it into comical shapes that could amuse or horrify — or amuse and horrify. “Jimi,” “John E. Smoke,” “Backass”: all those songs from Hairway… seem engineered to articulate a joke and then to extend it, stretch it as far as it might go and then beyond that point, until the laughter turns into something else. Check out the falsetto voice in “Jimi,” around the 5:50 mark; it dissolves into maniacal laughter and then declares, “Crazy, crazy fucking world / Crazy goddamned world we live in.” Hard to know if you should chuckle or collapse into abject despair. If the song is really working on you, you’ll want to do both.

In Spring of 1988, the Butthole Surfers were poised to pull off a massively scaled and audacious joke. They were on the verge of becoming successful rock musicians. Soon they would sign to Rough Trade, and then with Capitol (say what?). They would be on the roster of the first Lollapalooza tour and turn into a sort of combination in-joke and fan fave on Beavis and Butt-head, cracking their way into the MTV universe, then the dominant force in the industry. When the band recorded Hairway…, they weren’t yet enjoying those relatively rarefied circumstances. The record would be released by Touch and Go, and their chaotic live shows in 1988 still had the capacity to fill audiences with fear for their lives (not just for their collective sanity). But things were already shifting. Hairway… was recorded in a professional studio, working through songs that the Butts had already been playing frequently on tour. There was a variety of professional enterprise to the process, and it’s worth noting that the band would apply the same practices through the 1990s period of recording more conventional records for Capitol (see Independent Worm Saloon from 1993, and Electriclarryland from 1996, a gold record that produced “Pepper,” the Butts’ first top-40 single).

There’s a different sort of conventionality informing some tunes on Hairway…, like “I Saw an X-ray of a Girl Passing Gas” or “Julio Inglesias.” They’re gag songs, lowbrow buffoonery befitting the sensibility that had always been invoked by the band’s name and by earlier songs, like “Lady Sniff” or “Kuntz.” The klass-klown weirdness of the band’s antic hilarity was further accentuated by the decision to provide no song titles Hairway…, just hastily scrawled (but somehow stylistically vivid) scatological cartoons: the drawing corresponding to “I Saw an X-ray of a Girl Passing Gas” features two female forms, nude, backsides toward the viewer and bent at the waist, exposing genitals and anuses. Tasteless and stupid. A grade-schooler’s idea of outrageous. Right?

Sure, but there’s another way to hear it, particularly if you spin Hairway… back to its opening track. “Jimi” is a behemoth, an acid-drenched elaboration of the first song on the Butts’ previous record, Locust Abortion Technician (1987). Like “Sweat Loaf,” “Jimi” features a conversation between a father and a child. But while “Sweat Loaf” twists its father-son exchange into a variety of punchline (“And by the way, if you see your mom this weekend, would you be sure and tell her…SATAN!”), “Jimi” contorts things into more awful shapes: Daddy: “What do you know about reality? I am reality!” Kiddo: “Oh, Daddy, please don’t touch me on my bottom!” The music thunders and corkscrews, ruthless in its intensity. It’s a nightmare.

But as the Daddy in “Jimi” asserts, there is a link to an awful version of the real in the late 1980s. By 1988, the Satanic Panic was at its peak in the US, with its allegations of Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) and its fantastical claims of plagues of pedophilia and child murder. There’s no room here for a rehearsal of the Panic, its multiple court cases and the involvement of numerous agencies of law enforcement and psycho-therapeutic professional associations. Some 12,000 accusations of SRA were investigated, and Geraldo Rivera claimed on a 1987 national television broadcast that “there are over one million Satanists in [the United States and they are] linked in a highly organized, secretive network.” Satan had broken through. He was Reality.

In some ways, that history seems at least a little quaint. The Panic was debunked. The careless, corrupted methods of therapy, interviewing and diagnosis were mostly abandoned or deemed malpractice. But anxieties about SRA persist, and QAnon, the Pizzagate Truthers and other recent renditions of the Blood Libel have converted those anxieties into conspiracies with brain-boggling reach and power. That socio-political context, while a total bummer to live amid, makes Matador’s reissue of Hairway… a discomfitingly well-timed event. The myths upon which SRA is founded run deep in the American cultural imaginary (back to Salem, at least), and while listening to the record won’t solve any of the attendant problems, it is a surprisingly forceful experience. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where the joke ends and the danger begins. Spin the record. See if you can figure it out. Crazy, crazy fucking world.

Jonathan Shaw

[browzerhistory]

🖋 for an oc you don't get to talk about as much!!

taking this as an excuse to talk about an oc set i've not actually posted about before: the complex >:) putting this under the cut bc it got long lol

so (in its Final Forme) it is/would be a webcomic, centering around five tenants of the same run-down apartment building: kris, markus, marina, alaska, and jaime. all of them moved in because of the ridiculously low rent prices for this particular building despite the relative closeness to the center of the city. after moving in, though, they realize something's very weird - nobody but them actually lives there, and none of them have ever seen the landlord.

each has things they're running from: kris bears a curse placed on him by his old friend group (and a repressed gender crisis); markus is a twice-orphaned ex-musician trying to keep up with his college's expectations; marina struggles with delusions and possible visions of the future getting tangled together; alaska has to come to terms with a worsening disability that keeps her from doing what she loves; and jaime has to contend with a returning eating disorder (and a demon possession but that happens later).

they inevitably end up getting forced closer together as the apartment building shifts and warps around them as if trying to keep them in, and all of their issues manifest in ways that are harder and harder to ignore.

another important character who isn't technically part of the main cast (as he doesn't live there) is jaime's estranged twin sister, havoc. he shows up shortly after jaime gets possessed because the demon answers one of his calls (because it thinks it should) and he's immediately suspicious. he acts as a set of fresh eyes for the other residents when he points out all the messed up stuff that's going on in the building that they've gotten used to.

and for a breakdown of each character (because i am Insane):

kris is a half-demon with one functioning eye, a bum leg, and a cracked-off horn. all are consequences of a curse his old 'friends' put on him while they were screwing around with Old Magic. he moved across the country to get away from them, but the curse is degenerative, and eats away more of his health every day. for now, he's working by day as a store clerk and by night as a bouncer at a club, neither of which pay well and both of which grate on his mental health. his dream is to work with animals in a rehab setting, but there's no world where he has the money or time to get into that. in the meantime, he tries to keep a good social life. he roller skates. he tries to talk with markus, who he has a crush on. he commiserates with alaska about chronic illness.

markus, similarly, moved across the country to get where he is. his birth parents both died before he was five, and his adoptive mother passed away when he was 16 due to complications from cancer treatment. he aged out of the foster system and joined a band that ended up breaking up when he was about twenty due to interpersonal conflicts. as a last-ditch effort to turn his life around, he applied for a scholarship to a music college on the coast and made it in. he can play guitar, drums, and a bit of piano; he sings, and he's got a good sense of rhythm, but he doesn't like the restrictions of college and the professional music scene. he likes singing and playing for the sake of it.

marina, in contrast to the others so far, had a relatively normal childhood. she'd wanted to be a florist when she was young, but that didn't end up working out (money troubles). she dropped out of college due to worsening symptoms of an unknown mental illness. the only truly unique and unexplainable thing that she deals with are the visions of the future, fleeting inclinations, which become more intense and more accurate the older she gets. at first, she brushes them off, but then, she pulls the fire alarm moments before a poorly-grounded wire in her old apartment shorts, and the ceiling begins to cave in under sudden flame. she brakes hard before driving over a bridge that collapses under the next car that drives over it. she's not sure what to do with this power, but she tries her best to escape it.

alaska is probably the most normal. she has no curse, no strange power, no exceptionally sad backstory. she's just unlucky. she works as a landscaper, has since she graduated high school, and she really loves it. she loves the physicality of it, getting her hands muddy; she loves working on a project and seeing things change because of her as she works. but she gets into a car accident, one that crushes her right leg under a crumpled car door. her femur is shattered, and despite her and the doctors' best efforts, she ends up needing a hip replacement, and travels with a wheelchair for six months afterwards. since then, chronic pain follows her and makes it increasingly difficult to keep doing what she loves.

jaime is probably the most comedic character. on her own, she's an instagram 'self-improvement' influencer who generally posts 'living alone in x city' content, alongside product sponsorships. however, she falls back into food-restrictive habits that plagued her in her teenage years (but more in the 'thinfluencer' sphere with shitty diet pills and weird juice mixes). in pursuit of what she thinks is a niche diet cleanse, she ends up summoning a demon and binding it to her body. the demon basically goes 'damn bitch you live like this??' and she realizes how messed up her eating habits are. she also starts trying to make amends with havoc, her sister, whom she had a falling-out with when the two graduated high school.

havoc is a mechanic and somewhat of a punk rocker. he plays drums for a tiny indie band on weekends and fixes cars and motorcycles on weekdays. he doesn't have many friends, but prefers it that way, and secretly really wishes he and jaime could get along again.

ok jesus christ this got long. i'm going to bed GOODNITE

[clownazons-spookymonth-ocs]

Charlotte Vanido history and facts post

Charlotte ‘Lottie’ Vanido is the first child and only daughter of the Vanido family. Eldest child to Carmen and Richard Vanido, and older sister to Reynold ‘Roy’ Vanido. Founder of the group ‘The Glamour Gals’ and a professional dancer. A complex character with her notable features, who like everyone else here is figuring out how to work through life.

She is the only diagnosed autistic in the Vanido family, unlike her younger brother and her father.

She was born February 12th

She also faced the same abuse Roy did from their uncle. Is trying to get therapy for her and Roy, yet she won’t explain the abuse she went through so they have … no understanding for why she would need jt, so they won’t get it for her OR Roy.

Loves her baby brother to the moon and back — that’s her baby :(

She tries so, so very hard to spread love and kindness to anyone and everyone she meets, she chooses to love the unloveable, but she does also have a short fuse.

Along with her autism — she has rosacea and severe social anxiety.

(Unaware) lesbian — had one ex boyfriend that dumped her in a park and left her there. She develops her first lesbian awakening when she was at the beach with her friends, and helped Marigold with applying sunscreen

Does professional dancing — competitive ballroom and ballet

She also draws!

Her favorite musicians are TV Girl, Melanie Martinez, and The Smiths

She drives a white 1965 ford mustang — she got it for her sweet sixteen.

[arthurgreen]

Arthur at a glance

"Baby doll, you need some rock & roll"

NAME: Arthur Kalani Green

ALIASES: King Arthur (a running joke amongst friends), Papa Bear, AK

AGE: 45 [Born August 1st]

OCCUPATION: Head caretaker and manager of Sunshine Daycare, professional bassist and one of the original members of Bri's band, tattoo artist on the side

ARRIVED: Mid June 2024

GENDER/PRONOUNS: Cis Male, He/Him

SEXUALITY: Pan(?)

QUIRKS: All the stereotypes you could think of from a hard rocker and a secret softy rolled into one. Loves to bake; used to experiment with recipes for the band while they were on tour. Swears he's starting to get really fucking good at tattooing, but that's up for debate. Years working as a bartender at a punk bar means Arthur is particularly adept at breaking up a fight - by kicking the asses of all parties involved. Has been taking care of the same two tiger tails for nearly 20 years and no, he totally does not talk to them like they're his children (their names are Spike and Ike). Loves all kinds of rock, though punk will always have a special place in his heart. Is dyslexic and will laugh his ass off if someone points out a mistake in his reading/writing because by now it's all just water off a duck's back.

BIOGRAPHY

Arthur's always been a part of a big, loving family. His parents met while they were both in the military and his dad turned into a civilian contractor while his mom decided to become a house wife. The oldest of three, Arthur joked that he was the ruggrat wrangler even if he loved his brother and sister with all his heart. Besides, who else was going to sit on his surf board while he rode the big waves?

It was a disappointment when his dad got a new job in Maryland, forcing the family to vacate their beautiful home of Hawaii, but Arthur kept a stiff upper lip, not wanting to make things even harder on his folks. Though his old man made pretty good money, college just wasn't in the cards for Arthur. School was never really his thing. Instead he worked odd jobs until he was 21, and then applied for a bartender gig at Ottobar. To so much as breathe in that stale, piss and beer coated air was a dream for any aspiring punk artist. Anyone that really knew Arthur was always surprised by his taste in music, given his upbeat personality. Those that didn't know him were equally as surprised by his personality.

Through connections at the bar Arthur was able to land a few shows for him and his friends, their garage punk band decent for what it was. They kept like that for two years, not thinking of anything beyond their next set. So it took Arthur by surprise one night when after a particularly vibrant concert a guy in a suit walked up to him, handed him a business card, and offered to help him become a professional bassist. If he was being honest with himself, Arthur never considered being a musician full time. He just liked to vibe with his friends, drink some beer, flirt with some groupies. But his friends and family pushed him to try for it. Afterall, what did he have to lose?

In a whirlwind of auditions and paperwork, Arthur somehow found himself being saddled up with some scrawny kid named Briana. He didn't really get it, she seemed like your standard grunge chick, until she sang. At that moment he swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to help her get her voice out in the world. Over the years band members came and went, but Arthur always stuck by Briana's side, her one constant. When her mental health started to decline, Arthur was there for her. In the manic 3 am flurry of writing lyrics and rambling nothingness, he sat with her until well past dawn, ever patient, ever loving.

When things only seemed to get worse, it was Arthur who suggested to Briana that she visit home. That getting some closure may help fight off some of her demons. He sent her off with a big hug and a promise that he was only one call away. Except she never called. Arthur tried not to worry, wanting to give her the space she may need to deal with estranged family. But after a year enough was enough, and he decided it was time to check up on his Baby Doll.

[kinocomix]

Metal band story devlog 9: let’s write some characters

I think a good exercise worth doing is starting a story from every conceivable avenue. A musician I really like has gone on record as to prove themselves doing this. If you’re not familiar with the work of Andrew Huang, now’s your time to go to his youtube channel and start watching his stuff. literally, start anywhere. He even has a short sci-fi series where he makes music in space, I digress.

similarly, I think from my list of projects I’ve started stories from every corner imaginable: I’ve started with the world, with the characters, with a vague plot, a vibe, an iconic scene that I built around, prompts, doodles, the corpses of other stories, a format, dnd characters, so on and so forth I won’t go into details otherwise we’ll be here all day. What I’m getting at is that sometimes when you have your themes, world and other bullshit figured out it can be easy for characters to feel in service of the story. They kind of need to be but personally I find that when a character is just themselves, the situations that aren’t boring end up feeling much more interesting than if they were written around the world they inhabit. So today we’re going to try to extrapolate our themes into personality traits while making sure there’s a bunch of other stuff going on.

So let's get started. Here's our first theme from the last devlog: How much of the soul of art and music gets lost in translation? 

Let’s go back to when we discussed the sensibilities of metal and classical music. There are two things to note here: how does the unapologetic intense self expression of heavy metal react when met with the calm exterior of classical music? In my experience, while this is nowadays changing, classical musicians tend to be more calm and collected, borderline tactical in their approach to music. The desire for the divine aspect of music doesn’t seem to vibe that well with the intensity and fun of most metal music. The difference here is that even when classical music is having fun and poking at the music, it’s still a very choreographed thing. Sure, you see that in metal too but it doesn’t feel that way. No one is saying that metal is improv, but historically speaking classical musicians need to loosen up a little. What does all of this mean practically? here are some traits we can already associate with our musicians:

metal musicians in the story: loud, spontaneous, rude, unapologetic, escapist, funny, introspective

classical musicians in the story: applied, calm, tactical, silly in a fun way, social, restrained, professional, empathetic, anxious, perfectionist

to note: these traits are not universal and not exclusive. Part of writing people and not characters is understanding that no one can be summarized by a list of attributes, these are merely general guidelines. In reality every character with one trait will also display the opposing one.

How do our musicians bounce off each other? How confrontational are they? do they have other emotional aspects to them that override what’s going on in certain situations? for example: maybe someone has a problem with authority because they were mistreated in some way and that overshadows their empathy or ability to escape through the music? This is where I also consider the more personal attributes they have that are unrelated to the music. Keep in mind, when we write a character based on a hobby, we’re backtracking to that character. This hobby or interest of theirs says something about them and that thing is not always the same.

Who does art/music belong to?

This one is interesting because it asks a very vague question, the answer to which could say something about you. Maybe you think that art is deeply personal and perhaps you might have trouble engaging with the more emotional aspects of art because you don’t want to feel exposed. Or you maybe think art is for other people, which might say something about a need for validation or self worth or maybe neither of those things: maybe you’re just here to make the world a nicer place and it makes you happy when art helps with that. Maybe you’re torn! and that also says something: you’re struggling with the need to see art for others and whatever ramifications thereof, and making something for yourself. surely that’s bound to be an interesting conversation…

How much does inspiration really matter?

To me this is the most telling about discipline and control. And I think this journal entry from some time ago explains my thoughts well:

As adults, we’re expected to relentlessly pursue happiness and have everything figured out. This shows up the most in our music and fiction, in how we struggle to think of things or if we do, we struggle to see them as having value. This is why discipline is important in art. art wants to be made and doesn’t expect us to wait for permission from inspiration to make it. The control we have over how we choose to see things makes things harder or easier for us. 

I think the band should have 4 members. the drummer, the bassist and guitarist, the vocalist and the non sequitur- the classical musician. I think I'm going to expand the definition of classical to encompass more varied genres from around the world– that should give the music a more Igorrr-esque feel.  

I’m not sure about what their genders will be, but here are the initial overviews of the characters:

member A: the stranger, newcomer. Realistically this will be the classical musician and the newcomer position will be helpful to present things from a fresh point of view, so it would make sense to learn about pre-existing things that would not usually be spoken of. A comes from a scholar/professional training background and this shows in how initially they value the showmanship more than the music. they act as the glue that holds the band together and the inciting event that sets forward the motions of the story, the main essence of that reflecting how inspiration is fleeting. the tactical discipline of classical training, while doing them a disservice for being able to speak honestly through their work, does wonders when it comes to ideation and management. A is a little stream of water that carves through the mountain. they’re stubborn, but very shy when it comes to certain things. repressed, but effective.

member B: i’d like this to be the drummer, but we’ll see. It would be cool if B was the most introspective of the 4, breaking the stereotype of the dumb drummer. I’d like to also base the idea of them on the drummer of fall of eden, (see devlog 2) who is a med student. should be very interesting talking about how these two very large aspects of their life struggle for control of their time. B has a loud personality because how could they not? they’re a drummer. they’re studying a profession where they mainly talk to people and help them. they’re confident in themselves and that’s a very admirable trait– until you realize they’re a bit full of themselves. they're also a bit awkward around people, they haven’t quite figured out that part just yet. loud, but shy.

member C: the guitarist. soft spoken, very silly, morbid in the best and worst ways. C is perpetually going through some shit. they’re the type of person who will show up hours late to a gathering and say “sorry, I was microwaving my socks” and not be kidding or exaggerating in any way. ADHD to the bone, a shining example of “out of sight, out of mind” and how that applies to emotions. (will need to research that some more) C deals with their self worth all the time, and frequently feel like an impostor because they were never professionally trained to play the guitar. To them, music isn’t just about the audience or the product. It's about having a good time, escapism or not. passionate, but lost.

member D: by far the most exposed to the limelight, the lead singer of the band is also the lyricist. They are the most emotionally charged of the bunch, handling some anger issues that frequently put a wedge between them and the people they love. they’re also impressively fragile, and i’m thinking they would have some friction with A when they start suggesting changes to the musical style because that’s something the consistency of which brings them comfort. spontaneous, rude and unapologetic. they’re the kind of person to yell at you for an hour only to then apologize and make you pizza.

I think that’s pretty decent for the main cast. Obviously there are other characters at play but I’ll figure those out as I write the script. they’ll be given a similar treatment, but will only serve specific bits and scenes in the story. 

next week, we’ll hopefully be drafting up some designs.

devlog updates on tuesdays. 

[techtalkbyjames]

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The Harmonica is a great Portable Instrument

Besides being a wonderful tool that can both soothe and relax your mind, can have immense benefits for your health. Also known as the mouth organ, the harmonica is among the friendliest instruments for beginners to learn. Playing the harmonica is easier than most people think – sometimes it is as easy as blowing on the blow organ and major chords will be produced.Though small, the harmonica is a mighty instrument that can produce a rich sound that other instruments cannot measure up to. For instance, the harmonica can produce two or more notes or multiple intervals, which many other wind instruments cannot do.  The harmonica is also a primary instrument in many genres including Blues, country, folk, as well as rock music. Here are 10 reasons why you should learn to play the harmonica:

10 Reasons Why You Should Learn to Play the Harmonica

Learning the harmonica has a host of health benefits

Playing the harmonica, or any other instrument for that matter has been known to have calming effects on the body and mind. In particular, the harmonica can improve blood pressure levels, as well as be used as a tool in therapies that deal with anxiety, stress, and depression. Other conditions that can be controlled using the harmonica include insomnia and attention deficit disorder.

The harmonica has been known to improve cognitive abilities

Musicians and harmonica players tend to outperform non-musical individuals when it comes to cognitive abilities. Learning how to play the harmonica can particularly be helpful for people that have advanced in age (65 and older) as it has been proven to have a positive impact on the parts of the brain that control hearing, memory, and coordination. Learning an instrument like the harmonica can also help to improve one’s IQ levels.

To enhance your memory

Both adult and young players can benefit from playing the harmonica because it allows the mind to remain active and alert, which ultimately shapes and sharpens one’s memory. When your memory is enhanced, it makes it a lot easier to do things like learning a foreign language, verbal memory, or store complex information.

It improves one’s time management capabilities

To learn how to play the harmonica professionally, one has to be well organized as well as have proper time management skills. Professional musicians have to learn how to use their time effectively, which leads to continuous self-improvement.

The harmonica does wonders for respiratory issues

It has been observed that the harmonica can have incredible benefits on respiratory illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis. Experts state that the main reason why the harmonica works well for such diseases is that it trains your body how to breathe properly. By inhaling and exhaling properly, it can improve your breathing abilities and lead to an increase in the way your lungs can take in and store oxygen.

Enhance your coordination

When learning how to play the harmonica, it actually trains the parts of your brain that controls motor skills to grow and become more active. Playing the harmonica also requires you to perform different tasks at the same time such as breathing properly as well as control your rhythm and breathing.

The harmonica can improve your mathematical skills

In order to be considered a great harmonica player, you must also learn how to count different rhythms and notes, which goes a long way towards enhancing your musical abilities. The process of learning music theory also includes several mathematical concepts such as fractions that can be applied in real life mathematical situations.

It instills discipline and commitment

Although the harmonica is relatively easy to pick up, one still needs commitment and dedication to master it. Learning how to play the harmonica will take time and effort. However, along the way, it will also result in instilled discipline, commitment, and patience. As a matter of fact, a lot of beginner harmonica plays typically have to practice difficult sections over and over before finally executing it correctly.

Used as a stress reliever

When you play the harmonica, not only does doing so relieve other people’s stress levels but yours as well. The sound that is produced by the harmonica, as well as the vibration produced, can have lasting effects on stress and anxiety when endorphins are released by the body. Endorphins are the hormones responsible for low-stress levels.

You can play it anywhere

The beauty of the harmonica is that it is portable, which means that you play it anywhere at any time. Should you have a spare moment, you can simply remove the harmonica from your pocket and start playing. In addition to it being portable, the harmonica is also quite affordable in comparison to other instruments like flutes and trumpets. This low cost and its portability make the harmonica one of the easiest instruments to take up.

Conclusion

There you have it! The benefits of playing the harmonica are many and cannot be understated. The harmonica has the capacity to produce rich music that can be challenging for other wind instruments to produce, which explains why it is a mainstay in many genres like folk and the blues. Learning the harmonica has been proven to have tremendous benefits for your health, and it is actually used in many alternative respiratory therapies to treat illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis. The harmonica also impacts your cognitive abilities and your capacity for memory. All in all, the harmonica is a great little instrument that you should definitely get int o a class.