#bass clarinet issues

[impulsivedecisionsat3am]

FUCK brian balmages and FUCK rippling watercolors and FUCK it’s 60 fucking bpm I don’t have the breath support for this

[emewyn]

I was a band nerd in middle and high school. I was never super dilligent about practicing or good at sightreading, and to be honest I hated playing solo. But playing in the middle of a large ensemble was honestly a euphoric experience that engaged all of my senses so perfectly. I saw the instructions on the sheet music and the director conducting, heard the sound of the different instruments surrounding me rising, falling, and harmonizing with and against each other, felt the vibration of my bass clarinet in my mouth and fingertips shift as I moved through different pitches and volumes, and felt the vibration of my tapping foot and the rest of the ensemble through the floor. Most importantly, I utilized both conscious and unconscious processing to take in all that information at once, synthesize it, and immediately let that guide my playing in a constant feedback loop. Embouchure reflexively tightens to hit a higher note, and I can feel from the vibration in my mouth how close I am to squeaking, even if I can't hear myself over everyone else. The conductor's hand raises to bring all the players with him in a crescendo that makes the whole room shake while still maintaining that careful balance of volume and pitch between the different instruments. The tubas and I take turns breathing and playing a single note at a time in a perfectly timed polka beat between us that will form the base for the higher instruments' melody. Listening to music, even in surround sound or at a concert, is nothing compared to the mental state of being part of the music.

Looking back, i think this was an ADHD and/or autism thing, of hitting that rare perfect sweet spot of sensory stimulation and hyperfocus. Playing in a large ensemble engaged my chronically understimulated brain at exactly the right level. But now I'm an adult, and I don't have the access or skill to play music in large groups anymore. I always considered myself a fan of music, but I don't actually listen to it very much on my own. Pre-recorded music often just feels like sounds AT me instead of WITH me, if that makes sense. Sometimes I can enjoy a particularly good jam in certain contexts, but most of the time listening to music feels flat, underwhelming, and even irritating.

Does anyone else have this problem? Does anyone have any tips for ways that I can enjoy listening to music without feeling understimulated, or recommendations for music that does manage to hit that sweet spot?

[doctorwhoisadhd]

i need to become aomebody who winks at people

[odillisea]

What instrument each marauder would play according to me and @whoahtherepal:

Regulus: Violin. First desk, first seat. Concert master and a fucking prat about it. Probably grew up playing piano and switched to violin later, and is the biggest sweat in the orchestra. No one wants to be first desk with him because he doesn’t have perfect pitch but he’ll still know and make sure to tell you when you play slightly out of tune

Marlene: Trumpet obviously. She’s the most stereotypical trumpet player ever

Lily: Bassoon, and she would be the biggest oboe hater as well because apparently double reed friendly fire is turned off. She could also maybe play euphonium but maybe that’s just because euphonium is a very gryffindor coded instrument

James: Oboe. Also later picked up alto sax and established himself as Terrible And Annoying but constantly playing Careless Whisper at any and every given moment. Possibly also trombone just because he likes the slide

Remus: Electric bass. He would mainly play it in a cover band with friends and does not give a shit about school band. He’s only there because James insisted (and because a certain heir of Black is there). Also even if it isn’t technically an ensemble instrument there is literally nothing else that he could possibly be and also we have an electric bass in our band. I’m so serious we thought about it for so long and there is actually nothing

Evan: Cello. Loves the instrument and initially picked it because Barty really wanted him to be the last member of his string quartet with Regulus and Dorcas

Peter: Flute. Not as invested in music as the rest of his friends but loves it nonetheless.

Mary: Viola. She wanted to learn violin but then she heard it and decided it was too squeaky and high pitched and liked the lower sound of the viola more. Wants to start a wind instrument so she can be with Lily and Marlene, but can’t decide on one and loves viola anyway

Pandora: Clarinet and harp as her main instruments but she also used to learn piano and still plays it from time to time

Barty: Percussion because pent up anger issues. Except he’s the craziest tryhard at so he would also play violin, viola, double bass, trumpet, flute, clarinet, and tuba. He’s that one guy that can play anything, but he would NOT be cooperative about it. The second that there’s other percussionists there he would ditch and go pick a random section to play with, but if he’s asked to help fill in to help with any missing parts he activates stubborn fucker mode and goes anywhere but where the conductor wants him

Dorcas: Euphonium and violin. First violin because she’s good but also the only one that regulus won’t be a prick to

Sirius: Flute. Sirius was actually so difficult because he’s such an electric guitar player, but we were trying to do this based off school band/orchestra, so this was our best attempt. He too would’ve been forced to play piano when he was younger like Regulus, and also would’ve had to pick a second instrument when he was older. Out of the instruments that his parents gave him the option of, the only non string instruments were flute and clarinet, so he went with flute. He wanted a wind instrument so he could be as loud and raucous on his instrument as possible, and decided flute over clarinet because it “fit his vibe more” (he saw punks out on the street with silver studs and spikes and jewellery and thought a silver instrument was close enough). He doesn’t really like typical band music though, and does not like school band one bit. He would be more the type of flute player that does solos in a jazz ensemble and somehow manages to fucking shred on the flute and sounds fantastic every time.

[todaysdocument]

Colored Jazz Band and Leader back with Colored 15th New York

Record Group 165: Records of the War Department General and Special StaffsSeries: American Unofficial Collection of World War I PhotographsFile Unit: Colored Troops

This black and white photograph that is pasted on a card shows African American soldiers sitting on the deck of a ship.  They hold musical instruments like tubas, clarinets, and saxophones.  Several appear to be playing the instruments.  On the left side a few soldiers stand with drums.  A large bass drum gives the name of the regiment. 

Original caption:

NUMBER CN. 3789 SYMBOL 165-WW-127-22 AU DR.21 UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD. N.Y. 165-WW 127 22 PHOTOGRAPHER REC'D TAKEN 2-12-19 DESCRIPTION: COLORED JAZZ BAND AND LEADER BACK WITH COLORED 15TH N.Y. Lieut. James Reese Europe who for four years N.Y. Society's favorite orchestra (dance) leader formerly with Vernon Castle returned with his regiment the 369th Infantry. C ISSUED: NOTES: 165 WW 127 3-5605

[forgetmenauts]

Howdy! Could we get a member introduction? I’d love to get to know y’all’s names and pronouns ^^

We actually did an essay and interview for the queer horror zine The Quiet Ones last year where we shared some fun intros! I've included screenshots of our intros here, but if you have a chance, you should check out the zine as well: it's run by a delightful group of queer authors and editors.

Here's the link to the issue with the Forgetmenauts feature: our bit starts on page 47.

(Fun fact: Kit is also an author and has had a couple of their short stories published in other issues of the zine, under their full name of Katharine Gripp. They're here and here if you want to check them out!)

Image text below the cut:

Walker Staples (they/them) Instrument(s): Guitar/Banjo/Vocals

Favorite scary movie or book: Let the Right One In.

Favorite cryptid: Jackalope. Who in the band is most likely to survive a horror movie, and why?: I think it's gonna be Tyler; most resources, best equipped for building booby traps.

Tyler Gary (he/him) Instrument(s): Clarinet, Saxophone, Trombone, Keys. Favorite scary movie or book: Recently I read Mexican Gothic and while it wasn't my all time favorite, it definitely captured some good haunting creepy vibes. Would recommend for the mushroom horror.

Favorite cryptid: The chupacabra. Who in the band is most likely to survive a horror movie, and why?: I'd be the second or third to die. “Quick everybody, I have a plan! All we have to do is...“ *Dies in a horrible dramatic way*. I think Abe would be last to die. He would disappear early on and we would think he's dead but he actually just went on a hike and came back at the end.

Abe Finkelstein (he/him) Instrument(s): Cello, un-mic'd backup vocals and banter, howling. Favorite scary movie or book: Oryx and Crake. And I listened to a great podcast about Midsommar but will probably never have the guts to watch it.

Favorite cryptid: The Baba Yaga house. Who in the band is most likely to survive a horror movie, and why?: Definitely Emma. She lives on a sailboat and is a great problem solver, and good at engineering. You might think I was on a hike but I was actually dead the WHOLE time.

Danielle (she/her) Instrument(s): Drums!

Favorite scary movie or book: I am scared easily and don't really watch horror movies! You

didn't ask about this, but my favorite scary-ish video games are The Last of Us and Dead Space.

Favorite cryptid: Loveland frog. Who in the band is most likely to survive a horror movie, and why?: Walker, they would out-maneuver the attacker/swarm/ pathogen/whatever the horror of the horror movie is.

Kit Gripp (they/she) Instrument(s): Mandolin, vocals.

Favorite scary movie or book: Sunshine by Robin McKinley (ok so it’s not that scary but there’s lots of blood and vampires, so it counts).

Favorite cryptid: Nessie. Who in the band is most likely to survive a horror movie, and why?: Probably Collin. If it were something corporeal, he'd knock it out with a baseball bat. If it were an angry ghost, he'd talk to it and de-escalate the situation.

Emma Williams Instrument(s): Bass.

Favorite scary movie or book: House of Leaves.

Favorite cryptid: Selkie. Who in the band is most likely to survive a horror movie, and why?: I think Walker would be the most likely to survive because they are very nimble and quick.

Collin (he/him) Instrument(s): Drums!

Favorite scary movie or book: Hard to pick a favorite scary movie! Maybe Let the Right One In (the original one). It's rare that horror films are at once so beautiful, disturbing, and sympathetic to the villain.

Favorite cryptid: Michigan Dogman. Who in the band is most likely to survive a horror movie, and why?: Kit survives the horror movie, for sure. Zombie flick? Kit decapitates the shambling hordes with lethal pirouettes. Teen slasher film? Kit distracts the villain with some concocted-on-the- spot YA fiction just long enough that he doesn't even notice he's walking right into his own poetic and ironic death. Vampire horror show? Please. Kit was the vampire. Kit was always the vampire.

[projazznet]

John Coltrane – Om

Om is a posthumously-released album by John Coltrane, recorded on October 1, 1965, one day after the recording of Live in Seattle, and one day prior to the recording of the music heard on A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle. The album, which features Coltrane’s quartet plus three additional players, consists of a single 29-minute work that was split into two parts when released on LP. Om was issued by Impulse! in 1968, and was also included on The Major Works of John Coltrane, a compilation CD released in 1992.

” It is an important work in the history of free jazz that opens up considerably by the end of its 29 minutes, revealing the expansive contents of a jazz master’s mind,”- Stacia Proefrock/AllMusic.

John Coltrane – tenor and soprano saxophone Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophone Donald Rafael Garrett – double bass and clarinet Joe Brazil – flute McCoy Tyner – piano Jimmy Garrison – bass Elvin Jones – drums

[just-call-mefr1es]

using my big brain skills, i will now use my band-o-meter to guess what instrument the basement boys™️ +others would play💥 i am totally a professional, expert at vibes n shit😎 each word i say is canon /j

Griffin

ngl, i can see him in the clarinets section. definitely a woodwind, no arguments on that. hes a lil squeaky (WHEN PLAYING YALL) but pretty good overall. probs sits at the end of the row. memorized all of the fingerings and can switch between them pretty well. THE BEST at fast paced pieces, will spontaneously combust during slow ones (honestly same)

Billy

i feel like he would play tuba or euphonium, leaning more on euphonium. at first, i thought he seemed more like an art kid, but now that i have the mental image of him playing euphonium, i change my mind. hes pretty good, part of an endangered species though. 💯💯 has complained about his instrument being too heavy, but enjoys just resting against ghe case whenever he brings it around.

Vance

Percussion. I don’t need to elaborate.

Bruce

first of all, definitely in the woodwinds (again lmao). i was thinking either a bass clarinet, oboe or a saxophone? if saxophone, definitely an alto. although, i am thinking more oboe/bass clarinet….. yk, knowing bruce, he probably plays all of em, or maybe im just lazy. we’ll go with alto sax. vance has totally made a ‘saxy’ joke about it (projecting cause my wife does that with himself)

Robin

I think he’d be a trumpet. yeah, he would. he loves that thing. he probably has blasted it on accident though so r.i.p woodwinds in the row infront💔 he probably thinks that he can hit high notes easily, so he tries to on the first try and fucking dies. hit or miss with fast pieces, he likes them but also hates them. has asked finney how to subdivide because he zoned out

Finney

same issue with bruce, but with clarinet and saxophlne (no hobo). then i thought about it and went, ‘yeah, he’d be an oboe’. at first, i was thinking of making bruce play the oboe and finney the sax, butttt i like this better ngl. part of an endangered species, only two other hobo players with finn🙏 god at sightreading

Gwen

looking back im realizing how indecisive i am lmaoo. so our two options were clarinet n trumpet. took me a lot of back and forthing until i thought, ‘hell yeah she’d be a clarinet’ so here we are. carries the clarinets, and is probably louder than most trumpets. she’s 50/50 on sight reading. she could be awesome at it or terrible, depending the piece. complains about eighth notes.

Amy

let me project for a second and just- ‼️‼️flute‼️‼️ damn i love me flutie patooties. anygays, she has more luck hitting high notes than robin (rip) but flutes are built like that, but she can hit them without trying. she shifts 294749103 times in her seat because flute can get uncomfortable (projecting some more). sits next to gwen and they compare what each of their pieces are constructed 💗 (i do that with my friends too lmao)

[tv-girllover07]

Something Metal🥁

Kevin Schlieb x fem!reader

Movie: Metal Lords

PART 1

A/n: This is my first story ever so I hope you like it please give me fed back and there will be smut soon

Blue italic= Thoughts

Green italic= Kevin narrating 

Kevin’s POV

Hunter and I are in his basement practicing when I’m waiting for my queue to play. Then Hunter stops pauses“Ugh! This pick sucks.”

But then he continues playing while I fix the crash cymbal on my drums but he stops playing again “My strap’s not right, that’s…Okay. Okay, there we go” after he’s fixed his strap he starts playing yet again and after a few short moments.

“Cocks. All right, hold on. Let’s scoop that midrange.” And the playing continues “Nice.” Hunter said happily as he fixed the problem.

“One, two, three, four!” Hunter yelled and that’s my queue and I start playing but it sounds sloppily.

“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop” Hunter stops me so I look up at him “What was that?” He said sounding disappointed

“I was just-- You said play something fast” I stated and Hunter tuts

“Did you read the music that I wrote for you?” He questioned. “Yeah” I said and pointed to the sheet music “Do you know what polyrhythms are?” He questioned me again and I paused before speaking

“Yeah” I said quickly “I don’t. These aren’t my drums. They belong to Hunter. And he came up with the band name. I don’t play the drums i play the drum. This drum, in marching band for two years. I do it to get out of PE, but Hunter’s says that doesn’t matter. All it takes to be great is commitment and sacrifice, which is what metal’s all about. Or maybe it’s about power, or sticking it to the man, or denim, or motorcycles, or speed, or devil. I don’t totally understand it, but Hunter’s says I don’t have to. All I have to do is--" I'm pulled out of my thoughts.

"Play something heavy, man" Hunter said "Okay. Like, uh…'Rock of Ages'?" i asked and Hunter looked at my like I was insane “Heavy” he said and I nodded my head then he starts playing a riff.

“Play… something heavy, Play…something heavy.” So I started to play the drums a little bit louder and I started to sound good but I will sound by hitting the crash cymbal too loud, so Hunter stop playing so then I stop playing and Hunter sighs and blows a raspberry and thinks for a second.

“We need a bass player” Hunter said and I hum in agreement so Hunter continues on talking “A bass player will be huge for us” so I continue on with his thought “Yeah, no doubt” and Hunter agrees “No, doubt.” “No, doubt”

(Scene skip ⏭️)

I’m at school on the football field during marching band practice and you can hear the whistle blow from far away even over the music.

And all 30 of us are walking in a straight line along the field while I have my little drum hanging from around my neck. Then i can hear the sound of a clarinet being played out of tune at the back row and the band teacher looks at the student unimpressed “Stop. Stop” so we all stop playing the music and listen to the teacher.

“That’s enough for today. Y/n, can I talk to you for a second?” That’s Y/n L/n the girl with a slight anger issue and my crush since ninth grade. So she nods and the teacher walks over to her while the rest of us walk away but you can still hear bits of there conversation “The song you’re playing is not the song they are playing. I’m not sure you’re even playing a march, we’ve talked about this. You have to listen and play” the teacher continues to speak but you could clearly see the girl getting mad and about to break the clarinet.

“It’s an orchestra, right? I know we’re in a marching band, but--“ but he pauses “I see you’re, upset.” First rule never say that too a person with anger issues “Fuck you! Fuck you!” We heard the girl scream so we all turn around “Fuck! I don’t give a fuck about what I’m playing! I don’t give a fuck about what they’re playing!”

And I put my glasses on to see what’s really happening, then you see her throw the clarinet across the field and it lands straight in the grass“Fuck you! Fuck your shitty band! Fucking bullshit!” I hear the guy next to me say “Too bad she can’t play like she throws.” But you can still hear Y/n still yelling “I don’t give a fuck, so fuck you! Fuck you. Cunt!” And the band teacher yells at her as she walks off the field “You can’t say that in America” but she doesn’t give a fuck and the bell rings and I walk into the school and start heading toward Hunter’s locker after changing when I start thinking.

That seemed pretty metal to me, but I’m not sure. I’ll ask Hunter about it. I don’t really know Y/n that well I have her number but only because we were partner in science and had to do a project together. Hunter he’s been into many things since I met him, but he stuck with metal longer than any of them. When his mom left in seventh grade, he decided it was the key to everything. If we devote ourselves to metal, we’ll own this school. Everybody will see what we really are and worship us like gods. I’m willing to give it a try. Hunter’s been my best friend ever since he stopped Molly Levine from pulling out my hair in the third grade. He always looks out for me.

I stop thinking as I reach Hunter’s locker and see him pointing at me with wide eyes and telling me to move out of he way but I don’t understand what he’s saying and I’m pushed into a locker by some stupid asshole jock and Y/n walks by getting to her locker that was close by Hunter’s “Asshole” she said to that douch bag but he just keeps walking and so does she, then Hunter walks up to me.

“Skip Hoffman sucks pig dicks.” but I think other wise “I don’t think he was trying to hit me. I was just in the way” when I say that I hear a scoff from behind me “If you think that then you’re fucking stupid” Y/n said and walked away to her next class, when I hear Clay and Skip talking “--What I’m ready for is your homecoming after-party, man.”

“Yep. My parents are in Geneva. So bring the whole school if you want, man, seriously. Tell whoever. Everyone’s invited.” Clay said to Skip like it’s the most normal thing ever.

(Scene skip ⏭️)

The cafeteria is always a busy place but not many people really wanted to sit with Hunter and I so we really got a table all by ourselves.

While I’m at the lunch table eating my sandwich I see Y/n sitting at the table across from me and pick at her food when two girls walk up to her table and she looks up and gives them a small smile and then they’re about to sit down but one of the girls says something to the other then look at Y/n then walk away and laugh then Y/n goes back to playing with her food, I feel bad for her.

“Hey man, what’s up?” Hunter walk up to the table and sits down and puts his tray of food on the table “Did you ask your mom about the double bass kit?” He ask and I nodded my head while drinking my water “What’d she say?” So I put down my water “She said she doesn’t have a thousand dollars.” I said and looked down at my food

“Okay, well, what about a double bass pedal? Won’t get the resonance, but we’ll have that attack.” And I cut him off “Yeah, she said she doesn’t have $150 either” and Hunter looks like he’s in thought and I look back behind him so then he does the same and sees me looking at Y/n and turns back to me “She’s in my speech class, I think she’s English. Scottish. I don’t know, I heard she went apeshit on the band teacher.” I continue looking at her playing with with her food with a disgusted look on her food and sighs to herself then goes on her phone

“Yeah I saw it” I said “That’s one messed up chick.” Hunter then takes his jacket off and I start thinking about the party and I’m thinking of asking Y/n to go to the party with Hunter and I. So I get up from my chair and walk over to her table “Hey” I said to her and see looks up at me with wide eyes and puts her phone down “Umm Hi, what’s up?” She asked confused “So I was wondering if you want to go to a party with Hunter and I” I stated

Part 2 🥁

[totallynotthedarkreunion]

Death Note in a Marching Band‼️

Ik I already did death note and instruments but THIS IS DIFFERENT. I present this to you in honor of football season

Light - insists on being first trumpet. Probably joined later and then quit after two years to pursue murder law school. Literally a marching beast but probably runs out of steam a bit faster than others bc he doesn't really do lengthy periods of physical activity

L - I want to make him sousaphone bc he's already got back issues and it can't get any worse, but he'd probably suck at marching. Maybe he'd be a good drum major after playing mallets the first couple years. When he played mallets he'd definitely flex by holding four at once, even if he didn't need all of them

Near - tambourine or triangle. The essentials

Misa - color guard!!! She prefers swing flags over any other equipment, and loves the outfits. Takada tried to get her to play flute so she could show she's better than Misa but Misa thinks the regular band uniforms are ugly af.

Takada - flute. Idrk why

Mello - the most aggressive snare of all time. He played bass drum first and then switched to snare. He likes quints too but snare is probably his favorite because hitty thingy make loud noise hurt ears. He's got the best posture in the entirety of the band too, but he likes to speed up, which can be annoying when he's the one ticking while the band marks time.

Matt: also pit because he didn't feel like marching but still joined because Mello. Probably switches between concert bass drum, gong, and timpanis when necessary.

Mikami: clarinet (I am totally not biased). Also assistant drum major, but he's a lot stiffer than the aforementioned drum major.

I'm so sorry for leaving out the entire sax and low brass family but idk who would play that. I love you all I swear

[winstonnsblog]

bass clarinet boy quit band and i actually lowkey DESPISE the girl... i had to make her lock in cuz she said the boy's bass clarinet was broken (hers was in the shop for a legitimate problem). but it wasn't! I CHECKED IT. i played up and down the octaves no squeaks no issue. i told her no cork is missing i fucking played all the notes and she was like ummm no... then she played a Shitty ass C and she was like that's how it's supposed to sound?? 🥹 yeah it'd sound better if you actually put air into it tho. Good God. and she won't stop talking during rehearsal. it was so peaceful and then i made her come back and suddenly we're having to do standby GOOOD i hate her she will be dealt with... she's also like a freshman so it's her annoying arc but trust she will be humbled in mid marching season when she's yapping during the head director's instructions. and she keeps saying the music is too hard but it's Legit just fingerpatterns. hey maybe if you took it home you wouldn't have an issue! it's not just that ive been playing longer it's that i actually take band seriously. Hope this helps!

[impulsivedecisionsat3am]

2.5 is too easy 3 is too hard wtf. i hate reeds. it’s probably cause the 3 is synthetic while the 2.5 is cane, but still. now i need to spend like 20 bucks getting new reeds. why did i choose this instrument (i love it but still)

[dustedmagazine]

Matana Roberts — Coin Coin, Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation)

Photo by Anna Niedermeier

This is the fifth album of a projected 12 in Matana Roberts’s Coin Coin series, named after a slave, later activist, Marie Thérèse Coincoin. As with previous volumes, Coincoin’s biography intermingles with folk tales, slave stories and songs, and discussions of the rich, often tragic, history of African Americans. Another element of the Coin Coin series is the relationship between past and present. In this case, the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the present mirrors the story of an illegal and fatal abortion conducted on one of Roberts’s ancestors. In the notes, she says,"I wanted to talk about this issue, but in a way where she gets some sense of liberation.” Rather than being shamed, as so many women currently are in the wake of the SCOTUS decision, in the lyrics Robert’s relative is described as, “electric, alive, spirited, fire, and free.”

Roberts is a versatile artist, a saxophonist and composer who not only works in musical contexts but in theater, fine arts, and poetry. The spoken word portions of Coin, Coin Chapter Five are performed by Roberts and poet Gitnajali Jain. The balance of spoken word and music is well-conceived. The music itself is performed by a host of prominent musicians and produced by Kyp Malone (TV on the Radio). Roberts covers a number of instruments in addition to saxophone, Darius Jones plays alto saxophone, Matt Lavelle, clarinet and trumpet, Mazz Swift, violin, Stuart Bogie, clarinet and bass clarinet, and Mike Pride and Ryan Sawyer play drums and percussion. Pretty much all the performers play tin whistles and sing.

Free jazz is an important component of Robert’s music-making, and it is here in abundance on “Different Rings,” “Shake My Bones,”  and “Predestined Confessions.” The arrangements of these complex pieces are well wrought throughout. “A Caged Dance,” trades a gorgeous post-bop solo with dissonant interjections, providing a polystylistic framework. This is not unique to “A Caged Dance.” A number of pieces combine different idioms. Malone’s synthesizer and Pride and Sawyer’s rockist drumming move the piece outside the jazz tradition. The chorused vocals that sing rounds and the children’s folk song, “All the Pretty Horses,” create some of the most memorable music on the album.

The closing track, “Ain’t I … Your mystery is our history,” with its plethora of tin whistles and jangly percussion, recalls both avant-classical and African music. It is significant that Roberts returns to a bespoke instrumentation and non-Western sound world to send the piece home. Less than halfway through, the Coin Coin series is engaging and ever new. Seven more installments: one is eager to hear what is next.

Christian Carey

[super-marihoes]

I haven't been drawing recently and I don't want to abandon this blog lmao so here's some headcanons. (Its mostly the bowser family)

CW: cursing and inappropriate themes

Bowser:

He wears dad glasses 👓

He's bisexual

He was a fucking menace before Junior was born, probably ran from the cops

Architecture nerd

He's got sinus issues (based on lil snotty bowser from yoshi's island)

Probably gets pegged because hes a simp

Peach:

She's also bi

Monsterfucker

The kidnappings are a publicity stunt bc she and Bowser wouldn't be allowed to be together otherwise

She was scared to be a mom at first but adopted Junior and is a proud Mama

Loves sweets

Shes peach shaped and I'm dying on that hill

Junior:

That kid has undiagnosed ADHD

Ligitimately didn't know what a mom was before Peach

Prefers to be called Junior

He has no biological mom, he was made by magic on accident

He's super smart for his age

Luigi:

That boy is gay, and i really do believe that

He and daisy have gay/lesbian solidarity

He knows about the kidnappings and the true reason behind it

Very trustworthy king

Polterpup made him less scared of ghosts

Always had an interest in the paranormal but was too scared to pursue it before Luigis Mansion

Gets overshadowed by Mario but doesn't really care

Mario:

Im gonna be honest i dont like him too much

He and Pauline are secretly together after Odyssey

The games are actaully his retelling about what happened and are sort of exhaggerated

He's actually a terrible plumber

He's got a big ego but he's working on not being an asshole

Daisy:

Thats a lesbian if I've ever seen one

In my brain she's hispanic

She's Peach's bestie and Junior's Auntie

Lives all sports and gets WAY too into it (shes just like me fr)

Bowser's golfing buddy

Scares men

Rosalina:

Shes trans 🏳️‍⚧️

Loves big ole sweaters

She, Daisy, and Peach have tea parties all the time

Some books and a cup of tea is her ideal night

Collection of big crazy earrings

Pauline:

Valentina ALLY!

She sang at Peach and Bowser's reception

Something primal inside of her wants to peg the shit out of Mario

They were exes but got back together

She said "i can fix him" but actually kinda does

Is the one that eventually tells Mario that Peach is getting sloppy toppy from a lizard

Kamek:

Who is that little gay man in the blue robe?

He's kinda crazy

He unofficially adopted Bowser

They have a very distant relationship, Kamek spoiled him with things but wasn't there very often in the emotional area (thats why hes yk like.... that)

Has a "foxy grandpa" t shirt

The Koopalings (im doing them all together):

They're Bowser’s distant family but he treated them like his niblings after their parents passed away

Ages in this order: Ludwig, Roy and Morton (twins), Wendy, Iggy, Lemmy, Larry

Ludwig and Wendy have gay/lesbian hostility (affectionate)

They each have their own instrument that they excell at

Instruments go: Ludwig- piano, Roy- bass, Morton- drums, Wendy- clarinet, Iggy- ukulele, Lemmy- the motherfucking banjo, Larry- lumatone (hes gotta be quirky and different)

Lemmy talks in sign language

Morton has brain damage (hes just like me fr)

Toadsworth:

Hes old

Took care of Peach after her parents died

He micromanages everything Peach does

He knows that his daughter is getting dicked down on the kidnappings but is in denial

DE NILE IS A RIVER IN EGYPT YOUR DAUGHTER IS A MONSTERFUCKER

He comes through in the end and supports their relationship

Thats all :)

[chloroformcurry]

Intro post?

Call me Onions, (yes, in PLURAL FORM) I’m a 17-year-old Turkish-Mexican residing in the US, and I identify with she/her pronouns. Agonized high schooler. I love bass clarinets. I don’t play about the bass clarinet. I like instruments and other oddly specific mechanisms too.

I am ND and have some other stuff going on but I’m medicated and doing quite well actually.

I'm deeply passionate about the lore I create for my characters in my story, Carbon Copy, which I share gradually. My primary criteria for interaction are straightforward: I don't tolerate bigotry, paraphiliacs, proshippers, zoophiles, etc.

I don’t mind ironic/lighthearted/humor-oriented raunchy jokes or remarks towards my adult ocs, just not towards me or my younger ocs.

I have many media interests that I can never manage to list off the top of my head, and someday I’ll make a list of those interests, but my original character story (Carbon Copy) holds the utmost significance for me. It’s become more than just a passion project for me over time.

My story lore contains a lot of triggering/sensitive content that I try my best to depict in a realistic yet respectful manner, so I try my best to approach these topics with knowledge and understanding. I seriously appreciate constructive feedback from others who have familiarized themselves with it considering the broad spectrum of social issues and difficult topics it covers.

I LOVE AND APPRECIATE ASKS OF ANY KIND: QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS, HEADCANONS, ANYTHING! I may not be able to respond to them all because sometimes I don’t know what to say -> I feel it may come off as mundane or something BUT I REALLY DO APPRECIATE ANY AND ALL INTEREST IN MY OC CONTENT!!!

It’s one of the few things that makes me truly happy!!!

I seriously appreciate reblogs and I seriously appreciate all the comments/tag comments I get on my posts, they make me smile a lot, seeing other people genuinely care about the content I pour my heart into.

Thank you for reading, I may add things to this over time.

Here’s my linktree with some of the other platforms I’m on

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

Breaking down the comics: Taking the hit (Issue #26)

Moon Knight Issue #26: Hit it! / The Cabbie Killer

Two in one! What a wonderful time to be alive! 

Also this cover really gives me modern comic feels and I have no idea why. I feel like I've seen a variant of this cover before or perhaps another comic did a similar theme. Hmmm. 

We start with an editor's note from Denny O'Neil! That's either a good thing or a bad thing when it comes to a newer comic that is experiencing its first big few years and establishing characters and villains. 

It reads: 

Falling on our noses? 

   In tai chi chaun, a gentle and wonderful combination of martial arts and exercise, there is a concept called "exploring the limits." This means testing how close you can let an opponent come before he hits you and how far you can extend yourself towards him before you lose your balance and fall on your nose. What you learn is where your body is, its boundaries, and the distance it can be extended and yet retain wholeness and identity.

In Moon Knight we're exploring the limits. 

We're asking: What kind of adventures can our hero have and still be his own unique self. (Can we do fantasy? Science fiction? Humor?) How long should stories be? (One per issue? Two? Three? Or should a story extend over a number of issues?) How many liberties can we take with the traditional comic book format? (Our black-and-white covers are a solid success. but we're not sure about our other experiments --putting the title on the inside cover, next issue ads on the back cover, text features, cover galleries and whatever we come up with next.) 

Lots of questions. Very few answers. 

But that's okay. In fact, that's fine. That's what makes working on Moon Knight just about the most exciting job in comics. I've always liked journeys and everyone likes surpirses and Moon Knight is both. The magazine--and character--are fluid, not fully defined and we're busy exploring the limits. 

Of course, we may fall on our noses. You'll let us know if we do.

-Denny O'Neil. 

Okay! So this is a big thing for early comics! Many of you are only familiar with newer age comics and have graced Golden Age comics with a peak or two. But we’re sitting firm in the early 80s and Moon Knight is indeed a character that is unlike any other that was sitting firm in Marvel’s top tier. Born from a supernatural/horror type portion of Marvel that saw the birth of Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, and others of the likes, Moon Knight bordered on classic Super-hero and supernatural horror. 

The note about Tai Chi and extension is actually really beautiful and a perfect metaphor for Moon Knight. I’ll have to remember that one! 

Now, to have a clear call to arms in where to take Moon Knight means that they have had this conversation in the writing room. They don’t know what to do with the comic. They have classic stories and ideas, but they don’t want to start repeating themselves this early int he game, but they also don’t want to jump the shark. 

It also means that this particular comic that we are about to read might be an experiment on where to take the comic. So let’s see what the story of the week is! 

We open with some utterly outstanding art. I mean, this stuff is GOLD. We got TWO spreads people! 

The first page describes the colors of sound. The beat of jazz and how it affects the senses. 

"First there is black. Then tehre is light, and all the colors of Jazz. And there is sound in these colos. A wailing trumpet drips cool violet, threaded with smoke. Heavy blue lumbers from the bass... While the clarinet tempts and tantalizes in hot pink counterpoint. But the drum... The drum beats Blood Red." 

We move from jazz to images of various uses of the phrase "Hit it!" Hit it to be starting the jazz band swinging. To fix a malfunctioing TV, to encourage a baseball player to hit the ball out of hte park to a child's drawing....

"Double meanings sometimes multiply." 

An abusive father and a crying child. 

"But even as a trumpet screams through the night...The drum still beats Blood Red.” 

"Hit it, Moon Knight. The night is here, the moon is full, and caught between one and the other dark deeds will prowl. Hit it, Moon Knight. Hit it. 

Cats in windows, cries from the alley, shadows mixing, and mysteries cloaked for the kill. Hit it, Moon Knight, Hit it. 

Fear in lurking, money itching to change hands, twitching and always, always blood to be spilled. 

It's hot, Moon Knight, and it's dark and it's now--Don't be late, Moon Knight, Not for your time to howl...

It might be in rage or it might be in pain...But never fear, Moon Knight, it's always the same. 

Just hit it, Moon Knight... Hit it!" 

Sometimes I think Moench just shows off. And then Sienkiewicz just FLEXES. 

We see Moon Knight on patrol. He passes by a building and we hear some men talking. 

One complains about the graveyard shift to Joe. 

But Joe isn't paying attention. He's having a flashback. 

He's reading the newspaper. Specifically the Obituaries. We see a children's drawing of the angry father. Joe throws the paper and runs away. 

He runs to a jazz club where the crowd flows out onto the sidewalk. 

Joe runs into the crowd and comes across a man in the way. 

Moon Knight notices the commotion and heads on over. 

"Just down the street the colors are wilder --Neon shrieks without mercy...And the beat is younger, faster, harder... Pounding, driving, relentlessly slamming... Everybody is doing it these days, getting great satisfaction..." 

They move past the jazz club to a rock house. 

Along the way we see people beaten, bloodied, and terribly wounded. 

"By hitting...hitting...hitting it!" 

Joe makes it to his destination at last: The funeral parlor. 

"I'm coming old man! Coming to pay my respects!" 

The blood red drum beats and he bursts into the parlor. 

There he finds the coffin of his father. 

A priest tries to speak to him. 

Joe beats the man down. 

Joe is ready to fight. To fight anyone that tries to stop him. That stands between him and his father. Him and his past. 

"Did you come to hit me too? Well, come on then--Hit me! Hit me till your arms fall off! You might as well...

He did it often enough! He hit me till I couldn't sleep at night--Any night! 

And then he hit me some more! And then he ran away--Left my mother alone! Finally he wouldn't hit me anymore! Finally he wouldn't even give me that!" 

Narration: "Blood red... The beat never ends... Pain, catharsis, rage--They shriek through nights lost to time..." 

Narration: "Turn away, Moon Knight--You were wrong--It's not your time to howl. There are others with stronger voice, greater cause..."

The priest interrupts demanding that Moon Knight stop him. 

Moon Knight: "No... There's been enough hitting tonight... I won't add to it." 

While Moon Knight talks to the priest, Joe stands up and punches Moon Knight. 

Here we remember that Marc Spector was a boxer. His violence settling from the school yard to the ring until his father turned him out. Marc moved from the ring to the battle field to the mercenary role. Marc runs hot with rage and fire. Who is he here? The raging child fighting back or the monster with nowhere else to put his fire than into those around him? 

A Rabbi once told him to stop. A Rabbi that tried to lead him down a path of passive peace when the world around him was violence and pain. A father that could not stand the sight of his son fighting back. 

Now we see a priest telling him to fight and him standing up and saying there is enough violence in the world that perhaps just this once there can be peace. 

And when violence falls on him, he does not take the passive path. He can’t. Everything Marc is and has been is refusing to look the other way while he is hurt. 

Narration: The crowning madness... Long live the king. And so, Moon Knight, the night was yours after all... And once started, the drum beats blood red...Forever." 

He is angry with himself. Angry at his loss of control. Angry that he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t stop the violence. He couldn’t stop his own rage. His own need to hit back. To hit it. 

What an opener. This one has me feeling a lot here. The direction of past trauma on those around us. The need to get resolution only to have it taken away from us. How it leads to more pain. More hurt. More trauma. 

Does this remind anyone of anything?

Yeah. I went there. 

PART TWO: Cabbie Killer! 

This story is written by Denny O'Neil with artist Keith Pollard and editor Ralph Macchio. 

I know what you’re thinking. “Oh no, Jake!” 

We open on Jake sitting in his cab late at night. 

"This is Lockley. I'm headin' for the garage after I drop my fare." 

In the buses waits a man with a bazooka. 

Narration: It is quiet in Brooklyn, this cool autumn evening, as Jake Lockley ends a day of driving around New York City--Quiet for exactly four more seconds...Then, two events occur simultaneously. Lockley stamps on the breake to avoid "STUPID DOG" --and the car parked a few feet away erupts in eye stinging flame...

Jake's fare asks if it was an accident or a bomb. 

Jake sits stunned. "Neither. Just before the fireworks, I glimpsed a muzzle flash from the bushes. Weird as it seems, somebody shot off an old fashioned Bazooka! The thing that bugs me is, it looked like we were the target.... You got any enemies, mister?" 

Jake's fare decides it's probably safer to walk and departs the cab. Probably for the best. 

We cut to an hour or so later on a pier somewhere. We see a man in fancy military garb talking to another guy. 

He explains that because of the dog, he missed his target and the target got away. He explains that he will try again with success next time.

The other guy tells him he doesn't give second chances and to 'take a hike'.  

Military guy isn't happy. 

"You have hired me to destroy a taxi cab and so I shall--whether you like it or not. I gave my word--And Commodore Donny Planet always keeps his word. Understood?" 

Let me just say: WHAT A NAME. 

Oh no. I didn't think it was this issue. I suppose I take solace in knowing now that it isn’t Bill that gave us Speeden. It always seems wrong to see old Moon Knight drawn by someone else. They just don’t get the face right. 

But they sure do get the dialogue right. And the name. Steven. Because we all know who the vain one of the group is. Someone has to take care of the body and we all know it isn’t going to be Marc or Jake. 

Ladies and Gents and all of the others, I give you Speedo Steven. 

The pool scene wasn’t even needed. He literally came home after being shot at by a bazooka, changed into Steven, took a dip into a pool, then ran off to Brooklyn as Moon Knight. There was absolutely ZERO need for Steven to get into the smallest speedo he could find and take a swim. He even demanded that Marlene and Frenchie….wait. He demanded that Marlene meet him by the pool. She showed up in a bikini, expecting lovely pool time. Frenchie just showed up! In full attire. He was just there for the show. He takes it where he can get it, I suppose. 

Moon Knight, now flying over the city, spots something burning. On closer look, he finds a cab on fire. 

It seems the Bazooka man found a cab to hit. 

Saddened by the loss of a cab, he is at least relieved to know that Jake Lockley is not the primary target. 

Moon Knight tells Frenchie to take them to the Queens Cemetery. 

"For months, I've known that a lot of our local criminal types play poker there every Friday night...They figure they won't be disturbed. Maybe one of them will have some answers for us." 

Once there, he directs Frenchie to grab his cab and park it near the north gate. 

I just gotta say... I have always loved the idea that all the bad guys get together to play poker and complain about their foes. Takes me back to the Batman Animated Series "Almost got him" episode. 

I also gotta say that no one draws Moon Knight's face right in classic outfit with little emotive eyes like Bill. This one is just...lacking. They also over buffed him out in muscles. 

Just a small criticism. 

I do appreciate that Frenchie does still have his moon hat though. I love that stupid hat. 

Moon Knight takes out the guards and interrupts the poker party. 

One of the guys at the party knows something and spills it. 

"One of my boys was runnin' from the law...Ducked into a garage and hid a certain tape cassette the cops want in a cab. He told us that much before he died from a slug in the chest. Problem was he didn't say which cab or where in the cab he hid it." 

Turns out three cabs were in the garage that night. They hired Commando man to track the three cabs down. 

The boss man at the table laughs that Moon Knight isn't going anywhere and calls over a hired goon with a gun. 

Crawley! 

Now Crawley is a sort of undercover informant for Moon Knight and all the baddies at the poker table trust him. 

So Moon Knight has a problem. He can't fight Crawley like he was a regular thug. But if Crawley doesn't shoot him then they will know he's working for Moon Knight and lose all trust. 

Crawley takes a wide shot and Moon Knight uses the chance and kicks Crawley in the face. 

The choices he makes sometimes...

Crawley is knocked out and the thugs all scatter. He takes a moment to make sure Crawley is alright then runs after the main guy. 

The boss spots a nearby parked cab and jumps in. 

Moon Knight calmly sits at the wheel. 

He informs the boss that this is one of the cabs from the garage and that he suspects the Bazooka man is waiting at the garage for a shot. 

"You've got a choice: Either tell me where to find your assassin or we cruise 'round and 'round till HE finds US! Might take all night, but I'm in no hurry." 

The boss is more than ready to give up the goods and tells Moon Knight where Commodore Donny Planet is. 

He finds the Commodore in a boat. They fight and Moon Knight finds the Commodore to be freakishly strong. 

Moon Knight strikes at normally vulnerable spots only to get tossed around like nothing. 

It's near invulnerable vs. Moon Knight's ability to take the most brutal beating and keep going. 

Moon Knight switches tactics and tosses some Judo in, keeping the large man off balance. 

He knocks the man off the boat into a fishing net. 

"The safe thing-The smart thing- would be to just let him drown." He contemplates for but a moment. "No." 

He jumps in and saves the large brute then leaves him for the cops. 

And that’s the end of the cabbie killer. 

I must say, this one ended on a let down. I feel that if Moench had written it, we’d have ended on Jake finding the tape in his cab or something to indicate that he was the mark all along. Maybe that’s just me. 

Especially after the first half with “HIT IT”. That one was really amazing. Fantastic art, a very heavy subject, and only took a few pages to cover it. Even though it didn’t end with a distinct note, it still felt like an end. A story that needed to be told that still somehow painted a picture of Moon Knight despite it being a one off that didn’t give any sort of moral or definitive point. The man still was angry over a past pain that will never be resolved. He’ll end up in prison because of all the people he hurt, and his mental health will never be addressed. 

And that editorial at the start! What a piece! Learning to reach only as far as our body can go and learning not to get hit. I'm going to be thinking about that one for a while. Wow.

But that’s the story of Moon Knight, isn’t it? A story of underlining pain and trauma that affects his everyday life but that is never resolved, addressed, or healed. How it radiates out to affect everyone around him and the way he struggles to make the right choice and do the right thing…even though everything around him forces him back into that corner that forces him to fight for his life over and over again.