Random Things to Post

For this prompt, I tried a different art program than I normally use and also did it in a comic format.

It’s Jesse centric because I would love to know what is going through his head each time Seiji (unpredictably) rejects him :)

Alternate universe in which Jesse chooses to go to King’s Row instead of Exton because he’s rebelling against his dad.

I feel like Jesse and Nick would become friends over their love for fencing and perhaps their association with Robert Coste :)

It always struck me how, in the first volume of Fence, Coach Joe was the one to text Nicholas on his first day at King’s Row with advice. Not Nick’s mom, and certainly not Robert Coste.

Coach Joe was probably one of the first positive parental figures Nicholas had in his life, and their relationship is very important to me.

Ms. Williams used to be a trumpet player in a jazz band, and she won’t let you forget it. She’ll often make comments about how jazz’s improvisation and small scale make it more interesting than concert band. And yes, she still has a wall of things you can’t say, and she still makes her students do suicide runs. 

Phrases on Ms. Sally Williams’s wall of punishment include:

I forgot my music sheets

Jazz band is not better than concert band

I forgot my instrument

This song is too hard

I didn’t practice

I want a new roommate

And of course, everyone’s favorite:

Aiden dumped me

Seiji, Jesse, and Nicholas all play the alto saxophone. This is more for practical reasons than anything (since having them all play the same instrument makes the most sense given the type of rivalry they have), and I know saxophones are pretty well-suited to left-handed people like Nicholas and Jesse. It’s also an instrument that’s fairly easy for a beginner to pick up, so I think it would make sense for Nicholas to learn the basics of how to play it inside of a year.

Seiji and Jesse used to be in the same band, back in elementary/middle school. In auditions, Jesse would typically end up beating Seiji by a very narrow margin, but in their 8th grade year, they ended up tying and becoming co-section leaders after they both got perfect scores (yes, that’s possible, it happened once at my own school). Seiji thought that he had finally caught up to Jesse, that they were finally equals, and then they both went to a National Music Solo and Ensemble competition that Seiji ended up placing second in and. Well. You all know the rest.

Cut to one year later, and Seiji’s back in the US, competing in a Regional Music Solo and Ensemble competition while avoiding Jesse like the plague. He ended up meeting Nicholas because they ended up in adjacent slots, so Nicholas performed right before Seiji did. Nicholas says he hopes they have a great competition, Seiji rudely brushes him off and then beats by a huge margin, and their rivalry begins.

Ms. Williams ended up scouting Nicholas due to his fast fingers and impressive lung endurance, and he surprises everyone by getting second chair in the King’s Row band (as in, he beat every saxophone student in the audition other than Seiji).

Bobby is also an alto saxophone player, but the thing he stands out most for is his ability to compose and arrange music. For those of you who don’t know, music for alto saxophones is written in a different key than music for other instruments, because saxophones are Eb instruments, while most other instruments are either C or Bb. Arranging music for concert bands means you have to be able to “translate” music between these different keys, in addition to creating harmonies for instruments that play in higher and lower octaves. Sometimes he’ll take an iconic melody from a popular song, then build on it and turn it into something the entire band can play.

Harvard plays the clarinet. Every clarinetist I know has been fairly intelligent and level-headed, so the instrument suits him perfectly. He’s first chair and section leader (meaning that he’s the best clarinet player in the King’s Row band) and he has a habit of acting as a music tutor for other students in his spare time. He usually only tutors other clarinet players, but he ends up helping Nicholas to learn music terms he isn’t familiar with and bits of music shorthand he doesn’t recognize. (When Nicholas first comes to him asking what “andante” and “D.S. al coda” mean, Harvard is torn between excitement about being able to say he tutored someone who plays a completely different instrument than he does, and concern that Nicholas isn’t familiar with basic musical terms that Harvard learned back in 5th grade band.)

Eugene plays the trombone. He failed his audition his freshman year and barely made it into the band as a sophomore, but now that he’s a junior, he’s doing fairly well. He splits his time between band and the wrestling team, which is tough, but he manages to make it work.

Kally used to play the clarinet, but ended up switching to oboe just before starting his freshman year of high school. He was first chair/section leader during his junior year, but he ended up botching his audition his senior year, so he ended up being 3rd chair his senior year. He’s a good sport about it, but you can tell that he’s sad about not being a section leader anymore.

Tanner knows how to play both percussion and the trumpet, and Ms. Williams will have him switch roles depending on how many percussionists a piece needs.

Gian is both a fencer and a trumpet player in this au (we love a multitalented king). He still loves his flick.

Marcus Washington used to be a very talented saxophonist, but ended up quitting band after breaking his left hand in an accident. He came back for his senior year since his school band didn’t have any other saxophones. He’s still a pretty good saxophone player, but there are some notes he has trouble playing due to lingering damage to his hand.

Aiden is a flute player. Half the people in King’s Row’s flute section are just boys who learned to play flute in hopes of impressing Aiden and getting closer to him. Aiden’s also first chair/section leader, but he doesn’t take it nearly as seriously as Harvard does. He doesn’t really bother with the whole “leadership” thing, and he has a tendency to skip out on band rehearsals. He will practice with Harvard though, and you’ll often hear them playing duets together in their room. Sometimes Tanner and Kally will join them, and occasionally Bobby will drop by to ask them to help him test out a new piece of music he’s arranged. 

Dafna, Kenzie, and Marcel are also flute players, and this has resulted in several people making jokes about Harvard having a type. Half of the people Harvard’s dated weren’t even in band, let alone flute players, but for some reason, pointing this out never seems to accomplish much. At least one person has told Harvard that he should date Aiden, since Aiden is clearly Harvard’s type, and that became the first and only time that Aiden has ever punched another student. (Harvard thinks that Aiden decked that guy because he hated the idea of going out with Harvard. Aiden actually decked that guy because that guy was being a jerk to Harvard, and because he hated being reminded that Harvard doesn’t return his feelings. I love dramatic irony.)

The jokes get worse when Harvard and Aiden finally end up getting together. Harvard fully expects Aiden to get mad, but Aiden barely bats an eye at them. Harvard tries to be like “I promise I’m not dating you just because you’re a flute player” and Aiden actually bursts out laughing. And then kisses him. Just alternates between laughing and peppering him with kisses.

Ms. Williams used to be a trumpet player in a jazz band, and she won’t let you forget it. She’ll often make comments about how jazz’s improvisation and small scale make it more interesting than concert band. And yes, she still has a wall of things you can’t say, and she still makes her students do suicide runs. 

Phrases on Ms. Sally Williams’s wall of punishment include:

I forgot my music sheets

Jazz band is not better than concert band

I forgot my instrument

This song is too hard

I didn’t practice

I want a new roommate

And of course, everyone’s favorite:

Aiden dumped me

Seiji, Jesse, and Nicholas all play the alto saxophone. This is more for practical reasons than anything (since having them all play the same instrument makes the most sense given the type of rivalry they have), and I know saxophones are pretty well-suited to left-handed people like Nicholas and Jesse. It’s also an instrument that’s fairly easy for a beginner to pick up, so I think it would make sense for Nicholas to learn the basics of how to play it inside of a year.

Seiji and Jesse used to be in the same band, back in elementary/middle school. In auditions, Jesse would typically end up beating Seiji by a very narrow margin, but in their 8th grade year, they ended up tying and becoming co-section leaders after they both got perfect scores (yes, that’s possible, it happened once at my own school). Seiji thought that he had finally caught up to Jesse, that they were finally equals, and then they both went to a National Music Solo and Ensemble competition that Seiji ended up placing second in and. Well. You all know the rest.

Cut to one year later, and Seiji’s back in the US, competing in a Regional Music Solo and Ensemble competition while avoiding Jesse like the plague. He ended up meeting Nicholas because they ended up in adjacent slots, so Nicholas performed right before Seiji did. Nicholas says he hopes they have a great competition, Seiji rudely brushes him off and then beats by a huge margin, and their rivalry begins.

Ms. Williams ended up scouting Nicholas due to his fast fingers and impressive lung endurance, and he surprises everyone by getting second chair in the King’s Row band (as in, he beat every saxophone student in the audition other than Seiji).

Bobby is also an alto saxophone player, but the thing he stands out most for is his ability to compose and arrange music. For those of you who don’t know, music for alto saxophones is written in a different key than music for other instruments, because saxophones are Eb instruments, while most other instruments are either C or Bb. Arranging music for concert bands means you have to be able to “translate” music between these different keys, in addition to creating harmonies for instruments that play in higher and lower octaves. Sometimes he’ll take an iconic melody from a popular song, then build on it and turn it into something the entire band can play.

Harvard plays the clarinet. Every clarinetist I know has been fairly intelligent and level-headed, so the instrument suits him perfectly. He’s first chair and section leader (meaning that he’s the best clarinet player in the King’s Row band) and he has a habit of acting as a music tutor for other students in his spare time. He usually only tutors other clarinet players, but he ends up helping Nicholas to learn music terms he isn’t familiar with and bits of music shorthand he doesn’t recognize. (When Nicholas first comes to him asking what “andante” and “D.S. al coda” mean, Harvard is torn between excitement about being able to say he tutored someone who plays a completely different instrument than he does, and concern that Nicholas isn’t familiar with basic musical terms that Harvard learned back in 5th grade band.)

Eugene plays the trombone. He failed his audition his freshman year and barely made it into the band as a sophomore, but now that he’s a junior, he’s doing fairly well. He splits his time between band and the wrestling team, which is tough, but he manages to make it work.

Kally used to play the clarinet, but ended up switching to oboe just before starting his freshman year of high school. He was first chair/section leader during his junior year, but he ended up botching his audition his senior year, so he ended up being 3rd chair his senior year. He’s a good sport about it, but you can tell that he’s sad about not being a section leader anymore.

Tanner knows how to play both percussion and the trumpet, and Ms. Williams will have him switch roles depending on how many percussionists a piece needs.

Gian is both a fencer and a trumpet player in this au (we love a multitalented king). He still loves his flick.

Marcus Washington used to be a very talented saxophonist, but ended up quitting band after breaking his left hand in an accident. He came back for his senior year since his school band didn’t have any other saxophones. He’s still a pretty good saxophone player, but there are some notes he has trouble playing due to lingering damage to his hand.

Aiden is a flute player. Half the people in King’s Row’s flute section are just boys who learned to play flute in hopes of impressing Aiden and getting closer to him. Aiden’s also first chair/section leader, but he doesn’t take it nearly as seriously as Harvard does. He doesn’t really bother with the whole “leadership” thing, and he has a tendency to skip out on band rehearsals. He will practice with Harvard though, and you’ll often hear them playing duets together in their room. Sometimes Tanner and Kally will join them, and occasionally Bobby will drop by to ask them to help him test out a new piece of music he’s arranged. 

Dafna, Kenzie, and Marcel are also flute players, and this has resulted in several people making jokes about Harvard having a type. Half of the people Harvard’s dated weren’t even in band, let alone flute players, but for some reason, pointing this out never seems to accomplish much. At least one person has told Harvard that he should date Aiden, since Aiden is clearly Harvard’s type, and that became the first and only time that Aiden has ever punched another student. (Harvard thinks that Aiden decked that guy because he hated the idea of going out with Harvard. Aiden actually decked that guy because that guy was being a jerk to Harvard, and because he hated being reminded that Harvard doesn’t return his feelings. I love dramatic irony.)

The jokes get worse when Harvard and Aiden finally end up getting together. Harvard fully expects Aiden to get mad, but Aiden barely bats an eye at them. Harvard tries to be like “I promise I’m not dating you just because you’re a flute player” and Aiden actually bursts out laughing. And then kisses him. Just alternates between laughing and peppering him with kisses.

“Proud” by Grace Vanderwaal has always stood out to me as a song representing Seiji, especially when he was young and had to figure out how to fit in. Seiji’s parents weren’t very present for him, and when they were there they pushed him into social situations that he wasn’t comfortable in. He needed more help and love, but was forced to become self reliant and figure things out on his own in order to make his parents happy. This fits into the song “Proud”, which is essentially about a child being considered perfect and someone to be proud of if they don’t ask for things or speak up.

Recording on my phone in 3x speed on TikTok, so I can’t pick it up. This gives me half an hour to lock in and I can check how much time I have left.

Writing in my document on my laptop, but in a very small window I will have an eternally looping PowerPoint that automatically changes slides every few seconds. On these slides will be those photos:

Moral support.

3. I will be listening to a playlist that is half instrumental for focus and half sneakernight by Vanessa Hudgens. 4. I will pee and eat beforehand so my body does not dare interfere with this sacred time. I will have a filled water bottle with me.

o sol e a lua 

el sol y la luna

sol et luna

die sunne und der mond

le soleil et la lune

the sun and the moon

opposition, opposition, reflection

warm rays reach, reach, longing

gentle embrace over gaea, terra, earth

lay my loving hands overhead

nurture and care, in that way i do

only the fire of the soul, released by eyes

do not touch the people there inside 

fire, fire, fire

loving at what cost?

beat the people, scorch the flora, heat the fauna into microwave meals for the vultures

brutality, brutality, brutality, brutality 

beat the dead horse with the stick 

do not fear for the maggots that crawl within

they’ll eat everyone

one day

a gift of life is the gift of death

reach, reach

opposition, opposition, withdrawn

a silent comfort that commands the tides

wash your gentle hands over the scars of earth

reflecting fire and hate, turning blight into brilliance 

chill, cold nights, but your warmth you still reflect

quieter, softer, washing waves of beauty

idolize, idolize, idolize 

deserv-ed for a being like you

celestial object so tightly intertwined with others

the ones you orbit, orbit you

you cast your effervescence and love

every night, every night

waxing and waning, commanding the dark

tracking the months and days 

rays reach for a mirror, a shield of yours 

wont you cast a loving look my way?

your rock is incapable of generating

only glancing and giving what is given

take me under, take me in

so often paired, separation is sin

if god could gaze upon our two, would he reprimand creation?

gold and silver

yellow and blue

pink and purple

staple paper skin like wounds can heal

glue tears i put onto you all

tears then tears 

rips then blues

turn your eyes, man of the moon

turn your eyes to be blinded

to be taken, to be razed

(Element perfection when it comes to stability, so all the element want to be like the noble gasses)

(Is already stable enough on its own so it doesn’t often bond with other elements)

Jesse, Kyle, and Nicholas! I think their relationship is neat and I love them all very much. Nick has thought of both Kyle and Jesse as rivals at some point, and I choose to believe that they would all become friends once they knew the truth about Robert Coste’s affair.