---
title: 'How to get started with Fighting Games and have a Nice Time'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=mCUlBX8E2BU'
video_id: 'mCUlBX8E2BU'
date: 2026-06-15
duration_sec: 0
---

# How to get started with Fighting Games and have a Nice Time

> Source: [How to get started with Fighting Games and have a Nice Time](https://youtube.com/watch?v=mCUlBX8E2BU)

## Summary

This video is a 10-step guide for beginners who want to get into fighting games. The creator shares his personal journey from intimidation to joy, emphasizing that the key is to follow your enthusiasm and not let gear or skill gaps hold you back. The guide covers everything from choosing a game and controller to finding community and dealing with losses.

### Key Points

- **Fighting games are worth it** [0:25] — The creator states that fighting games have brought him more joy than any other gaming genre, combining childlike button-mashing fun, strategic tension, and the satisfaction of mastering patterns.
- **Step 1: Decide you want to do it** [1:25] — Desire fuels progress. To build interest, watch matches like Goichi vs SonicFox at EVO 2018 or Lil Majin's run, and follow fighting game content creators like Core A Gaming and Maximilian Dood.
- **Step 2: Pick a game** [3:48] — Choose whichever game sparks your interest, not necessarily the most beginner-friendly. Consider rollback netcode for better online play; games with good netcode include those with rollback.
- **Step 3: Gear up** [5:41] — You don't need expensive gear. A standard console controller works fine. If you want a fight stick, ball top square gate is common; hitbox-style controllers are ergonomic. Ensure your controller works with PS4 for local events.
- **Step 4: Pipe check (internet connection)** [7:57] — Use a wired Ethernet connection for stable online play. WiFi can cause lag and many players avoid WiFi opponents. Run cables safely if needed.
- **Step 5: Choose your fighter** [8:54] — Pick a character you think looks cool, not necessarily the top-tier or simplest one. Enthusiasm for your character will motivate you to learn. Don't let tier lists dissuade you.
- **Step 6: Learn how to play** [10:32] — Use training mode, watch character guides on YouTube, and practice bread-and-butter combos. Written resources like dustloop.com (for Arcsys games) or Google spreadsheets (for Tekken) help. Revisit guides over time.
- **Step 7: Fight a human** [12:53] — Playing real people is core to the joy. Ranked mode matches you with similar skill levels but can be stressful; unranked allows longer sets and learning from stronger opponents. Both are valuable.
- **Step 8: Struggle** [17:09] — Losing is inevitable. Separate self-worth from performance, take breaks to let your brain process, and watch replays to identify habits. Show your gameplay to others for feedback.
- **Step 9: Community and competition** [19:23] — Join Discord communities for your game or character. Playing with friends reduces frustration and allows mutual improvement. Try online tournaments to experience pressure and get commentary on your matches.
- **Step 10: There is no end** [22:10] — Fighting games have no final goal; you're always learning. As long as you're having fun and improving, you're doing it right.

### Conclusion

Getting into fighting games is a rewarding journey that requires patience and a willingness to lose. By following your enthusiasm, connecting with the community, and embracing the struggle, you can find immense joy and personal growth.

## Transcript

For a long time I’d look at fighting games and 
I'd say, “that looks so cool… But I don't think it's for me.”  
I had done some casual button mashing, but 
I never dove into the deeper mechanics.  
When I saw the gulf between what I was able to do 
and what others were doing, I told myself there  
was no way I’d EVER be able to get there.
Then, a few years ago, I decided to  
try for real. 
Was it worth it?
[dramatic pause]
Yes.
I can tell you, without exaggeration, that fighting games have 
brought me more joy than  
else I’ve put my gaming hours into. It's a 
distinct category of enjoyment unto itself,  
constructed from the greatest pleasures of 
gaming. The childlike joy of hitting buttons  
and seeing cool shit happen, the slow burn tension 
of outmaneuvering an opponent in a strategy game,  
the dark souls satisfaction of studying a 
boss’s patterns and exploiting their weaknesses.  
It’s meditative. It’s rhythmic. It’s sports. 
It’s therapeutic. It’s communal. It’s the closest  
you’re ever gonna come to feeling like Rocky or 
your favorite shonen protagonist. It’s made me  
happier, and it’s made my brain feel better.
It is absolutely worth it.
But it takes a lot of work, and looking at that from 
the outside can be overwhelming and intimidating.  
This guide is for people who have been studying that water 
and thinking about jumping in.  
Hopefully you can use this video as a 
gentle, supportive push into the pool.
 
Here’s my 10-step guide for getting into 
fighting games without losing your mind.
 
- [Distorted announcer voice] Step 1. Decide you want to do it.
[jazzy flourish]
This one’s kind of obvious, but it’s also essential. 
Your desire to get into fighting games is gonna be the thing that  
fuels you through the hard stuff.
If you’re fighting game-curious,  
but not sure if you’re ready to 
take the dive, there is some other stuff you  
can do to gradually expose yourself.
For starters, watch some matches!
- [Commentator 1] IT'S REVERSAL—
- [Commentator 2] OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH —
- [Commentator 1] HE WASN'T LOOKING —
- [Pat] It’s really exciting to see the top players just going 
nuts. Here are some of my favorites.
Goichi Vs SonicFox at EVO 2018 rules. It’s like an 
unstoppable force versus an immovable object.
- [Commentator] Plant 'em right now, thank you.
- [Pat] Goichi's defense is like an iron wall, but SonicFox’s 
offense is just relentless. You know that  
SonicFox is gonna do some work as soon as they 
get an opening, so every mix-up is just so tense.
- [commentators screaming incomprehensibly]
- [Pat] Lil Majin’s whole EVO 2018 
run was also great.  
- [commentator yelling continues]
- [Pat] Majin was an American player in a game that 
was historically dominated by Korean and  
Japanese players. So it’s a combination 
of an underdog with the home field advantage,  
plus he’s playing a super fun character 
with big, splashy moves.
- [Commentator] MAJIN [yelling]
- [Pat] But it’s not just about what the players are 
doing. Hearing the audience and commentators  
get excited and pop off for the big moments 
will help you figure out what’s important,  
what to pay attention to. 
- [Commentator] And he's so scared of getting hit — because 
he's got that B-trigger NO!
It's gonna hit here!!! Into the critical arc! Textbook —
- [Pat] If you’re in the mood to chill and watch some super thoughtful, accessible video essays about the underlying  
mechanics and philosophies of fighting games, 
pop on Gerald Lee aka Core A Gaming. 
 
My personal favorite is "Why Button-Mashing 
Doesn't Work."
Also, follow some fighting game people on Twitter 
and Twitch and stuff. There's a lot of people doing  
really interesting streams and posting funny clips that 
are going to make you want to play.
- [Maximilian Dood] Whose idea was it to make his pubes his legs?
- [Yipes] We're here in the mess, tryin to deck with with the refrigerator,
you thought it was, but he unplugged that 
shit off the wall! Let's get money!
- [Pat] There will be a lot of in-jokes and terminology you  
don’t understand, but you’ll pick it up soon enough through 
context clues. And if you need a  
helping hand, check out the 
infil dot net fighting game glossary.  
They have explanations of all the jargon.
- [Announcer] STEP 2: PICK A GAME
[jazzy!]
- [Pat] A frequently asked question among the 
fighting game-curious is “What’s a good  
fighting game for a new player?”
And the definitive answer is “literally  
whichever game you’re interested in.” I’m so 
serious about this. You need to follow your  
heart. Look at gameplay trailers, watch some big 
matches. Whichever game makes you feel the spark  
is the one you should chase. That spark will 
be what fuels you when things get hard.
I love martial arts cinema and pro wrestling. So 
for me, the game that grrrrrabbed my attention was  
TEKKEN. The pace of animation is a bit 
slower than the stuff in 2D fighters  
like Street Fighter or Guilty Gear, so it was 
kind of like watching a choreographed fight scene
from the movies and wrassling I love.
Before I understood mid / low mixups and  
frame data, I understood that King did a sick 
running power bomb, and I loved to see it.
You gotta find your access point. You like anime? 
You like nasty gore? You like ponies? Get it.
But while you’re following your heart, you do 
need to pay attention to one annoying wrinkle.  
Because of the ol’ Covid, you’re mostly going 
to be playing online, and not all games have  
great netplay. In games that use delay-based netcode, 
response times can be sluggish.  
The good news is that, if you’re new, you probably 
won’t know what you’re missing out on until  
you taste that crisp, offline stuff.
If you know that you’re mostly going to be  
playing online, consider choosing a game with 
“rollback netcode.” Rollback is an ingenious  
netplay solution that pretty much eliminates the 
sluggishness inherent to online fighting games.  
If you want a cool explainer on how it works, 
check out this video by Core A Gaming.
Here are some games 
with pretty good netcode:
If you’re not sure if a game has rollback, 
just Google it and you’ll either find a bunch of  
blog posts like "punch kicker adds rollback!"
Or a bunch of Reddit threads like “HOW COME PUNCH KICKER 
DOESN'T HAVE ROLLBACK???”
- [Commentator] STEP 3: GEARING... UP!
[funky beat]
- [Pat] Another common question is “What do I need 
to start playing fighting games?”
And the good news is that, if you play other 
types of games, you’re good to go.
You need a console or a PC, and a 
controller, and that’s it!
- [deep announcer voice] FIGHT
- [Pat] (also a good internet connection, 
more on that later) 
 
You might think you need a big fancy fight 
stick, but there's really no direct correlation  
between performance and equipment. Lots 
of the best players in the world grew up  
using readily available console controllers, 
and still absolutely kill with them. And the  
skills and knowledge you develop using one 
type of controller are totally transferable.  
There’s just a short re-calibration period where 
you need to develop some new muscle memory.
That said, if you have the resources 
and inclination, fight sticks can be a lot  
of fun. They’re tactile and hefty and they 
make good noises. So let's talk about ‘em.
Most of the sticks you’ll 
find are ball top square gate,  
meaning the joystick moves around in a 
square frame. It makes it easy to lock in  
important fighting game positions like DOWN 
BACK. You can just physically feel it.
Another less common configuration is bat top 
k-lever. These ones don’t have a gate,  
and they use a rubber grommet to 
return to the neutral position.  
The result is that they are a bit spongier, and 
you gotta be more precise with your inputs.  
Unless you’re planning to go all in on Tekken, or 
you grew up on these, I’d stay clear for now.
Finally, hitbox-style controllers replace the 
joystick with more arcade buttons. They take  
some getting used to, but they allow for extremely 
precise inputs. But maybe the biggest benefit is  
that they’re pretty damn ergonomic. Crankin’ on a 
fightstick can stress out your shoulders and fingers.  
My elderly thumbs don’t have what it takes to 
mash on a d-pad any more. A hitbox is comfy and  
it lets you nail your inputs without straining.
Most controllers work with PC, and one type of  
console. If you ever plan on attending 
a local event, I’d suggest going for a  
controller that will work with a PS4. That’s 
what they’re gonne be using there.
Tuning your control setup is fun, and it can become  a hobby of its own. 
But the biggest message I  
wanna give you is DO NOT GEAR-GATE YOURSELF. Don’t 
put an artificial boundary between you and the  
thing you wanna do. You’re just denying yourself 
the pleasure of playing and getting better.
But… let’s talk about a real boundary.
- [Announcer] Step 4 - PIPE CHECK
- [Pat] If your connection to your opponent is not 
steady, you're simply not gonna have a  
nice time playing with each other. You’ll 
be more likely to biff your execution,  
but more importantly, it will 
just be sluggish and jittery.
So most of the online fighting game community 
adhere religiously to THE ETHERNET CABLE  
because direct wiring takes a big failure point 
out of the networking pipeline.
The anti-wifi sentiment online 
games is severe enough that it will  
affect your experience. Lots of games have 
WiFi indicators, and opponents are less  
likely to accept a match with you if they are 
worried you’ll have a dodgy connection.
 
That means you should get wired up! When 
I had roommates I would run cable down my  
hallway when I was playing and then coil it 
up when I was done, so our common spaces  
weren’t a constant tripping hazard.
This might involve some negotiation  
and compromise, but it’s absolutely worth it.
- [Announcer] STEP 5: CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER
- [Pat] So, who are some good characters 
for new fighting game players?
The answer is, regardless of the game, 
is “WHOEVER YOU THINK LOOKS COOL.”
Once again, your enthusiasm is going to be the 
emotional well from which you draw the motivation  
to grind out combos and do the difficult work 
of learning. And you don’t always have to pick the  
“Ryu” of the game to learn the fundamentals.
For example: when I started Tekken 7, I played  
King, because I liked that he was a huge kitty 
cat man who did all my favorite wrestling moves.  
He’s a great character, but he also has a 
big, bloated moveset he’s picked up over  
decades of Tekken games. He’s got some complicated 
inputs, and as a grappler, he approaches combat  
differently from most of the roster.
But I liked him. I liked the way his moves  
looked, and I liked his VIBE. So I had 
the motivation to put in the work.
Later, when I picked up Guilty Gear 
Strive, I went with Sol Badguy,  
because he’s kind of the Ryu of that game, and 
he was really strong at the time. I thought that  
having a high-tier character who exemplified the 
fundamentals of that series would help me learn.  
So I tried for a while, and then I fell off and told 
myself maybe Guilty Gear wasn’t for me.
A few months later, I came back and I tried the 
character who I really wanted to play all along,  
and it all clicked. I loved looking at my 
little guy. I loved his gigantic hands,  
and this booty drop, and I LOVE BUSTING. 
So I was motivated to play and learn.
Don’t let tier lists or meta discussions dissuade 
you early on. PICK WHO YOU THINK LOOKS COOL. I  
literally cannot say this enough.
- [Announcer] STEP 6: LEARN HOW TO PLAY
-[Pat] Once you’ve selected your little guy, hop 
into training mode and start hittin' buttons.  
See what they do. See how it feels. 
Some games like Guilty Gear Strive and Mortal  
Kombat have decent tutorials that explain 
fighting game fundamentals, and include  
challenges to test your knowledge. 
Any fighting game worth playing will also  
have a full command list in the start menu.
If you like what you’re feeling, hop onto YouTube  
and search for some character guides. 
This is a reall cool thing about fighting  
games. They are complicated. There are hurdles 
to overcome, but that complexity is also what  
makes them so satisfying and fun to play. 
And people want other people to share in that fun,  
so they'll put in hours, and hours, and 
hours of work to make wonderful guides!
 
Like and subscribe!
Character guides are great.  
Looking at your movelist in game is helpful, but 
it doesn’t instruct you on the overall strategy  
for that character. A good guide will highlight 
the most important tools your character has,  
and how to use those tools to win. 
When you watch a guide, don’t expect to  
internalize everything all at once. That's a ton of 
information, and it's just not realistic.  
I’ve watched the same guides over and over again 
over the course of weeks, months, and even years.  
Every time I rewatch, I’ll notice the things 
I’ve learned and incorporated into my play,  
and I’ll make note of the things that
I still need to do.
In terms of written resources, that’s gonna 
depend on the game you’re playing. Guilty  
Gear and other Arcsys games have comprehensive 
guides on dustloop dot com. A lot of Tekken  
info is in Google spreadsheets that 
get passed around on Reddit.
Figuring out where your game lives 
online is just a matter of Googling.
As you watch and read, hop into training mode 
and work on a few bread-and-butter combos.  
Don’t worry about optimizing yet. You need to 
develop your muscle memory to the point where  
you can hit your combos at all.
A few days after I picked up Tekken,  
I got on Twitter and posted a video of me 
hitting King’s most basic, unoptimized combo.  
“I did it!” I might have said. And a passing 
commenter might have asked “Did what?”
This will be a pattern that repeats over your time 
in fighting games. You're gonna put a lot of effort  
into mastering things that, to outsiders, appear 
inconsequential, and to experts insignificant. But  
that doesn’t mean it’s not an accomplishment.
Good job.
But nailing combos only accounts for a tiny, tiny percentage of what
goes into playing a match. And the only way to start
figuring that out is to… FIGHT.
- [Announcer] STEP 7: FIGHT (a human)
- [Pat] Sitting here on this screen for the 
first time can be scary. I mean maybe not  
for you, maybe you’re some sorta real fuckin cool guy. 
But for me, not knowing what would happen when I  
hit that matchmake button was nerve-wracking.
Another real human being is about to see you  
fumble around with your buttons and drop your 
combos and forget to block in real time!
But it’s okay. It’ll be fine.
As intimidating as that human-to-human  
connection is, it’s also absolutely 
core to the joy of fighting games.
Now I’m not saying there’s no value to fighting 
the CPU. It is a good way to keep learning your  
own character’s moveset and develop muscle memory. 
It can also help you familiarize yourself with the  
capabilities of other characters. You can 
learn that Sagat has this big kick, and this  
uppercut, and whoa! Two different fireballs!
But, once you’ve mentally logged that stuff,  
there’s not much more it can do to prepare you 
for fighting a real person. Despite advances  
in fighting game AI, the CPU won’t string 
those moves together like a human opponent,  
and fighting the robot is just not as fun.
So, take a deep breath, set your expectations low,  
and hit that matchmaking button.
Or, uh, one of those matchmaking buttons.  
Most fighting games are going to have a 
couple of options, so let's go over those.
Ranked matchmaking tracks your  
performance and skill using a bunch of different 
metrics, and then attempts to match you against  
opponents of the same skill level. Usually there’s 
some sort of meta progression here, as you earn  
new titles or badges or, in the case of Strive, 
literally move towards the top of a tower.
The obvious pro here is that, as a new player, 
you should be paired up with other new players,  
and you’ll actually have a chance of winning. 
And winning feels good.
The con is that, even when you’re 
fighting for fake online points,  
that sense that you're being 
evaluated changes everything.  
Getting bumped down a level after a losing 
streak can be really demoralizing.
It also changes the behavior of your 
opponents.
- [Pat] Separating your self-worth from your performance can be tough, and it makes some people act really silly.
It can cause people to get obsessive about their winrates. They might 
duck you in matchmaking if you play a  
character that they have a hard time against. They 
might bail out of a set the moment they lose.  
They might send you nasty messages.
(Quick tip on this! If you’re worried about  
getting shit from toxic players, lock down 
your message settings ahead of time)
Now I know I just listed a lot of cons that 
made Ranked sound like shit, but it’s actually fine.
The other option is Unranked.
Here, the matchmaking will just 
stick you with another player.  
Any other player! Or you’ll meet up 
in some sort of VIRTUAL ARCADE setting.
Unlike ranked play, there’s no digital clout 
on the line, so people are much more likely to  
play long sets. That’s a good thing. In fighting 
games, even at the highest level of play, there’s  
always an adjustment period between opponents. Pro 
players have the knowledge and experience to tune  
up quickly, but for beginners it takes longer.
Let’s say that your opponent is using a technique  
that keeps blowing you up. You might not have 
time to run to a website and look up the frame data,  
but in a long set you do have more opportunities 
to rummage through your toolkit and try to find something  
that will solve your problem. 
And if you find a solution,  
you have a chance to test it out repeatedly, and 
start burning it into your muscle memory.
The most obvious downside to unranked matchmaking 
is that you might get paired up with somebody who is  
way, way better than you — but that’s not really 
a downside, in my opinion. Losing 20 matches to a  
very experienced player is a great way to learn. 
You learn which of your reliable strategies  
aren’t really viable against better players, and 
you get to see the strength of good fundamentals.  
And you’ll see something that you are very 
unlikely to see in the beginner ranks:  
The power of not pressing buttons.
When I started playing unranked Tekken,  
I would fight opponents who felt like absolute 
brick walls. They would just block, and block punish,  
and whiff punish. Every loss was the result of 
me overextending and using unsafe options.
So I tried to emulate their style, 
and gradually, I got better.
I still love hitting buttons though.
Anyways, both ranked and unranked are valuable.  
If you stop having fun with one, try the other 
for a bit! And on the topic of “having fun:”
- [Announcer] STEP 8: STRUGGLE
- [Pat] At the end of a fighting game match,  
you win or you lose. There’s no 
teammates to blame for not pulling their  
weight. There’s no XP meter sliding up to 
reward you for your participation.
You will, beyond a shadow of a doubt, lose. A lot. 
Self doubt, and frustration can feel overwhelming  
when you’re in the thick of it, but it is all a
part of the process of getting better.
So here are a few tips for getting through it.
Separate your self worth from your performance
Okay I know this is kinda like saying “stop being 
mentally ill,” but it still needs to be said.  
You are NOT your win loss ratio. Getting 
demoted doesn’t mean you suck, as a person,  
even if it feels that way. And 
if you start feeling that way,  
it’s time to: TAKE A DAMN BREAK.
Taking a break doesn’t just let you cool off, it makes you better.
When your hands are off the joystick and you’re doing something else, your brain keeps gently churning on those situations,
looking for the solutions you couldn’t find in the heat of the moment.
Your body is rewriting neuron pathways to make your 
execution smoother and better.
Playing fighting games feels a bit more like a traditional skill based hobby, like playing guitar.
There's a base level of effort and self-direction you need 
to get enjoyment out of it.
That means that you won’t always 
have the mental energy to do it.
And that's okay. Don’t force it.
A “break” from fighting games can be a couple hours, or a couple 
months. The games will still be there
when you get back, and your body will remember what to do.
Watch replays. God this one is so hard.
It’s like hearing your voice in a recording, or seeing yourself on video.
Do I really do that???
(you do)
But it’s so valuable, and you can’t neglect it. Most fighting games keep a log of your most recent matches,
with the ability to play them back.
You should take advantage of that. Seeing yourself play can help you recognize habits you want to correct.
It can also help you appreciate what you do well, and what you want to do more of.
And when you’re feeling really brave, take the next step. Show your gameplay to someone else,
and ask them for tips. But before you can do that, 
first you need:
- [Announcer] STEP 9: COMMUNITY AND COMPETITION
- [Pat] This can be one of the greatest joys of fighting games. 
THE FIGHTING GAME COMMUNITY
is the name of the collective, but it’s not monolithic.
There are hundreds or thousands of discord communities out there for fighting games. Some are game specific.
Some are character specific. Some are geared towards 
certain demographics and skill levels.
Do some googling, and ask around on Twitter
until you find a place that feels good for you.
Whether it’s folks you meet through these communities, 
or your own network of friends,
playing fighting games against someone you know is so good.
- [other player BELLOWING IN PAIN]
- [Pat wheezing with laughter]
For me, knowing who is on the other side of the connection completely obliterates
the frustration and antagonism I can feel playing against 
random online opponents.
Partially because it’s just more humanizing when you know that person, but also because you can ask questions and chat.
If you’re in a good community, your 
opponent isn’t going to keep any secrets.
Because people who decide they want to get 
good at fighting games
have signed this unspoken contract of mutual self improvement.
Iron sharpens Iron.
Fighting stronger opponents makes you stronger, 
so a good sparring partner
will explain exactly how and why they are winning — 
until it’s time to compete.
- [Dudley] Very well then! Far be it from me 
to turn down a challenge.
And from a fellow pugilist.
Through your community, or just by being online,
you might come across some online tournaments, 
and you should sign up for them.
Tournaments are really cool. They offer you
the chance to do a lot of things that 
you won’t get in your casual play.
First of all, it’s one of the few times you and your buddies will step into that magic circle of competition.
Mutually, and temporarily agreeing to set aside the helpful hints
and just going all out, seeing who will win. If you’re used to 
mostly playing friendlies, it’s fun to try out a different vibe.
The other useful thing is that it’s fucking scary —
at first.
The first few times I did online tournaments, I literally got shaky 
and sweaty. I forgot my combos
and I mashed buttons. But each time I did it it got easier.
And once you’ve played under pressure, you’ll be better in casual settings.
Random matchmaking doesn’t get my 
heart rate up like it used to.
Finally, a lot of tournaments are streamed on Twitch,
which means you might get a chance to rewatch the VOD 
and hear someone commentate your match.
Like a lot of parts of the fighting game process, 
this can make you feel vulnerable,
but a good commentator will put into clear terms what’s going on, 
and that can be
an incredible learning tool.
- [Commentator] They've proven they're pretty good
at fighting out of the corner.
Already, Doublemint, now back thrown into the corner, 
again HUGE life deficit but the other way around!
Gets hit by the stomps!
Nooooo but drops it at the target combo!
- [announcer] STEP 10: THE(RE IS NO) END
- [Pat] One of the many wonderful and intimidating things about fighting games is that there is no prescribed
end goal for your participation.
There’s no final boss or endgame treadmill.
Even the best player in the world is only the best until 
someone surpasses them.
No matter where you are in your journey, in some sense, 
you’re still at the beginning.
That means you won’t always know the next step forward,
but it also means you’re never falling behind.
And as long as you’re on that path, learning, and having fun, 
you’re doing it right.
[REAL GREAT UPBEAT POP JAZZ SONG??]
[help lol i don't know music genres]
[but there's like a driving piano and some 
twanging guitar]
[and there were horns earlier]
[happy thursday]