#'sentimental' and i've been a fan of this game for a year and 5 months

[sleepyc63]

talking (just rambling, really) about the end game region of the echo ending, spoilers ahead!

-> please do not share information from the second ending of the game; i haven't played that far yet and would like to experience it for myself.

surprisingly, i haven't seen anyone really talk about how we got our first ever look at the world before the iterators.

in the spinning top watcher ending, our end game region is ancient urban, a region in which there is no rain timer. at first you could assume this is because you're atop an iterator structure, but the presence of sewers and old style shelters* could say otherwise.

*these shelters are only ever seen in outer expanse & ancient urban, so it can be assumed that these were an older model of shelters (assuming that downpour lore & watcher lore are connected, which is not confirmed as far as i'm aware).

this ending was incredible in terms of lore -- we get to see things only hinted at before now, while still not having full confirmation on a number of things. i think it was a fantastic way to keep the mystery of the game intact, while giving us a bit of fan-service as well.

think of all the things we now know for certain about the ancients: their heights (no, not the giant shadows lmao), the masks, the void baths, their voices. incredible, honestly. i cried for 30 minutes after the ancients reveal i won't lie (only made worse by spinning top's ending).

but anyway, nothing much to take away from this. i’m just being sentimental about this game lol

[a-moth-to-the-light]

My Current Top 10 Itzy Songs

Context: I've been a fan since I first saw the Icy dance practice in late 2019, but I became a superfan with the release of Wannabe and haven't looked back since--well, except for a slight moment of hesitation with the release of MITM, but the delightful Crazy In Love album brought me back!!

I'm in the process of designing my dream Itzy comeback, like @nayeonline did! [link to their post] I wanted to share this top ten list first, so y'all have an idea of what kinds of songs I love most from these ladies! See, no matter how much I trash-talk Itzy's music (sorry, Not Shy, I was too mean to you for far too long), I really do love SO MANY of their songs--I only criticize some of their tracks as passionately as I do because the highs of their discography are soooo high for me. So let's talk about them!

1. Nobody Like You

Itzy are rock stars in my heart <3 Anything with them + a guitar brings me sooo much joy! Also, the second verse is SO pretty, it's what drew me to the song right from the day the album sampler was released :)

2. Wannabe

I don't think there's any other choice for my favorite Itzy title track--I'd be surprised if anyone has a favorite other than Wannabe. I really have to do an essay about this era one day...

3. Ting Ting Ting (with Oliver Heldens)

This song is totally just trolling all of us! I HATED it for that during the first few months after it came out, but now I don't mind at all--I'm completely in love with it, and all of its weird production choices! I love when songs make me laugh, because I don't find too many of those out there, and the prechorus in this one always gets at least a giggle out of me (JUST LISTEN FOR THE WEIRD GRUNTING SOUND IN THE INSTRUMENTAL WHAT EVEN IS THAT ITS BEEN THREE YEARS AND I CANT STOP LAUGHING ABOUT IT)

4. Icy

Yes, I'm THAT guy who likes Icy more than Dalla Dalla. I know minimalistic choruses are overdone nowadays, but this basic chorus format is so well-suited to such a charismatic group--they carry the energy of the song so well!

5. Be In Love

What did I say about me when Itzy + guitar? This song makes me soooooooo sentimental.

6. That's a No No

There are tracks I like more than this from the Wannabe album, but I'm sure this is my most-listened track from that comeback--most days, its infectious, chaotic energy is exactly what I need to get by :)

7. #Twenty

(This one and above are in the category of songs I would die for btw!!) Look, I just LOVE mean girl music! This is a song that barely manages to hold itself together--luckily, it has the Itzy members to give it some semblance of being a... something? (Whatever it is, I can't help but sing along, so here we are.)

8. Cherry

Minimalistic choruses for the win! Again, their charisma really gets to shine here.

9. Loco

Look, I know Itzy aren't anywhere near the best vocalists out there, but they sound SO strong on this song! I think it's one of their best vocally, and Itzy really is one of the first groups that comes to mind when I think about my favorite vocalists. So I love this one :)

10. Love Is

Yay, a sentimental coming-of-age movie pop ballad thing! I've heard better examples of this vibe (see: Playing Games by Anna of the North), but this still makes me feel Feelings, so I come back to it quite a bit!

Honorable Mentions: It'z Summer, 24 Hours, 365 (it's become a comfort song lately! so i don't hate it anymore hehe), Domino, Cake (it's CATCHY go away), None of My Business

[greenwood106-blog]

Every Day Is A Good Day?

These words were the motto of a friend/mentor in my professional world. He had gone through a serious health spell, and was left to rot in the hospital. When he rebounded and got better, his feet and toes essentially had to be broken and pinned to straighten, allowing him to walk.

For years, I carried that motto. Then came the stroke. These days, it is a much more difficult task to find a day that I can feel like that motto is more than just words.

As an Atheist, my views on life & death are pretty straightforward. I have no belief on the question of where my "soul" will come to reside based on who or what I may have pledged my allegiance to. I've always believed in karma, that you get what you give.

We've all gotten a kick out of Little Nicky when Hitler is in hell and he gets a pineapple shoved up his ass as a punishment for possibly being the worst human ever on this planet. We've all talked about people who will have "A special place in hell" reserved for them.

I had a friend pass away recently, and his brother went about 9 years before, so the prevailing sentiment is "Be sure to say hello to your brother for me" or something like that. Rock N' Roll fans think of a supergroup with people like Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Randy Rhoads, John Entwistle, and Charlie Watts playing in it.

Then there's the reincarnation theory. If you lived a good life, you come back as a puppy or something deemed to have a blessed existence, where if you were an asshole, you come back as a DMV clerk or an IRS accountant.

Those theories give us the sense that this is just phase one of a larger existence and that what we do here punches our ticket for the next chapter. As I have believed for some time, it is like mourning. We don't really mourn the dead, but rather the fact that the living can no longer have them in our lives.

I have chosen to believe that we are simply a different form of animal and therefore our lives and deaths are similar. When our heart stops and the body can no longer support life, it is the end. Not a pathway leading somewhere, but that's it, no more, game over.

I may be entirely wrong, but I have nobody that left us, arrived at this afterlife destination, then came back. So, as an Atheist, I go with the simplest theory is most likely the truth.

After a 30+ year career in healthcare, nearly 20 with the same company, that company is now closing the doors and going out of business. This is the company that kept me on the payroll when I was hit with the stroke, and allowed me to return to work on a limited schedule when I returned, among countless other things.

Not surprisingly, I don't find myself independently wealthy after that time in healthcare. I've had a good income and good life, but I'm afraid not working is not an option going forward. But, I'm not able to drive, have limited movement on my right side and sound like I've been in the dentist's chair all day. Narrow's the opportunity window, right?

In August I filed for disability, thinking I would get ahead of the game. HAHAHAHA. No such luck. They tell you it could be between 5 - 8 months before they will determine if you should be approved. 3 months in they are still hovering at the beginning of the medical review.

It's a shame they have had to make the system so difficult because so much fraud has tainted them, but they should be able to look quickly at my record and see that I applied for unemployment once, and got 1 check before I was back at work. I have worked since I was 16 and my working karma should earn me this when it is needed.

So, I'll just apply for work from home. After all, one of the things we learned during the pandemic (aside from how wonderful it was on the roads) was that most of us can do our work from home. But here again, most companies want you to be able to field calls, handle the finances, balance their budgets and manage their staff with no time off. Or it's a "hybrid remote" position, meaning at least once a week you need to come to an office and speak with people who can't email or chat online.

And for the jobs that don't require all of that, there's 27,000 applicants. "We'll get back with you soon."

This is the exact reason why a life used to be considered over once you have raised and taught your children to produce and be independent, and concluded your career. Otherwise, you get to spend who knows how long being a burden to those you raised to be independent.

Having spent that 30+ years working in senior healthcare, I have watched countless lives that were dragged on way past the point of logic, partially because we don't embrace the idea that over is over and while we have no problem putting down a 9 year old dog, we can't let a human say it's their time to be done.

Now please don't think I'm seeking an injection to be done. I would never do that unless I were deemed to be beyond help. But if I went to bed tonight and never woke again, I wouldn't feel that I was robbed of a single moment. Before you read this and think this screams depression, understand the difference between looking for a rope and being comfortable with mortality. In many cases, depression means "take 2 of these and call me next week". (unless you've ever been told you could possibly be allergic to the 12 ingredients you can't pronounce without a PHD) I've contributed plenty to the medical machine already. You're welcome pharma!

I guess for me now it's every day is another day. SSDD, now there's a motto!