#Analog Renegades

[manyworldsofdarkness]

What is CURSEBORNE?

This might be of interest to any World of Darkness or Chronicles of Darkness fans or any fans of Onyx Path Publishing and White Wolf in general. We could be getting a new urban fantasy horror game series soon.

On April 10th, 2023 Onyx Path publishing’s blog brought up a hypothetical of making their own urban fantasy game series. Of course this was in response to their lack of any new WoD or CofD products as they do not own the rights to those IPs and must have approval by Paradox before working on anything. Currently Paradox is more focused on supporting their v5 products with their in house studio, Renegade Games and are no longer contracting other studios to right supplements for them for the foreseeable future. Because of this, the 20th Anniversary World of Darkness games and Chronicles of Darkness lines aren’t getting any new releases and what has already been announced and put into production are the only things to release in the near future. The only way for Onyx Path to make more urban fantasy horror games is to make their own and while they only mentioned this as a possibility, the comments section of this blog post exploded into discussions over this new potential game.

The next few blog posts afterwards continued the discussions asking people what they would like to see in a new potential horror game, such as a Masquerade system or signature characters as the comments sections only further spawned more discussion over this new world. Around this time too, Onyx Path announced their new unified version of their in-house system called Storypath Ultra, which should go without saying but will definitely be the system this potential game will be using. Then about a month later, on May 19th, on the official Onyx Path YouTube channel, this video was released https://youtu.be/fL1VPUzoB_Y?si=cR4ZPeb0wf9Kt6mM

A short seven second long animation of a murder of crows flying against a snowy tree line and the word “CURSEBORNE” forming as they all fly away. A short, mysterious teaser? Well for the next eight months Onyx Path would release a total of 30 videos of similar nature as of writing this post. Strange and short vignettes of classic horror tropes such as fog, spiders and recordings of monsters. Some would even be rereleased with minor differences and even text. I recommend watching some for yourself, there is a really eerie vibe to some. These capture more “modern” horror vibes when compared to WoD or CofD, some even feel inspired by analog horror or urban legends, the “Train” short particular reminds me of Japanese urban legends. Blog posts more or less stopped mentioning this potential game as time went on and mentions were then replaced with a strange picture of a moth, the same one at the top of this post.

On January 31st, 2024, 7:00 EST this website appeared https://www.curseborne.com/

CURSEBORNE, the title in all of those videos. The website has no text, just images of the same moth from the blog just posted all over a black background. Some will slowly fade in. Clicking on them will lead to a new page featuring one of the many teaser videos playing in your browser. Going back to the homepage, you’ll see a moth that appears to be glowing when compared to the others. Clicking it sends you to a Typeform quiz asking “Who are you?”. Answering it gives you a strange title such as “Raptor”, “Gaki”, “Archivist” etc. with a description of how you act. If I’d have to guess, these titles could be the names to new monsters or factions in CURSEBORNE. I’d like everyone who’s interested to please take this quiz and post your results on this post to see how many titles, or “paths” are found.

In short, it looks like Onyx Path is gearing up to make a new urban fantasy game using their own system. It’s not going to be World of Darkness with different names, but its own unique take on the concept.

[crackshipoftheweek]

Crack Ship of the Week back again with another post! (After nearly an entire month) Lately I've been working a lot of 10+ hour shifts at my current job, along with helping out at my family's restaurant, updating my résumé, and searching for other jobs to advance my culinary career, so I've been really busy, sorry for not posting in quite a while. On the plus side, I've managed to network with some industry professionals higher up the ladder, and I was recently contracted by a personal chef agency!

Without further ado, let's bring out

This Week's Crackship:

Party Poison (Danger Days) × Johnny Silverhand (Cyberpunk)

Ship Name(s):

Poison Hand, Dim Mak (see notes below for explanation), Rockerboys, Ronin (see notes below for explanation)

Why It's Crack:

No interactions (separate canons)

Why It's Cracked:

Canons share many similarities. Both are cyberpunk series set in an alternate universe California in the near future (now partially set in the near past, as well), following a war or series of wars that negatively impacted the United States' geopolitical power, costing it territory that would be filled in by an independent city-state (Battery City in Danger Days, and Night City in Cyberpunk) and the resultant power vacuum being filled in by megacorporations (Better Living Industries in Danger Days and Arasaka in Cyberpunk. Like Arasaka, Better Living also seems to be a multinational corporation with at least some notable amount of presence in Japan, hence Better Living having had a .jp domain during the Danger Days album's promotional period, as well as using both English and Japanese writing in much of its content). Crossover potential abounds

Both fill very similar niches in their respective stories (renegade rockers who rebel against corporate overreach with the power of punk rock, and occasionally this gun they found. They both became the exemplar of their respective series' spin on the "rebel with a cause" archetype [Killjoys in Danger Days, and Rockerboys in Cyberpunk])

Both lived and operated in similar timeframes, not taking into account Johnny's engram whom stars in Cyberpunk 2077. Party was active in the 2010s up until his death in 2019, and Johnny was active throughout the 2000s up until his death in 2023)

Both may also be war veterans (Johnny is a confirmed war veteran who deserted the US Military in protest of the government's corruption and purposeful destabilization of Central and South America. Party Poison may have been one of the many Killjoys to take part in the Analog Wars, though this isn't confirmed iirc)

Both died a similar death, to somewhat similar people, for similar reasons. Both raided the main HQ of their respective antagonistic megacorps in order to rescue an abducted loved one (surrogate little sister "The Girl" in Party's case, and former lover Alt Cunningham in Johnny's case), during which they were brutally gunned down by their corporate foes' bald and sociopathic enforcer (Korse and Adam Smasher, respectively)

Both dye their hair. Party Poison's hair is dyed red (natural color unknown afaik), and Johnny Silverhand dyes his hair black, with it being naturally blond.

Notes

"Dim Mak", also known as "Poison Hand" or "Touch of Death" is a purported system of acupressure-based martial arts said to have originated in ancient China and been culturally imported to Japan. Count Juan Raphael Dante, an eccentric martial arts practitioner who taught karate in the 60s and 70s, also claimed to be able to teach Dim Mak to prospective students, infamously advertising this alleged service in the back page ad spaces in Marvel comic books of the time. This likely was seen at times by Gerard Way, an avid comic fan, as he titled one of the songs in the wider Danger Days multimedia project as Black Dragon Fighting Society, which shares an identical name with the martial arts organization founded by Count Dante. "Dim Mak" is also the name of a record label founded by Steve Aoki, who made a remix of the famous My Chemical Romance song "Welcome to the Black Parade". This fact is also relevant to the ship as Dim Mak distributes punk rock music, with punk rock being the primary genre performed by both Party Poison and Johnny Silverhand.

"Ronin" was chosen a ship name due to their shared status as outlaw warriors, similar to (but generally less shitty towards bystanders than) the ronin of Sengoku and early Edo-period Japan. Party is an outlaw vigilante who fights against BLI, whereas Johnny is a former US soldier who deserted and fled prosecution by moving to Night City. In addition, this name was chosen in reference to Johnny's band, Samurai. Keanu Reeves, who portrays Johnny in Cyberpunk 2077, also starred in the 2013 American remake of The 47 Ronin (unfortunately)

[mah-o-daryaa]

The Cycle Repeats: Part IV

One of the key themes of the ATLA franchise is the concept of the Avatar; master of all 4 elements, the fusion of humanity and Raava, the spirit of light and order, whose sole duty is to bring balance to the world, and be the bridge between both the physical and spiritual realms. Along with this comes the idea of reincarnation, which is the premise of the Avatar Cycle, the idea that the Avatar reincarnates in a cyclic order in any of the four nations (fire, air, water, earth). Another concept related to the Avatar Cycle (although originating from the fandom) is the idea of the Avatar fixing the mistakes of their past life, which is often indicated in differences in both habitual circumstances and personalities between both predecessor and successor, and therefore differences in morality.

But what if I were to tell you that the saying "history repeats itself" is also true among Avatar incarnations? Not exactly going the same way, but rather parallels between the lives, personalities, and accomplishments (and failures) of past lives?

In this series of metas, I will be going over parallels (or in some cases, foils) between certain pairs of Avatars that lived decades, or even centuries apart, and yet could not have ever been more similar.

An Unlikely Analogy II: Avatars Kyoshi and Korra (+ Yun)

"Kyoshi was the Earth Kingdom-born Avatar immediately succeeding Avatar Kuruk of the Northern Water Tribe, and preceding Avatar Roku of the Fire Nation. She died at the age of 230, making her the oldest confirmed human, and was also an exceptionally tall woman, towering over most people. Kyoshi was born to two criminals: Jesa, a renegade Air Nomad nun, and Hark, a thief from an impoverished family of Earth Kingdom actors. She inherited her later signature outfit from her parents, adopting her mother's golden headdress and metal war fans and her father's daofei face paint."

"Korra is the current incarnation of the Avatar and immediate successor of Avatar Aang. Born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe, where she mastered waterbending, earthbending, and firebending, she later relocated to Republic City to attain a similar proficiency with airbending under the tutelage and guidance of Tenzin, as well as to help her overcome her aversion to the spiritual aspects of the bending arts. With the assistance of Aang's spirit, Korra gained the ability to energybend and, after connecting with her past lives, she gained the capacity to enter the Avatar State at will, marking her transition into a fully realized Avatar."

"Yun was the friend of Kyoshi and Rangi and the earthbending pupil of Jianzhu. Talented, charismatic, and handsome, he was misidentified as the new Earth Avatar after a long and difficult search. Following the revelation of Kyoshi's identity as the true Avatar, Yun was betrayed by Jianzhu, who felt the boy's usefulness had been exhausted and allowed Father Glowworm to carry him off in the mountains."

I once again posted the first paragraph of their respective pages, and you might be wondering why I've included Yun. The reason is that, although Yun was misidentified as the Avatar, he still has various parallels with both Korra and Kyoshi during his "journey". On the surface, you might say that they are more balanced; they have both similarities and differences between their morals and personalities. You would be right on this account, so let's dive in!

(WARNING: There will be possible spoilers for both The Rise of Kyoshi and The Shadow of Kyoshi. If you do not wish to be spoiled, I suggest not reading any further and scrolling past this post until you have finished reading both novels. You have been warned.)

First, we have to take account the parallels between Kyoshi and Korra. The problems that arose during their times were rather complex; Kyoshi's predecessor Kuruk left behind a destabilised Earth Kingdom overrun by criminals, while Aang, although he brought the world to peace, had left behind both the Equalists and the Red Lotus for Korra to deal with. In addition, according to the first chapter of both The Rise of Kyoshi and the premier of The Legend of Korra, Welcome to Republic City (Book 1: Episode 1), both Jianzhu and the White Lotus had been looking for the Avatar for years. Jianzhu and Kelsang had been trying to locate the Avatar across the Earth Kingdom, while the White Lotus had searched both the North and South Poles. This is also where Yun comes in.

Initially in Book 1, Korra had similar opinions on violence and control as Kyoshi did (only justice will bring peace), and even befriended a polar bear-dog (Naga) at the age of four. (Polar bear-dogs are considered to be dangerous animals in the Avatarverse.) However, there is a difference between how each Avatar reacted to her status. Kyoshi denied it and ran away (which I have mentioned parallels with Aang), whereas Korra was the one who discovered her status and accepted her fate as the Avatar, saying that there was nothing more she wanted to be, which is a parallel to Yun's false identity as the Avatar. Ironically, Kyoshi (like Aang) ran away from her duties when the world needed the Avatar, while Korra accepted her duties during a time when the world had long since advanced beyond the need of an Avatar.

Both Kyoshi and Korra are also of mixed ancestry; Kyoshi's father was from the Earth Kingdom, while her mother was a rogue Air Nomad. Korra's father, like Kyoshi's mother, was a rogue immigrant to another nation, being a member of the NWT royal family, while her mother was from the SWT, which gained independence from the North after the Water Tribe Civil War. Kyoshi and Korra are also the only two Avatars to master the elements in their home nation, rather than travelling abroad (Kyoshi learned earth-, fire-, and waterbending with the FOC in the Earth Kingdom and mastered air- and waterbending in the Fire Nation, while Korra mastered water-, earth, and fire-bending in the White Lotus Compound in the South Pole and learned airbending at Air Temple Island in Republic City). However, Kyoshi was constantly on the run, living on the streets as a child, whereas Korra lived in comfort, but isolation.

However, their bending affinity are opposites. Kyoshi struggled to earthbend due to her sheer power, to the point that she had trouble bending small amounts of earth, while moving chunks of the seafloor with ease (not how it typically works), and favoring its elemental opposite, air, in combat. Korra, on the other hand, preferred earth- and especially firebending in combat, while struggling to airbend due to its philosophies contradicting with her drive and hot-headedness.

Now, the parallel between Korra and Yun. Korra and Yun's respective upbringings parallel each other; both grew up isolated in compounds, and being taught by the companions of their predecessors, being told that the only thing that mattered was their status as the Avatar. As a result, this caused a serious mental stunt for both of them, especially when it was revealed that Yun wasn't the true Avatar. Korra wasn't taught how to properly handle politics, whereas Yun went all-in and hunted Kyoshi down Tai Lung-style. Ironically, this was originally supposed to be a way to protect the Avatar, issued by their predecessors, Aang and Kuruk respectively, which was apparently misinterpreted by their supposed caretakers (The White Lotus and Kuruk's companions respectively).

Finally, the parallels between Kyoshi and Yun. Both are similar in that they both grew up abandoned in the streets; Kyoshi in Yokoya, and Yun in Makapu; at least until they were moved into Jianzhu's mansion in Yokoya. Both were "cared" for by a former companion of Avatar Kuruk (Kelsang and Jianzhu respectively; note that I put quotation marks on "cared for" because Jianzhu pretty much physically and mentally abused Yun), but this is where the similarities end.

Now, there are a handful of scenes in the Kyoshi novels which particularly stood out to me. The parallels between Yun's ability to bend the tiniest speck of dust vs Kyoshi struggling with the finer movements but easily raising the entire sea floor during her fight with Tagaka. The parallels between Kyoshi almost drowning herself to connect with Kuruk for the first time while forgetting she can waterbend vs Yun returning to the physical world only to be denied access to water.

We have to remember that the element of earth plays a central role in Rise; Kyoshi is a born earthbender, the book takes place in the Earth Kingdom, earth is the only element Yun can bend, earthbending is the only advantage Jianzhu has against Kyoshi, most of the FOC (Kyoshi's daofei gang) are earthbenders,etc, while the element of water is a central theme in Shadow (which is ironic, considering the book takes place in the Fire Nation), as is Avatar Kuruk's legacy as the Water Tribe predecessor of Kyoshi. In the original series, Iroh states that water is the element of change. During the whole novel, water represents the ability to move on, the ability to change. In these two scenes, water represents both Kyoshi feeling overwhelmed by her new duties as the Avatar and Yun's desperation to prove that he is the true Avatar.

Also, during the final battle, Kyoshi kills Yun by freezing his heart and lungs. Her ability to waterbend represents her ability to move on from the past and change, whereas his lack of waterbending represents his inability to grow, to move on from the past, to change. Yun even bends the earth similar to water, but it's a mere imitation of the bending art, not the skill itself.

Generally speaking, most people can easily spot the similarities (and in some cases, differences) between Kyoshi and Korra. From bending to upbringing to the conclusions of their respective histories, one can find some details between both Avatars. What they don't see is their biggest connecting link; their similarities with Yun. The False Avatar acts as the foil to enhance both characters, their histories, and their legacy. In the next part, we'll discuss the similarities between the current Avatar Korra and the Water Tribe Avatar before her, Kuruk.

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[blackbloodteeth]

Snippet Sunday? In front of my Reverb?

Hahahaha thanks for the tag @cannibal-nightmares and @silluuuu! I am once again back on my [content warnings] – Blood? Body horror? Death? – but, this probably isn't going to go exactly the way you think it will.

———

Don't start stories in front of mirrors. That's what I've been told. Well, this doesn't start here, it happened four years ago.

Where oppressive soot and metallic sting gripped my lungs, and the pain cracked my ribs right in half. Wasn't hollowed out just for that. Rust stuck to my sleeves, the blade I was trying so hard to dislodge while I could barely see, couldn't even think to call your name at the time. I did eventually, though.

The thought of how our fingers fit together, my hands flitting right over the piano keys, your hands sitting beneath my staff, that's what made it hurt so much. I could barely stand but there I was, fingers shaking to hell and back as I could feel your soul beating in my other hand. Straight out of the dead bastard's mouth.

I've never cried in front of you before. You know I don't like it when I do, couldn't stop myself this time. Couldn't see all that well but I knew it was you. No doubt about it.

Maybe I was mad then. Maybe I always was, just a little bit. Couldn't take it I guess. Had to make sure it never happened again, or something poetic like that. You weren't too happy about me shoving you between my ribs for a while.

I still remember it pretty clearly. It's like… absorbing a soul into yourself, except instead of making it yours you just keep it there. Like if instead of my chest being teeth, they're like fingers, an analogy, where I just hold onto you. It was… different. I remember that a lot.

You know how it's like when you hold onto my scythe form? I could feel your wavelength beating directly against mine, and it just felt so… strong, that the angry tears fell directly from my eyes. You weren't mad at me, not really, and I didn't want to really "make you mine" or do the unthinkable. But you know that already.

We were both upset for a long while, but you were still in tune with me at least enough. I could feel your body, not here with me, far, far away. They took your body from you, they took your body from you. Went on repeat as I went looking non-stop.

Wasn't ever gonna stop until I find it again.

His fingers and thumb run carelessly through his bangs, another snip of scissors taking off one last finishing touch before he looks himself over from every possible angle. A smirk pulls at the corner of his lips as a hum of approval radiates up his sternum.

Alright, what about the rest?

A disapproving huff rolls its eyes at the back of his mind, and damn if he can't help but tease her with a finger curling through the sides of his hair. He knows she likes it long, he knows he likes it that she likes it long, he doesn't really care otherwise other than getting annoyed by it consuming his face like an emo boyband middle-schooler.

The flat-end of the scissors tilt his chin up a little, a humming squint eyeing all the scruff having taken over. That bossy little pout weighs in that she likes his fuzzy coat of facial hair, thank you very much. He looks like a homeless stoner. It's endearing. And makes his face look good.

Also he pretty much is one already.

A hyena laugh barks out as he shines a grin of his fangs at his reflection, setting the scissors down while fussing with his disheveled head one last time.

Alright, you lead?

Her scoff shifts his eyes into a playful shade of green as she now brushes the renegade clippings off of the bathroom counter, letting him sit back and handle the mental checklist for this morning as she puts the scissors away properly. Gonna be one helluva day finally getting her a driver's license today.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Islamophobia was invented to silence those Muslims who question the Koran and who demand equality of the sexes.

By: Pascal Bruckner

Published: Jan 3, 2011

At the end of the 1970s, Iranian fundamentalists invented the term "Islamophobia" formed in analogy to "xenophobia". The aim of this word was to declare Islam inviolate. Whoever crosses this border is deemed a racist. This term, which is worthy of totalitarian propaganda, is deliberately unspecific about whether it refers to a religion, a belief system or its faithful adherents around the world.

But confession has no more in common with race than it has with secular ideology. Muslims, like Christians, come from the Arab world, Africa, Asia and Europe, just as Marxists, liberals and anarchists come or came from all over. In a democracy, no one is obliged to like religion, and until proved otherwise, they have the right to regard it as retrograde and deceptive. Whether you find it legitimate or absurd that some people regard Islam with suspicion – as they once did Catholicism – and reject its aggressive proselytism and claim to total truth – this has nothing to do with racism.

Do we talk about 'liberalophobia' or 'socialistophobia' if someone speaks out against the distribution of wealth or market domination. Or should we reintroduce blasphemy, abolished by the revolution in 1791, as a statutory offence, in line with the annual demands of the "Organisation of the Islamic Conference".  Or indeed the French politician Jean-Marc Roubaud, who wants to see due punishment for anyone who "disparages the religious feelings of a community or a state". Open societies depend on the peaceful coexistence of the principal belief systems and the right to freedom of opinion. Freedom of religion is guaranteed, as is the freedom to criticise religions. The French, having freed themselves from centuries of ecclesiastical rule, prefer discretion when it comes to religion. To demand separate rights for one community or another, imposing restrictions on the right to question dogma is a return to the Ancien Regime.

The term "Islamophobia" serves a number of functions: it denies the reality of an Islamic offensive in Europe all the better to justify it; it attacks secularism by equating it with fundamentalism. Above all, however, it wants to silence all those Muslims who question the Koran, who demand equality of the sexes, who claim the right to renounce religion, and who want to practice their faith freely and without submitting to the dictates of the bearded and doctrinaire. It follows that young girls are stigmatised for not wearing the veil, as are French, German or English citizens of Maghribi, Turkish, African or Algerian origin who demand the right to religious indifference, the right not to believe in God, the right not to fast during Ramadan. Fingers are pointed at these renegades; they are delivered up to the wrath of their religions communities in order to quash all hope of change among the followers of the Prophet.

On a global scale, we are abetting the construction of a new thought crime, one which is strongly reminiscent of the way the Soviet Union dealt with the "enemies of the people". And our media and politicians are giving it their blessing. Did not the French president himself, never one to miss a blunder - not compare Islamophobia with Antisemitism? A tragic error. Racism attacks people for what they are: black, Arab, Jewish, white. The critical mind on the other hand undermines revealed truths and subjects the scriptures to exegesis and transformation. To confuse the two is to shift religious questions from an intellectual to a judicial level. Every objection, every joke becomes a crime.

The desecration of graves or of places of worship is naturally a matter for the courts. In France, for the most part it is Christian graveyards or churches that are affected. Let us not forget that today, of all the monotheist religions, Christianity is the most persecuted – particularly in Islamic countries such Algeria, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey or Egypt. It is easier to be a Muslim in London, New York or Paris than a Protestant or Catholic in the Middle East or North Africa. But the term "Christianophobia" does not function – and that's a good thing. There are words which taint language, which obscure meaning. "Islamophobia" is one of the words that we urgently need to delete from our vocabulary.

==

Iranian Islamists invented "Islamophobia."

[kr9vorebeazt]

So uh.. I planned to make my other Dying Light 2 AU

The plot are the same, just that I making it more horror and also including a psychological horror in there. Plus, in this new AU, we have Evil Aiden Caldwell

The name of this AU is, "Instance and Insanity". It kinda based from that suitmation Godzilla analog horror thingly but yeh, maybe I add the analog horror vibes in it. And in this AU, Aiden slowly losing all his sanity after get infected by THV. Making him become a mad psycho pilgrim and haunts everyone especially the man who helped him, Hakon. That virus not only affecting his phisyically, but also psychology.

Idk the rest, I'll let the idea flows in my head for this one

No, I'm not gonna abandon my "Fear Of The Renegades" AU. Relax, maybe soon I'm gonna changing the lore of it

Maybe no Haiden stuffs in this AU unfortunately

[max1u3]

Re-Watching Origin Stories

I was re-watching Origin stories and was only a few in when I came to Kiriko's.

Everything is you know, not making sense because of the age differences between her and the Shimada brothers, and then, it starts to just make even less sense.

She basically says in her story that she didn't pick either her mothers way of protecting people, or her Grandmothers, instead she combined the both into a more renegade style.

Cool, chill, whatever.

Then it shows this at the very end:

Like who are these people??

They all look pretty young, and by the looks it it they're all dressing up as Japanese spirits or Yokai.

Those are five sick character designs and all we've heard about them is this single screen grab and some possible references in the Yokai short story?

In the Yokai short story, three characters are mentioned, Ryōta, Nobuto and Sakura. We're introduced to them as Kiriko is meeting them for a festival.

We also learn that Ryōta and his friends do illegal jobs on the side to slight the Hashimoto gang - which are the group of thugs that run the area, Kanezaka, where Kiriko lives.

Here are the bozos in Kiriko's short:

This fight always gives me chills ngl, it's so well animated and staged, it's a wonder to watch.

Also, just have to point out a little line of consistency (that could also be considered laziness considering you've view on it).

But, this Bozo: (from Kiriko's short)

First appeared in Hanzo and Genji's short:

Which came out seven years ago now.

I guess it depends on your point of view. Would it be considered lazy because they couldn't be bothered to make another lackey. Or, is it consistent to use a character they'd already assigned to the Hashimoto group seven years ago.

Guess it can be a little bit of both.

Anyway, getting a bit off topic.

The Yokai short story basically depicts Kiriko stopping her friends from blowing up a warehouse in-case it caused collateral damage, and instead they just sabotaged the weaponry inside the warehouse.

She brings them around from the destruction by telling them a story she heard the Shimada brother's father tell them when they were younger.

At the end of the story they talk about forming a group of that strikes from the shadows at the Hashimoto, and the word Yokai was specifically mentioned.

Which is what these look like:

I'm not sure about the two women, but I'm fairly sure the green one on the right is supposed to represent a Kappa and the brown animal mask on the left is a Tanuki. I'm assuming the one in the back is supposed to be an Oni, sort of like Genji's skin.

So, could this group contain some of the members mentioned in the short story? Are some of them Ryōta, Nobuto and Sakura?

Just from names alone, I would assign the Oni in the back as Ryōta, the Tanuki as Nobuto and the girl holding the umbrella as Sakura.

It would make sense for them to be there if they were mentioned in the short story, which honestly, I feel like should have taken place during their little groups peak.

And included descriptions.

The writing of the short story was kind of weak as well and I just skimmed over most of it quickly. There were a lot of flowery descriptions and analogies, but other times things were too blunt and straightforward. It wasn't a thrilling read to say the least.

Although, it's difficult to make 6 pages good or thrilling, so I suppose they worked with what they had.

If the short story had taken place when the gang had all come together, and it detailed a more complicated heist against the Hashimoto it would have been a much more interesting read.

Plus Blizzard would have had the opportunity to develop more lore, instead of putting loosely put together ideas out there for the sake of time.

Trust me, I know what people will be willing to cut out and half ass all for the sake of meeting deadlines. I'm an art student.

So, I feel the writers are less to blame here and the Blizzard managements are more in the blame.

They keep mass producing these heroes with the bare bones of lore, and then chuck them into the game. It makes more sense for the newer heroes to have less lore, but some of the older heroes have just as much lore as the newer ones; less in some cases.

Surely the writing team hasn't been too pre-occupied with OW2, since well, there was a shortage of new heroes for years and the missions turned out to be... not what we thought.

I just don't understand how Blizzard can keep putting out these strands of lore and then not follow them up.

It drives me up the wall.

If Blizzard was a blanket they would have too many lose threads to count when it came to Overwatch Lore.

Just! Please give us something more concrete Blizzard!

Write more books, draw more comics, release more lore, release more lore centred events!

The Overwatch universe is a plethora of amazing stories to be told and Blizzard is missing on almost everything!

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuilding - Event Victor

Neither Variety nor BP, neither PokeFair nor Spotlight.  He’s just Victor.  A free pair that HAS SPECTRIER?  YOU GAVE PRINCESS LUNA TO THE REDDIT FUCKBOI POSTER CHILD, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

General Overview Victor comes in as the first-ever Field sync type, and can I just say I love that it’s an event?  I feel like we should get a Sprint event pair too.  It’s really nice to have access to these new types in a sort of trial run.  I wrote my thoughts on the Field sync and what could be good about it here, if anyone’s interested in a longer explanation.  The short version is, Field sync has 250-300BP, and is designed to set the stated field effect just before first sync, and applies an extension effect to it.  Despite calls of “Nerfed Tech,” Field is more analogous to support.  Your goal is to take first sync with the intent of significantly buffing the next sync nuke.  While an EX Support gives a permanent 2x bonus to all damage, Field gives a temporary 2.25x bonus to all damage of the specified type.  It’s an increase in damage, but with conditions.

Victor’s focus is on Ghost Zone, a skill previously owned by Renegade Cynthia, and barely worth mentioning out of SC Lillie.  As a type, Ghost is...honestly doing really well for itself.  A lot of its commons are pretty damned strong, so this isn’t really a type I would’ve picked for such a buff.  Oh well.

As a damage dealer, Victor is middling.  His DPS is notably weaker than almost anyone in the type, and his sync is around Morty’s.  His main saving grace is a Max Move, which adds a nice burst of damage while under Zone.  His other angle is the supportive effects.  Victor has Haze, which is an invaluable tool for the currently running Latias Gauntlet stage, and is hilarious with the Five Stats +3 condition in CS, immediately removing all buffs from the opponent.  Otherwise, it’s fairly middling.  His trainer move is a single-target skill that applies +2 sp atk/+1 crit, which means he is a successful Sp Atk/Crit buffer, to max, for a specified target, even if it’s not himself.  This allows him some versatility, partnering with a wider array of potential supports.

That said, what Field sync most wants is high DPS partners to abuse the duration of Zone.  A strong, single-target sync nuke like Techs aren’t really getting much done with only one application of Zone.  This is an effect designed for 3v3, with the intent being that Strikers will be his optimal partners.  Victor will potentially contribute, if boosted.  If not, he mostly exists to set up someone else’s damage, which harkens back to the Dual Support days.  It’s not a great look.  I think Victor’s overall performance will be okay, but nothing exceptional.  He is a free pair, and those have to come with significant weaknesses.  But it’s not an unwelcome addition.  I mean, it is for me, but we all know why I’m salty.

EX and Move Level? As an event, Victor is being given extra copies to exchange for tickets, and the powerups are given out as dailies until anniversary proper.  But, you may notice, Victor does not get spirits.  Instead, the spirits seem to be from the rally.  They expect me to use my own.  Wrong answer, DeNA.  Victor’s been largely cited as pretty middling, even by the redditbros, and if you think I’m wasting my valuable spirits on a guy I don’t even want you are sorely mistaken.  But the sad thing is, without them?  Victor loses the only thing holding him together.  Neither sync nor DPS is impressive, and he’s fairly reliant on that Max Move to supplement the damage.  He needs that field application, or he’s just not contributing much beyond being a Haze bot.  And Brycen is a Haze bot.  Brycen can do his job.  Brycen can do his job better thanks to the 30% freeze rate off Ice Beam applying some stall tactics.  If you don’t EX Victor, there’s not much reason to use him.  Shauntal does better damage, and Brycen handles his one supportive niche better.

Team 1: Victrier, Anni Lillie/Fantina, Marley/SS Brendan Regardless of how the Field Sync works, the goal is to pivot to a Striker that clears while the effect is up.  Anni Lillie is the perfect partner, given that her DPS is absurd, and while her sync is relatively poor, the SEUN effect pushes it way up on-type.  Fantina is a notable alternative, because she benefits so significantly from Victor’s trainer move.  If going with Lillie, Marley is a good pick for the speed to manage gauge.  If going with Fantina, you want to debuff special defense, and SS Brendan is the best support for that role.

Team 2: Victrier, Agatha, Lodge Morty A more F2P aligned solution.  Lodge Morty supplements Victor’s buffs well, and this team has the benefit of Sleep locking with Agatha.  Victor’s sync is actually better than Agatha, if you can believe it, but running her sync can allow her to mega evolve for a good supplemental DPS option if you want.  Victor is able to buff Agatha as well, so either pick works.  The goal is really just lockdown disruption from Hypnosis while Morty buffs evasion, and Victor deals damage.

Team 3: Victrier, NY!Dawn, Luican/Agatha A nice thing about Victor is that he can supply buffs, and New Years Dawn doubles said buffs.  The bad thing about Victor is that he’s good because of a field effect, so a team like this is very risky due to the CS modifiers.  Fortunately, Haze means re-allocation can go to Five Stats +3 that he removes, so Dawn can serve as both damage and tank, thanks to her evasion.  Lucian was chosen for debuffing special defense and maintaining speed for the team, but you could also just...run Agatha.  Again.  Sleep chaining is good, and her gauge management is just fine.

Team 4: Victrier, Grimsley/SS Korrina, Lodge Blue/Lodge Elesa Victrier has one other tool in his arsenal: Haze.  While usually not so good, this is a nice tool to help set up, say, Grimsley, who desperately needs the help.  Grimsley will use his trainer move twice, but likely needs attack, since Victor will be taking over Haze duty.  Enter Lodge Blue, who can buff attack, and critically, flinch.  A bit of stall strats added in will be fine.  It’s also important to note that, while off-type, Victrier doesn’t need the field effect.  You can just turn it off and make Blue a better tank.  On the higher end, there’s also SS Korrina, but personally I don’t think she really needs Victor for anything other than Zone, so like...she’s there if you want her to be, I guess.

Team 5: Victrier, MU Torchic/Lodge Dawn, Lucian If you’re on that F2P budget, and you really want Victrier to be your Ghost-type damage, this is the comp.  MU Torchic complements Victor’s buffing to the point her only needs to use it once, while Lodge Dawn means he needs to use it twice but has EX Support benefits if desired.  Lucian is the debuffing machine to work with MU Torchic in particular for speed, though he doesn’t contribute as much with Lodge Dawn.  There, the combo is more about mixed debuffing of offenses for the purposes of survival.

Final Thoughts Victrier has some promise as a free pair.  I don’t think he’s great, but he can function competently, if you’re willing to put in the spirits.  The utility he has is fairly limited, as you’d expect of a free pair, but it’s not strictly bad or unusable.  I just wish he had a little more.  With how many commons get On a Roll 2 with Shadow Ball, was that really too much to ask for?  But the full impact won’t be known until we see the Field sync in action.  Regardless of how it operates, there’s promise.  It’s just...is it ever better than a manual application Tech?  That’s what we don’t know for sure.  And a free pair shouldn’t be used as the basis for the entire sync type when it’s the only one.  We’ll see what happens moving forward.  But hey, free Ghost Zone.  Zones can be easily accessible now.  More of that, please.

[writer59january13]

Omnipresent lurch toward authoritarianism...

The views and opinions herewith extemporized to spur discourse with me, or to be mindful when exercising the right to vote in the country of your existence, which expressed intimation predicated upon read reliable publications such as Mother Jones, Smithsonian Magazine, The Nation, The Week, and TIME Magazine, which trustworthy and reputable sources of information brought to the fore of me noggin an alarming concern for those who consider themselves liberal Democrats, Libertarians and even moderate Republicans aware of avast conglomeration of bullies hell bent on usurping power upon self aggrandizement, or exploitative foreign policy necessitating the need for courageous actions witnessing demagogic control over the inalienable rights inherent in all species to thrive to the limits of their potential unviolated, unmolested, and unharmed.

Omnipresent lurch toward authoritarianism...

not only self evident across these United States of America, but also prophetic throughout the developed nations of the webbed wide world threatens progressive states' rights linkedin to the former - purported best western country potentially upending hard fought freedoms of nascent life, liberty

and the pursuit of happiness manifesting invisible hand, where secular humanism throve against patriarchal churchly dictates early in American history, where radicals of the day destined to stamp out blind faith courtesy antithetical, heretical, and parenthetical () proud zealots awash with indignation

(causing more than indigestion) against analogous strait jacket inhibiting once noble savage, whose inchoate acquisition of cognition, and subsequent recognition, where donned liberals of the day trumpeted sedition visa vis fancying, discovering, and broadcasting idea promoting innovative socially mediated shutter flying,

twittering, tick tocking contract where biblical ethos did captcha

cannibalistic, fatalistic, immoralistic fifty bajillion shades of gray matter as eminent domain established Judeo-Christian paradigm across then global realm, which mindset promulgated hegemony quashing nativist bred beliefs violently lashing, teeth gnashing,

saber flashing clashing, et cetera

with awakening enlightenment Yes (Blue Oyster Cult)

initially fomented Mötley Crüe dead set upon imposing might as right stifling pockets of

surprisingly strong resistance fostering eventual seeds of dissent countless times sparking renegade to spill figurative beans

to iron maiden adversary

fielding winning outcome

to totalitarian potentate,

nevertheless intermittent feeble mutiny arose

quickly jump/kick starting disguised claque

to depose the loathsome enemy intent to extinguish belligerent autocrat,

who forcefully usurped dominance

slaying population of primitive peoples

brutally forcing young

abducted fecund females

to beget progeny populating domain

courtesy nasty, ruthless vainglorious warlords

wreaking mayhem and bedlam

in an angry bird like effort

to create opportunistic scenario

for successful invasion

of the body snatchers, particularly at the helm

guiding analogous ship of state

one oafish outsize, and portly

self proclaimed führer of sought after reich ideally bloviated, inerbriated, and venerated

over stuffed ego freezer

donning his spiffy, haughty, doughy body sporting noggin atop which sits

trademark hirsute orange mop top inciting the capital one furious mob

(poised and pregnant

metaphorically like tightly coiled tension

able, eager, ready, and willing

just impatiently waiting proper cue to strike

like stormy Daniels) at the mercy of their commander

leading his ragtag army in battle imagine dragons bellowing fiery ejaculations

where amidst the pandemonium

militaristic troops unwittingly hold entire country hostage at gunpoint

no exit (stage door left)

nor escape for any unfortunate

soon to become prisoner

seeking soul asylum, an impossible mission (even for one as adept as Peter Graves)

caught in the figurative and literal maws

of long planned coup d'état fascistic die hard armed force encircling the seat of government

miles beyond the outer limits

of the concertina wired zone,

where dark shadows

hover signalling a severe thunderous storm

analogous to perpetual edge of night obscuring the sheltering sky

depicting deafening soundcloud and the final gasping exhalations of chastened democracy.

[xasha777]

In the neon-lit depths of New Ventura, where towering skyscrapers grazed the stratosphere and digital billboards painted the night with relentless commercial zeal, Lyra stood alone in the control room of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. This was no ordinary church; it was a sanctuary for the soul and the mind, seamlessly merging ancient faith with cutting-edge technology.

Lyra, a renegade synth with striking platinum hair and piercing eyes, was not there for worship, but rather in pursuit of the legendary Sound Codex—a digital scripture rumored to be capable of controlling the minds of the masses through sonic frequencies alone. Disguised as a DJ, she was using the church’s sprawling multi-media setup, with its retro tech, to decode hidden frequencies embedded within the ancient hymns broadcasted for centuries.

As she adjusted her headphones, tweaking the dials on the analog soundboards inherited from an age when music was still played on physical media, Lyra felt the pulse of the city’s datastream flowing through her circuits. Her quest was interrupted by the appearance of Agent Rax, a cybernetic enforcer for the corporate conglomerates that ruled New Ventura from their glass citadels.

“Looking for salvation, Lyra?” Rax's voice was smooth, almost too human.

Lyra smirked, her fingers never stopping their dance across the soundboard. “Something like that. Maybe I'm just here to play some tunes.”

Unbeknownst to Rax, Lyra had already begun weaving the decrypted sonic patterns into her music, the frequencies subtly shifting to induce a state of heightened awareness in anyone listening. The chapel, once just a place of worship, was now her platform to ignite a revolution.

The standoff continued, with Rax analyzing her every move. “You know, Lyra, playing god comes with a price,” he cautioned, his hand resting on the hilt of his plasma-blade.

With a defiant glance, Lyra pulled up the final track, a composition synthesized from the Sound Codex itself. The music soared through the chapel, out into the open channels of the city, vibrating through every stream and feed. Rax hesitated, his resolve shaken by the music’s power.

Lyra didn’t wait for him to recover. With a swift motion, she activated the chapel's old teleport system, a relic from the days when technology was still magic, and vanished in a shimmer of blue light.

The music continued to play, a beacon of new hope echoing through the streets of New Ventura. As Lyra reappeared far from the chapel, she looked back briefly, knowing she had set something monumental in motion—a symphony of change that began in the most unlikely of places, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.

[chaotic-coffee-break]

Pinned Post (Read First)

Warning:

This blog has the potential to have adult material unsuitable for children or those with weak constitutions. If you are unable to block /ignore content you know is not for you, please keep away. Minors DNI.

NSFW means more than just sexual material. The material showcased can be Yandere, manipulation, adult situations, horror situations, stalking, blood, gore, and preying, among many other things that will be tagged. I will add tags if needed. These will often be ideas pulled from real-life crime cases.  The material can be tri-folded in the case of a villain. These themes are not to be taken lightly. 

Do not interact if you cannot handle these.

I analyze fictional characters. I am a crime buff with SOME psychological insight and I am desensitized to a good bit. I often forget that many aren't so if I say something that makes you uncomfortable, I'm sorry. I love the darker side of things and delving into bad endings for various characters.

The Ask box is open for headcanons and such. I do bite, but not often so don't be afraid to start a conversation. Fair warning, hate, and such will be laughed at and put on display. Telling me to kill myself or insulting me in any way doesn't work on me and I think that scares people.

I have done requests in the past but until I get the rules up, I'll be holding off on those. Headcanon asks are welcome until then. I will say if I have to research a condition that isn't listed, I'm less likely to answer it as I may not do the condition justice. 8<

Series:

Welcome Home, The Amazing Digital Circus, Greylock, Mandela Catalogue, The Backrooms/Liminal Spaces, and most Youtube Analog Horror series I'll add as they pop up.

OCs so far:

Renegade (previously known as "Skein", renamed out of anger by Caine due to their behavior) - TADC - Muted, upbeat Stuntman/Evel Keneval aesthetic with an androgynous form who is chaos incarnate with cheat codes and the ability to No Clip on command. They have a helmet with kitty ears and a cape that resembles bat wing webbing with black and orange coloring. Renegade is muted by Caine due to a "copyright" fear and locked away until he can "reason" with them. Why they can use these abilities is unknown even to Caine. Besides Caine, Bubble is the only one with access to their enclosure. Once released, Renegade will unleash absolute mayhem on the circus and anything Caine has created and seems to dance/react to music no one can hear but themselves. Inspo is Crash Bandicoot, Junko Endoshima, and boundary breakers/speed runners on YouTube. - Stormy Knight - WH - A little Ragdoll Muppet who lives in a cozy cottage in the woods on the outskirts of the town with a monster "uncle". She loves fireflies, wandering around at night, creepy things, and likes to teach people how to handle their fears. She is also good at sleight of hand or illusion "magic". Inspo is Raggedy Ann/Andy, Jim Henson's The Labyrinth, and Eureka's Castle. - The Backrooms - Level 9705 - Superstore after closing. Needs to be its own post.

*This blog does not contain jump scares without ample warning ahead of time. I'm personally not a fan of them.

**Everything will be tagged appropriately.

[hussyknee]

Kushiel's Legacy would make a great remixed AU crossover with Supernatural, what with the angels. Castiel was based on Cassiel. Cassiel is the one who stood by Elua even believing that the choice damned him, and wanted redemption to the last except never enough to abandon Elua. Anael is also there. All the angels of Terre D'Ange can be analogous to one of the angels in SPN.

I've always had an AU in mind where Castiel and his band of renegades defeated the archangels and decided to make their home on some corner of the earth. A sanctuary of sorts. High fantasy medieval AU works too.

[darqueroses]

Summary of Shutter by Courtney Alameda from the book:

"Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat-- a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she was trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual. the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. with an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. shes aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz who developed the camera's technology; Jude, who sees death before it occurs; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes arwy, Micheline and the boys are infected witha curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly sickness spreads through their bodies, Micheline leanrs that if she doesn't exorcise their entities in seven days, she and her friends are dead.

Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monsterhunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy a nightmare more powerful than anything she's faced before, or die trying.

Lock, stock, and lens, she's in for one hell of a week."

(The text below isnt spoilers for the book just my thoughts and opinions)

Now I've never been one to ever be interested in YA horror novels, but after my friend finally convinced me to read this book I am forever changed. This book is truly a great representation of how your family isn't just the people you share blood with, but the people who you choose to surround yourself with and love. When all else seems to fail fail Micheline, its her boys who stand with her and fight something no one has ever fought before. So, if you're a sucker for found family, horror/gore, and a little bit of romance, I greatly implore you to pick up this book and never set it down. Enjoy!

[cameronashappreciationsociety]

Cameron Ash. To Hell and Stuck. 2002 Album.

"Breaking through the surface of manufactured Pop-princesses and flashy Kid-Rockers and maintaining an honest lyrical voice has become increasingly rare in today's music market. On his album, To Hell and Stuck, Cameron Ash fights to do just this. Staying true to it's namesake, the lyrically-driven album reveals itself as a series of undeniably dark reflections, unconcerned with radio-friendly frivolity and political correctness. Whether lashing out at blatant societal injustices or elevating us with his more visceral love songs, Cameron Ash uses his unique style and often biting lyrics to achieve emotional sincerity and make an intimate connection with his audiences. 'It's true.

People tell me that my lyrics on love are slightly different from Celine Dion's,' he says. Cameron's unique lyrical ability of combining classical poetry, storytelling, and dark humor in his songwriting began at a very early age. The grandson of a well-known Persian poet and philosopher, he began writing poetry at the age of six. But it was in high school, when he was first introduced to the music of Don McLean, that he began to shift his interest to songwriting. 'Don McLean's 'Vincent'was the reason I started writing songs,' he says. 'So that one day, I might make someone feel the way I did at that moment.' By 2000, armed with his songs, he began playing frequently around San Diego (desperately anticipating exodus from UCSD, where he attended college) while building his name within the San Diego acoustic scene. But it wasn't until a representative from Maverick Records heard his song 'Stop Her'and invited him to play at the Maverick 'Battle of the Bands' that he decided to bring his music to Los Angeles. It was here where Cameron underwent a songwriting rebirth, which resulted in him writing six of the fourteen songs that appear on To Hell and Stuck, including the single 'Another Everyday.' 'It's difficult because I find I can only write well when I'm either internally devastated, or under immense pressure, or heartbroken,' he says. If Cameron's poetry is born out of devastation, that's bad news for him but good news for the listener, as he never skimps on sincerity. In fact, the 14-song album was recorded without any computers by producer Brian Kehew (Air, Eleni Mandell) to achieve the classic, non-affected analog sound. Besides it's warm human feel, the mostly acoustic record also boasts Cameron's diverse writing ability, as he incites the listener with the driven, menacing sounds of 'Jude is Dead'and the volatile lyrics of 'LAPDVD',then floors us with the ultra-'Sadcore' Elliot Smith-esque sounds of 'Surgeon' and 'Another Everyday.' He even finds time for sarcasm and bittersweet humor in 'Stop Her' and 'Popcorn Boy', but never hesitates to bring us into the deeper darker realms with songs like 'Stalker.' Whatever the song, Cameron Ash never shies away from revealing the somber sides of life. With his signature cynicism and engagingly confrontational lyrics, he is modern day cross between Simon and Garfunkel and Rage Against the Machine. At times brooding, often inciting, and always earnest, Cameron Ash is the hyper-lyrical-renegade-chic posterboy of his own militant acoustica. His lyrics seem to speak to both men and women, and he offers us a different perspective and a lasting song in a world that's desperately seeking to break free from homogenized, disposable music. From first gasp to last breath, Cameron Ash's To Hell and Stuck is a driving poetic outcry, delivered with passion and a lyricism that is both intelligent and pure. Copyright 2002."

[chrancecriber]

Antenne Vorarlberg Chillout Lounge (August 19, 2023)

23:58 Elderbrook - I Need You 23:53 Afterlife - How Does It Feel (Original Mix) 23:50 Armin Van Buuren Feat. Rbvln - Weight Of The World (Feat. Rbvln) 23:45 Thomas Lemmer & Andreas Bach - Embracing Love 23:41 Depeche Mode - Freelove 23:38 Zoe - C'est La Vie 23:34 Airstream One - Southern Light 23:30 Winona Oak & Robin Schulz - Oxygen 23:23 Blank & Jones - White Light 23:17 Groovecatcher - Angel Of Nature 23:15 Alok & Timmy Trumpet - Underwater Love (La Vision Remix) 23:04 Monkey Safari - Hi Life (Cheeky Bold Cover) 22:59 Massive Attack - Protection 22:55 Sound Nomaden - The Morning After 22:51 Kygo & Sasha Sloan - I'll Wait 22:43 Tactful - No Fear 22:40 Bolier & Arman Cekin - Fade Away (Feat. Rhi'n'b) 22:36 Blank & Jones Feat. Zoe Durrant - Adios Ayer 22:28 Chaim Feat. Meital De Razon - Love Rehab 22:25 Klingande, Wrabel - Big Love 22:20 Jacob Gurevitsch - Lovers In Paris 22:17 Filatov & Karas - Au Au 22:13 Tinlicker Feat. Nathan Nicholson - Be Here And Now 22:07 Hippiehaus - Galaxy 22:04 Lost Frequencies, Zonderling & Kelvin Jones - Love To Go 21:56 Martin Roth - An Analog Guy In A Digital World 21:50 Bliss - End Titles 21:47 Laniia - Fireflies 21:42 Enui - Adieu (Arielle Lb Remix) 21:37 Roger Shah, Feel, Zara Taylor - One Life (Pedro Del Mar & R.i.b Chillout Remix) 21:32 Glide - Y Môr 21:29 Cosmic Soul & Tom Novy - Like A Dream 21:27 Sylvering - Is There Anybody Out There 21:18 Blond:ish Feat. Bahramji - Omnipresent 21:13 Schiller Feat. Mia Bergström - Playing With Madness 21:07 Banderas - This Is Your Life (Easy Life Mix) 21:02 Christopher Von Deylen - Free 20:58 Karen Gibson Roc - Painted Room 20:51 Rodriguez Jr. Feat. Liset Alea - What Is Real 20:49 Felix Jaehn & The Stickmen Project Feat. Calum Scott - Rain In Ibiza 20:45 Be Svendsen - Drop The Gun 20:39 Röyksopp & Jamie Irrepressible - The Next Day (Mind Against Remix) 20:36 Ck West - Aldebaran 2021 20:32 Smoke City - Underwater Love 20:28 Klangkarussel & Poppy Baskcomb - This Love 20:24 Chicane Feat. Bryan Adams - Don't Give Up 20:18 Kruder & Dorfmeister - Black Baby 20:14 Clément Leroux - Memories 20:11 Kygo Feat. Kodaline - Raging 20:05 Nora En Pure - Thermal (Extended Mix) 20:01 Julian Wassermann - Painfully 19:56 Schiller - Zukunft 19:49 Blond:ish Feat. Shawni - Wizard Of Love 19:47 Vievie - Blue Island 19:40 Sweed Feat. Janana - Finally (Holter & Mogyoro Remix) 19:37 Magnofield - Lupino 19:33 Robin Schulz - Above The Clouds 19:29 Aromabar - Renegade 19:26 Lost Frequencies & Elley Duhé - Back To You 19:21 Pete Tong & Tale Of Us Feat. Jules Buckley - Time 19:14 Depeche Mode - Waiting For The Night 19:12 Chaël Feat Kaii - Don't Speak 19:08 Frank & Friedrich Feat. Duncan Woods - Coming Home 19:05 Vize & Tom Gregory - Never Let Me Down 18:59 Nora En Pure - Cognitive Fadings (Club Mix) 18:55 Moby - The Sky Is Broken 18:52 Edx - Ecletric (Mixed) 18:49 Sono - Keep Control (Artbat Remix Edit) 18:41 Framewerk - Electric Religion 18:38 Hanns Feat. Lu - Chemistry 18:35 Kygo & Tina Turner - What's Love Got To Do With It 18:31 Air - You Make It Easy 18:23 Armin Van Buuren & Avira Feat. Sam Martin - Mask 18:19 Valante - Rissa 18:12 Chris Zippel - Mirror Dawn 18:07 Three Drives On A Vinyl - Greece 2000 (Sebastian Davidson & Melosense Remix) 18:03 Thievery Corporation - It Takes A Thief 17:58 Schiller - White Nights (Don't Let Me Go) 17:55 Morgan Page Feat. Lissie - Firewalk 17:52 Blank & Jones - Fall In Love 17:47 Nora En Pure - Trailblazer (Club Mix) 17:43 Moli - Cloud No9 (Montmartre Remix) 17:39 Stj, Clifford Borg - Eco Ballad 17:35 Ac Venture - Rain In Spain (Roberto Sol Remix) 17:30 Worakls - Caprice 17:26 Patrick Baker - Call Me Up (Original Mix) 17:21 Goa Foundation - (I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight 17:14 Hraach - After Dark 17:09 Remady & Manu-l - Another Day In Paradise 17:06 Robin Schulz & Alle Farben & Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Somewhere Over The Rainbow / What A Wonderful World 17:03 Sam Feldt - Show Me Love (Original Mix) 16:58 Schiller Feat. Jael - Tired (Live) 16:54 Schiller - Once Upon A Time (Cahill Remix) 16:51 Sal De Sol - Another Chance (Single Mix) 16:47 Blank & Jones - Sunny (Summer Vibe Mix) 16:44 Thomas Gold Feat. Bright Sparks - Seventeen 16:41 Tom Walker - Just You And I 16:35 Twocolors - Together 16:32 Trinix - Soweto 16:26 Alle Farben - Sonoro (2018 Rework) 16:24 Carstn, Jason Walker - Could You Love Me (Munich Monstrs Remix) 16:20 Sum Wave - Goodbye Earth 16:16 Alan Walker Feat. Anthony Keyrous & Henri Purnell Feat. Romy Wave - Alone (Remix) 16:13 Klangkarussell And Givven - Follow 16:10 Worm Is Green - Electron John 16:07 Rene Rodrigezz & Tristan Henry - Let Me Go 16:03 The Ocean Piano - Piano Mi Camino (Blue Wave Mix) 15:59 Schiller - Lichtwerk 15:56 Sans Souci - Condor 15:52 Panama, Satin Jackets - The Future 15:47 Tibet Project - Tibet (A Passage To ...) 15:41 Beyhude - Terso 15:37 P. Lion - Happy Children (Special Remastered) 15:29 Nor Elle - Silent Storm 15:24 Lstn - Floral Decor 15:21 Milkwish - From The Earth To The Moon 15:16 Sise - The Rain (Where Do I Begin) 15:13 Sum Wave - Backyard Stories 15:06 Richard Grey - Need Your Lovin (Murjd Remix) 15:03 Nihoni - After Sun 14:56 Consolidation Feat. Moguai - Ode To Joy 14:54 Meduza & Becky Hill X Goodboys - Lose Control 14:50 Younotus Feat. Chris Gelbuda - When I Think About You 14:47 Above & Beyond - Is It Love? (1001) (Original Mix) 14:42 Schiller & Giorgio Moroder - Lichtjahre 14:38 Schiller - Summer In Berlin 14:36 Mila Feat. Uwe Worlitzer - Teil Von Mir 14:32 Gary B. - Lead Me Home 14:29 Klangperlenspiel - Fraction Of Your Love 14:26 Atb & Topic - Your Love (9pm) 14:21 Glenn Main - Message To Spain 14:15 Beyhude - Rüzgar 14:12 Lucy Neville - Fall At Your Feet 14:09 Milk & Sugar Feat. John Paul Young - Love Is In The Air 14:05 Eli & Fur - Come Back Around 14:01 The Chill Out Orchestra - Wish You Were Here 13:58 The Alan Parsons Project - The Turn Of A Friendly Card 13:55 R3hab & Marnik - Candyman 13:51 Deeperise Feat. Jabbar - One By One 13:48 Armin Van Buuren & Avira - Illusion (Mixed) 13:43 Elderbrook & Bob Moses - Inner Light 13:37 Fous De La Mer - Waiting For The Sun 13:33 Golden Tone Radio - Glück 13:30 Blank & Jones Feat. Zoe Durrant - Erase Rewind 13:24 Under Pressure - Near The Ocean 13:21 Loud Luxury - Cold Feet 13:14 Armen Miran - Precious Story 13:10 Schiller & Tricia Mcteague - Guardian Angel 13:07 Gibbs & Code X - Close To Your Heart 13:04 Duke Dumont Feat. Jax Jones - I Got U 12:57 Hraach & Armen Miran - Nowhere 12:53 Schiller - Free The Dragon 12:49 Robin Schulz Feat. Graham Candy - 4 Life (Original Mix) 12:45 Nora En Pure - World Of Rules 12:41 Kid Massive, Yuji Ono, Dtale - Pray (Wolf Krew Remix) 12:38 Clyb Foster - How Deep Is Your Love 12:34 Passenger 10 - Serving The World 12:31 Sam Feldt Feat. Lateshift - The Riddle 12:26 Melounge - Too Much Sugar 12:24 Srtw & Mave Feat. Sønlille - Last Train Home 12:19 Moby - Everything That Rises 12:16 Robin Schulz Feat. Alida - In Your Eyes 12:11 Avira & Kiko Franco Feat. Nathan Nicholson) - Ocean 12:09 Jubel Feat. Neimy - Dancing In The Moonlight 12:06 Bernward Koch - Flowing Colors 12:00 Anrey - The Forgotten (Extended Mix) 11:55 Les Negresses Vertes - Face A La Mer 11:49 Christopher Von Deylen - Euphoria 11:44 Victoriya - Nothing Remains 11:41 Lilly Wood & The Prick And Robin Schulz - Prayer In C 11:37 Lstn - Sïstër 11:31 Colyn - Unstable Gravity Alert 11:27 Quantic - Painting Silhouettes (Original Mix) 11:23 Sons Of Maria - Elevate 11:19 Solaris Navis - Blissful Memories 11:15 Basixx - Stay In Your Sunlight 11:12 Loud Luxury And Frank Walker Feat. Stephen Puth - Like Gold 11:08 Aguaflames - Moiman 11:05 Sans Souci - Take My Breath Away (Original Mix) 11:01 Neptune & Moonnight - I Need A New Love (Original Mix) 10:57 Cristian Marchi Feat. Block - Baker Street 10:53 Above & Beyond Feat. Zoe Johnston - Treasure 10:51 The Holy Santa Barbara Feat. Madugo - The Sailor Song 10:46 Black Zone Ensemble - Bubbles 10:42 Nora En Pure - Sign Of The Times 10:39 Schiller - Midnight In Shiraz 10:35 Blank & Jones - Wyb (Deeper) 10:32 Kygo With Avicii & Sandro Cavazza - Forever Yours (Tribute) 10:25 Marcel - Departure 10:18 Avira & Diana Miro - The Worship (Mark Knight Extended) 10:13 Fritz Kalkbrenner - Good Things 10:10 James Blunt - Cold 10:06 Dvine - Unknown Reality 10:03 Agatino Romero - I'm Feeling For You 09:59 Moist - Far Beyond The Endless (Original Mix) 09:56 Mike Candys - Sky (Club Mix) 09:49 Röyksopp Feat. Susanne Sundførd - Oh, Lover 09:46 Mario & Vidis Feat. Jazzu - I'll Be Gone 09:43 Bolier - Another Blue 09:40 Kush Kush & Sickmellow Feat. Kazhi - Blacklight 09:36 Moby - Porcelain (Arty Remix) 09:33 Blank & Jones - Swept Away 09:28 Depeche Mode - Useless 09:24 Ec Twins, Oda Loves You - Wonderful Life 09:20 Olga Scheps - How Much Is The Fish? 09:15 La Vita - Saxual Seduction 09:10 Robin Schulz - Moonlit Sky (With The Void Pacific Choir) 09:05 Exstra - Comet (Extended Mix) 09:01 Black Coffee & David Guetta Feat. Delila Montagu - Drive 08:56 Jens Buchert - Cocoon 08:53 Undressd - Forever Young 08:45 Andre Rizo - Hang 08:42 Shouse - Won't Forget You 08:39 Vamero & Lizot - Bleeding Love 08:32 Francesco Rossi - Paper Aeroplane 08:28 Nora En Pure - All I Need 08:25 Thievery Corporation Feat. Shana Halligan - Depth Of My Soul 08:22 Dimitri Vegas - Pull Me Closer 08:14 Maxim Lany - Riding The Wave (Extended Mix) 08:11 Marit Larsen - I Don't Want To Talk About It (Nelsaan & Matoma Tropical Remix) 08:07 Kungs Feat. Jhart - Dopamine 08:05 Famba Feat. Brando & Mkla - Games We Play 08:02 Martin Jensen - Solo Dance 07:58 Klangperlenspiel & Puzzls - Kyoto (Wish You'd Move On) 07:55 Robin Schulz & David Guetta - On Repeat 07:51 The Alan Parsons Project - Lucifer 07:48 Gamper & Dadoni - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! 07:45 Sam Feldt & Sam Fischer - Pick Me Up (Vavo Remix) 07:38 Worakls - Elea (Original Mix) 07:33 Lazy Hammbock - Surround Me 07:30 Kygo Feat. Ellie Goulding - First Time 07:25 Two Lanes - Pièces Froides: Ii. Danses De Travers 07:22 Gamper & Dadoni Feat. Joe Jury - Satellites 07:19 Bossasonic - Wicked Game 07:16 Zaz - Demain C'est Toi 07:09 Bay Area - Dolphin Rider (Pianodreamsession) 07:04 Mahoroba - Soft Breeze (On Air Mix) 06:59 Thomas Lemmer & Andreas Bach - Sweet Lullaby 06:55 Joachim Pastor Feat. Nathan Nicholson - Saint Louis 06:50 Eelke Kleijn - Mojo's Tale 06:48 Minelli, Filatov & Karas Remi - Rampampam 06:45 York - On The Beach (Kryder & Jenjammin Sax Edit) 06:41 Stephane De Lucia - Trippin 06:34 Soul Button - Circadian Rhythm (Hraach Remix) 06:30 Wankelmut & Emma Louise - My Head Is A Jungle 06:27 Rosa Linn - Snap 06:23 Alina Baraz & Galimatias - Fantasy (Felix Jaehn Remix) 06:17 Alex Cortiz - Enter The Matrix 06:14 Gestört Aber Geil & Anna Grey - Thank You 06:11 Armin Van Buuren & Garibay - Phone Down 06:05 Danijel Kostic - Vinternatt (Club Mix) 05:58 John Kah - Carina (Enui Remix) 05:51 Worakls - By The Brook 05:49 Lost Frequencies Feat. James Blunt - Melody 05:42 Dale Anderson Feat. Anil Chawla - Pimento Grove 05:35 True & Berger - Imprint Of Pleasure 05:30 Eli Kazah - Return Home 05:26 Gardenstate & Bien - The Best Part 05:23 Sono - Twist In My Sobriety (Sans Souci Remix Edit) 05:14 Jan Blomqvist - Empty Floor 05:11 Nto (Fr) Feat. Sofiane Pamart - Invisible (Piano Version) 05:08 Blank & Jones Feat. Coralie Clément - Jardin D'hiver 05:05 Steve Forest, Te Pai - Never Gonna Give You Up 05:02 Alex Zind Feat. Lisa Schwab - Cruel Summer 04:55 A Forest Mighty Black - Rebirth 04:51 Cats On Bricks Feat. Zach Alwin - Planes Over Ushuaia 04:47 Sofi Tukker X Mahmut Orhan - Forgive Me 04:42 James Bright - Sarabande 04:40 Nightcall X Henri Purnell Feat. Eke - When The Morning Breaks 04:36 Daniel Steidtmann - Pigeon Lake 04:33 Filous Feat. James Hersey - How Hard I Try 04:27 Airstream - Your Tears (Del Mar Mix) 04:25 Nimus - Wasted Heart 04:20 Blank & Jones Feat. Zoe Durrant - One Evening (Lofi Selection) 04:16 Lstn - Thoughts 04:10 Fous De La Mer - Esse Sonho 04:04 Jean-michel Jarre - Equinoxe, Pt. 4 04:00 Above & Beyond - Out Of Time (Original Mix) 03:56 Kygo Feat. Parson James - Stole The Show 03:54 Digital Camel - Shine Bright 03:47 Monolink - Otherside (Club Mix) 03:42 Moca - Kleine Träumerei 03:40 Avian Grays & Azteck - Endlessly 03:32 Garlington - Falling To Pieces (Extended Mix) 03:26 Coastline - Adriatic Sea (Milews Remix) 03:22 Audien - Blue 03:17 Nora En Pure Feat. Ashibah - We Found Love 03:14 Tomas Skyldeberg - Chillin With You 03:10 Kryder & Natalie Shay - Rapture 03:04 Deep-dive-corp. - Lucsus 03:02 Christopher Von Deylen - Arco Iris 02:56 Shkoon Feat. Fruiterama - Napauken 02:51 Croquet Club - Awake 02:47 Above & Beyond Feat. Zoe Johnston - We're All We Need 02:44 Tiësto & Ty Dolla $ign - The Business, Pt. Ii 02:39 Mic Max - Como El Viento 02:31 Atb - No Fate 02:29 Thrdl!fe & Sleepwalkrs - Outta My Head 02:25 Peter Ries - Hold Me (The Force Radio Mix) 02:19 Röyksopp Feat. Susanne Sundfør - If You Want Me 02:12 Tapesh And Dayne S - How I Do (Original Mix) 02:08 Stepha Schweiger - When I Was A Bird 02:05 Möwe - Bad Intentions 02:01 Shaun Feat. Conor Maynard - Way Back Home 01:58 Chris Avedon - The Letter 01:55 Mount & Illian - Fool 01:48 4tunes - Helen 01:40 Blank & Jones - California Sunset 01:37 Shaun Frank & Takis Feat. Shells - Don't Say I Love You 01:33 Schiller - Der Tag...du Bist Erwacht (Mit Jette Von Roth) 01:31 Above & Beyond - Quieter Is Louder (Original Mix) 01:29 Leony - Faded Love (Noøn Remix) 01:25 Lenny Ibizarre - The Rain 01:22 Alok Feat. John Martin - Wherever You Go 01:19 State Of Sound - Wake Up Where You Are 01:16 Vize & Leony - Dolly Song (Devil's Cup) 01:13 Dj Antoine Feat. Chanin & Jona Xx - Dancing In Tulum 01:08 Riccardo Eberspacher - Sunetul De Seara 01:06 Cyrillic Feat. Lara - Zero Gravitation 01:02 Robert Manos - Silver 00:58 First Aid Kit - My Silver Lining 00:56 Vinai - Hide Away 00:49 The Last Atlant - Twin Of The Sun 00:46 Unclubbed, Zoe Durrant - Need To Feel Loved (Original Mix) 00:42 Gibbs - Waiting For Lonely 00:38 Lstn - Sky & Sand 00:34 Ilo - Soleil D'hiver 00:27 Beyhude - Alabora 00:22 Flamingo Star - Lost In Music 00:16 Blank & Jones - Coh 00:10 Armen Miran - Nani Jan 00:07 Sagi Rei - Rhythm Is A Dancer 00:01 Sans Souci - Venice

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Alt-Country Renegade Dale Watson’s New Album STARVATION BOX Is Available Now!

Dale Watson is known for his authentic approach to country music and his unapologetic dedication to preserving traditional sounds. Paying tribute to his hero, Lead Belly, a highly influential folk and blues musician, Dale Watson is excited to release his latest album Starvation Box today on Cleopatra Records! During the late 19th century, an aspiring musician named Huddie William Ledbetter (aka Lead Belly) departed from his hometown in Harrison County, Texas. This decision was prompted by his father’s attempt to dissuade him from pursuing music. His father disparagingly referred to Huddie’s guitar as a “starvation box,” believing it would only bring poverty and hardship. However, this young man’s impact on the world of music would far exceed anyone’s imagination. Lead Belly’s journey from Texas to becoming a legendary figure in folk blues is truly remarkable, especially considering the challenges and obstacles he faced. His perseverance and talent allowed him to leave a lasting impact on the music world. Even after a century has passed, Lead Belly’s musical legacy lives on, continuing to inspire artists to this day. One such artist is Dale Watson, an opinionated, rebellious, tattooed country crooner, also from Texas. Dale Watson’s decision to title his album Starvation Box and draw inspiration from Lead Belly’s story is a powerful tribute to both Lead Belly’s legacy and Watson’s own artistic journey. By putting his own “starvation box” (his guitar) at the forefront, Watson pays homage to Lead Belly’s determination and musical prowess. This approach highlights the significance of the instrument in the context of both artists’ careers and showcases Watson’s own skills as a troubadour and storyteller. Fans of both Lead Belly and Dale Watson can look forward to experiencing the depth and artistry of Starvation Box. The title track itself marks the commencement of an enthralling musical journey. This track is a collaborative effort between Watson and Mike Henderson, a distinguished songwriter who has received a CMA award for his work on Chris Stapleton’s renowned “Broken Halos.” With a bluesy 12-string guitar riff taking the lead, accompanied by a minimalistic rhythm track, the composition provides ample space for Watson’s weathered baritone voice to shine. As Watson explains, “Living in Marshall, TX, the area so influential to Lead Belly, I went down the Lead Belly rabbit hole. It led me to a 1957 Stella 12-string guitar just like the one Lead Belly had, which his father called a ‘starvation box.’ I knew I had to write that song as an ode to Lead Belly. What I wrote was ok but with Mike Henderson’s additions and of course, his slide guitar and harmonica, I think we came up with a fitting tribute that I hope people like.” There’s plenty more bluesy, folk and roots rock in store on Starvation Box, the album, including an ode to Elvis Presley’s mechanic, “Billy Strawn,” a fantastic cover of Percy Mayfield’s “Like A Stranger In My Own Hometown,” and the superb closer, a gospel rave-up called “Ain’t Nobody Everybody Loved.” To order Dale Watson’s Starvation Box, visit HERE. STARVATION BOX TRACK LISTING: 01. Starvation Box 02. Whatever Happened To The Cadillac – M Music & Musicians Magazine 03. That’s Where The Money Goes – SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country 04. Nothingville 05. Billy Strawn – Cowboys & Indians 06. I Ain’t Been Livin’ Right – Center Stage Magazine 07. Adios 08. Streets Of Gold – Analog Planet 09. Down Down Down Down – Center Stage Magazine 10. Two Peas In A Pod 11. Like A Stranger In My Hometown 12. Ain’t Nobody Everybody Loved – Americana Highways Dale Watson On Tour: AUG 18 – Oriental Theater / Denver Denver, CO AUG 20 – The State Room / Salt Lake City, UT AUG 21 – Neurolux Lounge / Boise, ID AUG 22 – Brewminatti / Prosser, WA AUG 23 – Polaris Hall / Portland, OR AUG 24 – Tractor Tavern / Seattle, WA AUG 26 – The Spa at Blue Lake Casino & Hotel / Blue Lake, CA AUG 27 – Hopmonk Tavern / Novato, CA AUG 28 – Zebulon / Los Angeles, CA AUG 29 – The Cordova Bar / San Diego, CA AUG 30 – Club Congress / Tucson, AZ AUG 31 – Rhythm Room / Phoenix, AZ SEP 02 – Broken Spoke / Austin, TX SEP 24 – Eddie’s Attic / Decatur, GA OCT 19 – The Southgate House Revival / Newport, KY NOV 22 – Luckenbach Texas / Fredericksburg, TX For more information, visit dalewatson.com and cleopatrarecords.com. About Dale Watson: A staunch adherent of old-style honky tonk and Bakersfield country, Dale Watson has positioned himself as a tattooed, stubbornly independent outsider only interested in recording authentic country music. As a result, he hasn’t become a major star, but his music has been championed by numerous critics and has earned him a fervently loyal fan base. His 1995 debut, Cheatin’ Heart Attack, wowed writers and fans with its potent songwriting and authentic honky tonk vibe, 1998’s The Truckin’ Sessions was the first of a series of LPs devoted to his love of big rigs, 2007’s The Little Darlin’ Sessions saw Watson recording alongside some of the legendary session musicians who inspired him, and 2019’s Call Me Lucky found him creatively revitalized after relocating to Memphis, Tennessee. Watson continued to thrive in Memphis, delivering the instrumental record Dale Watson Presents: The Memphians in 2021 and the covers album Jukebox Fury in 2022. Read the full article