#British virtual band Gorillaz

[t-jfh]

(Nexus Studios)

Gorillaz evoke a stylized 3D-world in the Cracker Island music video.

Band members 2D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel of the BRIT and Grammy-winning virtual Gorillaz turned to Nexus Studios to create the psychedelic video for their new track Cracker Island’ ft. Thundercat. Directed by artist and Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett and Nexus Studio’s Emmy-nominated director, Fx Goby, the live-action/animated hybrid music video takes viewers on a late-night jaunt to the City of Angels.

(Nexus Studios)

In the Cracker Island music video, director Goby draws on his multidisciplinary expertise with 2D and 3D animation as well as live-action.

YouTube video >> Gorillaz - Cracker Island ft. Thundercat (Official Video) (Released 29 July 2022 - 3mins.+39secs.):

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Gorillaz — Riffing on the perils of the metaverse and living online.

Gorillaz: Cracker Island album review – smaller, subtler, and better for it.

Damon Albarn has reined in the excess – though there are still cameos from the likes of Bad Bunny and Stevie Nicks – for a trim album that is one of the band’s best.

By Alexis Petridis

The Guardian - 23 February 2023

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Gorillaz featuring Peven Everett perform Strobelite at WFUV 2017.

YouTube video >> Gorillaz feat. Peven Everett - Strobelite [Live at WFUV] (Recorded 16 April 2017 / 4mins.+37secs.):

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Little Simz covers Gorillaz Feel Good Inc for Triple J - Like A Version.

YouTube music video >> Little Simz covers Gorillaz Feel Good Inc for Triple J - Like A Version (Released 1 August 2019 / 4mins.):

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[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Gorillaz - Stylo 2010

"Stylo" is the first single from British virtual band Gorillaz's third studio album Plastic Beach. The song features guest vocals from rapper Mos Def (who played Ford Prefect in the 2005 film Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and Bobby Womack. Bobby Womack knew nothing about Gorillaz and was initially unsure about the collaboration; however, his granddaughter liked Gorillaz and convinced him to do it. Womack was told to sing whatever was on his mind during the recording of "Stylo". "I was in there for an hour going crazy about love and politics, getting it off my chest", said Womack. "Stylo" is a playable song in DJ Hero 2. The music video features Bruce Willis and was nominated at the 53rd Grammy Awards in the category of Short Form Music Video, but lost to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". :'( "Stylo" recieved a total of 64,6% yes votes! 💖

[thunderlina]

LOST MEDIA: Gorillaz - Plastic Beach Web Games

I come to you tonight with one request: I want help in tracking down the Plastic Beach point-and-click adventure game from the Phase 3 (2010-2012) Gorillaz website.

In 2010, coinciding with the release of their third studio album, British virtual band Gorillaz gave their website a huge overhaul, including the release of several new flash games. The centerpiece was a point-and-click adventure game (untitled, usually just referred to as "Plastic Beach") in which the player was able to explore the island of Plastic Beach, similar to the games available on earlier websites where the player was able to explore Gorillaz HQ Kong Studios.

Along with this game were a few others: Escape to Plastic Beach, a three chapter long action/adventure game (the third chapter of which cost €1.50 to play, and was available both for PC and iPhones.) Just recently the developer, Matmi, hinted at trying to re-release these, but they went silent regarding it and nothing has come of it so far.

There were also two smaller Flash titles, Submatronic and Gorillaz Fishing. Not entirely sure what these two entailed but they were listed on the website and, like the adventure game and Escape are not playable via the Wayback Machine nor are they archived elsewhere.

From my research, it seems the website had some kind of DRM software that the older websites (which have been archived over at zombiehiphop.xyz) didn't, since the Plastic Beach game used full tracks from the album and EMI was worried about piracy. Before anyone suggests it like was done in other places where I've asked about this, no, the game was not released on a CD or DVD. Because of this, all four games unique to the Plastic Beach era website are lost. The iPhone port of Escape to Plastic Beach was also removed from the App Store years ago, and as such is also completely lost.

As of right now, all that still exists are low-quality videos of the adventure game in action, a few screenshots, and a handful of Flash files I've dug up from the Wayback Machine.

The loss of this game represents not just a loss for Flash preservation, but a huge loss for Gorillaz fans as it was an integral element of the story of the Plastic Beach era. Without it and much of the other content from the old website, the already incomplete story that Jamie Hewlett and the rest of the Zombie Flesh Eaters team were trying to tell lives on almost wholly through secondary accounts. While recordings exist, it is simply not the same as having access to the full experience.

I ask of you all to please consider my words and help me do something about this, instead of wallowing in hopelessness as it seems the community has been doing for oh so long now.

Thank You.

Footage of the adventure game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUnvkZFPu1Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmAo_POMRHY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW6KHLLgBss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWIkwVDIJNQ

The handful of Flash files I dug up via the Wayback Machine: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RKpP9o-j-4jFkdQEDN54ye5LGZIrBd_7

[sataron]

sorry i just remembered how i used to watch and listen to clint eastwood as a kid and consequently remembered how fond i am of this band.. i have nothing but love.. much love. many love for the virtual animated british band called gorillaz.. oggh

[moonbiscuitsims]

Noodle appreciation on Sims 4 Gorillaz Project

2D's room pics Russel's room pics Murdoc's room pics ("mature") More Gorillaz themed posts

From the wiki: ヌードル (Nuudoru), better known as Noodle, is the official guitarist and former occasional backing vocalist of Gorillaz.

Born: Osaka, Kansai, Japan on 31st October 1990.

Instruments: Guitar, keyboard, synthesizer.

Occupation(s): Songwriter, Guitarist, Vocalist, Ex-Super Soldier

Nationality: Japanese

Religion: Buddhism and Shinto

Created by: Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn

Inspired by D.A.R.E. I used the video for extra reference especially for the front side of the room which i couldn't see well in the reference pics.

Theres a cute little scene in the MTV Cribs Gorillaz short where noodle kicks Murdoc out of her room. The cute ceiling lanterns are missing in this pic because I forgot to start the tab camera from a zoomed out position and they fade when you zoom in my bad.

In the Phase 1 room, that little blue chair was actually Noodle's bed but after she has the white one, so I made it into a chair. If you understand it, please ignore the sign probably meaning something extremely random I can (slightly) read hiragana/katakana but not kanjis sorry I hope it doesn't mean poop or something bad it was just for aesthetic.

I made her room quite messy, because I have an obsession with messy rooms and Gorillaz aesthetics did tend to be quite cluttered and messy.

I like to imagine Cyborg Noodle stole Noodles soldier clothes, so that's why she is wearing them. She is still a badass who loves to train just in case.

The literal description of Kids with Guns. Obviously guns are bad, this is fiction, don't use guns.

I used tons of Cyberpunk 2077 cc for this room and other parts of the building. So that giant head is a Beta version of Shaun Ryder before he could drunk-British karaoke sing D.A.R.E. with Noodle in her secret room. No one is going to convince me that Gorillaz is not slightly cyberpunk, they're a virtual band with holograms, with cyborgs, weird talking robot heads, dystopian and apocalyptic themes and beaches made of plastic.

The bathroom and many parts of the lot were made up but there was no way I was gonna make a poor innocent little teen girl share the disgusting toilets and bathrooms with three dirty grown men ( ×m×) Hers is also slightly dirty but nowhere near as bad I'll post them in future posts.

I created these sims a long time ago, they were so much fun to make, I even made my own (terrible) cc to make certain clothing items more accurate. The lot they live on is Kong Studios, I kind of mixed all the Phases, but my favourite was Phase 2. In the future I hope to do more Phase 3, after that everything is a bit unknown to me as Gorillaz were kind of on hiatus for many years after Plastic Beach and I fell out of touch with them, only to realise quite recently they have tons of new music 🧡

For the inspiration I used I'll leave reference photos I found, from all the old online flash games there use to be, I loved them it's a shame that part of the internet is over x), as well as using their music videos and Rise of the Ogre comic. They're all super bad quality because 240p videos and footage of the 2000's.

Overall I had a really fun time making them and taking these pics, I know they're old but it gives me a lot of nostalgia and I love their music and the entire project. Also I use tons of cc so I don't know if I'll be sharing a CC list, I started making it only to see I was taking 3 hours for barely any of it, so I may (possibly) share it in the future with the lot and sims files, but for now I'm just showing the project. I might also make some cosy lets play videos with them just chilling for my YouTube.

Any support for my posts is greatly appreciated 🧡

[twinknote]

feeling like the opposite of hit song by british virtual band gorillaz. feel bad inc.

[k00289924a]

This is Jamie Hewlett a British comic book artist and illustrator. He is best known for co creating comic book series Tank girl and also is co creator of the virtual band Gorillaz and is a major inspiration and influence on why I want to get into art.

Hewlett's style of his characters is just amazing as every character has its own unique design while still being in Jamie's style. above is an example of one of his many characters. This is noodle who is apart of the virtual band Gorillaz. I really like how he draws hands and the little details he adds to them.

here's another example of Hewlett's work which was used as the cover of his art book titled Jamie Hewlett: Works from the Last 25 Years which came out in 2020 showcasing all of his work. what I like most about his work is how he does the eyes and face of characters with little detail it makes the facial expression feel more realistic then cartoon which I really like but it still shows that kind of quirky side to it as well.

this is Hewlett's comic tank girl which he co created with Alan martin. this was first time I was introduced to Hewlett's work and when I read the comics I feel in love with how he drew. how his work ties into my brief is that he created the characters for Gorillaz and did animations and illustrations for the band to their music and helped with the story of Gorillaz through is art.

[heavenforblog1111]

Feel Good Inc is the lead song from the second album 'Demon Days' by the band Gorillaz released on 9 May 2005. It features an American music group called De La Soul. Gorillaz is a British virtual band consisting of virtual characters- 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle, and Russel Hobbs. This band was created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett. The song is one of the best creations by the band and is ranked high at several different lists. Song Meaning At the start of the music video, we see a large city which almost looks like an industrial wasteland. Somewhere within the city, a huge tower is located which extends high up even above the clouds. The tower is the building where Feel Good Inc. is situated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyHNuVaZJ-k Inside the tower, we find that a huge party is taking place and 2-D is sitting at the chair on the stage in front of several people who have gathered to have fun listening to his music live. Murdoc Niccals is surrounded by women as he plays the guitar. Now, 2-D seems somewhat depressed and starts singing. In the lyrics he talks about how humanity is moving forward probably hinting at urbanization which leads to a lot of destruction of nature and unhealthy living for people. The people in the concert seem dazed and almost asleep probably through the influence of dr*gs or s*x. 2-D mentions how people's lives have changed a lot since the past. The fast paced modern life causes people to be stressed out for most of their day to day life. This has impacted 2-D in a profound way as he doesn't get sleep probably because he is dealing with tension all the time. Now, in the chorus he is singing about windmill. This is him reminiscing the olden times in villages where people used to live carefree and a healthy lifestyle. He is looking at Noodle who is having fun playing music on a green island floating in the air. He wishes he could be in her shoes as he is gazing from the window. I remember the beginning of the formation of 'Feel Good. Inc.' quite clearly. I had a beat that was a little bit '80s, very upbeat. But maybe halfway through, my attention wandered. I played something more acoustic, just something that reminded me of the countryside. So I wrote down some keywords to help with the lyrical imagery. 'Windmill' was one of them. It was a trigger to symbolize a different time and also a reference to the 'dark, satanic mills' that William Blake wrote about in his verse of 'Jerusalem.' I remember that it all started when I was reading the ingredients off the back of a [potato chip] packet. The windmill imagery line is a representation of a note of optimism, a memory of a simpler time. Uh, like maybe, a snapshot of an older world, more innocent. Noodle on Feel Good Inc Then De La Soul enters the scene where the rapper is singing about controlling the artists and using them to make money. De La Soul is probably the head of Feel Good Inc corporate where they use artists to create music for the company. He is singing play these ponies at the track, its my chocolate attack. This could refer to how the company is using music almost like a weapon to make money or influence their customers in some way. The rapper is the leader who is actually revealing his tactics. 2-D has no choice but to follow what the leader is telling him to do. The windmill appears again and noodle is blissfully playing music with her guitar. The helicopters enter the scene where they are chasing the land mass floating in the air. This is perhaps referring to industrialists wanting to capitalize on the free land that they can obtain for themselves. El Manana is a continuation of the Feel Good Inc music video where in the helicopters start attacking noodle firing bullets at her. Meanwhile, 2-D keeps repeating Feel Good in order to make himself feel as if he is fine. This is probably an attempt to help him escape the depressing situation he is put in. So, that is the story behind the song in my opinion.

[sidrial]

Pick 1 album and discuss.

If you don’t recognize any of these, listen to at least 2 first. I will add music 🎶 links in the comments.

#Alsmusiccafe

Episode 322

01 07 24

#Gorillaz #DepecheMode #TheCult #SistersofMercy

[vanehernandezblog]

Project 6 - Artist Research

Artist/Project 2: Gorillaz Immersive Experience.

Last year the british virtual band Gorillaz created an immersive live performance experience on Times Square and Picadilly Circus to promote their back then new single Skinny Ape; this experience combined Real-Time animation and AR immersive technologies. During this experience fans could watch the band’s iconic animated characters play a concert “in real life” through the ´Gorillaz Presents' app in their phones, powered by AR Core.

'Directed by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett and the Emmy-nominated director Fx Goby, the Skinny Ape performances are created by Nexus Studios and utilise Google’s ARCore Geospatial API, using AR to transform public spaces with cultural experiences. It has been staged in partnership with Outfront and Ocean Outdoor.' (Paine, 2022)

This is a wonderful example of how AR can be implemented in many new and never explored before ways inside the music industry, there's so much potential and it's an amazing way to keep the artists connected with the audience in a more "real life way".

References

Paine, A. (2022) 'Gorillaz to transform Picadilly Circus and Times Square with immersive AR performances', Music Week, 12 December 2022. Available at: https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/gorillaz-to-transform-piccadilly-circus-and-times-square-with-immersive-ar-performances/087096 [Accessed: 8 November 2023].

[luckyowl21]

Okay seriously keep talking about Gorillaz albums and blaseball eras. Is their self titled first album pre-history? Do you have specific song examples for each era?

DGDKHDD THANK YOU KOSMO FOR ENABLING ME

The TLDR version is:

Gorillaz (debut album) is BETA Season 1 (and technically Pre-History)

Demon Days is BETA Seasons 2-5 (Early Discipline Era)

Plastic Beach is BETA Seasons 6-10 (Late Discipline Era)

The Fall is BETA Seasons 11-12 (Early Expansion Era)

Humanz is BETA Seasons 13-19 (Mid Expansion Era)

The Now Now is BETA Seasons 20-24 (Late Expansion Era)

Cracker Island is GAMMA Seasons 1-2 (Coronation Era)

BONUS: Song Machine: Season 1 (Strange Timez) is Short Circuits

Gonna put my reasoning and highlight songs for this under the Read More cut because this is gonna be obscenely long (I'm having my Cynda moment /affectionate). Also yadda yadda "this is from my perspective and flavoured with my experience with Blaseball" you're welcome to disagree just don't eat me for my thoughts:

PRE-HISTORY + BETA SEASON 1 = GORILLAZ

Yes, their self-titled debut album “Gorillaz” fits Pre-History, but I’d argue that it follows the Beta Season 1 to a T. Bombastic, eclectic in its style, blending the familiar with the new (Baseball but Absurdist Horror | Alt. Rock but not by “real musicians”), it’s fresh look and feel was what drew people in and caught their eyes on this funny little band. The very nature of Gorillaz is that of satire; I mean, a British virtual band that's made up of drawings as their members with cartoonishly outrageous personalities? That's peak MTV right there! How could you NOT make fun at that vapid vision of commercial art? Blaseball's nature is very similar to that; a fake baseball league that are really just a bunch of names and teams "playing" against each other with just the fans here to bet. Management are unknown massive forces that we laypeople could Never comprehend, be it a massive corporation with vetted interests or a Forbidden Book.

Highlight songs include “Clint Eastwood” and “Tomorrow Comes Today” for The Book opening and what little we understood of Pre-History (namely Parker, old teams remixed/returned, and weather) being brought back in a “brand new way” respectively.

EARLY DISCIPLINE ERA = DEMON DAYS

“Demon Days” Is the Disciple Era, more specifically Beta Seasons 2-5. The stage is set, the stakes have been raised about what Blaseball-Gorillaz are about in their respective worlds, and by gods they Will Deliver on those stakes! “Demon Days” has a special place in my heart, not only because that was the album that made me fall in love with Gorillaz as a band and as an art form, but also one of the very first fanart of Blaseball I ever made was the Temperate Sea Monkeys (Ziwa, Mooney, Hobbes, and Richmond) album as a parody of Demon Days! Not to mention the overall apocalyptic vibe the whole album has and the way it speaks to the horrors of war and violence in such a smooth mysterious way really captures how hectic early DE was. This early era was also most likely what got people interested in Blaseball to begin with, which is why it pairs with this album so well.

While the highlight songs are "El Mañana" and "Every Planet We Reach is Dead" for mourning the players we've lost in these early stages (especially Jaylen Hotdogfingers) and the general horror and angst, I have a few songs to highlight each season from this album: ‘O Green World’ and ‘November has Come’ are very Season 2 with the feeling of trying to comprehend the enormity of what opening the Forbidden Book entails and acknowledging there's no going back, ‘Dirty Harry’ and ‘Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey’s Head’ fits the horror of realizing that anyone could die and all you have is a giant peanut demanding you follow it's whims (in a narrative sense) for Season 3. Either ‘DARE’ or ‘All Alone’ is Season 4 with their plucky dance numbers via Feedback’s sudden shifts in humorous ("Thomas Dracaena hits a ground out to Edric Tosser") and often times painful ways.

And of course I'd put "Feel Good Inc" for Season 5, it's not only one of my favourite tracks of the album that's the season I joined Blaseball lol. Okay in all seriousness, Season 5 is peak "Demon Days" and "Feel Good Inc.", because by now the fans have a "handle" on what Blaseball is about and have been able to come together to root for their teams and to lift other teams up. It's the community that really what makes Blaseball what it was, and "Feel Good Inc." especially champions these connections while "Demon Days" adds the edge of trying to break bread while still adhering to the natural "rivalries" formed in sports games.

LATE DISCIPLINE ERA = PLASTIC BEACH

Ahh Plastic Beach, by far the biggest album Gorillaz ever released (not counting future albums). With so many iconic bangers and collabs, the cohesive theme of environmentalism, the intensity from their music videos, the very fact they had a whole-ass interactive website chock-full of Gorillaz lore, Plastic Beach is a Behemoth that you just Had To Be There to really Get It (side note: I highly recommend this video by Lady Emily if you wanna learn more). And with the power of hindsight, that's the exact vibe that Late Discipline Era holds over Blaseball. From iconic moments like the Necromancy, the Idol Board, Ruby Tuesday, Day X and the Death of the Shelled One, like how Plastic Beach's music videos brought about massive changes to the band members' lives so to did the Late Discipline Era to Blaseball as a whole.

It's difficult to limit songs into seasons in this case, because of how cohesive this album is, so for this list I shall go over iconic moments and have their highlight songs.

Season 6's Idol Board and subsequent Third Strike is giving "Sweepstakes" and "To Binge" for somewhat obvious reasons (To Binge especially for it's direct reference to how the Idol Board was ultimately used to generate more coins for votes. An economy if you will). The Necromancy of Jaylen is "Empire Ants", especially in light of hubris and on how Jaylen ultimately had to Keep Playing even if it hurt everyone in the league.

Season 7's Ruby Tuesday is "Rhinestone Eyes" especially for the allusion to the Rouge Umps' eyes glowing before the slaughter. Snackrifice and the Moist One Monitor's appearances is "Superfast Jellyfish" for their connections to food as well as how the Monitor has a special fascination towards "tiny eggs".

Season 8's emergence of the Receivers is "Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach" for notably Snoop Dogg's verses, while Jaylen's debt fits either "White Flag" or "Broken" ("White Flag" mirroring how Flickering sends players to different teams with little-to-no warning, and "Broken" for the angst of being an idolized dead player with a complicated relationship with the fans).

Season 9's Day X is "Stylo" for it's bombastic yet fearful edge that colours the experience of witnessing the Shoe Thieves get into a literal boss fight against the PODS.

Rounding it off with the fall of the Shelled One and freeing the PODS being "On Melancholy Hill" for the juxtaposition of The Biggest Boss Fight (of the time) being met with the cool confidence of the Hall Stars!

And of course, Workman Gloom (my beloved)'s iconic incineration and later revival as one of the Hall Stars is to the tune of "Glitter Freeze", an intense and shining number highlighting Gloom's badass exit as a living Talker and his iconic hommer in Day X as a Hall Star.

EARLY EXPANSION ERA + COFFEE CUP = THE FALL

So Expansion Era, especially Coffee Cup is kind of a weird moment in Blaseball, much like The Fall's release. On one hand, it was following the end of Discipline Era, we killed a god and have new larger figures, hubris and excitement we at an all-time high! But on the other hand... there's a certain flavour to the Forbidden Book as we chewed on it's pages, something that hinted towards a shift. The mini-hiatus between Eras really solidify that sense of trepidation, as well as the concept that something else is cooking behind the scenes. The Fall very much fits that post-intense rush that still felt fresh but... was it really Gorillaz if its just Damon Albarn? Is it really Blaseball when there's really low stakes?

There's not a lot of songs that I can really say are standouts from this album, but "Revolving Doors" seems like a close enough to count as the highlight for this particularly short instance. How it feels like it's something familiar but with the seemingly never-ending cycle of more upgrades, more expectations, more more more...

MID-EXPANSION ERA = HUMANZ

After 7 long years of no Gorillaz due to Albarn and Hewitt's fall out, Finally they came back together to continue Gorillaz, ushering a brand new era of Gorillaz music with the highly anticipated album "Humanz"! And it was..... controversial let's say. Don't get me wrong, it was a powerful and genuinely fun album, coming right off the heels of the 2016 American election, with the style and charisma that Gorillaz is eponymous for, but there was just SO MUCH going on that it's hard to truly nail down the vibes. It was emotional, it was a huge force of return, it was paraoxically overt in it's political leanings despite doing it's damnest to avoid any direct links, it was Enhanced Party Time. Ask any Gorillaz fan what they think about Humanz and you'll get a different answer each time. Mid-Expansion Era is the epitome of Humanz, for better and for worse. It leaned into the theme of Expanding with it's plethora of new mechanics and the abundance of Blaseball shenanigans (Sutton Bishop's Necromancy, Player Redactions, The Library, and the Replicas to name a few), but fans could now see there's too much going on to hold onto team spirit. When I was a Talkers rep, I remember witnessing team squabbles over Wills, and felt that the community was larger and more fractured than ever. And yet, there was always a through-line of hope and yearning for freedom within this era, one of the most Human(z) experiences one could ever encounter in a game like Blaseball.

The overall highlight song of this era is definitively "Hallelujah Money"; it's haunting melody and sombre lyrics heralding the pitfalls of late-stage capitalism, tinged with this era's overwhelming presence of The Boss, the warnings of history being repeated through the Reader and Lootcrates, and how this particular vision of Blaseball saw more hunger for coins through AYCE and the snacks bar.

I could go into how each song in Humanz fits each season, but that genuinely would take up all my brain-power, so if anyone's curious, send an ask over to get those details.

I WILL SAY HOWEVER THAT THE TALKERS WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 100% CLOWN RATE??? "CARNIVAL", AND I WILL NOT ELABORATE.

LATE EXPANSION ERA = THE NOW NOW

Okay, you've read this far along so I gotta confess something here; I initially chose The Now Now to be for BETA Season 20, solely for the joke of how it was referred to as "Win(Win)". But upon relistening to the album, it actually suits Late Expansion Era better than I expected! The Now Now was introspective, cynical of what it has witnessed in the heights of fame yet it treasures what it has experienced. It rouses one to reflect on what has happened, what we can learn, and how to finally find one's self from the miasma of the past. Late Expansion Era of Blaseball had a certain drive to break out, to honour the previous arcs and usher in a new era that would hopefully bring forth stability. Much like how in Gorillaz lore during this album, where the rest of the band and 2-D especially finally explore what it's like to breathe without Murdoch, the League opens up to the concept of ridding the Expansions and hold onto the core of Blaseball; just teams playing blall.

The overarching highlight song is "Humility", but highlight songs for specific events include: "Idaho" for when Jesús finally set off on his journey with the Fifth Base, "Tranz" for just... all of the painful revelations about Parker McMillains' connections to Pre-History and to the game as a whole, "Sorcererz" is for the leadup and subsequent Semi-Centennial game, "One Percent" fitting Parker standing up for himself and the League and addressing the multiple planes of existence to rally against the Boss, the death of the Boss is "Fireflies", and rounding out the era with Blaseball being swallowed up in the BlackHole(BlackHole) is "Souk Eye". A solid ending track for a solid conclusion to Blaseball! We will always think of it... but who is to say Blaseball has truly ended?

SHORT CIRCUITS = SONG MACHINE (STRANGE TIMEZ)

Song Machine Season One (Strange Timez) is a weird album for me; not for it's lack of charm, oh no it had Plenty. It's weird because honestly I see it more like a side-project that the Gorillaz band had done just for funsies rather than a studio album, despite it being classified as such. Most of the tracks had a music video accompanying it, feeding us lore on what the band's been up to post-Humanz; truly it was like bringing back the old-school Gorillaz without being old hat. Short Circuits fits that weird niche of bringing back old Blaseball in terms of speed and shenanigans, but with a MUCH faster pace. I'm still not sure how I feel about Short Circuits, much like my feelings for Strange Timez.

I genuinely can't really pick a highlight song for this era, but I highly recommend giving the album a listen! For what it's worth, my favourite track in the album is "Désolé", it just hits different to me.

CORONATION ERA = CRACKER ISLAND

I think I speak for a fair number of Blaseball fans that we were Not expecting it to come back after Expansion Era. I mean, it was a solid ending! Sure there's a bunch of open questions left behind, especially after the Short Circuits, but it was still a good place to end! It's been months since the last update! Where could we even go from here? But there was still whispers in the street; why let go of something that was so good? Why let go of such a powerful phenomena that has a passionate fan-base? *You could make a religion out of this*

Okay, silly monologue aside, Blaseball really did take the internet by storm during the pandemic; so many people from the most unlikely corners of the globe found this silly website through either word of mouth or through sheer boredom, took a chance on it, joined the Main Discord, and then proceeded to be immersed in a community so large and talented that it spawned art challenges, whole-ass bands with albums (I still miss you Temperate Sea Monkeys), collaborative zines, a volunteer-run unofficial merch store that (BB)Cared, podcasts, countless fics and fanart in countless mediums and even made it to national news in Canada! There was so much potential to run towards, but that doesn't mean it was without it's drawbacks and criticisms, which for the purposes of this post I don't wanna get into. Coronation Era was poised to fill in the massive shoes that Expansion Era and Disciple Era left behind... and we will never know how would it fill it, as the era was cut short as it was no longer sustainable to continue.

So why would Cracker Island fit this era? The album was a rousing success! Besides, it had a critical view on social media, and that's not what Coronation Era could focus on! It fits because well... it fits in Blaseball's tenuous grasp on its audience, and it's desperation for funding in order to go all out in its marketing. Unlike previous albums that had plenty of funds to really push the idea of the Gorillaz being a "real" band despite being cartoon characters through it's blending of projections in live tours in Demon Days and through interactive websites like Plastic Beach and even an AR app for Humanz (to name a few)… Cracker Island just had a few short videos and 3 main music videos. I may sound a bit ungrateful here, but in contrast to previous albums' bombastic marketing and ease of accessibility to their characters' stories, this album had very little to go off of.

You'd have to have been an ardent die-hard Gorillaz connoisseur to keep up, and ngl I wasn't able to. I was moving on with life, listening to other music. Much like how I was slowly drifting away from Blaseball through the long hiatuses, barely acknowledging the updates while I hung out with the friends I made with the Talkers and reconnected with irl friends old and new. So when the album released and when the Coronation Era began, naturally I rushed to welcome it, but by then I have changed. I held them differently the way I had a mere few years ago. Maybe it's a sign of growing up and changing with the times. Maybe it was the long hours of trying to keep up finally catching up. I'm not sure what it was... but it felt like an overdue farewell. A gentle nudge reassuring that the future is still there to embrace, and that the people you've met and have been inspired by will still be there, even if the thing that brought you all together isn't there anymore. The band will keep playing. It's okay to let go.

Highlight songs are: "The Tired Influencer" for it's emotional lyrics that really fits the long waits and slow cold realization that Blaseball may not come back inbetween seasons and stubbornly hoping that it's not true despite the UI issues and website crashes; and "Baby Queen", for how much of an impact Blaseball had on me and on so many other Fans over the years. How it helped us grow as creatives and as people. We are all love Blaseball... and I think some corner of our hearts will still love Blaseball for years to come.

[girlhugger]

i know this won’t happen in the powerpuff reboot bc I doubt any of those writers actually give a hoot and half about powerpuff lore enough to learn it but I think it would be absolutely hilarious if in one episode they were up against the gangreen gang again and they were like “where the hell is ace?????” and arturo has to explain he’s still not back from touring with the Gorillaz

This idea can be made even better by having murdoc in ace’s place as the temporary new leader of the gangreen gang

[thatswherey0urwr0ng]

Get To Know Me: Favourite Bands [5/5]

Gorillaz

Gorillaz are a British virtual rock band created by Damon Albarn (Also the lead singer of Blur) and Jamie Hewlett in 1998.

The band consists of 4 animated members:

2-D - Lead vocals, keyboard and melodica

Murdoc Niccals - Bass guitar

Noodle - Guitar, occasionly vocals and keyboard

Russel Hobbs - Drums and percussion 

Gorillaz have released 5 studio albums to date:

Gorrilaz (2001)

Demon Days (2005)

Plastic Beach (2010)

The Fall (2011)

Humanz (2017)

The Now Now (2018)

They are most famous for the songs Feel Good Inc, Clint Eastwood and Dare.

My Favourite Gorillaz songs:

On Melancholy Hill (Plastic Beach)

19-2000 - Soulchild Remix (Gorillaz)

Superfast Jellyfish (Plastic Beach)

5/4 (Gorillaz)

Rhinestone Eyes (Plastic Beach)

Favourite Album:

Demon Days

[unownzone]

Soul Eater OC Tip #2: Use a punny name

Using a punny name will make an OC fit well into the Soul Eater universe because there are hardly any characters in Soul Eater who don’t have a punny name. A punny name does not mean it is limited to including puns or wordplay. The names of Soul Eater characters will often have a name that references to Greek mythology, weaponry, animals, monsters, music artists, or even famous criminals.

The following is a list of canon characters and their name origins.

Maka Albarn

“Maka” is a wordplay of the Japanese word, kama, which means scythe. It is popularly known that Albarn is a reference to Damon Albarn, the creators of Gorillaz, an English virtual band formed in 1998. This is the most popular guess due to the creator of Soul Eater, Atsushi Ohkubu, being well known to be a big fan of pop music.

Black Star

The name may be a reference to the color and shape of a shuriken, a throwing weapon popularly associated with ninjas. It may also be a reference to the Radiohead song, Black Star. The lyrics to the song also mention a “falling sky,” while Black Star makes the pun about a falling star in his debut episode.

Death the Kid

Other than the fact that is the “son” of Lord Death, a Grim Reaper, or death god, Death the Kid’s name references the famous outlaw, Billy the Kid(1859-1881). Billy the Kid was active in the American Old West. He killed eight people before being shot and killed when he was 21. Death the Kid’s name referring to an infamous figure of the Old West may also be connected with his double pistol slinging. Many Western films depicted cowboys or criminals wielding two guns for dramatic effect.

Liz and Patty Thompson

Thompson is a reference to the Thompson Submachine Gun M1921, or more popularly known as the “Tommy Gun.”

Franken Stein

The name is a reference to the 1818 novel written by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. The book depicts a scientist named Victor Frankenstein who discovers the secret of life and creates his own creature, or Frankenstein’s monster. On one hand, Stein’s occupation as a scientist and his ability to make Sid into a zombie is a reference to Frankenstein. On the other hand, Stein’s appearance with the screw in his head and stitches on his skin reference to Frankenstein’s monster.

Medusa Gorgon

In Greek mythology, Medusa is one of the three Gorgons, often described as winged women with snakes for hair. Out of the three Gorgon sisters in Soul Eater, Medusa is the most faithful to the Gorgon reference because of her snake theme. Arachne is a reference to the story in Greek mythology about a weaver who was turned into a hideous creature we now call spiders. Shaula is the Arabic name of the second brightest object in the constellation Scorpius.

Ox Ford

The name is a reference to Oxford University in England.

Harvar D. Éclair

The name comes from Harvard University in the United States. The last name, Éclair, comes from the French word for lightning.

Jacqueline O’Lantern Dupré

The name is a reference to Jack-O-Lanterns, as Jacqueline’s weapon form is a lantern with holes in the shape of a scary face. Jacqueline du Pré(1945-1987) was a British cellist.

As seen from the examples above, many Soul Eater characters have punny names with references to various popular figures and objects. Keeping these examples in mind will be useful when naming a Soul Eater OC!

If the name origins of some characters were not discussed in the post, please share them!

[charlottecolas]

Feel Good Industry

I want to say a few words about Gorillaz, and more precisely about their most successful song to this day – Feel Good Inc. I can’t get too much into everything, about the artists or the song, within the limits of this post, as I’m talking of a band which has been active for over 20 years, and that has had a lot to say and express through their music, partly, but not only. 

Gorillaz is a virtual band (tho one of its founder Damon Albarn didn’t like the term “band”) that was formed in 1998. Now, as you may know, if the musicians are very real, a significant part of their promotion is done through the 4 fictional members of the band (which you can see in their music videos). One of the many interesting things about Gorillaz, and an integral part of their identity as a group, is the universe they have created and in which their fictional characters evolve. They have for many years now topped the charts on multiple occasions and established themselves as a great band of the British pop music. Their music is hard to characterize, as they explore a great variety of styles, from pop to alternative rock, hip-hop, electronic, and more. Another thing to note is that as I mentioned earlier, Gorillaz have expressed themselves multiple times on different issues through their songs such as the environment or Trump’s election. 

Now when it comes to Feel Good Inc, I found myself interested in what they maybe had to say about the music industry. I say “maybe” because the song is very open to interpretation and has resulted in many different readings from the audience. Today I’d like to share a possible reading of this song (mainly based on the music video, as I found the lyrics more difficult to interpret) which concerns the music industry. Damon Albarn has expressed himself a little about the subject, criticizing notably the bands you saw on MTV in the late 90s, which got him to create Gorillaz. 

The ‘Feel Good Industry’ depicted in the video, this huge and long tower, could then be seen as representing the music industry, and its corporations which traps the artists and the audience inside. Then, when you step in, that’s when you see it. The unpassionate/soulless artists trapped in their own music who play for a passive audience that doesn’t pay attention, the dream (you see out of the window) to make authentic music. Following this interpretation then, this song along with its music video, seems to criticize capitalist music industry, where artists must comply to the corporations’ rules to sell and make money. It becomes clearer in the rap part of the song by De La Soul (I’ll link the Genius to the song which explains the references well). Here we could see a representation of the dumbing down of audiences, that are given addicting ‘feel good’ songs, easy to listen to, and that are being controlled with such, which would align with Adorno’s vision. However it needs be said that the world depicted in the video is still fictional (which makes it hard to know how much relates to it and how much reflects reality).

The black helicopters at the end, could be seen as the music labels going after the musician’s dream of artistic freedom, something they would want to avoid because unprofitable to their industry. 

Of course, Gorillaz is part of this music industry, and their song was (ironically?) very successful, and I wonder how people read into the potential meanings when enjoying the song, and how these two are linked? It seems to me anyways that the group expresses a wish for artistic agency while being aware of the realistic commercial workings of the music industry.��

Again, this is just one of many readings. 

sources:

https://genius.com/Gorillaz-feel-good-inc-lyrics

Gorillaz - Wikipedia

Feel Good Inc. - Wikipedia

[ihatetaxes99]

The Skeptic Appreciation Post (Although He Is Kind Of A Dick)

Why am I dedicating a (rather long) post to a random background character in BNHA who contributes almost nothing and is honestly rather underused?

Because no one else will (and because it's fucking fun.)

That joke would work better if I could actually show the clip, but regardless, please gather round, for today I intend to take you on a journey that explores one of the most easily forgotten characters in the series. Hell, let's staple Vigilantes on and say he's the most easily forgotten character in the franchise? Pop Step and the rest of the idols? They're at least unforgettably annoying. Mustard? He scored pretty well in recent popularity polls for a character who hasn't appeared in 200 plus chapters. Muscular? He actually appeared again and at least has a cool prosthetic eye and relatively flashy Quirk. But Chikazuko? I almost never see anyone discussing him and in my humble opinion, the gangly fucker deserves some time in the spotlight. Especially considering he's technically the only remaining MLA executive and thus, will probably play some sort of important role soon.

Anyway, spoilers below, continue at your peril and enjoy the Skeptic Appreciation Post.

Tomoyasu Chikazuko. What is there to say about him? Well, as fate would have it, a decent amount. First of all, who is he? Well, from what he know of him, he's a man whom I would speculate to be in his late twenties to early thirties (he has that general hipster vibe) and serves as a key executive on the Meta Liberation Army, later becoming a Lieutenant in the Paranormal Liberation Front. As of now, we know nothing of his backstory or how he joined the Army. This can obviously open the doors to a lot of fun speculation about his character, but I'll hold off on completely baseless theories for now. We also know that he serves as a board member of Feel Good Inc., a presumably rather powerful tech firm. I think it's worth noting that he is only a member of the board of directors, as opposed to say, being the company president, meaning he is not someone who would have the final say when it comes to important decisions. Right away, this opens up some interesting implications that I shall get into later on in the post.

Chikazuko is a man of extreme intellect as well as a short temper, as we see when he harasses Giran. At first, his role in the story is to act as the MLA's main source of information, using his satellites to track the League as well as being the one to recover Giran's client list (the anime has potentially retconned this fact in the first episode of MVA, or at least removed the confirmation that he was the one who recovered it, but I'm going by the manga here, since it's what I know more and frankly, it's better.) Essentially, it's made quite clear that the Army would not be in such a powerful position over the League at the start of MVA without him. We can also see that he's a grand puppet master, controlling an army of goons that follow his exact word. His mannerisms are exaggerated, more like a cartoon character than perhaps anyone else in the series, and he seems to, much like Compress, have a flair for what he does, albeit a more sadistic one.

Now, with the basic information out of the way, it's time to address the elephant in the room:

Yes, Skeptic is undoubtedly a massive walking Gorillaz reference. Specifically referencing Demon Days, judging from the company name and his general design, looking like a cross between Murdoc and Demon Days era Noodle. Now, this is something that I absolutely adore. Gorillaz is personally my favourite band and as someone who wasn't spoiled on the events of MVA before reading it, I would be embarrassed to admit the squeal I made when I first came to that splash page introducing the members, with the Feel Good Inc. building in the background. However, I personally believe that the callbacks to a British virtual band that hasn't been particularly relevant in ten years are not just because Horikoshi likes the band, although I'm sure that plays into it. I'm not a huge Star Wars person, but I can tell that some of the references in BNHA use the context of the references to enhance the story through the context, and I think it is a similar story with Gorillaz.

So, what is Demon Days, to the less informed who may be reading this? Well, simply put, it's the second album by the band Gorillaz and notably their most popular one to date, really being the only album by the band to break into the mainstream consciousness, at least over here where I live. Chances are, most people reading this have probably heard Feel Good Inc. or Clint Eastwood or DARE on the radio before, even without realising it. But what is Demon Days about? Well, essentially, as an album, it focuses on the theme of societal decay. It explores the idea of increasing moral degeneracy around the early to mid 2000s, with songs covering war, the entertainment industry, drug abuse, the growing desensitisation to violence and apathy in general. Now, how would this tie back to our poorly-groomed friend? Well, I do think that if you pay attention, you can pick up on how Skeptic, to an extent, represents some of the main themes of the album.

For an example, I would like to introduce the song O Green World, one of the first in Demon Days. The song, at least to me, embodies a message of complete societal collapse, with 2D being stuck in a world where only the tortured squawks of crows feasting on the earth can be heard. Overall, in a less literal sense, I perceive the song to be about nihilism, about a person who has become disenfranchised with the world and sees it as no more than a rotting husk, with no one left to care, only crows that feed the disgusting nature of what is left of the world. And yes, I do believe that Tomoyasu at points represents this edgy bullshit. His infamous rant to Giran after lamenting on Curious' demise seems to show a certain level of disgust for most people. Anyone who isn't Destro is filth to him and since Destro's death, which he notably laments as being tragic, things haven't been the same.

But anyway, this is a bit of a stretch as it is, honestly just my own speculation, and I can't sit here writing about an old British band forever, so I think it's time to move onto something more concrete.

An interesting point when it comes to Chikazuko is that it appears he doesn't have much respect for anyone, as I said before. However, this seems to extend beyond his enemies and underlings, as it is implied that he doesn't even hold respect for his leader, Re-Destro.

Look at these panels here. First of all, he has his phone out at the dinner table, which for me at least, has always been one of those things you just don't do. When you're eating a meal, assuming you're a typical polite person, the idea is that you focus on the food and making conversation. This goes double for a meeting with your boss and co-workers. But Tomoyasu has no trouble bringing it up to either play a few rounds of Angry Birds or check with his contacts. It's an interesting display that seems to show an inherent lack of respect for his leader, an idea helped by the crumbs of food still around his mouth, implying a level of sloppiness. And then, of course, there's what he says next. 

"Your word is as good as Destro's." Not "Your word is ultimate" or "I shall follow what you say", he insists on comparing Rikiya to his ancestor. Now, on one hand, this may make sense, as Re-Destro has literally named himself after the original, but it seems here like Skeptic respects Rikiya only for his blood and no other reason. 

And then of course, there's this:

Tomoyasu, as we have seen up until now, is extremely loyal towards the ideals of liberation and the Army. So, who the hell tells the leader of an organisation they respect to "think about what you're saying" and "amend that statement"? Even Rikiya himself seems shocked and it's completely unprofessional. I mean, if I went to school and told the principal to pick their words carefully, I would probably get suspended at the least. It shows a clear disrespect towards Rikiya as a person. Because he doesn't see Rikiya as a person, just the next Destro. Furthermore, just before this was when he was annkuncing Curious' death and, unlike Re-Destro who sheds tears, he shows no emotion. It's all clinical to him. A close ally died. Whatever. It happens. No, he's far more annoyed about Giran's half-delirious state. That's a man who has his priorities in order.

And this can be seen even further at the end of the arc when he comes to collect the League to go to the meeting:

It's clear from this that he holds a lot of resentment towards the League still and does not consider them his equals. While Hanabata is more reasonable and willing to respect Rikiya's decision, Chikazuko is not. We even see this later on during the war where his immediate reaction to the hero raid is to blame Bubaigawara. Because it can't be a problem with him or the Army. No, it has to be the League of Villains. They must be responsible for this mess. He would much rather blame them than himself or the Army. It makes you wonder how he would react if the original Destro had appointed Shigaraki as the new Grand Commander. Would he be more accepting? Perhaps.

So, this is an interesting development for his character. We can see here that although he holds dear the ideas of liberation, he doesn't seem particularly open towards anyone he comes into contact with, including the man who is making his dream a reality. I'm curious to see what will happen now that Re-Destro has been arrested. Will he perhaps denounce Rikiya as a fraud, as someone undeserving of Destro's legacy? His allegiance does seem very shaky at best. But I suppose time will tell.

Now, what about his name? Specifically his codename. Well, Skeptic is one of the easier members of the MLA to understand the meaning behind their codename, alongside Curious. Obviously, his name refers to the emotion of skepticism. Someone who's always doubting, always refusing to accept things at face value. Now, doesn't that sound familiar? Indeed, many of the things we have already discussed could be connected to his namesake. His unwillingness to accept the League, his disrespect towards his commander, his inability to accept that he may hold some blame in Hawks' betrayal and that it was someone else's fault, he certainly seems like a very skeptical person.

But then, what about the scene? You know the one. Arguably Skeptic's big defining moment and, if my belief is correct, the reason why he hasn't been written out of the series yet.

Yes, his grand failure. The one time that he has failed in his life. Just what is it, exactly? Well, we know that this failure is likely not something Rikiya is aware of, judging from how Tomoyasu speaks to him about it. It was also possibly something big, considering how he reacts at the memory. Is this failure the cause of many of his less savoury traits? Perhaps he lost a loved one. Cliché, but a possibility. Or maybe something that compromised his position within Feel Good or an unknown company that he may have worked for in the past. We just don't know what this failure is, unfortunately, but I do think that from how it's showcased, it is something that will likely be answered soon. After all, why else would he still be around when inarguably more important villains like Re-Destro and Compress are now gone from the spotlight? Although, I will say, I hope he didn't do something that got him rejected as a hero. Between Gentle, Dabi and Tenko, I think the idea of potential heroes who fell from the mark has been explored enough in the series. I'd prefer something different. 

Now, earlier I also mentioned that he is stated to merely be a member of the board for FGI and not the main head honcho. Now, although this isn't necessarily tied to him specifically, it does make me wonder if all of the company is corrupt. We know that he was able to use their satellites without much issue, so is the whole board in bed with the MLA? If so, what potential did Skeptic show that led to him becoming the only executive? Do they have something to do with his one failure? How have they reacted to Tomoyasu's exposure? Hell, for that matter, what about Detnerat? We know that Hearts and Minds dissolved less than 24 hours after Hanabata's arrest (which is bullshit, by the way), but I'd be interested to hear what happened to these other companies that had high-ranking members involved with the Army.

But regardless, what more is there to say? Well, there seems to be a lot of parts to Tomoyasu Chikazuko's personality. He's nihilistic, he's narcissistic, he's loyal not to people but to causes and he has a clear anger issue that I doubt we've seen the full brunt of yet. What a charmer, am I right? In all seriousness, when I first read MVA, Skeptic was the second least interesting MLA member just above Geten. However, upon re-reads, I've come to discover there's a lot more to him than I and perhaps a lot of people give him credit for. I'd say after all of this, I actually now like him more than Curious, probably on the same level as Hanabata. But, unlike all of those, Skeptic has a chance. A chance to reach his full potential that so many of the Liberation executives missed out on. He's not licked yet. Thanks to Sako, he's still out there, and I highly doubt he was only rescued so that not all of the MLA were captured. I do think there was a reason he's still with us, Horkoshi has a habit of planning things quite far in advance (see both Chikara Yotsubashi and Oji Harima.) So, I do believe we'll see more of him in a major role soon. And I hope that if we do, then he gets the appreciation that he deserves.

Well, this was a bit of a ramble. My apologies for being a bit all over the place, I've never done a long form discussion of a character before and a lot of it was rambling about things that I find neat. Maybe I'll try this again another time, hopefully in a refined manner. Either way, thank you for reading and have a good day.