#Metal master 98

[mod-a-day]

Philippe Meisburger (TNK) of of Realtech VR "Metal master 98" (unused) Heroes Enjoy Riding Over Empty Slabs (1998, 2002) Olympus, Realtech VR

[generic-sonic-fan]

Happy pride! Here's some headcanons.

In-depth explanations beneath the cut (please keep in mind that these are personal and that I actually don't really stand by any that strongly! This is just for fun.)

Sonic: okay do I really need to explain this one?

Knuckles: What can I say, his gender contains multitudes. He's definitely a member of the "I don't care" camp for both gender and sexuality. He is what he is, loves who he loves, and doesn't give two rips about what other people might say. I like to imagine he plays around with both genders of clothing from echidna culture.

Amy: oh Amy, my sweet summer child. It's so autistic and queer of you to relentlessly declare your love for someone of the opposite sex because it's what is expected of you. I did the same in third grade before I realized that the other girls meant what they were saying about their target boy. Heteronormativity is a bitch, get well soon <3

Rouge: I think she fucked around with being she/they for a while before settling back on she/her. And bi icon, of course.

Blaze: okay do I really need to explain this one?

Silver: That is one nonbinary hedgehog if I ever saw one! He's a he/him by convenience alone. He hasn't had the chance to explore his sexuality yet unfortunately.

Big: He's good with he/him and that's all he cares about. Not a super strong connection to his assigned gender at birth but he likes being a boy well enough. As for his sexuality, he never figured out what everyone was going on about when it came to sex, and only recently figured out it was because he was literally missing that 'sexual attraction' thing.

Shadow: is nonbinary as fuck and has no idea. Honey, seeing masculinity as a burden you have to bear is not normal!!! He's also demi-ace. It takes a very close relationship with someone to even consider sexual attraction.

Cream: happy being a girl! Hasn't really thought about crushing on anyone yet.

Tails: Internalized homophobia + transphobia from being bullied go brrrrrr. Besides, Sonic doesn't spend much time thinking about these things, so why should he? (Tails. Tails listen to me. Sonic's aro and knew he was trans at an unusually young age. he's a statistical outlier with how early he figured it out PLEASE consider that and don't base your self-discovery journey on him. . .)

Metal: You all know my headcanons for this one. Metal was assigned male by Eggman from its earliest iterations and gender dysphoria is literally 98% of all of its problems. Please get this robot some estrogen. As for sexuality, full romantic attraction is definitely on the table but jesus christ this robot needs to do some work on itself before that. Please read Complex Inquiries if you want me to elaborate that's like my master's thesis on this subject

Vector: Gave his gender a really good thinking before shrugging and sticking with his assigned gender at birth. Also pan as hell, definitely dated some femboys in high school I think.

Espio: Currently in the process of speculating if he's nonbinary. Keeps very quiet about it though. But he knows he likes dudes, so there's that.

Charmy: He's bit-sexual. Whatever he needs to be for the punchline of the joke to land, frankly.

Omega: For narrative parallel reasons to Metal Sonic, I love to headcanon that Omega wasn't programmed with a gender, but then discovered that masculinity is traditionally associated with aggression and violence and went ham. Doesn't mind getting she/her'd, doesn't exactly like they/them, but it/its is of the highest offense. He will kill you for that. As for his sexuality, (I know he's a robot but PLEASE hear me out) he's demi-aro! He'd have no idea that any sort of feelings on his part are happening until it was too late. He'd hate himself for it and promptly bury said feelings beneath so many layers.

[randomvarious]

1990s Drum n Bass Playlist

Back to the Sunday night electronic playlist-posting mines for the next good while. This week I've got a little update to my 90s drum n bass playlist, with something that's very dark and something that's much, much lighter.

The dark one comes courtesy of a guy from the UK called Ambush, whose career only consisted of a couple 12-inches and an album between '96 and '98, and is not to be confused with *The Ambush,* which is an alias of German electronic music legend Oliver Lieb. Ambush made his debut with a 12-inch called Gain on Possible Records, a dark dnb label that was founded by Mick Harris, who was the former drummer in famed death metal band Napalm Death.

Taking up the A-side on Gain is a tune called "Tracking," which would later find its way onto a Possible double-disc comp called Sonics Everywhere in 1997. "Tracking" is this steadily burrowing piece of filthy subterranean grime, with this constant no-give snare hitting on every other beat while a simply demonic, distorted sub-bassline rumbles mercilessly beneath it 😈; potential theme music for the single-most evil entity in the universe. Only has ~1,100 plays on Spotify.

And for the yang to "Tracking"'s Yin, we have something pretty dang unique. UK future jazz-funk band RSL are not known for making drum n bass, but it appears that, three years prior to their debut release, they first appeared on a South African compilation in 1998 called ReRooted: Beatz From Da Ground Up, with "Elungelo." This is a song that appears to be sampling soulful traditional African folk vocals and then pairs them with beats—first, a nice and chill-grooved, bare-bones trip hop one, and then a sudden shift to dnb. And to be honest, I kinda dig the trip-hoppy portions more on this one, but if something has a considerable amount of drum n bass on it, then it automatically gets categorized as a dnb tune; those are just the rules. Around 9,100 plays.

Ambush - "Tracking" RSL - "Elungelo"

And for the YouTube version of this update, I was able to add those two songs to it too, but I also added another one that can't be found on Spotify as well. And this is another dark one, from a master of those dark dnb arts himself, Technical Itch. In '98, this Birmingham, UK native applied his craft with a remix of Manchester, UK act Perfect Combination's "Remember." Scratchy and blown-out snares, wormy bass squelching, and an occasional eerie synth to remind you where you are, which is a place that you really need to escape from, pronto 😰. This remix has appeared on a double-12-inch called Partisan Volume One, one of the first releases in the catalog of Partisan, an ultimately short-lived label that was launched after a group of staffers acrimoniously split from dnb juggernaut Moving Shadow. Song has a little over 4,800 plays on YouTube across a few different uploads.

Perfect Combination - "Remember (Technical Itch Remix)"

And this playlist is on YouTube Music too.

So this update now brings us to 13 songs that total 84 minutes on Spotify, but over on YouTube, we're now at 30 songs that total 191 minutes! There's just so much more great, obscure 90s dnb in that YouTube one, including a handful of cuts from a compilation that's not even listed on Discogs called Now What Kind of Music Do You Call That?

And if you want something shorter, I've also got a couple dnb playlists that are specific to a certain year from the 1990s:

1997 Drum n Bass: YouTube / YouTube Music 1998 Drum n Bass: YouTube / YouTube Music

Next week, some breakbeat!

Enjoy!

More to come, eventually. Stay tuned!

Like what you hear? Follow me on Spotify and YouTube for more cool playlists and uploads!

[filohazard]

so curious about trans girl Vash in your Interstitial game - this is your excuse to gush about whatever batshit nonsense has happened in-game

@lotsadeer probably has the better memory but:

We're introduced to Trans Girl!Vash the Stampede; this is post-98 canon Vash who, post dropping off her brother someplace safe, had her gender fall out. It happens.

Vash plays the Friend playbook; she's here to support people and kind of bathe in the glow of their lives a little. While The Stampede isn't a title she relishes, she dons it from time to time to intimidate people, and her gunwoman skills are still incredibly sharp.

She was part of a heisting crew along with Falco CyberpunkEdgerunners, Sho Minamimoto and Chimmy. It was very Fast & Furious; everyone brought their own vehicles, with Vash bringing Angelina, a motorcycle that belonged to someone very important to her, once.

The crew's mission was to rob the entire US military defence budget in one fell swoop as it was transferred to the treasury, Or Something.

I'm not going to blow-by-blow the entire campaign, but:

Things rapidly went sideways when Vash had to avoid Milly, who was now a tour guide at the White House, by accidentally smashing a toilet and flooding a bathroom

Luckily, she was able to use her feminine wiles to peacefully rob Sundowner Metalgearrisingrevengeance, the Minister of Defence. He was kind of a creep. Thus began an intense rivalry with That Asshole and the whole party

There were lots of opportunities for Vash to a) show off her cool gunwoman skills and b) be extremely gay, at one point falling for a random Helldiver who was part of the presidential bodyguard (alongside Master Chief, natch), Helena Diver

Highlight of the campaign for me was Vash explaining, entering full bishounen mode, to Master Chief that they were both the same. Soldiers of fortune, cast adrift on the winds of Humanity's wars... and Master Chief joined the party, sufficiently motivated by her words

Escaping the Capital, we were to use Air Force One, but Sundowner showed up again on a frickin' Metal Gear Rex on heelies. Luckily, Vash was able to ineptly fail to kill him (trying to show off by shooting him while standing on the grappling rope he was using to keep pace with Air Force One), having left Chief to ride Angelina

Within the last ten minutes of the campaign, I decided the twist was ol' Joe Biden had planned the whole thing to fund his stepping down from the presidency, anonymously of course.

and then we did the scene at the end of Fast & Furious with the chap who passed away and them all going off in different directions. With Vash, Chief, and Sho who she had somehow won the heart of, continuing as soldiers on the wind.

[weather-phenomenon]

new bucket list attempt everything on this list at least once

Master list of creative hobbies

Art creative hobbies

1. Botanical illustration

2. Architectural drawing

3. Urban sketching

4. Comic and manga illustration

5. Children’s book illustration

6. Digital art and design

7. Figure drawing

8. Fashion illustration

9. Mapmaking

10. Doodling and zentangle

11. Sticker making

12. Coloring books (for adults)

13. Paint by numbers

14. Diamond painting

DIY creative hobbies and crafts

15. Soap making

16. Resin molding

17. Button making

18. Candle making

19. Basket weaving

20. Terrazzo

21. Sand art bottles

22. String art

23. Perler beads

24. Seed beading

25. Wreath making

Industrial creative hobbies

26. Woodworking

27. Woodturning

28. Wood burning (pyrography)

29. Glass blowing

30. Glass etching

31. Stained glass art

32. Concrete molds

33. Jewelry making

34. Leather working

35. Metalworking and welding

36. Metal embossing

37. Mosaics

Sculpting and carving hobbies

38. Sculpting

39. Ice sculpting

40. Wood carving

41. Pottery

42. Soap carving

43. Sand sculptures and sandcastle building

Printmaking creative hobbies

44. Linocut printmaking

45. Woodcut printmaking

46. Screen printing

47. Rubber stamping

Needlecraft creative hobbies

48. Sewing

49. Cosplay

50. Embroidery

51. Cross-stitching

52. Crewel

53. Needle felting

54. Quilting

55. Crochet

56. Amigurumi

57. Knitting

58. Arm knitting

59. Needlepoint

Fiber arts hobbies

60. Visible mending

61. Macrame

62. Weaving

63. Rug tufting

64. Punch needle

65. Latch hook

66. Lace making

67. Dreamcatchers

Miniature creative hobbies

68. Model building

69. Painting miniatures

70. Dollhouses

71. Fairy gardens

72. Bonkei

73. Diorama making

74. Putz houses and nativity scenes

75. Lego MOC

Stationery and lettering hobbies

76. Calligraphy

77. Hand lettering

78. Art journaling

79. Bullet journaling

80. Card making

81. Scrapbooking

Papercraft creative hobbies

82. Origami

83. Papercraft modeling

84. Paper quilling

85. Collage art

86. Paper making

87. Bookbinding

88. Pop-up making

89. Paper mache

Digital creative hobbies

90. 3D printing

91. Stop motion animation

92. Graphic design

93. Photo manipulation

94. Game development

95. Raspberry Pi

Plant-related creative hobbies

96. Bonsai

97. Tree shaping (Pooktre)

98. Terrariums

99. Aquascaping

100. Flower pressing

101. Flower arranging

102. Topiary gardening

103. Seed art

104. Rock gardening

Other creative hobbies and crafts

105. Puzzles

106. Sudoku

107. Crossword puzzles

108. Writing

109. Learning a foreign language

110. Cooking

111. Music

112. Photography

113. Dancing

114. Sports

115. Improv

116. Nail art

117. Baking

118. Magic

119. Tarot cards

120. Card stacking

121. Collecting

[sleepisapriviligethatidonthave]

Around March I got the urge to watch G1, so I opened Youtube and started the episodes in the order in which they were listed on the official Hasbro channel.

Turns out that is not a good idea.

I figured it out around the middle of season 1 and went searching on the internet to find if someone had any idea why is that.

After a while I found a forum of people talking about how they made their own order of the episodes. After a bit of scrolling I found God.

pitt55 shared his entire reconfiguration of all the 98 episodes on the forum. You'll find his reply if you scroll down just a bit.

I used his guide and didn't have a single problem from then on, and I did make a copy of it and pasted it in my notes for easier access so I'm putting it here for anyone who wants to watch G1 and is/was as confused as me.

Season 1

[01] - More Than Meets The Eye - Part 1

[02] - More Than Meets The Eye - Part 2

[03] - More Than Meets The Eye - Part 3

[04] - Transport To Oblivion

[05] - Roll For It

[06] - Divide And Conquer

[07] - Fire In The Sky

[08] - Fire On The Mountain

[09] - SOS Dinobots

[10] - War Of The Dinobots

[11] - The Ultimate Doom - Part 1 [Brainwash]

[12] - The Ultimate Doom - Part 2 [Search]

[13] - The Ultimate Doom - Part 3 [Revival]

[14] - Countdown To Extinction

[15] - A Plague Of Insecticons

[16] - Heavy Metal War

Season 2

[01] - Autobot Spike

[02] - Changing Gears

[03] - City Of Steel

[04] - Attack Of The Autobots

[05] - Traitor

[06] - The Immobilizer

[07] - The Autobot Run

[08] - Atlantis, Arise!

[09] - Day Of The Machines

[10] - Enter The Nightbird

[11] - A Prime Problem

[12] - The Core

[13] - The Insecticon Syndrome

[14] - Dinobot Island - Part 1

[15] - Dinobot Island - Part 2

[16] - The Master Builder

[17] - Auto Berserk

[18] - Microbots

[19] - Megatron's Master Plan - Part 1

[20] - Megatron's Master Plan - Part 2

[21] - Desertion Of The Dinobots - Part 1

[22] - Desertion Of The Dinobots - Part 2

[23] - Blaster Blues

[24] - A Decepticon Raider In King Arthur's Court

[25] - The Golden Lagoon

[26] - The God Gambit

[27] - Make Tracks

[28] - Child's Play

[29]- The Gambler

[30] - Quest For Survival

[31] - The Secret Of Omega Supreme

[32] - Kremzeek!

[33] - Sea Change

[34] - Triple Takeover

[35] - Prime Target

[36] - Auto-Bop

[37] - The Search For Alpha Trion

[38] - The Girl Who Loved Powerglide

[39] - Hoist Goes Hollywood

[40] - The Key To Vector Sigma - Part 1

[41]- The Key To Vector Sigma - Part 2

[42] - War Dawn

[43] - Trans-Europe Express

[44] - Cosmic Rust

[45] - Starscream's Brigade

[46] - The Revenge Of Bruticus

[47] - Aerial Assault

[48] - Masquerade

[49] - Β.Ο.Τ.

[00] - The Transformers: The Movie

Season 3

[01] - Five Faces Of Darkness - Part 1

[02] - Five Faces Of Darkness - Part 2

[03] - Five Faces Of Darkness - Part 3

[04] - Five Faces Of Darkness - Part 4

[05] - Five Faces Of Darkness - Part 5

[06] - The Killing Jar

[07] - Chaos

[08] - Dark Awakening

[09] - Forever Is A Long Time Coming

[10]- Fight Or Flee

[11]- Thief In The Night

[12] - Starscream's Ghost

[13] - Surprise Party

[14] - Madman's Paradise

[15] - Nightmare Planet

[16] - Ghost In The Machine

[17] - Webworld

[18] - Carnage In C-Minor

[19] - The Quintesson Journal

[20] - The Ultimate Weapon

[21] - The Big Broadcast Of 2006

[22] - The Dweller In The Depths

[23] - Only Human

[24] - Grimlock's New Brain

[25] - Money Is Everything

[26] - Call Of The Primitives

[27] - The Face Of Nijika

[28] - The Burden Hardest To Bear

[29] - The Return Of Optimus Prime - Part 1

[30] - The Return Of Optimus Prime - Part 2

Season 4

[01] - The Rebirth - Part 1

[02] - The Rebirth - Part 2

[03] - The Rebirth - Part 3

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

🎵 Disco Elysium, Pt. 2

FELD LADDER - The rusty ladder leads to the rooftop.

3. [Savoir Faire - Challenging 12] Teleport to the roof.

+2 Saw Tiago climbing. +1 Remote Viewer bonus!

SAVOIR FAIRE [Challenging: Success] - All you need to do is close your eyes and concentrate. Darkness *enfolds* you. You can *feel* the distance between the bench and the first rung of the ladder. All you need to is...

Do it.

SAVOIR FAIRE - *ZOOT*! *ZAP*! *POW*! *CRINKLE*! It's like magic, you feel yourself disappear, your atoms fading out of existence...

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Oh my god! I can't believe it!"

SAVOIR FAIRE - *BAM*! You find yourself on the roof... having mastered the art of physical displacement.

"I did it, Kim! I teleported!"

Don't gloat. Just stand there like a Samaran master.

KIM KITSURAGI - "I just *saw* you climb the ladder," the lieutenant shouts from below. "You just climbed it, like a regular person."

PERCEPTION (HEARING) [Easy: Success] - The wind at the top of the building starts howling loudly, blowing away the lieutenant's voice... faintly you hear...

KIM KITSURAGI - "Never mind... find a way to let me in when you get inside! Don't go adventuring without backup, especially if we think the suspect may be hiding here."

The central support beam has been destroyed by artillery fire.

POSTCARD "MARTINAISE '98"

A faded picture postcard from the end of the last century shows Martinaise as was before the Revolution. It's the height of summer, Rue de Saint-Ghislaine is teeming with parasol-wielding bourgeoisie and Wild Pines flags buttress the walkway. Nothing is written on the back.

The glass is covered with grime and dust. You can barely see out.

Further down...

🎵 We Are Not Checkmated

You should take out your flashlight...

This collapse nearly sealed the basement. One can barely squeeze by.

Antiquated office furniture. Last century, maybe?

Brought down and forgotten, so long ago...

This overturned table is covered in orange mildew. Crawling with something...

Old file folders in the cart, documents silvery with mould.

A series of thick, dusty, panes of glass.

INTERISOLARY SUIT JACKET

+1 Suggestion: Dressed for the occassion

A muted brown suit jacket perfect for a day at the office or an evening at a cafe. The red rose at the bottom of the left breast pocket is slowly wilting.

Now we can *fully* dress like a Moralist official, I guess.

DOOR - Two rusty metal plates that slide apart form a crude door. It's been here under the boardwalk for a while.

"Who's there?"

Push the doors open.

Ignore the door. [Leave.]

KIM KITSURAGI - "What do you mean 'who's there'? It's me, Kim. Stop playing around and help me get this door open."

3. Ignore the door. [Leave.]

KIM KITSURAGI - "Officer? Are you okay in there?"

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - You really ought to open this door. It's dangerous to go ahead alone.

Ok, fine.

2. Push the doors open.

DOOR - The doors seem to be on rails, but they've gotten jammed. You grab a side and put some strength into prying it open. With the help of your partner the two metal panels slide open with a *creak*.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Huh, I hope no one *dangerous* heard that."

"You ready?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "Yes. Time to investigate these passages. Let's move quietly and not make more sound."

SAVOIR FAIRE [Medium: Success] - Not *running* is a great way to do that.

Ok. Welcome to the beginning of the endgame.

In the beam of the flashlight -- a crevice in the wall...

Stale fabric smell and dust. No one's slept here in months, maybe years.

These pots and plates are full of dust and spider-webs.

Revolutionary propaganda on the bunk bed: ancient flyers and brochures.

REVOLUTIONARY'S HAT

+1 to Mazovian Socio-Economics: Friendly neighbourhood communard

An *ushanka* with the mazovian logo -- a pair of deer antlers -- on its silvery-white front. Your ears feel cuddled and cared for by the state.

KRAS MAZOV PORTRAIT - A moustachioed and mutton-chopped man, amateurishly depicted, gazes at you with sad eyes. A plaque reads: "K. Mazov." There is a spider web in the lower left corner of the portrait.

Brush the dust off the portrait.

"Look, Kim! It's Comrade Mazov!"

[Leave.]

KRAS MAZOV PORTRAIT - Years' worth of dust is shaken off. The full head of hair, matched by an ample moustache and sideburns, look a bit silly.

SHIVERS [Medium: Success] - Someone crouches, heels digging into wet sand. Hands sweep across the sand, grains sticking to the frayed skin of the fingertips. An old man sits on a slab of concrete and taps his fingers against the glass of a scope... you shudder.

2. "Look, Kim! It's Comrade Mazov!"

+1 Communism

KIM KITSURAGI - "Yes, I can see that. Looks like some communists were hiding out here. They left a long time ago."

RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - The lieutenant does not seem to share your enthusiasm.

"A long time ago? How long?"

"What's with all these secret weapons caches and secret bunkers?"

"Maybe I should move in here. Seems cozy."

"Could it be connected to the Mazov bust we found in the student's room?"

"Could someone have stopped through here recently?" (Conclude.)

KIM KITSURAGI - "Half a century? This was probably part of the network of defence posts the communards built against the amphibious landing." He looks around.

"I think the purpose of this bunker was to produce propaganda. It would have had radio equipment back then, but that's all been looted."

2. "What's with all these secret weapons caches and secret bunkers?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "We have found a lot of those lately... I guess what most people think of as *history* tends to linger in run-down neighbourhoods. Martinaise being what it is, no one has gone through the trouble of cleaning out the old bunkers."

SAVOIR FAIRE [Medium: Success] - A good hiding place for someone who's up to no good.

3. "Maybe I should move in here. Seems cozy."

KIM KITSURAGI - "I won't stand in your way -- but only after we're through with this case."

4. "Could it be connected to the Mazov bust we found in the student's room?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "Millions of depictions of Mazov have been produced. They're not all connected -- besides, that looked like some student. The youths always go for this kind of stuff..."

5. "Could someone have stopped through here recently?" (Conclude.)

KIM KITSURAGI - "You mean, like Ruby? No. I think we've stumbled on a piece of history." He looks at the dust.

+5 XP

3. [Leave.]

The same slit window you saw from the outside.

VISUAL CALCULUS - Could this have been the killer's hideout, and this narrow window -- the point of origin of the shot that killed the mercenary?

HAND/EYE COORDINATION [Medium: Success] - This does look like an *embrasure*, a slit made for shooting out of.

Peek out.

VISUAL CALCULUS - Outside the window -- another day. The beach sand soaks up the drizzling rain, growing darker and darker.

(Turn to Kim.) "Could the killer have used this as a hideout?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "It's a great place to hide, and Mazovianism and murder are certainly not mutually exclusive. But there hasn't been anyone here in ages.""

2. "Kim, I can't see the Whirling-in-Rags… The shot didn't come from here." (Conclude.)

KIM KITSURAGI - "Indeed. No one could get a clear view. Well, at least we've been thorough. I like thorough."

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - The lieutenant's voice betrays a slight disappointment, which he glosses over by reasserting control.

Ok, we've now eliminated two of the possible locations the shot came from. A 5% likelihood that the shot came from the island remains.

KIM KITSURAGI - "In fact -- I think we're done with this bunker." He looks to the exit. "After you, officer."

Boot prints in the sand. One of the soles appears more worn than the other.

The Odd Sole!

...and I've hit image limit for this post. I think we'll keep going for a little longer, so I'll start a new one.

[artorojo]

Top 100 military movies of all time.

1. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

2. Apocalypse Now (1979)

3. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

4. Platoon (1986)

5. Black Hawk Down (2001)

6. Das Boot (1981)

7. The Thin Red Line (1998)

8. Paths of Glory (1957)

9. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

10. 1917 (2019)

11. Dunkirk (2017)

12. Patton (1970)

13. Gallipoli (1981)

14. We Were Soldiers (2002)

15. Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

16. The Deer Hunter (1978)

17. The Hurt Locker (2008)

18. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

19. Zulu (1964)

20. Black Book (2006)

21. Stalingrad (1993)

22. The Battle of Algiers (1966)

23. The Longest Day (1962)

24. The Bridge at Remagen (1969)

25. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

26. Jarhead (2005)

27. The Patriot (2000)

28. Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

29. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

30. Enemy at the Gates (2001)

31. Glory (1989)

32. The Great Escape (1963)

33. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

34. The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

35. Lone Survivor (2013)

36. Kelly's Heroes (1970)

37. The Green Berets (1968)

38. The Alamo (1960)

39. The Messenger (2009)

40. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)

41. 12 Strong (2018)

42. The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

43. The Pianist (2002)

44. Rescue Dawn (2006)

45. The Beast of War (1988)

46. A Bridge Too Far (1977)

47. Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

48. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

49. The Boys in Company C (1978)

50. Red Tails (2012)

51. Battle for Haditha (2007)

52. Courage Under Fire (1996)

53. 5 Fingers (1952)

54. Company of Heroes (2013)

55. The Finest Hours (2016)

56. Windtalkers (2002)

57. Battle of the Bulge (1965)

58. The Nightingale (2018)

59. A Midnight Clear (1992)

60. Attack on the Iron Coast (1968)

61. Sergeant York (1941)

62. Empire of the Sun (1987)

63. The Pacific (2010) - Mini-series

64. The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)

65. The Pacific (2010) - Mini-series

66. Enemy at the Gates (2001)

67. The Monuments Men (2014)

68. Days of Glory (2006)

69. Fires on the Plain (1959)

70. The Steel Helmet (1951)

71. Battle of the Damned (2013)

72. Memphis Belle (1990)

73. Crimson Tide (1995)

74. Attack on the Iron Coast (1968)

75. Sergeant York (1941)

76. Empire of the Sun (1987)

77. The Pacific (2010) - Mini-series

78. The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)

79. Enemy at the Gates (2001)

80. The Monuments Men (2014)

81. Days of Glory (2006)

82. Fires on the Plain (1959)

83. The Steel Helmet (1951)

84. Battle of the Damned (2013)

85. The Longest Day (1962)

86. The Bridge at Remagen (1969)

87. M*A*S*H (1970)

88. Jarhead (2005)

89. The Patriot (2000)

90. Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

91. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

92. Glory (1989)

93. The Great Escape (1963)

94. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

95. Platoon (1986)

96. Come and See (1985)

97. Hamburger Hill (1987)

98. The Red Badge of Courage (1951)

99. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

100. Fort Apache (1948)

[nerendus]

Okay, under the button since it's like almost two hundred movies, but I want to start making some progress on watching these films, but despite it being two hundred, my brain says that it is still a small list, so I am once again looking for more movie recs. 🙇

1. Requiem for a Dream

2. Pacific Rim

3. War Games

4. Sharp Objects (2018) dir. Jean-Marc Vallée

5. Les soeurs Brontë (1979)  

6. Crimes of the Future

7. Videodrome

8. Jackass

9. Novitiate (2017)

10. The Sons of Katie Elder

11. El Dorado

12. Raw Deal

13. The Running Man (arnold)

14. The Mist

15. Black Mountain Side

16. In The Mouth of Madness

17. The Fifth Element

18. The Many Saints of Newark (will watch show first)

19. James Bond series

20. Resident Evil (seven thousandth watch)

21. The Boy and the Heron

22. Moulin Rouge

23. Bill and Ted (second watch)

24. The Day The Earth Stood Still

25. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 

26. Jurassic Park (second watch)

27. Robocop

28. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

29. The Boondock Saints

30. Legally Blonde (second watch)

31. The Fog (second watch)

32. Llamageddon 

33. Hellraiser

34. Candyman

35. Shaun of The Dead (second watch)

36. Scarface

37. The Shawshank Redemption

38. Ghost in The Shell

39. No Country for Old Men

40. Kill Bill series

41. The Wolf of Wall Street

42. Watchmen

43. Lone Wolf and Cub series

44. Last Night in Soho

45. Throne of Blood

46. Fargo

47. Hereditary

48. David Lynch:: The Art Life

49. Wayne's World series

50. I Am Legend (second watch)

51. Grease 

52. Good Will Hunting

53. The VVitch

54. Leatherface

55. Fantastic Planet

56. Blue Velvet

57. Pulp Fiction (second watch)

58. Twister (second watch)

59. Donnie Darko (second watch)

60. Tales from Earthsea

61. The Secret World of Arrietty

62. Late Spring (1949)

63. From Up on Poppy Hill

64. Rashomon

65. Intermezzo

66. Casablanca

67. When Marnie Was There

68. The Wind Rises

69. The Tale of Princess Kaguya

70. I Married a Witch

71. David Bowie: The Last Five Years

72. Vampyr

73. Kill Boksoon

74. Glass Onion series

75. The Wonder (2022)

76. Hook (1991) (second watch)

77. Time Trap

78. The Yin Yang Master

79. Hold The Dark

80. All Quiet on the Western Front

81. The Cloverfield Paradox

82. Reservoir Dogs

83. Spider-man (2002)

84. The Karate Kid series

85. Unknown Cosmic Time Machine

86. The Good Nurse (2022)

87. What Did Jack Do?

88. Banyuki

89. Amina (2021)

90. The Colony (2021)

91. Cities of Last Things

92. The Metamorphosis of Birds

93. The Mirror (andrei)

94. Andrei Rublev

95. Nostalgia (andrei)

96. The Sacrifice (andrei)

97. Ivan's Childhood (andrei)

98. The Steamroller and Violin (andrei)

99. Sunset Blvd (1950)

100. Ikiru (1952)

101. Seven Samurai (1954)

102. Citizen Kane

103. Dr. Strangelove

104. La La Land (2016)

105. Noriko's Dinner Table

106. The Godfather

107. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

108. The Good The Bad The Ugly

109. Mad Max Fury Road

110. Goodfellas

111. Indiana Jones series

112. Fight Club

113. Galaxy Quest

114. Dunkirk

115. Groundhog Day

116. Star Trek movies

117. Full Metal Jacket

118. Pink Floyd: The Wall

119. Naked Lunch

120. The Iron Giant

121. Chinatown (1974)

122. Minority Report

123. Velvet Goldmine

124. Dogma

125. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newma

126. The Prestige

127. Annie Hall

128. Taxi Driver

129. Dead Poets Society

130. The Matrix

131. The Green Mile

132. Django Unchained

133. Your Name

134. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

135. Inland Empire

136. The Elephant Man

137. Lost Highway

138. Woman in the Dunes

139. Meshes of an Afternoon

140. Tokyo  Decadence 

141. Limbo (1999)

142. Maps to the Stars

143. The Machinist

144. Under the Silver Lake

145. The Northman

146. Kingdom of Heaven

147. The Grand Budapest Hotel

148. The Revenant (alejandro)

149. A Clockwork Orange

150. Incendies

151. Apocalypse Now

152. Knight of Cups

153. Once Upon a Time in America

154. Valhalla Rising

155. Inception

156. Interview with a Vampire

157. But I'm a Cheerleader

158. Angels in America

159. Pan's Labyrinth 

160. Clue

161. Asteroid City

162. Anastasia

163. Jo jo rabbit

164. Fantastic Mr. Fox

165. Rambo

166. Mission Impossible 

167. Suspiria

168. Jarhead

169. Macbeth

170. Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters 

171. Visions of Ecstasy

172. The Handmaiden (2016)

173. The Fly (cronenberg)

174. Dead Ringers

175. Tenet

176. Sicario

177. Vanishing on 7th Street

178. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

179. Gladiator

180. Once Upon a Time in the West

181. Children of the Corn

182. The Revenant 2016

183. Transformers series

184. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

185. Gaslight (1944)

186. The Road

187. Vesper

188. The Hills Have Eyes

189. Tentacles

190. Die Hard series 

191. Freddy Got Fingered

192. The Day After Tomorrow 

193. The Song of the Scarlet Flower (Teuvo Tulio, 1938)

194. Jane Eyre

195. Northanger Abbey (2007) 

196. Lady Chatterley`s Lover (2015)

197. LA COLLECTIONNEUSE (1967) dir. Éric Rohmer

198. The Lion In Winter

[blackink-onpaper]

The Descend and the Resurface

Damian Hart x OC

Summary: OC comes from a complex background, and in the midst of trying to save it all and help her family she enters a strange arrangement, which will change her life forever.

Masterlist 🖤

Tags: Beyblade, Beyblade Metal Masters, Julian Konzern, Jack, Damian, OC, Gingka Hagane, team Starbreaker, Masamune Kadoya, Kyoya Tategami, dr. Ziggurat, Hades Inc.

A/N: (ambience suggestion) this chapter will go along with the canon storyline, so watch Beyblade Metal Masters episode 98, 99 and 100 if you like, it’s available on youtube! Enjoyyy :D

Chapter 22

I was trying to get into Ziggurat’s wing, suspecting if he and the boys are back that they may be together. Moving along the long, repetative, identical hallways I heard the echo of running footsteps, but I could not tell from which direction they were coming.

“Someone’s there! Get ready!” I heard an all too familiar voice: it was Gingka. He came up to me running with two other boys, launchers pointed at me because they were probably thinking I was a security guard or something. He was followed by a tanned guy with green hair and scars on his face, and Masamune.

“Camila?!?” Gingka almost dropped his launcher from confusion: “Wha… what are you doing here?!”

“Are you here with Julian?” Masamune also chipped in

“Uh…” I let out the longest, most confused, idiotic sound ever because I had no idea if I should just say yes and not overcomplicate things, or correct them seeing as I was in Hades Inc. and they were technically tresspassers to me.

“Gingka what are you doing here? It’s dangerous!” I tried to scare them off, I didn’t know if I should alert security

“Camila if you’re lost we can help you!” Gingka came closer to me, extending his hand: “We are looking for Ziggurat, Toby or the Spiral Core - they need to be stopped!”

I was feeling overwhelmed by the stress and weight of the moment: on one hand Ziggurat was definitely doing something fucked up, but then again I couldn’t just betray Damian and the boys if they are behind this too. But then again - they have to be behind this since they all work for Ziggurat, maybe even they are not aware he is doing something fucked up.

“Forget this” the green hair boy shook his head in dissapointed annoyance: “We’re just wasting our time with her.”

“Kyoya, seriously?” Gingka looked at him, but I kind of felt like he was right - I didn’t know if I should help them or not, and I didn’t even know in which direction to point them in: I literally found out about everything in the same day as them.

“I am completely serious Gingka” Kyoya said, shooting me a piercing judgemental look: “No matter the reason why or with who she’s here, she’s the enemy.”

Gingka and Masamune slowly looked back at me with a clear expression of shock and realisation, as if they couldn’t believe they were decieved by me even though I didn’t decieve them. Gingka soon snapped back to his old self:

“Doesn’t matter! Camila, if you want to help us save the world please do, and if you don’t then please step aside!”

“Save the world?” I picked up on this part, because it seemed I wasn’t aware of something.

“Oh for cryin’ out loud!” Kyoya screamed in frustration, almost punching a wall: “Gingka stop wasting your time! We have a battle in front of us and she doesn’t even know what you’re talking about!”

Gingka looked at me with a gleam of hope in his eyes: “Camila, he intends to sell the Spiral Force and won’t do anything if they use it as a weapon of mass destruction.” A wave of ice passed through my body upon his last four words: “Please help us if you can.”

I stood there for a minute, paralysed with the new information and with thinking if I could even help them in any way. Then, I remembered what Ziggurat’s assistant said about the subterranean levels of the facility - which were both guarded, secretive, unauthorised to almost everyone and big enough to have a reactor of some sort down there:

“If it’s anywhere, it’s down below” I pointed downwards with my hand: “that’s all I know”

Gingka smiled at me: “Thank you so much!” before all three of them ran off. I was left alone again, shaken by what I’d just heard, but shaken once more when I realised there was a camera on the ceiling just a meter away that has maybe filmed the entire thing. I almost shat my pants from stress in that very moment - will Ziggurat throw me out? Will Damian end his relationship with me because I betrayed his father and Starbreaker? A whole new rush of overthinking came over me as I slid down against the wall, shaking and shuddering. I was entering a panic attack from everything that was happening, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. After a couple of minutes a group of security guards came running past me, probably after Gingka and the boys:

“Hey, we have an injured girl!” One shouted after the others before kneeling down to help me, another one stopping in bis tracks to assist him: “She has the watch.”

My panic attack was shaking me so bad I couldn’t get a word out of my mouth, the security guards obviously had no idea who I was and my ID was not on me, making the situation very complicated.

“Let her go, Ziggurat gave us clear orders to stop the tresspassers!” The one who joined later stood up and started running after the other security guards before looking over his shoulder when he noticed his colleague wasn’t following him: “It’s your job on the line!”

As he dissapeared into the length of the hallway, the kneeling security guard was trying to calm me down in any way he could. He ended up calling for medical assistance and giving them my location before leaving, assuring me help is on its way. Although I couldn’t say it to him at the time, I was grateful for his kindness. By the time the paramedics arrived I was a bit better but very weak, the same feeling from before when I was struck by Spiral Force acting up again. The paramedics took me to the medical wing when I heard an explosion somewhere far in the building. I sat up abruptly: “What is that?”

“Nothing, miss, please lay down” the main nurse pushed me down gently, before mumbling something to the other nurse about sedatives. I looked to the left towards the open door of the nurse’s room, where a small part of a computer screen revealed some security camera footage. From a distance, straining my eyes, I could see a small part of a Bey battle arena, and a white cape:

“Damian!” I gasped: “Where is he? Where is that?”

“Now” the main nurse instructed the other nurse, who came up to me with a needle, pressing my arm down to get a clear injection point.

“Please no!” I begged, shaking my arms and legs so she couldn’t inject me: “Please! I’ll be good! Just tell him I’m here! I won’t be any trouble!”

“I believe you” the main nurse looked at me with sincere, compassionate eyes: “But these are the doctor’s orders.”

I gasped: “Ziggurat.”

He must’ve seen the camera footage, and this must be his way of preventing me from causing more inconveniences for him while he deals with Gingka. The nurse managed to grab my hand and inject the sedatives into my arm, slowly letting go and stepping back to disinfect and dismantle the small apparatus. Slowly, my mind was battling the urge to drift off to sleep. I was trying to stare into the lights and wake myself up somehow, but the drug was very strong. I resisted, trying to defy the chemistry that was happening inside my body and trying to persist against Ziggurat’s wishes. My eyes were blurry and my vision dizzy, I couldn’t tell the time even though I could see the watch on the wall in front of me, and I had no idea how much time passed. The nurses were in a commotion around me, but their unintelligible voices made me wonder if this drug is that strong or if they are actually speaking in a foreign language. They rolled my bed outside into the hall, where other nurses were waiting, and pushed my bed down the hall while running beside me.

The lights were pulsing in red, a voice echoing across the metallic hallways. Something about an evacuation? Even though the drug was preventing me from making the movements and sounds I wanted, I tried to move out of the bed and escape, but the nurses pushed my limbs down. Soon we were at the Hades Inc. medical heliport, where I was transferred onto a stretcher and placed inside of the helicopter along with a couple of others who were severely injured. I rested my head against the plastic support pillow; there was nothing I could do now. I was restrained by the staff, heavily drugged and completely clueless and hazy about what is happening around me. As the helicopter took off my consciousness drifted away as my body gave in to the drugs, unable to resist any longer.

I abruptly woke up with a gasp as the helicopter landed, the grounding snapping me out of my heavy, clouded uncosciousness. I realised they removed the restraints at some point in the flight, and that I could move my hands and feet. When the helicopter door opened I jumped up pushing the paramedic who was blocking me, and running outside. We were grounded in the city harbour, with hundreds of Hades Inc. boats pulling up with the evacuated staff. With a lazy limp in both of my legs, probably from the sedatives, I walked around trying to find the boys:

“Damian? Zeo?” I looked left and right, repeating myself like a paranoid parrot: “Jack? Damian? Anyone? Zeo?”

A wave of panic swooped over me, overwhelming me with the idea that they might have not survived the evacuation. Anyone I stopped and asked had no idea where they were, even the security guards. Our smart watches also stopped working because the main computer in Hades Inc. died in the evacuation process:

“Damian!” I cried, shaking, praying for them to be alive. Suddenly, I saw a familiar head of pink hair:

“JACK!” I gasped as I ran over to him, almost knocking a few people over: “Jack oh my God are you okay?!”

He was seated next to a pramedic, seeming normal at first, but as I came closer I realised he was shaking, his eyes lost to a gaze pointed somewhere behind me: “Jack do you hear me?”

“The Arrangement…” he whimpered: “They ruined it…”

“Jack where is Damian? Have you seen him?”

The paramedic next to him looked at me: “They were on the same boat before Jack’s entered shock. I am afraid I didn’t see where he went.”

I got up, spinning around trying to see Zeo or Damian - heck, I’d even be glad to see Ziggurat if Damian was next to him.

“Damian!” I called, continuing my search on foot, step by step choreographed with looking left and right: “Damian! Zeo!”

No one payed any attention to me, and no one answered my tearful calls:

“Damian! DAMIAN!” I cried out, begging for him to be okay:

“DAAAMMIIIAAAAN!”

[salem-schatz]

настала пора итогового игрового поста который по традиции начинается с любимого высказывания - Это был самый худший год! - факт остается фактом. 2023 год стал неиграбельным для меня, дело вовсе не в игровой индустрии (которая скатилась в говно), но и во мне - я категорически отказывалась играть только потому что мне самой не хотелось. потом лекарства по рецепту закончились, потом меня подзаипали, по-бесили - и я ��пять ушла в игровой запой. было бы гораздо позитивней если бы большая часть игр испробованных мной в уходящем году не были унылым говном, а игровая индустрия перестала бы кормить меня недоделанными/несбалансированными/сломанными/неиграбельными новинками на которые я возлагала какие никакие надежды, тк я не покупаю и не прохожу все подряд. перед покупкой, игры проходят тщательный отбор по личным критериям. увы, по трейлерам не всегда понятно, что игра уг. несомненно и то, что 2023 год стал для меня богат на новинки, тк раньше я больше уделяла внимание старым играм, но и они имеют неприятное свойство - заканчиваться. топ понравившегося по мере приобретения состоит всего из 6 игр

о каждой из перечисленных игр я могу сказать похвального много, но выделю лишь 3 из них. в первую очередь конечно Metal Gear Solid Master Collection, а главное за возможность снова поиграть в первый Метал Гир но теперь уже на некст-гене, на карабоксе. это говорит о том, что первый мгс больше не соневский эксклюзив, а значит отличный повод для соне сбегать в суд, создать петицию и поплакать. мой восторг заключается даже не в этом, я уже наверное сто раз говорила и не устану повторять - мгс 98 года это не просто культовая игра, а мой первый игровой мир в котором я застряла на 20 с лишним лет. не смотря на то, что до мгс у меня были игры и приставки и денди, тем не менее ни одна из них не привлекала настолько как это делал мгс. так что для меня мгс не просто воспоминания, а нечто больше

в Master Collection также входит новеллы с озвучкой по мгс 1-2 что стало для меня не менее радостным событием, ведь в качестве видео-комикса они достойно проработаны, более информативные, глубокие. хоть и отличаются порой от основной истории - но не портят, не искажают ее

Gungrave G.O.R.E яростный олдскул и самый ожидаемый для меня проект. достойные олдскул-игры мне встречаются редко (правда я их не ищу), от Gungrave я даже не знала чего именно ожидать, скорее я его желала из-за полюбившей вселенной после давнего просмотра одноименного амину по игре и поигрулик в Overdose. Gungrave- один из тех проектов, в котором нет ни одного проклятого недочета/бага/дисбаланса. он сделан идеально, отлично геймплейно продуман, во всех отношениях великолепен в качестве аркадной игры для олдскульщиков. если уж совсем откровенно, Gungrave- это игра года

Madden NFL 23 хоть и без осмысленной истории в ‘карьере как раньше, но как я понимаю - последний хороший Madden собрав все самое наилучшие из прошлых моих игр NFL 19-22. начиная от взаимодействий игроков на поле и заканчивая удобнейшим геймплеем. ведь теперь еа будут делать по образу и подобию провального Madden 24, значит хорошего футбола больше не будет, в ближайшие 2 года как минимум можно от серии ничего не ждать. но благо версия NFL 23 для серьезного икса еще не тронута, так что прощальная церемония переносится на потом.

❗️вряд ли я смогу игнорировать последующие игры Madden. конечно мне до слез обидно наблюдать в какую срань он превратился, но и отойти от него мне сложно тк я все еще люблю футбол. если же нет, то все недочеты, фэйлы, недоработки и прочее безобразие в виде моих недовольных, наполненных матом постов - будут в блоге. вот так-то

плавно к самому прекрасному - пиксельным мужикам и запоминающим персонажам года

почетное место в списке занимает конечно же моя первая любофь - Снейк из Метал Гира 98 со своими сексуальными квадратными пикселями. а кто несогласен - тот не шарит в красоте мужланской… далее в программе Брендон и Бунджи вдвоем из Gungrave. Робокоп - герой мое детства. и наконец милейший, до жути фапальный Рептилька из МК12 совместно с прикольным Саб-Зирушкой когда тот в маске и не сильно ворчит. с количеством запоминающихся персонажей также плохо как и с играми, но это ничто по сравнение с тем, что со мной происходило в редакторе персонажей. за год я вылепила лишь двух мужикоф в NFL 23 и 24

к редактору NFL 23 претензий нет, но вот NFL 24… словами необъяснимый пиздец, поэтому я перехожу к новой, постоянной теперь категории с этого года -

‘УГ Года

данную категорию я решила посвятить лишь тем проектам, которые были мне дороги. которым не предвещал провал, они попросту не имели на это прав. так-то без малейших сомнений приписываю также Lies of P и Ghostwire: Tokyo, но к ним я равнодушна и не вижу смысла даже выделять отдельной информацией. одна - фармилка, вторая - нудилка, все. они не являются продолжением серий игр или ремейками чтобы от них ждать что-то определенное

ремейк Layes of Fear я взяла практически на старте не задумываясь о том, что что-то может пойти не так тк оригинальный Layes of Fear в приоритете и доступен по сей день, все еще остается одним из лучших инди-проектов для меня. что может пойти не так в ремейке? вопрос на миллион, потому что разработчики испорт��ли нововведениями свой собственный проект. ремейк первой Layers of Fear - это не Layers of Fear, а совершенно другая игра, с другим геймплеем, целями и атмосферой хоть и с прежним сюжетом. возможно если бы я никогда не видела оригинал, то на ремейк была иная реакция. зная себя, ремейк мне бы не понравился, я бы забыла о существовании какой-то Layers of Fear на следующий день.

похожая ситуация случилась с Madden NFL 24 тк я играю в футбол на протяжении 5 лет начиная с Madden 19 по самый Madden 23. и я не тупая чтобы за 5 лет игры в спортивный симулятор не увидеть в новом проекте явные недочеты - он сырой, неиграбельный, сломанный и несбалансированный, на игру не влияет даже долгая прокачка игрока и тимы. баланса - 0. зеро. дырка от бублика. помимо сломанного геймплей - в карьере все ранее доступные функции стали платными, даже такие привычные для Madden радости как ликования, а любая связь игроков друг с другом попросту исчезла. с каждым новым нфл с 19 года появлялись свежие функции и возможности, улучшалась графика и геймплей, менялось даже положение ‘камеры и общий вид матча в зависимости от режима игры. появлялись интересные случаи в’карьере, совершенствовался редактор персонажа и настройка формы. НФЛ 24 принес с собой новый, до ума не доведенный движок, больше ничего. геймплейно разработчики чинят игру патчами на протяжении нескольких месяцев, а играбельным он стал только спустя месяц после официального выхода. редактор персонажа стал не просто хуже, а отвратительным. причем сейчас мне кажется, что всему виной новый движок. основа редактора перенесена с НФЛ 22-23, но как бы не был создан персонаж, он всякий раз по разному выглядит не только в плане внешности, но и физ данными - в редакторе одно, в матче второе, в редких кат-сценах совсем неизвестный мне черт. раньше такого в Madden никогда не наблюдалось как и попытки заставить меня лепить лишь 2 типажа. в первые дни с НФЛ 24 я чуть не разревелась как школьница, не могла поверить, что это происходит с моим футболом из всех, сука, игр в ибаном мире. НФЛ 23 был волшебным, я ожидала подобного волшебства еще в большем количестве и качестве в НФЛ 24 - в чем сомнений, мыслей даже не было. хоть сейчас он играбельный, сбалансированный (без смешных ликований, без взаимностей со своей тимой, без редактора персонажа, без кат-сцен, без сюжета и все еще выкрученными наизнанку игроками меж матчами. словом - просто голый футбол), но осадок все равно остался. по ремейку Layers of Fear я не ревела так как по футболу, потому что у него есть хороший, все еще достойнейших оригинал, у НФЛ 24 - оригинала нет, у него есть прошлые игры которые лучше - чего быть не должно. НФЛ 24 откровенный позор индустрии, позор ЕА. игра 2023 года скатившаяся до уровня НФЛ 2019 года и сплошным донатом. даже интересных скринов не сделать тк игрок тупо бездействует

говоря о задротстве и достижениях - я пока не собираюсь останавливаться на достигнутом как бы ‘уморительно’, ‘странно’ и ‘неадекватно’ это не звучало… но как и раньше не собираюсь надолго останавливаться на играх, которые для меня стали невыносимым уг как н-р Lies of P и Ghostwire. я даже заморачиваться не стала, они так и остались не пройденными наполовину достижений. драма вышла с Tower Princess и ее баганутой ачивкой. каждый месяц захожу к задротам-карабоксерам, и каждым месяцем жалоб на баг только больше. наверное его никогда не пофиксят. по сложности полного завершения могу отметить только первый MGS, более сложного в 2023 мне ничего не встречалось тогда как некоторые игры состоят из невыносимо долгого гринда. злосчастный НФЛ 24 будет с комплитом в следующем году принципиально, что бы по фэншую весь Madden смотрелся, но вот НФЛ 25 когда выйдет, если выйдет (!после провала НФЛ 24 тру-фанаты футбола угрожают жалобой к официальному НФЛ с просьбой отобрать игро-права у ЕА на Madden, так что…) если выйдет, то для начала пройдет тщательную проверку на левом аккаунте, тк я морально не вывезу на ачивки еще один пиздец

и последнее - ост

меня очень впечатлил по звуку ремейк Dead Space, в нем нет музыки/ост для прослушивая, но у игры действительно напряженное звучание и эффекты, а это немаловажная деталь для любого хоррора.

неплохой рэп можно прослушать в Madden 23, в плейлист сохранила 3 песни, а фаворитом стало именно это

по случайному совпадению у Madden 24 тоже 3, но мой фаворит изгоям недоступен, поэтому впн наше все уже гордо не 1 год… вини-вини

финальная тема Gungrave GORE

и конечно же, абсолютно весь ост первого МГС шедеврален, но вставлю ту, которая играет во время поднятия тревоги 💚🐍🎼

торжественно и с гордостью заявляю - плакайстейшон в 2023 году не включался мной. прям совсем (кроме для проверок игр которые у меня покупали через авито) - и я горжусь этим

все. я наконец кончил

[therappundit]

*The Best of the Bestest!: The Rap Pundit’s Picks For The Finest Rap Projects of 2022

*Just a list of MY favorite favorites from a year filled with a lot of damn good music.  

What else needs to be said at this point?  You have probably seen at least a dozen “Best of” lists by now, with many of the same albums cluttered near the top....but this is THE Rap Pundit’s list, so you know you’re bound to find more gems than chalk.

In a historically deep year for rap music (a topic worth profiling in the future), the headline story was probably the numerous side stories.  Be it the explosion of great music coming from areas that had a previously under-reported wealth of talent (especially Wisconsin and Florida), the underground scene getting more high profile exposure than it has in years (artists like billy woods, Fatboi Sharif and Lungs/Lonesword being shouted-out by numerous mainstream outlets!?), sample-driven drill officially becoming the preferred drill-flavor (at least on the east coast, shout-out Shawny Binladen, Four50, Big YaYa and the YTB), and of course the simply inescapable rise of club music’s influence on rap right now (Bandmanrill is clearly the master of this lane, but this style isn’t going away anytime soon)….if you couldn’t find something you loved in 2022, you might not actually like rap music.

But the proof is in the pudding, let’s get into it.  Here are my personal picks for the most impressive albums/mixtapes/EPs/projects/whatever of 2022…

***High Honors***:  Beware of the Monkey by MIKE, Motion Not Emotion by DB.Boutabag, Playing With Fire by ShooterGang Kony, Crack Music 2 by Skilla Baby, Beyond Belief by 38 Spesh & Harry Fraud, Gold Bricks by ElCamino, and Formal Intro by dp0mmy [+about 100 more that I plan to shout-out on future posts!]

100. VACABULAREE by Valee

99. The DogFather by Paco Panama

98. u be ight by QThree

97. Traumazine by Megan Thee Stallion

96. Metatron’s Cube by Aj Suede & Televangel

95. Spaceships on the Blade by Larry June

94. Scorpion Eyes by BandGang Lonnie Band$

93. Raw Extractions by Lukah

92. Marlowe 3 by Marlowe (L’Orange & Solemn Brigham)

91. SNOFALL by Jeezy & DJ Drama

90. Tales Of A Yung Son by Four50

89. Ima Island Boy by Pros AP

88. WHERE ARE THE BUGS!? by Cise Greeny, Phiik & Lungs/LoneSword

87. Let’s Do A Drill by Asian Doll

86. GRIPTAPE by the grittiest, Raz Fresco, Eric Right

85. Triple Black Diamonds 2 by al.divino & Estee Nack

84. Where The Shooters Be by SleazyWorld Go

83. As Above So Below by VIP Skylark

82. ONLY BUILT 4 DIAMOND LINKS by Peezy

81. Deutsche Marks 3 by Willie The Kid & V Don

80. THE LIZ 2 by Armani Caesar

79. Wordly Ways by Archibald Slim

78. I NEVER LIKED YOU (Deluxe) by Future

77. MARTINELLI MAC-ELEV by Willyynova

76. Jungle Life by DCG BROTHERS (DCG Shun, DCG Bsavv)

75. FACE (Deluxe Edition) by Babyface Ray

74. What They Hittin 4 by Jay Worthy & DJ Muggs

73. Sedale Threat by Wrecking Crew (Zilla Rocca, Curly Castro & PremRock)

72. Dollar Menu 4 by Mach-Hommy & Tha God Fahim

71. On High Alert, Vol. 4 by Real Bad Man

70. EA Monster by Young Nudy

69. Back For Everything by Kodak Black

68. raja’s sun by iblss

67. BussaBrick Vol. 2: BussOne 101 by Chicken P

66. 2 Headed Goat by 1100 Himself & Mitchell

65. The I&I by Teller Bank$ & Ed Glorious

64. COTI 2:  The Course of the Inevitable 2 by Lloyd Banks

63. The Broadcast by Fil Jackson

62. The 13 Tape 2 by Jugg Harden

61. HTR Vol. 1: The Legend of Tawny Tone by Koncept Jack$on

60. MEMPHIS MASSACRE III *or* CRUNKSTAR [I still can’t make up my mind!?] by Duke Deuce

59. BEFORE SHIT GOT WEIRD by The Cool Kids

58. ENDLESS by evrymN

57. 25 Features, Vol. 2 by Los & Nutty

56. SLANG CASINO by YUNGMORPHEUS & Obijuan

55. Before The Winner Comes The Fall by Grunge Gallardo

54. Valley of Dry Bones by Stik Figa & Conductor Williams

53. Paint the City (Gangsta Grillz) by Icewear Vezzo & DJ Drama

52. Lost In Austin by kingdoughmane.

51. Gold by DJ Muggs & Rigz

50. Black Vladimir by Meyhem Lauren & Daringer

49. Dog$hit & Ammunition by WTM Milt

48. Laughing so Hard, it Hurts by Mavi

47. Metal Lung by Shrapknel (Curly Castro & Premrock)

46. Da Under Dog by MarijuanaXO

45. The Forever Story by JID

44. SHADOWSELF by Sleep Sinatra & Ohbliv

43. CHAINLINK by Phiik & Duro

42. $oul $old $eparately by Freddie Gibbs

41. Church by billy woods & Messiah Musik

40. RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART by Vince Staples

39. SOGW2: Estee Nack & The Order of the Golden Fleece by Estee Nack & Sadhugold

38. Blame Kansas by T.F, Roc Marciano & Mephux

37. Joe Fog by Errol Holden

36. ill be right back! by amani & robalu

35. LIVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE by Mikem Nahmir & The Fades Formation

34. The Elephant Man’s Bones by Roc Marciano & The Alchemist

33. Her Loss by Drake & 21 Savage

32. Frank by Fly Anakin

31. SOUTH CENTRAL by G Perico

30. Sewaside II by Mike Shabb

29. King’s Disease III by Nas & Hit-Boy

28. Cold Cuts by Wiki & Subjxct 5

27. Melt My Eyez See Your Future (The Extended Edition) by Denzel Curry

26. Intros, Outros & Interludes by Domo Genesis & Evidence

25. Few Good Things by Saba

24. BABYST5XNE GORILLAS by Baby Stone Gorillas

23. Fair Exchange No Robbery by Boldy James & Nicholas Craven

22. Continuous Improvement by Papo2oo4, DJ Lucas & Subjxct 5

21. Kiss The Ring by Rome Streetz

20. MOB by Babyface Ray

19. I Love Y.O.U. cuz Y.O.U. Ugle Vol.1 by Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire

18. It’s Almost Dry by Pusha T

17. Smoke Detector by Rich Jones

16. The Soufside Villain by Marco Plus

15. Tana Talk 4 by Benny The Butcher

14. Continuance by Curren$y & Alchemist

13. Cheat Codes by Black Thought & Danger Mouse

12. Languish Arts and Woeful Studies by Ka

11. Spirit Roaming by AKAI SOLO

Aaaaaaaaand now, my top ten...

10.  I Told Bessie by ELUCID

[A well-oiled machine of an album, I Told Bessie lurches along from one ear-grabbing soundscape to another, each gifted contributor putting their stamp on some precious reflection from ELUCID (all producers were in top form here, but Child Actor, Messiah Musik and Sebb were especially potent).  As one half of Armand Hammer, ELUCID has no trouble being a tour guide through his own stroll down memory lane.  He is a superior narrator that knows his way around a vast array of different styles of instrumentals, which means that Bessie never gets too dark or too bright, adding easy replay value to even the heavier moments of the album.]

9. Component System with the Auto Reverse by Open Mike Eagle

[Open Mike Eagle has circled around the epicenter of the underground rap scene for some time now, always a worthy contributor, albeit not one to necessarily be recognized during award season. That should change with his latest effort, a brilliant piece of nostalgia, personal reflection, and an earnest love for hip-hop.  Also, great writing aside, the beats on here are simply phenomenal.]

8. SICK! by Earl Sweatshirt

[Forgot that this dropped in 2022?  The first AOTY contender to drop is all too often the album ending up with the short end of the stick come December, and that seems to be the case with SICK!.  Less sonically aggressive than much of his previous work, Earl still manages to cram so much thoughtful writing into quick, fun-size doses.  The most effective music isn’t always the music that begs for our attention, and this feels like an album where the listener is fortunate just to catch Earl’s thoughts before they float away, to make room for more poignant passing thoughts.  Perhaps Earl’s best gift as an artist is his ability to leave fans wanting more.]

7. Bokleen World by Mike Shabb

[By now the buzz is just starting to nip at Mike Shabb's heels. The Montreal MC/producer was not on my radar before this year, but hot damn has he made an impact in 2022.  If it wasn’t his TWO great solo albums that he dropped, it was the acclaim from tastemakers like Westside Gunn, who got his production skills the attention they deserve.  More importantly, Shabb is coming out of Montreal, Canada, making him a representative of a scene that is starting to make waves well outside of the Canadian border.  I loved his release from earlier this year, but for me it was Bokleen World that showcased all of the many dimensions of an exciting young artist.]

6.  MOOR CHORES by Lord Kayso

[Another artist that I was completely unfamiliar with at this time last year, Brooklyn’s Lord Kayso is closing out this year as one of my favorite artists.  There’s something about his delivery and the way that he colors in his world that feels simultaneously intimate but distant, much like how a young Nas was portrayed as a writer’s-writer, watching events in his community unfold from a project window.  Kayso reflects on his world with a casual delivery that doesn’t seem to be emotionally affected in the moment, but the fact that he’s sharing these personal stories at all confirms that he’s a man with a great deal on his mind.]

5. For All Debts Public and Private by Defcee & Boathouse

[Last year Defcee & Messiah Musik really surprised some folks (myself included) by dropping Trapdoor, one of the best albums of 2021, in December...so let that be a lesson to anyone that thinks they can finalize their annual Best Of lists by the time Thanksgiving wraps up.  That's a tough act to follow, but Defcee & Boathouse managed to strike in 2022 with another fantastic project in For All Debts Public and Private. An impressive list of some of the underground's finest join forces with Boathouses impactful backdrops and Defcee's revealing bars, all to create an album that is as thoughtful as it is prone to high levels of replay value.  When it comes to dissecting one's life and perspectives, I don't know if any MC's pen is touching Defcee at the moment.]

4. Deathfame by Quelle Chris

[Detroit's uber-talented virtuoso Quelle Chris has been accumulating one of the deepest catalogues in music for some time now, but Deathfame is truly one of his finest works top to bottom. An under-reported trend for Quelle is that he somehow finds a way to become more and more versatile as a producer with every album.  Never allowing his sense of humor to drown out his messages, and never being so devoid of humor that his messages come off as bitter, a great Quelle Chris album has become a most welcome tradition over these past few years....and I hope it continues!]

3.  Aethiopes by billy woods & Preservation

[Gonna keep it moving here…billy woods is just flat out the most prolific writer in rap music right now, Preservation is a genius and their chemistry is off the charts.  Add a handful of standout guest verses - EL-P, Boldy, Breeze and hot damn, Despot!? - and you have an AOTY worthy album.  Too many memorable quotes and verse of the year contenders to list, but for some reason there’s a special place in my heart for “trying to pay rent - but that’s not black empowerment, that’s you trying to pay rent”.]

2. 10 (a.k.a. HWH10) by Westside Gunn

[Maybe my favorite Westside Gunn project since FLYGOD, which for me (as a bit of a Griselda stan since 2015), is saying a lot.  Reminiscent of Kanye’s “anyone around, come to the studio right now!” energy during better times - his MBDTF G.O.O.D. Friday roll out - for the latest (last??) installment of his controversially titled music series, Gunn managed to pull together a somewhat surprising list of features for a mixtape of loose and FUN bar-fests over the most varied, ear-grabbing production that we have heard from the Griselda collective in a minute.  I’m not actually sure who was in the studio and who wasn’t, but when the outcome puts Run The Jewels, A$AP Rocky, Doe Boy, Black Star, Busta and Rae & Ghost together on the same project, you get a straight-up dope tape that reminds me of why I fell in love with underground rap music in the first place.  Classic Soundbombing vibes, for me.]

1.  Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar

[When it comes down to releasing new albums, no other rap artist needs to check as many boxes as Kendrick Lamar.  JAY-Z, J.Coke, Drake, you name it - none of them have to incorporate mainstream bangers, nuanced “conscious rap”, alternative choices, catchy lyrics, superior production, clear expression of ideas, and manage to touch the bar set by fans with incredibly high expectations for an artist that doesn’t release new music as often as his peers…but such is the life of anyone who is considered to have the highest ceiling in their field.  Yet with Mr. Morale, Kendrick unleashed the album that *he* wanted to release: a sprawling conversation piece that stumbles through dozens of sticky topics without digging his heels into any one stance for too long. 

 It’s the perfect expression of ideas from anyone that came out of the last few years of isolation with a creeping sense of doubt, mistrust for the information circling around him, and a general awkwardness for how to interact with the world once again.  I’m not sorry that many of the thoughts he shared on this album weren’t met as “correct” based on our expectations of what many of us want him to represent, but more importantly, Kendrick shouldn’t be sorry either.  Much like other prominent people of influence in the world today, we should be discussing the nuance of everything we’re told, and the great points often come from those exchanges - way moreso than the regurgitation of curated policy that is deemed acceptable by the loudest of audiences.  So yes, I believe Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers to be hands-down the best rap album of 2022.  All messages aside, how anyone could miss the well-crafted delivery and high quality production that is easily the most engaging of any mainstream rap album in 2022, is still pretty surprising to me….but I suppose conflicted opinions are exactly what should come from a talented artist stewing in his own conflicted opinions in recent years.   Oh well, I guess even the best in their field can’t please everybody.]

Next stop....best songs. 👀

[thesternj]

My top 100 albums of all time (revised 2022 edition)

Explanation: years ago for my 25th birthday i did my first propper top 100 with albums being posted onto my at the time fairly active Facebook but it’s kinda lost to time and my tastes have changed alot since 2015 so here’s an older and more comfortable in his skin list that’s shifted with a somehow even more diverse taste in music.

100.Dead End Kings - Katatonia

99.w^w^^w^w - Car Bomb

98.Black Clouds and Silver Linings - Dream Theatre

97.Rammstein - Rammstein

96.I Am - Texas in July

95.The Future in Who’s Eyes? - SikTh

94.Bite Your Head Off - King Parrot

93.Exmilitary - Death Grips

92.Nothing is True & Everything is Possible - Enter Shikari

91.Wolf - Tyler,The Creator

90.Mouth of Swords - The Safety Fire

89.Grind the Ocean - The Safety Fire

88.Ghost Reveries - Opeth

87.Prequelle - Ghost

86.Material Control - Glassjaw

85.Colors - Between the Buried and Me

84.A Kind of Magic - Queen

83.Beyond the Permafrost - Skeletonwitch

82.Palimpsest - Protest the Hero

81.Deep Blue - Parkway Drive

80.Masters of Reality - Black Sabbath 

79.Metal Resistance - BABYMETAL

78.Maximum Overload - Dragonforce

76.The Living Infinite - Soilwork

75.A Snow Capped Romance - 36 Crazyfists

74.In Waves - Trivium

73.Chaosphere - Meshuggah

72.The End of Heartache - Killswitch Engage

71.10,000 Days - Tool

70.Remission - Mastodon

69.Mechanize - Fear Factory

68.One Day Remains - Alter Bridge

67.Deconstruction - The Devin Townsend Project

66.Sounds of a Playground Fading - In Flames

65.Pork Soda - Primus

64.Sacrament - Lamb of God

63.Axe to Fall - Converge

62.Yoshu Fukushu - Maximum the Hormone

61.Ziltoid the Omniscient - The Devin Townsend Project

60.Fragile - Yes

59.Shogun - Trivium

58.A New Era of Corruption - Whitechapel

57. Grey Britain - Gallows

56.Remain in Light  -Talking Heads

55.Ashes of the Wake - Lamb of God

54.Sentenced to Life - Black Breath

53.Painkiller - Judas Priest

52.Brave New World - Iron Maiden

51.All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us - Architects

50.Eremita - Ihsahn 

49.Alpha -Sevendust

48.Gnosis - Monuments 

47.Digimortal - Fear Factory

46.Ire Works - The Dillinger Escape Plan

45.[id] - Veil of Maya

44.That Handsome Devil - That Handsome Devil

43.Haji’s Kitchen -Haji’s Kitchen

42.Chaos A.D. - Sepultura

41.Slipknot - Slipknot

40.The Way of All Flesh - Gojira

39.Blood Mountain - Mastodon

38.Sailing the Seas of Cheese - Primus 

37.Joy as an Act of Resistance - IDLES 

36.Hellbilly Deluxe - Rob Zombie

35.Among the Living - Anthrax

34.Wisconsin Death Trip - Static-X

33. Nostalgia - Corelia 

32.Fat of the Land - The Prodigy

31.Aenima - Tool

30.Bitterness the Star - 36 Crazyfists

29.Blackbird - Alter Bridge

28.Trees are Dead and Dried Out Wait for Something Wild -SikTh

27.The Discovery - Born of Osiris

26.Dirt - Alice in Chains

25.Scum Fuck Flower Boy - Tyler, The Creator

24.Alaska - Between the Buried and Me

23.L.D.50 - Mudvayne

22.The Fall of Ideals - All That Remains

21.Sheer Heart Attack - Queen

The Top 20

—------------

20.Toxicity - System of a Down

The wild mixture of heavy guitars, duelling rambling (complimentary)  lead vocals and heavy HEAVY political commentary makes this seminal 00’s STAPLE as iconic as it is but don’t get it twisted there is nothing but BANGERS on Toxicity and i can’t even think of a weak link here.

19.Dum Spiro Spero - Dir En Grey

An enigma of a band that never stays still, Dir En Grey’s ambitious growth is on full display here with what i reckon is their defining moment with as much disgusting soundscapes as there are beautiful crescendos and let’s not forget one of my all time favourite vocalists of all time KYO putting on performances that dive into inhuman sounding at times and just adds to the ominous presence this album has as a whole.

18.Songs for the Deaf - Queens of the Stone Age

A concept album based off of the simple idea of “what if we can condense the feeling of what it sounds like to switch between radio stations into 1 album” and QotS nailed it super hard and i can’t just sit here and list off all the stand out moments as it’s all so varied and yet so focused that i can only say listen to this album in full as it’ll give you that intended vibe even in an age where we are consuming media digitally more than ever.

17.Worship and Tribute - Glassjaw

Glassjaw are kind of an underdog band in my eyes, never broke out in terms of mass popularity, but in hindsight are iconic with their very emotional delivery and emo infused post-hardcore styled song structures which all come together with something of a “sound of things to come” album without it being completely obvious about it at first.

16.To the Pain - Nonpoint

An album by a band that the Smackdown vs Raw games introduced me to this high on the list?! FUCK YES AND I’D DO IT AGAIN, Nonpoint’s “To the Pain” is something is a rare treat to me: hard rock/metalcore infused with south american rhythms and blistering vocals that are parts rap and other parts nu-metal delivered by a guy who’s voice is so unique to me it’s nothing short of special (to me atleast).

15. Buiiku Kaesu - Maximum the Hormone 

To say MTH shaped my weirdest parts of my taste is an understatement, i’ve tried to describe MTH over the years and at this point calling them a Japanese System of a Down doesn't do them justice: Nu-metal,Funk,Punk,deathcore,metalcore,ska,rap just doesn't roll off the tongue but it rolls off of the many vocalists of this band’s collective tongues as does their fun word play, their ability to change styles on a dime and not to mention giving us the best parts of Death Note’s OSTs (don't @ me) Buiiku Kaesu formed me and i’m eternally grateful. 

14.MM.. Food? - MF DOOM

OK full transparency, my rap knowledge isn’t close to my metal/rock/video game ost knowledge, BUT that does not matter in the slightest as MF DOOM was a once in a generation talent, an ear for unique samples, a flow that’s unrivalled in my ears, natural charm in delivery, sure some lyrics haven't aged too well but he’s done so much great here that it’s easily glossed over with what i consider my favourite Rap album. Rest in Power MF DOOM, ALL CAPS REMEMBER THE NAME.  

13.White Pony - Deftones

At a time ruled by the dumber Nu Metal bands, Deftones decided to deliver upon the world a low key killer but don’t get me wrong there are HEAVY parts on White Pony that can rend flesh (“Knife Party” being the key example as Rodleen screams like her soul is being burnt from her body)  but what gets me is the band’s control of atmosphere with stuff like “Digital Bath” and the infinitely sexy “Passenger” and let’s not forget that their label made them turn possibly my favourite deep cut “Pink Maggit” into seminal Nu Metal banger “Back to School” (which tbf im not fussed about)...BUT this isn’t my favourite of Deftones’s albums, that honour goes to…

12.Diamond Eyes - Deftones

This is the album that opened my ears up to Deftones in the first place, so many bangers from a focused and hungry Deftones, atmosphere so dense it’s transcendent at points, grooves so heavy Meshuggah would blush, Chino’s insane range comes out in full force from subtle and sensual deliveries like “You’ve Seen the Butcher” and “Beauty School” to visceral screeches on “CMND/CTRL” and “Rocket Skates”, if you’ve never felt like you got along with Deftones maybe you’ve needed this album to get you hooked much like it did to me. 

11.Silent Machine - Twelve Foot Ninja

Twelve Foot Ninja are fairly obscure but i sure as shit treat them better than that personally, they are so unique in what they do and it’s not even funny, they move from heavy riff based modern metal to smooth jazz to reggae to ballades with ease and this album is one of those “helped me expand what i thought what a song’s soundscape can be within 3 minutes” type of deals. Me describing this album won’t do it justice, please just listen to it if you like metal and want to hear what it can do when it doesn't take itself too seriously “but seriously enough to go hard at times).

10.Frances the Mute - The Mars Volta

Ok, Full transparency: it took me decades to get my head around this album but “Frances the Mute” is one of the most rewarding relistens i’ve ever had, this is a complex story that i can’t do justice but i’ll attempt to explain it’s sounds: a progressive and psychedelic ride through a southern american city scape with injections of jazz, prog and rock that gives this such a dense soundscape and has to be absorbed as a whole sitting over any of it’s singles (which i reckon is why it took me so long to fully understand this album).

9.Coal - Leprous

From the first listen of this heartbreaking album, i knew i loved Leprous, the musicianship on display is only second to Einar Solberg’s gruelling vocals throughout delivering some of the most well crafted lyrics i've ever heard alongside having a cheeky guest feature from another god tier vocalist in Ihsahn solidified “Coal” to be an all timer for me and not a day goes by where i don't think about the gorgeous cover art.

8.Volition - Protest the Hero

Protest the Hero nails a certain vibe for me, very tongue in cheek lyrics that are scathing yet playful; however it never detracts from the devastating topics they cover in Volition and how they accompanied these well delivered stories using technical yet catchy mathcore song structures. I don’t feel like I can do this justice but if you need something fun yet cynical and aren't afraid to tackle heavy subjects, I'd highly suggest “Voiliton”.

7.Alive or Breathing - Killswitch Engage

1 word: ICONIC. The work KSE have put in for the genre of Metalcore as a whole has been nothing short of influential, Alive or Just Breathing gave the world riffy yet melodic metal that was easy to sing along with and in the end it only got more about those hooks and riffs as time went on (specially when Jesse Leach left and Howard Jones joined for those also very influential years).

6.Periphery II: This Time It’s Personal - Periphery 

P2 changed how i listened to albums honestly, it made me sit back and appreciate a lot more the music and also it made me appreciate how context can add a lot to a song you may not of been into on a first listen, this for my money is peak Periphery and nothing says it better than P2’s sheer beauty in it’s production being spotless, it’s composition being on point, Misha being one of the greatest guitarists of all time and let’s not forget Spencer’s sheer range on display with his vocals. P2 is a landmark moment for Djent and Prog Metal and i hope it’s revered in years to come alongside your “Moving Pictures” or “Dark Side of the Moons” of the world (but hey that’s just like my opinion man)

5.Nocturnal - The Black Dahlia Murder

Parts Death metal, parts melo-death, parts nerdy and horror based lyrics and themes but all PEAK MODERN DEATH METAL! There i said it, “Nocturnal” is peak modern death metal that covers so much that i can’t do it justice (you’ll hear this atleast once more this list) please if you like heavy music with alot of melodic elements then go listen to Nocturnal.

4.Slaughter of the Soul - At the Gates 

THE Melodic death metal album, plain and simple, it set the standards for bands like The Black Dahlia Murder to your Killswitch Engage's and countless others with it’s melody based riffs and lead guitars and solos whilst staying vicious with it’s vocal delivery whilst not losing a single ounce of it’s sense of aggression that leads to a standout of the 90s metal hall of fame.

3.New Junk Aesthetic - Every Time I Die

I remember the first time i heard this band, it was on Metal Hammer sample CD and it had “The Marvelous Slut” by Every Time I Die on it and holy fuck that changed me, a song that’s less than 2 minuets long that really made me go out of my way and find the album and boy howdy did i find ETID,

This album is a really REALLY fucking great Hardocre album with some of the greatest lyrics i’ve ever heard, winding around and around using contradictions in forms of questions to only be highly self aware and genuinely funny at times in a snarky way only Keith Buckley could deliver and let’s not skimp on the fact the whole band is firing on all cylinders with this.

For years this and Numbers 2 and 1 have danced around but New Junk Aesthetic can sit comfortably as the one that stayed in the 1st slot for YEARS before this was finalised.

2.Human - Death

If you put a gun to my head and said “show me what you think perfect death metal is” Human by Death would be my answer, not because it’s the most brutal or is the most definitive, but it’s that it metalness lies in how it baffles people at times, its brutality is the mirror it holds up to what it means to be human (i swear this is about Human by Death and not NieR Automata,promise). Gnarly vocals, technical and calculated playing and honestly impressive albums for it’s time, a real “shape of things to come'' album and it really doesn't get the credit it deserves as why death metal,tech death and all of the other prog death sub genres evolved.

1.One - Tesseract 

I think this was a slow burn but not in a traditional sense, i loved it on release however my love was directed more at the Concealing the Fate EP at the time as i had never felt that way about a large piece of music before, fast forward to 2022 and i have finally realised this album makes me feel even at times where i was at my most apathetic to life. It’s serene from front to back however it’s not just that it’s also heavy and groovy to a point where it warped how i enjoyed certain musical patterns WHEN SOMETHING MAKES YOU APPRECIATE HOW HARD A TIME SIGNATURE IS BUT DOSN’T MAKE ME FEEL LIKE A PRETENTIOUS TWAT THEN THAT’S GOTTA MEAN SOMETHING RIGHT?

Oh and i would be doing a disservice if i didn’t mention how Dan Tompkins became my favourite vocalist of all time with everything on “One” coming of as genuine and passionate whilst never needing to go overboard, he’ll let the music breath when it needs to and even on songs like “Autumn” where it’s a long gap in between his vocals but it feels like a cleansing few minutes to let the atmosphere stew and boy does this album’s atmosphere make for the finest comfort food.

And that was the redo of my top 100 albums from almost a decade ago. I gotta say a lot has changed but in the end I still can’t convey how I really feel through words but I hope you guys will enjoy the albums I suggest in the meantime :) (I’ll also make a playlist of select songs from each but i’ll do that soon as it sounds like a fun side project).

[stageplaymlp]

I posted 3,954 times in 2022

That's 826 more posts than 2021!

74 posts created (2%)

3,880 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@browniefox

@rotten-dan

@chenson-doodles

@nbmudkip

@the-east-hunter

I tagged 2,072 of my posts in 2022

Only 48% of my posts had no tags

#pokemon - 625 posts

#submas - 536 posts

#ingo - 400 posts

#emmet - 310 posts

#pla - 248 posts

#fav - 227 posts

#tmnt - 197 posts

#rottmnt - 197 posts

#elesa - 104 posts

#nimbasa trio - 73 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#like... i also understand if it’s like “oh i’ll stay ‘till you guys have dinner and then i’ll go home” as a sort of benchmark but damn okay

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Did a comic based on Chapter 19 of @yautjan​‘s fic ‘In Tandem’. It’s a very good fic, I highly reccomend it, and this bit of dialogue made me laugh.

Link to the fic and screenshot of the original dialogue below cut.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/37912192/chapters/94675297

See the full post

230 notes - Posted May 27, 2022

#4

See the full post

401 notes - Posted March 18, 2022

#3

I think it’s really sweet when people portray the subway bosses as being affectionate with their Pokemon, because pretty much all of their Pokemon (namely in B&W/B2&W2) aren’t really traditionally “cuddly” Pokemon.

By that I mean, they’re not like, say, Eevee or Pikachu or what have you. Y’know, Pokemon that are seen as “cute” and “cuddly” and aren’t too dissimilar to actual house pets.

Klingklang and Durant are made of metal. Haxorus has an axe for a face and Excadrill has a giant metal spike on its head and pointy claws. Crustle is a crab with a giant rock in its back. Garbador is literally a pile of (albeit nice smelling) rubbish. Chandelure is a living lighting fixture. Etc.

But is that going to stop them? Fuck no. Give that giant spider pets. Hug that eel. Give that little metal ant a kiss on the forehead. Full-body hug that walking health hazard.

Pokemon are just animals and they all deserve love. And shoutout to all the creators in the fan base who portray the trains lads loving their funny dogs, I owe you my life. :)

434 notes - Posted May 30, 2022

#2

Okay so I know we all love the subway masters plushies, 

But Nimbasa Trio fans,

Consider...

HER...

669 notes - Posted May 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

@pigdemonart Soooo as soon as I saw tiny screaming Ingo, I knew I had to make something

Link the original comic these screenshots are from here: https://pigdemonart.tumblr.com/post/685057606980599808/same-as-it-ever-was-pretty-sure-this-parody-has#notes

1,148 notes - Posted May 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[jcmarchi]

Decarbonizing heavy industry with thermal batteries

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/decarbonizing-heavy-industry-with-thermal-batteries/

Decarbonizing heavy industry with thermal batteries

Whether you’re manufacturing cement, steel, chemicals, or paper, you need a large amount of heat. Almost without exception, manufacturers around the world create that heat by burning fossil fuels.

In an effort to clean up the industrial sector, some startups are changing manufacturing processes for specific materials. Some are even changing the materials themselves. Daniel Stack SM ’17, PhD ’21 is trying to address industrial emissions across the board by replacing the heat source.

Since coming to MIT in 2014, Stack has worked to develop thermal batteries that use electricity to heat up a conductive version of ceramic firebricks, which have been used as heat stores and insulators for centuries. In 2021, Stack co-founded Electrified Thermal Solutions, which has since demonstrated that its firebricks can store heat efficiently for hours and discharge it by heating air or gas up to 3,272 degrees Fahrenheit — hot enough to power the most demanding industrial applications.

Achieving temperatures north of 3,000 F represents a breakthrough for the electric heating industry, as it enables some of the world’s hardest-to-decarbonize sectors to utilize renewable energy for the first time. It also unlocks a new, low-cost model for using electricity when it’s at its cheapest and cleanest.

“We have a global perspective at Electrified Thermal, but in the U.S. over the last five years, we’ve seen an incredible opportunity emerge in energy prices that favors flexible offtake of electricity,” Stack says. “Throughout the middle of the country, especially in the wind belt, electricity prices in many places are negative for more than 20 percent of the year, and the trend toward decreasing electricity pricing during off-peak hours is a nationwide phenomenon. Technologies like our Joule Hive Thermal Battery will enable us to access this inexpensive, clean electricity and compete head to head with fossil fuels on price for industrial heating needs, without even factoring in the positive climate impact.”

A new approach to an old technology

Stack’s research plans changed quickly when he joined MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering as a master’s student in 2014.

“I went to MIT excited to work on the next generation of nuclear reactors, but what I focused on almost from day one was how to heat up bricks,” Stack says. “It wasn’t what I expected, but when I talked to my advisor, [Principal Research Scientist] Charles Forsberg, about energy storage and why it was valuable to not just nuclear power but the entire energy transition, I realized there was no project I would rather work on.”

Firebricks are ubiquitous, inexpensive clay bricks that have been used for millennia in fireplaces and ovens. In 2017, Forsberg and Stack co-authored a paper showing firebricks’ potential to store heat from renewable resources, but the system still used electric resistance heaters — like the metal coils in toasters and space heaters — which limited its temperature output.

For his doctoral work, Stack worked with Forsberg to make firebricks that were electrically conductive, replacing the resistance heaters so the bricks produced the heat directly.

“Electric heaters are your biggest limiter: They burn out too fast, they break down, they don’t get hot enough,” Stack explains. “The idea was to skip the heaters because firebricks themselves are really cheap, abundant materials that can go to flame-like temperatures and hang out there for days.”

Forsberg and Stacks were able to create conductive firebricks by tweaking the chemical composition of traditional firebricks. Electrified Thermal’s bricks are 98 percent similar to existing firebricks and are produced using the same processes, allowing existing manufacturers to make them inexpensively.

Toward the end of his PhD program, Stack realized the invention could be commercialized. He started taking classes at the MIT Sloan School of Management and spending time at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. He also entered the StartMIT program and the I-Corps program, and received support from the U.S. Department of Energy and MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service (VMS).

“Through the Boston ecosystem, the MIT ecosystem, and with help from the Department of Energy, we were able to launch this from the lab at MIT,” Stack says. “What we spun out was an electrically conductive firebrick, or what we refer to as an e-Brick.”

Electrified Thermal contains its firebrick arrays in insulated, off-the-shelf metal boxes. Although the system is highly configurable depending on the end use, the company’s standard system can collect and release about 5 megawatts of energy and store about 25 megawatt-hours.

The company has demonstrated its system’s ability to produce high temperatures and has been cycling its system at its headquarters in Medford, Massachusetts. That work has collectively earned Electrified Thermal $40 million from various the Department of Energy offices to scale the technology and work with manufacturers.

“Compared to other electric heating, we can run hotter and last longer than any other solution on the market,” Stack says. “That means replacing fossil fuels at a lot of industrial sites that couldn’t otherwise decarbonize.”

Scaling to solve a global problem

Electrified Thermal is engaging with hundreds of industrial companies, including manufacturers of cement, steel, glass, basic and specialty chemicals, food and beverage, and pulp and paper.

“The industrial heating challenge affects everyone under the sun,” Stack says. “They all have fundamentally the same problem, which is getting their heat in a way that is affordable and zero carbon for the energy transition.”

The company is currently building a megawatt-scale commercial version of its system, which it expects to be operational in the next seven months.

“Next year will be a huge proof point to the industry,” Stack says. “We’ll be using the commercial system to showcase a variety of operating points that customers need to see, and we’re hoping to be running systems on customer sites by the end of the year. It’ll be a huge achievement and a first for electric heating because no other solution in the market can put out the kind of temperatures that we can put out.”

By working with manufacturers to produce its firebricks and casings, Electrified Thermal hopes to be able to deploy its systems rapidly and at low cost across a massive industry.

“From the very beginning, we engineered these e-bricks to be rapidly scalable and rapidly producible within existing supply chains and manufacturing processes,” Stack says. “If you want to decarbonize heavy industry, there will be no cheaper way than turning electricity into heat from zero-carbon electricity assets. We’re seeking to be the premier technology that unlocks those capabilities, with double digit percentages of global energy flowing through our system as we accomplish the energy transition.”

[krimsonkobra]

Classified Series Main Line Figures

00 – Snake Eyes

01 – Roadblock

01 – Roadblock – Redeco

02 – Snake Eyes – (Red Stripe)

02 – Snake Eyes

03 – Destro

04 – Duke

04 – Duke – Redeco

05 – Scarlett

05 – Scarlett – Redeco

06 – Cobra Commander

06 – Cobra Commander – Regal Variant

07 – Gung Ho

08 – Red Ninja

09 – Snake Supreme Cobra Commander

10 – Beach Head-Cobra Island

11 – Roadblock-Cobra Island

12 – Cobra Trooper

13 – Baroness & Cobra COIL Cycle

14 – Storm Shadow-Arctic Mission

15 – Destro – Profit Director

16 – Snake Eyes – Movie

17 – Storm Shadow – Movie

18 – Akiko – Movie

19 – Baroness – Movie

20 – Scarlett – Movie

21 – Firefly – Cobra Island

22 – Cobra Viper – Cobra Island

23 – Zartan

24 – Cobra Infantry Trooper

25 – Lady Jaye

26 – Flint

27 – Major Bludd

28 – Roadblock – Heavy Artillery

29 – Breaker & RAM Cycle

30 – Snake Eyes & Timber

31 – Zartan – Master of Disguise

32 – Barbecue

33 – Cobra BAT

34 – Alley Viper

35 – Storm Shadow

36 – Spirit Iron-Knife

37 – Cobra Officer

38 – Croc Master & Fiona

39 – Outback – Tiger Force

40 – Duke & RAM Cycle – Tiger Force

41 – Cobra BAT – Python Patrol

42 – Cobra Viper – Python Patrol

43 – Dr Mindbender

44 – Tomax Paoli

45 – Xamot Paoli

46 – Sgt Stalker

47 – Cobra Viper Officer & Vipers (3 Pack Set)

48 – Dreadnok Zarana

49 – Dusty

50 – Crimson Guard

51 – Blue Ninjas (2 Pack Set)

52 – Snake Eyes & Timber-Resolute

53 – SDCC 2022 – Sgt Slaughter

54 – Bazooka – Tiger Force

55 – Recondo – Tiger Force

56 – Cobra Officer – Python Patrol

57 – Serpentor with Air Chariot

58 – Barbecue – Slaughter’s Marauders

59 – Cover Girl

60 – Crimson B.A.T.

61 – Kamakura

62 – Bazooka

63 – Outback

64 – Falcon

65 – Dusty – Tiger Force

66 – Python Patrol Crimson Guard

67 – Snow Job Deluxe

68 – Valkyrie Female Cobra Deluxe Troop Builder 2 PK

69 – Arctic B.A.T.

70 – Shipwreck

71 – Rock ‘N Roll

72 – Copperhead

73 – Torpedo

74 – Scrap Iron with Anti-Armor Drone Pet Deluxe

75 – SDCC 2023 Chuckles

76 – Range Viper

77 – Night Force Big Ben

78 – Tripwire

79 – Tele Viper with Trouble Bubble (Flight Pod) – Vehicle

80 – Nunchuck

81 – Cobra EEL

82 – PulseCon 2023 Crimson Strike Team Crimson Baroness with Crimson Twins

83 – Tunnel Rat

84 – Firefly (Classic)

85 – Crimson Viper

86 – Lowlight

87 – Grunt

88 – Python Patrol Vypra

89 – Tiger Force Flint

90 – Night Force Shooter

91 – Crimson Alley Viper

92 – Desert Commando Snake Eyes

93 – Snow Serpent

94 – Mole Rats

95 – Steel Corps Troopers 2 PK

96 – Python Patrol Copperhead

97 – Python Patrol Cobra Officer

98 – Python Patrol Tele-Viper with Trouble Bubble

99 – H.I.S.S. Tank Driver

100 – H.I.S.S. Tank Tactician Bravo

101 – H.I.S.S. Tank Female Gunner

788 – H.I.S.S. Tank

102 – Dreadnok Ripper

103 – General Hawk

104 – Agent Helix

105 – Shockwave

106 – Dreadnok Buzzer

107 – Night Force Tunnel Rat

108 – Shadow Tracker

109 – Parth “Wolf Spider” Varma

110 – Cobra H.I.S.S. 788 Fire Team Cobra Officer, Range Viper, and Cobra Infantry(3 Pack Set)

111 – Cobra H.I.S.S. Techno-Viper & H.M.S. (HEETSEEK MISSILE SYSTEM)

112 – Clutch with VAMP

113 – Mutt & Junkyard

114 – Big Boa

115 – Airborne

116 – Quick Kick

117 – Techno-Viper

118 – Metal Head Iron Grenadiers

119 – Cobra Ferret ATV and Cobra Ferret Scout

120 – Cobra Stinger and Stinger Driver

121 – Night-Creeper

122 – Doc

123 – Dreadnok Torch

124 – Jinx

125 – Dreadnok Gnawgahyde and Pets Porkbelly & Yobbo

126 – Tiger Force Roadblock & Tripwire 2pk

127 – Night Force Shockwave with Night Pursuit Cycle

128 – Mad Marauders Low Light and Spirit Iron Knife 2-pack

129 – Mad Marauders Sgt. Slaughter

130 – SDCC 2024 Once a Man Cobra Commander

131 – Storm Shadow V2

132 – Iron Grenadier

133 – Alpine

134 – Iron Grenadier B.A.T.

135 – Dreadnok Road Pig with Rawkus

136 – Starduster PulseCon 2024

137 – Tiger Force Wreckage with Tiger Paw

138 – Night Force Falcon & Night Force Quarrel 2-pack

139 – Raptor

140 – Nemesis Immortal

141 – Steel Corps Commander vs. Twilight Guard 2-pack

142 – Wild Bill

143 – Unlock #1 Night Force Ripcord

144 – Unlock #2 Glenda

145 – Unlock #3 Night Force Crazylegs

146 – Dreadnok Zandar

147 – S.A.W. Viper

148 – Leatherneck

149 – Dial-Tone

150 –

Click into the full story to view the complete G.I. Joe Classified Series Check List!

Classified Series Other

-Snake Eyes – Fortnite

Classified Retro Series

Baroness – Retro

Destro – Retro

Gung-Ho – Retro

Lady Jaye – Retro

Zartan – Retro

Storm Shadow – Retro

Snake Eyes – Retro

Crimson Guard – Retro

Duke – Retro

Scarlett – Retro

Recondo – Retro

Cobra Commander – Retro

Cobra Trooper – Retro

Stalker – Retro

Beachhead – Retro

Snow Serpent – Retro

Eel – Retro

Rock N Roll – Retro

Retro Dr. Mindbender – Retro

Retro Cobra Viper – Retro

60th Anniversary of G.I. Joe

Deluxe Action Soldier

Deluxe Recon Diver

Deluxe Sniper

Deluxe Halo Jumper

HasLab Vehicles

HISS Tank (HasLab)

H.I.S.S. Tank Driver

H.I.S.S. Tank Gunner Female

H.I.S.S. Tank Tactician Bravo

Retro Carded Cobra Commander (Mickey Mouse)

Dragonfly (HasLab) Summer 2024

Wild Bill

Unlock #1 Night Force Ripcord

Unlock #2 Glenda

Unlock #3 Night Force Crazylegs

Cobra Rattler (HasLab) 2025

Wild Weasel

Unlock #1 Cobra Airborne Squadron Patches

Unlock #2 Cobra Rattler Gunner

Unlock #3 Pilot Baroness

Classified Series Pipeline Reveals

Pipeline – Frag Viper

Pipeline – Blowtorch

Pipeline – Footloose

Pipeline – Heavy Duty

Pipeline – Law & Order

Pipeline – Darklon

Pipeline – Crystal Ball

Pipeline – Snake Eyes V4

Pipeline – Cobra Trench Viper & Bunker

Pipeline – Legacy (60th Anniversary Style) Fire Fighter

The Hunt For The M.A.S.S. Device Build -A- M.A.S.S. Device not yet confirmed, however the first set contains a what looks to be the first Element glass container.

Snake Eyes with Polar Bear set with M.A.S.S. Devise Elements.

Vehicles

Cobra Claw with Pilot

Rumors and Leaks – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

GIJ CS TT SEWER URCHIN

GIJ CS TT ARTHUR DLX

GIJ CS TT AMERICAN MAID

GIJ CS TT RED SCARE

GIJ CS GG HUDSON

GIJ CS SP PHILLIP

GIJ CS TT TERROR

GIJ CS SS LISA

GIJ CS SS MAGGIE

GIJ CS BB SALVADORE

GIJ CS BB DARIA DLX

GIJ CS RETRO AN ELMYRA

GIJ CS RETRO AN PINKY

GIJ CS RETRO AN BRAIN

GIJ CS JABBERJAW

Miscellaneous

New Storm Shadow – spoiled on the box art of Desert Commando Snake Eyes standing on roof in the background.

T1 Toys Asia Toy Seller – Nemesis Enforcer (confirmed), Starduster (confirmed), Dreadnok Heartwrencher, Dreadnok Roadpig.

Vehicles:

Snowcat – Rumor

Dreadnok Thundermachine – Rumor

A.W.E. Striker NYCC 2024 NYCC Teaser Image

SDCC 2024 Teaser Image of Claw Feet…. (confirmed to be the Polar Bear from the M.A.S.S. Device Snake Eyes set NYCC 2024)

SDCC 2024 Teaser Cobra FANG

Darklon prototype images have surfaced online. 8/12/24 (confirmed NYCC 2024)