#Sonic 2 Addendum

[sonichedgeblog]

'Sonic 2 Addendum' (Hack) by Speems A combination of scrapped content, additional quality-of-life tweaks and bonuses result in the Sonic 2 you know and love getting better than ever. https://shc.zone/entries/contest2024/992 Support us on Patreon

[coffeelovesdramasalatte]

LITA Ep. 4 Rewatch Thoughts Pt. 2

Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

I see you being a GIANT SOFTIE Phayu, nice try

Rain looks so smug in this sequence, as he should be. Also appreciate the positive reinforcement Rain provides with his compliments

I love Phayu's side-profile right here! The reddish-brown tint of his hair is apparent and pretty, and it's just a nice shot all around. P' Saifah walks in and calls him a meanie, to which Phayu replies "don't piss me off." Look at poor Phayu being all grumpy bc he couldn't tease his Rain more.

P' Saifah, the voice of reason, reminds Phayu that while it's good that Phayu is worried about Rain losing focus, he shouldn't be too mean or Rain will run away.

Sidenote: P' Saifah, I don't think you'll get through if you're "straight" with him, just saying...

Ok I LOVE this sequence because yet again, we have Phayu having full faith in Rain's abilities AND confidence in his feelings as well as Rain's reciprocation of them. We stan one confident king <3 I also love the upbeat, kinda jazzy background music here - it makes me think of the word whimsical for some reason, except the point being made here is that neither Phayu nor Rain are acting on a whim. Weird mental contrast...

And then P' Saifah summarizes the whole PhayuRain situation for us in one sentence with a necessary addendum:

And then we cut to Rain taking his work seriously while my other son, Sig tells us about his atrocious hygiene habits

I love how even while showing us that Rain's working hard, we're also made aware that he's prioritizing his time with Phayu too. Yay work-love balance!

Only someone with the brilliance of Sig's single braincell could come up with a nickname like Cloud Jizz for Rain. Unparalleled and highly perceptive

Poor Sky, being responsible for 3 grown children on the daily

Then we cut to the next day, after everyone has turned in their homework. Ple invites Rain out for food together, and Rain's face goes through the funniest sequence of expressions as he tries to figure out a way to get out of it bc he planned for this time to be spent parading in front of Phayu dammit! He ultimately fails though and presumably goes to eat with her.

This is literally "QUICK, THINK OF SOMETHING, ANYTHINGGG"

Ok folks, here begins Phayu's complete and utter descent into ruination courtesy of Rain. We know Phayu is attracted to Rain from the beginning, but to me, this is when we really get to see what that means.

But first, Rain what is this sleeping posture? How are you breathing with your windpipe nearly smushed like that? Also how is your tummy not cold? Are your feet getting any blood circulation? Seduction should not come at the cost of safety

Then we get Phayu coming in wearing yellow and blue, a color combination I never thought I'd see on someone who wasn't Sonic the Hedgehog, wearing a fuzzy soft smile

This is honestly just a really good angle for Boss. Petition for over 50% of shots to be taken of this particular angle. Also there's something so sweet about Phayu helping Rain out with this little task - this scene makes me feel so warm. Loving the trend of backlighting with bi-colors every time they're in this room!

Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

[motheffigy]

i recently quit Discord, functionally. it used to be my primary social media, and it was a real drain on my life. but i need an outlet to let out all my nonsense thoughts, so I’ve decided that Tumblr is a natural fit.

THAT BEING SAID, TUMBLR IS A VERY VERY VERY VERY STRANGE WEBSITE AS I AM LEARNING

Look I kind of already knew that. I am not talking about like, the culture. I love the culture. In some ways, I come from a very similar place. But the website itself does so many baffling things and has so many baffling, let’s say, kinks to it that make it a fundamentally undeniably strange online website experience.

So here’s a few things I’d like to note.

-So Tumblr sends notifications to you on MOBILE when you post or edit something, it’ll say like “posted to mothsarcophagus” or “edited to mothsarcophagus.” which is I assume a super useful feature for people with multiple blogs. but I think the problem inherent in that is that, correct me if I’m wrong here I come from Twitter (unfortunately), is that I can’t imagine many people with like 2-3 blogs run their blogs on their phone primarily? Like if I had multiple blogs I would do that on PC myself. So to someone like me who very much just runs this one blog, it’s like just a notification to swipe a way.

-I find it so odd that Tumblr tells you when you reblog your own posts? Like the only way to really publicly addendum to anything you do is to reblog it right? So sometimes (like my recent Sonic 2 thread) all of the reblogs are me just kind of adding onto the original post. But I get a notification for it? It’s kind of silly imo

-I’ve been making a note of each time Tumblr makes me a default post on mobile to congratulate me for some mundane task, as you can see by my recent post history, but like... how is this measured? Also why did it congratulate me for liking 100 posts, that’s still not something I get.

-Also, i looked at my followers and the same person is displayed 3 times in my followers on my end, like it shows oh you have nine followers and all nine are displayed just my first follower was displayed like 3 times in a row at the bottom of my followers list. -Also, Tumblr shows a little “1″ in the tab on PC when a post enters my timeline, making me briefly think I got a notification before realizing no it’s just someone I follow reblogging something.

Anyways, great website, can’t wait to spend more time on it!

[undertale-merchandise-log]

UNDERTALE - Determination: The Purple Side

$13

We each picked five song the other covered, and put our unique spin on them. We each dipped our brushes in the other's palettes, to create: The Purple Side. The combination of Red and Blue, The Purple Side sees both Ace Waters and RichaadEB stretching themselves creatively, tapping into new and unique sonic territory. 

We both hope you enjoy this return trip to the world of UNDERTALE. If anything, we felt this final side, an addendum to Determination, would serve as a nice end to our journey through Toby Fox's brilliant work.

When the World Was Full of Wonders 

Sios (ft. Ryan Lafford)

Primer (ft. The8BitDrummer)

Augury (ft. FamilyJules)

Eidola (ft. Jackson Parodi)

Superlative 

A Quick One Before The Eternal Worm Devours The Underground

What Have I Done?

Ossein (ft. Steven Morris)

That Thou Art Mindful of Him (ft. RocktheJake and ToxicxEternity)

Regret

The Some of One's Parts (ft. Family Jules, Soundole VGM, Ryan Lafford, and Kyle Von Lanken)

Music by RichaadEB (2-6) and Amie Waters (8-12). Track 1 by Involved in the Troubles; Track 7 by Amie Waters and RichaadEB. 

[theclo4ked1]

Bread, Oil, and Super Sonic: The Sonic Month Ever

(I took those moon pictures 10 days prior, it was a perfect night but anyways) June 29, around 2.00am: After many years of NOT trying, but now actually putting in all, and I mean... ALL. of my effort some months ago—then, taking a break because I became busy with stuff, and... Bottom line: very early that morning, I finally collected all the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic 2 (1992 via the Mega Collection, not the Mobile Ports or Origins), definitely the hardest of the tetralogy (1, CD, 2, 3K) to do such a task, though I can't decide which of the other three I'd order next by decreasing difficulty. I say Sonic 2's set is the hardest because the Special Stages' design and "strategy" relies heavily on trial-and-error, i.e. memory. Let's say if, for example, an unassuming casual with little to no experience with this game, had a go at obtaining even one Emerald, I'd wager they'd fail the first Special Stage at least once before succeeding—I assume that because that's the only one (out of the seven) I have relatively sufficient knowledge in life thus far... I'm saying I know it well enough to beat it first try with little mistake. I don't know if it was ever on my bucket list, but it seemed it should have come sooner. Before June 29, I had previously collected all 14 Emeralds in 3&K, the seven Time Stones in CD (2011 via PSN, not the Gems Collection), then the six Emeralds in Sonic 1 (via Sonic Generations); all milestones happening in very distant points in my life. Sonic 2 had always seemed the most difficult to me, so for every time I had followed through with beating the game, I had ignored the Special Zone even though I was capable of getting, at most, two of the Emeralds before really biting the bullet- the bomb, actually.

...A disclaimer: I did this feat playing as Sonic alone for the adventure so Tails wouldn't *CRASH* and make us lose the Rings needed to reach the quota. I've tried before as Sonic and Tails, and I'm sure it's possible with enough time and patience (more than I already have), but you need to time your inputs about a second earlier than you normally would because the Tails CP is programmed to copy Sonic's movements to act like he's really following you, Sonic; seeing him jump, processing, then reacting in accordance. It's not quite frustrating, but when I need to jump over bombs, I'll do that. Tails, though? *CRASH* and then I reflexively squeal "tAiLS" like a stern parent.

[ ! ] The following is not an Addendum, this post has just been in the drafts for an extended period of time, and I haven't got around to finishing it.

So, not even a month later (Jul. 16, 2024, around midnight), I get all the Chaos Emeralds with Tails by my side. It was just as difficult as I'd hypothesized above. Miraculously, I snagged the seventh Emerald by the time I reached Oil Ocean Zone Act 2, just before Metropolis Zone Act I-Forgot-But-I-Think-It-Was-3, which is when I finished the first time. It's hard to prove this to you because the Super Sonic "Good Ending" will play regardless of whether Tails is with Sonic or not. You're just gonna hafta "trust me bro." I'm rather proud of myself, I'm starting to believe that if you really get off your ass and put your mind to something, you can achieve it (with a few exceptions I will not name). Here, watch this, I'd like to share it, I think it's funny and a motivator.

I was forgetting why else I wanted to write this post, but I just remembered: the subtitle "The Sonic Month Ever" is relevant because the Sonic Symphony World Tour showed up a while ago in June and I saw it. It was more special because, as any Sonic fan would know, June is Sonic's birthday month. I got to sing (luckily you don't have to hear how hoarse my voice got by the end of it) and jam with all these strangers around me; it was great, and having played Sonic Mania for myself some time before that event made me squeal during its medley. Sonic Mania made me fall back in love with Classic Sonic, that game is so fucking GOOD, seriously, I've been all over the Mega Collection lately, I haven't touched a fuggin' Colours, or a Generations, or a friggin uhhh Unleashed, or something idk in a long time... Joking aside, I still have to finish Frontiers ever since I wiped my save data to make a complete experience for the Final Horizon update soooo... Oh! Here's a useful life tip: make system restore points on your computer. You don't wanna be like Uncle MAI whose precious Sonic Symphony videos and pictures got corrupted and were thankfully recovered and restored by PhotoRec. Seriously, this happened yesterday, my MicroSD card shit on me and I almost resorted to actually giving money to a data recovery software (lookin at you Disk Drill fuck you piece a shit). I'll spare you the ranting, I did enough of that when I first lost everything ok byye Thanks for reading!

[justtrash202]

Character #2: Multi-Knuckles

Subject Name: Knuckles The Echinda

Atlas:Multi-Dimensional Knuckles/ Multi-Knuckles/Time Anomaly #2/ MK - 01

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Species: Echidna

Classification: Euclid

Status: Alive

Location: Unknown

Special Containment Procedures: MK-01 is currently uncontained and presumed to be at large within the Multiverse. Initial containment attempts proved disastrous. MK-01 possesses exceptional combat abilities and a strong resistance to conventional weaponry. Additionally, his emotional state can trigger unpredictable dimensional shifts, making containment efforts extremely hazardous. Foundation personnel are instructed to:

Description: MK-01, a crimson-quilled echidna, might be mistaken for Knuckles the Echidna at first glance. But a closer look reveals a warrior seasoned by countless adventures. Gone are the sleek, uniform quills. Instead, his are a tangled mess, vibrant with multicolored tips that seem to glitch and shift with an otherworldly energy. Golden tribal beads and intricate markings adorn his quills, whispering tales of a rich heritage. Even beneath his chest fur, a single diamond peeks out, its brilliance amplified by the lightning-shaped markings that snake down his ribs, hinting at a power harnessed and controlled. MK-01's attire reflects both his fighting spirit and his surprisingly stylish side. A customized black, skin-tight crop jacket hugs his arms and shoulders, leaving his chest exposed in a bold heart-shaped cutout. This daring choice, along with the dazzling multicolored quills, undeniably elevates MK-01 to a whole new level. But beneath the stylish exterior lies a treasure trove of practical modifications. Green sunglasses, far more than a fashion statement, are equipped with a unique technology that allows him to pierce the veil and detect hidden items, making him an invaluable asset on treasure hunts and covert missions. A seemingly innocuous metal necklace, worn close to his skin, grants him the ability to breathe underwater, opening up a whole new world of exploration and combat possibilities. Finally, for those situations requiring brute force, MK-01 dons a pair of powerful hammer gloves. These sturdy gauntlets supercharge his punches, allowing him to shatter through even the toughest metal.

Personality Analysis: Subject Knuckles is a stoic and steadfast guardian, unwavering in his duty to protect. His imposing physique and resolute demeanor inspire confidence. Though gruff on the exterior, a wellspring of loyalty and compassion resides within him. Hailing from a tapestry of timelines, Multi-Knuckles brings a wealth of experience and a pragmatic approach to problem-solving This experience has honed a competitive spirit that burns brightly, particularly when pitted against his comrades. However, unlike some, Multi-Knuckles prioritizes teamwork and collaboration, valuing the strengths of those around him. This unwavering loyalty and respect make him a dependable teammate, fostering unity and cooperation within his group While a gruff exterior may mask it, glimpses of vulnerability occasionally surface. Hints of past challenges and betrayals linger, but Multi-Knuckles' resilience and unwavering determination ensure he perseveres. He finds solace in his unwavering commitment to protect and defend, channeling his inner fire into focused action.

Addendum MK - 01 - 1: Intercepted transmissions from MK-01's wrist communicator offer a tantalizing glimpse into a possible alliance with a group calling themselves "The Multi." Emerging from a parallel Sonic the Hedgehog universe, The Multi appears to be a team of alternate versions of familiar characters. Confirmed members include MK-01, a physical powerhouse mirroring our Knuckles the Echidna. Data suggests he serves a dual role as the group's unwavering guardian and strategic mind, even collaborating with Multi-Shadow on battle tactics. However, a shadow of concern falls upon this potential alliance with the emergence of Multi-Omega, a corrupted version of the infamous robotic war machine E-123 Omega. This alternate Omega exhibits heightened aggression and a disregard for collateral damage, raising serious questions about The Multi's true motives. While the reasons for contacting MK-01 remain unclear, the presence of a hostile Multi-Omega necessitates further investigation into The Multi's origins, capabilities, and their connection to MK-01. Intriguingly, the fragmented messages hint at a deeper connection between MK-01 and certain members of The Multi. The nature of this bond and its potential influence on MK-01's actions warrant further exploration. Understanding these interpersonal dynamics might be the key to establishing communication or even negotiation with The Multi, potentially turning this group of dimensional strangers into allies.

Addendum MK-01-2: Motivation Analysis: Multi-Knuckles' motivations are a complex tapestry woven from loyalty, duty, and a yearning for home His primary drive is fueled by a powerful desire to return to his own world and reunite with his Sonic. This yearning stems from a strong past connection, hinting at a deep and cherished friendship. Despite his desire to leave, a strong sense of duty remains. He readily extends protection to his newfound allies, mirroring the loyalty he feels towards his original friends. This protective instinct fuels his willingness to fight alongside The Multi, even in this strange dimension. Unaware of the complexities surrounding Multi-Silver's existence, Multi-Knuckles' goal of restoring his world poses an unforeseen risk. His inherent empathy compels him to avoid harm to others, including The Multi. This potential conflict between his desire to return home and the need to protect Multi-Silver could create an internal struggle.

MK-01's Abilities:

Super Strength: Multi-Knuckles possesses immense strength, capable of shattering boulders, breaking through barriers, and delivering devastating punches to enemies.

Enhanced Durability: His resilient physique allows him to withstand powerful attacks and harsh environments, making him a durable combatant.

Gliding: Utilizing his unique physiology, Multi-Knuckles can glide through the air, traversing long distances and reaching otherwise inaccessible locations.

Enhanced Agility: His remarkable agility and reflexes enable him to perform acrobatic feats and evade enemy attacks with ease.

Chaos Energy Sensing: Multi-Knuckles can detect the presence of Chaos Energy, allowing him to locate Chaos Emeralds, Chaos Crystals, and other sources of mystical power, potentially aiding in balancing the cosmos.

Ghost Communication: He possesses the unique ability to see, hear, and converse with ghosts and spirits. This connection to the supernatural realm could provide valuable information or guidance.

Animal Empathy: Multi-Knuckles has a deep understanding of animals, allowing him to communicate with them and interpret their behaviors, instincts, and emotions. This unique connection enhances his tracking and survival skills in wilderness environments.

Earth Manipulation: He can manipulate earth and rock, enabling him to create defensive barriers, launch projectiles, and reshape the terrain to his advantage in combat or exploration.

MK-01's Relationships:

SAB2 Sonic the Hedgehog : Knuckles' cherished friend, their bond transcends the typical "first friend" label in this alternate dimension. A playful rivalry exists, fueled by friendly teasing and a constant push to outdo each other. However, beneath this surface lies a hidden truth – Knuckles harbors a deep affection for Sonic. This secret adds a layer of complexity to their interactions, with Knuckles holding back from expressing his true feelings for fear of jeopardizing their friendship.

SAB2 Miles ‘Tails’ Prower: The closest thing to a brother Knuckles has. He sees Tails' brilliance and unwavering loyalty as invaluable assets. Knuckles acts as a protective shield, prepared to do anything to keep Tails safe. Their bond is built on trust, respect, and a shared sense of adventure. While Sonic might hold the top spot in Knuckles' heart, Tails is undeniably his most trusted confidante.

SAB2 Amy Rose: Knuckles and Amy share a complex friendship. While he appreciates her skills and fighting spirit, her relentless pursuit of Sonic can be grating at times. They often find themselves training partners, their competitive nature pushing each other to improve. Despite his occasional annoyance, Knuckles recognizes Amy's strength and respects her as a formidable ally.

SAB2 Rouge the Bat: Knuckles' feelings towards Rouge are a tangled mess. He despises her deceitful nature and treasure-hunting schemes, finding them a nuisance at best and detrimental at worst. However, a grudging respect has developed over time, acknowledging her cunning and combat prowess. There's a spark of something intriguing beneath the surface, but neither is willing to fully acknowledge it, keeping their interactions teetering between annoyance and a begrudging partnership.

SAB2 Shadow the Hedgehog: Similar to Sonic, Knuckles' initial impression of Shadow is colored by negativity. He sees Shadow as a constant threat to Sonic and a potential source of chaos. Despite their differences, they've begrudgingly learned to work together when necessary, their contrasting personalities sometimes producing surprising results in battle. While their interactions remain tense, a flicker of respect for Shadow's abilities might be slowly brewing within Knuckles.

SAB2 Dr. Eggman Robotnik : This remains a constant across dimensions. Dr. Eggman represents a clear and present danger, and Knuckles dedicates himself to stopping his villainous schemes. He views Eggman as a threat to the world's peace and actively seeks to dismantle his robotic creations. Their rivalry fuels many of Knuckles' actions, making him a thorn in Eggman's side.

Tikal the Echidna: Tikal plays a crucial role in Knuckles' life. He respects her deeply, not just as an ancestor but as a wise and compassionate guide. Tikal's presence serves as a grounding force, reminding him of his heritage and responsibilities. When Sonic isn't around, Tikal acts as Knuckles' confidante and a source of unwavering support, keeping him centered on his moral compass.

Multi-Shadow: Data suggest a positive camaraderie with Multi-Shadow, relationship is mirroring Multi - Knuckles relationship with SAB2 Sonic without the romantic feelings.

Multi-Silver: Knuckles acts as a protective older brother to Multi-Silver, fostering a playful rivalry while offering unwavering support and guidance within their strong, sibling-like friendship.

E-123 Omega: An unlikely yet heartwarming friendship overcame initial awkwardness to forge a bond of mutual respect for their strength and loyalty, united in protecting their Multiverse home.

Background: MK-01 origins mirror those of his counterpart – born on Angel Island, tasked with the sacred duty of protecting the Master Emerald. This responsibility weighs heavily on him, fueling his unwavering dedication to safeguarding the Chaos Emeralds and ensuring the stability of his world. Life on Angel Island wasn't always solitary. Over time, MK-01 formed a profound bond with Sonic, the blue blur who defied gravity and danger itself. Together, they faced countless threats, from the persistent menace of Dr. Eggman to shadowy forces lurking beyond the veil of their reality. This partnership transcended mere camaraderie, blossoming into a romantic connection that added a layer of complexity and depth to their adventures Their shared experiences forged an unbreakable bond. MK-01 found not just a trusted companion in Sonic, but a kindred spirit who understood the weight of responsibility and the thrill of adventure. Their unwavering loyalty to each other, fueled by both duty and love, became a beacon of hope in a Multiverse fraught with peril. No more information is found.

[officialvoiceofgenerationx]

I was going to watch Pretty In Pink and review it, but it's not available to watch for free and I ain't paying. So I'm gonna go on what I remember.

I saw Pretty In Pink at Roth 1-2-3 at the mall in '86. Actaually, I went back and saw it several times - with friends or alone. I loved it that much. The main plot is a Cinderella story which I wasn't into - I thought Andie (Molly Ringwald) should've been with Duckie (John Cryer). I didn't know what she saw in that rich prick Blane (Andrew McCarthy).

What got me was Ringwald's character - a poor girl from a broken family who dressed in modified thriftstore clothes. I'd never seen myself portrayed so hard in a movie. I also thought she was as hot as a roman candle - I've had a thing for redheads ever since. I don't know which I wanted more - to be with her or to be her. Her alcoholic dad (Harry Dean Stanton) wasn't exactly supportive - he was barely a presence - but he also didn't seem to be slapping the shit out of her on the regular, so that was cool.

Another thing I liked was that they could smoke in high school. The first high school I went to had a smoking section, but then I changed schools my sophomore year and the new school was no smoking. So everybody dipped snuff instead.

The soundtrack to Pretty In PInk was the first various artists compilation that I bought and from it I got really into the Psychedelic Furs and Echo & The Bunnymen. The Smiths were on that, but I didn't really like them. Shocking, I know - an 80's teen who didn't like the Smiths. I wasn't into the Cure either. My musical taste in '86 was much more American punk and college rock - Camper Van Beethoven, Husker Du, Sonic Youth, the Replacements. The moody, British post-punk pop bands didn't do it for me. I guess the movie opened up a space in me for synths and overwrought vocals that weren't actually saying anything, but the Psych Furs and Echo were all I needed to fill that.

The Echo track was "Bring On The Dancing Horses" - easily the best song that band ever did and they put out four albums that would turn goat piss into gasoline. The Psych Furs did the title track - actually the song came first and the movie was named for it. The song "Pretty In Pink" is about a damaged woman, possibly mentally ill, who uses sex as a way of connecting with people - or maybe as a way of disassociating. It's not clear.

Pretty In Pink is one of those movies that I look back on and if it didn't change my life in the sense of showing me new things, it had a major impact because it reinforced some things I was already doing. I doubled down on shopping at thriftstores - I still do that. Since I started buying my own clothes in the 80's, I've never bought new clothes. If I'm the first owner of a garment, it was a gift from a family member. Or a concert T-shirt - they ususally don't have second-handshirts at the merch table. The main characters - with the exeption of Richie Rich - were poor weirdos who bonded together and survived high school, which is what I was trying to do at the time. It made me feel seen, which is always important.

If I can find a way to watch it, I definitely will. Until then, I've got an Echo & the Bunnymen playlist that I'm gonna get on right now.

Addendum - after I posted, I decided to listen to the Psych Furs song and something happened that I probably should've seen coming. I got hit with some emotional flashbacks. This is a thing that happens - usually when I revisit something from the 80's or early 90's. Like, I listened to the first four REM albums repeatedly for years (after Life's Rich Pageant, they had a few good songs, but no solid albums, and I lost interest. Then they sold the fuck out and became corporate whores. A lot of bands I loved in high school did that - Sonic Youth, Soul Asylum, the Replacements....) but I can't listen to those albums at all now. I can do one song, but if I sat through one side of Murmur or Reckoning, I'd be wrecked.

I love a lot of stuff from my youth, but it was also a horrible time. I live with a lot of trauma. I've done therapy and all that, but you can't heal from all of it. You sort of have to accept that the damage is done and then go about your life the best you can.

I stepped into something and opened some wounds that I gotta deal with now. I would think real hard before I'd watch this movie now - even though I really want to. I have to be careful with that shit.

Actually - that just makes me even more qualified to be the Official Voice of Generation X.

[alexandriaisburning]

+000: Mega Man Zero, the series that took me nearly two decades to learn

Addendums, Archives and Appendecies is extra, off topic writing in addition to the regular CANON FIRE entries. This entry is intended as a sampler for future entries that will be added upon reaching the third Patreon Goal. 

You can find the footnotes for this entry, as well as support the project, on Patreon. 

Set 100 years after the end of the Mega Man X series, the Zero games plunge the titular character into an apocalyptic world far removed from his understanding(1). And to reflect this, each encounter has turned into a deathtrap, with even basic knowledge of the world and game systems denied from you. 

This punishing, obtuse style has drawn facetious comparisons to Fromsoft’s recent titles, but in learning to play Mega Man Zero, I found the experience more similar to learning fighting games, Ninja Gaiden Black(2) or uh, Sonic Lost World (3). Like those titles, Mega Man Zero offers you next to nothing in terms of guidance, fails to explain basics nearly essential to playing the game, and has to be learned by seeking outside resources and imitating others techniques. Inti Creates made a game that’s almost impossible to enjoy blind, which I can only recommend with a mountain of caveats and an encyclopedia worth of tech. 

All of this went over my head as a teen, where I played them day and date with the physical releases via leaked ROMs(4), with save states to sand off any rough patches. It was only years later when I attempted a “proper” playthrough of the games as part of the DS collection that I learned how harsh the series could be. Later releases of the games attempted to mitigate this friction, often overcompensating and removing some of the original appeal in the process. (5) 

So finally, after growing frustrated with the less than ideal handling of the games in the Legacy Collection, I went back to my roots and straight up emulated them. This time armed with not only save states, but rewind, better controls, and a stream of new tech learned from videos, guides and speedruns. (6)

One of the most critical, and increasingly obtuse, mechanics to understand is the combo system.  Most games use hitstun to communicate your ability to do combos, putting enemies into a state of inaction where you can follow up with another attack for guaranteed damage. 

Because the Zero series is part of the larger  Mega Man series it inherits certain aspects and behaviors from it. Only certain enemies visibly flinch when taking damage, though most of them can be attacked and comboed indefinitely, due to their lack of invincibility frames, or I-frames(7). Bosses, like in the Classic and X series, go into a long period of invincibility when hit. Generally speaking, this is why charge attacks and boss weaknesses are so valuable--if a single shot that does 1 damage triggers the same amount of I-frames as an attack that does 4 times as much, it's going to be more effective and efficient to use that weapon. Later games in each series also introduce a flinch animation, which interrupts boss attacks and more clearly communicates the extent of the damage. 

In the Zero series these rules are still in place, but what it doesn't tell you is that bosses can also be damaged during their I-frames. Only certain attacks can do this, and they need to be followed by the appropriate attack in order to continue the combo. For example, in Zero 2 you can begin with an EX Move (8), follow with Zero's 3-hit saber combo, then end with a charged chain rod spin to cause massive damage. Learning and applying these combos can let you defeat some bosses in under 10 seconds, less than it takes for them to give their intro speech. A far cry from the long, tense back and forths you'd get if you otherwise waited for their I-frames to end each time. 

The caveat is that unlike other combo systems, the bosses will often still be able to attack during the entire combo. Thanks to that, poor positioning can often get you hit during an attack, and deploying combos at inopportune times will see you be interrupted instead. Bosses will also continue to visibly be in I-frames the entire time, and only keen eyes and ears will notice health bars and sound effects indicating the damage. 

If that wasn't enough, the combo system changes with every entry. The first game acts more like an extension of the exploits found in later X series games, with the Boomerang Shield and Chain Rod combos acting like the Saber-dash-cancel that prevented bosses from triggering I-frames. Zero 2 establishes an early form of the hit priority system, with 3 and 4 following up on it to develop a full combo system. 

Not a single one of these mechanics, or the hit priority values essential to building combos, are ever surfaced within the game. The community has essentially compiled all these resources through years of experimentation, stripping the game down and explaining the theory behind the tech in the same way they used to develop combos or learn frame data (9) for fighting games. 

The same applies for the supporting mechanics: Cyber Elves(10), the rank system, Chips, crafting and etc. can all make the game much easier to get through, and give you some choice in how hard you want to make a particular playthrough, but none of it is explicated, and the details often change between games in ways that aren’t explained. Abilities that you used to rely on are frequently earned in a totally new way in the next entry, leaving you to scour an FAQ to see how to earn it again. 

Despite all of these struggles, I still managed to come away with an appreciation of the series, almost two decades after they originally released, and multiple attempts along the way. The ability to save state took away the harsh penalties that frustrated me, and allowed me to experiment and learn its systems and boss patterns. Eventually, I started to return to the Zero Legacy Collection to practice certain stages and bosses, and at some point I’ll probably do a “proper” run through the series. 

I’m not someone who’ll tell you to push through the suffering to get to the reward. If I don’t vibe with at least some aspect of a game immediately, it’s hard for me to care enough to keep learning it. 

Against all odds, I found myself doing exactly that here, and being rewarded the deeper I dug. Maybe it was the powerful aesthetics, or the promise of a greater understanding of one of my favorite game worlds that pushed me through. It took a mountain of effort, the guidance of many, and a new approach–on my terms–but after so many years  I’ve finally made my peace with the saga of Mega Man Zero.

[circuit-music]

2020 Music Recommendations

2020 – WHAT A SHIT YEAR! There was so much craziness in those 365 days – from politics to a pandemic. Music was often times one of those things we could take comfort in or use it as a tool to express a range of emotions. I’m always surprised when compiling these list (of which I’ve been doing for 20+ years now it seems) that no matter the state of the world, there is always an overabundance of great music to be discovered. 2020 musically, delivered - including surprising returns from some bands who’ve been rather quiet in the past years like Consolidated, Cabaret Voltaire, and Portion Control.  

The majority of what I listen to is electronic based music, with techno-body music being my favorite and there was STILL PLENTY of that in 2020 from labels like Aufnahme+Wiedergabe, Fleisch, Bite, X-IMG, Sonic Groove, SOIL, and more. Occasionally something a little lighter like the ethereal shoe-gaze goodness of Mint Julep (“Stray Fantasies” was an amazing record), or the post-punk of House of Harm (wonderful new discovery this year with “Viscous Pastimes”) and Sure (you all slept on “20 years” in 2020) works its way in to my listening. I still find synth pop from the likes of Riki, Korine, Tanz Waffen and Wingtips wonderfully appeasing. The wave material from the likes of Handful of Snowdrops, Linea Aspera, Zanias, Hante., Minuit Machine and Replicant was perfect for those melancholy moods. I even dipped into some aggressive near metal stuff this year from the likes of Pudeur, ESA and Youth Code – perfect for those days of anger.  Oh, and I was thrilled to see a lot of exclusive, unreleased and remixed Curve material surface this year – a band who embraces several genres (walls of guitar, shoe gaze, industrial) and moods.

This isn’t a top 10, top 25 or even a top 100. Instead, it’s an A-Z recommendation list encompassing many genres as those lines are getting more and more blurred. A good tune is a good tune, regardless of genre.  

HIGHLY encourage you to get out there and seek out new music; Visit the record stores, go hear a new DJ, fire up Spotify or another streaming service, check out some new music via podcast, DJ mixes, label sites, online retailers, even Facebook. One of the best sources for discovering new music is BandCamp - who in 2020 with the pandemic started BandCamp Fridays in which the site waived its normal fees to assist artist impacted. Taking place, the first Friday of every month, those will continue in 2021. There’s a plethora of discoveries to be found out there. If you do the work, you’ll be rewarded ;)     Speaking of Spotify – I made a playlist this year featuring plenty of the bands on my list. There’s at least a track or more from the artist who have a presence on Spotify. Sadly a few bands on this list aren’t on the platform, but check BandCamp and you can have a listen. Here’s the link:   https://open.spotify.com/playlist/02kQJZE7uvJxwHJD8j8zrh?si=SHlP4mVRTuaRejh6So3Mig

As in years past I’m certain I missed a few things, ignored the hype on certain releases or just plain forgotten something. It’s a chore to compile this list, but I love to do it. There’s a ton of new pioneering music out there for sure waiting to be discovered and it’s the “what’s next” that keeps me a motivated music fan. There’s never a dull moment in speaking, writing, DJ'ing or promoting new music, so I’ll keep doing it and hopefully be a guide for you all ;).   If it needs mention and I overlooked it - I may do an addendum in the next week or so. Anyways, got your notepaper and plenty of beverages ready? Don’t be a TL:DR (Too Long: Didn’t Read) fool. Read up. Enjoy the music of 2020!

Onwards with the list!!! :D  

2+2=5 - “Hidden In Plain Sight “ (COUP)  

Absolute Body Control   - “1980/2020” 3xLP (Oraculo Records)    

Agent 15   - “Voices In My Head” (Drone)  

Ah Cama-Sotz - “New Skin for Old Tribals “ (Self-released)  

Andi - “Corpse to Corpus” 12” (Aufnahme+Wiedergabe)    

Arabian Panther - “The Way of the Pentinent” EP (SOIL)  

Arnaud Rebotini – “Workout: This is a Quarantine EP6” (Self-released)  

Autumns - "You Always Taught Me Better" LP  (Detriti Records)  

Benedek - “Mr. Goods” 12” (L.I.E.S.)  

Blac Kolor   - “Extinction” EP  (Aufnahme+Widergabe)  

Blacksmith   - “Dominated” (X-IMG)    

Blitzkrieg Baby - “Remixed” (Aufnahme+Wiedergabe)    

Blush Response   - “Void In” LP (Megastructure)   - “Void Out” (Megastructure)    

Body Beat Ritual   - "Raw Dogs” EP (Pleasure Corp)  

Body Divide   - “Pleasure From Pain” (Squarewav)    

Cabaret Voltaire   - “Shadow of Fear” LP (Self-released)  

Calvary Stone - “Hate Unit” (Soil)  

Caustic - “The King of EBM” (Self-released)    

Cervello Elettronico - “No Sides” EP (SquareWav)  

Choke Chain - “Chain Tactics” (Self-released)   - “Grave” (Self-released)  

Chris Shape - “Shaped to Deform” (Unknown Pleasures Records)    

Chrome Corpse   - “Detecting Movement” Ltd. Edition 12" EP  (Oraculo Records)   - “Helmet Mounted Display” (Self-released)  

Chrome Corpse / Decent News   - “Split” (Self-Released)  

Codex Empire   - “Broken by Fear" Ltd. 12” (Horo)     - “Protected by Rage” 12”  (Aufnahme+Wiedergabe)  

Cold Cave   - “Waving Hands” (self-releaesed)  

Comfort Cure - “Serpentine City” (Rec.Body.Ltd)    

Consolidated - “Capitalism” (Self-released)  

Crystal Geometry   - “Samiam” EP (Sacred Court)   - “Senestre” 2x12” (Sonic Groove)  

Curve   - “Blindfold EP - Bootleg EP Series 1”  (Self-released)   - “Curve Oddities Bootleg Series 3” (Self-released)   - “Curve Oddities Bootleg Series 5” (Self-released)   - “Horror Head Raw DAT Mixes Bootleg Series 4” (Self-released)  

Cyan ID   - “Blurred Revelation” (X-IMG)  

Dive   - “Where Do We Go From Here” Ltd. Ed Box set (Out Of Line)    

E.L.I.   - “Dying to Live” (SOIL)    

E.S.A.   -  “Burial 10” (Negative Gain Productions)   -  “Eat Their Young / The Scorn” (Negative Gain Productions)  

Einstruzende Neubauten   – “Alles In Allem” (Potomak)  

Evil Dust   - “Desolation” (Crave Tapes)    

Fatal Morgana   -  “The Destructive Remixes” 12"   (Mecanica Records)   - “The Final Destruction” 2LP   (Mecanica Records)  

Filmmaker   - “Reinvent” 12” (Soil records)  

Fixmer - "Invasion” 12” (Bite)    

Fixmer/McCarthy   - “Unreleased From the Archives" (Planet Rogue Records)    

Foreign Policy   - “Watching Existence” 12” (X-IMG)  

Fractions   - “Nite NRG” (Monnom Black)    

Further Reductions - “Array” 12” (Knekelhuis)    

Hakai   – “No Flesh Shall Be Spared” 12” (Megastructure)  

Halv Drom   -  “Slum Vatic” LP (Fleisch)  

Handful of Snowdrops   - “Asymetrical” (NanoGénésie®) - “Echoes -The Complete Cover Collection” (NanoGénésie®)   - “The Four Winds” (NanoGénésie®)   - “The Impossible Dream” (NanoGénésie®)   - “Watch Me Bleed / Theme for Great Cities” (Self-released)  

Hante.   - “Fierce - Remixes & More” LP (Synth Religion)      

HKKPTR   - “Macht & Ohnmacht” EP (Aufnahme+Wiedergabe)    

House of Harm   - “Vicious Pastimes” LP (Avant!)  

Human Performance Lab   - “Impact Situation” 12"  (Aufnahme+Wiedergabe)  

Inhalt   - “Simulation” 2xLP Remixes (Mechatronica)  

Iron Court   - “Etched Forseights” (Detriti)    

Istigkeit & Angel Karel   - “You A’Int No Punk, You Punk”  (RND. Records)  

IV Horsemen   - “Compilation Vol. 1” (Self-released)     - “Human Crash” LP (Fleisch)    

Karger Traum   - “III” LP (DKA Records)    

Kenny Campbell   - “Blackest Ever Buckfast” (Drone)

King Dude   - “Full Virgo Moon” LP (Van)    

KLACK   - "Two Minute Warning” (Klackprodukt)   - “Move Any Mountain” (Self-released)     - “Catching Up with Klack” (Razgrom)   - “Distancing” (Self-released)   - “Move Any Mountain” (Self-released)     - “Probably” (Klackprodukt)  

Konkurs   - “Terminal Stage" (Megastructure, X-IMG)  

Kontravoid   - “Live from the Void” (Self-released)     - “Too Deep Remixes” (Fleisch)    

Korine   - “The Night We Raise” LP (Data Airlines)    

Kris Baha   - “Barely Alive” 12” (Emotional Especial)     - “Starts to Fall” 12” (Power Station)    

Kutkh Jackdaw   - “Sweat & Thunder EP and remixes” (Dark Disco)      

Lbeeze   - “Induced Expressions” (Phormix Tapes)    

Liebknecht   - “Demos The H4AR 2020" (Self-released)   - “Koln : Total Harmonic Noize remix” (Self-released)    

Linea Aspera   - “LP II” (Self-released)    

Looky Looky   - “Are You There Beach?” (Self-released)    

Machino   - “Ciudad Violenta” (X-IMG)    

Maedon   - “Escape To Berlin" (Sonic Groove)      

Marc Ash   - “Mirror Glaze Lavish" 12" EP (Fleisch)  

Marina Aleksandra   - “Animal Industrial Complex” (Randolph & Mort. mix)  

Max Durante   - “Fear and Desire” 12”  (Aufnahme+Wiedergabe)  

Mind | Matter   – “Souvenirs Brises” (Intervision)  

Mint Julep   - “Stray Fantasies” LP (Western Vinyl)    

Minuit Machine   - “Don’t Run From the Fire” 12” (Synth Religion)    

New Frames   - “Outer Limits” 12” (Bite)   - “RNF2” 12” (R Label Group)   - “Stylized Fear” 12” (Haven)    

Nordstaat   - “Singularity Second Coming” (X-IMG)  

NZ   - “More Of Us” 12” ltd. (Infacted Records)    

Objekt Clermont   - "Zeitgeist” EP (Self-released)  

Ofelia Ortodoxa   - “Maleficio” (Soil)    

Pablo Bozzi   - “Last Moscow Mule” (Dischi Autunno)   - “Walk on Wire” EP (Bite)  

Phase Fatale   - “Scanning Backwards” 2xLP (Osgut Ton)  

Portion Control   - “Head Buried” EP  (Portion-Control.Net)   - “Seed  1” EP (Portion-Control.Net)   - “Seed 2” EP (Portion-Control.Net)  

Pudeur   - “Magie Noire” (Area Z)    

Randolph & Mortimer   - “Enjoy More” 7” (Self-released)   - “Manifesto for a Modern World” 2xLP (Mecanica)     - “They Know We Know They Lie” (Self-released)   - “Union of the Faithful” (Self-released)    

Reka X Imperial Black Unit   - “Todo Avaricia” 12" EP  (Fleisch)  

Rendered   - “Stone Cold Soul” CD (Audiophob)    

Replicant   - "Regression” (Self-released)     - “Annihilation” (Self-released)  

Rhys Fulber   - “Diaspora” EP  (Aufnahme+Wiedergabe)   - “Resolve” (FR Recordings)  

Riki   - “Riki” LP (Dais Records)

Rommek   - “Break The Tension” 12” (Leyla Records)    

Salem Unsigned   - “Blood Origin” (RND.r recorcds)    

SARIN   - “Moral Cleansing Remixed" (Bite)      

Schwefelgelb   - “Der Puls Durch Die Schläfen Instrumentals" (n-Plex)     - “Der Puls Durch Die Schläfen" (n-Plex)     - “Die Stimme Drängt” 12"  (Cititrax)  

SDH - “Against Strong Thinking" 12" (Avant!)  

Size Pier   - “Typhoon in Busan” (X-IMG)    

Soft Crash   - “Spitzkrieg” 12” EP  (Bite)  

Soj   - “Land of Lovers and Hammers” (Infidel Bodies)   - “Slow Burn” (Industrial Complexx)    

Statiqbloom   - “Asphyxia Remixed” (Synthicide)      

Sure   - “20 Years” LP (Weyrd Sun Records)    

T_ERROR 404   - “Holographic Skull” (X-IMG)  

Tanz Waffen   - “Led Astray” (Self-Released)    

Teatre   - “Crime Imagery” (Self-released)  

Terrorfakt   - “Achtung 2020 Remixes” (SquareWav)    

The Marquis - “Poison” (Self-released)   - “Scab” (Self-released)    

Trauma Phase   - “Human Caused Disaster Response” (Detriti)   - “The Origin of Social Disabilities” (Self-Released)  

Unconscious   - “Regnum Novum” (X-IMG)     -"Slaves of System" LP  (Detriti)  

Unhuman   - “Voices of Distress” 12” (Bite)  

Various Artisits - “ASM II “ (Forkha) with: Chrome Corpse, Mind|Matter, The Undertaker’s Tapes, Evil Dust and more  

Various Artist -  “Meta Moto 4” (Meta Moto) with: Borsis Barksdale, Raw Ambassador, Filmmaker, Teatre and more

Various Artist - “Antikhrist Visions vol. II” LP (Industrias Mekanikas) with: Downwell, Delectro and more  

Various Artist - “BOY Records – Timeless Technology 1988 – 1991" 4xLP (Mecanica) Retrospective box of the legendary Boy label releases.  

Various Artist - “Crime Violente Vol.4”  (Up North Records) With: Calvary Stone, Lbeeze, Meshes and more  

Various Artist - “Dystopia in Action” 12” (X-IMG)     with: Alpha & Necromante, Kris Baha, Human Performance Lab and more  

Various Artist - “Ecdisis Vol 2” (Frigio Records) Snag this for the outstanding edit of Portion Control’s “Chew You to Bits”

Various Artist - “Murder 01” 12” (Murder) with: Codex Empire, Crystal Geometry, JK Flesh and more  

Various Artist - “Northern Nightmares Vol.1” (Up North Records) with: Autumns, Cardopusher, Teatre, Hate Magnum Opus and more

Various Artist - “Northern Nightmares Vol. 2” (Up North Records) with:  Notausgang, NGHTY, Violet Poison and more

Various Artist - “Sonic Groove: 25 Years 1995-2020" 2xLP (Sonic Groove) with: Orphx, Crustal geometry, Maedon, Rhys Fulber & Portion Control and more

Various Artist - “Uncanny Valleys Vol. 1” (Area Z) with: Chrome Corpse, Sarin x Imperial Black Unit, Celldod, IV Horsemen and more

Various Artist - “Uncanny Valleys Vol. 2” (Area Z) with: Ah Cama-Sotz, 3.14, MDS51 and more  

Various Artist - “Valley of Tears vol 1" 12” (Soil)   with: Imperial Black Unit, Fractions, Exhausted Modern and more

Various Artist - “Valley of Tears Vol. 2” 12” (Soil) with: SOj, Djedjotronic, Years of Denial and more  

Various Artist - “Seven Years of Delirium" (Liber Null)   with: Blush Response, NGLY, Zanias, Celldod, Phase Fatale and more  

Various Artist – “Detriti Split 1” 12” split vinyl (Detriti) with: Black Sun Dreamer and Trauma Phase

Various Artist – “Detriti Split 2” 12” split vinyl (Detriti) with: Mind | Matter and Iron Court  

Visceral Anatomy   - “Modern Anguish” EP  (Oraculo Records)  

Visitor   - “Technofossil” (Braid Records)  

Wingtips   - “Tears Of Pearls" (Self-released)    

Youth Code   - “Puzzle” (Self-Released)    

Zanias   - “Extinction” 12” (Fleisch)     - “Harmaline” (Self-Released)    

Zola Jesus   - “Live at Roadburn” (Roadburn Records)

[let-them-eat-rakes]

SCP: A COWBELL

Item #: SCP-513

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-513 is to be suspended in a one cubic meter block of gelatin and contained within a soundproofed, climate-controlled cell. The gelatin must be inspected daily for any degradation or loss of integrity. An emergency inspection will be carried out immediately following any earthquake, explosion, or sonic event grade 2 or higher. Personnel performing the inspection are to wear earplugs and active noise-canceling earmuffs at all times while inside SCP-513’s cell.

If the gelatin cube shows any signs of degradation (such as rips, tears, splits, liquefaction, or mold), SCP-513 is to be immediately removed and suspended within a replacement cube by a team of surgically deafened Class-D personnel. No other personnel are to enter the cell during this procedure.

Any sentient beings exposed to SCP-513 are to be monitored by at least two security personnel at all times. Under absolutely no circumstances may exposure victims be administered sedatives or allowed to fall unconscious. Any victim who does fall unconscious is to be terminated immediately.

Class-D personnel are to be terminated at the first sign of mental degradation. All other exposure victims may be terminated at their request.

If possible, SCP-513-1 is to be apprehended on sight.

Description: Physically, SCP-513 is an unremarkable, rusty cowbell. No marks or engravings are visible on its surface due to the large amount of corrosion. Attempts to remove the rust chemically or mechanically have had no success.

SCP-513 was recovered by Agent ██████ while carrying out Containment Reestablishment Procedure Mu at Site-██. SCP-513’s clapper was firmly held in place by several strips of duct tape. A single scrap of paper was found along with SCP-513 (see Addendum).

Any noise produced by SCP-513 immediately induces strong anxiety in all sentient beings who hear it, regardless of their previous mental status. Exposure victims report feelings of being watched by an unseen entity and present elevated heart rates and blood pressure. Roughly one hour after exposure, exposure victims begin to catch glimpses of SCP-513-1 when opening doors, walking past mirrors, turning their heads, or performing any other actions that result in a sudden change in visual perception. Upon being sighted, SCP-513-1 reportedly turns away and runs out of view before disappearing without a trace. Questioning of bystanders indicates that SCP-513-1 is invisible to those who have not been exposed to SCP-513.

Sightings of SCP-513-1 reoccur every 14 to 237 minutes. This “stalking” behavior inevitably causes extreme sleep deprivation, as victims are frequently disturbed by SCP-513-1’s presence in their quarters. Victims able to fall asleep before SCP-513-1's appearance report being physically assaulted by it. Upon the victim's awakening, SCP-513-1 flees as usual (see Experiment Log 513). This sleep deprivation, along with the mental stress caused by SCP-513-1's behavior, invariably induces paranoia, aggression, hypervigilance, and depression. All test cases but one have ended with the test subject’s suicide.

Descriptions of SCP-513-1's appearance are largely unreliable. Test subjects are unable to provide complete accounts of sightings due to their exhaustion, degraded mental health, and disruptive hypervigilance. However, all interrogations thus far indicate that SCP-513-1 is a tall, emaciated humanoid with abnormally large hands.

Addendum: Text recovered from Site-██

You’ve seen it. Now he can hear you.

You’ve touched it. Now he can see you.

Never ring it. If you hear it, he can touch you.

[cupofsorrows]

A Conceptual Post About Pokémon as D&D Monsters

I know, I know, it’s been done before, but I’ve been having a lot of ideas about D&D lately and it occurred to me that it might be fun to try to adapt Pokemon to the standard dnd setting(s) - that is, not just copying them wholesale as in, “you open the dungeon door and see a pikachu” but taking the concept of the creature and placing it in your world as something that genuinely belonged there. Like, say, You confront your party with a large turtle-monster that sprays high-powered water jets as its primary mode of attack. It’s essentially a blastoise, but that isn’t what it’s called and it doesn’t necessarily have to follow the rules that an actual blastoise would in the pokemon games. I’ve seen pokemon stat block writeups before, but they’re usually pretty straightforward “this is a psyduck” type deals, and what I’m interested in is retooling the monster to fit in a different world (while keeping the core of it intact). What’s it called (if it has a different name)? Where does it come from in your world, and where does it live? If the original had evolutions, does this version? Lots of potential there. To that end, here are a few pokemon that I think have particularly interesting concepts:

Phantump: Honestly all of the ghost pokemon have interesting concepts but I didn’t want to have a disproportionate number of ghost-types so I chose this one. Core concept is a furtive little forest spirit that uses old tree stumps (or perhaps fallen logs) as surrogate bodies/protective shells. Canon lore says they’re supposedly the spirits of children who died in the forest, so take or leave that as you please. Now, none of these suggestions have to look exactly like their inspirations as long as they convey the idea - for instance I sort of imagine these guys as little humanoid figures made of gnarled wood, which also gives me distinct skull-kid-from-LoZ vibes (but maybe that should be a separate post...)

Heliolisk: I don’t really know what drew me to this critter in particular, except that ‘solar-powered lizard that can shoot electricity and stuff’ is just a good creature to put in a made-up world (probably in a desert region). It even has “-lisk” in its name, like the more infamous basilisk, so it already sounds like it SHOULD be a mythical creature. As I’m writing this I realize that it strongly resembles the already-in-dnd shocker lizard, but come on, this thing is way more badass. Also I was just reading about it on Bulbapedia and apparently it can run super-fast? so... that’s in there, too.

Snorlax or Slaking: Look I just like the concept of a big hairy beast that’s super strong but spends almost all of its time asleep. Not even sure that would affect its stats but it’s great flavor.

Zygarde: A host of tiny organisms - maybe even single-celled - which can come together to form larger gestalt creatures (most famously a massive serpent/worm, but even more powerful forms may be possible). Should be a very powerful, possibly unique, individual, since it is a legendary pokemon.

Dhelmise: Sentient algae that uses marine detritus as a ‘skeleton’? The ghost type delivers again! I imagine that before humans were responsible for so much stuff being in the ocean these must have used a lot of animal bones (and maybe some driftwood) instead.

Seismitoad: I think there are already frog monsters with sonic attacks, but that was only half of the appeal for me here, the other half being ‘large bipedal frog’. I hold this as being very different from bullywugs, grippli, or any other amphibian-based humanoids: While froglike, those are all still fundamentally types of people, whereas this beast is first and foremost a frog. A frog that walks upright and has opposable thumbs. This also works with poliwhirl/poliwrath and croagunk/toxicroak, but then the sonic/vibration stuff won this one out for me by a slim margin. (Addendum: I have come to the realization that seismitoad and croagunk don’t actually have opposable thumbs according to their artwork. Whatever, just fudge it.)

Tropius: This one’s just plain weird. Like, almost exeggcutor-level weird (dang, maybe I should have chosen exeggcutor instead. But tropius is less famously weird. Side note: what’s up with pokemon based on palmlike plants?) It’s part small sauropod dinosaur, part banana tree, and while I’m not sure whether it should be classified as a plant or not, I do know that it can definitely fly. Also, it produces delicious fruit you can eat!

Parasect: You probably figured I was going to mention this one. Everyone thinks of paras and parasect when they think of pokemon with weird but cool concepts. MY take is that the fungus could infest different types of giant vermin, perhaps making it the basis for a template. Or not; these are just suggestions. Do whatever.

Larvesta and Volcarona: Maybe I’m just on a kick from all the GKOTM fanart I’ve been seeing, but giant fire-spitting caterpillar + giant fiery moth adult seems like a creature idea worth exploring. Larvesta also takes longer to evolve than any other stage-one pokemon, which I see as representing a long time spent in larval form (or pupated), which in turn resembles kaiju’s long periods of ‘dormancy’, bringing us back to Mothra (as all things must). Also, I think larvesta/volcarona are the only bug/fire types in the whole series so far? That’s nuts to me but it just makes them even more special.

Abra: Honestly the way this guy looks is like 90% of the appeal for me here. Abra looks like an armadillo tried to evolve into a monkey and somehow ended up with psychic powers in the process. It levitates and teleports, and according to the lore it’s usually asleep but thanks to its psychic powers is still aware of its surroundings. That’s right, its eyes aren’t really narrow, they’re just closed all the time. Do any images of abra with its eyes open exist? If they do, are we prepared to see them? As always, don’t feel like you have to give any of these guys evolved forms just because they evolve in the games. I’m definitely not saying this here specifically because I like abra’s design more than its evolutions, no sir.

Pinsir or Heracross: Pretty much the same as with the toads a few entries above. Clearly not people, but just vaguely reminiscent enough to maybe be just a little unsettling. C’mon, I know they’re cute in the games and the show but tell me you wouldn’t be at least slightly perturbed if you saw a real-life beetle the size of a 10-year-old trundling around on two legs. Even if you thought it was rad as hell you’d still get out of there pretty quick if it started trundling towards you.

Slowpoke: Listen if you don’t get the appeal of a semi-aquatic, ambiguously mammalian quadruped that has psychic capabilities but is also comically oblivious to external stimuli then I just don’t know what to tell you.

Barbaracle: Colonial organism sort of like Zygarde, except the individual parts are bigger. It could even be modular, with the various ‘limbs’ combining in different ways, although that could also complicate the stat block.

Gothitelle: Conceptually I suppose this is just another humanoid psychic creature, but a while ago I saw someone point out how its frills and whatnot are sort of reminiscent of a sea slug, and damned if ‘anthropomorphic nudibranch’ doesn’t get my blood flowing.

Rapidash: Pretty simple, a unicorn variant/non-evil fire horse. Who wouldn’t want one of those?

Necrozma: I never actually played Sun and Moon 2, nor did I get too deep into the postgame ultra beast stuff in SuMo 1, so regrettably I missed out on a lot of the wonderful interdimensional weirdness. While each ultra beast is appealing in its own way, Necrozma is practically a Lovecraftian Great Old One already what with how it was once an interstellar being of heat and light but was somehow injured or depleted and has now become a completely different creature that travels from world to world absorbing all light. That’s a pretty raw concept for any story, let alone a cute kid’s game. And it’s always a plus when something can be cool and threatening while still being safe for a G rating! You could also do what SuMo2 did and take your heroes to a world that’s already had its light stolen by the beast, to explore how the inhabitants of that world have been affected as well as show what awaits the heroes’ world... or just as a nice change of scenery. Lastly there’s the possibility that Necrozma must ultimately be defeated not through violence, but by figuring out how to restore it to its original form. It isn’t too often that the cosmic monstrosity could actually use your help, and it might leave the PCs feeling like they really accomplished something epic. Alternately, it returning to its original form also makes a great homage to the multiple forms of every JRPG final boss ever, a trope that has been under-represented in D&D for TOO LONG.

...and that’s it, at least for now. Naturally, there are about a thousand other possibilities, including different ways of interpreting the examples I’ve provided here. I suppose they could also be used for purposes besides D&D, although if you’re going to put any of this in the fantasy novel you’ve been working on I suggest you be extra diligent in obfuscating the creatures’ actual origins so as to avoid a visit from any lawyers. I don’t know if anybody is actually even going to see this post at all, but if it does end up getting around, then I fully encourage all of you to put your own spins on this if you’re inspired to do so! I’d love to see what other people might come up with.

[ourshyartcollection]

SCP-Confidential: SCP-5050

*This is fanfic and not considered canon*

Item #: SCP-5050

Object Class: Euclid Thaumiel

Special Containment Procedures: With SCP-5050′s willingness to cooperate, and with the approval of O5 command, SCP-5050 is to become a resident at Dr. Phalanx’s experimental open-air containment facility, Site-000. As standard precaution SCP-5050 is to be assigned an epidermal nano-ink tracker to monitor SCP-5050′s whereabouts at all times. Tracking of SCP-5050-A is not needed due to its inability to be too far from SCP-5050 at any given time.

In the event of SCP-5050 going rogue non-lethal sonic weapons are authorized along with standard heavy tranquilizers, as any and all attempts to kill the subject will provoke SCP-5050-A into defending SCP-5050 with varying levels of force, resulting in unforeseen and unpredictable outcomes; all retaliations ranging from incapacitation and immobilization to vaporization and evisceration of any and all attacking targets.

Any instances of SCP-5050-Ω created by SCP-5050-A are to be contained and analyzed to determine whether they pose any immediate danger. All decisions regarding the termination or archiving of SCP-5050-Ω instances must be brought forth to the Site Director for the final say; the Director of Site-000 has full rights to alter, deny, or veto any decision regarding SCP-5050-Ω instances. Decisions given by Site Director are to be ignored if SCP-5050-Ω instances warrant immediate termination.

Description: SCP-5050 is a Native-American male, 1.8 meters in height, weighing at 150kg, nineteen years of age and of medium build and muscle-mass, human appearance with no anomalous characteristic aside from unnatural neon orange colored irises. Both of SCP-5050′s forearms are covered in faded and stained bandages to hide the significant amount of scars prominent on each of his forearms. 

Analysis of SCP-5050′s DNA shows that all his genetic code consists of triple-stranded DNA. 2/3 of SCP-5050′s DNA are indistinguishable from base human forming the base of his genetic structure while the last 1/3 of his DNA is of an unknown origin and anomalous. The third anomalous strand of SCP-5050′s DNA is hypothesized to be responsible for his non-physical anomalous abilities, such as his enhanced durability, stamina, and healing; and immunity to abilities of certain SCP’s. [See Test Logs]

SCP-5050-A is a 19th-century navy blue leather messenger bag, a majority of its metal parts are made of brass like material, all of the fabric including the thread and silk inner lining is colored the same as the metal. The circular main clasp of the bag is 4inches big with a deeply engraved emblem depicting a wolf biting its tail. Testing on the composition of SCP-5050-A shows that it contains no known element of native to this universe. After samples of SCP-5050-A were collected it instantaneously began to regenerate and heal any and all damage it had received; after further stress testing, it was later concluded that SCP-5050-A was virtually indestructible nor that damage to it cause harm to SCP-5050. Testing also shows that SCP-5050-A will always stay within 3.5-meters of SCP-5050, teleporting back to SCP-5050 whenever SCP-5050-A leaves the 3.5-meter range or when SCP-5050 calls it.

Aside from previously mentioned anomalous abilities of both parties, SCP-5050-A’s main anomalous ability only activates in the presence SCP-5050. When SCP-5050 reaches into SCP-5050-A he’ll be able to manifest and pull out anything he desires regardless of size, mass, or shape, items placed inside SCP-5050-A will disappear when its anomalous abilities activate and reappear when not active. The limit to what SCP-5050-A can manifest it unknown though it is theorized that SCP-5050-A is somewhat sentient; when given the task of creating another SCP-882 all that was pulled out was a non-anomalous rubber duck, other attempts to create duplicates of existing SCP’s have shown the same result. Items created by SCP-5050-A can be either non-anomalous(SCP-5050-β) or anomalous(SCP-5050-Ω). SCP-5050 has been shown to instantly destroy any SCP-5050-Ω instances whenever he desires, any instances SCP-5050 wishes to destroy immediately turn into ash, though this method of destruction; although the more powerful the SCP-5050-Ω instance the more difficult it is for SCP-5050 to destroy.

Recovery/Discovery: SCP-5050 was discovered in the foundations D-Class program. SCP-5050 was Serving a life sentence for the charge of mass murder(Foundation investigation later discovered he was innocent) and was scheduled for termination by being fed, along with 4 others, to SCP-743. When SCP-743 became active terminating the other 4 D-Class SCP-5050-A’s went on the defensive manifesting a spherical forcefield generator on SCP-5050′s arm instantly vaporizing anything that got near and a standard issue grenade launcher which self-fired gas grenade rounds, releasing an unknown aerosol compound that caused SCP-743 to rescind back to its inactive state. SCP-5050 was later apprehended and sent to processing.

Addendum-1: SCP-5050 was able to subdue SCP-682 for several months by manifesting insta-lock bindings, SCP-5050 was later changed from Keter to Thaumiel.

[yopalonso]

Arle Nadja for Smash Bros. 2: An addendum!

GO READ THE FIRST PART IF YOU DIDN’T YET

So! We’re back! With yet another Arle in Smash post. Didn’t I say that I wasn’t a believer of Arle in Smash, then why am I back at it again with another post? Well, to not only share more info on the topic, but to also emphasize on the details I left vague on my first post, without having to reconstruct the entirety of it from scratch. Or without having to add on top of it and then tell you to go read it again, hoping you’ll find the new details on that post.

Número 1: More ideas equal more fun!

Let’s get things started then with my first addendum: more moveset ideas! Ever since posting mine, I’ve stumbled upon plenty of other moveset ideas that I think deserve more attention. All of these which were shared in the #ArleForSmash Discord server, so if you’re still not there, go do it.

My highlight from the ones shared goes to the moveset concept by Celerity910. I took a read to it way after I finished up mine (considering that the Tumblr post went live almost three months after I finished up writing it down), and I noticed the subtle nuances and similarities later on as I kept on reading it. Celerity inspired it fully on the SEGA side of Puyo Puyo, referencing stuff from Puyo Puyo Fever onwards and basing the whole moveset under the rules of Puyo Puyo itself, and under the assumption that Arle would be included as a base fighter in Ultimate. It even includes a mention on Amitie as an Echo Fighter! It’s a fantastic read, honestly.

But upon reading it I was left with an impending question on my mind, that I had to write down after my original post...

Número 2: What does No COMPILE mean for my moveset plan?

Shocker. This is what struck me like lightning. What would happen to my moveset if I had to remove all of the COMPILE-era references? What would become of it? I then found out that nothing on that matter, well, mattered. SEGA isn’t too afraid to reference the COMPILE-era Puyo Puyo games specifically, so the moveset wouldn’t fall apart if moves taken from games like SUN or Puyo Yon are considered. The only two I could think of that could give me trouble, would be the ones from Madou Monogatari: the proposed Down Tilt and Forward Smash attacks, since those reference Madou in its fullest (and, c’mon, a tackle attack isn’t truly a reference, the body does like, what, 70% of the work there?). If these had to be cut, they could perfectly well be replaced by similar moves in motion: a Nuisance Puyo pop as her new Down Tilt (from the Puyo series), that could work exactly like the proposed one, and a four-Puyo pop for her Forward Smash, keeping the motion and replacing the fire with the popping Puyos. Everything else could very well be kept without sacrificing anything that was established before. Other things such as animations and the like would need to be changed, but that’s par for the course, and the animations would most likely be similar.

Now that those two are said, it’s time for...

Número 3: Her playstyle.

Now that we have a moveset, and since we have a notion on how she behaves on the battlefield, it’s time we addressed how she would play. This is something I omitted in the last part, already due to how insanely big that post ended up as, so it’s time to address it now.

Even though her main gimmick is Chaining through her Down-B move, that doesn’t mean that her neutral should be ignored. Her whole kit, when looked at separated from Diacute, is perfectly capable of putting enemies at a disadvantage. Her Up-Smash is perfect for catching landings or a missed air dodge, her Down-Smash is a good shield-pressuring tool that could very well lead to some crazy shield breaks, and her projectile game should keep opponents on their toes when trying to approach, mostly considering Fireball’s explosiveness on contact. I couldn’t say more about Ice Storm, her Side-B move, but this could lead to some crazy 2-frames, ledge traps or stage spikes if placed accordingly. Her stage control would be insane if the players learned how to properly lead their foes into some traps, such as anticipating a recovery with Fireball, only to then trap them with Ice Storm and sending them off with an Up-Smash. And her aerial game, while mostly situational due to how three of those moves have some anticipation, would be useful when attempting to stop some landings or when trying some follow-ups. Like, I’m just creating scenarios, imagine a Fireball into a spike combo. How crazy would that be, eh? Her off-stage game would be very balanced, too. Given how she could chase down her foes for an off-stage aerial or set up traps with her Neutral-B and Side-B would be ideal for her, too.

So, her regular plan seems really interesting and enticing. And the Chaining mechanic makes things even better. Most of these moves don’t necessarily have kill power or follow-up potential. So, the regular increases in knockback and damage from Arle’s chains could get things from regular to interesting to downright insane in a couple of minutes. Things like chaining together some aerials to then finish it off with a special would be sick. Or connecting some attacks at first and gaining the necessary buffs by keeping your distance with some Fireballs, then catch up a landing with a buffed Up-Smash. Sounds crazy. I mentioned it in the first part, that her grabs do not get affected by the buffs of Diacute, and that they do not increase the chain counter. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be used to extend or start a chain. So imagine the follow-ups you could do from starting up a grab after the first Diacute!

Her prevalent problem, however, lies within her archetype. Magical characters aren’t speedsters when it comes down to their attacks, so Arle players would have to be mindful on that at every minute. Her fastest attacks to get out of certain situations, would be her Side and Up-Tilts, her Jabs, Up-B and her N-Air. Every other attack could be interrupted from other angles, or before the attack even comes out. And in some cases, the endlag from a move could be catastrophic for Arle. Not to mention, if the player depends way too much on Chains, this could lead up to several, terrible mistakes that could potentially mean disaster for Arle, more so if you consider how chains work and your attacks don’t land. Her Up-Air move has a small shield that could stop attacks from above, but that still leaves her unprotected from the sides and from below. Another important thing to mention is the endlag on Mind Blast, both her Down-Smash and Up-B variants: it’s huge. So if you miss it, you’re left in a terrible situation that could lead to a hard punish, or even, an early KO. Not to mention counters and reflectors, Arle would have to handle extremely carefully against reflector-type characters, considering how Fireball and Ice Storm would be treated as projectiles. And there’s nothing worse than meeting your end by your own medicine. Not to mention how feeble certain characters are against rushdown or fastfallers, and Arle wouldn’t be an exception to that.

But if you learn the playstyle, then knowing when to push and when to retreat will be second nature to you.

Número 4: What if... she had an Echo?

I’ll say this short: I was not prepared for this type of scenario. Her moveset does come with a strong variety of attacks that could very well suit up a character like Amitie to take her role as an Echo Fighter. However, I’d have to rethink what to do on spells that Amitie logically doesn’t know or that have no equal on her. The ones that do have an equal would be easy to pass over: Flame over Fireball, Blizzard over Ice Storm, Lightning Bolt over Thunder, Fairy Fire over Heaven’s Ray, Explosion over Judgement, Reflection over Counter, and Accel over Diacute. Stuff like Mind Blast would have to be reworked to be compatible with Cyclone or Tempest, and maybe have Wind properties instead of shield-pressuring. Most of her other moves would also be changed to better fit Amitie’s happy-go-lucky personality. And as for her colors, well, I was not prepared for them, but they’d have to be inspired on her classmates, as well as on other characters of the series, or on obscure Puyo colors, like the Chu Puyo or the Block Puyo. Maybe give her that sweet Puyo Quest Fever alt? Who knows.

Número 5: More flair!

I didn’t mention on topics like a Guidance (mostly because DLC Guidances are out of the question), or her Boxing Ring title. I’ll get the second out first: The Apprentice Sorcerer (魔導師の卵 [Madō-shi no tamago] [”Magician’s Egg”, in context, this refers to a magician still growing, thanks, Celerity <3])

This title isn’t really seen in Puyo games at all, the Japanese one is used as a passive skill in Chronicle. So where does this translation come from? Surprise surprise, it’s from Hatsune Miku: Project mirai Deluxe, Stamp #110, the hint reads “Put on your best impress of the apprentice sorcerer”. The Japanese one reads similarly:「魔導師の卵になりきってみた。」(loosely translates to ”become like the apprentice mage” [thanks for the translation, Kei <3]) thus tying the titles together.

As for her victory theme, I was thinking maybe a shortened version of her titular theme could work.

And as for Carbuncle... Well, I wasn’t too keen on sharing this idea before, but I wouldn’t feature him as an important element of her moveset. Much like Morgana or the Slime, Carbuncle would be more visible on her Down-Throw, her taunts, and her victory screens, but outside of those cases, it’s Arle, all by her lonesome.

Número 6: Special thanks and additional notes.

Ok, I swear, this is the last time I’ll address this topic. I have a hunch feeling that Arle won’t be in the game, but... it’d be really cool if she was. She’s a character as important to SEGA as Sonic and Joker. It’d be horrible if by any reason SEGA decided it was better to go with a Sakura Wars character instead. C’mon, let Arle have this one, SEGA.

By the way, I’m not sure on what Hosoyamada-san thinks in regards to Arle in Smash Bros. or anything the like. It would be really cool if someone could ask him what he thinks, maybe, just maybe, he’s silently wishing for that as much as we do, like Phil Spencer with Banjo. We just have to wait and see.

If you made it this far, then congratulations, you’ve made it yet again through a wall of text, and I couldn’t thank you enough. I also have to thank Kaite20, Celerity910 and Schezoroark for their small, yet incredible contributions. I promise I won’t touch on the subject ever again. I had my fun, I had my time in the sun. Now I need to sleep.

Did you know? Arle Nadja knows more spells than the ones she shows in the Puyo Puyo games, including one called Contia. I wonder if she ever used Contia to pull off an all-nighter...

©SEGA. 2019.

[doomedandstoned]

A Grunge-Era Groundshaker Makes An Inauspicious Return

~Doomed Discoveries~

Here's something I unearthed over the weekend while I was doing some leg work for an upcoming podcast on the Seattle heavy music scene of the '80s and '90s: WILLARD. This dirty-as-they-come sludge rock machine should have probably been better known to most of us, planted as they were in the Emerald City at the boiling point of Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam and releasing two well-regarded, lead-heavy records (an EP and LP, respectively).

Certainly, singer Johnny Clint, guitarists Otis P. Otis and Mark "Spiders" Shropshire, bassist Darren Peters (later succeeded by Tyson Garcia), and Drummer Steve Wied garnered a loyal following in the Northwest underground. Once they're fans responded with such a ruckus that the Seattle Police Department famously banned Willard from performing at Seattle Center...forever.

Add to that, their full-length debut was produced by none other than Jack Endino and released on Roadrunner Records, to great promise. Judging from the press clippings that accompanied 'Steel Mill' (1992), the label was trying to position Willard as the first flank of a new metal offense to counter the grunge occupation of the world (not that I was complaining any about it as a teenager).

So here's something else I learned: the band recorded a second album in '93, but it never saw the light of day. The full story about what happened has never been told. We do know that Willard's sophomore effort was to be called 'Bone Grinder,' but it was shelved by the record label for some reason or another. That or there was some disagreement within the band, because they called it splits after that.

Now some two decades later, eleven previously unreleased Willard songs have surfaced -- presumably from that very studio session I found out while searching for any trace of them on YouTube, which led me right to this previously unreleased song: "Moolg," which is a part of the previously unreleased material l issued now on a label called Black Guitar Records. (Truthfully, I was looking for some extant footage of that Pain In The Grass Festival riot that led to Willard's permaban.)

I was shocked, given the band's place in history and the power of this song, that it had less than 200 views since it was posted in January (I don't care who it's by, I would be excited about this album based on the strength of the material alone). Then again, the band doesn't have any social media or web presence that I could detect (well, not since Myspace) and the label scarcely has any aside from a YouTube channel. I saw some Ditch Witch stuff on there, so the label may be associated in some way with Seattle producer and Grunge legend in his own right, Tad Doyle, of TAD and more lately Brothers of the Sonic Cloth fame. Willard drummer Steve Wied also played in TAD, so he could also have something to do with the somewhat obscure label.

Here's something else that's interesting: rumors have it that the band has reunited and is recording new material, so we may yet have the big Willard splash that should have been. This rather cryptic entry was added to the band's Wikipedia page (without any quotation marks or reference, so I'm assuming it was either added by someone in the band, the band's manager, or their new record label):

Early 2018 -- 11 unreleased Willard songs recorded in Nov 1993 were transferred from 2" Tape to Digital By Stuart Hallerman at Avast! Mark Spiders and Aaron Skok are currently mixing the new songs as of August 2018. All original band members are on board!

Black Guitar Records is proud to announce the first new Willard Record in 25 years! Willard "Underground" is 11 bone crushing songs available at CD Baby, Amazon, and Spotify. First release is a limited edition pressing of 100 CDs.

After listening to the old fashioned five-second samples on CD Baby, I did find, to my delight, the new Willard spin 'Underground' (2019) streaming in its entirety on Spotify (I had to shovel past another Willard of some kind to find it). I need to get myself a physical copy, because I really liked their first two records (though they, too, seem to have suffered from distribution and circulation problems). Still soaking it all in, but digging what I hear so far.

This much I do know: if you enjoy the likes of Soundgarden, Melvins, Helmet or crushing music in general then, son, you need to get you some Willard in your life!

Give ear...

Addendum:

After hastily publishing my article, Seattle contributor Chris Schanz hit me up with this: "Remember when I went to Treefort last year? I mentioned Willard in the article. John R. Clint and Darren Peters we’re both in H-Hour. Steve played drums for us in FUZZBUD after Willard."   A fascinating "Where are they now?" tie-in, indeed. Check out his piece, Doomed & Stoned in Boise.

[eeraygun]

Top 285 Sonic Releases of 2018

000. Rosalia - El Mal Querer 001. Various Artists - 'I Could Go Anywhere But Again I Go With You' 002. Autechre - NTS Sessions 003. Various Artists - Kulør 001 004. Oneohtrix Point Never - Age Of (Japanese Edition) 005. Sophie - Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides 006. Tirzah - Devotion 007. Blawan - Wet Will Always Dry 008. Cam Deas - Time Exercises 009. Leon Vynehall - Nothing Is Still 010. Ingus Baušķenieks ‎ - Spoki 011. Clouds - Heavy The Eclipse 012. Kyo & Jeuru - All The Same Dream 013. Topdown Dialectic - Topdown Dialectic 014. Snail Mail - Lush (remaster) 015. Pavel Milyakov - Eastern Strike 016. Robyn - Honey 017. Falcon Black Ops - Vol. 1 018. CTM - Red Dragon 019. Ariana Grande - Thank You Next 020. Robert Lippok - Applied Autonomy 021. Various Artists - LACKRec. vs. Magic Power 022. Henning Christiansen - The Executioner 023. Against All Logic - 2012-2017 024. Scandinavian Star - Solas 025. Happa - PT3.2 026. Prime Minister of Doom - Mudshadow Propaganda 027. Ciara - Dose 028. Joy Orbison - 81b 029. Drew McDowall - The Third Helix 030. Felix Blume - Death in Haiti: Funeral Brass Bands & Sounds From Port au Prince 031. Teyana Taylor - K.T.S.E. 032. Borai & Denham Audio - Club Glow Vol. 1 033. Demdike Stare - Passion 034. Christian Zanési - Grand Bruit - Stop! l'horizon 035. DJ Healer - Nothing 2 Loose 036. Suzanne Ciani - Quadraphonic LIVE 037. Amnesia Scanner - Another Life 038. Various Artists - BROR08 039. Joy O & Ben Vince - Transition 2 - Systems Align 040. Lamin Fofana - Brancusi Sculpting Beyonce 041. ACT! - Universalist 042. Randomer - HS002 043. Vladimir Dubyshkin - Cheerful Pessimist 044. Hugo Massien - Almost Becoming Lucid 045. Barker - Debiasing EP 046. CLUBKELLY - GLOBAL 93 047. Ron Morelli - Disappearer 048. Jenny Hval - The Long Sleep 049. Tierra Whack - Whack World 050. Chambray - Nectar of Joy 051. Deben Bhattacharya - Paris to Calcutta: Men and Music on the Desert Road 052. Stef Mendesidis - Klockworks 23 053. Various Artists - Running Back Mastermix 054. Andrea - Forse 055. François Bayle - Tremblements... LP 056. Childish Gambino - This Is America 057. Efdemin - Naïf 058. Skee Mask - Compro 059. Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy 060. 700 Bliss - Spa 700 061. Chontane - Red Island EP 062. Honnda - Maraschino Mic Drop 063. Martyn Bootyspoon - Silk Eternity 064. Objekt - Cocoon Crush 065. Addison Groove & Bim Sanga Present Bags Inc. - Dance Trax, Vol. 17 066. Puce Mary - The Drought 067. Gonçalo F Cardoso - Impressões de uma Ilha (Unguja) 068. EQD - Equalized #008 069. Félicia Atkinson - Coyotes 070. Low - Double Negative 071. The Mistys - Pregnant Mannequin 072. Adlas - Arrival by Air 073. Vainqueur - Reductions 1995–1997 074. Xzavier Stone - THIRST 075. Kelman Duran - 13th Month 076. Lyra Valenza - Scan, Deliver 077. Bjarki – Oli Gumm 078. Answer Code Request - Gens 079. Forward Strategy Group - East Port Rangers EP 080. Voronoi - Vis-Viva 081. Olsen - Dream Operator 082. Mih-Ty - MIH-TY 083. Textasy - Dallas Gun Club 084. D.Dan - Covert Operation 085. Ursula K. Le Guin & Todd Barton - Music and Poetry of the Kesh 086. Duran Duran Duran - Choose Death 087. Jean C. Roché - Oiseaux Du Birds Of Venezuela 088. Vanessa Rossetto - Fashion Tape 089. Domiziano Maselli - Ashes 090. Smerz - Have fun 091. The Body - I Have Fought Against It, But I Can't Any Longer 092. Grizzle – Quinine 093. Rkss - DJ Tools 094. SHXCXCHCXSH - OUFOUFOF 095. Perfume - Future Pop 096. Stefano Moretti - Land of Mikuni 097. Sim Hutchins - Clubeighteen2thirty 098. Yves Tumor - Safe in the Hands of Love 099. Martyn - Voids 100. Sophia Loizou - Irregular Territories 101. Fracture - Soundboy Get Nervous 102. ABSOLUTE. - Malfunction 103. Diptera - 001 (antenna) 104. Nathan Micay - Whities 017 105. Alex Kassian - Hidden Tropics 106. The-Dream - Menage a Trois Sextape 107. Regal - Still Raving 108. Fumu - Sinuate 109. Evol - Ideal Acid 110. Various Artists - Only Promo Ma Poule 111. Mariah Carey - Caution 112. Ian Isiah - Shugga Sextape (Vol. 1) 113. Marie Davidson - Working Class Woman 114. Aoud - SE MKII 115. Konrad Wehrmeister - 5050 116. The Advent - Klockworks 22 117. Lucy Railton - Paradise 94 118. Virtual Self - Ghost Voices (Raito Remixes) 119. BE3K - Exoneration 120. GALT Faculty - E B O W 121. Art Alfie - The Bo Allan EP 122. Pendant - Make Me Know You Sweet 123. DJ Boring & Frits Wentink - Wasted Years of Pumping Iron 124. Contactless - Static 125. Was A Be & Synth Ethics - Systems 011 126. Helena Deland - From the Series of Songs Altogether Unaccompanied Vol. I 127. Freddie Gibbs - Freddie 128. Tessela & Lanark Artefax - Blue 01 129. Erma Grid - From a Band of Thoughts That Ended My Year 130. Dold - Mother EP 131. Eartheater - Irisiri 132. Age Coin - She Who Sold Me Told Me 133. Agrippa - Mygraine Urgraine/Harbour Run 134. Shame - Songs Of Praise 135. Severin - Safe Following Distance 136. RAMZi - Phobiza vol. 3: Amor Fati 137. Yen Towers - First on Comedown 138. Ludwig A.F. Röhrscheid - Xhale 139. Tee Mango - #2 140. Swarm Intelligence - Against The Dying Light 141. Céline Gillain - Bad Woman 142. Repro - Feel Extraordinary 143. Gila - Shedskin Pt.33 144. Jan Nemecek - Recurrences 145. Various Artists - Midnight in Tokyo Vol. 2 146. Various Artists - HYS001 147. No Moon - Infinite Dreamz EP 148. Prayer - Vital 149. Cadans - Slit EP 150. D. Tiffany - Feel U 151. The Empire Line - Rave 152. DJ Seinfeld - Sakura 153. 3KZ - A Love Supreme 154. Overlook - Never Understand 155. Ligovskoï - Esam 156. FJAAK - Havel 157. Scalameriya - Hellzone Megapunk EP 158. Drake - Scorpion 159. Locked Club - Svoboda 160. Young Echo - Young Echo 161. Reeko & Jonas Kopp - Realidades Holográficas I Torre de Babel 162. Hiro Kone - Pure Expenditure 163. Bruce - Sonder Somatic 164. Arkajo - Avasarala 165. TML - I Need An Exit 166. Thom Yorke - Suspiria 167. Various Artists - EDITSELECT36 168. Patrick Siech - Our Exile 169. Lucrecia Dalt - Anticlines 170. Qnete - Shtum 018 171. Future & Juice WRLD - WRLD ON DRUGS 172. Demian Licht - Female Criminals Vol. 3 173. Veronica Vasicka - in silhouette 174. 999999999 - RAVE REWORKS 175. Azari - Gotasoul 176. Varg - Nordic Flora Series Pt. 5: Crush 177. Mount Eerie - Now Only 178. Rabit - Bricks in a Draught 179. Elad Magdasi - Liquid Dreams 180. Tomas Urquieta - Dueños de Nada 181. The Higher - The Core 182. Ross Birdwise - Drunk Formalism(s) 183. Alan Fitzpatrick - System Addict 184. H4L - Four Lights 185. John Maus - Addendum 186. L-Vis 1990 - 12 Thousand Nights: Club 187. BLD - For Rave Use Only 188. Various Artists - Don’t You Mess with Cupid, 'Cause Cupid Ain’t Stupid 189. Ksmisk - Mikrometeorittene 190. Mark Leckey - Exorcism Of The Bridge @ Eastham Rake 191. Ross from Friends - Squaz 192. Rae Sremmurd - SR3MM-Jxmtro-Swaecation 193. Ricardo Villalobos - Silent EP 194. Young Thug - Slime Language 195. Phobia NL & Blacksun - Crossfire EP 196. X-Coast - XTC 197. Asymptote - Belief System 198. Ambivalent & Alden Tyrell - Detente 199. Christine and the Queens - Chris 200. Big Miz - Build-Destroy 201. Locked Groove - From Beyond 202. A$AP Rocky - TESTING 203. Paranorman - FUD001 204. Subradeon - Walking Through Motown EP 205. LMajor - Dig the New Breed, Pt. 1 206. P.Leone - The My Lita Project 207. P€PA & Z$OLI - Pzs_Rave 208. Adryiano - Dreams With EP 209. Appleblim - Life in a Laser 210. Vril - Omniverse EP 211. Бassae - Untitled 212. Gabber Eleganza – Never Sleep #1 213. Senyawa - Sujud 214. Radial - Tympana 215. N1L - 山卂ㄒ乇尺 爪乇爪ㄖ尺ㄚ 216. Dibek & Lodig - Lap.AM 217. Jonny Greenwood - Phantom Thread 218. Urulu - Foreign Depths 219. David Goldberg - EMO Serialism 220. DJ Different - Permission 2 Dance 221. Prg_m - Berytus Groan 222. Funeral Future - Hard Candy EP 223. Voiski - Sick Parrots 224. serpentwithfeet - soil 225. Company - Prosody 226. Stanislav Tolkachev - Champions Breakfast 227. Asquith - The Conditioning Track 228. Awdha - UNO 229. Dedekind Cut - Tahoe 230. 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Renick Bell - Wary 261. Nicki Minaj - Chun-Li 262. Locked Club - ЛОМАЙ EP 263. Dopplereffekt - Athanatos 264. Glaskin - Grey Lines 265. Beta Librae - Subspecies 266. Oisel - Entroterra EP 267. Conforce - Zero Point-Field 268. Raito - One Step Beyond 269. Hioll - Hioll 002 270. Various Artists - AEX005 271. Rune Bagge - Pink Dreams 272. Tensal - Industrialsociety EP 273. Mathias Schaffhaeuser - Love Idol 274. Notzing - 014 275. Michal Wolski - Still Life 276. Aphtc - When Grounds Shift 277. DJ Sneak - 3D Print 278. Bylly - Mouth Full of Sand 279. CUB - Seeing From Above 280. Farrago - Risin' 281. Amotik ‎– Amotik 009 282. D-Leria - Driving to Nowhere 283. The Cyclist - Alabaster Thrones 284. Roza Terenzi & DJ Zozi - Planet Euphorique

[theclo4ked1]

Wake me up from this Carnival Night(mare) Zone Some days ago, I made a long awaited return to my in-progress Tails playthrough of Sonic 3 (without the "& Knuckles" lock-on tech). I had already collected all 7 emeralds and the last zone I left myself in was Carnival Night Zone. So I started playing. I was jumping around, running down those candy cane cylinder things, I accidentally performed that one glitch where your gravity becomes altered because you touched a certain object like those rotating wheels or those odd floating platforms that you jump on to have them ascend--all in all, I was havin' a (not 3D) blast, until I made it to Act 2. There was this part with a 10+ Rings monitor, or something, somewhere high in the zone. Above the item was a ceiling that curved, so I jumped at that curve to start running on the ceiling, only to clip into the adjacent wall not too far away.

I found that I was unable to remove myself from that space, no matter how many times I jumped, how much I charged a Spindash--I even attempted that one glitch you can do in Ice Cap and/or Sandopolis when you duck to lower the screen and then quickly jump to perform either a level wrap or a screen wrap, I forgot, but I was just STUCK. I tried for a few minutes before I gave up and waited for a Time Over (the most embarrassing way to die in a Classic Sonic game imo). I don't get Time Over's because I'm bad at the games, I just love to explore these worlds, and I like to be thorough; I wanna find all the secrets and those lovely Giant Rings that net me 50 extra rings (cuz I already have the emeralds at this point so I can no longer warp to the BLUE SPHERE DOILUS ROUND) Nonetheless, I left and returned with a slice of pizza, and finally, the clock eventually hit 9:59 and Tails was freed at the cost of one of his lives...and my pride. Happy to have been released from one of Robotnik's Nefarious Traps (I presumed), I carried out the Act as normal, up to the part where Knuckles comes in and causes a power outage. What a four-headed dick. That's my least favorite part of the whole zone; it's so slow, mostly because the level design is more boxed in and linear and there's WATER in this carnival. For the love of Chaos, who the fUCK put all this water here?!

And you know that one part, with all the bumpers on the walls and ceiling that take you farther into the lower parts of the Act? I was like "hmm what if theres something back there" so I flew through that tight section avoiding the bumpers to be sent back. It turns out there was nothing there for me, so I thought I'd just head back... But unfortunately, Tails' airborne physics, while flying, cause him to descend slower, probably because his gravity is decreased. Due to his decreased gravity, the force exerted by the bumpers is probably doubled, and without any solid ground to stand on, Tails cannot exit flight mode and revert to his normal gravity. The result was me becoming softlocked AGAIN in the same GOT damn Act. Once more, I waited for the time to run out. The following footage is my agony captured on a smartphone camera this time, to share with my friends.

"I'm stuck in the GOT damn building; I can't get out of this... I cAn'T-" Damn it, Tails, is this why some people don't like you? Geez, I have NEVER been in Carnival Night Zone for this long of a time; it was so, very excruciating. I'm still worried this experience will forever change the way I see Tails and this Zone... :( Addendum, Jun. 5, 2024. I forgot to put this addendum in soon after I initially posted the entire text. I was looking at my screen like "what was I supposed to add? oh well" but I remembered today: this post was the first time I put in some .gifs to just fill the spaces between blocks. This is because I had learned that Tumblr has a block limit system of 4,000-something characters. The way I format my posts, I use SHIFT-ENTER to make new lines and not ENTER, and using the former over the ladder continues a block rather than splitting it. Now I also know why I couldn't put all of my Sonic Frontiers thoughts into that one post from a while ago, but hey, now I know I can fix it because I saved the rest elsewhere! but ough, I had always ("always" referring to when I found my footing in making posts which wasn't all that long ago) put a .gif or three in my posts because 1) they're fun to use, and 2) they kept the design of my posts more than stale (not boring). Now I may feel obligated to have them just so I don't reach that limit :C