#Top Challengers of 2022-23

[acecranesindia]

We're thrilled to announce that ACE has been awarded three prestigious awards at the 09th India Construction Festival 2023: 1️⃣ Bestseller in Tower Cranes 2️⃣ Bestseller in Mobile Cranes 3️⃣ Top Challengers of 2022-23 These accolades are a testament of our commitment to excellence in the construction industry. Thank you for your continued support! Let's keep reaching new heights together!

[zvaigzdelasas]

The defeat of a liberal Portland prosecutor at the hands of a tough-on-crime challenger has hardened a view among top White House officials that Democrats need to further distance themselves from their left flank on law-and-order issues.[...]

The White House is banking on the idea that voters will reward them for public efforts to crack down on immigration and boost spending on law enforcement — and, perhaps as importantly, that the liberal forces that so effectively moved the party away from those planks in 2020 won’t punish the president come November.[...]

But the president has not needed much convincin[sic] [...] having personally favored an approach that emphasizes more traditional support for law enforcement alongside criminal justice reforms. Biden spent much of his half century in politics as an ardent advocate for law enforcement and anti-crime measures, a reputation that complicated his path to the 2020 Democratic nomination amid scrutiny over his role in passing a controversial 1994 crime bill.

And even as the broader party shifted leftward [sic] on issues like police funding and immigration during that period, Biden sought to stake out a middle ground that often put him out of step with his progressive base — perhaps most notably using his first State of the Union address in 2022 to exhort lawmakers to “fund the police.”

In recent months, Biden has warned advisers that scenes of chaos at the border or crime in cities pose an increasing political danger. They risk turning off the independent and suburban voters, he’s said, who may be repulsed by much of Donald Trump’s policies and personality but could be willing to vote for him anyway in the name of public safety.[...]

Biden and his senior-most aides are united on the need to push for greater border security. [...]

“The narrative about Democrats on crime became deeply distorted after Defund the Police became kind of a thing,” [sic] said Matt Bennett, executive vice president for public affairs at the center-left think tank Third Way. “In fact, [Biden] has been very aggressive about funding the police, and has flipped around that narrative in ways that I think are really helpful.”[...]

The White House, to that end, has battered Republicans in recent days over their abandonment of a bipartisan border security bill that would’ve imposed strict new limits on immigration.

The legislation, which Senate Democrats are forcing a vote on for the second time this week, has fueled blowback among progressive and Latino lawmakers who blasted its “extreme and unworkable enforcement-only policies.”

But Biden has fully embraced the measure, repeatedly emphasizing the tough restrictions it’d put in place and criticizing Republicans for stalling the bill solely to avoid handing him an election-year victory. The White House is also preparing an executive order on immigration as a fallback, in a long-germinating [sic] display of his commitment to a border crackdown.

The president has also made a point of voicing support for law enforcement in recent weeks. He refused to criticize police conducting mass arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses, even as he backed the right [sic] to peacefully protest. And he’s repeatedly touted a plan to invest $37 billion in crime provision [...]

There is also deep-seated fear throughout the party of the alternative: A Trump presidency that has made clear it would prioritize mass deportations and sharp shifts away from the progress [sic] Biden has made on other criminal justice issues like gun violence prevention.

23 May 24

[probablyasocialecologist]

Kenyan tea pickers are destroying machines brought in to replace them during violent protests that highlight the challenge faced by low-skilled workers as more agribusiness companies rely on automation to cut costs. At least 10 tea-plucking machines have been torched in multiple flashpoints in the past year, according to local media reports. Recent demonstrations have left one protester dead and several injured, including 23 police officers and farm workers. The Kenya Tea Growers Association (KTGA) estimated the cost of damaged machinery at $1.2 million (170 million Kenyan shillings) after nine machines belonging to Ekaterra, makers of the top-selling tea brand Lipton, were destroyed in May. In March, a local government taskforce recommended that tea companies in Kericho, the country’s largest tea-growing town, adopt a new 60:40 ratio of mechanized tea harvesting to hand-plucking. The taskforce also wants legislation passed to limit importation of tea harvesting machines. Nicholas Kirui, a member of the taskforce and former CEO of KTGA, told Semafor Africa 30,000 jobs had been lost to mechanization in Kericho county alone over the past decade. "We did public participation in all the wards and with all the different groups, and the overwhelming sentiment we were hearing was that the machines should go," Kirui said. In 2021, Kenya exported tea worth $1.2 billion, making it the third-largest tea exporter globally, behind China and Sri Lanka. Multinationals including Browns Investments, George Williamson and Ekaterra — which was sold by Unilever to a private equity firm in July 2022 —  plant on an estimated 200,000 acres in Kericho and have all adopted mechanized harvesting. Some machines can reportedly replace 100 workers. Ekaterra's corporate affairs director in Kenya, Sammy Kirui, told Semafor Africa that mechanization was “critical” to the company’s operations and the global competitiveness of Kenyan tea. As the government taskforce established, one machine can bring the cost of harvesting tea down to 3 cents (4 Kenyan shillings) per kilogram from 11 cents (15.32 shillings) per kilogram with hand-plucking. Analysts partly attribute Kenya's unemployment rate — the highest in East Africa — to automation in industries, including banking and insurance. Some 13.9% of working age Kenyans (over 16) were out of work or long term unemployed in the final quarter of 2022.

[ottawacharge]

Jessie Fleming interview: Adapting to the Thorns, her Chelsea exit and pushing for environmental change

Jessy Parker Humphreys, Wednesday, July 24th

Ask Jessie Fleming what topics interest her about the environment and she will start reeling them off.

“Urban planning, the power of funghi, regenerative agriculture, Dan Barber…”

Barber is an American chef who advocates for farm-to-table cooking, in case you are not as looped into the environmental ethics of food as Fleming.

“I started taking courses on environmental science for fun at university and I got down this rabbit hole,” she explains. Fleming ended up minoring in the subject at university in Los Angeles and has been committed to raising awareness about issues with our environment ever since.

This latest pledge comes off the back of her choice to donate the carbon cost of her long-haul flight to the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as part of a 47-player initiative through Common Goal, a charitable movement launched by Spain international Juan Mata six years ago.

Fleming left Women’s Super League (WSL) champions Chelsea in January, going from a league in England where players travel to games by train or coach to one where they can fly thousands of miles across the country every weekend, such is the geographical spread of the 14 teams.

“It’s something I think about a lot,” she says. “As players, we have a responsibility to draw attention to those problems and suggest ways leagues and governing bodies can adjust the format of tournaments or the schedule of leagues to help reduce those footprints.

“We’re all hypocritical in a way, so we need to at least do something.”

There was a feeling around Fleming’s mid-season departure from Chelsea that she had never quite lived up to her potential. Arriving in summer 2020 fresh out of the U.S. college game at UCLA, her stock was very high, having originally made her senior debut for Canada aged only 15.

Yet she never nailed down a starting spot, despite featuring 111 times across four seasons and being trusted by manager Emma Hayes to start crucial matches such as the 2022-23 Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona at Camp Nou.

“I loved my time at Chelsea, loved the league, loved England. I just wanted to be in a place where I was consistently playing in the same position and playing more consistent minutes.”

Fleming has certainly got that with Portland, where she has started 13 of their 15 matches so far this season, but the return to the U.S. has been an adjustment. Portland had their worst start to an NWSL season, failing to win any of their first four games and consequently sacking manager Mike Norris. A six-game winning run followed, but with only one victory in the past four league fixtures, it is clear they are still finding their feet as a team.

Those ups and downs are a unique experience for Fleming, who lost only one more league match in three-and-a-half years with Chelsea than she has in six months in Portland.

“It’s definitely a different challenge,” she says. “Physically, it’s more intense (in the NWSL). More transitional, lots of athletic players. But you’re starting to see the effect of European coaches in the league. There are more teams trying to play possession-based, thoughtful football. I’ve never seen anything like how competitive the NWSL is, especially when you look at the teams at the top of the table who had poor seasons last year. That’s not something you would ever see in the WSL.

“The start of the season was especially difficult for us, because we had so many new players. We spent so little time together before the first game — that was a challenge I’d never experienced before. I think we’re feeling the effects of the ebb and flow of the season right now. You have to be so tuned-in mentally for every game, every week. If you do go through a low spell, you have to find ways to turn it around quickly, because getting a few wins will push you up the table.”

The NWSL season is about to be paused for the Olympics, which begin in France at the end of this month, where Fleming will be hoping to help Canada’s women retain the title they won at the previous Games in Japan three years ago. Paris 2024 will be her third Olympics and Canada have won medals at her previous two, taking bronze in Brazil in 2016, but a disappointing World Cup campaign, where they exited at the group stage after one win and two goals (one of them an own-goal) in the three games, has put a dampener on expectations.

“I struggled with penalties a bit at university, so it’s definitely not something I’ve always felt able to do,” she says. “I feel like for that coolness, I have to turn to my team-mates and our environment. I feel very supported and backed up with the national team and that helped me massively during that tournament.”

This time out, she’ll be in a new role as captain. Anyone who has watched Fleming play will know she is not the most vocal on the pitch, but she feels she can bring something different to the role.

“I’m definitely on the quieter side, but I’m learning there are so many different ways to lead,” Fleming says. “I don’t love speaking in front of a loud group of people and I feel like I thrive a bit more when I’m one-on-one with players. I would say I’m a bit of a football brain. I love watching the game, I love talking about tactics, and I’m always interested in how to improve, both as an individual and as a team.

“For me, it’s about letting my passion for football shine through and trying to bring others with me in that.”

[valyrfia]

do u think max would have the same success if he started out in a ferrari?

The thing about comparing drivers who have never driven for the same team is that it's so hard to find a benchmark to quantify against. Max is successful because Red Bull built their project around him from 2018 onwards. If he had entered Ferrari he would have had to compete with one of either Kimi or Seb until 2019, then likely been pushed out to make way for one Ferrari Academy Driver Charles Leclerc, or if he partnered Charles at Ferrari the preference would have likely been given to Il Predestinato after just a little bit. Max in Ferrari would have won races, I'm not sure he would have won championships–the same way if Charles had moved to Red Bull in 2019 instead of Ferrari he would have won races, and maybe challenged for championships in 22/23 but the project would still ultimately be built around Max.

That being said, Max has overall had better cars throughout his career in a top team than Charles has had, and much more importantly he's had indisputable n1 driver status which Charles has never had. When comparing drivers it's so easy to forget that the car they drive and whether the team gives them priority or not is such a large part of the success. Charles lost the championship in 2022 because Ferrari developed the car around Carlos and gave strategy priority to Carlos instead of Charles.

So, no. I don't think Max would have had the same success if he had started out in Ferrari, simply because he wouldn't have the team built around him in the same manner as was possible at Red Bull.

[limerental]

i'm in the midst of planning for my fifth (!!) ficlet month this November, where i challenge myself to write one small fic per day for a whole month, so i figured i might rec some of my favorites from past months.

the majority of ficlets were written for The Witcher but it's very funny to see my canon interests broaden and change from year to year.

Ficlet Month Masterlists

November 2020 - tumblr & ao3 collection November 2021 - tumblr & ao3 collection October 2022 - tumblr & ao3 collection November 2023 - tumblr & ao3 collection

Ficlet self-recs below the cut!

written out of the stories - '20 - yennefer & original female character

a meta heavy future fic where yen speaks with a museum curator about her forgotten place in The Witcher legend inspired by book canon asides and featuring a heavy dose of spite

monster - '21 - yennefer/geralt

a tragic frankenstein au where yennefer creates a monster to love her but cannot ever be sure that he truly does featuring body horror and angst and yucky tenderness

a study in perseverance - '21 - geralt/jaskier

a crack taken seriously centaur!geralt au where jaskier is wholly determined to prepare himself physically and mentally (mostly physically) to have penetrative sex with geralt's horse bits featuring over the top melodrama, bad sex and gooey romance

the little griefs - '21 - geralt & roach(s)

a study of a series of horses called roach through a witcher's life on the path featuring loss, loneliness, and carrying on

from such great heights - '22 - yennefer/geralt

in an alternate universe where magic users are born with wings, yennefer gave hers up and geralt's were stolen from him. featuring two broken people loving each other as best they can and wing preening

a unicorn for tea - '22 - yennefer/geralt &ciri

a post book canon fic where ciri and ihuarraquax come to visit yennefer and geralt in their idyllic ambiguous afterlife featuring yen's poor baking skills, humor, and a lingering bittersweetness

degradation for degradation - '22 - dijkstra/geralt

a porn with very little plot game canon divergent fic where dijkstra seeks to even the score with geralt featuring humiliation, geralt being a little shit, and a healthy heaping of size difference

when we were girls - '23 - calanthe/meve

a pre-canon twn/book/game-blended exploration of the childhood relationship between two young women who later became powerful queens with very different fates

we worship nothing in the foxholes - '23 - isengrim/iorveth

a post battle of brenna missing scene between two virhedd commanders who are just beginning to grapple with nilfgaard's defeat, the scoia'tael's lost dreams of freedom, and the likelihood that they won't get out of the war alive

how much it was worth - '23 - geralt & ciri & kelpie

a missing scene before the end of lady of the lake where geralt admires ciri's black mare and feels the rift of time and trauma that's grown between himself and his daughter

[slutforpringles]

Daniel Ricciardo was the fall guy despite McLaren’s all around struggles

Daniel Ricciardo’s struggles behind the wheel of the McLaren made him the perfect fall guy for the struggling Formula 1 team.

The 33-year-old Aussie endured a tumultuous two-year stint with the Woking-based outfit as he struggled to emulate his Red Bull days.

As we all know those lofty heights of seven race victories didn’t come to fruition, the Perth native did however claim McLaren’s first Grand Prix victory in some time as he edged out teammate Lando Norris.

As the two seasons dragged out, the team’s struggles only went from bad to worse but it was Ricciardo who was constantly in the spotlight and being thrown under the bus.

McLaren finished third in the constructors standings in 2020, behind only Mercedes and Red Bull. The signs from that season were evident and it’s why hopes were high when Ricciardo made the switch from Renault.

But in Ricciardo’s first season the team fell down to fourth in the standings as Ferrari leapt above them.

Last season they fell another spot as they were overtaken by Alpine.

And yet it was the Aussie who had the finger pointed at him for struggling to deliver, despite the car simply not being up to scratch to deliver the results the team were dreaming of.

McLaren boss Zak Brown, who became public enemy number one among Aussie F1 fans, said Ricciardo often stole the headlines despite other struggles plaguing the team.

“We started [2022] with some challenges in testing with the brake ducts. The car was okay,” said Brown as per RacingNews365.com.

“Then we had our driver-related issues that we were working through which took the attention, the headline.

“Meanwhile, underneath the surface, I wasn’t happy with the pace of the development of the racing car. That was the second half of last year – if you look at the pace of development with some of the other teams where they started and where they ended, versus where we started and where we ended.”

Those remarks however from Brown, whether he meant to or not, continue to place the blame on Ricciardo.

Yes the normally smiling assassin struggled to make an impact, with only seven finishes inside the top 10 during the 2022 season.

But his teammate Norris remained in the clear despite going backwards on what he’d achieved the season before.

Norris has long been touted as a potential Formula 1 world champion, but even he couldn’t come close to the level many believe he’s capable of.

The 23-year-old only managed to secure on podium finish after spraying the champagne four times in 2021.

In 2023 with Norris and Aussie rookie Oscar Piastri, the McLaren struggles have been laid bare with the team fifth in the constructors standings.

All 12 of their total points came during a chaotic Australian Grand Prix. Both drivers finished well outside the points during the opening two races of the season.

With Daniel Ricciardo no longer in the garage, Brown is going to have to find a new fall guy to blame the team’s struggles on.

(x) 

[heejinkwan]

FALLEN ANGEL is the second mini album by ASTELLA, a South Korean soloist. It was released on February 23, 2024 by StarShip Entertainment. The album consists of seven tracks, one including title track NOBODY KNOWS. It is available both physically and digitally.

ASTELLA promoted the album for 4 weeks total, promoting NOBDODY KNOWS and b-side MANIAC for 2 weeks each. NOBODY KNOWS peaked at 2 on the gaon charts while MANIAC peaked at 11. although unpromoted, Kingdom Come and Lucid Dream also charted, peaking at 19 and 25 the week after the album's release. The album received global attention as well, peaking at 10 on the US Billboard 200, also charting in 20 other countries including Japan, Brazil, FinLand, Thailand, and the UK. ASTELLA won a total of 9 music show awards for this album, NOBDOY KNOWS winning 7 with MANIAC earning 3.

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ i. the tracklist !

i. ✭ .   nobody knows ( title track )

ii. ✭ . maniac

iii. ✭ . rewind

iv. ✭ . lucid dream

v. ✭ . kingdom come

vi. ✭ . automatic

vii. ✭ . thirsty

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ get your photocards here !

*ੈ♡⸝⸝ ii. the styling !

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ iii. the reception !

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ iv. the notes !

₊˚ෆ the concept of this album was basically an omen to her performance on fictitouscore, her being a fallen angel, like the title of the album says.

₊˚ෆ the album was automatically a banger, earning a 7.2 score on pitchfork, astella garnered many new fans off of the release of nobody knows itself.

₊˚ෆ a lot of stellars believe that they should’ve made kingdom come be the title track, seeing that it’s gone so viral, but others understand why nobody knows was chosen for the title track.

₊˚ෆ astella blew up on tik tok! people already saying that nobody knows is soty and that it was the best release so far!

₊˚ෆ she did many challenges with julie and hanuel of kiss of life, karina of aespa, joy of red velvet, and yeji of itzy.

₊˚ෆ she made many new friends including yeji, who she met from being friends with karina.

₊˚ෆ and all the rumors are true! the album may or may not be about yeonjun, who she has been rumored to be dating ever since 2020 west they had a minor acquaintance.

₊˚ෆ she began being close to him while being in promise, but after leaving he was one of the only people she talked to all the time, the rest being her family, the promise members, and karina.

₊˚ෆ they began officially dating in 2022 but never actually confirms it so nobody knows is like her saying it but not actually saying it.

₊˚ෆ when it peaked number two on billboard, heejin’s family called her and they celebrated with a cake, congratulating her on her success.

₊˚ෆ she literally did a live at like 1am happy, which turned into her crying because of how overwhelmed and happy she was that the song was doing well, the comments were congratulating her and telling her not to cry.

₊˚ෆ during maniac promotions, a lot of people felt like the song did not fit the album and complained that it was being promoted and not kingdom come, which was gaining more streams than maniac.

₊˚ෆ starship released two videos of the recording process of both nobody knows and maniac, which gained so much traction on twitter and tik tok with videos with over 1m+ likes and views.

₊˚ෆ even though she hadn’t planned it, heejin ended up finding out that she will be performing at coachella 2024 in california alongside other kpop artists such as lesserafim and ateez.

₊˚ෆ even though no one expected it, rewind also ended up getting popular! after many stellars posted the song in a sped up version, making people who did even stan heejin wonder what the song was, it even got non kpop fans bopping to it!

₊˚ෆ after catching onto it, heejjn ended up posting a lyric video of rewind on her channel, and after a week it charted at number 8 on top 100: south korea on apple music, youtube music charts at number 1, and gaon chart at number 5.

₊˚ෆ stellars can really say this is their favorite era of astella so far, when the music is good how can you not stan?

₊˚ෆ very much inspired by this by @dr3amluc1d

[jokeroutsubs]

JokerOutSubs to-do list of projects!

Below are listed all the videos that we're working on (in bold), we're planning to work on, or that were suggested to us!

Before making a request in our inbox, please check the list below. If there's something new you find and would want us to translate, you can also reply to this post. Thanks!

V petek zvečer

JOKER OUT PRVI PUT U SRBIJI

Los crushes de media Europa 😍  Euromovidas

JOKER OUT - TOP MUSIC

Je Bojan Cvjetićanin res spal z ... ??? | - QUICKIE

Joker Out pred odhodom v Liverpool

Joker Out - Iščem sebe [Live on Vičstock Unplugged]

Joker Out - Fiks [Live on Vičstock Unplugged]

Bojan Cvjetićanin in Kris Guštin: Joker Out s padali v Križanke?

Kdo smo JOKER OUT?

Bojan Cvjetićanin (Joker Out) - Na malo drugačen način ...

Mali Šef Slovenije (voyo)

Kako Bojan Cvjetićanin dojema naključja in transcendentalno ter koliko zaupa intuiciji?

Renaissance radio: Bojan Cvjetićanin iz Joker Out

Joker Out: "Barve oceana" (V ŽIVO) na Radio Robin

Pop Corn: Joker Out, Signe - 26.10.2022

Joker Out Instagram Live (February 2023)

Joker Out iskreno o Evroviziji

Šproščeno z Joker Out

[INTERVJU] Joker Out na Štuku

BNK 2017 - Poročanje s Poljanfesta

Joker Out - Behind the Scenes (Vem Da Greš)

Ema 2022 (semifinals + final, Bojan + LPS cut)

Joker Out optimistično na Evrovizijo - YouTube

Infodrom: Joker Out - YouTube

JOKER OUT 🤘 Arsenal FEST 28/06/2023 #RokPokret #ArsenalFEST ROKPOKRET.RS

Tattstalk - Bojan Cvjetićanin | Nastop na Emi

Pop Corn: Joker Out, Folkrola - 10.11.2021

Volkswagen Rocks Ljubljana_Joker Out

Martinovo slovo

MUSIC CHALLENGE * petje* ft. Bojan Cvjetićanin

Zajtrk PR' Andreji - Bojan Cvjetićanin, december 2021

Bojan Cvjetićanin - Backstage #23

Intervju: Joker Out (Slovenija 🇸🇮 2023.) - eurosong.hr

Rdeče in črno z Vesno Milek: Bojan Cvjetićanin

Joker Out: Na poti do zvezd. Kulturni multipraktik na Gimnaziji Bežigrad

Entrevista a Joker Out (Eslovenia) en el rodaje de su videoclip para Eurovisión 2023

🇸🇮 Entrevista con JOKER OUT: Resaca por Europa, ligues y Bojan en Español (de nuevo) | Euromovidas

RADIO Si MAIN STAGE - JOKER OUT - Koncert - YouTube

Wkrwglca Pop in

JOKER OUT - KOFI BREJK - YouTube

JUTRA OB KAVI SO ŠE LEPŠA OB KITARI - GUŠTI & KRIS GUŠTIN - YouTube

Joker Out - Kot srce, ki kri poganja [Live on Vičstock Unplugged] - YouTube

[Bitka Bendov] Joker Out - intervju - YouTube

JOKER OUT (Eslovenia 🇸🇮 en Eurovisión 2023) y la esencia de su puesta en escena en Liverpool

Liverpool Calling: La pichoneta con Bojan de Joker Out (Eslovenia) | #4

Obiskali so nas mladi Ljubljančani iz skupine Joker Out

Bojan Cvjetićanin in Kris Guštin (Joker Out) - ODKRITO.SI | Podcast on Spotify

ALKIMIJA BESED #03: BOJAN CVJETIĆANIN (Joker Out) - YouTube

Medvediči #2 Bojan Cvjetićanin - YouTube

Joker Out: "Nikoli nismo rekli, da smo rock’n’roll." | PODKAST - YouTube

F.A.Y.N. Podcast z Majo Monrue: Bojan Cvjetićanin o tem, kako se čuti osvoboditev z uspehom na odru

JOKER OUT ZAPUŠČA SLOVENIJO? - BOJAN CVJETIĆANIN – Podcast Brez Filtra #80 - YouTube

BOJAN CVJETIĆANIN - PODCAST CACTUS #17

Fejmiči - #1 Bojan Cvjetićanin

Joker Out Nočni obisk

Misija liverpool

Bojan, Kris, Jan in Martin (Joker Out) izbirajo ljubezen

Koncert doma: Joker Out Bojan Cvjetićanin- Svijet Oko Mene podcast

Popkast: Bojan Cvjetićanin: Internet vsakemu omogoča, da iz svojih ust izlije blato

Cosmo podcast: Bojan Cvjetićanin: Slovenija je premajhna za Tinder

[satoshi-mochida]

Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival coming to PS5, Xbox Series, and PC on November 7 - Gematsu

Bandai Namco will release Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store on November 7, the company announced. A demo is available now for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam.

The game will be priced at $49.99 / £39.99 / €49.99 for the standard edition, which includes the downloadable content “Namco Game Music Pack,” and $79.99 / £65.99 / €79.99 for the Setlist Edition, which includes the downloadable contents “Anime Songs Collection,” “Namco Game Music Pack,” “Pops Collection,” and “Vocaloid Songs Collection.” Digital pre-orders are available now.

In Japan, the PlayStation 5 version will also be available physically. It is currently unclear whether a physical release is planned for the west.

In Japan, accessory manufacturer HORI will release a dedicated controller for the game. It will be available in two SKUs—one compatible with PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC, and the other compatible with Xbox Series and PC.

Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival first launched on September 22, 2022 in Japan and September 23 worldwide. The new release will mark the first Taiko no Tatsujin game to support 120 frames per second on consoles, and will include new collaboration music and mini-characters exclusive to the new platforms, as well as the “Run! Ninja Dojo” mode added to the Switch version via a post-launch update.

Here is an overview of the game, via its store pages:

About

Welcome to Omiko City, where everyone’s favorite Taiko elements come together in one place! Together with Don-chan, meet your new friend, Kumo-kyun and aim to become a Taiko Master! Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival is a drum-based rhythm game featuring songs from genres such as Anime and VOCALOID, and also a variety of game modes! Have fun playing solo or online!

Taiko Mode

Drum along to the rhythm of your favorite songs and aim to play them from start to finish! Select from four difficulty modes. 76 songs across multiple genres such as Anime, VOCALOID, Game Music, and Pop are available in the game! Songs include “Gurenge,” “My Neighbor Totoro – Ending Theme Song,” “Charles,” “MEGALOVANIA,” “Into The Night,” “Feel Special,” and many more! Have fun playing casually with another player or compete for the highest score! You can also use Improvement Support to help you improve your drumming skills!

Three Types of Party Games for Two to Four Players are Available

Great Drum Toy War – Play along to songs and deploy toys to push back your opponent’s toys and aim for victory!

Don-chan Band – Work as a group of four to perform successful concerts!

Run! Ninja Dojo – Become a ninja and race with up to four other players! Overcome multiple obstacles as you compete for 1st place!

Online Matches

Online Ranked Match – Challenge players from all over the world and aim for the top ranks!

Room Match – Play casually with friends and players from around the world in Taiko Mode and Great Drum Toy War!

Have fun playing Taiko solo, or together with friends!

Taiko Music Pass

Online Ranked Match – Challenge players from all over the world and aim for the top ranks!

Room Match – Play casually with friends and players from around the world in Taiko Mode and Great Drum Toy War!

Watch the announcement trailer below.

PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC Announce Trailer

English

[Twitter Link]

Japanese

[frequently-studies]

28/9/23

Day 4 of my 100 days of studying challenge!

Woke up at 4, completed reading the textbook for human values. Used ChatGPT to make concise point wise notes. Then referred to the ppt my professor provided and added notes from that too. Didn’t feel lile going to college today, so didn’t go.

Studied transient and stead state response of 2nd order control systems and practiced all solved examples from it. I also revised averages for CAT and practiced 20 quants questions. After a rather unproductive evening, I completed IPv4 and IPv6 theory and frame formats. I also studied supernetting in computer networking.

Did not get time to read ‘All about love’ by Bell Hooks today. I will try again tomorrow.

Since I was studying at home, it was a rather lazy day. I didn’t complete my move or stand goals.

Today’s jam was Four Out of Five by Arctic Monkeys. This was my top song in the 2022 wrapped!

[autumnslance]

LynMars FFXIV Write 2023 Master Post

This year's challenge completed! Congrats to everyone who wrote anything at all this month, even if just one prompt! Thanks again to @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast for 7 years of this!

Previous Years Master Posts: 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

Anything wolcred ship-related is marked by an asterisk* as usual. Commentary and stats for anyone interested below the Read More.

01. Envoy: ARR; Aeryn makes her Grand Company choice. 02. Bark: Dark has the wrong pie thief suspect. 03. Free Day! 04. Off the Hook: EW; Lucia & Maxima explore their new HQ. 05. Barbarous: HW; Aeryn's frustrated by the land of her birth. 06. Ring: EW; keepsakes & memories of Aeryn's mother. 07. Noisome: Dark & Iyna contend with ubiquitous seasonal flavors. 08. Shed: EW; Aeryn answers Zenos at the edge of everything. 09. Fair: EW; Azem's brother tries to ensure the future has his aid. 10. Free Day! 11. Once Bitten Twice Shy: ShB Bozja; unwarranted concerns. 12. Dowdy: Backstory; Aeryn's always had Opinions about fashion. 13. Check: Iyna discovers C'oretta's personal business. 14. Clear*: ShB; semi-poetic sweetness of coming together. 15. Portentous: Backstory. Zaine speaks to Tanzel about a decision. 16. Jerk: EW; Aeryn meets an old friend as the Final Days loom. 17. Free Day! 18. Fish Out of Water: Shb: G'raha gets used to his new life. 19. Weal: EW; Vrtra sees to his people and their home. 20. Hamper: In a possible future, Iyna answers academic questions. 21. Grave: Legacy; Zaine Striker returns to his childhood home. 22. Fulsome: C'oretta sorts through her parents' old promos. 23. Suit: ARR; what the Scions wore that most fateful night. 24: Free Day! 25. Call it a Day: Pre-ARR; Iron Summer contemplating his daughter. 26. Last: EW; a final conversation between ancients. 27. Sole*: Post-ShB; Thancred vs the perils of Aeryn's flip-tastic jobs. 28. Blunt: Post-ShB; working with Gaius, like it or not. 29. Contravention: EW; "In from the Cold" violates laws of nature. 30. Amity: EW; Varshahn & Aeryn discuss Thavnair & Garlemald.

Only 2 short shippy prompts all month! All 4 modern girls got a couple spotlights, various family cameos and backstories, a future prompt as is tradition, Zaine had a few posts, a few NPC-only scenes, a LOT of Endwalker, and even Ancient Icarus got a story, tying into 2021's "Destruct" prompt and how/why the siblings' souls have been connected through time and reincarnations.

A few of these are alternate takes on scenes I've touched on before, but it's interesting what a new prompt at a different time can get one to say, how we change as writers in what we focus on and how we say it.

This comes in roughly 300 words shorter than last year, at 18,493. The week of the 18-22 I had off work for my birthday, and that had the most 1k+ prompts, with a word count nearly double the other 3 full weeks. While the longer prompts are good, I'm really happy with how so many of the short ones turned out!

I was again trying to be realistic about my time, energy, not pushing free write days...and also working on an original writing project on the side, so I actually did do more writing over the month, just not FFXIV related!

(Also why some of my responses were in just under the wire...)

But this was a good break and exercise from that other writing, and let me try a few new things.

And comparing to earlier years--especially 2017 and 2018 when I was getting back onto the writing horse and feeling out my OCs--I feel like my growth as a writer, especially to be more succinct yet still evocative when needed, is evident. I've gotten a lot of practice in over time, and this challenge is one of the things that helped me get to where I can write an original story on top of my fanfic!

Breakdowns for funsies: Longest: 21 Grave; 1,652 words Shortest: 14 Clear; 106 words

Between 100-500 words: 1 Envoy; 2 Bark; 4 Off the Hook; 5 Barbarous; 7 Noisome; 8 Shed; 14 Clear; 15 Portentous; 26 Last; 27 Sole. Between 500-1000 words: 6 Ring; 11 Once Bitten, Twice Shy; 13 Check; 16 Jerk; 18 Fish Out of Water; 22 Fulsome; 23 Suit; 25 Call it a Day; 28 Blunt; 29 Contravention; 30 Amity. 1000+ words: 9 Fair; 12 Dowdy; 19 Weal; 20 Hamper; 21 Grave.

I didn't look at the totals until the end; I only checked some of the shorter ones during the challenge to see if they hit my personal "500+ words" cut off for adding a Read More to the posts.

"Grave" honestly could have been a lot shorter; I started the plot too early, and much as I like Zaine making one last visit to his childhood Nana, for the purposes of the challenge, I could have just focused on going to the lichyard to save myself time and energy, and wrote about the visit on my own another time. On the other hand, it's done now!

Not sure which is a favorite; there's a lot I like.

As usual, these will be revised at...some point (some more than others, probably) and added to Ao3, in my various series and threads.

[captainmalewriter]

I posted 78 times in 2022

That's 36 more posts than 2021!

75 posts created (96%)

3 posts reblogged (4%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@swapsrus

@shootingstarwritings

@captainsfavstories

I tagged 75 of my posts in 2022

Only 4% of my posts had no tags

#male possession - 32 posts

#caption - 26 posts

#body possession - 23 posts

#male body possession - 20 posts

#male body switch - 20 posts

#male body swap - 19 posts

#body swap - 17 posts

#body switch - 15 posts

#male takeover - 12 posts

#reasonswhy - 12 posts

Longest Tag: 26 characters

#god i overthink everything

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Stop It

I sat there in the passenger seat as my Dad drove us back from the gym.

This was part of our normal routine, yet I found myself feeling really impatient.

"Dude, c'mon, get out of there already! This is getting weird," I said to him.

"Son, what did I say about calling me dude or bro? You will address me as Sir or Dad,"

"Knock it off man! This is just weird! Get out of my Dad already!"

"And why should I? Just look at these cannons!"

See the full post

455 notes - Posted February 8, 2022

#4

Gift That Keeps Giving

“So... how does it feel?” Kamal asked the man in front of him as he adjusted the sleeve of his jersey. The handsome man stayed quiet as he continued to bounce around in place, seemingly trying to get comfortable in his own skin. 

Kamal couldn’t help but admire the man’s well groomed appearance; from his perfect beard to the stylish haircut, Kamal was already fantasizing what it would be like to see that handsome face from underneath him as he jackhammered his ass into submission. He could already hear him begging him to go harder between moans. He knew the jersey would have to stay on during sex to avoid the transformation reverting back, but Kamal accepted it as a fair trade off if it meant he got to fuck a hunk of a man every night from there on. 

See the full post

470 notes - Posted May 24, 2022

#3

Watermelon Challenge

The sun was shining as bright as always that Tuesday morning. Beams of light shined into the young Tiktoker Mo Saffari’s room, causing him to wake up. He yawned as he rubbed his eyes, knowing it was time to get up for the day.

Mo grabbed his phone from the nightstand and unlocked it. He cleared out all of the notifications from his various social medias and checked for any new messages. He answered a few of the more interesting ones and left the rest on read. They could wait a while longer.

He then turned off his phone, and in the split second before he tossed it to the side, Mo caught a glimpse of his own reflection on the little black screen. He smirked as he admired himself. He knew he was hot, and with that thought in mind, he decided to snap a quick selfie for his Instagram stories. Something to get his many fans and followers going.

See the full post

480 notes - Posted June 27, 2022

#2

Side Business

***

Then, out of nowhere, Jojo’s eyes opened. I saw how bloodshot his eyes were. I took a step back at the sight of it. Jojo started arching upwards too. It looked painful, seeing him stretch like that… He was still gasping while all this happened too. This disturbing sight continued for a few seconds that felt like an eternity, then Jojo slammed back down to his bed, as motionless as before he started flailing. 

I stood there, hand against my beating heart, trying to process everything that had just happened. It felt like I had just witnessed a man have a seizure and then have it resolved by itself! 

After another brief pause, Jojo’s eyes opened again. They weren’t bloodshot this time, they looked as white as ever. He rolled out of his bed, and began to look and feel around his body. 

See the full post

576 notes - Posted May 28, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Payback

***

Somehow, I had fallen onto my knees in the midst of all the pleasure. I was about to get up, but then an inexplicable pain began to spread in my throat. It was a sharp pain, like something had just jammed itself down my throat. I also noticed a weird, slimy taste in my mouth. It was disgusting!

“What’s the matter? Don’t like a little cum in your mouth?”

I heard a deep voice that sounded vaguely familiar, and when I looked up, I saw my own body looking down at me.

I stared in horror as I watched my own body flexing and pec bouncing right in front of me. I then looked down at my body, and saw I now had the body of the dainty twink that had just sucked me off!

See the full post

673 notes - Posted March 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[derwahnsinn]

31 Days Idol Challenge - Day 31: Smiling

So this is it - the final post of my Oliver Riedel 31 Days Idol Challenge. My top pick is this shot by Iver68 from the 2022 Europe Stadium Tour, where Oliver Riedel and Paul Landers are sharing a moment on the B-stage. One of the absolute highlights of the tour was how much fun the band seemed to have on stage, and this photo definitely captures that.

Bonus screenshots: 1) Oliver smiling in the Du hast music video. 2) Oliver smiling when captured by the police in the Ich will music video. 3) Oliver and Paul smiling when Till Lindemann's blue underpants show on the screen. From the Making of Rosenrot. 4) Oliver smiling at the footage of Till being beaten up. From the Making of Rosenrot. 5) Oliver smiling in the In Amerika documentary. 6) Oliver smiling in the Mein Land music video. 7) And finally - Oliver smiling after playing classical guitar in the shower - absolutely adorable.

And that's it, folks. Thank you for checking out my Oliver Riedel challenge. Until next time!

-- Tinnike's 31 Days Idol Challenge

Day 1: At the Airport Day 2: Barefoot Day 3: Climbing Day 4: Cycling Day 5: Dancing Day 6: Fav. Boots/Shoes Day 7: Fav. Casual Outfit Day 8: Fav. Hat/Headgear Day 9: Fav. Music Video Outfit Day 10: Fav. Role in Music Video Day 11: Fav. Stage Make-Up Day 12: Fav. Stage Outfit Day 13: Favourite Quote Day 14: Favourite Socks Day 15: Favourite Sunglasses Day 16: Hiking Day 17: Hugging Day 18: In the Bed Day 19: In the Car Day 20: In the City Day 21: In the Forest Day 22: In the Restaurant Day 23: Naked Day 24: On the Beach Day 25: On the Field Day 26: On the Floor Day 27: On the Roof Day 28: Playing Alternative Instrument Day 29: Reading Day 30: Serious

-- See also: Richard idol challenge: @kitthefox Schneider idol challenge: @cynoodn Till idol challenge: @singfurmich Paul idol challenge: @anwiel13

[gatheringfiki]

GatheringFiKi Interest Survey 2023 - Results

Hi folks,

First of all, huge thank you to those who took the time to fill in our recent survey. We have now reviewed the results and have a couple of points we’d like to share.

1) The Headcount:

The first, biggest and most welcome surprise from the Survey is that there are so MANY of you! And most of you are new faces, which I think is just wonderful! Welcome, welcome, one and all!

The total of 23 people took part in the Survey (admittedly some of whom I have never seen take part in any events, but I have high hopes).

When I was leaving for my travels in September 2022, a similar Interest Survey presented a bleak picture, very different to today, with a number of people having clearly moved on (though not all!). Personally, I think it was the right call to accept and acknowledge that, re-subscribe those truly interested today, and re-focus my efforts and events targetting where it's actually wanted.

Please remember that if you ARE interested in taking part in our events, you can always ask to have personal notifications delivered to you whenever one is running - just message @linane-art

Of course, I am fully aware and very grateful that, apart from the folks taking part, there are also quite a few of you who consume the new content, read, watch, like, comment, reblog or just silently marvel and enjoy their (guilty?) pleasure. I love and appreciate you all.

2) Your Favourite Existing Events:

12 Days of Christmas - 18 votes

FiKi Week - 14 votes

Trick or Treat - 12 votes

Drabble Challenges - 11 votes

Durin's Day Gift Exchange - 11 votes

Kink Bingo - 9 votes

H/C Bingo - 8 votes

AUpocalypse - 7 votes

Fandom Raffle Exchange - 5 votes

Show Some Love - 5 votes

Fic of a Fic - 4 votes

Fanfic Rec Bingo - 2 votes

Secret Admirers - 1 vote

Round Robins - 0 votes

No surprises near the top: 12 Days has just ran and is beloved by everyone and FiKi Week is like THE Gatheringfiki event.

Trick or Treat also ran recently, but I think you also have a particular penchant for everything spooky/autumny.

Drabble Challenges are quick and easy, and I think a natural choice for a 'top up' event next to the big ones. I wonder if those of you who haven't experienced the speed and the 'write off all your other weekend plans'-ness of this event will think of it. :D

DDGE surprises a little, because it's a big commitment of an event, but I guess maybe because we're not running the Raffle regularly any more, and it's a similar enough thing? Or like a Big Bang? And there's nothing else that promotes actual collaborations. Intriguing.

The Bingos - always heat up the temperature in the room. I think those of you who want them, want them like burning. I also think (looking at hit counts), that there are also many more of you who, ah, enjoy the fruits of our labours, but like... anonymously and silently :D So long as those are not ran too often, I think they're a blast, and it's been 2 years.

AUpocalypse juuuust about makes it, but I think it has a special place, as it's the one event where artists can participate easily and have a fully free reign of what they create.

Please remember that if you are an artist and you're not sure how you can take part, we have this here handy guide for you.

Raffle is probably too big for the headcount we have, rec-type-events have not been popular for a few years now, Secret Admirers still out of favour (why???) and nobody liked Round Robins - fair enough.

3) Other Comments we got / possible New Events:

'A Dead Dove Event' - what is it, I've never comes accross it? Please message me on priv ;)

'Bring-A-Friend Event' - The incest thing will make some people uncomfortable, and those that check us out 'as a courtesy' are unlikely to actually get hooked. I think, by all means, spread the word if you know folks who might enjoy our fandom, but mostly it needs to be discovered on your own. Awareness of GF is the key.

'FiKi Bingo' - We already run 2 bingo-type events and a FiKi Week. I think that ticks both the desired format and desired content boxes.

'Valentine's Day Event' - there is nothing like that per se, but it is no coincidence that the Kink and H/C Bingos usually run around the time when everyone is feeling loved-up ;)

'I don't feel comfortable sharing my own content' - that is perfectly okay and your own choice. Nobody is going to try and push you. But I will say that if you have a supportive fandom, feedback can do wonders for your self-esteem and practice makes perfect. Otherwise, thank you just as much for your silent support.

'Discord Server' - I thought about it, but I think it'll be more of a problem than help. I don't know how to set it up, don't have the capacity to moderate it, only some people would be interested and many people will resist change. We've always said that Tumblr is our native platform and on Tumblr we will remain - don't want to dilute the fandom accorss multiple platforms, sorry.

'October Advent Calendar' - I'm sorry, I don't quite see how it would be different/better than Trick or Treat, except longer? Plus, 12 Days, which runs right after, has that element of 'something new to discover' every day ;)

'FiKi Mad Libs and Frankenstory' - see: Round Robins Event. And it scored 0 points, the poor thing :(

'Visual / phrase / poem / porny inspiration' - visual is addressed by 12 Days. Phrase/poem will be addressed by FiKi Week ;) Porny will be blocked by Tumblr :(

'Reblog-focussed Events' - Yes, agreed, but in the competition for calendar availability, all our rec-type events consistently lose out to out content-creating events. So we resort to caveating all our summary posts with pleas for reblogging and commenting. :/

I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the wonderful and humbling words of encouragement I’ve received. I do what I do because of the people in this fandom and I will continue doing so for as long as there is interest in it. It’s what being in a fandom means to me, and hopefully it inspires some of you too :)

A Calendar of Events for 2024 will follow in a separate post.

Wishing you all a cracking New Year, filled with inspiration, joy, passion and feels, hopefully all whipped up by those problematic 2 little a$$holes...

~gatheringfiki

[kanmom51]

BTS Bonds

My top 5 favorite BTS duos

Vmin, Jikook and Taekook - how they doing nowdays as of May 2023

VMIN

Vmin so cute

Jimin loves Tae

Vmin are close but not romantically involved

Comparison between vmin and Jikook

This is not ‘a moment’

House of BTS on 23 October 2019 - Tae dragging JK away from JM’s car

Tae & Jimin

Vmin Butter album opening

Best friends with little to no boundaries

Let’s talk about Tae’s birthday

Jimin’s relationship with Tae

JM’s live and Tae’s comments

Vmin

AMA’s 2021 behind BTB

JM with V at his Music Bank recording

JIHOPE

JM and Hobi at Lolla

JM supporting his Hobi hyung

JM -  Hobi’s bright light

Hobi’s blessings for JM

JM Weverse 21 Jan 2023 18:41 KST

JM and Hobi enjoying Paris

JM Weverse post 23.1.23 17:58 KST

Love JM and Hobi’s bond

Jihope on the street

Hobi’s IG story 17 March 2023

JM and Hobi dance challenge up too

JM on Music Bank

Jimin W-live 4 April 2023

Hobi birthday live

JM IG story 8 April 2023

Jihope 17 April 2023

J-hope & Jimin's Challenge Video Shoot Sketch BTB

JINKOOK

Jinkook so precious

AMA 2021 Link 7 - Jinkook

Jinkook sibling dynamics (find the differences)

This one is hilarious

Memories 2021 Jinkook

Perilla leaf saga continues

JayKay

YOONMIN

JM Weverse 3.3.2023 10:11 pm

JM’s Weverse post for Suga’s birthday

JM like crazy dance challenge up

JM on Music Bank

Suchwita JM - Yoongi’s bluntness

JINMIN

He’s so frigging cute

Why is this person so adorable?

Nope

No suspicions on my side

Jinmin

Jin/JM interaction at SBS pre-recording

TAEKOOK

Tae asserting dominance with JK

Tae’s “get out of your imagination”

Taekook talk

Taekook talk again

TMA 2021 TKK being bro’s

Dream premiere together

Tae IG 14 May 2023

VHOPE

Vhope on the street

Museum date

HOPEKOOK

Hopekook - lol

Soundcheck Hopekook

Soundcheck - Hopekook

JK reacted to Hobi’s IG

NAMKOOK

Cuteness

What I think is a cute Namkook moment

TAEJIN

Tae looking after Jin

Chemistry

MINIMONI

JM on Weverse

RM looking out for JM at the airport

SOPE

Sope on the street

2 Seok

Jin Weverse 17 April 2023

3J

3J’s BTB 3 October 2021

3J’s BTB Jikook pure happiness

The 3J’s

Hobi the protector

JK’s “love you Jhope” oopsy

Those three

3J's part 1

3J's part 2

3 J’s

JK's Wlive 12 Feb 2023 the comments

JINMINKOOK

Bangtan Bomb 17 September 2021 JinJikook

Some JinJikook love

Jinjikook at their finest

JM and JK starring in Jin’s IG post 12 July 2022

JINMINHOPE

JM and Hobi visit Jin

1 April 2023

JINHOPEKOOK

Jin’s IG post 9 October 2022

YOONMINKOOK

Jikook came home for Suga’s birthday

VMINKOOK

JK reacting to Vmin

Vminkook are great friends

Vmin, Taekook and Jikook - the difference in dynamics

Tae policing or trolling Jikook

Jimin jealous. Or is he?

JK ignoring Tae

Pranking Tae during PTD

It’s always those three

170110 [BANGTAN BOMB] Message to A.R.M.Y as 'Blood, Sweat & Tears' last day

Maknae line levels of core strength

JK-Tae and JK-JM - The two lives and the differences between them

Tae the agent of chaos

A little more about Tae the agent of chaos

Well lookie here

VMINHOPEKOOK

7 October Tae IG story - finally we get to see Jikook together

Vminhope telling how V, Hobi, JM & JK spend spare time together

Happy new year

Hobi, JM, JK & Tae at Harry Styles concert:

Link 1; Link 2; Link 3; Link 4; Link 5; Link 6; Link 7 with Lizzo; Link 8 Hobi’s posting; Link 9 Jay Kay;  Link 10;