#anyway i love u official sonic art

[rychuart]

I'm sure this has been done before but I had to stare at Mabel for like half an hour while painstakingly buying individual socks this morning and this thought wouldn't leave my mind so I had to draw it

[millymints]

THE COMEBACK EVER WOW

ive been drawing a bit over the last few weeks, but i did have a little break for a while to focus on school art 😰 thankfully my art gcse is officially OVER so i can get back to drawing morenoften!

ive kinda sorta really gotten into sonic recently so OBVIOUSLY IVE DRAWN SONIC STUFF CUZ DUH

anyways if u know me irl no you dont

heres some fanart for @sonicexelle-junkary ‘s AU HungryHero.EXE!!!!!!!

i always loved the .exe sonic AUs and this one is just so good so i HAD to draw the lil guy

hes so silly :p

anyways i will probably upload more now that i have actual time although my gcses do start in like 2 weeks 😰😰 whatever i have study leave so more free time yay!!!

more sonic drawings coming up 🍽️

[sonadowkismesis]

hi, i really love your art! the way u use shapes is really good. do you have a process for picking exaggerated shapes and colour palettes?

finally got around to answer this ask, sorry it took so long! i'm not a professional and mostly learned on instinct so i don't have the technical vocabulary to explain my process, but i'll try

usually what i do when trying to translate a pre-existing character into my style is understanding how their design works. often ill get familliar with the character first by drawing them as they are in their original style.

picking knuckles as my test subject for today (apologies in advance, for all my examples are sonic characters)

so as you can see, i marked the main points of interest. which parts are most emphasized and have the most weight, that sorta thing. that way i can push the stylization even further by breaking it down to its bare essentials.

and there! compact knuckles. the main parts i highlighted are now reduced to very basic shapes, rid of all distractions and superfluous detail. no more folds of the cloth, its just a big round fist now.

another big part of this process is foregoing perspective altogether as to make the drawing look flatter.

as for the shapes i used, i mostly refer to how knuckles is as a character, and work up from there. hes the brawn, but also stern and immovable (like the mountain, as he is often associated with). so i mostly stuck with boxes to make him look imposing and steady, and using circles and triangles sparingly to balance everything out. for example, the most noticeable use of circles was at knuckles' hands and feet, as to make the design look more cohesive.

another thing i wanna touch on quickly is tangeants! theyre very good to make a drawing look flatter, and theyre my absolute favorite part of stylization! however they can be tricky, as using them the wrong way can make your whole drawing harder to read.

here's a good video on tangeants in art that explains the subject more comprehensively!

but anyways, heres an example of what im talking about. in red, i have marked the places where i used a tangent to simplify the design. for example, at 2, instead of using two separate lines for the frown, i made it one tangential, continuous line instead.

same as with knuckles, the shapes i prioritize are informed by what i want to communicate. shadow (as pictured above) has a violent, proud but also dainty character, so i gave him sharp edges where it was convenient (quills, chest fur, fingers etc) to communicate that sort of dangereous elegance (think of it like thorns of a rose). the bulkier parts of his design are mostly relegated to his bracelets and footwear.

i gave him a more accentuated inverted triangle bodyshape and squared his shoulders, like he's holding a well-practiced posture, while also showing his prideful side.

★

thats it for the stylization tutorial! keep in mind im an amateur and this is just ive gathered over the years, my method isnt universal. my lingo might also be pretty off but i hope this helped you regardless.

as for colors uhhhh. honestly i just pick the ones on wtv official art im looking at then fuck around with the filters til it looks right lol. jk i guess i do have some kind of intuitive understanding of color theory by now but i wouldn't know how to explain it. sorry!

[fubukiswifenoimnotjoking]

💎

Ooo, fun facts or trivia! This one is super hard bc I feel like every mega OPM fan already knows the trivia and I’d just be preaching to the choir, but I’m gonna think on it!! Might have to result to personal opm facts u know?

1. I first found out about OPM when I saw a commercial for season one on adult swim and thought it looked really creative and funny

2. It’s my second manga ever! I tried reading Sailor moon but only got two volumes in bc I hated it :/ was too girly and convoluted to me

3. My pop got volume one for my 13th birthday! I remember unboxing it and being like :0 it was a Halloween b day party too 😏😏

4. A few months after I started opm I drew Saitama’s face in sharpie on a craft egg and he was my first OPM toy/figure(?). Still have him somewhere! I tried to draw Genos too but his face was too squished

5. I have a dvd of season one that’s just the normal edition and a bootleg af version with the OVAS that my uncle got from god knows where. The OVAS are only in Japanese tho :/

6. I have a miniature cottagecore house for my Sai and Genos nendos!! I’ve talked a little about it before but never posted pics for it bc tumblr kept messing it up. I’ll try to show it soon tho! It’s got an overhead light, oranges and orange leaf wallpaper, tiny pictures of fubuki, Garou, Mumen, etc, hanging pots, fake moss on the outside, windows, Keith haring art, tiny teacups, a picture of saitama punching Nick Wilde that I got off tumblr (I’ll try to link it if I can find it) and so much more. I just now thought of putting up some gay flags in there, like why haven’t I thought of that before?? I’ll prob put up and mlm flag for Genos and a demi flag for Sai bc that’s how I hc them. I’m very proud of the house and I’m always adding onto it :) OO and I like to pose my nendos every now and then, tho I’ve posed them so many times that I’m running out of ideas 😭

7. I have a really cute lanyard I got years ago at a comic con that I never wear bc when DO you wear a lanyard? Wore it recently tho bc I was bored. Its got Sai Genos Tatsu Mumen and fubuki on the strap in chibi, they’re so cute.

8. Including posters, official Murata art, fan art, my art and posters, I have 10 opm things hanging around my room. It’s unhealthy I know 😃

9. I started with the manga, watched s1 of the anime then s2 when it came out years later and finally decided to check the wc after. If you had to make me choose, I’d choose the manga. I love the webcomic but the manga is more solid (not completely of course) and just more fun to read. Tho the webcomic IS fantastic don’t get me wrong, ONE is a great artist. The anime is pretty good, I’m still sad they had to cut s2’s budget but I love it anyway. THO I HATE HOW THEY TRANSLATED THE SAITAMA SAVING EVERYONE FROM CENTICHORO SCENE BC THEY TOTALLY DIDNT GET THE DRAMATIC LOVESICK LOOK ON GENOS FACE AND THE SURPRISED LOOK ON SAITAMA LIKE THAT SCENE WAS SO ICONIC AND THEY FUCKED IT I—sorry. Still upset.

10. I used to hate Tatsumaki Amai and Suiryu! Suiryu is still on thin ice bc he gives me such arrogant fuck boy vibes. Tatsumaki has grown so much in the current arc and even the arc before it and I just love her so much, even if she’s mean. Amai is a sick but he’s loveable and an interesting one you know? Especially bc of the webcomic. Used to get annoyed by Fubuki but now I’m in love with her LOL

11. I straight up thought Sonic was a girl until I watched the dub and heard his voice 💀

That’s about all I can think of! Sorry if this totally isn’t what you asked for, just a little lost on how to talk about fresh trivia u know? Thanks for ur ask tho :)

[lovelyirony]

Wishes are up for Interpretation

a concept: Steve is like a genie that fucks ur shit man. Like oh, you want an endless pepperoni pizza? well guess what kid, it has pepperoni. but no sauce. no cheese. just pepperoni. and it’s burnt pepperoni. u got it man, but it’s endless terrible pizza. 

and then comes tony stark, who finds the genie-holder in the middle of an antiques store for like negative three cents bc steve’s container is a piece of shit tupperware thing that has sonic the hedgehog on it and tony will be damned to hell if he doesn’t get that sonic the hedgehog tupperware. 

well, steve wasn’t anticipating that like himself, tony is an absolute dipshit who loves thinking of ways around rules. he can bend the wishes like they’re bendy straws (no one said steve was good at analogies, okay?) and tony gets a puppy by the end of the day, to his exact specifications 

technically, steve could be nice and just give tony the puppy, but after years of greedy people, he likes dealing with things in the most complicated way possible. so he draws out the conversation, talks about how bad dogs can get, but tony stands fast and counters each point with an exact statement. 

“Well, you ended your statement,” Steve said with a smirk. “I can only grant the wish stated in a singular statement.” 

“Review the conversation, I was speaking in a sentence that entire time,” Tony says, grinning. “Specifically stating what I wanted, what breed of dog, and what I would name them. You just liked interrupting. A lot.” Steve replays the conversation. 

dammit. 

So a puppy comes wriggling into the house, and Tony aptly names him Leftie after the all brown left paws, and Steve has to admit that he’s pretty cute. 

The second wish comes months later. Tony doesn’t really want for anything. He has a seriously nice business, plenty of women, men, and others in his life to keep his attention, and three little robots that Steve knows of. They don’t like Steve very much and staged a rebellion to get him out of the “workshop.” Steve thought it was adorable that U thought he could throw a tie at Steve and he would disappear. 

the second wish is said while tony is on the rooftop when it’s freezing cold, staring up at the snowflakes, and shivering. 

“I wish I could be anywhere but here right now.” And usually, Steve would do a devilish thing. But he remembered hearing about the deaths. He saw the people pretending to ignore his loss or try to cover it up. Steve saw how utterly terrible he was feeling. 

Usually, Steve sent his clientele down to hell for a day or two. Came back scarred or pleasured, whatever floated their boat, but Steve had a better idea. 

Tony lands in a diner in the middle of Brooklyn that has the worst coffee in the world and has been around since 1954. Tony orders coconut cream pie (a mistake) and coffee (an even bigger mistake) and then smiles. Steve sits down next to him and orders lemonade. 

“Thank you, Steve,” Tony says softly. 

(He thinks that sounds nice.) 

Leftie and Tony see more of Steve. He invades the workshop again, but Dum-E comes to his defense after Steve repairs a piece of artwork for Tony. 

“I don’t just grant wishes, you know,” Steve says. “I have an art degree.” 

“When the hell did you get an art degree?” Tony asks. Steve gestures to the Sonic Tupperware holder. 

“I’m allowed to have a laptop in there, you know. I like that little place. It’s bigger on the inside. There’re windows.” Tony laughs as Steve waxes poetic of sometimes ending up in thrift stores or some weird person’s house. 

Steve, despite his vast wealth of information on history, has not really seen good movies. 

“oh come on, we’re watching them,” Tony says. 

Steve doesn’t make him use a wish. 

Even though he’s actually seen E.T. and is scared shitless by it. He just tenses throughout the movie until Tony rolls his eyes and scoots closer on the couch. 

“You dumb dork, it’s just an animatronic,” he says. “But he does kind of look like a mummy...” 

“Mummies have better facial features,” Steve defends. “This weird wrinkled alien is scary and I am surprised humanity hasn’t died out if they trust aliens.” 

The third wish is eight months later. This is the longest Steve has stayed with someone. No one else knows he’s a magical creature. He’s met Rhodey and Pepper, and Steve never really knows how to act around Rhodey because the last time they met the bots were chasing Steve around the house and Steve was swearing vengeance on Jarvis and an arm-wrestling competition. 

“He sounds awfully confident for a guy who looks barely over one hundred pounds,” Rhodey says, eyebrow arched. 

Pepper is actually friends with Steve and they trade “customer service” stories. Pepper’s are always more fun to listen to because Steve can’t exactly say “hey this dickbag guy wanted this girl he was in love with to fall in love with him so I murdered him with a piano on their way to the date that she was forced into but she really has no obligation to go to.” It just sounds wrong. 

Tony nearly dies because some asshole tries to kill him. Steve will not stand for this, he’s too good of a man, and saves him with Old World Magic. It’s not a new thing. Well, not for Steve. But now Tony has some ancient gene called “Extremis” and it makes him run hotter and he gets super strength. 

“You are so stupid,” Steve mutters when he visits a sleeping Tony. “You are, without a doubt, the worst person. Why did you have to be so crafty about your wishes?” 

Steve visits on a Wednesday. There’s a sticky note on the pillow. 

I lived, bitch.

He laughs harder than he thinks he should. 

The wish comes when Steve and Tony are lying on the couch and watching Uncle Buck and Tony says: 

“I wish you to be free from your bond as a genie.” 

“You don’t get to pull that Aladdin shit with me,” Steve says. “Once I’m free, I’m free. I can’t grant you wishes or stay, even if you want me to.” Tony doesn’t falter. 

“Do you honestly think you deserve to be trapped in a Sonic the Hedgehog Tupperware container?” 

“...No.” 

“I wish you to be free of your role as a genie.” 

Steve doesn’t have to grant wishes. He tests it out every day, just in case. 

“Tony, wish for an elephant.” 

“I wish for an elephant named Sparkles who I can love to the best of my abilities.” 

“Babe, that was adorable, but no.” Tony grins, presses a kiss to his new boyfriend’s head, (Steve has a boyfriend! Hot diggity!) and says the only wish he has is for Steve to wash the goddamned dishes for once. (Steve hates touching the wet food, sue him.) 

They wake up in the same bed, same room. Steve always wakes up early to see the skyline wake up and get started, and maybe draw a little. Sometimes he’ll make the coffee, but mostly leaves it to Tony. 

The last wish is not official. But Tony’s cheesy. 

There’s a night where Tony is showing Steve how to dance without care and with slidey socks on, and Footloose came on Steve knows this song! He can dance and slide! and while Steve is focused on making a dramatic slide around the floor without falling or grabbing onto a chair, Tony slides in on his knees. 

“I wish to marry you,” he says, smiling. Steve freaks out and falls to the ground and nearly breaks his arm. 

The pictures turned out cute anyway. 

[felicityb-reviews]

Lee Taemin - Feature Spotlight

Um... Surprise?!?!!?

So... While developing my playlists for my SHINee FSLs, I ran into a few problems (I guess). SHINee has such a wide and varied discography, I feel like it'd be a dishonor to them to just throw songs from completely different eras together like it wouldn't be an incredibly jarring experience. I also couldn't decide on a set number of tracks from each album to put in each playlist; I feel like doing more than three songs per album when pulling from four and five albums would just muddy up the playlist and make it unfocused.

So.

Do enjoy this Taemin FSL (I was planning on doing one on him March, anyway), while I work on my SHINee FSL series.

And yes, that does mean the SHINee tribute is going to extend into February; I'll keep you all updated as best as I can.

Wicked (ACE)

Oh Wicked... You swerved my ass big time when I first listened to you. Idk how, but to be fair - hindsight *is* 20/20.

Wicked starts out with a very calm trumpet line over smooth chords, but it doesn't stay that way for long. Quite like it's hard to keep Taemin in his clothes, the sassy Funk elements just couldn't stay tamed. But that's okay. That's why we like Wicked.

This is a song that I'd really love to see Taemin perform with a live band. Maybe a little choreo. But mostly just Taemin having fun with his backing band. That'd be so cool.

I'm Crying (Flame of Love)

When Taemin announced that he was debuting in Japan with Sayonara Hitori, I was... Intrigued™. I mostly didn't know what to expect (especially with Taeminnie serving Elvin Royalty/Fantasy Prince realness with the teasers), but I was real interested in what the music would sound like. Cause that's what I'm here for, sis.

I'm Crying is J-Pop af. It's also the closest thing to a ballad that I'd enjoy from Taemin. Idk why I don't like his ballads, they just feel bland and so unlike him to me. But I'm Crying is perfect, because it's got that Japanese Winter Ballad™ (all my J-pop fam knows exactly what I'm talking about) feel, but with his signature drama mixed in.

My favorite aspect of the song is how soft and bittersweet the opening melody is. It's such a simple piano melody, but I'm such a sucker for them. And when the strings kicked in?!?!!? I was gone, b.

One by One (Press It)

If ACE showed us Taemin's potential as a soloist, then Press It is Taemin realizing that potential, and showing us Lee Taemin, the artist. ACE remains my favorite body of work by Taemin, but Press It has some of my favorite songs by him.

Like, Top five favorite, sis.

Remember when I mentioned Taemin's signature drama?!?! One by One is a great example of that. Jonghyun is King of the Drama Gays, but Taemin is the Crown Prince. Every time I listen to One by One, I imagine Taemin dancing in the rain to it. Yes honey, full on '90s drama. And it fits, because One by One (hell, the best songs from Press It) all have a '90s flare to them.

Crazy 4 u (MOVE)

Crazy 4 u is one that might have fooled me if I hadn't peeped ha from the jump. See, you don't spring a song like Wicked on a bitch, and expect to surprise ha again with a song that starts out just the same. No ma'am!!

Crazy 4 u, to its credit, stays in the midtempo range for the first verse and prechorus (quite a bit longer than Wicked). Then the beat gets really going, and finally explodes into an RnB influsrd Future Bass style drop. Crazy 4 u never quite pops like Wicked does, but this is another song I'd like to see Taemin perform with a live band. But this time, I definitely wanna see him doin' it big with the choreo.

Door (Flame of Love)

Door is a song I'm surprised I haven't seen on a Korean release from Taem. It's very Jpop-esque, but if anyone could sell J-Pop style music to a Korean audience, it'd be these SHINee boys.

Door is a song that fits right in with the rest of Taemin's repertoire; midtempo with lots of drama. But damn if this man doesn't have me hooked to this type of song from him. He just does them so well, and I just really appreciate that.

Heart Stop (featuring Kang Seulgi of Red Velvet) (MOVE)

Heart Stop was a song that was H I G H L Y anticipated, because of one Miss Kang Seulgi. If we're not counting Drip Drop (which features unctredited background vocals from Miss LiVii/Alice Vicious), Heart Stop was Taemin's first official collaboration as a soloist.

And what a collaboration it is, sis.

Heart Stop is pretty upbeat for a Taemin b-side, but idk if I'd call her an uptempo. She's got groove, but this isn't "dance at the club music"; this is "seduce your mans into giving you $500k" music. Whatever you want to call her, I need Taemin and Seulgi to carve out some choreo to this, and scalp me. They're both awkward as hell around the opposite binary gender (cause they're both so fucking gay), but with some preparation, we could avoid the awkward (but still iconic) mess that was Taemin's collab stage with Sunmi.

Or Seulgi's dance stage with Taeyong. God, that was so fucking bad.

As far as collaborations go, Seulgi is present on the song just as much as Taemin is, and that is really appreciated. They even go as far to sing some sections together, and that was way more than I was expecting. Typically, collabs like this have the featured artist sing/rap one part in the song (typically the bridge) and then they're done. So it's nice to see them make this a Seulgi song as much as they made it a Taemin song. Cause idk if I'd like this as much as I do if it was just Taemin.

Soldier (Press It)

Can we give it up for Press It one good time, y'all?!!?! This album is top heavy with midtempos, but Taemin delivers every single one of them effortlessly. The album is a masterpiece, and I fall in love with it again every time I give it a listen.

Soldier is the quintessential Taemin midtempo. It's what comes to mind whenever I think of his style, sis. Soldier become a timeless classic within Taemin's repertoire, because a) he loves to perform the motherfucker and b) it's first song of his that we hear that *sounds* like Taemin, if that makes sense. I love it.

Play Me (ACE)

Play Me is the song I was expecting when I heard Wicked for the first time. But I'm glad Wicked turned into a funky uptempo, cause it sho' woulda' been awkward to have two sexy, smoldering midtempos so close to each other on an album as short as ACE. Play Me plays out (heh heh heh) the way you'd expect it, but there's nothing wrong with that. She doesn't reinvent the wheel, but she does her job well and that's what matters in my book.

Do It Baby (Flame of Love)

Do It Baby is Taemin givin' us an east meets west affair. The song features a hip hop beat, accented by a Far East sounding riff. I would probably hate this if it didn't work out so well, but God does it work.

if Taemin ever had the urge to film a video for this, I'd wanna see him doing a lot of martial arts inspired posing (similar to what 2NE1 did in I Love You) to the verses and breakdown, and then pull out some break dancing to the beat switch in the latter half of the song. It'd be so fucking cool.

Sexuality (Press It)

Can we give it up again for Press It, you guys?!?! Cause not only are all the midtempos strong as fuck all, but the uptempos are bloody amazing, girl!!

Sexuality is a very different song than what we're used to seeing from an SMe act. Not to say that SM is unfamiliar with a little controversy in their music (BoA's Kiss My Lips, anyone?!?!?!?!), but sis... The song is titled Sexuality.

Lee Taemin is bold as fuck, ladies and gentlemen.

Sexuality is Taemin's drama translated to an '80s template, with a heaping dollop of sex added for good measure. I can't listen to this song in public (as expected for a song titled Sexuality), but it's just so fucking good.

I never knew I needed '80s Taem till Sexuality and MOVE snatched my wig and blasted her into the sun, but now I need every album of his moving forward to include a song like this.

Ace (ACE)

Ace is another song I can't listen to in public. Mostly cause I'm too busy body rolling and giving JRE levels of stankitude in the face. But also because it feels like Taem is trying to fuck you through the music.

This is not a drill, folks - Lee Taemin is trying to sex your body with his Ace. And fuck if I'd ever stop that demon from ruining my life like that.

Ace is what us niggas Negroes of American Nationality like to call a sex jam. A classy sex jam, to be specific. This is not the song to jump zaddy to. Taemin has been generous enough to provide Sexuality for that. No baby, Ace is for lighting some scented candles, putting on your sexiest lingerie, and romancing your mans (or woman, because you know my gay ass doesn't discriminate) into bed with you. Ace is for those nights when you wanna take it nice and slow.

Ace is a rarity within the K-Pop landscape. You don't really hear songs like this. Most love songs are PG as fuck all, and there's not a damn thing wrong with that. I love to be all soft and giggly. But sometimes I want something more sensual.

Tiger (Sayonara Hitori)

So, remember how I said Taem could bring some of his Japanese songs over to Korea, and make it work?!?!

Tiger is not one of those songs.

Tiger is J-Pop as fuck all. Tiger is the type of song the Final Battle™ of an anime/video game would be animated against. Tiger is the opening theme to a dark fantasy anime. Tiger is, simply put, everything I wanted from a Japanese Taemin release. This song fits him so well, and I fucking love it.

Yes, I even love the breakdowns that are all wub wub'd out, because a) it fits the song so well (Tiger could be described as an experiment in how to do extreme sonic shifts without alienating your listener) and b) it's not some Skrillex style bullshit. If Taemin had decided not go with Sayonara Hitori as the feature track for his debut, I'd have loved to see him do Tiger. Especially with those Elvin Royalty/Fantasy Prince Lewks™ he was serving with that silver weave.

FINAL DRAGON (Sayonara Hitori)

If you I were to judge the whole of Final Dragon by just the first thirty seconds, it'd have gone on the trash on first listen. I don't know what's up with that weird Gregorian chant. But it gets better. After Taemin sets the atmosphere (I guess) with his little spoken word, we get thrown into a half time section with the most dramatic horn n violin duet I've ever heard.

And that's when the real fun starts.

Final Dragon is another song that would absolutely not work in Korea. This style of hard rock mixed with symphonic instrumentation sounds very Japanese in texture. But once again, this why we were intrigued by a Japanese Taemin debut. Not only did it make sense financially (Taemin is very popular in Japan), it makes sense musically and thematically.

Final Dragon shows off Taemin's title as the Crown Prince very effectively. This is another song I need to see Taemin perform with a live backing band. I put Final Dragon right after Tiger in this list, because it feels like the aftermath of that Final Battle™. It's the ending theme to Tiger's opening theme. Yes, the two songs were side by side in their original track listing, but sis...

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Rise (MOVE)

Firstly, if you're listening to the playlist as you read, I'm so sorry for that whiplash, baby. I took you from one end of the spectrum to the other, but there's a method to my madness. I promise!!

Rise feels like closure. You just endured this epic battle (and the aftermath of it), and now you're approaching reality again. Rise feels like life after crisis. Rise feels like healing. Like, you don't how you survived, but you're just lucky to be alive.

Rise is a big, rousing power ballad (like most of Taemin's midtempos) that feels like it lives and breathes. I like to think of it more of an experience than a song. Of all the songs I've mentioned I wanted to hear live, this is the one I wanna hear the most.

Thirsty (OFF SICK Concert Remix) (SM STATION)

Thirsty feels like a call out, guys. Thirsty is Taemin tellin' us he knows the way we look at him, and he fuckin loves that shit like the chaotic demon he is. Thirsty is Taemin challenging us to give it to him as good as he gives it us. Possibly.

Thirsty is, simply put, Taemin feelin his oats, babies. It's a loud and bombastic declaration of his sexuality (as if he doesn't wear that shit like a designer feaux fur coat), and it's really cool to watch since Taemin isn't your typical idol soloist.

Alright my loves, that's it for this Feature Spotlight!! Did we enjoy the surprise?!?!? Be sure to tune in next week for part one of the SHINee tribute in honor of Jonghyun at 6pm EST (I promise!!). And speaking of Jonghyun, be sure to check out his Feature Spotlight here. And while you're here, there's no harm in checking out my debut Review Roundup. In case you missed it. Love you, guys!!

[eludum-a]

(scheduled to post this around noon on thursday my time.)

as we head into this (american) thanksgiving, a lot of us are gonna be dealing with some Grade A Bullshit: retail work, bigoted relatives, etc. i wasn’t actually gonna do this originally, but then i realized what holiday was coming up right around the time of my blogiversary and i was like... welp. alright. guess we’re doing this then. things lined up too perfectly NOT to, and things can be kinda shitty for people around this time of year, so let’s put a little positivity back into the community! or something like that.

(yes i realize some of the people here are not american. no reason to deny my love tho.)

anyway, onto the callouts!

@ultimatetalentless have i talked about how much i love sin’s hinut lately? his and nanami’s friendship/rivalry (and his and chibot’s unresolved romantic tension) is so much fun to write and it’s so great having an Angst Partner to shoot terrible ideas at. on top of that i love talking to sin out of character and sharing some of the things we come across that remind each other of our muses. 

@mideoku​ julie followed me and the following day, snakes started manifesting physically in my house. i get no peace from them. they follow me home every day and beat me down with a two by four while yelling down with cis. but if we’re being real here julie’s shitposting lights up my dashboard every day for better or worse and theyre actually a really cool person. we’ll fight in pokemon when u catch up to me binch

@steinways​ sarah’s one of my oldest mutuals from all the way back when she just had her mahiru and i?? love sarah?? she’s such a sweetheart and all of her characterizations are so absolutely stellar. 10/10 would sarah again and also she made my theme so. yknow. amazing all around

@ongakuvoices rio’s a special brilliant soul w so much love for their muses and it shows in everything they write... i adore both their ibuki and their nagisa to pieces!! i know theyre gonna go places in life and ill be over here cheering them on from the sidelines, probably holding up some signs with memes on them

@jrco-disd actually i hate seth. nevermind. i’m not doing this

@nullverum​ boss was like one of the first ndrv3 blogs i interacted with long before the game had its official english release. i remember i made a post a while before saying that i thought ouma/nami would be a strange but cute brotp and hell! i was absolutely right in every way. its even funnier upon finding out ou/ma kind of plays the na/nami role just as much as the ko/maeda role in actuality (he’s gotta do both since a CERTAIN SOMEONE gets fridged at the beginning), so they’re surprisingly good (bad, actually) for each other. 

@ayatsurii sparkle’s peko is great ok? best sword girlfriend, would shower her in love and affection and cute things. nanami apparently has a thing for taller, stoic individuals with red eyes who could kick her ass one-handed. (don’t we all tho??) ahem. anyway. would recommend sparkle’s pekpek.

@kibouzuru i know we were mutuals for a while before i got involved with truth syndicate stuff? i feel silly not having interacted with u before because i rly should have. im really glad i got a chance to bc u and ur egg are cool (well, naegi’s a total dork) and now i can have nanami tease leggy and eggy about their relationship. she’s gotta get back at hinata for all those years of short jokes somehow, too bad naegi’s just collateral

@hikaup i remember i was on the lookout for pokemon blogs a while back and i stumbled across ur blog and was like... what the heck, this hikari seems way too cool... and wow!! i was totally right!! i love ur portrayal so much it’s such good shit and chiaki and hikari already have such a good dynamic. i hope chiaki gets to do Spooky Shit with hikari someday (and maybe even hold hands???? lets not get ahead of ourselves here) btw i get whiplash from how often u put out amazing themes

@kibcu

and yes, im gonna be at your basketball game tomorrow. stop telling me about it

@cantalazarus u know how i feel about u. ur smart and funny and talented and ur take on ur muses is So Good and 

@malchancevilain​ watchy is another one of my oldest mutuals and its always great to see their togami on my dash! we’ve been in a few group verses together now and i love seeing how he handles different situations (always with a great degree of salt) and just hanging out ooc! also: greg grimaldis wherever you are you better believe im getting those fifteen dollars back *mic drop*

@seineijashu​ oh.

hey nerd. we havent rly spoken much in a while but im still out here 100% in ur corner and i love everything u do. i know i dont know like anything about Boruto’s Dad like i said (im more a hunter x hunter guy myself,,,) but even if roleplaying opportunities are scarce im still totally down to talk like any time. now if only our time zones would line up. ps theres a secret message hidden here did you see it

@hopefromtheordinary​ it’s so great to see you back in the dr rpc! i loved your komaeda and your kamukura way back when. i love the twin shenanigans you and sin get up to (serious or crack) and i really can’t wait to get more chibot/kamukura stuff going! im excited i hope ur excited too

@gamblingqueen ANOTHER person i’m so glad to see back over here!! u were one of the first people to rly plot with me to any extent ooc and i am very excited to get right back into it! chiaki and celes are such an odd pair, but it’s wonderful to see them interact after they’ve both been brought so low. im over here rubbing my hands together at the speed of light in anticipation

@mxssias if naegi tries to get nanami to watch sword art online with him one more time shes gonna kill him and hide the body in the reserve course grounds. ahem. anyway. alex you’re such a little shit but you’re funny and i love your egg boy even if he’s constantly getting himself into trouble and sacrificing himself like he doesnt have anything better to do. get that boy a better hobby? thanks

and sorry if i forgot anybody! doing these is kind of exhausting for me and i might have gotten a little lazy, but i tried to hit most of the people i’ve been in contact with ooc at least a bit (who have been active within the past week or so).

...

...

.........................

@jrco-disd ok fine fuck you. seth was one of the first people in the fandom to reach out to me and even if he’s often belligerent at me for no good reason (ok, fine, maybe i deserve it) i still really appreciate his friendship and am glad that we can exchange shitty sonic memes with each other. the day we get that sonic forces monster factory is the day we both can die happy, probably after strangling each other

[airadam]

Episode 111 : Pay Attention!

"Classical soul, I got the nastiest flow"

- Sean Price

We had to open the show with an Aretha Franklin track to mark her sad passing this month, and you'll hear her essence at various points throughout the episode. I'm just about beating the buzzer to get this one out on time, but I'm sure you'll agree it was worth the effort!

Manchester shows for the month;

Beatnuts, The Bluntskins, Didjit, Air Adam | September 19th, Whiskey Jar

Havoc, Big Noyd, DJ L.E.S, Seven Spherez | September 24th, Joshua Brooks

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Aretha Franklin : Rock Steady

We had to start things off with a classic from the Queen. This 1971 single from the "Young, Gifted, and Black" album isn't short on legends, with Donny Hathaway on electric piano and organ, and Bernard Purdie doing the business on the drums. A much covered and much sampled record, all trying to get just a hint of the flavour of the original. 

Pete Rock : Aretha

A perfect instrumental for me to come across this month, drawn from the golden period in which Pete Rock was on production for InI's unreleased (but heavily bootlegged) debut album. This beat wasn't used, but it comes to us courtesy of the 2017 "Lost Sessions" release alongside nine other previously-unreleased instrumentals.

[DJ Premier] Gang Starr : 92 Interlude

I just had to include this - an interlude beat from the "Daily Operation" LP that built around just a tiny incidental piece of a famous Aretha Franklin track and put other producers on notice when it comes to how Primo picks gold!

JR & PH7 ft. Chuuwee : Meadowview Morning

Thank you Spotify for dropping this one into one of my playlists! The German producers JR and PH7 have made a brief appearance on the show previously, but their work on this track from "The South Sac Mack" is really something. They come up with a jazzy but sombre instrumental which perfectly fits the trio of Sacramento MCs telling tales of life in their corner of the world. 

Hieroglyphics : Oakland Blackouts

Keeping it over on the West Coast, the Hiero crew have always been reliable as a source of bars upon bars. The "3rd Eye Vision" album is creeping towards twenty years old, but is still an excellent listen! Opio of Souls of Mischief is on production for this one.

Termanology : Are You Sure?

We don't hear Erick Sermon's name brought up enough when it comes to some of the greatest producers, so I'm glad Termanology linked up with him for this head-nod groove on his latest album "Bad Decisions". This is almost Term's version of Gang Starr's "The Planet", with him telling the story of coming to New York from Massachusetts and having to work to establish and hold his position. I won't give away the hook sample in case it's uncleared, but it's also a quality record :)

Sean Price : Director's Cut

This one has an unusual structure - a series of short two-bar "scenes" separated by two-bar sections of commentary. It's raw street business with a dash of humour as you'd expect from Sean P, gracing the Khrysis beat with some classic jewels. If you like this track, then the "Jesus Price Supastar" LP is a must in your collection.

DJ Agent M : Keeping Me In The Dark

Agent M is a producer and DJ from Leeds whose 2018 beat tape "Closure" is the sound of him working through a period of loss. This track is based around a classic sample, which is not just flipped for the sonics but also for the title.

Kev Brown : Voltron

It's been an extremely long wait for a proper follow-up to Kev Brown's 2005 debut LP "I Do What I Do", but finally he returns with "Homework" - twenty-nine tracks for a grateful audience! It's a partly vocal and partly instrumental album, with many tracks clocking in at under two minutes long. This was an initial standout for me, and while it's tickling my head as though there's a familiar sample, it wouldn't surprise me to find out that everything was played from scratch - Kev certainly has the capability.

The Game ft. Faith Evans : Don't Need Your Love

I've got to be honest - the lead-up to the release of The Game's debut album, "The Documentary" felt like one of the first times I felt as though the industry was really trying to force-feed an artist into the scene. He'd only been rapping for a relatively short time (for that era) before this LP came out, and has to be credited for building his skills in such a short time, but the Dr. Dre co-sign and G-Unit affiliation was of course what put him over the top. He's still active nowadays though, and has absolutely earned his place. Anyway, the first album had two tracks I really enjoyed - "Put You On The Game" and this, a track straight from the heart with Faith Evans blessing the hook. Havoc of Mobb Deep is on production with a beat that isn't what you might expect from him in terms of sound, but is right there at the standard of quality that he'd set.

DJ Cam ft. Cameo : Love Junkee (Dilla Remix)

You may or may not know it, but you cannot deny that this is a serious tune! The original was cool, in a relaxed and organic way, with Cameo an extremely welcome guest to proceedings,  but Dilla turned it into a banger. Incredibly minimal on the surface, but packed with lots of little subtleties if you listen closely enough. If you can hear past that thumping low end! Get yourself a digital copy of both versions, and thank me later.

Zapp : Computer Love

I've said it before, but Zapp were something like fifteen years ahead of the advent of internet dating! This is a stone classic record, sampled and flipped countless times, and one which I'm glad to have enjoyed as a new track when it was released back in 1985! Shirley Murdock features as half of the lead vocal duet alongside Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band, and the great Roger Troutman (RIP), who also wrote the song, comes in on the talkbox. Apparently Charlie Wilson's record label thought this wasn't going to be a hit...I assume much crow has been eaten since! You can find this as a single, on the "The New Zapp IV U" album, and on many compilations.

Onra : Wait A Minute

This needed a bit of additional looping to be long enough to fit here, but it fit so well in terms of sound that it had to be done. It's taken from the new "Nobody Has To Know" album, the instrumental story of a secret relationship.

Sean Price : 60 Bar Dash

Sean P again with a stream of the disrespectful lines we love him for, on a record from relatively early in his solo career - you can find this on the B-side of the "Boom Bye Yeah" 12" single. PF Cuttin is on production, working a break you might know from the first Diamond D album.

De La Soul : The Art Of Getting Jumped

I always enjoyed this one and the 80s Aretha sample that makes up the hook! Underrated but big tune from the "Art Official Intelligence : Mosaic Thump" album, all about those times when the pack strikes and isn't concerned with fighting fair...

Eric B & Rakim : Set 'Em Straight

If you don't have the "Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em" album, then you probably don't know this track - it wasn't a single, it's not a club track, but my goodness, it's dope. The title is perfect, as Rakim takes the time to primarily put other MCs in check, but also correct one or two false rumours of the time, including that that he was supposedly locked up on Rikers Island for selling drugs. Pure heat from the very early 90s.

Blade : Rough It Up

Long before his union with Mark B (RIP) that many of you will know him for, Blade was an MC who absolutely personified the grind and the real DIY attitude. His first LP, "The Lion Goes From Strength To Strength", was in my opinion the original crowd-funded album, and the determined and defiant nature required to undertake such a task in 1991 is evident on this early 12"! He's talking about his real life right down to washing dishes to pay the bills, over a soup of funk cooked up by his own hand alongside the underground legendary engineer/producer "No Sleep" Nigel. I learned about this record when Pete Tong played it as a brand new tune on Radio 1, and it made me a Blade fan for life.

K-Def : Get A Clue

I needed something funky for this spot, and with the help of a bit of looping to make it a suitable length, I found it on K-Def's "Willie Boo Boo" collection, which is one that the beat heads should definitely have in their collections.

Aretha Franklin : Young, Gifted, and Black

What can you say? I thought this soaring anthem would be a great record to end the episode on. Nina Simone was the original writer (with Weldon Irvine) and performer of this song, back in 1969, but just three years later Aretha released this incredible version as the title track of her eighteenth (!) studio album. I certainly remember hearing many versions of this track as a child, and this is the perfect time to bring it out for all of you. Turn up the volume and take in the mastery.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!