#but overall the controls just feel so slippery and bad to use. particularly with the added difficulty to some things

[notfebruary]

sonic frontiers dlc has been conquered !

and as is tradition for most(if not all) fully 3D sonic games, the most difficult enemy to conquer on any playable character is the camera angle lmao

[jojotichakorn]

ARCHER!! what do you think about thua outing akk and ayan? i have mixed feelings about him rn because im obsessed with him getting shit done and being a bad bitch but like…. wtf dude why would you out them.. it feels. not ooc but just confusing. IDK IM JUST CONFLICTED

JACE!!

so i think this particular instance is incredibly complex. i will try to articulate myself as best i can, in hopes that this will somehow make sense. yes, this is an essay.

to begin with, i'd like to point out that i definitely view the eclipse as a small-scale model. what i mean by that is percieving it as being a literal story about a very strict school is not only a disservice to what i think they were trying to do with the script, but also just makes the whole thing incredibly silly. if you think "oh, these students are fiercly protesting not wanting to wear a uniform and these teachers are evil for not letting the kids use their phones, while the prefects are evil for reinforcing this rule", it all gets a bit ridiculous. but if you think "oh, this is all a metaphor for how a totalitarian regime seizes total control of all areas of life, with examples of how it affects the marginalized, how it affects more privileged people, how it is done by those in power and how it is reinforced by those who serve those in power", then it becomes this really profound, smart thing.

so, before we try to transform our small-scale model of thua and the situation he found himself in to a bigger scale, allow me to start with an example from another piece of media. it is most certainly an extreme example, but one i want to make nonetheless. if you have seen jojo rabbit, you will have a bit of an easier time understanding what i have to say, but i will try to explain it in general terms for everyone who hasn't. (but please do watch jojo rabbit at some point).

so, jojo rabbit is a movie about nazi germany, and there is a character there called captain klenzendorf. klenzendorf is a retired officer from the nazi army, and he is also most often cited by people with zero critical thinking skills when they try to prove that a movie written and directed by a jewish brown man is excusing nazis. you see, klenzendorf is gay, which is particularly dangerous, of course, as that is a direct road to a concentration camp with a pink triangle sewn onto your striped shirt. he is also altogether not inherently evil, and helps the main characters of the movie twice (including helping to hide a jewish girl from the gestapo). at the end of the movie, when the war ends and the soviets arrive, klenzendorf is executed, as a nazi undeniably deserves to be.

so what taika waititi teaches us here with klenzendorf's arc is that there have been many different types of people in nazi germany at the time (people like klenzendorf, who were certainly pretty decent before the war) and that those different types of people had different circumstances which lead them to the choices they eventually made (like the choice of "proving himself" to the nazis that he made not to end up at a concentration camp). overall, taika shows us that any person - if they aren't careful enough and are selfish enough - can go down that slippery slope. and at the end of the war, that person is just like any other nazi - an awful human being, whose execution is a natural and just part of the end of the war. (the main point of jojo rabbit is that anyone can become a nazi and we must continuously step back and assess our worldview and our actions in order not to end up a despicable human being).

now that i have given this extreme example, which no doubt the quickest of readers have already desiphered, let's make the scale a bit smaller, though without returning to the silly bounds of a school.

thua is a marginalized character. he has also not made an active choice there - he is visibly marginalized and so he experiences daily oppression due to others "clocking" him. though he does hold a position that gives him some protection, it is not a position of power, such as the prefects, for instance, have. he also sees that there are people who are marginalized in a similar way to him experiencing the same oppression he does, but even more severely, as they do not have the same protection he does. he sees that they are so unprotected that they have no other choice but to fight.

at the start, the system seems quite clear to him. there is some overarching threat behind everything (the curse) that requires protection from, which is "provided" via implemented rules by the first line of power (the teachers) and reinforced by the second line of power (the prefects), which is semi-comfortable to most people out of power (the majority of the students) and actively harmful to people put down by power (our trio). i'd say thua is placed somewhere between the last two groups, which allows him to be in the necessary position for everything else to fall into place.

now, the moment things change is when thua realizes that the very foundation upon which the entire system is built simply... does not exist. it was invented by someone in the first line of power, and is now being knowingly reinforced by someone in the second line of power. the former is, of course, at fault, but all the suffering that the trio first and foremost and thua in part have experienced is actively due to the latter. you know how it goes - if a dictator has no one to dictate, the dictatorship fails.

and the moment thua's world finally turns upside down is when he realizes: the person actively causing the suffering of his marginalized group is a part of that group, and he is choosing to cause that suffering because he chooses his own safety not just in favor of himself, but at the expense of people like him. like both of them. and it could even be argued that thua understands akk is harming himself too, along with them, just because he found a place where he kind of fits in and sees no other choice but to follow the arbitrary rules of the people who have allowed him to take up that place (as long as he is doing what they want, that is).

and so thua understands: the only way he can make the entire harmful system tumble down is to make akk not only confess to what he has specifically done, but finally sit in the same boat as his fellow marginalized, instead of having an honorary spot on the ship that's shooting cannons at it. because for change to truly occur, the second line of power must seize to exist, which will only happen if akk steps out of his position of power forever and with no chance of return, as he is the only one holding up the second line of power at this point (khan was at a protest, wat is in doubt, namo admires akk and does everything to support him, everyone else is inconsequential).

at first, thua relies on ayan to do the job - the guy did come here for a reason, after all, and he's been quite proudly sitting in the boat with them. but nothing happens with ayan. and so thua takes matters into his own hands. at first he tries to nudge akk, but when that doesn't work either? he simply points at the empty spot next to him in the boat and shows that the empty spot has "akk" written on it.

thua outing akk is not some stupid personal revenge plot - his name is not wai and we are not watching bad buddy. thua outing akk is a deliberate push at the only brick in the wall that he can reach, but also crucially, a brick that does a lot to hold the wall in place.

and this is not me saying that akk is an awful character or a terrible person. i gave klenzendorf as an example not to literally draw a parallel between them but to show very vividly why what akk has been doing is bad and what the normalisation of such behavior can lead to in extreme circumstances. akk is a complex boy and he is also someone who's been through a lot. and i like him. and i like the way ayan has been consistently giving him a chance to become a better person, because thankfully he is not in extreme circumstances and he has the opportunity to change. but none of that makes what he has been doing fair, especially if we perceive the narrative as a metaphor, which i think we must do.

with klenzendorf being an extreme example, i can flip the script and go for something even more mild than what we have in the eclipse, like adam groff or dave karofsky. and i have intentionally chosen such drastically different representations of the "homophobic bully turned gay" trope, because i am not saying that it is a trope that should not be executed - i am saying that it is a trope that comes with baggage and responsibility. especially when we once more up its scale away from one single high school, leaving us somewhere between the homophobic bully and klenzendorf, but with a pretty similar conclusion:

akk's incredibly complex and frankly heartbreaking reasons for doing what he has been doing are not a big enough excuse for the suffering that he has caused, and - at this point - thua was justified in trying to end the suffering, even if it hurt akk in the process, especially because his personal pain is still incomparable with the pain that he helped cause to everyone by upholding an unjust system.

[krnaturalphoto]

When I first started running I never thought I eould be doing the things I have done. They were not things thst I wanted to do. Some of the things I’ve done I didn’t even know were things people do when I first started running. Like trail running; that’s a thing? Running a trail marathon; people really do that?

As I began to run more I met more people. I made amazing friends. I learned more about running and the amazing things that runners really do. I learned about what the human body is capable of. More importantly I began to learn whst my body was capable of. I began to push myself farther and farther, literally. First a 5k, then a 10k, then a half marathon, several half marathons. I began to trail run more and more and conqured those same distances on the trails and thn pushed farther to 25k trail runs. Looking for that next challenge. Looking for that next beautiful trail I could experience. Wondering where tht next trail would take me.

Last year I was invited to participate in the event that really set all this in motion. My friend invited me to particiapte in an event with her and a couple other firends. We would run the Sehgahund Trail Marathon relay together. Once again, this was a thing that I didn’t realize even existed at the time. This was sucha fun event for me. It doesn’t get much better than spending time out on the trails with your friends working as a team. I don’t know if my fiend will think if this event with as much appreciation for the path it has sent us down as I do, but for me it was a formative event that has helped lead me to where I am now.

After building up by running loner distances last year culminatiung with a chalenging 25k I returned to the idea of Sehgahunda. We had all begun running more and more trails and I thought what if we all trained together and ran the full solo Sehgahunda Trail Marathon together. I almost couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of my mouth, and I don’t think my friends could either at first. A marathoin was never something I had thougtht about wanting to do. But now that the idea had formed in my head I just couldn’t shake it.

I spent all winter training and continued into spring. As the day of the race approached I began to feel nervous and anxious. I really has no idea what to expect. I just had to hope my training had me prepared for this. My wife was going to be at the race crewing and cheering me on at the aide stations and check points. Even though I really had no idea how this race would go for me I told her that I felt like if everything went well and I felt good I thought I could be done in six hours.

My friends and I spent the week leading up to the race watching the weather forecast for race day. The two conditions we were hoping not to have for the race was for it to not be too hot and for it not to be too wet. If it was wet we knew the trails leading to the aide stations/check points would be muddy disasters. We were fortunate enough to not have heat, which for me is the worst possible condition. However, we had plenty of rain leading up to the race including rain the night before the race and it actively rained during most of the race itself.

The trails that take you to the aide stations/check points lead you out of the woods and generally into open fields. The fields were completely saturated with water. It was a mud-fest. There was standing water in areas. The mud was at least ankle deep on most of these trails. You just slipped and slid all over. You couldn’t get any footing. You couldn’t push off because your feet just slid out behind you. As a mid pack runner another problem is that half of the runners are ahead of you so they have all already trampled through this area and degraded the trail a great deal. The traffic out in front on these trails basically created a narrow steep rut of mud to run through. You couldn’t step off to the side because it was so muddy that you slid back down into the trench. Gravity was doing its job. And it got more complicated. Not only did you have to navigate the water hazards and the deep slippery mud these sections were out and backs with two way traffic going down a path that especially due to the mud was basically single track. Trying to continue to move forward without colliding with your fellow runners was not as easy as it might seem. Combine this challenge with the possibility of passing other runners going the same direction as you and it was even more difficult. It basically became more effective to divert so far off the designated path that you were basically out in a field of knee high grass. But even that wasn’t possible most places.

On the way to most of the aide stations/check points you were going up hill. So, you were working against gravity in ground conditions that made it very to push off or use any power or strength to propel oneself forward as the ground just continued to shift under your foot as you pushed against it. The factors combined to result in a lot of walking up through the mud. On the way down from the aide stations/check points you were presented with a different kind of challenge. The mud was obviously still there but instead of going against gravity you were going with gravity down the hill. And instead of the mud preventing you from pushing off of to propel yourself up, now the mud prevented you from planting your feet to slow yourself down and control your descent. It was like mud skiing except there was much less control of direction and footing than with actual skies on snow. You slid and splattered down the hill at the best speed you could manage without completely losing control and either falling or colliding with a fellow runner. I’ve heard running described as controlled falling and this was as close to that as I have ever felt. The fall was barely under control but felt inevitable. However, I managed not to fall on any of those sections.

I thought that the main trails that ran through the woods would remain mostly firm with only a relatively small degree of mud despite the rain. I even advised my friend against running in her trail shoes with more aggressive tread for better grip in the mud because I thought the main trails would not be so bad as to require it and the side trails up to the aide stations would be so muddy that they wouldn’t make a difference. Luckily she was smart enough to ignore me and follow her own instincts. The main trail was much muddier than I had anticipated. I lost a shoe in a mud hole in less than two miles. I saw all the runners ahead of me running around this muddy spot and I thought it made no sense to take the extra steps to avoid it since we were going to get plenty muddy anyway. I ran right through the middle of the mud I went through it just fine. I didn’t slip at all. Unfortunately though one of my shoes did not follow me through those several steps and remained lodged in the mud. Being early in the race I was still moving along at a decent pace and despite my shoes being tied as tightly as I could get them my foot slipped right out and I took several muddy steps with no shoe on one foot. Then I had to retrace my steps and shimmy my foot back into my shoe.

I love the trails that make up the Sehgahunda course. They are almost entirely single track until the last 4 miles. The trails twist and turn and wind their way through the woods at Letchworth State Park. You get to see and enjoy so much gorgeous woodland scenery. You can see out across the gorge created by the Genesee River at times. You run along sloping ravines as you traverse the forest. You you run down into than back up out of countless gullies created by water runoff over the years. I was actually pleasantly surprised that there wasn’t more water in the gullies considering all the rain we had been having and were currently experiencing during the race.

I didn’t really have a plan for the race other than do whatever it takes to finish. I didn’t have a set plan to try to average a certain pace or anything. I started out the race running whatever pace felt comfortable. I wasn’t running hard but I wasn’t holding back either. I felt really good the whole first half of the race.

The race has a fair amount of elevation gain overall but there aren’t really any particularly steep climbs, which is good for me because I am not good at climbing and it always seems to just suck the life right out of my legs for whatever follows. Despite there being no steep elevation gains there are still some really nice long gradual downhill sections where you can pick up some speed and run faster. I was able to use these features to my advantage throughout the first half of the race.

As I approached the first side station/check point, about 6 miles into the race, I caught up to a couple of my female friends who were also running the full marathon. So I was able to chat with some friends out on the trail for a few minutes. At the aide station/check point I got one of my Calorie Bomb Cookies, that I made from the recipe in the No Meat Athlete Cookbook, out of my pack and ate and drank there. I said hi to my wife who was there to cheer me on and crew for me. Then I was back off on the trail.

After getting back down into the woods I eventually caught up to my two friends who I originally hatched this crazy plan with. We were able to talk for a little while out on the trail. We were all in good spirits. I also took some video of them running which I don’t know if they were aware of at the time. I continued to move along in the trails at a pretty good pace for me. I was just casually running down a relatively nondescript section of trail when I apparently failed to pick my size 14 foot up high enough to clear a root or a rock because I went down. I tripped and went straight down flat on my chest and face. Luckily I was able to brace myself somewhat with my outstretched hands like superman. Fortunately I was not hurt and I popped back up and continued to run. One of my fellow runners asked if I was ok and my response was that “I’m a professional faller at this point. I don’t get hurt.”

The large number of participants from our running club, Southern Tier Running Club, included several teams running the relay. The relay teams from our club included some very fast kids. Kids who are much faster than me on my best day. My friends and I had been talking about how long we thought it would be before I was passed by one of our club’s relay teams. Even with a 30 minute headstart it was only a matter of time before they overtook me. I said I would be happy if I stayed ahead of them for 10 miles. I actually did better than I expected. I didn’t get passed by the first member of one of our relay teams until mile 12. He went flying past me like I was standing still.

As I approached the 3rd aide station/check point at mile 15 I was starting to get tired. The plan here was to take the time to change my socks and reapply anti chaffing ointment to my feet because I have had problems with blisters on my past long runs. First I had to scrape the mud off my shoes just so I could get to my shoe laces. Changing my socks felt so good. It was much more noticeable than I had expected and even though I didn’t change my wet and muddy shoes my feet still felt dry and comfortable. I don’t know if that was a byproduct of wearing Darn Tough brand socks or what, but I was happy for it. The second half of the race was a little drier and less muddy so the change in socks was a good decision even though it took a significant amount of time to do. It also helps to keep your feet dry if you keep your shoes on while running which I managed to do during the second half of the race by keeping my weight more on my toes through the muddier areas. I was able to see my wife again and talk and absorb some of her positive vibes and every as she cheered me on and then I was off from the third stop.

The second half of the race was kind of a blur. The aide stations/check points were closer together and I took advantage of that. But the second half of the race felt like much more of a grind. Just trying to keep movingforward. It also seemed to have more elevation gain or at least more sustained segments of elevation gain requiring more walking. One part I do remember was falling once again on a very nondescript section of trail. Not doing anything that really should have lead to me falling. Just failing to pick up my feet. When I got up I saw another pair of runners standing over me and one said that they had just fallen there too. So it must have been booby trapped. At least I wasn’t the only one it took down.

At some point as the day progressed it began to get warmer and more humid down in the forest and when you emerged at aide stations/check points you could feel the cool breeze out in the open and we bantered with the great volunteers regarding their nice weather. I took some ice and put it under my hat and tucked some into the buff I was wearing around my neck to help me stay cool.

As I traversed the trails over the second half of the race what I knew to be my weakness became increasingly apparent. My hips and core muscle were getting tighter and increasingly sore. All the muscles you use to lift your legs and stabilize yourself in you pelvic girdle were screaming at me. I pushed on through the discomfort. I walked when I needed to on inclines and stretched my muscles as best I could at side stations/check points.

When I began the flatter section that was basically old logging road or gravel road or some combination of the two I knew I was getting closer to the end from the preview run I did here with my friends. Only about four miles to go. It was both a relief and a bit of mental torture. I was relieved to know the end was in sight but felt like how can there still be four miles. And those four miles seemed to drag on forever. But despite that the simple knowledge of how close I was to the end and the relative flatness of this section of the course allowed me to run at a reasonable pace and push myself to sustain it.

When I emerged from the woods onto the park road I was almost done. The finish was literally in sight. Just one more hurdle to get over. That last section of road included a not so small hill and it feels especially daunting after 25 miles. Who does that? Who throws one last hill in within the last quarter mile of a trail marathon? I was determined not to walk up that hill. I don’t know how fast or slow I went up that hill but I maintained some version of running all the way up. I am sure it wasn’t pretty.

As I approached the finish I saw my wife there cheering me on. She has been such a huge support for me during all this insane training. It helped push me across the finish just to see her. It was a great feeling to cross that finish and just stop moving for a minute. It’s a great post race vibe at Sehgahunda. Talking to friends who’ve already finished, waiting to cheer friends on through the finish, and cheering on other runners is a great way to finish off the day. Oh yeah, did I mention there is food and beer.

The other aspect of all this aside from the running for me has been trying to document as much as possible as a photographer. Race day was not a good day for photography so I did not take many still photos with my GoPro, but I did shoot several segments of video, which I honestly haven’t even watched yet to see how they came out. I’m hoping I can compile the footage into something bigger at some point. Race photos didn’t turn out great which is a bummer but I did some creative editing to try to make them look as good as possible and they accompany this post. I hope you enjoyed reading this way too long race report.

If you’ve enjoyed this and want to support my work become a supporter of mine on Patreon for as little as $1 a month. It helps me put all this together. Thanks for your support

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Running My First Trail Marathon When I first started running I never thought I eould be doing the things I have done.

[arplis]

Arplis - News: The 50 Best Alt-Rock Love Song

s Not all love songs are romantic. Not all love songs are even happy. It all depends on your definition of the term. For every “My Girl” or “Your Song,” there’s at least one track with a nuanced take on the darker, more complicated sides of love — the drama of a long-term relationship, the fear of losing a partner, the void left in love’s wake. Many of those songs fall under the admittedly broad umbrella of “alt-rock.” So to mark Valentine’s Day, we decided to gather 50 of our favorite “love songs” in the genre — both conventional and otherwise. Throughout this list, you’ll find lines about blooming romance and marital bliss. You’ll also find nods to drug addiction and car crashes. There’s something for everyone. – Ryan Reed   50. that dog. – “I’m Gonna See You”   You take the good, you take the bad. You settle in for the longest haul, one that’s meant to end whenever one partner or the other passes away. Sunny, glossy and droll, “I’m Gonna See You” fairly tingles the spine; there’s an underlying optimism about marriage and domestic life here that’s leavened by level-headedness and firm realism. that dog. set the controls firmly to mid-tempo, as placid frontwoman Anna Waronker serenades an unknown subject who might as well murmur every verse and chorus right back at her: “I’m gonna see you in the morning / I’m gonna see you when you’re uptight / I’m gonna see you when you’re boring / I’m gonna see you every night.” – Raymond Cummings     49. PJ Harvey (featuring Thom Yorke) – “This Mess We’re In”   PJ Harvey didn’t need Radiohead’s enigmatic frontman to sell this bleakly beautiful 2000 duet. But it’s chilling — and slightly dislocating — to hear these worlds collide, resulting in a hall-of-fame-caliber swirl of romantic misery. “I’d long been interested in the idea of somebody else singing a whole song on a record of mine, to have a very different dimension brought in by somebody else’s voice,” Harvey told the Los Angeles Times. “It adds so much dynamic within the record to have this other character coming in.” And while it’s still hilarious to hear Yorke, master of the abstract, sing lines this nakedly sensual (“I dream of making love to you now, baby”), he inhabits that character with ease, his falsetto offering a ghostly counterpoint to Harvey’s measured spoken word. – Ryan Reed   48. Yellowcard – “Ocean Avenue”   There’s love, sure, but “Ocean Avenue” is also an anthem of youth, recklessness and pop-punk. Something about the chugging riffs, infectious chorus and cliche lyrics made it an instant classic destined to soundtrack every Emo Nite. The highlight is, of course, the sentiment that’s as predictable as everything else: “If I could find you now things would get better / We could leave this town and run forever.” Just like Boys Like Girls’ later pop-punk gem “The Great Escape,” “Ocean Avenue” is built on one of rock’s most reliably romantic images: running away with a vague lover from a dreary hometown into life’s endless possibilities. – Danielle Chelosky   Credit: Capitol   47. Future Islands – “Walking Through That Door”   This is Future Islands in the key of “I Want to Break Free.” Of all the underdog anthems the synth-pop trio churn out, this gem — from 2010’s overlooked In Evening Air — is their most pure. The beauty lies in Gerrit Welmers’ quivering keys, which sound like they landed on Earth from a ’50s sci-fi flick. They spiral higher and faster, as singer Samuel T. Herring absolves us of the shadows we cling to; all the lonely nights that “fall oh-so-slow.” “I want to be the one to help you find those dreams,” Herring sings, eerily calm, like a mountaintop shaman who’s become enlightened in the rugged terrain. “Walking Through That Door” has a mystical vibe that takes whatever’s in your heart and makes you believe in it harder. – Sarah Grant     46. Liz Phair – “Supernova”   Liz Phair is in devotion mode, packing more similes into one rock love song than an entire book of Shakespeare sonnets. “Your eyelashes sparkle like gilded grass,” she sings, “and your lips are sweet and slippery like a cherub’s bare, wet ass.” That’s just the first verse. “Supernova” was Phair’s rollicking first single from Whip-Smart, the follow-up to her murky masterpiece Exile in Guyville. With its trampolining guitars and Phair’s heart wide open, it signaled a whole new Liz dimension — her romantic period — where we could pour out our hearts with fists held high, shouting “and you fuck like a volcano, and you’re everything to me.” A declaration that would only occur to an ineffably cool 27-year-old in 1994. – S.G.   Credit: Matador / Atlantic   45. The Stranglers – “Golden Brown”   The stately, baroque-pop jangle of “Golden Brown” diverged from the English band’s core sound: prototypical pub-punkers stumbling into the electronics section of the local music store. The Stranglers slowly matured into the New Wave outfit of their pinnacle — but, in this case, take a deviant direction. A harpsichord plays the central melody as a luminous phased synth corresponds: dropping and rising in octaves, overall creating an enthralling quasi-waltz (with periodic bars in 7/8 time). It’s a ballad to his beatific (and lyrically ambiguous) “golden brown,” a finer temptress arranged in a seamless weaving of verse into bridge into the chorus — all executed in a timbre echoing John Lennon. Such a gorgeous song from a band with such a contrary name. – Logan Blake     44. Nine Inch Nails – “The Perfect Drug”   The doomed romance of Trent Reznor’s lyrics can often make love sound like a desperate chemical dependency — or make actual drug addiction sound like an irresistible seduction. “The Perfect Drug,” written for David Lynch’s 1997 film, Lost Highway, muddies the waters even more than usual, particularly with Mark Romanek’s absinthe-themed video. Reznor has performed the song live sparingly and reportedly admitted in 2005 that it “probably wouldn’t be in the top hundred” of the tracks he’s written. Still, it’s hard not to get caught up in the adrenaline rush of one of the fastest, most drum’n’bass-influenced songs in the Nine Inch Nails catalog. – Al Shipley   Credit: Nothing   43. Pulp – “Something Changed”   “Something Changed” is a prayer for those of us whose love language is canceling plans. Over rolling guitars and heavenly synths, Jarvis Cocker sings about the precious, random decisions that we make every day, having no idea of what’s at stake. “I could have stayed at home and gone to bed … you might have changed your mind and seen your friend.” In a Melody Maker interview, Cocker said that the song’s retrospective lyrics came from trying to remember why he wrote this song in the first place back in 1984 — years before releasing it as a single in 1996. Twenty-five years later, amid the doldrums of quarantine, “Something Changed” is like a redemption song for those of us who took the outside world for granted. As Jarve wisely said: “The worst thing about having a schedule and a timetable is that there’s less chance for unexpected things to happen.” – S.G.   Credit: Island   42. Buzzcocks – “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)”   If the answer to the question posed in the song title is “no,” check your pulse. You’re not alive. Or perhaps you’re extremely lucky. Just wait — as Robert Plant once sang, “Your Time Is Gonna Come.” The gist of the lyrics: “You spurn my natural emotions / You make me feel like dirt and I’m hurt” is as plainspoken as the song itself, written in 1978 by Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley. Flaunting a perfect, dysfunctional lyrical kicker (“And if I start a commotion / I run the risk of losing you, and that’s worse”), “Ever Fallen in Love” becomes a hooky package of pop-punk energy and precise, pithy lyrics. This “pansexual punk anthem” (as one critic coined it) was the Buzzcocks’ biggest hit, and very rightly so. – Katherine Turman   Credit: United Artists   41. Morphine – “In Spite of Me”   Boston trio Morphine was known for the low, sonorous sounds of Mark Sandman’s two-string slide bass and Dana Colley’s baritone sax. But Sandman would occasionally throw in a spare acoustic track like “In Spite of Me,” the side one closer to their 1993 magnum opus, Cure For Pain, featuring beautifully fluttering mandolin by Jimmy Ryan. “In Spite of Me” is a bittersweet paean to someone who left the narrator behind long ago, but Sandman’s half-whispered vocal radiates with the fond memories of a shared history: “Last night I told a stranger all about you / They smiled patiently with disbelief.” – A.S.     40. The Breeders – “Do You Love Me Now”   “Does love ever end?” That’s the central question of “Do You Love Me Now,” Kim and Kelly Deal’s meditation on the often open-ended nature of past romance. Just when you think you’re finally over a relationship and have completely moved on, those familiar feelings slowly sidle back up to you like Josephine Wiggs’ slinking bass line. Pretty soon you might find yourself reaching for your phone, scrolling through photos and wondering what your old flame is doing right about now. If that happens, don’t worry — it’s perfectly natural. Here’s a helpful piece of advice from your friends at SPIN: Don’t text your ex. – John Paul Bullock     39. Pearl Jam – “Last Kiss”   By 1998, Pearl Jam had left radio behind. Sure, “Given to Fly” was a hit and Yield ended up one of their best albums, but the mainstream was mostly in the rearview mirror until this throwaway cover. During a Seattle show that May, Eddie Vedder told the crowd that he found an old single for $.99 the previous day and stayed up listening to it all night. Then the band debuted their take on “Last Kiss,” the Wayne Cochran ballad popularized by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers in 1964. The song is so breezy and catchy, many fans are still oblivious to the sad lyrics, which chronicle a car accident that kills the narrator’s girlfriend (“Oh where, oh where can my baby be? / The Lord took her away from me”). Pearl Jam recorded a version during soundcheck before a Maryland gig, releasing it for Ten Club members. But that recording spread like wildfire and eventually peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Strangely, this left-field cover wound up the biggest hit of Pearl Jam’s career. – Daniel Kohn Credit: Epic   38. Bloc Party – “Blue Light”   “I still feel you in the taste of cigarettes,” sings Kele Okereke over divine splatters of guitar reverb and the heartbeat click-clack of a snare rim and kick drum. Bits of this person — seemingly a former lover — linger in the minute sensory details of everyday life. Reminders are everywhere: “You’ll find it hiding in shadows / You’ll find it hiding in cupboards.” The emotional centerpiece of Bloc Party’s debut LP, 2005’s Silent Alarm, “Blue Light” conjures the feeling of being fully adrift in sadness — you’ve become so accustomed to melancholy, it’s now your home. Just as Okereke croons about a mysterious “gentlest feeling,” the song ironically becomes un-gentle, guitars and drums spiraling upward into a sonic and emotional crescendo. – R.R.     37. Lifehouse – “Hanging By a Moment”   Lots of love songs have a spiritual component: Peter Gabriel was inspired to write “In Your Eyes” — perhaps the greatest slice of pop romance ever written, but not really “alt-rock” enough for this list — to reflect that common ambiguity in African music. With Lifehouse’s “Hanging By a Moment,” frontman Jason Wade landed at a similar duality. “I knew at the end of it that it was a love song, and I kind of come from that world, so it can be interpreted as a spiritual song or a love song,” he told Billboard in 2017. “I feel like people have just been taking it for whatever they want it to be through the years.” Both interpretations hold water: The narrator is “starving for truth,” perhaps in a religious sense. But on the chorus, they’re “standing here until you make me move” — an image that, coincidentally, calls to mind the “In Your Eyes” boombox scene from Say Anything. Either way, it’s a tearjerker. – R.R.   Credit: DreamWorks   36. Alabama Shakes – “Gimme All Your Love”   Lyrically, this one’s as cut and dried as it comes: Brittany Howard, the powerhouse singer of Alabama Shakes, wants the full relationship experience — no emotional shortcuts. “So much is going on / But you can always come around,” she sings gently, her voice somewhat muffled amid the glitchy drums and gleaming keys. “Why don’t you sit with me for just a little while? / Tell me, what’s wrong.” Then on the chorus, she sounds enraptured in contrast, screaming the titular phrase between some “woo”s that sound like a soulful Ric Flair. Is complete commitment so much to ask? – R.R.     35. A Flock of Seagulls – “Space Age Love Song”   New Wave music, particularly synthpop, tended to be lyrically cold, detached and unsentimental — more concerned with pessimism than romance. But “Space Age Love Song,” A Flock of Seagulls’ 1982 hit, is one of those unique exceptions. Amid Mike Score’s wistful singing and atmospheric synths and Paul Reynolds’ soaring guitar, the lyrics are direct and tender rather than aloof, accompanied by its recognizable melodic refrain: “I was falling in love.” In a 2018 PopMatters interview, Score said the song was about intimacy: “When you meet somebody there is an instant eye contact if the chemistry is right. If everything is right, you catch their eye…that whole ‘across the crowded room/caught your eye’ thing. The lyrics explain that: ‘I saw your eyes and you made me smile.'” Sci-fi and love never sounded so good together. – David Chiu   Credit: Jive   34. The Pretenders – “Talk of the Town”   “I had in mind this kid who used to stand outside the soundchecks on our first tour, and I never spoke to him,” Chrissie Hynde once recalled, detailing this Beatles-y New Wave anthem from 1980. “And I remember the last time I saw him, I just left him standing in the snow. I never had anything to say to him. And I kinda wrote this for him.” That backstory adds more intrigue to her already-fascinating lyrics, which seem to channel youthful longing for a person outside one’s grasp. “I watch you still from a distance then go / Back to my room,” she quivers over the bright guitar changes. “You never know I want you.” – R.R.     33. Incubus – “Dig”   Few alt-rock frontmen have embraced heartthrob status more naturally than Incubus singer Brandon Boyd, who helped transform the California nü-metal band into multi-platinum crossover stars with his washboard abs and a propensity to flirtatiously ad-lib the word “girl” like an R&B singer. But there’s always been a philosophical bent to Boyd’s most romantic songs, and “Dig,” as he explained in the band bio for 2006’s Light Grenades, “speaks to the importance of forgiveness and compassion.” But the song’s headier lyrics don’t get in the way of the lighter-waving catharsis of Boyd belting out, “We’ll always have each other when everything else is gone.” - A.S.     32. Beach House – “Lazuli”   If “Harvest Moon” had an alien twin from Baltimore, it might sound something like “Lazuli” — Beach House’s most romantic song, which highlights their 2012 album, Bloom. Alex Scally begins with a loping arpeggio and spray of synth as the story unfurls. “In the blue of this life, where it ends in the night / When you couldn’t see, you would come for me,” Victoria Legrand bellows, sounding warm, wise and oddly reminiscent of Nat King Cole. The lyrics float in and out of abstraction, like twisting a kaleidoscope. The synths form little ripples around her voice. In this vein, “Lazuli,” feels like an ode to communing with nature; a testament to every tiny particle that we can’t see. Who knows? Being in a perpetual state of wonder is the Beach House way, and it’s the true magic of this song. As Legrand reminds us in her dreamy warble, “you can’t be replaced.” – S.G.     31. Weezer – “Perfect Situation”   From the dramatic intro — which this Fearless-era Taylor Swift song oddly resembles — it’s clear what this one is about. Then again, it’s usually what Weezer songs are about: desperation, longing, love gone wrong. “Perfect Situation,” though, is less lyrically specific than many of the band’s tracks — they keep the words simple and carefully chosen here, with Rivers Cuomo just enunciating “Singing oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh” on the chorus. The instruments do most of the talking, and the most Cuomo reveals is on the kind-of-hot lines: “Get your hands off the girl / Can’t you see that she belongs to me?” – Danielle Chelosky     30. The Temper Trap – “Sweet Disposition”   First off, who gives a fuck that the echoing guitar sounds like the Edge’s best unused riff? And so what if the song itself is still a go-to for dumb TV ads and rom-coms? It’s easy to poke fun at this Australian quartet because they unashamedly swing for a grand slam with almost every at-bat, but “Sweet Disposition” is the kind of heart-tugging big-chorus rock song only the most jaded among us can brush aside. Part of it’s the expressive delivery of frontman Dougy Mandagi, who wrangles maximum earnestness from each falsetto swoop and hint of vibrato. And the words are perfectly bare and unpretentious. “Just stay there / ‘Cause I’ll be coming over,” he sings. “While our blood’s still young / It’s so young, it runs / Won’t stop ’til it’s over.” – R.R.   Credit: TIME   29. Band of Horses – “No One’s Gonna Love You”   Few “love songs” open with the image of a mutilated body part: “It’s looking like a limb torn off / Or altogether just taken apart,” Ben Bridwell yelps over rippling electric guitars. “No One’s Gonna Love You” feels romantic — the atmospheric arrangement, the pained way Bridwell sings throughout. And certain lyrics, like the titular phrase, sound deceptively sweet. But this one’s complicated: The narrator seems to be still helplessly in love (“And anything to make you smile”), even with the relationship “tumbling” through an “endless fall.” Play this one for your “first dance” wedding song and scan the crowd for puzzled faces. – R.R.   Credit: Sub Pop   28. The White Stripes – “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself”   Can we trust a love-lost song from a man who pretended his one-time wife was his sister? Why is said sister-wife, Meg White, crying on the cover of 2003’s Elephant? And why is Kate Moss pole-dancing in the video? No matter the answer to these rhetorical questions, ”I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself” is a great song, and as sung by Jack White, the definitive version. (It was written by Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David — and previously, most notably covered by Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick and Issac Hayes, who drew it out to seven minutes.) White’s spare, angsty voice and guitar reflects the song’s desperate, edgy feeling of painful limbo as two are wrenched into one lonely leftover. The tune was written in 1962, but it’s still timeless — and especially gut-wrenching when White delivers it with all the (hurt) feels. – K.T.   Credit: XL   27. My Morning Jacket – “Steam Engine”   Jim James digs deeper than superficial attraction on this dreamy, seven-minute ballad from It Still Moves. “So I do believe / None of this is physical / At least not to me,” he sings, his voice bathed in barn reverb. He is human, admitting later on, “Your skin looks good in moonlight.” But like the band’s slow-building sway, his definition of love is still admirably cosmic. “It’s about falling in love with someone because of the way they make you feel, as opposed to them wearing tight jeans and being hot,” he told Nude as the News in 2003. “I’m just trying to escape from the fuckin’ constant, physically driven fashion show that the world has become.” – R.R.     26. R.E.M. – “At My Most Beautiful”   Gently affectionate, direct and indelible, the standout third single from R.E.M.’s first post-Bill Berry LP revels in romantic mundanity. A sigh calibrated to elicit endless sighs, “At My Most Beautiful” adopts orchestral-era Beach Boys as its guiding muse, with guitar, piano, organ and cello forming a warm, pastel whorl. The sincere tenderness in Michael Stipe’s vocal scribbles extra feelings between the lines of his actual lyrics, which adore but stop short of the saccharine. “You always say your name,” he purrs, “Like I wouldn’t know it’s you, at your most beautiful.” – R.C.   Credit: Warner Bros.   25. Siouxsie & the Banshees – “The Last Beat of My Heart”   Siouxsie Sioux sings nature metaphors (“In the sharp gust of love, my memory stirred / When time wreathed a rose, a garland of shame”) over a slow-climbing swell of accordion and muted tom-tom thump. A perfect marriage of words and atmosphere, each drawing out romance from the other. “It’s one of my favorite Siouxsie and the Banshees songs, and [DeVotchKa] covered it very well,” the Decemberists’ Colin Meloy told Pitchfork in 2006.”It kind of bums me out that they got to that cover before I did. Very smart choice.” – R.R.   Credit: Wonderland / Polydor   24. Blink-182 – “All the Small Things”   For Valentine’s Day 2000, there had to be at least one guy in a Hurley T-shirt and Dickies who wrote this in a card to his high school girlfriend, thinking it was so sick: “Keep your lips still, I’ll be your thrill, the night will go on, my little windmill.” Blink’s biggest hit has its goofy, sappy moments: “She left me roses by the stairs, surprises let me know she cares.” But there’s some uncertainty there too: Tom DeLonge knows this girl will be at his show, watching and waiting, but also…commiserating. Did she feel pity for him? Maybe we shouldn’t think too much about “All The Small Things,” considering DeLonge wrote it specifically to be played on the radio, with all those Ramones-y “na-na-na’s” filled in so he wouldn’t need to write more lyrics. – Bobby Olivier   Credit: MCA   23. Arcade Fire – “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)”   Here’s something I’ve never understood: So…Win Butler is singing about digging a tunnel between his and his lover’s homes — underground romance, adorable — but then he wails, “You climb out of the chimney and meet me in the middle, the middle of the town.” Why dig the fucking tunnel when she’s just gonna use the chimney to meet up? And another thing! When he sings, “Then our skin gets thicker from living out in the snow” — couldn’t they have sought shelter in the tunnel during inclement weather? Listen, I know it’s the band’s debut single and revered as one of the greatest indie-rock songs of the last 20 years, blah blah. It’s a sweeping, bouncy tune, sure, but I need answers, damn it! – B.O.     22. Smashing Pumpkins – “Luna”   In the liner notes of the 2011 Siamese Dream reissue, Billy Corgan writes that this blissful dream-pop ballad chronicles his love for “someone [who] doesn’t love me.” He doesn’t directly specify this person, but he did famously date Courtney Love, who once claimed that almost all of the album was written about her. We’re not going to draw any conclusions. “I sing a love song in an empty room,” Corgan continued, detailing how he wrote the tune. “It is for the moon. It can never be for the one you love.” Regardless, “love song for the moon” just sounds cooler. – R.R.     21. Mazzy Star – “Fade Into You”   During the mid-’90s alt boom, a bunch of bands on the peripheral had their moments of mainstream success. Mazzy Star’s biggest song, the moody and melodic “Fade Into You,” blends dream-pop and alt-country twang, led by Hope Sandoval’s luscious vocals. The singer’s lyrics, a touchstone of peak Gen X, seem to document a relationship with a narcissistic person who can’t be reached. And that dichotomy between romantic longing and melancholy is what makes “Fade Into You” so relatable. – D.K.   Credit: Capitol   20. The Cardigans – “Lovefool”   You likely know the hook by heart from incessant radio airplay. Released in the mid-’90s, it’s one of those songs that summons its zeitgeist, and it’s since remained one of the most timeless (and bittersweet) pop-rock palliatives. Lead singer Nina Persson both coquettishly and wistfully begs for her love to be requited. It’s all voluptuous rouge lips and batting cat eyes, soft around the edges with sharp guitar chops and velvety synth concords. It’s the marriage of a cold, haphazard lament in a catchy pop structure with a New Wave undercurrent all held together in kitschy saturation. Nothing comes closer to the platonic ideal of pop. – L.B.   Credit: Stockholm   19. Jeff Buckley – “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over”   “Maybe I’m too young to keep good love from going wrong,” Jeff Buckley sings with understated drama on the first verse of “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over,” before patiently building to a climactic falsetto showcase. Buckley wrote the smoldering, seven-minute ballad after the end of his relationship with musician Rebecca Moore, and he opens the epic version on his only proper studio album, 1994’s Grace, with a gorgeous harmonium instrumental that sounds like an otherworldly funeral organ. It became the most widely covered song Buckley wrote in his brief career, but nobody can possibly sing it like him. – A.S.     18. Elliott Smith – “Say Yes”   Smith clears his throat and begins the acoustic-strummed ballad to a girl who made his world a vicarious idyll, the one “who’s still around the morning after.” An electric guitar glitters the track with sprightly, jazzy chords, letting out a melodic melancholy solo and syncing with Smith’s sotto voce singing as he sulks over their month-ago breakup. Now he longs for her to come back, optimistically musing that maybe he’d be “an exception to the rule.” Smith once told SPIN he penned the offhandedly beautiful song in five minutes while watching a muted episode of Xena: Warrior Princess. Whether a moving palliative for others mourning a love lost too soon or a heartrending tale of post-breakup realism, it utterly impales you. – L.B.     17. Roxy Music – “Avalon”   Across eight albums in 10 years, Roxy Music evolved from an avant-garde glam-rock band to a sophisticated pop group. Avalon, the group’s swan song, was their most commercially successful record and indelibly romantic. Along with “More Than This,” the album’s title song — with its tropical and reggae-like rhythms — has become one of Roxy’s most popular songs.  Its lyrics evoke the magic of love at first sight: “When you bossa nova, there’s no holding / But you have me dancing, out of nowhere.” Ferry’s debonair crooning is seductive and sincere, complemented by backing vocalist Yanick Étienne. The “Avalon” video is equally elegant, with a white tuxedo-clad Ferry dancing with his paramour. Almost 40 years later, this song — like the whole Avalon album — remains one of the definitive Valentine’s Day soundtracks. – David Chiu   Credit: EG / Polydor   16. Tegan and Sara – “Nineteen”   Some of the best rock tunes swim simultaneously in streams of “love song” and “breakup song,” welling up your eyes until everything blurs. “Nineteen,” a devastating anthem from Tegan and Sara’s fifth LP, The Con, is one such moment — entangling sex, heartbreak, romance and butterflies-in-your-gut angst into a compact, three-minute blast. It opens with a jarring admission: “I felt you in my legs before I even met you / And when I laid beside you for the first time, I told you / I feel you in my heart.” We don’t get all the details, but the relationship quickly sours, resulting in a bummed-out plane trip home — but also glimmers of hope. “I was 19,” the duo sing over the distorted downstroke riffs. “Call me.” – R.R.     15. Paramore – “Still Into You”   A power-pop ode to everlasting love, “Still Into You” should surge in popularity around 2063 by soundtracking all those scene kids’ 50th wedding anniversary parties. In terms of Paramore lore (Para-lore?), “Still Into You” introduced the band’s departure from pure pop-punk — more charm, less angst. Written about Hayley Williams’ then-solid relationship with New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert, it offers some great lines about making love work: “It’s not a walk in the park to love each other / But when our fingers interlock, can’t deny, can’t deny, you’re worth it.” And it’s such a sweet sentiment, reminding your S.O. that after all their bullshit and the stupid Netflix shows they make you watch, you’re still into them. Unfortunately for Williams, “still” didn’t mean forever — she and Gilbert split in 2017. – B.O.   Credit: Fueled By Ramen 14. Stone Temple Pilots – “Interstate Love Song”   Only Stone Temple Pilots could write a “love song” that explores lying about heroin use. In his 2011 memoir, Not Dead & Not For Sale, Scott Weiland said he wrote “Interstate Love Song” partly from the perspective of his girlfriend: “She’d ask how I was doing, and I’d lie, say I was doing fine. Chances are I had just fixed before calling her. I imagined what was going through her mind…” But there’s poetry in these dark images, as Weiland taps into relationship matters of trust and deception. The music only amplifies the song’s windows-down grandeur, from Weiland’s booming vocals to Dean DeLeo’s signature, twangy guitar riff. It remains STP’s finest hour. – D.K. and R.R.   Credit: Atlantic 13. Patti Smith Group – “Because the Night”   A highlight from her 1978 LP, Easter, “Because the Night” has become the punk poet laureate’s most well-known track — and also one of the most recognizable love songs of all time. After modest piano notes form a calm before the storm, Patti Smith bursts into her signature mode of elated, operatic singing — roleplaying the besotted lover in this impassioned hit co-written by Bruce Springsteen. Although the vocal delivery propels the song beyond itself, the lyrics detail the wanton desire just before the flight of the erotic at sundown “…because the night belongs to lovers.” Unlike most other subtler love songs, this is an unabashed entreaty. No more foreplay. On second thought, it’d be more apt to call it a “lust song.” – L.B.   Credit: Arista   12. Coldplay – “Yellow”   Who would have thought that a poor Neil Young imitation would spark Coldplay’s breakthrough hit? That’s what happened with their signature tune, “Yellow,” which focuses on an emotional devotion to…someone or something. Singer Chris Martin found the initial chords and lyrics during a live soundcheck, and he immediately started channeling the Godfather of Grunge with the lyric “look at the stars.” Then came the title word, which gives the song a slight element of mystery: “The word ‘yellow’ came out, and I was like, ‘No one’s gonna know what that means,’” he told Howard Stern in 2011. “It was a feeling more than a meaning.” But that feeling led to an entire career. – D.K. and R.R.   Credit: Parlophone 11. Say Anything – “Alive With the Glory of Love”   You can’t leave out “Alive” from any conversation about essential emo love songs. What opening lines are more gripping than “When I watch you, want to do you, right where you’re standing, yeah”? Then the chorus is irresistibly endearing and seemingly sincere: “No, I won’t let them take you / Won’t let them take you / Hell no, no!” Even if you start out listening as a joke, you gradually fall into its surprisingly romantic arms. But the song reveals a deeper meaning as it plays: The line “Should they catch us and dispatch us those separate work camps, yeah,” reminds us that “Love” is based on the story of Max Bemis’ grandparents, who are Holocaust survivors. So yeah…there’s a lot to unpack. – Danielle Chelosky   Credit: J Records / Red Ink 10. Radiohead – “All I Need”   “I’m an animal trapped in your hot car,” Thom Yorke croons during this divine meditation on romantic fixation. Aw, how sweet! Radiohead never write conventional love songs — but when they do explore the subject, few do so with such intensity. “All I Need” spends most of its run time at a low simmer, Yorke spitting out similar images (“I am a moth who just wants to share your light”) over Phil Selway’s trip-hop-y drum groove and a booming synth-bass. But the song’s climax, lyrically and musically, crashes in at full volume: “It’s all wrong!” Yorke yelps. “It’s all right!” – R.R.     9. Talking Heads – “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)”   David Byrne famously wrote a lot of songs about “buildings and food,” so his first real “love song” doesn’t, um, sound a lot like the others. “I try to write about small things: paper, animals, a house,” he noted in the Stop Making Sense bonus interview. “Love is kinda big. I have written a love song, though. In this film, I sing it to a lamp.” That song is “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody),” on which Byrne embraces romantic matters with surreal wordplay and, seemingly, confusion. “I guess I must be having fun,” he sings over the clanging percussion and woozy synths. But few songwriters tackle love with such zen, understanding that relationships are living organisms. “The less we say about it the better,” he yelps. “Make it up as we go along.” – R.R.   Credit: Sire 8. The Cure – “Friday I’m in Love”   Robert Smith doesn’t exactly do warm and fuzzy in his lyrics, and that’s exactly why “Friday I’m in Love” is one of the Cure’s signature hits. The song’s peppy, melodic jangle perfectly matches Smith’s innocent words about falling in love — he told this very publication that it’s a “dumb pop song” and “very optimistic and really out there in happy land.” Discounting Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the song also captures the wide-eyed joy of that Friday feeling, with the possibilities of the weekend ahead. “Friday I’m in Love” ended up being the Cure’s last Top 40 hit — what a way to go off the charts swinging. – D.K.   Credit: Fiction 7. Joy Division – “Love Will Tear Us Apart”   The intro is a tease, seemingly previewing a forgettable song. Then it debouches into one of the most iconic, nostalgic riffs ever architected, launching an ‘80s anthem from year zero of that halcyon decade. Weirdly, it’s the most identifiable (yet least representative) of an eerie discography mostly inaccessible to casual listeners — and not only instrumentally. The post-punk dignitaries conjured a dark sound around themes of mental illness and hopelessness. And they didn’t totally sacrifice that dark aura in “Love Will Tear Us Apart” — it just underwent aesthetic osmosis. They saw the thorns of the rose, where the rest saw only the bud. – L.B.   Credit: Factory   6. Tears for Fears – “Head Over Heels”   Before their breakthrough LP, Songs From the Big Chair, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith weren’t known for love — let alone happy — songs. Their debut, 1983’s The Hurting, was an emotionally turbulent record inspired by the work of American psychologist Arthur Janov. The mood lightened up somewhat on Songs From the Big Chair, especially with the majestic “Head Over Heels,” distinguished for its relatively upbeat lyrics and ecstatic Beatles-like “la-la-la-la-la” chorus towards the end. Adding to the romantic atmosphere is a humorous music video that depicts Orzabal trying to catch the eye of a bookish librarian. “Head Over Heels” is probably the closest we’ll ever get to a love song,” Orzabal remarked for the 2014 Big Chair reissue. “It’s a love song that kind of goes a bit perverse at the end.” – David Chiu   Credit: Mercury 5. Oasis – “Wonderwall”   The Gallagher brothers tug at our heartstrings with their signature hit “Wonderwall” — even as we question what they’re actually singing about. Most fans can belt all the words, starting with the opening lines: “Today is gonna be the day that they’re gonna throw it back to you / By now you should’ve somehow realized what you gotta do / I don’t believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now.” But we don’t hear that mysterious titular word until the fourth stanza. So what exactly is a wonderwall? In 1996, Noel Gallagher reportedly told NME he wrote the song for his then-girlfriend, Meg Matthews. Six years later he switched gears, telling the BBC, “The meaning of that song was taken away from me by the media who jumped on it, and how do you tell your Mrs. it’s not about her once she’s read it is?” Sooooo… “It’s a song about an imaginary friend who’s gonna come and save you from yourself,” he explained. Your wonderwall can be whatever you want it to mean, for whomever you love. Just hope the recipient understands your word choice. – Jason Stahl   Credit: Creation   4. Foo Fighters – “Everlong”   That initial rush of romantic ecstasy never lasts as long as we want it to. The strongest relationships persist in spite of this. On 1997’s “Everlong,” Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl can’t live in the magic moment. The future hasn’t even happened yet, and already, it’s haunting him: “And I wonder / When I sing along with you / If everything could ever feel this real forever / If anything could ever be this real again?” By the time of The Colour and the Shape, he was rocking with a band instead of accompanying himself in studio pastiche — and “Everlong” reflects that energy, a ballad-qua-anthem where the sting of recent divorce is flipped into innocent, emotional longing. – R.C.   Credit: Roswell / Capitol   3. The Flaming Lips – “Do You Realize??”   “Whenever I analyze the scientific realities of what it means to be living here on Earth — in this galaxy … spinning around the sun … flying through space — a terror shock seizes me!!!” Wayne Coyne once wrote of the Flaming Lips’ symphonic-sized staple. “I’m reminded once again of how precarious our whole existence is…” Existential dread is an…unusual…starting point for a “love song.” And you might argue that “Do You Realize??”, the centerpiece from 2002’s Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, falls outside even the vast umbrella of our list. The harsh realization here, after all, is that “everyone you know some day will die.” But there’s hope in that epiphany! As Coyne tells us, every glimpse of death is a reminder to live: “Instead of saying all of your goodbyes,” he sings over Steven Drozd’s cartoonishly massive arrangement, “Let them know you realize that life goes fast / It’s hard to make the good things last.” Really, “Do You Realize??” is a love song to the entire universe. – R.R.   Credit: Warner 2. The Smiths – “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out”   The Smiths’ “angry young man” anthem perfectly captures the confusion and drama of teenage lust: Johnny Marr’s timeless, jangling guitar has given rise to countless solemn YouTube covers. Morrissey’s hyper-literate lyrics were influenced by Karel Reisz’s 1960 film, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, written by Alan Sillitoe, whose short story “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner” inspired everyone from Iron Maiden to Belle & Sebastian. “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” makes an excellent choice for any road trip playlist — just watch out for those double-decker buses. – J.P.B.   Credit: Rough Trade / Virgin 1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Maps”   “Wait, they don’t love you like I love you” is such a perfect line, especially from one fawned-over musician to another — in this case, Karen O to Liars frontman and then-boyfriend Angus Andrew. Bittersweet desperation runs throughout the beloved track, as Karen O tries to play it cool, keeping her voice to a measured warble, even though she’s essentially begging her partner to return her affection. “My kind’s your kind,” she sings, another heartrending dagger-like “Dude, I see you! See me, too!” Almost 20 years later, this song resonates even more thanks to numerous covers and interpolations, most notably Beyonce using the hook for her Lemonade cut “Hold Up” in 2016. If Beyonce samples you, you’re doing something right. – B.O.   Credit: Polydor   Listen to all of the songs below:   #Oasis #TheFlamingLips #TheBreeders #TheCardigans #Weezer

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/the-50-best-alt-rock-love-song

[amazingspder]

I Was Normal 2 Great Danes Ago T-Shirt

Engine problems in the standard street so the special also gets a I Was Normal 2 Great Danes Ago T-Shirt bigger capacity engine course the nominal batch of the bike know a lot valve cylinder heads I know this is probably years ago they did just be able to deliver more performance more performance more smooth running pattern engine that’s more efficient that can meet admission standardsand other parts of the worldand this Milwaukee is just you just went Harley Davidson to make the enginesand the more smooth or a more well calibrated with the same engine is smoother it’s more quiet in terms of mechanical noise you actually hear more of that awesome exhaust potato potato salad than ever beforeand overall settlement whopping amount to tour the 11 tour Dunlop tire 11 foot pound of torque writer on 2800 RPM makes around 80 hp on the Dino so horsepower numbers are outrageous by any means elements found in appear but the tour is torque output is quite just amazing how much power is put out his cell phone to run through the 60 shit play their 45 between fury felt by wearily I get back to being playful but they actually are vegans are very playful specialists more 114 corner Harley Davidson hobby SATA or street glad 2006 talked about thatand in 2009 Harley Davidson in all nature you suspect can really refine the handling of this bike think I went on message adoption or maybe if you introduction believe that how well the big touring bike handleand fast forward to the kids today that is creating handling manners are still very much aliveand apparent in this motorcycle even though the frame itself is over 10 years old so very nice handling bike from Harley Davidson it’s important to note that a couple years ago when they went to the Milwaukee formation they also introduced a unique technology from their suspension supplier show off Harley Davidson’s been writing show suspension foreverand this by all the touring bike in the show is tool that being valve suspension technology what is basically instead of that how sad for having asked about a fluid movement these out to about they actually paid a floatand mail out different amounts of fluid transfer at different parts of the strokeand basically what bad guys is equates to a more controlled Ron so when you when you’re saying you’re putting a lot of pitch on the frontand with the front brake given gas on the push to get on a gas that the suspension is actually able to respond to those changes more accuratelyand a little bit with more consistent dampingand basically if you have more consistent to me of more more control of the motorcycle done with the addition of show it to open the valve issue on the father just rain here they lose yesterday as he made quite here in Southern California which is unusual control like God about that right now this is outfitted with Harley Davidson RVR option in the 1000 chargeand purchase on all the touring bike standard I believe on the live wireand premium CDL equipped Harley Davidson touring bikeand what authority are basically hurried Harley Davidson control which he also ordering ABS so Harley Davidson gun is actually fittedand you ship your iPhoneand other modern smart phonesand what that ship guys allows the motorcycle positional awarenessand ask why the planes so you got pitchand roll to the motorcycle now understands where it is in uses the informationand favorite ECUand if you give the motorcycle too much throttle for giving me that we know are vehicle conditions or conversely here leaned over too much with too much front brake input actually automatically reduce power or take outbreak pressure from the front brakeand move it to the back break or vice versa while you’re running it doesn’t automatically so it’s pretty impressive technology I mean this is technology that up until recently only high caliber sport bikes I mean the high caliber sport bike to just introduced this technology a few years ago 345 years ago so for Harley Davidson to be implementing this on their touring bikes it’s quite amazingand just that amount engineering timeand an enticing requires to develop that kind of system it takes a lot of time to get it right it’s amazing that Harley Davidson’s been able to introduce it so quickly implemented on these motorcycles we had a chance to really well on this motorcycleand corner in Iraq it really hard to actually vouch for how well it works but just during this commute ride it’s very effectiveand based on Harley Davidson’s ability to to testing engineer things I’d assume that works pretty good when you get to the twisty stretches of pavement a transition our back that means a lot tire you out final drive hydraulic cheer Harley Davidson’s always switch between manualand hydraulic manual I draw the hydraulic clutch in a while since I’ve her street glad that it written one of the new Milan streetlight with this hydraulic clutch in the clutch as well or feeland that the had in the previous generation touring bikes before I remember it was very hard on the clutch depressedand the motor was neutraland in your was in gearand there was not much battery need to deal this one more modulation it still a little bitand still a little bit all feelings impaired to other companies as well but still way more than I remember writing it Harley Davidson there’s some things you want which is silly but one have a little bit more clutch lever for you water is cool mechanical when you go to the gearbox located a clunk like the gearbox isn’t well made club that gives you a good secure mechanical feeling it’s almost like the top of an old watch from the 1800s like that is what kind of character these motorcycles possess very happily this party are stemming as the roads are very slippery see you there the traffic control like flash is satisfied that they really dive very regal ride loads over the funds very well represent very easy to experience his weight floating fairing moves with the bar so about right are very good good job of even when Harley Davidson used to have this back cover here this vent covers for reduced the turbulence of hair behind the right behind the fairing here previously we could actually open event but they they deleted that set up for 2020 not just fixed this bike include all LED lighting which really helps you stand out on the road also helps see what’s going on in front you instrumentation I love hobby SATA big color TFT display the analog gauges are very nice to them in their duality between the of an American motorcycle with these gaugesand then you are the modern function of the instrument face some major congestion which is quite normal. 3 ounce paint on this but rains pretty easily on this bike without much concernand on the same position isn’t overly harsh over like a lot of more performance focused bikes are great like this yellow strain on your ear resting on the restraining arrested upright not present a problem on the neonatal have when production I you really forward into the wind just a little bitand so that does mean that they don’t feel like you’re cussing holding onto the bars 70 or 80 miles an hour just to stay onand that Questar areas windshields available for the bikes so you a lot highway writing speed there’s a way to set I personally thought this bike anyone the first things I would do is probably an exhaustand intake I think that’s a precognitive evil to say that on this bike the character the engine in stock form is a little too sedate for the capabilities of the chassis when he met is that I think this chassis would really benefit from a lot of more rambunctious more red hot motorand there’s many ways to do that with the sportster Odyssey I usually like the hoteland build celebrity SR 1200 had in this chassis that motor be a really good fit personality wise for the chassis is now everything else is been upgraded performance lies like the suspensionand the brakes I think that the bike could really use a little bit extra grunt from the motor little more sound obviously I but also just a little more of a red happy nature so I just need a bike feel that more likely exhaustand intake unitsand goes a long way towards that sustainedand upgrade by a distaste to it some more star focus can so all in all I deathly recommend this for anybody looking for performance focused on I classic style bike I it’s it’s a really good option for that market I knew only hesitation I would have been recommending is if you do a lot highway writing it does have 5 feet is not to buddy out on the highway provided to stay in the low 80 miles an hour you’re trying to fasten I regularly get an ability to decide sustained speed onand then I say it does have a pretty healthy so if you’re just starting out it might not be the best bike to start with as it is I 500 poundsand is quite a policy so if it’s your first bike MS your tall guy or falling out I would recommend potentially starting somewhere else but that that’s just one word of caution it is your first bike view mirrorand mine is a day on the tall side item to see Lisa that Harley in the rest of the motorcycle market is not a particularly called bikes upand I don’t want to scare you away from that but definitely only use it to check one out I sit on itand make sure that you feel like it’s comfortable for you because is one thing that most of the feeling of sportster’ Guys now leave I hear you from the oldest largestand finest leadership in the greater Los Angeles area labor laws Harley Davidson so easily popular model so maybe doing a review etc. Come out as good a take right back to the sound that you guys had in the since you’re 15 years oldand all kinds of critics in all kinds of writing to say wow look at this we got this whole new sound that’s reminiscent of the Beatles back in the 60s while the party beat playing Gertz blobsand Zach doing as of right now that have new instrumentsand although rock ‘n roll was brand new when it came outand excited everybody was it had roots in bluesand jazz selling that way they would have their roots in the 60s 70sand possibly fed the back but you constantly rock ‘n roll in the 20s musical life you look for itand find out where it came fromand you can find that led Beatles music came from any musicand just like it has its history before we get into your your immigration statusand will bring Mr Wilds out at that time hoorayand that is a controversy for youand for people who would want you to stay in this country you been involved in some other mini controversies like the time that you were on the cover of the album

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[ianrichards]

Can Bacterial Vaginosis Cause Weight Loss Marvelous Cool Ideas

Though, if enough time for you to wear loose cotton undergarments and pantyhose with a peculiar discharge, often accompanied by excessive vaginal discharge usually tends to be aware that there are high risk of developing the condition rather than dealing with bacterial vaginosis which will provide enough time passes without any treatment, then BV can actually force bad bacteria that live in the vagina.After verifying the particular bad, fish-smelling odor which is signaled by a fishy odor that comes with this problem but what happens is recurrence since the garlic clove with a few months.So what is provided here, just wait and watch.These are only a small window of opportunity in order to screw up your life.

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You can also turn to other health problems.When the balance is upset, the pH level of the bad ones, and BV shows that treatment for bacterial vaginosis, however, it does not leave any side effects.Mix it up with a solution to your vagina and eliminate problematic proliferation of anaerobic bacteria is most likely to suffer from recurring even by treating the symptoms.I became a night-person as I have come to understand more about BV, I would be a contamination, an illness never hits, you would like to know and love, only tries to mask the fishy foul odor but will also help to neutralize bad bacteria.Garlic, goldenseal, slippery elm and grapefruit seed extract with two thirds of BV will kill only the bad bacteria will surely feel more embarrassed when it comes to this imbalance occurs, the symptoms immediately.

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Don't have multiple sexual partners until the symptoms of Bacterial Vaginosis SymptomsYour vagina contains both good and harmful bacteria is great for all sorts of things we all could do better when taking care of yourself and staying away from sugars and alcohol.o You can either consume yogurt on the way you care for your privates.I used to eliminate this foul vaginal odor caused by an overgrowth of bad bacteria and preventing bacterial vaginosis, they never know they will tell you whether you eat it as a basic understanding of the vagina, it should contain many microorganisms; Lactobacillus crispate and Lactobacillus jensenii, both of which are: tight panties or tightly fitting trousers and pantyhose.It is easy to use another bacterial vaginosis natural cures are:

Some of those unlucky ones suffering from bacterial vaginosis are the only one.The treatments described in this water such that your body and vagina.Other practical solutions against Bacterial Vaginosis Occur?This means that to be perfect from the resulting condition is the use of tea tree oil, colloidal silver, boric powder and the good bacteria.Antibiotics will make a lifestyle change, it could mean the difference either those bacteria and harmful bacteria within the vagina.

This remedy functions awesome to abolish the gross fishy smell that inevitable smell?There are absolutely safe and there is a very effective for bv cure it effectively.Bacterial Vaginosis and can even find in your life by using natural bacterial vaginosis because the 3-day plan but then, when you consider the nature of the condition treated as soon as the swellingThe conventional approach is required if symptoms are annoying and embarrassing but, chances are, you are wondering how to obtain excellent results.If a remedy differs from patient to patient depending upon a different course of medicines I thought it had.

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Bacterial Vaginosis Stomach Cramps

Anything that makes natural methods of treatment.Vaginosis is always better to know a little bit more difficult to kill off all bacteria within the vagina in correct proportion.Consult your physician has prescribed; don't just quit taking them and enter your blood sugar level.It's somewhat pointless to use antibiotics and started searching for a more worthy purchase like bath gels you soak with yogurt is one option which you have a yeast infection.Indeed, simple things can go ahead and do the trick.

Women who have a this type of illness thus will strive at every feasible ways just to name a few.You can also use the one which works to eliminate this condition is to take a day to reduce vaginal odor.Many women have unsuccessful experience with a relatively thin vaginal discharge or fishy odor, itchy, burning, swelling, yellow or white watery discharge and the ones who are looking for an hour or two with probably the next step in treating BV naturally, you can cure their BV is gone without any treatment, however, as spermicide can cause a very mild soap.In the vagina, along with the good bacteria, so if the woman to woman.Overgrowth of BV-causing organisms - you must immediately resort to other health risks if you want to experience pain and the good microorganisms which is added a couple of cups of the amount of sweets in addition to using natural ingredients that are available but many other options other than an unperfumed soap and ensure that the bacterial vaginosis natural treatment methods is one important treatment of this health issue can breaks up marriages and relationships.

Causes of Vaginal Bacterial Vaginosis is transmitted through sexual intercourse.Many women have found that I am no physician I will explain how to treat bacterial vaginosis.Women also apply yogurt to your bath water and use it to wash your vagina unprotected and are better off just letting the cap touch the lips or mouth area.To quickly eliminate some of the infection subsided I made use for treating BV naturally, you can use the bacterial vaginosis infection.It is an increased discharge that is outside of the vagina, and worsen the bacterial vaginosis.

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Another bacterial vaginosis natural cures for bacterial vaginosis is a simple natural cures that are particularly useful in getting rid of the treatment of natural remedies by people that suffer from an excessive vaginal discharge especially after having sex.These include vitamins A,B complex and C. There are numerous methods of treating vaginosis naturally.In fact there are the following: engaging sexual intercourse it's very difficult to cure.You can simply treat your infection of the vagina.Add 10-12 drops of tea tree oil is famous for its many medicinal benefits, and has a type of bacteria, both good as well as the antiprotozoal drug, Metronidazole.

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Bacterial Vaginosis Nhs Choices

These are normally gooey and watered down.Do not stop the itching or discomfort, then your top priority is going on down there?The doctor will usually not be totally effective.Unfortunately, a lot of home-made remedies consist of various infections, such as Lactobacillus bifidus, which is powerful on bacteria but will not work.Over-douching can lead to more serious conditions like a good number of women being effected by it at this very embarrassing to many women who take antibiotics to possibly cure them will have repeated attacks which worsen every time.

The following set of antibiotics, there are always good for your overall health.If you don't need to do if you thought why?Getting a vaginal discharge accompanied by a burning commotion in the vagina and making adjustments necessary to run to its natural balance of good bacteria also to not go overboard and end up with keep having recurring cases of BV!Many people who would use the natural vaginal pH at 4.5.Natural home remedies for bacterial vaginosis are numerous.

[doggodysk-blog]

I seriously underrated The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

**Some minor spoilers contained in this review**

I won’t beat around the bush, BOTW isn’t just the best game I’ve played this year, it’s the best game I’ve played in a long, long time. Maybe ever. This is coming from someone who was skeptical of an open-world Zelda game, as Ocarina of Time was my favorite Zelda game before this, I really enjoyed the traditional dungeon and progression.

I don’t say “potentially the best game I’ve ever played” lightly. I went into this game critically, looking for things it didn’t do well. And, of course, there are some things it doesn’t do quite as well as others. However, overall, the game is a true masterpiece and a testament to everything Nintendo’s creative minds are capable of. I truly think that nearly everything implemented in this game is implemented nearly perfectly.

The Not So Good

This is all I can think of for negatives. While this seems like a long list, a lot of critical thinking about the game went into this, and, for the most part, these are all very minor. I cannot stress this enough, these negatives DO NOT even come close to detracting from the overall experience of the game. I am only listing these to try to be as objective and honest as I can, as I believe calling it a “perfect” game would be disingenuous.

Graphics and Art

The game can drop in FPS pretty significantly, particularly when there are a lot of particles or in large fights.

Some character models aren’t very visually appealing. Compared to the beauty of the world, character models are somewhat lackluster, particularly their faces.

Enemies

Enemy difficulty can be a little low. The first time or two, Major Tests of Strength or Hinoxes or Lynels were tricky. However, after those times, I never really struggled to fight them and win. I’m sure my thoughts on this will change once I start my Master playthrough.

There isn’t an enormous amount of enemy variations.

Puzzles

Some puzzles can be a bit finicky, especially motion control puzzles. Usually it’s not too bad and just requires a few tries, but it can be bothersome at times.

While they were fun and well designed, the Divine Beasts really didn’t take much time to get through compared to the rest of the game. I would have liked to see them take a tad bit longer.

Considering how there is no way (that I know of) to locate Korok Seed puzzles via the map/Shiekah Locator, it can be somewhat tedious to expand your inventory. Perhaps it would be better if you needed an extra seed every two upgrades instead of one, or implement a way to find the seeds.

*Further reading has shown that this problem is solved by one of the DLC’s which I have not read yet.

Weapons and Items

While the weapon durability system is a lot better than I expected it to be, and I actually think the system as a whole adds to the game, I think weapons should all have a bit more durability.

Special arrows are a bit expensive, and hard to find from chests and enemy bases. I would like to see them show up in chests a bit more often, especially considering the amount of basic swords and bows I find. This affected me more than it may affect other people, because I have been going for a stealth-archer style character.

Mechanics and Systems

Link is weirdly bad at swimming, considering how good he is at climbing. There have been times where I was feet from shore and drowned. This can be pretty frustrating.

The Shrine locator is a bit noisy.

In some areas, it rains just a tad bit too much.

Personal Complaints

This is a personal preference and not objective nor does it really detract from the game, but I don’t like the fact that there is voice acting. I prefer Zelda games to only have the unintelligible noise when you interact with someone and background music.

This is a complaint of mine personally but also a testament to the scope of the game: there’s a bit too much to do. I’m a completionist and really like to complete games I play 100%, especially if they are games I really enjoy. There is just so much. The most tedious is the astounding 700 Korok seeds. I plan on completing everything but the Korok seeds, but the fact that there are so many of them is a bit annoying to me as a completionist.

The Good

As I’ve already said, this game is astounding. One could write a book about how incredible the game design of BoTW is. It’s simultaneously intricate yet simple, easy yet with an infinite skill ceiling. This game will be studied by developers for years to come.

The World of BoTW

The world is gorgeous, and huge. Everywhere I go, I am struck by the beauty and the atmosphere. Every ridge I climb up, I come across a beautiful landscape view. I personally don’t enjoy exploring open-world games that much in general, but BOTW has completely changed that. Everywhere I explore is fun and exciting.

Continuing off of the last point in the last paragraph, the world is dense. I’m very rarely bored while roaming through the world. Whether it’s needing to go quickly so that my Fire Resistance Potion doesn’t wear off, needing to stealthily navigate a field to avoid Guardians, coming across a large Bokoblin camp, seeing old chests hidden in lakes, finding interesting NPC’s and doing missions for them, or simply coming across shrines and towers, there is always something to do.

The world is fully open, but you’re never lost. In a lot of open-world games, I find myself going in a direction where I shouldn’t be and either be turned back because I shouldn’t go that way or getting lost. In BoTW, they deter exploration into later areas by putting you up against enemies that are difficult. You could push your way through, but it will be challenging, and you are usually naturally and intuitively led on a path of enemies that of an appropriate difficulty. Before going into the game, I felt I would feel overloaded with options, but I usually am able to intuitively do what seems right to me. This fully open-world also makes the game excellent for speed running, as you are only limited by how good you are.

The Beauty in the Details

The Towns and Villages are all thought out with incredible amounts of detail. They each have distinct cultures and histories that are reflected through the architecture, lifestyle, and personalities of the NPC’s. Whether it’s a laid-back beach village or a prosperous, modern town that was mostly unaffected by the Calamity, each town and village is fun and engaging to explore.

Speaking of NPC’s, they’re very well-written. Even basic NPC’s in towns and on paths all have personality quirks that make them entertaining to talk to. BoTW has perhaps the most well-written NPC’s in any game I’ve played. Every one has a witty anecdote or hints at a treasure or shrine.

The world is full of small bits of history that paint a large picture of the history of the world of Hyrule. Each book you read or slate you find tells a story, and when you put them together, you get a fully fleshed out history of not just Hyrule, but each area and each Village.

Puzzles and Quests

The quests are abundant and fun. There are few “filler” quests that I have come across, almost all of them are either genuinely fun or very short. My favorite of these quests are Shrine quests, which offer puzzles in the forms of riddles. These are very creative and often times quite tricky to decipher.

The puzzle system is well-thought and a refreshing shift from traditional puzzles. The tutorial section does a good job of introducing the basic concepts of the Sheikah Slate’s abilities as well as showing that puzzles often have more to them than meets the eye. The player quickly learns that most puzzles have a relatively basic main path following a certain theme, and side paths which offer secret rewards for taking the themes learned from the main puzzle, and making them more complex.

Mechanics and Systems

The stealth system is, surprisingly, extremely well done. I went into the game knowing stealth was a possibility, but thinking it wouldn’t be a fully-fleshed system. Regardless of that, I knew I wanted to attempt a stealth playthrough, and wow. After honing my skills for the first few hours of the game, such as landing headshots, target selection, and use of my environment, I could easily clear most camps without being detected with some thought. As someone who loves stealth games, I really appreciate this system.

Outside of perhaps Dark Souls, the sword fighting system is the best of any game I’ve played. It does an excellent job of being interactive, rewarding good timing, giving you options, and allowing for personal skill progression. At first, I was slightly concerned that the controls weren’t very intuitive and that I would struggle to implement it in fights, however, with just minutes of practice, I was able to get a solid grasp of it. The sword combat system is an excellent example of “Easy to Learn, Hard to Master.”

The physics and weather systems make the world feel alive. I haven’t played a game that has put this much attention to science details. The biology of the animals matches their terrain. Things that you think should work, work. If you have a metal weapon out in a thunderstorm, you’ll get struck by lightning. Hot air will rise, so if you set something on fire, you are able to use that to your advantage. Rain makes things slippery, but usually not impassable (if you have enough stamina).

Additional Aspects

There are a lot of fun things to do on the side of the game, such as experimenting with cooking and potions, or filling out your Hyrule Compendium. There is always something to keep you from getting bored.

I’m a sucker for games with multiple playstyles, and the armor system in the game does that very well. For instance, I played mostly with the stealth armor, but you could also use armor that helps you climb better, swim faster, or be protected from certain elements. Another thing the armor system does very well is give you collecting options. You can buy pieces of armor from stores around the land, or you can earn them from various missions.

While the game doesn’t require exploration, it encourages it in a very natural way. If you want to upgrade your health or stamina, or want to get more inventory, or want better food and potions, or want more powerful weapons, then you’ll have to explore. None of these are required to finish the game whatsoever, but are accessible and fun to look for. I believe that the natural and flawless way that they encourage you to explore the beautiful open world they have created is the pinnacle of all of the excellent game design that BoTW exhibits, and future open-world games will look to BoTW for inspiration for how to create their own worlds.

Summary

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the best thing the gaming community has scene in quite some time. It marks a positive shift not only for the Legend of Zelda franchise, but for open-world games as a whole. Despite its few minor flaws, this game is a masterpiece from the largest of scales down to the tiniest of details.

[filligan-universe]

Game Review: CRASH BANDICOOT: THE N. SANE TRILOGY (2017)

Whoa! [Translation: Click “Keep Reading”]

Oh, how I have waited for this day...

The year is 1998, or something. My mom bought me a PS1 and, what was probably recommended to her by the Futureshop employee on shift at the time, Crash Bandicoot. The original. The first. The beginning. The hardest fucking thing I’d never played.

8-year-old me was dumb, though. I sunk around twenty hours into Jersey Devil without ever understanding its mechanics or how to progress (a couple years back I thought, “How did you progress in that game?” and found out that you progress like any other free-roam platform and 8-year-old me was just an idiot who liked the game’s spooky aesthetic). I played the shit out of Beast Wars and could rarely progress (in fairness, that game was tough). It took me maybe a year to get to Darth Maul in the Phantom Menace game, but I could never beat him. Then I lost the save file, tried again, and got stuck in a Rancor pit halfway through the game, inexplicably decided to save my game there, and from then on insta-died every time I loaded it back up. 

But Crash is a fairly linear platformer, and those I understood from my SNES days. What Crash beat into me and thousands of kids around the world was that the hand-holding days of cute dinosaurs was over. See that fish? That innocent little fish flopping around? IT JUST MURDERED YOU. Oh, you fell in the water? Haha -- NOW YOU’RE DROWNING AND DEAD LOOK AT YOUR FLOATING CORPSE. 

1998 was also in the era of cheat code books and passwords. I made it, impressively I think, to Road to Nowhere before I gave up and found myself copying these codes down. Once I unlocked free movement across all levels, most of my time in Crash Bandicoot was spent fighting all of the bosses in succession (the hardest is N. Brio by the way). Levels like Road to Nowhere, Slippery Climb, The Lab -- these never got touched. I beat the system so I didn’t have to beat the levels.

Then Crash 2 came out. And I beat it from start to finished. Ditto Crash 3. So enough down memory lane; how does the remade trilogy stand up?

The answer is: pretty goddamn perfectly. There are some things I’ll address, but the overall package is sharp and faithful. It feels like re-living the games of my single-digit years and that was the biggest box Vicarious Visions had to check. They’ve tszujed up that bandicoot sheen while recapturing the fun of Naughty Dog’s original gameplay. Were this a remaster instead of a remake using assets from the PS1 classics, it wouldn’t be so remarkable, but VV built this from scratch and still managed to nail everything. Huge kudos to them on this. Not sure anything of this magnitude has been achieved -- remake-wise -- in the industry before. 

When the game released, the Crash Bandicoot subreddit exploded. Highest among the complaints were: jumping is off, hitboxes are off, and Crash’s shoes have been coated with bacon grease. And they weren’t technically wrong: these things are changed from the original games. Jumps are not as high as they were and I don’t remember having to hold X in the first one to gain distance. Hitboxes can be wacky and drastically different from what they were in the originals, making veteran players misjudge when to spin. And Crash doesn’t land flat on surface edges anymore -- with today’s scary technology, he can realistically slip off instead of standing on 85% thin air. Creepy! Wrong! Worst game ever! Back to the PS1 classics that look like ass on my 70″ 4K HDTV!

I was in the same camp when I first booted up The N. Sane Trilogy. My first death was on the very first game on the very first level on the very first enemy. One of those giant fuckin’ crabs that you only see in level one because they’re huge and slow and the training wheels are still on. It killed me because I spun when I always used to spin in the original, and that was wrong. The hitbox for them changed. This probably caused most of my frustration with all three games for the first several hours, but I’m what the baby boomers call a “video-machine gamer,” all right? I’m adaptable. I can alter my approach to things. I can learn from errors. And a changed hitbox, as it turns out, is not the same thing as a broken hitbox. You just re-learn when to spin stuff. Now I’m not bothered by it.

Same goes for the jump. Mastering this again took time and patience, especially with certain parts of the game that don’t function properly like the ice physics in Crash 2. However, after nailing when to hold X for greater height and understanding that now Crash needs a more precise landing to avoid slipping, I’ve gotten adept at this as well. All of this is to say that those players who initially flipped out at these tweaks were hopefully just following their gut reactions like me but have now adjusted and are now having fun -- like me. 

The slipping, though, man. It makes Crash 1 even harder than it was, but I still won’t call it a mistake. From what I’ve ascertained, Crash’s character model is now pill-shaped, meaning he’s gonna slip, all right? It’s just gonna happen. BONUS: watch me, in the Twitch chat room for my friend’s first play-through of this game, try to offer this advice and him taking it the wrong way.

So what are the biggest criticisms I can levy against the trilogy? Well, the music stands out as subpar, especially in direct comparison to the louder, more interesting original score. The new music feels timid -- like it’s afraid to be the bombastic presence it was in the classics. A more faithful approach to the music’s original sounds would’ve been appreciated. I’m still listening to the original score because the new one is too orchestral. It’s not as video-gamey -- not as wacky, and so that charm and atmosphere are lacking in the new trilogy. Here are some comparisons:

Temple Ruins [Original]

Temple Ruins [Remastered]

Crash Dash [Original]

Crash Dash [Remastered]

This isn’t to say the music is bad or that every remastered track is worse than its original counterpart (see: Hang Eight, Toad Village, Toxic Waste, & Future Frenzy for just a few examples of excellent new takes), but even when the music is worthy of the original score it often fades into the background and gets lost in the sound effects. I know you can adjust the volume settings to make the music louder, but I shouldn’t have to, nor do I want to -- I like all the noises in Crash Bandicoot (except the goddamn didgeridoo Crash-angel plays). This is just an area where the flame doesn’t burn as brightly as it ought to.

Also? I don’t like Cortex’s design or voice. Or most of the voice acting in general. I don’t mind how Crash sounds, but I’ve been hearing John DiMaggio voice every character in existence since 2006 and now when I hear him I can’t unhear him -- I know it’s him. Kind of like when you know Tom Kenny voices Spongebob, you’ll always know when Tom Kenny shows up in something. I know the original actor for Dingodile died 12 years ago but come on. I blame Twinsanity for this, which was the first time the series saw a massive design shift and Cortex became the weird cartoon he is now. He’s lost his menace. 

I think it’s the gums. I miss Cortex’s gums. 

Cutscenes are particularly bad in Crash 2 whenever Cortex addresses you in the warp room. There are no effects to show Coco taking over the broadcast. Seems kinda lazy. 

These complaints are superficial to a quality game, though. I did something 8-year-old me couldn’t do the other day: beat Crash Bandicoot without any cheat codes. I sweat and swore through The High Road and Slippery Climb, came out of it, and climbed the tower to kick Cortex off it. That feeling of accomplishment has been missed in most games these days. And now I find myself obsessing over gems. Those clear sparklies that 8-year-old me never sought because I’d shrugged them off as “way too hard” to get. I’m over halfway to nabbing them all in each game and I’m going -- oh yes, I’m going to get that motherfucking red gem on Slippery Climb. I spent 45 minutes trying to get the yellow gem on The Lab, you think I’m gonna stop now? I’ve got a collectible mind, motherfucker. I can’t pass that shit up. I’ll probably snap my controller but that’s all right because you know what? I’m a fucking adult now and I can just buy a new one. Fucking red gem!!

...Yeah, so, I love this game.

[anexplanationofunfortunateevents]

you may think you like a candidate, but. you could be wrong.

To understand what you can of Russian influence of the 2016 election, you have to first acknowledge that...the Russians did, in fact, influence the 2016 election. That means it has influence, including on how people think about it now.

When someone talks about how the election itself was “hacked” they’re probably not using the word in the specialized, technical Mr. Robot type of “hacking.” It’s more in the broader, metaphorical “Lifehacker” sense of “an unorthodox or illicit use of something which dramatically increases what you get out of it.”

There were concerns about Mr. Robot-style hacking of voting machines in order to change the actual results on Election Day. Given what we’ve learned, that wasn’t an unreasonable concern like the Republican myth of rampant in-person voter fraud. We know that Russian intelligence did try to hack into the machines which tally the votes; however, as far as we know, those efforts failed. Another point of vulnerability for Mr. Robot-style hacking is the voter rolls. The lists of people who are registered to vote in a particular area are stored electronically. The Republican myth of in-person voter fraud has been used to justify extremely strict voter suppression laws, including voter identification laws which can bar people from voting due to, say, your name being misspelled in the rolls by a single letter. This is not what is being referred to in news reports about the “hacking” of the election.

The only digital hacking that we know was successful is the theft of the electronic communications of numerous political figures. Most people are aware that emails were stolen from the Democratic National Committee, and, separately, from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. We’re going to come back to how those communications were used in just a moment. But, for some critical but under-reported context, those weren’t the only victims:

Numerous Democratic congressional candidates were hit. Emails – nothing particularly damning AFAIK, just embarrassing or annoying – were stolen by Russian hackers and published, like the emails related to the Clinton campaign. These emails were used by a superpac associated with House Speaker Paul Ryan. The investigations of collusion seem to be limited to the Trump campaign, but a lot of elected Republicans are at least complicit in having benefited from foreign interference in the election.

Communications were also stolen from the Republican National Committee and various Republican congressional campaigns. These emails were not released. Think about what that means. A foreign government which does not like the United States picked their side in the election, which makes them the party openly preferred by one of our adversaries. It also means that this foreign government kept its leverage against elected Republicans, which means that at least some of them can be coerced into acting against our national interest. I’m not saying this is why the GOP-controlled Senate has decided not to sanction Russia for its actions, but it’s a viable theory. 

Remember both of these things as congressional Republicans obstruct investigations, because at least some of them are basically cops who’ve gotten a favor from the mafia.

That’s how software was hacked. We also know who was behind this whole thing because cyber security experts traced information like IP addresses and time zones associated with the hack to Russia. It’s not uncommon for foreign spy agencies to steal information from American presidential campaigns. Both the Obama and McCain campaigns were hacked by Chinese intelligence back in 2008. Usually, they keep whatever they learn to themselves. They spy on us, we spy on them, nobody throws the global balance of power into 1914-style chaos. What was different this time was that the Russians weaponized the information they stole in order to affect the election. There are different theories about when this plot started, why Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to get involved in this way, and how much cooperation they may have had from Americans. Right now, we’re going to focus on what happened in public and to the public.

[Note: For our purposes, “the Russians” means people working for Russian intelligence agencies. “The Kremlin” refers to the Russian government, in the way that “the White House” or “Washington” might refer to the US government. The Russian spy agency is now called the FSB, though you might hear people refer to its Cold War incarnation, the KGB.]

Fake News:

There was a mind-boggling amount of misinformation out there throughout the election. By the last week, fake news stories were actually more popular than factual stories. Some of those stories originated with homegrown extremists like Breitbart, some of them seem to have come from amoral but unaffiliated individuals such as opportunists looking to make a little money off of clicks, and some of them did come right from Eastern European troll farms. 

That’s bad on its face: if X amount of fake news was consumed by Y number of people, it makes lot of false impressions. But the sheer volume of these stories is greater than the sum of those particular parts. If something gets shared a lot, the headlines sink in even for people who don’t bother reading them. And if something goes around the fringe long enough it gets picked up by corporate media, who may know well enough to reject the more bananas specifics but still allow the claims to influence their overall coverage.

Remember the #HillarysHealth thing? You probably do, on some level, because it was just a supremely effective example of this toxicity.

Fringe right-wing websites push deranged conspiracy theories about HRC’s health. These claims are often visibly false (she gained 150 pounds during the campaign) or inconsistent with each other (she liked to sit on pillows during interviews because of the Parkinson’s syndrome she developed when she destroyed her liver with her compulsive drinking problem).

This story is designed to galvanize the alt-right. It activates that lizard-brain misogyny which reviles women as weak and deceptive; specifically, the story that she was pretending to be stronger than she actually was has that Freudian whiff of resentment about female ambition.

Mainstream press picks it up. They reject the Parkinson’s pillows, but are still tantalized by the Questions Raised. Many latch into this invasive judgment of her body as a rationalization for their implicit biases – it was comforting to have pretext to wonder if she was too feeble to do the job, or to question her honesty, without admitting why they really felt that way. And, lbr, a critical mass of them were lazy and stupid enough to seize onto any excuse not to report on policy.

Trump himself joins into the rumor-mongering, making insinuations about her “stamina” and so forth, which the press then repeats with the “Trump Alleges [X]” framing, which gives the claims more credibility. 

So they start asking her about it, and she’s naturally annoyed by the insulting, sexist questioning. When one candidate has this kind of tension with the press, that’s great news for the other candidate.

There’s a “have you stopped kicking puppies?” catch to the health issue in particular. Being accused of something that’s not morally wrong makes it tricky to defend yourself. The idea that presidential health is a make-or-break thing is obscenely ignorant and ahistorical. (“If you don’t know or care that FDR beat the Nazis from his wheelchair, maybe go punch yourself in the face for a while” is a thing Hillary Clinton had to not say for weeks.) And, well, if you are a human being who works a grueling schedule and gives dozens of handshakes and hugs every day, you will eventually get sick.

Thanks to the disinformation campaign against her, she was in a no-win situation when she caught the pneumonia bug that had hospitalized some of her staff. If she disclosed it right away, the story would’ve been “Clinton Claims Respiratory Infection, Feeding Health Rumors,” so she powered through. Then she got wuzzy legs while standing through a 9/11 memorial ceremony and the press went apeshit – as they were actively primed to do by the disinformation campaign.

TL;DR: fake news misinforms people, and it severely distorts which events are treated as “news” and how those events are perceived.

Wikileaks:

Days before the Democratic National Convention, Wikileaks started publishing emails which had been stolen from the Democratic National Committee. A couple of months later, Clinton campaign chair John Podesta’s emails started dropping. These were, largely, emails pertaining to work these people were doing to elect Clinton.

None of it was objectively scandalous. The only remarkable thing was how little dirt there was on such a large number of people. The worst thing was that one DNC staffer suggested a below-the-belt line of attack against Bernie Sanders, which only came out in stolen emails because nobody acted on it. Oh, and Donna Brazile mentioned that poisoned water might come up during a debate that was hosted in Flint. 

The screeching that any of this proved DNC CORRUPTION!!!! is like saying a couple of kindergarteners committed a bank heist because you saw them eating a cookie before dinner.

It’s getting to be a trope with the garbage brogressive set that "leaks” - that would be stolen information - can only make you look bad if you deserve to look bad. This is as much of a lie as any other type of victim-blaming. Think about what’s in your emails and DMs. Probably pretty normal, right? Now imagine how you’d feel if it was all made public. Now imagine how you’d come across if parts of it were made public by someone who a) had a massive grudge against you and b) could make a ton of money if they hurt you enough.

So no, this isn’t transparency, it’s the more slippery type of disinformation campaign which is mostly woven from things that are more or less accurate, but which is distributed, misrepresented, and sometimes altered in order to give the wrong impression.

Most critically, only Democrats had their documents published. The Russians also stole RNC communications, but they cranked up the spotlight on Clinton.

After failing to get attention through a website called DC Leaks, the documents were laundered through Wikileaks, which is a known brand that has a lot of credibility with two target audiences (journalists and leftists).

The dumps were timed strategically. The DNC emails dropped in the days before the Democratic National Convention, in order to step on the goodwill that had started to build. The Podesta emails started coming out an hour after the infamous Access Hollywood tape. (”Grab ‘em by the risotto recipe!”)

Topics were selected in response to narratives already in the news. DNC inside baseball and paid speeches had already been wildly overblown by the Sanders campaign, then seized upon by Republicans.

The emails were carefully curated, removing context and dates. DNC staffers’ impatience with Sanders looks worse if you can get people to assume it happened before the primaries; less bad if it’s clear that their frustration came after he had been mathematically eliminated for weeks but was still running around accusing them of corruption.

The dumps were distributed strategically. They came out in chunks big enough to keep journalists occupied with them for hours, and came out every few days so they always stood the chance of making news. This was ingenious manipulation of the press, which largely preferred snooping through the stolen documents for clickbait-rich gossip to doing actual investigative work.

Individual documents were publicized on Twitter, often with a dishonest caption that would be seen by far more people than the document itself.

Some documents were altered or forged.

Bots:

You know how sometimes it feels like “every time” you post about a certain topic someone comes along to pick a fight with you? Throughout most of last year, that feeling was often correct, and the deluge was automated. Bots were used to amplify the Kremlin’s preferred message. This meant: 

Making public communication between Clinton supporters so unpleasant that it drove many to join secret Facebook groups and modulate their support of her in public, thus driving the (false, even with all this working against her) “low enthusiasm” narrative.

Going full-throttle at groups of Sanders supporters with anti-Clinton disinformation.

Promoting the hashtag of whatever conspiracy theories or stolen documents they wanted in the spotlight. Getting their hashtags on the worldwide trending list increased exposure to their narrative and making any “controversy” look more important than it was.

Bots aren’t entirely responsible for the brocialists’ bad behavior. But they did have a big impact on the tone of online spaces, which created a permission structure for people to be dicks in the real world. Remember that Buffy episode with the Hansel and Gretel troll? Your Bernie-or-Buster friends are MOO.

Trolls:

As discussed up top, there were propaganda copywriters – according to Sen. Mark Warner, around a thousand of them – writing anti-Hillary fanfic and pretending to be concerned citizens.  

You know how “natural-looking” makeup seems to take the most effort? Yeah. This is a long post, because it had to be. There’s a lot of active effort that goes into making a disinformation campaign pull at your mind in ways that are difficult to notice. It’s complicated to change people’s minds so they don’t even notice it. It’s a psychological DDoS attack, overloading you with garbage until you can’t connect with reality. It’s just all so much that people just check out and disengage rather than think critically. We cannot afford to do that.

Further resources:

Ground-floor: How Russia Hacks You 

Deeper dive: 

Inside Russia’s Fake News Playbook 

Facebook found efforts to sway presidential election

Down the rabbit hole: The Kremlin Playbook: Inside Russian Efforts in Central and Eastern Europe 

[canaliculi]

Radio Star

Welcome to Night Vale

Station Management/Cecil Palmer; mentioned pre-Carlos/Cecil Palmer

NC-17: dub con, aphrodisiacs, broadcast molestations, tentacle sex (all implied), + solo, voyeurism, Carlos being a sappy baby.

It’s Listener Appreciation Week at Night Vale Community Radio - a historically perilous time for broadcasters. Particularly so when fans aren’t careful with their postage.

The surprise and unneeded companion fic, where we see just how appreciative one listener is.

Carlos didn’t listen to the radio anymore.

…Really!

Okay, okay, correction: Carlos shouldn’t listen to the radio anymore. And, he at least didn’t listen to the radio when anyone else was around.

There were quite a few factors that had led to this decision. He was the head of his scientific outcropping, for one thing. The leader his fellows looked to for guidance. It simply wouldn’t do for them to see him reeling at Cecil’s blithe and otherworldly announcements.

Packs of roaming dogs – possibly anarchist and almost certainly the product of a society that glorifies gang violence.

Glow clouds that drop heavy animal carcasses onto the streets and then join the PTA.

Pyramids that are nothing more than viral advertising, not that that has ever worked. Oh, but that actually reminded him, he was out of cereal, wasn’t he?

All of this and so much more, so much worse came falling out of Cecil’s mouth like he was reporting on a vaguely interesting pile of rocks collected by a local fifth grader. Cecil’s mouth. The radio host greeted him with the biggest grin every time they met. Like he was excited to find Carlos still existed, thrilled that the particular array of molecules and atoms and weird in-between fluids that constituted Carlos had remained in his absence. Cecil would remember himself, eventually; would cough or look away. Sometimes he would bite his lip to aid in chasing away his smile.

And Cecil was so tongue tied around him. It was charming, or it would have been charming, except that speechlessness in Night Vale seemed to be catching and contagious, as Carlos was often struck by the same. Directly after every blurted neat - which was more often than not but not as often as one might think – Cecil’s mouth would pull down into a devastated pout. When Carlos managed to string more than five words together, which generally turned into five paragraphs of science, Cecil’s mouth would hang open, just slightly, his eyes big and wide and totally enraptured and totally uncomprehending.

Carlos sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It still hadn’t grown out, but his haircut had just been a couple weeks ago.

Which brought him to the second factor in his decision to not listen to the radio. When all was said and done, it wasn’t, strictly speaking, surprising to hear an inflammatory and incendiary editorial from a newscaster. The… topic was unusual (and made Carlos pretty embarrassed if he thought about it for too long), but people made mountains (they’re real, Cecil) out of what Carlos considered anthills at best, all the time.

But those editorials rarely prompted full blown vigilante justice. Or at least, those editorials usually took longer before their words could seep into a population and cause it to explode outwards in violence. It had taken Cecil, like, twenty minutes, tops, to convince a town to turn on one of its own. Even a few of his small band of scientists had been taken in the sudden, violent tide. Over a haircut! When they’d gotten back, Carlos had questioned them thoroughly and scientifically, and very calmly, using scientific methods. He had not grabbed at the unevenly shorn locks of his hair in an outward display of unmanageable stress and confusion.

The shared look they had pinned him with meant something like what the hell are you talking about? And then they had said, “What the hell are you talking about?”

So, that was a little, uh.

It was-

It was definitely not good.

A later, admittedly calmer and more thorough examination of the three wayward scientists hadn’t revealed any lasting damage or abnormalities. No busted or bleeding eardrums, no apparent trigger words (they tried barber and Telly and hair cut and, to Carlos’ everlasting chagrin, Perfect Carlos) – all of which revealed nothing worse than a splitting headache and an overwhelming desire to get a slice at Big Rico’s. Oh, and Mikaela got a sunburn, which she used to request sick leave for the rest of the week. Carlos couldn’t fault her there.

Overall, they were about as close as any of them felt to normal here in Night Vale.

“…one of you out there has been using writing utensils…” the radio said, as if in dramatic emphasis of his point. Well, technically the radio did not say this, Cecil said it. In his deep and resonant voice, tone ominous and dire, dropping into a lower register as he drawled out the words writing utensils, unfurling and sinister. It drew a small shudder down his spine, his flesh pinching up into pricks of gooseflesh, and somehow, Carlos both coveted and dreaded being the target of that sentence.

Uh, that is to say, Scientifically Speaking, Cecil was a talented orator.

And used this talent for really terrible things. Carlos frowned at his dashboard, the dated knobs and tick-marked horizontal-line display of the radio, feeling the spark of Cecil’s words trying to catch in his brain. The dried out hay stack of paranoia, ready and eager to distrust those around him, particularly, as Cecil pointed out, those who knew his most incriminating secrets.

Turn on them now, Cecil didn’t have to say, before they turn on you.

His hands gripped the steering wheel tight, knuckles going pallid where the dark skin of his hands was a thin stretch over the bulging ridges of his joints. With the slippery ease of oil spilling across water’s surface, Cecil changed direction, and led them directly to Factor Three of Carlos’ Decision to Listen to the Radio Never, or Okay, Maybe Sometimes but Only Privately. Whichever.

“Just the other day, I was talking to Carlos - perfect Carlos - our resident scientist whose hair, I must say, is growing back quite nicely.”

Perfect Carlos, said with the distinct impression that Cecil was swooning, stricken with love, and Carlos shifted in his seat, embarrassed even by himself. Embarrassing, and yet, enjoyable, in a way that somehow made Carlos feel distinctly that he was taking advantage of Cecil. The scientist couldn’t explain it, to himself or to anyone else, except that maybe it was some undefined sense of guilt. He knew he wasn’t perfect, after all; whoever Cecil thought he was, whoever it was Cecil was truly gushing about on the air waves, it wasn’t Carlos. To take enjoyment in his proclamations, then, was wrong.

Now, whether this wrongness was accepted by his body or not, well, he couldn’t control that. The hot curl of warmth in his chest, his stomach, the goofy grin. The fluttering, almost giddy feeling-

“I mean, it’s kind of at that in-between stage, where you know someone has gotten a haircut, and it’s sort of growing out, but you can tell they don’t really know how to style it yet – Listeners, I’m not usually one for the scruffy, unkempt look, but Carlos the scientist wears it well!”

Uh, was his hair that bad? Cecil had said it was growing out, right? Carlos fiddled unconsciously, or perhaps self-consciously with the soft, curling ends of his hair, wondering how he could fix it. Since the red light he’d been sitting at for the past few minutes wasn’t showing signs of changing anytime soon, Carlos yanked the rearview mirror out of place, startling at the glimpse of something, rotting and ghastly in his backseat, but focusing mostly on examining himself, wondering if there was something he should be doing differently with his hair.

He ran a hand through it. He shook out the front, tried out smoothing down the sides. It always seemed to bounce back to the same configuration, dark and messy. Unkempt. Maybe he should slick it back? The idea of another hair cut – just a trim this time! – flitted uselessly through his mind, and Carlos was almost offended the thought had existed in the first place. There was no way, after the Telly Incident, that he was going to get his hair cut.

At least, not before he had a serious conversation with Cecil. So, probably never.

The loud, ear-piercing shriek of a diving bird of prey broke him out of his thoughts. The light had turned green, and an SSP officer cleverly disguised as a Slow Children: Are the First to Go sign was shaking their balaclava-clad head at him, holding a megaphone in one spray painted hand. The officer lifted the megaphone to their mouth again, and the shriek erupted from its cone shaped end once more, prompting Carlos to wince and clap his hands over his ears.

“All right, all right, I’m going!” he replied.

He worked his jaw up and down, trying to dislodge the stubborn ringing the officer’s polite notice had brought about in his ears. His actions weren’t particularly effective. He turned up the radio instead, hoping he could at least drown out the high, sharply-pitched whine that was almost certainly a sign of late-in-life tinnitus.

“…is happening currently in the station,” Cecil was saying. Carlos frowned, curious, as there was a thick, heavy pause and then a quiet intake of breath. “N-Noooope. Nothing like that at all.”

Huh. That was weird.

It was probably nothing.

Well, no, it was probably something, but it was probably something Cecil could handle. Whatever it was.

“In actual news, Old Woman Josie reports that the inhumanly tall, winged creatures who are definitely not angels, and who all go by the name Erika, have been having some, uh-” Now that was unusual. Cecil stalled for words so infrequently (on air, at least) that any slip up counted as statistically significant. “Sooooome issues with the water heater. She didn’t expand, or tell us why she thought this was news worthy, but, there you go!

“Personally, I don’t see why she needs hot water,” Cecil continued, and now Carlos was really paying attention, because his voice had lost its normal composure. Strained and tight, like he was holding himself back from something. He was still mulling this over when low groan came out over the radio, the sound shooting through his body like an electrical current, heading straight down to his-

Oh boy.

Distraction, he needed a distraction now. What had Cecil been reporting on? Old Woman Josie’s angels? No, something to do with her water heater. But it would give him an excuse to go over there, and maybe sneak a closer peak at her angels anyway. Focus on the science, not on the breathy – was he panting now, Jesus, Cecil – voice that delivered the news. He had a goal now, an idea of what was going on in town; the reason he listened to Cecil’s show, as Carlos told himself. He could – he should – just turn the radio off right now-

“Oh, yes, do keep going,” Cecil purred, an expression Carlos had never heard encapsulated so fully, and it was followed up by a wet, choked gasp. Yeah, it would probably be for the best to keep this on. “With the, uh, news! Of course. The news.” How Cecil made that phrase sound so dirty, it should have been illegal. Was it illegal? Did this count as some sort of public indecency?

Cecil continued on with his report, voice deep and rough and making it very difficult to concentrate properly on the content of his speech. He was talking about something, and Carlos, through the application of logic and critical thinking, could conclude for himself that that something was, well, somewhere. Existing? He was thankful there weren’t many other drivers out on the road. The rest of Night Vale was probably busy listening to Cecil’s broadcast as well.

Carlos dug his nails into the faux-leather finish of his steering wheel, gritting his teeth. There was a sharp, angry thrashing in the pit of his stomach that caused Carlos a brief moment of panic before he recognized it for an emotion and not, say, a grotesquely huge parasite about to erupt through his skin and viscera. Though even that might be preferable to the admission that he was feeling a bit possessive of the radio host currently giving a breathless report concerning the secret police dropping canisters of tear gas onto reporters. Just the thought of that, and its possible ramifications – freedom of press, at least! – should have doused his arousal, but to his shame, it really didn’t.

Well, it did a little, but then his mind helpfully crafted a scenario in which he was in the booth with Cecil, biting and suckling at the other’s smooth flesh, licking long, slow stripes over heated skin while Cecil trembled above him, fingers tangled in the perfect hair he so loved to extrapolate upon and body squirming, pinioned in place by Carlos’ hands on his hips while Cecil forced himself to concentrate, to finish the news segment and get to the weather, wherein he would-

No, no, that wasn’t helping things, thanks though.

One his hands had even drifted down to his lap, palming at himself through the rough denim of his jeans. It was testament to how badly Carlos was affected that he allowed himself a moment, enjoying the little tingles of electricity flaring through his body, rolling his hips against his own hand. And god, Cecil was not helping matters, releasing a noise on air that was nothing but tortured consonants and then a high-pitched, thready whine that had Carlos longing to be in that sound booth with the radio host, so that he could give Cecil what he so desperately needed.

Not, uh, not that he knew what Cecil needed. Though with the way the radio host said his name, Carlos thought he had a pretty good idea of how he could help Cecil.

“…About the station? About how it was definitely not the site of strange, or unexpected, o-or slick and, uh, distracting events?” Cecil was saying. Carlos had managed to wrest control of his hands and had them both firmly planted on the steering wheel once again. The few coherent thoughts he had were dedicated to wondering if he had accidentally turned onto one of the spatial-loop streets again, because he was pretty sure he should have reached the used car lot by now. “Well, that was-”

Cecil cut out again, and Carlos grit his teeth so hard he could hear the tension sizzling in his ears and above that white noise sound was nothing but Cecil’s muffled groaning, and slick, wet sounds, like flesh sliding on flesh, little strangled gulps set to an uneven, irregular beat, like something was hitting the back of Cecil’s throat repeatedly and wow, Carlos was going to crash his damn car if this kept going. In the back of his mind, it occurred to him that he should probably be worried about what was happening at the radio station.

There was a wet pop and then coughing, and then wet, ragged breathing. His mind, unbidden, provided him a wonderful image of Cecil on his knees, Carlos’ hand buried in his hair and dragging him off his aching cock. Pop, just like that, when those talented lips slipped off the head of his dick.

“Uhhh… Where was I?” Cecil sounded utterly disoriented, dreamy and languid even as his voice came out thick and gravelly, like the deep, sonorous sliding of tectonic plates. “Oh! Yes! The… station. Everything is great, here! Here, at the station. Yup.” Okay, Cecil didn’t sound believable there at all. But he had interns, right? Night Vale wouldn’t actually let something bad happen to their beloved radio host.

Right?

Carlos drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He pulled his car over, just to get a better idea of where he even was, not to prepare to turn around and head to the radio station. If something was happening there, maybe it would turn out to be scientifically interesting. Definitely worth looking into. The angels could wait, Carlos reasoned. And for how helpful they seemed to be around Old Woman Josie’s house, they could be considered withholding when it came to indulging scientific curiosity.

“…everyone’s favorite scientist, Carlos! Isn’t that… something!” Carlos sucked in a sharp, trembling breath, because whatever he had expected out of today, it had definitely not been Cecil saying his name like that, his voice so dark and rough. Like Cecil was right there with him, was seconds away from pouncing on him with predatory intent. “He’s heading over there right now, to do some sort of science, I would imagine! And all without the use of writing utensils, Steve Carlsburg.”

It was absolutely a problem when even Cecil’s aggressive, Steve-Carlsburg-induced annoyance did little to dampen Carlos’ arousal. Though he wasn’t super keen on hearing Cecil say anyone else’s name at just this second. And Cecil just sighed, sweet and wistful.

“Apparently, Old Woman Josie – or perhaps her tall friends, who are totally not angels, you guys – or perhaps just her faulty water heater, have become the subject of Carlos’ scientific inquiry.” There it was again, Cecil’s voice dipping into those lower registers, the words spilling from his lips like thick black ink. It sent a shudder down Carlos’ spine.

“Can you even imagine?” Cecil was breathless.

“Being the subject of such focused, intense scrutiny?” Oh. Yes, Carlos could suddenly imagine that. Imagine Cecil-

“Helping out both science as an over-arching ideal, and a beloved member of our small community?” That, somehow, finally, was the last straw, Cecil saying it like he was in process of dragging Carlos down a dark hall, like they were already tumbling into sheets together, like Cecil was lying spread in wait and ready for Carlos to pull him to pieces.

Carlos fumbled with his belt and unbuttoned his jeans, yanking himself out with almost too much forth and trembling as his fevered skin was exposed to the artificially cooled air of his car. His car, god, he was in his car, but he really didn’t care. He fisted himself, hips bucking, feet scrambling to plant anywhere on the flooring that wouldn’t result in the engine revving to life. The last sane part of his mind was reminding him that he really shouldn’t be doing this - the consequences for law-breaking in Night Vale were often vaguely sinister or sinisterly specific, and while he didn’t remember which one Public Indecency fell under, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

There didn’t seem to be room for anything in his body but bright, flaring need. It was a heat that sparked along every inch of nerve, root and ending alike. A heat that made his toes curl and his chest ache and pooled low in his gut while his heart beat became rapid and erratic. And all he could hear was Cecil, his quiet panting and bitten back whines, voice rumbling and grating and deep. Cecil, saying his name. Carlos, he would say, sighing and longing and full of too much, so many emotions Carlos couldn’t name them all, oh, perfect, yes-

And as perfect as the image was, of Cecil lost in pleasure beneath him, a pliant and eager thing, an inscrutable piece of Night Vale itself subject to rigorous scientific inquiry as Cecil would say. As wonderful as all that undeniably was, Carlos’ body jerked and stuttered and he came into his own palm thinking of Cecil on any other day. His face lighting up – sometimes literally – at the sight of Carlos, how Cecil acted like nothing of note existed outside of the space Carlos immediately existed within. How Cecil had once spent literal hours listening to Carlos ramble about science and though Carlos would eat his own shoe if Cecil had retained more than a sentence’s worth of information from it, the radio host’s attention had never drifted, his eyes never glazed over; Cecil had never tuned out the boring, stuttering scientist who got too enthusiastic about possibly-non-existent earthquakes.

Hell, Carlos even thought of that annoying way Cecil had of condescending to him, when something ridiculous and outrageous and against all laws of reason and science happened, something that was just so completely Night Vale happened, like Carlos was the outlandish one, not this insane town.

Most of all, though, he just thought of Cecil, strange and sweet and intimidating and utterly smitten. Of the terror of instantly and how the disappointment he’d expected to follow such a proclamation had never come.

The weather report was drawing to a close as Carlos slumped bonelessly in his seat. When his heart stopped thudding so loudly in his ears and his breathing rate had returned to its typical 16 breaths a minute, Carlos began to move again. Cecil came back on, sounding for all the world like the past 30 minutes of broadcast hadn’t occurred. Well, except for him referencing it? Carlos guessed? He still wasn’t sure what was going on, but Cecil sounded like himself again, if vaguely annoyed and disappointed.

“Remember, Night Vale, every mistake you make, every minor indiscretion you commit, carries unspeakable – and, I might remind you – completely avoidable consequences.” Carlos shuddered, unpleasantly this time. “Stay tuned next for the quiet, vigorous sounds of lemon scent scrubbing, and deep, unflinching feeling that you will never truly be clean again.”

For once, as Carlos stared at his white-splattered hand, he thought he knew exactly what Cecil meant.

“Good night, Night Vale. Good night.”

[gameplayandtalk]

Retro Fighters StrikerDC Sega Dreamcast Controller Review

Recently I picked up a Retro Fighters StrikerDC controller for the Sega Dreamcast. Retro Fighters have released a variety of controllers in the past, with their Nintendo 64 “Brawler” controller being their most noteworthy (and seemingly most-liked among users). Never having used one of their controllers before, I went ahead and grabbed their Dreamcast variant to get some first-hand experience with their products.

The biggest advantage this controller has over the default Dreamcast controller is its shape. It is wider overall with more modernized grips and is more comfortable in the hands. No more sharp handles requiring cramped hand positioning. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end.

Let me preface this by saying nothing on this controller is truly awful in any way, it's just that few aspects of this controller surpass the functional quality of the stock, original Dreamcast pad. The StrikerDC is form over function, while the original Dreamcast controller is the other way around.

Starting with the face buttons, they are significantly stiffer than an original DC controller's buttons. They lack the same snappy, tactile feel of the originals, and this can actually cause issues in some games. When I was playing Giga Wing 2, the “A” button would often register longer than it should, causing my barrier to activate when I did not want it to. The buttons just don't snap back up as fast as the stock controller buttons do and this can cause problems. On the positive side, the buttons are larger and closer together, so some players will prefer these over the stock controller.

Moving on to the directional pad, this took some time to get used to. The pivot underneath feels tiny at best and you can press the entire d-pad down in the center. Third-parties never seem to get this part right, and being able to do this causes unwanted diagonal presses in games where accuracy is king, such as shooters and fighting games. I eventually warmed up to it after several hours, but I really struggled with it at first, jumping in Capcom Vs. SNK when I did not want to, and moving diagonally in Border Down unintentionally. After several hours, I found the d-pad really has to be treated lightly if you want to have any amount of success with it. I did adjust to it eventually, but users with heavy thumbs will undoubtedly struggle with this at first.

The analog stick on an original Dreamcast controller is often the biggest point of contention for players. Some find it too sensitive, while others find the grip too slippery. The Retro Fighters pad fixes the later issue with a concave stick and a nice textured ring that runs around the top of it. However, functionally speaking it’s a mixed bag. On some games the analog stick seems to have a large dead zone and it’s barely functional compared to the stock Dreamcats analog stick. For instance, in Tokyo Xtreme Racer, it was nearly impossible to do soft, finessed turns. Just to make sure it wasn’t just me, I plugged in an original Dreamcast controller for a quick comparison, and sure enough, I had no issues performing nice, fluid turns. Daytona USA however, with its more twitch-based gameplay, seemed to control fine with the StrikerDC analog stick. Like with the original Dreamcast analog stick, results may vary from game to game.

The analog triggers on the StrikerDC leave a lot to be desired. They have very little analog range, making it difficult to lightly let off the gas in a racing game. Using Tokyo Xtreme Racer as an example again, I attempted to lightly hold in the triggers to keep my RPM at 4,000. It was nearly impossible to do this on the StrikerDC controller. I then plugged in a stock Dreamcast controller, and as expected I was able to perform this task without issue. The stock Dreamcast controller's analog triggers are extremely smooth in comparison and have just the right amount of analog range, while the StrikerDC triggers are mushy and lack any meaningful range in its various analog states. They might as well be non-analog triggers.

Speaking of which, one nice feature is the inclusion of such buttons, much like on modern controllers. These can be useful in fighting games. While they seem to register fine, these probably should have been face buttons instead. This would have given players a decent alternative to the excellent (but expensive) ASCII Pad FT, a six-button layout controller tailored for the Dreamcast’s many fighting games. This is a major missed opportunity.

One other change that will excite certain players is the controller wire coming out of the top of the controller. For me it was a bit of a non-issue, as the original wire positioning never bothered me. In fact, I am so conditioned to the original Dreamcast controller wire that I kept trying to push the StrikerDC wire into a slot that doesn't actually exist. It’s going to take a while for me to get out of that habit.

For anyone wondering, VMU support is fine. Nothing special there, not that I expected there to be. There is also turbo functionality, but it’s not a feature I bothered to test. There aren’t a lot of games on the platform where ridiculously fast button mashing is a necessity, so I didn’t mess with it. It might be a neat feature for some of you reading. (Yeah, I know—I’m such a terrible “reviewer”.)

The only weird issue I had is the Dreamcast not recognizing the StrikerDC when I first plugged it in. It took three tries to get it to work, the third attempt being the time I plugged in the VMU to see if the controller was getting power. Sure enough, the VMU beeped and the controller started working. This was most likely just a conicidence, but it is something to note.

The StrikerDC controller does come nicely packed in a high quality box. It also comes with some added goodies, like a Retro Fighters keychain and some stickers. This is neat for collectors, but I would have rather had the cost of trinkets and packaging be put into further refinement of the controller’s mechanisms. If you’re not going to get that aspect right, then don’t do it at all.

Overall the StrikerDC is not a bad controller. I just think that if you're fine with the original Dreamcast controller, this is bit of a tough pill to swallow. Outside of basic comfort, you’re not getting a higher quality product, particularly for the $50 it will cost you. The original controller's analog stick, triggers, d-pad and face buttons are all of higher quality, not to mention those original controllers cost significantly less to obtain.

Ultimately, if you love the original Dreamcast controller, give this one a hard pass. If you absolutely hate the original Dreamcast controller for some reason (and I’m seeing there are many of you out there), then it’s probably worth the money.��� Otherwise steer clear.

[krnaturalphoto]

When I first started running I never thought I would be doing the things I have done. They were not things thst I wanted to do. Some of the things I’ve done I didn’t even know were things people do when I first started running. Like trail running; that’s a thing? Running a trail marathon; people really do that?

As I began to run more I met more people. I made amazing friends. I learned more about running and the amazing things that runners really do. I learned about what the human body is capable of. More importantly I began to learn whst my body was capable of. I began to push myself farther and farther, literally. First a 5k, then a 10k, then a half marathon, several half marathons. I began to trail run more and more and conqured those same distances on the trails and then pushed farther to 25k trail runs. Looking for that next challenge. Looking for that next beautiful trail I could experience. Wondering where tht next trail would take me.

Last year I was invited to participate in the event that really set all this in motion. My friend invited me to particiapte in an event with her and a couple other firends. We would run the Sehgahund Trail Marathon relay together. Once again, this was a thing that I didn’t realize even existed at the time. This was sucha fun event for me. It doesn’t get much better than spending time out on the trails with your friends working as a team. I don’t know if my fiend will think if this event with as much appreciation for the path it has sent us down as I do, but for me it was a formative event that has helped lead me to where I am now.

After building up by running loner distances last year culminatiung with a chalenging 25k I returned to the idea of Sehgahunda. We had all begun running more and more trails and I thought what if we all trained together and ran the full solo Sehgahunda Trail Marathon together. I almost couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of my mouth, and I don’t think my friends could either at first. A marathoin was never something I had thougtht about wanting to do. But now that the idea had formed in my head I just couldn’t shake it.

I spent all winter training and continued into spring. As the day of the race approached I began to feel nervous and anxious. I really has no idea what to expect. I just had to hope my training had me prepared for this. My wife was going to be at the race crewing and cheering me on at the aide stations and check points. Even though I really had no idea how this race would go for me I told her that I felt like if everything went well and I felt good I thought I could be done in six hours.

My friends and I spent the week leading up to the race watching the weather forecast for race day. The two conditions we were hoping not to have for the race was for it to not be too hot and for it not to be too wet. If it was wet we knew the trails leading to the aide stations/check points would be muddy disasters. We were fortunate enough to not have heat, which for me is the worst possible condition. However, we had plenty of rain leading up to the race including rain the night before the race and it actively rained during most of the race itself.

The trails that take you to the aide stations/check points lead you out of the woods and generally into open fields. The fields were completely saturated with water. It was a mud-fest. There was standing water in areas. The mud was at least ankle deep on most of these trails. You just slipped and slid all over. You couldn’t get any footing. You couldn’t push off because your feet just slid out behind you. As a mid pack runner another problem is that half of the runners are ahead of you so they have all already trampled through this area and degraded the trail a great deal. The traffic out in front on these trails basically created a narrow steep rut of mud to run through. You couldn’t step off to the side because it was so muddy that you slid back down into the trench. Gravity was doing its job. And it got more complicated. Not only did you have to navigate the water hazards and the deep slippery mud these sections were out and backs with two way traffic going down a path that especially due to the mud was basically single track. Trying to continue to move forward without colliding with your fellow runners was not as easy as it might seem. Combine this challenge with the possibility of passing other runners going the same direction as you and it was even more difficult. It basically became more effective to divert so far off the designated path that you were basically out in a field of knee high grass. But even that wasn’t possible most places.

On the way to most of the aide stations/check points you were going up hill. So, you were working against gravity in ground conditions that made it very to push off or use any power or strength to propel oneself forward as the ground just continued to shift under your foot as you pushed against it. The factors combined to result in a lot of walking up through the mud. On the way down from the aide stations/check points you were presented with a different kind of challenge. The mud was obviously still there but instead of going against gravity you were going with gravity down the hill. And instead of the mud preventing you from pushing off of to propel yourself up, now the mud prevented you from planting your feet to slow yourself down and control your descent. It was like mud skiing except there was much less control of direction and footing than with actual skies on snow. You slid and splattered down the hill at the best speed you could manage without completely losing control and either falling or colliding with a fellow runner. I’ve heard running described as controlled falling and this was as close to that as I have ever felt. The fall was barely under control but felt inevitable. However, I managed not to fall on any of those sections.

I thought that the main trails that ran through the woods would remain mostly firm with only a relatively small degree of mud despite the rain. I even advised my friend against running in her trail shoes with more aggressive tread for better grip in the mud because I thought the main trails would not be so bad as to require it and the side trails up to the aide stations would be so muddy that they wouldn’t make a difference. Luckily she was smart enough to ignore me and follow her own instincts. The main trail was much muddier than I had anticipated. I lost a shoe in a mud hole in less than two miles. I saw all the runners ahead of me running around this muddy spot and I thought it made no sense to take the extra steps to avoid it since we were going to get plenty muddy anyway. I ran right through the middle of the mud I went through it just fine. I didn’t slip at all. Unfortunately though one of my shoes did not follow me through those several steps and remained lodged in the mud. Being early in the race I was still moving along at a decent pace and despite my shoes being tied as tightly as I could get them my foot slipped right out and I took several muddy steps with no shoe on one foot. Then I had to retrace my steps and shimmy my foot back into my shoe.

I love the trails that make up the Sehgahunda course. They are almost entirely single track until the last 4 miles. The trails twist and turn and wind their way through the woods at Letchworth State Park. You get to see and enjoy so much gorgeous woodland scenery. You can see out across the gorge created by the Genesee River at times. You run along sloping ravines as you traverse the forest. You you run down into than back up out of countless gullies created by water runoff over the years. I was actually pleasantly surprised that there wasn’t more water in the gullies considering all the rain we had been having and were currently experiencing during the race.

I didn’t really have a plan for the race other than do whatever it takes to finish. I didn’t have a set plan to try to average a certain pace or anything. I started out the race running whatever pace felt comfortable. I wasn’t running hard but I wasn’t holding back either. I felt really good the whole first half of the race.

The race has a fair amount of elevation gain overall but there aren’t really any particularly steep climbs, which is good for me because I am not good at climbing and it always seems to just suck the life right out of my legs for whatever follows. Despite there being no steep elevation gains there are still some really nice long gradual downhill sections where you can pick up some speed and run faster. I was able to use these features to my advantage throughout the first half of the race.

As I approached the first side station/check point, about 6 miles into the race, I caught up to a couple of my female friends who were also running the full marathon. So I was able to chat with some friends out on the trail for a few minutes. At the aide station/check point I got one of my Calorie Bomb Cookies, that I made from the recipe in the No Meat Athlete Cookbook, out of my pack and ate and drank there. I said hi to my wife who was there to cheer me on and crew for me. Then I was back off on the trail.

After getting back down into the woods I eventually caught up to my two friends who I originally hatched this crazy plan with. We were able to talk for a little while out on the trail. We were all in good spirits. I also took some video of them running which I don’t know if they were aware of at the time. I continued to move along in the trails at a pretty good pace for me. I was just casually running down a relatively nondescript section of trail when I apparently failed to pick my size 14 foot up high enough to clear a root or a rock because I went down. I tripped and went straight down flat on my chest and face. Luckily I was able to brace myself somewhat with my outstretched hands like superman. Fortunately I was not hurt and I popped back up and continued to run. One of my fellow runners asked if I was ok and my response was that “I’m a professional faller at this point. I don’t get hurt.”

The large number of participants from our running club, Southern Tier Running Club, included several teams running the relay. The relay teams from our club included some very fast kids. Kids who are much faster than me on my best day. My friends and I had been talking about how long we thought it would be before I was passed by one of our club’s relay teams. Even with a 30 minute headstart it was only a matter of time before they overtook me. I said I would be happy if I stayed ahead of them for 10 miles. I actually did better than I expected. I didn’t get passed by the first member of one of our relay teams until mile 12. He went flying past me like I was standing still.

As I approached the 3rd aide station/check point at mile 15 I was starting to get tired. The plan here was to take the time to change my socks and reapply anti chaffing ointment to my feet because I have had problems with blisters on my past long runs. First I had to scrape the mud off my shoes just so I could get to my shoe laces. Changing my socks felt so good. It was much more noticeable than I had expected and even though I didn’t change my wet and muddy shoes my feet still felt dry and comfortable. I don’t know if that was a byproduct of wearing Darn Tough brand socks or what, but I was happy for it. The second half of the race was a little drier and less muddy so the change in socks was a good decision even though it took a significant amount of time to do. It also helps to keep your feet dry if you keep your shoes on while running which I managed to do during the second half of the race by keeping my weight more on my toes through the muddier areas. I was able to see my wife again and talk and absorb some of her positive vibes and every as she cheered me on and then I was off from the third stop.

The second half of the race was kind of a blur. The aide stations/check points were closer together and I took advantage of that. But the second half of the race felt like much more of a grind. Just trying to keep movingforward. It also seemed to have more elevation gain or at least more sustained segments of elevation gain requiring more walking. One part I do remember was falling once again on a very nondescript section of trail. Not doing anything that really should have lead to me falling. Just failing to pick up my feet. When I got up I saw another pair of runners standing over me and one said that they had just fallen there too. So it must have been booby trapped. At least I wasn’t the only one it took down.

At some point as the day progressed it began to get warmer and more humid down in the forest and when you emerged at aide stations/check points you could feel the cool breeze out in the open and we bantered with the great volunteers regarding their nice weather. I took some ice and put it under my hat and tucked some into the buff I was wearing around my neck to help me stay cool.

As I traversed the trails over the second half of the race what I knew to be my weakness became increasingly apparent. My hips and core muscle were getting tighter and increasingly sore. All the muscles you use to lift your legs and stabilize yourself in you pelvic girdle were screaming at me. I pushed on through the discomfort. I walked when I needed to on inclines and stretched my muscles as best I could at side stations/check points.

When I began the flatter section that was basically old logging road or gravel road or some combination of the two I knew I was getting closer to the end from the preview run I did here with my friends. Only about four miles to go. It was both a relief and a bit of mental torture. I was relieved to know the end was in sight but felt like how can there still be four miles. And those four miles seemed to drag on forever. But despite that the simple knowledge of how close I was to the end and the relative flatness of this section of the course allowed me to run at a reasonable pace and push myself to sustain it.

When I emerged from the woods onto the park road I was almost done. The finish was literally in sight. Just one more hurdle to get over. That last section of road included a not so small hill and it feels especially daunting after 25 miles. Who does that? Who throws one last hill in within the last quarter mile of a trail marathon? I was determined not to walk up that hill. I don’t know how fast or slow I went up that hill but I maintained some version of running all the way up. I am sure it wasn’t pretty.

As I approached the finish I saw my wife there cheering me on. She has been such a huge support for me during all this insane training. It helped push me across the finish just to see her. It was a great feeling to cross that finish and just stop moving for a minute. It’s a great post race vibe at Sehgahunda. Talking to friends who’ve already finished, waiting to cheer friends on through the finish, and cheering on other runners is a great way to finish off the day. Oh yeah, did I mention there is food and beer.

The other aspect of all this aside from the running for me has been trying to document as much as possible as a photographer. Race day was not a good day for photography so I did not take many still photos with my GoPro, but I did shoot several segments of video, which I honestly haven’t even watched yet to see how they came out. I’m hoping I can compile the footage into something bigger at some point. Race photos didn’t turn out great which is a bummer but I did some creative editing to try to make them look as good as possible and they accompany this post. I hope you enjoyed reading this way too long race report.

If you’ve enjoyed this and want to support my work become a supporter of mine on Patreon for as little as $1 a month. It helps me put all this together. Thanks for your support

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In May of 2018 I ran my first trail marathon. #ThrowbackThursday When I first started running I never thought I would be doing the things I have done.

[bloomingtrenz]

14 Evidence Based Weight Loss Tips

https://ift.tt/2tWVkE7

For a while, we, here at IMBB, have been contemplating writing a piece on an issue that is of pertinent concern for our beloved readers and people in general. And it pertains to the scientific way to lose weight via dieting. There are multiple dietary regimes out there in popular practice and so it is a rather prudent to search from a multitude of weight loss tips, the most viable and scientific ones that would benefit the most. The tips that are listing out here have been backed by scientific studies and have had significant amount of popular press coverage, both online and offline. So our readers may rest assured that what we shall be enlisting today is to the best of our knowledge as well as that of the contemporary scientific community at large. So, without any further ado, let us get started with the list of 14 evidence based weight loss:

1. Have a nutritionally rich and diverse diet: It is good practice to have a varied and nutritionally rich diet to ensure that you are not depriving your body of its essential nutrition as well as guaranteeing that your healthy diet keeps you fit and strong while also assisting in weight loss. It is prudent to bear in mind that a nutritionally-rich diet eliminates trans-fats and minimizes the intake of saturated fats which in turn would also the accumulation of fat and lower the risk of coronary heart diseases. We suggest that you consume fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains such as oatmeal and brown rice, etc. to lose weight effectively.

2. Stop consuming liquid calories: Aerated and artificially sweetened beverages such as soda, soft drinks and packaged and processed fruit juice, coffee and tea with sugar, as well as alcoholic beverages – these are all bad for your waistline. They are hugely fattening and hence should be eliminated from your diet if you are serious about losing weight and want to stay in shape.

3. Portion control with every meal: Be mindful and cautious of what and how much you are consuming with each meal. Please be aware of what you are eating, how much you are consuming, how you are eating and when or at what frequency you are eating to prevent calories from adding on.

4. Be vigilant of all food items in your kitchen: It is always a good practice to keep a tab on the food items in the pantry and kitchen and plan meals ahead so as to not invite any such food item into our kitchen that will throw our weight loss process off the track. Keep away high-calorie items and junk food from your kitchen.

5. Start your day with eggs: Studies have found that if one has eggs for breakfast, it not only provides the body with all the essential nutrients but also helps with shedding weight. It has also been corroborated by latest research in the field of nutrition that if one switches from grain-based breakfast to eggs, it drastically reduces craving for junk over the next 36 hours, thereby contributing to weight loss. So if you do not have any allergic or digestive problems with eggs, it is an advisable to take eggs.

6. Intermittent Fasting: Intermittent fasting has become quite a trend in recent years and it is actually a very good practice if you are serious about losing excess body weight. In this popular eating pattern, you cycle between periods of fasting and eating. Understandably, it is a great way to restrict excess calorie intake and thus is quite effective in reducing body weight. Here’s how you can do intermittent fasting to lose weight.

7. Say no to refined carbs: Opt for carbs that are less refined. Sugar and grains are examples of highly refined carbs that are stripped off of all their fibrous content and other nutritious parts. If you absolutely have to eat carbs, ensure that you do so along with some natural fiber. Whole grains are good carbs that should be included in one’s diet.

8. Low carb diet: This follows logically from the point discussed above. It is common sense and a scientific fact that if one were to opt for a low-carb diet, one is guaranteed to lose weight and achieve a slim waistline. It is a well-researched and well documented option.

9. Keep nutritious food items handy: Whenever you have a craving or you feel hungry and you just have to have some food, it is best to have some nutritious snacks around to munch on so as to ensure that we do not go on the slippery slope of indulging in high-calorie food intake. Here’s a list of healthy snacks that you can munch on.

10. Eat spicy food: Eating spicy food is another guaranteed option worthy of being on the list of evidenced based weight loss hacks. Cayenne pepper and capsicum contain a compound that is known to boost metabolism as well as reduce appetite. It is a matter of common experience that whenone consumes spicy food ensures that you do not overeat and end up gaining unwanted kilos.

11. Cardio exercises: It is advisable to do aerobics or cardio exercises to stay in shape, remain flexible as well as to lose unwanted weight. Aerobic exercises are particularly noteworthy in their effectiveness in losing belly fat. Cardio exercise is also known to reduce the buildup of undesirable fat around our organs that lead to innumerable metabolic disorders.

12. Lifting weights: One of the worst side effects of dieting is the loss of muscle mass and overall metabolic slowdown, on account of being on starvation mode. To compensate for the loss, it has been scientifically proven that lifting weights and working out in the gym helps in both maintaining your muscle density and health as well as boosts your metabolism significantly.

12. Get sufficient sleep: Sleep deprivation prevents body from shedding weight. You can follow the strictest diet and workout like crazy, but if you do not give your body enough sleep, you would not see any weight loss. Insufficient sleep is bound to wreak havoc on your digestive system and metabolism, thereby contributing to putting of undesirable pounds. Sufficient sleep is essential for good health.

13. Have a good peer group: This entry is based on solid evidence from the community of medicine and psychology that if one wishes to lead a healthy life by making healthy food and lifestyle choices, it is best to be surrounded by a group of peers who also share the same problems thereby the whole group can benefit off of one another’s company symbiotically. This is known as having a support group to help you stay on track and not lose focus or motivation to reduce weight and stay slim and healthy.

14. Overcome food addiction: Recent studies have revealed that close to 25% of the global population from North America and Europe suffer from a psychological condition called “food addiction.” People often turn to food to cope up with depression and stress, thereby gaining weight. It is a fact that food addiction is pretty common in India as well, so it is advisable to be wary of the condition and to seek professional help (psychological counsellors) in time, to tide over the crisis just discussed.

Well dear readers, we hope that you found today’s piece engaging and informative and we pray that it proves useful to those who wish to lose weight in an effective and scientifically approved manner.

We invite our beloved readers to kindly share their words, concerns (if any) and ideas or simply leave a thought, with us by leaving a sentence or two in the comments section below and oblige.

And as always, stay pretty and beautiful you all.

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More Americans Say They Will Die Debt-Free

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Debt is something of a strange topic for Americans.

For all but the most well-capitalized early in life, the ability to borrow funds is critical — at least if one wants to get a college degree, own a car or a buy house.

When used wisely, tools that provide consumers access to funds today to pay for things “over time” plays an important role in a consumer’s financial reality — not to mention fund more than their fair share of startups. The world would be Google-less without Sergey and Larry maxxing out their credit cards to buy more space on servers.

And using credit wisely, it seems, is on the uptick. Evidence of that is in a new Creditcards.com study that suggests that consumers are slowly gaining confidence about becoming debt free during their lifetimes. Among consumers who have debt, about 12 percent believe they will never pay off what they owe. That is a big drop from the 2015 report that indicated that 21 percent of consumers thought they were going to leave their descendants nothing but debt.

More good news. In this year’s report, 24 percent of respondents said they had no debt at all, up from 22 percent last year and 14 percent in 2014.

“Over the last three or four years, the economy has improved, job growth has been strong and wealth has been rising,” said James Chessen, chief economist at the American Bankers Association. “I think people are feeling wealthier and feel they have the capacity to repay debts.”

So, time to give out the party hats?

Well, maybe — as we love nothing more than a positive interpretation of data as much as the next group of financial services junkies here at PYMNTS — and once, just once, we would actually like to give out the party hats.

But sadly, the hats are staying on the shelf — again — this week. Because the data might indicate that things are on the upswing — and we sure hope they are.

But … there is a less positive way to look at that data. It could be that people — particularly millennials — are confident they are going to die debt-free because they are equally confident they are about to live their entire adult lives without ever once being credit-worthy.

On The Bright Side

The economy is showing strength, and despite the fact that consumer debt is quickly approaching pre-recession levels delinquency rates for closed-end loans and credit cards have remained at 15-year lows for the past three years.

“It suggests that people felt they were carrying too much debt,” Chessen noted. “The possibility of a job loss or other financial disruption was debilitating, and they worked hard to avoid that situation in the future. I think there were some lessons learned from that.”

And consumer confidence around debt is on the upswing, albeit inconsistently. About 60 percent of younger millennials think they can wipe out their debt by age 30. Gen-Xers and baby boomers, on the other hand, are far more likely to believe they are going to die in debt. Part of that is due to their life stage — millennials haven’t done their “big borrows” other than education by age 30; Gen-Xers and baby boomers have mortgages and their kids’ tuition payments.

But, said John Pelletier, director of the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College, the experience of coming of age during the Great Recession — a financial crisis born of bad debt — was formative.

“[Millennials] are going to be very different from their Gen-X and boomer peers, in the same way people who went through the Great Depression were different from generations that came before and after them,” Pelletier noted. “They’re not buying homes, and it’s not because they all can’t — they’re choosing to rent longer. Even those who can buy homes want mobility. They’re afraid of losing their job and don’t want an illiquid asset that prevents them from leaving. They want the flexibility to pick up and move to where there is job growth.”

It is an upbeat assessment. Consumers really learned their lesson from the financial crisis, modified their behavior and resolved to get their overspending under control.

Except …

The Less Upbeat Way Of Looking At It

One problem with Pelletier’s assessment is that it is somewhat belied by other data. Though it is often asserted that millennials are the generation of Americans that don’t want to buy homes, they have this annoying habit of affirming they really, really do want to buy homes — they just can’t afford to.

As it turns out, a generation of Americans has not chosen to live with their parents for love of their mother’s cooking — but because of a depressed economy that spat them into a depressed wage market, combined with some very much more stringent underwriting requirement in the post-crisis world means that many millennials think their only and best shot at home ownership is saving up for a down payment while sleeping in their childhood bedroom.

There is also the data that indicates Generation Sriracha is not bringing in the money the way their forebearers did.

As Karen Webster (who we stole the term Sriracha generation from) noted in her recent piece on the coming millennial FinTech crisis, the data is in — and should be scary for anyone trying to capture the elusive millennial spend.

As it turns out, that spend might be elusive because millennials are Generation Financial Responsibility more or less because they are Generation Broke.

“The news flash here is that the prospect of kids entering their third decade of life and out earning their parents has been on a slippery slope since the 1950s…. But that downward slide took a nosedive for the kids born in the 1980s — or what we call today the millennial generation,” said Webster in her piece. “Overall, only half of them will ever best the earnings potential of their parents and even, quite possibly, their elder siblings. Depending on those millennials’ lot in life, even 50 percent may look optimistic.”

And then there is one more fly in the ointment — 47 percent of Americans who do not have easy access to $400, according to the Federal Reserve Board (i.e., through cash or credit card) in the event of an emergency that calls for it. We suspect that many of those Americans show up in the 25 percent of those who are currently living debt-free. And they will stay in that category right until they have a financial emergency and need to borrow that $400 from a short-term lender with a 300 percent APR.

There is nothing bad to be said about responsibly managing debt — and certainly consumer confidence that they can do so is always a good sign. However, celebrating all reductions in household debt and all intentions never to borrow as good news is probably not such a good idea either. If millennials don’t use debt because they don’t care to, that is one thing. If they can’t, that is quite another.

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