#dj Monopoli

[danthediamondminecart]

Finally posting the references for the revamped RBB / TMA AU, hooray! Its alternate title is the Top Of The Food Chain AU, but that’s subject to change.

The new premise of the AU is this:

Kreek Craft is a budding ghost-busting YouTuber living in a fictional city in the USA (I'm thinking Pennsylvania, but that's still being decided), where the RB Foundation also operates. He and his friends have been trying to make it big for some time now, to no success - everything he tries has already been done before. However, after Kreek has a genuine supernatural encounter with…something, and the video he posts of it goes viral, he starts to sink deeper into the supernatural world…and what comes with it.

…Yeah, I'm aware that premise is toeing the line between character ad creator, but I just really want to create a Hunt-focused story where the hunt is for something metaphorical like fame or information, and the brainworms made me do it here.

Character bios under the cut, and I’ll post more about the AU when I have more to show for it LEL

Main Cast:

Kreek Craft

The main protagonist. An excitable guy with dreams of being a famous YouTuber, and runs/hosts a ghost busting channel under the name KreekCraft - though growth is slow at the moment. However, an encounter with and subsequent murder of a creature of the Dark changes that for him. Due to this dedication to his craft and the chase for views, the Hunt soon claims him, whether he wants it to or not.

Steak Wads

Kreek’s co-host who’s one of Kreek’s best friends. He does all the odd jobs on the channel that Kreek doesn’t do. He’s a little…too upbeat despite some of the crazier circumstances they get into, but I’m sure that won’t lead to any issues. He gains a valuable connection with the Flesh avatar in this story, and later, the Hunt takes him as well. 

Bella Cinder

The camerawoman for the more produced episodes, who also runs her own more casual YouTube channel on the side. She finds herself in possession of a cursed camera, which gives her the attention of the Eye - as well as this, she ends up bringing the Institute’s attention to the goings on of the YouTube channel.  

Lana Raee

A make-up artist hired to cover Kreek’s tracks, she ends up asking to stick around and see more of the supernatural goings on. She ends up drawing in the attention of the Stranger due to her own fears of being replaced and the way she advises the cast. Very much the only sane woman. 

Booshot Mistr

The final member of the crew, and the audio guy for the more produced videos. Booshot is more no-nonsense than the rest of the crew and finds Kreek a little annoying, but he sticks around for Bella’s sake. In the final arc of the story, he is targeted by the Lonely.

Supporting Cast:

Ominous Nebula

Night-Foxx’s younger brother and Pink’s roommate. A musical theatre student that’s always upbeat and ready to do something to help others, but he has a lot of hurt he is hiding. He was adopted into the Nebula family as a sacrificial lamb to the Vast, not that he knows it until later of course. Where Lana is more desensitised but still an outsider, Ominous is the true ‘only sane man’ of the extended cast. 

Night-Foxx Nebula 

Kreek’s other best friend and Ominous’ older brother. He’s in a privileged position, already being the owner of the space travel division of the Nebula Travel Corporation at his relatively young age. Though, that’s most likely because his father passed the role down to him. However, he’s hiding a secret related to his father’s demise, and his connection to the Vast. 

Pink Leaf 

Bella’s childhood friend and one of the first ‘interviewees’ on Kreek’s channel, at Bella’s suggestion to ‘put himself out there!’, talking about an interaction with some creepy mannequins. However, something horrible happens as a result of this choice, leading Pink’s resentment towards Bella and Kreek to grow and for the Lonely to claim him. 

Justin ‘Think’ Noodles

An avatar of the Dark with ties to the Slaughter through his trusty pickaxe, Think was in some way related to the creature that Kreek killed. He tries to get revenge, but realises he could capitalise on it, and offers Kreek a deal - he’ll tell Kreek about other creatures he can make content about, in exchange for Kreek’s life when he retires. Kreek accepts, and Think something of a mentor to Kreek - however, this dooms the both of them. 

RB (Research of the Abnormal) Foundation Archival Employees: 

Russo Talks

The Head Archivist of the RB Foundation, and a 'world-building protagonist', so to speak. Has been at this for a few years, and is doing alright despite what his job really entails - but knows when to get serious. Has a lot of experience dealing with the entities. Is watching the events of Kreek’s life changing from afar, getting statements from those involved, and only getting involved if Kreek wishes he does. 

Deejay Monopoli

Russo’s assistant and Sabrina’s loving husband. A Hunter who became after Sabrina’s initial disappearance. He isn’t technically employed at the RB Institute, instead being a music producer full time, but he helps Russo out with the more…problematic missions. He finds out about Kreek’s predicament and takes it upon himself to ‘help’, becoming Kreek’s second mentor, as well as having a bet going with Think on Kreek’s fate. 

Sabrina Brite

DJ’s loving wife and Russo’s other assistant. She had an encounter with the Not-Them, but was revived by an artefact of the End and a researcher of cursed artefacts. She lived a double life for a while before DJ hunted her down and she returned to her original life. 

Not pictured: Jay Piercer

The head of the RB Foundation, and an avatar of the Eye (with connections to the Web..?). Tried to sacrifice Russo to the Eye. Failed. Not too important to Kreek’s story. 

[critter-solaralien]

Doodle page no4 and no5 >:))))) + a random character of mine and MICKEY MOUSEEEE

[emilyrosebug]

Speedpaint: https://youtu.be/wr7_a1b9FOw

As Season 3 of RB Battles draws to a close with the final battle arriving this weekend. I thought there was enough time to draw Russo, Sabrina and DJ and here's the result.

[darkwitchingflower]

IM SO HAPPY RN!!

Comic con Newport, so far met Jensen Ackles and DJ Qualls!!! Love them both SM AND THEY WERE SO SWEET, John Barroman panel just finished omg he's brilliant!! And his tardis dress? Stunning! Mark shepherd tomorrow now so excited to see the lovely King of hell himself!!

[colourstreakgryffin]

Random Hashira Post #6

Massive shoutout to the big brain, @grungeeuvu for this idea! All credit goes to him/her/them/other!

This’ll be set in the Kimetsu Academy world to make my and everybody else’s lives so much easier!

Sleepover with the Hashira

Tokito Muichiro

A sleepover? Please tell him that he got everything— … All his bags are back at his house

Muichiro is probably asleep almost instantly. The Hashira can wake him up but he’s sleeping so peacefully

Muichiro is the type to wear a hoodie with his PJs. Keeps him warm and is comfortable

Muichiro needs to be reminded by Shinobu regularly on how to play the games Mitsuri and Kyojuro set up

Oh, wait. Did Muichiro do his maths homework?

Iguro Obanai

Never had a sleepover in his life so he’s a bit nervous. Especially that it’s being hosted at Mitsuri’s house

Obanai packed a lot of stuff and has to cram his bags in the corner to make space

Of course, Obanai brought Kaburamaru to join in. Gyomei has to fault Obanai for cheating when Kaburamaru presses a button to increase his money in Monopoly

Obanai is actually pretty good at the sleepover games provided. Not the winner but definitely up there

Please don’t let him touch a stove. He’ll burn down the whole kitchen, just let him serve the snacks

Rengoku Kyojuro

Kyojuro loves sleepovers, just like Mitsuri

Kyojuro is totally the type to sleep for days straight so he can stay awake as long as possible for the sleepover

He takes pictures with the Hashira at random times to remember this exciting night and all of the memories tagging along

Kyojuro absolutely was the one who brought a number of the non-provided games the Hashira play

Kyojuro is also the type to let his fellow Hashira win in any activity. It’s not about victory, it’s about having fun!

Shinazugawa Sanemi

Move aside. Sanemi is also doing all the “cursed games” like Bloody Mary and walks out annoyed

Sanemi is one of the two chefs of the Hashira. He makes them all kinds of food for the night then pancakes for the morning

His sleeping bag may or may not be a gift from Genya

Like Kyojuro and Obanai, Sanemi’s quite a night owl so he stays up a bit longer than most of the Hashira

Sanemi is very competitive in the games to the point he gets into arguments

Kocho Shinobu

She knows sleepovers well. Thanks to all of her sisters and her ladies in her home

Shinobu regularly corrects the Hashira on things they do wrong with her smart-assey ways. “Shinazugawa, you put your sleeping bag down wrong. Tokito, you’re not suppose to do that in Twister”

Talks a lot to either Mitsuri or Giyuu about random stuff going on in her life. She doesn’t care if they’re listening or not

Shinobu, like she usually does, enjoys messing with her fellow Hashira by smacking controllers out of their hands

Shinobu is babysitting Muichiro for most of the night and keeping her eyes on him so he won’t wonder off

Himejima Gyomei

Keeps track of the time a lot. Not so he can go to sleep or whatever, but so everybody can know when they ask

Gyomei views sleepovers as a bonding exercise so he was one of the first at Mitsuri’s place. He trusts in Mitsuri’s ability to make the night fun

Gyomei is always the one to take charge(even if he isn’t the host) so he helps move all of the Hashira’s stuff to a safer place

Gyomei is ballsy, he’ll do any dare with no hesitation. It’s not that embarrassing to him since it’s not that important

When it gets too chaotic, he just chants prays under his breath to give everybody here luck to handle the mess

Uzui Tengen

The chaos bringer right here. He has brought along a bag full of dynamite and a DJ set to wake up the neighbours with loud dubstep

Tengen does whatever he wants. He’ll start boxing matches with his fellow to make the night more interesting. He’s a wildcard

Tengen does calm down after having some of the nice non-alcoholic drinks Mitsuri made and getting comfortable on his sleeping bag

But always prepare for a prank. He’ll set them up and start a mini war with Iguro or Shinazugawa

Tengen’s sleeping bag was made by his wives so he values it intently. Nobody can use it but him!

Kanroji Mitsuri

So excited, she can barely keep herself from expressing it. A sleepover with her best friends! This is a dream come true!

Mitsuri overworked herself to prepare for the Hashira coming over. Cleaned her house to a extreme, over-prepared snacks/drinks and organised her room to make enough space. She wants this night to be perfect

Mitsuri is the one who starts the hour-long pillow fight and nearly wins with how hard she swings

You can find her braiding Shinobu or Kyojuro’s hair throughout the night as it calms down

Mitsuri doesn’t want to fall asleep, she wants this to last forever but she does end up conking out a little later after Muichiro

Tomioka Giyuu

Nothing changes with Giyuu. He is there because he has to be but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think the sleepover is fun

Giyuu is the type to double check on his worklife whilst at the sleepover so suspect to see him to be looking over his class notes

He joins in on the games so little and keeps himself cuddled in his sleeping bag, most of the time, that it annoys some of the Hashira

Giyuu is also totally the type to listen to music on his headphones when waiting for Mitsuri’s word

Giyuu is surprisingly competitive, not as bad as Sanemi, but he’ll actually work to try win

Help. I’m ruining out of good Hashira pictures

[bellz4brainz]

warning: dj monopoli jumpscare (VERY SCARY!!)

dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli dj monopoli

[stayfreshsquidkid]

DJ Octavio: Fuck capitalism. It's a rigged system that keeps us poor and it isn't fair. You shouldn't need to work three jobs to afford basic necessities.

DJ Octavio, (playing Monopoly): Sorry, if you wanted to win you should have tried not being poor.

[sunsetcorvid]

Seeing that you emjoy a hat in time, could you please apare some [read as many as you want] headcanons for this, as the steam page put it, cute as Peck game?

YKNOW WHAT YEAH I MIGHT HAVE SOME!!!

Hat Kid and Mustache Girl become sort of friends again after the whole time thing. I mean, it takes a bit, but they kinda figure it out.

Cooking Cat looks after Mustache Girl. After the game she heads back down to the planet to make sure the Mafia don't start a plague again and just. Adopts Mu. Like "wow this kid almost killed us but like. damn she needs some food she's been livin in a cave." and then later gets like. Mustache lore (whatever exactly the fuck happened with the Mafia is. very much traumatizing and Not Good for this kid to almost destroy the world because of it) and that moment is like "Alright im takin care of this kid fuck yall"

Crackship between Cooking Cat and Empress. Listen, I think it would be kinda funny alright.

Dadtcher is one of my favorite collective fandom headcanons

Bow Kid spends a lot of time with DJ Grooves and Conductor and ends up learning how to dj a bit from Grooves.

She also spends a lot of time in Nyakuza Metro. She's knows pretty much every cat down there by name. Even the trains!

Hat Kid starts picking up a lot of mannerisms from Snatcher because he pretty much lives in her ship now and sometimes when Cooking Cat is there and she checks on her, she swears she sees Hat's eyes glowing. Could just be lighting, though...

Every few weeks there's a game night where the cast shows up on Hat's ship and almost destroy it because Bow keeps winning at Uno, Snatcher keeps winning at Monopoly, Cookie (Cooking Cat, easier typing Cookie) has no idea what the hell is happening and is staying in the kitchen (very much keeping the Conductor out), and Conductor and Grooves keep arguing over stupid shit.

I think Snatcher could purr. Maybe. He's some sort of fuckin ghost thing, he already has the fur stuff on his neck (I know it's supposed to resemble his hair from when he was alive, but I think ghost shit turned it into fur.), so I think he should be allowed to purr.

Hat constantly wakes up from nightmares about Vanessa. She's only been in that mansion a handful of times but by the gods that woman is terrifying.

It's one of the reasons Snatcher stays on the ship. He knows Vanessa's fucked up from experience and this kid's like what. 12? yeah no he is not letting shit happen to this kid. He tends to find some way to comfort Hat back to sleep. He denies everything in the morning however because he's totally not her dad /s he doesnt care what happens to the kid he just wants her soul /s

i think that's about it! i said i might have some but once i started typing i realized i had more aksjhdsiuhdgf

hope these are nice!

[the-faketiccit0by]

DJMM: YOU CHEATING ASS!

KC: OH YOU'RE ONE TO TALK! THAT'S IT, I'M DIVORCING YOU AND TAKING THE KIDS!!

Solar flare: um- I think we should put Monopoly away now-

DJMM & KC: *fighting*

Eclipse: um

*Dj and Kc just start making out*

Solar Flare: *shielding the Bloodtwins eyes*

[danthediamondminecart]

A Certain Meeting...

...In an alternate timeline, that ends very differently.

So…you know that one note in JP’s office? About the cloning process? That lists Russo’s clone (Recoded) as ‘high quality’ and Sabrina’s clone (The Great Woman) as 'defective'? I’ve been thinking about that note. A lot.

So it got me wondering. Timeline wise, it seems that Sabrina was cloned first, and Russo after when she failed (Russo’s clone was made with Mr B’s assistance, probably). 

But what if the Great Woman didn’t fail? What if she succeeded, and so, Sabrina was the one to get kidnapped and replaced during RB Battles Season 3? 

And so, this comic got created. In my opinion, I think that JP is lucky that Russo was the one they ended up kidnapping in canon. He holds the Sword of Truth, after all! With those powers, he’d figure out that Sabrina got replaced very quickly. How would this affect the rest of the season? Uhh…haven’t thought that far. 

This comic took like 3 weeks please let it do well-

[critter-solaralien]

YANDAN U BETTER NOT GHOST ME

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part thirty one)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 1,179

Warnings: Snatcher says half an actual swear *gasp* (don't blame him though, in context there is reason for it)

Author's notes: Games night is here. Fun fact: don't trust Snatcher to play Monopoly. He does cheat, despite his claims. Anyway, enjoy!

Grooves let out a sigh, staring at the finally clear guest room and the hallway outside of it, which was now cluttered with boxes.

“You didn't have to help,” Grooves commented to Conductor as the owl walked past into the guest room.

“I did.” Conductor shrugged, beginning to make the bed.

“No, no, don't-”

“No. I will. You should sit down and rest. You've been cleaning this place since way too pecking early this morning,” Conductor interrupted, walking back over to Grooves and putting a hand on the penguin's chest. “Take a break.”

“Run away with us for the summer, let's go upstate…?” Grooves joked and Conductor shook his head gently at the Hamilton reference.

“You'll never let me live down my musical past, will you?” Conductor chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to Grooves' cheek before he went back over to the bed.

“Never.”

“At least sit down while you do then.” Conductor threw a pillow in his direction.

Grooves caught it, walking back through to the living room.

“That, I can do,” he called back to the owl, lying down on the sofa.

It felt like only a few minutes when there was a knock on the door.

“Grooves, I'm sure your nap was nice but you should probably wake up,” Conductor teased as the penguin opened his eyes, staring around the bleary room.

Conductor passed him his glasses before heading over to the door. “You said you sleep without them.”

“How long have I been out?” Grooves questioned, getting up and following his partner once he'd put his glasses on.

“Only a couple hours,” Conductor answered. “But you needed it.”

He opened the door, staring up at their guests. “Hey.”

“Hi!” Empress and Snatcher walked through the door.

The two of them almost matched; Snatcher in a dark purple hoodie and Empress in a dark purple version of her previous coat.

However, Snatcher looked incredibly different to before.

His right eye was a light blue, matching coloured scars striking across the right side of his body like bolts of lightning. A couple streaks of the same blue tainted his dark curls.

“What happened to yer?” Conductor asked the ghost bluntly.

Grooves subtly jabbed the owl in the side, hoping he would take a hint.

“Just a little accident. Nothing serious,” Snatcher bluffed, laughing nervously.

“No, that's very clearly not-”Grooves elbowed Conductor in the ribs. The owl frowned at him but stayed quiet.

“Let's just play some games,” Empress stated, carrying boxes of games through to the living room, Snatcher close on her heels.

“What was that for?” Conductor hissed.

“He clearly doesn't want to talk about whatever it is,” Grooves whispered, concerned gaze following the ghost's retreating figure.

“Sweet apartment,” Empress stated.

Grooves looked back at Conductor, gaze imploring him not to ask further questions.

“Fine. But you owe me one,” Conductor grumbled, walking into the living room.

Something made a crashing noise. “Oops.”

“You better pay for that!”

“Okay, okay! I will!”

“You cheated! You shouldn't have had enough money to afford that!” Empress accused, glaring at Snatcher. The ghost shrugged as he looked at the Monopoly board.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Snatcher said, voice lilting slightly.

Grooves put a flipper around Conductor as the owl curled up against his side.

“I feel like we should've chosen a less competitive game,” Conductor laughed quietly. “I did say about Scrabble.”

“Diamond, I hate to tell you, but Scrabble is also a competitive game,” Grooves replied.

“Not if yer smart. Then it becomes a game where you always win and no one else beats you.”

Grooves chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to the owl's head. “We'll have to play some time soon. I'm sure I can give you a run for your money.”

“Empress is a sore loser!” Snatcher announced, picking up the cat's money and throwing it in the air.

"No, I'm not! You're just a lying cheater!” Empress growled, pushing the ghost onto the floor. “I want to play something else!”

“Sore loser!” Snatcher repeated, earning a swipe at his face.

“Cheat!”

“Loser!”

Empress and Snatcher began playfully taking shots at each other.

“I’ll go check what other games we've got,” Conductor sighed, standing up.

The owl pressed a quick kiss to Grooves' cheek. “Be back soon, love.”

Grooves smiled at him before returning his attention to their friends.

Empress and Snatcher wore matching smirks, even with the cat holding the ghost in a headlock.

“Go on then Grooves. Spill the details,” Empress prompted.

“You two are older than me, how are you so childish?” Grooves questioned.

“You've got to have some fun after dying!” and “You're childish!” mixed together.

Empress let go of Snatcher, ruffling his hair before leaning back against the sofa.

“So…?”

“So what?”

“So, what's it like now you two are dating?!” Snatcher all but shouted.

Grooves mulled over the question.

“Not that different to before actually. We're more affectionate and have nicknames for each other but that's about it. Not that much has changed,” he mumbled, face heating at the way his feathers ruffled as he spoke.

“That's it?!”

“It's none of yer business,” Conductor stated, walking back into the room with a stack of boxes. “Now pick another game.”

“Oooh, oooh, oooh! We should play truth or dare!” Snatcher suggested, looping an arm behind Empress' shoulders. “C'mon Empress! Tell them how fun it is!”

“He's right, we should play truth or dare,” Empress agreed.

"Empress, truth or dare?” Conductor suddenly asked, putting the boxes down and leaning into Grooves.

“You know what? Truth.”

“How did you get your scar?”

“Dare.”

“Tell us how you got your scar,” he pressed.

The cat scowled.

“I did it myself. I had to look like I could command respect,” Empress admitted, paws fidgeting in the lap.

Snatcher wrapped an arm around her shoulders, glaring at the owl.

“Truth or dare, peck neck?” He spat.

“Dare.”

“Stop being such a di-!”

“Hey, no, there isn't any need for that,” Empress said quietly, shrugging Snatcher away.

Snatcher let out a huff of air. “Fine. Tell us what was the first musical you did.”

“Newsies,” Conductor answered.

“Shut up you liar. The first musical you did was Cinderella,” Empress scoffed, tail winding round Snatcher's back. “Grooves, truth or dare?”

The penguin's face screwed up slightly as he tried to decide. “Umm. Truth…?”

“You didn't sound too sure. But fine. You've seen The Conductor in musicals. Which was your favourite performance of his?” Empress questioned.

Grooves felt flustered as his three friends looked expectantly at him.

“It's hard to choose just one,” he mumbled, hoping to take attention off of him.

“My turn, I pick dare,” Snatcher exclaimed, drumming his hands on his lap and continuing to look at Grooves.

Grooves shrugged, uncertain of what to say.

Conductor stepped in for him. “Don't hug Empress for the rest of the evening.”

The ghost looked appalled, mouth hanging open.

He slowly obliged, shuffling away from Empress.

“I'm sick of this game,” Snatcher pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Let's play something else.”

[barnabytremayne]

Inferiority Complex: Navigating the Maze of Self-Doubt

A rewrite of an early essay.

Ah, the ol' inferiority complex—a lifelong subscription to the "Am I Good Enough?" newsletter. It's like being in a never-ending thumb war with your own psyche. You've got these decent qualities—like, you're not terrible at Scrabble, and you can microwave a Hot Pocket without burning down the kitchen—but somehow, they're never enough. It's like your brain's a snarky Yelp reviewer: "Three stars—room for improvement."

For me, this feeling of inadequacy is like a clingy roommate who overstays their welcome. It's not just about flunking the "I'm Enough" exam; it's about feeling like you're missing a crucial page from the manual of life. And it's not picky—it'll haunt you at work, in relationships, even during that awkward moment when you're trying to parallel park.

Comparison? Oh, it's our favourite pastime. We measure ourselves against others like we're in a perpetual "Who's Got the Best Existence?" contest. Spoiler alert: We always lose. It's like playing Monopoly with Jeff Bezos—no matter how many hotels you build on Baltic Avenue, he's still got a spaceship.

And it's not just one thing. It's a tangled mess of emotions, like earphones in your pocket after a vigorous dance-off. You're not just "not good enough" at your job; you're also "not good enough" at being photogenic, at making small talk, at remembering to water your succulents. It's a cosmic conspiracy—the universe whispering, "Hey, buddy, you're missing a few screws."

Now, let's sprinkle some extra complexity on this inferiority sundae. Being autistic? That's like playing life on Expert Mode. Social cues? Ha! We're decoding hieroglyphics. We're the square pegs in a world of round holes, trying to fit in while secretly wondering if we're from a different planet.

And mental health? Buckle up. Depression and anxiety are like those uninvited party guests who crash your self-esteem soirée. Depression's the DJ, spinning sad tunes, and anxiety's the bartender, serving up "What If?" cocktails. Suddenly, you're doubting your ability to adult. "Can I handle taxes? Can I adult? Can I even microwave that Hot Pocket?"

Relationships? Oh boy. We're convinced our partners will wake up one day, squint at us, and say, "Wait, you're not the person I ordered." We're like emotional impostor syndrome. "Sure, they love me now, but just wait till they see my sock drawer organisation skills."

Career? It's a tightrope walk over a pit of self-doubt. "Am I smart enough? Talented enough? Can I adult AND microwave Hot Pockets?" We hesitate to chase our passions, fearing we'll trip and fall into the abyss of "Not Good Enough."

But here's the twist: I'm learning. I'm kinder to myself now. I've got a mental Post-it note that says, "Hey, cut yourself some slack." I focus on the good stuff—like that supportive partner who thinks we're the bee's knees (even if we're more like the bee's ankles).

And therapy? It's my secret weapon. I sit in those comfy chairs, spill my emotional guts, and learn strategies. I'm like an emotional MacGyver, cobbling together coping mechanisms with duct tape and hope.

So, fellow complex-havers, let's embrace our quirks. Let's microwave those Hot Pockets and remember: We're enough—even if we're still figuring out how to parallel park. 🚗🌟

[4kmangopng]

my dreams feel like i smoked a ton of crack i’ll just warn ya, sometimes there’s images attracted that my stupid half-asleep brain makes but there aren’t for this one, i have a folder full of dreams anyways so there’s plenty to go around…

-mangoes…- 10 / 07 / 2024

so it’s kinda like there’s a live stream and this guys asks what he should do and someone recommends “play the mango board game” (iirc) so they walk off screen and come back with a board game where the premise is to collect mangoes and meet god (when you do a full turn around the board… like monopoly style… THATS when you meet them) and some other people walk in from off screen and sit to play with the streamer so now they’re all in a circle playing the mango game (time skip, it’s blurry here) so now there’s holes in the floor and people who lose fall through it like that one game w/ the penguin (icebreaker?) and the streamer wins (other time skip, fuzzy memory egh…) so now this guys… making music?? completely different person btw and they have this sorta DJ thing (like. those mixers with knobs and a keyboard but this one didn’t have the record / cd scratching stuff) and they get asked to play a song (don’t remember what it was) so they do and the chat asks them to play in… L? my dream ends shortly after that what the hell

yep, idk, it’s weird (help)

incomprehensible just how i like it...im the god they get to meet at the end of the game btw

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Roc-A-Fella Presents...This Thing of Ours 1998 Hip Hop / Hardcore Hip Hop / Gangsta Rap

Whoo boy, do I have some straight-up vintage late 90s ephemeral New York rap FIRE for you all today. Here's Roc-A-Fella Presents...This Thing of Ours, a short promo sampler EP from the label that Jay-Z helped co-found and grow, and that you could only find as a bonus disc in limited edition copies of Jay's own instant classic third album, 1998's Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life. This here is the type of shit that used to lace the 🔥hottest🔥 of mixtapes back in the day; stuff you might find on either a DJ Clue? or Funkmaster Flex CD; gratuitously non-commercial gritty street raps laid over monster beats that had been strictly made to induce the hardest of constant head-nods. Basically a hip hop head's paradise 😤.

But before we get into this little CD itself, I need to provide some background for one of its best tracks. And in order to do that, we need to go all the way back to 1993, because that's the year that a New York rap group called Original Flavor dropped their most well-known single, "Can I Get Open," which featured none other than a young and unsigned Jay-Z on it. And within that group was a guy by the name of Tone Hooker too.

Now, Original Flavor ended up parting ways following the release of their second album in 1994, but a few years later, Tone Hooker would resurface with the only solo release of his career, a 12-inch on Profile Records called "Crew Love," which would feature both NY underground great O.C. on it, as well as Jay-Z, with Jay supplying its chorus. And I don't know who ended up producing that track, but its beat was a bit sparse and darkly crystalline.

However, the following year, another song with Jay-Z on it called "Cru Love" would come out too. And Jay would also rap the *same exact* lyrics on its choruses also! But instead of Tone Hooker and O.C. providing the verses, this one would feature Roc-A-Fella labelmates Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel both rapping about drugs, guns, money, and the rap game, with Beanie's verse containing a bars-long extended metaphor that very cleverly equated a drug enterprise with Monopoly. And what's more is that this song's extraordinarily knocking, big-string beat that sounded like a boxer's walk-in music, and was provided by a little-known guy named Derrick Trotman, had clearly drawn inspiration from the far more understated production of the other version of "Crew Love" too 😯.

Then there's another banger on here that comes courtesy of a pretty unknown group who were briefly on Roc-A-Fella and Tommy Boy called Diamonds In Da Ruff. These guys never put out an actual album, but they had a couple 12-inches. And their song, "Respect," which came with a terrific blues-piano-and-guitar driven beat, first appeared on this very CD, before also being included on a DIDR album sampler cassette in '99. But, like I said, even though an album sampler was able to materialize, no actual album for them came afterwards 😕.

So, some really fantastic rap goodies on this little Roc-A-Fella EP here. It's not a very uncommon practice for a label to throw in a bonus sampler along with an album, but for that sampler to be as quality as this one is, is definitely a treat. Some real hardcore New York magic on this thing that ends up making for a wonderful late 90s time capsule 🤩.

Highlights:

DJ Clue? - "DJ Clue Snippets" Jay-Z feat. Memphis Bleek & Beanie Sigel - "Cru Love" Diamonds in da Ruff - "Respect" Memphis Bleek feat. Jay-Z - "Can I Live" Beanie Sigel - "Beanie Sigel Freestyle"