#i got into sonic in like November to January

[itz-pandora]

Shadow purrs 👁️👁️

Rough AF comic about a thing that's not even canon to this AU

This is after... Well, basically everything. This occurs RIGHT AFTER Sonic Forces (which is the conclusion of the whole AU)

Shadow and Sonic are both physically weak due to their fights against Infinite and Eggman (Shadow used his full power uninhibited, and Sonic used the Phantom Ruby)

So Sonic and Shadow become roomies for a bit to kinda take care of each other, since all their other friends play big roles in the Restoration.

Sonadow fan service because I'm hungry

You'll get bits and pieces as we go along

[astramachina]

✨Did you know (probably not since I refuse to talk about it)✨ that The Architect/formerly The Atramentuos Originator is actually a predecessor/prototype for The Singularity Project?

The history is LONG, and after cannibalizing some vital elements of the fic I decided that yeah, both things are different enough that the fanfic itself can go back up and stay up this time.

If you squint you'll realize the whole "hyper-genius goes to Antarctica, experiences the Horrors, finds something godlike in the ice that enlightens him even further, ???, profit" is a narrative both stories have in common. But there's some very key differences!

↓↓ If you also wish to be enlightened on the mystery that is TSP ↓↓

IDK if this counts as a "WIP Intro" because it's not strictly about TSP but I wanna go a bit into detail about the writing journey for both pieces.

I wrote Originator/Architect back in 2020 following, and I kid you not, a string of scarily coherent nightmares that made me feel like the protagonist of a Lovecraftian tale. Maybe it was thanks to the beginning of the pandemic and the world itself feeling like it was ending, but either way, out of my teaching job and in less than stellar living accommodations (and before starting therapy), I did the one thing I could do: write about it.

I have a long history of writing extreme AUs with the self-imposed parameters of "keep these characters as in-character as humanly possible", which is what I set out to do with this fic. As a consequence, Originator did not get much attention. The stobotnik fandom was YOUNG, just a couple of weeks old, and Sonic doesn't particularly lend itself to horror, so it made sense. That also meant that I was devastated that such a rich piece of somewhat original work was withering away in obscurity. I poured hours of work to the point of manic insanity into this fic hardly anyone was reading, which made me fly off the handle.

The last straw was my newfound fandom BFF refusing to read any more of it because it scared her. It was then that I realized "this is good, but it feels like too much", so I yoinked it off AO3 with the intention of turning it into a 100% original piece of fiction. But see my previous point about keeping characters as in-character as possible. That threw a huge wrench into that idea, because both these characters were 1:1 reskins of Stone and Robotnik.

That did not stop me from embellishing the universe. New characters popped in, Stone and Bot got new names, I wrote one-off short stories (one of which nearly got traditionally published), and even plotted entire stories with these new characters. None of it went anywhere. SOMETHING was missing, and I wasn't sure what. The story eventually faded from memory as I went on to work on various original novels, learning from Originator's mistake.

Fast-forward to November 2023 when, out of nowhere, I got struck with a "vibe". Not a scene, not a theme, not a trope, nothing even remotely coherent, just a vibe I couldn't even put into words. I spent weeks trying to synthesize a feeling into colors and sounds, into something tangible enough to be written down. There's a 10 page document of senseless words that go nowhere. Half written sentences. A surplus of the color orange. "Smoke. Viewing room. Burning rubber on the run. Neon. Worms? The ground is upturned by something," etc.

By January of 2024 I had a bit more a heading. "70s, mad scientists, the unknown forced to become known, the loneliness of godhood", but it was STILL fighting me. I didn't want to write a book because it felt like something that could not be contained in prose. Which was a huge problem for me because the only kind of writing I've ever done has been prose (I'm excluding theater here because I've only been playwriting for about two years). And so the story continued to writhe and rot in my brain because I still could not understand what it wanted from me.

It was sometime in February, maybe March, that I was watching a video essay on Midwest Angelica, and the narrator made this forceful remark on how there's no excuse for anyone to not embark to create something like it.

"Blender is free. Video editing programs are free. YouTube tutorials are free."

This ruined my life by cracking my brain wide open.

All of a sudden, things began to slot into place. "I can absolutely make a webseries if I want to. Literally nobody's stopping me. How hard can it be?" (THE ANSWER IS VERY. BLENDER'S LEARNING CURVE IS STEEP. AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON DAVINCI RESOLVE. BUT ALSO I HAVE TO FILM????)

New project finally unlocked, but that also meant unlocking a lot of skills I have 0 knowledge of. Even looking down the gauntlet, the story continued to evolve. "What if I make it into an ARG" and "what if it launches off a video game demo".

The plans were BIG, the stakes were even BIGGER, and I'm just one guy who just got a pc powerful enough to get the ball rolling. So.... time to get to work, right?

WRONG.

There was still no story. I had characters, yeah, some themes, some scenes, but what was the meat of it? And then it came to me.

"Hey, remember Originator? Remember what we did with BotnEmil and StoJules? We should revisit that. While we're at it, we should revisit some older OCs from a long abandoned 2017 WIP."

And then I did. All of this to say that if you do ever embark on the journey that is The Singularity Project (official title still pending) whenever it releases, then you will have a leg up by knowing that Originator/Architect can be considered a "modern day retelling" of TSP's earliest story line.

How so?

Dr. Emil Krasner embarks with the Shackleton Expedition of 1914, a journey that ensures his assistant, Mr. Jules Al-Jurjani, returns with ice samples carrying an unknown specimen.

You see where I'm going with this? What little I thematically cannibalized of the original version of Originator is so minuscule and drastically different that I just. Decided to slap that bad boy back up.

Now, I'm obviously not going to tell you how this ties into what I've already shared of TSP. You guys know about Mike, Cy, and Verne. And this is, technically, an ARG, so the puzzle is half the fun.

Which also makes interacting with writeblr more than a little difficult because how the fuck do I share 1) without spoiling stuff and 2) stuff that's not in prose format???

Anyway, if you read all of this, may the universe give you a nice treat today. I'm gonna go do some video editing.

[thatonearoacefreak]

list of all of my more prominent phases since June of 2022

List of main phases according to my photos:

June 2022- Wof

July 2022- Wof

August 2022- Wof, animal crossing, Legends of Zelda, plague doctors…?

September 2022- Loz, Wof, animal crossing, mlp, Oop looks like I became a furry

October 2022- Fnaf, fnf, starting of batm phase, starting of babatqftim phase,

November 2022- fnf, babatqftim, batm, fnaf

December 2022- babatqftim, batm, fnf,

January 2023- warrior cats, furry stuff, huge sonic phase, my street, babatqftim, batm, sonic exe, fnf

February 2023- sonic, warrior cats, Wof, babatqftim, more furry stuff, sonic exe, fnf

March 2023- sonic, fnf, sonic exe, more furry stuff, mcyt(started with empires smp), fnaf

April 2023- Sonic, still a furry, sonic exe, fnf

May 2023- Sonic, still a furry, mcyt, more mystreet, Pokemon a bit

June 2023- Chikin Nugget, Biblically accurate angels, MCYT, still a furry

July 2023- My own ocs, Undertale phase begins, weirdcore, and whatever the Aculon Empire is from, underverseeee, BIRTH OF FALLEN VIRUS PAINT CHIBI AND NIGHTMARE!!!, still a furry but not as obvious

August 2023- Sonic, undertale, MCYT, a bit of Zelda, weirdcore, BIRTH OF RUBY LETS GOOO

September 2023- Undertale, sonic, weirdcore, getting into fnaf again, Deltarune, black holes, sams, outsiders smp, MCYT, starting Hazbin Hotel phase, underverse

October 2023- Undertale, MCYT, a bit of Fnaf, weirdcore, handplatesss, underverse, grian, BIRTH OF MY MAIN FNAF OC PATCHWORK(technically), a bit of tdac

November 2023- Undertale oml, mcyt, a bit of tdac, mainly fnaf, Oop Loki phase, underverse, sonic, weirdcore

December 2023- Mainly fnaf, and weirdcore, undertale, sonic, mcyt, Hold Back The Tide, birth of tdac oc, Oop Hazbin Hotel, sams, worm on a string(?)

January 2024- Undertale, sonic, therain stuffs, fnaf, sams a lot of sams, mcyt, back to mlp, Hazbin Hotel, Hatsune Miku, weirdcore

February 2024- Hatsune Miku, Hazbin Hotel, Undertale, Sonic, fnaf, mlp, mcyt

March 2024- Hazbin Hotel, mlp, mcyt, Sonic, Undertale, Hatsune Miku, Heathers, Deltarune (mainly spamton), Atla, Homestuck, a little bit of batm

April 2024- Undertale, Sonic, Fnaf, mlp, Hatsune Miku, weirdcore, PJSK, MHA

May 2024(so far)- Undertale, a little bit of the binding of Isaac, MHA, fnaf, Sonic, Svsss

extra: Infinity train was somewhere in 2022 idk where. Poppy playtime I never got into but it’s just kinda hovered around my life lol

[gollageek]

Hello friends and foes, you nonbinary joes!!! The results of the poll are in and the playing order is set!

First Up is the YouTube vote came out to a resounding Honk, September's Game is "Untitled Goose Game". It is bonfire season after all!

October comes in spooky chic with "Monster Prom". I'll be frank(enstein) I have no clue what this game entrails. I got all 4 games on sale so it seemed clear to me that it's a perfect choice for October!

After we're done reviving our high school trauma, we'll be moving on to Sonic's world where like my brother's prized Chao (RIP little buddy), someone has been murdered!!! That will be sometime in November, along with Nicktoons All Star Brawl 2.

Then we'll wrap out the year with what I assume will be trauma in Ori and the Will of the Wisps, a game I just really want to play.

That being said, I don't know what the plan is past January 1st due to Unity's announcement. I think we'll see competitors step up to the plate, but if Unity's greed and hubris goes unchecked it could lead to the destruction of indie games.

I also urge everyone to keep an eye on the potential gaming strikes. They will be important for the future of this industry.

BUT IM HERE TO PLAY GAMES, SO LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!!!!

See you tonight at 7:30 PM CST for GOOSINESS AND MAYHEM!!!!

[larytello]

I posted 187 times in 2022

44 posts created (24%)

143 posts reblogged (76%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@mad4turtles

@shinidamachu

@larytello

@tangledupblue

@kenmagoesblep

I tagged 177 of my posts in 2022

Only 5% of my posts had no tags

#transformers - 20 posts

#inuyasha - 16 posts

#sonic the hedgehog - 15 posts

#2022 fifa world cup - 14 posts

#yes - 13 posts

#important - 10 posts

#brazil - 9 posts

#brasil - 9 posts

#digimon - 7 posts

#rockman exe - 6 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#now i wanna go to the car thing tribute to jesse and shurastey in my city but the rain might ruin the whole plan with floodings everywhere

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Fiz umas artes novas para produtos na minha lojinha da RedBubble! Essa música tá presa na minha cabeça já faz mais de uma semana e eu vou surtar AUSHUASHAUSHAUS ----- I made some new artworks for my RedBubble shop! This song has been stuck in my mind for over a week now and I'm gonna flip AUSHAUHSAUSHAUSHA

7 notes - Posted January 3, 2022

#4

Can we stop a minute to consider about how Kagome surely got the strongest legs out of everyone in the InuGang

I mean, she rides that bike ACROSS Japan, most of the time through dirt or rocky roads as it's ANCIENT JAPAN, also carrying that monster of a backpack - School books alone are already heavy as fucking Hell, God knows how it took years for me to feel my back normal again after I was done with school, and she carries them + first aid kit + food and snacks for several days + water bottles + whatever other random stuff she feels like bringing with her to Feudal Japan to entertain her friends or to care for herself. She's also carrying Shippou along on her bike most of the time. And InuYasha himself catches rides too. InuYasha might not be fat but he's pure muscle and bigger so THAT'S HEAVY TOO.

I'm perfectly aware we've seen InuYasha run above water, which means he's got damn strong leg muscles to move that fast, but bitch that's his Youkai side giving him above-human strength. Kagome is simply human. And she's riding that bike with all that weight around like a boss.

8 notes - Posted November 23, 2022

#3

Hitch is a pretty good boy, your honor

15 notes - Posted May 31, 2022

#2

❤️🤍💙

Ontem o filme "Se Meu Fusca Falasse" (The Love Bug) completou 53 anos, que é o número de corredor do simpático Herbie, a grande estrela do filme. Eu gosto muito dos filmes do Herbie, então resolvi fazer esse desenho rapidinho. Que venham mais 53 anos de muito amor pra dar!

----------

Yesterday the movie "The Love Bug" turned 53 years young as ever, which is the racing number of our beloved Herbie, the big star of the movie. I absolutely love all Herbie movies, so I decided to draw this. Here's for more 53 years of much love to give!

20 notes - Posted March 14, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Nova tabela de preços! Por favor, quem puder compartilhar, eu agradeço!

Eu demoro um pouco pra concluir os trabalhos, mas garanto que ficam ótimos no final 😌👌🏽

----------

New prices chart! Please, share if you can, I thank you!

It takes some time for me to finish the artworks, but I guarantee you that they all look great in the end 😌👌🏽

47 notes - Posted January 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[transfemcirno]

I posted 16,800 times in 2022

That's 7,078 more posts than 2021!

2,269 posts created (14%)

14,531 posts reblogged (86%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@icinnie19

@themyofmy

@peanutbuttaz

@midiport

I tagged 2,595 of my posts in 2022

#themyofmy - 316 posts

#icinnie19 - 131 posts

#youtube - 61 posts

#peanutbuttaz - 59 posts

#flobert fnf - 42 posts

#vent - 27 posts

#prev - 26 posts

#anon - 23 posts

#soot-ig - 17 posts

#thestupidofstupid - 15 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#for me it’s a low quality video that flashes for half a second i can’t visualize it for very long it’s not dream like it’s just in 240p

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Cdc says go fuck yourself

60 notes - Posted January 3, 2022

#4

The thing many people don’t understand about classic sonic games is that you have to run into the hazards at full speed to have fun if you don’t have fun while hitting them and possibly dying then don’t play any video games forever and bury yourself in a coffin and go into river and do a Viking funeral and also stop holding right but also like don’t go slow or that’s just boring you have to predict the level design to quickly avoid the hazard got it? Okay 👍

63 notes - Posted November 5, 2022

#3

I’m doing cpr where I have to tounge the dummy it’s really sexy and hot

88 notes - Posted March 15, 2022

#2

Wait what happens after the queen dies what’s next

129 notes - Posted February 17, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

There are naked women on your dash just a heads up

457 notes - Posted April 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[benis-chillin]

2023 Gaming Backlog Top Ten

So...Meant to make this post back in January, but as I mentioned in the Sonic Fanfiction posts, I got a bit sidetracked getting back into plasma donation.

But anyway, last year, I started seeing my backlog as getting a bit daunting, since I want to get into a lot of things I've missed over the years, but I have this problem with dedicating to a series once I start it. I got back into gaming in late 2018 with Sonic, and I'm only just now getting near the end of playing all of the mainline entries, along with most of the spin-off titles. Plus, I binged Metroids 1-4 through late September-early November last year, and that one was on a whim.

But I did have a bit of a revelation when watching My Life in Gaming's end of the year video where they cited Femtrooper's video as inspiration for tackling a backlog via a "top ten list." So, I took inspiration from THAT, and made my own list for this year. I'll consider it a win even if I only get half of them done, but I'll occasionally reblog this post when I finish and start a new one.

So, let's start with the first game on the backlog.

1)Sonic 06(PS3)-Silver and Final Stories

January 2nd-April 16th(off and on)

This is mainly a leftover, since I've been cracking away at it off and on since Christmas 2021. I actually took a break after finishing Shadow's story, and now I'm determined to finish it.

2) Metroid Dread(Nintendo Switch)

???-???

Haven't bought this yet for reasons, but it'll take priority when I do. Last 2D Metroid(beyond the original 1&2)I need to play, and the demo has me looking forward to it!

3) Hollow Knight(Switch)

???-???

More of a recommendation from a friend, I got a Steam copy from her over Christmas, but I prefer 2D games in a handheld format, so I bought a digital copy for my Switch while it was on sale. Looking forward to it.

4)Devil May Cry-Switch OR PC

???-??? Another friend recommendation, to the point where one of them shared their Steam Library with me for it(which is how I played Sonic Frontiers). So I'll either buy a Switch copy during the next sale, or just play his copy on PC.

5)Resident Evil 2(Leon's story)-Wii

???-???

(Yeah, I'm listing what I'll play it on, not the system it released on. This will be the GC version)

Watching videos on this series gave me some weird-ass nightmares one time while home alone, so I want to beat at least one. Couldn't get into the first one via the DS port, so I'll give this one another go, maybe around September/October.

6)Spider-man(2000)-PS3

???-???

I like Spider-man, but have barely played any Spider-man games. So hey, may as well dedicate a slot to it.

7-9)Metroid Prime Trilogy-Wii

3 games, so 3 entries. Not planning on marathoning like I did the 2D games.

Prime 1: ???-???

Prime 2: ???-???

Prime 3: ???-???

10)Batman: Arkham Asylum-PC

(damn, that cover is crispy)

???-???

Another one I have access to via my friend's Steam library. RIP Kevin Conroy.

Oh yeah, and almost forgot(since I'm watching a stream about a YouTuber I used to watch who just murdered someone)that I bought Mega Man Legacy collection to play during Plasma Clinic waits and stuff. Already finished 1&2.

[piraticoctopus]

I posted 2,035 times in 2022

That's 303 more posts than 2021!

77 posts created (4%)

1,958 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ruthlesslistener

@silverskulltula

@kirafrog

@noegrets

@missoyashirou

I tagged 1,993 of my posts in 2022

Only 2% of my posts had no tags

#animals - 273 posts

#video post - 267 posts

#hollow knight - 209 posts

#pokemon - 154 posts

#hk fan art - 137 posts

#tumblr - 113 posts

#bugs - 91 posts

#pets - 90 posts

#op - 81 posts

#me - 76 posts

Longest Tag: 108 characters

#mostly because i’ve put way too much time into thinking abt some of it and it’s almost embarrassing to admit

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

On the one hand, a more ‘shrimpy’ PK just feels right for a number of reasons, but on the other hand if we assume he’s got this sorta elongate body with multiple limbs then I have no explanation for how the fully grown Hollow Knight is humanoid-shaped and so I am left conflicted.

78 notes - Posted July 3, 2022

#4

I have no justification for this

(NSFW audio from snapcube sonic adventure 2 fandub)

202 notes - Posted November 26, 2022

#3

I made a shitpost a year ago and haven’t stopped thinking about it so here’s a termite PK

233 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

#2

I’ve come to make an announcement:

The Pale King’s a bitch-ass motherfucker.

He stole my fucking moths. That’s right— he stole my moths and made them forget me, and he said “No blazing kin,” and I said “That’s blasphemous”.

So I’m making a callout post through the Dream Realm: Pale King, you’ve got a shitty light. It makes bugs have free will and anxiety. And guess what? Here’s what my light looks like—

*dramatic Radiance light-beam sound effect*

That’s right, baby. All instinct, all unity, no higher thought— look at that, it gives them super strength.

He stole my moths, so guess what, I’m gonna steal them back. That’s right, this is what you get: MY SUPER LIGHT PLAGUE!!!

Except I’m not just stealing the moths. I’m gonna go higher. I’m inFECTING ALL OF HALLOWNEST!!!

How do you like that, Wyrm?! I infected the whole KINGDOM, you idiot!

You have twenty-three hours before the infection DRRROPLLLETS break the fucking populace, now get outta my fucking sight, before I infect you too!

934 notes - Posted January 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

977 notes - Posted October 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[blazehedgehog]

So when stories about the Xbox 360 having red ring/heat problems started coming in, I began to worry that my 360 would be struck with it at the worst timing. When Microsoft began offering free repairs, there were stories about people intentionally smothering their Xbox with a blanket to force a red ring.

I seriously considered smothering my 360, but it turns out I didn't have to. For some reason my brain has latched on to the date of November 22nd, 2006 as when this happened, but my Xbox 360 red ringed itself. It was easy to blame Sonic 06 as the culprit, given I had just finished the game barely even a week earlier.

When you registered for a free red ring of death repair, what actually happened is you'd send your console in, and Microsoft would instantly ship you out somebody else's refurbished console. This kept queue times low, and it made sure they weren't hung up forever personally repairing everyone's individual console. (They asked you to remove your HDD before you sent your console in, so you could keep your saves and downloads)

So I put in the repair order and shipped my console off, expecting to get a replacement in a couple weeks. This was 2006, before everything sent you notifications about anything, so once you shipped your console, that was it. You couldn't track repair status or anything, I don't think.

A whole month passed. No Xbox. Well, okay, it's Christmas, right? Maybe they're backed up. Maybe they're on vacation. I can't really blame them for a small delay.

And I was patient. I'd bought this Xbox 360 because I'd won grand prize in a video contest on Gametrailers.com in August of 2006. The prize was $1000, spread across two different Gamestop gift cards, and I did not spend the whole thing on the Xbox. In total, I'd gotten:

An Xbox 360

Pre-ordered Sonic 2006 (the first pre-order I'd ever made, and my only 360 game)

Ninja Gaiden Black (Xbox)

Forza Motorsport (Xbox)

Spider-man 2 (Xbox)

A refurbished Playstation 2 (first time owner)

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (PS2)

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2)

Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)

Kingdom Hearts (PS2)

Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (PS2)

The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (PS2)

A Nintendo DS Lite

New Super Mario Bros. (DS)

Mario Kart DS (DS)

Sonic Rush (DS)

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS)

And then, closer to November, I spent the last of the money pre-ordering The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Gamecube.

So even though I didn't have the Xbox 360, I had plenty of other toys to play with.

But by the time it became the end of January, I started to wonder. It was coming up on THREE MONTHS. Surely they couldn't be that backed up, right? I'd long since finished NSMB, Sonic Rush, Castlevania, Dragon Ball, and Klonoa. Christmas was over. Heck, New Years was over. They'd be back to work by now. Where the hell was my Xbox?

So I had to call them. I gave them my repair work order ID, and I was informed that while they registered my console entering their repair facility in McAllen, Texas, it disappeared from their system after that. In other words: They lost it. The guy on the other end was very apologetic and quick to smooth things over.

Before I'd called, I was talking to friends. They'd told me to get angry. Even artificially angry. Squeaky wheel gets the grease and all that. I tried to summon up the courage to sound indignant: "Is there anything else you can do to set this right? Maybe a free game?"

It probably sounded more like nervous begging.

The voice on the other end of the line stammered. "Um. Sure, we've got a few games lying around. You could have Perfect Dark Zero or Project Gotham Racing 3."

I knew about Perfect Dark's reputation, and I'd played a little bit at an in-store demo kiosk. PGR3 it was.

Deep down in my heart, I was hoping for Gears of War, or maybe Oblivion. There was a time, 2003 or 2004, where Microsoft sent me a 20 minute Windows product survey and the payment was Halo: Combat Evolved for the PC. It felt opulent. Every product survey I've ever done since then, I think about the time Microsoft gave me a $40 PC game for 20 minutes of my time. I was hoping they were still that generous. Beyond Sonic 06, Oblivion was part of the reason I'd wanted a 360, and Gears of War was lighting up the charts.

I was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, though. I was more than fine with PGR3.

Within two days (by now the first days of February 2007), I'd had my replacement Xbox 360, and a factory fresh copy of PGR3 packaged along with it. They'd paid for free expedited shipping. About 30 minutes after getting it unboxed and hooked up, the phone rang.

It was Xbox. The same repair center guy I'd spoken to not even 48 hours earlier was calling me to make sure I received the package okay and was satisfied with the console.

In truth, I was not.

These were refurbished consoles, remember. And I assume they had to turn things around pretty quickly to keep pace with demand. Usually there isn't a problem with buying refurbs, but occasionally you run into things where a refurbished item will pass inspection but is otherwise still damaged. The 360 they had sent me was one such case.

The first thing I did after hooking the console up was begin downloading demos I'd missed. This included the stone cold classic Crackdown 1 demo. I was actually in the middle of trying it out when the phone rang, and I was already noticing problems. The intro movie for different middlewares and company logos would often stutter and skip, which seemed odd to me. Then, while driving around in the demo, I'd hit an area where the textures stopped loading.

A couple of other games displayed other stuttering problems, as well. These were problems that didn't happen with my original console. I was suspicious they had sent me a bogus replacement.

The guy at the repair center brushed me off. "Sometimes that just happens," he told me. "Don't worry about it."

I pressed him, repeating again that these weren't issues with my previous console. I told him I was concerned this replacement was already on its way out.

He suddenly got terse and cut me off mid-sentence. "The console is working right now, isn't it?"

I was kind of taken back.

"Uh, yeah, I guess?"

"Then everything is in order. I hope you have a great day."

Click. He instantly hung up on me before I could say anything else.

That 360 continued to show signs of its growing problem. The textures not loading in the Crackdown demo became my litmus test for how it was getting worse. Soon, other games started experiencing the occasional polygon explosion error.

If you don't know what a polygon explosion is, it's basically this:

Its severity depended on what game I was playing, and sometimes it would go away if I closed and rebooted the game.

I have a distinct memory of booting up the Tomb Raider Underworld demo in October of 2008 and it being a totally unplayable, because all the visuals were stretched, warped polygon explosions, all the time. There was no normal gameplay in view anywhere, and while trying to adjust the camera, the game straight up froze.

By now, the Crackdown demo consistently loaded into a completely untextured world, and sometimes would trigger its own polygon explosions. Other games were beginning to lock up as well. This system was three sheets to the wind.

Here's the deal though: since it wasn't a red ring of death? Microsoft was a lot less charitable. The repair center wanted $100 to fix the bogus 360 they sent me, and they refused to hear anything I had to say about how it was their fault to begin with. Cough up the hundred bucks or hit the road, kid.

I remembered the smothering trick. I wrapped the 360 in a blanket, popped in Sonic 06, and ran around Soleanna for a while. I ran through all of the levels at least once.

The Red Ring of Death was caused by a heat issue inside the console. The CPU would get so hot it would begin to make the motherboard flex and warp from the heat, and the solder they used to keep the chip in place would weaken. After long enough, the CPU would wiggle loose and lose contact with the board, resulting in a total system failure.

Refurbished 360's, as I came to learn, "fixed" this issue by absolutely DROWNING the CPU contacts in solder (or whatever adhesive they were using). They made absolutely certain that chip could not budge come hell or high water. If you had a refurbished 360, the only way to get it to red ring a second time was basically to take a sledgehammer to it.

In other words, I could smother this console all day, every day, and it would probably never red ring.

So I decided to go over their heads.

Six or eight months before I won the Gametrailers contest, around March of 2006, I shooted my shot: I emailed Xbox's Major Nelson.

I wanted to play Oblivion so badly that I was actually having dreams about it. I woke up from one of these dreams and was feeling particularly bold. Major Nelson was the Xbox brand/community manager at the time, so intrinsically ingrained as the voice of the people at Xbox that he publicly listed his email address and encouraged anyone to email him.

So, I metaphorically got down on my hands and knees, and I begged. I told him who I was: fledgling game developer, and wanna-be games media "journalist." And the one thing that would help kickstart one or both of those careers would be an Xbox 360. It'd be great PR, too. I ended the email humbly saying I realized what a ridiculous request I was making, but that "it never hurts to ask." Even if the answer is no.

Major Nelson responded a day or two later with some very kind words, and ultimately told me he'd love to give me an Xbox 360... when we met in person at E3. Did he mean it? Was he calling my bluff? E3 wasn't open to the public in these days, but it wasn't hard for people like me to get a press pass if they really, really wanted them. There were always stories of people from the public getting in.

Needless to say, I was too poor and too chicken. Didn't have the money and didn't have the guts. But he ended it saying if I ever had any other questions, he'd love to talk to me again.

So they lost my console, sent me a broken refurb, and were now asking me for $100 to fix their mistake? I decided to see if there was anything Major Nelson could do about it. Again, it never hurts to ask.

The best he could do: $50 off. I'd still have to pay $50 to get it fixed. I didn't like it, but it was better than nothing.

The next Xbox 360 they sent me worked all the way up until about 2019, when its disc tray mechanism finally gave out after 11 years of service. I replaced it with an Xbox 360 E.

I'd like to end this saying it might make me sound like a loser to say I flat out emailed Major Nelson and begged for freebies. That may be true, and it's also true that I really wanted to play Oblivion.

However: Upon winning the GameTrailers video competition and buying that 360, it really did actually change my life. That Xbox 360 is the entire reason my Youtube channel became what it is today, and that Xbox 360 did in fact get me my first paying games writing gig. It really did jumpstart whatever you might consider the tatters of a career. That wasn't a lie.

A Eulogy for my Playstation 4 Pro

So since I was a brain genius who decided to transfer all my fundraiser money to my bank account on a weekend, let's have a little eulogy for my poor Playstation 4 Pro.

I bought it in 2017 after a hellish move from Colorado to Nevada. We'd lived in Colorado for 26 years, and rented the same house for 24 of those years. I literally grew up in that house. Then our landlords got greedy (as all landlords eventually do), almost tripled our rent, and we had to move.

One of the last things I did before I packed up my computer was release The Definitive Way to Play Sonic Adventure on Youtube. That video was a modest success, but it had a secondary effect where a no-commentary gameplay video I'd uploaded for the fangame Sonic Utopia got picked up by the algorithm as a result, and that video suddenly took off like wildfire. I found myself sitting on a pair of videos that were about to pull in close to a combined 3 million views. It was the most I'd had a video blow up in a very long time.

I was now flush with a few thousand dollars of cash that I could do whatever I wanted with. That was great, as I got to help cover some moving expenses. I gave my Mom some money, I paid one of the deposits on our new apartment, paid to fix some stuff that got broken in the move, I bought myself a new desk, new computer chair, some storage shelves, a new bed frame, and still had about $700 left to spare. So I bought a PS4 Pro and a small handful of games (The Nathan Drake Collection, Yakuza Kiwami, The Last of Us Remastered, and Parappa the Rapper Remastered, I think). It was the first true next-generation console I'd bought in 11 years -- I'd had a Wii U, but that doesn't count.

Within that first year, I'd already run into my first problem with that Playstation 4. Back in the Xbox 360 era, I had a moment in my life where I was a psychopath that was running a media server off my PC. Every morning I'd wake up, download everything my Youtube subs had posted the day before, along with whatever GiantBomb had uploaded that day, and threw it up on the media server. The 360 could see the server, and those downloads would basically become my background noise for the day. I watched the entire GiantBomb Persona 4 Endurance Run that way: on the 360, through my media server. For context, these were the days before there was any way to watch Youtube on a television. There was no app. Youtube was just a website. So the Media Server was what I had to do to see Youtube on another screen.

In the move out to Nevada, I'd bought a cheap 32GB USB thumbdrive from the back-to-school section at Wal-mart and filled it full of movies and videos and stuff. With the PS4 set up, I plugged that thumbdrive in and tried out the PS4's media player capabilities, hoping it worked like the Xbox 360.

It did... for about 45 minutes. In the middle of watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie the media player suddenly crashed and refused to see the USB thumbdrive anymore. I reached down to pull it out only to find it was almost too hot to touch. I might have actually dropped the thumbdrive because it shocked me just how hot it was. I have never felt a piece of electronics be that hot before.

For the rest of that day, that USB port was dead. Nothing you plugged into it would be recognized. Eventually, it finally started working with controllers, but it never accepted any other thumbdrives, ever.

After about three years, I started to notice recordings were starting to get a little weird. Clips I'd record of my Fortnite matches would have huge 2-3 second chunks go missing, or the encoding would corrupt and smear. But then it went away, so I figured maybe it was just a problem with the game and not the console. It'd come back every now and then, maybe once a year, but it only ever happened with Fortnite, and only occasionally.

About a year and a half ago, I started to notice something else weird. Unless there was a specific game I needed to play for work stuff (like Sonic Frontiers or whatever), my PS4 was mostly just a Fortnite machine, and mainly because the PC version of Fortnite is a disaster.

But for months I'd left a disc in my PS4's disc drive. I think it was probably Balan Wonderworld or something, and as I booted up Fortnite for my daily founder's mission rewards, I noticed a sound. I'd been hearing it on and off for a while, but now I was finally paying attention to it. I realized: the console was sitting there scanning the disc, over and over and over, like it couldn't read it. I'd hear the disc motor spin up, the soft click-click-click as the read head scanned for data. It'd spin down, spin up, click-click-click, whirrrrrr, click-click, spin down, spin up, etc. Over and over. It'd do this for a good 30-45 seconds, then finally settle down and identify the disc.

The first time I noticed this, I ejected the Balan disc and put in something else; I think it was Dreams. PS4 read the disc instantly. I shrugged, figured maybe the Balan disc was just cursed and didn't think anything of it.

About a week later, I caught it doing it with the disc for Dreams. And then Sonic Frontiers. Then Sonic Superstars. Pretty much any disc I'd put in there. As the months wore on, it started taking multiple minutes for it to identify the disc.

A few weeks before it died, I ended up taking the disc out and basically resigning myself to only putting a disc in if I was going to play it, and removing that disc the moment I was done, because that scanning process seemed like it was making the problem worse.

A few months before it died, I got a full hardware crash on the console. The error code it gave me pointed to a hardware failure, but a google revealed that it was a generic error code that could mean literally anything. Right around this time, the video corruption in my Fortnite recordings came back around. I had a feeling it was the HDD.

Thus began the saga of trying to replace my PS4's HDD. I knew it could take SSDs, so I did some research, saved up $100, and bought a 2TB SSD that was compatible with the console. Followed Sony's official instructions on replacing the HDD, and...

It didn't work.

I vowed to get my money back and order a different HDD, but prices went up and realizing the other mounting problems with this machine (including the fried USB port), and my general mood overall, I just kept the money and figured I'd ride or die until the machine breathed its last.

8 months later... it refused to boot up at all.

Rest in piece, king. The only other console I've ever had straight up die on me like this was my Xbox 360, and if I'm being honest, I kind of smothered that poor boy a little bit hoping to get a sturdier console back from the repair center.

(I did not, but that's a story for another day.)

[one-spider-from-mars]

I posted 1,260 times in 2022

That's 787 more posts than 2021!

56 posts created (4%)

1,204 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@goopy-amethyst

@shitposting-hobbits-to-gallifrey

@wakkoswish

I tagged 24 of my posts in 2022

#funny - 8 posts

#jokes - 2 posts

#shitposting - 2 posts

#annoying - 1 post

#there's another weird one of shrek but maybe another day - 1 post

#funny tweets - 1 post

#cardi b - 1 post

#random - 1 post

#random shit - 1 post

#lockdown - 1 post

Longest Tag: 110 characters

#deja vu of an online community bullying a movie studio into changing a key aspect of the movie (*cough* sonic)

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

3 notes - Posted February 17, 2022

#4

I will have witnessed a pandemic

I will have experienced love, grievance, friendship, hatred, ease and hardships

I will have witnessed climate change

Learnt information about the past 2000 years of our history on this planet earth

Yet seeing a palindrome ambigram Twosday will always be the thing I will brag about

4 notes - Posted February 22, 2022

#3

Judas seems like the type of person who would microwave fish at work

5 notes - Posted January 22, 2022

#2

You crazy son of a bitch you did it...

I went to the cinema today and the Super Mario Bros movie trailer came up and it was the exact same trailer that got released apart from the fact that the entirity of Chris Pratt speaking had been cut out of the trailer altogether

9 notes - Posted November 27, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Popular opinion: the diary of a wimpy kid version of "baby" is better than when Justin Beiber sings it

53 notes - Posted March 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[inkedintothepaper]

I posted 22,970 times in 2022

That's 9,707 more posts than 2021!

1,921 posts created (8%)

21,049 posts reblogged (92%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@inkedintothepaper

@soldiercastiel

@teeth-kid

@rotten-dan

@saccharine-tar

I tagged 1,984 of my posts in 2022

#my art - 143 posts

#dndads - 114 posts

#bnha - 94 posts

#fanart - 69 posts

#dungeons and daddies - 66 posts

#my hero academia - 62 posts

#a hat in time - 58 posts

#mha - 49 posts

#ahit - 48 posts

#dndads spoilers - 47 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#completely unrelated to the gru movie i was just rewatching the others this week...didnt realize that whole other thing was happening . i ne

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

What should I tell my teachers to explain why I’ve been absent, wrong answers only

198 notes - Posted November 9, 2022

#4

Tom: what do you have?

Tails: A GUN!

Tom: NO-

Sonic: oh my god where did he get a gun-

209 notes - Posted April 9, 2022

#3

Kaminari: *short circuts*

Shinsou, who is not used to this: Do you want me to call you an ambulance????

Kaminari: No my name's Denki but you can call me anytime~

Shinsou, now more confused than before: ???????

247 notes - Posted August 3, 2022

#2

Sonic to knuckles: if you didn’t want to be added into my found family, you should have killed me when you got the chance

280 notes - Posted April 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I love Pokémon Legends: Arceus because god gives you an iPhone and then people are like: win or fucking die

879 notes - Posted January 30, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[zentloper-xmas]

Zentloper Xmas Letter 2021

Greetings from Texas!

Well, sort of? Presently I’m back in sunshiney California, as I took on a seasonal gig at my old theme park, Great America. Auditioned for a role as an “Atmospheric Character” with the Midway Merriment team and got selected to play Mr. Twister. So I’ve been prancing about handing out candy canes to children, as well as doing quite a bit of dancing. It’s a delight when you’re paid to have fun! I’ll head back to Texas once the winter holidays end.

For the regular “season” (April to September) I worked closer to home, at a waterpark called Schlitterbahn (owned by the same company). Began as a Lifeguard but was quickly promoted up to Dispatch Supervisor, which ultimately wasn’t quite as much fun as I’d’ve liked it to be. Contemplating whether or not I’ll be returning for 2022.

Once the waterpark closed however, I was given the opportunity to work the month of October at another Cedar Fair property: Valleyfair! It’s located in Minnesota, near the twin cities (Minneapolis & St. Paul). They were oering free travel, accommodations, and meals, so it was a no-brainer. I had a splendid “workcation,” using my o days to explore all the area had to oer: hike the many trails and enjoy the parks, visit the zoo, aquarium, and arboretum, attend a hockey game, shop at Mall of America- all while taking tons of pictures, of course. Experiencing autumn that far north was so fascinating... the inclination of the sun cast this almost other-worldly glow over the landscape, along with the changing leaves on the trees... it was gorgeous!

I continue to work remotely for SEMI helping with projects here and there. I also finally started an Etsy shop where I sell stickers, pins, and prints of my art (mostly favorite fandoms like Sonic the Hedgehog and Star Trek). I’ve made well over five hundred sales since it opened in January, so I think I can safely say it’s been fairly successful! It would be cool if it continued to grow; the extra income is certainly nice. If you’d like, you can check it out here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/sumofzed

You can bet 2021’s taxes are gonna be a blast. :P #adulting

Neil meanwhile is working at Amazon and continues to involve himself in a variety of coding projects at work, and studying AI/ML at home when time allows. Still hoping he breaks into the tech industry sometime soon. You’d think with all these big companies building factories out in the Austin area, there would be more jobs!

Achieving work-life balance is a struggle, but we managed to do some fun trips during the year now that COVID has abated. In March we camped at Enchanted Rock and enjoyed the numerous trails there. In June my parents and I went to Knott’s Berry Farm for the park’s 100th anniversary celebration, as well as explored Tombstone, AZ. In July my brother and I went to a cool retro gaming convention. Also in July Neil and I took a road trip up through Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky up to Ohio, where we explored two theme parks I’d always wanted to visit: King’s Island and Cedar Point (the latter of which was celebrating their 150th anniversary!). Of course, as an employee I get plenty of perks (like free admission and discounts), so that cut down on our costs. Though I bought quite a few souvenirs. It was an awesome time and I can’t wait to go back. Spent Thanksgiving with my in-laws, who were gracious hosts.

Along the way I’ve continued to post lots of Yelp reviews, and I’ve been nominated for their Elite crew for the fourth year running. Neat! Can you tell I like to stay busy? Being idle has never been my thing.

The biggest news is probably that in early November Neil and I combined our genetic material. I’d gotten my eggs frozen at UCSF some six years ago, but we finally took a big step towards becoming dads: we have seven embryos now ready and waiting for a surrogate. Mind, the cost of surrogacy is immense, and I balk at how we are going to manage to aord having all the children I want to have, but with determination, one day at a time, I hope we get there. I keep reminding myself I’ve come a long way in the past ten years since I came out as trans- even when things felt impossible I was able to overcome them. I relentlessly chase what I desire. It’s just a shame it’s been such a challenge navigating the IVF space as an LGBT+ couple.

Beyond that, though, we are thankful for our health and overall good situation, as well as a loving, supportive family. We hope for the same blessings in your lives.

Merry Christmas!

-Rick & Neil

[rastronomicals]

My Time Machine Gigs

An unordered chronological list

--The Steve Miller Band in 1967 or 1968, this show looks good! or maybe when they co-headlined with The Doors at the Avalon Ballroom on April `14, 1967

-- Cream's Farewell concert featuring Yes and Taste in support. At the Royal Albert Hall, London November 26, 1968

--Any of the American shows in 1968 headlined by The Jimi Hendrix Experience with The Soft Machine in support. On September 9, at the Oakland Colisum, Vanilla Fudge also played, so maybe that one.

--Blind Faith at Hyde Park Eric Clapton famously didn't feel the performance was up to par, but the excerpts I've seen look fine, so since I've already got the time machine, what the fuck. June 7, 1969

--The Stones in the Park The first gig after the death of Brian Jones, of course, and Mick Taylor's first show as well. King Crimson, Family, and The Edgar Broughton Band were among those who provided support. July 5, 1969

--Yes at the Hollywood Sportatorium The Close to the Edge tour First show on the second leg of the American portion Something like Alan White's 25th show with the band They played a lot of other gigs along this jaunt, and I've seen Yessongs, which is what this would be, but why not see them at their peak where I cut my teeth? Would have done it then, except I was 7 years old. September 15, 1972

--The Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall Manchester, England If it was good enough for Pete Shelley, I know I'd like it. June 4, 1976

--Wire's First American Shows, at CBGB's 1978 Funny thing about Wire is they played Hammersmith before they played America. They flew to New York City two weeks after doing a show at the Lyceum, and basically did a weeklong residency at CBGB's, then flew back to England. Any of the seven shows would work for me, except for the one on Tuesday July 18, when they weren't at CBGB's at all, but at a Theatre the club ran on 2nd Avenue. I visted CBGB's before it closed, but it wasn't in it's prime, you know? Thanks to my time machine, I'll check *that* out as well as the band, who of course IRL I've never had even the opportunity to see. July 13 - July 21, 1978

Knebworth Festival Second Weekend Led Zeppelin's last UK show. Reputed to be a better gig than the one played the week before. "Sick Again," "Achilles Last Stand," "In the Evening," among others more often heard live. Todd Rundgren & Utopia, among others, backed up. August 11, 1979

--Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush w/ Angel w/ Humble Pie w/ Mother's Finest at the Hollywood Sportatorium I was aware of the show at the time, I like Frank Marino, he was at his goddamned *peak*, I could afford it (tickets were only $5), and I even knew who the reformed Humble Pie were. Yet I didn't fucking go. Of concerts I could realistically have gone to, my second biggest regret. I later saw Steve Marriott, with another version of Humble Pie, but never did catch Marino. April 19, 1980

--Gila Monster Jamboree at an undisclosed location in the Mojave Desert, east of Los Angeles Featuring Sonic Youth, Meat Puppets, and Perry Farrell's first band, Psi-Com January 5, 1985

--Volcano Suns/Big Black/Live Skull @ CBGB's I wonder whether Albini has ever *set foot* in the State of Florida. In any event, I got turned on to his band by a review of Atomizer in Spin and bought it shortly thereafter. Big Black neglected to play a show in my state before abruptly breaking up less than two years later. I know a guy who saw them at the Touch & Go reunion show, and boy am I freaking jealous. Also, Live Skull's live show ca. 1986 was very well portrayed by that Don't Get Any on You thing, but by the time I saw them in 1988 at the Cameo, Marnie Greenholz had split and their sound was all wrong. So a chance to see them right. I knew Volcano Suns back in the day from that "White Elephant" track on The Wailing Ultimate comp, and I know now that they've covered "Needles in the Camel's Eye," but it wouldn't be about them, not really. July 13, 1986

--CBGB 's Halloween 1986 Pussy Galore, primarily. Death of Samantha/Phantom Tollbooth/Kil Slug OK, last show at CBGB's. But it was an important place. Two other Homestead bands who appeared on The Wailing Ultimate, but this is all about Spencer & Hagerty & Cafritz etc. I've got a copy of "Biker Rock Loser/Cunt Tease," sounds great. I mean, it sounds shitty, but it's supposed to sound shitty. Gloriously shitty, that's it. Anyway, Pussy Galore at their peak, 'nuf said. October 31, 1986

--Any of the dates along Pavement's 1992 Slanted and Enchanted tour They were at the 40 Watt Club in Athens September 12, so maybe that would be a good one? Huge fan of the band since S&E came out, even wrote them a fan letter, but did they ever repay my fandom with a SoFla gig? No! They pretty much suck for that, but I'll still give the time machine a spin to go 'n' see 'em.

--Any of the Generator Parties hosted in the Sonoran Desert by Sons of Kyuss, or Kyuss How about this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd_cV3zfQjs which was May 18, 1993

--Nirvana w/ The Breeders @ the Bayfront Park Amphitheatre, Miami My biggest regret. Not that I didn't have a ticket. I did, along with my roommate. But I got sick. Really fucking sick. I remember lying on the couch in the living room, sweating bullets, hallucinating, without the barest energy to turn my head, and Tim left for the show, I hear him rather than see him, 'are you sure you can't make it' and I mumbled, "I'll see them next time." and the door shut and I was absorbed by strange fever dreams I did see The Breeders 20 years later, and it was a good show, too, but it didn't work out as well with Nirvana. November 27, 1993

[felicia-cat-hardy]

20 Asian American Musicians To Add To Your Playlist Now

Over the past several years, the K-pop industry in the U.S. has grown exponentially. The fan enthusiasm behind bands like BTS has drawn parallels to The Beatles, and so many K-pop groups have received the same passionate reception. The attention is well-deserved, but Asian artists represent a multitude of musical genres (even just within the K-pop industry) — a fact that should not be overlooked. Whether you're a fan of indie rock, R&B, hip-hop, or dance music, you won't want to sleep on these Asian American musicians.

Asian artists have recently received some long-deserved recognition in the entertainment industry, primarily in film. In 2020, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite won big at the Oscars. The following year, Youn Yuh-Jung won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Minari, which also scored The Walking Dead alum Steven Yeun a nomination for Best Actor. However, there's still plenty of work to be done within the music landscape to ensure equal representation is achieved.

BTS, most notably, has seen unprecedented success in the U.S. Still, despite being invited to attend the last three Grammys, they've yet to take home an award, highlighting the discrepancy between their immense success and the Recording Academy's willingness to acknowledge it. Additionally, Asian artists have a harder time landing record deals. As American Idol alumni Paul Kim explained to The New York Times, he was blatantly told by industry execs he would have been signed to a label faster had he not been Asian.

By streaming these artists, you're not only supporting them and their art, but you're subsequently showing industry insiders just how valuable they are. Consider this list sonic proof Asian artists are making exceptional, diverse music that can't be boxed into one genre or sound. Each of these artists prides themselves on breaking boundaries and creating their own rules. You may have heard of a few, but many have been flying under the radar for far too long. Your ears will thank you soon enough.

Melissa Polinar

Polinar got her start in the late 2000s when viral YouTube covers paved the way for success. While artists like Justin Bieber and Lennon & Maisy were sharing music covers, Polinar focused on posting her original music — and her soulful vocals were a hit. In 2019, the Filipino-American songwriter actually re-recorded one of the songs that propelled her career forward, "Try," on its 10-year anniversary.

Eric Nam

Born and raised in Atlanta, Nam moved to Korea to pursue music because he felt he had a better chance of succeeding there. “Even if you look at American Idol, or X-Factor, or The Voice or anything, it was always difficult to see an Asian or an Asian-American make it to a certain point,” Nam told TIME in November 2019. Today, Nam is a highly visible and respected name in the K-pop industry. While he's very proud of his K-pop success, he considers himself a pop singer first. He hopes to grow his success stateside and told TIME, "I want people to hear my music and say, 'I don’t know who this person is,' and I could be Black, white, Latino, Asian — it doesn’t matter, but it’s just a great pop song."

Clinton Kane

Kane's got every making of a great singer-songwriter, and his lyricism will make a fan out of loyal Ed Sheeran or Sam Smith listeners. The Filipino-American singer's impressive vocal range captivates, and his emotion-driven lyrics will melt your heart. One of his more popular tracks, "Chicken Tendies," has upwards of 2 million views and is a must-add to your heartbreak playlist.

Jhené Aiko

As a mixed-race Japanese, Creole, Dominican, and European woman, Aiko has proudly championed her diverse roots throughout her accomplished career. The R&B singer is a six-time Grammy-nominated artist and is well respected within the industry for her philanthropic endeavors. She launched the WAYS foundation in 2017, an organization dedicated to helping cancer patients and their families.

Steve Aoki

Steve Aoki is hardly a newcomer to the EDM scene, but as one of the most prominent DJs in the industry, and one of the biggest Japanese DJs ever, it would be a crime to leave him off this list. Aoki even has his own record label and, in 2016, Netflix released I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, a documentary about his career.

Karen O

As the lead singer for the rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen O has solidified her spot as a rock music legend. Not only is the Korean-American singer's discography with the band a must-listen for any rock music fan, but her 2019 album with Danger Mouse, Lux Prima, earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance.

H.E.R.

Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, H.E.R. (aka Gabi Wilson) has become one of the most prominent names in R&B. At just 23 years old, the singer-songwriter already has four Grammy wins and 13 nominations. Along the way, she's never shied away from praising her Filipino mother and Black father, Agnes and Kenny Wilson, for giving her the unique perspectives that propelled her musical success.

Toro Y Moi

Toro Y Moi is actually one person (Chaz Bear) and he's become the unofficial king of chillwave. Born to a Filipino mother, the South Carolina native later relocated to California to further his music career. If you need some chill vibes on your playlist, Bear's got you covered.

Ruby Ibarra

Ibarra is a Filipino-American rapper from San Lorenzo, California who also dabbles in spoken word poetry. Her music is meaningful in more ways than one. A number of her songs touch upon her experience as an Asian American woman. In April 2021, she released a powerful song and video called "Gold" with Ella Jay Basco, which exposed the harmful effects of the skin whitening industry.

Ella Jay Basco

You may recognize Basco from her appearance in Birds of Prey, but her music is not to be slept on because it's making major waves. Her song "Gold" with Ruby Ibarra highlights her Filipino heritage. As she told People, "From top to bottom, we wanted to make sure that our Asian-American community was represented with this project."

Mitski

Meet your new favorite alt-rock queen. Mitski's dreamy melodies appeal to the indie-rock crowd more than anything, and, if you're a sucker for a sad bop, this Japanese-American songstress has plenty of those stacked up.

Yaeji

Yaeji was born in Flushing, Queens in 1993 and grew up between the U.S. and Korea. Since she moved around so much as a kid, she found friendship on the internet, where she first connected with the bossa nova, jazz, and Korean indie music that drove much of the Korean DIY scene. She soon returned to the States to attend college, where she discovered a love for producing and DJing. Now, she meticulously blends hip-hop elements with her house-driven sound for a listening experience that is unlike anything else.

Hayley Kiyoko

Kiyoko has been given the nickname Lesbian Jesus since she’s so outspoken about LGBTQ+ representation in the music industry. The Japanese-American singer is a true trailblazer and her pop music genius has landed her hits with Kehlani, MAX, and AJR.

Jay Park

Park is an industry heavyweight. The Seattle native got his start in the K-pop industry as part of the band 2PM, but he went solo in 2009. Today, not only does the star have dozens of hits under his belt, but he has two record labels of his own that specialize in R&B and hip-hop music: AOMG and H1ghr. Park uses his superstar status to give others the spotlight, and he's put his support behind other artists like GOT7's JAY B and Yugyeom, and Raz Simone. Whether you're a self-proclaimed K-pop stan, or you're just recently getting acquainted with the genre, Park's discography is required listening.

Jin Au-Yeung

Born and raised in North Miami Beach, Florida, the Chinese-American rapper, aka MC Jin, has some seriously impressive accolades under his belt. After becoming popular among his musical peers for his epic freestyles, he was signed to Ruff Ryders in 2002 at just 19 years old, becoming the first Asian American solo rapper to be signed to a major record label in the U.S. He's since parted ways with the label and now travels back and forth between the U.S. and Hong Kong, seeing success in both places. In May 2021, the rapper released a single called "Stop the Hatred" with Wyclef Jean to raise awareness about hate crimes toward Asian Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Olivia Rodrigo

Rodrigo needs no introduction, but I'll do it anyway: This Filipino-American actress-turned-singer-songwriter's mega-hit debut single "drivers license" was unavoidable in January 2021. Its heartbreakingly relatable lyrics about a crush moving on with someone else struck listeners to their core and immediately soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also went viral on TikTok, before making its way into a Saturday Night Live sketch. Rodrigo's songwriting skills have fans likening her to industry heavyweights like Taylor Swift, so it's no surprise her debut album, Sour, is one of the most highly-anticipated albums of summer 2021.

Run River North

Run River North is not just one musician, but three. The band formerly known as Monsters Calling Home is an indie rock band from Los Angeles. The group has an eclectic sound that draws inspiration from each member: Daniel Chae, Alex Hwang, and Sally Kang.

ZHU

When ZHU first entered the electronic music scene, he used an alias and remained anonymous. By 2014, the artist also known as Steven Zhu was ready to share his identity with the world. ZHU got his start in San Francisco, California, but has made his mark on the EDM scene globally.

Darren Criss

Criss rose to fame starring on the television series Glee and he's since proven himself to be a true triple threat. His work can be seen across TV, film, and music. In September of 2018, Criss became the first Filipino-American to win an Emmy in the lead actor category for his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. He’s also got several full-fledged EPs under his belt.

Amber Liu

Amber Liu (also known mononymously as Amber) is of Taiwanese descent and grew up in Los Angeles. She made a big splash when debuting as a member of the K-pop girl group f(x) in September 2009, but has since gone solo. Her 2019 solo track "Other People" racked up millions of streams, and she’s gearing up to drop her first album of 2021, called y?, very soon. In the meantime, she’s continuing to grow her superstar following on social media, where she has 5 million Instagram followers and over 2.3 million on Twitter.

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Every Hardest Demon in Geometry Dash

Hi, just a tiny post today. GD is known for its hardest levels, and it’s had a lot over the years. Here’s a list of just some I’ve selected. (they’re the well-known ones)

Keep in mind: every time one of these levels was beaten, everyone thought it was the limit of what a human could beat. Seriously. Until the next level on the list would come out.

1. Cataclysm—Gboy (May 15, 2015)

Not the first hardest demon ever, but a good place to start here. Cataclysm was the first hardest demon to set a precedent of what it’s like to be one. It was good-looking, menacing, all on top of being insanely difficult.

Riot would beat the level in May 2015: the first victor (Gboy originally hack-verified it). Riot liked it so much, he got a group together to build a spiritual successor: the next level on this list.

2. Bloodbath—Riot (August 12, 2015)

Even if it’s not the hardest level in the game anymore, it still is in my heart. Bloodbath became not just the hardest demon, but THE hardest demon: a title, a name.

It is the culmination of an era: ten of the times’ best creators, collabing to build the game’s hardest level, and having it be verified by the times’ best player. It’s red, it’s hard, it’s hell.

3. Sonic Wave—Sunix (November 25, 2016)

(video: epilepsy warning)

Cyclic created the level in 2015. He wanted to make the hardest level in the game, and hack-verified it. Even after this level got unrated, people still remembered it. Sunix was just the one who beat and uploaded the level legit.

The day this video came out, I was there to watch it. I remember—I cried. This level was literally thought to be impossible, and someone beat it. It was a big moment for us all, watching.

4. Yatagatasu—Trusta (January 14, 2017)

The sequel and spiritual successor to Bloodbath, Yatagarasu was the next big level. Everyone was excited during it’s completion, and celebrated after it was verified.

A megacollab between 24 creators, it switched verifiers from Riot to Surv to finally Trusta who verified the level. Two days after the level was released, Geometry Dash updated to Update 2.1���after over a year.

5. Plasma Pulse Finale—Smokes (October 29, 2017)

At this point I think you’ve realized that the list just keeps on going. The fourth level in the Plasma Pulse series: built by Smokes and Giron, the second & third levels would be list demons, and the last one would be the hardest demon.

While the two of them built the level together, Smokes was assigned to beat the level. It’s still the game’s hardest timing demon, years later. Damn, this level is that old? I remember watching its verification like it’s just yesterday.

6. Bloodlust—Knobbelboy (February 20, 2018)

A rebirth of Bloodbath, Bloodlust was on the same levels of hype in the community as Yatagarasu. It’s verification took so long, people thought it was never going to be beaten. Until Knobbelboy verified it.

1.5 years. That’s a long time to have a single level in the back of your mind. But that’s just what happened to Knobbelboy, with this 12-person hell-themed extreme demon megacollab. Man, I’m glad it’s over with.

7. Zodiac—Xander (January 29, 2019)

Don’t be fooled. This video is a hack-verification. Zodiac was “beaten” in January 2019, a megacollab as the hardest demon in the game. Then in June it was exposed that Xander had been hacking.

But when they went to unrate the level, they couldn’t, because a pro player—Technical—had already beaten the level, proving it was possible. So the level remained rated, and its title as #1 demon stayed.

8. Tartarus—Dolphy (January 6, 2020)

This is where the hardest demon is now. One final hell-themed #1 demon megacollab, it was hosted by Riot but thrown out into the world for people to verify it. The race came down to Mullsy, a Canadian, and Dolphy, a Russian.

Both of them beat it, but Dolphy won the race and his version was rated. We think this level is the limit of human ability, but we can’t be too sure. Not until the next level. And we’ve seen that happen ample times already.

Ok thanks everybody! If you’re curious for more about the hardest demons in the game, there’s the official link above to the demonlist. It has the 150 hardest demons in Geometry Dash.

Hope to see you soon!

[cutevon]

“i’m still processing march 😭” damn that’s crazy

january australia fires

february sonic movie

march quarantine started

april animal crossing(came out in march but i got it in april so it’s still important)

may my birthday but that’s about it

june blm blew up like crazy

july uuuhhhh still blm ngl

august nothing happened in august for me

september california fires

october halloween ofc!! candy :0

november the election damn

december :) cyberpunk 2077