#if i had more of a platform i would boost their music more but i don’t

[rosesradio]

.

[cloama]

*rubs temples in annoyance*

Now Drake, if you knew you were in the middle of fierce negotiations with the record label, trying to show them you're worth more pay, why the fuck would you enter a rap battle with your brand new lable-mate and rap icon, Kendrick Lamar?

You were gambling on the notion that if you won, you'd secure that raise. You didn't win. You actual lost so badly that it fucked up your literal and social capital. You played against someone on your label thinking the label would back you. Why? Man that's Kendrick Lamar. Beyonce's favorite rapper. What were you thinking?

It's one thing to lose a rap battle, or lose some public favor. It's a whole other thing to lose your potential 200 million dollar raise and streams and album sales. You dummybitch! Why would you bet it all? You know they say you got a gambling problem. I'm not unconvinced.

Now you're calling the success of Not Like Us A Fix™️ and trying to figure out who to sue because if your lawyers can find wrong doing(they won't), you might be able to get out of that contract you've been in since you were a young man(you won't). Sad.

You wouldn't be filing this if you hadn't lost enough money and opportunities to affect your current standard of living. It must be bad. Another reason this is really pathetic: rap battles are notorious money makers for both sides. People stream more and buy merch to participate. It's a huge boost every single time. So much so that some rappers start shit just for a quick paycheck and popularity boost.

So with that being said, imagine how wack you have to be to become the first rapper in history to lose money in a rap battle. Wild. I am riveted.

I cannot wait to watch this lawsuit unfold, once you figure out who to sue at Universal Music Group. Thinking there was payola and stream manipulation when it was the first organic hit in over a decade is so funny to me. Universal Music Group is about to kick your ass when they prove that they actually had to do less for Kendrick on this than they usually have to do for you. Or when they bring up that they asked Kendrick and The Weeknd to spare you stop beefing with you because they could see your were losing public favor. Or when they bring up that Kendrick let people stream and react to the song on video platforms for FREE. He was smart. The label didn't want you to lose this badly. You actually let them down. Now everyone's gonna know your business if/when you get this deposition you want so badly. It's gonna make you look even more patheti-- you know what? Nevermind. You got it, big dawg.

[omgsuperstarg]

#K-popaddock- Toto Wolff x reader

You know I love nothing more than K-pop! So what better than dance challenges with some of the drivers and even the boss man himself for some good fun in between races.

As a driver, you knew it had been stressful having to push the pedal to the metal every weekend but you loved it and wouldn't have it any other way. Everyone knew how much of a K-pop fan you were by the edits and dance covers you uploaded and they loved when you got the chance to show off your skills.

The Mercedes admin gave you the honour of creating some content for the Team Socials and the fans knew that in your spare time, you loved to dance especially to K-pop songs. So you started the #kpopaddock in which each race weekend you tried to do at least some challenges personal and fan-voted. So for the newest edition, it was time to see the other drivers on Grid show their moves and the poison was EXO Kai's Rover since it was the easiest and you knew most of the guys could pick it up well.

And so it began, it was enjoyable seeing the guys try their hand at the choreography. Charles and Carlos put their own flavour and comedy into the dance as you knew the C² would. Max and Daniel did the dance well and Lewis put his own style and improvised a dance to the song.

Now this was the moment that the fans would go ballistic over. It's a proven fact that Toto is a staple to the F1 internet and what better way to get the fangirls screaming than their fave principal dancing. The admin had him agree to do some content but he doesn't know what kind so it was time to break the news and document it.

"Hey boss man, I hope you're ready for your special challenge", you say smiling hiding your evil intentions on what your boss has to do.

'"I hope nothing too difficult and embarrassing.", the Austrian principal speaks with a hint of amusement.

"As we all know, you can party hard and dance so I want to challenge you to bust a move utilizing some k-pop choreo and the whole garage is going to be your personal cheerleader", the garage erupts into cheers and whistles with some taking out their phones ready to capture the moment.

Toto's face resembles a cherry with blood rushing to his cheeks but knowing Toto he's not one to refuse but I did have a stipulation if he did forfeit.

"Just so you know sir, if you fail to accept you must wear wolf ears for the remainder of today's proceedings. So choose wisely!", you say in giddy excitement.

You could hear him mutter in German at the mess he's about to enter.

"Don't worry boss, your dance will be cool and simple to complete and that song is 2PMs My house. Get your popcorn yall cuz this is finna be a show you'll never forget", you profess like an announcer at a circus saving the best act for last.

You begin to teach Toto the moves and he's a surprisingly quick study, its always nice to see the man you look up to have a little breather since race days always have him stressed and the cherry on the cake is that it gives the team a morale boost.

"You think you're ready Mr. Wolff?", you inquire to your commander.

"Yes, I hope I don't embarrass myself too much. I'm marvelled at you. Not only you're a great driver yet here you displaying another facet of your talent. Im quite proud of you.", he confesses after which he gives you a huge wolff hug.

NOW ITS SHOWTIME!!! With all cameras at the ready and baited breath, this was his debut and you placed the cat headband on him for good measure and then the music started.

It was such a huge moment that even some of the other garages came to sneak a peak at the powerful Wolff getting his dance on and in the end, he did pretty great and the crowd loved it. Some cameramen even documented it live. It was truly an ICONIC Toto moment! You didn't think Toto was able to move his hips like that but he proved you wrong.

You even sent the video to Mrs Susie so she could see her beloved husband in action and she LIVED FOR IT AS WELL as well as little Jack laughing at seeing his dad dance😊😂👌

"AHHHHHHHHH, yep!!!!! This is millions-worthy right here. THE FANS ARE GOING TO EAT THIS UP!!!!!", you say as you observe the footage.

"You did really good Toto, im proud of you. The ears stay on", you said running to prep for the day's races before he can rebuttal.

Bonus Clip

At the end of the day, you placed P4 and to celebrate you had one more challenge to do and it was a compilation of Lee Chaeyeon's Knock. You've been practising for all four levels of the dance and now it's time to bare the fruits of the labour. Dressed in your outfit, you proceeded to leave it all on the track for everyone to see!

[miloscat]

[Review] Sonic R (PS2)

Peak Saturn vibes.

I’ve now got much more Sonic experience under my belt. I’m thrilled that I can now have informed opinions about the series! But now it’s time to play some spinoffs from over the years that I’ve always meant to try out. First up is the franchise’s first racing game… that people really like (the Game Gear had the two Drift games but it doesn’t seem like they made much of an impact).

British studio Traveller’s Tales had proved themselves with the isometric game Sonic 3D Blast so Sega commissioned them for an original title for the Saturn. As it turned out this would be Sonic’s only full new game on the system as the highly anticipated 3D debut Xtreme never came to be, and the only other titles were a 3D Blast conversion, the Mega Drive compilation Sonic Jam, and a cameo in Christmas Nights. I played the version included in the Sonic Gems Collection on PS2, which is based on the enhanced PC port.

Sonic R is an unconventional racing game in that, while it still plays not unlike a standard kart racer, many of the characters are on foot, and the game includes platforming and exploration elements. While I’ve played other games that include some of these ingredients like Rayman Arena, Beetle Adventure Racing, and arguably Sonic Rivals, the mix is intoxicating here, helped by excellent track design and immaculate vibes.

Rather than multi-track cups, you just play each track on its own. Well, there's only five tracks total and one is unlockable (a consequence of a quick development turnaround) so it makes sense. You can go for first place but the more satisfying goal is learning all the side paths and shortcuts. These dense little environments, designed by Sonic Team, have depth to make up for their paucity, and finding their secrets (in the form of tokens and Chaos Emeralds) unlocks new racers and the final Rainbow Road-esque track which is more a victory lap to speed around with your overpowered unlocks. Rings scattered around can be paid to open doors or enhance your boosts, and item tokens can help a bit but there's nothing as unbalanced as your typical Mario Kart game.

The racers have an interesting amount of variance to their stats. For instance, Tails is slippery and nimble while the Egg Robo has much more inertia. Sonic double jumps, Knuckles can glide, Robotnik in his hoverpod can shoot homing projectiles (they're not very debilitating), while Amy uniquely drives a car(!) which funnily enough is relatively slow but gets a boost on cooldown. Along with Metal Sonic, R introduces new counterparts in the form of Metal Knuckles and the fan-favourite Tails Doll. I would have liked to see them go all-out with even more characters but it's a decent selection and acts as a pretty good send-off to the Classic era before the characters got redesigned in Adventure. These low-poly renditions are just adorable!

Another way of remixing the racetracks is a weather system that changes the lighting and conditions. It makes the inevitable replays that much fresher, and of course the smooth tunes will draw you in as well. Veteran composer Richard Jacques nails it with a catchy Eurobeat mix, each track accompanied wonderfully by vocals from TJ Davis. It's a transportive soundtrack that gives the game a singular feel; this is truly what video games were made for. I was shocked to learn that this game's music is considered divisive! It's great!

Anyway, I had a breeze with this one. I did turn the difficulty to easy so I could focus on the exploratory aspects without worrying too much about winning (you do need to place well to keep the emeralds and unlocks), and I have no shame. Sonic R is a lovely little treat. This is Sega at its best: experimental, collaborating with international partners, and with vibes off the charts. Also, the framerate is rock solid which I've learned is never a guarantee with Sonic games. I know that later British-developed Sonic racing games are also excellent, but in between I still need to investigate the Riders series of hoverboard racers. Until then!

[whogirl2011]

So last Saturday at my work was wild. I got to speak to Sloane Siegel from Dwight in shining armor / Gotham knights.

So there was a signing event for the voice actors from Gotham Knights in California last weekend. I posted it in a discord with my friends that I played Gotham Knights with. Since Gotham Knights came out in 2022 and all of these people are constantly busy now doing their own things and working on various projects, I was sure this was going to be a rare occurance. And with this event being in California and me living across the pond in Scotland now, I was kinda bummed.

What I didn't know at the time was one of my friends from that group that lived in Cali was trying to figure out if he could make it down there.

He did, but didn't know if he could until really last minute.

I got a message from him later saying he'd found the comic store they were doing the signing at but it was still super early and the place wasn't open yet.

Later that evening at work when I had gotten everything ready for us closing for the night I checked my phone and noticed I had gotten a missed call over discord.

You know when you have little things going wrong all day and they just pile up? This was that day. So when i got a call from my friend I was expecting he was calling to tell me something along the lines of he couldn't get the signatures. I called him back, expecting to hear just that.

He asked me if i was free and I said I had a few spare minutes. He told me he mentioned me to them while he got the signatures and the VA's all knew me from either me posting and rooting for them on all their work they were doing along with some of them even liking pics of my plushies I show off that I make 😱

What I had not expected was him to keep me on hold because he was going to give the phone to Sloane so I could talk to him!

My friend had asked Sloane if he knew someone that followed him on insta by the name of whogirl and he did. He told him he was there on my behalf since I was in Scotland. When my friend told him he had me on the phone and asked if he wanted to talk to me he was like: " I would absolutely love to talk to her." 💀💀💀

Then when he took his phone he instantly said "So THIS is the famous whogirl." 💀💀💀 Guys when I say Sloane Siegel is insanely sweet, it's an understatement. He answered questions and we had a lovely conversation about projects he's got in the works along with me living in Scotland. I told him Dwight in shining armor was my comfort show and I thanked him for that character and he told me it was a comfort show of his too 🥺🥺. He wished me a good rest of my day and my shift at work and hoped that he wasn't getting me into too much trouble since i was at work. (He wasn't, luckily my manager understood because when do you get a chance to talk to an actor on the phone?)

It definitely made my day. The month of March is rough for me for many reasons so this was definitely something that made this month so much better and definitely gave me a boost.

If anyone reading this is a fan of his like I am, please support his stuff. He voiced Robin / Tim Drake in the game Gotham Knights. He's in an independant band called ICYDAY making music with a fellow actor and friend David Bloom that was with him in gortimmer gibbons and another mutual friend named Isaac. Their music is on spotify and most streaming platforms now and at this time they have 3 songs out. He's currently working on a comic that's been in development for the last few years and I am really looking forward to seeing more of his writing. You can also watch episodes of Dwight in shining armor either on BYUTV for free in the US or across here in the UK on BBC I Player. He's also acted in various shows and movies you can find on IMDB.

I look forward to getting my signed item from all these amazing people in the mail and will update when I get it. But for now, here's a pic of the four from the event from the event organizer's insta.

[shayshaybiscuit25]

I no longer support white celebs or people//

How do people not realize this is basically birthing hatred in your own heart. It makes one no better than the people they claim to hate. All white people aren’t the problem, majority, to the point racism is still ramped, yes, but to blindly go around claiming to not like or support every single white person based on the actions of others makes you seem childish asf anon. I get mad at racist, not all white people.

I suggest you go to you local library and take a deep dive in history, if it weren’t for certain white advocates even in small numbers, a lot of risked their lives along with our black leaders, a lot of things would not have occurred nor improved.

Go learn about the White Panther party.

I get so tired of people looking at things on the internet and basing conclusions without realizing you obviously know very little about our history let alone the world to make a baseless statement like that,even reading this you’re probably thinking I’m “standing up for the white man” 🙄

Some of you need to learn what’s happened. I know things are bad now, but sweetheart they’ve been worse they’ve also at one point were amazing. Many of you weren’t born to know there were three beautiful decades where black folks THRIVED!! We everywhere, music, tv, etc. We were and forever will be IT! ✨ unfortunately racist and some black people who chose money over the betterment of our people (Hi BET 🖕🏾), shut that down and now we have the entertainment industry as you all know it now. This is why many of us that you all think are “haters” say music, tv and movies aren’t the same. We had multiple talented black women across genres, not just one or two. We had every skin tone represented. Many of you truly don’t understand how y’all fall for some of the most mediocre stuff nowadays yet call it “talent”.

The standard has dropped significantly to the point everyone and their mama are getting famous now.

I may sound like a prude, but the over sexualization of black women ain’t it. They are trying to have our young girls and immature grown women thinking certain types of behavior and attire is appropriate when it’s not. No one is saying cover up head to toe, but many do not understand there’s a time and place for things. Most of our celebs are focused on money and not the influence they are putting out there. It’s all going to blow up eventually. We went from artist standing up and using their talents and platforms to better our community, go listen to L-Boogie “That Thing”, and listen to the lyrics. Nina Simone, BillieHoliday, etc to now where people can say a basic quote that sounds nice and people automatically label them an advocate. Don’t even get me started on various white artists using black artist to boost their careers or eras. (Miley Cyrus now claims to be embarrassed by her Bangerz era, yet claimed back then that was her authentic self, stop letting people use us)

I understand the times change, but said change isn’t always good. We’re still being used in ways many can’t comprehend.

Idol worship is seen as “normal”. People really be out here worshipping other humans who mock God, yet claim to be “Christian”, I don’t care if someone claims to “love” God with their mouth, actions speak louder than words. Too many baby Christians out here getting easily influenced because they lack knowledge of HIS word. I’m serious, people better stop playing with God and making excuses for their actions. God don’t play that. He shows us love, grace and mercy, yes, but putting demonic affiliation in music videos, calling God the n-word, Calling God out his name in general, mocking him, etc.

Showing every single inch of their bodies and trying to claim it’s for expression or women rights, nah you can love you and be sexy without doing all that. There’s a reason the black women of the 70s, 80s and 90s were top tier, sometimes less is indeed more.

Just because someone is rich and famous doesn’t mean they are “blessed” by God. People don’t think Satan will be crafty enough to have you believing you’re doing great, not realizing lukewarm Christianity is not good. God will spit them out of his mouth.

Don’t allow these entertainers have any of you out here drifting away from God all because you love your fav. These music artist today display the darkness right in front of us all, but get praised. Go watch the videos of early 2010s to now and tell me they haven’t gotten darker and more revealing in various ways.

Y’all stay blessed and just keep your eyes and hearts open. Developing the gift of discernment is a true blessing. People think because we’re saved we can do anything, but God knows all. We speak in love and truth. His word is Truth.

Oh wowwwwww

Anon to Anon.

[likeadevils]

well i only asked cause i dont know. i only know about that Post but that doesnt say much. whatever, it's ok

i think it really does come down to individual opinions, and since taylor hasn’t ever (and probably will never) talk about it, there’s really no way to know the truth. i also don’t think my opinion is that popular, and i don’t think i’m the most important voice in this conversation, seeing as so much of the conversation revolves around what was an appropriate response to the black lives matter protests of 2020, which feels weird for a white woman to try and police.

that being said if you want my essay

i think taylor leaving was preceded by a mindset of trying to keep her life a very manageable size at all costs. she mentions that mindset in most interviews in 2019, mostly referring to stepping away from the wider world in 2016, but i think it’s fairly clear that she was still struggling with that through the lover era— there’s taylor crying in the miss americana documentary about things getting loud and feeling like it’s about more than the music, and she also talks in the folklore long pond sessions about feeling like everytime she put out an album she was loading a canon that would shoot back at her, and not feeling released from that feeling until folklore. in her 2019 billboard interview she says she liked tumblr because it felt like the only place where she could talk to her fans without feeling like she was talking to a continent, and i don’t think it started feeling like a continent to her after only one post. as someone active on tumblr during the lover era, there were countless big and small flare ups of drama over everything under the sun. more than a single issue, i think it was the constant drama over anything she did or didn’t say, or even just us fighting amongst ourselves and not expecting her to see it, that really drove her away, not just one post.

there’s also just my opinion (which is pretty unpopular) that the post, and the outcry from the fandom it represents, wasn’t like, a heinous crime. i likely wouldn’t make the decision to edit one of her likes, and centering taylor swift in a conversation about police brutality is kind of an ass backwards way to go about things, but it’s clearly marked as an edited message, and i don’t think it was all together unfair for fans to expect more of taylor after declaring again and again that she was going to speak up about important political issues. i understand why taylor didn’t— she only speaks up about causes that she deeply understands, and as a white woman raised in pennsylvania she likely didn’t have a thorough understanding of systemic racism. there’s also something to her waiting until the fires dipped down and then using her voice then, as a way of boosting a movement with her platform rather than speaking over activists who already had the stage. but that didn’t stop a lot of fans from feeling increasingly abandoned by a women who had promised to be on their side and then seemingly disappeared.

in the same way i understand and sympathize with what taylor was going through, i can give grace to what was essentially a decentralized mob of teenagers and young adults living in the middle of a deadly pandemic, dealing with nationwide riots, and staring down a potential civil war in november. using taylor leaving as an endless well to yell at each other is just repeating the cycle that drove her and many others of the platform in 2020. one of the things i personally learned that year is that endlessly litigating a complex issue that inherently involves putting words in taylor’s mouth is just setting yourself up for drama and heartbreak, and i think why taylor left is one of those issues

[bloomboxygo]

ARC-V Month Day 16: Actually, he would say that

@arcvmonth

Alright, I know last post I told that the salt prompt was the next one I'd work on, but that proved to be more than I could chew. I need it to be accurate and thorough, so I'm delaying it for now, and I'll do easier, more lighthearted stuff.

I... At the risk of getting too off topic, I'm gonna mention the Monsters (mostly Melodious) a lot in these headcanons. After all, who else will? Still gonna have actual ARC-V characters here and there (Yuzu)

You know that I do Duel Spirits, so it makes sense that they have the Spirit World. The Melodious' home is a Conservatory, not a stage. They are performers who seek to soothe the souls of whoever listens (this is based off Cross Duel flavor text, RIP)

The Spirit World itself is kinda like a dreamworld crafted by the humans' desires in the real world. That's how we can get the new Melodious Fusions, the Synchro Superheavies, and all the new forms of Odd-Eyes, the performapals, and such.

Now, there's some implications that Aria and Sonata are related, as they gently hold hands to perform their techniques such as Tribute Summoning. Also Sonata is never seen without Aria. They're girlfriends. Based off of that, there are other ships of mine in this new world: Canon/Solo (graceful, but also tough with a short temper/ a cheerful, playful ball of positivity) and Mozarta/Cat Dancer

Elaboraring on the latter, Mozarta trained Cat Dancer to control her power and have her combined with the grace of a performer, as the Dancer's form wasn't refined at all. With that, Cat Dancer evolved into Panther Dancer and beat Mozarta at last, scarring her with vertical marks down her eyes, which she keeps as a reminder that she has to attain personal growth as well, and thus a rivalry, and love, was born. (She's the only maestra to have those marks in her body, and those are kept as Bloom Diva)

Oh yeah Cat Dancer's essentially Goku. Starts off as Blue Cat, the strongest of her kind, and trains more and more to protect the other Lunalights. There, she fused with Purple Butterfly to become Cat Dancer, which is SSJ1. Panther Dancer could be considered SSJ2 and Leo Dancer SSJ3.

Sorry if I bored you with that, let's get to the silly/cute stuff

The Melodious are open to new genres of music. Yuzu shows them, via Bloom Diva, some other musical trends that the Monsters have fun of. One time, Yuzu showed a famous song to Bloom Diva, who was endeared by it but also kinda confused. When she met the other Melodious, she found out that Serenade, Sonata and Solo were doing the Caramelldansen, much to many's shock.

Not all experiments were good. Yuzu had a Duel with a Duelie Club students who used autotune for her songs. It was so bad for the Melodious, it got turned into their favorite insult when they think something is really fake.

But some were great! They had an exchange program with a band of traveling performers of light and sound known as P.U.N.K.

Bloom Diva's pot is actually her feet. It's like her shins have turned into roots that could somewhat move beneath the pistil of the flower platform she's in. Nobody really knows why.

After some demonstrations by Yuzu and Mikiyo, Aria tried to emulate the more modern, idol style, as she thought that would boost her confidence and make her more open. It... Didn't quite work out, but the try was definitely appreciated.

Elegy got significantly better at performing once Yuzu's adventures were over. The Melodious felt they were affected more by her tragic, gloomier songs, and Elegy doesn't really elaborate why. Turns out, Yuzu's misadventures gave her a lot of new material and she's somewhat embarrassed of it.

Harmonia's still trying to get Melodious Pendulums to the Conservatory to this day. Sadly, her efforts seem to remain futile.

Superheavy Samurai Brave Masurawo is actually a statue built by the other big Superheavies in Gongenzaka's honor. Superheavy Samurai Prodigy Wakashi is a little flutist robot built by the little guys as "Masurawo's best friend".

The Lyriluscs, as you may know by my fics, are girlscouts. They were always that way as with these ideals, they've worked together and grown stronger together. Nightingale only takes the messages to heart...

While Promenade Thrush is strict about the respect of the rules. Heck, sometimes, when it's particularly bad, she turns into Sergeant Hartman for a bit.

The Windwitches can come in two forms: humanoids and constructs. Humanoids talk as a person would, but constructs only communicate with dings, bells and chimes. Winter Bell adds whistles.

I'm sure there's more I could put, but I'm a bit tired. And next part... Is gonna be a big one, let me tell you.

[likedbyuarmyhope]

I’ve been a BTS fan since 2015-2016 (I forget) I’m so thankful I left TWITTER (I refuse to ever call it by it’s new name) 3 years ago (I was thinking of leaving even a year before that) back then you could already see the utter shīt show it was becoming. It started becoming an embarrassment to call myself an Army (not because of BTS but the behavior of the fandom). Tumblr is a relatively smaller platform for the fandom mostly older fans so it was never that bad here. Unfortunately the cesspool Army is finding its way here and fūcking it up now. I’m hoping we can all collectively come together (the ones with actual brain cells and common sense) to get rid of these ašs hats. I’m not about to let them ruin it here too like they have literally EVERY SINGLE PLATFORM there is. Sadly the toxic ones are the loudest and ruin everything. Everything we spent YEARS putting together and requesting has gone up in flames because of them. And like you said they definitely do not care they don’t listen to the members, they don’t read things, they don’t watch actual things with them having serious conversations, it’s all superficial and shallow with them. Pardon my language but they’re all fake as fūck using BTS to just boost their egos to say OMG my group paved the way OMG MY group did this and that. They’re like hipsters (derogatory). I miss the early days those were more peaceful and real and easier to take down all the toxic fans. I feel like when BTS says Army they mean the non-toxic ones especially when they’ve spoken about how the Armies they love are respectful and don’t step over their boundaries and “fans” would know that if they actually paid attention to what the members themselves have said with their own mouths. One of them literally had a whole video on how they should behave and be kind and respectful and they didn’t f——ing listen! So disappointed but not surprised.

honestly yeah. pretty much all of this. like i said there's always been issues with certain factions of armys being bigots, at least ever since i joined the fandom in 2017, but i feel like around 2020-21 when there was a massive influx of new fans (who didn't know anything about kpop or the context surrounding bts's entire history, weren't there for some of the most pivotal moments in bts's career and who only know about what bts experienced in both the korean and western music industries through passed down stories from other people who weren't there) is when it all truly went to shit. since then you really can't escape it and the last few months with the insane backlash to the hybe boycott and really the entire fucking scooter braun situation have exposed the absolute ugliest sides of these people. but there definitely is a not-insignificant number of pre-2020 armys who are like this too, there's a ton of factors that have gone into the enabling of morally reprehensible behavior in this fandom over the years and it would take all day to list them out

[taoofshigeru]

Sea of Stars Final Thoughts

See this post for my initial thoughts. Comprehensive spoilers to follow, obviously.

---

1) World design was the highlight of the game for me. Each area looked unique and was fun to navigate around, and the way they were able to integrate some puzzle design into it was quite nice. Using the Graplou to get around felt super-smooth, which isn't always the case in isometric-style platformers.

2) Combat was solid but really not much of a challenge. I never game-overed on a boss up to and including the final boss, and both times I did lose was just a mob where I went in without bothering to heal. The key reason for this was Seraï's Disorient was busted and allowed my team to rip through every single-enemy boss like tissue paper. And most bosses were single enemies. You just keep hitting them with turn delays and then they never take turns. Tack on Arcane Barrage and Great Eagle later on in the game and it gets pretty ridiculous.

I mean, lock-breaking is a neat idea but I've experienced very similar things done better in Octopath Traveler's break/boost system, and when I was fighting bosses I kind of wanted to just be doing a game that didn't depend so much on timed hits. Bravely Default II included similarly stunlock-focused moves like BP Depleter or the Bravebearer class' entire moveset, and the main criticism of that game was how it had a counter system where late-game bosses would randomly counter actions taken by the player in ways that many, myself included, felt were punishing and unfair design. And I feel like this game showed me the other side of what happens when you just let a move like Disorient be usable without any sort of punishment.

Crustaleon dropped minions that lasted more then one multitarget attack before he could be delayed, and the Sea Slug dropped boulders even when it wasn't its turn, and I was excited to see one or both of those mechanics be folded into the final boss battle. Given this, the final fight with Aephorul felt like a real anticlimax. It was just a literal curb stomp for the heroes. Aephorul got to take like, 5 whole turns.

All that said, I enjoyed managing and being able to swap out the party of 6 in real time was nifty. I just wish they had done more with it in terms of late-game/true ending bosses with some real teeth.

3) The music was great. Particularly a fan of the Dweller boss theme mix that plays during the Dweller of Torment fight, and that super-amped Glacial Peak theme.

4) Writing/story was where I felt the game really ran into real inconsistencies. If I divide the game into acts.

The first act, up until the Dweller of Woe fight, I was fairly consistently not enjoying the story. The second act, from the Sea of Nightmares to Swan Song of the Warrior Cook, I found to be genuinely inspired. The third act, Seraï's World, Fated Hour up until the final boss fight, did well but also felt like it was somewhat coasting to the end off the strength of the second act. (Resh'an kind of just quits the story after you fight the birds to scroll through his text history with Aephorul and I was expecting him to play a mildly bigger part in the true ending.)

And the pirate dialogue in particular had some real turds that came off as mean-spirited rather than humorous. It's okay to have a story with some whimsy and humor, and for an RPG to poke fun at itself or the genre in general. But there were some jokes there that just personally felt sour to me. Case in point:

My honest opinion is that when the entire second half of your game boils down to using one move on bosses repeatedly until they die, maybe cut the Keenathan half of that exchange. The game and the script is more than this, but that's the quote I'll remember from it the most.

5) All that said, the cast had its moments. Garl is the good boy of all time, and while I'm neutral on Resh'an and Seraï as characters they had this great dynamic during the Dweller of Strife fight that ultimately leads to the warrior cook's untimely death.

Resh'an: "The rules exist for a reason and people will get hurt if I break them." Seraï: "People have gotten hurt following your god damn rules!"

Given that a) Garl dies as a result of Seraï tossing the vial of time at the Dweller and b) Valere and Zale would have died had she not done so, the script leaves room for them to both be kind of right, which I thought was a neat and nuanced writing decision.

I kind of wished they had explored it a bit more, too. Valere and Zale understandably focus on what Garl does while living on borrowed time and that does take precedence. However, after the funeral, it may have been effective for one of them to exchange some harsh words with Seraï over her decision back there. That would have helped crystallize them as two distinct characters with a wider range of emotions. As opposed to just being Garl's matching sidepieces. (Which is itself a fine role, still!)

---

To be clear, I liked Sea of Stars quite a bit! I had beef with some specific elements that keeps it out of my top tier of pixel RPGs, but more than anything I'm really, extremely appreciative that people make games like this. Will look forward to seeing whatever Sabotage does next.

[metalhead-brainrot]

[Album of the day] The Healing Process - Locked Inside Yourself

Milan, ITA // 2022

[Genres] tech thrash

[Themes] conformity, society, medication

[FFO] instrumentation over production

[Thoughts] I post a lot of tech death, but tech thrash is a tad harder to find. I love it all the same, though; I'm a total Voivod Bro. And while this debut album by The Healing Process is not what I would call "Voivod worship," the instrumentation is incredible and a must-listen for any thrashers.

I've been posting more Italian metal recently, and maybe it's no coincidence; the closing track of Locked Inside Yourself, "When all is Said and Done," is a reminder that the culture has been perfecting the guitar for centuries.

The caveat to this album is the production: it's pretty low. So the recommendation is the opposite of what I would normally say, to ditch your headphones and turn on the speaker. Per the artist:

FOR AN OPTIMAL LISTENING EXPERIENCE, PLAY THE ALBUM ON GOOD STEREO SPEAKERS, POSSIBLY BASS-BOOSTED. I think that headphones don't do justice to the mixing, but chances are you've got better headphones than the cheap ones I use.

The garage-level production is more authentic to the origins of thrash metal anyway; the notion at the time was very punk. Anyone could start a band, and only the talented will prevail.

Final note: The Healing Process documented all the instruments and recording tech used (almost obsessively). That's on the bandcamp page if you're curious.

o()xxxx[:::::::::::::::::> o()xxxx[:::::::::::::::::> o()xxxx[:::::::::::::::::>

[From the band/label]

The Healing Process debut album is a pounding tech-thrash record which keeps the listener enthralled from start to finish with all its variations and changes of rhythm. The band has had a "classical" approach to songwriting, so in some of the songs the listener might recognise the "theme and variations" pattern that serves as a foundation for many classical pieces. And if you think this was an extract of some review, well I'm not gonna lie: I've just made it up. I also want to add: the album was home-recorded for the most part, the budget was very limited and my knowledge of home-recording even more limited. I thought I had something to say, so I really wanted these songs to be recorded and published and I don't see why I shouldn't have done it. Metal (especially Thrash) used to be all about songwriting and cheap productions, not because bands didn't want their albums to sound good, but because they couldn't afford it (here I am). Today it's all about who's got the biggest... sound equipment and many people with interesting ideas are giving up because of the ridiculously high standards set by some internet metal guru (there are quite a few). This album is (also) a big fuck you to this mindset, which hinders creativity. If you have something to say, just say it, and try to make it sound as good as possible (if possible), without worrying too much about what people are going to say. By the way, I think my album sounds very good and I'm satisfied with how it's turned out to be. Lastly, I strongly believe in the social function of music and I wanted to tell people about what I think is really wrong with our society, and there's no better genre than metal to be pissed off! This is not an attempt to tell others how they should live or which battles they are supposed to fight: my goal was to inform, but not in the way the news do, more like poetry does (a bit pretentious). A good dose of research was done to approach some of the most controversial themes tackled in the album (if you have listened to the record, you know what I am talking about), but again I don't want people to take my words for granted, just to shed a light on some issues from another angle, the angle that I think is right. For the moment, the album will be released on Bandcamp only, which I think is the only "sustainable" platform for emerging artists. I have a feeling that many bands aren't happy with how streaming services have revolutionised the music industry, yet they keep posting their music on streaming platforms for "visibility". This small "revolution" needs to start from us small bands, 'cause the big guys couldn't care less. Bandcamp allows bands to be directly supported by their fans, which is the only way someone can keep making music for years. I really hope that this will be the future of streaming. If you've read this far, you're a badass.

[justpendule]

I have no interest in watching the incoming One Piece live action series and I can't understand why it seems like the majority of y'all are hyped for it?

Actually, this live action thing is even making me angry because I don't understand the need productions have to turn successful manga into real life movies. As if anime in itself wasn't already an adaptation, and a perfectly fitting and adequate one? Why would you need to turn a full, fleshed-out medium composed of recognisable music, animation, and even voice acting, and turn it into something that will try to look close to the base material, but will never really be able to because of the limitations of real life?

Even more than that, the small changes you will be forced to make, because you will have to change things, will put off audiences with their inaccuracy, and simply drive people to look for differences and bad adaptation choices instead of actually enjoying the show.

I understand why people would want to be part of a project such as a One Piece adaptation. However, has anyone ever asked for a real-life One Piece adaptation? Just imagining Luffy's arms stretching is a nightmare-inducing vision in itself, how could you possibly wish for something like this? When the actual anime adaptation is already there, applauded by anyone who has ever enjoyed reading One Piece? Not a single person has ever asked for a live action adaptation. Hell, all of the anime adaptations we have seen have been mocked because we all collectively agreed that it was stupid to adapt manga to real life mediums, we saw it with the Death Note netflix movie.

This adaptation has been motivated by greed and the need for big companies to keep on making us pay for the products they're trying to sell us. Don't start thinking that this project has been motivated by anything but money. We all know how netflix treats its "beloved" own creations when they no longer brings them as much profit as they would like.

Thus, I don't understand how anyone could actually want to watch this show. Not when there are cosplayers and creators out there already doing wonderful fanwork actually motivated by their love for the manga, and not to boost up numbers on their platform with a medium and a community you can be sure they don't care about.

I will not watch a single minute of this show, but I already know that I will, sadly, and unavoidably, learn and see extracts from it despite my best effort to keep away from it.

Anime and manga fans deserve better than this, and we've already had better. Let's not just be cash cows for corporations that actually don't care about the art we're enjoying.

[alrightrandy]

new year, new plans

what's this? a geniune alrightrandy blog post that isn't just random slop? …finally.

all jokes aside, i'm well aware that i haven't necessarily been ultilizing this site – as well as other platforms im on, as much as i wanted to. however, considering the new year has just begun i believe it's time to make some form of change around here.

i just want to preface this by saying that, all through out last year, i've ran myself into some personal turmoil that led me to essentially lack any sort of focus to work on any hobbies. it's hard to explain, i feel like i have done a lot but at the same time i clearly didn't have much creative output as much as i wanted to. and again, it didn't help that i was also juggling with stuff in my personal life too.

i guess the point i'm trying to make across here is that, i haven't properly found a right balance for myself, both creatively and irl-wise. and i certainly didn't have a proper sense of direction either… but i'm hoping to change that this year!

through out the end of 2023 up until the mid january, i've went through a pretty prolific event that kind of sparked a slew of motivation and plans to really get myself back.

in summary, around the holidays a phone of mine completely bricked itself for some random reason, making it practically inaccessible for me to use. and keep in mind, i'm still saving up to get myself a laptop, so i really had no other personal devices besides that phone.

thankfully, i did manage to get a new one – however, the point is that me being phone-less for a brief moment was very "humbling" for me. not only it was the only device for communication and having a creative outlet, but it just goes to show nothing should be taken for granted. ANYTHING can be lost in a matter of seconds, a simple reminder that i really needed to get myself together.

and with that, everything brings me to here. i've somewhat finally came up with a plan to hopefully boost some motivation within me, and also have a better commitment to my creative output.

to get the obvious stuff out of the way, in reguards of my youtube channel – as well as anything reguarding about dj'ing and music. i am going to try my best to put a heavier focus on these since its something i'm still a complete beginner at. it's a new hobby i've recently picked up, and it only makes sense for me to try to lean onto it a bit more. matter in fact...

i just recently put out something onto my channel!

i'm going try to put out at least one mini mix on a monthly (or bi-monthly) basis. hopefully it will not only expand my portfolio as a dj, but i geniunely think this could help with my issues with commiting to something. plus, i think it would definitely bring in some life to my channel since i still have no clue what direction i want to take it in.

don't get it twisted, i still want to experiment with all sorts of different types of videos. however, i can't make any promises if any of it will reach the light of day. at least with these mini mixes, they will hopefully still appear consistently even if i have nothing else to upload. idk, i think its a decent enough idea to sink time into.

now, reguarding everything about creating artwork and ultilizing my platforms. it's still somewhat uncertain, however if you checked my pinned post i have recently updated it with new sites you can check me out on!

but in short, i will also try to branch out more and maybe even network myself to finding ppl / communities. and along the way, i will also try to get back into creating art since i really have been putting that on the back burner. again, no promises but i have been putting some thought into it! (i'm looking at you Newgrounds and Bluesky…)

i'm reaching my text limit, so this is all i have for now. i'll catch you guys on the flipside, i really do hope i do better this year. knock me out if this post ages horribly lol

happy 2024!

~🐇

[beevean]

hey! i've been meaning to get back into the sonic the hedgehog, and since you have a pretty good handle on the games, i'd thought i'd ask which game you'd recommend for someone who's only had experience with Sonic 2 and S3&K? i can only count riders as one of the more story-oriented games i've played, but i know there's more out there and would love to hear your opinion on what'd be fun to just dive into :3

Ah, the eternal question I simply can't find an answer to 😂 I don't know why it's much easier for me to help people get into Megaman, Metroid or Castlevania than the series I grew up with lmao

Still!

Sonic 1: playing the series in chronological order is always a valid option, and since you are familiar with S2 and 3&K, why not complete the Classics with the original one? Its biggest hurdle is that it suffers from a noticeable case of Early Installment Weirdness: no Spin Dash (in the original version, it was put in nearly every subsequient re-release), 3 acts instead of 2, and generally speaking a much more platform-y level design. But I have fun replaying it every June 23rd, I think it's still a solid game that was perfectly designed to be mastered.

Sonic Adventure: my personal first Sonic game. I love it to death despite its flaws :P Sonic's story is, for me, peak 3D Sonic with spacious and complex level design, graphics and music are on point, the plot is moderately engaging... yeah the other characters range from "they're there" to "i hate everything you stand for", but personally I don't find them too intrusive. I recommend the PC version (either 2004 or Steam, I have the former) with mods that "Dreamcastify" it and fix some of its issues; alternatively, the Gamecube version of Sonic Adventure DX is a good compromise. Do not play the vanilla Steam version or anything that came after it.

Sonic Adventure 2: everyone else's first Sonic game lmao. If you found SA1 too bloated, or the cutscenes too ridiculous, or the hub world too annoying, SA2 fixes all of this. It's a game that was meant to be mastered, thanks to its introduction of the ranking system. It's also the game that introduced fandom blorbos Shadow and Rouge! The Battle remaster also came out on Steam.

Sonic Heroes: the one game designed to introduce newcomers to the series! A flawed game, even more bloated than SA1, that I nonetheless like for the bright aesthetic, fresh soundtrack, and richness of level design, my second favorite after SA1. I recommend the Gamecube version, as it's the least buggy of the bunch.

Sonic Colors: I was actually going to recommend either Unleashed or Generations when it comes to Boost games, but the former is rather complex and divisive, and the latter is mostly a "best of" of the series from S1 to Colors. I haven't played Colors myself, but it looks to me that it was meant to 1) introduce another wave of newcomers, and 2) fix the complaints that Unleashed received at the time. Colors is a pretty simple game with unintrusive gimmicks, mostly about Boosting, platforming, and exploring the levels thanks to the Wisps. Either find the original Wii version, or try the recent Ultimate remaster.

Sonic Mania: technically, this is a love letter to the Classic series (and a few nods to more minor games, too), but it builds up on 3&K's foundations and at its core is a solid, well-designed, charming Classic game. With the Plus DLC, you can play up to 5 different characters!

the Advance trilogy: very cute games that put a modern spin on the 2D formula. Advance 1 is a simple, straightfoward 2D game, with its most memorable feature being that you can play as Amy and her gameplay style is very unique. Advance 2 is all about building and mantaining speed in levels that resemble rollercoasters, and it introduced Cream, the Goddess of Destruction. Advance 3 is all about teamwork, as you combine two characters to get an unique way to traverse levels. You're bound to like at least one :)

the Rush duology: made by the same devs of the Advance games, these ones are technically the first Boost games, but in 2D. They were my shit when I was a kid lmao. They're fast, stylish and fun! And they introduced Blaze :>

I hope at least one of these piques your curiosity, and have fun <3

[parkminijiminie]

I had a little thought in my head and I need to ask someone open minded like you. Do you think JK is recording TikToks with Mingyu & Eunwoo and doing dance challenges with Hybe groups as a form of strategic marketing? Collabs between groups with dance challenges are a massive part of Chapter 2. We've seen Jimin, Suga and Jhope do this in the early months of 2023. Later both V and JK followed the trend.

I know that a lot of these kpoppers are actual friends. Taemin and Jimin go way back. So do JK Eunwoo and Mingyu. JK asked the Carats to support him. That moment stood out to me and has been tickling my brain for awhile. Why go there? He has Army.

Soooooo is JK trying to broaden his individual brand? I thought he was just having fun and being a typical Gen Z. But maybe he combined something he loves with business. I still can't figure out why Jimin has been collabing with everyone but JK like not a single live or TikTok with JK?? Atp it's gotten weird. But that is off topic. Sorry. Do you think JK is being strategic or am I reading too much into some simple little Tiktoks. Thank you in advance if you choose to answer my Ask.

I have been thinking the same thing for a while now, I think you have some right. JK loves dancing, random funny videos, editing and filming, and also sharing little things with ARMY. It makes total sense that he would love TikTok as a platform. In fact, had he not been an idol, I could totally see him being a TikToker. It suits him more than Instagram, for example.

I believe the reason he posts so much is that there is a combination between his own interest and fixation on TikTok and a brand strategy. Everyone knows that when JK finds smth he enjoys, he obsesses over it until he moves to the next thing, but also every music artist in the world now knows the power of TikTok. Labels are literally making singers film videos for the platform, and they pressure them into it, even if the singers don't want to or don't have the affinity for it, and TikTok is a big art of every marketing strategy nowadays. I am far from the thought that JK is being made to do TikTok, but he could have been advised to take the opportunity of his profile being revealed to grow it and promote his music. Every sensible manager would tell him that this is a golden opportunity to grow his brand and keep people interested, as well as boost his releases. Even if nobody told him, JK has been in this industry for 10+ years, and he knows very well how to play the game. After all, even in the middle of his hellish schedule, he has still found the time to actively post. That is hardly a coincidence.

It isn't that JK is ingenuine, far from it. He enjoys TikTok, he is good at it, and TikTok is pretty valuable nowadays, so why not embrace it?

It's interesting to see how much he will continue posting when his debut is officially over and done with, even though I hardly think he will stop being active. In contrast to other members, I think JK won't be going to the shadows once this album is released and the promotions are over. I can see him continuing to go to events, award shows, festivals, etc, as part of his "worldwide stardom" and "main pop boy" agenda.

[mysmorgasbordoffantabulosa]

What Was/Is HYBE really after? Thoughts on the HYBE / SM / Kakao drama....

OK since this SM drama started, I didn't want to comment on this until some resolution had occurred. Why? Because when this drama all started, I wondered what was HYBE really after? And every time I kept seeing SM being talked about all I kept thinking was, I don't think HYBE really wanted SM.

HYBE does not need SM, if anything I think HYBE knows SM is problematic. So why the pretence to acquire shares and force another company to take over them? I think there are several reasons...

Could HYBE end up with one of SM's subsidiaries?

When this all started my immediate thought was HYBE wanted something specific out of SM not the whole thing. SM has three companies that I think might be of interest to HYBE:

SM Brand Marketing - an intellectual property, licensing, management, marketing consultation, planning, and management consulting company

Galaxia SM - a sports marketing and management company with advertising, broadcast programming, content creation, digital marketing, event management, and production business.

SM Studios - The company manages drama, entertainment, and fields of new media.

Out of the three of those only SM Studios & SM Brand Marketing seemed like the thing most valuable to HYBE. Then in the statement, there are stories about DearU, a section of SM Studios. It's now clear this was HYBE's goal in relation to SM. And I could see them acquiring it (or most of it) in some form of share swap with Kakao. This would then boost HYBE's obvious reach into digital media and platforms.

What if HYBE wanted to hobble SM?

Another element of all of this is now SM is going to become a shadow of its former self and most likely merge with Kakao Entertainment... eventually. Additionally, HYBE with LSM have manager to get the regulators to focus on SM and Kakao, why?

What if YG is HYBE really want?

Throughout this all I feel like if HYBE wants to buy a company the more logical course would be to try YG Entertainment, considering the already have a business relationship. I would not be surprised if within two years we get announcement of YG and HYBE doing share swaps but not an outright merger.

Overall though, I never thought HYBE wanted SM, it just didn't make sense. The Korean Music industry seems to be moving closer to USA/European industry model of a handfully of big umbrella companies with lots of sublabels. So in a few years times the BIG 3 might well be... HYBE, Kakao and another big merged company that includes JYP.