#managed to get the lvl 70 one

[driftingballoons]

It’s like having a purebred dog and a possum you found in the dumpster

[windupaidoneus]

ok thats enough being awake im gonna go lie down & think of sad &/or horny hildemet scenarios & hopefully sleep

[coffeeaddictandinsomniac]

I hope everyone's pulls went well if you've already pulled!!! I managed to get who I wanted and I still have pulls left for next banner!

[myreia]

Sketches of Times Lost

Day 10: Stable

something is sparking between aureia and sidurgu, and they can't seem to see it. but rielle can. sidurgu x female warrior of light (pre-relationship), mentions of aymeric x wol. set during stormblood patches, but after the lvl 60-70 drk quests. rated: teen 2086 words ao3 link

“…when I said you could accompany us back to Ishgard, I didn’t mean for it to become a godsdamned holiday.”

“Resting at an inn is not a holiday.”

“And this isn’t a sight-seeing trip!”

“It’s fine, Sid! It’s one night! Is there something wrong with one night?”

“It’s dangerous, that’s what. For her, for you, for me.”

“Dangerous from whom, exactly? The Empire’s been all but routed from Gyr Abania. Besides, I don’t think many in patrons would consider confronting two dark knights head-on, and those that could would be drunk out of their minds. Please tell me you’re not afraid of a drunkard.”

“That’s not—godsdammit, you can be a right bloody bonehead when you want to be, you know that, eh?”

Rielle sighs and leans forward in her saddle, patting Filo’s neck. The chocobo chirrups, his head tugging on the reins as he leans into her hand, enjoying the feel as she pets his shiny black feathers. The day has stretched on and on, the road getting longer with every step, Baelsar’s Wall shadowing the horizon and somehow never getting closer, the dusty heat growing intolerable in the Gyr Abanian haze.

If she were younger—or travelling alone, let’s be honest—she would have pelted Sidurgu with the oh-so-tempting “are we there yet?” question, but for now she holds her tongue. Though Sidurgu has dragged her from one end of Coerthas to the other, even trekking into Gridania on the rare occasion, this is the furthest from Ishgard she has ever been. Her rear and legs may ache from too many hours in the saddle, but even with Sidurgu and Aureia’s endless bickering, she can’t remember a time she was this happy on the road.

She doesn’t want it to end.

She’s being selfish, she knows. Like a little kid—an actual little kid, thank you very much—asking for another five minutes at their favourite park, or clinging onto a favourite toy that has long since fallen apart. Sidurgu wanted them to return on their own, without company. He didn’t say as much—not aloud—but she saw it in his eyes when tending to his wounds. If he wasn’t stuck leaning against a rock, moaning and groaning and complaining about her fussing over him, he would have taken her and stalked down the road the moment Aureia’s back was turned. So, she struck at the opportune moment, piping up before he could say or do anything, and pointedly asked her—“You’ll come back with us to Ishgard, won’t you?”

She didn’t answer right away. There was a crease in her brow, a downcast turn to her eyes, and in that moment Rielle feared she would say no. But then she brightened, a warm smile spreading across her face, and she said—“I suppose I must. I’m going the same way, after all.”

That was yesterday. They walked for a time, Filo puffing and panting beneath Sidurgu’s weight before it became too much for the chocobo. The poor thing was the runt of his flock—Aureia’s told her the story many times—incapable of carrying an Elezen cavalier let alone a massive Au Ra in full plate armour and with a greatsword to boot.

And so they camped early, finding a spot beneath a single sprawling tree. Leaving Sidurgu to make the fire—he insisted, it was the one thing he could manage without aggravating his wounds—Rielle and Aureia hurried down the slope to the little rippling stream. Rielle wasn’t much help; she splashed in the water, giggling and free, scaring away the fish Aureia tried her best to catch. A waste, maybe, but neither Aureia nor Sidurgu told her off for it. She was too busy enjoying wading in the stream herself, and he… well. Rielle is certain he was looking at her a different way. Or maybe the same way he always has. Or maybe…

They had the last of their rations that night, laughing and smiling around the fire. It did not feel like a rationed meal.

And now today. Aureia suggested she ride Filo instead, leaving her and Sidurgu to walk ahead. Rielle was thrilled—still is, even though she is hurting all over now. She has never properly ridden a chocobo before, and Filo is such a pretty bird. The hands at the Holy Stables call him mean and difficult—he has a legendary grudge against one of the Scions, the Hyur with the white hair Aureia makes weird faces when he’s mentioned—but Rielle thinks differently. Difficult, no. Misunderstood? Maybe.  

She knows what that’s like.

But now the sun is slowly sinking toward the red-brown peaks, and they really are going to have to find somewhere to stay or camp. They’re approaching a crossroads—literally. Up the hill and over the ridge, there’s a little inn with a wide stable for chocobos and warm, soothing lights in the windows. The perfect place for a trio of weary travellers.  

But of course Aureia and Sidurgu can’t seem to make up their minds.

“Happy to be a bonehead, then, if it means someone here has the voice of reason,” Aureia says.

Sidurgu snorts, but Rielle knows better. Even when his back is turned, she can hear him trying not to smile—and his tail is curling. Sometimes she wonders if it’s the same sort of thing as those girls in the Forgotten Knight when they twist their hair around their finger while making eyes at Gibrillont. He only does it around her. Maybe he doesn’t even know it.

No matter how testy their bickering gets, he likes it. He used to bicker with Fray, too.

“You know those are incompatible,” he mutters. “Bonehead. Voice of reason. Not exactly the same thing.”

“What can I say? I’m full of contradictions. A right paradox, maybe.”

“Bloody hells, you can say that again. Here I was thinking you had put aside your greatsword for good when you all but kidnapped us on this little hol…”

“Hm? What was that?”

“Never mind.”

“Oh, good. And here I thought you said holiday for a moment.”

He lets out a long sigh and passes a hand across his face. “Aureia…”

She flashes him a grin.

He glares at her, a smile tugging at his lips. “Aureia, please. Don’t make me laugh. I’d rather not bleed through my bandages tonight.”

From their position several paces behind, Filo chirrups and throws a look over his shoulder, his dark, beady eyes staring at Rielle. She shrugs and pats his neck. “I know,” she whispers. “I think they’re both being boneheads. What do you think?”

Filo chirps again and shakes himself from side to side in fervent agreement.

“Yes, exactly.”

Aureia raises her arms, her hands brushing the hilt of her greatsword as she pulls her hair back and twists it into a knot. It’s different from the messy, uneven crop she sported when Rielle first met her, long enough to brush her shoulders. There’s a bit of red in it, too, which Rielle doesn’t remember. She didn’t have that when she first came to Ishgard.

“The inn is a good option, Sid,” she says. “Give Rielle a normal night for once instead of sleeping on the ground again.”

“I know that, I simply—”

He pauses, bowing his head to look at her. The difference in height between them would be quite funny, if only height wasn’t such a sore spot. Rielle huffs, making a face. Aureia may be half-Elezen, but she did not inherit their height. Is it a sore spot for her, too? Rielle hasn’t thought to ask her.  

“All right, out with it. Don’t think I don’t know you, Aureia, this isn’t about the inn or Rielle. You’re hanging onto something.”

“I… am I?”

“You don’t want to go back to Ishgard, do you.”

It isn’t a question. An accusation? Something else?

His voice has dropped low, not quite a whisper. Rielle rises a fraction out of the saddle and leans in, straining her ears to catch the conversation.

“Maybe. Yes. Perhaps.”

“Aur.” He rests a hand gently against her shoulder and their pace slows. Their boots scuff the road, a cloud of dirt puffing around their feet. “What’s going on?”

His voice is calm. Firm. Steady. The kind of voice he has after she has a bad nightmare, but not quite.  

“It’s nothing, it’s…” Aureia lets out a long, sad sigh. Rielle tugs sharply on the reigns and Filo hisses in protest, jerking to a stop some feet behind. “There’s someone I must meet with when I return.”

“I see.”

“And I would… rather not.”

A pause. “I suppose the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords and the Lord Commander of the Temple Knights is a difficult man to ignore.”

“He can be, yes. Especially when you’re…” She pauses again. “Fuck. Let’s not pretend I even know what we are anymore. He asked me to marry him and I couldn’t even say yes.”

“Would it be too much to say that I am glad of that?”

“Sid—”

“Damned if I even want to know what you are to him. And I know all too well—very well, in fact—that this is not my place and not my business, but I will say what must be said if no one else will. If you need to hear it. I do not like who you have become with him. I’m sure—Temple Knight aside—he is a pleasant man in his own right. And it would be unfair to accuse him of anything malignant, I know that is not his way. And I do believe you love him, or have loved him—”

“Sid…”

“Past or present, my point still stands. You have chased something with him. Something that has brought you joy, yes, but also great sorrow. From what I have seen, from what you have told me… I believe you must become someone else to remain with him. And I do not believe you will ever be happy becoming that person. If the pair of you were in different circumstances, if you were different people…”

“If he wasn’t the Lord Commander and I wasn’t the Warrior of Light?”

He meets her eyes, his horns casting a shadow across his face in the glare of the setting sun. “If he weren’t a politician and you weren’t the Alliance’s war hound.”

She inhales sharply. “You didn’t have to put it that way.”

“Someone bloody well should have. There are a dozen places you should be rather than wandering the Gyr Abanian wilderness with a surly dark knight and a teenaged girl. A dozen people who need you more than we do. So what other reason was there for all of this, Aureia? A soul crystal cracked? Or an excuse to run?”

A pause. “I don’t think I can talk about this now,” Aureia says quietly.

Sidurgu lets out a long breath. His hand slips from her shoulder. “I’m sorry, that was… harsher than I intended.”

“Don’t be. You were only saying what you thought. And what I’ve thought for some time. Sometimes I think you’re the only person who makes any damn sense.”

“Oh, so is that why you keep finding reasons to come and find me? You’ve long since outgrown the Forgotten Knight.”

Her hand brushes his. “That’s not the only reason.”

He smiles.

Rielle yelps and tips forward, clinging to the reigns.

Filo chirrups shrilly, wings spread wide as if to catch her. She clutches the reigns and pulls herself upright just in time, her cheeks flushing red as Aureia and Sidurgu turn around, both instinctively reaching for their weapons.

“Rielle!” he calls, releasing the hold on his greatsword’s grip. “Are you all right?”

She steadies herself. “Fine!”

“Don’t test the bird. I don’t want you getting thrown out of the saddle—”

“Don’t test your wounds, Sid, I don’t want them re-opening before tomorrow at the earliest if you can help it.” She smirks, proud of herself for the quip, and nudges Filo with her heels. He trots forward, giving the pair a smug look as he trots by. “Let’s go to that inn, shall we? If I deserve a bed for the night, then Filo deserves a stable, don’t you think?”

Sidurgu and Aureia exchange looks, both of them trying very hard not to laugh.

Grinning with triumph, Rielle tucks her hair behind her ears and leads them up the hill and down the path to the inn.  

[shuttershocky]

So, what is it that makes Myrtle so insane? I've tried using her w/ both S1 and S2 lvl 7, but I can't help but feel I'm missing something? Compared to stuff like Texas getting 3 less DP, but providing AOE crowd control and arts damage, or even just the other basic charge skills that provide hits of like 10-12 DP, Myrtle doesn't feel that powerful for the trade off of not being able to block early aggro?

Is this a situation like Gravel where it takes a shift in thinking to understand why she is so useful?

Well you see early on when you're playing easier content, normal map DP generation and most ordinary vanguards are able to supply your DP needs just fine while also being units that can actually fight off a starting enemy or two.

However, once you start playing the really difficult challenge stages where the speed at which you set up your defense can be the difference between a win or a loss, and some of these defenses can rely on some pretty DP expensive operators, such as Mudrock who costs 36 DP (and can hit 70+ after redeployment).

When you reach stages that have bosses firing global attacks and throwing instant kills, SP drains, evasion fields, and all such other manner of bullshit that you have to actively reshape your defenses by retreating and redeploying as a fight progresses, you'll quickly realize just how troubling managing your DP stores to keep up is. Myrtle, Elysium, and Saileach greatly ease all of that management by providing the highest DP generation skills in the game and support utility, allowing you to use some of the most absurdly expensive team compositions you can think of.

In those difficult stages, sheer DP generation rate overpowers most of the utility other vanguards can provide. It's funny that you mention Texas, since she's actually one of the few vanguards able to stand apart in a Flagbearer's world, and she needed a hilariously large AOE stun that hits twice and deals arts damage to do it.

[miqo-tales]

Jobs at 100 - MELEE

DRG

Still don't get why they replaced Spineshatter Dive, but whatever.

Removing the charge-up for Life of the Dragon took some getting used to, but I like it. That said, I don't understand why they kept Mirage Dive.

Like just upgrade Jump a second time or something? We could go from Jump to High Jump to Too High Jump.

DRG's rotation still feels really awkward to me. I wish they'd do one of two things: give DRG another high potency weaponskill to use with Life Surge, OR, remove something from the primary combos to tighten that up.

Hell, I'm not sure why we still have our DoT (they're removed nearly every other one, after all). Take that away and make the DRG combos work like WAR's.

LVL100 AF thoughts: I think my favorite? Tied with the original, at least. It's just a nice, simple looking set with a really nice helm.

************************************************

RPR

I guess the biggest change is Plentiful Harvest giving you a free Enshroud instead of giving you meter. I'm quite happy with it. One less thing to micro-manage.

It's a little tricky to fit Sacrificium in during Enshroud.

OK, now that I have that out of the way... I hate Soulsow and Harvest Moon.

Can we just get rid of Soulsow and put HM on a minute or two minute timer?

LVL100 AF thoughts: Honestly, I think overall I prefer the Endwalker AF. I mean, yes, I like the exposed chest, but I still prefer the Endwalker set. Though I really like the fur collar on the new one.

************************************************

MNK

It took me a bit to figure out the new job bar and how the buffs work. But once I realized it's like VPR in that it's leading you through your combo, it clicked.

Not to say I'm particularly good at it. I just understand it. I'll never be a good MNK, but I can at least be decent.

The new abilities are neat, but I'm tired of hearing the growl sound effect for Pouncing Coeurl.

Six-sided Star still feels weird. I think I understand when to actually use it, but god that cooldown is awful and ends up making it feel like I shouldn't be using it at all.

I hate Perfect Balance. I hate that the blitzes are linked to it. I really hate that!

PB should have gone away when they got rid of Greased Lightning. It didn't, and now we must suffer because of that.

LVL100 AF thoughts: Easily the best looking one so far. That said, I'm not happy with how the hands and feet dye. Also the weapon is kinda meh.

************************************************

SAM

The above picture could apply to a few jobs, to be honest, but it feels particularly true of SAM.

Getting Tsubame-Gaeshi all the time is neat.

Zanshin! Cause SAM clearly didn't have enough AoE.

Gyofu feels like they couldn't think of anything else new to give to SAM, so they real quick came up with an "upgrade" to Hakaze.

That might sound mean, but seriously, at 92 you get Gyofu, which is Hakaze with a new name, the same animation, and a minor potency boost. And then at 94, all your other attacks get potency boosts. It's kinda silly.

LVL100 AF thoughts: It's nice. Very formal/ceremonial. Still, I prefer the Endwalker one, and even then, the original Stormblood one is my favorite.

************************************************

NIN

I dunno how others feel, but I certainly will not miss having to keep Huton up. Changing it to an AoE Suiton is nice.

Trick Attack getting an upgrade to an AoE is very nice for dungeons.

This is not a new issue, but I wish NIN didn't have two different abilities that gave a chunk of gauge. Why can't Meisui give you a free use of Zeppo/Bhava, like RPR and VPR get with Plentiful Harvest and Serpent's Ire?

LVL100 AF thoughts: It's ok, but I think it's a bit busy with details. Also, I dunno, somehow it doesn't seem uniquely NIN to me. I feel it could easily be a general striking or scouting set. I prefer the Endwalker AF.

************************************************

VPR

This job is so boring below lvl 70. And even then it didn't really feel fun until 90.

Once you do get this job leveled up, it can be quite fun. You just never stop hitting buttons, and everything, particularly after Awakening, is so flashy.

But this job is the KOF XIII trial combo of FFXIV melee jobs.

My very major gripes with this job are: too much fucking text in job abilities, and it's really frustrating that the job gauge does not give any indication of whether your positional is flank or rear.

The upside is that once you're in the flow, it's pretty easy to stay in that flow. And worst case, if you don't care about optimizing it, you can just hit buttons and still have fun with it.

All that said, this job is a strong argument for there needing to be an easier way to use combat abilities in gpose.

Also, it's a little weird there is no cpose for the combined blade.

LVL100 AF thoughts: It's pretty nice! I hope we get some similar looking stuff for other jobs during this expansion.

************************************************

[1driedpersimmon]

Heya !! Same anon as last time, i am on around 23 hours of gaming and im not even done with all the second chapters it's such a good game !

Like it makes me so happy that we still have games like these were the Whole game experience is bought and not missing with dlcs and such

i would Die for each travellers lmao, from both games

I do have one question tho, i found some job licences, which are the second classes like the previous games, and im a little nervous to use them ? idk i've seen a lot of combinaisons and mixs is it okay to have fun with it or is there an actual order ??

Also funny facts : Castti is my lowest level as i got her last, but because i Somehow caught a Caith when she wasnt there, all the ones i got recent but before her caught up in exp?? Ochette is lvl 22 now ?? poor Castii at 15 TwT

I also managed to get monsters with other elements so now my Ochette is only missing light and ice magic xD

I hope you have an amazing day

Hehe glad to hear you’re having fun!!

You def don’t need to worry about the “meta” of job classes haha, each one can work (obvi some has better synergy) but tbh I play based on who has the cutest outfit and I’m doing fine (lv. 70 hehe) so totally up to you to mix and match!

And yeah I love all the travelers they are so near and dear to my heart

[exoticalmonde]

In the wake of the new event we're not starting off too good.

Chongyue is avoiding me, Nian thought it's funny to join my club of hot defender women and Myrtle has been so persistent I am ready to eradicate her race now that I know their base of operation.

And also this sad little thing happened after I managed to scrape 70 yellow tickets.

I got a pot 3 Firewhistle though--No, there's no 'though', that's not at all positive. With everything else happening the fact I am once again at fault for not saving enough for Chongyue really is the wrench in my gears.

Couldn't even have the patience to stick around and do the levels.

Didn't get further than 5 today but I will be reading the story and completing the levels tomorrow. Jieyun is pretty. I like her art, I enjoy her voice.

Just because of Czerny, Ebenholz and Vigil I keep everything in English, so we test run the new voices every time they get uploaded.

Praying that the pulls I get every day would guarantee at least another 6 star.

Come home, you were made for me!!!

Update: Dr. Pinkie will beat me senseless when they figure out I LVL 90d Vigil instead of anybody else but I swear be has been carrying me just as hard because he's a two in one deal.

[impossible-rat-babies]

getting there all lazy like

Feelings on jobs here below (only the ones I’ve done recently):

—dragoon and monk are my fave of the jobs thus far. Maybe monk a bit more in terms of how snappy and fun the combos are. It flows well and feels natural. I’ve been enjoying it at 70. The job quests are in the realm of they start good and have a good premise but for me they fail to deliver a satisfying end

—dragoon is fun, but I feel like it’ll be more fun at 80. I really enjoyed it in bozja, and I miss the way 80 dragoon feels. Still it’s lots of management of buffs and positionals, but it feels satisfying. The job quest were more fun the second time, but they’re middle ground for me. Pretty good.

—ninja is bard’s management on steroids. so much remembering which combos are which. It’s got a nice flow to it though even at 70-79. I’ve enjoyed it. worth it to lvl bc the job quests are so much fun there isn’t a bad set of them through the expansions.

—samurai exists. I haven’t played it enough to get a good feel for it. i feel like I’m missing something when I play it though—it’s not all clicking yet. I enjoyed both sets of job quests a lot; they were very good.

—reaper is reaper. I don’t much remember leveling it, but it’s fun in 50 content I recall that much. job quests are excellent—200/10. I enjoyed them far more than sage, but personal preference.

—warrior is so much fun it’s such a fun tank. It’s such a solid tank. I feel like I don’t have to worry any when I’m playing warrior because it’s so simple and just Fun. Job quests are kinda….there? the humor of them doesn’t hit for me and they mention one thing in an early quest I wish they would have done more with.

—Paladin is fun too. Not a fan of how you have 173738 mitigations and I worry how it’ll feel past 70, but just playing it at 70 and it’s fun. I like it. It’s a job that came up and got me all sneaky like with it being canon for eyrie. (the job quests leave so much to be desired and I think they have the weakest job quests in 14)

—gnb is extremely fun to play. It feels tanky enough to go go go but also feels like good damage. I enjoy it a lot. the job quests are kinda middle ground for me; I feel like there could have been more content in them—I wanted more story. I wanted deeper dives of the job npcs and more to sink my teeth into.

[joeymiya]

decided to half ass the second half of my spiral abyss team and managed to beat 5 1 to 3 all chambers and got 300 primos tried a bit on 6-1 and 2 and got 2-3 mostly likely bc only mona was built well enough and high crit dmg saved my ass so much despite her having 22 crit rate god bless u mona and also put bennett in second half since he’s the other character i’m building up lvl 70 but his weapon is still lvl 60 or so and bennett’s talents are all 1/1/1 so it kind of sucked. had lisa and faruzan bc they were the only other characters i used way back dropped amber like a hot potato since having 2 pyro characters felt like overkill

also pulled on baizhu’s banner 8 pulls and no kaveh, god hoyoverse, give me kaveh pls u gave me way too many laylas and doris last banner why not a simple little wet cat kaveh huh ! i want him so bad man and decided to pull a few on standard with some normal stardust glitter or whatever not the ones that cost 5 something somethings and do u know what character i end up pulling ?

kaeya !!!!!! welcome surprise kaeya’s c1 now wow never thought i’d see that.

tomorrow i’ll probably still farm artifacts for bennett and see if i get some good 5 stars for bennett also reach ar 45 so i got access to the strongbox and got one good artifact out of it for bennett

[knightzp]

MIKI HI how was ur christmas? (forgive me im p sure u said u celebrate?) if so, did u get anything cool :) ? also how's ur scara build going? lmao mine's terrible but we make do haha

TŪĪ!!! yes i celebrate christmas and its been pretty nice in general! i had a special dinner with a few relatives on the 24th, ive also played some board games with my family during these days, which was pretty fun bc i love board games, and yesterday also went to the theatre with my parents and sister!

tbh i was a bit tense at first at the dinner bc my uncle wouldnt stop giving his ✨️opinions✨️ abt gender roles and he was also very insistent that i had to drink alcohol when i didnt want to (i dont drink), but well, we managed to make him calm down at last and started playing games till 3am so the night ended up pretty well and fun!

oh and yess i did get a couple of presents!! i got some headphones with microphone so i can play games with friends, bc the ones i had before were terrible and hurt my ears so much after wearing them for a while. and then i also got this little killua!!! i love how fluffy his hair looks and the lightning around him is sooo cool it looks great!!

and abt the scara build ig were together in having terrible builds for him aldksk mine is only at lvl 70 and his talents must be at lvl 2 or 3 at most :') at least i got two good artifacts on his domain the first day i tried it but all the rest, as well as the weapon, i borrowed them from heizou (i promise ill return them to you one day heizou 😭). so yeah,, its enough to do the daily commissions but not much else lol. but i must say im truly innocent. the real reason why i havent build him better yet is the tcg card game. i finally started it and everytime i log into genshin i spend almost all my time playing with the cards aldjskdk i really like it, its so addictive its not my fault, its the cards fault 😔

[airadam]

Episode 161 : Dark City

"Great Britain is a myth right now..."

- Strategy

Two different occasions combine for this month's episode; it's Halloween, and (0)161 is the Manchester area code, and so we lean towards the dark, sinister, and eerie, as well as including a good chunk of Manchester music in the mix. In several cases, we manage to find both aspects in the same track! The episode title fits the combination...as well as having some literal truth. The nights are closing in, and the temperature is falling...this is your seasonal soundtrack.

If you'd like to watch my recent appearance on the "All Back To Mine" show, you can catch the replay on Youtube!

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Ice-T : Midnight

It's a long track, but deserved to be heard in full to get to that ending, which will be appreciated by anyone familiar with Ice-T's catalogue. He's one of the master storytellers in Hip-Hop, and this work of his pen lets you know that there are realistic settings that can be as perilous as any horror film. Taken from probably Ice's best album "O.G. Original Gangster", these four verses play out over a dark instrumental with a classing banging drum sample, courtesy of Shafiq Husayn and the legendary DJ Aladdin.

A-Trak : Don't Fool With The Dips (Instrumental)

Turntablist supreme A-Trak and Dipset weren't an obvious combination, but this 2006 single was a great combination - while the double-timed hi-hats are reminiscent of some of the Heatmakerz production that the Dips were often heard on, the chopping, angular harshness of the rest of the track is something else entirely. Take a close listen and you'll hear that it sounds like a lot of the sounds are scratched in on a turntable - they probably were! It's worth getting this single if you see it, just don't expect any complex socio-political lyrics :)

Regents (Cartridge and Strategy) : Greengate Adhesive

The 70/140 BPM might be popular now but it was definitely a UK creation from back in the days, and the kind of ideas that started off in jungle found their way to the originators of grime. That kind of aesthetic has always been part of the Manchester scene from its inception, and Cartridge's production on this cut from last year's "Shegry" EP would fit a damp, dark night in the city perfectly. Strategy, an absolute mainstay of the Manchester and Salford scene, burns down the mic on this one, dropping classic local references in amongst the rest of his bars, and the way the vocals are laid at times makes it sound like there's two of him piling over each other to get all those words out. Fire.

LEVELZ : Look Who It Is

Manchester again, as we take the opening track from the debut "LVL 11" mixtape from this powerhouse collective. Metrodome and Biome handle production, with the skittering hi-hat pattern dancing across the heavy low end that takes up most of the space in the instrumental, and heavy, distorted bass tones like that have always been very popular here.  This is quite a long tune so I did mix out with some verses still remaining, so pick up "LVL 11" online to hear every MC get busy!

Kosheen : Cruelty

The Bristol area has given us a number of excellent groups who fuse interesting, beat-heavy production techniques with quality vocals, and Kosheen are no exception. This is a selection from their 2013 "Resist" LP that has just the right feel for this episode, with a lumbering, thudding undergirding to the creepy keys and Sian Evans' vocals. Just the kind of record that can fit perfectly into a listening, rather than a dancefloor set.

PRGz : WoodGrain

I have had this record from "Fear and Loathing in HuntsVegas" on my hard drive for absolute years, and always thought a Halloween-time episode would be the best time to bring it out! DJ Benzi and Diplo pull the creepy sing-song melody from the soundtrack of a famous horror film, and the strings, while not quite so dark, certainly add to that feel. Add the 808-based drum track, and you have a certified southern banger! The title, for those that don't know, refers to the expensive (if not exactly safety-enhancing) wooden steering wheels favoured on "slab" cars, and all the MCs work with the theme comfortably. Notice the unusual post-production of the vocals, with lots of weird manipulation of the pitches of the voices and re-triggering of some of the words - on a track like this, it's definitely a fitting addition.

[Luke Vibert] Asylum : Gemini Twins (Instrumental)

Before I pulled this 1997 UK 12" off my shelves for digitisation, I probably hadn't heard it for over twenty years. The vocal version is an extremely dark tale, and you can tell by the sound of Luke Vibert's production that you'll never hear this in any kind of celebratory setting, but it does reflect a prominent strain of domestic underground Hip-Hop of the time.

Brian J ft. Suga Free : Level Up

I only came across this thanks to a Spotify recommendation, likely based on the amount of Suga Free I've listened to over the years! Brian J and Free hail from the same town, which also provides the seed of the title of the album this is taken from : "Pomona Virus". It's not super-complex lyrically or anything like that, with Brian J making sure there's no mistaking the message he's trying to get across. Suga Free's guest verse is an autobiographical one looking back on his early years, which hopefully are well in the rear view mirror as he approaches his announced retirement and enters marriage! Production is handled by Sparaza from Inland Empire, who provides a suitably contemplative, yet motivating instrumental - I know I've been playing this one in the gym a lot recently.

Children Of Zeus ft. HMD : 10 Toes

Manchester's own Children Of Zeus feature another locally-based vocalist, HMD, on this sparse track where you still seem to notice something new on the first few listens - it's a subtle piece of production from this skilled duo. If you somehow missed "The Winter Tape", where this first appeared, definitely go back and give it a listen, as there are some great tracks on there. You can also get this track on the excellent "Excess Baggage" EP, which is also a worthy addition to any collection. 

Dubbul O & Pro P : Misty River

Previous podcast guest Dubbul O is one of the best MCs around, and he hails from this fine city! This pounding Pro P-produced (wow, alliteration!) track from the 2014 "Omega" LP has quite a dark vibe, as does the rest of the album, which is very cohesive in that respect. The beat is rugged boom-bap and Dubbul O just comes straight down the lane on the mic, which was exactly the right approach to take with it.

Black Josh : Killidoscope

One more Manchester track before the instrumental break. I was about to call Black Josh one of the new generation of Manchester MCs, until I remembered that even this track is nine years old! Along with the rest of the "Blick Flair's Ape Mountain" project, the lyrics and beats are a bit trippy, with Metrodome borrowing from a smooth 80s soul single and layering it with a rhythm that feels kind of (intentionally) jumpy and askew for something pretty unique.

Focus... : fIRE&iCE

Starts off pretty dark, brightens up a little over halfway through before coming back down towards the end - a great instrumental from Focus... (yes, the dots are part of his name) from the first in his "Analog In A Digital World" series.

Mobb Deep : Quiet Storm

"I put my lifetime in between the paper's lines". That killer opening is one of the most iconic lines of Prodigy's career, and instantly locks you into this classic single from "Murda Muzik", the fourth Mobb Deep album. Havoc masterfully shows how re-contextualising a sample can give you a totally different feel, taking the bassline from Melle Mel's "White Lines" and making it sound less like a club record and more the kind of thing that fits the album title. Prodigy describes in his book "My Infamous Life" how Noyd was originally writing a verse to this track, but when Havoc and Noyd went out to meet some women, Prodigy took control and over the course of three hours wrote and recorded a full set of solo verses to it. It was a great move - as excellent as Noyd and Havoc are as MCs, this song gives you some of Prodigy's best work.

Mobb Deep ft. Lil Kim : Quiet Storm (Remix)

The third verse of the original track is dope, but I thought I'd switch it up and blend into the second verse of the remix, a classic performance by the great Lil Kim. There have been pretenders to her position, but her skills and history are undeniable.

Bugzy Malone : Skeletons

When you talk about someone who's had their ups and downs, as well as someone who's been on the grind for many, many years, Manchester's Bugzy Malone fits the bill. His material is definitely in the grime lane, and darkness is a persistent feature - even when the tracks aren't titled as blatantly as this one. He's a man not shy to put his real life into his lyrics, which I think is one of the things that really draws people to him, and here, despite the occasional bar of flash, it's a journey into the darkness of the streets of Manchester and where they too often lead. Blinkie, who has plenty of happier-sounding music in his repertoire, absolutely slays the production here, going half-time with the pace, and going with an ominous, subdued drum track and dramatic keys. This 2021 cut from "The Resurrection" could easily fit in on a thriller or horror soundtrack.

Gang Starr : Code Of The Streets

While DJ Premier produced the overwhelming majority of Gang Starr material solo, the late great Guru was at least partly responsible for this killer from "Hard To Earn". The main sample gives a really dismal feel, and provides a perfect setting for the first couple of verses, telling the story of youth without hope. The cuts between the verses are, fittingly, remembered just as much as any other part of the track, with Preemo showing that you don't have to do anything super-technical to produce something with flavour - common techniques done flawlessly and with feeling will do just fine.

GZA ft. Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and U-God : Investigative Reports

A deep album cut that was always one of my favourites on GZA's second LP (though first in the Wu era) "Liquid Swords", the sound of the woman describing the historic location of a battle in the American Revolutionary War almost brings the ghosts of the fallen combatants out over the gloomy track. RZA is, of course, the producer, and GZA settles in for the middle of the track between U-God on the hooks, and the dynamic duo of Rae and Ghost, who take the opening and closing verses. Quality street bars, with Ghost's wild, slang-laden style, that would get a full-length outing on "Ironman" a year later, already well-formed here. On a production/engineering note - notice how during the hooks, RZA pans the kick drums over to one side, and U-God's voice to the other.

Pro P : Intoxicated

Pro P on the beat again, and this one has all the bass. My goodness, this one will test your system's low end! It's on the 2015 "Street Life Beat Tape", which was a welcome release from the Manchester beatsmith.

Waajeed ft. Monica Blaire : Knives Out 

We close with a creepy track I've been meaning to play you for the longest. "Exit Music (Songs With Radio Heads)" was a 2006 tribute album to Radiohead featuring a whole bunch of covers, and this track featured both there and on "Exit Music EP 2". I can't say I've ever been a Radiohead listener, so I went to check the original version of this song (from 2001's "Amnesiac"), and while it was a decent listen, I have to say...my vote goes to Waajeed and Monica Blaire! Maybe it's the bias of having heard the cover first, but the throbbing bass on the hook here makes it sound really claustrophobic, which builds on the unpleasantness of the lyrics - well conveyed by Blaire. Waajeed is a skilled practitioner of timing/swing control within a beat, in that great Detroit tradition, and that drum track is overlaid with keys upon keys to produce the fleshed-out final product.

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

Check out this episode!

[genshins1mpact]

me thinking my 3-4 4☆ 10 pull was great luck and then seeing these triple 5☆ pulls on twt was is def a humbling experience lmfaaaooo but I'll still take it bc it could've just been the bells and eye of perceptions and mandatory pity 💀 which im pretty sure some were anyway rip

nilou came home around soft pity and i managed to get 1 of the new 4☆ weapons (got the catalyst but rly wanted just 1 copy of the sword,,, praydge) didn't manage to gif it this time bc i wasn't playing on mobile this time, will just have to send myself the screenshots later ig

managed to get nilou to about lvl 70 but her talents are all over the place,, im always outta fungi drops istg ;^; either bc of the different drops thanks to electro or bc EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING ELSE NEEDS FUNGI DROPS 😭 especially tighnari omfgrhdy it was such a pain when i got him and him bow,,,, same enemies but diff mats from it 🥴

*cool idea in theory bc of all the sumeru/dendro reactions.... but diff drops being reliant on one enemy kinda blows in practice. farming was already annoying enough bro 😞

oh and speaking of tighnari, i finally got him to lvl 10 friendship last night! 🥰❤️ collei isn't too far behind, prob gonna aim for cyno & nilou now that they're on the friendship exp team. ended up getting a collei con while going for nilou so thanks to the 2 free copies she's almost c6 now yay! also, very very excited for nahida & layla (presumably) next patch! they both look very cool, can't wait 🙌🏻 💕 not usually fond of the shortest tier charas bc my tall ass prefers to stay tall /j i don't prefer aiming at that level,,, but ah well, archon team incoming! prob won't work well but excited nonetheless! lol

[maladaptivedaydreamsx]

something about this design just screams unicorns and butterflies and i can't be the only one to have thought that-

[icys-junkyard]

obliterated ursaluna in one hit and currently on my way to get my alpha team to lvl 70 before going for lilligant.

current status: 

ive broken my and wyrdeers legs multiple times while jumping from cliffs to get across the mirelands rivers. drowned a few times in the process. worth it.

edit: not to mention the multiple times ive used wyrdeer as a springboard to climb cliffs and ledges it wouldn’t have managed to jump up otherwise. somehow it works and you can jump with wyrdeer and land without it, but the player can stick the landing where wyrdeer would have slid back down. im dropping this old man deer into rivers and down cliffs and just running off before calling him right back a second later. this poor deer is being put through the wringer.

[oceandiagonale]

Wurmple anon hello lol Was there any moments where Gene accidentally stumbled into an alpha that was much higher level than you thought?😂 i uuuh found a rapidash alpha went aw sick! And then tried to battle and then saw IT WAS LVL 40?! BUIZEL GET OUT OF THERE BUDDY WE FUCKED UP! I managed to run and get the fuck out somehow 😂 Also! I’ll keep an eye out for Gene’s satchels! Eden hasnt dropped any yet thankfully but uuuh my god several close calls😂

it was the snorlax and parasect for me ohhhhhh my gosh

those things are BRUTAL but I'm still confused about the requirements to catch them - my whole team was level 70 or so and I had finished most of the nobles but I still couldn't sneak-catch the snorlax??? but I had caught like 5 of those alpha rapidash and it was like yooooo what do I have to do to finally GET these guys??? 😭😭😭

I was honestly even more surprised by the low-level ones, like you're telling me this thing is 8 feet tall and has glowing eyes but it's only level 23??? 😂