#mitchell corporation

[easternmind]

A compendium of references to Portugal in Japanese video games

The beginning of the historical relations between Portugal and Japan dates to the year 1541, when a Portuguese ship washed ashore at Jingujiura. Nearly sixty Japanese words are of Portuguese origin. A variety of Japanese traditions and culinary delights were introduced by Portuguese traders, sailors and missionaries. But in what way has this cultural exchange extended to the more recent phenomenon of Japanese digital games? As a portuguese devotee of Japanese culture, the topic seemed relevant enough to merit some additional exploration.

To my knowledge, the first significant reference to Portugal in Japanese video game is found in Koei's The Age of Discovery from 1990, a game published in the west under the title Uncharted Waters. The main character is a disgraced Portuguese nobleman named Leon Ferrero who resorts to maritime exploration, trade and naval warfare to restore his family's good name and prestige.

Its 1993 sequel, known in the west as New Horizons, diversifies the base game structure of the original by including multiple characters to select from, each with their own story and mission. Among them is the tale of João Franco, the son of the original episode's protagonist Leon, who sets out to discover the mysterious location of the fabled Atlantis, no less.

Another meaningful reference can be found a year later in ArtDink's 1991 strategy game The Atlas, in which the player takes on the role of a 15th century explorer with a five year contract with the King of Portugal to discover and chart lands around the Iberian Peninsula.

In 1998, ArtDink recreated the game for contemporary systems and published as Neo Atlas. The protagonist is a Portuguese trading company owner seeking business expansion opportunities in remote territories, as well as discover and chart hitherto unknown parts of the globe. A similar premise is found in a later sequel, Neo Atlas III.

Apart from nautical strategy games, a few other titles exist where mentions to the Portuguese territory, language and culture can be traced.

Galvanized by the success of Cyan's world-renowned point and click adventure CD-ROMs, Sony Computer Entertainment helped to publish The Book of Watermarks, a game designed by a miniscule Tokyo-based studio named Watermarks that is brimming with interesting first and second-hand references to Shakespeare's The Tempest. The objective of this visually impressive pre-rendered journey is to aid in the recovery of a series of ancient tomes, each including the nuclear bases of knowledge for mankind.

The very first lost volume is named the Book of Navigators, said to be owned by the historical Infante Dom Henrique from the 15th century, condensing information on shipbuilding, oceanography, geography and astronomy. While a purely fictitious book, the reference to Prince Henry is historically accurate, him being a pivotal figure in the early age of Portuguese maritime discoveries, the governor of the Order of Christ who at once built and ruined his reputation through his various campaigns in the African continent.

Atlus' futuristic vision of Earth in Maken X includes a most unexpected tour of Europe, with a mandatory stop in Lisbon. Inexplicably, the developers got its geographic location wrong and moved to all the way to the northern Spanish region of Léon. The level, itself, boasts a reasonably accurate depiction of one of the city's oldest quarters, Alfama, and the architectural styles found therein.

Although I could not discern any actual references in the game itself, the Grandia II soundtrack by the veteran composer Noriyuki Iwadare contains two themes whose lyrics are written in Portuguese: A Deus, a double-entendre that can be translated to both farewell and to God; and Canção do Povo, meaning People's Song. Also, the name of the official soundtrack is named Melodia, which translates to Melody as you'd expect. Both themes were performed by guest singer Kaori Kawasumi, who took on the composer's challenge to sing them despite her not knowing the language.

She was coached and assisted by José Álvarez and Motoi Sato from the Portuguese Arts and Culture Center in Japan, whom she thanks in the acknowledgement section. The Grandia II Special Package edition booklet contains a page with two photos of Portugal, one for the Jéronimos Monastery in Lisbon and the other, seemingly, for the Moorish Castle in the nearby town of Sintra.

The last Pomping World (a.ka. Buster Bros/Pang) that Mitchell Corporation ever produced before shutting down was the 2010 DS European exclusive Magical Michael. It includes two levels set in Portugal, one in Lisbon by the Belém tower, a nautical landmark, and the other in the Sintra National Palace. Their representation is at once pleasingly stylized and true to life.

This final reference is found in Spike Chunsoft's third installment of their successful visual novel series, Nyūdanganronpa V3 Minna No Koroshiai Shin Gakki. Among the dozens of MonoMono machine items that can be acquired, one is a weathercock styled after a traditional Portuguese folktale hero, the Galo de Barcelos, meaning the rooster of Barcelos, a town in Northern Portugal.

As per the description, this animal became famous through an age-old tale involving a man wrongly sentenced to death who seconds before his execution remarked he was as certain to be innocent as it was certain that a nearby rooster would sing. Because the bird did crow, much to everyone's amazement, he was exonerated. Thus, the black rooster became a symbol for truth.

I would like to thank @diogojira and @DanielOlimac for their assistance in making this article possible.

[randomisedgaming]

Screenshots from the 2023 release of the classic arcade from Mitchell Corporation:

Cannon Dancer / Osman

You can watch our playthrough video here: https://youtu.be/mJcvd8b496Y

Follow Randomised Gaming on Tumblr, for video game, art, reviews, features, videos and more. You can also find us on YouTube, Twitch & Twitter for even more gaming & video content! Buy us a tea on Ko-fi

[taratarotgreene]

Happy 80th Birthday Joni Mitchell

Honoree Joni Mitchell at the 2021 Kennedy Center Honors Medallion Ceremony at the Library of Congress, December 4, 2021. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress. Wikimedia Commons Here’s an astrology article I wrote nine years ago when Joni had health issues in 2015. Joni suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015, losing the ability to talk but she has resoundingly rebirthed herself in true Scorpio…

[zenosanalytic]

a new edition to this: channels no longer putting their shows on on-demand services cuz they want you to buy their streaming service. Why pay for a premium channel ONCE when you can pay for it TWICE :D :D

Fucking hate it here X( X( X(

[costreductionfirm]

Find our company's "Cost Reduction for Small, Large, and Medium-sized businesses in the United States online, & local in Marlborough MA 01752" with Brian Plain at Catalytic Consulting.

Information about Cost Reduction Firm Options in Massachusetts

Here are some general steps you can take to find information on cost reduction for businesses in the United States.

Use search engines such as Google or Bing to search for "cost reduction for businesses in the United States."

Refine your search by adding specific keywords such as "small business," "large business," or "medium-sized business" depending on your company's size.

Look for consulting firms that specialize in cost reduction for businesses. You can search for consulting firms online or ask for recommendations from other business owners in your network.

Check the website of the Small Business Administration (SBA) or the United States Chamber of Commerce for resources and guidance on cost reduction for businesses.

Use online directories such as Yelp or Yellow Pages to search for local consulting firms in Marlborough, MA that offer cost-reduction services.

Once you have a list of potential consulting firms, you can reach out to them to inquire about their services and schedule a consultation with Brian Plain or another consultant who specializes in cost reduction for businesses.

Learn about our Business Services in Marlborough MA, 01752 online.

[old-type-40]

I just wanted to talk about how Unification was a great follow up to the other Rodenberry archive short film Regeneration which came out a year and a half ago. In Regeneration, we saw Spock visiting Kirk's grave on Veridian III and picking up Kirk's insignia from atop the grave where Picard left it after burying him.

Unification implies that the events of the photo novel Strange New Worlds are canon in that Gary Mitchell became a powerful non-corporeal being after his death on Delta Vega. Mitchell initially wants revenge on Kirk but Kirk eventually gets him to realize that he can set aside human desires and flaws. Mitchell sets out to travel the universe. And in Unification, Mitchell finds out about Kirk's death, sees Spock mourning at Kirk's grave, and Kirk's remains in storage at Daystrom Station.

So Mitchell brings Kirk back, has his insignia returned to him, and gives Kirk and Spock one last sunset to share together. And that's beautiful.

There's been so much focus on just the Spirk moment that I didn't want the rest of it to be overlooked and under appreciated.

[scottguy]

Corporate media. Useless. She's 77, not exactly a spring chicken herself.

For years now the stroke of noon has meant a channel change for me. She’s painful to watch.

[dearspockart]

I *think* I have understood what’s happening in this most beautiful piece of film:

As Kirk lay dying in Generations, Yor (reality hopping time traveler from Discovery) comes to him to take him across time, space and dimension to Prime Spock who is dying on New Vulcan. Gary Mitchell their mutual friend who ascended to godhood ( and whose death was not confirmed on screen) helps unite these two. When Spock died the first time, Jim was there. This time when Spock dies a final time, Jim could be with him without the glass wall.

Jim gets to walk through a field of flowers and touch his favorite flowers one last time. He got to meet old friends, who are also resurrected/alive in some way thanks to Genesis, and he got to meet his past selves and accept his death in a calm way.

And so they meet death together the same way they were in life. Together. Side by side. Without words but a thousand unsaid sentiments spoken through a raised eyebrow and a chuckle.

When Jim says, “Oh my!” in Generations, this is why! And when Spock raises an eyebrow a final time, it’s true to his character “fascinating” to see Jim come to him at his last hour.

Edited to add t’hy’la: I don’t want to call it a ship - friends or lovers or brothers- they transcend all that. But their bond shows that it is indeed important how we deal with death, at least important as how we deal with life.

I would like to think it is Prime Spock who requested these god-like powerful entities because at his resurrection he had told Jim: You came back for me. And Jim had replied: you would have done the same for me. So, he did. All of this takes place in a mind/katra non-corporeal realm as per my theory. Nothing is physically happening and to anyone in the physical realm, all this is lost.

P.s: Has anyone figured out what is the Yeoman/pilot from Cage doing in the video? edit2: Okay, apparently the answer to this is not in TOS. It’s about the plot that the archive is working on as part of their bigger initiative based off the Cage. She has an important role in it.

[randomisedgaming]

Japanese & Europe arcade flyers for the 1996 title from Mitchell Corporation:

Cannon Dancer / Osman

New home version is out today.

Follow Randomised Gaming on Tumblr, for video game, art, reviews, features, videos and more. You can also find us on YouTube, Twitch & Twitter for even more gaming & video content! Buy us a tea on Ko-fi

[prodigaldaughteralice]

sometimes it actually makes me so sad that people seem to have forgotten Mystery Men

Apparently it only has like a sixty-something on rotten tomatoes?? HOW? That flick is goddamn hilarious 

Also all the costumes and sets are incredible, which I didn’t even realize when watching it as a kid bc our DVD wasn’t very high def but now that we have a better quality copy hot damn

Fuckin. Janeane Garofalo. Eddie Izzard. William H Macy, Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Tom Waits, Paul Reubens, Kel Mitchell, Geoffrey Rush, Greg Kinnear?  All in top form???

Superhero decon/reconstruction, before that was a Big Thing, with a bunch of wannabe heroes who are shitty at it and a popular and successful hero who wears the patches of his various corporate sponsors on his super-suit and intentionally lets a super-villain out of the asylum so he has someone to fight to keep his deals? 

the guy whose superpower is that he gets really mad, but it doesn’t give him super strength or anything, he just gets really mad?

I love this goddamn movie you guys

[transmutationisms]

are there any books i can read to learn more about university abolition?

Fred Moten and Stefano Harney, The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning and Black Study (Brooklyn: Minor Compositions, 2013) [link: open access pdf]

Dylan Rodriguez, “Racial/colonial Genocide and the Neoliberal Academy: In Excess of a Problematic.” American Quarterly 64.4 (2012)

la paperson, A Third University Is Possible (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2017)

The Imperial University: Academic Repression and Scholarly Dissent. Edited by Piya Chatterjee and Sunaina Maira. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2014

Review essay: "Critical University Studies and the Crisis Consensus." Abigail Boggs and Nick Mitchell. Feminist Studies 44 (2): 432-463 (2018)

Clyde W. Barrow, Universities and the Capitalist State: Corporate Liberalism and the Reconstruction of American Higher Education, 1894-1928 Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. 1990

Eli Meyerhoff, Beyond Education: Radical Studying for Another World (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2019).

[hms-no-fun]

What's your opinion on the new HS^2 update? I'm really excited it's back but I'm a little worried. Like, the fandom has had a real problem with pretending all the horrible shit that caused it to end in the first place never happened. Is this just gonna sweep that under the rug even more? Is James Roach heading the project because he's less "problematic"? I love James roach and I'm sure he'll do great but what about all the transphobia? I just hope they finally fulfill the Toblerone Prophesy and make June Egbert cannon.

short version is, i'm cautiously optimistic! but this is a loaded question you've given me on a lot of fronts, so i'm gonna try to take it piece by piece.

to start with, the sudden revival of Homestuck^2 (now minus the squared) took me by surprise because to my knowledge, it was entirely dead in the water. my involvement with anything Official ended at Pesterquest, and pretty much the entire post-canon crew i was friends with in 2019-20 has moved on to greener pastures. i share a similar sentiment with @pochapal in that i would have put money on hs2 staying dead forever. i have, quite frankly, dreaded the inevitable day when official Homestuck media would resume production, because the fandom at large seems quite eager to sweep the ceaseless harassment and transphobia that ended hs2 under the rug and pretend that it just, like you said... never happened. when that california cafe used older Pesterquest-like character designs that omitted short chubby Terezi and black-coded Roxy, however well-intentioned and ultimately harmless that was, it felt like a sign of things to come. that, as you fear, the sharper & more personal queerness that we tried to bring to this series would be erased, in favor of something meant to simultaneously appease both tenderqueers and redditors, two sects of the fandom most responsible for the aforementioned harassment.

luckily, that really doesn't seem to be the case!

to your worry that James Roach was made director because he's "less problematic," i'll just say that's entirely the wrong way to look at it. it's not like WP (such that it even still exists) were cruising to get HS2 back up and running. by all accounts, James is the only reason it's happening again in the first place. i can't stress enough just how small an operation this Homestuck business actually is (or, at least, was when i was involved). this is not a Huge Corporation making cynical cash grab decisions. this is someone who cares about the material pushing to get something made where otherwise there would be nothing. check the new About page, where the principles of the so-called Homestuck Independent Creative Union are laid out in plain terms. this is something the original hs2 team fought for, so for this new version to start from there as square one is huge and a good sign of the possible longevity of the project.

next, let's talk about the question of this new team erasing the legacy of the old one. Kate Mitchell is on the record that she was reached out to about this new hs2, approved it, and declined to be involved. i don't know if the other writers were reached out to, but i have no reason to believe they weren't. this is a tremendously important gesture of good faith and goes a long way towards easing some of these worries.

but let's look at the composition of the team itself. do you remember The Perfectly Generic Podcast? originally hosted by future hs2 writer Kate, pgen became a flashpoint for community discourse, often opening doors between official homestuck and homestuck fandom. what made that show special was that, rather than relying on the imo tired genre of the liveread, pgen focused on a different topic each episode and explored it with one or two qualified guests. Kate's goal with the show was to encourage a more adult and quasi-academic discussion of homestuck, of its successes and its failures. if you weren't there, the weight i'm putting on pgen might seem overblown (not least because you can't find it anywhere anymore except on the internet archive). but it's not! when they decisively criticized the wild contents of the Skaianet debacle in episode 19, Andrew listened and worked to bring a more diverse group of creators into the fold. in the months after the Epilogues were released, Andrew issued a statement through pgen on episode 52 about how the Epilogues are meant to create bridges and offramps for the post-canon fandom. it's an essential piece for understanding the epilogues and their relationship to fanworks! that it wasn't included as the author's introduction to the Epilogues in the book version remains to my mind an astonishing oversight, but whatever. point is, pgen mattered to the folks in charge.

so let's look again at the writing staff of this new crew. James Roach first guested on pgen in episode 7, and would go on to be a regular. Haven, who did the Vriska and Roxy sprites in Pesterquest (and probably more stuff i don't remember), guested in episodes 81 and 87. Miles guested on episode 87 as well (unless it's a different Miles, i'm not familiar with their work and ugh this damnable linkrot). Floral, creator of one of my favorite hs fanworks & huge godfeels influence Liminal Space, first guested on pgen in episode 47, and would go on to be a regular (including once during my tenure as host to talk about Jade). on the technical staff side, Kohi built the hs2 website and has remained a backend mainstay both on the WP side and on Vast Error.

all of which is to say, if you were looking for a crew to cynically erase the past and appease the haters, these probably aren't the folks that'd be at the top of your list. of course, if you *really* wanted to cynically erase the past and appease the haters, you wouldn't bother reviving hs2 in the first place!

and that's the crux of the matter here. what cash is there to grab? what clout could possibly be chased? i struggle to think of a decision less obviously profitable and popular than continuing hs2 with a new crew right where it left off. i have to believe this is happening because the people involved want to make it.

so, yeah, i'm cautiously optimistic. i like this crew, i like the contents of the first upd8, and i'm glad as hell it's not a reboot! i'm grateful that by reviving hs2, the hs:bc crew have instantly yanked the epilogues & the post-canon project back into relevance in the broader community. and i always liked hs2 a lot! i was excited to see where they were going! i'm really looking forward to seeing more YIFFY!!!!!

but the thing is, this won't be the hs2 i wanted. i know that, and i'm not expecting it. my greatest hope for hs:bc, for this crew, is that they get the chance to take up the reins and drive this thing in whatever direction they feel most passionate about. if that winds up looking like the hs2 that was originally planned, great-- but more than anything, i want everyone on this team to feel just as empowered to leave a profound and personal mark on this series as the original team did, as i did working on Pesterquest. i hope the outline changes! i hope they take some really wild swings! i want to be surprised!! i want to be challenged!!!

above all, i want them to have the chance to pick a course, sail it, and see it through to the end regardless of what the public thinks. they deserve the chance that the original crew didn't get.

i have plenty of bitterness and cynicism in my heart over the events and circumstances of 2019-20, but as far as i'm concerned it has no place here today. i would never, ever wish the trauma and stress of that era on anyone. let the fandom at large react in whatever way it will, but i want things to be different this time. this is a second chance-- not just for hs2/hs:bc, but for all of us. even people who hate homestuck post-canon! this is an opportunity for everyone to choose to be better this time, and to push back when others might squander that opportunity. this team is not a group of celebrities, not an abstract fiction on the other side of the world, they are human beings who took a job. they've earned the opportunity to do that job, and they deserve to be treated with the respect and dignity that was so often absent a few years ago.

as to your last point, about june egbert and the toblerone. i've been saying for years that andrew's confirmation of june was less "the granting of a wish" than it was "a spoiler shared without input from the creative team." that there is any doubt about june's providence in hs2 can only be attributed to willful, aggressive ignorance on the part of people who refuse to engage with the written word in any way other than plodding literalism. the original team didn't unveil june ~immediately~ because they didn't think of june as a wish, they thought of her as a character in an ongoing story who needed time to develop naturally. i have never not felt entirely crazy about how thick everyone has been about this!

but will the new team make june canon? obviously i have no way of knowing for sure, but i'm gonna go out on a limb and say that probably the answer is "yes, when they're good and goddamned ready." just, please, for the love of god, don't go after every upd8 like "where's june? where's june? why hasn't june yet????" this was one of the worst results of the toblerone spoiler and it put INSANE pressure on the hs2 team. so just... just let this story be what it is. let this new team make the homestuck continuation they want to make.

and in the meantime, if you're really hungry for june... there's always godfeels :)

[ghostflowerdreams]

Audio Drama Recommendations, Pt. III

Click here for part one and here for part two. Recently, I've been drawing a lot, which gives me plenty of time to listen to audio dramas and podcasts. These are the ones I liked the most and found entertaining enough to recommend to others. This is not in any particular order, either.

The Green Horizon – is a sci-fi comedy drama created and written by Paul Walsh. It is sponsored by Faustian Nonsense, an indie entertainment network. It currently has three seasons, with each episode being about 20 - 30 minutes long, but later on it increases to 30 - 40 minutes. A fourth season is said to be coming out soon as well.

It is set in the year 2261, and it focuses on a ne'er-do-well Irish space captain and his rag-tag crew, as they traverse a war-torn Galaxy in search of fame and fortune. [ONGOING]

It was a little chaotic and rough at the beginning, but it does smooth out and become more polished. I can definitely tell that they up their game with the improved sound effects and production quality. The voice actors and the writing for the audio drama does an excellent job at bringing their characters to life, which made it very fun to follow along.

If you like Firefly, Red Dwarf, Orville, Cowboy Bepop, and so on then I think you may enjoy this too.

DERELICT – is a sci-fi narrative audio drama from award-winning science fiction author J. Barton Mitchell, and produced by Night Rocket Productions. It currently has one season titled FATHOM, which consist of 10 episodes with each one ranging from 40 mins to an hour, mostly the latter.

Something has been found at the bottom of Earth's ocean. An ancient artifact that can only be described as a giant door, inset into the sea floor. It becomes known as the Vault. A gigantic enigma, buried and forgotten...nineteen thousand feet down.

To study the artifact, the galaxy's most powerful corporation, Maas-Dorian, has built a massive, self-contained, secret laboratory base surrounding it, named FATHOM. It's objective: unlock the secrets of the artifact and discover what it holds.​ But some mysteries should remain buried. And some doors should never be opened... [ONGOING]

DERELICT started as the first project set up as a kickstarter. They produced one episode to entice backers, but then the pandemic happened, and they didn’t raise enough money for the rest of it. Instead, they worked on a prequel season called FATHOM. It's where the story really starts, and I highly suggest you listen to it before listening to "DERELICT E1 - Through the Gate."

I hope they redo the DERELICT's first episode because there's a bit of disconnection from it and FATHOM. For example, Sarah and Agent Blayne already know each other. She mentions it to the others, but the conversation they have with each other doesn’t make it seem that way.

Never mind. I apparently confused this Sarah with the Sarah in FATHOM. Can't blame me for thinking that when I heard the name Sarah and that she was already familiar with Agent Blayne.

Deviser – is a sci-fi horror audio drama created, directed, acted and produced by Harlan Guthrie. The same creator of Malevolent. It's a 7-part limited series, with each episode being about 20 mins long.

Son wakes up aboard a spaceship bound for earth in an effort to recolonize. What he discovers, however, will change everything he knows about his world and himself. [COMPLETED]

It's not for everyone, so please do not ignore the content warnings because there's graphic description of violence, self harm, body horror, gore, animal death/being hurt, and what not.

Victoriocity – is a detective comedy audio drama written by Chris and Jen Sugden, directed by Nathan Peter Grassi and produced by Dominic Hargreaves. It is an entirely independent production. It has two seasons, containing 13 episodes in total, and each one is about 30 to 45 minutes long. There's also a feature-length special and a up-coming third season with the help of a kickstarter.

It is 1887 in Even Greater London, an alternate steampunk Victorian London, where Queen Victoria reigns even after being assassinated eleven times, thanks to the wonders of modern science.

In this vast metropolis, Inspector Archibald Fleet and journalist Clara Entwhistle investigate a murder, only to find themselves at the centre of a conspiracy of impossible proportions. [ONGOING]

It's put together so well, and I see why people say it gives off strong Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett vibes to it. So if you like their works, then I wouldn't be surprised to hear that you like this too.

Impact Winter – is an apocalyptic vampire audio drama created and written by Travis Beacham (Carnival Row, Pacific Rim). It has two seasons containing 22 episodes in total and each one is about 17 to 30 minutes long.

“They came after the impact and the firestorms. When the sun went dark. Like they’d been there all along. Just waiting.”

In the British countryside, a band of survivors forms a resistance in the fallout shelter of a medieval castle. Darcy is a battle-tested vampire hunter who is at the front line, leading the charge to save humanity. Meanwhile, her younger sister Hope wants life to return to normal so she can go above ground and know what it’s like to live again. And she just might be willing to risk it all. [ONGOING]

It has a stacked cast led by Holliday Grainger (Cinderella, Great Expectations), Esme Creed-Miles (Hanna, The Legend of Vox Machina), Liam Cunningham (Games of Thrones, Hunger), Himesh Patel (Station Eleven, Tenet), David Gyasi (Interstellar, Carnival Row), Caroline Ford (Carnival Row, Nekrotronic), Chloe Pirrie (Emma, Carnival Row), and Bella Ramsey (Games of Thrones, The Last of Us).

This reminded me a lot of the film 30 Days of Nights (2007) with a little bit of Reign of Fire (2002), which were both fun films to watch. I think if you like those two, especially the former, you'll enjoy this or at least be entertained by it.

A Voice From Darkness – is a scripted paranormal horror audio drama. It is written and produced by Jac Rhys. It currently has two seasons, containing 20 episodes in total and each one is about 20 to 30 minutes long. It also has 7 bonus voicemail episodes and 15 Patreon exclusive episodes which are longer than the main episodes. A third season in the works as well.

Join parapsychologist and radio broadcaster Dr. Malcolm Ryder as he helps those who suffer the supernatural, paranormal or otherworldly problems on his call-in radio show. It is also interspersed with segments, one of which is called 'Today In Odd America' that delves into the origins of a holiday, local traditions, and history. [ONGOING]

If you like Welcome To Night Vale then I think you'll like this too. A Voice From Darkness is a bit more serious and not as long-drawn as Night Vale was, with a perfect mix of storytelling and lore. It also reminds me a bit of The Magnus Archive too.

How i Died – is a mystery audio drama that brings a "new twist on the true crime genre." It is an Audiohm Media original production, co-starring Vince Dajani as Jon Spacer and Shaina Waring as Sheriff Fran Crowley. It currently has three seasons with 39 episodes in total, not including bonus episodes. Each episode is usually about 20 mins, give or take a few minutes.

Bodies are piling up in the strange town of Springfield, and forensic pathologist Jonathan Spacer intends to find out why. But, Jon isn’t without his own secrets… He can talk to the dead, for starters. [ONGOING]

Ooo, a character that can speak to the dead? It's always so interesting to see what they'll do with their ability and where the creators take them. This has been entertaining, but at times I do think they can do better in developing their characters a bit more. For example, I can count on one hand the number of times Crowley doesn't get angry. Though to be fair, Jon isn't an immediately likable character, but that does change the further you go...sorta.

The Amelia Project – is a comedy fiction audio drama created, written, directed, produced and edited by Philip Thorne and Øystein Ulsberg Brager for Imploding Fictions and The Fable and Folly Network. It currently has four seasons, with a fifth one on the way. There's about 72 episodes, not including prologue, special, and BTS episodes which would up the total to 122. Each episode also varies in length from 20 to 45 minutes long.

The Amelia Project is a secret agency that fakes its clients' deaths, then lets them reappear with a brand-new identity. A black comedy full of secrets, twists... and cocoa. The series starts as a succession of interviews with clients who want to fake their deaths, then slowly a larger narrative begins to emerge... Each episode tells its own story, but we recommend starting with Season 1. [ONGOING]

It was fun to listen to while I was drawing or washing the dishes. I could also follow along without becoming too distracted by it, either. I was worried it would be one of those that take a while to get to the main overall story, but thankfully it did not. It will definitely keep you entertained and interested to know what will happen next.

Community Cat News – is a neighborhood news show done from the perspective of cats. There's currently 13 episodes so far and each one varies from 5 to 12 minutes long.

Local News: The human is opening the fridge! Will we get a taste?

Foreign Affairs: What are those squirrels up to now?

Traffic: WHY is the bathroom door shut again?

Every episode is sponsored by Meow Meow Puffytail, Feline Rights Attorney, who is ready to sue your human for even the slightest inconvenience. [ONGONG]

It's cute, light-hearted, and funny. I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. It even uplifted my mood without me realizing I was feeling low.

[jinjinxedsoul]

DYNASTY  ── hotd modern!au

In the vibrant city of New York, the Targaryen family controls a conglomerate empire with influence in nearly every aspect of modern life. As ambition and power set the pace of their days, family tensions escalate with the advancement of a succession struggle that threatens to unravel the delicate balance of the dynasty. Amidst alliances and betrayals, the fate of the family and the empire hangs in the balance, where blood ties and corporate power intertwine in a battle for control.

warnings: +18 clearly, your usual targcest (uncle-niece), drug abuse, mental disorders, mentions of past sexual abuse, death of characters, mentions of eating disorders.

other details: This is an AU, so most of the events of the Dance will be modified to fit the narrative. Some of the modified events are:

↳ The main conflict is between Rhaenyra and Daemon, not between Rhaenyra and Aegon.

↳ Rhaenyra’s love interest in this story is Alicent (long live lesbians).

↳ Aemond is Daemon’s son. Yes.

I’m not exactly familiar with corporate themes, but I’m doing my best. Any corrections are welcome as long as they’re respectful, or I’ll cry.

I’m studying at university and have mental health issues, so the frequency of updates might vary.

Characters!

ィ ִ Alyssane Targaryen. ꪆ ── played by mara lafontan!

( 22 • event manager• luxury management)

"Promise I'll be kind, but I won't stop until that boy is mine" –Paparazzi, Lady Gaga

ィ ִ Aegon Targaryen. ꪆ ── played by tom glynn-carney!

( 23 • assistant vice-president •business administration)

"We don't have to rush when you're alone with me" –I feel it coming, The Weeknd

. . .

ィ ִ Rhaenyra Targaryen. ꪆ ── played by emma d'arcy!

( 42 • chief operating officer)

ィ ִ Alicent Hightower. ꪆ ── played by olivia cooke!

( 42 • public relations )

ィ ִ Daemon Targaryen. ꪆ ── played by matt smith!

( 51 • chief strategy officer)

ィ ִ Jacaerys Targaryen. ꪆ ── played by harry collett!

( 21 • innovation manager)

ィ ִ Helaena Targaryen. ꪆ ── played by phia saban!

( 21 • fashion designer)

ィ ִ Aemond Targaryen. ꪆ ── played by ewan mitchell!

( 24 • director of strategic projects)

ィ ִ Lucerys Targaryen. ꪆ ── played by jack champion!

( 19 • formula one driver)

. . . .

Playlist!

[christa-tomlinson-romance-author]

Lookit! Thanks to my love (*cough* obsession *cough*) for Soap and Ghost I wrote a romance novel inspired by them. So if you're a Call of Duty fan who also like romance, you might want to check out Alpha Awakened, my m/m paranormal military romance.

Available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJS1727N

Amazon Int'l Links: https://www.christatomlinson.com/alpha-awakened.html

A masked special forces operator who believes he doesn’t need love. And the bold soldier determined to prove him wrong.

Captain Royce Anderson is a brutal terror on the battlefield. His cold demeanor off the battlefield earns him the call sign Ice. A lone wolf since he lost his family, he shuns being part of a pack and has no wish to take a mate - until handsome, green-eyed omega Corporal Dylan Mitchell joins his squad. Suddenly, Ice is tempted like he’s never been tempted before. He knows it’s wrong to desire a subordinate. But all he wants is to kiss the sweet curve of Dylan’s lips and breathe in his intoxicating scent. Although Ice tries to resist, his alpha instincts awaken, driving him to claim the omega with the gorgeous smile as his mate.

Corporal Dylan Mitchell - call sign Hazard - is a skilled special forces operator. And he’s determined to show his new partner that he belongs on the team. Hazard expects it to be a challenge to prove his worth to the captain. What he doesn’t expect is to be attracted to the mysterious, masked officer. When Hazard looks into the dark eyes behind the mask, his body burns with desire for the tall, muscled alpha. And his Instinct urges him to give the lonely soldier all the warmth and love that has been missing from his life.

Ice and Hazard come together as lovers while pursuing a violent insurrectionist across the country. But when the dangers of the battlefield and the rules of the military try to tear them apart, they’ll ruthlessly fight to claim their destiny as bonded mates.

Alpha Awakened is Book One in a steamy military wolf shifter romance series.