#one of the strongest of stage 4 so far imo

[secretagentsagainstwhatever]

Kinda AntMan and the wasp quantumania spoiler:

Hank and Cassie’s dynamic >>>

[vyvesvi]

saw all the ep 3 performances but not the actual ep lol.

voting list (week 3)

all of these girls are criminally low compared to how they performed imo.

first round commentary (copied from my twitter 🫶🏿)

1. team: hard

my winner(s): like 6/7 but emma jaoying & P.AMP stood out, it's a shame geumhee was hidden for her high note

this team is great but who decided the concept/outfits 😭

2. team: 7 rings

my winner(s): WANG KE (and vita)

the other girlies didn't stand a chance against wang ke this was legit brutal 😭 i do wonder if they were all comfortable with the concept though, this doesn't seem like something liliana wouldve chosen?

also rei is my girl but this performance doesn't play to her strengths at all im devastated 😭

3. team: one more last time

my winner(s): DUNA, rose

duna's experience really shone through, plus she fits this concept super well. very glad she got center. rose also did super well, i only wish she had the second main part 😭 praying this saves her

devi also did great, but i don't think this'll be enough unfortunately:/

4. team: i like you

my winner(s): zoi, TEGAN, tk

i had to think about this team bc once again, so insanely hard to pretend this is live. zoi was just good onstage, tegan has that voice, and tk surprised me. they clearly want preemy gone tho i hate it hereee

5. team: kick back

my winner(s): QIAO YIYU

honestly i love love love this team composition but i don't think the stage really showed their strongest points...i think a different wayv song would've made all the difference tbh

6. team: booty bomb

my winner(s): yeham, coco, MAO XIUTING

tbh there are some people here with lots of screentime who i don't understand the hype for, although both of them did better than their auditions. anyways yeham!!! she barely got screentime apart from her lines but i loved her voice with this concept tbh, it added a much needed freshness? brightness? to the performance. i need to see a full stage ver with no cuts though

7. team: love destiny 2

my winner(s): PANGJANG (everyone did well though)

pangjang just has the voice, what is there to say really. i feel soooooo bad for ninnint, she did well but this was really not the song for her. fly high girlie 😔✊️

8. team: play with me

my winner(s): YEAN, elyn, caith

seoyeon has greater ability than a lot of the contestants but her energy really isn't there to the point where i can't help but wonder if it's on purpose...?

9. team: i'll do it how you like it

my winner(s): ?

the chaba krista rjing vocal meal in the beginning was so sick omg

the rest of the performance didn't really click even though no one was bad at all. need maliya to be saved though like that's a Face

picking a winner is tough for this team because you have some singers who can't dance/perform & some dancers who don't sing as well. in truth pream, rjing, xueyao, and maybe maliya are the most balanced, but xueyao in particular didn't really stand out. pream stood out because of her center time, but this is far from her best (her presence is usually a lot stronger). maybe id go with rjing? but id need to see a full stage with no cuts

10. team: pieces of love

my winner(s): KITTIE

you have to suspend your disbelief a bit with these shows but i couldn't even pretend this was live & it's so distracting 😭 yuan ke & jessica are my next picks but i need them to focus more on facial expressions

my top 9?

honestly i've had a really hard time coming up with a group, if only because i genuinely like 47ish of the contestants (others i dont like or simply don't know). also, i do think it'd be nice for most of the group to be thai. i scrolled through the contestants and just picked the first 9 that i saw who made me go "yeah, you" lmfao and this is what i ended up with:

yean feels virtually indispensable at this point. she can dance, she's a great pop vocalist, and she can fit any concept. the show is also very on her side.

wang ke's performance in 7 rings convinced me of her star power (honestly she's been hit or miss to me until this point). wang ke didn't need to be the best singer or dancer to stand out on stage, it's her energy that really sets her apart and that's a hard skill to learn.

tegan...she's just a surprisingly strong contestant. i wasn't really a fan of how she acted during the theme song arc (all 7.5 minutes of it, lol) but i do understand that she was trying to lighten the mood. from the theme song to round one she showed that she really could hold her own on stage if she put her mind to it. other factors: star quality, demographic appeal, growth idolism, unique tone/strong vocals

rose is my underrated pick. she has a great voice and i think she can be styled to fit a number of concepts. she hasn't gotten much screentime, but i really hope she makes round 2, just to force the show to show more of her strengths. in some ways she's a little bit filler here, but i think she's necessary for the group to gel

ruan, our summer dream center...idk i just like her a lot. she suits different concepts and is super super hardworking & serious about this, while also being really kind. i want to see her learning/speaking more thai and english hopefully!

qiao yiyu is a talent & demographic pick (and one of my overall main picks at this point) she's another member who i see as indispensable. she's a main dancer who can fit multiple styles (but she's also for the girlies). in this pic she kinda looks like yuqi? lmfao

p.amp, my other totally biased pick 🥲 she's so gorgeous onstage and has so much presence i don't understand why the masses aren't seeing her 😭. she's a filler visual here but hot take, we don't need a wannabe gangsta rapper who can't dance self proclaimed quote unquote "real rapper" in the lineup when so many gg raps are pre-written and last for max 4 lines. p.amp can do it while dancing, being charming, and looking hot. i rest my case

geumhee is my pick of the csr members, although duna's rank is the best & seoyeon is the one getting a storyline. geumhee would be slightly filler here, but her singing ability would make her a lead vocal, and he experience and preexisting intl audience would make her indispensable. tbh she's the first member i personally noticed in csr, but i think that csr could live for a couple years without her and then benefit from her return.

mingming is good, although im generally on the fence about her. she has great lead vocal potential and is very likable. i kind of think the mindy members will be fine if none of them make it, but i do feel her voice is a little wasted there.

nationalities: 4 thailand, 2 china, 1 usa, 1 japan, 1 south korea

other contestants to consider:

pailiu! i really like her (and she's currently rank 2) but im not seeing a group that she fits into in the top ranks. maybe if maliya, jessica, xueyao, yuanke, p.amp, jaoying, etc were a bit higher. it's too soon to tell though i suppose

elyn's (#1) fanbase is really showing out for her considering the relatively minimal screentime she's had. her vocals aren't as strong as rose's, but she could potentially replace her in the lineup and add more (in terms of fan loyalty & demographic appeal).

emma not making my off the top of my head top 9 was really unexpected! i make the top 9 and then went wait where's emma? i think i would replace mingming with her, although honestly? emma's a star and should probably try to go to a company with some power, like perhaps yuehua china. for a survival show group, it's good that she stands out as an individual but in terms of cohesion...eh. she couldn't be filler, but she also probably couldn't be the star with the rest of this lineup. it's tough

absolutely LOVE krista's voice, but the reason i stopped voting for her is that she is kind of an absolutely miserable dancer. the great part is that she's super young, and can train to work on her dancing & her stage presence + facial expressions. krista (and others) make me wish that chuang was like produce japan, where the funding company (there lapone, here ryce) takes on trainees from the show for future permanent or temporary groups. krista would be a great candidate for that.

kitty, natty, & jaoying i noticed for the first time this round. i don't have much to say but they would be very solid filler members (not a drag, btw). im looking forward to seeing more of them!

yuan ke & wan yan jiayi are growing kind of indispensable if they want to have a foothold in china it seems. my personal pick would be yuan ke, but i think jiayi is moreso on the rise.

TBH i have 21 more contestant photos saved but let me just move onto another potential top 9

all i did was replace rose & mingming with elyn & emma, which brings the nationality count to: 2 thailand, 3 china, 1 japan, 1 usa, 1 malaysia, 1 south korea. see but now i'd say they need at least one more thai member! now sort of i want to put jaoying in over elyn lol. oh well 🤷🏿‍♀️

[dietgaymags]

A definitive ranking of DWTS Season 29′s celebrities thus far

So I'm obsessed with Dancing with the Stars as much as the next guy. I’ve seen every season since number 11, when I was like 9 years old. But I dropped off a few seasons ago, disappointed that they really had the nerve to put the legend Lindsey Stirling on the same season as the other legend Jordan Fisher. That was not fair to anyone, because Lindsey would have wiped the floor in literally any other season. 

But Season 29′s cast was released and I got excited again. About 80% of these names I was not only familiar with, but were people I enjoyed for some reason or another. Skai Jackson, Nelly, Johnny Weir, AJ McLean, Nev Schulman, Carole Baskin, Justina Machado, Monica Aldama, and the list just goes on. They really said “we need to get young people back into the show.” And they did. I was hooked. And though Len is gone and Carrie Ann is going some sort of which way with her votes (we don’t talk about it), I’ve watched every episode with bright eyes and so much excitement. We have some good dancers this season. And some bad ones. But mostly good. So here’s my definitive ranking of this season’s stars (and, by extension, pros). And if you don’t agree, that’s fine. I am simply a nineteen-year-old girl who likes to watch ballroom dancing. 

NUMBER 15: CAROLE MF BASKIN AND PASHA PASHKOV

Besides the moral obligations to not allow a murderer to appear on the show, I think DWTS did a good job trying to rope people in by bringing her on. When the cast list was released, my jaw dropped because I knew she was going home first and I wanted to be there to see it. 

And somehow, she did not... go home first? She made it another episode? While I’m sure it was a ploy to keep people interested in the show so they didn’t watch the premiere and drop off, Carole Baskin is sure to go down in DWTS history as one of the worst competitors. Her highest score was a 16, sure, but her lowest was an 11. We’re treading Master P territory. And I had a full traumatic episode watching her in a lion-esque unitard. Fuck, I needed to bleach every orifice on my body. (Overall Rating: 1 dead husband/10)

NUMBER 14: CHARLES OAKLEY & EMMA SLATER

You cannot tell me this man isn’t having the most fun he’s had in a minute. He was another easy-to-spot early elimination, but I actually enjoyed watching him to some degree. Emma danced circles around him, but you could really tell he was trying his damnedest and I appreciate it. And his performances didn’t strike cold, dead fear into my heart like other people.

He also got the same average score as Carole over the first two episodes, but one of those was NOT an 11. Slightly better, imo, just a little less improvement than Carole---which is why Derek booted him in the first place. (Overall rating: 1.5 left feet/10)

NUMBER 13: JESSE METCALFE AND SHARNA BURGESS

Did they---did they ever dance? I literally don’t remember anything other than that Newsies dance, which I have to say I particularly enjoyed. It might be because I like Newsies. It might be because Sharna’s hair is gorgeous this season. I don’t know, but it probably wasn’t because of Jesse’s dancing. 

That’s literally all I have to say. (Overall rating: 2 confused braincells/10)

NUMBER 12: CHRISHELL STAUSE AND GLEB SAVCHENKO 

WOAH, she’s coming in with the hot takes! Chrishell hasn’t even been eliminated yet! And look, it’s not even Chrishell’s fault that she’s so low on the list. It really isn’t. She’s been performing, well, okay thus far. Not great, considering her highest score was a 26 on a Paso double where she literally did not even dance (look, I’m not a judge, but I would’ve given it a 21 MAYBE). She’s trying, and she seems to be really enjoying it; I absolutely adore her energy. But most of the issue here is attributed to her partner, Gleb.

His choreography is just... I don’t know... lazy. He throws himself around like a god among men and Chrishell is just there. I don’t really appreciate the pros who prefer to dance over their partners instead of with them. I don’t understand why he thinks this method will get him a mirrorball, but it’s just not gonna happen. (Overall rating: 2 measures of actual dancing/10)

NUMBER 11: ANNE HECHE AND KEO MOTSEPE

Look how happy they look! No, but seriously, they didn’t do that bad. They just had a bad week. Week 2, they had a higher average score than SIX other couples on the show, and they left with a score of 21. I legitimately think that their Disney night dance was underscored. Sure, it wasn’t wonderful, but it didn’t deserve a fifteen.

I know they had no chance to win the mirrorball, but Keo has a history of being stuck with less-than-stellar partners. Anne was not a bad match; they just had bad luck and better competition. I did love watching them, though. And Keo is beautiful, but need I say more? (Overall rating: 3.5 early elims/10)

NUMBER 10: VERNON DAVIS AND PETA MURGATROYD CHMERKOVSKIY

I honestly haven’t enjoyed Peta’s choreography since Season 22, when she and Nyle DiMarco ate up the dance floor and left not a single crumb. She and Peta were another pair where I was like, “Wait, who got eliminated? They’re still here?” The judges were right in saying Vernon had a lot of energy on stage, and look at him here. He’s big cheesin’.

They kind of existed for me is all I have to say. The only reason they’re ranked higher than Anne and Keo is because their average score was just overall better. They never scored extremely well, with their highest score being a 22, but they never did too horribly either. They were meh. (Overall rating: 4 touchdowns/10)

NUMBER 9: NELLY AND DANIELLA KARAGACH

Another hot take? Yes. I can never tell whether or not Nelly enjoys being here until he actually dances. During rehearsal, confessionals, critiques, he always looks a little embarrassed or nervous? I’m not sure. But just like Vernon and Peta, all of their dances have been kind of meh. 

That’s not to put Daniella down in any sense. It’s her first season as a pro, and her abilities definitely shine through in her performance. But like I said about Gleb earlier, she has a tendency to dance over Nelly at times (see: the Freddy Krueger dance from last week). I don’t see Nelly living up to the standards the judges say he’s lived up to thus far, but that might just be my personal opinion. (Overall rating: 5 heeled sneakers/10)

NUMBER 8: MONICA ALDAMA AND VALENTIN CHMERKOVSKIY

Another surprisingly hot take. I actually really enjoyed each of Monica’s dances this season, especially since she’s someone with essentially zero dance experience. I’m still very pissy that the Ratched dance sent her home---it was one of my favorite dances of the night, and I have no clue why she only got a 22 for it (especially when Chrishell and Gleb got a 26). 

Val has always been someone on the show who can take a non-dancer and genuinely make them better. This is the case with Monica. We saw so much improvement with her over the weeks. We’re getting to the part of the list where I love all of the dancers. Still, Monica and Jeannie should not have been the bottom 2 last week, but in the case between the two, it’s right that Monica was eliminated. Still, I would have loved to see her next week. (Overall rating: 6 cheer pyramids/10)

NUMBER 7: SKAI JACKSON AND ALAN BERSTEN

Sure, she got the first 10 of the season. Sure, the Chucky dance was kind of spectacular. But she’s also had the lowest score for two out of seven weeks so far. She has yet to be in the bottom, but I’m sure that’s the fans working for her. I can’t deny her talent on the dance floor, but I would argue that objectively, Skai has made the most mistakes out of everyone this season.

She’s been remarkably inconsistent over the course of the season, but when she’s good, she’s really, really good. She was my pick to win when the cast was released, but now I don’t see that happening unless the fans really come to vote on her, which I think they will. But there is no excuse for an 18 on Week 6. She can do better. I know she can. But until then, she stays in the middle of my list. (Overall rating: 6 Ms. Kiplings/10)

NUMBER 6: JEANNIE MAI AND BRANDON ARMSTRONG

To be completely honest, I had Jeannie Mai pegged as an early elimination from Week 1. But she and Brandon continue to astound me as a team. I love every single one of their dances, sad that they’ve been consistently underscored. That Hannibal Lecter paso was stunning, and the Up dance on Disney night made me tear up a little. 

They’re not higher for the sole reason that others are just better. Not because I don’t love what they put out on the stage every week, but Jeannie just isn’t the strongest technically. Until they get eliminated, though, I’ll be watching with bated breath. (Overall rating: 7 hole-in-ones/10)

NUMBER 5: KAITLYN BRISTOWE AND ARTEM CHIGVENTSEV

Do I just not see what everyone else is seeing when they’re obsessing over Kaitlyn Bristowe? I mean, everything she’s done so far has been wonderful, but she’s not my favorite. Technically, it’s on point 85% of the time. and she has the second-highest point total so far in the competition, but she has yet to do a dance where I step back and think, “Wow.” That’s what puts her behind the top four.

I did not like the Cruella DeVille paso doble at all last week, but I think that was attributed to the song choice more than anything else. I have yet to be taken aback by Kaitlyn and Artem, but their work is undeniably, objectively some of the best on the show. (Overall rating: 7 roses/10)

NUMBER 4: AJ MCLEAN AND CHERYL BURKE

Now we’re at the spot on the list where if any of these guys win the mirrorball, I will be satisfied. Something about AJ is simply magnetic. He has such a kind disposition and wonderful talent on the dance floor, it’s so hard not to love him. His samba is one of my favorite dances on this season so far, and I’m genuinely concerned that he’s been underscored this whole time. 

Cheryl is a mf VETERAN at this, too. She knows how to teach this man to destroy a dance floor. The energy he brings, the life he brings, the nasty footwork that he DEMOLISHES. I did not expect to love AJ as much as I do. In my opinion, the most improvement we’ve seen in a star this season. (Overall: 8.5 backstreets/10)

NUMBER 3: JUSTINA MACHADO AND SASHA FARBER

Justina is living proof that you don’t have to be as big around as my pinky finger to do ballroom dancing well. She’s easily the best female star this season, and Sasha has accentuated her talents on the dance floor without overpowering her, which I enjoy. On top of that, she looks so happy to be here, which translates heavily into her dancing. 

I will say, not every dance from her has been my favorite, but there hasn’t been a single dance out of her that I haven’t liked. Her presence is so powerful and destructive that everyone needs to watch their backs. Remember, this is a sitcom mom, not a professional dancer. (Overall rating: 8.5 days at a time/10)

NUMBER 2: JOHNNY WEIR AND BRITT STEWART

I am a firm believer that Johnny and Britt should have gotten a perfect 30 on their contemporary back in Week 5. I am also a firm believer that they should have gotten a perfect 30 on their Viennese waltz last week. I am consistently blown away by Britt’s choreography every single week, and their chemistry as a pair is unlike anyone I’ve seen in the show’s history. 

What I like about them so much is how much of a team they are. That really makes so much difference out on the dance floor. Their grace and style is completely unmatched, and as a first season pro, Britt is destroying some of the pros who have been here for years... Gleb. I can’t wait to see their performances every single week, and I hope they continue to dance together somehow even after the show is over. (Overall rating: 9.9 triple axels/10)

NUMBER 1: NEV SCHULMAN AND JENNA JOHNSON CHMERKOVSKIY

Hey, quick question: did you expect this? Because I definitely didn’t. Catfish has always been my guilty pleasure show to watch when I’m bored and lonely, and Nev has always been this super dorky guy, so when they announced the cast list, I was like “Oh, this is gonna be funny as hell.” Because it could only go one of two ways: 1) Nev fumbles around like a dork and goes home pretty early, or 2) he wins the mirrorball. 

APPARENTLY it’s the latter. Nev surprised me, and I think everyone, with his natural talent, and Jenna is heavily playing off that in her choreography. She’s been giving him very difficult, technical work and he’s has continued to astound. With the first 30 of the season rightfully deserved, Nev is a force to be reckoned with. Like I’ve said earlier, some of the pros like to dance over their partners to hide their weaknesses. I would go so far as to argue Jenna lets him dance over her. Together, they’re an absolute wildfire, and if they continue at this pace, consider the competition already won. (Overall rating: 10 chest hairs/10)

[avelera]

Yo rewatching uprising i always thought "you can finally meet alice" was the precursors trying to get into hermanns mind aswell but loads of people on here think it was a cry for help. I dont know which one i prefer tbh. Whats your opion if you dont mind :)

Oh man, honestly, Anon, this is to me the mystery at the heart of Uprising laid out in one single line of dialogue. How much is Newt has so much to do with this particular line. Again, director says it’s always the Precursors (which would mean it’s meant just to do Hermann harm), Day seems to be playing an on-again-off-again combination of the two, one word is Newt, the next is the Precursors (implying they both could have their motivations for wanting Hermann there or wanting to keep him away), and the book implies it’s always Newt he just doesn’t know why he’s doing the things he does because he doesn’t know about the Precursors (which means they both could have their reasons, but Newt doesn’t know exactly why he’s phrasing it the way he is). And fic writers, myself included, can change who is piloting for that line depending on what the fic wants to showcase.

But we can also do a kinda logical breakdown working backwards from the potential outcomes. One of three things was going to happen if Hermann took Newt up on that invitation: 

1) Hermann is isolated and killed, thus removing him as an obstacle or threat to the Precursor plan. 

2) Hermann is forced or convinced to Drift with the Hive Mind, making him an asset along with Newt. 

3) Hermann sees Alice, realizes something is wrong, and successfully gets help, thus derailing the Precursor plan.

Which is why I tend, personally, to go with the “both” interpretation. Newt, or at least some part of him, wanted Hermann to discover the truth. I think we can authoritatively say Newt had hopes of Hermann figuring it out and rescuing him, given the Victor Lima distress call and the line, “Good job, Hermann, you finally figured it out, and as usual a step behind.” IMO that heavily implies that Newt had an expectation Hermann would figure it out, but feared what ended up happening, which is that he’d figure it out too late, given his obvious pain and distress when he delivers that line.

I think the reason the Precursors allowed that line to slip out if it was Newt is because they too hope to gain an asset or rid themselves of a threat if Newt’s invitation works. 

So basically: if Hermann accepts the invitation, everyone involved has a chance of “winning” something they want. 

The question would be in that case: who originated the idea? Did the Precursors want Hermann since the beginning, or did Newt want him and have to try hard for the chance to get Hermann to visit and intervene? 

Also, to what extent does Newt not want Hermann to visit, in case he’s captured or killed? It’s also possible for Newt to be aware he’s being selfish that he wants Hermann to discover Alice, knowing how big the risk is to Hermann, but still hoping it happens. We know Newt, for all his virtues, is not above putting his own safety first in times of crisis ( “I’m a doctor!” while running to the shelter). 

But then we have to go back one more step and the fact the invitation is, as you pointed out, couched in meeting “Alice”. 

- If we accept that Hermann is in love with Newt, which IMO is pretty damn close to canon given actor interviews, then his irritation at the mention of Alice is jealousy. Even if they’re not quite at the “love” word yet, one can see that Hermann’s reaction over Newt’s apparent domestic bliss is not a happy one. He’s not an encouraging, platonic “friend” glad of Newt’s success in his love life. There’s definitely a whiff of jealousy of SOME sort. 

This is where the line gets really cryptic as far as motivation goes. Knowing that “Alice” is not someone Hermann is happy about or wants to meet, why would Newt or the Precursors preface an invitation into their lair with a factor that would not make Hermann want to come there? The possibilities are as follows:

1) The Precursors don’t want Hermann there, but Newt does. In fact, they want to drive Hermann as far away from Newt as possible (there’s plenty of evidence of this) therefore, they’re modifying Newt’s plea for Hermann to come by and thus free him by adding an aspect to the invitation that Hermann is sure to reject and recoil from Newt over: the idea of meeting his competition for Newt’s attention (thus conceding “Alice’s” victory). 

IMO I think this interpretation is the strongest for Charlie Day’s portrayal. 

2) The Precursors want Hermann there, but Newt doesn’t. The Precursors are planning to kill or compromise Hermann, and Newt is throwing in the line about Alice to make sure Hermann stays as far away as possible, because he knows Hermann is a petty bitch about these things and won’t come anywhere near Newt’s apartment if there’s a possibility of meeting Alice. 

3) Both of them want Hermann there. 

a) As per the “Newt’s brain has been thoroughly scrambled” theory - he really does want Hermann to meet “Alice”, knowing she’s a Kaiju brain, and thinks Hermann will enjoy the experience or doesn’t realize he’s playing into the Precursors plans with this, or he doesn’t see the Precursors as enemies.

b) OR, and this is usually what I subscribe to, both want Hermann there, but both are hoping for very different outcomes, each convinced that they will succeed (Newt will have successfully gotten Hermann there to rescue him / the Precursors will have successfully gotten Hermann there to kill or capture him).

4) Neither of them want Hermann there. Newt wants to protect Hermann/keep someone on the outside smart enough to catch the Precursors plan and stop them. The Precursors are afraid Hermann will escape any trap they lay and successfully sound the alarm/get help for Newt. They both know Hermann is nosy and would need reverse psychology to keep him from poking into Newt’s life - a fake romantic rival is just the way to keep him from getting too close and the line is entirely set up to stage an invitation to Hermann that he would never accept.

I can also totally see a version where both Newt and the Precursors together have a brain that’s such a bag full of cats that neither really knows what they want to do with Hermann, whether they want to kiss or kill him, whether they want to be rescued or fear he’ll get hurt, capture him or keep him away because he’s a threat. 

It’s a mysterious line, not to give what could just be bad writing too much credit, but it’s definitely not clear within the film which kinda makes things more exciting, I think. 

[soonhoonsol]

SVT Werewolf AU

hihi!! I see the werewolf edits are floating around and getting a lot of attention >< If you haven’t seen them, here’s the hyung and maknae posts :)

After reading the tags, I see a lot of people wanna know why I chose the specific rankings for the members. So this post is to explain my train of thought for each member :) It’ll be under the cut ^^

Note: everything is inspired by Teen Wolf ^^

Alrighty so let’s start with the Alphas first!!

Alpha culture in TW is basic - they’re the leaders of the pack, and they’re the ones who can turn regular humans into werewolves.

Seungcheol - This one is pretty obvious, I feel? He’s the overall leader of SVT, so it’d make sense that he’s an Alpha

Soonyoung - He’s also a leader, and he’s the kind of guy who rounds people up together. If you’ve ever been to their concerts, Soonyoung’s always the one hyping the crowd and imo has the strongest stage presence. Also, remember that time he stopped some sasaengs with a STOP sign? Big Alpha energy right there

Seungkwan - This one is receiving both love and hate >< Firstly, I didn’t wanna be obvious and make all 4 leaders Alphas (yes, Seokmin included). I just felt that Seungkwan is too ‘strong’ to be a Beta, and he’s a people person, so Omega wouldn’t fit him either >< In TW, there is this term “True Alpha”, which is a Beta-turned-Alpha, due to strength of character (according to the TW wiki). That sounds like Kwannie, a pure angel~

Let’s move on to the Betas!

Beta culture in TW - pack member / team player :)

Jeonghan - He could’ve been an Omega too tbh, but I felt that Joshua was gonna be a Beta, so why not make his bestie a Beta too? :’)

Joshua - I feel like he would do better in a pack as compared to being a lone wolf so...Beta it is :)

Minghao - okay but fr the yellow eyes suit him >< He’s a big angel boi!! He’s always looking out for others :’) A wonderful team player

Mingyu - I wanted to make him an Alpha, but I felt he was a little too...soft? Not in a bad way of course, but I felt he would fit the Betas better

Seokmin - Yes, the whole 97 line are Betas fight me :’) Well, a pack needs some sunshine right? Here’s the smiley boi :’) 

And last but not least, the Omegas!!

Omega culture in TW - lone wolf / not part of a pack (which is sometimes not true if you’ve watched TW...it’s confusing)

Jun & Wonwoo - They’re essentially cats, tbh. Their quiet personalities don’t really lead to me to think of them as Alphas, but Betas are also a bit far fetched imo. I’m sure they’d do well in a pack, and through TW standards, they can be sorta part of the pack?? TW is confusing...and this is just the werewolves we’re talking about ><

Jihoon - There were some disagreements about this too. Yes, he’d be a great Alpha, but then again, that’s too obvious to make all the leaders Alphas. Jihoon is by far the most independent person I have ever seen, ever. He’d survive amazingly as an Omega

Vernon & Dino - They’d be good Betas too, but I feel like they wouldn’t stick to a certain pack. Pack-hoppers, maybe? They’re the kind to join a pack for a fight, but immediately leave once the fight is over, ya know?

Welp, that’s just my take on this!! Feel free to agree or disagree with the rankings, but I’m really grateful to everyone who accepted the concept well :) Thank you!!! <3

[gameguides]

Sexy Mystic Survivors Weapon and Item Guide

Welcome to our Sexy Mystic Survivors Weapon and Item Guide. Comprehensive guide going over all the weapons, passive items and their respective evolutions and how strong or weak they are. We know that there are people who have a hard time finishing the Sexy Mystic Survivors game. If you are one of those who find it difficult to finish the game, let's take you to our Sexy Mystic Survivors guide. #SexyMysticSurvivors

Sexy Mystic Survivors Weapon and Item Guide

This is a guide to help players who are struggling with the game when it comes to what weapons, passive items, or relics to pick up. The only issue you might run in to while using this guide is not having the weapons unlocked or a good portion of upgrades taken. Sexy Mystic Survivors Weapon and Item Quickview Weapon evolutions and passives

Relics

Weapons if you dont plan on evolving

Storm Amulet gets weaker late game while Spectral Dagger becomes better late game. Fire boots become really bad late game or if you are unable to have a clear walking path, theyre super strong early game while you are kiting. Never pick up Blessed Hammer, it's by far the worst item in the game. S Tier

Weapons Holy Cross - This item is consistently highest dps by 4-5x as much as the next highest dps in my runs. The primary reason is that when it triggers it does a screen wide AOE. It is sort of weak early on but by the 20 minute mark it will be consistently triggering. Energy Shield / Inferno Shield - The reason for putting the unevolved shield in S tier is because the invulnerability it provides does not require you to upgrade it and will save you at all stages of the game but more so early on when you are still without upgrades. Inferno Shield is the same but better because when it triggers, it does massive amount of damage, typically clearing anything remotely near. Frozen Orb - This weapon is hidden top tier. It looks and feels weak upon first inspection but its honestly one of the strongest in the game because it consistently freezes enemies and gives you room to breathe which is much needed when you are completely surrounded. Frozen enemies cannot damage you but what happens in this game is that when there are a ton of enemies they push each other forward, so this also helps with preventing that as it keeps them still. Passives Cooldown - Doesn't really need much explanation, this is easily the biggest damage increase you can get in the game. Experience Gain - Again, not much explanation needed, but imo this is hands down the absolute best passive possible as you will gain so many levels you will skyrocket to a full evolved build before minute 10. I heavily prioritize this pickup and try to get it maxed out before anything else because it will make the game that much easier. Overall thoughts: You dont need all 3 weapons to beat the game on Extreme difficulty. Honestly you need just 1 of them, maybe 2 if you find yourself having an unlucky run. If you pick up all 3 its because you definitely want a win with no way of messing it up. As for the passives, I always get both cooldown and experience gain. I dont think you can beat extreme without experience gain honestly because youll just fall behind and like I mentioned I will prioritize leveling up Experience gain before anything else, the only time I wont pick it over something is if theres a legendary weapon or something that I will pick up brand new, meaning I dont already have it. So if I am picking between leveling exp gain or a weapon, i'll level exp gain. Early on I think its important to pick up all the weapon/items you can that will make up your end game build so you dont "lose" it, especially if its legendary, but if its epic tier or below, i'll let it go and try again on another level up. Cooldown is almost luxury tier, its nice to have, not necessary but keep in mind that it is still the strongest passive behind exp gain. Try and get it epic or legendary tier and then grab a heart/armor/damage passive from the ground to evolve its respective weapon. A Tier - Sexy Mystic Survivors Weapon and Item

Weapons Crescent Blade - This weapon does great damage but one of the better parts to it is that it gives your character basically a "shield" because the projectile comes out basically dead center of your character, so it provides a small pushback on top of damage before its even fired out. It also has seemingly zero cooldown, there is some but its so small its negligible. Storm Scythe - This upgrade path for the Scythe is weird because it essentially is a better version of Dark Scythe. The scythes that it has rotate around your character come out fairly quick, do great damage and again, has a short cooldown. The area that it affects is also bigger than dark scythe, There is no reason to pick Dark Scythe with this being a simply superior version to it. Another reason that this is a consistent pick up for me is that the Area passive item is part of the evolution path and you want the area passive is just really strong. Overcharged Lamp - Probably the weakest in the A tier, and might seem odd to rate it so highly but what this weapon brings to the table is that it will 100% shoot at whatever is closest to you with no cooldown and push it back. The damage isnt amazing, but it doesn't need to be. This weapon is strongest early game compared to late, but the pushback is always helpful. Flying Stars - This weapon is what the blessed hammer wishes it was. is basically forms a huge ring around you and just claps everything then flies away. Not much more needs to be said. Passives Projectile Speed - This is great because it helps everything just move around the screen quicker, slightly underrated imo. This passive is so good it makes the Crystal Bow be not such a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ weapon pick up so you can get its evolution, that says a lot. Amount - This is truly in a weird spot. I want to rate it higher but also lower at the same time. The reason for that is because this does a lot early on and is a huge damage increase but late game it makes almost 0 difference because weapon evolutions shoot out so many projectiles at such a high rate, the impact of it is not felt at all. Also the weapon that this helps evolve is not that great either. Area - This helps all your weapon projectiles become bigger and is most noticeable when you have holy pendant/cross/divine punishment as a weapon. Arguably should be S tier. Max Health - I used to underrate this but it helps you tank a ton of hits, especially late game and will help you survive a lot of times while you get to the next health pickup. Attract Area - The magnet is super good and I tend to level this up over other passives because it'll just help you grab those exp shards much easier without putting yourself in danger. Maxed out legendary magnet will have you grab like 70% of the screen, its so helpful. The weapon that this helps upgrade is also not bad. Movement Speed - Not much needs to be said, movement speed is life because you can zig-zag your way out of nasty situations early on. Revival - The cheese is either S tier if you use it or F tier if you dont. If you find yourself going through multiple revives, youre having a bad run and this doesnt really help you make it into a good run but at the same time you can get unlucky and needing to revive once or twice early on can be the difference between completing a run or not. Firm A tier. Overall thoughts: The 4 weapons are really good and they are all equally strong with the lamp being slightly less so but what it brings to the table is still great. The obvious recurring issue I bring up is that they all have some sort of pushback to them and thats what you need in this game to beat the hardest difficulty because the enemies are so strong especially late game. All 4 weapons also benefit from having good passives that help evolve them, with the exception being the sword but it's passive is only slightly weaker. As for the passives, theyre all good with amount, movement speed and revival having a slight downside to them. I already spoke about amount, but movement speed suffers from the same issue where the weapon it helps evolve is not that great and Cheese suffers from either being used or not. B Tier

Sexy Mystic Survivors Weapons Endless Tide - This is actually very strong but it has a decent cooldown on its own and the worst part about it is that it hits a very narrow area. You can make a corridor through enemies though because it does hit like a truck. Crescent blade is better but this is still fun to use every now and then. Dark Scythe - This would be better if it hit a larger area around you, its passive actually worked and it didnt have a sizeable cooldown. Or 2 out of those 3. But as it currently stands it's very bad and the Storm Scythe version is simply far superior in everything this tries to achieve. I would rate this F tier but this actually still does great damage even with all it's drawbacks. Rainy Wings - This is actually pretty good, the downside to it is that youre stuck using the crystal bow until you upgrade to it and while it hits hard it offers no pushback. Also this weapon is a little weird where putting extra levels into it late game doesnt feel like it helps it do more. It consistently stays around 2-4k dps even if you get it to level 40. A tier weapons do that dps output with only 10 levels into them. Magic Orb - I actually love this weapon. Visually, how it moves, the explosion into smaller projectiles after. The problem is that it moves too slow. Youre constantly waiting for it to hit an enemy. Also while I love the explosion, it does make it hard to see what is near you end game, no way around it. Meteor Storm - This evo is actually kind of weak until late game when the whole screen is filled with enemies trying to touch you and the ground aoe it leaves behind can actually do some damage. I think this would be a little bit stronger if it had a higher alpha strike and had its damage over time component removed. Its so much better than the Sun Orb though and still, im a huge fan of meteors as a magic attack type, so I like using it sometimes. Lightning Amulet - The upgrade to the storm amulet oddly feels weak. Not much else to say really. Looks cool though. Divine Punishment - This is really good and arguably S tier or solid A tier except for the fact that it requires the right build to pull off. You need max cooldown reduction and the right weapon combo to keep people away from you but not too far away so the spikes can hit. Its hard to pick this up when Holy Cross hits the entire screen and doesnt have all these caveats to make it work. It does hit like a truck though so dont completely dismiss it. Falling Flowers - This isnt bad but it simply does less damage than Flying Stars, only slightly but its still a slight amount and thus finds itself B instead of A. Fire Orb / Devil Boots - Just going to pack these together because they both suffer from the fact that you need to keep moving to make them work. They both do great damage but late game you will find yourself unable to make the huge strides that these weapons want you to make, especially devil boots because you need to be constantly making an enclosure around enemies when its the enemies who have you surrounded. Its tough to make them work but they do a ton of damage and are actually really good against the final boss, especially devil boots. Staff of Freezing - While it has a 100% chance to freeze, it simply has too long of a cooldown and too little damage to make this picking up over frozen orb. The aoe of it also is very very narrow as well. Lightning Shield - This feels like a meme weapon more than anything. It does decent damage but somehow not more than Inferno shield, also if you find yourself getting hit and having your shield popped you lose it and begin dealing NO damage which is terrible as you will occasionally find yourself being hit by some random enemy that runs at you at the speed of light or the guys who die and rez right at your feet. You can simply get hit by too many things and it doesnt even do more damage than inferno shield. I would rate this F but F tier is for the true dregs of society. Duplicating Daggers - This weapon is really really good, does great damage and hits everything on the screen. Would be A tier but A tier is a cut above. I would rate it A- or B+ Passives Damage - Might be odd to rate this so low but in my opinion whenever I pick this up it simply feels like it has little to no impact. I would rate it lower if it wasnt necessary to pick this up for the sword evolution. Armor - Same as damage. Doesnt feel like it does much and only really worth picking up to evolve the shield weapon. Overall Thoughts: None of these weapons are bad, they just are not as good as the A tier or suffer from some sort of drawback. I would not say never pick them up or play with them as some are fun and you can still win on Extreme Difficulty with these in your arsenal. F Tier

Weapons Barrager - This weapon is odd because it feels like it does zero damage. It hits 1/4th of your screen as well in whatever direction you are facing but the arrow spread is so high its just bizarre. It also has a high cooldown. Sun Orb - Not really sure what the intention is here. Its nice that it will suck in enemies but it will not grab elites so its not that helpful as the elites will push everyone around as they chase you. It also suffers from pitiful damage output. Protector Shield - Doesnt evolve into anything so best avoided. Does okay damage for an unevolved weapon though. Blessed Hammer / Storm Hammer / Magic Armory - Absolutely awful. Low damage, low area. Dont ever pick this up and if you do accidentally pick this up, just restart the run and save yourself the time. Dragon Tooth / Dragon Heart - Low damage, low area. The evo upgrade, which is Dragon Heart, doesnt do anything except remove the cooldown. Best to be avoided. Hellfire Butterfly - If you somehow found yourself picking up Dragon Tooth and think this evo path is the one to take you will find yourself to be wrong. The cd is decent and but the aoe explosion it has is not big enough to hit enemies behind the ones infront, so this essentially is a worse Magic Lamp. I think if the butterflies passed through enemies and dealt damage along the way it might be decent. Passives Duration - Useless. Its helpful early on but it stops being helpful as soon as you hit your first weapon evolution because all weapon evos have little to no cooldown so their duration doesnt matter. I dont know what this is for honestly. Also this item is required for the hammer weapon which you do not want in any instance. Luck - I wish I didnt have to rate this as F because it actually is very helpful. Max luck means you find Legendary weapons/passives on the regular. The issue is that it requires you to not only pick this up as a passive, taking up a slot, but also LEVEL IT for maximum effectiveness. This is only useful if you dont have luck leveled up as a powerup passive so you can find epic/legendaries from the start. Once you do, theres zero reason to grab this. Recovery - The recovery rate is simply far too low, also there for some reason is no difference from any of the rarities, so legendary recovery is the exact same as common at 0.3, so if there is a recovery leaf on the map, its much better to grab another passive item and then pick this up from the floor. Gold Gain - This item helps evolve the dragon tooth which you dont want. The extra gold you get from this is also not significant enough to warrant a pickup. Not much else needs to be said. Overall Thoughts: I would not pick up any of the items listed under F tier, they are simply far too underpowered or need some type of rework to make them worthwhile, especially the hammer which is just a travesty. The ONLY item to ever grab is the recovery leaf and thats simply to upgrade the ice staff. Everything else should be avoided at all costs. Relics

Just going to make this short because there isnt much to say. First of all, DO NOT go for relics unless you have maxed out your relic reroll upgrades so you can reroll your choices 3 times. You can get seriously screwed by being forced to pick bad relics that will end your run. Having said that, if you do have rerolls, I highly suggest going for Relic of Treasure 100% of the time. The chest drop chance is decently high and is immensely helpful especially if you get the 5 chest. Relic of Despair and Healing are the only other relics worth taking. Relic of Healing can be clutch and Despair is obvious in that it can help you kill enemies you are struggling with. All the other relics are meme sh!t or have such a huge downside they are simply not worth picking up as they will cause you to fail your run except for the gold ones but the gold ones are weird because the one that makes enemies drop gold isnt that big of an increase and the one that makes it that enemies ONLY drop gold severely hinder your level ups by dropping your exp gain to near zero Read the full article

[while-my-tardis-gently-weeps]

Eurovision 2018 - Initial Impressions

So, with the pre-parties getting into full swing, I thought I’d note down my impressions of each of the songs, as well as general comments on each semi-final.

SEMI-FINAL 1

Azerbaijan: Aisel – X My Heart 5/10 Luna moon me unimpressed. Given that this is Azerbaijan that we’re talking about, it’d probably qualify anyway, even with the 1st semi being such a bloodbath, but god I hope not. This is as generic-Eurovision as it gets, complete with the cringe-worthy, nonsensical lyrics. 

Iceland: Ari Olafsson – Our Choice 1/10 To be fair, Ari’s got a good voice, but the only thing that will save this song is to make him sing in Icelandic so that most people don’t understand what on Earth he’s saying. If I thought “luna moon me up” from Azerbaijan was bad, then this song just made that sound positively Shakespearean! Watching it for the first time, this gave me a serious case of the creeps and made me want to run for the hills. It’s almost as if Iceland gave up after last year and just went. “not voting for me despite me sending quality songs, will you? Well then here’s the blandest thing imaginable, see how you like that!” It’s just as well Iceland got the dreaded #2, it’s not like it’s got a chance anyway. Better luck next year.

Albania: Eugent Bushpepa – Mall 8/10 Rock entry, and in Albanian no less! I really like this since the get go. He’s got an excellent voice and seem to work well live too, so I definitely look forward to seeing his performance in Lisbon! 

Belgium: Sennek – A Matter Of Time 10/10 Aaaand Belgium delivers a quality entry that’s slightly out of the left field again! I knew I could trust you, Belgium. So far, this has been my #1 overall. I had high hopes for it ever since Laura was announced and I listened to the two songs she posted on her youtube channel, and A Matter of Time definitely met those expectations and more. She’s a good singer with an unique voice, and the song is dark and atmospheric but sleek and stylish at the same time. With the right staging, she’ll be ready to slay. 

Czech Republic: Mikolas Josef – Lie To Me 7.5/10 This is quite modern for Eurovision and a total earworm. I’m a bit undecided about it to be honest, but I enjoy it for the most part. I suppose it will really hinge on his delivery on stage, but for now it doesn’t strike me as the cold, soulless, off-a-production line kind of pop that usually turns me off. 

Lithuania: Ieva Zasimauskaite – When We’re Old 8/10 I’m feeling a bit devastated by this running order, which probably just destroyed any chance of my girl Ieva qualifying to the final. This is a lovely little song that soothes the soul like a warm cup of cinnamon-spiced tea in the winter. There’s a quite kind of magic to her voice as well that sells the genuine emotion behind the song so well. Her live vocals need a bit improvement, imo, but judging from her recent performance at Riga she’s definitely working on that and getting better. Sandwiched between two high energy fan favorites in an already tough semi though, I’m worried that her song will end up being the bathroom break instead of the slow but charming respite.

Israel: Netta – Toy 9/10 If someone looked up the word “grower” in my personal dictionary, they will see a picture of Netta next to it, along with a link to the MV for Toy. I have to admit, I hated this song on first listen and was completely baffled by how Eurovision fans got behind this, and so quickly too. I was convinced that this was a hot mess that would drop faster than a lead balloon. Well, here I am, placing this in my top five and happily eating my words. This song is catchy as hell and has a way of getting under your skin and into your mind and never letting go, and that’s exactly what happened to me. It’s so clever in how it carries the central message of women empowerment as well, demonstrating with style how a song like that don’t have to involve power ballads and grand-standing divas, and that one can just have fun with it in the mean time. 

Belarus: Alekseev – Forever 7/10 This song, for me, is a tale of two songs. I love the final studio version of the song as well as the MV, but what I’ve seen of his live vocals so far leave me less than impressed and I shudder at the horrendously overdone staging, with the LED suit and everything going on in the background. If Eurovision were based on studio versions alone, this would have been in my top ten, but as it stands right now unless they change the staging and Alekseev shows improvement in his live vocals, I’m of the mind that this song will get left behind, especially since it has Israel and Estonia as neighbors in the running order.

EDIT: I found a much more recent live performance in Yekaterinburg while I’m still working on the rest of the post, and his live vocals show much improvement, which made me a lot more confident about Belarus’ prospects. I’m still a bit worried about it being stuck between two big favorites though.

Estonia: Elina Nechayeva – La Forza 9/10 This is glorious. As a (very) casual fan of opera and a huge fan of stellar vocals, this ticks all of my box in just the right way. If I were to have a complaint about this song though, it’s the fact that the song lack a true climax and a direction it’s building to. Elina commands the stage with that hell of a voice though that you’d hardly notice. This is definitely not the usual Eurovision fare and that, particularly with the genre being what it is, might work against it, but I’m hoping that the jury and the voters at home will be sufficiently wow’d by her vocals that the fact that this is a pop opera piece and not something they might normally listen to cease to matter.

Bulgaria: Equinox – Bones 5.5/10 I don’t know if it’s because I had too high an expectation for Bulgaria after the last two excellent years, but this song just falls completely fat for me, and repeat listens doesn’t seem to improve my regard (or lack thereof) for it one bit. If anything, I’m turned off by it more and more, what with the hype still surrounding Bulgaria and its entry. Let’s hope the staging change my mind. 

Macedonia: Eye Cue – Lost and Found 4/10 I don’t know, people seem to like this but for me this is one of the forgettable ones that have me going “how did this one go again?” before the song even finishes playing. It’s fine enough, but it makes my attention wander. 

Croatia: Franka – Crazy 6.5/10 It’s fine, I suppose, but it’s nothing impressive. I’m sorry, but everything about it screams safe and middle of the road for me. 

Austria: Cesar Sampson – Nobody But You 7/10 This feels like a pleasant-but-safe entry much like last year’s, and all but screams middle of the road, just like last year. But with how Nathan Trent charmed his way into my favorites list during pre-party season, I think it’s way too early to count Austria out yet. With his effortless vocals and the right amount of charm, Cesar might still lift his song into contention for the finals yet. 

Greece: Yianna Terzi – Oneiro Mou 9/10 Epic ethno-ballad for the win! I certainly wouldn’t say no to #Athens2019 even if this isn’t my overall favorite. This is beautiful, atmospheric, and has the chance of being truly spectacular with the right staging. I’ve only seen the studio version, so I can’t comment on her live vocals, but I’m definitely keeping my fingers crossed for this one and hoping that she delivers on what the studio version promises. 

Finland: Saara Aalto – Monsters 9/10 This has the potential to blow up into a huge banger. The song is powerful and just the right kind of anthemic for Eurovision fans to get behind. I really hope Finland ups their game with the staging and styling though because the national finals one rather came out on the wrong side of left field and something like that just won’t cut it for the big leagues. All the best to Saara and Finland!

Armenia: Sevak Khanagyan – Qami 9/10 Armenia took the plunge this year too in sending a song entirely in Armenian, and Sevak,  being such a stellar vocalist, is definitely the guy to take that risk with. He’s one of the strongest male vocalists this year and that definitely shows in how he delivers this song and its artistry and ethnic charm. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing this live and I hope he kills it in the semi and carry the song to a high finish in the final. 

Switzerland: Zibbs – Stones 7.5/10 This is quite a bop with an excellent beat, but I’m not sure this song will cut it in this semi, unfortunately enough.

Ireland: Ryan O’Shaughnessy – Together 4/10 I guess this is better than last year’s...? That isn’t saying much though. The only thing going for it seem to be the gay romance going on in the MV, but even that feels like a cynical ploy to score points with fans. The female supporting vocals also make it feel like the very definition of incongruous, with the mixed message they’re sending out.

Cyprus: Eleni Foureira – Fuego 3/10 This irritates me to no end, and the fact that people I’ve come across seem to like it only exacerbate things for me. Objectively I guess it’s inoffensive in that generic Eurovision way, but there’s just something about this song that just rubs me the wrong way. 

SEMI-FINAL 2

Norway: Alexander Rybak – That’s How You Write A Song 6/10 I have to admit, I had quite the soft spot for him because his victory in 2009 was what introduced me to Eurovision. That said, where do I even begin with this song? This is the furthest thing from his excellent Fairytale, and more closely resembles a kindergarten sing-along. There were quite a few songs I preferred over this one in the Norwegian national finals too, and I’m not sure if I’ve gotten over their losses yet. When it comes to Rybak himself though, you can’t deny that this man has charm in spades and total command of the stage, and he definitely knows how to work his audience. With a better song we might have been able to have #Oslo2019, but alas...

Romania: The Humans – Goodbye 7/10 This is quite a pleasant song, if a bit dated. I really enjoy the instrumental backing as well, with the strings and everything. When it comes to this year’s rock selections though, this isn’t exactly the best (or even the best in this semi).  

Serbia: Sanja Ilic & Balkanika – Nova Deca 5/10 In any other year, the ethnic element and use of traditional instruments would have captured people’s attention and help them forgive a lot of the song’s faults, but with more nations taking risks as a response to Portugal’s win, I don’t think that strategy works nearly as well, if at all, this year. And they’re not even the best Balkan song in this semi, unfortunately. 

San Marino: Jessika feat Jenifer Brening – Who We Are 2/10 Sorry, I prefer the Norwegian “Who We Are” that sadly got left behind in nationals. She’s got a nice voice, I’d give her that, but the song sounds like two different songs thrown together, and not in a good way. The dancing robots are the only things going for it, really. 

Denmark: Rasmussen – Higher Ground 8/10 I always wonder if I’m being too soft on the Nordic entries because of personal biases, but I’d like to think I’m fair even with my soft spot for them. This song, when it comes down to it, isn’t that spectacular and the lyrics can be iffy at times, but nonetheless I find myself enjoying it. Part of that is probably the viking aesthetics. the atmospheric staging, as well as the general musical theatre aura to the whole package. 

Russia: Julia Samoylova – I Won’t Break 3/10 This is another one that makes me go, “I know they’re going to qualify for simply being Russia but please, please find a way to stop that from happening!” Granted, this is worlds above last year’s aborted entry, but then again it doesn’t take much effort to achieve that particular feat. I don’t know if it’s her diction, her vocal techniques, or a mixture of both, but her vocals is grating. 

Moldova: DoReDos – My Lucky Day 6/10 This is one of the songs that I think might become a grower for me. I almost discounted it entirely at first, because the first performances and videos I’ve seen of it were nothing short of disastrous, with the low quality making the whole thing seem cobbled together with tape and some loose strings. With the official music video out and the performance in Riga showcasing them live though, I’m slowly warming up to it, though this still feels rather like Hey-Mamma-lite to me. 

Netherlands: Waylon – Outlaw In ‘Em ???/10 Okay, I don’t know what I think about this song. Or rather, I do, but my thoughts don’t condense into a neat score that I can put on it. Objectively speaking, this is a spectacular song with a genuine spirit to it. Emotionally speaking though, what makes it great also makes it unlistenable for me because I loathe country music as a genre. So, my rational self will be cheering if, or rather, when this advances to the final with a respectable position, but the other parts of me will be lamenting the fact that I have to sit through this again for the final. So, I guess it’s best of luck to Netherlands, see you in the finals, but I wish you came with a mute button...?

Australia: Jessica Mauboy – We Got Love 7/10 It’s a good song, and even without having seen her live I already get the feeling that she probably has great energy on stage. The song itself is fun, but ultimately safe and inoffensive. It will most likely qualify, but I think it needs something more to go further in the finals. Maybe if there’s a killing part like Dami Im’s song in 2016...

EDIT: I promised myself I’d finish this post before watching the London Pre-Party, but that didn’t exactly happen. So, yeah, she absolutely killed it with her stellar vocals, infectious energy, and charm. If she keeps her momentum, then Australia’s more than good to go. 

Georgia: Iriao – For You 7/10 In any other year, I’d appreciate this a lot more, but alas, 2018 isn’t like any other year. I commend them for their choice to keep this in Georgian, and the vocals on this song are quite impressive as well. But, the fact is, with so many other songs with ethnic elements to compare it to, it doesn’t stand out as much as it should because the simple truth is that whatever this song does well, there’s another song that does it even better. 

Poland: Gromee feat Lukas Meijer – Light Me Up 7/10 This is a great song to rock to at a beach party or on a long road trip. But, the thing is, I’m not exactly partial to beach parties. Or road trips. Or anything else summer-y really. So while this is certainly easy to listen to and enjoyable while it’s on, it’s not exactly something that incites passion in me.  

Malta: Christabelle – Taboo 8/10 This song definitely has a kick to it, and I mean it in the best way possible. I love the song both for the song itself and the message of mental health awareness that it conveys, and I definitely appreciates that it manages to carry its message without being preachy. The staging seems to be coming along quite well already judging from the national finals (despite technical difficulties), and I’m definitely keeping my eyes on this one to see how it evolves on the big stage.

Hungary: AWS – Viszlat Nyar 9/10 The story of my journey with this song is a bit like a mixture of my experience with the Netherlands’ and Israel’s entries. I appreciated this song from the very beginning on an objective level, but personally I’m not much of a fan of heavy metal so I was having a hard time really enjoying it despite my eagerness for it to advance to the finals and do very well. Unlike Waylon and his country piece though, heavy metal is a lot less offensive to my personal tastes, so I was able to appreciate it more and more on a personal level as well with repeated listens, to the point that I now consider it one of my favorites of the year, both objectively and subjectively-speaking. I’m a bit worried that the juries will penalize it for its genre, but hopefully it will win over enough televotes, especially those from the younger generations, that it will go through anyway. 

Latvia: Laura Rizzotto – Funny Girl 7.5/10 I like this song for its quirky yet catchy nature, but what really captivated me about it was the aesthetics of its MV. I do think they will benefit from a staging that is in line with the MV, with a theatrical, film noir feel to it. 

Sweden: Benjamin Ingrosso – Dance You Off 5/10 I could have probably been able to tell this was the Swedish entry going in blind. This is all the well-produced slickness that we’ve come to expect from Sweden, but without the energy, soul, and the extra je nais sais quois that put Heroes or Euphoria in a different league. But hey, at least this isn’t nearly as robotic and worthy of trigger warnings as last year’s, which can only be an improvement. And, as a side note: enough with the brown-haired, reasonably attractive young white men, Sweden! I know you can do something different. ...Right?

Montenegro: Vanja Radovanovic – Inje 8.5/10 It’s going to be tough going right after Sweden. But, this song is so different that hopefully that won’t matter too much. This is one of the (many) ethnic entries this year that actually stood out to me. There’s something hauntingly Balkan about this song, and Vanja Radovanovic delivers it expertly. I also like how the song builds itself up to the rising chorus. Anyway, I’m not entirely confident about its chances, but I sure hope to see this one in the finals. 

Slovenia: Lea Sirk – Hvala, Ne! 6.5/10 I have to admit, this one is a bit of a guilty pleasure. The song isn’t anything too special and can definitely be said to be repetitive, but still, I find myself digging the beat despite myself. 

Ukraine: Melovin – Under the Ladder 8/10 I didn’t rate this song at all when I first heard it, but having seen his performance at the national finals, I’m beginning to warm up to it more and more. I’m still kind of trying to figure the song out, but whatever it is there’s something about it that kinds of grab you. 

ALREADY QUALIFIED

Portugal: Claudia Pascoal – O Jardim 8/10 This is quite magical and atmospheric, capable of evoking one’s imagination with the song alone. With the right staging, this will become something truly captivating. 

France: Madame Monsieur – Mercy 9.5/10 France does it again and makes it into my top three for the second year in a roll. The song is unassuming at first, but then builds into something beautiful, tender, and clever. The use of double entendre to convey the central message lends the song a sense of universality despite it being sung entirely in French, which will definitely make a difference in Lisbon because they don’t need the fancy LED or special staging elements to help non-Francophones in the audience to understand what the song is trying to say. 

Germany: Michael Schulte – You Let Me Walk Alone 8/10 Huh, Germany actually managed to surprise me. It’s a nice and comfortable ballad, and I mean it in the best possible sense. What makes all the difference this year with Michael Schulte’s “You Let Me Walk Alone” is how heartfelt and genuine this song is, and that, I hope, is what will make a difference and propel it to the left side of the scoreboard. Not to throw any shades, but I very much prefer this to any paint-by-numbers “pseudo-ethnic” pieces that might arise solely as a response to Salvador Sobral’s win. 

Italy: Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro – Non Mi Avete Fatto Niente 10/10 This is easily my top three, but I’m a bit hesitant to put my support behind without seeing the staging, because we all know how last year’s Italian-language song with a deep message turned out. The fact that they said they’re going to display the lyrics during the performance give me hope, because one of my favorite things about the music video was the way they showed the lyrics in a variety of different languages. But either way, this is poetic and powerful, and something of pure quality like all of Italy’s entries lately. 

Spain: Amaia & Alfred – Tu Cancion 7/10 This comes as a surprise to no one, but this year’s Spanish entry is worlds better than last year’s. At first glance, it’s just the run of the mill saccharine love song, but once you pay attention to it there something genuine about it that grabs your attention despite that. This is not really something I usually rate, but I’d be lying if I say I didn’t enjoy it a lot. 

United Kingdom: SuRie – Storm 5/10 Definitely not my favorite in You Decide by a long stretch, but I can’t exactly argue the point that she gave the best performance of the night. She’s a great singer and performer, but the song itself is rather...lacking. So, let’s hope the BBC still knows what it’s doing in terms of staging because this song definitely needs it if the UK has an hope of not finishing bottom five. Then again, SuRie might surprise us yet. She already made a more than respectable performance out of this song once already, after all. 

Who I want to qualify:

SEMI-FINAL 1: Belgium, Israel, Albania, Czech Republic, Greece, Armenia, Finland, Estonia, Balarus, Lithuania

SEMI-FINAL 2: Denmark, Moldova, Australia, Malta, Latvia, Ukraine, Netherlands, Hungary, Georgia, Montenegro

Who I think will qualify:

SEMI-FINAL 1: Belgium, Israel, Albania, Czech Republic, Greece, Armenia, Finland, Estonia, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan

SEMI-FINAL 2: Norway, Sweden, Australia, Russia, Netherlands, Hungary, Moldova, Ukraine, Malta, Poland

[quell-tea-salon]

THE IDOLM@STER SideM 3rdLIVE TOUR report - Makuhari Day 2

The group lineup for Day 2: Dramatic Stars, S.E.M, Cafe Parade, Altessimo, and Legenders. (See set list here.)

Suffice to say, this DraSta/SEM/LegeP died and went to heaven. I had an AltessimoP sitting to my left and a SEM-P on the other side; we pretty much took turns dying throughout the 3.5-hour concert LOL. Also today I had a much better seat compared to yesterday’s live-viewing, which allowed me to appreciate the show even more!! For starters, I could actually see the whole screen this time....

Karino Sho was the MC for today; he gave his signature “SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO desu” greeting, and told us that the concept for today’s performances was “Show!” ....Then proceeded to make a pun of it with his name wwww

With all the groups present on stage, the first song was Reason!!, followed by Cafe’s Reversed Masquerade. Lege took the stage for Symphonic Brave, then it was Alte’s turn for Tone’s Destiny. So far all songs that were in yesterday’s set list.

AND THEN

MY DREAMS CAME TRUE

I GOT TO HEAR SEM SING SAYONARA SUMMER HOLIDAY!!!!! SEM! SUMMER! HOLIDAY!!!! HOLY SHIT DEM HIP THRUSTS UGH SENSEI NOT IN FRONT OF YOUR STUDENTS!!! Yoshiki was downright OBSCENE enokiya's singing was shaky as usual and Totto’s dancing is still stiff (so endearing ;w;) but honestly it didn't matter bc IT'S SEMMMMM

And without giving us time to recover DRASTA BURST ONTO THE STAGE FOR MOON NIGHT NO SEI NI SHITE AND I SCREAMED SO LOUD SKSHAKSHSJDBNAJDHSKDJDN THEY GAVE US THE SLY LOOKS AND BEDROOM EYES AND NAUGHTY WINKS AND LIP-LICKING AND "OIDE ♥" IT WAS HORRIBLE I DIED ABOUT 50000 TIMES you could tell they were having the time of their lives performing it too T_T My throat pretty much died since I was making dying whale sounds the entire time lol i tried not to use my voice after that but the set list continued to be amazing so I couldn’t stop myself from screaming cheering and joining in the song calls.....

After allowing us a short break by way of talk time, part 2 kicked off with Kamiya’s solo A Cup of Happiness! His dance routine included the use of a sparkly pink cane >< So cute and stylish....... Halfway through the song Legenders’ Amehiko and Chris joined him on stage with their own white canes and i freaked out omggggggggg this three make such a handsome picture T_T God, Chris’ long legs and fashion model proportions.,.....

The rest of Cafe Parade joined Kamiya on stage for Cafe Parade! (my fav song of theirs!), and after that was Rei-chan’s solo Echoes My Note, and Alte’s first single The 1st Movement. The AlteP next to me was whimpering the entire time ;w;

I lost my shit again when Lege hopped on stage for String of Fate....... I’ve wanted to watch this R18 performance since forever........ Amehiko’s voice is so smooth and gorgeous and deadly, it’s almost hilarious that his seiyuu Kasama-san is a total gentleman who loves cats and has the temperament of a marshmallow T_T However the strongest singer was probably Fuumin, he hit all the notes consistently (and looked beautiful from every angle gdi).

After another talk break, part 3 began with SEM's Infinite Possibilities!!!! Another classic hit from SideM...... Every time Totto unleashed his magnificent vibrato at "koeTEEEEEEE" we'd burst into cheers!!! They used the pink laser guns in the choreography too, so cute ><

Next was Alte’s Never End Opus....... The famed performance that reduces everyone to tears......... My AlteP buddy was sobbing and even I felt my eyes prickle........ Such a beautiful, heart-wrenching song T_____T

Dramatic Nonfiction!!!! This is my 2nd fav song from DraSta after Moon Night and i know i keep repeating myself, but i’m SO happy that i got to hear them perform this live T_______T It’s uncharacteristically moody for DraSta, the dance choreograph is sexy af and IN THE SECOND VERSE THEY HAD A CAMERAMAN WITH THEM ON STAGE AND THEY UNLEASHED /MAXIMUM/ FANSERVICE AT THE CAMERA DURING THEIR SOLO LINES UGHHHHHHHHHHH I HATE DRASTA, JUST KILL ME (THEY KILLED ME) At that moment I was actually grateful to be at a live-viewing instead of the venue 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Then Cafe Parade hopped on board the the rail trolleys for A La Carte Freedom, throwing rubber balls at the audience like HiJo yesterday. Later they apologised for throwing too hard and hoped that they didn’t hurt anyone wwwwwwwwwww

Another talk break, then Legenders kicked off part 4 with Legacy of Spirit. LegeP represent!!!

Next was Maitaru’s solo This Is It. Singing’s definitely not one of Enokiya’s strong points, but he’s cute and rly fun to watch, even more so when you know what he’s like irl and thus how seriously he takes his work wwwwwww Teru and Saki-chan jumped in as backup dancers, they were both so sexy and cute (srsly Saki-chan was KILLING IT) and i hate Teru for winking at the camera ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; I love watching Shugon dance, he has so much energy in his movements!!!! Truly a Physical idol <333

The next song began with a minute of taiko drums and we were like “Oh???? Who’s this????? Could it be....???” Then SEM appeared on stage in ouendan outfits and we SCREAMED!!!!!! They recited the senseis’ lines cheering on the students from that scene in ep5 and even did the VICTORY! group pose IT WAS SO GOOD T_____T They shed the ouendan gakuran coats for the song (From Teacher to Future!) though haha. During yesterday’s performance Jirou just kinda collapsed onto the stairs in a fit of exhaustion... Today Hazama-sensei sat on the stairs with his face in his hands ;w; Sensei ganbareeeee

DraSta returned to the stage for Arrive To Star. Tbh it’s probably my least fav out of their songs, along the lines of Starlight Celebrate, which i also wasn’t too fond of until recently (it grew on me). But i do know how important this song is for them as a team, and i’m always grateful for DraSta live performances... IMO they truly are one of the strongest teams in SideM vocally, even if Taku doesn’t always do well live.

DraSta remained on stage and SEM joined them to perform a DraSEM version of Ryuusei Parade!!!!! Nothing beats the original DraSEMJupi version (which we got to hear yesterday!) but i love this song to bits and i love DraSEM, plus it’s highly unlikely that we’ll get to hear this rendition anywhere else, so this was truly a performance to remember *____*

Eternal Phantasia!!!!!! I was hoping that they’d perform this today as it wasn’t in yesterday’s set list T______T This majestic, uplifting song was the perfect lead in to the ending sequence - BeyoDori, followed by encore (they changed into 3rdLive coloured T-shirts for this) songs Glorious Ro@d and the SideM staple Drive A Live :D

As the cast made their final exit from the stage, almost everyone made cute poses at the camera.... DraSta were the last group to leave and those ASSHOLES did a SYNCHRONISED BLOW-KISS at us sahjgfdlDGHLsdfghlfSD I WRECKED MY THROAT FROM SCREAMING AND ALMOST CRIED FROM SHOCK, THANKS A LOT!!!!!!!!!

Other stuff:

Totto is an amazing singer and is always in stoic Hazama-sensei mode during performances, but when he talks his endearing awkward side comes out ;w; Usually Enokiya teases him about it and Yoshiki runs damage control, but today Yoshiki just stood back and Totto complained that recently Yoshiki's been giving him the cold shoulder wwww

Speaking of Enokiya, every time it was his turn to talk he’d break character and yell “LET’S PAAAAAAARTTTTYYYYYYYYYYY” (or smth like that) wwwwwwww The first time he did it Yoshiki’s like “who ARE you???” and Enokiya goes “Well it’s hard on me when i have to follow Totto’s awkward talk time” and Yoshiki retorts with “You just made it hard for me too” LOL

When Cafe Parade said that they’d like to see SEM have their turn on the trolleys, SEM asked if they could throw balls as well, and someone suggested that they throw chalk instead since they’re teachers wwwwww Yoshiki tried to shut down the conversation, saying that he has never met a teacher that actually throws chalk at students, but both Totto and Enokiya raised their hands wwwwwwwwwwww

Since yesterday each and every one of Kasama-san’s messages were heart-meltingly lovely and sincere, and today was no different..... In his farewell message he borrowed lines from Amehiko’s marriage proposal from the mobage event, making everyone squeal/sigh... Kasama-san.....

Ama-chan gave us a very sweet message which almost sounded like a marriage proposal “Please stay by my (our) side forever” so Makonyan imitated Ume’s wedding-proposal-on-one-knee pose from yesterday, and Maria mimed biting his glove wwwww

Fu-kun (Shirou) tweeted: “Yesterday Beit proposed to me, but today I was swept away by DraSta” L O L add SEM’s SSH to that and you have: marriage proposal from Beit -> breakup with SEM -> elope with DraSta

Taso shared that due to individual busy schedules DraSta actually couldn’t meet up for rehearsals, so the first time they managed to rehearse as a group was on the day itself of Makuhari Day 1 (yesterday). Taku joked that he was relieved to see Taso still alive www

It’s no surprise that all three members of DraSta are pretty handsy people (they touch each other a lot so you can tell that they’re really close friends ;w;) but today i noticed that Taso always had a hand on Shugon’s shoulder or back whenever Shugon was speaking ;___; cuteee

During his farewell message Taso said that DraSta’s bond as a team had become even stronger while performing together in the concert, and he believes that Kaoru feels the same about Teru and Tsubasa. Shugon, with the biggest grin on his face, put his arm around Taso’s shoulder and pulled him close, going “Aw, you!”, and Taku chipped in with his Tsubasa voice “Kaoru-san, are you feeling shy ^^?” Taso immediately switched into Kaoru mode and retorted “Shut up, it’s your turn to speak! ///” *UGLY CRYING*

Taku seemed to be in good spirits and didn’t appear to have any injuries, but while the camera was zoomed in on him for his farewell speech i noticed that his thumb was bandaged and his microphone had a handle attached to it. I didn’t notice this yesterday, but then again I could only see half the screen from my first-row seat. If my guess is correct, he probably injured his thumb in yesterday’s accident, and the handle was added to the mic to help with his grip. I’m relieved that he wasn’t seriously hurt T_T Rest well, Taku-chan ><

The next concert will be held two weeks later in Miyagi! I’m attending the LV for day 2. In the meantime, I’ll focus on letting my dead throat recover, so I can kill it all over again in two weeks ^^

[survivormontenegro]

Jury Rites of Passage

Before we wrap up this season, here’s what the final 4 had to say about our lovely jury.

Ali -  Alex, you were someone who from the cast reveal of this season I was honestly terrified of lowkey. You just give off such a smart, strategic energy that makes you someone who is very daunting to play against, particularly since we didn’t meet till merge and I had just heard stories about your influence from OG Durmitors. While I stand by the necessity of voting you out, in that you held a lot of sway over the tribe, and were seemingly tight with Jones and Mo, I genuinely was so sorry to see how upset you got in the aftermath of your vote. I felt like the move needed to be swift and clean to remove such a threat from the game, but I apologise, a move so brutal and so blindisde-y would’ve been rough to be apart of, and for that I’m really sorry.

Benj - You were one of the first people to make me feel welcome when we swapped together thank u for always being so open to things and ur passion for the game was undeniable.

Caeleb - I can’t tell if Alex is gonna hate me or respect me. Regardless, I had to vote him off because he was too strong of a player. Everyone was just waiting for his command and then running with it, and I didn’t want to play that game. Plus, I didn’t think that Alex was alwaysss being truthful with me and just pulling me along until he was done, so I kinda felt like we had a little showdown. It was either him or me, and while he’s a sweetheart and a really amazing guy, I kinda consider him my TS rival. Love ya. I’m glad we were able to crush butt with our Grandma’s Boys in the premerge.

Tom - oh boy big boy Alex you are a killa of a game player I must say going against you really spooked me because you had a solid group of people but I’m sorry it had to be done :(

Ali -  oh my god. When I saw that THE Jules was cast for this season, I can’t even describe how excited I was to play with you. Playing and working with you was everything I could’ve hoped for and more, you are smart, savvy and just a joy to talk to at all times, and we vibed on SO much this game. While I think your robbery was disgusting, I understand why others did it, your savvyness and strategic mind speak for themselves and you were of course a major threat. It’s been a pleasure to work with you and to be able to call you my friend.

Benj - LEGEND!!! When I saw you on the cast reveal I was actually shaking bc as u already know my friends who played almia with you said u were such a queen and so nice and they weren’t wrong!! It was a pleasure to get to play with you even though it was so short, and it was sad that we never really got to strategize and work together game wise but I enjoyed all of our talks sm!

Caeleb - Jules was always fun to talk to. She was super sweet and very good at figuring out where the majority was gonna be in the votes. I was really surprised that she cursed me because while I did tell her that I was gonna vote with her, I didn’t message her for a couple of hours before tribal so I didn’t think I was even being very believable. Overall tho Jules was sweet, fun, a bundle of astrology knowledge, and threw in a little bit of sass to make things lively and interesting.

Tom - wowee Jules you social butterfly icon. I’m sad you were eliminated and that I literally did not help at all by saving you I was in my inactive stage. I commend you on how bloody open you are about your sexuality and gender I guess you really are something special and this is not just because you’re on the jury I love how passionate you are about astrology and hopefully one day you can make something out of it

Ali -  I love you and stan you unapologetically. We had a bumpy ride this season, and my one regret from this season, was not telling you about the Alex vote. I’m sure you would’ve been down, and it burned a bridge for me with someone I genuinely trusted and had a lot of time for. While I think your blow-up was ill advised, given that me/Tom/Jason were angling to save you, I can’t fault you for distrusting me after the Alex vote. I felt awful voting you out but once you set my game on fire, with the choice being you vs Tom, I had to side with who had my back and I felt would be a consistent ally moving forwards, so kept Tom and voted for you. You were also apart of some of my highlights from this season, like calling to work through JJ’s… JJness or drinking white wine on the tribe call. I know you’ve now hexed me three times, but I’ll take being hexed a fourth time, if it means we can be friends after this.

Benj - I have never met anyone quite like you before in an org and even though we didn’t talk much your presence in the game was so fun from calls to call outs. Icon! My FB org friends stan u

Caeleb - Easily, the person I talked to the least in the merge, Ian included. For some reason, Julia didn’t want to talk game with me ever, even though we would vote the same. Every conversation we had would kinda trail off with her failing to respond. I know she was active in calls, and since I wasn’t I think that made her write me off. I kinda wish things were different and we could’ve had a different demeanor throughout the season. Who knows maybe we could’ve made something actually happen.

Tom - lol

Ali -  MY SON. The Nemo to my Marlin. While we like… never voted together from jury onwards, I am genuinely proud of you this season. We didn’t particularly vibe as players, and I don’t think I ever got the chance to see your strategic mind in action, but you played a great game this season, and I’m super proud of you. You kick-started some of the key debates of the season, like this stupid mountain llama mess, but you also kept the mood light and had a consistent positive impact on the season as a whole.

Benj - (El)MO! You were really nice in the game and we got along well on swapped tribe but didn’t have the best connection at merge so sadly ended up on the opposites sides a lot but I think u played a good game! I loved how happy u were to be here

Caeleb - A hero. I have such a tumultuous relationship now with Grandma’s Boys because I had to vote off Alex first, switch and vote Mo in the revote, and then fail to save Jones in F6. I think they might think I am a little bit scheming and never really was working with them, but honestly, I voted with Mo and Jones post Alex because they both were easily the most fun to talk to in the tribe. Mo was hilarious, a true king, and loyal to a fault. When Benj told me that he was voting Mo, I had a sinking feeling that Mo was gonna leave that day, but I held on hope that Ali would still vote Tom. I’m sorry that didn’t happen Mo.

Tom - this is a shame this one we got along quite well on durmitor then the tribe swap really uhm separated us literally. Two seperate bridges that just never came together unfortunately. Good luck and stay safe on that grindr game u play

Ali -  Okay… of all people this season, we have had the most rollercoaster ride I think possible. Whether you know it or not, from me almost voting you out prejury, to voting you publicly at F10, to us somehow working together moving forwards. While I knew you needed to go around the time you were idoled out, I was genuinely so sad to see you go home, because I think you played one of, if not the strongest game this season. You took my vote for you in your stride, and being on calls with you and our weird fake rivalry was so much fun. We were on the first cast reveal together, and I hope we can be friends after this season is all done.

Benj - omg MITCHHHH I wish you had stuck with my plan otherwise you prob would have stayed LOL. King you were one of my favs from the first tribe and we stuck it out thru the swap and kept working together for basically every vote until you left! It was so fun to play w you. Ps… I was the 2nd vote for you when Jared left LMAO… I ofc never wanted u gone but me and Ali didn’t want Jared blowing up the fact we were allies so had one of us randomly vote with him.

Caeleb - The strongest player in this season imo. Like everyone talks about Ali being the favored to win rn because of his immunity run and his social butterfly nature. Mitch was stronger strategically by far. His moves were calculated and always put him in a better spot than he was in before, while also never putting a target on his back. I had my eye on voting him for awhile, and when Jones wanted to idol him out it was like some ESP type shit. He was so strong, and also funny, this season would not have been what it was without him.

Tom - mmmmm big ol mitchy boi is it toiLET or toilet that’s the true question, an amazing ally friend and strategist who was skeptical of everything but had good intentions thank you for saving my ass in this game multiple times because I wouldn’t be here without you

Ali -  when people google robbery, if your picture is not the top result, i will SCREAM. It says a lot that we literally never voted together during merge, and yet I stanned for you with my whole heart, and would’ve voted for you in the end. You have this raw likability, that makes you the best ever, but also SUCH a threat in these games, and after your iconic idol play, it was incredibly clear that you were the biggest threat and so critically needed to be voted out. You are such a joy, and I hope we can be friends after the season.

Benj - JONES!!!!!!!!!! Omg I was gagged when I saw that you were playing this season I had heard a lot about you but never met you until now and I was sooooo excited when we got swapped together!! Joining your side back then was such a good decision and ty for making it so easy to accept me and I loved talking to u throughout the whole game even if we were basically on diff sides most of merge! You would have wiped the floor against anyone at the end and I know one day u will get ur win! ILY

Caeleb - My true Grandmother. Honestly, I hope that post-game we can rekindle and be harmonious because I TRULY thought that Jones was one of the friendliest, kind, and joyous people. I worked to get people to switch their votes from Jones in F6, but I kinda expected that it wouldn’t happen because even I recognized that no one could beat Jones in a FTC. I felt like Sierra voting off her mother in BvW. It was truly my saddest day in Montenegro BY FAR.

Tom - I’m sorry Tunnel vision really got you good, You played such an amazing game and honestly to get to final 6 the way you did you should be so proud, you were by far the biggest jury threat because everyone absolutely loved your personality including myself. I really hope we can keep talking on the outside and your artistry takes you amazing places

Ali -  I spent 40 days on a tribe with you, and I want to say it was a pleasure throughout. From talking about Big Little Lies to bonding over our warped sleeping patterns, we genuinely really vibed as people. One thing I loved about our relationship, was our ability to be rational and logical, even when we voted against each other, after the Jules and Ian votes particularly. I genuinely had so much respect for you as a player and your attitude after the Ian vote, and it was something I attempted to mirror after the Jules vote. You had to go at F5, because you played a phenomenal game, surviving being one vote from going home at merge, and it was for that reason I had to vote you out, but it’s been a pleasure, all fourty days of it.

Benj - We had the most up and down relation probably of anyone LOL from me voting you 4 times to us working together for the rest, it really was a ride and even tho we weren’t the most connected im so glad u had such a great season to return to after so long !

Caeleb - Omg go get ur Donna Summer record. Jason was probably the person I talked to a bunch but barely talked game with. We were always on differing sides of the vote, and kinda to my own demise for many of those, but as a result we talked about different things like eggs and records and gay stereotypes. It was a bold and profitable move when we talked post-Ian vote and set us both up for success for the rest of merge. Let's talk soon :)

Tom - Ahhhhhhh my closest ally in this game, i am so proud of the way we survived this game. I was really skeptical about working with you on budva but i am so glad i stuck to my gut of working with you and ian. Round 1 of merge we got absolutely blindsided and destroyed and every since then we had to fight so damn hard every single round to survive together. We were arguably the tightest duo in the game, we voted together every single round , 23 votes combined 8 tribal councils we were targeted at yet we made final 5 together. Through the dark times we stayed loyal to each other and got ourselves in such an amazing position in this game by getting with mitch and ali whilst also working caeleb. We truly went from the bottom to the fucking top and as much as i dont think i can pull this one out for us, i will give it my best shot. It was an amazing experience with you through all of our paranoia and stress that people were going to split us apart. Lets hope lightning strikes twice and i can pull out this win for you and ian because you both deserve to be right next to me <3 <3 Luv you mountain llama <3 <3

[multiplegamestyles-blog]

Top 10 Xbox 360 Games (IMO)

So Microsoft gave up on the Xbox 360 consoles a little while ago, but they’ll always have a place in my heart. I’ve spent hours upon hours playing games with it, and it was a big part of my childhood. So, today I’ve chosen my Top 10 favorite Xbox 360 games. Be aware that I’ve played all of them till the end, and that this is my opinion.

This post will be covered with spoilers that may take away some of the fun parts of playing a brand new game. Without further ado, let’s begin.

10 - Terraria

Terraria is a great game, everyone knows that. You can explore infinite worlds that are never the same, you can fight 12+ bosses, and it even has an event that you can trigger that is actually a crossover with another one of my favorite games: Dungeon Defenders 2.

I recommend you to check it out.

9 - Project Gotham Racing 3

That’s a really cool one. PGR 3 is a racing game, where you can compete online if you have an Xbox Live Gold account, or you can play in campaign mode, where you race some of the hardest bots I’ve found out there, I must say.

If you don’t fancy a solo game you can play in local CO-OP, and design your own races. That’s really cool, right?

You can buy tons of different cars, and even have them displayed in some fancy garages! It’s definitely worth a try.

8 - Dragon Ball Z - Battle Of Z

I really like Dragon Ball, and the only reason I’ve not included Dragon Ball Xenoverse is that I don’t own it, and I haven’t actually played it. So I can’t give an opinion.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t own any Dragon Ball games! DBZ - BOZ tells the whole DBZ story, back from Sayans Saga up to Battle Of Gods. You can even play as Vegetto if you buy him!

As the game progresses you’ll start to get some cards that can be equipped to increase a hero’s power.

When you get to a certain point of the game (after defeating Beerus, I guess) you’ll be able to use any hero at any stage, to the point of fighting Nappa with Goku SSJG. Mindblowing.

7 - Dungeon Defenders

If you like a good strategy game, that’s definitely a must play. Dungeon Defenders is an Action, Strategy, Tower Defence game where you can play as one of the multiple characters of different classes with different powers.

You can play as an Apprentice, which is kinda like a mage of some sort, you can play as a Monk, a Squire, a Hunter and others too.

On Dungeon Defenders you must defend Eternia Crystals, which are (warning - oversimplified content) magical crystals that monsters wanna destroy. Basically.

As you kill monsters, they drop weapons and equipment that you can use to make your character insanely stronger. The weapons vary for each class. If you’re playing with the apprentice you’ll get wands, staffs, and rods. Squire, swords, and so on and so forth.

It also has an online multiplayer option and supports local CO-OP up to four players too.

6 - Perfect Dark Zero

This is a game that I wasn’t able to finish (lack of time, and, you know, X360′s problems). But it’s a rather wonderful and rainbow-ish game. Or no. You play as a secret agent that has to take down, well, I can say, super-criminals that have amazingly a lot of high tech stuff.

Again, if you don’t fancy a solo game you can also play Deathmatch mode, which even has bots for the case that you don’t have a friend available.

Now, it’s an FPS game. And I’m not that into FPS games. That’s the only reason that this is as below as it is in the list. But it is an amazing game. Rare (or Rareware) makes amazing games and I like most of their work. Most of it. (I’m referring to Kinect Sports here).

5 - Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

God, I love this game. I’ve beaten it many times, and I still find the time to do so. Who doesn’t like at least one Lego game? On Lego... I’m just gonna abbreviate it, it’s a rather long name, you know. On LSW: TCS you play through the whole story of Star Wars characters, from the 1st to the 6th movie.

You can also play the game as Indiana Jones, for that matter. I’ve played this game a lot as a kid, and I play it till today.

4 - Viva Piñata

You can kill me because I’d rather play this one than play Tomb Raider Legends, which I also own, but it’s just that Tomb Raider isn’t my kind of game, you know.

On Viva Piñata you must grow a garden in a given area that increases as you progress the game, with the objective of becoming the best gardener in the land. Right on the beginning, you’ll know Leafos, the girl that’ll help you know the game’s controls and tell you the objectives.

The game has a whole city, you can say. It has a pinãta hunter, a doc and even a shaman.

You have side objectives too, such as finding the great Dragonache, the rarest piñata in the game. You can only have one of them per garden.

This is another game made by Rare. There are a few more in this list.

3 - Minecraft

C’mon, Minecraft! I know this game since... Since I can remember! And don’t tell me it’s a kid’s game! I know that’s the focus, but it’s still fun. Minecraft is a game that you can play with friends, online or offline, or alone if you’re fancy doing so.

Do I need to say anything else about Minecraft or does everyone know about it?

2 - Banjo Kazooie - Nuts and Bolts

I know, the Banjo-Kazooie community doesn’t like this game as a Banjo-Kazooie game, because Rare transformed what used to be a platformer game in a racing game. But I do like this game, and it was through it that I’ve known the Banjo-Kazooie franchise. And, while I like every single game, this one holds a special place in my heart.

Plus, I don’t know any other game that lets you build your car from scratch with the freedom that Banjo-Kazooie - Nuts and Bolts offers. 

1 - Kameo - Elements of Power

The number one in this list. This is literally the first game I ever played in an Xbox 360. In any console, for that matter. It’s a 360′s exclusive game, but you can play it on Rare’s game compilation released to the Xbox One console, Rare Replay.

You control Kameo, an elf that can transform into twelve different Elemental Warriors, where each one has unique skills. She can transform into a boxer plant (Pummel Weed), a dragon that creates fire tornadoes or even a yeti!

The objective is to end the war between elves and trolls and to defeat the strongest monsters, such as the Shadow Trolls, creatures that have imprisoned the Elemental Warriors, or Thorn, the king of all trolls.

Its graphics were amazing at its time, and it was one of the first Xbox 360′s games.

That’s my favorite game by far, and in my opinion the best game Rare ever made. Unfortunately, they’ve canceled its sequel because Microsoft wanted them to make Kinect Sports. The world is funny, isn’t it?

A Few Honorable Mentions (IMO as well)

Tomb Raider Legends

Castle Crashers

Battleblock Theater

Kinectimals

Burnout: Revenge

Banjo-Kazooie (Remake)

Banjo-Tooie (Remake)

Rare Replay

GTA V

Dragon Ball Xenoverse (1 and 2)

But Igor, why didn’t you put as number one the Rare Replay game if you like Rare so much?!

Well, that’s simple. That’s because Rare Replay is not a game. It is a game collection, a compilation.

What about GTA V then?

Eh...

You know, the best part is that now you can use almost any Xbox 360 game in an Xbox One. That’s amazing. If you don’t agree at some point or believe that I forgot something, please, let me know your opinion in the comments below!

Also, if you’ve got some time, check my game; it’s really cool. Its name is Land Of Enchantments. Visit my Twitter too, @igorvasiak_mgs!