#then 10000% of my attention will be on the full game from here on out

[introdemodev]

introdemo 1.0.4 is coming out this week! this will be the final update for the demo. you can read more about it ➡ here 

anyways, here’s a tiny clyde.

[millepara]

for fun yesterday I did a lot of experimenting with coords and tags to see what gives the best score. starting with the conclusion abstract:

the Brilliant Prince cyalume is equally effective as the usual green Twinkle Ribbon SCR for grinding.

BUT if you're creating a promise, you're very slightly better off with the TR SCR because it's more likely to get filled, as not everyone has the BP CR. (this was not something I tested for, but something I inadvertently found out in the course of experimenting.)

details and numbers below 📝 📈 📊 (extremely boring and long)

various disclaimers: I'm 100% sure all of this is on twitter already, but I don't use and thus can't see anything on there. mega thanks to Idollandhero Hayami for being my only source for what's going on over there and making me realize that this was even something to check out, and for Luna's post pointing out the BP cyalume was a viable green coord alternative. I shan't tag you bc I don't want to even accidentally make someone read this post.

also, don't pay attention to the reward amounts when I joined others' promises, bc at those times I was focusing solely on coord bonuses and not the rhythm game. the score bonuses are the same amount whether creating or joining a promise, but joining takes less time. a lower score just means I was playing OPEN DREAM LAND according to the beat map in my head rather than the mistaken one in the game lol

background 🧬

your score is composed of:

base score. what you get from the rhythm game

rank bonus. silver rank is +1000 iine (bronze +500?)

heart bonus. max is rainbow x3 +3000 iine (rainbow +1000, gold +800, silver +500)

assigned coord bonus. premium pripara rare is +10000 iine (idk what others are)

hashtag bonuses. 5 gold tags gives you, in order, +1500, +150, +300, +450, and +600 iine. 4 gold tags removes the final +600 and +1 silver tag is only +500, so 5 gold tags is best (i.e. 5 gold = 3000 vs 4 gold + 1 silver = 2900)

I always use the green TR SCR without paying attention to the numbers, so I wanted to verify if/how worn coords affect your bonuses, and if wearing all parts of a coord or having the same tag multiple times (like the BP CR) do. these are things that were true in the arcade game, so maybe they matter here too? ...is what I wondered.

experimental procedure 🧪

the TR SCR has 2 gold tags, with no gold tag on the shoes. but changing them to the BP CR ones, adding a 3rd gold tag, gives the same 5 gold tag bonus as above, in the same order. (tags in the coord being worn are marked with a ⭐︎.)

this is true no matter what order the tags themselves are in. above the unworn #今日もあまってまーす (from the Dressy Ruby coord) gave 1500, below the worn #gold did.

wearing the full TR SCR gave the exact same bonuses as well, despite having only two gold tags on the coord:

finally, wearing the full BP CR (worn gold tags are #cyalume coord x3 and #prince for a total of 4) was... exactly the same!

and in all of these, the assigned coord bonus was the same +10000 too.

last was to confirm that they give equal rewards when creating a promise. I did Chaotic Hurricane for both of these, and both have a perfect score, so all rainbow hearts, all x3 on appeals and making drama, and full cyalume change bonus.

the same! this is also the same as the max score with the green SCR before the Dark Nightmare tag was removed, btw.

conclusion 🔬

the coord you wear does not affect the tag bonuses at all. they are entirely determined by the tags you own. wearing or owning more items with the same tag also doesn't matter. basically, as long as you do a promise with 5 gold tags you own, you get the maximum tag bonus.

the coord you wear is only relevant to the assigned coord bonus, which is the same for the BP CR and the green coord. I guess there are paid or gacha coords that give that bonus too, but the rarer a coord is, the less likely you are to fill a promise with it as the assigned coord. it's best to create a promise with easily-available coords and tags.

future research 👁️

I do have an unsolved mystery. both of the above had a base score of 14175,

but the first time I tried creating a promise I got a base score of 14170, despite having what I thought was a perfect score. all the bonuses were the same, and the rewards were only 1 iine and 1 i$ less

so in terms of grinding, it super does not matter. but it does matter when my goal is trying to figure out score mechanics. now I probably just got a x2 on the appeals or making drama without noticing, but I was watching pretty hard. and I'm pretty sure a miss there knocks off more than 5 points? I had photo evidence of getting all rainbow hearts and I got a full cyalume bonus as always, so...???

the other option is that... your team's coords matter?? this seems incorrect, but the only difference in that first promise was that one idol had different shoes and accessory. all the ones I did after (not just the 2 pictured) had 5/6 or 6/6 coord items assembled, so it's literally the only difference I could think of?? I really genuinely think I just missed a note though. the way to check this would be to screen-record lives, miss notes in a variety of ways, and see how that affects the score, but... even I have my limits.

also: songs. I'm interested to see definitively what song is best, but I'm putting this off until OPEN DREAM LAND's untenable beat map is fixed. it is definitely a better choice than Chaotic Hurricane, which I always use, but I'm afraid of accidentally memorizing the wrong rhythm. and personally I would do anything to avoid hearing Cool Star, so idk if it's better than Chaotic Hurricane or not. I think a couple paid songs are better also, but it's so difficult to fill those promises that it's best not to rank up with them.

last, I wonder about the red+black VIP coords because they seem like idol land's version of Mystery Rares (which were v high-scoring), but... I don't have one. and even if it was significantly higher, it would be impossible to fill that promise, so it couldn't possibly matter.

🗝️

if you read all this, congratulations and forgive me. if you have any questions, let me know. I think I explained everything badly and maybe I assumed everyone knows stuff that maybe they don't? not to mention that I've made and joined promises so many times now that maybe I can help with something other than what's here too.

[seokjinsonlyone]

Why didn't anyone tell me we were getting delulu?!!

Okay for context, I have zero (actually minus) experience, esp when in comes to seduction (I'm about as seductive as a wilted spinach leaf). BUT, if something like this were to happen:

I'm going super delulu ultra pro max with this but I think I could get jk. Look, ik if just go upto him and yada yada, not a chance (or the skills). BUT. I have this air about me that screams, 'not available', (I've had it for the longest time, & I won't be able to turn it offf completely if I wanted to) and accompanied with my seemingly cold + idgaf attitude I would grab his attention with littlee effort. My boi loves a good challenge and I think I'd give him just that, with a sweet reward. But if it was just this maybe I won't have the chance, but see it's my first time, and I'm a naturally awkward, socially anxious potato, *and idk how my tsundre and liddol baby selves coexist but they do) so if not challenge I'm bound to call out some of his protective side. And a mix and match of both and I think I can get the boy + I don't get dressed up often so when I do I know I look good so the confidence would be cherry on top.

On number two we have tae. Ok the reason he's not on no. 1 is my lack of social energy, I just don't have the skills or the confidence to go up and strike a convo like that, so I'd be relying on my mysterious charm and red lipstick. So why on 2? Bcz I think I could invite him with just an appreciative gaze that shows him I genuinely like him, plus a smile that calls him to come and sit so I can compliment till his ears turn red bcz 1 thing about me is I know how to compliment and also recieve them with confidence. From here we can either go full flirting and then to room to bada bing bada boom or be invested in whatever convo we're having and become besties bcz once in I'm not losing him and I think he'd like to have a real friend (that will turn into fxb bcz I didn't waste all that energy for nothing).

Jimin would be on no.3. Ik it can be awkward but he's also fun and flirty, but if I go and calm his nerves a bit (which is the only time I get confidence to strike up a convo and don't suck at it) I think I could get him. There's something about him that summons my fun and flirty side out, so I'd probably start with some playful flirting and then there's no stopping us cuz soon we are staring into e/o's eyes, smirks tucked on the corners of our lips and maybe playing with each other fingers. I think most of all it'd be him I'd have genuine fun with, plus I think he'd have good time when our flirting energies match and then the next thing I know he's dragging me through the crowd to his car.

On 4th is yoongs but idk know whether I'd just want to talk to him and form a connection with my long lost soulmate or do the thing bcz as soon as I see the man I want to settle down, get married, and sit on our living room sofa with my head on his lap as he plays with my hair.

I'd agree where yoongi is subtly horny so I'd play my cards on that. I think he'd feels safe around me so that's also a plus point. If I go looking all attractive, lean in and strike up a genuinely interesting convo that would develop into light touches and then a rough ones but unlike jimin's playful ones they are real and meaningful. I delulu that I could also make him drag me to the car with my hand in his if it hoes right.

Idk why but I also think that if don't do all that and just go upto him and offer real interest, he'd be game 🤷🏻‍♀️.

With hobi n jay me thinks, I'll have to put in more efforts, like swipe my hair from the neck, the gazes and all that and that too if he's in the mood. Maybe if I show I'm here for commitment we'll hit of as friends or smth but the one day where I'm not even looking particularly good he just thinks that fuck this is the most beautiful woman in the planet how do I get her (bcz I'm 10000% confident in that if you actually get to know my real self a bit and stay there's no way you won't be completely and utterly enamoured by me) and I'd laugh bcz boy u should have gotten me when I came, now play the long game (wow that rhymes!) And then we'll get marriedand live happily everafter.

I don't really know about Joon bcz he has such a high drive and that makes me lise my confidence. I do believe I could make him genuinely interested in my mind bcz there's some real cool stuff in there but for that I'll have to go and actually talk to him and mannnn that's hard I'm gonna cry.

But if I'm sitting not gaf about him I think I could attract him if I'm in my element and then he'd be the one fumbling over his words bcz I can look hot and intelligent if I want to hunh😒😏

Lastly jin. No. No chance this man will throw me out like this:

Commitment and relationship are still and option but otherwise the matter is closed forever and so am I in my box if embarrassment

SOLID! makes sense!!! especially seokjin just not entertaining you at all LOL also i love how tae is at the top of everyone’s lists sksksjsj like he’s just got that vibe and then at the same time yoongi just has everyone wanting to be his domestic life partner sigh the duality of taegi!!!

[apparentlyaswarmofbees]

Jigsaw Puzzle Bonding Time With The Brothers and Undatables

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Warning: Uncensored Swearing

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If there is something I know that serves as a good bonding time is getting one of those huge fucking Jigsaw puzzles, get a big ass table, sit everyone's butt down and start finding the corners.

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Lucifer

He bought the 2000 pieces cursed jigsaw puzzle for you after a lot of pestering (and the power of puppy eyes)

Helped set up a table in the common room and left you to your own devices, he has work to do.

He is the type that puts in a piece or two everytime he passes by the unfinished thing, refusing to participate the group session but still giving a helping hand.

Sometimes he can end up getting distracted and you may find him standing in an awkward position with a concentrated frown on his face as he tries to find the dammed piece tha t completes the part he is building, leaving the picture unfinished makes his perfectionist self have a nervous spasm.

If you call out his attention he may either (run away) go back to work or actually ask you to join him, teasing you whenever you are struggling and potentially turning the whole thing into too much of a heated atmosphere, like, does he need to sit this close he's basically on your lap-

Overall it is a very de-stressing thing he enjoys.

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Mammon

At first he was skeptical. What fun would a jigsaw puzzle be anyways? It takes too long and it has no purpose at all.

You may need to tell him to sit the fuck down and have a bonding time with you or else he is not going to focus on the thing.

The kind of guy that puts the wrong piece on the wrong spot and refuses to agree that it's wrong. They're all the same colors! How the hell is he supposed to work with this thing?!

He is only good at the corners because the pieces are different from all others, but once it's over he may end up getting a migraine from looking for pieces.

Either way he will still have fun because it's you. Even if it's killing his eyes if you are having fun he is happy.

You guys manage to finish the puzzle somehow.

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Leviathan

This boy loves it.

He may actually get too much into it just like he does with his games.

That said, now you guys have a full fucking collection of completed jigsaw puzzles you can use as decoration for the house or something.

Some of them are most likelly anime themed.

You will never finish a 10000 pieces jigsaw puzzle in so much little time than when you are with him.

He keeps most of the completed puzzles as if trophies in his bedroom, afterall, they were made with you!

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Satan

The nonchallant casual puzzle builder

The moment you sit down with him around the pieces, this man becomes a multitasking chatterbox.

He can easily finish big jigsaw puzzles in one single day, but he takes his time just so that he has some quality time with you~

It turns into a really fun experience specially since Satan isn't imune to mistakes but because he is very knowledgeable it just makes it more ridiculous.

You will catch him stopping on his tracks out of nowhere as he has to give the current piece he is holding a second, long glance.

Then he will proceed to glare at it and put it aside, he may look okay and back to normal but oh he is definetelly going to find where that one single fucking piece fits even if it is up Lucifer's ass.

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Asmodeus

Another multitasking chatterbox

Probably won't stay for too long, those pieces dry his skin and make his nose itch.

He's actually pretty good at it tho, seeing he most likelly has a good eye to spot color differences and such.

Will use the bonding time to spill the tea and trash others, but further into the session he may get relaxed enough to actually spill out some of his genuine feelings and emotions.

Puzzle bonding time may become a way for you both to have quality time together in a private setting that doesn't involve anything frisky.

He will flirt with you tho, it's part of the package. You signed up for it the moment you made the pact.

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Beelzebub

Choose the themes wiselly, if any of them resemble food he will eat the pieces.

Taking that out of the way, he enjoys it. May actually end up taking it too seriously and actually refusing to go sleep to finish the thing.

You will also get the experience to see Beel grabbing food and eating it without using his hands. He doesn't want to dirty the pieces afterall.

He is an average puzzle builder, but instead of building parts of it outside and only linking it together to the puzzle after it's done he is the type to build in said pictures right into the puzzle itself, picking pieces here and there and helping with many places at once.

Sit on his lap while you guys are at it and he will ascend back to the celestial realm.

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Belphegor

This bitch.

Will not take it seriously at the start.

Have you ever seen a picture of a jigsaw puzzle of a horse but instead of joining the pieces someone just organized the pieces together in the shape of a horse?

That someone is Belphie

There is a garden? He will take all the flower pieces and just, place them there, not even linking the pieces. What do you mean he has to, just because it's filled with empty spaces it does not make is less of a garden, and no he is not being dramatic what do you take him for.

Will actually start to help at some point. He is the type to build the pictures separatedly but just leaving them just where they were supposed to be but not actually linking the pieces to the puzzle.

Expect him to fall asleep at some point, most likelly in the middle of a conversation while holding a piece.

He will slowly fall sideways, let him perish.

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Solomon

Another bitch.

Just like Belphie but instead of putting the pieces on the spots they were meant, he just builds a whole fucking different picture.

Like how the fuck did you make an umbrella with those pieces, there isn't even one in the actual puzzle-

He will use a spell that will make this entire session into something more exciting.

That exciting ranging from being stuck inside the puzzle and bulding it from within to having the actual picture of the puzzle move around as you fucking build it.

He still manages to finish it.

What the fuck are you even Solomon

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Simeon

An asshole.

He is good at it, he knows exactly where the pieces fit, but he will still watch as you struggle with a smile on his face.

Will make so many ominous and mysterious comments the entire thing just feels like you are bulding up an ancient jigsaw puzzle that if ever finished would end the entire world except for you and you would need to live the rest of your days in isolation as you hear Simeon's voice in your mind everytime you make a decision repeatedly asking 'are you sure' with that fucking I-Know-The-Answer-But-I-Won't-Tell-You smile of his-

You take a break from the session because of a minor existential crisis

He decides to actually be normal when you come back and you both have a good time.

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Luke

Excited baby.

He is happy to spend time with you, will most likely bake cupcakes or cookies or some kind of snack for you guys to eat while at it.

Will get grumpy at some point because his eyes are getting tired and its making all pieces look the same.

He is so proud once it's finished tho.

Make it an re ocurring thing, finishing hard jigsaw puzzles always puts an extra layer of pride to his steps.

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Diavolo

Finding a spare time to spend with the demon lord is difficult, but thankfully whenever he is free he is happy to invite you over, specially if now he can use finishing the puzzle as an excuse.

He takes his sweet time. The puzzle is indeed basically an excuse to spend time with you so he won't make much effort, opting to talk while he casually looks at the pieces, mesmerized by them, and takes forever to actually link them, if at all. (He has grabbed one and just placed it back down many times).

He will have a bittersweet smile in his face with every completed puzzle.

He keeps every single of the completed ones as decoration everywhere in the castle.

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Barbatos

Oh the mysterious man.

Is he an expert at jigsaw puzzles? Is he just pretending to struggle to not make you feel bad?

Either way he is having a lot of fun.

Will also use it as an excuse to hang out with you but may not stay too long. More often than not your puzzle bonding sessions were interupted by something urgent or unexpected. Being the demon lord's servant is not easy.

Always has another jigsaw puzzle at ready whenever you guys finish one. It will most likelly have more pieces than the previous one, he likes increasing the difficulty of things.

Drinking tea while building jigsaw puzzles together at the dinner table? This is where you find it

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(Shout out to my best friend who gave me a 1500 pieces jigsaw puzzle as a birthday present that served as inspiration for this post)

[panravenc]

spooky season, gym leaders + leon and sonia edition. pretty much the reason is: i’m obsessed with the game, i’m obsessed with raihan, i love these babies too much. i am not sorry. so here, have the squad + sonia and leon in spooky season.

milo:

people think nothing can scare him. actually, horror movies and haunting houses do. 

not the type to scream, he just slowly grows into his despair 

problem: he has a smile on his face while watching horror movies. seriously. it doesn’t leave his face

please let him use you as a shield this man wants protection

would enter pumpkin contests 10000/10. also, would win

nessa:

horror movies don’t do much for her, though the jump scares can

10/10 would photoshoot a new collection for halloween

would kind of get scared in haunted houses but if someone else is more scared she would p r o t e c t

most stylish clothes in autumn, but also, would 100% do a halloween costume party 

this woman can and will drown you if you try to scare her 

kabu:

the one from the trio that gets affected by horror movies the least

he doesn’t usually indulge in going to haunted houses but if nessa makes him and milo go with the rest he will try to logic his way into the random noises

has a bag full of treats to give to the children that come to his house knocking for trick or treat

nothing gets him better than scare jumps. n o t h i n g

also, be ready to get burnt if you do. just a warning.

bea:

halloween is her favourite season you can’t debate me on this

the sweets alone, arceus

lets out really cute high-pitched cries if someone tries to scare her

hates jump scares, because they always get to her, but also, loves high-tension horror movies

her first reaction to someone scaring her is a kick. i’m sorry i don’t make the rules. you try, you lose

allister:

spooky boy loves spooky season but also dislikes how much attention he gets because of it

also people don’t leave him alone in the graveyard that’s not nice

loves scary stories, and loves haunted houses, but doesn’t love horror movies because usually it’s not ghost pokemon, but monsters instead

doesn’t get scared at all if he’s alone or with people he’s comfortable with, but please don’t put him with strangers, he’ll get more scared of them than the movie or whatever’s spooky

actually loves dressing up as a ghost for halloween

opal:

haha you think you can scare her? think again

this woman will dress up with a witch costume and correct everyone saying that she’s “a wizard”

but will also have a bag full of sweets for children who come knocking for a treat

haunted houses? check. horror movies? with a smile. jump scares? my, what a poker face. 

never let her pick the movie. it won’t be a horror one.

gordie:

kind of a scaredy-cat with horror movies and haunted houses, and don’t get me started on the jump scares

tries to be brave, though, so hard

if someone catches him scared or screaming he’ll just play it cool, while still getting spooked

will “let you” cuddle with him but don’t be fooled he wants the cuddles so much more

won’t put a step on a haunted house

melony:

will fake being scared to get cuddles, but sadly, she’s very bad at acting

you won’t scare her. the world won’t scare her. she will scare you first

loves carving pumpkins and making sweets for the holiday, but completely hates it when someone tries to interrupt her while doing it

can and will stare unflinchingly at the face of death, including whatever ghost pokemon has tried to scare her

has tried to make gordie put on different costumes for halloween, never succeeding

piers:

listen. listen. this man? he either gets scared or stares at the face of death there’s no in-between

don’t get fooled by his emo exterior you could show him a scary video and he would hid behind the nearest object, be it you or the sofa

on the other hand, if he’s having a Bad Day and his apathy is Strong he can and will stare down death while having drunk three monsters and eaten one (1) muffin

he’s also really easy to startle, so jump scares freak him out, always

he will give a concert every halloween without fail

raihan:

hoo boy, this man plays it cool all the time

he loves watching horror movies because then he gets the excuse to cuddle whoever he’s watching them with

if it’s on a group setting please believe this man is a little shit and will try to scare everyone at least once

actually loves giving candy to the kids, and is really good with them, always compliments their costumes, etc

that one boy who wears shorts all year around even when it’s freezing

leon:

could he get more excited for halloween? no. no he can’t

will dress up as charizard. with a charizard onesie, probably. also, will have none regrets about it

will get scared by horror movies and jump scares, but won’t in haunted houses for some reason

not even one word about his shrieks. -100/10 will stop talking to you and sulk if you do

actually loves doing promo stuff for halloween with his dragapult and charizard (and aegislash but he doesn’t like doing it so leon leaves him be)

sonia:

gets terrified, actually

will hold your hand so hard you’ll get cramps and it will hurt afterwards, and though she will apologize, who wouldn’t want her to squeeze them, am i rite

hates going to haunted houses, but will for her friends, and same goes for horror movies

loves tasting the new sweets people make for the season, though

will dress up as a mad scientist for a costume party, don’t doubt her

love y’all,

―pau.

[wingedeclipsed]

I just reread One Of Us Is Lying and am once again struck by emotions, so here is a rushed pile of compliments.

(spoilers under the cut, in case anyone is later to the party than I am)

Reading Book 1 the first time I genuinely couldn’t tell who did it. Maybe I’m just stupid but she makes everyone look suspicious. the TALENT

Speaking of talent: this is the first high-teen book I’ve read where the author really seems to get how high schoolers think. Sure, there’s romance, but it doesn’t take up most of the plot, and they all have lots of other things to worry about. It’s refreshing to read about teenagers who are in real trouble besides the romantic sort,  looking at you Meg Cabot, this 15 y/o girl is looking VERY VERY HARD at you MEG CABOT,

Despite the fact that I’m pretty much his exact opposite in terms of personality, I, too, can relate to Nate Macauley because Bronwyn Rojas would be the love of my life if she were real

and, you know, willing to notice me.

This came out of nowhere but I really appreciated how not all of the characters had a “tragic backstory” involving bad parents. Bronwyn’s family is so supportive, and so is Addy’s sister.

Speaking of the queen herself: Addy’s arc?? How does one begin to describe Addy’s arc??? Addy’s arc is perfect. I heard its dramatic haircut moments are insured for 10000 dollars. I cried for her. Her POVs were so emotional but so full of growth and ultimately hope

In book 2 it’s mentioned that Addy is the “queen of second chances” and Phoebe or someone needs that reminder now and I just. Going from the girl who needs inspiration to the girl who inspires others is a PERFECT ending for Addy it was handled so well hhhh-

Have I mentioned that I would die for Addy Prentiss yet?

Not gonna lie I was kinda hoping Jake would suffer a tragic accident as a footnote in the epilogue. But nothing happened, he’s still there and Addy gets to move on from him completely of her own will without any external force to move them apart. *slow clap*

Moving on to Nate and Bronwyn because I have a massive crush on both of them they’re both such interesting characters. I find Bronwyn the most relatable character of all of them, it’s easy to understand why she does things, and the way she protects her sister was so sweet. This was handled really well in Book 2 also. They genuinely care for each other instead of falling victim to the “ugh I’m so unique and misunderstood I hate my sibling” trope. 

While we’re on the subject of tropes, Nate and Bronwyn’s entire relationship was just *chef’s kiss*

I love that they’ve known each other for a long time before they decide to get together, too- these childhood flashbacks are precious. And they actually seem to enjoy one another’s company. It’s the typical “good girl falls for bad boy” cliche, except the bad boy is falling approximately eight thousand times harder and not that “dark” when you get right down to it. 

Also appreciate that Bronwyn gets to be the coolest most “badass” character in the book and save the day without getting into any physical fights at all. Her strength is in her intellect.

COOPER. COOPER OUR CINNAMON ROLL. 

I love that he conforms to exactly zero (0) gay stereotypes

I know some people tend to over-praise straight authors for including the bare minimum of lgbtq+ representation but Cooper had a complete arc that was given as much attention as the others’ and it gives me life my dudes

I have never played baseball, ever, in my life, but I somehow managed to get emotionally invested in Cooper’s games and the beginning of Book 2 just CAME TO GET ME

“Preteen girls don’t care that he might have committed murder because he has dreamy eyes” I strongly suspect that this is a callout for one specific person

Also someone says “ooh burn” unironically in the second book, and popular culture and Internet language is referenced constantly without ever being awkward. None of that “hey there, fellow young people” vibe at all. The author doesn’t try too hard.

The closer I came to finishing this book the first time around, the more worried I got because I thought everyone was going to get their picture perfect happy ending without addressing any of their trauma but nope, none of that tropey stuff comes within a hundred feet of that epilogue. Sure, the ending is happy, but it’s also realistic, it fits them and lets them be imperfect. And it continues into Book 2: the murder club still has their issues, they’re still growing up and growing and learning. They’re allowed to be three-dimensional and interesting and flawed right to the end and I love that for them. 

[digizone]

Perpetual Income 365

Become A Super Affiliate

 Its every Internet marketers dream of becoming what is classed in the industry as a Super Affiliate. To be classed as one, you need to have an enormous downline the size of Texas. I just thought I’d use that for illustration purposes because you do need quite a large base of affiliates underneath you.

For those of you that have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about, let me explain. An affiliate is someone that sells or promotes another persons website or product and gets paid a commission for every sale he or she makes. Not only that but for every person that signs up underneath them in the affiliate program, they also get a percentage of whatever the next person makes and so on and so forth right down to lets just say 10 levels deep. What that means is if I sign 2 people up and they each get 2 people that means by the tenth level I will have 1024 people in my downline. Quite powerful stuff isn’t it. So to become a Super Affiliate you need to be good at one thing, Internet Marketing. Now for those of you who are new to this game Internet Marketing is BIG business and I mean BIG. HUGE money. Billions are spent each year on this subject and believe me when i tell you, you can make an absolute fortune doing it. Internet Marketing?? That's for people who know what they’re doing right? I’m just a regular Joe who has no idea about any of this stuff. How can I manage to profit from this lucrative industry?? That my friend is where I come in. Part of becoming a Super Affiliate is to create a downline. Not just any downline, we want a good solid base of people who have the same idea as you, and that's to make money and lots of it. In order to accomplish this, you need to train the people underneath you to do exactly the same thing as you, using exactly the same methods as you. If you can imagine for a minute you have a base of 100 people. Now those 100 people you have are going to use the exact same methods you used to get your initial 100 people. Can I ask you a question?? What is 100 x 100?? That's right 10000. I think I’ll just say that again shall I, TEN THOUSAND. Just let that sink in for a minute. We haven’t even gotten down to the 3rd 4th or 5th levels yet. You can imagine how big your downline will get using this method. Now all this is in a perfect world and everything is good in theory, but in real life things never pan out this way. You’ll get people that will sign up then never do anything lose interest and quit. This my friend is something we can’t control. A lot of people that join up to affiliate programs quit because they realize there’s more to it than they first thought, lose interest or after all there efforts aren’t making any money so they quit. To combat this you need to have an established system in place that walks your new affiliates through each step of your program and answers every question they might have. Remember you are the Master here, and you have students that are eager to learn the ways of an Experienced Internet Marketer. By now your probably thinking, you’ve lost me. Now I won’t lie to you, there are some things you will need to sign up for and they do cost money but as we all know you need to spend money to make money. This system once set up funds itself and puts money in your back pocket from day one. You can set this system up on auto pilot and it will continuously pay you each and every month. This isn’t some pie in the sky operation, this is a proven system that will take average people and turn them into millionaires. The stuff you will learn will make you a fortune. All you need to do from here is listen to the audio message on the site and really pay attention to what they’re saying. These guys are the reason I’m in the position I’m in now.

Perpetual Income 365 is a plug-and-play affiliate marketing software created by for all levels - newbies to advanced marketers, seeking to enable ordinary people who have zero internet experience make a full time income through affiliate marketing using our own plug-and-play system.

[theastrophilearchitect]

February 2021 wrap-up.

Every book, audiobook, tv show and movie I consumed in February.

The phrase ‘wrap-up’ is so boring. I want to talk about books, TV shows and movies, so I can’t even call it a ‘reading wrap-up’, however pleasingly alliterative that sounds despite the fact that ‘wrap’ actually begins with a W. One of my favourite YouTubers, polandbananasBOOKS (that capitalisation is loud) calls her wrap-ups ‘Stories I Ate This Month’ which I love, but using exactly that seems wrong. I genuinely debated calling this ‘My Media Diet’, but the word ‘diet’ has so many negative connotations to me, so I dropped that. Besides ‘wrap-up’ all in lowercase followed by a full stop is aesthetically pleasing.

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (audiobook) I’ve read this series countless times. I read the series first time through six years ago, and, after finishing it, I just kept rereading it during silent reading time at school, so God only knows how many times I’ve read it at this point. This is actually the second time I’ve listened to this audiobook, and I still, of course, love it. When I first read it, this book stuck with me. It was the first teen book I ever read and, most unfortunately, put me into a dystopian phase. However, we got over that. I’m good now. I promise.

You know what this is about, but here it is anyway: in a dystopian future (of literally just North America, it never mentions what’s happening anywhere else), a country called Panem (literally the whole of North America) is divided into the luxurious, utopian Capitol, and thirteen districts, all of which gather or produce something for the Capitol. Some of the districts live in poverty, while others are afforded some luxuries but nowhere near those of the Capitol. It never really explains how this system came to be, but then there was a rebellion against the Capitol in which District Thirteen was destroyed, and every year two teenagers from each district are chosen to compete in the Hunger Games, where twenty-four tributes are put in an arena together to fight to the death, and the last person standing emerges victorious. It feels so strange to talk about the basic premise of this book without going into the rest of the trilogy, but I’ll leave it here.

I hate how the media washes this book out and plays it off as just another love triangle, which it barely even is. It has such an important message about society, and the fact that the media does that just proves how accurate it is. I can’t believe when I first read it I was actually Team Gale, but in truth I think that was just because I liked Liam Hemsworth better than Josh Hutcherson, which I still do, but not the point. Anyway, the narrator is excellent.

I’m not giving these booksa rating, both because it’s a reread and I like to base ratings off my initial opinion, and because the first time I read this book I was literally a small child, and part of my love is the nostalgia.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab

This was the first book I read with my eyes this month, and I ended up getting the ebook because it was just so much cheaper than getting a physical copy - I may have invested if I loved the UK cover as much as the US, I’m ashamed to say (above is UK). It was not what I was expecting.

This book was much more contemplation-heavy than I was expecting and actually very light on plot. In 1714, Adeline LaRue runs away from her wedding and prays to Gods, wishing to be free, and is answered by the darkness, who makes her a deal: he grants her immortality, and she promises him her soul when she doesn’t want it anymore. He, wanting her soul, twistedly grants her freedom by cursing her to be forgotten by everyone she ever meets. Three hundred years later, she meets someone who remembers her.

It’s really about life, freedom and time - there’s no direct message or moral, at least not that I picked up on, but it really makes you think. I do enjoy that in a book, but not as much as one where i just love the story. I generally prefer books where I’m rooting for the characters, and it’s full of ships - the kind of stories you would write fanfiction about, but this is the kind of book that I think will stick with me. I take issue with how cliché the ending was, though.

Anyway, I’m not actually sure how I want to rate this. As a British teenager, I’m not actually that familiar with lettered ratings, and I don’t really want to use stars, but I think I’m going to suck it up. Maybe I’ll think of something else eventually.

Rating: 4.5 stars - books that get five stars from me are generally based on the enjoyment factor, but this book deserved more than four.

Arrow Season 1

I’ve been semi-interested in the Arrowverse/DC TV universe for a while, and finally took the opportunity to delve in. This show is so insanely CW - everyone has that look, it has that tone and it takes itself way too seriously. By the 23rd time you’re hearing it, the recap becomes painful to listen to.

This was the first show in DC’s saga - the show picks up as Oliver Queen returns home from being stranded on an island for five years after a cruise ship sank. When the ship went down, his billionaire father sacrificed himself to save Oliver, and left him with a list of ‘the people poisoning [his] city’. Upon returning home, Oliver becomes the vigilante who will eventually become known as ‘Arrow’ or ‘Green Arrow’ (currently unclear; I’m not a comic book person) but is currently dubbed just ‘the Hood’ or ‘the vigilante’, with the goal of taking down the people on the list. It’s very intense.

It took me about ten episodes to actually get invested - which is nearly seven hours watch time - but, ultimately, I’m glad that I did. Aside from the excessive CW-ness of this show, I love the characters and I want to see what happens.

Still, why is everyone so obsesses with Laurel? What’s so great about Laurel? I don’t get it. Felicity is 10000% the best character - she’s relatable, cute, and I high-key ship her with Oliver.

This little rant of mine was unintelligible.

Rating: 4 stars

Guardians of the Galaxy

I’m not explaining what this movie is about. Honestly. This was just a rewatch: I’m currently rewatching every MCU movie in chronological order (as in, starting with Captain America: The First Avenger instead of Iron Man). For every TV season I finish, I watch a a movie, and I alternate between movie series, one of which is, at the moment, MCU films. It’s hard for me to briefly explain my weird watching patterns.

I love this movie so much. It was the first really upbeat MCU movie, and I love the characters.

I don’t really have much to say about this, but if you haven’t watched MCU movies, please watch them. Even if you don’t want to, this movie is absolutely worth watching and you don’t need to watch any other MCU movies for context.

I Am Not Okay With This Season 1

I’m reeling from this show. I literally can’t tell whether or not this is getting a second season; it seems like it was meant to, but then got cancelled, and now I can’t tell.

This show follows a high school student named Sydney. She’s your typical outcast, and isn’t interested in getting ‘in’ - she’s best friends with a girl named Dina; they both came to their school around the same time and ended up friends, though Dina is your typical pretty girl. Then Syd discovers she has powers that operate based on her emotions, and I really don’t want to say anything else. But it does star Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff, who you likely know as two of the kids in IT (the clown movie, not like computing).

Honestly, episodes 1-6 were very chill, more focused on teenage life than her powers, then episode 7 brought it. Up until the end of episode 7, I enjoyed the show and would be happy to watch a second season, but I wasn’t particularly invested or excited by it. Then episode 7. I would love a second season of this show. I have to at least know where the writers were going with it.

This show came out last year, and I only just got to it, but I can’t believe I haven’t heard anybody talking about it. It’s intense, it’s entertaining, and the first season will only take up about two and a half hours of your time (it’s seven 19-28 minute episodes).

Rating: 4 stars

Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

I listened to The Raven Cycle audiobooks in 2019, and I’m not sure why because I didn’t even enjoy them that much. I did, however, decide I wanted to read Call Down the Hawk, the first book in the spin-off series, and that meant I had to reread The Raven Cycle since I had paid so little attention to the audiobooks, which I started in January and I love this series. Not what I expected from a reread of a series I paid virtually no attention to, but here we are.

This is book 3 in The Raven Cycle series, book 1 being The Raven Boys, which is a paranormal book in which the protagonist Blue, is the only non-psychic in a family of psychics, and has been told her whole life that if she kisses her true love, she will kill him. Then, on St Somebody’s Eve (Mark’s? I want to say Mark’s but I’m not sure), when she goes with her aunt to see the spirits of the people who will die in the next year, she sees one of the spirits, a boy from Aglionby Academy, the local private school, meaning he is either her true love, or she is the one who kills him, which in her case, could very much be both. Then that boy schedules a reading with her psychic family to help him find an old Welsh king, and there is so much more than that to this glorious series, but I’ll stop here.

I think my main thing in books and general media is the characters. They have to follow some kind of sensible plot, but if I’m not invested in the characters, I can’t get invested in the story. I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever been so in love with a cast of characters, not even in Six of Crows - this story is so character-driven, and I can’t get enough. This was an excellent continuation, and so much happened, but it did feel like its purpose was just to set up the final book, so I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the previous two.

Rating: 4 stars

As for The Raven King - this was the last book I read this month, finishing it on the morning of the 27th because I knew I would have very little reading time from mid-afternoon until twenty-four hours later.

In complete honesty, I found the climax of this book to be a little rushed - we spend the whole series aware that Gansey’s looking for Glendower, but it never seems to be more prevalent than just their general investigations as to what the hell is happening. As a result, when it came to that in this book, it felt a little out of the blue (no pun intended).

Regardless, this series so well balances strong characters and strong plot where so many others fail, and I love it.

Rating: 5 stars

Fate: The Winx Saga Season 1

This show is a live-action rated-15 Netflix adaptation of one of my favourite childhood shows, Winx Club. And, honestly, you can tell.

I tried to watch this objectively, instead of complaining about how they cut some of my favourite characters and changed so many (Tecna, Riven, Beatrix, Stella, Brandon etc.). While I was upset about some of the cuts, I can agree that they were best for the story. Where in the original, every fairy had their own unique powers, this adaptation splits it into five elements: fire (Bloom), water (Aisha - on another note, screw Aisha, honestly), air (Beatrix), earth (Terra) and mind (Musa), though Stella still has light powers? Which is never explained?

Anyway, this follows teenage Bloom as she discovers she’s a fairy and goes through her first year at a fairy school called Alfea.

I’m not going to go too deep into this because I have so much to say about this show that i think I’m going to make a whole separate review rather than bore you with it now. 

Quality-wise, this show was mediocre, but enjoyment and nostalgia raise its rating for me because I’m biased.

Rating: 4 stars

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

This is both Bardugo’s first adult novel and her first novel not set in the Grishaverse. I read the Grisha trilogy for the first time years ago and didn’t like it that much, but followed that right up with the Six of Crows duology which I loved. I read King of Scars in 2019 when it came out, and started listening to the King of Scars audiobook just before I started reading this in preparation for Rule of Wolves at the end of March.

I loved this. I don’t think I have anything to criticise quality-wise - the characters had depth, there were plot twists and strong subplots, the world was incredibly well built, and the only thing that got me to put this book down was taking a week to start working on my own writing project (post coming soon). Because I took that week completely off reading, this book took me about two weeks total from start to finish, but it was so worth it.

This novel follows Alex Stern, a twenty-year-old whose friends have all been murdered. She was found beside one of them who died of a overdose, with the same drug in her system. But Alex can see ghosts, and, soon after her friends’ deaths, is consequently offered a scholarship to Yale University, on the condition that she works for the ninth House of the Veil to monitor the activities of Yale’s secret societies.

In complete candour, I found this book somewhat convoluted, though most of that was probably mainly my own poor reading comprehension. Regardless, I loved the plot, and am very highly anticipating the eventual release of its as-of-yet unnamed sequel.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

So I actually finished this audiobook briefly after finishing Blue Lily, Lily Blue, but I’m tacking it on here because I forgot to add it to the list and already explained my Grishaverse experience in my Ninth House comments.

So, yes, I love this duology, and it really opened a new compartment in my writing brain, even though I haven’t really taken advantage of that writing brain until now (again, post coming soon).

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

I am realising I’ve read eight books this month, and nearly half of them were by Leigh Bardugo. Which makes sense, considering how much I enjoy her books.

This book is slower-paced than most of hers, but it does follow two (one of which splits again) completely separate storylines, and is still excellent and entertaining.

I listened to this for a recap before Rule of Wolves is released on March 30th.

[eriquebittle]

You should do holsom for that 31 questions thing like do all of them

here we fucking go,

1. Who in your OTP is the serial butt-slapper and who is constantly getting their beautiful butt slapped?

theyre equal opportunity bros...if ur bf gets a killer shot at beer pong or aces his chem exam you have to slap his butt it's the Bro Code

2. Who wants to be immortal and who wants to die before they’re old?

they had a conversation about this at 2am and they both decided that they would pick the same option ("i never wanna live without you bro" "BRO") however, holster has tried to get his poptart out of the toaster with a fork three different times so dying young seems likely

3. Who smokes and who pulls the cigarette from between their lips every time they try to light one?

i mean they're college athletes so neither of them smoke but i bet holster tried it once freshman year and ransom had to run back to his dorm to find his inhaler

4. Who always has cold hands and who is always warming them up for them?

ransom's hands are freezing and holster breathes on em and gives them kisses 2 keep them warm

5. Who plays candy crush in important meetings and who elbows them in the ribs to make them pay attention?

when they have a lecture together they just snapchat each other uglie badly-angled selfies

6. Who can fall asleep anywhere (and does) and who has to put them to bed?

ransom is forced to survive on three hours of sleep during finals so he passes out mid-conversation and holster sets an alarm and rolls him into bed so they can nap together

7. Who is the genius procrastinator who wings every test but still comes away with straight As, and who takes preparation and conscientious work very seriously?

justin "4.0 but never goes to class" oluransi, a beautiful coral reef, is a strange combination of both, holster has seen his textbooks maybe twice this semester and manages B's

8. Who takes their coffee black and who likes it with milk and two sugars, getting called a pussy by Person A?

ransom gets his with like six sugars and holster has been drinking black coffee since he was 6

9. Who initially seems shady but turns out to be a cinnamon bun, and who initially seems like a cinnamon bun but turns out to be shady?

not so much "shady" as douchey? initally they come off looking like the "you kno i had to do it to em" guy but theyre just two Bros....in love....who don't know how to be quiet in the library

10.  Who moans and talks with their mouth full whenever they eat good food, and who tells them to stfu but can’t help laughing?

do i even need 2 say it,

11.Who gives the bear hugs and who is always sidling up to them and snaking their arms around their waist?

ransom gives the Best Hugs and holster is a fucking giant who loves sneaking up behind his bf and resting his head on his shoulder and giving him. a smooch

12. Who still buys juice boxes and fruit snacks to put in their lunch?

whenever they go to stop & shop they stock the fuck up on gushers and capri suns “bro. as a future doctor? this is not how two college athletes should be fueling our bodies. fuck it throw in a few more boxes of gushers”

13. Who packs the other’s lunch and who repays them in sexual favours?

ransom has an 8am lab and forgets to bring food, and holster is happy 2 oblige to bring him his granola bar after ransom punctuates his text asking for lunch with a bunch of eggplant emojis

14. Who leaves notes in the other’s lunch and who tells them they’re dumb (but secretly has a collection of every note Person A has ever written them)?

holster leaves notes in ransoms bag a lot when he knows he’s getting really stressed out, and ransom keeps them in a shoebox under his bed and reads them when he needs to calm down

15. Who unconsciously holds their breath the first time they kiss, and who pulls back and says, “Breathe…”?

ransom holds his breath because holy fuck? hes about to make out with his best bro? and theyre sober this time? and whatififuckitupandourdmanmagicisgoneforeverandwenevermaekeitpastthefirstroundeveragainohmygodijustruinedsamwellmenshockeyforever and holster is like “breathe. can we just make out now please”

16. Who gets arrested for a petty crime they committed by accident and who bails them out?

holster gets arrested for jumping into the fountain at the mall on a dare, ransom bails him out 

17. Who grabs the other’s hand just as they’re getting out of bed and pulls them back under for cuddles?

ransom has early classes and holster grabs him and rolls over on him so he’s trapped under a 200 lb d man who just wants to spoon a little bit longer

18. Who gets mad about something unrelated to Person B and punches the wall, and who patches it up and kisses it better?

holster trips over his desk chair and accidentally puts his fist through the wall, Doctor Justin kisses it until the throbbing is gone

“is this gonna affect my handjob game, doctor?”

19. Who has the plain black phone case and who ordered one with cat ears off ebay?

ransom has a black one that he coated in stickers, holster bought the cat ear one by mistake but just decided to own it

20. Who likes to drive with the music blaring and who is too shy to sing along?

holster has a 500 song driving playlist that includes every banger in the discography of one direction, and neither of them are shy about singing along at maximum volume

21. Who’s the fantastic kisser and who has the beautiful eyes?

they both insist that the other one has both and get into fights over whose eyes are prettier and who kisses better

22. Who has the sunshine smile and who has the seductive gaze?

ransom defo has that killer smile, but holster has a resting bitch face and when he tries to look Seductive he looks tired and mad hfdjfhwhgfwb

23. Who gets offended by the intensity of the other’s crush on a celebrity?

UMMMMM justin “ransom” oluransi mashkov is in love with tater and holster has learned to accept that if given the chance, ransom would leave him for tater in 0.000007 seconds

“babe would you really leave me for mashkov”

“you know i would but ill always remember you”

“ ;___;”

dex: “can you guys not do this in the facebook group chat”

24. Who is embarrassed that they have to wear glasses sometimes and who wants them to wear them in bed?

ransom has a slight stigmatism but he mostly wears contacts, holster falls asleep in his glasses and when ransom tells him to take them off during sex holsters like “but how else am i gonna see your beautiful face bro”

25. Who cheats on the other then immediately begs for their forgiveness?

“you do this every fucking time and im tired of it”

“justin im so fucking sorry ill never do it again i promise”

“no im done playing monopoly with you dude you sneak extra money into your pile every time im sick of it”

26. Who is the jealous one and asks why the other was being so flirty all night, and who is oblivious to their own charms?

everyone has a crush on ransom and he doesnt see it, holster has the worst fucking game in history but he loves his boyfriends personality and every relationship needs to be built on trust, bro

27. Who orders a milkshake with their food and who orders a soda?

holster orders a milkshake for the sole purpose of asking ransom if its gonna bring all the boys to the yard

28. Who runs their battery down to 1% and who feels the need to charge theirs at 80%?

ransom takes care of his phone like its his child, holster hasnt seen a charger in three days and keeps the brightness up to 10000 so its constantly dead

29. Who has the excellent singing voice and is always singing around the house (and for Person B), but has no interest in going professional?

holster regularly belts out les mis aroud the haus, ransom joins him occasionaly but leaves most of it to adam 

30. Who would rather be barefoot if the setting is appropriate, and who has the huge and spectacular shoe collection (possibly also socks)?

when holster is anywhere he considers himself comfortable his feet are BARE, ransom has a sock collection a la spencer from icarly

31. Who takes their liquor on the rocks and who likes it neat?

holster orders on the rocks so he can chew on the ice with his massive horse teeth, ransom orders it neat but 99% of the time theyre drinking its at a kegster so they mainly just drink tub juice and natty light. classy

[gamerszone2019-blog]

Ion Fury Devs Are Donating $10,000 After Backlash Over Transphobic Comments

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/ion-fury-devs-are-donating-10000-after-backlash-over-transphobic-comments/

Ion Fury Devs Are Donating $10,000 After Backlash Over Transphobic Comments

Voidpoint, the developers behind Ion Fury, apologized after it was revealed the team made sexist and transphobic statements in their developer Discord channel. The team also added homophobic language into Ion Fury itself. In a pair of statements from Voidpoint and publisher 3D Realms, the two companies said it will patch out the offensive language from the game, and Voidpoint promised to pledge $10,000 to the LGBT non-profit, The Trevor Project.Over the weekend a Resetera forum thread published screen captures from the Voidpoint Discord channel that showed the Ion Fury developers make disparaging statements towards the LGBT community, specifically at the trans community.

In one screencap, Ion Fury lead developer Terminx writes, “Yeah if you’re trying to decide your child is trans at birth you have mental problems and probably shouldn’t be a parent [in my opinion].” In another screencap a different Ion Fury developer, Daedolon, asks, “[B]ut mutilating a perfectly healthy body WHILE you have depression and other big mental issues won’t [cause suicides]?”

IGN reached out to Voidpoint and Ion Fury publisher 3D Realms regarding the validity of these Discord chat conversations, and Voidpoint responded this to be the case in a statement. Voidpoint also admitted to adding homophobic language into the game itself.

“Members of Voidpoint’s Ion Fury team have made sexist and transphobic comments, and included homophobic language in Ion Fury,” writes Voidpoint.

In a full statement, the developers apologized for their comments, and pledged to donate $10,000 from Ion Fury’s release day proceeds to The Trevor Project. Here’s Voidpoint’s full statement below:

“We recognize these statements are insensitive, unacceptable, and counterproductive to causes of equality. We unequivocally apologize both for these comments and language as well as for any pain they have caused the gaming community, particularly women and members of the LGBTQ community. We take full responsibility for any damage that has been done to the relationships we’ve worked so hard to build.

Moving forward, Voidpoint will institute a zero-tolerance policy for this type of language and all employees and contractors will undergo mandatory sensitivity training. As part of our efforts to contribute to the work that must be done to further support these communities, we are donating $10,000 from Ion Fury’s release day proceeds to The Trevor Project. We are also patching Ion Fury ASAP to remove all unacceptable language.”

Ion Fury publisher 3D Realms also issued a statement, saying that in the future 3D Realms will sever relationships with any developer that breaks the company’s zero-tolerance policy for hate speech.

“It has come to our attention Voidpoint, the developers of Ion Fury, have been accused of making transphobic and misogynistic statements, and included homophobic language in the game which was not approved by us.

Under current leadership, 3D Realms has taken pride empowering marginalized groups, as evident by our strong female protagonist Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison and the makeup of our team.

Moving forward all of 3D Realms’ contracts will include terms which would allow us to sever relationships if a contractor does not abide by our zero-tolerance policy for hate speech, and Ion Fury will be patched ASAP to remove all unacceptable language.”

Ion Fury was released on August 15, 2019 for PC and utilizes the EDuke32 engine. It is a fork of the Build engine which was used to develop classic 90s FPS games like Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, and Blood. Ion Fury was previously titled, Ion Maiden before the music band Iron Maiden threatened to sue over IP infringement.

Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.

Source : IGN

[sambart93]

2017.05.12 Touken Ranbu Stage DVD Release Event Tokyo Round Two

When I walked into the theatre they had the giant cardboard prints of the characters at the front and everyone was lining up to take pictures <3 We could also take shots of the title screen ^_^

I was row 19 on the first floor which is about 3 from the back and the upstairs was full too!

The seating went (L - R): Kento, DaiChan, Naya, Hide, Suzuki, MakiChan, Seto, Shiina, TonChan

So lets break it down by the different Corners/Segments they had:

1. CORNER ONE: KODAWARI SCENE

How would you even translate ‘Kodawari’? It means so many things... It’s like the one scene they each specifically liked, and they had to choose a scene they were in. If it had been me I would’ve been like ‘I hate watching myself so I picked a scene that I love that I’m not in’ xD but I guess they HAD to choose? I imagine some of them don’t like watching themselves perform...right?

Suzuki: The Opening when he says ‘Hajimeyo’

He spoke about how when doing the rehearsals the first time and when he did the ‘hajimeyo!’ he didn’t really get it but as soon as Shonichi came and he did it and felt the audience’s presence, he felt just how powerful those words are. MakiChan being the sabotager he is was like ‘it’s the one line you can’t mess up. What if you were like ‘Touken Ranbu haji-ha-ah-HAJIMEYO!’ then you’ve ruined the entire play’ xD

Kento: His fight

I watched this scene like I’d never seen it before, I was like ‘what’s this?! I haven’t seen this scene before! Ohhh he’s so pretty! Wow this fighting style is great!’. Obviously it’s on the DVD but clearly I’ve never paid proper attention to anything in TouStage that isn’t Makichan or Fudou pretty much xD also I still have Someya’s fighting scenes like BURNED in my mind still xD I’ve seen the Shoen like ten times more than the Saien.. maybe I should rewatch it tonight... but yeah I was totally mesmerized by the clip Kento showed... he looked so pretty and it looked so good... this is the downfall of BUYING BRs but not having a laptop with a BluRay HD quality display.... I miss all this prettiness. Kento mentioned that before this he hadn’t done any fighting scenes or choreography so he would practise with Seto, especially because they were the newbies in the group.

Naya: His entrance in the beginning

Naya’s scene was when Kosetsu is fighting and Saya slides in from the top stage and I admit it’s pretty cool xD he also spoke about how the stage in Galaxy Theatre is really bouncy so when he would jump down he would bounce up again a little but in the theatre in Osaka the floor wasn’t bouncy so it took him some time to get used to.

DaiChan: Sugie and DaiChan’s duet

DaiChan wanted to show this because (he explains) in the shoen him and Sugie sang together but when it came to the Saien they both realised they couldn’t really keep in time and their styles of singing are very different so they decided to split it apart. He said fans were wondering why they suddenly weren’t singing together so here he explained why.

Hide: His solo fight

When his character had shinken’d and all the guys (started by Aramaki and TonChan and Shiina), everytime he had a close up, were like ‘Wooooo! wooooow! Oooooooh!’ and then everyone joined in HAA and MakiChan was like ‘kakkoii! // so cool!’, especially towards the end of the scene where Souza does the multiple sword swings in high speed at once. Hide said he saw MakiChan’s Manba’s fighting style and wanted to add a bit of it into his style during the saien. Also he mentioned how MakiChan practises fighting choreography in front of the mirror a lot xD

2. CORNER TWO: DICE GAME

They had a bunch of different topic they had to talk about or do depending on what number the dice landed on and three of the numbers would give one of the audience members a chance to win a complete signed TouStage Staff T-Shirt (like this one vvv)

And Naya was the one who landed on one of those numbers and a girl on the second floor won it ^_^ lucky her. The TouStage TShirts are so awesome(!)

Other things they landed on were mainly things like ‘Tell us a story from your Osaka shows’ or ‘tell us a story from keiko/rehearsals’ etc so stuff like:

Hide admitted he’s never cooked in his life until they did it for the DVD and the guys were like ‘even cup ramen?’ and he’s like ‘no, I eat out. I never cook at home even though I have all the kitchen utensils’ and they were like ‘what a rich kid’ xD

DaiChan has a habit of waiting for his coworkers just off stage and hugging them when they come off  xD

Yuusuke spoke about what it was like with him and Kento only being the newbies and they spent a lot of time together and it was hard for Seto to get to know the rest of the cast because they were already all so close and it wasn’t until the performances actually started that he got to know them all.

Another one was ‘I Have Some Big News!’ which they landed on and MakiChan was like ‘well not for me but for US! We have a Backstage DVD coming out July 19th!’ and everyone clapped and then the MC was like ‘you weren’t suppose to tell everyone yet! Now you’ve ruined our final corner!’ and MakiChan was like ‘oh... sorry?’ xD

3. CORNER THREE: GESTURE GAME (with Items)

This was the same as what they did for the first dvd event you can see the digest of it on the Saiene DVD xD) but this time they had to gestures while holding and using items too! So we had things like fishing nets and plungers and recorders xD it was very, very funny but more difficult this time I think. It was very funny and absolutely ridiculous. But MakiChan’s team won by like DOUBLE the points xD I was super impressed that MakiChan improvised and opened the recorder when he had to gesture ‘Lipstick/lipgloss’ xD

The losing team had to do a bastu/punishment game and it was ‘The Pose that represents my life’ or something similar. The four losers did these flamboyant ridiculous posts like they were from Sailor Moon xD It was TonChan, Hiroki (<< these two I remember because I focused on them), and I think Shiina and Yuuske.

4. CORNER FOUR: NEW DVD!

Finally(!) They announced the Backstage and Higawari DVD, due out. Preorder here and here, here and here. But because MakiChan had already spoiled this, the MC was like ‘you gotta do it again’ so without his mic MakiChan yelled it out to the entire crowd ‘WE HAVE A BACKSTAGE DVD OUT JULY 19TH! I’M SORRY I SPOILED IT BEFOREHAND! PLEASE BUY IT!’ xD 

They previewed and showed some of it to the audience and all the cast turned around and was like ‘we wanna see it too!’. When they moved most of them turned their chairs around, but DaiChan kept his chair straight towards the audience and just turned his body around to face the screen. MakiChan just sat on the chair backwards so naturally and looked really sexy and we got a good butt shot. TonChan and Shiina put their chairs together and then Shiina put his head on TonChan while TonChan put his arm around him, and MakiChan was next to them like ‘what’s this?! What’s going on?! You’re a couple?!’, they didn’t really react, they were just like ‘....yeah why not...’ xD 

During the preview they showed Sugie doing a crane dance backstage just before he had to go on during the opening, and everyone in the room was dying of laughter and DaiChan was like ‘why isn’t Sugie here to see this?!’ xD

They showed us one of the higawaris too where everyone pretty much got up and left MakiChan on his own on stage like ‘guys? ... guys?!?!?!’ xD 

---

Some other comments and moments I remember but not sure exactly where they were in the event:

Naya is ADORABLE! I cannot cope with him seriously! And he KNOWS he’s cute and he’ll be EXTRA cute on purpose <3 

Naya, DaiChan and Kento came on with Fudou makeup and had red cheeks. When they came on, DaiChan asked ‘can people at the back SEE the red/pink on our faces? We’re Fudou!’ and everyone could see xD

DaiChan legit said Seto Koji instead of Seto Yuusuke and I absolutely died of laughter. I think he 10000% said it by accident rather than purposely. He got so much shit from everyone, and me loving D-Boys and Seto Koji was right at the back PISSING myself and laughing so hard that I had to put my hand over my mouth. I was giggling over it for AGES.

I really, really love the way Suzuki presents himself and how he talks and everything. 

I also really like how fast DaiCha talks like he’s on speed. He’s a super fast talker but I magically understood everything he said ^_^

Just before the second show, MakiChan did Naya’s hair but the stylist had to redo it for him afterwards. MakiChan said look forward to seeing what style I gave him on twitter later:

TonChan spent the entire time hardly lifting the mic to his mouth and everyone could still hear. At one point MakiChan turned around and said ‘Even your voice is so loud (in Japanese he used ‘dekai/big’ which can be used for both height and volume) that you don’t need a mic!’, and TonChan is like ‘yup!’ xD

---

Sorry if this is too MakiChan centric for some people but you must know my bias is MakiChan by now mwahahaha i loved his cardigan at the event...

Anyway hope you enjoyed it!

[vampire-ezra]

hey? hi! i think i have some interesting insight into that People article you posted about ezra and rashida? i dunno but (clears throat): i intern at a PR firm and my supervisor and my co-workers the reg employees were talking about this, most of us are fans of vampire weekend, and it was funny to my supervisor because the article claimed that they've been keeping their relationship 'largely under wraps' which is both true but also false because even though they've been [cont.]

relatively lowkey compared to other celebs, they have been photographed together at a lot of events especially since last fall including sitting FRONT in the CELEB row together at a basketball game and have been written about together multiple times in bits online @ US weekly.. but regardless of all that no wider buzz. but now People goes and writes a whole article dedicated to them and the professional consensus here is that it is 10000% a PR plant. here’s why: for one, celeb couples [cont.]won’t pose for photos together at public events if they want to be ‘under wraps’ (all the celeb couples who whine about privacy can simply not pose for photos together it’s not hard), so they know that being photogrpahed together by wire services means those photos can be posted in any media outlet (tabloids being the no.1 consumer of celeb photos ofc). but! no bites for the photos. so then US weekly, a notorious celeb ass kisser, writes multiple bits about them @ various places in LA. [cont.]the strategy being a couple lines about them here a couple lines there, to make it not seem so obvious or thirsty. but still no buzz. so now they go to sundance together, a celeb hotbed with tons of press around, and head over to a celeb suite sponsored by the biggest hollywood trade magazine, where lots of entertainment reporters are sure to be hanging about and now BAM a full item in People. also the wording in it is very worth noting 'SHE was calling him’, 'SHE…was hugging him’, [cont.]it’s all one-sided and CONSPICUOUSLY thirsty behavior by rashida. now since rashida is the way bigger celeb we think she’s the one driving all this BUT ezra is also going along with all of it (and is possibly seeing it as a way to build up his own celeb status and/or is thirsty for attention, especially since his band hasn’t done anything for almost 4 years). and since this was a full item in People, the top tier 'classy’ (LOL) tabloid, it has a MUCH higher chance of spreading out to [cont.]other celeb news sites and don’t be surprised if you see it on music sites too and such and then more attention for them and whatever rashida’s promoting. whew that was long i’m so sorry!!!!!! i’m smh at ezra in a way but that analysis is the professional opinion of this crew and also i love working here lol?? :’) anyways sorry for the thesis again but i hope it was interesting to hear about the behind the scenes perspective!

this is all an interesting theory, but personally I don’t buy that it is a PR stunt because I don’t really see what either party has to gain from it? Also the amount of time Ez has posted things at her house etc and how he seems to follow her around the world and go on personal vacations with close friends together, I would doubt it’s a stunt. I think we should just let Ez be happy and no speculate whether his relationships are fake lol

[movietweets]

Iron Man

Cracking a beer and getting stuck into the first film of the series: Iron man. He's a man made of Iron apparently so I'm expecting a lot of rust related plot devices  #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Oh yeah! I can already tell this is going to be good because there's army cars and AC/DC playing. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Oh but look who it is, in a suit, with a glass of brown alcohol and wearing sunglasses, its RDJ. My man! Always appropriate for any situation. About to go into combat? No problem I'll just grab a bottle of jack and my cuff links. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Obviously he treats everyone else like shit too. Obviously. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Oops! Didn't see that coming. Can't go 30 seconds in a superhero movie without an explosion though and now a war's happening and I'm getting a Saving Private Ryan flashback. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

That’s not good. Better text the wife and tell her I won’t be back for dinner.  #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Oh Shit! It's terrorists, and they've got guns! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Flashback on Tony's past. No wonder 'Big T' has an ego problem. Bet he pulls some ridiculous shit in vegas. Also I wonder how much that casino paid to get in this movie? #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Bloody knew it!

Dude’s like: “why the fuck did he just hand me a big glass dildo?” 

Just a quick argument with a supermodel journalist to set up a parallel with US foreign policy in the subtext. Yeah, I make loads of money selling weapons that kill people but look how cool and attractive I am. Lets fuck! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan 

Oh no! That’s your best comeback?... surely you’re not going to let that win you over Everlove? Surely?! 

Well I guess we all have moments of weakness. 

And literally all it took was a couple of gadgets for her to drop all her morals. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Poor Pepper, He's literally a nightmare to work for and now he's flirting inappropriately! Also he forgot her birthday and she didn't care... yeah right. #realwomen #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Of course his private jet is a strip club. Where is that pole coming from exactly? #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Why is the business owner doing the job of a salesman right now? Does he really need the commission? #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

All that technology, like genuine future stuff, and he has literally the shittest phone in the world. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Good thing that mad scientist guy happened to be captured by those guys too. Also didn't we just see that he was wearing a bullet proof jacket? How did shrapnel get anywhere near his heart? #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

PROOF!

Oh no! The weapons got into the hands of the naughty men! isn't that what sexy journalist/supermodel woman was talking about? Maybe you should have been paying attention to her argument instead trying to sleep with her? #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

“But Tony... You promised!” :(

They went all that time without exchanging names? Guy saves your life but nah, funny accent, not worth getting too close. Also NOW you want to small talk, right when he’s holding a pot of molten metal in a pair of forceps?! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Oh yeah, just make a couple of rings, stick them together with some copper wire and there you go magic chest battery. Step one, make a ring. #Therestofthefuckingowl #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

And here we are having a bash at step two...

Hey presto! That was easy.

Well to be honest its about time that the wrongens noticed something wasn't quite right. Man had a massive glowing thing on his chest that looks like its from the future and nobody seemed bothered. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

For a man who we've established is intelligent Big T has no game. Yeah just leave the blueprints to the secret plan you're working on out on the table. Fortunately the baddies are totally negligent. I'm surprised they remembered to lock the door #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

We've already seen that they have CCTV of what Tony and his mate are up to but some how they aren't seeing him assemble a full suit of weaponized armor under their noses? Even after they've been caught with the blueprints?? #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Could they be any more blatant about what they’re up to?

Also why build a suit that leaves the one vulnerable part, the battery that powers it and keeps his heart from being shredded, exposed. 10/10 for visual aesthetic -10000 for common sense. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Seems to hold up though, even when shot point blank in the head. Shame his assistant had to die. There could have been some serious competition for chief romantic interest with Pepper later. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Yeah, no shit. This guy had expendable character written all over him. 

What is going on with his legs? Seriously, who has hips that wide?  #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Ahahaha! Silly baddies! Haven’t you realised that your guns are useless!?

Oh no! He's gone down! Looks like the terrorists are going to win after all. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Oh... no they fucked it. 

Good thing he can fly!

Also good thing that that, way bigger explosion didn't have any nasty shrapnel in it this time. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

 Ah, phew! Good thing the military are here to save the day. Held off till now though obviously because PLOT #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

“Taxi!”

Also yeah, I want an American cheeseburger and a... (hint at sex but surprise with) a press conference. Definitely don't want to go to the hospital, not even after spending days(?) in the desert following a firefight and crash in a metal suit from 100m #MCU #Marvel #IronMan

Fast food and a quickie?

Seriously had enough of his shit... 

Of course Burger King got that contract. I'm a little bit surprised that Tony didn't ask for a mac book and a bottle of new mountain dew red alert, available in a convenience store near you...#MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Don't tell me he's grown a conscience! Big T! Think about what you're going to the military industrial complex! What about the economy!? All those people who came out to clap at you getting out of a Rolls Royce are jobless now! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Hashtag UN-nesesary segway #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Okay Pep, just reach into the massive hole in my chest and grab that loose wire. Don't mind all the puss and blood. Oh you fucked it up, never mind, should have had a doctor do it. To be fair, could have done it himself but wouldn't want to miss this opportunity to flirt #MCU

100% uses that sentient robot arm to wank #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Yep, just walk into a military base and start talking shit to the commander because you're Tony Stark #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

"working on a secret project are we Sir?" - You can trust me, I'm a web connected AI with the same voice as HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Speaking of wrong hands, who's this with a useless remnant of scrap metal. I think I know who the main antagonist is going to be! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

“What did you just say about my sunglasses!?”

That looks like pretty complex stuff T! Good thing you've got Wankatron to help you out. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Oh shit... that's at least 3 months in hospital. Also wouldn't a man of science have worked out exactly how much thrust 10% capacity would generate before testing it on himself. Why not test it on a crash dummy first? #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Also, hats off to Wankatron for the excellent comedic timing. That bit with the extinguisher. GOLD #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Okay, how does he still have an arm after that? Tony Stark is a normal  human right? I'm not going to find out 10 movies in that hes actually from the planet Joopizoop where everyone is a demi-god am I? #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Where does he buy those shirts with the hole cut out of the chest? Reckon that's a custom job. Another example of Big T's genius. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Oh yeah. Let's do this highly experimental test that is likely to end in something exploding or going catastrophically wrong in the garage along side 3 to 6 expensive super cars. #justbillionairethings #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

What did you expect dude? I’m getting tired of your bullshit!

WHAT KIND OF HERO RUINS ICECREAMS FOR CHILDREN?!?!  #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Oh! Did it go wrong? Well that will teach you for ignoring HAL 9000!

With great power comes incredible lack of responsibility. There’ll be a pothole there for weeks now.  #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Wankatron giving Tony a taste of his own medicine.

Just as well that ghetto Iron Man is looking like something off of scrapheap challenge #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Well that was a slap in the face... are there any women who his ‘hero’ does respect?

Also, of course he knows Hugh Hefner. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Wow. Pepper is looking on point, must have guys lining up and she still puts up with that crap from Tone. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" Shit man...you're making ME uncomfortable and I'm watching this from my bedroom, in my underwear. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

“I need a new job.”

Wait! Isn't that supermodel/journalist from before the hostage situation? Oh and she's got some leverage this time...  #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Oooo! Looks like uncle cigar might be the main antagonist after all.

Somebody’s having a little sulk in the man cave are they? Angrily adjusting your super complex future cyber arm with a screwdriver. I mean...seriously? Screw drivers only do one of two things. They tighten or loosen screws. How much tinkering is really going on there? #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Wow... wankatron had a few upgrades! Now he comes out of the floor and gets you dressed in the morning #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Terrorists are on the rise again. Oh! You've got a gun, have you? Well here's a massive punch in the stomach.

Or why not have a blast of my...wait, what is that stuff that’s being blown out of my hands? Is it just pure bad-ass?! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Oh shit... now he's screwed, no way to save the hostages at gun point..

SHOULDER GUNS! BANG! 

AUTO-TARGETING, NO RECOIL, EAT THAT YOU BLOODY WRONGENS! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

 “Cheers mate!”

Uh oh...

Tank gun to the face? 

No prob bro. JUST WALK IT OFF  #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Bogey just went supersonic. Good thing that people from Joopidoop are impervious to the effects of instant acceleration or his bones and organs would be jellified by now. 

Also good thing that he though to add in some knee flares... you know for disco scenarios and this... #MCU

Whiplash is right... ejecting is no joke. Most people never fly again and are left with severe spinal injuries. Cheers T. NICE ONE. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong

When your missus catches you having some fun with your newly upgraded wankatron... #mcu #ironman #tweetalong #marvel

Ghetto ironman looks still looks shit.. 

no wonder the baddy used his weird sound torture lanyard on him. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

OH SHIT! Pepper out. So that was the stick that broke the camels back eh? Developing a sense of responsibility and taking the initiative to do the right thing...oh hell nawh! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

I knew she was bluffing. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Wow... how awesome do computers look in this film. I want to work with an interface like that. Who cares that all the icons are on the wrong side!? You can literally type translate and it starts speaking English! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Jesus! She’s not a piece of meat! Damn, the main baddy is kinda creepy. Even without all the murdering and crazy sound torture dongle! RUN POTTS! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

OH NO! Not Big T! He's gone all pasty 'cause of the torture lanyard!  

“You’re not going to try and kiss me are you?”

Oh no, no. Just going to syringe the future battery out of your techno pacemaker... You know.. Baddie stuff.

Wait... is his name Obediah? Seriously how didn't anyone guess he was evil? #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

YES! COME ON WANKATRON! POP IT IN THE HOLE! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Pepper is the real hero in this story. Just look at that power walk. Either that or I have a massive crush on 2008 Gwyneth Paltrow #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Shitt... ghetto iron man been hittin' the gym! How did we get from scrapheap challenge to beefcake overnight? I want that protein shake! #therestofthefuckingowl #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

LOL that whole family are like: Holy shit what is happening?! This never happens when we stay with daddy! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

lets hope it wasn't dad following behind on that motorcycle #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

HE KNOWS THE MATH WANKATRON! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Ha Ha yeah... chill out Obediah. You've been iced out. Don't you realize that you're just an overweight imitation? #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

those disco knee flares are are literally a get out of jail free card. I've said it before and I'll say it again... bloody good thing he thought of them. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

“Nooo! Not the disco knee flares! How did you know my only weakness was the boogie!?

Yes Pepper, flip every god damn switch! Meanwhile the masks are off... #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

PUSH IT! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

God dammit Pepper! What are you waiting for!?

wait for it....

Oh thank goodness for that... it had been almost a whole minute without an explosion! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Lets see if we can't shoehorn in a little post action office romance between boss and employee before Tony pars off supermodel/journalist for the third time and does the obvious thing by letting his ego overtake everything. #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Yep.

At least we can enjoy some well earned Black Sabbath as the credits roll #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

Wait... WHAT IS THIS!? The film is over but there's more? Is this a thing? Oh my word! GET THESE MOTHERFUCKING SUPERHEROS INTO MY BADDY FIGHTING CLUB! #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

The end. 

Hope every one of my 27 followers enjoyed that. I'll be posting it to my blog soon in a special post with bonus content and screen shots to accompany each tweet. Look forward to tweeting @ you all soon when I watch The Hulk (2008) next time #MCU #Marvel #tweetalong #IronMan

*UPDATE*

Uh oh, looks like one of my followers didn't like that at all. Good riddance I say! To the remaining 26: PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALL ALONE! :(

[thebiggamehunter]

New Post has been published on Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter's Blog

New Post has been published on http://blog.thebiggamehunter.us/2017/04/03/4-things-to-do-to-find-your-next-c-level-job-and-none-of-them-involve-writing-a-resume/

4 Things to Do to Find Your Next C Level Job (And None of Them Involve Writing a Resume)

I have spoken to thousands of C level professionals over the course of 40+ years in executive search. Almost to a fault, they are all serious minded professionals who have worked hard to where they are today. Many have sacrificed days, nights and weekends to obtain education or serve employer needs and now are in a position where they have to look for work. Maybe they were “rightsized” (That is a wonderful lie organizations tell people. You weren’t fired. You were “rightsized) after a merger or business reversal. Maybe they feel stuck doing the same work they have done for the past 5,10, 15 or more years and have started to ask themselves, “Is this all there is?”  No matter, it is now time to face the fact that the organization you’ve given blood, sweat and tears to won’t be your future home.

I know that staff professionals can have similar epiphanies but it tends to be different for those of you in the C suite. If you aren’t yet there, you are rapidly approaching “the back 9” of your career. You maybe questioning whether ageism is going to make it harder for you to find work (it will) and how you will stack up to your competitors (you’re better than some and worse than some).

All your performance appraisals for your entire career now feel like little more than pablum as you plan on stepping out onto the battle field of an executive job search. Writing a resume. Networking. Interviewing. That’s what is ahead of you. Doesn’t seem like fun. After all, many of you will be working full time and adding to your “To Do” list of priorities. It is enough for many of you to give up, suck it up and slink back into your office, next flight or start blaming the economy and ageism.

Here are 4 things you can do to find your next C level job

1. Learn the lesson that Marshall Goldsmith teaches.

His book entitled, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” calls attention to a simple act of wisdom. People know they need to change but what what they really want is to do the same thing they’ve always done but get a different result. You are going to have to do things differently in your search and in your career, as well. Answering ads won’t work. 70% of positions are filled as a result of networking; 70% of the 70% are filled as a result of introductions to people who your network knows who you don’t (My interview with Dave Opton of Execunet on Job Search Radio. Listen to the interview). In addition, you are going to have to make changes. You achieved a level of professional success. To play BIG, you will probably need to make a few changes.

2. Stop working so damned hard on your job.

All work and no play has made you dull and boring. You sound like every other person and say the same things everyone else did. The system has chewed you up and is about to spit you out leaving you homogenized and pasteurized. As things stand now, you are not the interesting and certainly not that different than anyone else the search firm and their clients are interviewing. Running on the treadmill of your career has turned you into a machine and not a better human. Take a half step back and take some time with your husband, wife or partner. Go skiing or on a sail. Have a lovely dinner with them regularly. Spend some time with the kids. Ask them what could you do to be a better (husband/wife/partner . . . or Dad/Mom). You do it with customers and they don’t mean as much to you as your family. Ask your family and then try to do better.

3. Think Media, Not Social Media.

In days of old, executive search firms would ignore resumes that were submitted to them and look for newspaper clippings using microfiche (antique celluloid data bases of newspaper articles) resumes that are submitted, have access to their own data bases PLUS for stories about successful executives. Today, they still ignore that are submitted to them, buy access to LinkedIn Recruiter and search media for relevant talent. One thing hasn’t changed–finding people who are not “actively looking for work” and locating people via media outlets. These people are seen as subject matter experts. Play BIG. When they Google you, where will they find you. Annual report? Interview you did with CNBC, CNN or Fox? No where? Average people can’t be found. Being found is no guaranty. It is just the first cut.

4. Get help.

You don’t know what you don’t know. You may have hired people but that doesn’t make you an expert at job hunting at this level. After all, you’ve heard of the 10000 rule that points to how 10000 hours of deliberate practice, stretching you outside of your comfort zone has the potential for mastery. How much experience do you have with this kind of job search? How few hours of experience do you have. In addition to the captain of the plane (you), captains have various members to their team including crew, mechanics, ground control and airline staff supporting them. Who’s your team. Get a coach who works extensively in this space to help you. The search firms are there to fill positions and not help you find work unless it is with their client. Hire your team. Let your coach put you in touch with resume writers they like. Don’t let the resume writer captain the search. I am confident in many of their abilities to write an effective resume but their experience with the actual search may be quite limited. Hire a job search coach with experience working with an executive clientele.

I have skipped over some of the obvious things everyone knows they need to do whether they are C suite or not. Starting with 30 minutes a day working on your search if you are still working and at least 3 hours if you are unemployed leaves plenty of time for networking, preparing information for your resume writer and other search related activities like practicing for your interviews.

Don’t tough it out. Pretend you are delegating and outsource what you can to others and work on the things only you can do. 

© The Big Game Hunter, Inc. Asheville, NC  2017

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. His work involves life coaching, as well as executive job search coaching and leadership coaching. He is also the host of “Job Search Radio,” and “No BS Job Search Advice Radio” podcasts.

Are you interested in executive job search coaching, leadership coaching or life coaching from me?  Email me at JeffAltman@TheBigGameHunter.us and put the word, “Coaching” in the subject line.

For non-executives, JobSearchCoachingHQ.com offers great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions.

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You can order a copy of “Diagnosing Your Job Search Problems” for Kindle for $.99 and receive free Kindle versions of “No BS Resume Advice” and “Interview Preparation.”

[frontmezzjunkies]

  The Object Lesson: Not Much to Hold On To in the End

@NYTW

By Ross

There are boxes upon boxes, piled high to the ceiling.  Lamps and more lamps spread around the space that is slowly being filled with audience members. They are spread out, wandering around, unsure about what will happen in this ‘warehouse’ space that last month we were witness to the great Daniel Craig in Shakespeare’s Othello. But this afternoon, the space is not your typical theatre, and this is not your standard beginning of a play. No assigned seats, only boxes, crates, and couches for us to use in no exact arrangement.  We find a space to call our own in a corner by a lamp and a wall of drawers.  We are handed a box of objects, the contents carefully listed on the outside, for us to play with and examine.  We are here to experience the one-man show, The Object Lesson at the New York Theatre Workshop. I have no clue what will happen, so we wait.

Geoff Sobelle, All photo by Joan Marcus.

  This highly acclaimed show, directed by David Neumann, which won first prize at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014 has been making the rounds, playing in theaters across the country and around the world.  Leading us through this pile of boxed memories and magical moments is the fantastically talented magician, clown, creator, and performer, Geoff Sobelle. Easily capturing our attention for the most part of a 100-minute performance piece, we experience the glee and inventiveness of this strange soul and the mountains of mementos that usher forth funny and inventive creations.  Tip toeing through the debris (excellent work by scenic installation design: Steven Dufala; lighting design: Christopher Kuhl; sound design: Nick Kourtides), he ushers us through a number of vignettes, some beautiful, some funny, some magical, and some that fail to be any of the above.  It’s a valiant attempt of creating something unique. Sometimes the reminiscing and ‘play’ seem drawn out and repetitive, and I must admit, at certain moments when the game has become obvious, the fun dissipates. A game of repetition can feel too long and tedious when repeated a second time. Audience participation adds another layer of entertainment, anxiety (I hope he doesn’t pull me into this…), and audaciousness.  At our performance, these participants, especially the one midway through, all brought life and humor into the procedure, adding some true spontaneity and spark into the adventure.  Not that it wasn’t there already; Sobelle imbues a humanity and sincerity that is lovely and engaging. But I could also see how one of the earlier moments could result in some deadness as well. It was poetic for about the first third, but then, as with most of the vignettes, the charm starts to wear off.

My only problem with the show is the structure itself.  There are moments of humor and wit along side other tidbits of emotional engagement, but spaces so dead and empty that its hard to stay connected. What is the point for these inventive moments of memories and magic? Are we supposed to feel a strong emotional thread, or is this just glimpses into our memories, in the way our mind jumps around when we shift through a box of our own mementos? The over arching theme exploring the idea of objects and memory is too weak to sustain the journey from beginning to end. There are moments when the energy just fades or stalls in the emptiness of the moment. The ending is extremely magical in its delivery but not in its length. What are we to carry out with us once we leave this environmental warehouse? There is little to hold on to. The memory of The Object Lesson will be filed in my own private storage room under ‘enjoyable’, but not much more than that.

The Object Lesson By Geoff Sobelle Directed by David Neumann Scenic Installation Design by Steven Dufala

The Object Lesson By Geoff Sobelle Directed by David Neumann Scenic Installation Design by Steven Dufala

The Object Lesson By Geoff Sobelle Directed by David Neumann Scenic Installation Design by Steven Dufala

  #frontmezzjunkies has posted a review: #TheObjectLesson @nytw79 #GeoffSobelle The Object Lesson: Not Much to Hold On To in the End @NYTW By Ross…