#this is for the stage play in Feb 2023

[mofffun]

yuzuki singing from early 2023

[would-you-punt-them]

Imagine watching a show with probably the most surface level potrayal of the message of "rich people suck and will use poor people for money" only to be like "hm. as the total anthesis of this message i should totally recreate this"

It's made even worse when you consider the fact that this isn't the first "IRL Squid Game" ever attempted, Netflix UK did one that was specifically based on the actual show in January 2023 called "Squid Game: The Challenge".

(I've seen people in the tags get these two shows confused, they are different - Beast Games is on Amazon, not Netflix, was filmed at the end of July this year, and hasn't come out yet).

But Netflix UK have their own scandal to answer for.

That original British Squid Game was also a disaster. "Beast Games" was filmed in the middle of one of Nevada's hottest Julys on record, hence why so many contestants suffered from extreme dehydration due to the lack of water. On the other hand, "Squid Game: The Challenge" was filmed during an unusually cold British January.

The players had been given coats, leg warmers, space heaters, and so on during the lead up to the game, only to have those warm clothes taken away before the first challenge began, because they needed to wear those paper thin canon-accurate Squid Game tracksuits. They weren't even allowed to zip them up, because the cameras needed to see the numbers on their shirts, and the fake blood spurting out when they were eliminated.

They then had to play Redlight-Greenlight in the blistering cold, holding poses, completely still, for increasing lengths of time (2 minutes at the start of the game, 30 in the late stages). Players starting collapsing from the cold, and had to be rescued by medics.

The game started with 456 competitors on Day 1, and ended up with 228 by Day 2.

Here's the Variety article: Inside Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Reality Show Disaster: ‘The Conditions Were Absolutely Inhumane’

TL;DR - Here are some choice quotes in case you want to read them:

“The second time the song played, I saw in my left peripheral vision that this girl was swaying. Then she just buckled, and you could hear her head actually hit the ground,” says Marlene. “But then someone came on the [microphone] and said to hold our positions because the game is not paused. After that, people were dropping like flies.”

Jenny, a player from outside the U.K. who had been flown in for the game, tells Variety: “I’m infuriated by the narrative that Netflix is putting out there, that only [a few] people were injured…we were all injured just by going through that experience.

“I’ve never been that cold for that long a period in my life. We couldn’t feel our feet or our toes. It was ridiculous,” she says. Jenny also claims that while the game was in production, restroom or water breaks weren’t allowed.

“Take some responsibility for the fact that you were ill-prepared for this kind of thing, with this number of people,” continues Jenny, between tears. “There were some things I guess [producers] didn’t think about, but when they saw the weather was going to be that way, they should have made adjustments.”

All three players [John, Marlene and Jenny] say they returned to the hotel between 7 p.m. and midnight without having dinner. Dinner orders had been taken at lunch, but because the game had run longer than expected, contestants were transported back to their central London hotel without having eaten. Production had ordered pizzas for those arriving, but there wasn’t enough food to go around, and some people went to bed hungry.

“In the morning, I woke up and there was a cold hamburger from McDonald’s and a side salad in front of my door that had been there for God knows how long,” says Marlene.

(Variety, Feb 3, 2023)

(Also, "Marlene and Jenny" are pseudonyms, because like Beast Game they signed NDAs.)

There are some other similarities with Beast Games - denial of bathroom breaks, lack of food, lack of water, inadequate medical care, and so on.

Netflix is denying these claims, or at least denying that they are as bad as contestants are suggesting, and said that while it was undeniably cold on set, "participants were prepared for that". Participants have claimed that they were, in fact, in no way prepared for that.

We know MrBeast has probably seen "Squid Game: The Challenge", because they've tried to one-up it. The British show originally had "the biggest cash-prize ever offered in reality TV" ($4.5 million), until Beast Games showed up with an ever bigger prize of $5 million.

So, it's not just "Jimmy recreating the Torment Nexus after watching the show "Don't recreate the Torment Nexus".

It's closer to "Jimmy recreating the Torment Nexus from the show "Don't create the Torment Nexus", after watching the show "This is what happens when you create the Torment Nexus".

[seraphinitegames]

The Wayhaven Chronicles—Update 10/Feb/2023

Oh, what a week!

Lots of getting prepped ready towards Book Three's release! We have some fun plans coming for the build up closer to April!

I managed to get in some bits and pieces of plans towards Book Four planning, though mostly the focus is on getting everything prepared before I even reach that stage (though I did come up with a scene idea that I am already internally screaming about I am SO excited to write! :D).

But I really do want to get everything laid out really well before heading into Book Four planning. Things are getting a lot more complicated with the coding with so many branches in play now, so I don't want anything to get lost! It means going through everything from character arcs, variables, to scenes in earlier books to make sure I can go into the planning phase as smoothly as possible.

I did get to do some writing this week though! I finished up the Patreon Valentine's AU (alternate universe) scenarios!

Here's what's coming up on there:

Sweet Talker (Elidor Scenario Special—9th Feb)

The MC surprises Elidor at work, but overhears more than they bargained for...

--

It's Been Too Long (Lesedi Scenario Special—14th Feb)

Being apart for so long is hard on both the MC and Lesedi, but the MC has a little surprise in mind to help with the homecoming...

--

Romantic Interlude (Tina Scenario Special—21st Feb)

Neither Tina or the MC are sure when the line between friendship and romance got crossed, but both are more than happy that it did!

--

Taste of Temptation (Falk Scenario Special—28th Feb)

The MC just knows taking a step into something more with Falk might just be a bad idea...but here they are, doing it anyway...

-

I had such an amazingly fun time writing these (Falk's is actually a scene I've had playing in my head for years, so it was great fun getting the chance to write it out finally)!

Next week, we'll be keeping working on Book Three release preparations, as well as getting further stuck into the prep work ready for Book Four planning. Will be interesting to go back and see how far the characters and relationships have come, hehe! :D

Hope you all have the most wonderful weekend! We'll be offline as usual, so I'll update you all again next week.

Can't believe how close we're getting to the release of Book Three!! Aahhhhh!!!

[jesse-eisenberg-interview]

A list of Jesse Eisenberg's writing

I made a list of Jesse Eisenberg's writing.

2009

NOV 30 Manageable Tongue Twisters.

2010

FEB 24 Marxist-Socialists Jokes

2011

JUL 21 A Post Gender Normative Man Tries to Pick Up a Woman at a Bar

DEC 07 ACTOR & PLAYWRIGHT JESSE EISENBERG ON THE THRILL OF THE STAGE

2012

JAN 25 Courage Is Just an Act

FEB 15 Jeremy Lin Has Helped Me Through Some Pretty Tough Times

MAR 12 Jesse Eisenberg on His Lifelong Aversion to Youth Culture

MAY 24 Sushi Nozawa

JUN 06 Masgouf

JUL 09 The Whiskey Blue Bar at the W Hotel

AUG 01 TCBY

AUG 20 Robert Frost Elementary School Cafeteria

OCT 02 Organix vs. the San Gennaro Street Festival

NOV 21 Thanksgiving With Vegans

DEC 11 Body Rituals Among the Lauxesortem

2013

FEB 22 Matthew’s House

MAR 17 Marv Albert Is My Therapist

APR 15 The League, Passed Down

APR 17 I Didn’t Win Any Pulitzer Prizes This Year

APR 25 A Marriage Counselor Tries to Heckle at a Knicks Game

JUN 03 Fuddruckers and an Unreliable New Friend

JUN 24 Separation-Anxiety Sleepaway Camp

AUG 06 A Crawfish Boil and Dad’s New Family

SEP 09 A Bully Does His Research

OCT 02 A Post Gender Normative Woman Tries to Pick Up a Man at a Bar

OCT 07 Final Conversations at Pompeii

NOV 01 The Museum of Natural History and Making Compromises

NOV 12 Alexander Graham Bell’s First Five Phone Calls

DEC 12 The Ashram and Mom

2014

JAN 20 If I Was Fluent in . . .

JUN 10 Carmelo Anthony and I Debrief Our Friends After a Pickup Game at the Y.M.C.A.

2015

MAY 25 Men and Dancing

SEP 01 My Nephew Has Some Questions

SEP 09 My Spam Plays Hard to Get

NOV 22 THE GUY WHO HATED NOW YOU SEE ME, A SHORT STORY

NOV 23 An Honest Film Review

2016

JAN 27 What Do You Do When Your Mother Won’t Shut Up at The Ballet?

FEB 04 Act Like You Know

FEB 12 Why I Broke Up with the Little Mermaid

MAY 19 My Cousin Recently Became A Realtor

NOV 04 SELF-DEPRECATING HEROES

DEC 11 LOW TALK IN HIGH PLACES

2017

JAN 23 YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW

JAN 25 My Very Good Friend

FEB 01 发现肉——致中国读者

MAR 04 HAVE YOU DINED WITH US BEFORE?

NOV 14 Mongolia

2018

JAN 15 Sad Stuff on the Street

MAR 20 Thanks, Giving

MAY 14 My N.B.A. Knowledge Comes In Handy

MAY 18 One Small Blow Against Encroaching Totalitarianism: The Natural Order of the World Depends On It

MAY 31 Jesse Eisenberg on the Relentless Work Ethic of Philip Roth

DEC 05 The Cast Members and Their Crew

2019

JAN 03 MY SISTER PUSHES THE LOBSTER

NOV 21 My Two-Year-Old Requests Just One More Song Before Bed

NOV 23 Jesse Eisenberg: Recommends four contemporary plays

2021

MAR 02 Writer Courtney Zoffness and Jesse Eisenberg on the Radical Compassion of Art

2022

NOV 07 Content Warning

2023

FEB 20 A G.P.S. Route for My Anxiety

[mybodyfails]

han - recap 2023

(tumblr user @mybodyfails' ramblings under the read more)

jan

230120 manila: stay with bench - fanmeet

blue jeans, dress shirt AND beret?! we're off to a great start.

he was hitting the dougie too. of course.

feb

230213 skz-record: volcano

definitely my soty! when the drums come in and the song explodes? literally erupting like a volcano? 🫠

honorary mention:

230226 chan's room ep. 199

i keep coming back to this stream whenever i feel down, they were just so hyper and giggly!

mar

230311 manila: maniac world tour - day 1

the one where he had to sit out bc he was sick. who knew you could slay a performance like that. in the end all of us were seated i think.

also gave us this beautiful moment: beethoven who

april

230401&230402 los angeles: maniac world tour encore

toddling around in his gigantic dungarees and adorable hat, han quokka clipped to him. all i need tbh.

may

230523 bbl: life advice

tape the blanket to yourself and you won't catch a cold, apparently.

but also, not a specific month - but i'm putting this on behalf of all the mini concerts he did for us on bubble, taking suggestions for covers or writing songs on the fly 🥰

june

release: topline mv feat. tiger jk

aka the day where jisung got adopted but was too shy to get his number. 🥺 LOOK AT HIM! elated hamster! fanning himself w his fake money!

jul

230701&230702 3rd fanmeeting pilot for 5star

the life-size skzoos and their interactions were such a cute surprise 😭 rmbr when he kept gently smoothing down han quokka's velvety fur 😭

230722 paris: lollapalooza

he was on fire that day. HOTTER THAN HOT.

aug

230816 fukuoka: 5star dome tour begins

and with it came his 'don't say' solo stage and him playing the fucking guitar. wasn't just me, we all lost our marbles over this.. right?

honorary mention:

august was also the month were han didn't open an individual ig account 😸

sep

230924 new york: global citizen festival

they were five members short but 3racha gave it their all. i am a big fan of the hoop earrings, personally.

oct

231013 lil durk release: all my life (skz remix)

they took that song and gave it a very distinct flavour, especially jisung.

231015 skz-record: want so bad

minsung and their gay little song, didn't expect anything less from thems two.

nov

231111 mbc show! music core & mini fanmeeting

life-altering duality, wearing that CROPTOP on stage and turning into the sweetest babushka right before our very eyes immediately after..

dec

231214 manila: asia artist awards

what's with jisung and his best moments happening in the philippines?! that's the third time this year! petition for skz to move there. 🙏

3racha winning the best creator award was already a highlight, but hannie en route to the bathroom.. running back.. having to hold his pee for the acceptance speech - a classic.

now please come to me and tell me your fave jisung/your bias/skz moments of 2023!

[merelyroleplayers]

Nominate Merely Roleplayers in the CRIT Awards 2024

The Creator Recognition in Tabletop RPG Awards are open for nominations until the end of May, and lots of our stuff from the past year is eligible!

You all got us to the final ballot in 2 categories last year – thank you again, it was incredible to hear the words "Merely Roleplayers" read out alongside so many luminaries of roleplaying and storytelling!

Could we make it 3 this year?

Could we even make it to a win??

At this nomination stage, you're free to nominate whoever and whatever you like in each category. It's free choice, not multiple choice. Then people/things with enough nominations get put on the final ballot for everyone to check out and vote on.

Most of the categories ask for a link or social media handle to help the CRIT team vet nominations. Plus, I know from filling out my own nominations how hard it can sometimes be to work out what actually falls within the eligibility period (which this year is 1 Jan 2023–29 Feb 2024 – RPG vendors please put the publication date on the game's page!!).

So here's a handy list of what we've done that came out in that period, the categories you could nominate them in, and the relevant links and handles:

Best of Actual Plays

Best Series

Vigil: The Great Fire https://foggyoutline.com/roleplayers-episodes/category/The+Great+Fire

Vigil: Chief/Exec https://foggyoutline.com/roleplayers-episodes/category/Chief%2FExec

Vigil: Fear Itself https://foggyoutline.com/roleplayers-episodes/category/Fear+Itself

(and in the Studio...)

Falling Cadence https://foggyoutline.com/roleplayers-episodes/category/Falling+Cadence

The Queen's Dead https://foggyoutline.com/roleplayers-episodes/category/The+Queen%27s+Dead

The Office Party https://foggyoutline.com/roleplayers-episodes/category/Office+Party

Best NPC

Any and all NPCs from the above 6 productions, including 2023 nominee Ernest Bering, Agent of DoOm...

It's up to you to decide, based on his actions in Vigil: Fear Itself, whether oor Ernie belongs in this category or in:

Best Villain

Any and all villains from the above 6 productions, including Ada Lovelace (Great Fire), Max Dashwood (Chief/Exec), Morrigan the War Chieftain (Chief/Exec), the Harlequin (Fear Itself) and (possibly, as above) Ernest Bering, Agent of DoOm.

Best of their Games

Best Game Master | Indie

Matt Boothman https://www.instagram.com/merelymatt/

Josh Yard https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

Best Player | Indie

Ellie Pitkin https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Persephone 'Percy' Byron in Great Fire and Camilla Parnell in Falling Cadence)

Dave https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Mick Mason in Great Fire and Josh in Office Party)

Strat https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Brier in Great Fire and Jerome Picklepants in Office Party)

Chris MacLennan https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Kincaid in Great Fire)

Natalie Winter https://www.instagram.com/winternatters/

(plays Gwynned in Chief/Exec and Bess in Office Party)

Marta Da Silva https://www.instagram.com/nanaluvren/

(plays Harper in Chief/Exec)

Josh Yard https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Jinny Greenteeth in Chief/Exec)

Vikki https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Renko in Chief/Exec and Cadence Fairchild in Falling Cadence)

Alexander Pankhurst https://www.instagram.com/apankhurst/

(plays Graham in Fear Itself and Reginald 'Skinsy' Skinner in Falling Cadence)

Chris Starkey https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Cameron Jarvis in Fear Itself and Neville Flounder, aka the Living Shadow, aka Night Gannet in Office Party)

Ellen Gould https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Jess Butterworth in Fear Itself)

Helen Stratton https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Stella Sylvester in Falling Cadence)

Fiona KT Howat https://www.instagram.com/unspeakablyfiona/

(plays the Skeletal Duchy in The Queen's Dead)

Naomi Clarke https://www.instagram.com/naomithinksit/

(plays the Draugr Earldom in The Queen's Dead)

Best of Podcasts

Best Podcast

Merely Roleplayers https://www.merelyroleplayers.com

Best Podcast Host

Matt Boothman https://www.instagram.com/merelymatt/

Thank you! Can't wait to see who gets nominated this year!

[wheel-of-fish]

Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023 • 9 p.m. EST: "Best of Broadway" series—Laird Mackintosh, Kaley Ann Voorhees & Jeremy Hays (2014)

I haven't streamed this since 2020! It'll be the last of the 2014-era ones before we jump ahead to more recent casts (2018-2022). We've seen Laird as Andre a lot, but as a longtime Broadway veteran, he's played the Phantom quite a bit as well, and he really shines in the role. Kaley is an incredible talent and also, I believe, one of the youngest Christines to ever grace the stage.

As always, stream will be on cy.tube and shy anons are welcome. For more info, please see the Saturday Streams FAQ! Link and password will be posted here at 8:45.

[saorikuhara39]

Apr 2023 Issue of B'sLOG Obey Me translation Obey Me!: Nightbringer Announcement - Staff Comment

25 Mar UPDATE: the Obey Me Official has an official translation of the interview, please check it out!

Apr 2023 Issue of B'sLOG Obey Me translation Obey Me!: Nightbringer Announcement - Staff Comment (On sale Feb 2023)

[PLEASE DO NOT REPOST]

(Reblogging/Comments ok)

A new title, 'Obey Me! Nightbringer' has finally been announced! We interviewed the development staff about this highly anticipated new title! We will be bringing you the latest information, along with a beautiful opening movie.

What was the inspiration behind the development of the new title 'Obey Me! Nightbringer'?

The goal of developing 'Obey Me!' is to bring smiles to exchange students (the collective term for 'Obey Me! players') through the concept of characters cuddling up like best friends or lovers while blending in real life. 3 years have passed since the release of the English version, and during that time, the world has been changing dramatically. In response to these changes, and to make the characters more accessible, enjoyable, and supportive to exchange students, we decided to develop a large-scale feature and to make this happen, we chose to develop a brand-new app.

What will the 'Obey Me! Nightbringer' game features look like?

Although it will be a while to release more information in the future, but we are planning to introduce several features that will make the characters even more real to exchange students. This will make communication with the characters even more versatile.

What will the plot of 'Obey Me! Nightbringer' be about? And what about the stories from the past?

'Obey Me! Nightbringer' will focus on the story of the brothers right after the Celestial War, which has been highly requested. We aim to make it enjoyable not only for those who have already played 'Obey Me!', but also for those who know 'Obey Me!' from this title. Also, the original 'Obey Me!' app will remain in operation, so it is possible to continue to enjoy the story up to now.

The animation, which was released at the same time as the announcement, showed the brothers as angels. Does this scene have much to do with the main storyline?

The brothers are each conflicted about the difference between who they were when they were angels and who they are now as demons, and often reminisce about their days in the Celestial Realm. You will get to know their trivial stories during their days as angels and scenes of their relationships with other characters at the time.

Please leave a message to your fans who are looking forward to this title.

Thank you for playing 'Obey Me!'. This is the Obey Me! Team. 'Obey Me! Nightbringer' is a title that will expand the world of 'Obey Me!', bringing a new stage within Devildom, Celestial Realm, and Human World. We are working hard to develop an app that will entertain you even more than before, so please check the official 'Obey Me! Nightbringer' social media sites for future information. We are also planning to release new information at the "Obey Me! The Anime -Best Party- " stage greeting by the Obey Me! Boys at TOHO Cinemas Namba in Osaka on 25 March. Please look forward to it as well!

//From the looks of it, it seems that there won't be any upcoming main story updates from the main game?

[denimbex1986]

'David Tennant is set to host the BAFTA Film Awards for the first time.

The actor — best known for playing Doctor Who — will oversee proceedings during the U.K.’s biggest night for film on Feb. 18 at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

“I am delighted to have been asked to host the EE BAFTA Film Awards and help celebrate the very best of this year’s films and the many brilliant people who bring them to life,” said Tennant, whose career across film, TV and stage also includes “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” “Good Omens” and “Broadchurch.” He can currently be seen playing Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse.

“We are over the moon that David Tennant will be our host for the 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards,” added BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip. “He is deservedly beloved by British and international audiences, alike. His warmth, charm and mischievous wit will make it a must-watch show next month for our guests at the Royal Festival Hall and the millions of people watching at home.”

Tennant follows previous hosts Richard E. Grant and Rebel Wilson, who helmed the ceremony in 2023 and 2022, respectively, with the British Academy — which long relied on the services of Stephen Fry — now appearing to go with new faces each year.

The news comes just ahead of the revealing of the BAFTA longlists, covering all 24 categories, which will be announced on Jan 5. The final nominations will be unveiled on Jan. 18 by former Rising Star award nominees Naomi Ackie and Kingsley Ben-Adir.

The BAFTA Film Awards will be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer in the U.K., and on BritBox International in the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and South Africa.'

[kimuramasaya]

every month of 2023! 🎉

rules: link your favorite and/or most popular post from each month this year <3 (it’s totally fine to skip months!) and tag some CCs you love!

tagged by @ambivartence @dongkwan and @xiaojuun thank you beloveds 💓

I'll tag @woodziecup @lunetual @dreamaze @hwichanis and @mizugucci, but if you haven't been tagged and want to do this, consider this your tag!

I did not post nearly as much as I thought I did this year, and my gifs really got increasingly niche 😅 I'm just linking to my favorite set from each month since there are few months with only a couple posts

jan: txt sugar rush ride studio choom. these aren't the best since they were the first gifs I made in 3 months, but this is what got me giffing again, so it feels important

feb: tnx sungjun love or die. here's where the niche content starts. my other tnx sets from this month did better, but I liked this one best

march: vanner hyesung vlive. this was my busiest month as I made my way through old vanner content and vity groovy stages

april: dkb lune 24/7 compilation aka the time I made 27 lune gifs and then only posted 15 to look less insane

may: ikon jinhwan u. when will my husband return from the war 😞

june: vanner on idol league. my belovedest peak time winners ♡

july: jinhwan solo concept photos. remember when I went off with this coloring? I still can't believe how well these came out I'll never color something so well again

august: vanner gon performer ending fairy. everyone needs to perceive my wonseo it's not optional

sept: vanner hyesung performer ending fairy. I only posted 4 sets (all of vanner) this month, but even if I posted more, my cutest hamji would probs still be my fave

oct: ini masaya hana ending fairy. my one and only post for the month. this started my jpop posting, which somehow has a smaller audience than my kpop flops

nov: ini drop choreography video. despite me not discovering this song until like august, it was my second most played song of the year. this was also probably one of my most rewatched yt vids, and i do think everyone should watch it at least once

dec: jo1 takumi radiovision. I've barely posted this month, but expect more jo1 and ini gifs next week since I'm done with work for the year. it's just me and my audience of 4 against the world

[zaptap]

so i was right, gold rotation this weekend while i'm out of town. i'll try to play on it some, but it'll be awkward since it'd be in tabletop mode

also it's on bonerattle. so me getting 999 on hydroplant last week just in case it was the gold rotation stage was sort of unnecessary (except for the fact i don't have to do that now. and that hydroplant climb was very smooth btw, so it worked out very nicely)

either way this will be the first gold rotation i don't get a badge out of (because i got all 4 bonerattle ones in its very first rotation)

feb 2023 (marooner's bay): got plain + bronze + silver stage badges

may 2023 (spawning grounds): got plain stage badge (this is the only one i wasn't able to put a lot of time into)

august 2023 (jammin' salmon junction): got bronze + silver + gold stage badges, and hlm badge

november 2023 (sockeye station): got silver + gold stage badges

february 2024 (salmonid smokeyard): got gold stage badge (and to think i started that season without the bronze badge, when checkpoints were just being introduced)

...i could end up getting the gold maws badge then though i guess. if i don't end up getting it when i try for 999 on marooner's bay tomorrow (currently at 9732)

i feel like gold rotations aren't as good a way to hit 999 as i thought before though. sure the weapons are fun, they're better, but it likely attracts more casual players who then rank up higher than they're used to dealing with because the weapons make it easier, which makes it harder to outrun them in matchmaking. instead of struggling in early/mid evp you end up struggling around 900

idk maybe it evens out to being the same difficulty in the end. but missing the gold rotation probably isn't as big a deal as what i was thinking (also taking into account the fact that they'll probably be rerun indefinitely like in splat2)

that hydroplant 999 climb i mentioned going smoothly? it was right after eggstra work, so the casual players had had their fill of salmon run i guess--just about everyone i matched with had gold salmon run badges. only lost like 11 times, mostly wave 3, only twice wave 2, and never wave 1. matchmaking times whenever people didn't continue were almost always 3-4 minutes, but i didn't mind since it gave me plenty of time to stretch my wrists in between. dream 999 experience tbh

anyway. i plan on going to bed early and getting up in like... 11 hours? for the marooner's bay rotation tomorrow. i really hope it works out. that's the last one left

[louiisaaah]

gonna give you all a list of the concerts i have been and give you a rating then give you my upcoming concerts bc i can

dec 2021 - cavetown: first concert! went with my mum to a small venue in cambridge and had a great time! robbie was so so good and sara kays (the opener) was awesome and they performed a song together! (8/10)

sept 2022 - taylor hawkins memorial concert: this was SO SO good. went with my family since we had tickets to see the foo fighters later that year which obviously got cancelled but we got priority tickets for this because of that! the vibe was just so good everyone was so nice and all the people performing were insane! dave grohl was insane the whole night and shane hawkins playing my hero almost made me cry( 10/10)

nov 2022 - cavetown again: friends had a spare ticket and i went with them (their dad didn't want to go lol) don't particularly remember it because i was NOT prepared they messaged me a few hours before saying they had a ticket but i remember loving it! we missed orla gartland (got there in time to see her walk off the stage whoops) but everyone was so lovely and robbie was ofc amazing (7/10)

feb 2023 - cavetown AGAIN!: this was so special bc i went on valentine's day in brighton and it was so cool. went with my mum and had standing tickets! it was such a good vibe and RICKY MONTGOMERY was opening he was SO good (9/10)

sept 2023 - lovejoy: obviously this experience has been completely ruined for me and i now class this as a GOOD KID concert because I LOVE THEM. loupe and good kid as the openers were so good! was already a fan of good kid but i had never heard of loupe and i loved them! although i obviously don't support lovejoy/wilbur anymore i had a really good time in the moment i guess! side note: these two 11 year old girls stood up a bunch in front of us when NO ONE else was standing up and they were in the front row so if we stood up to see the people behind us wouldn't be able to see so that was annoying. don't do that. overall it was good at the time but his voice makes me want to throw up now. (4/10)

jan 2024 - bring me the horizon: this was also a random ticket situation but i'm so glad i went! my uncle had BOX tickets from his work so my brother, dad and my brothers friend all went with him. i already listened to them but this experience made me love them so much more. everyone was so so lovely and it was just such a good atmosphere in the o2. i wasn't a huge fan of the openers but they were still good! (10/10)

april 2024 - ricky montgomery: my mum got these as a surprise because she really liked him after seeing him at cavetown and knew i liked him aswell and OH MY GOD BEST CONCERT EVER i made friends in the queue and roe kapara was insane i love him ricky is such a good performer he has so much stage presence. even though i didn't go with friends it's still the best night ever (100000/10)

upcoming concerts!!!

- taylor swift

- the killers

-conan gray

[novvaable]

Get to Know Me- Sims Edition

thank you @hurricanesims for the tag <33

sorry for taking so long to reply, for some reason it took me ages to actually answer these questions🤠

What's your favourite Sims death?

i hate when my sims die.. i can honestly say i’ve never forcefully killed any of my sims as I get so attached to them. in this case, id probably say death by old age.

Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

alpha! back when I used to play ts4 i gravitated towards maxis match.

Do you cheat your sims weight?

seems pointless to me lol

Do you use move objects?

yes!🫡🫡 impossible to build /decorate without it

Favourite Mod?

nrass master controller - it so universal and makes life a lot easier 🥺

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack?

my first expansion was university life. it will forever have a special place in my heart, I love it so much

Do you pronounce live mode or aLIVE or LiVing?

never even thought about it honest, probably like alive??

whos your favourite sim that you've made?

my girlie marcie, she’s come so far with me so I just have a special kinda attachment to her lol

Have you made a simself?

no i think this would just make me miserable

Which is your favourite EA hair colour?

none. I always find the tones of ea hairs to just be a little off? i just use custom colours

Favourite EA hair?

well i dont use any EA hairs they look ugly I have default replacements hairs by maryjane

Favourite life stage?

young adult

are you a builder or are you in it for gameplay?

only recently have i been in it for the gameplay. but i use that phrase lightly. i wil forever be a builder at heart.

Are you a CC creator?

barely lol. sometimes i post occasional things for dl. my knowledge of cc making only scratches the surface. i can do the basics like make poses, and custom photos (alongside sims and builds - but who doesnt).

ive tried to get into cc making a couple of times but its so complicated? i have mad respect for cc makers in the community. ill leave that job to the professionals.

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad?

back in my day... lol not so much anymore. after i took a fat hiatus a lot of the people i used to regularly talk with moved on.

@pixelevia is still my girlie. she doesnt post much, but we talk all the time off tumblr and regularly get each other excited about sims storylines that are yet to come to life lol.

Do you have any sims merch?

yes.. i am embarrassed to say that when ts4 was release i pre-ordered the deluxe version. it came with a mouse pad.. its long gone now. but i always remember it having a funky smell ??

also i dont wanna talk about the fact i paid an arm and a leg for ts4 (i dont even play it?!) and now its free. forever going to be salty over this fact.

How has your ''Sims Style'' changed throughout your years of playing?

i'd like to think it has! considering my blog is old, i feel like it has grown with me and that reflects in the style of my sims. recently ive been striving for a slightly more realistic looks to my sims

Whats your Origin ID?

i do have an origin id unfortunately. (is it stil even called that?)

i have a lot of opinions on this new ea app bs. but we wont go into that.

Who's your favourite CC creator?

everyone! honestly anyone who has the skills to be able to make beautiful and functional cc are brilliant.

but just to name a couple:

@rollo-rolls

@smallsimmer

@martassimsbook

@sourlemonsimblr

@satellite-sims

How long have you had simblr?

I had to check my email for this.. as of feb 2023, my blog turned 9 years old?! so I guess almost 10 years. (thats kind of mad)

How do you edit your pictures?

depends on the picture! usually for scenery pics I will just sharpen them and adjust the brightness / saturation / contrast.

for sim pics it really just depends on how bothered I can be.

I’ve recently made the change to gshade so that’s been doing all the heavy lifting for me.

I use hunnybee’s moon syrups preset <3

What expansion/ stuff pack is your favourite?

university life!! it was the it was the first expansion pack i got and so it holds a special place in my heart. its also a pretty awesome pack too.

tagged:

@satellite-sims / @smallsimmer / @pixelevia @kitty-pixelz

[8iunie]

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Måneskin On Redefining Success, Staying Inspired & Honoring Italy

The Italian quartet first exploded onto the scene with a viral cover of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, but Måneskin have continued to exalt and evolve vintage rock thrills on their own terms — all on the way to their first GRAMMY nomination. (posted on 19.01.2023)

A dizzy smile spreads across Måneskin vocalist Damiano David’s face as he attempts to capture the group’s fervent energy in words.

"Going into a room where there's silence and going out with a song. Stepping on stage and then the crowd screams for you. Doing interviews where you can talk about how you think about music," he says. "It's such an open art language, such an open world." 

While Måneskin’s inimitable swagger have led to a recent international meteoric rise, the Italian quartet have tapped the glitter and grime of rock’s glory days since forming as teens in 2016. Just a year later, the group made a massive leap, winning the Italian edition of reality competition show "X Factor." But it was Måneskin’s hard rock take on Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ "Beggin'" was inescapable following their 2021 Eurovision win — a smash success that led many eager new fans to dig into Måneskin’s catalog of chart-topping albums in their native Italy. 

That prowess, ability to connect with the full spectrum of listeners, and a raucous live show netted Måneskin a GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist at the 2023 GRAMMYs, which take place Sunday, Feb. 5, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and will broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET / 5-8:30 p.m. PT. They are also a living rebuke to those questioning rock’s staying power, whose grandiose energy and adventurous fashion begs for a yet wider audience. 

"This combination is really magical. It gives us the opportunity to play something that doesn't exist so much in the charts," says guitarist Thomas Raggi. "We are rock, of course, in attitude, in the music, but we can reach really different people from different places and different ages." 

Global success hasn't changed Måneskin much, as their new record, Rush!, teases. Due Jan. 20, the album only reinforces their bombast via singles like grimy party-starter "Mammamia" and the slinky and suave "Supermodel" — not to mention a guest appearance from Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello on the recently released "Gossip."

GRAMMY.com caught up with Måneskin — David, Raggi, bassist Victoria De Angelis, and drummer Ethan Torchio — to talk about the shock of their GRAMMY nomination, how they’ve evolved into their upcoming new album, and trying to find good espresso everywhere on tour.

This conversation has been edited for clarity.

I want to wish you congratulations on your first GRAMMY nomination. After winning "X Factor" and earning various accolades, has this sort of honor started to feel natural?

Victoria De Angelis: Not really natural, but very cool. It's the craziest thing you can possibly think of.

Damiano David: Of course, when we started, we only thought the biggest thing that could happen was being big in Italy. And then everything happened, so of course our dreams got bigger and of course we thought about it as a possibility in the remote future. Not, like, now. [Laughs.]

That's such a beautiful sentiment. The bigger doors start opening to places that you never could imagine. I can imagine that puts a whole new spin on what it is to be a band, what it is to be a musician.

De Angelis:  It really does. Especially touring and everything, even six months makes so much difference. We look back at the things we did six months before and we say, "Okay, now we can add this, we can change this." It's constantly developing. So that's really inspiring and keeps us in a creative process all the time. 

David: We've had so many crazy things happen these last two years. We played for the Stones. We played with Iggy Pop. We met like 50 percent of our childhood idols. At the end, wrapping it all up with the GRAMMY nomination, it's a pretty huge deal. The whole journey has been remarkable and we're gonna think about it for a long time.

It seems that you’ve remained remarkably close-knit as a band, which must be so important in the midst of that. How have you remained creatively inspired by one another and that you are constantly pushing yourselves as musicians through all the fame and success?

Ethan Torchio: Fame and success, it's just a coincidence. We don't really focus on that. It's part of our life, part of our journey. But it's an important point: We've always been friends with each other, and we've shared half of our lives together.

David: It's very important to us to be close because, otherwise, this project wouldn't be what it is now. We are four [individuals], and we are very human and curious about ideas. It's not just about what we are or we feel inside, it's also what we live outside. I truly think that [embracing] the new and something that has not been created before is part of our mindset.

De Angelis: As you said, being four, we actually inspire one another even more. We are very different personalities and also have very different taste. And being four, the amount of music we can discover, it happens every day. And also we love to go see shows, so maybe some of us go to one show and then we are like, "Hey, I got this idea from this show." Being four, it keeps us in this creative environment where everyday there is something new.

Touring constantly and being away from home can make you question your identity. How do you keep tied to your roots?

David: It's still pretty easy for us because even if we travel so much, we still live in Italy. When you move from your country and you live in another country for five, 10 years, then you start changing the way you live. But now we kind of bring this huge Italian suitcase with us. We're still asking for espresso everywhere. [Laughs.] With very bad results. How we interact between us and with people, our clothes, our style in general, it's always Italian in a certain way.

It's a difficult needle to thread, needing to mold to a comfortable stance wherever you are while also standing out. Being nominated for a GRAMMY must be an extraordinary test of that balance, so it's amazing to hear that you're still like keeping so true to yourselves.

De Angelis: I think that's always been kind of easy for us in some way, because we've always had such a strong and clear idea about our identity and what we like to do. Just look at this: [points to her shirt, which reads Italians Do It Better]. We've been lucky to never experience this kind of issue. On the other hand, what we experienced is that we had a very clear idea and then maybe it was hard to keep it safe and not let other people get into it or change it. But when it comes to what we stand for, we're always very sure about that. 

Talk to me a little bit about that process, then. You all seem to find clever ways to reimagine classic genres and scenes while still honoring their essence. 

David: We've been very, very lucky because our only rule has always been being true to what we like — even if we are very, very different one from each other. Vic [De Angelis] and Thomas Raggi especially have a very rock and roll classic background. I'm more into mainstream and low-tempo music. And Ethan [Torchio] actually listens to everything, from very mainstream music, classical music, to crazy experimental [music]. 

We've always tried to keep the balance between the four of us, and especially in the next album. We really wanted to embrace the difference between the four of us. It has created a personality for the group that also made the four of us very recognizable. People can feel represented from [each of the] four of us and from the group. Every achievement that we get, for us it's not, "Okay, we want this so we have to keep doing the same thing." It's more like, "Okay, we want this because this is our mindset. We have to keep this mindset, not because it makes you win awards but because it makes you recognizable and it gives you an identity and it puts you in a specific place in the market and in the industry.

I'm curious whether your writing and recording processes changed much on your new album, Rush! With first albums, sometimes a band will throw everything at the wall to see if it sticks. On the second one, they might shift things based on audience reaction, and then the third record can either attempt to capture a true self again or push to try even more new things.

De Angelis: It was 50-50, because some of the songs we actually wrote a while ago. There's a song we wrote three years ago, for example, on the record. The whole record was written in different moments. Some of the songs we wrote in the countryside in Italy; we went to this home studio and just jammed all together. And then others we wrote here in L.A., but then we also kept doing them in Japan and in Brazil while we were on tour. 

So it's been really crazy. We can hear the moment we wrote the song and the emotion we had in the moment. And it portrays this whole journey we've been through. I think it's cool that we didn't only write it in one month, but it was through the years. It shows the different faces of our personalities and development.

I wanted to ask about the song "Kool Kids", which you recently debuted live. The lyrics have this self-aware edge, where you poke at the idea of whether rock is dead — I'm sure because you’ve been bombarded by that question nonstop.

David: We talk about rock and roll because it's a part of what we do, but I think that you can apply this kind of thought to every music genre. There's no music genre that is actually ever gonna die because trends are constantly changing. The music is developing and sometimes things become other things or change slightly because of the age where they're living. But I think that what we do [is]  a new way to do rock and roll, but it's not the way to do it. There's many different ways to do it. You can be super classic, you can do rock and roll music even without analog instruments and go full electro while creating rock and roll structures.

Raggi: Nothing really ends. Nothing really starts. Everything changes.

De Angelis: It's always in development. The motion that rock music created and that pushes us to do it is just that sense of rebellion towards the norms, or when people try to put you in boxes or limit you. This kind of human feeling will always exist. And that's the reason why all these musicians through the past years have been making this kind of music — to oppose something and to talk about it.

Why was music the path you chose to express that perspective?

De Angelis: I think we all started as kids so we didn't even think it did that much. It was just something in us that we had to get out in some way, to express. It just came natural for us to do it as music. When we started playing together we were like 14 years old. We were struggling, all of us individually, to find other kids that were as passionate about it and wanted to invest all their time in this. 

It was crazy that we were 13 years old and wanting to be, like, six hours in a rehearsal room every day instead of going out with friends or whatever. But for us it was such a fulfilling experience when we got in the rehearsal room that we just went full in and didn't care about anything else. It just took over us. It was just something so pure that we felt in that moment. The passion came out because we felt we were being ourselves and expressing what we had inside that couldn't come out in other ways. Since then, it has developed in so many ways that it's just who we are nowadays. We couldn't even imagine who we would be without the music.

Raggi: I remember also when I saw my first guitar outside of that guitar shop. No one in my family plays instruments or stuff like that. It was something that just called to me. 

Another thing you are all known for is your sense of style. You always go big! Do you have plans for the GRAMMYs red carpet yet?

De Angelis: We're gonna surprise you. [Laughs.] We won't be boring. Promise. 

Writer: Lior Phillips

Photo: Tommaso Ottomano

[disease]

DEENA ABDELWAHED // HOMOSAPIENS [FLAGRANTI (OST), FEB 2023]

For the first time in Tunisia and in the Arab World, a play bluntly addresses the homosexuality taboo. Flagranti (in the act) is a queer fiction based on the LGBTQI+ community’s alarming reality in Tunisia. Written collectively under the initiative of the NGO Mawjoudin We Exist, it has been staged by Essia Jaibi and the music composed by Deena Abdelwahed.

[fallinginreversefanblog]

Falling In Reverse in St. Augustine/FL, 10/17/2023

Falling In Reverse rescheduled the St. Augustine show from April 23rd to Oct 17th, 2023. Back in April Ronnie got laryngitis, he had to cancel 6 shows in total, almost all of them were festival shows so there was no opportunity to postpone them. He could only reschedule two: one from Popular MonstTour in Syracuse/NY on Sept 12th and from the radio shows this one in St, Augustine/FL on Oct 17th.

This was the concert I personally attended to, so everything I add here in this post is my own recording and shooting about the event, including the text which is about my own experience.

"Just Like You", recorded by my daughter who was with me at the show. (She almost dropped her phone bc of the crowd surfers lol).

The surprise was the song "Drugs" which FIR didn't play since Rockzilla 2nd Leg in Feb 2023. This is the only video not made by me, somehow I missed to click on REC button, so I had to borrow it.

The concert was mindblowing. Maybe Ronnie was super relaxed, maybe bc the rescheduling or the fact that it was the last one, he had an especially energic stage presence. It was an absolutely super phenomenal show!!! 

Ronnie sang with AMAZING vocals, from my spot I could CLEARLY hear all his high pitches, they were mindblowing. Even during "Popular Monster", when the dense musical background covers most of the high notes (on the record as well!), you could hear now all the tones sung out loud and amazingly clear by him.

It was obvious that Ronnie had a good time, because he spoke quite much from stage. I love him addressing to the crowd between the songs, he's so chill, on the loose and funny to the infinite.

Ronnie Radke splitting the crowd for "All Stars", and in the mean time talking about the canceling made in April bc of his laryngitis. He make us sure when an band cancels a show, it's always for a good reason ❤️❤️❤️

He made a longer speech before "Popular Monster" which I posted separately because it's too important to only hide here in a link. Among more he was talking about the fear of expressing feelings, which he considers the main problem of the current generation.

"It's okay to say how you feel sometimes guys, it's okay, don't be scared! I don't want you guys to hurt anybody, you know, and that's not what I'm trying to say is, I'm just saying when people talk shit about you, you need to fucking defend yourself." (Ronnie Radke)

Via Instagram

Now, with this concert the Popular MonsTour was officially over. We're all hoping for a similar own headlining tour in 2024 Summer as well. This moment we only know FIR is going to join Disturbed on a US tour in Jan-Feb-Mar 2024.