#top 10 hits of 2019

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Aca Top 10 Hits Of 2019

A bit more of a random-sounding Top 10 for Voiceplay to do, but they did something similar 4 years prior with "Aca Top 10 Summer Hits of 2015" (or something like that - I never watched it). This video released right at the end of December 2019 (just a week after their Frozen 2 Medley, damn), and was arranged by Geoff! And all the other Aca Top 10s have been very comedic visually, so this one should be fun as well! (I have seen this a few times before, but it's not one I've watched a lot)

The guys really said "oh good, a video where we don't have to put as much thought or effort into our clothing choices! 😂"

"I do my hair toss, check my nails!" (we were robbed of Geoff doing a hair toss in this one ngl /j )

Also we're back to Geoff holding up cards for each song! (But in this one the cards change colours! (via post-production editing))

Eli, Earl, and J brushing their shoulders off 😁

"Just walk your fine ass out the doooor" (👉👈)

(I'm also a big Swiftie, sue me)

J and Layne what are you two doing 😂

Omg not Layne making it rain XD

J None vibing (also see what I mean about the colour-changing song title cards?)

Time for Eli to be extra dramatic, it seems! 😁

Nope, Earl's the bigger drama queen here I think! 😆

cue low-key ridiculous vocal percussion/beatboxing moment

cue low-key ridiculous bass (subharmonic?) note! (it still counts as talking about the visuals okay!)

aaaaand cue whatever J is doing 😆

(Also just realized Layne's hair is styled slightly differently for this video?)

Love J's dancing during "Senorita", and Earl's air bongos!

Man they had a lot of fun with the Old Town Road bit didn't they? Positively vibing

Return of the Carrot Lord!

Earl: (pretending to ride a horse)

Layne: (being a horse)

Ayyyy we got another Eli Eyebrow Raise!

Oh wait that's the end of the video (told you I haven't watched this one as much!)

This post might have not been super long, but things are definitely gonna be kicking up a gear from this point. I sense some quite long posts on the horizon, waiting to be written...

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Daddy Yankee - Gasolina 2004

"Gasolina" was released as the lead single from Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee's 2004 album Barrio Fino in the US in October 2004. By November 6, WSKQ-FM in New York City reported "Gasolina" in their top 10 rotation, and WRTO-FM in Florida said the song was their number one most-played track. It entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart a week later, rising to number 32 in January 2005. "Gasolina" was a hit in North America and the Caribbean, gaining Daddy Yankee popularity among Latino mainstream music fans. In July 2005, "Gasolina" was released as a single in the UK, eventually earning a Silver certification in March 2019. Australia saw the single enter their charts in late January 2006 during their summer season, rising to number 12. "Gasolina" was the first reggaeton song to be nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Glory sings the line "dame más gasolina", although she is not credited.

In 2015, the song was ranked number nine on the "50 Greatest Latin Songs of All Time" list according to Billboard. In 2018, it was ranked number 38 on Rolling Stone's 50 Greatest Latin Pop Songs. In 2017, it was included on Billboard's "12 Best Dancehall & Reggaeton Choruses of the 21st Century" at number eight. In 2021, it was ranked number 50 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and a year later it was ranked at the first place on their 2022 "100 Greatest Reggaeton Songs of All Time" list. In 2023, "Gasolina" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The song was used in the 2023 movie Fast X / Fast & Furious 10.

"Gasolina" received a total of 77,4% yes votes!

[dear-ao3]

another f1 question from me bc i'm new, why do we not like the mclaren team

aright well without getting too into it because im going to get into it on the update post:

mclaren have 2 drivers: oscar and lando

lando has been with mclaren since 2019, has been signed with them the whole time hes been in f1. oscar has been with mclaren since 2023, has also been with mclaren the whole time hes been in f1

theyre both very strong drivers. mclaren is a top 4 team (theres 10 teams). they have the fastest car this season. they have been very consistent the whole season. oscar is the only driver to have finished every single race this season, lando has had only one dnf in a full length race. theres been 16 races this year, of those 16 races at least one mclaren driver has been on the podium for 13 of them. (most of any team)

anyway

red bull have been dominating the last few years. last year red bull won all but one race and max verstappen won all but three races. max won the drivers championship by like 250 points or something and red bull won the constructors championship by something insane like 400 points (not exact but u get the idea)

this season red bull is still on top but only by a little bit.

in the constructors (team) championship, red bull currently has 446 points. mclaren currently have 438. they are rapidly closing the gap to red bull (despite only winning three races this season) because both of their drivers are very consistent and they have a good car.

however. the drivers championship.

max currently is leading with 303 points. lando is in second with 241. charles (of ferrari) is in third with 217 and oscar is in 4th with 197.

there are still 8 races to go.

now it would be Hard for lando to win the drivers championship at this point, but it is not impossible. he is also definitely closer than oscar is. normally what happens is that a team picks one driver to prioritize because theyre more consistent/experienced/have more points/have a better chance at winning etc etc. lando has been doing better than oscar has in that regard (hes won 2 races, oscar has won one, lando has 4 pole positions this year, oscar has none, etc whatever)

despite this, mclaren are not prioritizing either of their drivers. the owner of the team, zak brown, has said now multiple times that they have "two number 1 drivers" which is weird. because lando is actually close to catching max in the championship. and this is not a chance btw that comes around all the time. f1 is a lot of luck, a lot of chance and then also skill. you can be the most skilled driver, but if your car sucks youre not going to win. mclaren have the fastest car, two very strong drivers and a solid chance to win the drivers championship with lando and the constructors championship as a team, but despite that, they are not prioritizing lando.

meaning that there are no team orders to have lando be running in front of oscar if the two cars are right next to eachother in position, theres no rules to not pass eachother, theres no rules for oscar to protect lando if he is leading. the only real rule seems to be to not hit eachother but they can race eachother (meaning the team wont say that one car needs to finish above the other car) which again, when you have a driver that is in contention to win a world championship, that is kind of insane.

so first there was a race a few races ago where lando was in first and got team orders to let oscar who was in second get past him so that he could win because oscar had been leading the whole race up until possibly the weirdest pit stop call mclaren could have made that essentially put lando in front of oscar. lando gave them a hard time about it but ultimately let oscar win because they told him that if he wanted to win a world championship that he was going to need oscars help (like as a number 2 driver)

so now this past weekend oscar passed lando on the first lap and took the lead (lando starts first and oscar started i think it was second) because there were no team orders for him to not do that. then towards the end oscar was in second and lando was in third (charles was in first which was something that mclaren let happen but thats not important right now) and the cars were close enough that they could have swapped positions. mclaren would have gotten the same number of points but lando would have gotten more points than oscar which would have helped him individually in the drivers championship because max was finishing behind him and this was a race where he was closing the point gap to max. but, mclaren didnt make that team orders call. so oscar finished second and lando finished third.

so essentially landos shot at a world championship title is getting bongled because of mclaren's inability to make the decision as to which driver is their number 1 driver.

so much so that nico rosberg (who was a part of one of the most infamous teammate rivalries where both him and lewis hamilton were at eahcothers necks for a championship title) has told mclaren now not once but twice that they need to make a call as to which driver is their number 1 driver because its going to hurt their drivers and also the team in the long run.

now none of this is oscar or landos fault. there could be contract stipulations that are preventing mclaren from picking a number 1 driver (oscars manager, mark webber, was an infamous number 2 driver to sebastian vettel during the time seb won his 4 consecutive championships so its possible that he might have something in oscars contract to prevent the same thing from happening to him or whatever) or it could be something else. reguardless, its clearly a team problem and not a driver problem. the drivers are there to race and if the team tells the two of them to race eachother they are going to race eachother. both of them are strong drivers and they want to win. but because the team is letting the two of them waste time racing eachother it opens the door for other people to win or for them to lose points or for lando to not end up winning the drivers championship.

its kind of confusing. but tldr: mclaren refuse to prioritize one driver over the other and theyre throwing away their chances at winning the championship because of it

will buxton (who infamously has some bad opinions but didnt on this one) summed it up really really well in the post race show this past weekend

[felassan]

Article from Bloomberg by Jason Schreier, under a cut due to length.

"New ‘Dragon Age’ Game Faced Turbulent Development The studio head of EA’s BioWare says ‘Dragon Age: The Veilguard’ received nothing but support from EA throughout its lengthy production cycle EA’s BioWare label hopes to find redemption with the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard Today we’re getting in-depth on the new Dragon Age game A new age for dragons In late 2020, when Gary McKay took over as studio head of BioWare, the Electronic Arts Inc. subsidiary best known for making big roleplaying games, the climate was dire. BioWare, which is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, had released two critically panned games and was facing turbulent development on a new one — while trying to cope with a worldwide pandemic. “We needed to shift how we were thinking about building our games,” McKay told me in a recent interview. BioWare, founded in 1995 and purchased by EA in 2007, had won over millions of fans with hit single-player RPG franchises such as Dragon Age and Mass Effect. But a 2017 entry called Mass Effect: Andromeda was widely panned, and the studio’s next game, the 2019 multiplayer shooter Anthem, flopped both critically and commercially. Both games had also gone through brutal development cycles that drove many BioWare veterans to exit the studio. At the end of 2020, studio boss Casey Hudson was planning to step down and called McKay to ask if he would take over. “We had a few conversations over the course of the next month around the people and the culture,” McKay said. BioWare’s next big project would be a new game in the popular fantasy Dragon Age franchise. But the game, which had been in development for years, was facing turmoil and had been rebooted from a single-player game into a live-service game with a heavy multiplayer component, which EA had been pushing across many of its subsidiaries in the late 2010s. Hudson, too, was interested in multiplayer games and had been the lead visionary on Anthem. Some employees jeeringly referred to the next Dragon Age as “Anthem with dragons,” which worried fans after I reported on the game at Kotaku. Enthusiasts of the series wanted another single-player game, not a repeat of BioWare’s biggest mistake. When he took over, McKay began to feel similarly. “We were thinking, ‘Does this make sense, does this play into our strengths, or is this going to be another challenge we have to face?’” McKay said. “No, we need to get back to what we’re really great at.” In the months that followed, McKay met with leadership across BioWare and EA and ultimately decided to reboot the next Dragon Age a second time, pivoting back to single-player."

The choice was obvious in many ways. Anthem had flopped while EA’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a single-player action-adventure game, had sold more than 10 million copies, helping prove to the publisher that not all of its games needed to be online. BioWare games were popular because of their focus on character dialogue and player-driven narrative decisions, which did not mesh with multiplayer gaming. “Once we made that decision, a lot of things started to fall into place,” McKay said. In the years that followed, he would go on to consolidate more of the studio’s projects, shutting down an attempt to reboot Anthem and selling off the rights to the online game Star Wars: The Old Republic to a separate studio. The goal, McKay said, was “focus.” BioWare then spent the next three-and-a-half years developing what would become Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the fourth game in the franchise. Out this week, the game has received mostly positive reviews and so far topped charts, although EA has not yet revealed sales numbers. Some things went right during development. McKay said they “had the game end-to-end playable” earlier than any previous BioWare product, allowing them to spend extra time iterating. A reorganization at EA, which split the company into divisions called EA Games and EA Sports, allowed Dragon Age: The Veilguard to receive more support from internal teams that might otherwise be stretched thin, such as research and data insights groups. “That gave us an extra boost in terms of the support and focus from the company,” McKay said. But the development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard still faced plenty of obstacles. The pandemic led BioWare to shift to hiring remotely, which McKay said made for cultural challenges. The game slipped past its original target date, although McKay wouldn’t say how much extra time it needed. “I’m never going to call it a slip,” he said. And it went through significant scope changes over the course of development. Then, last summer, BioWare laid off 50 people, including veterans with decades of experience. McKay told me the reduction, which arrived during a period of widespread layoffs across the video-game industry, “was all about focus at that time.” “When you have a really large team, you’re always compelled to keep everybody busy all the time,” he said. “When you have a smaller team, you have the right people in the right roles at the right time, some incredible momentum is gained at that point.” The stakes are high for the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Fans and pundits have worried that a third failure in a row might have devastating results for BioWare. McKay wouldn’t comment on the specifics of what would make the game a hit in their eyes. But said he has felt supported by EA Entertainment & Technology President Laura Miele. The game is so important to BioWare’s future that the company brought in its second team, which has been incubating a new Mass Effect, to help out during the final stretch of development. The Mass Effect team played a major role in finishing and polishing Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Other companies across EA, such as its Motive studio in Montreal, also supported the game. Now, the company will look to see how players react to the next Dragon Age — and, McKay hopes, “bring BioWare back into the conversation as a top game studio.”

[source]

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

Hello, all! Normally at the end of the month I post an end-of-month update, but since this blog was on hiatus for most of October, that will be skipped until the end of November.

Instead, here is a data spread post to make up for the one I was unable to post last time we hit 200 movies with a majority "yes" vote; currently, there are 213 films that have received a majority "yes" vote. You can see the previous chart by clicking here.

This first chart is a breakdown of decades of the movies Tumblr has voted seen:

As you can see, the top three most popular decades are the 2000s with 80 movies, the 1990s with 42 movies, and the 2010s with 39 movies.

The oldest movie that Tumblr has voted seen Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), while the newest is while the newest is Knives Out (2019).

Next, a breakdown of the genres* of the movies that Tumblr has voted seen:

This chart shows that the three most popular genres are family with 104 movies, adventure with 103 movies, and comedy with 95 movies.

*Keep in mind that this chart is based on what Letterboxd defines these movies’ genres as, so you might find that you disagree with how certain films are categorized (for instance, the “music” genre describes films that are about music, not necessarily musicals. There is no “musical” genre on Letterboxd.)

Under the read more is the data from these charts listed in text form. Have a great day, everyone!

Decade breakdown:

1930s - 2

1940s - 2

1950s - 5

1960s - 3

1970s - 10

1980s - 30

1990s - 42

2000s - 80

2010s - 39

Genre breakdown:

Action - 53

Animation - 74

Adventure - 103

Comedy - 95

Crime - 16

Drama - 42

Family - 104

Fantasy - 76

History - 1

Horror - 15

Music - 6

Mystery - 8

Romance - 34

Science Fiction - 43

Thriller - 14

TV Movie - 2

War - 1

Western - 1

[busylazy]

SB19 101 + Songs to Listen to

SB19 is a trailblazing Filipino PPop (Pinoy Pop) group, making waves both locally and internationally with their unique blend of Filipino and Korean pop influences. Formed in 2016 under ShowBT Philippines, the group comprises five talented members: Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin. They are known for their powerful vocals, intricate choreography, and heartfelt songwriting, quickly rising to fame with their uplifting and relatable music.

Must Listen to SB19 Songs

"Go Up" (2019)

Their breakthrough hit, this upbeat song about perseverance catapulted SB19 to fame, earning them wide recognition.

The dance practice:

The official MV:

"Alab (Burning)" (2020)

A vibrant and energetic pop song with a catchy hook, "Alab" is a fan favorite for its infectious energy and danceable beat.

"Hanggang Sa Huli" (2020)

A ballad about unrequited love and heartbreak, this song highlights SB19’s vocal harmonies and emotional depth.

I can only add 10 videos to a post so I selected 10 to share. I didn't include this track but you can watch this song's animated music video here. ⬅️

"Tilaluha" (2019)

SB19’s debut single, a sentimental ballad about longing and heartache, setting the stage for their success with its powerful vocals and emotional resonance.

Watch the music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fqszuma1zQ

"Mapa" (2021)

A heartfelt tribute to parents, "Mapa" combines "Mama" and "Papa" in its title, symbolizing gratitude and love as well as "mapa" for map, showing gratitude to those who guide us.

The song’s touching lyrics and soothing melody make it a fan favorite. It's their most-viewed video to date, with over 104 million views as of this post.

"WYAT (Where You At)" (2022)

This upbeat, disco-pop track captures the excitement of reconnecting with loved ones after a long time apart. Its retro vibe and feel-good energy make it a standout. Its energy and catchy hook make it a great introduction to SB19’s style.

"What?" (2021)

This powerful anthem speaks about identity and pride, blending rock and pop elements with explosive choreography.

"Bazinga" (2021)

A hard-hitting track with themes of resilience and confidence. It topped Billboard's Hot Trending Songs chart, emphasizing the group's growing international fanbase.

"Gento" (2023)

Known for its hard-hitting beat and confident lyrics, this song symbolizes change and progress. The title is a play on "ginto" (gold) and "ganito" (like this), signaling excellence and ambition. It’s an anthem of self-empowerment and worth, emphasizing the group's hard work and resilience.

It's their second most viewed video after "Mapa" and has been making the rounds on social media for its iconic dance moves. Several Korean idols and other celebrities did not escape the challenge to try the trend.

"I Want You" (2023)

A sultry, smooth track with a slow, sensual beat. This song showcases SB19's ability to blend R&B influences into their music while maintaining their signature style.

"CRIMZONE" (2023)

A powerful anthem of defiance and resilience, this track has an intense energy with a rebellious tone, demonstrating SB19’s versatility in both sound and performance.

This track stands out with its intense beats and themes of perseverance, encouraging listeners to remain steadfast despite challenges. The energetic delivery and impactful lyrics give it an empowering feel.

Here's a link to the official lyric video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-Nh623g0-Y

"Liham" (2023)

A moving ballad about unspoken feelings, "Liham" captures the pain and longing of words left unsaid in a heartfelt letter. It's themes of love, longing, and vulnerability, highlights SB19's emotional depth.

The lyric video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orU-h3eX-Gc

"Ilaw" (2023)

A more emotional, introspective track, "Ilaw" represents hope and guidance, showcasing SB19’s ability to convey deep feelings through gentle melodies and touching lyrics.

Here's a link to the official lyric video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ns8DztSfwo

"Moonlight" (2024)

Moonlight has a dreamy, mellow feel, combining smooth melodies with reflective lyrics. It’s particularly appreciated for its atmospheric and soothing vibe.

They have collaborated with Ian Asher and Terry Zhong in "Moonlight." Other collaborations include "Ready" with Apl.de.Ap of Black Eyed Peas and "Kalakal" with Gloc-9, the latter is often dubbed as the fastest rapper in the Philippines.

Other Must Watch Videos

Apart from their official music videos, it's worth watching live performances and one-take recordings such as from The First Take and Wish Bus.

SB19 offers a dynamic and diverse discography, blending pop, ballads, R&B, rock, and hip-hop, making them an exciting force in the PPop industry and beyond.

Members

Pablo (John Paulo Nase)

The group’s leader, main rapper, and lead vocalist, Pablo is also a talented songwriter and producer. He is credited with writing most of SB19's songs.

Josh (Josh Cullen Santos)

Josh serves as the lead rapper and sub-vocalist of the group. He's the eldest member of the group, but true to his name, Cullen, he's like a vampire who doesn't look his age.

While all of them struggled before reaching where they are right now, Josh's life story is probably the most interesting one (IMO). It could have easily landed an episode of biopic (often dramatic but with life lessons to serve) shows like "Magpakailanman" or "Maalala mo Kaya."

Stell (Stellvester Ajero)

Known for his powerful vocals, Stell is SB19's main vocalist. He is also involved in vocal arrangements and harmonies, bringing emotional depth to the group's music.

Ken (Felip Jhon Suson)

As the group's main dancer and sub-vocalist, Ken has a distinct low vocal range that adds texture to their songs.

Justin (Justin de Dios)

The youngest member and sub-vocalist, Justin is also the creative mind behind much of SB19's visual content, contributing to their music video direction and concepts.

Solo Music

SB19’s members have ventured into solo projects, further showcasing their individual artistry alongside their group success.

Pablo

Pablo's solo single, "La Luna" (2022), is a deep, introspective track that explores themes of inner battles, freedom, and identity, set against a dark, moody backdrop.

He continues to explore deeper themes in his solo work with two recent albums, "Alon" and "Laon" (2024). These albums are a reflection of his growth as a songwriter and producer, tackling topics like personal struggles, introspection, and resilience.

Laon (long time, old, ancient; you get the point) is more upbeat and often edgy, while Alon (waves, like ocean waves) is inspirational but sometimes heartbreaking.

"Butata" from Laon is easily the top track with it's basketball-themed lyrics referencing the anime Slam Dunk, which was a hit in the Philippines back in the 2000s. "Butata" literally means getting zero points or losing a game. It's a gritty, hard-hitting track that reflects Pablo’s ability to mix emotional vulnerability with strong, impactful lyricism.

I like all the songs in Alon, especially "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and "Drowning in the Water." The former (TBWCW) is surprisingly not about the boy who cried wolf but about the boy who is also the wolf at the same time, and he's having a dialogue with himself. The latter is a song he wrote about a decade or so ago. Let me add "Wala" as well.

Josh

In 2023, Josh launched his solo single "Wild Tonight," which blends dark, edgy themes with electronic pop influences.

Josh later released "1999" this year, which reflects his personal memories and nostalgia of growing up in the '90s. The song blends retro vibes with modern electronic beats, celebrating the simplicity and joy of youth.

Other notable songs from both the first wave of singles and the current ones include Yoko Na featuring Al James, Get Right, No Control, and Sumaya. The entire Lost and Found album (2024) is bop to be honest, but my personal favorites are Silent Cries, See Me, and Honest.

Felip / Ken

Under his solo name "Felip," he has released tracks like "Palayo" and "Bulan," which explore his creative individuality and experiment with contemporary R&B and hip-hop with some traditional elements. Fake Faces easily makes him a "Rocksta." Let me add Kanako too. It's in Bisaya (another language in the Philippines).

Apart from the singles, he has released the 7 Sins (2024) album. I love the entire album, especially the rage song "envy" and the inspiring "ache." The kids choir at the song's bridge can melt your heart further amid the already heart-melting lyrics. His collaboration with Dutch-Filipino R&B singer Cyra Gwynth "lust" is a must-listen to track as well. The entire album is a must-listen to, actually.

Stell

Stell's songs combine a mix of ballads and pop tracks that allow him to express his personal experiences and artistic growth beyond his work with SB19.

(GIF is in his The Voice Philippines coach era)

One of the standout songs from Stell’s solo project, "Room" is a heartfelt ballad that focuses on the themes of love, vulnerability, and personal space. Stell’s rich vocals shine, creating an intimate emotional connection with listeners.

Speaking of that GIF, Stell became a coach for the Philippine franchise of The Voice Generations (2023) and The Voice Kids (2024). His rendition of All By Myself with David Foster further proves his vocal strength.

Justin

Justin’s recent solo releases have also gained attention for their unique storytelling and personal touch.

"Kaibigan" is a touching song about friendship and love (or more like friendzoned). It highlights Justin's lyrical ability to convey warmth and connection, blending gentle melodies with heartfelt lyrics.

"Surreal": This track dives into dreamlike themes of wonder and imagination, offering a smooth, almost ethereal sound that showcases Justin's creativity and softer vocal tones.

These solo efforts from SB19’s members, alongside their group discography, illustrate the depth of their musical abilities and their desire to push boundaries within PPop and beyond.

Erratum: this post is constantly being updated

[absolutebl]

GMMTV'S BL Line Up - Part 2

Presented in order of trailers I find most appealing:

The Heart Killers

FirstKhao & JoongDunk

Jojo directing an action romcom about assassin brothers (Khao & Joong) meet a tattoo artist ex-booster (First) and a mechanic (Dunk). I'm highly amused that Joong plays the older brother to Khao, and that we have a at take on Taming of the Shrew for that pair. I like that everyone is morally gray. This has all GMMTV's best chemistry in one BL and some fresh concepts that I've only really seen tackled in m/m romance (check out Amy Lane's Racing for the Sun, thank me later). I'm excited my only quibble is Jojo, I like his style but his characters can get unreliably messy so...

I genuinely dithered over whether this one should be first. Still it was the only trailer I grinned the whole way through, and had to watch 2x, so it takes top spot for me, but closely followed by a surprise silver medal...

Thame-Po (Heart that Skips a Beat)

EstWilliam

A boy band member and his documentarian start a forbidden relationship. I LOVE Est and am delighted to see him at GMMTV but I've been getting a fatigued by celebrity BL of late. However, after watching the trailer I'm 100% in on this show. I've been waiting for a Blinding Lights style idol romance and this looks like it might be it (Korea, Japan, and Thailand have systemically disappointed me over the past 2 years). Bring it, boys.

Revamp the Undead Story

BounPrem

GMMTV have taken on this IP about a vampire prince and the human who awakens him that was with WabiSabi. Interesting that GMMTV are bring out two vampire BLs as a result. This one involves a coven (hello, who called it way back in 2019? Me. I DID.) Anygay, coven includes Santa (no lies spotter with that one).

(Previously: Vampire Project from Wabi Sabi - trailer now removed, also previously My Broccoli)

Wonder if they will tank that JossGawin one? There'd likely be rioting in the streets if they did. But they might just let it fade away.

Sweet Tooth Good Dentist

MarkOhm

Finally Mark is leading out a BL! This one based on a Jittirain novel about a weird sunshine student dentist and his sugar-addicted patient, described as a romcom meets romantic therapy. Also, Jimmy is there, primarily to give me second lead syndrome. It looks silly but kinda earnest, I'm intrigued.

Perfect 10 Liners

ForceBook, PerthChimon, JuniorMark

New directing yet another university BL with engineers + their mentees. Based on a Jittirain novel. Massive cast. ForceBook playing the same old characters. Enemies to lovers tsunder/sunshine jock/nerd thing. PerthChimon are doing the cohabitation cool guy/dork trope. JuniorMark are doing popular sunshine meets lonely sad boy (the only interesting pair IMHO).

Not sure if these will be interwoven (My Engineer style) or shorter stand alones (Y-Destiny style).

The Ex-Morning

SingtoKrist

This is an original script written just for the OG, direct by Lit (SOTUS) about a news reporter plagued by scandal must work with his ex-boyfriend to rebuild his reputation. A reunion romance that's hitting pretty close to the IRL pair branded mark.

I've never claimed these two had any kind of chemistry and that would appear to still be the case. I think this one will bore me silly. I'm contemplating a trash watch but feel that's best reserved for...

Ossan‘s Love Thailand

EarthMix

WHY MUST THIS BE?!! I really don't like this IP but I still HAVE OPINIONS (of course I do) Look, I doubt even legendary EarthMix can save Ossan for me.

Shall I explain? Too much, let me sum up:

It's a terrible script based entirely on an unsympathetic love triangle, the viability of the whole show actually hinges on the boss character so he MUST be likable, because the lead is an unsympathetic looser (and user of people), and the roommate/love interest has no personality. Looks like this version is doing the same. ALSO Earth is grossly miss-cast. (On the other hand, maybe I'll like it more because of that, I would rather my H were toned down a bit.) Finally... where tf are my ladies? The female characters were the best thing about the original.

Of course I'll still watch it. I'm trash.

My order based on descriptions (and biases) before watching trailers was:

The Heart Killers

Revamp

Sweet Tooth

Perfect 10 Liners

ThamePo

The Ex-Morning

Ossan’s Love Thailand

Now that we have finally gotten part 2 I have only one burning question left for GMMTV.

Why didn't my man Thor get to lead something, damn it?

I will also take this as an opertunity to remind you all that my predictions about my own taste are notorious terrible.

(source)

[buddhamethods]

10 BL Characters I Would Hit With My Car

(I don't have a licence and can't drive so this is just for fun OBVIOUSLY)

LISTEN, I love these characters. They are complex, they are human, they are flawed and yet you can't help but root for them. Or they are just giant assholes.

Regadless, I think they would all benefit from getting hit by a car as a little treat.

Feel free to tag yourselves and participate in a bit of lighthearted negativity and media complaining.

1) Ben From Never Let Me Go (2022)

Of course he would be on this list. Mainly because how are you, a closeted gay in a coming of age bl drama, sitting down in front of a piano next to a beautiful boy and not just completely eat his face in a passionate life altering kiss? I understand that was the whole point of the scene, but personally I would rise above the narrative that was trapping me.

2) Dan from Not Me (2021)

Being a cop, killing Sean's father and selling NFTs is bad enough on it's own, I agree. But Dan's biggest sin was taking the cigarette out of Yok's mouth and depriving us of seeing sad First Kanaphan smoking near a body of water-THE queer cinema experience.

As it turns out, you can be gay and homophobic at the same time.

3) Kenji from My Dear Gangster Oppa (2023)

So you have funky hair and kawnty fashion sense? Oh, you partake in fun bathtub threesomes? What, you're a little unhinged and psychotic? Perfect! THEN WHY THE HELL YOU SUCK AT BEING A VILLAIN SO HARD HUH???

Kenji you better put your helmet on, I'm turning on the engine.

4) Kanghan from Dangerous Romance (2023)

Rich people don't deserve rights in general so Kang was already on thin ice to begin with. But being a bully on top of that? UNDER THE HOOD OF THE CAR YOU GO!

Also he is so attention starved on account of his father being a negligent asshole that he will jump in front of my car willingly just to get a drop of love from dad and Sailom.

5) Yu Xi Gu from HIStory3: Make Our Days Count (2019)

(I'm so so incredibly sorry but I HAD to okay you don't underst- *gets shot immediately*)

6) Mork from Fish Upon The Sky (2021)

I looked at Pond for 0.1 second and fell so embarrasingly in love that for the entirety of FUTS I saw no flaws in Mork's character at all. All he did made sense and I was blissfuly having a great time! So I'm pummeling him to the ground for my own sake I CAN'T KEEP BEING THIS STUPID ABOUT HIM HE IS OBJECTIVELY CREEPY!

7) Vee from Love Mechanics (2022)

Was he in my "I want them carnally" list? Yes. Do I find him beautiful and incredible? Double yes. Am I smearing him on asphalt like a squished bug for causing Mark so much unnecessary pain and heartbreak? More likely than you think.

8) Jiwoo from To My Star/ To My Star 2 (2021-22)

MY BEAUTIFUL BOY!! A crumb of healthy communication is all I'm asking for!

Jiwoo was so emotionally bricked up for the majority of both seasons that it caused ME damage. So me hitting him with my car is both a revenge plot and an attempt to let loose some of those pent up feelings of his.

(But also I'm dead meat if Seojoon finds out it was me behind the wheel. He loves that boy too much.)

9) Zee from Twins (2023-24)

I'm volunteering to do this as public service to keep Sprite and First together without any twins switch drama. One gremlin down, one successful volleyball couple UP!!

10) Winner from Pit Babe (2023-24)

I want to do it as an experiment. I feel like he would make a funny sound under the wheels, like when you sqeeze clown's nose or step on a rubber duck. I would also like to see how this will affect his character. Will he become even more annoying? Will it fix him completely? ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT!!

(This was so fun I love inflicting imaginary violence on fictional men. If you read this far into this incoherent insanity, consider yourself tagged!💖)

[louisupdates]

WORLDMUSICAWARD: Happy 33rd birthday to the gorgeous, hugely talented Singer, Songwriter, Producer & Global Icon, #LouisTomlinson, who rose to fame as a member of #OneDirection, one of the best-selling Boy Bands of all time, and became a chart-topping, history-making, award-winning Superstar in his own right! 👏🎂🎉🌟🐐👑❤️

Louis has contributed more in songwriting to One Direction than any other band member, with credits on most of the tracks of 'Midnight Memories', 'Four', and 'Made in the A.M.' and on 38 songs across the band's discography, and was the main guy in shifting 1D's music towards a more mature sound...

Louis is an amazing Solo Artist and has so far released 2 studio albums, 1 live album, 11 singles, 1 promotional single and 11 MVs! Louis debuted at #1 in the UK with his 2nd studio album 'Faith In The Future' in 2022 which also reached #5 on the Billboard 200, and spawned the hit singles singles "Bigger Than Me", "Out of My System" and "Silver Tongues"! His debut studio album 'Walls' (2020) debuted at #4 in the UK & #9 on the Billboard 200, becoming the 1st new album for Arista Records in almost 9 years to hit the US top 10! Louis' debut single "Just Hold On" with #SteveAoki reached #2 in the UK, and was certified platinum! In 2017 Louis released "Just Like You", "Miss You" & "Back to You" with #BebeRexha, which was certified platinum in the US and UK! In 2019, he released "Two of Us", a Tribute to his mother, followed by the hits "Kill My Mind", "We Made It", "Don't Let It Break Your Heart" and "Walls" in January 2020!

Louis has embarked on 2 world tours! His 'Faith in the Future World tour' began in North America in May 2023. In the context of the tour, Louis performed in North America and Europe in 2023 and Asia, Australia and Latin America in 2024. In November 2023, after a sold-out concert at the O2 Arena, Louis was nominated for the Live Act Award at the Rolling Stone UK Awards. During the Latin America leg of his 2nd World tour, Louis made history, becoming the 1st male Solo Artist to headline Mexico City's Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez! He held a charity livestream of the event titled 'For Every Question Why', donating the proceeds to War Child UK. This year, Louis toured a summer 2024 festival circuit, including the Main Square Festival, Pinkpop, Ruisrock, Santander Music, Untold Festival, Sziget Festival, Frequency Festival, Victorious Festival, and Lollapalooza Berlin!

Louis has received numerous accolades including an MTV Europe Award for Best UK Act (2017), an iHeartRadio Music Award for Best Solo Breakout (2028), 3 Teen choice Awards for Choice Music Collaboration for "Just Hold On" (2017), Choice Male Artist (2018) & Choice single Male Artist (2020), a TDY award for Album of the Year (2020) for 'Walls' and most recently a Northern Music Award (2024) for Artist of the Year!

Louis is also a successful Producer and in 2015, he created his own record label, Triple Strings Ltd. In 2021, Louis founded and curated the indie music festival 'Away From Home' and in 2023, he officially launched his 28 streetwear-inspired unisex clothing line!

Louis is an active philanthropist and personally donated £2 million to Believe in Magic, which supports terminally ill children! He's also a Patron of the Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice. In April 2016, he joined the Soccer Aid 2016 star line-up, a biennial fundraiser for UNICEF. Louis actively supported the Black Lives Matter movement in May and June 2020, and attended the George Floyd protests in London.

[crowsintheforest]

2024 is the year where I got a job at a library (huzzah!!!) which meant that I read a lot. and a lot of that was from previous years! so here's my top 10 not of 2024 list, which is 40% books.

(end of year top 10 tag)

a wizard of earthsea (ursula k. le guin, 1968): I can't believe I've never read these books. I love le guin's writing, and excellent podcast "shelved by genre" reading these was a good incentive for me to actually get off my ass and read a bunch of le guin. her book of poetry from 2017 was almost on this list as well, beautiful and funny and old. going to go after more this year!

the seventh seal (dir. ingmar bergman, 1957): did you know that one of the classics of cinema is really good? also really funny? so go play chess with death and think about the end of all things

scavengers reign (joseph bennett and charles huettner, hbomax, 2023): this show made me weep. beautifully haunting and hauntingly beautiful, a scifi story that could be a cosmic horror if you forget that even the horrors are part of a greater ecosystem, and sometimes the horrors are not unknowable but merely unknown and strange. I still think about this show, and probably will for the rest of my life. best show of the decade so far.

look back (fujimoto tatsuki, 2021): putting the manga over the (also exceptional) ova because I think fujimoto's overall artistry hit just a bit harder. a story about the reasons we make art, and the companionship in finding another weirdo to make art with, and how we move on while looking back at what inspired us

a visit to san sibilia (peter eijk, 2021): I tried to play a few solo/journaling rpgs this year, and san sibilia was my favorite. also has a great playlist!

true detective s1 (showrunner nic pizzolatto, hbo, 2014): watched this after finishing aw2 and in the run-up to "night country" (also good, better in retrospect than I gave it credit for at the time), and this classic of Two Weird Dude Cops Coping Poorly with Manhood is excellent television. still bummed it wasn't as paranormal as it could have been, but them's the breaks.

"COUNTER/weight" (friends at the table, 2015-2016): come for the mecha rpg, gorgeous worldbuilding with millennia-old robots and sociopolitical intrigue, and the mashup of space/cyberpunk/giant robot anime; stay for aria joy scoring girls by failing super duper hard. also giant tarps.

gris (nomada studio, 2018): both the game and the ost, so I'm cheating here for a top 10. a story about grief and mourning and song and color, up there with scavengers reign for most beautiful thing I experienced this year.

palestine (joe sacco, 1991-1992): sacco's graphic journalism of his time in palestine during 1991 and 1992 is both of its time (specifically right after the first intifada, with ongoing riots and imprisonment and interviews with palestinians of all backgrounds) and imminently timely (given the ongoing genocide in gaza and israel's occupation of palestine). it's a hard project to read, but invaluable for being incredibly humanizing, and humbling, and necessary. sacco's upcoming collaboration with art "maus" spiegelman is going to be one of my most anticipated comics.

a memory called empire (arkady martine, 2019): do you like political intrigue space operas? do you like murder mysteries? do you like future cities heavily influenced by byzantium and the aztec empires? how about language, linguistics, and the reaches of empire? wait, this is tumblr. do you like messy gays? if so, have I got the book for you! (also the sequel, a desolation called peace, is fantastic, so you've got TWO books in one recommendation! aha, I cheat again at top 10 lists!)

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Dido - Thank You 1998

"Thank You" is a song written and performed by English singer-songwriter Dido. The song made its first appearance in 1998 on the soundtrack of the movie Sliding Doors (as did poll #28). It was later included on Dido's 1999 debut album No Angel, and was released as a single in September 2000. The same year, American rapper Eminem sampled the track for his hit single "Stan", which helped propel "Thank You" and No Angel to mainstream success.

Following the success of "Stan" in Australia and the UK, where it hit number one, No Angel was finally distributed in other markets outside North America in late 2000. No Angel rose to the top of the Australian albums chart on its sixth week, dethroning The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem. By 2003, No Angel had sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, and was the second best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK. As of 2015, No Angel was the 27th best-selling album in UK chart history. In 2019 it was listed the ninth best-selling album of the 21st century in the UK. It was also among ten albums nominated for the best British album of the previous 30 years by the Brit Awards in 2010, ultimately losing to (What's the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis.

"Thank You" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and held that spot for three weeks, and became Dido's first and only top-10 single in the US. It was one of the biggest sleeper hits of the year, debuting in January and remaining on the chart until the end of September. It spent 40 weeks on the chart, and in November Billboard published that "Thank You" finished as the seventh biggest song of the year. Additionally, the song reached number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary, Adult Top 40, and Dance Club Play charts. In the UK, "Thank You" reached number three, becoming the singer's third top-five single in the UK.

The song was produced by Dido and her brother Rollo, from the band Faithless (poll #109).

"Thank You" received a total of 85,5% yes votes!

[viktorpartner]

✨ THE DAN AND PHIL LORE pt. 3✨

CHECK OUT PART 2: https://www.tumblr.com/ashleyeveerson/760707933651746816?source=share

Phil ALSO comes out! (yeah no i'm not crying what? not them feeling comfortable enough to be themselves yeah). 2019 also brings us the adoption of a fish named Norman (a cutie) AND they also post pictures about their recent trip to Japan [the photo of Phil looking up to Dan behind the camera? yeah i am so normal about it, i swear]. There is hope in the horizon still for a Dan and Phil comeback...

BAM! A certain virus runs wild and forces everyone to stay at home. Phil continues to upload solo videos which distracted so many of us during these dark times. Dan, however is AWOL and the only pic we have of him is a shitty screenshot of him in glasses and a mask helping Phil rescue an injured pigeon (lockdown was WILD).

Also, my boy Dan post a cryptic tweet that leads to the announcement of a self-help book named YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS NIGHT (because you will <3). Nah but I can't count how many times I've sobbed reading it, just him trying to help out others who have also struggled with mental health... istg i love this man

Hey so THEY BUY THEIR FOREVER PHOUSE TOGETHER they're gonna kill me one day istg. "Dan and Phil just decided to pay a mortgage together", top 10 sentences that would kill a 2016 phan. They are slaying, they are glowing... also rip Norman the fish you will not be forgotten

So during 2014 the fates (aka a random youtuber) foretold that Dan and Phil would be married in 2022. Since that clearly didn't happen the meme PHIVORCE united the phandom once more. ALSO Dan is out there shitting on youtube (as he should) and going on his solo tour WE'RE ALL DOOMED! Which i love with all my heart and also Phil being there for him every step of the way... AHHHHHHHH

Anyways a certain video called Dan and Phil finally tell the truth hits the internet and let's just say GOD DAMN. This also starts a wonderful trend amongst Dan and Phil in which they make fun of their audience (we deserve it ngl) and absolutley SHOCK US with new information about bonkers shit from their past [apparently they were offered a threesome MULTIPLE TIMES???]

It's the end. They've decided to give up their channel "Dan and Phil Games" forever... let's take a moment and silent and mourn with a compilation of Heart eyes Howell

...

SIKE! We're back baby and we're better than ever!!! The goodbye video turned out the be an ANNOUNCEMENT of their comeback. They are back, Dil Howlter is here and Phil confesses to having dyed everything green in the house when Dan went on tour bc he missed him (OH GOD). Also, the Halloween baking video introduced us to the icon that is.... *drumroll please*

SISTER DANIEL, the queen of making everyone reconsider their sexuality... she is the moment, she is an icon and she is serving astronomical levels of cunt at all time [jokes aside, Dan being comfortable enough to do drag in public, fuck they've come so far i'm so proud of them <3].

And here we are in the future, it's present day and they are queerer and happier than ever. THE PICTURES I CAN'T ISTG. Also Dan's Birthday stream is beyond iconic. First of all my unproblematic kings make it a charity stream to donate to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund (using their public influence for good hell yeah)... And how did they raise the money you ask? WELL BY HITTING IS WHERE WE'RE WEAKEST. Sister Daniel makes a spectacular comeback, FATHER PHIL is introduced and Dan even dyes his hair red to be more Good Omens coded... which timeline are we living in again? like how is any of this real?

Also them drawing the PINOF whiskers on their faces again... they're literally growing old together I'm gonna go sob in a corner. Also the fake apology video bc they have no fashion sense in the Sims 4 is hilarious as fuck. HOW CAN THEY POSSIBLY BE SO MUCH HOTTER ON THEIR THIRTIES EXPLAIN??

anyways the phandom is still speculating wether they're erasing "i love you's" at the end of their text when they show them on videos... guess some things never change. Nah but the vibes are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOW, they are more open than they've ever been and participate on the phan culture FULLY to the point that they're the ones terrorizing us now.

QUICK DETOUR TO TALK ABOUT PHIL'S FAMOUS BAD LUCK (and then they wonder why he's always dying in the fanfics). Nah but my poor man has had his fair share of medical problems, the most recent being...

OH GOD WHY WOULD YOU ANNOUNCE SOMETHING LIKE THAT THIS WAY?? nah like using humor as a coping mechanism and all but do they wanna gives a heart attack?! iconic i fear however

So yeah the video where they talk about it is WILD (funniest shit about the whole ordeal is that a nurse mistook Dan as Phil's son). Also I saw a tweet speculating about Phil having a hickey like... first of all what is it? 2009? Second of all IT'S MOST LIKELY A POPPED VESSEL FROM LOSING ALL THAT BLOOD YOU KNOW

They still were able to go on their vacation (aka the rodent boy summer) which gifted us with this iconic pics... ALSO they dropped a new Dan and Phil beats for summer go check out the names of the tracks istg they wanna kill their fans.

Nothing is sacred anymore, they've infiltrated twtphan, they're actively reposting memes and writing fanfiction about themselves. It's the wild west, everytime you get a notification is like playing Russian Rulet. Cringe is dead and Dan and Phil ARE COMING NEAR YOUR CITY on a tour named "Terrible Influence" where Phil's spent 300€ on silicone. It's a wonderful time to be a phan.

OKAY SO here's some stuff that didn't make the cut but that i find too hilarious to not mention. In no apparent order: DAN DRESSING UP AS A CATBOY, Dan and Phil playing technicians 1 and 2 on Big Hero 6 and two brothers on the Lion King (wtf was that also they gave the gorilas matching fringes), Dan dressing up as a golden pig (my boy has RANGE) and finally Dan being too embarassed to admit he stalked Phil and telling a reporter he was only asking for "editing tips" if you know what i mean

Also a short compilation of Dan and Phil losing the idgaf war against eachother THEY ARE SO THOUGHTFUL ABOUT EVERYTHING. Special mention to Daniel's 🧡 when Phil praised "We're all doomed!" and Dan's ranch metaphor to describe their relationship (just go watch the mukkbang video OH LORD)

SO, in conclusion... Dan and Phil's refusal to belittle their past and instead embrace it as part of their story while actively moving into the future alongside the phandom YEAH THAT SHIT MEANS SOMETHING. They're simultaneously healing our inner child while embracing us as the adults we've become i have many feelings about them

So what are they?

They're just Dan and Phil.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Yale Climate Connections:

fter a spectacular burst of rapid intensification, Hurricane Helene made landfall just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River, about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Florida, at about 11:10 p.m. EDT Thursday. Top sustained winds were estimated at 140 mph, making Helene a Category 4 hurricane at landfall. We’ll have much more on Helene’s many impacts—some still unfolding on Friday—in our next Eye in the Storm post.

Helene’s landfall gives the U.S. a record eight Cat 4 or Cat 5 Atlantic hurricane landfalls in the past eight years (2017-2024), seven of them being continental U.S. landfalls. That’s as many Cat 4 and 5 landfalls as occurred in the prior 57 years. The only comparable beating the U.S. has taken from Category 4 and 5 landfalling hurricanes occurred in the six years from 1945 to 1950, when five Category 4 hurricanes hit South Florida.

With the U.S. taking such a beating from extreme hurricanes in recent years, it’s worth reviewing how climate change is contributing to making hurricanes worse.

Climate change makes the strongest hurricanes stronger

As far back as 1987, MIT hurricane scientist Kerry Emanuel theorized that the wind speeds in hurricanes can be expected to increase about 5% for every increase of one degree Celsius (1.8°F) in tropical ocean temperature, assuming that the average wind speed near the surface of the tropical oceans does not change. Computer modeling has found a slightly smaller magnitude (4%) for the increase.

According to NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch, sea surface temperatures along Helene’s path through the western Caribbean and eastern Gulf of Mexico were about 1-2 degrees Celsius (1.8-3.6°F) above the long-term average. Using the theoretical results above, this increase in sea surface temperatures equated to a 50-100% increase in Helene’s destructive power.

Global warming increases hurricane rainfall

One of the more confident predictions we can make for hurricanes in the future is that they will dump more rain. Global warming increases the rate at which ocean water evaporates into the air, and increases the amount of water vapor the atmosphere contains when fully saturated. This result is about 7% more water vapor in saturated air for every 1°C of ocean warming. This increase in atmospheric water vapor can cause a much larger increase in hurricane rainfall than one might surmise, since water vapor retains the heat energy that was required to evaporate the water, and when the water vapor condenses into rain, this latent heat is released. The extra heat helps power the hurricane, making it larger and more intense, allowing it to pull in water vapor from an even larger area and thus dump more rain.

Climate change causes more rapidly intensifying hurricanes

As discussed in detail in our 2020 post, rapidly intensifying hurricanes like Helene, Ida, Michael, Laura, and Harvey that strengthen just before landfall are among the most dangerous storms as they can catch forecasters and populations off guard, risking inadequate evacuation efforts and large casualties. Unfortunately, not only is human-caused climate change making the strongest hurricanes stronger, but it is also making dangerous rapidly intensifying hurricanes like Helene more common.

According to research published in 2019 in Nature Communications, “Recent increases in tropical cyclone intensification rates,” Atlantic hurricanes showed “highly unusual” upward trends in rapid intensification during the period 1982–2009, trends that can be explained only by including human-caused climate change as a contributing cause. The largest change occurred in the strongest 5% of storms: For those, 24-hour intensification rates increased by about 3-4 mph per decade between 1982 and 2009.

Sea level rise increases storm surge damage

Of the six tide gauges with long-term periods of record along the west coast of Florida, Helene set an all-time high water record at three of them (Cedar Key, Clearwater Beach, and St. Petersburg) – in all three cases just before or just after midnight Thursday night – and came in second or third place behind Hurricane Ian of 2022 and Hurricane Irma of 2017 at the other two (Ft. Myers and Naples). Sea level rise made these records easier to set. Sea level rise since 1947 at the St. Petersburg, Fla., tide gauge has been about 3.09 mm per year, or about 0.3 meters (1.0 feet) if extrapolated to a 100-year period (Figure 1). A substantial portion of this sea level rise is the result of human-caused global warming; the global sea level rise since 1900 is estimated to be about 7.5 inches (0.19 meters). Most of this rise has occurred because of melting of glaciers and because water expands when heated. Over the past 10 years, sea level rise has accelerated along the Florida coast, and the rate has been about 7 mm per year (2.3 feet per century) at St. Petersburg. Changes in ocean circulation and wind patterns, with climate change a potential contributing factor, are thought to be the reason for the acceleration.

[staydandy]

Adventure Behind the Bronze Door (2024) - 藏海花 - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : Five years after Wu Xie's last adventure his peaceful life is interrupted again. Wu Xie and Wang Pangzi set off on an journey to the snowy mountains to uncover the mystery behind Zhang Qiling's origins. Along the way Wu Xie realizes that the path of clues he's been following was not accidental but it was planned by someone. Wu Xie and Pangzi find out more about Zhang Qi Ling's background, but they get caught up in a conspiracy unlike anything they've ever encountered. (MDL) AKA : Tibetan Sea Flower

Whumpees : Wu Xie played by Edward Zhang (top left) • Zhang Qi Ling played by Zhang Kang Le (top right) • Wang Pang Zi played by Chen Ming Hao (bottom far right) • Young Wu Xie played by Xu Zhen Xuan (not pictured)

Country : 🇨🇳 China Genres : Action, Adventure, Mystery, Horror, Bromance

Notes : This is a Full Whump List • Adapted from the novel "Zang Hai Hua" (藏海花) by Kennedy Xu (南派三叔) • Chen Ming Hao is another great Pangzi! First seen (as far as release date goes) in Tomb of the Sea, and they don't recast him and use the same actor for the rest of the Lost Tomb shows (the 2 Reunions, and Bronze Door) • My favorite episodes are pink • Suggested watch order of series (not including movies & spin-offs) : – 1. Mystic Nine (2016) – 2. The Lost Tomb (2015) – 3. The Lost Tomb 2: Wrath of the Sea (2019) – 4. The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note (2021) – 5. The Lost Tomb 3: Ultimate Note (2020) >> 6. Adventure Behind the Bronze Door (2024) – 7. Tomb of the Sea (2018) – 8. Reunion: Sound of the Providence (2020) – 9. Reunion: Sound of the Providence 2 (2020)

Related Lists : The Lost Tomb (2015) - Full List • The Lost Tomb 2: Wrath of the Sea (2019) - Full List • The Lost Tomb 2: Explore With the Note (2021) - Full List • The Lost Tomb 3: Ultimate Note (2020) - Full List

Episodes on List : 21 Total Episodes : 32

*Spoilers below*

01 : [memory/dream] Zhang Qi Ling fight … bleeding, unconscious, (young) Wu Xie hallucinating … [present] wakes from nightmare … [flashback] knocked out

03 : [flashback] Zhang Qi Ling tied up

04 : [present] Wu Xie doppelganger hit with slingshot stone.. both Wu Xie's tied up.. doppelganger hit again.. back of Wu Xie's neck cut, passes out

05 : … continued from previous ep. ... Revealed not cut, just tricked into thinking so with local anesthetic … shoulder squeezed … (@ 21:43 I seriously love the friendship of these 2 😆) … Wang Pang Zi head grazed by a bullet, bleeding and knocked dizzy for a moment

06 : Wu Xie's hand bit by insects, cuts his own hand, Pang Zi attacked & bit by the insects .. Wu Xie unsteady, Pang Zi dizzy from insect poison.. Wu Xie & Pang Zi freezing, Wu Xie shivering, Pang Zi passes out … revealed that Wu Xie & Pang Zi were stuck in an hallucination that entire time

09 : [past] Zhang Qi Ling cuts his hand … [present] Pang Zi drunk (pretending) … hallucinating (semi-comedic)

10 : [past] Zhang Qi Ling drinks a poison, passes out, entombed alive … pain

13 : [present] Wu Xie's vision blurs

14 : Pang Zi's arm grazed by bullet.. Wu Xie's finger cut by a wire.. Wu Xie & Pang Zi briefly knocked out … Wu Xie falls into a crevasse, briefly knocked out

15 : Knocked out by an explosion (not really shown), wakes in hospital, bandaged, unsteady, confused, rips out IV.. Pang Zi hospitalized, oxygen mask, comatose … revealed to all be Wu Xie's hallucination (starting from the attack/explosion)

16 : Wu Xie & Pang Zi hallucinate

17 : Wu Xie stabbed, collapses.. knocked out … stumbling around, still wounded, bandaging himself … despair, banging his head on the floor … stumbling around, holding his wound

18 : Limping, hallucinating, passes out.. stumbling.. passed out … Pang Zi tied up … Wu Xie (masked as Zhang Qi Ling) knocked to the ground, blown back by an explosion

19 : Coughing from corrosive gas, lying about current state, collapses from compound wounds, stumbling & unsteady, collapses, tossed & knocked out briefly by an explosion.. helped to walk.. collapses, coughing, passes out … (@ 17:23 legit made me cry) … wakes, coughing

21 : (near end) Hallucinating

24 : Cuts his own hand, forces his hand to bleed until he passes out.. wakes with his hand bandaged, Pang Zi's hand also bandaged after cutting it (not shown) … Wu Xie tied up, leg cut.. bandaged.. choked, blown back by an explosion

25 : Hits himself in the face with a rock to knock out a tooth (semi-comedic) … arm dislocated.. nearly falls down a crevasse, blown back by an explosion … arm set.. Wu Xie & Pang Zi fall down a crevasse

26 : Wu Xie in a fight.. scratched by monster & bleeding (faking)

27 : Blown back by an explosion

28 : Giant explosion, Wu Xie & Pang Zi injured (kinda hard to tell what's going on).. Wu Xie wakes, Pang Zi bandaged; neck brace & broken leg

29 : Injured by an explosion

[gojira-ekkusu]

A Different Beast

Beast Wrestler (ビースト・ウォリアーズ "Beast Warriors") was one of the first monster fighting games. Released in 1991 for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, it is notable for its unique style and concept.

Yasushi Nirasawa was the man responsible designing the game's monsters, dubbed Dragon Warriors. Nirawasa's designs have appeared in various Tokusatsu productions such as Kamen Rider, but perhaps his most famous would be the 2004 redesign of Gigan for Godzilla Final Wars (He was also responsible for the Xilien designs in the film as well).

Back in 1991, Nirasawa was primarily known for his sculptures and models featured in, and on the covers of Hobby Japan. The box art for Beast Wrestler showcases his work. The image was prominently used in the print advertising.

The Dragon Warriors all quite varied, ranging from humanoid animals to an ooze. Some with various levels of cybernetics and some had truly chimeric designs.

Instead of randomized fights each match of the Tournament is fixed. The player is the "ruler" of a ENTSLL 2019 Dragon Warrior and starts at the bottom of the Domestic Rank to work up to the top of the World Rank.

Yasushi Nirasawa did a six-page comic that was in the instruction manual for the Japanese version of the game. It gives a look at the world where genetically engineered 10 meter tall monsters battle in the arena.

Aside from the designs and the setting, the other defining feature of the game is the concept of combining your Dragon Warrior with a vanquished opponent.

The first time, the player gets two options for combining. This sets up two different paths for completing the World Rank. Based on this decision, a different Dragon Warrior is used in each path to combine for a second form.

While there is much to appreciate about the concept and designs, the gameplay is a shortcoming. The hit boxes don't correspond well and fights are slow. There are some loops and exploits that help with the difficulty, but that doesn't lead to a satisfying victory.

The game also has a Match mode for a fight against the computer or another player, using some of the Domestic and World Rank fighters. Unfortunately, this mode is also is subject to the same issues and the Dragon Warriors are very unbalanced.

It would be fun to see this game made today with modern game technology and design. Yasushi Nirasawa's detailed creations could really come to life. Also, it would be great to see more and varied combinations of beasts.

With a little more time and polish, Beast Wrestler could have been a cult game. Instead, it's an interesting obscurity.

[venusvity]

Kpop stan Twitter hates them. Sena is talentless tweets hitting crazy numbers. Jiah deactivated her Instagram account. #BaebiGoSolo has trended for three days now...They had ONE chance.

VENUS entered 2021 mad as hell with their second full album, "I AM VENUS," which included the title track "I AM. "I AM was a commercial success in South Korea and topped the Circle Digital Chart for six weeks. It also reached the top ten in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The song has been certified platinum for streaming in South Korea. It also received four PAKs and nine music show wins.

Dazed ranked it 19th among the 50 best K-pop tracks of 2021, and Grammy named it one of the 15 K-pop songs that defined 2021.

The group would repeatedly go viral for their performances of I AM as the girls were either emotional while performing the song or they were in platformed heels. For the first time in their career, Chloe was able to look people in the eyes during the music show interviews. Though the heels were a hit, they raised concerns for fans as there were multiple instances of the girls twisting their ankles or falling during performances because of them. Either way, iconic.

The platformed heels Venus wore during the promotions of I AM. These are the ones on displayed at the Angelico Artist Muesum. The group wore a total of 36 different pairs of heels for this era.

Their repacked album "VENUS, I AM." would come shortly after I AM VENUS with the title track "DIVE". Before the song's release, the teaser images for VENUS, I AM would go viral for their unique concept and artistic expression.

The teaser images used for "VENUS, I AM." under the creative direction of LEXA.

The album debuted at number one on the weekly Gaon Album Chart and also topped the monthly chart, selling 544,339 copies in its first month of release. It has since been certified triple platinum by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) for surpassing 750,000 units.

Tássia Assis from NME gave Dive a 4 out of 5-star rating, describing the track "Dive" as "the definite, luxurious plunge. " Despite being "more subdued" than the group's previous album, "I AM," it is a "chaebol crush" that matches the extravagance and confidence that defines VENUS. Uproxx named it one of The Best K-Pop Albums of 2021.

The hate train finally seemed to slow with the ever-mounting success the girls were receiving. It's not like the girls had enough time on their hands to even really focus on the hate. They were always working on something. That next something would be their 6th mini album, "Illusions," followed by a title track of the same name.

Upon its release, Illusions was praised by music critics for increasingly showcasing all members' vocal abilities with "trendy" production. Illusions was a commercial success in South Korea and charted in Japan and the United States. It debuted atop South Korea's Gaon Album Chart on the chart. Overall, it ranked seventh on the Gaon's 2021 year-end album chart.4 Walls debuted at number thirty-nine on Japan's Oricon Albums Chart, and it peaked at number one on the US Billboard World Albums Chart, becoming Venus' second number one on the chart following 2019's Love Simulator.

Illusions was primarily beloved for its "multidimensional" concept and music video. In the video, the girls were trapped in a time loop, and the song restarted midway through the eight-minute video, signifying that the viewer was also in the time loop with them.

Stills from the "Illusions" music video. Creative direction by LEXA.

The girls would close out the year with the summer classic "Summer Luv!" and a title track of the same name. When I tell you this song was massive, it was huge. Love Simulator was finally overthrown as Venus' most-known song because you could not go anywhere with Summer Luv'ing.

GQ Korea named "Summer Luv!" its Song of the Year in the magazine's November 2021 issue. In December, IZM listed the song as one of its top 10 singles of the year. Dazed ranked the song at number two on its 20 Best K-pop Songs of 2021. The song landed on Billboard's 20 Best K-Pop Songs 2021 list at number four. Melon ranked it number 15, while Rolling Stone ranked it number 13 in their lists of the greatest K-pop songs of all time, with the latter publication praising its production and hailing it as the epitome of "summertime fun, adventure, and romance."

Summer Luv! would win the girl's Song of The Year at the 2021 MAMA Awards and the Best Dance Performance – Female Group award. They would go on to win the Digital Daesang at the Golden Disk Awards and Song of the Year at the Korean Music Awards.

Some of the various wigs and hairstyles were worn by Venus during their Summer Luv! Promotions. Gif style inspired by @pickmedolls !

The Summer Luv! era was not only defined by success but looks as well. The girls would wear different wings at nearly every stage, mixing up their styles and colors while "giving their scalps a much-needed break," as said Chloe during an interview. The girls would go through seventy-five wigs between the five of them, with a fraction of them, the most iconic ones, being displayed at the Angelico Artist Museum.