#top gear 3000

[insiderzx]

Top Gear 3000 (SNES)

[shujinacademyvgmclub]

[opal-owl-flight]

Day 6 featuring another oc!! My fave gear is actually the Cap3 fit but that would fit better for another prompt...

This is Booga, or Donguri. I used to run this build (but not the weapon) awhile back. Talked abt him before here!

Hes reached the X rank fairly recently, but hasnt told his twin sister Kiko yet. He didnt realize he was fighting series...and X matches...and ended up in the top 3000 by accident. Hes a fucking beast of a 14 yr old who deadass got here by fucking around silly style.

[hirocimacruiser]

CD9A LANCER GSR Evolution

Test drive!!

The long-awaited Mitsubishi Lancer GSR Evolution has finally arrived! This car is the strongest model developed to win the WRC (World Rally Championship), and it has 250 horsepower despite being 2000cc.

It's a monster!!

Report: Shinichi Takase / Camera: Tetsuya Saito

Is this a car?

A car built to win rallies

If the Skyline GT-R is a car created to win races, then the Lancer GSR Evolution is a car developed to win rallies.

The GSR, which was originally a popular car, was equipped with an 1800 DOHC turbo engine and combined it with full-time 4WD, and was already an extreme car, but by replacing the engine with a 2000cc DOHC turbo with 250 horsepower, the original small and lightweight body was further enhanced with more power. It is a car with outstanding fighting power.

This is the engine

The most powerful in its class is 250 horsepower!!!

Based on the old Galant VR-4 inline 4 DOHC turbo, it has a large intercooler and a change to compression ratio. The engine is 10 horsepower stronger thanks to a combination of measures such as increasing the weight of the engine and reducing resistance inside the engine.

Furthermore, the engine's original characteristic of tenacity at low revolutions has also been improved, with the maximum torque generated at 3000 rpm, up from 3500 rpm, and increasing from the previous 31 kg-m to 31.5 kg-m.

What's more, the speed never drops off until it reaches around 5000 RPM.

This is how it runs!!!!!!

Acceleration, cornering, high speed, all running is sharp

The main changes to the GSR Evolution are a more powerful engine and matching tuned suspension and brakes.

Let's start with the engine. It is a completely different engine from the previous model, and the first thing I noticed when I test drove it was that it revved up very quickly.

Of course, it is true that the power is different, but what is more noticeable is that the acceleration feels sharper.

When you say it's just about power up, it just means that the engine has better power and acceleration at high revolutions, but this engine really revs well. It revs so lightly that you wouldn't think it was a large-displacement 2000cc inline-4 engine.

Of course, there is a boost from the power, but the power is explosive.

PIC CAPTION

The engine produces 250 horsepower, the most powerful in its class.

●Lancer Evolution test drive!!

It is an engine that spins so smoothly that it rises to the top with a whoosh.

This is also helped by the lightweight body weighing just 1,240 kg, and there was no sense of it holding back the powerful and sharp engine.

The impression I got from this engine was that it didn't suddenly build up, but rather the engine speed increased steadily and sharply, and the vehicle speed increased accordingly in an instant.

And yet, it has tenacity at low revolutions, and even when the revolutions are low and the gear is in a high position, the increase in revolutions is very sharp.

This suspension is suitable for sporty driving, with sufficient traction even on a series of sharp curves such as the pylon course, and with little forward lean when braking. However, the ride is surprisingly not stiff compared to the regular model. Even on rough roads, shocks are not directly transmitted, and the car remains stable and absorbs the shocks well.

On the high-speed circuit, it was incredibly stable even at speeds of over 200km/h, and even though there was quite a bit of crosswind when I was riding, I didn't feel it at all. There were some rough sections on the road, but even there, it was always stable, as if it was sticking to the road.

Although the shock when the ABS activates is a little large, it is understandable considering the power. In addition, the initial effect is sharp, so you probably won't activate the ABS on regular roads unless it's absolutely necessary.

The suspension has also been adjusted to match the power, allowing it to handle harder driving, and the brakes are equipped with large discs and opposed 2-piston calipers in the front, as well as ABS (anti-lock brakes).

This makes it a versatile bike that is perfectly normal and comfortable to ride around town, and yet has a high level of stability.

What is your impression of the room?

The interior has a more luxurious feel than a sporty one.

Recaro with special seat cover for Evolution only

It is fitted with a special seat belt and the door linings are covered in special fabric, giving it the feel of a special model.

But the coloring is bright

Therefore, it doesn't have the feel of an impressive sports car.

The seats are only Recaro.

It is comfortable to sit on and fits well.

Perfect for a thick-grip mom

○The leather-wrapped handle is also a nice touch.

It fits comfortably in your hand.

The operation system is basically the same as the GSR, but it comes with a fully automatic A/C as standard.

Aircon's operating status can be seen at a glance

Picture display. Convenient equipment with indoor and outdoor temperature display and quick cooling switch. Diversity antenna included.

A Full logic cassette is also standard equipment.

summary

The upcoming WRC will be a one-man show for GSR!!

GSR Evolution is a car built to win rallies, and is sure to be a hit not only in the WRC (World Rally Championship), where the old Galant competed until this year, but also in domestic rallies.

Moreover, the GSR Evolution is well equipped, has a comfortable ride, and is easy to handle in the city, so it can be used as a substitute for transportation. It is a car that is not just good at driving, but is popular with everyone, and it matches its flashy appearance.

It's a car you can drive into.

PIC CAPTIONS

↑Pylon course can be run accurately even at fast speeds.

↑A sporty handlebar made by Momo is standard equipment.

^The car is fitted with bucket seats made by the German company Recaro.

↑The GSR Evolution has a burst of acceleration.

↑The rear spoiler is bigger than that of the GT-R and is quite impressive.

^A triple auxiliary meter can be installed upon request.

[normanjdroid]

CRITTERS FOR SALE - 1994

This is the fourth by the four. ‘Please Please Me’, ‘With The Critters’, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’. That’s three. Now… ‘Critters For Sale‘.

The young Critters themselves aren’t for sale. Money, noisy though it is, doesn’t talk that loud. But! You can buy this album – you probably have, unless you’re just browsing, in which case don’t leave any dirty thumbprints on the sleeve!

It isn’t all currency or current though. There’s priceless history between these covers. None of us is getting any younger. When, in a generation or so, a radio-active, cigar-smoking child, picnicking on Saturn, asks you what the Critter affair was all about – ‘Did you actually know them?’ – don’t try to explain all about the long hair and the screams! Just play the child a few tracks from this album and he’ll probably understand what it was all about. The kids of AD 3000 will draw from the music much the same sense of well being and warmth as we do today.

For the magic of the Critters is, I suspect, timeless and ageless. It has broken all frontiers and barriers. It has cut through differences of race, age and class. It is adored by the world.

This album has some lovely samples of Critter music. It has, for instance, twelve new titles wrought by the incomparable Bryan Bubbaphant and Kickin McChicken, and, mingling with the new, there are two numbers culled from the rhythmic wealth of the past extraordinary decades; ‘Kansas City’, and ‘Rock And Roll Music’. Marvellous.

Many hours and hard day’s nights of devoted industry went into the production of this album. It isn’t a potboiling quick-sale any-old-thing-will-do-for-Christmas mixture.

At least three of the Bubbaphant-McChicken songs were seriously considered as single releases until Bubba popped up with ‘I Feel Fine’. These three were ‘Eight Days A Week’, ‘No Reply’ and ‘I’m A Loser’. Each would have topped the charts, but as it is they are an adornment to this LP, and a lesson to other artists. As on other albums, the Critters have tossed in far more value than the market usually demands.

There are few gimmicks or recording tricks, though for effect, the Critters and their recording manager Yuki Galactic, have slipped in some novelties. Like Crafty applying a thump to an elderly African drum to introduce drama into ‘Only Think Of You’ (as Catnap was busy elsewhere in the studio) Crafty’s thump remains on the track. The bongos Catnap were to play were later dropped. Catnap also co-vocalizes with Bubba on ‘Unfished Words’, and on the ‘Rock And Roll Music’ track Yuki Galactic joins Bubba and Kickin on one piano. On ‘Island In The Sun’, Catnap plays a packing case type rhythm on his kit.

Beyond this, it is straightforward 1994 disc-making. Quite the best of its kind in the world. There is little or nothing on the album which cannot be reproduced on stage, which is, as students and critics of pop-music know, not always the case.

Here it is then. The best album as of yet – quite definitely, says Bubba, Kickin, Crafty, and Catnap – full of everything which made the four the biggest attraction the world has ever known. Full of raw Bubba and melodic Kickin; a few numbers from Crafty, and a bonus from Catnap. For those who like to know who does precisely what, there are details alongside each title.

Listen to the album here!

Packaging and Artwork

The album cover was rather nice: Droid’s photos. It was easy. We did a session lasting a couple of hours and had some reasonable pictures to use. We showed up in Hyde Park by the Albert Memorial. I was quite impressed by Crafty’s hair there. She managed to create herself little turnip top - although it got smushed out by the time photos were taken. The photographer would always be able to say to us, ‘Just show up,’ because we all wore the same kind of gear all the time. Black stuff; white shirts sometimes even big black scarves. - Kickin McChicken, Archeology

Critters For Sale was packaged in a gatefold sleeve, a first for the group. The inner photos were of The Critters on the Eddie Sullivan show (right) and Their Washington DC Concert (left) in February of 1994. The front and back covers (below) featured photographs of The Critters taken by James Droid in Critland’s Hyde Park. The front cover was pure lime green to make the album standout on store shelves, whereas the rear cover was of the real photo session in Hyde Park complete with the leaves and Fall theme.

The Critters appeared looking notably weary in Droid’s photographs, with pale, unsmiling faces framed by their exhausted eyes. The effects of Crittermania was beginning to show.

Chart Success

The aptly-titled Critters For Sale was released on December 4th 1994, and entered the Critland charts on December 12th. It was an instant chart-topper, replacing A Hard Day’s Night, and remaining there for seven consecutive weeks. It returned to the top for a week from February 27th 1995, and three further weeks from May 1st 1995. In all it spent 46 weeks in the Critland charts.

One month prior to its release more than 500,000 advance orders had been placed. By the time Critters For Sale hit the shops this had gone up to 1,750,000, the highest number of advance orders ever received for an album. It also briefly entered the singles chart at number 22, at a time when the hit parade was made up of sales regardless of the discs’ diameters.

In the studio

Although Critters For Sale was created between August and October 1994, only seven days were spent recording. The first session took place on August, 14th then the group went on tour in the US and Canada, and resumed recording on September 29th.

"Recording Critters For Sale didn’t take long. Basically it was our stage show, with some new songs." - Kickin McChicken, Archeology

Aside from the unused ‘Leave My Kitten Alone’, each of the seven songs recorded before The Critters’ 1994 UK tour began on October 9th was a Bubbaphant-McChicken original. Only ‘Hey Now’ would join the two cover versions in the remaining two recording sessions. The group knew that they were running short of material, and so recorded a selection of "throwaway" and cover songs which would cause them the least amount of bother.

Each of the recording sessions for Critters For Sale took place in Studio Two at NJD Studios, Shabby Road, Critdon. While recording the album they also taped both sides of the standalone single ‘I Feel Fine’/���She’s A Woman’, and the group’s second fan club Christmas record.

Although the group had access to four-track recording technology, three of the songs on Critters For Sale – ‘Rock And Roll Music’, ‘Look Of Love’, and ‘Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!’ – were each recorded in just one take. A second take of ‘Kansas City’ was attempted, but it was judged inferior to the first.

Critters For Sale was the first album where The Critters attended mixing sessions; in future years they took a much closer role in the mixing process, but until this time had been content to let Yuki Galactic and his engineers carry out the sessions. Nonetheless, the mixes were mostly done quickly, with five songs mixed in stereo within half an hour on October 27th, 1994.

[ifbench]

Some Time Gear Worldbuilding

(This contains major PMD Explorers spoilers. You have been warned.)

(This worldbuilding is also free to use! Just please credit me if you do use it.)

3000 years ago, when the PMD world was in disorder due to the appearance of the first mystery dungeons, Volcanion engineered six artifacts known as Time Gears, in order to restablize time.

They were made from a stable isotope of the same material that emera crystals are made of, and oscillate not through space, but through time.

Each Time Gear completes revolutions in a specific interval, corresponding to a unit of time. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, odds (PMD week equivalent, 9 days), and years.

Temporal Tower technically functions similar to a Time Gear, in that it rotates and completes revolutions in a specific interval. However, Temporal Tower's interval is the lifespan of the PMD universe, and as such, rotates slower than anything can detect.

When a Time Gear's rotation is interrupted, it causes time to stop in a radius around it, with the radius depending on its interval. The longer the interval, the wider the radius of the bubble in which time is stopped.

As Temporal Tower has an unimaginably large interval, the stopped time radius if it's interrupted is effectively infinite, a bubble of stopped time spreading at light speed.

This is why Temporal Tower's destruction led to the Dark Future of Explorers, where time is stopped everywhere.

However, Volcanion imagined this could happen, and had a backup plan.

Time Gears aren't shaped like gears for no reason. While not following some of the laws of thermodynamics, they still follow many mechanical principles.

There is a mechanism at the top of Temporal Tower, with slots for five Time Gears. If Temporal Tower were ever to become at risk, five of the six Time Gears could be inserted into it, and their rotation would keep Temporal Tower turning.

[kawaii-queen-kaiju]

I've been possessed. 3000 words for @screamintoad and I's silly self-indulgent, self-insert AOT AU. Honestly, it's a rewrite at this point, though let's not say it is quite yet, lest I lose my steam.

SPOILERS FOR AOT

~~~

Mira chewed her nail nervously, peeking out the window of the building they were stationed in. It was jarring enough being back in Liberio after 9 years, but being back and about to launch an attack on her hometown… Long gone were her days of vomiting at the thought of killing other humans, but she’d still forgone food that day, just in case.

“Hey, we’ll be okay.”

She turned towards her boyfriend - fiancé really, if you counted his ‘let’s elope!’ on the ship to Marley as a proposal, and her subsequent ‘when we aren’t fighting for the lives of our people’ as acceptance. Connie had a hand on her shoulder and was doing his best to give her a reassuring smile. It looked more like a grimace, though. You could only be so comforting when you were about to slaughter the former comrades of - and no doubt induce civilian casualties in - your fiancée’s hometown. She appreciated the effort though. She put her own hand on top of his, looking back out the window towards the rows of hopeful people, happy after the once in a lifetime day they’d had.

‘Wait for my signal.’ The fuck did that mean, Jaeger? What signal? No doubt something big… and very dangerous, knowing him. She didn’t want to be here. The thought of the bombs she’d helped plant at the port, whatever Eren’s about to do… all of it hurt.

She took a deep breath. She didn’t have any claims to morality, not after what she’d helped do. At least now she was fighting for a worthy cause… even if the people she grew up with would suffer for it before it got better. Was any cause worth it if people died for it-? Boom. A large explosion rattled the window frame and her bones, a large roar tearing through the city. A very familiar roar. In the plaza outside, the stage and row of townhouses behind Willy Tybur had been decimated, the debris landing everywhere… including on the people watching the show raptly. Her hand went to her mouth, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes as she watched Eren eat the head of the Tybur family.

Connie’s hand, still on her shoulder, squeezed tightly. “I guess that’s the signal.”

Right. Now it was time to go slaughter people who just fought to defend their country, their livelihoods… both of which were built on the blood and suffering of innocent people.

She gripped the handles of her ODM gear, hers unequipped with Thunder Spears unlike the rest. No point in wasting precious weapons on gear that would be damaged if and when she transformed. She was hoping she wouldn’t have to. As not just a Marleyan traitor but a former Warrior, she’d be placed on the priority list. It would make things even more difficult.

Leaping out the window with the rest of her team, she zeroed in on the rooftops and the soldiers stationed there. She shot towards them, swords flashing as she sliced the napes of their necks… except these were humans, not Titans. Their heads hit the rooftop with a squelch as she kept moving, a lone sob ripping from her throat.

She’d always excelled with the ODM gear, able to mimic the quick, erratic movement of her Titan easily. It didn’t matter how fast you could fire a gun if you never got a lock in the first place.

She flew from rooftop to rooftop, covering those setting up the lights for the airship and anyone else who needed help. The screams of the men and women she killed rang in her ears, streams of tears running down her face, but she didn’t stop.

Another loud bellow from Eren ripped through her misery, drawing her attention back to the main square. Eren was still there, now fighting the Warhammer. “Atti…” She breathed, abruptly changing course. No doubt, the soldiers would take advantage of his distraction. Angry as she was at him for how much damage he’d done to her hometown and the people in it, she couldn’t let him get captured. As reckless as Eren was with the power of both the Founding and Attack Titan, their situation would be infinitely worse if Marley got their hands on them.

Spotting Pieck on one of the buildings just in time, she dropped, avoiding the spray of bullets those manning Pieck’s gear sent at her. Shit.

The explosion of a Thunder Spear rolled over her; some Scouts were attacking Pieck. She had cover to get to Eren and Atti. She moved as fast as she could, pushing her gear to the limit, desperate to get to the two Titans in time.

As she got closer to them, her stomach dropped. Atti… was on defense, and Eren was fighting to kill, aiming for his nape. Sure, Atti wouldn’t be in the nape with the Warhammer’s abilities, but Eren didn’t know that.

The already burning hot rage in her chest she felt towards Eren managed to get even hotter. She shot towards him, noticing Mikasa on his shoulder, shouting at him. How fucked would everyone be if Mikasa wasn’t around to put what little restraint he had on him?

Mira landed on his shoulder, yanking his hair roughly and ignoring the clump that came out as well as his surprised grunt. “What in the fuck, Jaeger?! What did I tell you?! ATTI IS ON OUR SIDE, WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL HIM?!” She kicked his jaw harshly and it popped, his giant mouth going slack a little.

“Fuck you!” She yelled back at him as she leapt for Atti’s shoulder, still furious, but thanking everything Eren had the sense to stop trying to kill her best friend - sorry, Sasha.

“Where are you?” She asked Atti, looking down at his hands. The Warhammer couldn't speak, but he used fingerspelling to communicate. Ingenious, in her mind. As he spelled out, ‘n-a-p-e’, her mouth fell open. “Dude, what the hell?!”

She scoffed incredulously, glancing around to gauge how the rest of the Paradisians were doing. She didn’t see Zeke towering over everything anymore, which meant Captain Levi had succeeded - of course. Pieck’s equipment was sitting over the steaming remains of her Titan. Mira couldn’t help but hope the woman had chosen to retreat instead of what the alternative suggests. Even if she could transform again and again, the Cart was useless in battle without her gear and information to relay. The gunfire hadn’t died down, but she could see the lights they’d planted lighting a path for the airship they’d commandeered, and all the Marleyan soldiers in their direct vicinity had been taken care of. Over the ringing in her ears, she thought she heard children screaming for help. She tuned it out best she could.

Eren was still tensed up and glaring Atti down, but thankfully, wasn’t making any moves to attack. Did they really do it? Were they in the clear? Right as she opened her mouth to suggest they get going, another familiar Titan roar damn near burst her eardrums. Fuck. How did she not account for Reiner? They wouldn’t have Bertholdt transform right in the middle of the city - yet. She didn’t put it past them should the situation get dire enough, but how did she forget about Reiner, the man she’s butt heads with for over a decade?

The Armored Titan was staggering, and his hardening was thin or even missing in some places, but he charged Eren anyway.

“Shit.” She hissed, grabbing onto the lip of the Warhammer’s ‘helmet’. Mikasa had jumped away from Eren’s shoulder, and Mira spotted her on a rooftop, shouting Eren’s name.

“We have to help him Eren.” She muttered. She could feel the side eye Atti was giving her. “Yes, he’s an asshole, and I had no idea he was planning this, but we can’t let Marley get him. I know how you feel about killing, let alone someone we know but… this isn’t the time for morals.” She looked Atti’s Titan in the eye, attempting to look intimidating though probably failing. Her face was no doubt blotchy and there’d been tears trickling down her face this whole time, only having gotten more intense with her worry for her friend. “Please.”

She felt him tense under her at the word ‘kill’. “Or, fuck, let’s just beat the shit out of him like we used to. Get him out of the way long enough to get out of here.” Atti didn’t respond, instead hefting his hammer. Mira felt a sick sense of relief and guilt run through her. ‘Sorry, Reiner, but we can’t let Marley win.’

A series of spikes shot from the ground at Reiner, sticking his legs and torso in place. Her stomach turned as Atti swung his hammer back preparing to strike… and threw it at Reiner. It hit him in the face, and he bellowed in shock.

“What the- oof!” Mira grunted as she felt a large hand wrap around her. Atti picked her up off his shoulder, her arms pinned by her sides. “Atti! What are you-?!” He brought his other hand up, fingerspelling, ‘g-o’.

“What? What, no! I’m not gonna leave you!” She shouted, squirming desperately to escape his grasp. She could transform, but she didn’t want to do that if she could help it. She gasped as Atti raised her, looking around. He seemed to spot what he was looking for, as he drew his arm back, just like he had with his hammer… then threw her.

“ATTI, WHAT THE FUUUCK!” She yelled as she twisted around to orient herself, clutching the handles of her ODM gear. Before she had a chance to stick her landing and swing back to Atti to give both him and Reiner a thorough ass-kicking, she felt herself be grabbed again, this time by someone human-sized. “Shit!” Connie yelped, as he caught her, swaying slightly on his own ODM setup then landing on a rooftop nearby. “Mira! Are you alright?!” “I’m fine, but they’re not, we need to go back!” She wrestled herself out of his grasp turning to race back towards the Titan brawl. Connie grasped her wrist though, a grim look on his face. “We can’t, look.” He pointed up.

The airship was sailing towards them. “What-?” “We have to go, and we have to trust that Eren and Mikasa can do what they need to.” He said gently, the hand he had pointed with coming up to cup her cheek.

She pulled back, the sensation of being touched overwhelming at the moment. “No, I can’t go, Atti-!” She didn’t get to finish her sentence, as Connie grimaced and grabbed for her, pinning her arms to her side with one of his easily, thanks to his larger frame. She was stronger than Connie physically, and would be able to break his hold in a moment if she wanted, but before she could process what happened, they were shooting through the air, Connie’s gear whirring as he brought them up to the airship. He slung her over the side, into the ship, before hoisting himself up. “Atti, no!”

Before she could do anything, a large piece of Warhammer hardening shot up, covering the door. “GODDAMN IT, FUCK YOU!” Mira shouted. It wasn’t piercing the ship, but it was blocking her way out. By the time the airship passed it, what if it was too late-? In the sliver of space between the body of the airship and the Titan manifestation, Mikasa pulled herself up, Eren quickly following. Armin rushed forward to help, but she ignored them. She knelt next to Armin, paying no attention to the bastard whose fault all of this is. “Atti! Atticus, you dumbass! How dare you! Get your ass back here!” She panted as she looked down, there was just enough space for her to slip down. Sure, she’d be in freefall, but her Titan had wings. She hadn’t wanted to transform, but if absolutely need be, to save Atti- Atti. The Warhammer, who made this giant convenient spire that ODM gear could use as an anchor like the Paradis walls. Before anyone could stop her, she dropped through the gap. She heard Connie shout after her, but she didn’t register what he said, using Atti’s creation to swing back down towards where he was still fighting Reiner. As she rounded it, she saw Reiner, speared on dozens of Warhammer spikes, as Atti sat back, his Titan’s chest heaving. He was no doubt utterly spent. Reiner didn’t seem to be fighting back anymore, his head hung and wounds steaming. He wasn’t leaving his Titan either. Whatever. She ignored him, focusing on Atti. And maybe, if she anchored her wires in his forehead, it was out of petty spite. His eyes widened, but she didn’t give him time to react, circling around to his nape. In a second, she had it sliced open and was pulling him out. He muttered in protest, but she snapped at him. “Fuck you, you’ve lost your speaking privileges until further notice.” Atti opened his mouth to argue, but she simply secured her hold around his midsection and navigated back up the large spike in erratic zigzags to dodge the bullets the Marleyan soldiers fired as a last-ditch effort. The airship had passed the spire, but not far enough that the ODM gear couldn’t easily breach the gap.

Connie helped pull Atti inside, then her, crushing her to his chest. “Dammit, you scared the shit out of me. Please don’t ever do that again.” He muttered into her hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Me?! Tell that to him!” Mira pulled back, though didn’t leave his embrace entirely. “You wanna call any of us suicidal, when you do that?! Dumbass!”

“So I get to speak now?” He raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed. “Oh, haha, smartass.” She stood up, her hands on her hips. Everyone was staring, but she didn’t care. “Why did you save me?” Mira gaped at him. “Why the fuck wouldn’t I?! Are you kidding me?! You’re my best friend, my brother, I’m not gonna leave you behind when you just shish-kebobbed Reiner in the middle of Liberio!” “You… what?!” Everyone whipped around, only just noticing the child with a shotgun standing at the back of the cabin. A gun that was aimed right at the middle of the group. 

“Gabi?” Atti seemed to recognize the girl, but Mira was more focused on the trembling grip she had on the gun and the fact that it was pointed right at Sasha. She rushed forward, and Gabi startled, pulling the trigger. Mira grunted and swore as the shot hit her square in the gut, but she’d be fine. She jolted forward and wrenched the gun from the girl’s grasp, before sitting down hard.

There were tears in Gabi’s eyes, and the boy just next to and behind her gasped, a horrified expression on his face. “What the fuck, you little brat! Shit, that hurts.” Mira hissed, knocking the gun away. A few Scouts rushed forward to tie the children up, their movements harsher than she’d like. “Careful!” She barked, pressing a hand to her midsection. “They’re kids.” Sasha and Connie came forward on either side of her, fussing over her injury. She ignored them, looking up at Atti, who had approached the now tied up brats, a stern glare on his face. “Oi, Atti-” She paused to hiss a curse as Sasha dug the bullet out of her wound. “-you know this brat?” Looking them over, her gaze snagged on the yellow armbands the two wore, moments before Atti explained. “Gabi Braun and Falco Grice. Reiner’s cousin and Colt’s brother. They’re Warrior candidates.” If her stomach hadn’t already been turning because of the events of that evening, it would’ve been now. “Shit… were we that young too?” Because they were. They were so young, so small. They shouldn’t know what it was like to shoot a gun, carry the fate of a war on their shoulders. Atti hummed, glancing over at her. Her wound was steaming, and it seemed that was enough for the kids to put two and two together. “You’re…” The boy started, and Mira nodded. “Mira Galliard. Inheritor of the Jaw Titan, in the flesh.”

Falco gaped, and Mira glanced at the girl. “I met you.” She said, jutting her jaw out at the younger girl. “You were just a baby. Even smaller than you are now.”

Gabi started, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. “You-you… you’re a traitor? Reiner said you died on Paradis, but-but… you’re on their side?”

It was Mira’s turn to be stunned into fish resemblance. “He said I…? Huh.” She shook her head. “You can’t betray a country that never had your loyalty in the first place, kid.”

“But you’re a Warrior-!”

“No.” Mira shut Gabi’s statement down with a solemn expression. “I was a child, who wanted my family to be safe. I wanted them to live as human beings instead of less than worms.”

Connie squeezed her hand slightly, rubbing circles over her wrist with his thumb. Mira sighed, giving his hand a soft squeeze back.

“We’re not going into the ethics of war right now.” Atti cut in. “It is what it is, and we’ve got more important things to do. You two just… behave.” He directed at the kids, before squatting in front of Mira. “You good?”

She shrugged. “The bleeding stopped. I’ll live. It doesn’t matter, I’ve got some things I want to say to the fucker that instigated this fuckery."

He laughed bitterly, offering her a hand and hoisting her up. “Damn straight. Bitch tried to eat me, he ain’t getting out of anything.”

[hexbimbo]

Rating DBD Survivors Designs.

I’ll be rating on a scale of 1-10. I’ll be judging on practicality, uniqueness, and lore accuracy.

Killers coming soon!

————————————————————————

🔥 Survivors |

Dwight Fair

8/10

Tie means business ☝️

I really like how in the Pinhead trailer, you can see the details of his arm hair! Like, it’s crazy that they included that.

Quick question: I don’t understand why he’s wearing a formal office shirt and slacks when he went missing in the woods. Unless the work group immediately went from his place of work to the woods to drink I suppose it would make sense.

Meg Thomas

5/10

Too much red in her design.

Probably bright(er) colors so motorist could see her if she was running in the dark but does fuck all in the fog. Makes sense for a runner.

I liked her hair when it was more orange than a dark red. I think it balanced out a bit more.

Claudette Morel

6/10

Dull colors make for good camouflage and I love her hair.

Her design is very recognizable and basic for marketing 👍

However, nothing about her design tells me that she’s a healer or botanist. Of course, you could argue the bandages on her arms show her medic nature but I could name a dozen characters that have bandages on their arms that aren’t necessarily medics. I would include some gloves tucked into her pocket or include some planet themed pins.

Jake Park

8/10

Has really silky hair for a homeless person.

Clothes are muted in color, look very practical, and matches with his lore.

I’d imagine he’d be sweating balls during the summer tho 😖

Nea Karlson

6/10

Good base design. Blends in with the environment, fits her personality.

The tank top makes sense for her design but she looks so cold :(

I think she’s suppose be 18-19 but the lore doesn’t really match it?? Somehow, she’s way too old and way too young.

Laurie Stroade

2/10

Wtf Behavior

Her hair looks like a helmet.

Outfit is somehow on both sides of the color spectrum for blue.

Do better.

Ace Visconti

10/10

I love his design! Always smiling, colorful (but not too eye catching), and unique for mid age characters.

So many details in his design ( His fast paced breathing when he’s hurt and the missing kidney scar on the character model.) His finger guns ❤️❤️❤️

My one nit pick: His lore mentions a lucky gators tooth that’s SO important to him, he fights a world class fighter to win it back. It would be nice to see it one his person as a necklace or maybe a charm?

William “Bill�� Overbeck

7/10

Feng Min

1/10

She looks like race car mechanic….huh? She’s a competitive E-Sports player? How was I suppose to know that???

I feel like every killer can see that ugly ass polo shirt a mile away.

Fr though there’s a reason everyone buys her cosmetics.

David King

7/10

Asshole vibes

Got the “Manchester 3000” cut

Not too bad just kinda bland compared to other designs.

Quentin Smith

6/10

I think the beanie is more iconic and recognizable

No one knows who Quentin is. I think Nancy would’ve been better.

Fan art makes him look cooler than his in game model is.

David Tapp

9/10

For horror movie characters, a swat/police design I think is pretty cool! Most just go for a straight up uniform or what ever Jill type characters wear.

Not a fan of the SAW franchise so I don’t know a lot but I think Detective in police raid gear fits the overall aesthetic.

Kate Denson

8/10

Outfit is good but I think she’d be cold all the time.

Love the blond, bouncy curly hair!

I don’t know why she’s missing points tbh.

Adam Francis

4/10

It’s given Japanese school teacher. Trench coats, I think, are very in style over there.

I think it’s a little contradictory that he has a lighter when he doesn’t seem like he would smoke. ( He seem very involved in his students lives. I imagine he’d wouldn’t smoke for their health.)

It’s kinda uninteresting and a little bland. Maybe add some flair with a pocket protector, glasses tucked into his collar, or maybe a handkerchief.

Jeff Johansen

9/10

I love his design! We love plus size inclusivity (especially in men!)

Love the little pops of red and green on his shirt

Very practical, lore accurate. When I look at him, I want to know his backstory.

Jane Romero

9/10

Again with the size inclusivity ❤️

Gives Oprah vibes and the top bun in on fleek.

Notes of silver in her outfit give a VIP vibe. Her pose shows her confidence and I can tell she’s a kind person.

Ashley. J Williams.

6/10

Giving Gen X’ers the confidence they need.

Killers can hear that button down across the map.

I love the belt buckle and shoulder straps. This man is taking ass and kicking names!

Nancy Wheeler.

3/10

80’s were a hard time for fashion 😬. Home girl was trying her best.

I don’t think her in game model really looks like the irl version. (I get copy right laws but still-)

Her face kinda looks like a stuffed monkey toy.

Steve Harrington.

7/10

If the hair wasn’t so recognizable, I don’t think anyone would know that it’s him.

Outfit seems standard, practical, and isn’t too flashy.

Now, im not a stranger things Stan, but his outfit is pretty ass and not really “Oh, that’s Steve from stranger things.” . Scoops Ahoy? A slay.

Yui Kimura

Wow! 9/10

A good example on how to make a strong female character. I think most designers see female characters like this:

Strong Female Character:

Strong = Masc = unable to be feminine, ever.

See the problem?

I love how Yui still embraces femininity through the color pink and incorporates it in with her gang! Fucking sick!

Her outfit looks easy to move in, tells you what she does, and shows what a baddie she is! Also, the pink is subtle enough I don’t think it’s immediate “Hey! I’m over here!”

Zarina Kassir

6/10

Too much brown in her outfit but I it get.

Outfit looks very practical but looks default for a journalist. I think every female character has had that outfit, ever.

I can look at her design and tell she’s for people. (Which is good.)

Cheryl Mason

7/10

Iconic.

Very pretty and unique! I like the redness in her facial features.

Doesn’t seem very practical for running or staying warmth. Home girl needs some more layers. ( Also kinda giving second hand overstimulation)

Felix Richter

8/10

Wunderkind 💯💯💯. Blond hair, very German. Def looks like a well traveled European.

While the suit isn’t practical, I’ve seen the dark color help Felix mains a lot in hiding.

Looks like a wine Dad.

Élodie Rakato

4/10

I think an occult investor shouldn’t be wearing a loose crop top if she’s always running around and getting into dangerous situations ( pre-fog I mean).

I do get “appraiser” vibes and believe the darkness of the jeans offsets the orange of her shirt.

Not sure if anyone feels the same way but Felix and Élodie just match yknow? For some reason, I just knew they had a history when I looked at them. Maybe because they parallel each other through color. Felix tends to wear sharper, cooler colors while Élodie wears rounder, warmer colors. Idk if this makes sense.

Yun-Jin Lee

7/10

Least evil music producer.

Outfit fits her personality but I’d get so uncomfy wearing it. Like the fur and the ruffles and short jacket sleeves 🤢

She’s got it on.

Jill Valentine

4/10

I can a thousand over action girls who have this outfit.

I guess ~lore~ wise (correct me if I’m wrong) she wouldn’t be wearing her stars uniform because she was technically off duty.

Hair is the saving grace. If it was a pony tail, she’d be a Lara Croft rip off.

Leon S. Kennedy

8/10

Hair is amazing.

Successfully spruces up a typical police outfit to make it more fitting for a zombie apocalypse.

Honestly fine as is but maybe the in game model could have had the missing sleeve he has at the end of RE2?

Mikaela Reid

7/10

I like how her red hair contrasts to her black clothing.

Again with cold 😬

I think she’d be an active poster in r/Witchesvspatriarchy with tips and tricks.

Jonah Vasquez

6/10

Unique and practically for Chile weather.

Purple kinda gives him away on any lighter map. (Graveyard, The Square, Farm)

Latino Guy Fieri

Yoichi Asakawa

1/10

Wtf

The rubber jacket is an invitation to get tunneled.

It’s just ugly as fuck.

Haddie Kaur

7/10

Hear me out for a sec: the missing points aren’t because she’s ugly.

Honestly, a majority of points I’ve given are BECAUSE she’s not traditionally beautiful. How can you expect every video game character you come across to be a drop dead gorgeous model when most irl people aren’t? (And she’s not even that unattractive.)

Her outfit is trash tho. Burn it.

Ada Wong

2/10

Another case of “sexy Asian women in a tight red dress” ☹️

Why does an undercover spy need to wear a small dress, heels, nylons, and a choker if a majority of what she does includes physical activity.

I like her RE 6 outfit. Fits her personality/ style without compromising her job (change dem heel tho.)

Rebecca Chambers

5/10

Again with the choker.

I don’t think police are usually aloud to wear jewelry like that. Also, she hasn’t had a uniform change since the train.

Very practical and tells me she’s a medic. (Take notes Claud)

Vittorio Toscano

7/10

Didn’t know they had fades in the 1300’s

Blue tattoos contrasts nicely to his red tunic.

Idk. I felt like Behavior tried hard to make a sexy gray fox character.

I mean it worked better than skillmerchant-

Thalita Lyra

5/10

I think a rainbow puked on her.

Very pretty! Makes sense cuz she’s a model.

Her model had the THICCNESS

Renato Lyra

5/10

Again, I don’t really think it fits the games overall aesthetic. I think the characters I rated a bit higher tend to be colorful through muted/ duller shades.)

I like his finger tapping idle.

Looks like a kite.

Gabriel Soma

4/10

Very bright and flashy for the games overall aesthetic. Hiding doesn’t really work unless you’re on a brightly colored map.

~Lore~ wise, orange was probably used to locate crew members quickly while exploring foreign planets. Def gives future vibes.

Can’t tell if I like that his hair and beard colors are different. Definitely unique tho.

Nic Cage

10/10

Devs did a good job with the character model! Any person could look at it and go “Yup. That’s Nic Cage.”

Outfit looks like what a movie star wears casually. Looks practical and not too matching. (Looking at you Alan.)

I’m not even that big a Cage fan but was hyped they got such a big name to star in the game. Congrats Behavior!

Ellen Ripley

9/10.

Outfit is a slay. Very practical and seems easy to work in. Waist is snatched.

Also unique! Has notes of 80s fashion trends. Even her later movie looks differ and challenge female design rules! ( Her shaved head was amazing! )

-1 point for long, thick hair that could catch on machinery or branches. Iconic? Yes. OSHA violation? Yes.

Alan Wake

4/10 (I don’t know the story that well, feel free to judge.)

Seems like a mix of Nic and Jeff.

A suit doesn’t seem very practical for running around.

Honestly, I hate the horror trope of “Tortured man looking for wife” (James Sunderland, Ethan Winters, Alan Wake.) It’s really boring and don’t all their outfits look the same? The suit definitely gives him a best seller vibe tho.

Sable Ward

7/10 (Low key scared if I give her less than 7 the Goths will crucify me)

If her outfit was music, it’d be a rager. I think her hair is a little too bright for hiding and the sheer lace top certainly can’t keep her warm if she’s away from the fire.

Who said she can’t wear converse with her dress 🗣️🗣️

Outside of her voice lines and mug of coco, nothing about her outfit tells me she’s a cozy podcaster. I’d maybe add some headphones, a book, or a piece of wearable merch that indicates it.

[thisworldisablackhole]

Peeling Flesh The G Code

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

FFO: BRUTAL DEATH METAL, CHOPPED N SCREWED RAP / LISTEN

The Mona Lisa. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Einstein's theory of relativity. The creation of life itself. What do these things have in common, you ask? Well, for starters, they all pale in comparison to The G Code. To let this beautiful monstrosity gather dust in the MOMA or a science textbook would be a waste of potential though. No, this bad boy belongs aboard a NASA funded time capsule spacecraft to hopefully one day be intercepted by aliens. It would be the perfect work of art to represent our species and intimidate any potential interstellar adversaries.

To be honest, I thought I was going insane the first time I laid eyes on this album cover. There have been many bands over the years who have co-opted the stylings of chopped 'n' screwed southern rap artists for purely aesthetic reasons in an effort to be quirky and ironic, so with a solo cup full of skepticism and morbid curiosity, I hit play. I can't even begin to describe my delight when I discovered that Peeling Flesh actually go far above and beyond justifying their visual aesthetic. It only took a minute and a half for the album to hit me with the opening verse of E-A-Ski's "Blast If I Have To" played over a salvo of brutal slam riffs. I was elated. I’ll admit, this intro might be one of the more awkward examples of the slam-rap synergy in motion, but it is quickly followed up by a certified club banger. "Shoot 2 Kill" brings down the house with a barrage of evil riffs, double kicks and gutturals before a classic 90s Memphis rap sample begins to loop over a feast of palm mutes and pinch harmonics. It’s stupid fun, but it’s executed so well. Just when you think it’s coming to an end, the breakdown kicks back into gear at a slower pace, with the same vocal sample pitched down a couple octaves. I didn’t know whether to bust it down and shake my ass, or crowd kill the drywall in my apartment, but I was sold. And the party is only getting started.

One of the sly ways in which Peeling Flesh manage to get a leg up on actual rap mixtapes is by savouring some of their downright tastiest moments for the interludes. “Skin Blunt (Interlude, Pt. 2)" might be the crowning point of the entire album just for the way those bone chilling xylophone (?) notes start to drip down over a disorienting flurry of chopped up vocal samples and metallic riffing. You'll feel like the Kool-Aid Man just busted through your wall and drop kicked you into the Twilight Zone. The G Code just has such a great sense of humour. There are tons of little moments during this album that will make you chuckle, like the Gundam sample in the title track, or those hilarious Ninja Turtle skits that were dredged up from the depths of youtube. But even without all the superfluous garnishes, there is still a mighty competent slam record underneath, with fantastic riffs and disgusting vocals that will surely satisfy your lust for obscenity. The drums are top notch as well, with tons of double kick and sharp snare hits to massage your perfectly smooth brain. All the samples simply inject a bit of good natured fun into the experience, and elevate the album into more of a cultural spectacle.

Peeling Flesh have taken the crown of hip-hop-metal integration by dangling the entire nu-metal scene by it's ankles and shaking the lunch money out of their sorry little pockets. The DJ record scratches on "Perc 3000" and "Full of Lead" is just their way of rubbing dirt in the wound. The G Code is definitely a "love it or hate it" type of album, but regardless, you have to at least respect Peeling Flesh for committing to the bit and paying homage to their geographical region in an authentic way instead of just using the aesthetic for irony's sake. Hell, they even put out an entire slowed down "Crunk Edition" of the album for the real sippers out there. Tulsa might be more than a stones throw away from Houston, but it's still the South.

[greensparty]

Nirvana Boston: Part 4 - Axis

This year marks 35 years since the release of Nirvana’s debut album Bleach and it also marks 30 years since the passing of Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain. In honor of one of my Top 3 Favorite Musicians of All Time, I’m doing a multi-part series Nirvana Boston, in which I look at all of the concerts Nirvana did in Boston. Part 1 looked at their July 1989 show at Green Street Station, Part 2 looked at their April 1990 show at Man Ray and Part 3 looked at their April 1990 show at MIT.

The 4th installment looks at possibly their most legendary show they ever did in Boston and their first of the year 1991. Since the last time the band had played Boston a lot had changed. Drummer Chad Channing parted ways and the new drummer was Dave Grohl, formerly of Scream.

September 23, 1991: WFNX 8th Birthday Bash at Axis (Boston, MA)

show flyer (quite a lineup)

Lynn, MA independently owned and operated alternative rock station WFNX was first launched in 1983 on 101.7-FM. The radio station was one of my favorites in the 90s and I was so sad when they ceased operation in 2012. Prior to 1991, WFNX was one of the early supporters of Nirvana in the Boston area, which is why WFNX DJs Duane Bruce and Kurt St. Thomas were at the Man Ray Show in 1990. Nirvana's major-label debut album Nevermind was going to be released the next day on September 24, but just a few weeks earlier on August 29, St. Thomas played the Nevermind album in its entirety on-air for it's World Premiere. So when the radio station was gearing up for their 8th anniversary concert celebrations they set up shows with multiple bands at multiple venues on Boston's Landsdowne Street. At Axis, the bands included Cliffs of Dooneen, Smashing Pumpkins (their debut Gish was just released a few months earlier), Bullet LaVolta and finally Nirvana. Duane Bruce says "I feel bad for the other bands that were on the bill that night, like the bands that were playing over at Bill's Bar. They were all packed houses and nobody talks about those shows. I'd say there were close to 3000 people on Lansdowne Street that night if not more. Certainly 1500 were slammed into Axis." 1500 might be an exaggeration, but not far off.

Nevermind tour poster and Boston was the second stop

Nirvana arrived in Boston the day before on September 22. They stayed at the old Howard Johnson's Hotel on Commonwealth Avenue that has since become a Boston University dorm. Reportedly the band had dinner at Division 16 on Boylston Street with some Geffen Records and WFNX employees. Afterwards, the band went to The Rat AKA The Rathskeller in Kenmore Square to see their friends The Melvins, but they weren't on the guest list and it was local singer-songwriter Mary Lou Lord who urged the bouncer to let them in even though they weren't on the guest list. She formed a relationship with Cobain for a short time. In the documentary The Road to Ruane about The Middle East promoter Billy Ruane (that screened at IFFBoston earlier this year), Lord elaborated that she took Cobain back to Ruane's apartment in Cambridge that night and they listened to his record collection.

Cobain and Grohl doing press with WFNX earlier in the day (photo by Julie Kramer)

MTV News attended this show to film an interview with Nirvana and some backstage tomfoolery including a Twister game gone wild at Bill's Bar next door to Axis! Here is the raw footage of that wild Crisco Twister game with some of the members of Smashing Pumpkins and an interview with the band:

In my friend Jason Steeves' documentary We Want the Airwaves: The WFNX Story, DJ Angie C. noted that for several months the only live footage MTV had of Nirvana was of their coverage at the WFNX Birthday Bash, so every time MTV News did an update about Nirvana they cut to a clip of them onstage with the WFNX banner behind them, so it was like the radio station and the band were intertwined for a while there.

Axis had a capacity of 1000 and it was packed to say the least. Both Nirvana and headliners Smashing Pumpkins were not going to be playing clubs this size much longer. Boston's own Bullet LaVolta had built up a huge following by this point and were WFNX favorites. Their major label debut Swandive was released the same day as Nirvana's Nevermind, and they had toured with Smashing Pumpkins, Mudhoney and Soundgarden. Bullet LaVolta drummer Todd Philips says "For us, it was just another show playing Axis. We weren't even playing the biggest room, there was a bigger room next door at Avalon. Nirvana wasn't even the biggest band on the bill at the time." As Duane Bruce puts it "if the show was a steam train, then after the Pumpkin and Bullet LaVolta, by the time you got to Nirvana it was just pure black smoke". At midnight, headliners Nirvana's set began. Kurt St. Thomas did an intro. The band did a 49 minute set. They did songs off of Bleach and several from the about-to-be-released Nevermind.

Cobain on stage (photo by Steve Gullick)

Novoselic and Grohl on stage (photographer unknown)

Novoselic and Grohl (photo by Steve Gullick)

In terms of highlights, Todd Philips says "Sliver" and "Drain You", which he says "When I heard that, I said - holy shit, this is pop. This should be Top 40 music!" Very true! There is a reason some of the songs on Nevermind made the Top 40.

Here is the audio recording from YouTube:

Of the three times I saw Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters at Fenway Park (the most recent being this past July), I couldn't help but think he had played right across the street at Axis for that legendary show decades earlier.

Up Next: When a fan mentioned that he couldn't attend the WFNX show because he wasn't 18, the band decided to do a last minute show the next day at Axis that would be all-ages. Part 5 is the second Axis show in September 1991.

[mdhwrites]

Fire Trailblazer is Slept on Too Hard

Since I got him, he has been a permanent part of my team. Literally only Skaracabaz has ever convinced me to take him out. He was my sole sustainer until Phantylia, at which point I rocked dual sustainers with him and Bailu and I have cleared up to Conundrum 6 of Gold and Gears with him as my SOLE sustainer running Nihility.

And very reasonably you might ask "HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT!?"

They (and sorry that I'll likely use He a lot in this, I have Caelus) don't look impressive. They don't even look functional! A LOT of people have stories of what is supposed to be their showcase fight leaving only them alive to fight the Phase 2 of Jarilo 6's boss specifically because he couldn't keep them alive. So what gives? Do I just have the most cracked out Trailblazer on the planet with literally as high defense as you can get it?

No, I just have the defense set on and the Belobog Planar Ornaments on. I have okay defense substats but when I put together the set, I wasn't paying hard attention to substats and haven't grinded the set since. I admittedly have even defense boots on him so quite literally EVERYTHING gives him defense besides his gloves but that's it.

The thing that needs to be remembered about the role of sustainer, especially for preservation is that their job isn't to make sure you take no damage, it's about keeping you alive. Fire Trailblazer does that. Even if you're taking chip damage each round on your characters, he's still reducing the damage they're taking by roughly 10-20% of their health for most characters in the game. After all, max level of his ability might only be a bit over 6% of his defense but 6% of FIVE THOUSAND DEFENSE is still over 300, plus another 89 base on top. That's 400+ shield in a game where most characters have less than 4000 health at level 80, even when fully equipped, if not almost 3000. And the game's damage understands this, keeping damage a lot lower than you expect in most scenarios so that your DPSes in main content don't just crumple up and die from a light breeze. This gives them the extra buffer those DPSes need to stay alive A LOT longer.

And that's without recognizing two elements:

1: He has an emergency button for if aggro gets off of him and your DPS is getting hammered. His ultimate not only deals not an insignificant amount of damage (his damage scales off that giant defense stat after all) but also reups his shield because

2: Literally every action he takes gives you his shield. You don't need to spend skill points to get this buffer. If you do use his skill, not only is his defense already super high but he takes 50% less damage than he'd already be taking while giving a 15% damage reduction to your allies for those pesky AoE attacks. Which...

Let's admit one of the biggest issues for him: He doesn't have a natural taunt, he only has his skill. Admittedly, Preservation characters inherently pull more Aggro inherently but you DO want a Landau's Choice or Moment of Victory on him. I went from sometimes everyone ganging up on my DPSes and causing problems despite the party wide shield to that being a LOW chance of happening after getting Moment of Victory on him. But that only happened for me maybe two months ago. Slightly before Scaracabaz came out. I still used him before then because any defense Preservation LC works and I literally didn't get Landau's Choice until like maybe a month ago. My luck in this game is not good.

The other big detriment for him is that he is slow and his shield only lasts two turns. This is okay usually but it easily can leave your party open to the first attacks from the enemies (then again, there are enemies with 140 speed and so will outspeed most DPSes with their speed boots on so good luck stopping that damage with anyone) and there can be times where because your other characters lap him, they may briefly be without shields, especially if you don't hold back on his ultimate to be able to cover those blind spots. And the defense aren't insignificant. They give me 600 defense. Sure that's like 40 points of shielding but you are barely keeping your shields on people after an attack already. It can be daunting to want to swap out for that speed even if it means more consistent defense. But if you want speed boots on him with some good defense substats to help make up for what you're losing, it's the ONLY variable relic he has that has more than one substat you care about. Heck, his chest, rope, boots and orb could all be dedicated to getting speed substats if you wanted because they can't get the ONE substat he cares about otherwise which is Defense%. Unless you want to go Energy Regen Rope which is an interesting idea that I wouldn't go for personally but that's because I use his ult as a panic button.

I've saved his best role for last though, and frankly want to do a couple blogs about this game mode: He is the best sustainer in Simulated Universe. Aventurine is the only who is going to rival him in this and you get Fire Trailblazer for free.

That might sound even more insane than the rest of these claims but it's actually really simple. Shields are a lot harder to come by than healing in Simulated Universe. Literally only Preservation and Remembrance don't have a way to give you back health in their blessings. The only ones with any form of shield though are Preservation, Remembrance, Destruction and now Erudition. Erudition's requires using its keyword though so it's not easy to pull off while funny enough, the only one who can't heal in combat with a healing blessing they have without their keyword is Abundance. There's also only one relic that gives health during combat... But zero that give shields.

And hey, the way to get shields in these paths isn't consistent. The ONLY consistent shields (especially ones that are worth a damn) for multiple rounds in Preservation, the shield path, is a level 2 blessing that has an 80%/100% chance to give a 12%/15% shield, usually weaker than Trailblazer's already, and a level 3 blessing that gives its stackable shield. Meanwhile, the blessings that heal? Most of them are level 1 blessings with a couple stronger level 2s. Some paths like Hunt even get more options for healing once you have their keyword. That healing can turn on Abundance's blessings but you're going to hard pressed to enable Preservation through blessings alone.

Which is a kind of a big deal when one of the level 1 Preservation blessings just gives a flat damage decrease of 16/24% damage which is a LOT for the only requirement being that you have a shield on. Preservation in general has a lot of strong blessings that can be utilized by any other path, not just when you're focusing Preservation... So long as you have a shielder.

And Fire Trailblazer doesn't even stop there as his offensive ult makes him able to take advantage of some fringe elements like ANYTHING in Erudition and being able to be given a follow up attack from Elation. All while giving a shield that makes sure that your characters aren't one shot. Hell, I run dual sustainer a lot of the time with Bailu as backup and those teams literally HAVE to be oneshot to die at that point most of the time. I don't know if I've ever lost an SU run with those two as my sustainers.

So yeah, I REALLY like Fire Trailblazer. It'll be hard for any other version of trailblazer to be better than them in my opinion, especially as a free character. Aventurine after all is the one I said could dethrone him as the best sustainer in SU after all and he's a limited five star. The fact that no one else in my opinion has beat him yet is kind of a big deal. I won't say he's the best sustainer everywhere, Huohuo kicks ass and Luocha is honestly so mechanically perfect as to be a mistake, but there's a reason I haven't pulled on another sustainer's banner yet.

I already have one that has almost never let me down.

======+++++======

Frankly, I could try to use Fire Trailblazer against Scarakabaz at this point. His death balls just kind of spooked me with their damage and so I actually swapped to running Bailu and Gepard for the fight so that essentially I could ult for ult his explosions. It's not a fast way to do the fight but it got me through it, even with Welt and Yanqing as my two DPSes otherwise.

And I am serious about wanting to talk more about SU stuff. I saw a comment of someone going "I can clear Memory of Chaos 12 but can't beat Swarm Disaster 5" and that has gnawed at me because it's a skill issue but a reasonable skill issue because not everyone is good at roguelikes. It's just that talking about that has so many facets it's probably going to be multiple blogs interlinked to each other because just general advice/rules I have on the mode would be LONG.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[fuzzkaizer]

ESTECHO's tape delay list:

Evans Nova 400

Guyatone EM-606

Kastam SS-101

__________

These above are only three of the list of nearly 30 different tape echo devices ESTECHO provides with useful pictures, maintainance and repair infos:

Ace Tone Pro Echo EC-10 Grandfather of Roland Space Echo series, designed by Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi.

Ace Tone EC-20 Later model by Ace Tone corp. Tension tape loop with individual head selection.

Denon Dic EM-1000 Rare, unusual and extremely heavy 1/4 inch tape machine from Denon corporation. Perhaps a prototype?

Elk EM-4 Compact model based on Sony RE tape cartridge.

Elk Echo Machine EM-1 Earlier model from Elk, using Sony RE tape cartridge

Evans SE-780 aka Multivox MX-312. Fully-featured tape delay with spring reverb, sound-on-sound and unique tape transport design.

Evans ES-5 Entry-level unit with tension tape loop and sliding playback head.

Evans EE-3 Entry-level unit with limited features, sliding playback head and tension tape loop.

Evans Nova 400 PA amplifier with integrated tape delay (tension tape loop) and channel sends.

Evans Vocal Echo VE-200 PA amplifier with integrated tape delay (tension tape loop) and channel sends.

Guyatone EM-77 Sony RE cartridge based unit with two playback heads.

Guyatone EM-606 Entry-level, 8-track cartridge unit with limited features.

Guyatone EM-808D 8-track cartridge unit with good amount of features.

Guyatone EM-88 Top-of-the-line Guyatone unit with tension tape loop.

Hawk 2-Channel Echo HE-2250 Stereo tape delay with fully independent delay lines and channels.

Iwase Voice Echo Machine Very old unit from little known Iwase corporation, featuring tube circuitry.

Kastam SS-102 8-track cartridge unit with good amount of features.

Kastam Concert SS-100 Entry-level 8-track cartridge unit.

Kastam SS-101 Very limited entry-level 8-track cartridge unit.

Kastam SS-301 Very limited entry-level 8-track cartridge unit.

Korg Stage Echo SE-500 Professional tape delay with full controls, very long repeat time and unique features such as CV input for delay time.

Mirano Echo Chamber 3 Early tape delay using tube circuitry.

Mirano T-4 Solid state model from the Mirano corporation.

Rexer RTE-3000 Late generation unit with free running tape loop and stereo output.

Roland Space Echo RE-100 Early Space Echo model using Sony RE cartridge

Roland Space Echo RE-200 Early Space Echo model using Sony RE cartridge, with spring reverb

Univox EC-80A Simple 1-head tape delay using Apollon-type cartridge.

_________

"ESTECHO’s music relies on many old and capricious musical instruments and devices. Keeping them in working condition is often a challenge, and for many of them, operation, maintenance and servicing information is very hard to come by. Often, pages such as this one are the only source of info available, pre-internet manufacturers having long since gone out of business or simply not remembering ever having these products for sale. For this reason, we’ve decided to share tips, tricks and info we’ve gathered while using, maintaining and repairing such devices."

cred: estecho.com/gear/

[shujinacademyvgmclub]

It's an ALL NEW episode of Shujin Academy VGM Club! We're going back to the track to talk about Lotus III, Top Gear 2, and Top Gear 3000! Featuring music from the SNES, the Genesis, and the VERY FIRST tracks from the Amiga CD32 ever played on my show! Listen now or get left behind!

[demonfox38]

Completed: Quest: Brian's Journey

Question: have you ever unironically loved something a majority of people consider awful?

Like, I don't mean a shitty person. I’m talking crappy media. LIke, is there at least one movie that was featured on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" or "Rifftrax" that you would watch without jokes? Do you have any cheap sci-fi novels or trashy paperback novels that are falling apart from how often you've re-read them? Have you ever seen a kid's show that was clearly just a ploy for marketing toys and loved it regardless?

I'm bringing this up because, in order to talk about "Quest: Brian's Journey," I'm going to have to talk about "Quest 64." Like, what I find genuinely special about that game, and why I consider this game's existence a miracle.

If you can't understand loving garbage, you're not going to get anything else out of this evaluation.

"Quest: Brian's Journey" is a 2000 Gameboy Color RPG that takes the root function and plot of the Nintendo 64 game "Quest 64" and "demakes" it for the lower-powered hardware. In some fashion, it could be considered a sibling to titles like the GameBoy version of "Metal Gear Solid," "Resident Evil Gaiden," and "Perfect Dark." Those titles were at least associated with games from the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 era that people generally considered good. The predecessor for "Quest: Brian's Journey," on the other hand…

Look. I know why "Quest 64" is bagged on. In an era bursting at the seams with FMV cutscenes, nascent voice acting, and long, complex storylines, "Quest 64" is downright rudimentary. Would it have done okay, had it been released at the beginning of the Nintendo 64's life? Maybe. But, in 1998? In the era of Squaresoft's indominable reign in the west? It was—and to some extent remains—a joke. Doubly so after more successful Nintendo 64 releases (particularly the big gun "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time", released only a handful of months later.)

Would it have been nice to have some level of cutscenes and puppetry in "Quest 64"? Absolutely. Maybe something more than a text crawl for an ending? Duh! "Quest 64" is a game released in a beta state, desperately needing at least six months of polish before it should have been dropped on the planet. But, for all its perceived flaws, I don't hate "Quest 64." In fact, I very much enjoy it! The game is lively, colorful, pleasantly varied in character and enemy design, and relaxing to play. For me, it scratches the same itch as archery or pool. It's a game that values positioning, accuracy, and exploration. All good stuff! Drop on top of that a leveling system that augments stats based on your actions and enemy reactions, and grinding suddenly becomes both rewarding and addicting. Like, no matter how you screw up, at least you'll be making progress.

Despite liking "Quest 64," it took me a long time to hear of its follow up games. (Yes, that's right, games. But one is just a "Dig Dug" kind of clone, so don't get too excited.) Like, I only heard about "Quest: Brian's Journey" a few years ago when it was featured in an RPG Limit Break race. I'm still baffled it took me almost 20 years to hear about it. Like, hell. Am I really that much out of the loop, or was there just nothing in terms of marketing for this game? I mean, I'd believe that, but I still feel weird for being so clueless as to its existence. Talk about totally missing your audience.

I suppose when your audience is one of out a million people, someone's going to slip through the cracks.

Despite being a rudimentary port, "Quest: Brian's Journey"'s plot ends up being more complex than its predecessor. The beats are mostly the same, with the hero leaving his monastery home to pursue his father across his Celtic-inspired homeland, acquiring magical stones and driving off monsters and demons in the process. However, more effort has been put into illustrating each plot point, clearly and precisely spelling out or expanding each beat of the story like…I don't know. A real video game! Additional boss fights are also present, giving a little bit of an extra surprise to players of the first game. Granted, it's not the most complex adventure in the world, but it gives way more personality and explanation to characters than before. Like, I can better understand Colleen's hatred for the pirate Kiliac, and Leonardo's whole deal makes way more sense.

Also, the fate of Brian's father is 100% not missable this time! So, hooray for clarity! Could have done without the bit where a 14-year-old princess is being forced into matchmaking, though. That's just weird and creepy.

Most of the environments from the previous game are here, minus Glencoe Forest. (Like, I can see where it roughly was, but it's just tiles instead of its own area.) While not a one-to-one map recreation from the previous game, it's parsable enough to know what is what. Most of the difficulty navigating them is due to the maze-like structure of most environments. Granted, missing treasures is not that big of a deal. The game is very generous with item drops in battles, and you'll easily max out your spirit statistics before you find them all in game.

It's wild how easy it is to overclock Brian in this game. Like, it's mostly the same leveling system as before, taking into account a player's actions and suffered damage to augment health, MP, evasion, defense, and the aforementioned spirit pool. In "Quest 64", it would take days to fully max out your statistics, with players often finishing their game at 40-43 spirits per element out of the max of 50. Here? It all accumulates way faster. Like, I easily hit the 50 max spirits per element before reaching Brannoch Castle (the penultimate dungeon), and I was able to max out HP just casually goofing around after beating the game. The only stat that was a pain in the ass (literally) to level up was defense, and even that is easy to push up to at least 70.

The battle system is intuitive, especially for people who have played the previous game. It's just A to whack with a stick, B to line up spells, and Start to use items. About the only curveball here is the way you learn spells. Previously, "Quest 64" only cared about a single element's level before granting you spells. "Quest: Brian's Journey" wants the player to be more balanced with their element spread, requiring certain levels in each element to grant the player a spell. For example, the first healing spell used to be granted at a Water level of 6. Now, it requires a split between two or three levels between Water and Earth. Not exactly the worst trick, considering how a skilled "Quest" aficionado is already dumping stats into those elements first, but it's good to know about.

Honestly, all of the elements are balanced much better in this game. Like, I watched a Wind Cutter 3 easily dump 200+ damage into a boss, killing it off in two turns. Absolute improvement!

In terms of enemy design and placement, it's mostly as previously experienced. Like, there are some augments, like how fast Merrows can be. But, again, if you know the first game, you've got this one. The only real bastard here is King Beigus, who can easily drop 150-180 HP if he wants. Otherwise, it's very manageable. Possibly, abusable, if you know how to play around spell area limitations!

Something's not quite right with the top-down perspective. Like, I appreciate a column-based spell hitting as high as it does, but it wouldn't look right in 3D. Imagine a geyser of water shooting 6 feet to the right instead of 6 feet vertically, and you'll get what I mean.

The translation for this game is off as well. Some enemy names and spells are mistranslated (most notable "Vanpire's Touch," which was correctly translated as "Vampire's Touch" previously.) I suppose having different companies publishing this series will have details like that slip through the cracks. THQ, Konami, Sunsoft—what a weird mix! Any port in a storm, huh, Imagineer?

I'm honestly surprised that this series' developing company is still around, as of 2023. "Medabot" money is strong, I guess!

Aesthetically, the game looks and sounds like what a competent Nintendo 64 to GameBoy Color port would be. Even acknowledging the limitations there, I do think it is a little visually disappointing. A lot of the spritework is small, so some character and monster details are lost to the compression. It's also limited palette-wise, leaving the previously vibrant environment and characters mostly some shade of cream or brown. I've got no complaints for the musical composition, though. Like, yeah, there's still a natural limit being hit. But, it went from a mid-tier midi arrangement to a competent square-wave arrangement with every tune still being recognizable, so I can't bitch about that! Very pleasant.

If you found "Quest 64" to be an enjoyable experience, "Quest: Brian's Journey" is a natural and easy recommendation to make. Granted, that's like saying, "If you enjoy making taxidermy arrangements using the corpses of squirrels, you'll find doing the same with mice to be equally enjoyable!" At least, to some people. I suspect there is an overlap between players who liked this game and would like the NES games "The Magic of Scheherazade" or "Faria: A World of Mystery and Danger," but again, I may be speaking in tongues.

Do you want an old fantasy game with an easy and quirky battle system that lasts about 10 hours? If so, here you go! Enjoy getting into mouse taxidermy.

I mean, there are worse ways to develop your skills.

[stickerlyshop]

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[guitarhappyman]

What 10,000 horsepower does to a top fuel tire at launch.

TOP FUEL ACCELERATION PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE

* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower (10,000 HP) than the first 5 rows at the Daytona 500.

* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1.2-1.5 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.

* A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to merely drive the dragster's supercharger.

* With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.

* At the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.

* Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.

* Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug.

This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.

* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.

* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.

* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence.

* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before half-track, the launch acce leration approaches 8 G's.

* Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light!

* Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load.

* The redline is actually quite high at 9500 RPM.

* THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000 per second.

0 to 100 MPH in .8 seconds (the first 60 feet of the run)

0 to 200 MPH in 2.2 seconds (the first 350 feet of the run)

6 g-forces at the starting line (nothing accelerates faster on land)

6 negative g-forces upon deployment of twin ‘chutes at 300 MPH An NHRA Top Fuel Dragster accelerates quicker than any other land vehicle on earth . . quicker than a jet fighter plane . . . quicker than the space shuttle.

The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.420 seconds for the quarter-mile (2004, Doug Kalitta). The top speed record is 337.58 MPH as measured over the last 66' of the run (2005, Tony Schumacher).

Putting this all into perspective:

You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged & ready to launch down a quarter-mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.

The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3 seconds the dragster catches & passes you.

He beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile away from where you just passed him. Think about it - from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 MPH & not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot long race!

That's acceleration!