#the music that plays in the big area is such a banger

[bestgameostcrownduel]

Round 1, Side B: Undertale (2015) vs Hollow Knight (2017)

Undertale | Hollow Knight

Campaigns under the cut!

Campaign for Undertale:

i don't know what i can even say about the undertale soundtrack except that Toby Fox's mastery of mood and leitmotif is just masterful, and as good as it is on its own it feels absolutely mindblowing in-context.

Look there’s a REASON why “megalovania” became a meme and it’s because it genuinely is that good, and it’s not even the best track in the game!!! There have been multiple cases of professional musicians blind reacting to the soundtrack and A: loving it and B: managing to accurately predict the events happening while a given track plays in-game based purely on the leitmotifs and composition techniques used. Sooo many video essayists and such use undertale music in the background of their videos, and not even the big well known tracks but the calmer more incidental music, because it’s just so good. The soundtrack is good enough to justify a whole orchestral concert of just music from this game. My personal favourites are the title track “Undertale”, “Hopes and Dreams”, and “Waterfall” and even narrowing it down to just those three just now took me ages because every track is a banger

it's undertale

TBH Undertale isn't the music that has changed my brain the most but it is the one where all the discourse is so old it is now stupid. Anyway. Sans Undertale website. Psionic warriors vote for the funny bone man and his funny bone music.

It's got so many good songs. Fallen Down is my personal favorite but it's got amazing boss music and I have to mention Megalovania. A lot of it is composed with the same notes just in different patterns. Which, I know that's whay music is but I can't explain it better. all the music fits together well.

Campaign for Hollow Knight:

every song is specifically made to fit with the area/boss it plays for. Crystal Peak includes "shimmery" noises to evoke the image of crystals, Soul Sanctum has a haunted sort of feel to it, Nosk feels like skittering and it's very quick- anxiety-inducing if you will. it has an uncanny feel to it, which helps with Nosk's role as a mimic luring you in as prey. Sealed Vessel is very emotional, high-energy but resigned and tragic. as the Hollow Knight weakens, its song does as well and it directly leads into the Radiance's theme. point being that all the songs have a purpose and very well designed for said purpose

Hollow Knight has an incredibly atmospheric soundtrack. It's got great area themes that just feel exactly like what they're trying to represent, and its boss themes, especially, are phenomenal - which is important for a game with so many bosses, as it works well to distinguish them and make them memorable. It's also important for a game where you'll be fighting said bosses over and over again lmao

#undertale #utdr #hollow knight #hk #polls #best game ost crown duel #side b #round 1

[badstargateimagines]

Vala Deserved Better and This is My Proposal For How I Would Give Her Better

Here are all the things that I think Vala and I would do if they ever let her breach fucking containment. Jesus H. Christ let the woman LIVE!!! Shout out to @judgeverse and all the other fine folks in the discord for giving me this powerful vision

Go to the club 

Obvious but apparently too much for the writers to handle 

We would go with like 40 dollars between us and we would find a man to buy us drinks for the night and then give him a fake snap/number at the end of the night 

She would finally experience the experience of the bathroom at a club and I think she would find it extremely healing 

We would close that bitch and then go and get kebab before we called an uber to get us home 

Pre Drinks 

This would happen before the club obv but I think pre is a VITAL component to the experience while also being nearly entirely separate 

All the SGC girlies chilling doing their makeup 

We are all chilling on the floor of a living room using what using whatever mirrors we have close to us sharing big pile of makeup  

Our brushes are filthy and Janet is low-key lecturing us about the dangers of sharing eye shadow and having dirty makeup brushes 

Her's are also dirty 

We have a Spotify jam going that absolutely shreds 

We started out w a playlist but then we all wanted to show Vala some tracks so we needed to collaborate. 

I show her Meghan Thee Stallion so when she comes on at the club she knows what to do 

Janet shows her all the Y2K bangers 

Sam just goes fucking crazy on the queue and puts everything from midwest emo to sea shanties on there 

Shots obvs 

Cam and Daniel keep texting the gc to ask when we're leaving for the club and we keep saying we're leaving soon 

We brief Vala on club/bar safety so she doesn't go missing or perish or something 

Watching movies but specifically the Barbie movie 

I think she would find it very healing 

She starts calling men Kens 

A week later I find her watching TikTok edits under the 'close your eyes and feel' sound and we watch them together and cry 

I gather mine and my mom's old Barbies and we play with them because there is no age-limit on Barbie!!! 

I get distracted and go over the bonkers plotlines I used to give my Barbies back in the day. 

I also show her other movies that altered my brain chemistry 

The Breakfast Club 

Mean Girls 

Legally Blonde 

Pretty in Pink 

Ferris Bueller's Day Off 

Freaky Friday (2003) 

Hairspray (2007) 

Going for drives in a total shitbox while blasting music 

She needs to experience driving around aimlessly for an hour and then ending up having a life-changing conversation in a random parking lot 

Girlhood (TM) 

Going to the mall  

Sometimes you need to show aliens capitalism in action 

I have to physically drag her out of bath and body works before she gets swindled into paying full price for a candle like a rube 

I explain to her that she just has to wait a couple weeks for candles to go on a like 6 for the price of 2 sale or something and that I will tell her when it's happening 

She is baffled by this revelation but listens to me because of my credentials (used to work at a mall and have a spending addiction) 

We also buy a new outfit and then go to Sephora to get our makeup done to go w the new fit and also so I can show her my roots 

She will also experience The Mall Pretzel  

Sleepovers!!!!! 

I would do my best to create the ultimate sleepover vibes 

I'm talking we buy brand new fuzzy PJs, I string up christmas lights, every snack we could ever want, the entire living room is transformed into a comfy cozy area with everything we could ever need close to us 

Trashy reality show playing on autoplay on the TV at a low volume so we can still talk and listen to music but also hear Kris Jenner saying out of pocket shit to her children 

I would also give the experience of playing Nintendogs with your bestie 

Maybe even a powerpoint night??  

Putting tinder on the big screen and roasting men together 

Playing the Sims and collaborating on the most ridiculous sims and houses to ever exist 

Go Karting 

Let this woman at the wheel immediately!!! 

We could kick ass and then get a lifetime ban from the track 

These 10-year-olds aren't ready for us!!! 

Lighting section at Home Depot 

Self-explanatory 

IKEA 

We would spend so many hours there just pretending we were furnishing a mansion with unlimited money 

Saying: "Omg this should be in the Sims" to each other 

The IKEA cafeteria my beloved 

The only thing we buy is a Djungelskog each 

Racing the carts in the warehouse part 

A crucial yet forbidden part of the experience 

Karaoke 

She would love karaoke 

No further points your honour 

#stargate #sg1 #stargate sg1 #vala mal doran #bad stargate imagines #sam carter #janet fraiser #daniel jackson #cameron mitchell

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 03/01/2024

Never Gonna Give Up Mahjong

Season 3 Featured on: 2018.­Unregistered­HyperCam­2.­Full­Album.­XviD.­KfaD.­320­kbps­[CDRip]

Ripped by The Duane

For as much of a perceived SiIvaGunner loremaster as I may appear to be, I've expressed a few times that there are still several areas of the channel's legacy that I know very little about. Last month I talked about my unfamiliarity with the Touhou series despite its prominence and influence on the channel with rips like Imperial Touwer and Beautiful! ~ Curveball of Sean Kingston, and beyond that there's stuff like waterwraith pokos, a requested rip that opened me up to something I had...genuinely no idea about beforehand. Of these surprising new worlds I've been introduced to though, one thing truly shocked me more than any other - Why the Fuck do video games based on Mahjong just consistently have bangers?

Back way long ago during "Voiceless Week", I was requested to cover one of the song's arrangements called voiceless - simple ds series vol. 01 - the mahjong (¥1480). It was far from the first song ripped from its game, and it was a series of rips I was well aware existed, yet never gave any time - what could be so special about some DS Mahjong game music? As it turned out, the game just had an inherently super compelling, distinct, and flat-out BANGING sound to it, that just drew tons of rippers toward making things with its instrumentation. It reminded me of all the rips I'd already heard using the instrumentation of Pokémon's 4th-gen games, like yesterday's Bidoof's Big Band, yet now applied to a game I had next to no familiarity with.

Turns out, there's an entire small sub-community of Mahjong game fans out there, and that Mahjong games having fantastic soundtracks is far more common than I'd been led to believe. Never Gonna Give Up Mahjong is ripping a track from a *different* Nintendo DS Mahjong game, yet its sound is incredibly distinctive from the one I just described whilst still sounding fantastic. The rip's melody swap to Never Gonna Give You Up is a relatively subtle change all things considered, as the track's original percussion and beat is still being used, yet that one added accent just brings out the excellence of those pre-existing elements so much more. It gives the played out Rick Astley internet classic a whole new life, a funky, peppy feel to it, recognizable yet so different in tone.

Compared to many of the other Hypercam-themed rips such as YACKER TOILET, it doesn't feel like the rip is exactly celebrating or relishing in its original track's cheesiness, or to make you nostalgic for an older period of internet life. Its hard to describe, but Never Gonna Give Up Mahjong works so well for me specifically because I'd never gotten anywhere close to hearing its original source material, making this rip simply feel like a stylish, out-there reimagining of Never Gonna Give You Up, one that reminds you of how good the tune is. And even now that I know where that original piece came from, now that I KNOW that "Mahjong Bangers" is a very real thing, I still believe The Duane did a bang-up job making a melody swap this theoretically simple truly feel...sparkly. And just like Beautiful! ~ Curveball of Sean Kingston, its the underappreciated gems like this that so easily slip between the cracks, that I end up really cherishing.

#todays siivagunner #season 3 #siivagunner #siiva #The Duane #mahjong bangers #mahjong music #mahjong #nintendo ds #nintendo ds music #rick astley #never gonna give you up #rickroll #unregistered hypercam 2 #uhc2 #Youtube #Bandcamp

[bright-and-burning]

thank you for the tag @albonoooo <333

star sign: leo (attention whore signs 4 the win)

favourite holiday: my neighborhood does neighbor day every year and that’s a solid percentage of my favorite childhood memories. my neighborhood is very very close (very much so an “it takes a village” mentality) so i grew up with essentially twenty aunts and uncles. and also like ten dogs and thirteen vaguely cousin-esque figures on my block. anyways it’s like a massive potluck barbecue thing, it goes from like noon to whenever the last person heads in (which can be quite late). think like. potluck barbecue to casual day drinking to big bonfire w smores as the day goes by. as a kid i spent the whole day roaming the neighborhood and coming back every so often to grab food from the tables before heading off again. as an adult i got to get drunk on seltzers with a bunch of 50 somethings and it was incredible

last meal: omg it was my last ohio meal… i got it from this really special like local version of sonic’s (like a drive up food place). they make their burgers w a little bit of brown sugar and mashed banana (they’re the best burgers i’ve ever had). so i had a double hamburger w fries and a mint shake w brownie spindled in. if you’re ever driving through ohio PLEASE hit me up to get this place’s name it’s GLORIOUS. 1980s pricing (admittedly 80s portions too lol). neon signs everywhere. what i will miss the most

current favourite musician: i tend to just hit play on my liked songs so whatever i liked most recently gets played wayyyy more. a lot of the backseat lovers rn

last music listened to: mama’s gun by glass animals (BANGER OF A SONG!!!)

last movie watched: the muppet christmas carol i think . yeah according to letterboxd that lmfao

last tv show watched: i just binged monarch: legacy of monsters w my parents (amazing godzilla tv show but godzilla’s only in it for like. 10 minutes total lol. gay people <3) and then we started lockwood & co tonight on a whim

last book/fic finished: the invisible library by genevieve cogman !!! so good. librarian spy thieves…

last book/fic abandoned: oh gosh. i am such a completionist that i don’t think i ever leave books unfinished. technically i won’t be able to finish the masked city (the sequel to the invisible library) bc it belongs to the library and i am moving. but i will be picking it back up as soon as i have a library card in my new area so? does that even count? yeah i don’t really dnf things

currently reading: the masked city by genevieve cogman technically. lol. i’m trying to read at least a page a day in january. some days that means literally reading a page other days it’s reading 300. since i started the masked city like four days ago ive only made it through 30 pages bc moving is a nightmare so.

last thing researched for writing/art/hyperfixation: hm. technically for the last thing i like posted that would be the drug testing guidelines for f1 (tldr fun fact party drugs are fine out of competition). i read like. 60 pages of legalese. and a bunch of medical stuff and then several wikipedia pages and guides for athletes. the last wikipedia article i opened was for NATO and i have no idea why LOL

favourite online fandom memory: i have the memory of a goldfish… i’m also pretty sure f1 is the first time i’ve been involved w a fandom like. as it’s happening. i’m usually a latecomer . i did enjoy whatever the fuck went down w supernatural and putin that was fun second hand (literally thru a groupchat bc i was in my significantly less terminally online era aka i was in college)

favourite old fandom you wish would drag you back in/have a resurgence: newsies (1992) my beloved… i plotted out a fic that would stretch over like. 40 years. i went INSANE on historical accuracy research. and then i got depressed… someday my magnum opus (slice of life polyamory through turn of the century nyc) will come to fruition

favourite thing you enjoy that never had an active or big fandom, but you wish it did: i feel like there’s been a million times i’ve walked out of a movie (or finished a book, or a tv show) and gone to ao3 and then it has like. 4 works. the rivers of london series by ben aaronovitch only has like . 1k fics on ao3. and not a lot of ppl posting on tumblr. so maybe that?

tempting project you're trying to rein in/don't have time for: all of them tbh… runners au really (it’s spawned into like three different fics of plot lines Plus an epistolary type companion…). i literally constantly come up w ideas (usually hyper specific aus) all the time ask dees it’s a PROBLEM for me. bc i have no time for any of them…

no pressure tags if u wld like <3 @userkritaaay @leclercenjoyer @drivestraight @oscarpiastriwdc @eyes-likepilotlights (i have not paid a ton of attention to who has done this/been tagged sorry)

#tag game #wow i’m like so long winded lol. sorry!!!!!!!!! leo moment #or smthn .

[lowpolyshadow]

sonic frontiers review go!!!! (non spoilers then MASSIVE spoilers under the cut) TLDR overall score: i would say it's an objective solid 8/10, but for me personally i just. i just had so much fun. 10/10

gameplay (combat/bosses) 9/10 gameplay (cybers) 6.5/10 gameplay (shmovement) 8/10

i fucking Love. Comboing Shit For Video Game Combat. it's Fun. it's Exciting. I Love That Shit. excellent combat system, i just wish either skills were harder to unlock or there were just more to unlock (preferably the latter i guess, but i can't think of anything i want ... added ... it's just that skill points are so easy to come by and i maxed out the tree pretty fast, so i have a bunch of excess points for nothing. tbf i have a LOT of excess EVERYTHING but)

bosses were fucking excellent. THE highlights imo. mob fights and stuff are fine, everything manages to be its own puzzle which i adore but mini bosses and bosses are the shit. the cyberlevels are fun genuinely but either too short to get into, have some jank physics in a couple of them, or . well some of them aren't that fun GJKLASDF but i didn't hate them! ive only played sa2 so i only recognized those ones + the Super iconic ones (chemical plant and all that) and that probably affects judgement since blind reacting to a sonic stage is the fun part imo

they're ridiculously easy (to... me at least) though. besides 1-2's s rank which i finally got, i was able to get all four missions done for every cyber level within one sitting ... on average like . 3 tries per i'd say (blind first, going back for any red rings or ring reqs, and then speed) with some taking a few more for speed but never more than like. 10-20 min tbh. in general i almost want a very hard mode bc the game overall was a very chill time, which is fine but sometimes i want my shit rocked

parries being Not timing based both threw me off (bc i would try to let go at the exact time when in fact you just hold it) and made them feel a little less ultra cool since sonic will just hold the parry for as long as ... you do, essentially (though there is heavy end lag on it so if you don't parry anything that's at least punished) it's a minor tryhard gripe where i wish there was like a PARRY parry i could toggle or smth

i like being sonic in a big environment it's just fun. the amount of fucked up shit you can do is great, he truly is a prime candidate for bigass open areas (and he controls pretty nicely, just got a couple weird moments and things like he goes into 'trick' mode too easily or some platforming things don't work the way they're supposed to bc you go too fast lol)

story…… 8.5/10 characters 10/10 i like them :)

character writing was absolutely the highlight for me this game, good banter, many quips, overall just characterization i adore and love to see i was well fed this game with my beloved little scrimblos it was a good time

the story itself went pretty hard ngl, a lot more lore than i expected and generally it was sonic taking its ridiculous plot seriously again which is all i wanted !!!! it's like somehow ridiculous but probably the most straightforward story they've done in a while, but that's not a bad thing. good story i pogged a few times

music 11/10 straight bangers they just don't fucking miss

i don't think i have much spoiler stuff i'd wanna say other than i genuinely think they hyped themselves too much at the start. like the gameplay was fun learning how it works, how movement goes, the setup and everything etc. etc. i always 100% the map first thing as soon as i can then go through for anything i need/pick stuff up along the way and then i do the boss fight

and that first boss fight. is so fucking sick. oh my god. i felt like. if i was 12 and played this and got to experience that boss fight the way i did now it would've literally changed the trajectory of my life. it DID change the trajectory of my life right now at 23 it was just pure hype, i was so giddy, i had the biggest fucking grin i was literally ready to physically pop off yelling LETS GOOOOO i just let the little tutorial popup chill while i head banged to the song like dear fucking god dude. INSANE intro they set the bar way too high off the bat

wyvern/second boss was perhaps my favorite mechanically just bc it really goes at you the most, you gotta react a lot and parry a lot to get through the fight which is Fun .... giganto/first boss tho. easily the most memorable experience in gaming that i've had in years. it was just so phenomenally done, probably biased bc it's the first one but shadow of the colossus-ing your way up to his fucking head to get the emerald, turn into super sonic, hear that FUCKING SONG

but this game has sonic be so fucking anime and that means knight/boss 3 easily has the best fucking finisher when sonic picks up a sword the size of the island itself and does the most anime cut in half shot he possibly can god it was so fucking SICK THIS GAME IS SICK SONIC IS THE COOLEST

the story weakness imo is the ending where they had so much build up but not a Ton of payoff, not even talking about sonic like essentially dying in soul/mind and then being revived with friendship (based tbh) but like the last boss fight and last islands just weren't nearly as cool as the others imo .... supreme was a lil similar to giganto and went by a lot faster than expected, probably bc by that point sonic's probably juiced up from upgrades (i went all in on attack no defense too lol sooo) ... i love a good bullet hell but i wanted a super cool super sonic fight, a hyper sonic fight, something that lets me go to town and see a fucking Spectacle

fun bullet hell but that wasn't what i'm HERE for (also finally hearing im here was sick but the fight itself really was so short/not quite as hard or anything innovative that it.... ehhh .... plus it was oddly quiet compared to the other songs i think, like, the sound mixing)

the ending feels a liiiittle rushed? The End is cool as a concept especially with how fucked up we know it is but i dunno, it really does feel like it blew the load a little too early and the ending just didn't live up to earlier hype/expectations

but it was still fun it just. it just didn't make me Feel the way giganto did, the way wyvern did, knight was where the hype started dropping off a liiiittle but knight was still a fucking SHOW where sonic beats a mf with his own shield AND THEN BLOCKS A SWORD BIGGER THAN MOUNTAINS WITH HIS OWN FUCKING HANDS THEN USES IT AGAINST HIM ITS' SIK IT'S SICK the final boss didn't have any truly THIS IS FUCKING AWESOME bits that really let you walk away going YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH and that's the part they need to fix

also no boss rush :/ brings the score down tbh i want to relive these things so fucking bad

the character relationships were soooo good though i just. gughugh. i don't want to get emo again but GOD they're such good friends they love and care about each other, i'm obsessed with amy saying how sonic loves the world and he has so much love to show because it's true sonic just LOVES living he loves life he loves getting to just Be and

tails is growing up on him faster than he expected .... uuu ....

and the fucking SONIC AND KNUCKLES BAYBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YEAHYEAHYEAHYEAHYEAHYEAHYEAHYEAH BUTTING HEADS SNARLING AT EACH OTHER LAUGHING AND GIVING FIST BUMPS AND TALKING SHIT THEY WERE SO GOOD YEAHYEAHYHEAY MOTEHRFUCKING KNUCKLES SWEEP BABY LETS GOOOO

god. so good. so fucking good. this is a game about love (sonic and his friends, eggman and sage of all people, the koco and their. selves? their history?, even chaos technically ....) and who am i if not a fucking Sucker for that shit. lets show that creep the real super power of team work

i did not actually hear vandalize in game yet because that is apparently only if you go into the final fight on easy or normal (i played to completion on hard exclusively) but the "true" ending song by nate goddamn wants to battle is INCREDIBLY sonic. one way dream is soooo reach for the stars/endless possibilities. it just makes me Feel happy. it's a little melancholic the way all of frontiers sort of is, but it's still hopeful and all about like. going forward. overcoming anything in your path and getting better for it and seeing the start of another new adventure and that sure is sonic the hedgehog

#none of this was coherent i just rambled a lot bc i really like this game #so good. soooo good. oh god man i'm going through it #im emo im so emo i'm never normal again #sonic frontiers #speaking

[sonic-hot-takes]

@halloween-cats said:

Sonic and The Secret Rings is fucking fantastic you guys are just mean. I think it and Black Knight are some of the best Sonic games ever.

(although for the record I watched a playthrough of those games instead of playing it myself, so I cannot in good conscience defend the gameplay. What I care about is the story, characterization, visual design, and music. And they're damn good at that!)

1) It’s not fair to say something like “this is one of the best Sonic games ever” when you haven’t played the actual game. Story and presentation are important, but will always come second to the core gameplay in a platformer.

2) secret rings OST is mid as hell ngl. Extremely forgettable in a series known for its bangers

3) Here’s why I think Secret Rings is the worst Sonic game:

When rating games in a big franchise like this to determine which one is the best or the worst, I consider two thing: quality and scale.

Quality is self explanatory. How good is the finished product? Is it fun to play, are the mechanics well thought out, is the story good, yadda yadda. This is how most games are analyzed and reviewed.

Scale is a bit trickier. What was the game trying to achieve, and how well did it go about achieving it? What kind of impact did it leave on the series as a whole? Is it a big, 40 hour console game, or just a fun little mobile game to waste time with?

That second one is why I scoff at people saying stuff like “Sonic Labyrinth is the worst Sonic game!” “Sonic Jam on game.com is the worst Sonic game!” “Sonic Schoolhouse is the worst Sonic game!” In isolation, these games certainly don’t hold a candle to 90% of what this series has put out, but at the same time, they were never trying to compete with them. It’s obvious that games like these aren’t trying to be anything more than what they are: low budget side games there to turn an extra buck for Sega. They are filler. They don’t count.

(Granted, there is some gray area as to what “scale” can entail. Games like Chronicles and Free Riders can fall on either side of the argument, but for the purposes of this post, it’s not all that important to get into)

With all that in mind, the worst games in any given franchise are the ones that promise the biggest scale but have the worst quality. They’re not just bad, they’re disappointing.

I’m sure that you’re thinking “by that criteria, 06 is the worst Sonic game.” And yeah, you’re right! But there’s a silver lining to it.

It’s no secret that 06 had a rough development. Like, “it’s a miracle this got out at all” rough. While Sega rushing the game for Christmas was definitely the final nail in the coffin, the two biggest factors in the game’s failure are as follows:

Yuji Naka, the game’s director, leaving halfway through production. In a post Balan society it’s easy to say that this was a good thing, but it’s difficult for any project to bounce back after losing its director, let alone a game of 06’s scale.

The development team splitting in half to make, you guessed it, Secret Rings.

Having played through a decent bit of the Project 06 mod and cross referencing it with vanilla 06 on my 360 (which I’m astonished hasn’t red ringed yet), I’ve realized that Sonic 06 does have some good ideas trapped deep inside its messy, messy code. The level design really isn’t that bad. The mach speed sections are great when you can actually control your jump. The more I play Project 06, the more I think to myself…what if Sonic 06 had more development time? Or better yet, what if Sonic 06 had more developers that weren’t forced to work on another project?

Basically, I blame Secret Rings for a lot of the issues with 06. There’s an argument to be made that that’s not really fair to Secret Rings, and sure, it’s fine if you think that, but I hold to my opinion for a few reasons.

Secret Rings has had virtually no impact on the series otherwise. This applies to Black Knight as well, but Black Knight has better music, marginally better gameplay, and didn’t cause another game to suffer by eating up development resources. At least 06 gave us Silver (even if @spiritsonic is the one who made him good).

Even on its own, Secret Rings is not a good game. Controlling Sonic with the Wii remote feels incredibly awkward and I don’t think any amount of fine tuning would’ve fixed that, especially not for a game of its era. The fact that you’re on rails leads to level design that blurs together in your head, so nothing ever stands out. The missions are all monotonous and tedious, so you rarely ever feel like you’re pushing the story forward through the gameplay, which is essential for a video game with any semblance of plot.

I don’t feel guilty for pinning 06’s failure on Secret Rings. Truly, it can not be overstated how much of a negative impact 06 had on this series—you still get gaming journalists who go “remember when Sonic kissed some real woman?”—and if Secret Rings hadn’t existed, if Sega just held off on releasing something early in the Wii’s lifespan and relied on Sonic Rush to reel in Nintendo gamers, things might have been a whole lot different. Since Secret Rings doesn’t really have a legacy of its own, whenever I look at it, I just think to myself, “they cut Sonic 06’s development team in half for this?”

#submission #sonic the hedgehog #sonic and the secret rings #sonic and the black knight #sonic 06 #sega #project 06

[1stupidrat]

Learned Mortality Episode 1-3 Music Post

Hey everyone! Just wanted to make a post sharing some of my insight into the songs used in Learned Mortality, episode 1-3.

I want to also talk abt the references to lyrics that I used, but in order to preserve theories, I'd rather do that later when the series has ended. Believe me, there's references to pretty much every song in the plot of the game in the actual way the game works- I've been planning this like a crazy ass spiders web.

Anyways, let's start with my most anticipated song- the TBC song, aka world.execute(me) aka I can see this with an animated anime ending playing in my head rent-free!!!

Where the Wild Things Are, perfect for a car chase.

House of Dreams, still proud of getting this stuck in Jared's head lmao.

Murphy has become my new best friend. The Lucky One is a banger!!

Shinzo sure came outta nowhere for me, but i love it as a song.

Also a big thing I wanna just plug Bliss n Eso, Milli & Celldweller for carrying this game imo.

Also a lot of ambient tracks come from the Darktide OST, Ghost Piano by Kevin Manthei, and ofc the Other Bound OST for providing a lot of wonderful backing tracks that I've made sure fit the theme of each area to a T. Excited to share more music from this campaign with you all, sharing music is my joy and running a TTRPG is the best way to do so imo.

Enjoy these songs, lemme know if there's anything you specifically want me to post that has showed up which I didn't post here~

#music #bliss n eso #kevin manthei #ghost piano #ttrpg #sharing music #celldweller #klayton #scandroid #eso tiller #learned mortality #sequence break #Youtube

[prismabird]

My thoughts on Mythicon (what worked, what didn’t)

This is a repost from my Reddit account, but I wanted this documented on my own blog.

So, as I’ve said, I got VERY lucky with a lot of my Mythicon experience. I didn't want a tattoo, so I skipped that fiasco all together, and I just kinda refused to stress the stuff that wasn't working too well. Except for while standing in front of the Hibachi truck for an hour and a half, hungry and cranky. The area around the Hibatchi truck was where joy went to die.

But I was luckily dressed for the cool weather, and got an amazing seat for the big show, on the grassy hill where I could stretch out and watch at my leisure. It occurred to me that I'd rather be comfortable than close to the stage, and it was the best call I made all weekend.

If they were to do this again: Ditch the carnival. The ax throwing was cool, the bull riding was awesome. Everything else, not so much. Honestly, they should have never built it up, because I think people were picturing something very different, self included. Now, with that extra room/money you saved from not having a bouncy house that no one used: More food trucks/food booths. Bathrooms were decent. Free water? *chef's kiss* Movie house with free popcorn? Yes please. Good merch, and the museum was pretty awesome.

The venue was difficult for people. Cons are held at hotels for a reason - so people can duck out for a nap, other food, what have you. Now, I *personally* loved that we were outside all day, napping in the grass with each other, making friends - but it was difficult for some, especially people who have limit energy or physical difficulties. Much as I love the music fest vibe, I gotta suggest something a little easier for everyone.

The shows? 10/10. Rhett and Link appearing on the roof? Perfect. Josh in jorts and a bonnet? Excellent. Rhett’s big JatS debut? So special and fun. Stevie throwing tampons into the audience? Charles doing the shag? Trever "another banger"ing Shayne? I'm here for it. And (not to bring it up all the time, but it was a huge part of my weekend) if you've never been high while Rhett and Link summon aliens, you haven't lived. When that drone flew overhead, I almost fell back on my ass. A surreal moment only topped by DJ Elkhound (Snugglebaby), which was the perfect fun weirdness on which to end the con.

Best of all, the crew were so enthusiastic and interactive. I’ve been to cons, and 75% of the “special guests” are just sitting behind a booth, annoyed and tired and angry that they have to be there. I mean, maybe the crew were miserable, but they sure as hell didn’t let it show. The energy from everyone was as if they were more excited to be there than we were! I mean, I’m normally super shy about approaching people, but I didn’t have to, they approached me. Mike Paisley even played cornhole with me! 

If they’re doing it next year, I’m gonna be there.

#Mythicon #Long ass post

[hashtag-anthems]

Okay so like after sleeping on it I have come to the conclusion that setting aside my personal bias towards Platinum (it was my first gen and I love it), Pokémon’s best main series plots really have just been “one of your rivals/friends has a shit parent and we have to go clean up their mess.”

Gen V? N has a shit dad who wants to take over the world and we have to go clean up his mess after he freezes an entire city. The scene where you find N’s bedroom in the castle and it hits you just how badly this boy has been manipulated his whole life? Still hits me right in the solar plexus every time.

Gen VII? Lillie and Gladion have a shit mom who’s ripping open portals to other worlds in her impossible pursuit of perfect beauty and we have to go clean up her mess. The cryochamber scene was beautifully executed and I loved it. Lusamine fusing with a jellyfish from another dimension was awesome.

Putting a readmore bc Big Scarlet Violet Spoilers Ahead

Now Gen IX? Arven’s parent depending on which version you play built a time machine to fulfill their dream of seeing Pokémon from another time and neglected their kid about it, even sacrificing their life to save one of them in the end and we have to go clean up their mess because their time machine is endangering the whole region. I legit sobbed for most of that final sequence with the Paradise Protection Protocol. Also the music was banger in Area Zero I felt Toby Fox in that Chili’s last night.

Anyway, game got Real Good in the last like. Hour of the main story.

#hashtag rambles #pokémon sv #for the record I’m not counting legends Arceus as a main series game in this post bc that game has an amazing plot also #whether I consider it main series or not really depends on the day lol #but like this game has me in its claws and idk when it’s gonna let go #arven is my new blorbo I am putting him on the shelf next to klavier

[mx-unfunny]

Wishful Thinking About Sonic Frontiers (From A Casual Fan’s POV)

(IDW COMICS SPOILERS)

Before we start, I’d like to say that the only “good” Sonic games I’ve played before are Unleashed and Mania. The rest I’ve played are Secret Rings, Zero Gravity, and Lost World. Not the best experience. I am also, by no means, a very skilled gamer. The hardest game I’ve played so far is Hollow Knight, with Breath of the Wild being right under that, so keep that in mind. About this whole rant, I will be talking about what I hope is in store for Frontiers, while simultaneously criticizing past games. Gameplay won’t be too big of a part, as characterization and animation are parts I’m more focused on.

TLDR: I have a lot of hope for Frontiers, and I’m hoping they don’t mess it up. Everything is solid so far, but it could definitely be better. Here’s to a game better than Forces!

Let’s start with the gameplay, and with that, the environment. The environment you play in a game is very important—it sets the mood and establishes the backstory of where you are, and, importantly, the character you play as. Using previous titles, Hollow Knight is in an apocalyptic environment, allowing for a bit more free gameplay as you move between worlds. BotW is in an area well after the apocalypse, however monsters stand at every turn; the fact that it’s 3D gives more opportunities in individual play-styles. If you want to be stealthy, you can crouch, if you’d rather explore, you can get on a horse, and to this day many new things are still being found. What does this have to do with Frontiers? Well, in Hollow Knight and BotW, both have silent protagonists, letting you do whatever you want with them without feeling anything in particular. Sure, Link has a few cute moments and the Bug Knight looks sad even with those empty eyes, but the point still stands. Back to Sonic, he’s an already established character, depending on how good of a writer is behind him, the player will root for him. Back again to gameplay—the Sonic games are fast paced and always have something at every turn. Putting Sonic in a sandbox game and letting him roam free is honestly the best decision, and having linear levels still is great for old fans. However, the only problem I have with actual gameplay is the momentum. I understand that there are two different game-styles right now (action and speed), but the lack of momentum shown is upsetting. Other than that, Sonic’s free! Run around, little dude!

Surrounding collectibles, I am hoping, and I mean hoping, for chao. I know the dude in the most recent IGN video said no chao on the first island so far, but if we can treat them as chao, I’d die a happy soul. And honestly? I think these little rock guys will be the new chao, at least for this game. This is because when you complete a few puzzles, you get fruit-looking items, one was a red heart with spikes, another one was blue, and I’m hoping you can give it to these creatures. Maybe if you give them to the elder one they can create more of the little ones? I’m not sure, I just hope they have a bigger use than just hopping around like the Koroks from BotW.

Finally, before the big stuff, there’s one more thing: music. This isn’t anything negative, in fact it’s very positive. The new music in the Mini Nintendo Direct was absolutely amazing and just what we needed to close off this month besides the IGN video. I’m hoping for more bangers, especially vocal tracks.

Okay. Big thing number one: animation. (I will not compare the animation from Wreck-It-Ralph and the games. I understand that movies have a bigger budget than games, so it’s out of the question.) I… I’m gonna be honest. I despise the animation rigs in Forces. It’s not because it’s bad, in fact it’s pleasing to the eye from a casual point of view—I’m an artist and I know that animation is insanely difficult, but there is one thing that pisses me off more than anything about the animation rigs—more specifically, facial rigs. Can you guess it? It’s a very important part in both media and real life. It’s emotions! Granting your character to portray certain emotions such as sadness or anger is very important in the world of animation. It lets the audience know what the character is feeling and, when extremely expressive, likable or comical. (It’s what made the Adventure games so charming.) In Forces, they… they uh… use their eyelids. And mouths. And… that’s it. It’s the bare minimum in expressions. While the Adventure games were silly with their expressions, overly silly, it adds to the likability of the characters and games, but in Forces they kind of just. Stand there and move their hands a bit. Yes, in-game cutscenes are very different than CGI cutscenes, and the CGI looks quite alright, but compare the in-game cutscenes from Unleashed to Forces! It’s crazy how we went from very clean transitions from one emotion to another, to just two frames of eyelids! I’m pretty sure Forces was rushed because SEGA didn’t care enough, and Unleashed got care put into it (still rushed I think), but the point still stands at the difference. This was what, a whole decade, and the animation got somehow worse? No hate to the animators if they were rushed, but it’s still jarring. (And don’t get me started on the model in Forces, it’s insane how they classic-ed (classified?) Modern Sonic just to cater to “Nostalgia.” That was a one time thing and you know it!) Anyway, there’s hope here. In one leak (a crunchy, 144p, fishbowl leak), we see Sonic land on the Starfall Islands and… what’s this? Emotions? Sadness? Care put into the way Sonic acts? Possibly even a tear I see? It shouldn’t have to be this way, not really—I shouldn’t be going crazy over one small detail like facial animation.

After that is characterization. And… oh boy there is a lot to talk about. I’ll try to talk about Sonic, Tails, and Amy—possibly even Knuckles. First of all, I would like to thank Ian Flynn for practically saving each of these characters in the IDW comics, I know we’re in good hands, or at least better hands than Forces. Let’s start with Sonic. I like to think his peak characterization was in Black Knight, especially the end. (Nooo… this has nothing to do with Jason Griffith being the best Sonic voice ever…) Sonic has a mix of goofiness and seriousness that makes him so cool and awesome. Sonic helps because it’s the right thing to do—everybody around him has benefitted in some way after meeting him. Tails and Amy are more independent, while Shadow and Knuckles get a taste of fun and friendship. Like I said, a cool guy. But in Forces, they’ve driven that cool guy attitude so far into the sky, they’ve dug a grave for Sonic and the rest of his wonderful attributes. In Forces (and Colors and Lost World and—listen, Roger got some bad games), Sonic is so unbelievably cocky, so brash, that it’s hard to process the fact that this Sonic and Black Knight Sonic is the same Sonic! He knows when to get serious, when to get angry, when the world needs him most, but in Forces he’s just sort of… chilling. He’s having fun. It’s also implied that he just straight up kills Infinite (implied, not canon), and while that’s deserved, it’s unlike him to not give his enemies second chances. Starline in the IDW comics did some terrible stuff and Sonic never captured him or killed him! Sonic has a go-getter attitude and is a wonderful person to others, but my man—you are 15. Please use your go-getter attitude and go-get therapy. This is why that 144p leak is so important, there’s a moment of sadness and seriousness that makes Sonic so relatable and likable. It shows that he’s not always jokes and laughter, that there’s still a person under there. I could go on a bit longer, but I won’t.

Tails… I love Tails. I just love him. But Forces is… oh boy does it get on my nerves. First it was Sonic and his “torturing,” then Tails ducking and crying out for Sonic. Trauma response, much? /LH /J. I’ll explain why Tails ducking in Forces is different than in the IDW comics. In Forces, Tails helps some people, sees Sonic get beat up, then immediately gives up. C’mon. You can’t tell me he wouldn’t at least try? Sure, he scanned them, but nothing defensive. This whole scene completely undos his character development in the Adventure games. He learns then how to be independent (thanks to Sonic), and starts to fight on his own and be more useful to the team. But here… here he just cowers in fear. He did the same in Unleashed, but he’s still bearable in that game (for the 2 seconds he got screen-time). Let me also bring up the IDW comics—Tails ducks and whimpers out to Sonic before he turns into a zombot. The thing about this is that, really, it’s deserved. Tails has been working nonstop for a cure, helping the Resistance, keeping Sonic in check, yet it was all for nothing as he’s about to be infected. He’s tired, and the last thing he can think about is Sonic as he’s helplessly moved onto the villain side. It’s deserved because as I said, he’s tired, and he’s just a kid. In Forces, he is not shown to be included as much, and because of this, it’s jarring to see him give up so easily. We don’t see him work up a sweat until that point. I’m hoping that in Frontiers, he helps Amy get back to Sonic, all while fighting enemies with her. Maybe we can get more playable characters, like the story switching from Sonic to Tails/Amy and starting them off in a fight scene after they landed. Maybe this could have a coop version as well! If he’s not with Amy, I’m just begging Sonic doesn’t come across him because he’s captured. Weak Tails is not good Tails.

Onto Amy. I’ll be honest, I really disliked her, but this is because her character was all about loving Sonic and doing everything revolves around him. Also, because she is toxic af, she is abusing him and trying to get him to do stuff without his consent. However, Ian Flynn came along and saved her—she is such a good character in the IDW comics (and the Boom spinoffs/series), and I love her so much now! She still has that crush on Sonic, but now she’s responsible and mature, acting as support for Sonic whilst fighting for herself. The IDW comics did what Forces did not. They showed her tired and helpful and trying her best, doing everything she can for the Resistance, and even though she has no telekinesis or power of flight, she’s still very smart and uses her resources. If we get IDW Amy in Frontiers, I will cry with joy.

Finally, Knuckles. There isn’t much to say about him right now, as we got a gif of him… wait. Wait, what?! HE’S GUARDING THE MASTER EMERALD?! No way. No freaking way. From the looks of it he’s waiting for something, and he’s GUARDING. There’s weird lightning in the background and he’s GUARDING. I’m sorry, it’s way too much for me to handle. Goofiness aside, him actually guarding the ME is so important and, like the facial animations, it should not be this big of a deal. It’s my only problem with him in Forces—Amy should have been captain while he goes out on patrol. But anyway, Knuckles has gone through a rollercoaster of characterization. First he was serious and a rival to Sonic, then he was just serious, then he was comic relief, then he was dumb (the series did him justice because he’s funny af in the show), then all of a sudden he’s serious again. Like I said, rollercoaster. The 2nd movie has my heart and soul for making him serious with a touch of naïvety/inexperience again. If he’s not in Frontiers and only the prologue, I hope he gets a long moment to shine. He absolutely needs it.

Like I said before, I could go on and on about the characterization and animation of Sonic. From Adventure to Forces, each character is interesting in their own way and plays very important roles, no matter how minuscule they are. They’re all fun, quirky, compelling, and I think we’re in good hands if Frontiers does well. Thank you for reading if you got this far, and I’d love to hear your opinions!

- Cole

#sonic #sonic frontiers #sth #sonic the hedgehog #rant #tails the fox #amy rose #knuckles the echidna #sonic idw #Cole RAMBLES

[theshowchaser]

Bad Suns Apocalypse Whenever tour. October 27th, 2022. Neighborhood theater in NoDa, NC. Openers Last Dinosaurs & Quarters Of Change.

Formed in 2012, Bad Suns is an indie rock, indie punk, and post-punk band hailing from Woodland Hills California. Currently at 1,825,517 monthly listeners on Spotify. Cardiac Arrest is their biggest hit to date sitting at 103,356,801 million streams. They have gained a lot of momentum from this single. In an interview with LPR Christopher Bowman said  “I grew up with a lot of world music playing in the house. When I was 10, I started getting heavily interested in the guitar, and my dad began introducing me to his records from the 70’s and the 80’s. Initially Elvis Costello, then to The Clash, The Cure, and so on,” he brings this all together with a great vocals and excellent guitar riffs.

Bad suns had the stage lit up all night long. Christopher had the crowd in motion, swaying back and forth and keeping the whole venue engaged throughout the show. Belting out danceable songs like Heaven is a place in my head, or bangers like Cardiac Arrest that had the crowd screaming at the top of their lungs. His stage presence was energetic and charismatic, as he was dancing all over the stage. His voice was great to hear live, every high note was hit perfectly.

Their production was good for a smaller venue. Their stage lights were great, they did very well with mixing the lighting to fit the songs properly. They had a plain white backdrop but a really cool big metal sun sign sitting behind the drummer that was lit up by lights of all different colors throughout the night.

Going to the neighborhood theater is always a fun time. Inside there is not a bad seat in the house, this venue can fit 600. The beers are cheap, and the bar is never too packed to wait for a beer. The merch table is easy to get to. The bathroom lines are never crazy.

In this area, there are a lot of great places to get food and drinks before or after the show. My favorite is Jack Beagles, a small bar one block away. Jack Beagles has great food and cheap drinks, the Hawwiann wrap is top-notch with a side of chili fries. The beer selection is great and they always have live music in the back on a small outdoor stage. Other notable places are Sabor, Cabo Fish Taco, The Blind Pig, and Protagonist brewery.

Overall I give this show a 7.3. It was a fun time with great energy in the room. Bad suns is definitely a band I would see again live.

#bad suns #music review #indie #indierock #indiepunk #postpunk #theshowchaser #quartersofchange #last dinosaurs

[beevean]

Nice list! :) And yeah I know that it's hard to make a list of just 10 tracks of a series with so many great tunes. It sure would be awfully hard if someone were to ask you a similar top 10 with something like oh I don't know Castlevania? :P

This ask is more than a year old. At the time I barely played the classic in the series. However, I promised that I'd keep it until I played more Castlevania games.

I'm in a mood to gush about Castlevania music, so :)

10. Bloody Tears (Castlevania 2). Too many versions to list, but my favorite might be the one in Super Castlevania IV if only for that sweet sweet slowdown at the end <3 easily the best of the Holy Trinity for me, sorry VK and Beginnings. The arpeggio at the beginning just sets the tone, and the whole track is simply a bop.

9. Crucifix Held Close (Portrait of Ruin). I struggled to choose my favorites from this masterpiece of an OST, but CHC is growing on me :) I can just hear the thundering rain outside... oh, those strings <3

8. Sinking Old Sanctuary (Bloodlines). Magical. The whole level is nothing but a graphical flex, so of course the track should be a musical flex too, right? It sounds so relaxing and peaceful, contrasting with the section where you have to outrun the rising water. There's a Circle of the Moon version, but, uh... sorry, the GBA soundfont did it no favors :\ check out this acoustic guitar cover instead!

7. Aquarius (Castlevania 3) Famicom version of course :P C3's music has two modes: creepy, and utterly jammable. This one is no exception, and while the level is fairly easy for this game's standard, it manages to pump you up. My favorite version is by far the one in Adventure Rebirth, which hits even harder and even raises one seminote for the second part <3 (again, Circle of the Moon's soundfont did it no favors...)

6. Clockwork (Castlevania 3). Famicom version here as well. Best clock tower theme? Well, I think so. Deliciously baroque, I can hear how it was meant to sound played on a harpsichord <3

5. Iron Blue Intention (Bloodlines) Thank you Portrait of Ruin for making this banger even better 🙏 it hits so hard! Those drums! I don't know how to describe it, it just sounds so good and it won't leave your head.

4. Requiem for the Gods (Symphony of the Night). About time I got to the big one, am I right? :P this area was highly memorable, especially that jaw dropping 3D chapel room, and I simply like how... holy this track feels. I can just picture an enormous cathedral full of paintings and stained windows, and the sense of awe that grips you at such a sight. That organ solo near the end of the loop feels like a priest absolving you of your sins. This arrangement gave me chills :')

3. Dracula's theme (Super Castlevania IV). Bombastic, shredding final boss themes are always great. Final boss themes that go for the tragic or eerie, however, are special, and create a whole different feeling. It's actually a slighter faster version of the intro theme, creating a bookend. The buildup that accompanies you from Death's defeat to Dracula's room sticks with you. The whole track seems like it's going to build up to something, but it never does, keeping a somber, tragic vibe. What is the tragedy, though? Is Simon doomed to die against such a powerful foe? Or is Dracula's destiny set in stone, and there's some hope for you? Well, Simon's theme playing in the second half answers this question...

2. Crystal Teardrops (Symphony of the Night). The journey this one track takes you through. First, a groovy bass. Then, compressed drums that create a cool drum 'n' bass melody. Then a lively piano. Then a more somber reed instrument as you descend down the caves. And finally an organ to remind you that you're still in a dangerous place, and you could still go deeper. Add to this the gorgeous caverns it plays in, and you have an iconic piece.

Lost Painting (Symphony of the Night). No crazy emotions or complexity here. This is simply a beautiful piece of music. The Inverted Castle is a dangerous place full of strong enemies, but in some areas, a lullaby soothes your nerves, gently urging you to march on. Depending on how you see it, you could also sense sadness and, well, lost, maybe reflecting Alucard's conflict over his goal of killing his own father. But personally, this track just makes me happy. Listen to this with your eyes closed :) or better yet, listen to it as played by Michiru Yamane herself.

#castlevania #castlevania music #castlevania 2 #castlevania 3 #super castlevania iv #castlevania bloodlines #symphony of the night #portrait of ruin #sorry aria of sorrow and order of ecclesia #maybe another time :(

[soundbulb]

damn you listen to the rnb coming out in the 90s and 00s and it's like full instrumentation, 5 minute run time, three verses, a bridge, and a reprise chorus and I'm like oh that's what people mean when they say songs are over trimmed now. some of it isn't all tiktok, I think rnb's move away from it's more theatrical side in the 90s-00s came from the experimental rnb of the early to mid 2010s, where it intentionally became more atmospheric and the attitude of it is less persona driven. like frank ocean obviously has gigantic impact on current day rnb but I remember when channel orange came out a huge draw was the realness of the stories: songs about addiction, disappointing love, social isolation, oblivious people etc. and that kind of requires a sense of sonic "normalcy" like it can't sound like a red carpet rolling out and cameras flashing, it can't sound famous or larger than life, it has to sound to scale. so to make the music still dynamic and interesting we have this atmospheric move, something that evokes the bigness of your interior life and your feelings. intangible but undoubtedly vast. on blond you can hear things like cars passing, wind chimes, planes, those things are peripheral as this spacey intricate production plays out in the area between you and those "real" sounds, literally imitating how we'd characterize thought and feeling as this thing that happens not just in us, but in the empty air between us and the world. a lot of rnb went in this direction which I love both forms, but I started capital L Loving rnb because of frank ocean, so you can imagine my bias. there are still those larger than life rnb arists, but they're not as ubiquitous as they once were.

the move from the melodramatic rnb to the interior rnb didn't come with shorter songs though, or even bearer songs. I wouldn't call the atmospheric sound actually anymore sparse, it only attempts to leave a layer open so you feel like you can reach outward into it. it sounds more open, but it's not actually less textured. so it's not blinged out in it's layers (love blinged out layers give it to me), but you see the combination of that spacious production and the blinged layer in this current new era bling hip hop, in songs like flo milli's never lose. if I go a day without talking about it I self immolate btw. darker trap sound + early 00s bling + progressive rnb type ethos in the production.

another example of that interior rnb, other than frank ocean: sza, arguably the most famous rnb artist from that switch up, goes with that spacious sonic vision and real life rnb. kali uchis is a tried and true melodrama rnb artist, though she's inspired by some of the production of progressive rnb. then in the late 2010s trap comes in, and it is sparse, and a lot of rnb gets trap production, which means it's waaaaaaaay stripped back, relying on the voice alone to carry the melody for the most part, which I think works well in trap, but I don't think works in rnb all that well. even though I definitely love some of the trappy rnb songs. who doesn't. though 7/11 is a true trap song, people call it rnb because it's on an rnb album but that's pure trap and it's a banger for it. unrelated. rnb has gotten both more atmospheric (progressive rnb from early 2010s) and more sparse (trap influence from late 2010s), which isn't bad, but I think it's what contributes to mediocre tiktok rnb sounding more and more like they're just releasing incomplete tracks. that and they're literally releasing incomplete tracks. come to think of it, that's probably the biggest culprit

#t #ht #music

[onewordshy]

2023 Animated Shows (That I Watched) Ranked

(Picture unrelated, I just like putting a picture at the top of things)

My friend and I watch a lot of animated shows and since it's a new year I put together a little ranked list with my thoughts on all of the 2023 releases we watched- beneath a read more, of course.

#1. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

I never really got into the whole Marvel thing but this is basically its own thing (Lunella is a more recent character in the comics so she doesn't have the daunting backstory of the more established hitters) and also probably one of the best pieces of superhero media to come out in ages. Maybe even one of the best animated children's programs of all time? The story, characters, aesthetic, soundtrack, messaging, it's all there, especially during the action scenes where the soundtrack and animation come together to create some incredible sequences.

Diamond White's vocal performance as Lunella deserves a special shoutout, she brings so much life to the character. I was a fan of her music before watching the show but I had no clue she had these acting chops! It's incredible the chemistry that her character builds with a nonspeaking character like Devil Dinosaur, but they make a great heart for the show.

#2. Fright Krewe

Banger alert! I feel like it's been a while since we got a good "kids get powers and have to keep them secret and in the process become best friends" show (a la W.I.T.C.H.) and this scratches that itch in a big way, absolutely nailing the archetypes and dynamics that make these types of shows work. It's set in New Orleans so the lore/aesthetic draws a lot from the cultural tapestry of that area and the story it tells is tight and intriguing- I know "this kid's show is DARK" become kinda played out in recent years but like... come on, the antagonist is a skinless corpse. Animation is kinda weird at first but once you get used to the style it's pretty good.

Overall it reminds me a lot of the Discovery Kids programming block from when I was growing up, which is one of the highest compliments I can give. I don't see a ton of people talking about it, which would concern me BUT it's already renewed for season two so I stay winning!

#3. My Adventures With Superman

I like that they called this My Adventures With Superman because it really felt like our Superman- like this is the version of this story that we wanted to see today. Clark is a dorky himbo, Lois gets to be a girlboss, Jimmy is a YouTuber, and these versions are refreshing while still feeling recognizable and organically written. And funny.

Despite the epic alien invasion/high-tech crime syndicate story it spins it's almost cozy in a way; Metropolis has never felt so warm and inviting, and it all works to highlight the optimism that's at the heart of the Superman mythos. With how grimdark most mainstream interpretations of the Superman archetype have been in recent years it was nice to see a show that leans into the potential for good that a man with power has.

#4. Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix

Biggest surprise of the year for me, this came out of nowhere and wound up being a total gag. It was a high-octane thrill ride that felt more like a movie than a series, but in a good way- there was no "status quo" to uphold so it wasn't afraid to break its own mold and offer twists galore with no punches pulled. The story was way darker than I expected from a show built around licensed video game characters but it felt fitting in a way, a Subspace Emissary type of deal where the rule of cool reigns and all your childhood heroes come together for an epic adventure.

The animation was just as ambitious as the story, bringing to life a sexy and stylish cyberpunk city while also throwing in some fun pixelated sequences that gave the show a unique style. I don't know how this got made or if it will get a second season but I'll be watching if they do.

#5. Skull Island

Never been much into King Kong so I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did but I had a blast with it! A classic "mysterious island" adventure with a lot of fun creatures and monster fights, I came away loving the characters and really wanting to know what happens next in the story- which isn't always easy to do with franchised properties like this. Surprisingly funny too. I'm actually a little bit surprised that this doesn't have more buzz considering the central trio have a dynamic that seems laser designed as fandom bait (somehow, I mean this as a compliment) and the overall quality of the project.

Also King Kong was sexy. Let's just say that.

#6. Pokémon Concierge

Somebody please isekai me to the Pokémon resort... the colors and textures alone made this one of the prettiest shows I've watched in a while, but the most delightful part is seeing the Pokémon world brought to life in a new way. It's a cute little story clearly aimed at bringing hope and cheer to the franchise's continually growing adult audience, but at just four episodes all below twenty minutes it feels more like a short film than an actual tv show. Sort of like a lo-fi chill hip-hop beats to study for type of thing.

#7. American Dad (Season 18)

For a long time I had this show pegged as "not for me" but my friend made me watch a bunch of it and honestly, it's quite good! The strength of these long running sitcom type shows is that you develop an affection for the cast and the formula, but this can be a double-edged sword as over time the characters naturally wear down to caricatures and the plots spiral out of control- but despite the odds I think this has helped actually American Dad. Everyone is such a huge, wacky character now and the storylines are so off-the-wall that you can count on every episode to be entertaining.

It helps that the show isn't as reactive to pop culture as some of its peers and the writers get a lot of room to play around with unusual plots and sometimes surreal humor. A great testament to what can happen to these types of shows when the driving force is silliness.

#8. Digman

This kinda debuted to crickets but I enjoyed it- in the sea of adult animated comedies coming out these days (usually I watch an episode or two then stop) I thought this stood out for having good heart and some strong humor. It tended to lean a lot on volume, meta humor, and overly long gags, but its flips on standard adventure stories and sitcom plotlines were clever and it did get a lot of laughs out of me and my friends. I think this one deserves to survive for another season.

#9. Tiny Toons Looniversity

Had a fun time with this show but I'm not really sure who it was for? Like, it's airing on Cartoon Network but it's set in a college and a lot of the plotlines feel like stuff that would be lost on kids so it was like a show for young adults but with the tone and content of a kids' show. Some great bits and fun character dynamics but it left zero impact on me, I don't really think I'd notice if it went away.

Honorable mentions: Hailey's On It / The Ghost & Molly McGee (S2)

Didn't finish either of these because I didn't find either one particularly compelling but they were cute enough. Specifically I found The Ghost & Molly McGee to be a bit of a letdown after how fantastic the first season was, but it was still a strong show so I might finish it later.

#10. Rainbow High (S4)

Centering a season around a Project Runway style competition was a stroke of genius but just like season three's Rainbowvision, it was let down by the execution. The individual episodes were fine but none of the characters were allowed to have the storylines or iconic moments that make actual reality competition shows memorable so the season was just like... pleasant, but not much more. For fashion doll line shows the point of these webisodes is to get us invested in the characters, and this missed the mark on that- losing some of the more intriguing characters early on in the season didn't help either.

Ultimately though I think the only thing anyone is going to remember about this season is the Poopsie Surprise jump scare in the final episode. Can't wait to see what treasures the reboot brings.

#11. Barbie A Touch Of Magic

I literally forgot that I watched this until I was making this list... it was pretty okay! I'm not really gonna critique it because I don't think it was really made with an all-ages appeal in mind, like this is explicitly for little girls and I think they'll enjoy it.

It's about what I expected from a modern "regular girl" Barbie series that takes a more grounded approach to the franchise, but the fantasy elements were a decent shakeup and Rocki in particular really stole the show. She's a trickster fairy called a "glyph" which involved some surprisingly cool lore concepts for the otherwise standard fantasy plot, and having the main antagonist maintain a friendship with the heroes by wiping their minds any time she's discovered led to some interesting scenes.

Fashion and music were bad though :\

#12. Velma (2023)

Didn't hate this as much as everybody else seemed to, but I can't deny that it let me down in the end. The show never quite realized its own potential- it set up interesting premises and character arcs but then neglected them in favor of a web of uninteresting love triangles and tasteless jokes, and the way the final five minutes of the last episode just completely threw out any semblance of progress made over the season felt like a big middle finger.

On the positive side though I did get a good number of laughs out of it and the designs and animation were pretty great... I'd watch a season two.

#13. Fired On Mars

I can't say that this was a bad show- might even say that it was a pretty good show -but I think my friend put it best when he said "I think this show has a body count." This was sooo depressing, like, the main character is so pathetic it's difficult to watch. That's what they wanted, and it does go places and ask interesting questions, but man, I could not in good conscience recommend this to anyone.

#14. Unicorn Warriors Eternal

One of the worst animated shows I've seen in a while! It clearly wanted to tell this huge, generational fantasy epic, but the actual plot was an uninspired combination of disparate elements populated by flat characters. None of the dialogue is memorable, the tone is wildly inconsistent, the drama is overwrought but the attempts at humor are painful, the pacing is bizarre, and on top of ALL THAT the animation is bad! Like I thought I could count on the show at least being pretty to look at but the Fleischer-esque style that they go for looks like something out of a YouTube parody video.

(There was also like a shockingly racist "mysterious Arabian mystic" caricature in several episodes, not sure how nobody stopped that.)

The only show on this list that I would say I outright disliked- it seemed to get a positive reception which makes sense I guess because it has all of the qualities that make it seem like a good show, but I don't know about this one team. I think this might be a miss.

Special Mentions: The Amazing Digital Circus (they only made one episode but it was fun) and Lackadsaisy (they only made one episode but I hated it) and Family Guy season whatever (I don't know why I'm addicted to clips of this show but they're all soulless)

On the watchlist: Scavengers Reign, Carol at the End of the World, Hilda (S3), Teenage Euthanasia (S2), Lupin The ZERO

Excited for: Jellystone (S3), Arcane (S2), Take Off The Blindfold... (aka the second season of Secrets and Lies In A Town Of Sinners), a Girls Of Olympus international release (please), an update that Magic: The Gathering show that's allegedly still in the works

So yeah, on the whole a really good year for animated shows! What I really liked about 2023 was that it was a lot of promising newcomers- a lot of the shows I've enjoyed have ended or been cancelled in the past few years (RIP Dead End: Paranormal Park, taken from us far too soon) and now I have stuff to look forwards to... assuming they manage to survive the cutthroat environment of modern streaming.

[ambiguousthoughtsinsilence]

30 years / 30 songs

As of 2:26 AM Latvian time, I am thirty years old. Originally, I was going to try and summarise my life in 30 sentences, but everything I wrote felt like it was an incomplete attempt at trying to capture my existence. Then, I thought I could try to reflect on these thirty years of my life by having a song per a year on being on Earth, with a little element of my life being associated with a certain song. This is the playlist that came about.

Bo Burnham - 30 Inside came out in 2020. I believe that no work of art captured the sense of isolation and desperation,while being saturated with content, and dealing with historical reckoning and loneliness at the same time, better than Inside. After turning 18, 30 is the next big milestone. It comes with a lot of pressures around romantic, professional and general life milestones. Burnham's 30 captures a sense of youth slipping away and realising that you might be losing touch, and being taken aback by that realisation.

Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere This was the first song I blasted from my North London balcony in 2021 as the fireworks echoed in the distance. This is one of my all time favourite songs, mainly because it embodies a certain positive nihilism. 'There's a city in my mind/ Come along and take that ride / and it's all right, baby, it's all right' Death is the only certainity, so why not enjoy the journey on the way?

The Flaming Lips - Do you realize? When I was 18, I wanted to tattoo the lyrics 'Let them know you realize that life goes fast / It's hard to make the good things last' I have seen The Flaming Lips twice and both times I have come out, feeling an immense sense of joy and love for other humans. Everything is tempory so every moment of joy and happiness is worthy to hold onto.

Pulp - Common People I love Jarvis Cocker, this song is a storytelling masterpiece and Different Class is a perfect album. Common People is one of the wittiest songs ever written, while being an absolute banger.

Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin' I always think of Bob Dylan as my first 'serious' musical love so I had to include this. As I became more interested in music, I remember creating a certain canon to explore. Dylan's revolutionary and political songs spoke to my 14-year old maximalism. The maximalism has faded, but Dylan manages to return.

Eels - Beginners Luck It was 2009 and I discovered Hombre Lobo through a radio show, I was 15 and discovering Eels felt so special. Like walking through my hometown and having this cool alt-rock playing in my ears, and feeling like I had discovered a secret. Years later I read Things the Grandchildren Should Know. It's one of my favourite books, mainly because of how honest and no-bullshit it is, while showing the way in which art can pull you out from the darkest hellholes.

Patti Smith - Because the Night I spent my teenage years going out to bars in the oldtown, and dancing till the first public tranport could get me home at 5 or 6 am. Because the Night was the most passionate and sexy song to let go of any worries and just dance the night away.

The Kooks - Do You Wanna? As a kid, I listened to a lot of mainstream pop as that was what everyone was listening to. The Kooks were the first 'indie' band (whatever that means) that I encountered. Me and my friend would walk around quiet areas of Ventspils and drink cheap red wine stolen from our parents and listen to the Kooks, and we felt so cool. I don't think I've ever felt as cool as I did when I wore vans, ripped jeans and listened to the Kooks.

Janelle Monae- Screwed Janelle Monae's Dirty Computer is a masterpiece. It is a meaningful artistic statement and it is about taking up space. It's a reminder that we have the agency to act and change the world in a way that we desire.

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) This is included for the little Alina, who loved watching VH1 Top 10 after school and was obsessed with this song.

Joy Division - Shadowplay This is for the angsty teen, who could not get enough of the bass line on Shadowplay.

Bērnības milicija - Ārā The Latvian band that made highschool bearable, the songs of which were the most beautiful poetry, so much so that I ended up analysing their lyrics in a state exam.

The National - Slow Show 'A little more stupid / A little more scared / Every minute a bit more unprepared' I could not have a playlist without a band that has become such a big part of me. This was the first song, I genuinely felt captured something true to the way I existed in the world.

Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone Would I be proper millenial if I didn't have an AM phase? Cornerstone was my first song of theirs I really grew to love, which led to listening to the first two albums, and a few years later seeing them live in Stockholm with my dad, which is a memory I hold dear and close to my heart.

Avril Lavigne - Anything But Ordinary Let Go was the first album I remember listening to ad nauseum. I was going to write her a letter, when I was 10, but never got round to it. Avril embodied a girlhood that seemed appealing to me, a tomboy-ness that felt almost revolutionary in a world that kept saying that girls were meant to be a certain way, a way which I did not resonate with nor resemble.

boygenius - Not Strong Enough A band that has had such an impact on my life over the past year that I cannot exclude them.

Leonard Cohen - Everybody Knows For the disilliusioned part of me that feels like the world is a unchanging clusterfuck of suffering and there is little that can be done about it. Also for the 18 year old version of me, who loved Pump Up the Volume and a young Christian Slater

Bon Iver - Holocene For the 17 year old who felt this album was so beautiful and the video for this song so awe-inspiring that she started crying in central Riga as it played in her earphones.

Elliott Smith - Waltz #2  My big love for many years, whose albums I replayed again and again, as I attended my classes, hosted a radio show rather badly and felt like no one wrote more beautifully than Elliott Smith.

Nick Drake - Time Has Told Me More beauty that surrvives the test of time.

Sufjan Stevens - Mystery of Love One of my favourite love songs ever written, composed for a film that I absolutely adore.

Angelo Badalamenti - Twin Peaks theme My mom says she watched Twin Peaks when she was pregnant with me and she always loved the opening credits. I watched it when I was 17 and it is one hell of a soundtrack to the work of fantastic film maker.

Bruce Springsteen - I'm on Fire A reminder of a time, when I was playing a dj set at my favourite bar with my friend and a man commented that he approved of our Bruce choice. Still one of the sexiest songs to exist.

The xx - Night Time I still haven't found an album that feels as intimate and gentle as the xx debut. It was a special moment in time as I listened to it for the first time in my bedroom, late at night, before going to bed and I remember being completely taken aback by the fact that something like that had been created.

Pete Doherty - For Lovers Positivus 2015 was my first music festival, it opened a whole new world to me and was a key event of shaping the person I am now.

Alise Joste- A Thousand Questions Alise made music that soothed my troubled soul and her concerts always felt like wonderful intimate affairs, in a world that felt like it was rushing and making you fall behind.

Lucy Dacus - A Map on the Wall

'But I feel fine

And I made up my mind

To live happily, feeling beautiful beneath the trees

Above a ground that's solid at the core

Oh please, don't make fun of me

Oh, you know I get frightened so easily

When I'm all alone and the floorboards creak

It's those noises in the dark'

28. Mazzy Star - Fade Into You A reminder of the Alina that bawled her eyes out at Primavera Sound, aged 18, and captivated by Hope's magical voice.

29. Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah The most beautiful cover and a man, whose musical ability blew me away, when I first heard Grace.

30. Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen Forever valuable life lessons. The words were actually written by Mary Schmich, which I only learnt this year.

#personal essay #music #playlist #Spotify

[studestael]

Hello, your Santa here <3

It is, especially now, since I only like two classes, both from cataloging and the rest is just UGH (ah, I see XD)

Oh God, once you see my blog you'll think I'm weird and obsessed - which I am, but you know. It's good to have a passion XD

Same here, spring/summer girl, but I also like autumn. The colors, especially where there's a bunch of trees are so good. I could stare at the trees for hours actually, such peacefulness. I like me some skirts instead, but I can totally relate to your hate to coats

It makes sense, indian music can be relaxing if you like it. I'm usually bothered by it, but if it's used right, it's very good. I'm not a big Harrison fan myself, but I do own the "Brainwashed" album and I love it, no skips on it!

As for others... I have a bit of a problem with John Lennon's solo career. He has good songs, very good ones, but it's somehow specific. I think his musical style changed on the White Album mostly and from there it went downhill for me. If it comes to Paul McCartney I say it all depends on the album. Because I can say that I really like his music but then there's "Tug of War" - literally, what happened on this album? - or Wing's "Venus and Mars" which I can't listen to, no matter how hard I try. So it all depends, but generally he has good music! And Ringo... I have only one problem with the "Sentimental Journey" album because music on it is not for me, but other than that? I would buy each album blindly. Guy took The Beatles' groove to his songs and carries it to this day. Band era made his music even better, I'm downright up for gathering all albums of his if I'm lucky!

What about your opinion about their solo careers?

Sincerely, your Santa <3

hi again! i had time to answer your ask this afternoon cause my day wasn't busy at all. i was at the association and supposed to work but i had absolutely nothing to do and everytime i asked my tutors if i could help for anything, they replied no thanks so i scrolled tumblr and twitter and played games. very productive day at work, i would have prefered to stay home but anyway :')

i'm not very fond of autumn to be honest, it's like the beginning of the end to me hahaha everything in nature starts to die, to sleep, to stop. and in my area it means RAIN all the freaking time. i'd love to appreciate the pretty orange colors of the trees but i can't help but think of the wet and brown autumn leaves lying on the concrete floor of the rainy and foggy city and just ugh not my thing! i prefer to think of the cool nights of summer where the sky is still not dark at 10pm and where you can only wear a t-shirt and you're not gonna be chilly :^)

we certainly seem to not agree today: i think i really liked tug of war and venus and mars :') i listened to those albums a while ago but i don't remember disliking them at all. i'm curious to know what you dislike so much about these two albums? i think my fav album by paul mccartney is wings at the speed of sound

as for john lennon, i don't like everything but i like the albums mind games and imagine

i'm gonna be honest with you and i hope you're not going to hate me for that but i've never listened to any ringo's album (though i do own two!!) but i've already listened to some songs ; i think he makes cute songs but musically it's not my fav!

and george harrison, as i told you, i'll have to say living in the material world of course which to me is an absolute banger (as youngers say nowadays)

good night to you, santa!

#srs23