#Especially from the Pokémon collab

[3llix]

Vampire Miku! 🦇

[waywardstation]

Today (November 23rd) is good brothers day in Japan. (With the focus being on the elder brother here)

I know this blog focuses more on PLA Ingo and his adventures in Hisui with his adopted niece/daughter but I really would love to hear some of your favorite headcanons of Ingo and Emmet.

I also think Emmet would be extra friendly today and maybe even getting him his favorite kind of candy. (while I believe they have their times of rivalry and pranks and other sibling stuff they always look out for each other and let the other know how much they care, especially after PLA.)

Oh!! Thanks for letting me know Anon, I didn’t know this!! And no worries, yes, while this is a PLA blog, I love Emmet just as much ^^

And I love your view of Ingo and Emmet’s sibling dynamic; I see it that way too!! I definitely see Emmet doing that for Ingo and yes, especially after PLA ;~;

And now, some headcanons below!! Several are popular ones within the fandom that I’ve latched onto, but some are ones I’ve grown to think for myself too ^^ (featuring Elesa too!)

—————————————

The twins’ hair has always been grey; it’s genetics.

Ingo’s first Pokémon was his Litwick, and Emmet’s was his tynamo - they found them both when they were young, and the Pokémon always followed them around.

Ingo is slightly taller than Emmet, but only by a couple inches. Post-Hisui, Ingo’s slouch gave Emmet the title of taller twin. Emmet holds it over Ingo’s head proudly until Ingo stands up straight again.

Emmet is very knowledgeable when it comes to Pokémon breeding, from his experience with breeding joltik. From time to time he likes to browse forums about the subject and help people with questions they might have, when it doesn’t seem like anyone else will give them an answer.

Ingo and Emmet love Roxie’s music, and they play it sometimes on the battle subway.

Emmet is partial to electric-type pokemon while Ingo is partial to fire-type pokemon. People speculate that it’s due to Unova’s legendary dragons, but really it’s tied to Emmet’s love of electric trains, and Ingo’s appreciation for steam-powered locomotives.

Ingo is the night owl, prone to getting up and going to bed later. Emmet is the early bird, prone to getting up and going to sleep earlier.

Though living in an apartment complex with neighbors who are very loud and not the most polite, sometimes neither sleep schedule is as smooth and restful as they’d like.

Emmet actually likes puns, just like Ingo - his vocabulary is as stuffed with train terms as his brother’s is. He just finds Elesa’s jokes to be low hanging fruit. She knows this full well, and intentionally keeps telling them. Ingo unironically enjoys them.

The twins met Elesa in grade school when she transferred out of homeschool/private school. Elesa met Emmet first, who then quickly introduced her to Ingo. The twins had transferred to the school themselves a year before and still didn’t have many friends, so they wanted to make Elesa feel welcome when they saw she was struggling with loneliness herself.

Elesa became very popular in highschool due to her good looks and attractive personality (and her family’s wealth became public knowledge); it did not influence her at all though. She did not fall for the fake friends that tried to attach themselves to her, and Ingo and Emmet remained as two of her only real friends through high school (Skyla and Burgh became the other two)

In terms of flavor, Ingo prefers sweet things while Emmet prefers bitter things.

Because of this, Emmet is a bit more lean than Ingo (Post-Hisui, it is more noticeable when Ingo comes back with a bit of a dad bod).

Emmet pokes fun at Ingo for his sweet tooth, saying he doesn’t ‘understand his inferior tastes’ (and Ingo fires right back), but both will immediately side with the other and gang up against Elesa when it comes to her preferred tastes - she LOVES intensely spicy dishes, which the twins cannot handle.

Ingo and Emmet occasionally help Elesa with her model work - their collaborations always brings extra publicity for both parties. Emmet unabashedly loves doing it, though Ingo’s always a little more flustered with all the attention.

Ingo and Emmet love watching horror movies, even if it still freaks them out.

The twins keep candy and gear station pins in their coat pockets to hand to children in the station.

In multi-battles, Ingo always uses his Pokémon to play defensive while Emmet always pushes offensive. (Just like how they’re meant to be utilized in Pokémon Masters EX)

[trayzen-the-infinite]

You youngsters out there might not remember but their was a time where DeviantArt was THE place for sharing art online. It’s been good longer than its been bad. I recently went through and explored the old stuff I looked at and I have something to share for two separate fandoms. Invader Zim and Pokémon. I picked these two specifically because they did the same format collab I wish was continued in some fashion. Starting with Invader Zim:

Their was a comic artist collab on DeviantArt that was a yearly tradition The Blood Sport. The backstory behind it was The Tallest would start the Blood Sport Competition where Irkens, regardless of Origin, no matter if they were defects rebels, soldiers, loyalists whatever. Any could join The Bloosport and upon winning would be given a single wish (within reason) granted to the winner. You just needed to fight every other contestant to the death for the entertainment of the Irken Empire.

The way the Collab worked was that a bunch of artists would send their OC’s into a death match. Much like Death Battle your characters weapons, abilities, strengths and weaknesses would be laid out and both artists would make a comic of the battle and a victor is declared. It was extremely entertaining and you had some new artists to look at because even if they lost you think “damn they had a cool character”

On Pokémon’s end: Their was another that was much more free form collab you could think of it like an Artist MMO mixed with a role playing server sprinkled with D&D. It was Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. If you wanted to be part of the collab you had a character sheet you filled out. Their name a picture of the Pokémon and you could have up to four OC’s of yours to a team.

You could draw comics in that world to your leisure but everyone followed the same quest line. Their were missions everyone could choose and the ones with “boss fights” with established characters made by the people who officiate the Mystery Dungeon Collab. Their were three guilds your characters could join. The Rescue Guild, the Merchants Guild, and the Rouges Guild. The missions you can expect from them are self explanatory and the Guild Leaders are also officially established and will be the same for everyone. The missions have specific rewards that you could add to your character. Plenty of people collab with other OC teams. Either as enemies, rivals, or partners. It was always fun when Rouge Guild members fought Merchant Members.

They were fun to watch and I’m sad they died with DeviantArt Because damn if they weren’t entertaining. Especially Mystery Dungeon, watching everyone’s unique characters with their own stories go through this shared world and interact with other talented artists. Telling interesting stories.

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 16/03/2024

RipStarter

Season 3 No Album Release (Read More) Daniel's Kruis (Main Theme) - Indie Pogo

Ripped by - ̗̀Dead Line ̖́- (@deadlinesmb)

Requested by fezaki! (Request Form)

For all the faux-deep analysis I do on here, for all the intricate readings into rips to find meaning that many times ABSOLUTELY wasn't there (Fun trivia: I learned recently that Joke-Explainer™ 7000 Fusion Collab starting with a song from Pokémon RSE was not meant to be a reference, it was complete coincidence), for all the musings on lore and theming and emotional highs...it's just as nice to cover rips that are pure, simple fun. Especially when they're from Dead Line in particular! The ripper is no stranger to being featured on here, and the running theme in rips like Medley Rush #7, vs SAYU (Based Version), and indeed also RipStarter, is that he's got a real knack for wearing his heart on his sleeve in a way that can be properly felt in the rips.

With this affection in mind, it should come as no surprise that both Sonic Rush and No Straight Roads are among Dead Line's favorite games (not to mention the copious amounts of Super Monkey Ball rips they've made that I'm yet to cover, with the game being their all-time favorite!). Yet Indie Pogo, the game featured today is a bit of a different case - Dead Line himself directly contributed to the game's development! I'm unfortunately unaware if them joining the development team happened before or after RipStarter released, but be it retroactively or not, that extra bit of involvement makes the rip feel all the more sweet. It's a love letter to a project Dead Line felt even more attached to than most, one they went above and beyond to celebrate when, comparatively, it still wasn't really much of a smash hit success in terms of sales. As a mixless rip of the main theme, RipStarter aims to be the DEFINITIVE Indie Pogo rip - something that I absolutely believe it achieves.

I mean, there's things to gush about right as things begin. The melodyswap to The Noble Haltmann is fantastic on its own, but paired with the custom-made visuals of Susie Haltmann bouncing as if she were a character in the game herself, it allows the rip to almost feel as if this is how the SiIvaGunner channel itself would be represented in IndiePogo. All topped off with the use of Dead Line's dearly beloved Sonic Rush samples, a trademark immediately reminding us of who's behind the rip. And like, it's honestly fun around to just watch Susie bounce around to that edit alone! Rip visuals don't need to be as absolutely out-of-this-world as ULTRA S+G to enhance a rip, and the good vibes that RipStarter already has are just amplified by the good time Susie and friends are having. And friends? Yes! Because after just a minute or so, Soulja Boy and PSY one by one join in on the rip, expanding it into both a melody swap and a mashup. Both Soulja and PSY are some of the most popular mashup sources to use for a reason - its incredibly difficult to make them sound bad - and their contributions here only add to the fun vibe the rip already has whilst bringing very fun animations in tow.

Truth be told, much like many of Dead Line's favorite games, I have no real connection to Indie Pogo. Yet the guy's affection and care for the game is too sincere to not understand - the good vibes of RipStarter transcends needing to care about the indie game its from to work as an effective good time. It warms my heart to see Dead Line continue to push their interests with full force like this even as recently as Season 7, and I can't wait to get to learn about more incredibly cool games in the future because of that initiative.

[angelicyouth]

Ok come think pf it since it's been awhile I'll give you a little life update rq

It was my birthday January 8th!! I had a ton of fun w/ my family since me and my parents went 2 visit and i got a bunch of stuff:) I have 9 project diva games now and miku posters ans figurines 2, a modded 3ds 2‼️

Thanks 2 modding my 3ds I was able 2 get a bunch of Ace Attorney games and now I can't stop playing LOL. i already liked it like around the same time last year but the only game I had was Apollo Justice (best AA game tbh ily apollo), but now I have the whole franchise in my hands yayay‼️

Also I revisited the omori things we talked about some time ago n everything so now im planning 2 dig more deep into it, esp the endings look forward 2 it‼️ mayb

id say thats it, im general i havent had much going on LOL. its nice 2 talk 2 u again thou lala!!!

-mango

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL!!♡~

i’m so glad to hear that you had some well-deserved fun & that you stayed safe whilst celebrating with your loved ones!! everyday should be your birthday because you deserve to be celebrated :)

omggg mango!! i can’t believe you like vocaloid too—i grew up listening to them as a kid so it’s super nostalgic whenever i hear their songs!! when i was in elementary school, my fave was always len hehe

but that’s so cool!! miku figures are always so pretty & i especially love her design in the magical mirai 2023 one!! have you seen the art from the collab she did with pokémon? it’s so cute!!

ahhhh i’m so jealous!! i just have a normal 3DS but i’ve always wanted a modded one!! you should download tomodachi life—it’s so silly & i looove it!!

[tariah23]

Honestly thanks to you now I know more about fate and naruto than I ever hoped to or than I ever needed to but it is an educational experience! (Also why are new fate characters just...recolored versions of old ones are they like shiny pokemon)

Ahhhhhhhhhh it makes me happy that you read what I have to say about fate stuff (I used to talk more about it/ make more in depth posts/threads but orz…!!! Especially on twitter (long ass threads omg. I stopped because I felt like no one would read them because they were only their for porn anyway *sobbing* but I want to get back to doing so since I do love fate and I miss talking about it on their too.) but I am content with sharing my opinions about how I feel about it and certain characters from time to time.

Fate as a franchise might seem a bit overwhelming to even jump into because of how MUCH content there is of it but trust that when I say that once you actually give any of the works a chance, you’ll really be able to understand just why so many people love it with all their hearts. Even works created by type moon that aren’t fate related. (Which fate had been drawn from anyway!)

The fun thing about fate is that majority of the individual works typically stand on their own. So it isn’t that much of a big deal to simply jump into most fate works as someone who isn’t all that familiar with anything that has to do with it! (Some might require you to at least be knowledgeable of certain characters from older works but even when that is the case, it’s really not that all of a big deal since you’ll be experiencing the characters differently for the most part, and there has been quite a few times where a character who’d previously appeared in one fate work, had made an appearance in another but there might be slight changes regarding their character (possibly because of the influences of others, their past experiences, memories, if they have any, and so on) while still retaining all of the same charm that made fans remember why they loved them so much in the first place. It’s so… ahhhh… (Gilgamesh is a great example of this. He’s an easily lovable character, though, this might heavily depend on what work that you are first introduced to where he’s in it.)

Also, I’m not quite sure what fate characters that you could be talking about ToT (maybe the recent new characters that have either made their debut in the BRAND NEW HIT TYPE MOON GAME, FATE/SAMURAI REMNANT, NOW IN STORES ACROSS THE WHOLE WIDE and is playable on multiple platforms-

Akakakakak (I’m still at the beginning of the game ahhh!!! I love all of the character designs so much and can’t wait to meet them all for myself 🥹!!!) But since I’ve been sharing posts featuring them recently, I’ll just assume that you’re referring to FSR related content!

And NO! They are not recolored, shinny Pokémon sksks. (Funny that you mentioned this since type moon hired the artist who designed all of the Pokemon trainers (I’m guessing but I’m not all that familiar with Pokémon stuff, only as a normie basically), and I now see the recent vocaloid collab, has designed two servants for FGO in the past. Well, technically three…)

Some FGO and FSN characters make appearances in the new game (idk how critical their roles are yet since like I’ve previously stated, I’m still at the very beginning of the game and have been avoiding spoilers. But fate has always been known for splurging and hiring tons and tons of artists to design the artwork for the servants. This goes the same for the multiple spinoff manga as well since most of the fate manga are drawn by different artists with varying styles. (Fate/Type Redline, Fate/Strange Fake, Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Shimousa for example, are all manga drawn by completely different artists! The mangaka for the Shimousa manga is also the character designer for the Fate/Samurai Remnant game as well! Love her style so much! I also would HIGHLY recommend checking out all of these as someone who might be even a little bit interested in fate as a beginner sjsjs. They’re all stand alone so there is no need to worry about being confused and lost!!!)

It’s just nice to see artists with such varying styles breathe life into the characters. And like, you will just look at them and go “even though the artists approach might’ve been completely different, overall, it is STILL the same character and I still love them the same even though they might look a little different ^^.” So if you’re familiar with characters like Cu Chulainn, and Gilgamesh in passing, especially, since they do appear in the new game and are two of the oldest fate characters to be present in it, then you’ll get what I mean. All stand alone!

As for Naruto… *looks away* I’ve been a Naruto fan since it first hit the US back in like what, 2005…. Lord……. I feel like it’s beyond nostalgia for me at this point no matter how ridiculous it may sound asjaja. It’s like, not the best thing ever like, AT ALL, BUT, Kishimoto’s stupid ass was definitely feeling himself when he wrote both Naruto and Sasuke’s individual characters. He then went on to eventually throw the both of them into the trash bin when Boruto was doo dooed out into the world but that is for another day. He really did put his whole soul into N and S while shitting all over the paper when it came to writing majority of the rest of the cast and story if I’m being honest 🗿!!! All YOU have to know is that Sasuke was CORRECT and that both he and Naruto deserved so much better. They deserved better childhoods - they deserved to enjoy their youth and not spend the majority of their youth suffering because of the pain and trauma that they’d been forced to experience and endure. And They deserved someone who would love and not hurt them. I’m so glad that they found each other because oh my god…

[mayohigan-orange]

Vtuber concept time!

Name: Somnia Drows

Age: You should never ask a woman her age, let alone a seiso idol!

Height: 145 cm

Weight: You should never ask a woman her weight either!

Face Claim: Either Patchouli Knowledge (Touhou) or Caitlin (Pokémon) Concept: A witch/scholar born from the concept of sleeping, sleepiness, and drowsiness

Personality and behaviour: Very easy-going most of the time. Streams are generally very chill, lots of yawning from Somnia, The games are usually either chill, slow paced games, but she will occasionally play more fast paced and difficult games, still while generally acting half asleep. A lot of the time this does result in her making silly accidents and using brushing through by the skin of her teeth.

Sometimes though, she will actually be AWAKE and it is a sight to see. When she’s awake and alert her gaming transforms into some top tier stuff, making even tough games look fairly easy. These times are few and far between though, and most commonly are just localized to small sections on streams after which she will seem even more tired and sleepy than usual.

She does enjoy doing collabs, although she sometimes has problems focusing during them, especially if there is more than one person, oftentimes saying ‘huh?’, ‘what?’ and ‘pardon?’. She does make an effort to be more awake and alert during these streams, though, for the sake of her colleagues.

Fanbase name: Sleepyheads

Membership name: Dozeypals

Most often played games on the channel: Easy going games, such as Miitopia, Stardew Valley, occasional Mega Man games when she’s feeling a little more alert and awake.

[grayblacklight]

Something vaguely resembling a masterpost

I know, I can't believe it either, but it's finally in the Team Flashdark budget! How was our budget so low that we couldn't put up a proper masterpost? Sorry, but I swore not to talk about the potato incident.

Anyway, I am Gray Blacklight (he/him), certified non-supervillain and leader of the amazing, totally-not-a-criminal-organization Team Flashdark! Allow me to tell you a bit about myself and what to expect from my blog;

While I don't watch a lot of TV shows or movies, I do enjoy a lot of them. Even with a lot of the ones I don't like, I try to and often can understand why others do, which is something that I'm quite glad I can do - I love hearing people gush over things they love even if I don't care for the same thing. While I myself don't really like most DreamWorks movies, that doesn't mean I can't appreciate how great MegaMind is.

Of course, when I do enjoy a show or movies, I often adore them (Epithet Erased is one of the greatest things ever created and you should watch it). I am patently waiting for Gwain Saga 009 and find myself rewatching Spaceballs several times a year.

That said, what I really love are good video games, heck I kinda collect them.

I am a huge fan of pokémon, especially James, though the switch entries have really made me lose faith in new games. I can't really choose a favorite Pokemon, but I'm a sucker for cute things and am one of the few people who don't consider the babies a waste of data- hell, it was Pichu in Melee giving me a cuteness overload that got me to pick up pokemon X and give it a shot.

I really enjoy a lot of Nintendo games in general, with a particular fascination with retro games and how they do so much with so little. Many of my favorite games are for the DS, but I don't think newer or older games are necessarily better, with Splatoon and Deltarune being all-time favorites of mine, and having put way to much time into 30XX for a game that doesn't exist yet.

Still, with games like Mario kart DS, pokémon gens 4+5, Kirby super star ultra, earthbound, paper Mario the thousand year door, Mario and Luigi superstar saga, sonic 3 and knuckles, shantae, megaman zero 3, super Mario 64 DS, plants vs zombies 1, and so many more, I pity anyone who looked at specs of the latest consoles and assumed that there's no reason to look back.

I also love fan games and rom hacks of many kinds, (I wish I was better at getting them to work) and genuinely believe that the lack of support and respect creators and artists get is terrible. If I mention something that you haven't heard of, I hope you take a look, and always remember that artists are people with needs and wants- they need breaks and money and fun and health and sleep and food, and I hate that so many people choose to ignore that.

Anyway, aside from the reblogging, ranting, and shitposting I do on my main, I have some sideblogs that I make for fun:

The Epithet Erased GunSafety!!!!AU ( @epitheterasedgunsafetyau )(the extra exclamation points are to emphasize how important gun safety is) where I put my headcanons about my favorite show of all time and occasionally describe what things would be like if Molly was a gun safety enthusiast (and by extension the most powerful character in the show).

Hacker's Jpeg reviews ( @hackerjpegreviews ), on the other hand, is a Collab I do with Hacker Deltarune where you can submit your strongest Jpegs and we'll comment on them and give a rating using the same scoring system as Calvinball. I'm also going to make a poll tournament to determine the true strongest jpeg, whenever I get enough entries- I'm always taking submissions!

There's also SMB Super Showdown (@smb-super-showdown ), where I post intentionally stupid playground 'who would win' polls to quench the insatiable thirst for violence that I don't have because I am not evil, and to help the winners achieve GLOOORY!

And then there's The Rollinka Agenda (@therollinkaagenda ), which is just a normal ship-dedicated blog and definitely not an evil scheme to make Roll x Kalinka canon.

I also may record myself playing a game on YouTube, just for fun. I don't do it often and wish I did it more, but I rarely have the time these days, and my computer is fighting me every step of the way whenever I try to do something new with it- heck, sometimes it won't let me do things that I've done before.

Still, I hope some of y'all get a chuckle or two out of my stuff, It would make all this typing that I suck at worth it <3

(P.S. Before interacting, please know that if you are: anti LGBTQ+, racist, sexist, Zionist, anti abortion, against gun control, a map/proshitter/whatever the fuck pedophiles are calling themselves these days, or support the American government, I hope you lose a card game and get sent directly to super hell.)

[thereeljon]

So, over on Twitter, this shit popped up:

This led to a lot of discussion about body shapes, and I wanted to talk about my own issues with it. This initially started as a Twitter thread, but I realized it was way easier to get my point across on here than in 240 character spurts.

When I started VTubing, I began with a VRoid model that I made myself as the character Rowan.

Unfortunately when I tried to stream using that model on my then 7 year old MacBook Pro, everything came to a crashing halt. Thankfully, I had commissioned art of the model as a PNG for when I did collabs, and so I used it as a reactive PNG for live streaming.

As time went on, I had someone coming to my streams from a side project I do called Dungeons and Dragon Types (it’s a Pokémon themed tabletop actual play podcast). I went by my real name on the podcast, so that’s how the person addressed me. Rather than add to the confusion of going by my regular name on one project and Rowan on Twitch, I rebranded so that I just went by my real name on both platforms.

As part of the rebrand, I commissioned a new PNG that better reflected my IRL body since I’m more plus sized and I wasn’t able to make VRoid work to mimic that body shape. As I was just being myself, I wanted my PNG to reflect that and look more like me. Also, I dropped the human ears and just had deer ears.

Part of the reason I got into VTubing was because I struggled with making videos of myself. I’d look at the footage of myself and couldn’t stand it. I hated the way I looked and constantly expected hateful comments about my appearance.

As a VTuber, I could make the content I wanted without triggering my dysmorphia, and through the rebranding, I was able to better represent myself through my VTuber model

Which brings me back to this shit.

I chose a more accurate representation of myself in my model because I wanted to make it an extension of myself. VTubers shouldn’t feel the need to make their models look like themselves if that’s not what they want. If someone’s using a persona, they don’t need that persona to look exactly like them. I guarantee that most of the big name VTubers don’t look exactly like their model (though I’m almost certain I saw Takahata at a con and he did have dog ears and a tail). Some of them might look like their model, but most aren’t trying to look exactly like themselves. They just want to play around with the art and the programs and make content.

And using a model that isn’t your exact body shape is fine. Because it’s not supposed to be 100% you. If it was, we’d be doing IRL streams, not VTubing. Our models can be whatever we’d like them to be. Like sentient lava lamp goo.

Or a stuffed cow dragon.

Or my hottest worst nightmares.

Also, if you notice, the VTuber he body shames in the thumbnail is Hanako, who streams under the name iichigoma.

If you know her, she's one of the sweetest, nicest streamers out there, so to go digging through her IRL photos to shame her for not looking as thin as her VTuber model is like going out of your way to kick a puppy.

That dumbass’s post also correlated race with body shape, which is its own can of worms and I am NOT the right person to open it. As for body shape and VTuber models, they don’t have to match, especially if your intention is playing a character.

I’ll end this with what we all know this was about: this was about dudes being upset that the women they watch “aren’t as hot as their model.” As though those CHUDs had any chance in hell of their parasocial relationship becoming a romantic or sexual one. VTubers don’t make content to try and form IRL romantic/sexual relationships, they make content because they want to have fun and be creative. They aren’t looking hot for losers in Twitch chat, they’re looking hot because that’s how they want to look.

Go fucking touch grass, ya creeps.

[wyattvsmusic]

Dave - We’re All Alone In This Together ALBUM REVIEW

At such a young age, Dave set the bar so high for himself with his 2019 debut album PSYCHODRAMA and has continued to dominate the UK Hip Hop scene ever since with amazing features and one-off singles. Anticipation for his new album We’re All Alone In This Together has been very high and now it is finally here and Dave is continuing to build on the incredible potential that he showed on such an amazing first album. Dave really sets the tone for this new album with We’re All Alone. The thing I love the most about this song is how he changes up his flow. I have felt that he has his go-to flow but he has shown that he is capable of doing different flows which he does on this song and it ends up being really good. Straight out the gate, he comes through with an amazing line where he raps “I had dreams of doin' architecture or sittin' through a Harvard lecture / How the fuck I end up bein' Harvey Specter?” and then from there goes into a scheme about Suits. The Gryffindor line was hard too. Dave raps about realizing the effects of his music on others and the position he’s been put in. This is only the intro but easily some of the best rapping he’s ever done. Verdansk is a good song but sounds exactly like his song Titanium. It has lots of good one-liners on this song like “I drop YGs, do it like Kehlani.” Dave always sounds great over drill beats and this Stormzy collab Clash is no exception Stormzy killed it and I love how the beat changes to a more grime-sounding beat in the middle. I did not see In The Fire coming at all. It’s a posse cut featuring Fredo, Meekz Manny, Ghetts and Giggs and it left me speechless. That is one of the best beats I have ever heard in my entire life, it’s so soulful and I loved how the drum patterns change for certain rappers’ verses. The sample is absolutely beautiful and each of the five rappers incorporate bars about fire or use fire as a larger metaphor for hardships in their respective upbringings which is so amazing. Everyone does their thing on it but Ghetts absolutely shelled it. He raps “So accustomed to the fire, I get shivers when I'm naked in the sauna.” Giggs is not always the most consistent but when he really tries he does great things on tracks and that is exactly what he does on this song. Every time he and Dave link up they make fire and he really showed up to rap on this song. I loved that line where he raps “Is this n***a trusty Or Sideshow Bob when he's creepin' on Krusty?”Dave has the last verse and really brings it home with an incredible verse. One standout line from his verse is “I could've been deported / That's the definition of a "Fight-or-flight.” We have not ever heard a posse cut like this in UK rap history so In The Fire is definitely a historic event. It truly is its own moment. The production on Three Rivers reminded me of Black. The song tackles the treatment of immigrants in different time periods over the course of three verses. The first is about Caribbean immigrants in the UK during the 60s, the second is about eastern Europeans in the 90s and the third is about ongoing conflicts in the middle east. I am assuming that the three rivers correspond to each region that is discussed in each verse. He does such a great job on speaking about how immigrants are treated in these three verses in a very precise manor but with great detail. He raps: “And every day the sun rises a little later / That's how it is when your oppressor is your liberator” He was spitting when he said that immigrants are “key workers, but they couldn't even get in the door.” Three Rivers to System was an odd transition but System marks a run of three Jae5-produced afrobeats-style bangers. Nigerian GOAT Wizkid joins Dave on System which is such a vibe and definitely one of the songs of the summer for sure. Wizkid never misses, especially coming off Made In Lagos which has become one of my all-time favorite albums in a very short period of time. I loved that clever line that Dave had about how “She wanna do SMS / Not save my soul, that's spend my savings” but then he quickly switches to talking about how the system is built against him. Lazarus is an instant favorite. This song has a beat so good that I have to wheel it up every time I turn it on. Jae5 deserves an award for this beat. I had never heard of Boj before this song but he did an amazing job on the hook, which is in Yoruba. I don’t understand it but for me, when it comes to enjoying music in different languages it’s all about the delivery and how you use your voice. I really liked Law Of Attraction. This collaboration between Dave and Snoh Aalegra. It’s a good change in vibe and Snoh sounds amazing. The one thing I didn’t like about this song was the line that Dave had where he says “I put your name on a necklace / That's a chain reaction.” That was a little corny. After that song, the album reaches a more subdued level compared to songs like Clash and Lazarus. Both Sides Of A Smile is a collab with James Blake who sounds amazing on the song about the two sides to a failing relationship. It reminds me of Wretch 32’s song His and Hers. I liked how when Dave was rapping from the woman’s point of view, he had a woman rap a portion of it as if she was talking to Dave. Twenty To One is definitely the worst song on the album. I didn’t like the hook at all. It’s not a bad song though. I liked that line about how “A good girl [is] like Pokémon / Easy to see, but hard to catch.” Heart Attack is a heartbreaking song about knife crime in the UK. Dave raps for nine minutes uninterrupted without a hook over a very minimal beat that cuts out for a portion of the song so Dave is just rapping acapella. Describing it is one thing but when you actually listen to it, you’ll understand what I mean. Survivor’s Guilt is a fantastic note to close on as he raps about feeling guilty about celebrating his successes because his friends that he came up with are no longer there to celebrate with him. He also talks about having anxiety as well as ending a relationship with an Albanian woman due to cultural differences. He raps “My ex has got ivory skin / Which is funny 'cause it's really the elephant in the room” as well as this gem: “Rum and Red Bull, it's a culture clash.” Jorja Smith contributes vocals to the song as well. We’re All Alone In This Together definitely differs from PSYCHODRAMA in terms of lyrical content but the albums share some similarities in terms of production which I guess is Dave’s sound. The production is great but both albums have the balance between hard-hitting bangers and afrobeats-style vibes along with long and reflective songs about how he lives in his own psyche. He also talks about relationships as well as more complex political topics as well. These albums are definitely not the same though. He gave so much of himself through the lens of his brother on PSYCHODRAMA whereas on this album he is in a different place of fame and notoriety where he is able to bring light to issues regarding the treatment of black people and immigrants as well as speak about his own mental health which has helped his constantly-growing fanbase. He may feel alone as David but he’s alone in this world together with his fans.

Fav Tracks: We’re All Alone, Clash, In The Fire, System, Lazarus

[rpgmgames]

March’s Featured Game: acai cOrner

DEVELOPER(S): moca & Mitty ENGINE: RPG Maker 2003 GENRE: RPG, Adventure, Surreal SUMMARY: acai cOrner is about Mizuki, someone who has fallen into the sewers and who happens to find their favorite electric guitar! Upon obtaining the guitar, Mizuki turns into a magical girl who must defend herself against spooky sewer creatures using the guitar's magical powers.

Download the game here! Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! *moca: Hi, I'm moca, a Starbucks barista aspiring to be a writer and game developer. I have been making RPG Maker games for about six years now, with my first two projects being a Pokémon fan-game and a Corpse Party fan-game. Those two happen to be my two favorite franchises as well! I have also created the RPG Maker game MOMOKA (IGMC 2018). I have founded a group called 'Team Shibu!' dedicated to making horror games! Our current project is a RPG Maker survival horror game named 'Katharsis'.

*Mitty: Hey there, I'm Mitty! I've been working with Moca on several games for a while now, helping with mostly graphics! Please support him, as he is very kind and hardworking!! I'm also the main developer of a game called "Marinette", so I hope you'll check that one out too, when the demo is released!

What is your project about? What inspired you to create this game initially? *moca: acai cOrner is an experimental spooky RPG Maker game that only uses 4 colors! You are a magical girl with a just-as-magical electric guitar that you use to fend off spooky sewer slimes and other weird enemies you find in the surreal sewer system. It's half exploration and half RPG battles. What inspired me to create acai cOrner initially was to actually get myself back into the groove of making games again. I had just recently came back from a hiatus and found myself having trouble getting back into the development of 'Katharsis'. That's when I decided to make a short, experimental game to get the juices flowing.

How long did you work on your project? *moca: acai cOrner was finished in just about under a month!

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *moca: I had always wanted to make a Yume Nikki-like game and thought this was the perfect opportunity to try. So for the more surreal parts of acai cOrner, I took inspiration from Yume Nikki and a Homestuck random planet generator. Gameplay wise though, I took inspiration from a RPG Maker game called Ghost Suburb 0! I really loved how unique it was, especially with the timer and no dialogue aspect. I knew I wanted to do something with a timer, so I tried a rogue-like approach with the gameplay.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *moca: If you played any of my previous projects, you know that acai cOrner is vastly different than anything that I have ever done. I'm so used to using words to describe the violence in my games, so when it came to making the story, I had a lot of trouble. It wasn't until I looked deeper into why people like these types of games that I had realized that people like to interpret the story on their own, guided by exploration, to enjoy these games. After that, I let loose a bit and made something more open-ended. Another challenge was the difficulty. I was the only one playtesting the game, and since I knew the game front and back, and had no trouble getting the ending. That's why when I sent out demos to friends, I was really discouraged to hear that the experience was mostly frustrating and rage quitting-inducing haha. I worked closely with their feedback and made changes accordingly to make the experience less frustrating but still difficult. *Mitty: I think I was going through a weird artblock during the development of the game, so for some of the illustrations and backdrops for each area's fights, Moca sketched out the basic idea of what it could look like, and I just put my spin on it! It made the work much easier and faster!

Did any aspects of your project change over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *moca: Well, the game was meant to be short so there wasn't room for any big changes. Sure there are a couple gameplay changes and enemy tweaks, but not anything mindblowing. I added in the idea of making four surreal worlds kinda last minute, if that counts, haha.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *moca: In the beginning, it was just me! I didn't think I was gonna need any outside help since this was supposed to be a relatively easy project to release, but the further in development I got, the more I realized the game needed pizazz. The four color limitation wasn't enough for my lack of graphical talent. That's when I contacted Mitty about helping with the games battle backdrops and sprite animations! She is also a member of Team Shibu!, but we have collabed together even before that. Her art really made the project shine and I enjoy working with them on games! *Mitty: Moca contacted me, and I wanted to help! We are working together on another game called Katharsis, so we are quite familiar with each other. I like working with other people, especially if I'm not in the lead, it releases a bit of the pressure I feel sometimes ahaha

What is the best part of developing a game? *moca: To me, it's seeing everything come together and just... working exactly the way you envisioned it. As a game developer, you section the game off into parts to make development much more organized and faster but seeing it all come together in the end. Pure bliss *chefs kiss*. *Mitty: I like a bit of everything, but currently I've been enjoying animating and spritework, as well as map assets' designs a little more than usual!

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *moca: Mm... not really! I have an idea of what the engine can do, so when I do go out of my way to player other RPG Maker games, it's usually for writing inspiration rather than gameplay inspiration. Ghost Suburb 0 is something that I accidentally stumbled upon and immediately fell in love with it the minute I played it haha. (Fun fact: the developer of Ghost Suburb 0 is apart of Team Shibu! and is in charge of monster design!)

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *moca: There is a rat in the game that is internally called 'Ratthew' who leads you into a funky room. I relate them the most. *Mitty: I relate to the land sharks the most on a spiritual level. They are pretty much confused beans, and that's very relatable.

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *moca: I wish I added more random spooky events and trap rooms. But the game was also supposed to be short and I knew that if I kept adding more and more things, development was never gonna end haha.

Do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *moca: Well, by the time this interview comes out, there should be a new update for the game. The update should include 100% custom music by a talented composer, and a nerf in difficulty. As for sequels, who knows! The next time you see acai cOrner may be in 3D.

What do you most look forward to upon finishing the game? *moca: Definitely the fan reaction! The satisfaction of seeing your work being noticed by people and actually enjoying makes me happy. It's also the relief of just... finishing something! *Mitty: For this particular project I was obviously looking forward to seeing what people said about the little animations and such ahaha! I also was curious about the reaction to the timed difficulty mechanic, I had never seen anything like that before Moca presented it to me, so I had no idea on what people's feedback would be.

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *moca: How people will handle the difficulty. The game isn't supposed to be completed on your first playthrough, but in 2-3 playthroughs. There are rooms and places that are meant to waste your time that you should ideally skip the more you play. By later playthroughs, you should be shaving time and be better. I understand that it's not handled as best I could, but I think the experience should still be challenging and hopefully fun! *Mitty: I was a little conflicted on the timed mechanic, I loved it because it's pretty original and helps set an interesting athmosphere of worry and unease, and also seems to tell a bit of the vague story; and at the same time I don't like it much because I prefer more story-driven games and the vagueness mixed with the mechanic feels different from what I'm used to playing! I think it's more of a personal taste kind of thing, it was an experimental jam game, after all!

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *moca: Take it easy! Take short breaks throughout development. And most importantly, have fun. If it's a hobby and it's making you overly stressed, just take a step back!

Question from last month's featured dev @ressurflection: What would you say is the weakest part of your game development? *moca: Procrastination. I'm so bad at sticking to my own schedule, it's something that I try to keep in check when working with a team especially.

We mods would like to thank moca & Mitty for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out acai cOrner if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

[twixtandshout]

Tagged by @pidgeonpostal! And not tagging anyone else because I have SOILED the original template (soiled it!!) in deference to my [brushes off skirt] mostly clean public-facing appearance.

...I’ve been making a lot of Spongebob memes lately for someone who has not seen Spongebob.

How many works do you have on AO3?

71!

What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

...306,834. Jesus.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Uh. Many! I do a lot of one-offs (and/or start long things I never finish) in many different places. My top three fandoms by fics written are RWBY (29), Undertale (25), Gravity Falls/Transcendence AU (4).

Bet you can’t tell where my hyperfixations have fallen. 

I’ve also got some Pokémon and Sonic the Hedgehog fics back on my ff.net account, or I think I still do, anyway, but let’s never go back there pls

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Sweeter Than Honey (Undertale): Taking a Completely unsurprising first place, with over 600 more kudos than the runner-up, the haphazard Underswap fic featuring a post-college self-insert I wrote just after high school! I shake my head some at how overblown and ridiculous the gap between this and all my other stuff is (c’mon, guys, I’ve written way better fics), but this is also the fic which prompted me (and at least one other person!) to start using they/them pronouns. I’ve gotten a lot of really sweet comments about how seen and appreciated it’s made people feel, so I can’t get down too far about it.

2. To Be A Hero (BNHA): I don’t count myself as part of the BNHA fandom, for a number of reasons, but for something that’s arguably the main motivation for the entire plot, Midoriya’s quirklessness is something I’ve never thought has been handled well. This fic marked the first time I (somewhat tentatively) claimed the disability label (thanks again to Sweeter Than for prompting that realization) to hold that lens over canon. It also really shot up my chart, dang! It’s the only thing here I’d consider “recent.”

3. Three-Sentence Shipping (Undertale): Self-explanatory.

4. Brothers Beyond Bonedaries (Undertale): Ah, the way-overcomplicated AU³ I got nowhere close to finishing. One of the things I really like about Undertale is the interface screw, how Toby Fox uses the medium of the video game to pull off crazy things and enhance his game, but most of the fic written for the fandom seems dedicated to explaining it away, grounding it, rather than taking it to the next step and messing with the medium of fanfiction when you keep the story going. I tried to do something cool like that here, playing with questions like narrator and authorship and breaking the fourth wall, even taking the “final boss” fight to a “totally separate” fic reached through the first by link – but, well, then I never finished it, which probably didn’t make anything less confusing for the poor folks who missed the intent.

5. Spirit and Such (Gravity Falls: Transcendence AU): A whole fic written to line out a particular image I had, which, naturally, never made it to the page. I consider it a bit of a cautionary tale for myself when it comes to writing (near-)original content; there’s a lot I look back on and cringe. I still love the characters, though – well, the important ones – and I think just stepping away from the tried-and-true Mizar formula nets it a star sticker here.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

>w>; I try, but a lot of the time I just don’t have anything to say? Like, oh, you liked it? Neat. There’s not much to respond to in comments like that, and then I’m weighing falling down on an ~obligation~ to respond to every message in my inbox vs annoying people with copy-paste fluff responses all down the page. Plus I know I make more of an effort to comment on things that didn’t get the attention I feel they deserve, so if I’m driving up my own comment count with nonsense, am I preventing myself from being in a position to receive more comments later? And then if I do comment, am I being too effusive or running people’s ears off explaining things they don’t actually need to know? Sometimes people just want to express interest or admiration and don’t necessarily want a whole peek and guided tour behind the curtain.

Can you tell I have anxiety? x3;

Anyway, I do respond when I can. And I keep most of the comments I’ve gotten to go back and reread. 

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hm, hmm. Lots of stuff in the TQ Nonsense series would probably qualify! I’m thinking of Unfixable, Wolfsong, and Ethanol. And there’s Bursting Through A Blood-Red Sky (I Can Live, I Can Breathe), of course, but that was always intended to have a fix-it epilogue. It’s just that I wrote it in a couple of hours day-of, stared at it, and decided I didn’t wanna just then. But now that’s As Long As You’re Still Burning Bright (I’m Still Awake), and that’s probably the best romance I’ve written, so that one worked out.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Now and then! When the urge strikes. Uhhh, I’ve got a series of Doctor Who x Undertale crossovers I actually made a whole dang verse for that never made it to print. Get a couple great comments on that every few months or so. I think the World Trigger x Undertale crossover is probably weirder, though, by virtue of WT being a very small fandom. My enthusiasm kinda sputtered out on that one.

Mostly I just daydream crossovers with whatever happens to catch my eye at any given moment. I have a lot!!!! Though odds are out on whether I manage to remember any of them once the initial thought’s passed, lol.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Gotten a couple eyebrow-raising comments, but I think mostly I’m just too small a writer to draw that kind of attention.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t? think so? Think my tastes are a little niche for most people to bother ^^;

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I had someone apologize once for any language mistakes in their comment cause they had to run it through a translator! That’s not what you asked (the answer is no), but it’s very flattering to think that someone liked my fic enough to read and comment despite the language barrier.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! :D @pidgeonpostal was gracious enough to agree to co-write Five Nights at Denny’s with me off an idea about shoes. This has fulfilled a long-held dream of mine (collabing with someone, not the shoes) and also introduced me to some lovely people.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Who has time for just one? ;3c Honestly, I care more about the characters and how the relationship – any relationship – between them changes them than I do about ~A Ship~ as a solid, bounded noun-object. I’ve got characters I like more and less and feelings about who does and doesn’t have chemistry in which directions with whom, but finding anything that agrees with those preferences is hard, harder when you take alloromanticism into account. I’ll play in any sandbox with cool toys, especially if other folks have already built sick sandcastles there.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

[kicks every single unfinished fic further under the bed] What nooo no WIPs here, everything on my account is either finished or does not exist

I’ve got a couple extra chapters of Sweeter Than floating around unposted, but 1. that fic’s a mess 2. high school Twixt and post-college Twixt are different people and trying to contort myself into three other me-shapes just cause people Like this fic is not something I’m super interested in 3. it’s headed for an emotional dip and I’d rather leave it where it is than post two chapters, stall out again, and leave folks with a bad end.

As for other fics... it’s looking more and more likely that v7 of my Yellow Brick Road AU will never actually make it out. >w>; I’ve got some really great ideas, but not enough to make me feel like I know what I’m doing, and that’s a big roadblock. Plus trying to engage with RT’s Atlas-Mantle worldbuilding in any serious capacity is... a headache. I can’t recommend the Happy Huntress Cinematic Universe enough, but it leaves some pretty big shoes to follow! And I’ve got small feet. <w<;

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue’s fun, probably as an extension of characterization. I love tearing into what makes people tick, especially against the backdrop of their environment, the story they’re in, and the people they’re up against. Voice is a double-edged sword; I’ve been told my writing is really recognizable and individual, but on the other hand, I’ve been growing frustrated with with the limits of my narrative ability. There’s a strong rhythm I keep when I write (you might notice it here, even) but that leaves me feeling predictable and stale. I’m not sure I’m great at setting as a matter of course, but I’m pretty good at describing setpieces where the need comes up; that comes from my background in poetry, as does the fun I have with sublimating and abstracting complex imagery. And I think I bring some needed nuance to the universal. For good or ill, I don’t do what “everyone else” is doing.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Well, writing, for one thing. If I don’t know how something’s going to go and don’t have the urge to write it, it isn’t getting done, which means there’s a billion things that will never see the page and a few hundred more that are never getting finished. I lose momentum easily and have a hard time getting started, and I put way too much standing on finding a foothold with other people; as critical as I am of my work, I have high expectations for the stuff that passes muster, and it never seems to measure up. I’m also really uncreative. Yeah, I can mix up elements and extrapolate events, but coming up with things wholesale is really hard, which is why I avoid it wherever possible and steal/reskin stuff from other places instead.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Something along the lines of “Hoo boy, I am Not qualified for this but hopefully it’s decent anyway.” Maria’s Spanish lines haven’t been a big deal – I’ve used it sparingly and, as a Latin language, it should be easy for English-speaking audiences to pick up on the gist – but I’ve had a harder time with Tai’s Chinese, both because I have Even Less background there and because it is, of course, an entirely different language system. If I write it out in English or Romanized italics, am I colonizing it or changing the meaning? If I write it out in the presumed-original characters (presumed because it’s Google Translate and who knows if I’m even barking in the right forest), am I confusing or alienating my presumed-majority-English-speaking audience? Where should I put the translations? Should I put the translations? And for Frisk’s sign language, thinking back, are the brackets I used instead of quotes alienating/infantilizing? I like that different characters give the text between a different feel, but I’m not an ASL speaker – and I’m pretty sure the word is “speaker,” which would only reinforce that that demographic would rather I didn’t do that. It’s important for all these characters, I think, that they use non-English language where it makes sense; it’s part of who they are. But as a white monolingual English-speaker, I don’t think I can really weigh in.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Thaaaat’d be Pokémon, followed closely with Sonic the Hedgehog. Whether those fics are still on my ff.net account or not (pretty sure I’ve purged them, but you never know) I’ve still got a couple saved to a folder on my current laptop, ostensibly so I can look back and see how far I’ve come and more practically to allow for the possibility of furthering group cohesion through public shaming.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I still like the idea behind The Man Who Is Atlas, and Burning Bright (Still Awake) gets props for being my current fic, though it’s currently in that spot where I’m excited to get new chapters posted but also quietly marking everything up in red pen. I think Harbinger gets the crown here, at least for now.

[ghosttownaz]

Underground Uprising’s “Artist of the Week” - D. Carter

We are back with the Underground Uprising's "Artist of the Week" and this time we have a director/videographer to showcase!  D. Carter, the man behind "To the Top Visuals" is the first "AOTW" to  be chosen for their skills behind a camera and after you get to know him and his work a little better, you'll be a fan or an eager artist that wants to work with this diversely skilled man from Arizona.

Where are you from?  What was it like growing up there?

"I was born in Mesa, Arizona. Raised in the East valley of Phoenix, bouncing from Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe. I've been here my entire life. I moved a lot, but mostly throughout the east valley. I love AZ, it is a place I'll always represent and call home. I've met several solid people who've played huge roles in my life. I've had a lot of great memories and a lot of bad one's. But I'm sure it's like that anywhere you are from. The one thing i love about Arizona is its difference in nature. You can go from the Phoenix desert at 120 degrees and take an hour and a half drive up North and be in cooler weather and surrounded by pine trees. Growing up here has been a long experience and journey. I don't know any other place better than I do Arizona."

What kind of videos/movies/tv inspired you as a kid?

"I grew up loving a lot of sci-fi and comedy films. "Star Wars" brings out my nerdy side and i could watch those movies over and over despite how many times I've already seen them. I also loved movies like "The Matrix" , "Romeo must die", "Predator", "Alien", "Rush Hour" "Chappelle show" and stand up comedies to name a few. As a kid I was heavy into "Pokémon" and "Yu-Gu-oh!" I don't care what nobody says that was my thing. Lol. I really enjoyed movies or shows where their was a main character who was separated from the rest "The one" or they had special abilities that no one else had. Some badass "lone ninja" type stuff. Lol. I actually try implementing that on my own projects. I think it's cool."

When did “To the Top Visuals” start?

"[It] originated as "Carterora Productions" about two years ago. As I was building my portfolio as an artist going by "D Carter", I needed content. I didn't have the money to afford photo shoots or music videos all the time with what I was trying to do. I knew I needed to put things out but I was limited. I hated that feeling. I originally invested into camera equipment with a business partner who had experience in multimedia in hopes to grow as an artist and build a business shooting music videos and doing photo shoots for other artists. My partner and I had conflicting schedules and (life happened) at the time and couldn't run it full force attacking it head on together like i was intending to. So I ended up doing it by myself. I started building relationships and taking on big projects like Weddings, Corporate videos, small business videos, artist photo shoots, artist music videos etc.. I really had no experience what so ever with a camera or knew anything about it. But I did my research and learned more and more over time. I had to learn the ins and outs of a camera, a drone, editing, all while having my own style to it. It was very over whelming for a while because I was also trying to be a music artist. Then all the sudden I was a videographer and a photographer.

I've had my fair share of gigs and the experience is really what took me to a new level. Although I still am the learner and have much more to figure out. It has skyrocketed my opportunities and building relationships being able to it all.  Until I met my manager, (Danielle Ellis) aka "The Matrix" We built a team together under the label "To the Top Music Management". She has helped me immensely to grow as an artist. We decided to partner and run the multimedia business I had built, together and rebrand the name to match what we had already started in To the Top Music management. To make things simpler, thus the name "To the Top Visuals".

Favorite director?

"I loved Tarantino films, Spielberg, and of course George Lucas for giving us star wars lol."

What do you both think of the current state of AZ Hip Hop?

"I think anyone can agree that Arizona is a hotspot for talent. I've met so many talented and credible like minded individuals who are all here trying to do the same thing. The driving direction in AZ hip-hop is in full acceleration. One day i believe AZ will be known for Hip hop like California, New York or Atlanta. One driving force will be Respect the Underground and what they have put on for the city, year after year. Especially with the showcasing of talent at each years Annual Hip hop festival."

Advice for up and coming creators and artists?

"My best advice, do what you love to do. Not because it's cool. If you truly love the ART and can dedicate your life to it, then take every opportunity thrown at you. I mean that as in right away. Not next week, next year, or when you're ready.. Because you will never be "ready". The time is now fam."

Biggest lesson learned in your career?

"My biggest lesson as a music artist, was to stop making music for other people. Make music that YOU like. Don't follow the trends. Separate yourself from the rest. I see to much of the same things nowadays. I also learned that this is a business, not a hobby. You need to have both a business mindset and a creative mindset or else this will be very difficult for you. It was for me. The last important thing I learned is don't listen to what people think or criticize you on about your art. And that goes for the multimedia side as well. Your art will never be good enough for some people and that's okay. You have to accept that. The ones who enjoy what you do will follow."

What are you most proud of, what is your biggest accomplishment so far?

"What I am most proud of in this journey in the music business and multimedia business is the experience itself. Never did I think 4 years ago I would be where I am today, strategizing and executing a clear vision with Mic Myers, Talika, KMRN, Genesis, and Drk Matr, all of which are a part of our label “To the Top music management” as well as hosting Hip-hop night at Good Time Charlis in Chandler. I've worked with or had the opportunity to surround myself with several successful artists and media artists such as Whitney Peyton, Sincerely Collins, Fat Belly Filmz, Shot by Dub, Delly Everyday, Bag of Tricks Cat to name a few. I've collaborated with super producer Kato on the Track, on a beat and had the opportunity to meet and learn from him. I've taken pictures of several local artists whether it be photo shoots or performance photos for groups like The Kotton Mouth Kings... The opportunities are out there.. I'm proud of my journey and I cant wait for what's next."

Who would you like to collab with in the future?

"I would love to collab with Futuristic one day, but I'm sure everyone would want that since he's one of the faces of AZ hip hop right now.. J Rob the Chief is another artist i believe is next level. I'm open to collabs with anyone who is serious about this honestly. Eventually I'd like to expand outside of AZ and collab with other we'll known artists. But overall I want to grow and help others grow too."

What’s the next move for To The Top Visuals?

"To the Top visuals has a few videos coming out that we are excited about. One of which being Whitney Peyton. She is an incredible talent and has given us the opportunity to collab with her. So stay tuned for that. Otherwise, To the Top Visuals is open for business and taking all inquiries for video, photo, beat production, studio recording, album art or cover art, or even if you need help learning the business side of music etc.. So hit us up we got you!"

by: Steven Sandage

[popatochisssp]

Rus (Swapfell Papyrus) and his fluffy friends!

Altaria: Accidental emotional support Pokémon-- a Swablu perched on his head one day, as they are wont to do, and he kinda...didn’t notice it was there until he got home? And then what was he gonna do, kick it out? He’s not a jerk! So it stayed and bonded with him and he grew pretty fond of it...especially after what it started doing every time he had a panic attack or a nightmare. “If it bonds with a person, it will gently envelop the friend with its soft wings, then hum.” Between the fluffy wings and the pretty singing, he tends to calm down quick and often jokes that it’s really earning its keep! They’re buddies, though, and would be whether it ‘earned its keep’ or not, but Rus is really grateful to it for being such an above-and-beyond pal anyway.

Aromatisse: “Its scent is so overpowering that, unless a Trainer happens to really enjoy the smell, he or she will have a hard time walking alongside it.” Well...Rus loves neat smells! He doesn’t have an actual nose so it’s a little harder for him to get overpowered, but he’s always really interested in what it can come up with and how realistically it can mimic so many scents. He found it trailing a good bit behind its current trainer and gathered the rare courage to ask why the distance-- apparently the lady had wanted a Spritzee, but it had evolved when traded and it smelled too strongly now and kept inducing migraines, but she hadn’t yet found someone else able to take care of it. ...Would he be interested? Put on the spot, he kinda agreed without thinking about it, but much as it was a snap-decision, he doesn’t regret it. His Aromatisse is always making his room smell like cookies now and if he wants to switch things up, it does requests! What a cool friend he’s got...

Bewear: “This Pokémon has the habit of hugging its companions. Many Trainers have left this world after their spines were squashed by its hug.” ...So how in the hell did Rus end up with this one??? It was a gift, actually-- from his brother. His bro is a fantastic trainer and impressed upon it the importance of gentle hugs before giving it to Rus and things have been...pretty good? It definitely mothers him a little bit, by the way it shoos dodgy-looking people away from him whenever they’re out together you’d definitely think Rus was its little Stufful or something... It’s probably exactly what his bro intended, giving him a devoted bodyguard for when he wasn’t around to do it himself, but Rus figures it worked out pretty well. Bewear gives great hugs and if they’re a little tighter than they oughta be, he doesn’t mind-- he likes firm hugs!

Cinccino: He picked up a Minccino to help clean around the house a little. He’s not very good at it himself and he doesn’t really wanna just leave everything for his brother, and as an added bonus, it was really soft and fluffy! When he found out it could get even softer and fluffier, though... Oh man, he had to evolve it. “Their white fur feels amazing to touch. Their fur repels dust and prevents static electricity from building up.” It still tidies the house a bit, but also he could pick it up and rub it against his face with no static buildup, truly this is the ideal Pokémon, he kinda loves it.

Smeargle: Rus found this one while he was out and about. It was painting a wall...which made sense. “It draws symbols all over the place to mark its territory. In towns with many Smeargle, the walls are covered in graffiti.” But this particular Smeargle was drawing a whole-ass mural and Rus had to admit, he was pretty impressed. He saw it a couple more times, sometimes getting chased off by police and business owners who didn’t want stuff drawn on their buildings, and eventually he decided to reach out to it and ask if it wanted to paint stuff and not get yelled at, ‘cause he’s got a lotta blank walls at home and canvases and stuff... He was actually a little surprised when it accepted, but what’s he gonna do, take it back? Smeargle hangs out at his place now, expressing itself freely. Rus has even done a couple abstract collab pieces with it and asked its opinion when he’s not sure about something-- it’s his art-buddy and he’s glad it’s hanging around!

Vulpix: Well. Rus is a cuddlebug. And he can only snuggle his Cinccino for so long before it wriggles away from him to do other stuff. He needed something else to fill the snuggle-void and a Vulpix seemed like the perfect solution. “At the time of its birth, Vulpix has one white tail. The tail separates into six if this Pokémon receives plenty of love from its trainer. The six tails become magnificently curled.” He found one from a breeder and paid extra-close attention to all of their instructions on how to properly care for his new friend, and he followed them to the letter. It wasn’t long before its tail separated with how much love and care he’d been giving it and now it’s kind of always by his side. One of Rus’ favorite parts of the day is brushing its tails while it sits in his lap, it’s so warm and soft and the brushing part is actually surprisingly meditative. It’s also the only one of his Pokémon that insists on sleeping in the same bed as him, and he shamelessly allows it-- it’s just made their bond stronger!

[ask-the-guiding-light-cast]

Guiding Light turns two years old today!

It’s crazy to think this all began only a couple of years back... and also hilarious it falls on the same day as “International Mystery Dungeon Day” over on Twitter. More after the cut. This is gonna be a long one, so I appreciate anyone willing to read this. ^^

For a long time, I had been a casual consumer of fan fics. It started in the late 2000s when I was in a Spyro craze thanks to the more story-driven Legend of Spyro trilogy. I had an itch that I needed scratched and FFN fulfilled that to some extent. I also looked at some Mario fics, including Paper Mario: The Temple of the Sun, which I greatly enjoyed and thought did a good job adapting the formula that made Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door so beloved and putting a unique spin on things.

But it was until the early 2010s that I actually started getting back into Pokémon games with Gen V. After Emerald, I fell out of touch with Pokémon for a time. When Gen VI came around, I dipped my toe into the fandom through Twitch livestreams, but also through reading a few anime-based fics that are very long and still going, even now. 

At the same time, I ended up buying PMD: Explorers of Sky... and damaged my cartridge before I could properly finish the game with my Vulpix/Riolu team. So, I watched cutscenes for what I missed on YouTube, then got Gates to Infinity and, later, Super Mystery Dungeon and had fun with both of them... though more for the stories and characters than the actual gameplay. Truth be told, I don’t care much for roguelikes at all.

It was during the gap in time between Super’s release and the first official footage of Sun & Moon in mid-2016 that I found myself hit with a recurring thought: “What if someone made a PMD story where the hero and the partner are forced to fight one another with the fate of the world at stake?” I wound up (loosely) brainstorming an idea for a PMD story revolving around an antagonistic Hoopa character who would use its ring portals to collect entire communities, including the Pokémon living in them... all so that he would never be bored. This would lead him to “collect” the partner to add to his “toys,” so when the hero shows up, he’d sic the partner on them.

But that was as far as I got with the idea. I ended up graduating college and took a job with late evening hours. It left me pretty tired and exhausted and unmotivated to do much of anything. I withdrew from the parts of the Pokémon community I was involved in.

Then the Generation VII games came out and, while divisive in the fandom, I found myself really liking some of the concepts. There were so many times when I thought, “Gee, I wonder what this would be like if it were in a PMD game?” For example, one of the ideas I had was a sort of edgy rival rescue team akin to Gladion, which would have a Midnight Lycanroc, a Zoroark, and a Type: Null character in it.

So, toward the end of 2016 and early 2017, I started creating an idea for a Choose Your Own Adventure story with the intent of putting it on this really small forum I was a part of. It would be a Gen VII-themed PMD story, but because I didn’t think that sounded interesting enough, I decided that, not only would the human keep their memories, but they would be from the real world and be a major Pokémon nerd. The idea was that the choices the readers made would affect the relationship between the human and partner. I even came up with a point system. The more points the readers earned for their choices, the “closer” the relationship the hero and partner would have and the happier an ending the story would get. If the hero and partner couldn’t stand each other, one of them would likely end up working with the bad guy and winning. If they became steadfast friends, they’d work together to save the world.

Unfortunately, the forum shut down before I got too far into planning it, so I shelved the idea and continued focusing on my job. And things stayed that way for several months, until I ended up getting into med school and scrambling to move.

During the downtime I had when I wasn’t doing moving related stuff, I decided to look at FFN again and found Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Defenders of Warmth. I wound up reading through the entirety of the story quite quickly. I guess you could say it sparked something in my head. The fic itself focuses on what, at the time, was the newest Gen (Gen V). It also has multiple humans and is set on a continent separate from the canon locations (which were just the Air and Grass Continents, since Gates and Super didn’t exist when the fic was written). In short, it renewed my desire to pursue my idea of a Gen VII-flavored PMD story.

So, I set about creating my story outline. It is so... so much different from the actual story, though I’ve gone into that in previous posts (search for #amby answers). Originally, I used Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time as the framework for the fic: an alien invasion in a colorful, comedic world. I took more specific cues, too. Zero was meant to be a (mostly) silent antagonist a la Princess Shroob, for example.

The problem was, I really didn’t have much confidence in myself or my abilities. I’d like to say I was writing for myself, but I really did want validation, too. I think any author is lying to themselves if they say they don’t feel this way at some point. Because of this, I figured if I put the fic on FFN, it would get ignored. The site’s huge! There were, at the time, around 85k fics in the Pokémon section alone. (That number’s since gone up to over 90k!)

Given I had experience with forums, I decided to post it to Serebii, because the fic community seemed much smaller and more open to giving feedback to one another. In an effort to try and, y’know, establish some connections, I actually read other pieces and reviewed them before posting any stories. This also helped me build up a backlog of chapters and prove to myself I enjoyed writing this enough to keep going.

When I finally did post the fic, it was a bumpy start, for sure. I do think I made a lot of mistakes out of the gate, including uploading chapters way too quickly for readers on Serebii to (reasonably) try to keep pace. That probably cost me a few potential readers... or made them silent readers who I never ended up hearing from. Which is why I’m especially thankful to @girl-like-substance (who I can seem to tag, drat) for all of the well-thought-out feedback given throughout the fic’s run. I don’t think I would’ve made such significant strides in my writing otherwise... and there are plenty of long-running fics where the quality tends to stagnate.

In any case... it was thanks to a request from @deliriousabsol to put the fic somewhere more mobile-friendly that I chose to mirror Guiding Light on FFN starting in October 2017. I would’ve kept going on Serebii had she not asked so nicely, so she’s the one you can thank for it showing up there! (She’s a fellow author who does cyberpunk-themed fics and art and her characters have cameoed in the fic.)

And, honestly, I’m just... beyond shocked at what wound up happening to the fic once it hit FFN. Well, actually, for the first several months I was lucky if I even got a comment when I put up a chapter. I’m not sure any of the people who first commented on FFN still follow the fic anymore. I haven’t seen/heard from them at all, so I assumed they moved on with their lives.

In any case, around March of 2018, the word count on FFN passed 300k and... somehow, the fic starting getting more attention. Like, a lot more attention. This was... not really something I was even remotely prepared for.

(Yes, this means there’s gonna be a giveaway. More on that later.) I never would’ve thought I’d reach a number like this. I never imagined I’d meet another PMD author who’d be willing to do a fun collab (thanks @virgil134, Spiteful Murkrow, and Namohysip). I really did not imagine that I’d ever get fanart of characters that I wrote (huge thanks @thebreak-ofdawn, @ask-nicky-and-others, and @cresselia92). I mean, above everything, I not expect the fic or characters to resonate with anybody the way it wound up.

A part of me feels like I don’t really deserve it. I’ve made a lot of serious gaffes with writing this. When initial Serebii feedback had people intrigued by Shane’s jerkass attitude (when I didn’t actually intend for him to come off as a jerk), I dialed things up in the hopes I’d keep their attention. It probably cost me readers. Then there’s the slow pacing of the early episodes and the mistake of making Special Episode 3 as long as it was... which my speaks to my (bad) tendency to give into some of my strongest impulses even though I had an outline I was trying to stick to.

And, I mean, there’s also some of the “shamlessly shameful” stuff I’ve done with the fic. I’m not fooling myself. Guiding Light has grown progressively more furry and, uh, probably fanservicey, too. All the big furbait (and some scalebait) ‘mons are accounted for. There’s a lot more sexual humor when I initially promised myself I would stay away from romance and keep everything platonic. I practically turned Xerneas into waifu bait, if some of these asks are anything to go by. This blog certainly didn’t help in that regard. Maybe I’m just being my usual nervous self? 

I am worried that this fic’s performance has, somehow, affected my thoughts and behavior. There are very popular fic authors who let their popularity get to their head... or chose to open up Patreons (something that makes me uncomfortable) or start doing things like taking commissions for written pieces, which is understandable... though I think it’s an easy way to lose your passion for writing. I guess some of that worry stems from a debacle I learned about on a Discord server I’m in, but that’s not something I’m comfortable discussing publicly. 

And I haven’t even talked much about the blog itself. Like, it somehow passed 100 followers? Where? When? How? I don’t actually draw stuff like many other Pokéasks. And, like, for a lot of folks, I have no idea if they’ve actually read the fic or just check in on the blog. It’s the same with the fic, I suppose. If you’re a silent reader/follower, I would really love to hear from you! I promise... I don’t bite or anything. I’d love to know what (if anything) you’re thinking. And if you’re a blog that’s following this one and we haven’t interacted, please feel free to reach out! It’s honestly hard to tell if people like what I’m doing, so any feedback is always appreciated.

In any case, if I haven’t lost you by now, I guess all I can say is... thank you. Thank you all so much for all of the support... whether it’s on the fic, the blog, or both of them. I really do hope this final episode can meet your expectations. I’ll try my very best to make this an ending to remember. Nothing would make me happier than to hear you guys enjoy it and feel it does justice to the PMD series.

Sorry for all the rambling. The inbox is open again if you’d like to send any messages for the ficaversary. Again, thank you all so much! You’re the best!

[rbright1127]

5 Things!

Girl I check your tumblr about 2 times a day at MINIMUM XD No need to worry about me not seeing it!

5 Things You’ll Find In My Bag 1) iPhone 7 2) iPad Pro with Apple Pencil 3) Snacks 4) Sketchbook with fancy pens and pencils 5) My purple Beats

5 Things You’ll Find In My Bedroom 1) GRAY. LITERALLY JUST GRAY. 2) Nini and my 200+ other stuffed animals 3) Sketches that I never finished 4) Old books that my cousin has written for me (she has the ones that I’ve wrote for her) 5) Standard room things

5 Things I Want To Do In Life 1) Travel to different places in the world (Australia, France, Japan, and Hong Kong especially!) 2) Become an animator at Disney for my family 3) Meet my online friends would be amazing… :) 4) Learn a new language (I’m looking at Japanese…) 5) Collabs with friends for videos

5 Things I’m Currently Into 1) Pokémon/Fire Emblem/Undertale/GAMES IN GENERAL 2) Rereading old RPs and Warriors 3) OUAT/Steven Universe 4) Dreaming up new ideas 5) Writing

5 Things On My To-Do List 1) More speedpaints on my channel 2) FINALLY WRITE CHAPTER 6 3) Get a dang animation app on my iPad Pro already my gosh 4) Work on expanding my drawing abilities 5) Get a special picture done for a special friend ;)

5 Things You May Not Know About Me 1) I’ve been to Disney 19 times now 2) I used to have a purple dyed part in my hair! 3) I have a beauty mark to the left of my lip. As far as I know of I’m the only one with one in my family :D (Even though I don’t consider myself beautiful in the SLIGHTEST) 4) I suffer from terrible anxiety, especially separation and “out-of-control” anxiety (means that there’s some factor that I can’t control and I’m afraid it might harm me.) I’ve had this problem since 3rd or 4th grade. 5) I love love love lOVE LOVE SMOOTHIES. If you give me one (especially Strawberry Banana) you are my automatic best friend.

Anyone can do this :)

- The Friendly Anon