#but my current job i drive to. so obviously i can't do that lol

[2hoothoots]

"Dion! Dioooon!" Mirtala’s voice rang out across the campsite; clear like a bell, pleading like a kitten’s mew, and shrill in the way only the cries of a five-and-a-half-year-old girl could be. Dion winced. Nona had always said, ever since the day Mirtala had been born, that she had ‘a good pair of lungs’. Dion thought that was a nice way of saying that she was loud. She’d been a loud baby, and now she was a loud little girl, who didn’t seem to have realised that she didn’t need to yell all the time. Especially when the person she was trying to talk to was only a few feet away through an open window. He sighed, fixing his own grim expression resolutely in the mirror. “What is it?” Mirtala’s bells jingled, and in his peripheral vision he could see her stretch up to put her little hands on the edge of the dressing-room windowsill. "I have a question," she announced. "Can it wait?" "No! It's important!" "I'm kinda busy here, Tala–" "But it's the importantest!" This was not a battle he was going to win. Dion put down the pot of pomade, and turned to where Mirtala's huge blue eyes were peering up at him through the open window. "Fine," he said. "What do you want?" Mirtala, with some ceremony, tucked her hands behind her back and tipped her head. "Are crabs fishes?"

i've been off work this week, so finished up this long-neglected wip! a couple years before the events of the games, Dion takes Mirtala and Raz to an aquarium.

[fizzigigsimmer]

So. A few months back, I reached out to Ivy to ask if they would be interested in doing a collaboration with me, with the Harringrove Cafe. I, like many of you I am sure, am obsessed with Great British Bake Off (because what's not to love) and one day I got to thinking how funny it would be if Billy & Steve held a baking competition at the cafe.

The long & short of it is, Ivy was kind enough to let me borrow their world and bring it to life in the Sims in order to tell that story. In July, alongside the story the Cafe was to host a menu featuring the contestants dishes, with the fandom casting their "votes" for the winning dishes through their orders.

With the cafe closed, obviously this event will not be occurring and the story is currently unfinished; but I am so grateful for all the work that was put into the cafe, and to @half-oz-eddie for allowing me to play in their sandbox, and I guess I am just happy that this exists and want to share it. I had such a great time and I'm proud of what we accomplished. I hope others enjoy it too.

I've tried to think of creative ways to share this but my brain is overworked and it's not that serious lol, so I'm just going to share the finished chapters as they would originally have appeared.

So onto the story....

The Great Baking Contest: A Harringrove Sim Story

Copperdale. Early in the evening on their way to dinner, Steve and his partner Billy pass the old library - the one that had fallen into the mysterious sinkhole that opened up in the middle of downtown. It has been months since the incident, but the site is still a wreck.

Billy: It's a shame the town doesn't make enough money off these tourists to fix it. This eyesore is driving away our business.

But that gives Steve an idea. A brilliant idea.

Jonathan: Wait. So you want to host a baking competition?

Steve: Yes! To save the library.

Argyle: Man, that place nearly killed us! I say we should leave it for the sinkhole gods. Think about it. What are the chances a sinkhole would open up in the middle of California? Spooky!

Eddie: Weird things do seem to happen to us a lot.

Nancy: But the library is really important to the community. It helps people get jobs, and gave kids from under privileged communities resources they don't get anywhere else.

Steve: Exactly!

Eddie: But a bake off? How would it even work?

Steve: We'll televise it on Good Morning With Nancy, and sell tickets to the live event. And for those who can't afford the ticket, we'll offer a specialized menu at the cafe - proceeds from the sale will go toward the library fund. It's a great idea. Right?

Jonathan: I just want to know how you convinced Billy to go along with this.

Earlier that evening....

Billy: What's in it for me?

Steve: I'll let you top for a week.

Billy: You sure you can survive a whole week Pretty Boy?

Billy: You had to be there.

Jonathan: What does that mean?

Eddie: It means you need Stevie boys ass.

Part 2

[potential-fate]

15 questions for mutuals

uhm uhmmmm... I got tagged by like 4 people in one day LMAO but I believe @pralinesims, @helltrait, @boolpropper and @sicksadsim tagged me!~ (I'm so sorry if you also tagged me and I missed u 😭)

Are you named after anyone?

Not that I know of. Fun fact though, my dad almost got away with naming me after an ex girlfriend LMAO. He said it was just cause she had a cool name. (to be fair, he was right cause her name was like Jade or something lol.)

when was the last time you cried?

Oh gosh, uhm. it's probably been a week or two. Which is probably an improvement recently. :') But fr I'm an over-emotional mess so a lot of things, including being super mad, makes me cry lol.

do you have kids?

I do not. nor do I particularly want any. (now or probably ever tbh.) I'm good with having a niece.

do you use sarcasm a lot?

me? never. /s

what sports do you play/have you played?

I'm not a sports person. I like bouldering at a gym though. but I haven't gone recently cause it's not convenient to get to.

what's the first thing you notice about other people?

hm. I'm not sure tbh. my brain is saying "just say "vibes" but that sounds dumb lmao. but fr idk. I have a bad habit of deciding very quickly based on 'vibes' whether or not I'm gonna like a person lmao.

eye colour?

blue.

scary movies or happy endings?

both? separately though, obviously. but I really enjoy a good suspense/supernatural type horror movie (I can't really do slashers anymore sadly they make me cringe/ick.) but I also love like, soft shit with a bunch of fluff (either platonic or romantic yk)

any special talents?

uh.... I mean I'm sure there's something. probably.

what are your hobbies?

bruh you see most of them here. -__- fr though. art stuff, writing, sims modding, videogames in general, uhm...

do you have any pets?

a single cat. She's not social. otherwise I'd probably have two by now. but she's a bit bitchy to other cats lmao.

how tall are you?

5'4'' :D (absolutely the average height in the US.)

fave subject in school?

the obvious answer is art. but I also liked english and math, and did not much like science courses. I also failed photography three fcking times in college because I was simply too bored to do the work. (I don't even dislike photography but gods I hated it as a class.)

dream job?

is "nothing" an option? nah, actually that would probably drive me crazy too. uhm, honestly I'm pretty much okay with my current job. it's fine. a little boring sometimes, but I'm fine with that.

Uhm... I'm supposed to tag people now. I think a lot of people have been tagged by now. 🤔 @luverofralts, @nappe-plays-the-sims, @rurpleplayssims, @rebouks, and @auroragoth if yall haven't/want to do this.

[not-ishmael]

get to know me meme

I was tagged by @iwhoneverbelievedinwar - I was going to write this yesterday but I forgor

Do you make your bed? lol, lmao even. I do leave it tidy, but undone.

What's your favourite number? I have an issue with favourite-anythings... I usually can't decide one out of a bunch of different options.

What is your job? I'm still finishing my Bachelor's Degree in Physics. I hope to become a researcher in geophysics soon.

If you could go back to school would you? I never left (pls send help I'm stuck in a loop)

Can you parallel park? I have no license but how hard could it be *crashes inmediately*

A job you had that would surprise people? None, I think.

Do you think aliens are real? Obviously? The universe is so incredibly big and full of different planets that the idea that life only appeared on Earth is ridiculous.

Can you drive a manual car? Still no license but I do have a vague idea of how it goes. R is race mode, right?

*goes from 5th to reverse and destroys the transmission*

What's your guilty pleasure? I'm obsessed with Hermitcraft. I'm over 25.

Tattoos? None. I wouldn't be able to decide a design or place for the life of me.

Favourite colour? Again, I'm unable to choose a favourite. But around greens and blues.

Favourite type of music? Anything between classical music and techno.

Do you like puzzles? I play D&D, which means I like them but I'm shit at them.

Any phobias? Nope.

Favourite childhood sport? Now if you had asked for my current favourite sport it would have been one of the rare occasions where I do have a favourite-something (rock climbing). But alas.

Do you talk to yourself? Sometimes I fear people with think I'm mad or something.

What movie(s) do you adore? Star Wars, LOTR, Wes Anderson films, anything Neil Gaiman has done, etc.

Coffee or tea? Tea, with milk. But I do drink coffee very often.

First thing you wanted to be growing up? Same thing I want to be now, a researcher in geophysics (never grew up from the obsession with volcanoes).

I tag @ankilizard. Have fun.

[survey--s]

635.

How often do you eat your favourite food? I have pizza once a week or so, but steak is probably only every couple of months - if that.

Have you ever fallen asleep on public transport? (including planes) Yeah, planes, trains and coaches in the past.

What room of the house are you in right now? I'm in the living room at the moment.

What was the last tv show you watched? Keeping Up Appearances.

Have you been using Apple Music? No. I tried the free trial thing but I thought it was awful. I'll stick with Spotify as it's just so much more intuitive.

Do you pay rent for the place you live? How often? We pay a mortgage - monthly, obviously.

How do you feel at this particular moment? Anything on your mind? Tired and I have a bit of a headache - it's been a stupidly long week with far too many early starts lol.

Where was the last place you went on vacation/holiday to? Who’d you go with? I honestly don't remember, hahah.

Does the place you work have music playing? What sort? I work outdoors.

List all the colours you’re currently wearing. Grey and black. What’s your favourite type of donut? Raspberry jam, or those chocolate ring ones with sprinkles. Apple donuts are good too but I haven't seen those in ages.

What do you usually eat for breakfast? Toast, coffee and apple juice.

Do you have any candles in your bedroom? Do you light them often? No, but we do have wax melts going in the living room everyday.

When was the last time you went out for dinner? Uh - about three weeks ago, I think? Maybe longer.

Have you seen all the Hunger Games films as of current? I saw first two or maybe three? I can't remember.

What was the last thing you said to someone else in person? I don't remember. I'm downstairs with the animals.

Do you use Windows, Mac, Linux, or something else entirely? Google Chrome.

How many times do you call someone on the phone a week? Uh, maybe 2-3 times on average. Have you cooked anything today? What was it? No - unless you count toast or reheating a ready meal lol.

Do you have a lot of cousins? What are their names? Sure, quite a few. I'm not going to name them though as all together, those names are quite identifying.

What does your shampoo smell like? Coconuts.

What about the body wash or soap you’re using at the moment? Oats, vanilla and chamomile.

Have you ever had an exotic or unusual pet? No, just dogs and cats.

Any movies you’ve seen recently that you’d recommend to me? I haven't really seen any new movies lately.

Why did you last go see a doctor? To get signed off work.

What was the last thing you bought online? Probiotics for the cat.

Where do you usually park your car? On the street. Occasionally on the drive.

Does your mail get delivered to your house or do you have to collect it? It just comes straight through the door.

Are you more logical or creative? Logical.

Do you cut tags out of clothing so they don’t itch and bother you? Yes.

What is your dream job? Do you think that’s attainable for you? I love what I'm doing at the moment.

When was the last time you looked at Facebook, Twitter or etc.? About a minute ago.

Have you ever been on a train? Where did you go? Yeah, hundreds of times. The last time was to Manchester. I'm meant to be going next weekend but I reckon we'll end up driving due to the strikes.

How many times a year do you go on vacation? Never, hahah. I have a week or two off work 3-4 times a year though.

Can you curl your tongue or do anything else cool with it? I can curl it, yeah.

What was the last job interview you went to? The one for my previous job.

Do you ever just feel like you need to be alone for some reason? Yeah, I need a reasonably decent amount of alone time every single day or I go stir crazy, lol.

When was the last time you wore something totally inappropriate for the weather? Does this happen often? I can't remember.

The last time you went out of the house, where were you going and what did you do? I just went for a cat-feeding job.

When was the last time someone cancelled plans on you? Were you annoyed? I can't remember the last time I was cancelled on.

Do you have a friend that has a tendency to “dump” you whenever they get a new partner? No.

Would you ever want to go on vacation with just one of your parents? Yeah, I've done that loads. I'm away with my mum next weekend actually.

In summer, do you prefer to wear dresses or shorts and tops? It depends what I'm doing.

Has someone ever tried to start an argument with you over Facebook? What happened? Yeah, multiple times.

Have you ever had an unusual type of milk (eg. oat, rice, almond)? Yeah, my dad used to drink oat milk and I've had soy milk before.

If you could experience life as a Disney princess for a week, which princess would you pick and why? Belle for the library and the magic, Ariel for the mermaid lol.

How many cans of soda would you say you drink in a week, if any at all? 2-3 cans a day.

When you’re at home, do you spend most of your time in your room? No, in the living room. I only really use my bedroom for slepeing.

If you like to sleep in late, have your parents ever told you off for doing so? They did a bit when I was younger, yeah.

How much stuff do you take with you when you go on vacation for a week? Way too much.

How old is your oldest living relative? I don't know, to be honest. I have a step-grandma who must be in her nineties now.

Could you willingly live on a vegan diet? No.

If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, are you sad that there’ll never be another book or movie? I'm not sad about it, no. It ended at a good point. The Fantastic Beasts films are just an embarrassment lol.

If you’re an only child, do you wish you had siblings? If you have siblings, do you get along? I always wanted a brother growing up - now I'm not fussed though.

How long have you had the shirt you’re wearing? It's Mike's.

What happened last time you got drunk? I honestly don't remember.

When’s the last time you straightened your hair? About 2-3 weeks ago.

Do you bite your toe nails? No.

Last thing you said out loud? "Don't you dare bite me!" to Simba.

Last time you laughed your head off? Earlier on at something on TikTok. What do you want right this second? A nap.

How are you sitting? On the sofa with my legs curled up - Simba is asleep kind of in the crook my legs.

Your mood? Tired.

Did you sleep alone last night? No.

Do you plan on sleeping in tomorrow? Hopefully until 8am.

Do you find piercings attractive? It depends on the person.

What were you doing last night at midnight? Sleeping.

Will you have sexual intercourse within the next two weeks? Nope.

How many cigarettes have you smoked today? Zero.

Do you have a hard time admitting you’re wrong? Oh, most definitely lol.

Do you like potato chips? Yep. I find them way, way too addictive.

Do you give out second chances way too easily? No.

[failedaned]

I have a plan. I'm gonna go to the bathroom the beginning of every lunch and just chill there for a little while my friends get their food because if i don't come in with the i don't usually grab food and my friends usually grab me carrots since they know how much i love veggies- UHM anyway i won't eat in the mornings, just coffee or green tea. After school is the hardest for me, i always end up snacking i something. So I'll just take a shower and drink water and depending on my mom i will eat dinner or something small I'll probably eat just dinner the nights before my test so tomorrow I'll have just dinner but nothing else 👍. The only snacks i can have for now are veggies and fruits nothing more. for dinner will be majority veggies. So if i feel like binging, which is always gonna happen at the beginning and will be hard to control I'll eat celery and tomatoes and carrots (or/and) there can be other veggies too but no fruit because i dont want binge on something that can cause weight gain because if the sugar if you have too much but for the most part I'll control myself and not eat. At school if my friends say anything I'll eat fruits and veggies, I'll eat them first since I'm always the last one done anyway I'll just throw the rest away and they'll think it just because they already finished and it's not like u didn't eat anything (this will mostly be at break since i have that plan for lunch^) for distraction, i only have to find something for 4-7 because i lose appetite around 7 which is probably because i usually get ready for bed around that time and i don't eat before bed and my body is used to that routine so i don't eat. I could do homework, sketching, Plan out my outfits, clean, it has to be something more than just a movie because i like to eat while watching tv so my body will think about food so i need something else with that like scrolling through Pinterest/IG or watching something on my laptop too. I do have to study for my permit and my SAT so i will do that, ride my skateboard, play my guitar or violin (once i learn to tune the dang thing lol), self care stuff and that's al i can think of. (Djjeys my mom's being a selfish little mmph right now and yelling at my selfish but more likeable (not that I'm any better lol) little brother cussing and shit and it's literally making me shake with anxiety (every time and it's kind of annoying) like i really hate when she does this and then goes on acting like she's a good mother and good role model who loves and cares for her children blaming others for why they cuss and why they're so fucked up and acting all innocent and like a victim like my gosh if she weren't my motherwjejhe but she's the type of person, the type of personality that i hate, she's a homophobic judging little mmph...sometimes i can't stand her but it is what it is and also I'll be out of here soon enough, just gotta get my permit and i have a summer job already of course it doesn't start till summer but I'm hired just have to get my permit and permission to drive to work and have a reliable source of transportation lol I'll be using my mom's car since obviously i dont have one and she won't need it since it's a pretty late job and she doesn't go anywhere but i really can't wait to go it'll be hot but it'll be worth it, i might also get a second job since this one is a few time a month, when they have concerts. So I'll just take the bus to the other one.) (Oh also, since she's my mom i do gotta say i love her i just strongly dislike her personality and all that...she is one of the causes of my Ed anyway( actually she's the drop of my current relapse lol) Sorry for the rant lol but I WILL succeed and I WILL lose weight. I will be happy.

[cheesycaracal]

THIS TOOK ME SO LOOOONG, why am I doing this to myself?! XD I know the dancing scene will drive me insane just because of the time I have to put into that, but I love the idea so much, especially because I can draw everybody from the crew. We only have three players currently, I drew my two mates' characters earlier - Pagong, the tortle and Pip, the grunge -, the others are ALL NPCs and they are travelling with us. The tiefling is Dandy with yet another appearance and personality (what a surprise lol), next to him is Akiya, our healer, and Thilia also learns from her about herbs and stuff, so my girl can be a better support with the brewed potions. In the back stands Karkot, the shipwright, but currently he is learning from a dwarf smith, so he can get better at his job. On the right is our newest crewmember, Zircon, the genasi bard, but they also appear on my previous post - I just forgot to introduce them :'D The other two will be pretty good too, I can't wait to finalize the sketches and lineart them, since I love the idea of stargazing with Pagong, even though it wasn't in our campaign - possibly "offscreen" they regularly do this. But the hug? That was real :DD It happened after a deadly encounter, where Thilia was below zero HP - she basically died, Pagong saved her with some healing -, and when the crew looted the enemy's ship, Thilia was still in shock. Dandy was the one who asked if everything was all right, but Thilia obviously didn't feel well, so after some hesitation, she hugged him. She (or both of them?) really needed it.

[greaterlandscapes]

My Dean Blunt Rotation aka High Fidelity Left A Bad Taste in My Mouth

For the past 2 to 3 months, my listening habits were teetering to an end; mostly via burnout by spontaneously listening to local artists daily and less likely of a musical discovery drought, whereas my interests of a certain artist or genre hasn't found its, sort of, "eureka", moment per se. I've been feeling less enthusiastic over the things i listen to since my friends have gradually lost their flare when it comes to discovering/exploring untapped parts of the music realm. Thus, in return, my enthusiasm not being reciprocated. It leaves an empty feeling from someone who has been yearning social interaction, may it be media being latched on the topic - it's a feeling that's been guilt-tripping me ever since I was stranded in the other end of the metro. I feel closed off, exposed to the crippling loneliness the lockdown has punished us: a defacto solitary confinement in a national level. Our act of staying online is also an act of staying alive outside.

To be fair though, it's a valid move to not boomerang compliments/gripes over an art you haven't consumed due to someone's autonomy. Your able body being to consume the art you wish to finish with free time is a luxury in of itself. The art is then failed to serve its purpose to reach its goal: You have squiggly lines heading straight to oblivion rather than swirling in the earlobes of a wandering cyber nomad. We, eventually, need to find something that could help us exit, rather than escape, from capital. We, in return, do not shut ourselves from the outside. Instead, we then tend to avoid the stress of protocols and outdoor fascism; Not avoid the indoor liberalism that is eating us alive and online. It's a capital punishment we never knew we signed up for ever since the onslaught of the virus and the state. Art for art's sake is nonexistent now, always has been, it seizes to ever since we went inside. Feeding off of a holographic meatloaf coming from a glowing screen. We have a real-life Karen acting as a nightlight in our rooms.

The COVID lockdown made us listen to music — both for better, for worse. For one, it made us pass most days. You could say the same for any sort of media: film, mixed media art, or whatever pre-Covid activity that sprung up during our time in isolation. For music, however, there was an uptick of new listeners that made others Wheel-of-Fortune the fuck out of their music discoveries in sites like RateYourMusic, Bandcamp, or even Sophie's Floorboard. We've continued to expand and became more open change of opinions and be less of a jackass towards someone else's opinions. On second thought, our opinions have been catalogued, leaving more notes than actual footprints of our previous listens. Our new discoveries made new bands and re-emerging bands, bands who faded to obscurity, crawl back in the surface with newfound interest from younger listeners (ie Panchiko, Jai Paul, and Dean Blunt) and this glowing, previously unseen and unexpected overwhelming support from fans of departed artists (ie SOPHIE, MF DOOM)

For the other, we've hogged gratuitous amounts of media, resulting into losing our primary direction as to how we want to consume our media based on the preconceived notions of what we want in our art. There is goodness in becoming directionless when you think about it, but there comes a cost to our identity as music listeners. Instead, we end up widening our tangents, falling in endless rabbit holes, having zero chances to emerge from the surface. In fact, i refuse to call it a "rabbit hole" instead i'd rather call it a "pipeline" of sorts — transitioning casual music fans into a full on, different, unique versions of themselves that would define them when laws and protocols have eased in the outside world. Our act of staying online has either made most of us break our character or enliven our past selves. The music pipeline is now more apparent, stretching the norms of what was once alienated by a silent majority, but now accepted as an acceptable form of expression. The more music we are exposed to has made casual listeners stranged out or react in ways that our personality have betrayed us or deemed not as acceptable to them. Still, not changing anything that was prominent pre-pandemic. Liberal cop behavior is stronger, now more dangerous than it ever was once perceived by the outside world.

HIGH FIDELITY? NO, THANK YOU.

Imagine a situation inside of a record, pre-pandemic of course, where you do not feel like lifting a record out from the shelf, instead, you window shop just for the sake of windowshopping. Capital and media made us think that going to record shops is a semi-productive activity. The age of discovery has died ever since High Fidelity romanticized and normalized the incelage of horny record diggers. Does this movie age well, yeah sure it does, for old 90s nerds at least. But did it translate well over in the past 20 or more years of events and tragedies that unfolded in pre-9/11 America? No it didn't. It was an age of free expression, only liberals would dream of whenever they take a sip of Guinness beer in their favorite dive bar.

Mind you, over a couple of months ago, it was my only chance in seeing why this movie was the talk of the town back when it was released. There's music, yeah, and attractive leading leadies, yeah, it has everything a 90s kid would love to salivate and drop their gonads over while they watch this movie. I obviously did not live to see the movie on opening day but i could imagine the scent that came out of that movie theater with attendees donning windbreakers and The Who shirts with popcorn dressing stains on their plastic cups. If there was a Filipino counterpart to this movie, i'd bet corporate champions Eraserheads and Rivermaya would soundtrack their music over and have either Tado or have Boy 2 Quizon, but i sense it to age like milk more than it could age like fine wine due to the senseless jokes one can execute in a Cubao or Cartimar record store.

John Cusack is obviously the incel in question here: a damaged, vengeful ex who constantly fails to live his partner's expectations and weaponizes his personality over the situations that has nothing to do with his interests. I spent the entire time being absolutely disgusted over the spineless responses of John Cusack's leading character. The movie then treads on flashbacks with John Cusack's failed relationships and what he could do to move on from each and one of them. If i could stand a SONA for 3 hours then I can't stand John Cusack being the dull entry point to incel, making more reasons why you should hate record store clerks who don't give an iota of shits to someone's inviting rapport. High Fidelity is opium for massive music circle jerks who can't take a single breathe of fresh air or a single quota of touching grass. There's more targeting weak and inferior guys and hot women who dump dumb overconfident dudebros more than the actual "music recs" in the entire movie. The more I think about this movie, the more I realize how our personality is in line towards Dick, the record store being unmercifully dunked on by the movie's two leading characters. He's an angel in the world of cynical bastards, witnessing both demons pitchforking record store customers in the ass while they're purchasing the latest Sonic Youth album.

I believe that Jack Black, the dark horse of High Fidelity, has a pleasing personality more than an irritating demeanor due to this behavior in the record store. In fact, outside of the record store, Jack Black doesn't seem to take the business is your pleasure act pretty seriously. Unlike John Cusack's character he brought his obsession over involving a record in an important memory/point of his life. There is so much stuff that has happened outside of the record store, so much for Rolling Stone and NME being the bible of music at the time, endlessly christening and shilling artists that believe to become the second coming of the Beatles. The music references here however are treated as fluff than it is a mechanism that would drive the senseless plot forward. If anything, there are events pointed out in the event that doesn't have anything to do with the life of the characters.

If anything, this movie did a great job at capturing the feeling of music bros being dumped on the wayside by a mature set of characters and how their current conditions aren't perfumed by the studios' liking of having to Cinderella story the shit out of a bunch of normal record store owners. The reality is in the reaction of one's social capital being invaded and we're here to witness how those reactions panned out in 2021. This is a villainous depiction of music nerds being the salt of the earth, the bane of all media discussion, still reflective of the insufferable salt of cyberspace found in music forums like 4chan and RYM. High Fidelity is a pipeline of 90s musicology, a dreaded fever dream of an owner waiting for the decade to end, trends ossifying and re-emerged by the hands of nostalgia-savvy individuals. It was, at its time, every music-movie nerd's excuse equivalent of Scott Pilgrim VS. The World. There are memories worth remembering and cherishing, and this movie isn't one of them.

DEAN BLUNT, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

In the past two weeks I've been fancying myself into sitting down and listening to different projects from the ever elusive, UK-based sound artist Dean Blunt. The first time i chanced upon his music wasn't too long ago - albeit a recent one in the time of COVID - was when I randomly stumbled upon his records at a Spotify recommendations section under John Maus (yeah lol i know the implications whenever his name is mentioned) - but then i was enamored by his online presence so quickly I put everything down and dedicated an hour or two researching about this man's music.

Other than the fact that his album "The Redeemer" wasn't the best record to start off in journeying through his discography: ending up disgusted and borderline bored even and I was more likely to lambast this record's aimless, pretentious art-pop inflections. By the end of the day, it was a preference long solidified by his undying fanbase. According to his hardcore fans, the music isn't really music, evaluating it as a free form of sound art, rather than sticking to a structured and conventional cues; the genre is nullified by most analysts of the arts. The growing interest of the general public towards Dean Blunt's pranks and antics have long appealed to my tastes as a chaotic neutral individual. Pranks that are well executed to piss off UK gallery connoisseurs and entertain ironic attendees who'd shit on the art piece rather than participate in it.

More of the resources I've found about Dean Blunt online: numerous aliases and collaborations that lasted around almost 2 decades. The most notable of all them, at least for my money, are either Hype Williams, a duo consisting of Dean and frequent collaborator Inga Copeland, and Babyfather, an art performance parodizing the pirate radio culture in the UK. I have not delved enough in Blunt's body of work to evaluate everything and what i could synthesize from it. For now, I enjoyed it as a form of entertainment. Well, color me impressed because Dean Blunt isn't clowning around, he, in fact, makes blissful and transcendental music from left to right.

Dean Blunt was the only few artists that made me want to binge on their discography. His movements in his music has attracted this pesky listener who thinks that being mysterious is a plus. I mean, look at me who thinks The Paul Institute, Panchiko, and Burial are the greatest artists that have walked the face of the earth.

The most I've enjoyed from Dean Blunt's discography are his mixtapes and collaborations: preferably his Soul Fire and ZUSHI, both of which were packaged as B-sides or supplemental releases rather than major releases such as the Babyfather project or the Black Metal releases. His knack for blurring the lines between genres still fascinate me as of this writing, and it continues to amaze me how he doesn't seize to compromise his art, he's here to prove a point and it sells quite well despite the lack of direction in his music. Blunt's music has more aggressive and hazy texture than the hollow, wide, soulless structure of art-pop/hypnagogic pop released today. He creates terrains from the rubble of his country's current shortcomings. The music overlaps the actual intentions with abstract concepts, becoming deconstructed down the line. In Babyfather, noise music coincides with Blunt's amateurish rapping. In Black Metal, Blunt isolates himself along with the assisted skeletal guitar playing. Both projects throwing all tropes in a vaccum alongside Blunt, who he himself would sought to become a personification of a musical void.

--

(Excerpt from the Babyfather album review in TinyMixtapes)

--

Dean Blunt is an entity that wishes to become one person, but no, this isn't a figure in a specific art form; this isn't Banksy, this isn't Bob Ong, this is made by one person, clearly it is if you listen closely, and it's been entrancing me ever since his presence was felt on the horizons of the internet. Dean Blunt, what the actual fuck.

[retphienix]

There are so many fucking games I want to play for the blog and I hypothetically have the time, but the energy, the attention span, the drive?

In more positive terms here are some various titles I plan to give a shot for the blog.

Let's do a 5am state of the blog kind of thing to clear some thoughts, eh?

Morrowind (Current Game ramble)

For the moment the blog is more or less on break with me playing Morrowind ""For the blog"" but mostly for me, because that's just a game I've wanted to explore. Not that every other game on the blog isn't that, just that I looked at Morrowind and said "That'll be a terrible game to present naturally. That's a stream game, or a condensed video, not a liveblog" and then did it anyway.

I'm loving Morrowind! Honestly the sense of mystery, fantasy, and adventure is just chef kiss levels of perfect to me.

But it's terrible in a photoset, I'm not particularly interested in doing another format for the game, and it's a game with less 'intense narrative themes!' and more 'Incredibly different game design compared to modern Bethesda' in terms of discussion material and let's all be real here:

We're all fucking tired of that conversation lol.

So there ain't much to talk on in depth, it's more of a "Here's a newbie seeing new things!" playthrough with nothing to talk about after the fact, which ain't a strong point for the blog- again- that's a stream/video kind of thing.

ANYWHO- Morrowind fun, about the only news I can offer on that series is that it might abruptly end and become a 'for me' series because I'm not particularly interested in beating the game nearly as much as I'm interested in exploring aimlessly and seeing what happens.

I'm not playing Morrowind for the end goal of beating the main quest, or beating the DLCs. I'm playing it to wander into caves and find new pants, so if I reach a point where I'm satisfied with what I've shared and my motivation has not borne a new end goal then I'll end the live blog and move on to a new game :P

Backlog

The short statement I'll make is that this blog is a hell for my backlog.

Even without infinite money on hand I've ended up with so many physical and digital games just sitting here waiting to be played either because they caught my eye or because of recommendations by various people over the years.

I keep sitting down, cataloguing my backlog, realizing it's pointless to catalog, deleting it all, and then starting over yet again.

The fact is, if anyone recommended it it's probably still sitting in a text document somewhere, or physically on my shelf, and I don't remotely know when I'll get to it.

I've yet to hit the point where I decide to turn this blog into work, so I have never sat down and gone "Well, Retphienix NEEDS to post! Sit down, 8-12 hours minimum, let's play the next game!"

And part of me wishes I'd do that, but the fact is this isn't a job. There's no money here, there's the opposite even! I don't remotely see it that way, but if you squint and tilt your head I've spent a lot of money on this blog over the years.

Capture devices (a lot of them!), consoles specifically bought for the blog, controllers out the wazoo, I've gone through multiple computers for this thing, and the games, my lord the games- so many games.

And that's fiscally, what about manpower? So many hours have gone into this blog, so many hours poured into the background of making all this work, researching shit, putting my all into formulating my opinions clearly for posts, writing, hell video shit even though it's mostly clips as my one step into edited content became an impromptu awkward hiatus from doing more lol.

What was I on about.

Despite all that nonsense, Retphienix is a passion project. Not a job.

If I lack the passion in some sense then the work doesn't get done "just for the sake of the work". And I don't mean lost passion as much as "No motivation on x day; tired on y day; interested in doing something else on z day" etc.

If things aren't clickin' I don't force it, so the blog has all this backlog and isn't put together in a way that facilitates burning through it quickly.

I do sometimes wish things were different though, I know I'd still enjoy such a playstyle, but I can't justify "faking it til you make it" in a format that literally isn't built to pay and was never intended to.

I can't work myself for nothin'.

Hypothetical "Next" games

While the backlog is a wild wasteland of titles, there are some that just kinda guarantee their spots sooner rather than later.

Yakuza 6 and 7 along with Judgment, obviously. The series is one of my all time favorites and I generally have some of my absolute most fun on the blog side of things with those games, so it's a winner on two fronts. It's just fun to react to, post out of context things for, and talk with other fans about and for whatever reason tumblr has a healthy enough fanbase for the series that my meager blog gets some attention there.

Dragon Quest has a strangely weighted chance all things considered. DQ has many of the same advantages as Yakuza- it's a series I adore, it's fun to talk about in this format, and the fandom is big enough to occasionally spill my way making the blogging experience a bit more fun. It's also a series where I don't know what'd come next to be fair. Probably DQ4? I mean, might as well continue on from that point since I have 1-3 done. I can't exactly justify replaying the entirety of DQ11 no matter how much I want to! Turning on the games above gave me DQ goosebumps which kinda settled how likely it is to show up sooner rather than later, lol.

Jeez. I looked at one of my surviving lists and that's like all that's popping out at me.

Other series feel like giant leaps with no gas in the tank, like do I want to start playing Kingdom Hearts? Not really, not right now. Do I finally play Lisa? Eeeeeeh. Persona? Hmmmm.

I haven't the fuzziest. There are so many one off interesting titles, but if the drive ain't there they might as well be textbooks.

Perhaps instead of any major next game I'll just do some afternoons exploring random titles for a bit here and there with no intention of beating em.

The idea is enticing as hell, but the feeling of not giving the game's a "real shake" feels bad.

We'll see. The only certainties seem to be Yakuza and DQ, as much as I'd prefer far more.

Side project hypotheticals

Outside of the basic live blog stuff I'm still interested in exploring scripted stuff. Mostly to prove to myself that I can overcome some anxieties and break from the meandering pace the last effort gave- I can write! That much I know! So just gotta trick myself into writing for a video and then make the video after the fact lol.

Current thoughts are on a video exploring the monster taming sub-genre. It's a genre near and dear to my heart, and one I know some weird things about as is- but mostly it's a genre I KNOW I know very little about despite that, so I'd like to give it an overall look, or perhaps just explore some random entries, I haven't a clue lol. I'd mostly like an opportunity to talk about some interesting entries in the genre, things like explaining my adoration for DWM while explaining how the flaws make it really rough today, or the interesting mash of genres that is Lost Magic, or the more modern take that mashes idle-like mechanics with Siralim Ultimate.

Won't lie, playing the demo for Monster Hunter Stories 2 threw a wrench in that plan because it made me want to talk about it and how the genre might have a new breath of life after really grinding to a halt as pokemon became what it is today, but all to be seen or not lol.

As far as other things like streams? Not really.

The concept of writing a bit more on games is tickling the back of my head lately, but that mostly just means "more posts that aren't live-blogging" as I haven't the fuzziest where I'd share such nonsense.

Really it's all up in the air as far as retphienix content is concerned, beyond the live blogging obviously.

5am closing

It's fun to explore what games have to offer, both on the individual level, the personal level, and as a whole- as a medium.

So I like Retphienix.

And I like all I've made here.

I hope to continue for a long, long time- no matter what future formats might look like.

[lonelyusersuggetions]

For my 21st birthday my "friends" who were going to be my roommates in litterally days decided to force that they were going to report my current roommate for animal neglect.

My current roommate, who's been taking care of me for 7 months while I got my first job and experienced being separated from my toxic abusive controlling mother for the first time in my entire life.

I took care of their pets for them while they worked three jobs and went to school. And some how that equals animal neglect.

There was a perfect storm of incidents that happened within this month that I felt comfortable venting my feelings about to my "friends" and they decided, that since I was only sharing the bad, they assumed the worst of my roommate.

They don't even know my roommates last name and I'm obviously not giving them any information on my roommate now. But I can't believe they expected me to just fucking turn on my roommate like that.

They were pissed I didn't instantly side with them. Telling me that they had to report, even when I said I'm not comfortable with it.

This was not the first incident or red flag or manipulation they've done, but it's the last straw for me.

Unfortunately 80% of my stuff is at their house, including my expensive pets (isopods lol)

They made this big fucking deal a few weeks ago about me "telling them what to do" when I litterally just said I wanted to be somewhere early and that I was going wether or not they were driving me. They are unreliable early in the morning so of course I was worried, but I was still nice about it, but they took it extremely personally and partly ruined the event I was going to for me.

And look at them now. Telling ME what to do.

These people are fucking terrible and I can't wait to never see them again. Every moment with them had been miserable and painful and I really tried to let myself believe that they'd be better than my mother.

They even SAID TO ME that living with them would probably be better than living with my mother when I expressed doubts about moving in with them.

[normal-thoughts-official]

I missed you too! Don't worry for the time, you must be exhausted going in person 0.o

I agree with your Noah explanation, and I also think they wrote Dan to show (?) that it wasn't that it was just easier to kill a traumatised child, like some sort of foil but only in endings (? Maybe I'm giving pb too much credit)

It feels like a very much "I'm the Main Character and Martyr" when you save Noah, like it does feel Really out of nowhere and just fall flat, and I think most people forget mc is traumatised because they're playing and like yes get lost in the game but also remember Mc actually does have a personality (?

ILW?? DEMO?? WHAT???

You: very thoughtfull analysis of Noah and the fandom

Me: endless summer 💕💕 the book I 💕💕 recommended 💕💕 them is on par with the it lives 💕💕

But also yeah, Noah's fan are mostly "white fav" energy

I also tried my best with Michelle, which in the first chapters was a bit painful because I had to say "omg you are gorgeous, you must be his girlfriend" when she bumped into me and yes Michelle is very gorgeous, but I also felt very cringe, like who would actually ever say something like that, but I also had the need for (fictional) people to like so I picked maaany cringe options in general (please let me know how you do it in your true feelings play through, because I physically can't do it, I see the disappointed pixels and just restart)

Lesbian Michelle is such a nice idea!!! Sean was definitely a comhet moment ahshshs, and it just makes so much sense ?

"Unhinged"? LMAO what is are your it lives names??? Or maybe all your playchoices names

Also yeah, I didn't mean like you need to be poc to be a guerrillero or some stereotype (?) like "all poc are guerrilleros" more like historically most were poc and due to discrimination that was like a important part of who they were so it's weird pb just went white (?) but I could have worded it better in the moment so I'm sorry ahshshshs

Diego is just so good, he's just one of the best friendsest in choices

I think the dialogue changes in different lila's playthroughs ?

... I replied separately and I think it's super clear how I had to "patch it" lmao but I hope it's still coherent, also I have a confession to make because it felt weird to say it before ? But like I'm also Chilenon so I'm sorry for talking in two different anons ajsjsjsjjd but also my point of my confession was that I'm currently in Argentina trying to pass an exam so I can study here (pilot wasn't for me lmao) and like watching That Fic gave me whiplash

Love you jajjdjdjd

But like I'm also Chilenon

the most ambitious crossover in history wtf. shaken to my core. unparalleled plot twist

really though there's no need to apologize for anything, it's not weird at all, it just happened lmao all is fine, peace and love on planet earth etc

also im sorry to hear piloting didn't work out (sad face), but i hope things work out in argentina! what are you planning on studying there?

and yeah it has been exhausting, at least i got some time to adjust because it's summer break so no kids at school. on the other hand i hate sitting around at work doing nothing, it drives me absolutely mad even when i have something non-work related to do (which i don't that frequently because the school i work at doesn't have a good phone signal, big F). but hey classes are going to be back soon so that's exciting

"I also think they wrote Dan to show (?) that it wasn't that it was just easier to kill a traumatised child, like some sort of foil but only in endings (? Maybe I'm giving pb too much credit)"

lol i have the same train of thought. like on the one hand yeah, dan is the most obviously mentally ill and traumatized in the gang (they all are). on the other, can i give pb that much credit? on the third hand i don't have, they did a pretty good job with representation in ILITW, so maybe. this was another era in choices and everything. i don't really know if this was intended but i think it at the very least shows that noah sacrificing himself wasn't just the "too lazy to deal with trauma" trope

and yeah there is a fanmade third It Lives book in the way (happy face). it's called It Lives Within and has a blog and everything on @\itlivesproject. and they recently released a demo (the first two chapters, i believe) although i'll have to admit i haven't played it yet. i am very behind on everything i am reading in general, i just finished the WTD chapter from two weeks ago, rip

also i feel you with michelle. that felt like such a cringe and obviously fake response but it was worth it to be her friend. but yeah i'll definitely post the results of my "honesty replay" lol. and i also have a pathological need not only for fictional characters to like me but also to win so you know

i don't know if i can remember all my playchoices names but my favorite names so far were:

Dr. Bus Down With Cis (open heart) (having ethan ramsey yell "down with cis!" through the hospital halls alone made the experience of this book worth it). Bus was the first name, Down With Cis the last name

An Asshole (it lives in the woods)

That Bitch (it lives beneath)

I just farted (nightbound) (not actually one of my faves but it's my gfs fave so it goes). last name was Really loud

Gugu dada (the royal romance) (idk it produces really funny results imo). last name is Poop because i ran out of creativity but i always forget her last name is Poop and whenever drake calls her that i have a religious experience

Jensen's Sexy Silence (laws of attraction. because at the time there was some destiel thing going on i forgot which but they kept calling me Mr. Sexy Silence and it was hilarious)

My Tralala (the haunting of braidwood manor. im five years old)

and i gotta give an honorary mention to my wake the dead colony, which i named The Cringe Zone

and there's more but those are the ones coming to mind rn. i have a list of ideas for future MCs so stay tuned i guess

Also yeah, I didn't mean like you need to be poc to be a guerrillero or some stereotype (?) like "all poc are guerrilleros" more like historically most were poc and due to discrimination that was like a important part of who they were so it's weird pb just went white (?) but I could have worded it better in the moment so I'm sorry ahshshshs

it's okay, there's no need to apologize, i was just confused what you meant

yeah diego is possibly one of my fave ever characters. i just relate so much to him and i love his storyline (happy face). i think getting attached to the characters really makes or breaks whether or not i join a piece of media's fandom and my attachment to diego (and really every character in endless summer) was a huge part of me wanting to write for it and stuff, even if it's just crack lol

ah the dialogue might change. i know that estela kills her if you fail in the hard choice but both times i played so far that hasn't happened, so i'm not sure how stuff played out. and in both replays i got along well with lila, so there's that as well. i'll see what happens in my honest playthrough, but i don't dislike lila much, really, so i think it'll be about the same

also no worries, i not only usually reply separately, but also usually write each part of my response with a lot of time in between (yay to me for answering this one in just a few mins/maybe an hour?). so you're fine lol