#linear broadcasting

[flugertv]

Best Online M3U8 Players for Smooth Live Streaming in 2025

Among the best ways to interact with viewers in real time is live streaming. By letting viewers participate through comments, reactions, and live conversations, it enables creators to establish trust and connection with them.

According to a 2025 video marketing report by WebFX, 82% of audiences prefer live video over regular social media posts. Moreover, research conducted by Live Stream stats shows that the average time that a user spends watching live videos has increased by over 80% compared to the past few years. These stats highlight the importance of integrating live streaming options into your broadcasting strategies. 

The numbers don’t lie! Live streaming isn’t just trending; it’s the way audiences want to engage. However, even the most dynamic content falls flat if your viewers battle buffering or compatibility issues. That’s where choosing the right M3U8 player online (such as Fluger) becomes your secret weapon.

Let’s get the show on the road and learn about the benefits of using Fluger for live streaming. But first things first, let’s understand what an M3U8 player is and what features to look for in a streaming platform. 

What is P3U8 Player Online?

An M3U8 player online is an HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) protocol-supported web-based video player for streaming. It plays m3u8 files, which are playlist files meant for on-demand or live viewing in little bursts. This structure lets users view videos seamlessly across several devices, even on poor internet connections.

In simpler terms, when you stream using an M3U8 player, the viewer's internet speed and device type automatically influence how your video is modified. reduced interruptions and reduced buffering while offering a better overall experience for your audience.

Key Features to Look For in an M3U8 Streaming Platform

The below-mentioned key features ensure you get the maximum benefits from the investment you make. Here is what you need to count on:

1. Adaptive Bitrate Support:

Automatically switches between quality levels (like 480p to 4K) based on the viewer's internet speed. No buffering, just smooth playback for every viewer.

2. UTF-8 Encoding:

Supports multilingual metadata and subtitles, making your streams globally accessible. Displays special characters and non-English text correctly.

3. Versatility:

Works flawlessly across devices—phones, tablets, smart TVs, and browsers. One stream, perfect playback everywhere.

4. Streaming Support:

Handles both live broadcasts and on-demand content effortlessly. No extra setup is needed for different video types.

How Fluger’s M3U8 Player is an Outstanding Choice

Beyond a streaming tool, Fluger is a complete platform built for creators, broadcasters, and businesses who want reliable, high-quality live and on-demand streaming.

With its built-in M3U8 player, Fluger makes it easier to deliver smooth, uninterrupted streams to a global audience. Whether your business hosts frequent live broadcasts, you are a digital channel owner, or you are a solo producer - Fluger offers all the tools you need to give excellent streaming experiences free from technical difficulty. Its player offers adaptive bitrate streaming, which means your video changes automatically to match the internet speed of the user, therefore minimizing buffering and preserving constant quality.

Live streaming has changed, and so have the equipment required to present high-quality shows. Although there are several M3U8 players, Fluger is one of the top-tier solutions since it combines modern technologies with user-friendly features to provide creators and broadcasters with an unparalleled streaming experience.

Here’s why Fluger should be your go-to M3U8 player for seamless live streaming:

1. Ultra-Low Latency for Real-Time Engagement

Fluger’s advanced HLS streaming ensures minimal delay between your live broadcast and what viewers see. Whether you're hosting a live Q&A, gaming session, or corporate webinar, near-instant playback keeps interactions natural and engaging.

2. Adaptive Bitrate Streaming at Its Best

Not all viewers have the same internet speed. Fluger’s smart adaptive streaming automatically adjusts video quality (from 360p to 4K) based on each viewer’s connection. This helps eliminate buffering and drop-offs.

3. Multi-Device & Cross-Platform Compatibility

Fluger’s M3U8 player works flawlessly across all devices (such as phones, tablets, smart TVs, and desktops) and browsers, ensuring no viewer gets left behind due to compatibility issues.

4. Built-In Security & Anti-Piracy Measures

Protect your content with DRM encryption, token authentication, and secure HTTPS delivery. Fluger prevents unauthorized access and illegal redistribution, keeping your streams safe.

5. One-Click Playback for Hassle-Free Viewing

No complicated setups for your audience. Fluger’s plug-and-play M3U8 player lets viewers start watching instantly—just share the link, and they’re in.

6. Real-Time Analytics & Performance Tracking

Monitor viewer engagement, peak traffic times, and stream health with Fluger’s built-in analytics. Optimize your broadcasts based on real-time data to maximize reach and retention.

7. Multi-CDN Support for Global Reach

Fluger leverages multiple Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to distribute streams efficiently worldwide. This means faster load times and zero lag, even during high-traffic events.

Conclusion: Fluger vs. Other M3U8 Players

There are plenty of M3U8 players available online, but not all of them offer the reliability and features needed for smooth live streaming. Some lack support for different devices, others can’t handle high traffic, and a few don’t even protect your content properly.

Fluger stands out by doing all of this and more. It’s not just a player, but a complete streaming solution that helps you deliver your content without buffering, delay, or compatibility issues. From real-time analytics and easy playback to global CDN support and built-in security, Fluger checks all the boxes.

In short, if you want your stream to work well for everyone, everywhere, every time, Fluger’s M3U8 player is a choice you can count on.

[baron-von-tibbles]

not to open a can of worms, but is it better to watch Haruhi Suzumiya (2006) in Broadcast or Chronological order?

[vonlipvig]

I just finished watching the bits of your life dlc and now I'm wondering if any of the extra paths might also be canon?

i LOVE bits of your life, god i miss that crazy bitch eamon so much (affectionate).

hmm, i mean, if i remember correctly, i don't think any of the possible paths in this DLC are particularly canon-breaking. sure, you can maybe argue that some of them might affect the results of the election in some way (especially those drunk!peter paths), but i don't think any of it would be enough to sway people who were already going to vote for advance. so probably the default path is the most canon one, but you can really pick and choose here.

they're all canon to dave, though, that's for sure!

[sneaky-tank]

Turns out pure methanol is stuffing her already insane bust with molecular sieves which she somehow fits into her incredibly sexy outfit (because the poisonous alcohols are 'evil' and therefore hotter of course).

Also for the chest sizes can we go up to Z² please? I'd like to see some real heckin badonkers here.

Anime where the girls are anthropomorphic personifications of different types of liquor (their chest sizes correlating with their alcohol content, obviously) and all the episodes are about mixing cocktails (they fuck).

[kevin--of-desert-bluffs]

Sometimes Cecil will claim he does something 'every broadcast' when he in fact does not, which leads me to the only logical conclusion that we are not actually hearing a full broadcast no matter as complete and linear as it seems to us. Cecil is actually On Air for hours and hours and we're just hearing bits of it.

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

What type of TV shows are popular on Gallifrey right now?

📺 What's popular on Gallifreyan TV right now?

We may not have exact viewer ratings (because, unsurprisingly, Gallifrey does not concern itself with audience engagement metrics that often), we do know what types of shows are likely being watched.

If you missed the previous rundown of Time Lord TV, you can catch up here:

But if you're wondering what's popular right now, here are a few speculative guesses:

📡 Live Broadcasts & Government Programming

🛑 The Presidential Address – Daily updates on Capitol politics. - Thrilling (mandatory) viewing where the Lord President reassures the public that everything is fine.

🌌 The Celestial Observatory Report – Real-time updates on stellar weather and cosmic anomalies. - Essential for predicting temporal storms and vortex disruptions for your commute.

🌀 Temporal Affairs Committee: Open Session – An exclusive look at Gallifreyan policy discussions that should have ended 500 years ago but didn't. - Popular among elderly Gallifreyans and those with nothing better to do.

🎙️ The Lord President Speaks… Again – The exact same speech you heard this morning, but now with a special commentary track explaining why it's even more brilliant than you originally thought.

🎭 Popular Dramatic Programming

📜 The House That Stands – A prestige drama chronicling the rise and fall of an ancient Gallifreyan House. - Expect scheming, betrayal, and a shocking number of regenerations. - Allegedly based on true events, though every major House denies involvement.

⌛ The Untold History of Time – A long-running docudrama that contradicts itself every season. - Covers historical events such as the Pythia's Curse, the Rassilon Era, and the Eternal Schism Debates (a six-part special). - No two experts agree on anything.

🚀 The Renegade Files – A sensationalist anthology profiling Gallifrey's most infamous outcasts. - Features the Master, the Monk, the Rani, and the Doctor—with wildly exaggerated re-enactments and lousy acting.

🌀 Schism: A Time Lord Story – A coming-of-age drama following young Gallifreyans as they prepare to look into the Untempered Schism. Episode guide: - Ep 1: I Don't Want to Be a Prydonian! - Ep 2: This Is Fine. (It Is Not Fine.) - Ep 3: Is It Supposed to Whisper Back?

🎩 The Patrexian Conundrum – A detective series starring a Time Lord investigator who solves paradox-related crimes. - Every episode features puzzling inconsistencies in the timeline that must be unravelled. - Special twist: Every episode starts with the detective already knowing the solution—but needing to work backward to prove it.

🧠 Game Shows & Mental Challenges

🧩 The Prydonian Trials – A high-stakes academic showdown where Junior Time Lords must solve paradoxes, predict quantum fluctuations, and recite ancient High Gallifreyan poetry.

🔍 Who's That Renegade? – Contestants must guess which Time Lord went rogue based on obscure historical clues.

👽 The Mind Probe! – A high-stakes game show where contestants must answer Gallifreyan history questions under extreme pressure. - Face the infamous question: "You will answer… the Mind Probe!" (There is no actual mind probe.)

🎤 Entertainment & Cultural Shows

🎭 The 4D Theatre Showcase – Broadcasts of avant-garde Gallifreyan theatre. - Features time-loop performances and non-linear tragedies.

😂 Temporal Standstill – Gallifreyan improv comedy, featuring jokes that unfold over multiple centuries. - Watch performers set up a joke in one incarnation and deliver the punchline three regenerations later.

👶 Kids' Programming

📚 Junior Academy Lectures – Children's programming on Gallifrey is just accelerated coursework. - Topics include "Basic Quantum Entanglement for Ages 6-8" and "Your First 500 Years of Political Philosophy."

🏫 So …

Of course, what's actually popular depends on who you ask. And if you can't find something to watch there are still 87,656,432 channels. You'll stumble onto something eventually.

Related:

💬|⏰🎶What is Gallifreyan music like?: Musical instruments and genres on Gallifrey.

💬|⏰🎾What sports and games are there on Gallifrey?: The (lack of) physical sports on Gallifrey and other games.

💬|⏰🎮Do Gallifreyans have video games?: Detailing the one solitary 'video game' on Gallifrey.

Hope that helped! 😃

Any orange text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →📢Announcements |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts → Features:⭐Guest Posts | 🍜Chomp Chomp with Myishu →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired 😴

[high-potential]

ABC Claims Top 5 Shows Among Adults 18-49 in Cross-Platform Broadcast Series Rankings

Freshman Comedy ‘Shifting Gears’ and Hit Fall Drama ‘High Potential’ Join ‘Abbott Elementary,’ ‘The Rookie’ and ‘9-1-1’ Atop Season to Date Competitive Multiplatform Chart

‘High Potential’ Continues To Score Highest Overall Streaming Audience This Season

Demonstrating the remarkable power of broadcast and streaming, ABC claims seven of the top 10 broadcast series among Adults 18-49, including the top five: “Shifting Gears” (No. 1 – 2.43 rating), “High Potential” (No. 2 – 2.42 rating), “Abbott Elementary” (No. 3 – 2.26 rating), “The Rookie” (No. 4 – 1.89 rating) and “9-1-1” (No. 5 – 1.81 rating), along with “Will Trent” (No. 9 – 1.34 rating) and “Grey’s Anatomy” (No. 10 – 1.32 rating). 20th Television produces all seven shows.

Driven by stellar streaming viewership on Hulu and Disney+, three ABC titles more than triple their seven-day linear averages, including “High Potential” (+297% – 2.42 rating vs. 0.61 rating), “Abbott Elementary” (+270% – 2.26 rating vs. 0.61 rating) and “Shifting Gears” (+242% – 2.43 rating vs. 0.71 rating).

Among Total Viewers, ABC claims three of the top five broadcast entertainment series this season, including “High Potential” (No. 3 – 11.53 million), “Shifting Gears” (No. 4 – 11.40 million) and “Will Trent” (No. 5 – 10.34 million). In addition, since moving to 9 p.m. as part of ABC’s powerhouse Tuesday lineup (1/7/25), “High Potential” hassurged to an average of 13.73 million Total Viewers across platforms, overtaking the No. 2 ranked “Matlock.”

“High Potential” has continued its reign as the most streamed series among Total Viewers (4.41 million), over 1 million viewers ahead of its closest drama competition, CBS’ “Tracker.”

Since its spectacular premiere in September, the pilot episode of “High Potential” (9/17/24) has drawn significant sampling, growing to a 6.82 rating among Adults 18-49 through mid-January, nearly doubling the No. 2 drama premiere this season, CBS’ “Matlock” (3.61 rating).

Source: ABC

[dotthings]

Here’s some further nuance on what’s happened here:

Misha got hate and was called a liar and called disrespectful and rude for highlighting a very real systemic issue in linear broadcast TV that isn’t only at the CW, and has been an issue for decades, concerning how networks, not just the CW, put caps on representation. Even when there is other representation, the mentality is still repressive. You can have this much representation and no more. He spoke up at a con OUSA where filming of panels isn’t allowed.

Jared gets treated like a hero for having a public, high profile tantrum on one of the biggest entertainment news media outlets to call out CW Nexstar for retooling their business model to become like all the other linear broadcast TV networks. Where CW has sports and game shows and there’s a highly strict bottom line concerning profitability. This is common practice for ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox. Old CW was never a “real” linear broadcast model in the first place. WB/Viacom (CBS) made money off streaming not CW broadcast. Nielsen numbers never mattered there as much as the profits they made from streaming. The netflix deal is the actual reason CW stayed alive, not Jared.

Not that CW Nexstar didn’t create its own problems. In the course of their goals to become a profitable network and trying to be just like the big boys, they went so draconian, cut so down to the bone, they burned off bankable talents and good shows. Because their per ep licensing fee caps were so strict. But there is nothing shocking about the business remodel.

It’s weird. That is just plain weird that Jared is treated as the hero and a revolutionary while Misha gets hate and called a liar while people ignore how much bolder Misha’s criticism of the system actually is. Jared goes off about stuff the CW Nexstar president himself has said in countless interviews. Publicly acceptable, public knowledge. Whereas Misha’s sting at linear broadcast censorship and caps on representation is one of those things nobody is supposed to talk about. While I’m fairly sure Misha shouldn’t care about alienating the CW Nexstar any more, systemically, Misha stuck his neck out more, as carefully as he could. Jared’s tantrum isn’t speaking on any forbidden subject the system would like silenced, it’s him reacting to obvious and self-declared business remodeling.

These things are not the same.

[flugertv]

Linear Broadcasting Made Simple: Your Own 24/7 Channel Online

Linear broadcasting is the digital version of traditional TV—content plays in a set order, at scheduled times. It’s a great way to offer a live, continuous viewing experience for your audience. Whether you're a content creator or a brand, linear broadcasting helps you build engagement and keep viewers tuned in. With Fluger.tv, you can easily create, schedule, and stream your own 24/7 channel online—no complex setup needed. Start broadcasting like a pro in minutes!

[grantmentis]

2024 PWHL BROADCAST SCHEDULE SUMMARY:

PWHL season opener will be available to Canadian viewers live on CBC, TSN, and Sportsnet national television feeds, streamed on CBC Gem, ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, TSN.ca, the TSN app, and Sportsnet+. French-language coverage will appear on ICI TOU.TV.

PWHL season opener is available to United States regional TV viewers with MSG Networks and NESN.

All subsequent PWHL regular-season games are available to Canadian viewers on coverage divided across TSN, CBC, and Sportsnet which includes linear television and streaming on TSN+, CBC Gem, ca, the CBC Sports app, and Sportsnet+. Additional games will be announced pending NHL and AHL playoff schedules.

French-language coverage of all Montreal games will be split between RDS and Radio-Canada, ICI TOU.TV.

MSG Networks will be the home of all 24 PWHL New York games.

NESN will be the home of all 24 PWHL Boston games for fans in New England, excluding Fairfield County. Fans in New England can watch on NESN or stream on the NESN 360 app by logging in with their TV provider or purchasing a direct subscription.

League agreements with regional networks allow out-of-market distribution including the potential for games to be added on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and other networks on a case-by-case basis.

All PWHL games will be streamed on the league’s YouTube channel and available outside of Canada.

The league may announce additional broadcast partners throughout the season.

EDIT: Bally Sports North has also been added as a partner for PWHL Minnesota games

[911lsbts]

The move of flagship 9-1-1 to ABC, due on financial reasons, was announced in May. Now its spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star, which was renewed for a fifth season by Fox in May, will not return with new episodes this spring. Instead, the drama starring Rob Lowe, will produce 12 episodes to air in fall 2024, making fans’ wait for Season 5 extra long.

Like any other linear or streaming series, 9-1-1: Lone Star has been impacted by the double Hollywood strike. Earlier this fall, Fox and producing studio 20th Television had been discussing an 18-episode order, six episodes for midseason and 12 for fall, sources said. As the SAG-AFTRA strike stretched into November, those plans changed, and the two sides ultimately agreed on 12 episodes for fall 2024.

Fox needs 9-1-1: Lone Star next fall. Like other broadcast networks, Fox is delaying its new 2023-24 scripted series, dramas Doc and Rescue: Hi-Surf, to 2024-25, aiming at a fall/January launch when the network has NFL and MLB coverage as promotional platform. As Fox’s most established, longest-running and highest rated remaining drama, 9-1-1: Lone Star is expected to be used as a lead-in to help get both series off the ground.

[ncisfranchise-source]

It came down to the wire, but NCIS: Hawai’i ultimately didn’t make the cut for next season at CBS. The news comes days before the network is set to announce its fall schedule on May 2 and before the Season 3 finale of Hawai’i is scheduled to air on May 6. According to sources, the episode was not meant to be a series finale and includes a tease for what was to come but fans won’t be left reeling by a major cliffhanger.

The cancellation is not a complete shocker since, as Deadline has been reporting, NCIS: Hawai’i was on the bubble. Still, the outcome is surprising since I hear an effort was made to extend the drama’s run for at least an abbreviated fourth and final season, with producers agreeing to a massive budget cut and open to other concessions in order to keep the show going.

Hawai’i, the first series in the NCIS franchise with a female lead, Vanessa Lachey, is now the first series in the franchise not to get a proper sendoff after a brief run compared to its predecessors NCIS, renewed for a 22nd season, NCIS: Los Angeles (14 seasons) and NCIS: New Orleans (7). It is unclear whether series producer CBS Studios would shop the drama but there are no obvious buyers, with Paramount+ already stocked up with two NCIS original series, Sydney and the Tony and Ziva spinoff.

Attracting sizable viewership on a linear network is quite a challenge, so it is not common these days for a network to let go of the #12 most watched non-sports program on broadcast that averages 7.8 million linear viewers (most current) and 10M in Live+35 multi-platform viewing.

That is what CBS is doing with the cancellation of NCIS: Hawai’i, which added some star power and NCIS continuity this season with NCIS: Los Angeles‘ LL Cool J who has been in every episode.

It comes on the heels of Top 25 series So Help Me Todd and CSI: Vegas getting the axe last Friday. As I noted in the CBS Renewal Status Report earlier this month, the network was going to have to make some painful cancellation decisions, getting rid of shows other networks would’ve been happy to renew.

The series, as well as So Help Me Todd and CSI: Vegas, ultimately became a casualty of a strong schedule, a cost-management drive and overall uncertainty at the parent company Paramount Global, which is in the process of being sold.

Even before CBS’ lineup, delayed by the strikes, launched with the Super Bowl, the network already had committed to five new scripted series for next season, dramas Matlock, Watson and NCIS: Origins and comedies Poppa’s House and a Young Sheldon spinoff, with renewal conversations on NCIS: Sydney also well underway.

Then CBS’ originals returned, exceeding expectations, with the network claiming the top 16 most watched shows of its premiere week and 14 of the top 20 non-sports programs overall this midseason in Nielsen most current linear viewership.

With no obvious weaklings, Blue Bloods getting a final run next season and S.W.A.T. surprisingly uncanceled, the network had to cut deep in purging its slate to make room for the additions.

Just a year ago, a renewal for Hawai’i would’ve been a no-brainer: it’s part of a storied franchise with solid rating and crossover potential with the mothership series that yielded big ratings in January 2023. But now, CBS already has three other NCIS series already locked for next season: the original series, renewed for Season 22, Sydney, returning for a second season, and the upcoming Young Gibbs prequel NCIS: Origins. There is also the Tony & Ziva NCIS spinoff series greenlighted by Paramount+, making for a crowded NCIS field.

With strong multi-platform performance, as NCIS: Hawai’i ranked above several CBS dramas that have been renewed, including FBI: Most Wanted, FBI: International and S.W.A.T., it probably came down to money.

Even with the proposed budget cuts, NCIS: Hawai’i was still going to be expensive. Its long-term prospects were unclear — whether it would become a big global hit and moneymaker like its franchise predecessors. With CBS’ parent company focused on its short-term balance sheet as it prepares to sell, a corporate decision was made not to take a chance and find out.

In NCIS: Hawai’i, Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor Jane Tennant (Lachey) and her team balance duty to family and country, investigating high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security and the mysteries of the island itself.

Alex Tarrant, Noah Mills, Jason Antoon, Yasmine Al-Bustami, Tori Anderson and Kian Talan also star. Matt Bosack, Jan Nash, Christopher Silber and Larry Teng served as executive producers.

In a recent Deadline interview, CBS Studios President David Stapf spoke about how “wholly unique” Hawai’i is while also being part of the franchise as the first NCIS series with a female lead, Lachey, and with its Hawai’i locale. “We were just coming off Hawaii Five-0, a very successful show,” he said of the spinoff’s origins. “People love that setting, it plays well over the globe.”

[notashadowbutawave]

under 3 is sooo bad though this is more than just buddie shippers. like are you aware there are people in this fandom who are primarily bathena shippers who hated the episodes too? not everything in this fandom can be reduced to the buddie vs bucktommy ship war

tell that to buddie shippers who are literally spending all fucking day crashing out on social about tommy

all i am saying is "there are actually a lot of people who did like the episode" and you can't take feedback on social media platforms at face value especially considering the online fandom aspect driving engagement. the episode was the highest-performing linear broadcast since March 27 for the show and will likely have higher post-broadcast streaming numbers by the end of the weekend than other recent episodes because of all the discourse.

columns, left to right: episode number, episode title, air date, 18-49 demo rating, millions of viewers, DVR rating 18-49, DVR (millions), total rating 18-49, total viewers (millions)

totally valid to not like the episode but please don't act like loudly voicing your negative feedback gives it some kind of special validity. if you don't like it, you can stop watching the show. fictional stories are not meant to be wholly responsive to your personal grievances.

[ultraericthered]

Nostalgic Lookback: Carmen Sandiego

It was on PBS Kids in the mid-90s that I had my first encounter with the notorious Carmen Sandiego. I caught some of the Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? game show in the early evening after Kidsongs had finished, and I quickly got hooked on catching its nightly broadcast. Y'know the show - the one with Lynne Thigpen as the Chief of ACME Detective Agency, Greg Lee as the host, and Rockapella performing music, including the iconic theme song? Yeah, it was a lot of fun to watch, and it still is upon rewatches.

I soon got to see the other Carmen Sandiego show out at the time, the animated series Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? starring Rita Moreno in the titular role, airing on Fox Kids. It was enjoyable and educational to watch as well, even if I didn't catch it nearly as often due to it being a Saturday Morning Cartoon. There was later another game show on PBS with Thigpen as the Chief, Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego?, but that one just wasn't nearly as good.

But then there were also Carmen Sandiego books and Carmen Sandiego board games out at the time. I recall enjoying those too!

Inevitably I learned that this franchise had originated as a series of "edutainment" computer games for kids of all ages that came out in the late 80s and then just exploded into widespread popularity in the 90s. And naturally, some of those games were among the ones that I played in my youth, and still do play on ISO files every now and then. Junior Detective, which tied in with the Where On Earth? show, was my first Carmen game - very easy, yet still quite fun. Later on I got the third version "Deluxe Editions" of Where In The World? and Where In The USA?, which incoperated Lynne Thigpen's Chief and featured probably my favorite iteration of the titular character other than the one from Where On Earth? I played the fuck out of those ones and were really into what they had to offer, though I'll admit to still having a major preference to World over USA. But in contrast to the Where In Time? game show, the Where In Time? game (later re-released as Carmen Sandiego's Great Chase Through Time) ended up being my favorite game of the whole lot. Reusing the Chief, Carmen, and the ACME Good Guides from those last two games, it goes in a more linear fashion, but the historical cases are so fun, so packed with good stuff and so memorable that I never tire of them.

Carmen Sandiego these days is but a shell of the edutainment juggernaut it used to be, but hey, at least she's still out there at all!

[stardustizuku]

PART 1: How did we get here, again?:

The origins of Villainess Stories

Villainess Stories are an interesting phenomena that took a chokehold of the mainstream anime community, right around 2020, thanks to a little anime named:

“My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!”

I say this, but while it was popularized in 2020, that’s not where this is even close to starting.

I always find myself having to remind most people that: The anime is rarely the origin.

I’ve stated plenty of times before, animation is expensive. More often than not, animes are a commercial of sorts, for manga, light novels and merch. It isn’t until the source material has proven to be successful on its own, that it gets an adaptation.

A risk of this magnitude had to come from somewhere.

That somewhere was Shōsetsuka ni Narō.

Much like many of your favorite animes, My Next Life as a Villainess began as a web novel in the site “Shōsetsuka ni Narō”. A self-publishing Japanese website that brought you “Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!”; “Log Horizon”; “I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability”; “I’m in Love with the Villainess”; and for anyone who follows my page: yes. Ascendance of a Bookworm.

Among many others. Like seriously, a bunch of the most popular animes you’ll find being broadcasted in the latest part of this decade - started in Naro from 2012 - 2016.

“My Next Life as a Villainess” was published in 2014, and it ran all the way until 2015. With the Light Novel running from 2015, to this day.

Unfortunately, if you try to find a bit of a timeline as to where the genre came from, you will find a loud crowd that claims that all these mangas are a rip-off of one another, that have no basis on video games. That’s a blatant lie, born mostly out of a complete disinterest in the genre.

The villainess genre has a long, convoluted and frankly complicated story.

Unlike western media, in which you basically take one of the mediums (film, animation, or gaming) and more or less see it evolve with little to no influence of other mediums - Japanese media takes inspo from other mediums all the time.

What do I mean by this?

Let’s take animation. Film animation has a very linear timeline. It starts with Disney, moves to Pixar, moves to Dreamworks. It references almost only itself. If Hollywood does something you can barely feel it film animation. If something becomes popular on the small screen and tv, or streaming services, Film Animation has no clue.

Japanese Animation is different. Manga, webnovels, and games tend to influence each other all the time.

This is why you have extremely popular animes that have a mix of other medium in them. Like, Sword Art Online, which involves mixing elements of video games mechanics with anime tropes. As well as adaptations across the mediums: manga being adapted to animes, live action, musical theatre and even games.

This makes trying to analyze just anime, a fruitless endeavor.

In part too, because the ones who determine what anime becomes an anime, is in large part the manga industry.

Like the BIG THREE are the big three, not for any issues related to the anime, but because they saved Shonen Jump - a manga magazine. Sword Art Online too, became popular due to already popular JRPGs and MMOs. At the same time, it’s undeniable success, and change the course of history forever - came first in the form of a Light Novel (yes SAO was also originally a Light Novel entered in a contest in 2002). So it comes as no surprise that the first to feel its impact was the light novel industry.

The existence of “My Next Life as a Villainess” has then to be divided Parts. The Isekai Part of it, Game Part of it, and the Manga/Anime. Which melted together in the form of a popular webnovel.

Now. Isekais are weird.

People will always point and laugh about how the “original Isekai” is Alice in Wonderland or Wizard of Oz.

But Isekai is a hard thing to define, specially its origins. At it’s core, Isekai is just “Being sent to another word” and that’s as universal as of a trope as any other. After all, it’s the first step of A Hero’s Journey taken to its most literal of interpretations. Crossing the Threshold into a New World is pretty much the beginning of any adventure. It stands to reason that this “New World” is a literal new one. This leaves everyone guessing as to what you’d consider the “first Isekai”. Some will point at Urashima Tarō, some at the Super Mario Bros movie, some will point at Superbook, or Mashin Hero Wataru.

That said, nowadays, “Isekai” became a genre of its own. It has a very specific aesthetic, tropes and characters.

So rather than to try and find where it originated, it’s more productive to see when it started to take the shape of what we would nowadays consider to be the essence.

And something to notice too, is that the trope varies greatly depending on what current you take. You could consider Digimon a precursor of Sword Art Online, but that would have very little impact on Villainess tropes.

In this sense, I would consider Vision of Escaflowne (1994), Inuyasha (1996) and Fushigi Yugi (1991) as the pioneers of what it is now Isekai Shoujo.

They all talk about high school girls being transported to another world. They all talk about destiny and fate, and whether we have to follow the path someone else has set for us.

Vision of Escaflowne presents the idea of fate. It involves also war and the nature of trauma. It’s a slightly more mature story. But it cements this idea of “the chosen one”.

Talking about Fushigi Yugi, it’s often considered to be the first “transported into a novel” Isekai with a shoujo romance focus. I wish I had read it or watched it because a lot of the tropes that eventually become a staple of the Isekai story come from here. Including the predestined story, someone being told they have a role to play, the jealousy of someone trying to steal your position, as well as a romance based around saving the world.

And I cannot possibly understate the influence of Rumiko Takahashi’s Inuyasha. This woman quite literally created the concept of a harem and reverse harem romance with Ranma 1/2. She’s the queen of love triangles. While it would take a bit more for the Isekai genre aimed at women to fully take off, it’s undeniable to anyone who’s watched it how much contemporaries borrow from it. Not to mention, it’s perhaps the most famous one. While Escaflowne and Fushigi Yugi are both relatively unknown, specially in the west, everyone knows Inuyasha. It had 164 episodes, 5 films, and even a recent sequel.

Parallel to this, games started to transform too.

For villainess characters in otome games have been here since literally the inception of the genre.

Angelique, the (by and large) considered to be the pioneer or inventor of the genre, was released in 1994. This game has a villainess character, in the name of Rosalia de Cartagena. The game is about the Queen that rules the Universe, deciding to chose a new ruler, via a competition. She chooses two Queen candidates: Angelique and Rosalia. Rosalia being the rival, you (as a player) are supposed to defeat.

Surprisingly, though, when the game comes out, Rosalia becomes hugely popular with audiences. “How popular?” You may ask.

Well, popular enough that in 1998, KOEI released a game named Angelique DUET, in which you can choose to play as either Angelique or Rosalia.

Yeah, so you may considered that the villainess as the main character trope dates back for as far as 1998.

But…well, I’m twisting the truth just the slightest bit.

While the original Angelique story, is about two rival Queen Candidates competing for the throne, and yes, you will lose the game if you let Rosalia win…- Rosalia is never a full fledge villainess.

Yes, she’s a a rival, but not a villainess.

She isn’t evil.

The original game had two (main) endings: The Queen Ending and The Love Ending.

And in the Love Ending, which was still a Good Ending, Rosalia would become Queen.

You could quite literally, only choose between love and duty. And if you chose Love, you were letting Rosalia win.

She wasn’t evil. In fact, she’s described as talented, smart and was literally trained to be a Queen. It’s just that in the framing of the story, you have to defeat her to become Queen.

And even if you win, in Angelique Special 2, (where you play as the successor to Angelique) it is more than hinted that Angelique and Rosalia are friends - even when Angelique became Queen. Which is supported by the fact that the player can actually GAIN friendship points from Rosalia in the original game, by going into her room and chatting with her.

So, Rosalia is not evil, not by any long shot.

But this game cemented the idea of two Rivals Queens, an extensive Harem of Men, and the idea of duty vs love.

Albarea’s Maiden, released in 1997, also introduced the concept of the Saintess or the Holy Maiden, set to save the world by competing against other girls. With one of them being a counselor-type supporting character, and your active rival.

Later famous Otome game, Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side, released in 2002, popularized the concept of Friendship Routes. You could avoid the Rival Mode and befriend Shiho Arisawa, Mizuki Sud, Natsumi Fuji or Tamami Konno, instead of the Love Routes.

So you have these two genres, and both are growing in its own ways.

Otome series keep gaining popularity, like massive amounts of it. Obviously, it grows so much that it creates its own ecosystem. Varying from school romance, to historical fantasy, and all the likes. Games like Brother’s Conflict, Diabolik Lovers, Uta no Prince-sama, among others exploded in popularity around 2010-2012.

Meanwhile shoujo is also thriving as its own thing. Developing its tropes, one of which will come extremely handy later, that involves the “pick me” girl Japanese Version. Series like Kimi Ni Todoke, Kaichou Wa Maid, Special A, become extremely popular too around this time.

Finally, Summer of 2012 rolls around and.

Oh how I dread this.

As much as I would like not to talk about Sword Art Online, it’s unfortunately enough, a critical piece for most of anime history.

I cannot understate how much this anime changed the game. It wasn’t the first to introduce the concept of video games and anime - with The World Only God Knows coming out in 2011 - but it was the first to (in the first season) take its premise extremely seriously. It was the first to combine Isekai with gaming, and a power fantasy that many would soon find themselves indulging into. That’s it, a world where what makes you a loser, is your biggest strength.

Which launched it to popularity.

It became a sensation; a phenomena.

It opened the flood gates for many others who would try to combine anime, gaming and the Isekai concepts.

In the webnovel sphere, meanwhile, you could see that Magic Academy Stories and Historical Fantasy with the Princess archetype were fairly popular already. But it’s way harder to distinctively examine them for one reason.

Simply put, uhm. It’s, ah, sexism.

While a lot of stories aimed at boys would often get picked up without a second thought for an anime adaptation - the same could not be said of stories aimed at women. Be it webnovels, light novel or manga, it takes extreme power for a shoujo to get picked up. So, these stories simply don’t get an anime, which means we don’t get adaptations, which means no translation or English documentation.

And honestly? There’s just so far as my Japanese friend’s broken English and Google translate can get me.

It’s easy for me to analyze Angelique’s influence because there’s English archieves of it!

The same cannot be said, of what’s essentially a fanfiction website filled with self indulgent writing. As much as it is a treasure trove of why the genre blew up - I simply cannot access it.

But what from what I can see Isekai Villainess Stories exploded in 2014. You could already see it bubbling up in 2013. Notably, for anyone reading this from the AoB tag, Ascendance of a Bookworm came out in 2013. An Isekai story that heavily focused on Royalty and the “Holy Maiden” archetype.

It took just the right tweaks to get it right.

The first to appear, from all the digging I could find in English Archieves, was in 2013 with the “I Will Live with Humility and Dependability as My Motto” novel. It was discontinued in 2017.

It is nothing like “My Next Life as Villainess”. The protagonist was about to enter elementary school when she dies, the story told is one of a manga she was reading (not a game), and it lacks the harem aspect that would later be so cliche it borders on brain dead. But you see a lot of what would become essential. A heroine with a goal different to romance, an original villainess that bullies the heroine, and a wish for a simple no-problem life.

After that, most of what followed were novellas and small short stories, much which are now discontinued or on hiatus. Which is to be expected. Naro allows all types of stories in its website. And back then there was no format. No tropes, no guidelines to what works and doesn’t.

Trial and error landed us with “My Next Life as a Villainess”. And I mean a lot of trial and error. From what has been archieved and translated on English, there’s easily 15 stories with a similar premise that were published in 2014. Which may not sound like a lot, but that’s only what has been popular enough to be saved into English. I cannot imagine how much got lost in Japanese.

But, there you have it.

First, the sudden explosion of Isekai Gaming with the popularity of the Sword Art Online Anime.

Followed by a growing interest in Otome Games. An audience prepped by the original 1994 and 1996, to be endeared by a rival/villainess character.

An audience of Shoujo fanatics which grew up with Isekai shows like Escaflowne, Fushigi Yugi, and Inuyasha in the late 90s.

And an audience of webnovel enthusiasts, already in love with princess aesthetics and magical academies.

Anyways.

Once that reached the main consciousness, all hell broke loose.

After “My Next Life as a Villainess” blew up, it was only a matter of time for countless of self-published stories to follow suit.

Obviously, I’m glossing over a lot of history. I wasn’t able to touch upon the Light Novel and Visual Novel games, mostly because that’s a massive sinkhole you’d need a MASTERS to sort through. Made, entirely not easier, by the fact that mediums keep interacting with each other. Visual novels get picked up, turned into anime, which inspires the next batch of game developers and artists. And the feedback loop is somehow even quicker there, for some reason.

Like, My Next Life debuted in 2014, we got the anime until 2020, and its popularity only reached anime-backed levels of explosion until 2024. It took ten-fucking-years for this to become a thing. Whereas shonen and shonen manga has maybe 5 year gap? Shonen Jump spits out anime adaptations almost as fast as it cuts anything that isn’t OnePiece levels of popular. Again, it’s a can of sexism worms I’m not interested in today.

“Wait,” you ask. “I still don’t get it”

What do you not get?

“Well, I understand we’re the Isekai aspect comes from. I understand the gaming and all. But wasn’t Rosalia a good girl? How do you go from the Rival-Everyone-Likes in the game, to the horrible Villainess that The Original Catherine is meant to be? Her description of a the game’s villainess is far meaner than Rosalia was”.

Alright, so, you remember how I named these series “All Girls Dream of Cinderella?

“Yeah”

Well. We now have to talk about Cinderella.

PREV << MASTERLIST >> NEXT

[koshka-sova]

on minor parsing of the reverse 1999 timeline: where do events fall?

disclaimer: this post is not meant to provide a decoded in-game timeline. its purpose is to sow discussion about how to make sense of it.

minor spoilers up to 1.9 vereinsamt, and mention of versions 2.0-2.2

months ago when 1.4 prisoner in the cave (Ch5) was released in CN, a user posted her findings of the game's timeline based on the IDM in 37's lab and greta's account in the star. you can find the post here. the scope of her findings was limited to the main story and makes sense. although the theorised timeline only goes up to Ch5, we can easily extend the timeline to include the story up until the storm in Ch7, since the progression from prisoner in the cave -> vereinsamt is linear.

QUERY: where have previous non-main events fallen into this timeline?

the official re1999 account posted earlier today some images of a laplace forum board, and two things stuck out to me:

these two comments. one of them is likely windsong, based on the ID end letter 'W' and her ley line device. the other is (likely) mesmer jr's account, and here she mentions 'researcher ezra.' before talking about windsong, lets clear things up a bit with ezra.

in uluru games, vertin already has a sizeable team, such as bringing regulus, darley, la source, and click when the uluru crew first set foot in the stadium. having regulus around means the event definitely happened after Ch0-4 i.e., regulus recruited, team timekeeper is established. but did it happen between Ch4 and Ch5? not necessarily. although we know the storm has a physical radius, nothing is proven yet on which storms had affected australia. besides, ezra seems to have already been an established member of laplace by the time of the event. so, when uluru games happened is still up for discussion.

with windsong, however, one thing is certain: farewell rayashki happened before the main story. a few points infer to this:

all of farewell rayashki (1.8) happened, and THEN windsong was recruited by lucy to join laplace. this means lucy hadnt resigned.

the radio broadcast at the beginning of the event tells of a storm syndrome that turns people's insides into electrical wires. this syndrome doesnt match any storm directly in the main story (comic book explosions in 1966, money = food in 1929, oil paintings in 1914, people turning into blocks during vertin's breakaway incident; this was 1987, per the previous linked post). this might match, however, with greta's account of the storm in the star.

that's all fine and dandy, and windsong's presence in the laplace forum (which happens AFTER vereinsamt, as the forum discusses a charging station in vertin's suitcase to accommodate lucy) means the timeline is still fairly consistent. but what about the other events?

theft of the rimet cup is likely to be before Ch0 this is tomorrow. regulus was still in 1960s london at the time

green lake. horropedia recounts that the zeno campsite story seemed to have been in 1971, but when exactly is that in relation to the game's main story? still unclear, but should be after vertin establishes team timekeeper...

mor pankh, iirc, was also around 1960s, though whether this means it happened before the main story is up for discussion.

uluru games, as discussed above, should be after Ch4 at least, however it might be even later i.e., after Ch7 vereinsamt.

notes on shuori: no clue on this one... the one lead to maybe making sense of the timeline is yenisei, as it's implied she meets the timekeeper at the end of the event. the status of pei city and the storm is a different topic entirely, as well.

farewell rayashki: before one of the earlier storms prior to the main story (Ch0). see above.

after having finished vereinsamt, im quite excited to see where the story is headed next. although arcana is seemingly out of the picture, the manus still exist. what little i could garner with versions 2.0-2.2, without much spoilers, is the active presence of manus vindictae (or at least, one member) through characters like ms kimberly and ms grace. with anjo nala being a major character in Ch8 tristes tropiques, this might mean events 2.0 and 2.1 happen between Ch7 and Ch8. everything else, i have yet to know, however.