#ray's arcade chronology

[fancypantsrecords]

Zuntata - RayForce | Zuntata Records | 2023 | Black/

[gengamer110]

Galactic Attack / Layer Section vs RayForce (Nintendo Switch Versions)

Upon releasing my video for Ray’z Arcade Chronology, I was contacted by a viewer, who asked about the differences between RayForce (arcade) from Ray’z and the SEGA Saturn version of RayForce. I agreed to do a side by side comparison on my YouTube channel. Overall, the games are not very different. City Connection released the Saturn version for modern hardware. While I do not notice the lag…

[ramrage]

ghost’s ghost

chapter 1: origin story (feat. date night!)

work rating: T

chapter rating: T

relationship: John “Soap” MacTavish x Simon “Ghost” Riley”

characters: John “Soap” MacTavish, Simon “Ghost” Riley”, Kyle “Gaz” Garrick cameo, John Price cameo

tags: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Body Horror, Main Character Death, Not Really Character Death, Ghost John “Soap” MacTavish, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Crack, Dark Crack, Fluff, Eventual Smut, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Changing Tenses, Not (always) chronological,

summary:

Johnny broke the silence first, laughing, “Okay, this is unspeakably terrible but you gotta admit, it’s kinda funny.”

What?” Simon asked, aghast. His comms crackled with someone saying something important—not quite as important as this, though.

“You’re Ghost,” Johnny began, “and I’m a ghost. Get it?”

Simon groaned though he actually wanted to cry. It was weird. Obviously.

Johnny is KIA which sucks, but it sucks a bit less because he never really… leaves? Here are some vignettes of Ghost and ghostly Soap.

part 2

part 3

part 4

part 5

ao3 link

Johnny is KIA which sucks, obviously, but it sucks a bit less because he never really… leaves?

They discovered it moments after he bled out, Simon still hunched over his body, frantically, futilely performing chest compressions.

“Watch your six!”

Simon jolted, twisted, and landed two shots in the face of the approaching x-ray before stilling. “What the hell?” That was Johnny’s voice. Was he still…? Simon, hopeful, hazarded another look at Soap’s body. It was unchanged—pale and bloodied and most certainly still dead.

“Bleeding’ fucken Jesus…” Johnny’s voice cut through the din of chaos again, but it came from several meters away from where his body was cooling on the ground.

His boyfriend—whatever the fuck he was—was dead, and now he’s hallucinating. Class.

“Simon, fucken look at me, dammit.”

Simon obeyed, and sure enough, there he was: John Fucking Mactavish. In the flesh.

“Bloody hell, Johnny,” Simon gasped, running to meet him, to fall into his outstretched arms. The pieces didn’t fit together, but relief overshadowed logic. It clarified somewhat the steps taken between point A to B, becoming clearer yet when Simon all but phased through his lover’s body

Sprawled on the ground where he fell, Simon’s wide eyes met Johnny’s wide eyes, both men completely, utterly flabbergasted.

Johnny broke the silence first, laughing, “Okay, this is unspeakably terrible but you gotta admit, it’s kinda funny.”

“What?” Simon asked, aghast. His comms crackled with someone saying something important—not quite as important as this, though.

“You’re Ghost,” Johnny began, “and I’m a ghost . Get it?”

Simon groaned though he actually wanted to cry. It was weird. Obviously.

“Don’t worry yer pretty head, I’ll explain it later. First, get your arse out of here alive, ” Johnny said in a rushed sort of way, as if his life was still on the line. He checked over his shoulder. “Now would be nice.”

So Simon did.

The rest, they say, is history.

———————————————

Now, several months later, they are indulging in a much-needed date night. Date nights are often called much-needed, be it as an excuse for getting a little quality time, stress relief, or simply an effort to keep the romance alive. Such concerns are all the more salient for soldiers, especially when only one of the two is alive.

For obvious reasons, the activities requiring more action tend to be a bust. Take for example last month’s arcade excursion. Who would’ve known it’s hard to play pinball when you can’t fucking touch things? As such, dinner dates prove to be a favorite. They’re a pleasant play at normalcy, and as a bonus, they’re an excuse to try out new restaurants.

This week is Johnny’s choice—a swanky little establishment with romantic lighting and an extensive cocktail menu. Johnny haunts Simon’s shoulder as they enter, looking rather pleased with the overall ambiance.

His question of “Not too shabby, eh,?” doesn’t receive a verbal response, but Simon flashes a subtle smile and its answer enough, all things considered.

That is, Simon can’t exactly say “not at all” without the hostess thinking he’s lost his fucking mind. Obviously, such an outcome isn’t exactly “ideal” in the strictest sense of the word. A smile, however, can pass as a greeting, and apparently it does. Public communication is a game of double-meanings these days.

“Just yourself?” the hostess asks the big scary man in front of her.

“Yeah,” Simon nods, “and my stupid ghost boyfriend.”

He keeps that second part to himself. If she thinks the solo-diner is odd, she doesn’t show it. In fact, she remarks that it’s all “grand” before leading him to an open table.

Along the way, Johnny sends a conspiratorial look. “She got something against Scots? Didn’t even look at me”. He makes this joke every damn time they go out, unchanging in its delivery dripping in mock-offense.

Simon shoots him a sharp “shut the fuck up” glare, same as always, and lets Johnny take the far seat, also same as always. Simon isn’t overly fond of having his back to the door, but he levies that risk against the risk of seeming insane for chatting with an empty seat. All relationships involve a bit of give and take.

The hostess isn’t yet out of earshot when Johnny leans in with a mischievous grin. “You’re looking good, Si. Real good. In fact, so good I’d take you over this table, right here, right now.”

Simon rolls his eyes. “You can’t. Twat.”

“A man can dream, no?” Johnny settles with a shrug. He watches fondly as Simon scans the menu, his lovely little eyes trailing from left to right, left to right. What a human thing to do. What a not-human thing to admire.

It’s not even like he can’t read anymore—he can. It’s just hard to find purpose in it when the only way he can apply it to the world is through a tall, blond proxy.

“I mean it, though. You’re the most gorgeous thing I ever did see.”

Simon blushes for the dead man. It’s funny. Johnny was never quite as forthcoming with the compliments when he was alive. His reasoning was that he was afraid of the openness, afraid of any negative reaction his flirtations would get him. He doesn’t give much of a shit anymore. Dying really puts things in perspective.

Simon looks up from the menu with a shy, fond smile. “Anything stand out to you?”

“You” Johnny responds with a wink, “but if you’re talking about what’s on the menu, hm. Can’t say no to some lamb but…” he trails off and pulls a face, “the hell are fondant potatoes”

“Fondant potatoes?” Simon parrots before scanning the menu with a light frown. “No fucking clue. Sounds pretentious as shit.”

“I’m saying!”

“Fondant potatoes...” he mutters. A few more moments pass and Simon finally shakes his head with an exasperated sigh. “This whole bloody menu is pretentious, Johnny. You won't do much better than fondant potatoes .”

“Lamb with the pretentious potatoes then,” Johnny says after a bit of hemming and hawing. “Sacrifice them real nice for me, eh, baby?”

“I always do.”

It’s true enough, if only because of the all-or-nothing nature of sacrificing, a process Simon has well worked out since they discovered it.

According to legend, Simon was drinking his sorrows one sad night when Johnny nodded to his beer and requested Simon—verbatim— “pour one out for the homie.”

Simon, not particularly amused, grumbled “for the homie” and wailed the bottle across the room. Just as it exploded into a shower of glass and stout, another similarly half-drunk bottle appeared on the table.

They didn’t notice it at first. Johnny was too busy chewing Simon out and Simon was too busy getting chewed out. It was in the silence afterwards when Simon, looking for a sip of relief, reached for the bottle with swaying hands and startled as his hand passed straight through the bottle, as if it wasn’t even there.

“The hell?”

Johnny glanced over just as Simon’s fingertips emerged from the glass. Half-awed with a half-baked conclusion already in mind, he muttered, “no bleeding way,” and repeated this phrase over and over as he tentatively reached for the bottle to test his hypothesis. To his surprise and delight, it toppled at the touch of a finger.

He was beaming when he looked Simon’s way. “Bleeding fucking Jesus. You did it.”

They found through experimentation that successful sacrifices require two things: destruction and intention. Pouring one out—complete destruction—for the homies—intention.

Both are necessary, and as an interesting and limiting caveat, the sacrifice has to be rendered completely useless in one world to transfer to the other.

In other words, when Simon asks the server for two orders of lamb with fondant potatoes—one for here, one takeaway—he does so with the intention of flushing the latter down the toilet. The wine is a different story.

“Cabernet or pinot noir,” Simon hums in feigned contemplation. In reality, he’s waiting for Johnny to stop cooing about “how sexy he sounds speaking French” and spit out a fucking answer. Luckily, the mask does a great job of hiding his annoyance and blush.

“Pinot noir,” Johnny decides with a nod.

“Pinot noir,” Simon repeats.

Johnny groans indulgently as the server pens the order into her notepad, but is merciful enough to wait for her to leave before saying, “y’know, I only got the pinot because you say it so sexy, and I just needed to hear it again.”

“You’re fucking insufferable,” Simon responds, utterly devoted to suffering Johnny for as long as fortune would let him. He keeps that to himself, though. No need to tell the world that water is wet.

Case in point, Johnny’s chin rests easy in his palm, turning his fond smile smushed and insufferably sweeter for it. Death filed away at his rough edges somehow, left him soft. Simon, too.

They shoot the shit over the empty table, basking in normalcy they don’t deserve, and let the conversation take a raunchy turn. As if they’d be able to act on half the things they discuss.

The server returns at a decidedly inopportune moment but bless Simon’s poker face, she has no idea her customer is hearing the tail end of a particularly foul fantasy, courtesy of his unseen companion.

“Call me crazy, Johnny,” Simon whispers once the server leaves, “but it seems like you save the nastiest shit for when we have an audience.”

Johnny doesn’t even hesitate. “Aye, I do. Very intentionally.”

“Well, interested in continuing your little story?” Simon asks with raised brows. He idly spins the wine around the glass.

“I’m more interested in trying that cabernet.”

“Pinot noir,” Simon corrects.

“Ooh, baby ,” Johnny croons, and Simon swears when he realizes his mistake, swearing even more as Johnny gloats his victory. Unable to react in any meaningful way without looking insane, Simon instead opts to glare Johnny down, and he continues until Johnny gets his fill of gloating and turns his attention back to the wine. “Come on now. Give us a taste?”

Simon raises a brow. “With that attitude?”

“I’ll let you call it a cabernet,” Johnny barters. Simon lets him squirm. “Or even pin-not no-were .”

“Beg for it,” Simon dares, donning a shit-eating grin while he waits expectantly.

Johnny rolls his eyes. “Please can I have some pin-not no-were .”

“Try again. Say it sexy this time.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Johnny groans, “can I pretty please have the pee-no nwahr ?”

That seems to do the trick and with a satisfied, obnoxious smirk, Simon bats the glass to the floor. “Cheers, love.”

part 2

[mykidself]

96 Albums I listened to, and was deeply into or deeply impacted by, age 5-18, in (roughly) chronological order. Made with Topsters.

List of artists and album titles behind the cut.

1. The Beatles - With The Beatles

2. Peter Gabriel - Shaking the Tree

3. Various Artists - The Lion King

4. Elton John - Elton John's Greatest Hits

5. Original London Cast - Phantom Of The Opera

6. Hanson - Middle Of Nowhere

7. The Wallflowers - Bringing Down The Horse

8. Smash Mouth - Astro Lounge

9. Sugar Ray - 14:59

10. Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind

11. Third Eye Blind - Blue

12. Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want

13. Green Day - Dookie

14. blink-182 - The Mark, Tom And Travis Show

15. Built to Spill - Keep It Like a Secret

16. Our Lady Peace - Clumsy

17. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication

18. Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape

19. Nirvana - Nevermind

20. Goo Goo Dolls - Dizzy Up the Girl

21. Limp Bizkit - Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water

22. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory

23. Papa Roach - Infest

24. Staind - Break the Cycle

25. Alien Ant Farm - Anthology

26. Sum 41 - All Killer No Filler

27. P.O.D. - Satellite

28. System of a Down - Toxicity

29. Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

30. System of a Down - System of a Down

31. Staind - Dysfunction

32. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People

33. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American

34. Sum 41 - Does This Look Infected?

35. System of a Down - Steal This Album!

36. blink-182 - Take Off Your Pants and Jacket

37. Tool - Lateralus

38. Tool - Ænima

39. Tool - Undertow

40. Deftones - White Pony

41. Evanescence - Fallen

42. 36 Crazyfists - Bitterness the Star

43. A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step

44. A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms

45. Porcupine Tree - In Absentia

46. dredg - El Cielo

47. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon

48. Pink Floyd - The Wall

49. Radiohead - Kid A

50. Depeche Mode - Violator

51. Opeth - Blackwater Park

52. Opeth - Damnation

53. Opeth - Deliverance

54. The Ataris - So Long, Astoria

55. The Ataris - Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits

56. The Ataris - End Is Forever

57. Box Car Racer - Box Car Racer

58. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity

59. The Early November - The Room's Too Cold

60. Further Seems Forever - The Moon is Down

61. Finch - What It Is to Burn

62. Thursday - War All The Time

63. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News

64. Staind - 14 Shades of Grey

65. Bright Eyes - Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground

66. Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors

67. Elliott Smith - XO

68. Elliott Smith - Either/Or

69. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief

70. Radiohead - The Bends

71. Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3

72. Coheed and Cambria - The Second Stage Turbine Blade

73. Queen - Greatest Hits

74. The Decemberists - Picaresque

75. The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts

76. The Decemberists - Her Majesty the Decemberists

77. Jonathan Larson - Rent

78. The Dresden Dolls - The Dresden Dolls

79. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous

80. AFI - Sing the Sorrow

81. Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch

82. Green Day - American Idiot

83. Jimmy Eat World - Futures

84. System of a Down - Hypnotize

85. System of a Down - Mezmerize

86. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs

87. Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth

88. The Beatles - Love

89. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

90. Arcade Fire - Funeral

91. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism

92. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank

93. Radiohead - OK Computer

94. Elliott Smith - Figure 8

95. Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill

96. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

[gertlushgaming]

Ray'z Arcade Chronology Review (PlayStation 4)

For our Ray'z Arcade Chronology Review, we go back in time and play a game that was originally released for the arcade in 1994 by Taito Corporation, RayForce revolutionized the “two attack layer” system, where the player can shoot in two separate layers: the same level as the player and a lower level beneath the player – a feature that will characterize the whole Ray series. RayForce is set in the distant future, when human governments construct a massive supercomputer, named “Con-Human”, in charge of governing the planet’s environmental systems. However, disaster strikes when a cloned human’s mind is linked with the system, resulting in the AI becoming sentient and insane. After the prolonged war, Earth has utterly ceased to exist, transformed into a planet-sized mobile fortress that is in fact Con-Human’s body, with the remaining survivors having found shelter in space colonies. Con-Human intends to seek out and destroy the colonies, erasing all remaining traces of old life from the universe and leaving only the new life that it personally created. Humanity responds by developing powerful warships to battle the oppressive machine. As the last remnants of humanity prepare for a climactic showdown, the fate of their species and the twisted world they once called home hangs in the balance.

Ray'z Arcade Chronology Review Pros:

- Decent graphics. - 801.8MB download size. - Platinum trophy. - Own in-game achievements. - Three games in one - Rayforce, Raystorm, and Ray Crisis. - Shmup gameplay. - Brief description and release date of each individual game. - The system-wide menu can be brought up at any time. - Can rebind controls. - Game settings - 8 difficulties (can change it for each individual stage), starting lives, extend d settings, attraction sound, continues on/off, guide language, burn-in reduction, and rapid-fire shots from PCB. - Screen settings - display type (pixel perfect/fit to screen/fullscreen), smoothing, scan lines, background, screen boundary effects, screen orientation, and menu orientation. - Gadgets settings - score info, lock-on analyzer, power-up info, game rank, current area info, and music info. - Sound settings - music settings (original/layered), arcade background noise, and volume sliders. - Other settings - ranking type display, ranking registration, achievement notifications, contextual rapid fire suppression, and auto-save. - Excellent game manual with text and images. - Full online leaderboards support. - You can pull up leaderboards, settings, and manuals whenever you want. - Quick save/load setting. - The gimmick is the game has fully animated 3D backdrops and you can shoot them with your secondary laser whilst always shooting the enemies as normal. - Massive boss encounters. - Some of the best heads-up displays that I have seen in a Shmup with full score breakdowns happening live, a moving mini-map showing your route, Weapons info and so much more. - Choose your own route after each stage. - Raystorm has both the original game and the Raystorm Neon HD version. - Fast loading times. - Raycrisis has both the original version and the HD version of the game. - Each game has two-player Co-op support and can be drop-in and drop-out. - You get a choice of two ships each with unique shooting patterns in each game but the first original game. - You can see the evolution of the game series as you go from top-down to 3D to full-on moving backgrounds and perspective changes. - Charge up a special ability. - Satisfying combat. - Bullet hell elements. - Support both analog and d-pad movement. - You can freely move around the screen. - Points pop up as you kill enemies. - Power-ups drop from enemies. Ray'z Arcade Chronology Review Cons: - No playable tutorial. - A lot to take in. - Doesn't support online Co-op. - Can be hard to work out what you can and cannot shoot or what is actually an enemy. - Very overwhelming-looking screen/hud. Related Post: Robolt Review (PlayStation 5) Ray'z Arcade Chronology: Official website. Developer: TAITO CORPORATION Publisher: ININ Games Store Links - PlayStation Read the full article

[cavenewstimes]

Ray'Z Arcade Chronology Brings A Trio Of Classic Taito Shmups To Switch This Month

2023-06-20 16:45:00Ray’Z Arcade Chronology Brings A Trio Of Classic Taito Shmups To Switch This MonthNo indication of R-Gear in the digital edition.The 3 primary shmups in Taito’s ‘Ray’ series will be flying onto Switch as a part of an unique digital collection entitled Ray’z No indication of R-Gear in the digital edition by Jim Norman 15 hours ago The 3 primary shmups in Taito’s ‘Ray’ series…

[artistjust]

Gradius rebirth 3 loops

#Gradius rebirth 3 loops code#

Pokémon GO Spotlight Hour Times: This Week's Featured Po. Pokémon GO Community Days 2022: September Community Day. Talking Tom, Candy Run (not sure about this one, but it has vertical elements) There other vertical games, puzzle games, that use the touchscreen only:ĥ. I will mention just a few offbeat shooters: Johnny Turbo: Heavy Barrel (same deal, flips the wrong way) Johnny Turbo: Nitro Ball (flips the wrong way, but you can "flip" the FlipGrip)ġ6. Sasuke vs Commander (seeSNK Collection)ġ5. Namco Museum (Note: other game, PacMan Museum+ DOES NOT have vertical mode)Īrcade Archives has a crap load of shooters, and a bunch of non-shooters, I'm listing just a few of the non-shooters:ġ0. SNK Collection-Ikari Warriors, a few other (also shooters included)ġ1. Contra Collection- Contra and Super C (Beware: Arcade Archives versions are better but more expensive)ġ0. Capcom Arcade Stadium 2- Gunsmoke, Speed Rumbler, Hissatu Buraiken, Rally 2011, Block Block (also shooters too!)ħ. Capcom Arcade Stadium 1-Commando (has a bunch of shooters too)ĥ. Pinball FX 3-Williams Collection (22 tables!)ģ.Gunbarich (follow this games developer to a trove of vertical shooters)Ĥ. Let me highlight some games that are NOT shootersĢ. (Forced to be since Nintendo doesn't have a category for vertical games.)

Sat 30th Jul I am a bit of expert when it comes to the Flip-Grip.

Ra圜risis HD (2023) – A remaster of Ra圜risis. RayStorm HD launched in 2010 with additional elements and a 16:9 aspect ratio, but RayStorm NEO-HD includes the same content as the arcade version and retains a 4:3 aspect ratio. RayStorm NEO-HD (2023) – A remaster of the arcade version of RayStorm. Here's what you can expect in this Chronology (via Gematsu): It's a mix of the original releases along with some remasters as well. The Switch already has an amazing selection of shmup games to select from, and this new collection will bolster it with a total of five games. There's no word on a western release at the moment. Original Story : Taito Corporation and the retro specialists at M2 have announced they'll be bringing Ray'z Arcade Chronology to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 next year in Japan. We'll keep you updated as and when an announcement is made for the West.

#Gradius rebirth 3 loops code#

While Taito hasn't delivered any news on an overseas release just yet, anyone who pre-orders the game via Amazon Japan on Prime Day (12th-13th July) will get a code for R-GEAR, a previously unreleased sequel to Rayforce that was cancelled and replaced with Raystorm. It'll cost 7,480 yen, although there's a fancy special edition version with a Blu-ray, a two-disc CD set, a guidebook, and other printed goodies that will set you back 18,480 yen. Update : Taito has announced a Japanese release date for Ray'z Arcade Chronology - 9th March 2023 (thanks, Gematsu). ➡️ /xCdsKrAwFq- Strictly Limited Games July 30, 2022 Ray’z Arcade Chronology will be available for pre-order on One of the most iconic vertical shoot ‘em ups from the 90s which was created by TAITO is coming back with new features and in HD quality on Nintendo Switch and PS4! The physical edition of the Chronology will be distributed by Strictly Limited locally - with pre-orders opening on July 31st. There's no release date just yet and ININ will be handling publishing duties of both games digitally ( via Gematsu). Update #2 : ININ Games has confirmed it will release Ray'z Arcade Chronology and also RayStorm x Ra圜risis HD Collection on the Switch here in the west.

[chuckepisodes]

Chuck vs. The Sandworm Part 2

You and Chuck drove back to his place. You called Sarah asking her if she can meet you both at his place. "Hey. Um, is Sarah here?" you asked Ellie and Devon as you both walked in. "She's waiting in your room Chuck." " Is everything okay?" Ellie asked. "Oh yeah! Just hanging out! And we just have something to talk about." you said as you and Chuck headed to his room. When Chuck opened the door, you both found Sarah standing there looking out the window." "Hey!" you greeted. " Who is this Lazslo character? He just ID'd us as agents." Chuck said getting right to the problem "Relax. We're looking into him. And you guys did the right thing." Sarah reassured. "We... We didn't do anything. We just flashed on the guy. " you said. "You followed protocol, and I'm going to check in with you first thing in the morning." " Wait, wait. Wait, wait, hold on, hold on. Wait, um...Look, if it's cool with you, could you hang out for a little while?" you asked. " Look, awesome and Ellie think that we're all hanging out so it would look a little awkward if you just left now." Chuck explained. "Oh! Um...sure! How long?" "Ummm I don't know. I would say 40 minutes to an hour tops?" you asked "Uh okay." You all then just sat on Chuck's bed awkwardly.  You decided to lean against Chuck as you all waited this out and Chuck put his arm around your shoulders. "Oh. I wanted to surprise you guys with a little something." Sarah spoke up, taking a couple frames out of her bag. You and Chuck looked over at her wondering what she would have for you two. Sarah handed over two of the same photos for the both of you of you three at comic-con. "What do you think?" Sarah asked. " It's... It's great. But we've never actually been to comic-con, have we?" Chuck asked. "Wow...we look like a real group of friends." you said. "Yeah we really do." Chuck added. "We we are a real group of friends. We are just a different group of friends." "That we are." Chuck said. You and Chuck then looked at each other, both of you thinking the same thing.

The next day at work Chuck was on his break when Casey came barging in. "You! What do I have to do to get timely intel out of you, Bartowski? Or L/N?" " Look, we briefed Sarah last night, all right?" "Oh, of course you did." "I thought we were all supposed to be part of the same team here, huh-- team Chuck and Y/N." " We are, but I'm starting to feel like the guy who always gets picked last, and I do not like feeling like team Chuck and Y/N's little fat kid." "Okay, you know what, the next time we have a flash, we'll come straight to you, all right, Casey?" " What did you tell Lazslo?" "Nothing. He asked me where we got our watches, and I told him Y/N's friend who I have become close to as well, gave it to us, okay?" " So you compromised yourselves and agent Walker? Bang up job, Chuck."

You were coming in to see Chuck on your break when you saw him and Morgan and it looked like Chuck was yelling at Morgan. You walked a little closer but still stayed out of the way. 'No. You know what you are, Morgan? You are this close to getting fired for sexual harassment." Chuck yelled at him. "What happened, Chuck? You used to be cool." " I-I used to be cool? When was that? When we were 13? Well, I'm sorry to go changing on you, buddy. But if you hadn't noticed, we are now chronologically-speaking, adults. So, unless you wanna work retail for the rest of your life, and by the way, drag me down with you in the process, I would suggest that you grow up." Morgan just walked away and Chuck sighed. You started to approach him slowly. "Chuck? Everything okay?" Chuck looked over at you and then just looked down again. You were now next to him and put your hand on his arm. Just one touch from you would always instantly calm him. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out then looked over at you and smiled. You smiled back at him. ""Heavy is the head that wears the crown." couldn't help but notice the way you handled that, uh, Morgan situation. That was most impressive, Chuck. " Lester said walking towards you two. "That's great, that's great." "You gave me goose bumps." Jeff said joining in as well. " Super, Jeff." You and Chuck walked away and you stopped at the Nerd Herd desk. "You okay Chuck? Why were you yelling at Morgan?" "I just have been feeling a little stressed out lately with what we are going through and this job interview..." "Hey it will be okay." you said softly. Chuck looked at you and nodded his head. "Listen how about I meet you back here when you're done work and we can hangout after and talk. Sound good?" "Yeah. That would be perfect." "Okay then. I'll see you after your shift."

It was night time and Chuck's shift was over. As he walked out the doors he saw you, changed and waiting for him outside. He smiled at you. "Long time no see." you said. Chuck laughed and came over to you and put his arm around your shoulders as you both walked to his car. All of a sudden a man with a freaky clown mask jumped in front of you both and you screamed. Chuck jumped but he kept his arm tight around you. Oh! Nice try, buddy, but, uh, Halloween's tomorrow, okay?" The man then raised a gun and pointed it at him. " Or today, or today. It could be today if you want it to be today." Chuck said trying to stay calm. The man then took off his mask. It was Lazslo. "I didn't kill anybody." he said. "Look, we-we never said you did." you said. " Then why am I on the FBI list?" he yelled now pointing his gun at you. Chuck did not like that. " I don't know. Just calm down." you said calmly. "I was framed, okay. You have to believe me. I am not a murderer." "Okay, okay. I believe you. But FYI? You're kinda acting like a murderer. And if you're going to point that gun at someone then point it at me. Please stop pointing it at her." Chuck said. Lazslo did as he was told and pointed the gun back at Chuck. "You told the undercover agent about me, didn't you? He's talking to pentagon operations right now. I tapped into the encrypted video feed at the store. I helped design that home theater system. " "Look, I-I-I don't know-- " You all heard a car honked and you all looked over. Chuck then looked back and jumped on the guy trying to grab his gun. "Get it. Get it. Get it." "Chuck!" you cried out feeling terrified for him. I got it, I got it. I got it." Lazslo eventually pushed Chuck down onto the car with the gun in his face. "No!" you cried. As Chuck lied there he all of a sudden felt drops of water on his face. "Is that a water gun?" " No." "I'm pretty sure it's dripping on my face." Lazslo let Chuck go and you breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ran over to Chuck's side helping him up and giving him a side hug, putting both your arms around him as Chuck put his arm around you, trying to catch his breath. " I'm sorry. Name's lazslo. And I need help." " What the Hell are we supposed to do?" you asked. "You're on the inside. You have access. Look, unless you help me clear my name, they're gonna keep chasing me. You two are my only hope." "Breaking out the Star Wars quotes." you said quietly. " But first... I could really use some pancakes." You and Chuck just stared at him confused.

The three of you were now at a diner, all enjoying some pancakes. You and Chuck were sitting side by side on one side of the booth while Lazslo was on the other. "What else did you make for the CIA?" Chuck asked. " Whatever the jobs called for actually. I mean, if an agent wanted thermal-vision ray bans I'm the Guy they call." " You're like a real life Q." Lazslo just looked at Chuck, not understanding. " You know. You know Q. The guy who used to make all the gadgets for Bond, Q?" you said trying to help. "Bond was that spy-guy, right?" "What, have they been keeping you in a friggin' cave?" Chuck asked. "Underground lab actually. For the last 10 years, all I did was work in that lab pretty much. Well, that and play video games. But, uh... No friends, no family." "No Bond. No wonder you blew up all your research and busted out there. That's just inhumane." Chuck said. "So what kind of work do you guys do?" "You know, it's kinda, it's kinda, uh, complicated." you said. " Right, but you gotta be some kind of a geniuses. Or prodigy? I mean feds don't bother recruiting somebody, guarding them with undercover agents, unless you're super good at something? What are you super good at?" "Let's just say we're the computer guys."

A little while later, the three of you were beginning to wrap it up. "This is great. I mean just being able to sit in a coffee shop and talk." You and Chuck let out a laugh. " Just talk. With somebody who knows what it's like working for the company. You know, if I had to do it over again, I never would have gone to that pier." "What pier?" you asked. "I was 11... And... Some agent saw me playing tetris at an arcade. So he asked me if I can take all these tests. The next thing I know, he's offering to pay my way through school. My parents, like, they didn't know what to do with a kid whose IQ is higher than both theirs combined. So they signed me over. And that's when I became property of the United States government. Sweet story, huh?" You and Chuck looked at him, both feeling sorry for him. A lady then came over with your bills. " I'm a little, I'm a little strapped. You know how government work pays." Lazslo said. " Dude, yeah. No, no, no, no, don't even worry about it. Y/N I have yours too." he said looking at you. "Chuck you don't have to." "It's fine. Don't worry." You rolled your eyes but gave him a soft smile and Chuck gave you a wink. "Here. Here's an IOU." Lazslo said handing Chuck a drawing he was doing on his napkin. " Thanks." "Guys, listen you can't tell your handlers you ever saw me." "What? Why? They can help you, Lazslo. They're the good guys." you tried to explain. "There's no such thing in this business. I mean, you don't believe me? Go home and search your room. See what kind of bugs your good guy handlers planted on you. From now on, you should trust your handlers precisely as much as they trust you." Lazslo explained. You and Chuck then looked at each other wondering what he could mean.

[ra-lek]

I have watched mr robot so many times and I am still confused to why they picked “red wheelbarrow” as season 2 and 3’s symbol and how it ties the show together? Where did it come from? What’s the actual significance of it?

aalright first thing’s first- i’m so sorry for the long wait. i’ve been busy & all over the place but i wanted to give this ask my full attention because i’m beyoNd excited to get into it!! 

second- this gets long. like, very long. so if you’re cool w that; buckle up, click on that ‘read more’ and let’s go: the red wheelbarrow

i’m gonna attempt to explain all the questions above- to the best of my ability. but to do so i have to make something clear: as you will see in my analysis below, or if you’ve, y’know, seen the show- mr robot does not play episodes in chronological order. or scenes, for that matter. 

there was absolutely no way to know anything about a red wheelbarrow until the end of s2- so, naturally, there are going to be gaps in my list. but in order to fill them, we need to see what we missed out on once s4 comes out. (this is basically my apologies in advance if some questions are left unanswered)

so, some facts: the red wheelbarrow is a poem written by william carlos williams & published in 1923. it’s a real, existing poem, and the first time it appears in mr robot is actually in the FIRST season. and that’s exactly why it’s such a staple to the rest of the story. 

but you see, the scene itself is split into puzzle pieces across 3 seasons.

so let’s treat it as such. i’m going to list & highlight important scenes in each season the best i can and then we’ll piece it all together, sounds good?

SEASON 1

this is the very base of the series. so it’s not surprising the red wheelbarrow is nested within it. trust me, if i attempted to piece everything together in one post it’ll be longer than a fucking bible so i’m only going to focus on the god night™

okay, so- the first time some shady shit happened was in episode 8 when we saw an SUV parked at coney island in which tyrell and mr robot were sitting & having a discussion. tyrell starts the conversation by saying he has to know what mr robot is planning because they were meant to be allies; that they want the same thing & he wants to be involved. 

mr robot responds with flat out telling him he’s wrong- that there’s nothing they could possibly agree on. tyrell demands more explanations and mr robot is so fed up at this point he goes to leave only to be pulled back by his shirt. tyrell asks “aren’t you forgetting i know about your dirty little secret? there are people close to you who wouldn’t be happy if they knew what i know” to which robot replies casually. they’re both too smart to allow pettiness to dictate their actions, there’s no benefit to either one of them to say those things to anybody- and that the best thing for tyrell to do when it comes to HIM? is nothing.

the scene ends there but transitions into mr wellick coming home lookin’ like a wreck and downing half a bottle of vodka- this surprises joanna since she actually heard some good news from tyrell’s lawyer- but he interrupts by telling her none of that matters; because there’s this tech he met a month ago, talks about his motives a bit to a very concerned woman at this point- and when he mentions not seeing what’s above them- she asks what it is exactly. he responds, “god.”

at this point into the show, the ‘who is mr robot’ reveal hasn’t happened yet. 

the conversation he had with tyrell happened the day before it, actually. since, in the same episode, elliot gets to find out who his family is- and the episode ends with mr robot saying “it’s time to talk.” and the reason i know this is because the following episode starts and,

episode 9. 

suddenly, it’s morning. elliot is freaking out and yelling and he’s confused and we’re confused and we’re yelling and mr robot is not helping at all by being so goddamn vague but there is one sentence that stands out and that is - “especially since that unprompted visit from tyrell wellick last night”

he is referring to the car scene only. because both he and tyrell came home after that talk- so it is not a 5/9 attack they did then. because, once again, there’s a sentence mr robot says: “i’ll explain everything. tonight.”

alright then so how do i explain the fact darlene was in elliot’s room looking for his meds after the reveal scene and THEN tyrell entered? – it’s actually pretty simple, it didn’t happen the day of the reveal. 

because, remember, elliot realized who darlene was the day before. she is concerned because he forgot again. those are the meds she’s looking for- they never acknowledge HIM.

once she leaves, and says she’ll be back with the meds soon- it’s understandable why she’s been looking for elliot for quite some time earlier in the episode and why mr robot came to elliot’s apartment at night- but they only had the ‘talk’ in the morning.

that same, unfortunate night for elliot tbh, tyrell enters the room and says he’s been waiting for darlene to leave. he approaches him for the first time, tells him how he strangled a woman and how he knows everything elliot’s been behind. that’s he’s the one constant in the sea of variables. so, he puts on his ‘fighting’ gloves and-

next thing we know, we’re in the arcade. elliot talks about changing the world and whatnot- says no one else is involved- tyrell very beautifully says “well it’s you and me now” and the episode ends with elliot looking over to the popcorn machine.

this is the night of the 5/9 attack.

we know, because elliot wakes up in tyrell’s car- 2 days later- and is met with world destruction (the song) playing in the background. you know what i mean- the deed has been done we don’t have time for this.

one more thing to point out about s1 before we wrap that one up is: when elliot searches for tyrell, joanna recognized him as the young tech her husband told her about when he was going on about god or whatever. she asked him when she last saw him and if he seemed strange- elliot replied with “a week ago” and “no” which she found funny because, the last time she saw him, he was acting very strange. 

SEASON 2

elliot put himself in jail out of spite. anyway, as i said, not a lot of time to decipher everything so let’s get to the main meal. we get some teasers about tyrell being a wanted criminal associated w fsociety and the one behind 5/9. that’s all the info we need cause the piece we’re searching for here is in episode 12.

we get the full version of the car scene!! this time, we see elliot as mr robot- delivering the same line. however, we were lead to believe that once mr robot exited the car it was the end of the scene but no no no no no- tyrell now opens his door and calls out to elliot.

he’s desperate and just wants to be a part of this project honestly so he says there’s something between them and he can feel it. now, mr robot/elliot says “you’re only seeing what’s in front of you. you’re not seeing what’s above you” tyrell asks for an explanation, doesn’t get one, and so he decides to fight cryptic with cryptic and recite the poem we mentioned like 7 hours ago.

“so much depends upon a red wheelbarrow, glazed with rainwater, beside the white chickens.”

now mr robot/elliot is intrigued. he lowers his head slightly and tyrell explains how his father used to quote that old poem all the time, how it meant so much to him, that it had been the only english he knew. so today, tyrell is using it as a reminder. a reminder of him, and a reminder of what he never wants to become.

i’m going to take one more paragraph to dedicate to this season and say: no this is not the only important thing. i’m just trying to not spiral out of the main focus. but if you’re interested you can send me an ask about red wheelbarrow spottings and meanings in s2 by just sending “godot?” and i gotchu, granted, in a few days- but i gotchu.

SEASON 3

this is where we get the full picture. well, sorta. because we don’t know exactly what happened after they part ways. but it’s okay, it’s not like the show is over.

now, a psychology break: elliot alderson suffers from dissociative identity disorder. (shocker, i know) mr robot is an alter. but you know a fun fact? most DID cases have more than just one alter. there’s at least two besides the host personality. and they all serve a specific purpose in order to keep you alive and help you cope with extreme trauma. 

mr robot, as we’ve seen him, is a protector. the moment tyrell put on those beating gloves it was a trigger and mr robot took over. same for when those neo-nazis were punching elliot, same for when he took a beating from ray’s men, and so on. — point is: alters come out with a help of a trigger. just how elliot says talking to darlene makes him see mr robot more often, for instance.

this is important because, even though neither he nor mr robot remember the quote, elliot can’t stop thinking about red wheelbarrows. he’s named his journal after it, he draws wheelbarrows in it.

the red wheelbarrow. something tyrell associated with his father whom he despised. something about that changed something in elliot- it could’ve been a trigger, it might’ve pulled another alter forward.

so, without further ado, let’s paint:

how about we pick up from what we see in s1e9. since, all of this happens in that day. welcome to 5/9

elliot remembers leading tyrell into the arcade, he remembers looking at popcorn. and that’s it. (he says so at the beginning of his journal, too) elliot switched with mr robot for enough time to remember tyrell and popcorn. but also there’s just something about wheelbarrows that keeps ringing in his head during his time in prison.

next, everything is from mr robot’s perspective. he slowly reaches for the gun, aims it at tyrell, fires- but nothing happens. this leads tyrell to an impressive conclusion: they’re gods. he insists they were destined to be together and work together. so he says “now i understand- when you told me i wasn’t seeing what was above me” and while he goes off we see mr robot’s face frowning with confusion because.

“what the fuck are you talking about?”

he doesn’t remember saying that, doesn’t remember the poem. but he disregards all of that once tyrell drops on his knees and aims the gun at his own head. he wants to test fate once more, so they do. which is when mr robot decides tyrell is just the right amount of crazy to save him from himself.

as the hacking is happening, the dark army arrives. irving, walking in, explains the honeypot situation which was reported to the FBI (dark army owns them) so. they’re here.

remember, elliot had discussed the honeypot with whiterose- not mr robot.

irving sees the gun on the table, sees the situation, casually threatens both of them in this very charming way of his. it’s very clear they’re fucked and have to comply with what the dark army says. they ask mr robot if he knows how to drive that SUV out front- he says yes. irving explains they will be taking care of tyrell, cause now he’s the most wanted criminal there is- and robot is advised to drive it to a location elliot wakes up in season 1 finale.

above him, glasses with an usb containing the ‘boardwalk fail’ clip. 

NOW,

tyrell got taken to a cabin, kept away from the world, chopping wood and asking where elliot is, chatting with irving occasionally- until one day he wakes to see some unusual things, among which is mr. williams if you remember, that’s the last name of the poet- but doesn’t have to mean much. 

he asks him questions, until he proves he’s loyal to them. however, he says he is only loyal to elliot. which is a good answer- because the DA is now giving him a laptop and they’re starting to work on stage2. but then;

“the operation will be called the red wheelbarrow, mr. alderson’s request.”

THAT is how it ties everything together, where it came from, who said it, the only thing left to decipher is why it stuck. maybe we can leave that for another time?

there are plenty of different interpretations when it comes to the poem, honestly. it seems tyrell’s resentment towards his father, and mr robot calling elliot’s dad a zero- was what got to elliot, or whoever it was, that can relate.

lemme know what you think!! i hope you’re satisfied w the answer and, again, im so sorry for the long wait. 

if there are any mistakes just keep in mind it’s 7am right now and i need some mercy.

[jaceyourself]

End of Year Wrap-Up 24/12/2018

Happy Merry to all you readers!

I’ve had a great year but all us music fans have had an even better one! Streaming services mean that now more than ever we can experience the musical output from all corners of the globe (though overwhelmingly the English-speaking parts of it) to understand different points of view, learn of the goings on in other parts of the world and most importantly indulge ourselves in a bit of a boogie. All the moods, genres and feels you could think of are out there, so over the holiday period perhaps try and listen to something new. Who knows it might break the tension with that younger/older relative round the xmas table when you find they also happen to like k-pop/jazz-funk/grindcore or at the very least you can bicker about the tragedy of the current album charts (Greatest Showman: 21 weeks!). To aid you in your quest for knowledge/excitement/small-talk I have spent almost 30 minutes curating a best-of for both albums and singles in the year of 2018. 

(NB even with my album-a-day policy, there’s no way I can get through everything I want to within the 365, so if your fave appears ignored, let it be known that I probably haven’t heard it yet. The full list of everything I’ve listened to this year is at the bottom)

So in no particular order:

Albums 

Jinx Lennon- Grow A Pair!!!

The Beths- Future Me Hates Me

The Pistol Annies- Interstate Gospel

Travis Scott- ASTROWORLD

Mount Eerie- Now Only

Cardi B- Invasion of Privacy

The 1975- A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

The Aces- When My Heart Felt Volcanic

Singles

Confidence Man- Out The Window

Cardi B- I Like It

Janelle Monae ft. Grimes- Pynk

Lori McKenna- People Get Old

SOPHIE- Immaterial

Marie Davidson- Work It

Car Seat Headrest- Stop Smoking (We Love You)

BLACKPINK- AS IF IT’S YOUR LAST

The 1975- It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)

https://open.spotify.com/user/jaceyourself/playlist/1kFex3QLVv0l3cCqjVC6dT?si=_GqTJXrOSoSXYaMC9ra_lg

Have a great festive period and I’ll see you in 2019 :D

2018 Albums what I listened to

Floating Points- Reflections – Mojave Desert

James Elkington- Wintres Woma

Miguel- War & Leisure

Ride- Weather Diaries

Sidney Gish- No Dogs Allowed

Emperor X- The Orlando Sentinel, Oversleepers International

Broken Social Scene- Hug of Thunder

MC5- Kick Out The Jams (Live)

Public Service Broadcasting- Every Valley

JJ Doom- Key to the Kuffs

HAIM- Something To Tell You

Camila Cabello- Camila

Sheer Mag- Need To Feel Your Love

Taylor Swift- reputation

Shabazz Palaces- Quazarz vs The Jealous Machines

This Is The Kit- Moonshine Freeze

Japanese Breakfast- Soft Sounds From Another Planet

Tune-Yards- I can feel you creep into my private life

Jupiter & Okwess- Kin Sonic

Various Artists- The Passion Of Charlie Parker

Waxahatchee- Out In The Storm, Great Thunder

Offa Rex- The Queen Of Hearts

Dizzee Rascal- Raskit

Alvvays- Antisocialites

Childhood- Universal High

Marmozets- Knowing What You Know Now

Declan McKenna- What Do You Think About the Car?

Paul Heaton- Crooked Calypso

Lana Del Rey- Lust For Life

Charles Lloyd New Quartet- Passin’ Thru (Live)

Rip Rig & Panic- Circa Rip Rig + Panic

Avey Tare- Eucalyptus

Justin Timberlake- Man Of The Woods

Rio Mira- Marimba del Pacifico

Oddisee- The Iceberg

Aimee Mann- Mental Illness

Katie Von Schleicher- Shitty Hits

Arcade Fire- Everything Now

Girl Ray- Earl Grey

Ezra Furman- Transangelic Exodus

Randy Newman- Dark Matter

Dead Cross- Dead Cross

Chronixx- Chronology

Mondo Cozmo- Plastic Soul

Kesha- Rainbow

Lal & Mike Waterson- Bright Phoebus

Steve Reich- Pulse / Quartet

Orchestra Baobab- Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng

Ratboy- SCUM

Prince- Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999, Purple Rain, Parade, Sign ‘O’ The Times

Stanley Cowell- No Illusions

Oneohtrix Point Never- Good Time Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Downtown Boys- Cost Of Living

Screaming Females- All At Once

Rob Luft- Riser

Sibusile Xaba- Open Letter To Adoniah

Jen Cloher- Jen Cloher

Everything Everything- Fever Dream

Grizzly Bear- Painted Ruins

Bob’s Burgers- The Bob’s Burgers Music Album

Superorganism- Superorganism

Maren Morris- HERO

Courtney Marie Andrews- Honest Life, May Your Kindness Remain

Stefflon Don- Real Ting Mixtape

Ghostpoet- Dark Days + Canapés

Young Fathers- White Men Are Black Men Too, Cocoa Sugar

Queens Of The Stone Age- Songs For The Deaf

Thurst- Cut to the Chafe

John Moreland- Big Bad Luv

Aruan Ortiz- Cub(an)ism [Piano Solo]

Mount Eerie- Now Only

The War On Drugs- A Deeper Understanding

Various Artists- Pop Makossa

Liane Carroll- The Right to Love

Fickle Friends- You Are Someone Else

Nadine Shah- Holiday Destination

Various Artists- Howsla

George Ezra- Staying at Tamara’s

The Doors- The Doors

Filthy Friends- Invitation

Susanne Sundfør- Music For People In Trouble

LCD Soundsystem- LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver, American Dream

Mogwai- Every Country’s Sun

Kacey Musgraves- Golden Hour

The National- High Violet, Sleep Well Beast

The Klezmatics- Wonder Wheel

Hercules & Love Affair- Omnion

Mount Kimbie- Love What Survives

The Aces- When My Heart Felt Volcanic

Matthew Bourne- Isotach

Finished- Cum Inside Me Bro

Forced Into Femininity- I’m Making Progress

Heron Oblivion- Heron Oblivion

Hamell On Trial- TACKLE BOX

Confidence Man- Confident Music For Confident People

Swet Shop Boys- Cashmere

Princess Nokia- 1992 Deluxe, A Girl Cried Red

Steely Dan- The Royal Scam, Aja

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard- Nonagon Infinity

Sparks- Hippopotamus

J. Cole- KOD

Fat Tony- Macgregor Park

L’Orange and Jeremiah Jae- The Night Took Us In Like Family

Little Simz- Stillness In Wonderland

Lady Leshurr- Queen’s Speech

RAY BLK- Durt

Brand New- Science Fiction

Janelle Monae- Dirty Computer

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever- Talk Tight

Fred Thomas- Changer

Myra Davies- Sirens

Laraaji- Sun Gong

The Killers- Wonderful Wonderful

Descendents- Milo Goes To College

Frank Turner- Be More Kind

The Horrors- V

Moses Sumney- Aromanticism

Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People…, AM, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Oxbow- Thin Black Duke

Dee Byrne’s Entropi- Moment Frozen

Mike Stern- Trip

The Vampires- The Vampires Meet Lionel Loueke

Gogol Bordello- Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, Super Taranta!, Seekers And Finders

Umphrey’s McGee- Zonkey

Hard Working Americans- We’re All in This Together

Courtney Barnett- Tell Me How You Really Feel

Jllin- Black Origami

Various Artists- Rough Guide to the Music of West Africa

Wolf Alice- Visions Of A Life

The Young’uns- Strangers

Fever Ray- Fever Ray, Plunge

CHVRCHES- Love Is Dead

Oumou Sangaré- Oumou, Mogoya

Charlotte Gainsbourg- Rest

Daniel Avery- Song For Alpha

Daphni- Joli Mai

Kanye West- ye

Cécile McLorin Salvant- Dreams and Daggers

Trio Da Kali, Kronos Quartet- Ladilikan

Kelela- Take Me Apart

Bob Dylan- The Times.., Another.., Bringing.., Highway.., Blond.., John.., Nashville.., New.., Blood..

Lily Allen- Alright(,) Still, It’s Not Me(,) It’s You, Sheezus, No Shame

Fanfare Ciocarlia- 20

Wolf Parade- Cry Cry Cry

SOPHIE- OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES

Zara McFarlane- Arise

St. Vincent- MASSEDUCTION

Margo Price- All American Made

Bebe Rexha- Expectations

Motörhead- Under Cöver

Orchestre Les Mangelepa- Last Band Standing

Drake- Scorpion

Various Artists- Gentle Giants: The Songs Of Don Williams

Noga Erez- Off The Radar

Baxter Dury- Prince of Tears

John Maus- Screen Memories

Lankum- Between the Earth and Sky

Shamir- Revelations

Years & Years- Palo Santo

Converge- The Dusk In Us

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino- Canzoniere

Fred Hersch- Open Book

A. Savage- Thawing Dawn

Big Thief- Capacity

Kelly Clarkson- Meaning Of Life

Dirty Projectors- Lamp Lit Prose

Robt Sarazin Blake- Recitative

Shed Seven- Instant Pleasures

Spinning Coin- Permo

Call Super- Arpo

Laura Perrudin- Poisons & antidotes

Ellen Andrea Wang- Blank Out

Lori McKenna- The Tree

Wu-Tang Clan- Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Lee Ronaldo- Electric Trim

Deer Tick- Vol. 2

The Paranoid Style- Underworld U.S.A.

Youssou N’Dour- Set, Joko- From Village To Town, Nothing’s In Vain, Seeni Valeurs

Gaika- BASIC VOLUME

Kasai Allstars- Around Felicite

Carly Rae Jepsen- Emotion

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds- Who Built The Moon?

Anna Ternheim- All the Way to Rio

U2- Songs of Experience

Mônica Vasconcelos- The São Paulo Tapes

Travis Scott- ASTROWORLD

Nabihah Iqbal- Weighing of the Heart

Van Morrison- Versatile

Jim James- Tribute to 2

Criolo- Espiral de Ilusão

Maciej Obara Quartet- Unloved

N.E.R.D- NO ONE EVER REALLY DIES

The Beths- Future Me Hates Me

Maryam Saleh- Lekhfa

Naomi Bedford- Songs My Ruiner Gave to Me

Jens Lekman- Night Over Kortedala

The Spirit of the Beehive- pleasure suck

Tom Rogerson- Finding Shore

Paul Jacobs- Pictures(,) Movies and Apartments

Ariana Grande- sweetener

Rina Sawayama- RINA

Marcel Khalife- Andalusia of Love

Gunter Hampel- Bounce (Live at Theater Gütersloh)

BAYNK- Someone’s EP

Omar Souleyman- To Syria(,) With Love

Blood Orange- Negro Swan

Open Mike Eagle- Brick Body Kids Still Daydream

First Aid Kit- Ruins

Shame- Songs of Praise

Homeboy Sandman- Veins

Playboi Carti- Playboi Carti

Eminem- Kamikaze

Troye Sivan- Blue Neighbourhood, BLOOM

Joey Bada$$- ALL AMERIKKKAN BADA$$

Priests- Nothing Feels Natural

Rhiannon Giddens- Freedom Highway

King Krule- The OOZ

Django Django- Marble Skies

Bon Iver- For Emma(,) Forever Ago

Calexico- The Thread That Keeps Us

Mary Gauthier- Rifles & Rosary Beads

Hookworms- Microshift

Aphex Twin- Collapse EP

Rae Morris- Someone Out There

Field Music- Open Here

Rhye- Blood

Shopping- The Official Body

MGMT- Little Dark Age

Christine and the Queens- Chris

Alela Diane- Cusp

Sonic Youth- Sister

Brigid Mae Power- The Two Worlds

Deafheaven- Sunbather

Various Artists- American Epic: The Collection Disc 1, 2, 3

Rich Krueger- Life Ain’t That Long

Lil Wayne- Tha Carter V

Modern Mal- The Misanthrope Family Album

Rejjie Snow- Dear Annie

U.S. Girls- In a Poem Unlimited

The Orielles- Silver Dollar Moment

Tal National- Tantabara

Marie Davidson- Working Class Woman

Superchunk- What a Time to Be Alive

Brandi Carlile- By The Way(,) I Forgive You

Car Seat Headrest- Twin Fantasy

Loma- Loma

Quavo- QUAVO HUNCHO

Marlon Williams- Make Way For Love

Nipsey Hussle- Victory Lap

Insecure Men- Insecure Men

Kendrick Lamar- Black Panther

Rapsody- Lalia’s Wisdom

Khalid- Suncity

Tracey Thorn- Record

Anna von Hausswolff- Dead Magic

Jinx Lennon- Grow a Pair!!!

Gwenno- Le Kov

Judas Priest- Stained Class, FIREPOWER

Robyn- Robyn, Body Talk, Honey

The Magic Gang- The Magic Gang

Essaie Pas- New Path

Bob Dylan and The Band- The Basement Tapes

The Decemberists- I’ll Be Your Girl

Pistol Annies- Interstate Gospel

BCUC- Emakhosini (Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness)

Jack White- Boarding House Reach

Yo La Tengo- There’s A Riot Going On

Sidi Touré- Toubalbero

Lil Peep- Come Over When You’re Sober(,) Pt. 2

The Breeders- All Nerve

The Vaccines- Combat Sports

CZARFACE- Czarface Meets Metal Face

Laurence Pike- Distant Early Warning

Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band- Bone Reader

Leo Kalyan- The Edge

Hayley Kyoko- Expectations

Tristen- Sneaker Waves

Thelonious Monk- Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Brad Mehldau & Mark Guiliana- Mehliana: Taming The Dragon

Amy Rigby- Til The Wheels Fall Off, Little Fugitive, The Old Guys

BLACKPINK- BLACKPINK IN YOUR AREA

Rose Cousins- Natural Conclusion

Nora Jane Struthers- Champion

Lilly Hiatt- Trinity Lane

The Rolling Stones- The Rolling Stones, The Rolling Stones No. 2, Out of Our Heads, Aftermath

MAST- Thelonious Sphere Monk

The 1975- A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

Jhene Aiko- Trip

Don Bryant- Don’t Give up on Love

EMA- Exile in the Outer Ring

Small Believer- Anna Tivel

Vera Sola- Shades

Cardi B- Invasion of Privacy

Darkthrone- A Blaze in the Northern Sky

Sarah Shook & the Disarmers- Years

Goat Girl- Goat Girl

Vic Mensa- HOOLIGANS

Unknown Mortal Orchestra- Sex & Food

Alasdair Roberts, Amble Scuse & David McGuiness- What News

Kali Uchis- Isolation

Wye Oak- The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs

Migos- Culture II

Hinds- I Don’t Run

DRINKS- Hippo Lite

Alexis Taylor- Beautiful Thing

Jenny Wilson- EXORCISM

[fighterxaos]

Welcome back for our second day of the Holiday Buyers’ Guide! Today’s listing will feature home video releases, and video games. Our listing features some of the summer’s hit blockbusters, favorite on-going television series, and distributions of international films/series as well as what we thought were great games released this year. Also, what better way to talk about these titles than on a Tuesday, since that is the day when these titles are normally released!

  Home Video Releases

Wonder Woman MSRP: $35.99

After her debut in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman’s story had to be told! A story that transcends time, and tells of a secret battle within World War I; the battle with Ares, God of War. Bonus features include an epilogue, extended scenes, blooper reel, and more!

  Spider-Man Homecoming MSRP: $24.99

Spider-Man is back with Marvel, so why not give the friendly neighborhood walk crawler a homecoming; ironically the film is set around homecoming in high school. That means Peter is juggling his life as a superhero, a scholar, and trying to find a date!

  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 MSRP: $39.99

The Guardians of the Galaxy are taking jobs left and right, while they try to remain as a team! What does not help is Rocket’s underhanded tactics, and Star-Lord finally meeting his father, Ego. Will the team stay together, or fall apart? Bonus features includes a music video, deleted scenes, gag reel, and more!

  Shin Godzilla MSRP: $29.99

Under the helm of Hideki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, Toho’s King of Monsters returns! Yet, this time Godzilla is even larger threat, as he is a constantly evolving entity. The movie is an instant classic, as well as a divisive installment for its natural fan base; it is either loved entirely, or appreciated for Higuchi’s special effects. Funimation Entertainment provides this home video release which contains dual audio, and a special feature that feature our friend, Matt Frank.

    Garo Volume 1 & 2 MSRP: $24.99 per volume

From Kraken Releasing is Keita Ameiya’s tokusatsu series, Garo! These impressive Blu-Ray sets feature the entire original series that started it all. Follow the story of Kouga Saezima, otherwise known as Makai Knight Garo, as fights to protect the young artist, Kaoru Mitsuki from the Horrors; demonic entities formed off the sins of humanity. Both sets feature original Japanese audio with English subtitles.

  Denji Sentai Megaranger the Complete Series MSRP: $59.99

The sixth Super Sentai series release from Shout! Factory, which was the source material for Power Rangers In Space. This eight-disc set presents all 51 episodes of the series with Japanese audio with English subtitles. However, this series is unsure if it is a space themed series, electronics based series, or a high school drama…

Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team & 0083: Stardust Memory MSRP: $49.99

Two of the best Mobile Suit Gundam Universal Century titles have come to Blu-Ray in 1080p! Both sets feature English and Japanese audio, while also including their featured films. In addition, both sets host bonus features, shorts commemorating the series.

  JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Set 1 MSRP $69.99

This first set of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure features the anime adaptation of the first two story arcs from the original manga. The first called “Phantom Blood” about Jonathon Joestar and his enemy, the human turned vampire, Dio Brando. The second story arc is called Battle Tendency about Joseph Joestar who is Jonathon’s grandson, and his battle against even stronger vampires, the “Pillar Men.” Together both arcs span 26-episodes, with the set featuring dual audio.

  Video Games

Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon MSRP: $39.99

The sequels to Pokémon Sun & Moon, and final games to be on Nintendo 3DS! Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon revisit the Alola region, where now it is under siege by all the previous games’ villains. In addition, Ultra Beasts continue to invade, as more interesting Pokémon are discovered. Play with friends! Battle, Trade, and Catch ‘em All!

  Gundam Versus MRSP: $59.99

With 94 playable Mobile Suits, multiple stages, and multitude of modes, the possibilities are endless. Countless hours of fun can be had to fans of Gundam, and fighting games. It is easy to pick-up, but it is difficult to master! In addition, Bandai keeps adding more suits to game, as DLC!

  Xenoblade Chronicles 2 MSRP: $59.99

It is the sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles, but follows a new cast of characters. The world is now up in the clouds, where cities lie on the breasts of the Titans. Play as Rex, and Pyra who seek to find a new home for humanity!

  Super Mario Odyssey MSRP: $59.99

Bowser is at it again, as he attempts to marry Princess Peach! However, this time he plans to broadcast the entire wedding live for the world to see. Mario and his now sentient hat, Cappy must work together to defeat Bowser, and save Peach.

  Tekken 7 MSRP: $59.99

Tekken 7 is the latest installment in the Tekken fighting game franchise. It features a story mode that is more in-depth than previous installments which covers the bloodline hatred between Kazuya Mishima, and his father Heihachi Mishima. On top of that, the game features several gameplay modes that are offline and online; including an arcade mode, a treasure battle mode, and of course an online ranked and unranked competitive mode. There is even a tournament mode for online play. The game is also set to receive DLC this winter with a new playable character, Geese Howard from SNK’s Fatal Fury and King of Fighters series!

  Persona 5 MSRP: $59.99

This installment to the Megami Tensei spin-off is the sixth chronologically, but one hell of addition! Join the “Phantom Thieves of Hearts,” and take back Tokyo from others who seek to use their Personas to conquer the world.

  Injustice 2 MSRP: $49.99

Live out all your DC fight fantasies with a roster of DC Comics characters! With guest appearances by characters from Mortal Kombat, Hellboy, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Fight the computer, fight friends, or play out the story where teams must come together to stop Brainiac.

  Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 MSRP: $59.99

Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a highly awaited sequel within Lego’s various video game titles. The events are set immediately after the first game, as Kang the Conqueror attempts to take over all of space, and time. However, Kang can be stopped if the player is able to bring together various heroes throughout the ages and multiverse.

  Now, that is it for Day 2 of the Hero Club Holiday Buyer’s Guide! Check back tomorrow for Day 3, which is on choices for Comic and Manga releases.

Holiday Buyer’s Guide 2017 Day 2: Home Video & Video Games

Welcome back for our second day of the Holiday Buyers’ Guide! Today’s listing will feature home video releases, and video games.

Holiday Buyer’s Guide 2017 Day 2: Home Video & Video Games Welcome back for our second day of the Holiday Buyers’ Guide! Today’s listing will feature home video releases, and video games.

[gengamer110]

Ray'z Arcade Chronology PS5 vs Switch

Ray’z Arcade Chronology was announced last year and I was immediately intrigued. I love Shoot-em Ups (SHMUPs) and immediately made a YouTube video. Well, finally the game was released, in Japan. I bought the cartridge for my Nintendo Switch and made a few more YouTube videos. The Games Rayforce, also known a Layer Section or Galactic Attack, depending on region, was ported to the SEGA Saturn. I…

[gertlushgaming]

RayStorm x RayCrisis HD Collection & Ray’Z Arcade Chronology Incoming

Calling all Arcade Enthusiasts: Operation Ray begins!

The highly anticipated TAITO arcade classic, RayStorm x RayCrisis HD Collection will be released both physically and digitally on June 30th! Physical versions are now available for preorder for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4! Regarded as two of the most important and beloved shoot ‘em ups TAITO has ever released and the more advanced successors of RayForce – RayStorm and RayCrisis – have certainly carved their own path in arcade gaming history. Released in 1996 and ported to several consoles, including the SEGA Saturn, PlayStation, and XBOX 360, RayStorm takes place in a parallel universe to RayForce and RayCrisis, where humanity has expanded its space colonies all the way to Orion’s Belt. Unfortunately, the rebellious colony of Secilia overthrows the government and plans to obliterate the earth and all the people on it. To counter it, Earth sends out a covertly-developed fighter codenamed the R-Gray (that’s you, buddy) in hopes of penetrating the Secilian atmosphere and obliterating Secilia’s base of operations. Related Post: PIRATE BORG  Set in a cyberspace environment, RayCrisis was originally released in 1998 for TAITO G-NET arcade hardware and marked a stylistic departure from the rest of the series, featuring for the first time 3D graphics. A prequel to RayForce, it details the events during the time in which the supercomputer called Con-Human gained sentience and rebelled against its human creators. While the Earth is being demolished, a cyberspace hacker launches a desperate assault to jack into the supercomputer’s virtual core and cease its insanity. It is up to you and the Waveriders to keep the malicious AI from causing any more chaos – even if it could be too late, the least you can do is ensure that no more lives are lost in the real world by ending it in the digital realm. Relive the excitement of epic battles in outer and cyberspace with this new collection, featuring not only RayStorm and RayCrisis, with their polygon-based 3D graphics and striking art styles, but also their HD remastered versions. All of this is accompanied by the unforgettable soundtrack composed by TAITO’s legendary sound team, ZUNTATA. RayStorm x RayCrisis HD Collection - out on June, 30th physically and digitally for EUR 39,99. Want to discover the full trilogy? TAITO’s original Ray’Z Arcade Chronology will also come to the West with five versions of three titles. Together with RayForce, RayCrisis and their HD remasters, you get the opportunity to play the original Arcade version of RayForce, released in 1994 and responsible for revolutionizing the “two attack layer system”, undoubtedly changing the face of shoot ’em ups. Get your own digital cyberspace war at the Nintendo eShop or PlayStation Store! Ray’Z Arcade Chronology - out on June 30th digitally for EUR 49,99. Read the full article

[gertlushgaming]

TAITO’s legendary vertical shoot ‘em up Ray-series returns!

Honoring the awesome Ray-games, TAITO’s legendary vertical shoot ‘em up Ray-series returns with two separate collections that are heading to the West for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4

ININ Games announce today that they will bring the legendary Ray-series of vertical shooters to the West, in partnership with TAITO, both digitally and boxed for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, with the release planned for 2023. As one of the most iconic vertical shoot ‘em ups (shmup), the Ray-series is a popular brand of legendary developer TAITO. First introduced in February 1994, with the release of RayForce for the TAITO F3 arcade, the series quickly became one of the most popular arcade games of its time. Also known as Gunlock or Galactic Attack outside of Japan, it was followed by two sequels with RayStorm and RayCrisis, both featuring polygon-based 3D graphics instead of sprite-based ones.

To honor this shoot ‘em up icon's legacy, there will be not only one but two special collections heading to the West with pre-orders starting shortly. The RayStorm x RayCrisis HD Collection was devised by ININ Games, to combine the best the Ray-series has to offer, for shoot ‘em up fans around the world at an affordable price point of 39,99 EUR/USD. RayStorm x RayCrisis HD Collection includes the original RayStorm and RayCrisis and their respective HD versions, known for their exciting gameplay. This exclusive Western compilation will be available as a boxed retail edition and for download.

On top of that, ININ Games is also bringing TAITO’s original Japanese Ray'z Arcade Chronology to the West. This collection further adds the classic game that started it all, RayForce, and will be available to download for 49,99 EUR/USD.

RayStorm x RayCrisis HD Collection (available as a boxed edition and for digital download) RayStorm RayStorm NEO HD RayCrisis RayCrisis HD Related Post: The Division Resurgence Debuts Gameplay Footage Ray'z Arcade Chronology (available for digital download) RayForce RayStorm RayStorm NEO HD RayCrisis RayCrisis HD Once again involved in the porting of the games to modern consoles like for previous TAITO classics, are the masters of remastering at M2! The games will come with HD graphics, a great soundtrack, and additional features and gadgets. A limited Ray-series collection for the biggest fans out there with an exclusive extra never been released on cartridge before As a special way of honoring this great series, Strictly Limited Games have created an exclusive Limited and Collector’s Edition for Ray'z Arcade Chronology containing several physical collectibles - a great addition to every collection of video games or for those who love the classic shmup! These editions will also include the previously unreleased prototype “R-Gear”, the originally planned successor of RayForce! Pre-orders for these exclusive editions are already live and only at strictlylimitedgames.com  Read the full article