Oh dear, you've found the secret slime cave lair of Enforcer @ Draggian Universe where they put their awful little thoughts. Get out while you can. Established June 2024 as somewhere to put my angsty thoughts about how Falling In Reverse sucks other than the void and annoying my friends.
Enter at your own risk; this is where I put spur of the moment random nonsense, angst, and opinions to get them out of my brain. When I say slime, I mean slime. And possibly full on possession. There will be no content warnings.
The 50 most recent thoughts are being shown. A curated selection of old thoughts I thought were useful, funny, and/or interesting can be found here.
August CD Stack #11: Recover - This May Be The Year I Disappear (Universal Records, 2004)
A band described as post-hardcore, emo, and pop punk, signed to infamous poppy-"emo" label Fueled By Ramen and associated with other notable relatively-poppy / less hardcore hybridized emo-adjacent bands. This is their second album. They haven't been seen since 2016 as far as I can tell. This contemporary review calls them alternative rock with emo and post-hardcore elements and vaguely 80s-like vocals; I'm unsure how accurate that is or if they're shying away from calling them "emo" because that's a dirty word. The only other contemporary review I can find hated it, but doesn't specify what's actually wrong with it, so I can't rule out it just being stylistic bashing. Them mentioning the guys having long hair as a point against them (as if that hasn't been part of rock since before it WAS modern rock...) makes me suspicious.
...opening with "this summer I want to get stoned and fall in love" is not a great first impression, I have to say.
I can see the 80s elements on Light Up The Night, but not really anywhere else. Referring back to how that one reviewer of Charity.Burns.Green derogatorily referred to the "scene bands" as Taking Back Thursday, I can see where they're getting it -- the structure here reminds me a lot of Thursday, but with poppier vocals and lyrical themes. Which frankly works better than when they try to be edgier, because the attempts at both screaming and classic rock vocals are pretty weak.
I agree with both reviewers that Once In A While is pointless. It's less than 30 seconds of acoustic that doesn't add anything to the album except a weird gap. I'd dislike it less if it wasn't followed by 2 minutes of silence for no reason.
When this album uses post-hardcore structure with poppier vocals, it's decently good. When it's pure pop punk, it's boring, and when they try to do harder vocals, they utterly fail. I do think that one reviewer who hated everything about this had some bias against the genre / style in general, but I also don't blame either of the contemporary ones I found for not being impressed with this. I already know that I don't especially like pop punk in general and the Fueled By Ramen style of super-poppy emo in particular, and this one, while harder than some, doesn't escape what's turned me off from similar bands in the past.
Tracks I liked:
Simple
Disappear
Fuck Me For Free
August CD Stack #10: We, The Undersigned - Bleed The Constants (Dimished Fifth Records, 2009)
Only notable release (there is one unsigned EP most of whose tracks are on here and that's it) from a band tagged on Bandcamp as metalcore among other things from Fredericton. Was nominated for, but did not win, an East Coast Music Association reward in 2010. Bandcamp cites reviews that don't seem to be otherwise findable. Still active on Facebook as of 2025, but doesn't seem to have done any shows or released music since this album.
It's not by any means "bad"; there's some interesting mixing throughout and some tracks I legitimately enjoyed, but I feel like it didn't quite land on whatever it was trying to do. It loosely reminds me of Enemy Of The Sun or System Of A Down but with more metalcore structure, and I think that's what they were going for: metalcore with thrashier vocals and a certain oscillation of mood and such to produce a feeling of instability. I understand the principle, but it just ended up feeling disjointed and I don't think the thrash vocals were executed well. I get wanting to be unique, but I think this album is at its best when it's the closest to pure metalcore and consistent in mood and musical structure. It's not bad, but I wouldn't say it's especially good either.
Tracks I liked:
Pangaea Mind
The Eschaton
Strassman's Child (there's some really neat audio mixing. however, it's really long, and I have no idea what this Canadian band is trying to say about US politics and if it's pro- or anti-Obama.)
August CD Stack #9: Tempting Tragedy - Carpe Noctem (Self-Published, 2007)
There are multiple bands and other goth-adjacent things named Carpe Noctem. This one seems to be from the metal band from Moncton which is only documented by Metal Archives. In all honesty, I mostly bought this CD for the cover. Tempting Tragedy has another album per Metal Archives, but no other documentation for the same reason as the album name -- it's an extremely common name archetype in metal in general, so you get a bunch of other bands named [X] Tragedy but not this one, who doesn't seem to have done anything since 2010.
It's definitely goth, and it's definitely metal. The supernatural imagery is fun, as is the overall atmosphere. Musically, loosely compare some of the slower metal CDs I've run into e.g. Images of Eden. Not really the sort of thing I'd seek out to look into further, but a generally enjoyable listen with some gems.
Tracks I liked:
Pray For Me
Mr. Hyde
Hell's Gates
August CD Stack #8: Days Like These - Charity.Burns.Green (Lobster Records, 2004)
Stream (YouTube, 2026 remaster. The original version does not appear to be anywhere but Spotify, but this band is still active and a remaster version is available so I don't feel right uploading it to Web Archive.)
It's not consistent whether this title has the periods between each word or not; the best conclusion I can come to is that it's Charity Burns Green with spaces but styled with dots. When looking up this CD deciding whether it was mission relevant, I found a contemporary review which provides yet another citation that "scene" and "emo" are synonymous in every pre-crash source that's actually referring to music and not the bastardized aesthetic. Said review described it favorably as "melodic rock that avoids emo cliches" and lacks influence from the "scene bands" referred to actually rather amusingly as Taking Back Thursday.
This Punktastic review and a contemporary interview from the same site appear to be the only real press this album got, but it's agreed to be post-hardcore of some sort. I get the impression from the description that it'll be more "post" than "hardcore", and if it was enjoyed by people doing blatant emo-bashing, I might not be a fan, but we'll see. Other than that, this band appears to have become broadly irrelevant; there's a review of their second album from a different punk website who liked it but describes Charity as "forgettable" and doesn't seem to mention much in the way of the hardcore and metal influences I like.
The Australian band with the same name who's described as metal / hardcore with EDM influences seems to be unrelated. That being said, it does sound like the sort of thing I might like, so this may be another Howl Like Wolves vs. LikeWolves situation where I get two bands I wouldn't have otherwise known about for the price of one. It appears that the Australian band has outcompeted the earlier US one, forcing the Days Like These who did Charity Burns Green to disambiguate their usernames. Days Like These (US) is still active and doesn't have any information other than the few old interviews / reviews and their social media, but if I had to guess, was probably a "broken up for an extended period then reformed for nostalgia" situation, since there's no music whatsoever between 2006 and 2025. The sum total of their output is the two albums from 2004 and 2006, a 20th anniversary remaster of Charity Burns Green, and a single-digit number of singles released in the past year.
It reminds me of Hoobastank, or Atreyu once they became substantially lighter and started doing standard enough pseudo-anthem rock. It's pleasant enough, but lacks the edge I look for. I'm disappointed given the punk / hardcore adjacent circles this band seemed to run in; I was expecting more from it. It doesn't even really have the fun parts of pop punk.
Tracks I liked:
One In One Thousand
Charity Burns Green
August CD Stack #7: Black Moor - The Conquering
Debut album from a broadly irrelevant band from Nova Scotia, who per Wikipedia, described themselves as part of a "new wave of traditional heavy metal". Given that neither the actual 80s metal I've listened to nor the bands attempting to emulate it has impressed me, I'm not expecting much from them, but I picked the CD up because it was cheap and definitely metal of some sort. Full disclosure that I'm not paying all that much attention to these CDs; I'm playing through West Of Loathing again and using them as background noise.
It's about what I expected -- some good guitar solos and imagery, but there isn't all that much there other than that. Pleasant enough as background noise, but the songs don't have enough substance individually to justify their length.
Tracks I liked:
Warshark
Fiend
Red Blood, Cold Steel
August CD Stack #6: Green Day - Dookie (Reprise Records, 1994)
Green Day's first relevant album. Somewhat poppier than Nimrod and lacking its hardcore influences, hence why I didn't like it as much. It's still fun and has the classic Green Day vocals and guitar work, but ultimately very simple structure and there's not all that much in the lyrics propping it up. Nimrod, Warning, and American Idiot work better for me since they incorporate harder influences and have more theatrical and storytelling elements. Still, though, I'm glad I was able to acquire and listen to this album that I wouldn't have necessarily sought out -- even though I'm not much of a Green Day fan, it's definitely of historical canon significance.
Tracks I liked:
Chump
Longview
Welcome To Paradise
August CD Stack #5: Avril Lavigne - Let Go (Arista Records, 2002)
It's Avril Lavigne. I'd say that as compared to the other album I assessed (Under My Skin) it's poppier - tbh, other than imagery and Sk8er Boi, there aren't really any meaningful pop punk elements I noticed. Regardless, it's still an extremely fun album, and I feel like "fun" is all it's really setting out to be. Unwanted and Nobody's Fool were both pretty fun outside of the obvious classics of Complicated and Sk8er Boi.
August CD Stack #4: Spawn - The Album (Compilation, Sony, 1999)
Yes, it's a movie soundtrack, but it's a movie soundtrack for one of the most infamous 90s edgelord superheroes and which contains several artist names I recognize with novel remixes / mashups / collabs. It seemed worth 2 dollars.
It's fun. It's grimy. It's edgy. It embodies what I like about this era of metal and such. I don't think it needs to join my permanent collection, but it's worth a listen if you're intro late 90s nu metal, industrial, and such -- the remix / mashup nature of the album means that it emphasizes nu metal's electronic and hip-hop elements more than some.
Tracks I liked:
Filter & The Crystal Method - (Can't You) Trip Like I Do
Korn & The Dust Brothers - Kick The P.A.
Stabbing Westward & Wink - Torn Apart
Incubus & D.J. Greyboy - Familiar
August CD Stack #3: Codeseven - The Rescue
According to Wikipedia, this band started out as melodic (post-)hardcore, but dropped it and became weird atmospheric space rock sometime around this album. With that in mind, I'm not really sure if this album is mission relevant since apparently the hardcore era was also a different singer, so is for all intents and purposes a different band. Still, some elements will probably be retained in earlier work with composition and such?
When Wikipedia said that this band fully departed from hardcore on this album, they meant it -- there's some metal elements, but this is enough outside of my post-hardcore / metalcore / loosely thrash adjacent orbit that I'm uncertain what to say about it. This suggests that this album, and Codeseven's subsequent output, isn't mission-relevant, but that's okay: the presence of this CD means I learned about their mission relevant hardcore era, which I wouldn't have otherwise known about, and that probably is worth assessing -- the fact that the same instrumentalists (presumably) were able to effectively pivot to experimental spacey stuff from hardcore suggests that they're damned good at their jobs and probably made good, more interesting than the fight-in-the-pit kind hardcore when they did that.
Tracks I liked:
Smell Of Yellow And Black
The Rescue
Give It To Us
August CD Stack #2: Sum 41 - Does This Look Infected? (Aquarius Records, 2002)
We last saw Canadian pop punk / vaguely-metal hybrid Sum 41 with their final album Heaven X Hell, which I found generally unremarkable -- it's a lot like early Falling In Reverse, but with even less screaming and such, and something more of a 90s pop punk mentality. "Scene" continues to have never been a real subculture or a different thing from emo. It's just a synonym for "the [post-hardcore adjacent] music scene", and the "scene aesthetic" has nothing to do with anything. Alternative Press also sucks in general so like.
Much like on Heaven X Hell, the base structure is mediore 90s pop punk with occasional vaguely thrashy components, like Nimrod (Green Day) but less interesting. When the metal / post-hardcore hybridization enters the equation, it becomes comparable to a somewhat poppier and less screamy version of Dying Is Your Latest Fashion and its ilk, albeit with less going on musically. Again, it's a lot like early Falling In Reverse which isn't a compliment.
I guess Sum 41 may be worth assessing, but it isn't a priority because their output is huge, they're not especially unique stylistically, and the concentration of songs I like has been low. I get something of a feeling that if I were to fully assess and download output, a lot of it would end up having to get debloated out 6 months later. Even the more hybridized songs are fun, but I wouldn't call them "interesting". Nothing is hitting the Sanity Is For The Weak resonance of DIYLF / early FIR / The Used / Atreyu / Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows / Get Scared, who all do similar styles but better. Well, the others are better. Falling In Reverse resonates with my concept core for reasons I can neither understand nor control.
I've discussed before how I think I might just not like pop punk. I seek it out in CDs and assessments because I know it's relevant to the subcultural (emo; "scene" is synonymous and/or a historical fabrication made to sell music-irrelevant aesthetics) canon, but it just doesn't do anything for me.
I'm usually pretty unapologetic about my tastes and you should be too, but this just slightly confuses me in that I feel like I should like it, but I don't, and I can't explain why. There's something that the slime-free FIR substitutes I listed above have and this lacks, and I'm not sure where it is. Perhaps there's the post-hardcore edge that this lacks? The tonality is less arrogant-RSD about it all even on songs with darker lyrical themes. I don't feel emotion in this in the same way -- it feels hollow, in a way that the hybrids I listed and the more pop punk toned tracks I like from other bands don't. Again, I can't explain why. It's similar to what I ran into with All Time Low and Taking Back Sunday -- there's just something that my Edge core needs that despite emo canonicity, the poppier bands just lack. (Taking Back Sunday, I also disliked their vocals. They felt slightly off from the instrumentation.)
Acceptable background noise, but broadly disappointing.
Tracks that stood out:
Still Waiting (I think I might have heard this on emo night setlists? It sounds familiar. Good mixing, cliche and daft lyrics. Social commentary songs need to be about something.)
No Brains (first track I legitimately liked)
Mr. Amsterdam
August CD Stack #1: Gutted The Band - Self-Titled Album (Self-published [?], 2017)
Method of acquisition: Thrift store
Small, relatively recent, and still active band from Edmunston, New Brunswick, who call themselves "thrash country". I haven't liked hybrids with country influences before (see Antiseen, Every Time I Die, and Bad Remedy) because they tend to go for the "bro country" mentality and mediocre guitar work rather than the actually interesting parts of country and it takes away from the fun punk / metal part, but it was unusual enough to be worth 3 dollars to try out.
I'm confident that there exist good country / metal hybrids. I think if you played into the desolation and storytelling of some of the darker country, and got an actual country vocalist, it could work quite well. This is not that. Nor are any of the previous hybrids I've dealt in. There's nothing musically wrong with it, but the attempts at country vocals and guitar work don't synergize with the metal elements so just end up clashing and drawing the off-key accent to attention. It's acceptable thrash, I guess, but I also don't find pure thrash all that interesting so ¯(ツ)/¯ not my thing.
Tracks I enjoyed:
Fool Yourself
Haunt Me!
Heracles wields a club, traditionally. Why is cutting hydra heads off even relevant? Can't he bash their brains out without cutting, or does that count too? (If you hit a hydra with a blunt weapon such that it causes internal bleeding / vessel rupture, does it grow new heads inside? That could be gruesome.)
Also, I know the whole thing is a metaphor for paganism, but not only are the villagers in Saint George and the Dragon terrible at wildlife management (if this dragon is eating sheep and/or people, it isn't going to find enough prey so will leave if you STOP FEEDING IT), Georgie-boy himself is kinda grotesquely endangering the townsfolk and extorting them? "Look at this tame dragon I have here. It'd be a SHAME if you didn't convert to my religion, so I'd have to let it loose to start eating you again. I could kill it right now, but have chosen not to because you being pagans is more important." I know that in this case, dragons = demons = other people's gods, so they need to convert to prevent future attacks, but holy shit, that's horrifying from the perspective of the dragon as wildlife. I don't blame modern versions for removing the overtly Christian parts.
Also, if this dragon is eating sheep and/or people, how come all the art makes it look like a monitor lizard with wings that George just kinda tramples with his horse and then stabs to finish off?
OK, I officially give up on attempting custom ROMs on the new phone. All available options that I don't have to build from source code have either had SMS not work or failed to boot at all. I have no idea what building from source code via Git even really IS and GSIs are generally described as unstable and unsuitable for daily use. So, uh, hopefully uninstalling the bloatware I can and disabling the bloatware I can't will work. Second device which doesn't need to worry about being a phone and is on LineageOS's official build list is shipping.
I like my website. I like looking at it. I'm proud of the art and writing that's there. And yet, the urge to destroy it persists. No matter what, there's some part of me that doesn't want to exist in a perceptible medium.
There are no stupid questions, only mean answerers. (...I have been asking a lot of questions on XDA, because I don't know what I'm doing and don't want to break anything.)
you would think that with the number of times it has happened I would have internalized by now that I can't eat an entire large pizza in one sitting because it will result in me feeling like crap. Unfortunately, the operating impulse was "I have not eaten anything since a noodle cup 8 hours ago" so. Also my fault.
I don't get devices for software. I get devices for hardware features and then apply software to them.
"Get a pixel with GrapheneOS" -- I like. The stylus. And headphone jack. I consider what I can do with my device more important than its OS. Just answer my question.
well, I've gotten bored of sims 2 but still don't have motivation to do much else. servos actually kinda suck? I mean, sure, they're good for business, but business isn't interesting as a mechanic especially since you can't hire household sims as employees so they're not controllable
my "personal self-hosted cloud" is that I walk 5 feet and transfer files with a flash drive
I got a response to my forum thread -- I don't think it's likely to be all that helpful (asking for logs and to check if my sim card number is correct), but at least it proves the developer is active and alive. However, the monologue would rather do literally anything but Android Nonsense. I legitimately have no idea why it got so heavily set off last night, but taking a break so we can cool down is a reasonable request.
I'm still frustrated enough that I don't think I'd be very patient with attempted tech support even if I thought it was going to work, so I'll wait to send said logs until tomorrow.
The "steps for other devices" are as follows: go back to the stock ROM and update firmware, go back to the stock ROM and ask my carrier to re-initialize the SIM card, and spend 7 dollars on Google Play for an automation app to turn on airplane mode when the phone reboots and that's supposed to do something. Everything else I found was for devices that could either send or receive texts, not that couldn't do either.
tldr: got new phone. attempted to install lineageos on it. everything works except texts, which are kinda nonnegotiable and why we needed a new phone number, and like 5 people total use this rom so there is no documentation or support. if you are not one of those 5 people (lineageos for moto g stylus 2024) do not attempt to give me "tech support". fates is freaking out about it with what can only be described as timeline dysphoria
Yes, dear, I KNOW that you're frustrated and disappointed by the whole phone thing. Yes, I agree that messing with undocumented rooting so I can be sure my apps will work in January shouldn't be necessary and that this is personally offensive to your 2000s sensibilities. I understand why you think existing in 2026 is a curse. I understand that it's triggering the feeling of being trapped and that US technofascist bullshit can and will continue to screw us over no matter where we are.
Other than checking if folks on the XDA forums can contribute anything and trying what limited software troubleshooting / reinstalling we have, I can't do anything about any of those! We need to have a smartphone for various infrastructure reasons, and you can't listen to your MP3s on wired earbuds while drawing with the stylus on any other model. We might as well make use of the damned thing if we have to have one. I also know that you know that if you met Ronnie you wouldn't like him and that you would not be able to be openly trans or autistic if time travel were an option. What do I need to do so you'll let me sleep? This is not a heart rate speeding up situation.
I get that it's probably HP and MP levels being low and that we were hoping things would work out, but I am not having a dysphoria fit over a damned PHONE.
Sims 2 trick I learned yesterday: Sims can't interact with items on shelves, which means that buying something (e.g. a stereo) and immediately putting it on a shelf means it won't count for aspiration. But what you can do if somebody wants something that fits on a shelf and you don't want them constantly playing with it is buy something, then move it onto a shelf. This would also work if you wanted your Sims to have small toys or something for characterization, but not autonomously play with them. (Yes, you could turn off free will, but what kind of malevolent god would do that?)
oh hey, the FIR stationery on which I had him write Arlo a threatening postcard in reverse mode ii (2023) is real
file that under my prophecies
also I looked up the address he does have the sense not to dox himself and I think I might have figured out how he is printing the new tiktok merch; there is a print shop in the same parking lot
my dude if you want to do print on demand merch so badly, fix the actual Falling in reverse merch store that has been broken since 2023. anyway POD stuff will arrive until he inevitably starts selling random stuff from around his house which won't and he'll get banned. (This also happened with Whatnot.)
Again, I think whatnot had stuff arrive for a while when it was POD and/or old merch nobody bought in 2022 (or earlier), and then everything stopped once he started making promises he couldn't keep, e.g. VIP and the design contest.
but, like, dude, if you like POD so much, fix the FIR merch store? it's probably better out of pocket for you because your merch provider has industrial quantity deals that you don't with a random print shop in Anaheim. also, remember you had a Patreon?
Either he's paying terrible rates or he's gonna end up with a lot of shirts that won't sell.
been playing sims 2 again now that I actually can...made a household with versions of RRverse Ronnie!06 and Arlo and I'm having a great time. maybe writing of some sort coming soon? this is canon in that 06 is playing this game; who wants to enable me to write a story that's just him talking about a game he's playing while Arlo comments over his shoulder? (I have screenshots but not of a lot of the emergent gameplay)
Sims 2 FreeTime is broken #n+1: one session of instruction in a hobby can make someone a friend by itself, making family friends for jobs way easier.
Turns out you actually can change the color of layer styles in Photoshop Elements 8 (2009); it's just in the Layer -> Style Settings menu instead of in the styles panel. Sweet.
ceci n'est pas un site web
The monologue decided to start shit about "why are you messing with this computer when you have several windows boxen at your parents' house? if you wanted a windows 7 desktop so badly, why didn't you bring Draggyslair II with you?"
...this one is here and I have somewhere to put it, which was not the case in the dorm, in the slime house, or when I thought i would be flying or cramming all my stuff into the minivan to move to Canada.
correction: it is actually a new moon. one of them pokemon sleep special event bitches. i also go werewolf apparently during both the full and new moon so like
both a big thunderstorm and a full moon so a great day for my critter vibes I had the urge to go stand out and vibe in the yard but that was quickly thwarted because the rain is cold so I am going to spiritually vibe with the shift inducers in my enclosure
psa that uninstalling google play services (shizuku / canta) on moto g stylus 2024 will result in bootlooping
got new phone (moto g stylus 2024). going to attempt custom rom installation, but forgot about the motorola OEM unlock cooldown so I'm gonna be waiting a week
goddamn pixel art hurts bigger stuff with the drawing tablet is so much easier
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my back hurts
[FUCK / KILL / EAT / ABSORB / REPLACE] RONNIE RADKE (not necessarily in that order)
the ronald needs more enrichment in its enclosure; we should start putting its food in puzzle boxes
ronnie update: my sweet darling boy has pivoted to selling things that don't actually exist on tiktok since he got banned from whatnot and fir hasn't done anything whatsoever this year. turnaround is roughly 6-8 months for "wait, this doesn't actually exist" and him losing his selling privileges, which is more likely to stick than bans for bigotry and to be linked to ID verification
https://file.garden/ZvBqN3lQEnLVuczj/ronnie_videos/tiktok_jotheexitwound_7671722106010275103.mp4
"I'm rich and bored and have nothing to do, so I might as well do this!" Or you could join a pickup basketball team. Or volunteer. Or make friends. Or play video games. Or do personal creative projects. Or have a life. Or actually do something with FIR, like, say, finally replacing Max Not That One or fixing your official merch store or scheduling a fucking tour. Or you could update the Patreon you forgot about and people are still paying monthly for!
I don't think PM2024 took 10 hours to write cumulatively, definitely not per day. At least when he thought he was more relevant and better musically than he actually was, he was actually doing something music related. At present, we have no tours, no merch, and no songs. Competent bands release albums roughly every 2 years, but I don't think there's going to be another FIR album because the man both can't sing and doesn't want to. Saying you're the best thing to happen to music when you're making music that sucks is one thing. Saying you're that when you aren't doing ANYTHING, at all, is another.
I assume the reason that he doesn't go out and do things is that he considers himself a shining god above the rest of humanity and refuses to associate with anybody except his favorite guys, so he won't join a pickup basketball team or volunteer or make friends or go to concerts or have a life. And the worst part is that he doesn't even enjoy what he's doing.
As I said about PM2024, he might be morally compromised, and his work might be poorly executed, but the worst thing he could be is boring, and that's what he's doing.
if you look at your ex-boyfriend Max Green, he's also retired, but is choosing to do crafts and run non-scammy movie night livestreams for his groupchat and offer guitar lessons and spend time with his loved ones and mix music he isn't publishing because he enjoys it
ronald joseph radke has been dead for years; falling in reverse is the only thing piloting his body and if he isn't being a slimeball bragging about his superiority over and contempt towards everybody he has no inner or outer life. hell, if you're so damned hardworking on music why don't you do collabs or side projects or covers? oh wait, you can't do that because you've systematically alienated everyone who ever liked you and haven't been in touch with the scene since 2014! you were only able to fake it from 2018-24 because of Saraya, who is how you got in with everyone you did collabs with!
it's no fun watching him destroy himself if he and the fans won't admit that's what's happening! if you're going to fail to be interesting i'd at least like to taste some blood and watch you squirm a bit
I can't do my "hey, hey, goodbye" fun times and fully claim FIR for myself because it still exists and he's still abusing it for evil, but they're not giving me anything to work with! either stop being boring or die; this is just sad and frustrating and not interesting
I've exhausted all the analysis I can do with previously published materials, because I refuse to go through stream VODs of him being awful even if they exist (and there's really nothing FIR related there anyway).
my dear sweet darling boy either needs to put out or explode so I can watch him burn and dance in the resulting shower of blood and slime
I've been using "put out" as my default metaphor for a while, which the monologue hates, but sexual frustration is frankly an accurate metaphor. Intellectual masturbation isn't good enough. I need violent intellectual hate-sex to give me something new to work with, because I've tried every solo position I can think of.
'tis probably for the best that I'm basically ace
Note that the thought of actually touching any version of Ronnie fills me with utter revulsion. the domesticated cute ronnie is appealing to think about cuddles with arlo, but i have no interest in touching him myself. ronnie in reverse is "eew, stop touching that! you don't know where it's been; you're gonna get, like, every disease!"
tldr: "scene" just means "music scene", post-hardcore music has nothing to do with the Internet aesthetic, and there was never a subculture called that. also, seraphim aren't snakes and please stop using the term "Biblical angel" because most angel and demon iconography is at best as canon as Dante and much of it is more based on anime and video games than anything.
So, I was assessing some of my latest CD stack yesterday, and one of them was Sum 41 - Does This Look Infected, Sum 41 being a big pop punk / vaguely metal hybrid. Despite there being nothing technically wrong with it and it practically speaking being a lot like early FIR so there's no reason why I shouldn't like it, it did nothing for me, but that's not what I want to talk about. While doing preliminary research, I happened upon an Alternative Press listicle of "20 scene albums from 2002 you still have in your car". This is the same website who thinks that Mandy Murders attending a show once and Craig shouting her out is proof of Ronnie's whole "he's trying to replace me" nonsense, so not great, but unfortunately, considered a respectable source in its space.
The list is fine -- it's mostly post-hardcore adjacent. The problem is when it refers to the "bright colors" scene aesthetic and attributes it to bands who...did not do that. I have yet to find ANY band who dresses aligned with the Internet "scene aesthetic", and emo-adjacent post-hardcore canon in 2002 definitely didn't do that. So, they're conflating the entire space of post-hardcore / pop punk / etcetera, BEFORE the big mainstreaming emo wave in 2005-6 with FOB, Black Parade, etcetera, with an aesthetic they don't have connected to a subculture that never existed.
"Scene" is a shorthand for "music scene". It's been used in punk adjacent spaces to describe the broad state of the genre since at least the 80s / early 90s; see failed assessment Antiseen who named themselves that to evoke "anti-scene". A review from 2004 of (also in this CD stack) Days Like These's Charity Burns Green uses "scene bands" derogatorily to describe emo-canon-adjacent post-hardcore, also reasonably cleverly referred to as "Taking Back Thursday". Neither of these sources think that the word "scene" has to be clarified, which suggests it's a common term.
So, the word "scene" predates what we associate with emo subculture and it's used as synonymous with emo even before the big mainstreaming wave. All up through the 2014 wave, every contemporary, and most importantly, music-based (because this is a fundamentally music based concept -- without the music component it's just wearing black and being sad, which are not subcultural ideas and long predate the fundamental music genre) source uses it the same way. "Scene" is a synonym for "music scene" in punk adjacent spaces. Starting in around 2006-7, this is frequently describing metalcore / post-hardcore / emo / pop punk hybrids, but it also described non-hybridized (or at least less so) emo canon bands in 2004.
The "scene aesthetic" what with your checkerboards and rainbows and whatnot does historically exist, but I think it has more to do with Monster High than anything musical, because I have located NO relevant bands, even the ones who actively play into "scene" trappings e.g. I Set My Friends On Fire, Hollywood Undead, and Attack Attack, who dress like that -- they all just dress like metal / post-hardcore bands. Also, contemporary graphics and such describe it as "emo".
From what I can tell, the idea of scene and emo being different subcultures, or that there was EVER a subculture called "scene" to begin with, was invented sometime in or after 2010 (and we really only start seeing the "scene(core)" aesthetic post-2014 crash) either by Tumblr / Pinterest / etcetera to sell more moodboards or by genre gatekeepers to say that post-hardcore / metalcore / etcetera hybrids aren't valid as "emo", which falls apart as soon as you put anything into historical context. The band who (at least is attributed to have) coined / popularized the term "hardcore" in the early 90s had substantial metal influence, and back in the late 80s / 90s that genre gatekeepers love claiming is the only valid era for emo, emo and post-hardcore were freely crossing over because they'd stemmed from the same idea and neither was fully formed -- the boundaries simply were never there to begin with.
The issue here isn't with the word "scene" being used to describe music or fashion -- it's harmless. The issue here is that the concept that "emo and scene are different subcultures and have been since the early 2000s" is incorrect as soon as you look at historical context. The nonexistent "scene subculture" is also claimed to be based on various bands...none of whom have anything to do with the "scene aesthetic". The problem is not with self-identified scene kids or their music taste; the problem is that it's historical and cultural misinformation that's being parroted by what are considered respectable outlets despite having NO basis!
Why am I a better researcher and journalist than people who get paid for this shit and have been covering alternative music for longer than I've been alive?!
Honestly, it's very similar to how seraphim aren't serpents -- you need linguistic context from other sources. In the former case, the missing puzzle piece is how "scene" was used well before its proclaimed subcultural rise and was used synonymously with emo before the big mainstreaming / aesthetic codification -- if you're just looking at social media, you'll miss that. In the seraphim's case, it's that "seraph" just means "burning" and the Bible doesn't tell you that "fiery / flying serpent" was a common name for a totally normal snake also used by Greek and Roman sources. My conclusion from my paper is that the idea of seraphim being serpents is a mistranslation from lack of context -- "seraph" just means "burning", but if the only places you see it used are angels and snakes, and you don't know that "fiery flying serpents" are just regular pit vipers, it's tempting to draw the conclusion that seraphim are snakes. It is aesthetically appealing, but without looking into what exists around a text and the cultural space, you can end up drawing conclusions that simply aren't real. And then if one "respectable" source makes that mistake, everyone else does and we have citogenesis in action and people are being insufferable about "Biblically accurate angels" and "post-hardcore isn't emo" when none of that has any basis in anything!
I do use the terms "(music) scene" and "scenemo", because they establish that I am operating on the basis of historical canon with crossover, not any one genre (because said was NEVER self-contained), and stop "the only valid emo is 90s dc hardcore i don't actually listen to" losers right in their tracks.
I also don't think that "Midwest emo" and "screamo" are real, but I also think that even with a genre inclusive canon perspective, in order to count as emo you need to have either meaningful metal / hardcore influence or a degree of dark theatricality. Acoustic indie-pop about non-edgy breakups is not that. Screamo is easier; it's just a generic term for stuff with screaming in it.
before I could reliably not get misgendered constantly I didn't think species dysphoria was real but now I very definitely acutely feel the absence of the scales, horns, and spikes I should have. this body is weak in a way that no amount of exercise could fix even if I didn't have chronic pain. at least tattoos feel good. embed my conceptual cores into myself visibly. power that no one can take away from me. palpably feeling my body being tempered through pain.
Concert blog: Elevate the Virus / Dead Velvet / Soulthief / Exultance - August 7, 2026
Split due to the original version being too long for thoughts.page. Scroll down for the rest of it. Posts will be merged when it's copied to Neocities.
This is the first proper concert I've been to since last November, on account of being constantly sick and in hell until April and then busy with various bits of boring logistics, and my housing being unstable until July. And Art Fight. I went to one of the weekly emo nights in Toronto when I was with a friend over spring break in March, and both of our conclusions were that the setlist sucked ass.
I'd say this venue is one tier up from the place at which I'm aiming to host my own emo night -- if you have a band manager, they'll host you, but I don't think they'll respond to email if you don't have a manager or previous performances. Or maybe it's that I sent them a 3,000 word essay with citations for every statement. I'll start with the gay bar regardless since they're willing to work with me. It's also the main "alternative" venue in Moncton from the looks of it. I could theoretically play some retro arcade games or pinball if I wanted. I don't so I'll be sitting here vibing with my overpriced drink (because I had to leave my water bottle at the front) and taking my notes.
I don't know anything about these bands going in except the names and fonts. Even the venue website doesn't give any useful information. Scene assessments will probably resume sometime around next week, since I've finally gotten annoyed enough with my phone's USB port not working to replace it. (And also, I need to change carriers and all methods to unlock this one failed.)
This blog was brought to you by the New Brunswick bottle deposit and my Rockstar Energy habit (caffeine is damned effective on my back pain, okay?). Had I been thinking, I would have brought a folded grocery bag inside my clutch so I could collect abandoned cans and bottles to pay for the next one.
Online research:
To whom it may concern, the pre-show playlist seems oriented towards the harder and more metal than core end of modern metalcore. And one token Rob Zombie song.
Elevate the Virus -- Call themselves progressive metalcore / deathcore. From Saint John. Why bother owning a domain if it just redirects to your Linktree subdomain?
Dead Velvet -- Call themselves a nu metal / metalcore hybrid going for 90s nostalgia, but possibly with progressive guitar work. From Montreal, but their website is in English only. Have a shirt design that looks much like the description of a not especially complimentary parody of a metal band shirt in Kingdom of Loathing. I support lesbian couples where one and/or both of them are undead, but don't feel much need to wear a shirt featuring that.
Soulthief -- Most likely the "hardcore crossover" band from Ottawa, hardcore crossover being essentially a less embarrassing term for metalcore. Due to the word "metalcore" becoming associated with "scene" post-hardcore / emo hybrids and by extension emo bashing making it a derogatory label, I've noticed that many modern metalcore bands refuse to call themselves that, or will qualify it by calling themselves progressive or death or hybrids with more "respectable" metal subgenres even if they really aren't.
Exultance -- Only documentation is pretty much shows like this one. Described as "melodic death metal".
Like many similarly small shows I have been at, there is one stage kit shared by all of the bands with no individual signs or banners, so hopefully they announce who's who. Everybody's font is the same size on the poster. The poster and venue website aren't consistent in who's listed in what order, other than Elevate the Virus being the headliner.
...are long sleeved T shirts more common merch for bands here, even the tiny ones, than I'm used to seeing, because of the climate zone?
anyway, there are shirts of the "long sleeved with stuff on the sleeves" genre (more bands have brought out their merch), but they don't have the inherent pentagram appeal of my Lebaron shirt so I don't see a need for any of them. the layered ones are more comfortable and nice for thermoregulation
Yes, I know I could get long sleeved undershirts, and I would probably get some basic ones to pair with polos in the event that I got a job where arm tattoos weren't acceptable, but layering just being on the sleeves like the two pseudo-skater Ronniecore Shirts I have is more comfortable indoors and reduces sweat and laundry, while still being nice for fall / putting underneath a winter coat or hoodie.
plus the edgy two layer pseudo-skater long sleeves can have fun patterns on the sleeves
Every time I have worn a long sleeved shirt underneath a short sleeved one, I end up severely sweating indoors no matter how cold it is outside, and you can't fix that while remaining decent. Just layering the sleeves bypasses that and also looks cool.
I would prefer if these bands actually were the hybrids they claim they are, because pure modern metalcore has a hard time impressing me due to overexposure. Still, calling yourself a hybrid or progressive doesn't mean you actually are.
Evidently, Arcade 8:00, Show 9:00 meant door time, not actual show opening time, so I could have left later. My back is going to hurt tomorrow. Not because I plan to mosh or dance -- there isn't enough space, I would rather not get my nose broken, and actually seeing and thinking about and taking notes on what's going on is more enriching for me personally -- but because these chairs suck but standing up the whole time would be worse. (It's established pit etiquette to not go for the face, but if you're swinging and someone's a foot shorter than you and much lighter...I think the only reason EtF in 2022 was successful was that folks were going out of their way to be nice to me because it was my first concert, I didn't really pass, and I looked like a kid.)
If I got one of those hard to clean silicone water bottles, could I smuggle it in so I don't have to buy overpriced drinks? Probably not worth getting caught for how little I would use it otherwise.
I brought my sunglasses, so I'm prepared this time if any strobe lights end up at eye level. Course, I'd be basically entirely unable to see...
Band #1: Exultance
First song is called Flesh to Gold. Why is one of you wearing a cowboy hat?
Immediate impression is Traitors or Sylosis, but faster and with more groovy guitar work. Maybe also some Trivium or similar metalcore / thrash hybrids? Kinda reminds me of the one Symphony X album I assessed after I got their shirt at the thrift store too. I can give better comparisons if I assess with clearer audio and can pull up my spreadsheet on another monitor.
Death metal is one of those labels that's pretty vague, but I'm not really hearing the guttural vocals and intense downbeat / low pitched compression I associate with it. If anything, this vocalist seems relatively high pitched for non-emo metal(core) and the screams are more clipped, which again, is more of a core thing. Which would make sense since the rest of the bands on this roster are some sort of metalcore.
yeah while this is thrashier musically what is happening right now is filling the structural role of a metalcore breakdown
the funky less compressed guitar merging with screaming and hardcore drumbeats is fun
this song is worth downloading if I can find it
The problem with vests, battle or otherwise, is that a vest over a shirt with sleeves just looks silly so you're committing yourself to cutting the sleeves off all your edgy shirts or just wearing tank tops. Hence why my patched up denim jackets are both long sleeved.
Track #2 (?) - Believe In Me
the pre-song monologues from the main vocalist are so mundane and wholesome it's adorable
thank you for announcing your song names it makes it way easier to organize thoughts and find stuff later!
It does seem like these guys are using the more metal than core trapping, which I have seen in other death influenced bands, of longer instrumental bridges before vocals start and in between.
I really dig the less distorted funky guitar work! Makes for a neat contrast, it's still sufficiently hardcore and aggressive with the drums, and you can actually hear and appreciate what's going on musically because it isn't behind a wall of compression!
No attached recording because it wouldn't work well. I'm giving you the track names if I can get them.
everyone knows the most fun part of going to the movies is playing critic so why not do that with concerts? I find that taking notes on things helps me pay attention and focus on the moment so fucking fight me
Yeah, this is definitely metalcore. It has breakdowns, which is the main characteristic at this point because not every band is doing either scenemo pop punky / post hardcore bits or 90s / super early 00s super short structure, but you know breakdowns when you hear them. 'Tis vibes based, ultimately, but I am a researcher of and divine being with providence over vibes so my word is law. :P
Track #3: Newest song - Un{something - couldn't hear rest of title well}
I don't think this is death metal, melodic or otherwise, but the groovy guitar work is really fun. It reminds me a little bit of Godsmack and other such dad rock, and/or 90s Korn, but with metalcore screams, drums, and structure. Or of Gutted The Band, the country metal hybrid I assessed a CD from earlier today and didn't like, but actually good and combining the musical elements in a way that feels natural. And without the off key bro country accent which makes my tail start rattling reflexively.
This one is less core than the last two songs. I think Believe In Me is my favorite thus far?
Dead Velvet has a patch I might get if they're any good. I wonder if any of the others have patches for my jackets. (The hoodie is full.) I also need to try out my studs while I can still work outside; I can get an awl at Michael's if needed. At least on my lighter denim jacket because the Fuck Ronnie Radke battle jacket is custom painted on the sleeves. I can still line things with studs, though...
Track #4: Sincerely
Unsure if "please have fun" is an instruction to the audience or part of the title of the song?
I dunno if any of these are necessarily playlistable; they may be too long to flow well, but every song on this setlist has been instrumentally excellent.
No, Dead Velvet is the only band with patches. Elevate the Virus and Dead Velvet have hats, but I don't like the design on either of their logos. Elevate the Virus reminds me of the Falling In Reverse font ripped off from Slaughter to Prevail, and Dead Velvet is just a silly name. It works in context of other patches on a jacket, but not by itself, and also the font on the patch is better. I also don't think that full text logos in metallic fonts work well on hats; they need to be symbols or initials you can read from a distance.
Track #5: "our craziest one" - Hero
I'm not hearing anything notably heavier than the others, but this one does have more guitar work oscillation which is almost Enemy of the Sun or System of a Down esque. Thinking about it, Enemy of the Sun is kinda what the guitar work reminds me here, where it has the groovy bits and is less compressed but still plays with aggression. Then put that in metalcore structure / that style of drums and screaming.
Based on the listing from the main guy, Dead Velvet -> Soulthief -> Elevate the Virus is the sequence of following bands.
Interlude 1
First opener was excellent. I think my next concert is probably going to be Red Jumpsuit Apparatus among others on August 26th; I think they're on the spreadsheet list? The name sounds familiar. Upcoming shows here don't really look like the sort of thing I care to seek out unless I'm really bored, so I don't see a need to plan for them -- slower metal flavors, vaguely described punk, and light indie rock that calls itself emo but isn't. This one seems to be solidly my jam, being metalcore adjacent.
Still, I now know that this place is walkable, so if I do get bored and crave edgy enrichment, I can either go to shows here or lose at some arcade games.
The problem with going to bed at reasonable hours consistently, which I have been doing a pretty good job at lately, is that you start getting tired when you WANT to stay up late. I probably should have taken a nap at 4:00 - 5:00 or so. The body is betraying me and we are only through the first opener. I at least need to see Dead Velvet to determine if their patch is worth buying, and I would like to get my money's worth. I am not going to caffeinate because I did this morning and if I do two cans in a day it will make me feel like crap.
Band #2: Dead Velvet
Track 1 - Terror (best guess)
okay this is definitely giving 90s nu metal on grounds of visual presentation and screaming style. compare more metallic Korn (take a look in the mirror) and linkin park
like hybrid theory / meteora linkin park but without the electronic elements and with modern metalcore screaming
it's more hip hop structurally than industrial, but the instrumentation is more metallic than the nu metal classics. closer to early Korn / linkin park / limp bizkit but not awful than to slipknot / ill nino / Amerakin overdose
Track 2 - 33, goes out to Exhultant
main verses resemble pre-sempiternal metalcore bring me the horizon; chorus is more record scratchy / beat focused hip hoppy nu metal
and it does have sorta have breakdowns although they also kinda feel like linkin park's record scratch breaks
think they would let me bring a pillow next time? these chairs are terrible. I guess if I wear my tail that is basically what it is...
This is the second show out of 3 of an east coast mini tour.
Track 3 - two crosses
this one is more Korn; the opening with screaming and vocal style is very classic shit. it does kinda hit the nostalgia band problem of not feeling like it has much identity of its own and how I can identify what specific bands they're cosplaying as (since the 90s nostalgia nu metal canon isn't very big) but at the same time I like nu metal so. Tbh, not seeing that many metalcore elements? I guess the screams are closer to modern metalcore, but it's playing very close to its inspirations otherwise including with the rest of the vocals. This one's screams also feel very Korn, which isn't a bad thing, but pure nostalgia isn't innovative. I like nu metal, and unlike, say, TX2, they do seem to understand what they're working with, but I don't feel any of their imprint on these songs if that makes sense.
Track 4: [???] lullaby (unsure, title was not stated clearly)
linkin park but with more screaming and guitar backing vs. electronic again
Nothing in these songs is surprising me. There's nothing wrong with them, but especially after the guitar integration and mixing from Exultance which isn't quite like anyone else, it's a bit of a letdown. It's "if you liked the 90s nu metal that was parodized by OK KO, here is more of it".
Track 5: Pusher
this one has a record scratching backing track in case you weren't convinced that they are just trying to be meteora / hybrid theory but with a lower vocal range
Linkin Park is a special case on account of their original frontman being dead, but it feels a little weird to be openly and blatantly played-straight (there is no metalcore here) aping Korn and Slipknot when they still very much exist and Slipknot at least has maintained a very consistent style? Musical style doesn't belong to anyone as long as you're legitimately taking your own inspiration and not just doing bullshit generator forgeries and passing them off as legit, but this crosses the line from "taking inspiration from this style" to "we are blatantly and openly trying to be these 2 bands". Which, to be fair, is how a lot of bands get their start before realizing what they actually like and are good at. This band clearly has competent musicians. Hopefully they gain the confidence to cultivate their own style.
Track #6: [title unknown]
we transition from openly and blatantly trying to be linkin park to openly and blatantly trying to be slipknot
this sounds snarky and it is but these are good songs and I am having a fun time, it's just a bit weird to me because I don't consider the bands they're aping "nostalgia". They're in more present memory for me than the target audience on account of my time travelling sensibilities.
Nostalgic recreation of things that still presently exist is just copying.
Track #7: (just dropped today) This Disease
#slipknot #withthechorusfromcrawling #andmaybelinkinparkonthesecondverse
This band is not "nu metalcore" because there is no metalcore structure in this. They're playing perfectly straight and extremely conforming to their inspiration's structure, which would be less noticeable if the meaningful 90s nostalgia nu metal canon they're trying to be wasn't a number of bands you can count on one hand.
honestly other than his range being lower the main guy's screaming resonance is very linkin park except when he's more guttural then it's slipknot.
It's a well crafted imitation, in that I think if you mixed it into a playlist with actual tracks from Korn, Slipknot, and/or Linkin Park and presented it to someone who didn't know the source material, they would not notice a difference. Most strongly with Linkin Park imo.
Track #8: come closer
I wish Ronnie went for more of a nu metal "rapping" style -- not that he can scream either, but the more clipped structure resembling hardcore cleans and frequent mixing in screams (and like with hardcore, it is working as a unit with the instrumentation; what makes HU / FIR / Limp Bizkit weak is that they are using a rap structure where the focus is on the vocals with beats sidelined and they are not good enough at rapping for that) means it isn't as blatantly obvious that you can't change your tone of voice worth shit
if dude tried to be a metal guy who raps instead of a Rapper (TM) and also wasn't racist and learned to share...
Anyway, this song is a lot like the previous ones, in that it's a lot like Linkin Park except with more screaming.
If you like the 3 bands Dead Velvet is blatantly aping (Linkin Park, Slipknot, and Korn in order of concentration) and don't mind the slight uncanny valley / playing dressup of it all, you will probably like this. If you are like me and "90s nostalgia" bands exist in a perpetual present for you, it may feel a bit weird. Especially if you are aware of enough bands to be very aware that rather than drawing on a genre style, they are (extremely accurately) imitating specific albums from specific bands.
I can't say I didn't enjoy these songs and I will probably do a proper assessment, but I also can't say I'm not disappointed. Playing existing bands' styles and structures to the hilt down to the specific vocal intonation is the least interesting thing you could do with this concept. If you want nu metal that engages with its audience beyond "here is more of this thing from the 90s with nothing that will make you think", check out Vended. And also, Slipknot and Korn still exist.
Interlude #2
My back was really starting to hurt, so I paced around for a bit and used a toonie on some rounds of skee-ball, which helped.
I'm tempted to get an overpriced chocolate bar to go with my overpriced ginger ale and replenish some hit points. Would sitting at a bar stool help? There are a few chairs with actual backs, but they are not in the main concert room. Not that it matters since it isn't like I can see anything in the first place.
Can I get one of my emosexual flag stickers onto their fridge if I asked nicely or just left it at the bar? I installed one in the bathroom. (I got a test sheet of 12 a while back and after putting one on my water bottle and laptop, I kept the rest in my bag for this specifically.
I probably can't get away with carrying off a properly padded chair from the other side of the bar.
Band #3: Soulthief
Credit to this venue for having screens of the stage in the other sections. T'would be better if they also had speakers so you could hear.
it seems that "crossover thrash" in this context means "90s / early 00s style mostly core metalcore, but perhaps slower than your Agnostic Fronts and Most Precious Bloods"; compare Bury Your Dead
If I had more cash I might play more skee-ball but 'tis not worth the convenience fee for such a small amount
...yeah, I think my theory that the stereotypical Canadian accent is based on Ontario may be correct; these guys are from Ottawa and their between song chatter sounds more like how American fiction thinks Canadians sound than the east coasters. Which would make sense, given that Canada to folks who are not near the border is Toronto and Vancouver and that's it.
Fuck it; i'm getting an overpriced chocolate bar while there's no line. I must restore my HP along with sitting at a better chair. None of the chairs at this venue are good, but this is infinitely better than the hard wood booth I started at. Not in the main music part of the venue but close enough to hear and they have screens for a reason.
it seems to be two player only and I don't have cash for the arcade but I gotta admit I am curious about the super chexx hockey foosball
yep this sure is metalcore of the more strongly thrash / hardcore and therefore not especially melodic variety
T'would be fun to play skeeball or pinball through a concert set and use the concert as concentration sound but live and in person but alas, I have not cash for the arcade so I shall be training fodder instead because I don't think crossover thrash has much to take notes on.
Don't know what the next to last song was called but it was really good. Damned impressive screaming.
general: fun show. fun venue. bring cash. don't bring a water bottle. if you can't or don't want to stand for the whole show sit by the bar because the wood "booths" on either side of the music section are awful.
Interlude 3
I had an OC design idea while listening to Soulthief and staring into space so I'm just gonna draw that quick.
Headline: Elevate the Virus
was inexplicably given some spare arcade tokens by two separate girls so I'm playing some more skeeball
yes, I was correct, entering the zone by way of a game that makes you a danger to everyone in throwing range and it only being you the circles and the music is a fantastic experience. the only thing that would elevate it is if this place had my personal favorite arcade game, but sadly, Raw Thrills' SnoCross (2012-ish) is not deemed retro. I wonder if it has a larger fanbase in Canada because people are more familiar with snowmobiles, or the inverse because they're more familiar with how they can be misused? The ubiquity of cars certainly doesn't stop games about driving unsafely from being popular, so...
it's deathcore compare traitors and stuff. assessment brain is mostly out of commission so I am just vibing but I have had a wonderful time; the balling (skee) did help with the back pain
my one caveat besides the bad chairs is that at least one toilet in the restroom with urinals does not have a seat
friendship ended with single layer long sleeved t shirts with stuff on the sleeves; layered long sleeves are my new best friend
The hard truth is that if you want Key Quest, Habitarium, involved plots, random holiday updates, and the rest of the trappings of Viacom era Neopets, Neopets needs to have Viacom era money so it can put resources into things other than just keeping the servers running. If you don't want another corporate manager, that means in-app purchases / subscriptions, ads, and/or merch.
I get that you were a nonsentient child when you imprinted on Neopets and didn't realize that games aren't magical otherworlds, but if you're requesting more features and NP updates and better moderation and site improvements and then attacking every attempt at monetization as predatory, I don't know what you expect to accomplish. Because if the coders / artists / moderators / etcetera aren't getting compensated, that's also bad.
If you look at Pixel Cat's End, Poppy Seed Pets, virtu.pet, etcetera, you'll note that they're comparatively small and simple games and don't update very often. Which isn't compatible with what Neopets fans claim they want and complain if Neo doesn't align with.
The reason all the cool shit happened under Viacom without the same level of Neocash involvement was that Viacom is a massive company that could throw money into the abyss. An independent team can't do that.
Criticism is fine. Saying you dislike something and refusing to elaborate is unproductive, but fine. Explaining why you dislike it and that you would prefer the creator not do it again is fine. Calling people who don't agree with you brainwashed / conditioned / abusive / etcetera is not. That's not discussion. It's just being mean.
There is no discussion that has ever benefited from calling people brainwashed / conditioned / otherwise denying their autonomy, because the moment you use those terms, you're saying "I'm a real thinking person and you're not."
Robbing people of personhood does not become progressive because your explanation is "you're not a valid person worth having discussions with because capitalism and phones". (And also, much of the time, the phones stuff is just a thin coat of paint over attacking autistic / ADHD folks.)
"Don't like, don't read" is a universal principle. If something is not causing tangible harm and/or there is nothing you can meaningfully do about it, the best option for everyone is to just not engage. All fretting about it does is stress you out and make you less effective at what you can do. And also, if you have your dick in a twist and are yelling at people over something that doesn't affect you (e.g. somebody using a label you disagree with, somebody liking media you don't, a mechanic or purchase you don't have to use to play the game), you're just being an asshole.
You are not obligated to engage with anything because your friends do, or you belong to a given demographic, or it's part of something you otherwise like. If you don't like a work of media, don't read / watch / play it. If you don't like a game mechanic, don't use it. If you don't like a non-essential physical or digital product, don't buy it. Don't bully people who do appreciate it or use political or clinical terms where they don't belong, and definitely don't say blatantly ableist and unsourced shit about gambling addictions or "brainrot".
There is a difference between things you find personally distasteful and things that are inherently harmful. It is up to people engaging with art to set their own boundaries, not creators. A game developer or writer can not and should not try to administer treatment for addiction or trauma.
You can also enjoy parts of something, or even consider yourself a fan, without liking every part of it. Hell, you can have a hyperfixation, special interest, or nonhuman ID about something, where it is involuntarily a fundamental part of how you see the world, and still not like every part of it.
Also, free to play games need to sustain themselves somehow. If you want paid staff members, you can't sustain yourself solely via Patreon / Ko-Fi / etcetera. Most games and services that do run at a loss and/or rely on volunteers for much of their functionality. They also often have development teams of only one person, which drastically limits the potential scope of a project. See catbox.moe for example.
"Volunteer art / coding is theft" and "any kind of monetization of a game is inherently evil" are both things I have seen from the virtual pet game community. As well as the frequent sentiment that the complainer would love to make a living off of writing / coding / art. Something doesn't line up here.
Theme is 90% by Enforcer; the rest is thoughts.page default. Kick ass, take names, fuck Ronnie Radke (not literally). scrapers, "AI" agents, and their enablers fuck off and die
