okay so the movie was cool

i prolly missed a buttload of references, easter eggs and the like but i mostly followed along

but i i had to ask my friend a lotta questions, like who is this and that and why did blank happen

would you say this sparked an interest for the rest of the movies for you

i actually need to rewatch book 3 i think, my memories of it are very spotty in spite of it getting the most praise

LOL dude, I'm far from alone in loving these people. You just have the bleakest outlook in the world, and it certainly extends to how you feel about fictional worlds and the characters within them.

you're also comparing episodic comedies to a serial drama

aku is likable as shit because he's funny and revels in how evil he is, and because of that, i'm willing to embrace it without question

azula can't revel in how evil she is, because she doesn't think she's evil, so i can't embrace her, because TLA takes itself more seriously than samurai jack does

in fact, i think that really pinpoints the issue—azula doesn't THINK she's evil, yet she still possesses the exact same personality that every card-carrying villain does, ie. she still BEHAVES like someone who knows they're evil, but she doesn't; and it's the incongruence of these tropes that puts me off so much

if a villain doesn't think or understand why they're evil, i need the writers to convince me that, in some twisted version of reality, that her raison d'être makes sense—and for me, it just doesn't in azula's case

she was better as mandy than she was as azula for sure

every character she's ever voiced irritates me except frankie foster and sam manson

There's no set definition for this type of character,

i was always well-aware of this, and i thought that you were too—the whole idea is that i think my definition is better than yours, because it's much broader and captures the essence of the common tendency for writers to want to write "perfect" characters, whether it be a weak attempt at inserting a projection of themselves into the narrative, or a projection of their innate desire to write a perfect character that everyone will think is cool (which is where azula lies)

sues are characters born from insecurity, or a lack of confidence in one's own writing skills; that is the common denominator

you can like her all you want, but your overzealous appreciation of her has always come across to me as shallow fetishization more than anything else, which has always been extremely off-putting

nope, ive never seen a marvel movie in my life

that's honestly perfect

you're gonna be maximum lost

kind of a ridiculous mess of a movie, but i still had a good time

everything that needed to happen wound up happening, which i'm happy about, but i definitely didn't like it as much infinity war

bread mold isn't even harmful iirc unless you're allergic or some shit

Quote from: Verbatim on April 24, 2019, 08:56:21 PM

how far are you willing to go to listen to an album that isn't freely available on any streaming service and has no seeded torrents

turns out, i'm willing to go pretty fucking far

I am intrigued

so, i was in the process of listening to the first two albums of some fuck-off garage rock band called Railroad Jerk leading up to their 1995 album, One Track Mind, but since they don't have a spotify, i had to try for youtube, which usually has everything i could ever want

i was able to find and listen to a full upload of their entire self-titled debut, which is not a good album by any means, but because they're such an unpopular band, the upload did not have any advertisements breaking up any of the songs whatsoever, which made for a nice listening experience (i'm opposed to adblockers, so this is rare for me)

the second album, Raise the Plow, was a bitch and a half to find on the internet, and i was about to give up before i decided it would actually be a kind of fun little game to play to piece the album together using my google-fu

no spotify, no youtube, no torrents—short of buying a physical copy of the album from amazon, or digging through my dad's colossal CD collection (which assumes he even has what i'm looking for), i had to find ten individual songs all on my own

the band does have a myspace page with three albums, but none of the albums are complete, and none of them contained any of the songs i was looking for

only three tracks (#1, #4, and #9) were available for listening on youtube, but in order to make any use of these, i had to find every single track in-between, as well, since i'm not gonna listen to the album out of order


at the end of the game, this is the quality of music that i can look forward to

as most people should know by now, the secret to google-fu is the clever use of quotation marks, which forces the engine to only give you results in the exact order specified in your search query—and depending on where i place the quotation marks, i might just be able to narrow down the results to what i'm looking for

- railroad jerk [song title]
- railroad jerk "[song title]"
- "railroad jerk [song title]"
- "[song title] railroad jerk"

each of these queries would yield wildly different results, and each of them was necessary to find all ten tracks

Track #2 was found on some old-looking russian online radio website that happened to upload entire playlists of radio segments, where i was able to find the track about an hour and thirty-seven minutes into one of them (not that i listened through the whole thing; they had each of the songs listed and timestamped, which was rather convenient)

Track #3 was found on some shady german music sampling website with individual songs uploaded, but every time you clicked on anything, at least two or three malicious ads would pop up, but i was undeterred—the bitrate on this track was so fucking bad, too, but i was just happy to have found the track or free

at this point, it's not even about listening to the full album, and more about seeing if i can ACTUALLY complete it through this process

Track #5 was probably the craziest one—i found it on a super shady .mp3 provider, but before it let me download anything, it gave me a list of these "offers," and i had to pick one to accept before it allowed me to proceed

most of these "offers" involved luring you in with something like a $100 gift card to some restaurant, which in turn involved signing up to some other creepy website that asks for your credit card details and shit, but one of the offers just had you play a simple dungeon-crawling browser game where you play as a skeleton with a spear until you've killed at least three other players, or thirty-three NPCs

it was the shittiest and cheapest game you've ever seen in your life, but i was determined to complete this shitty '90s rock album that nobody has ever listened to, so i went ahead and actually did it—i killed thirty-three NPCs (which sucked, not just because the game sucks, but because every time you died, you had to start all over from zero)

and then it didn't give the file to me OH WELL (i wound up finding it somewhere else anyway)

still four more songs to go—every now and then, i would happen upon some other eastern european music sampling websites that would give you the option to stream the song first before downloading it, but more often than not, it would end up playing a completely different song—either frank sinatra or some shitty-ass pop song that had nothing to do with anything, and it would always alternate between those two no matter what jank-ass website i stumbled on

it wasn't before too long before i actually completed it, though

Tracks #6, #7, #8, and #10 i was able to find uploads of on various blogs (one of them being tumblr, of all things) that uploaded these foreign music "podcasts," which are essentially just these two-hour playlists of the most random collections of songs ever, and had each of their songs listed below the player (in that weird "[song title] [band name]" format, which was throwing my queries off at first)

one bizarre thing about these particular playlists is that, if they detect that you're not from their region, which i wasn't, they actually stop you from rewinding the playlist—it'll tell you that you're not allowed to do that—so if i fucked up while sifting through the songs and i had to go back, i had to refresh the entire page just to be able to do that

i did wind up completing the entire album, though, and the most remarkable thing about it is that i didn't have to download a single thing, which probably would've infected my computer with all kinds of malware and other fun stuff—nope, i was able to find streams of every single track, even if i had to look into the weirdest fucking places to do it

that's the power of the internet though, i suppose

oh and btw the album sucked tbh 5/10

how far are you willing to go to listen to an album that isn't freely available on any streaming service and has no seeded torrents

turns out, i'm willing to go pretty fucking far

azula being a cunt is justified given that she's a villain

what makes her a lame character is her tendency to be sue-ish

So I thought it might be fun to post some of these made here:

• I tried to make this list with 90% likeliness in mind, and 10% personal bias in mind (or how much I want them). Therefore, if a character is ranked high, that doesn't necessarily mean that I want them, and if a character is ranked low, that doesn't necessarily mean that I don't want them.
• That being said, I'm perfectly satisfied with the game's roster as it is. There are no more characters who I think "need" to be in Smash at this point, not counting the ones that have already been deconfirmed.
• On this tier list, I personally added the "All but confirmed" tier. They were not present on the original graph, but I added them in because there are some characters that, in my opinion, aren't even on the table of discussion when it comes to DLC speculation. "All but confirmed" refers exclusively to Erdrick, because there's a copious wealth of evidence to support his inclusion, and I'm personally on board with the idea, even if it's a boring and relatively unhype choice for anyone who doesn't give a fuck about Dragon Quest.
• I have also added the "Soft Deconfirmed" tier. This includes any character who has already been represented with a Spirit (such as Geno), Mii Costume (such as Tails), background stage element (such as Pauline—not listed here, but she would be an example), or (in the specific case of Heihachi Mishima) referenced in Pac-Man's Namco Roulette taunt. I consider these representations to "softly" deconfirm characters, because I don't know if they completely shut out their chances, but I find myself personally dissuaded from putting any money on them. Technically, there have been instances where Mii Costume characters have become playable later on, such as King K. Rool, but that was between Smash 4 and Ultimate. Any instance of a new-in-Ultimate Mii Costume character becoming playable later have yet to be seen. On the other hand, Ultimate is still missing plenty of character costumes from Smash 4, such as the Monster Hunter outfits, which could raise their odds of becoming playable ever so slightly.
• This particular tier list contained no characters who belonged in a "Hard Deconfirmed" tier, in my opinion, so there was no need to make one, but I'll explain what I think that means anyway. A "hard" deconfirmation (by my measurement) would involve any character that can already be found in an Assist Trophy (such as Waluigi), Poké Ball (such as Mimikyu), or as a boss (such as Marx). These characters, in my opinion, have absolutely no chance to be playable whether anyone likes it or not. While it's true that some Assist Trophies have become characters later on, like Little Mac and Isabelle, that was between two different games. An Assist Trophy has never been simultaneously playable in the same game, and I really do think of it as a "kiss of death" for your character's chances.
• Each character is meticulously ordered within each tier. Lloyd Irving is more likely than Travis Touchdown, who is more likely than Klonoa, etc. For the "Soft Deconfirmed" characters, I ordered them in terms of how much I personally would like to see them in Smash. So, even though I think Geno, Raiden, and Dixie Kong have a very low chance to be in the game, I still think it would be cool if they somehow got in. Conversely, the characters placed furthest to the right are characters I want nothing to do with, including Kamek, Fawful, and the Chorus Kids. Not only are these characters deconfirmed, in my opinion, they're also not even good ideas to begin with.
• Currently, I'm of the opinion that the DLC characters are going to be comprised entirely of third party "guest" fighters. I place first party characters at an inherent disadvantage.
• S-tier is empty because I don't want to give the impression that I think any one character is guaranteed to be in the game unless we have substantial evidence for it, and because I don't particularly want or care for any of the characters that I placed in A-tier. Banjo (& Kazooie) is the one character I absolutely expect to be in the game, but I could still see it not happening for one reason or another. He definitely has the highest chance, though.
• The remaining A-tiers—Sora, Dante, Rayman, and Shantae—all have a decent shot, in my opinion. I have no personal attachments to any of their respective franchises; they just seem like good candidates to me, and good "fits" for Smash in general.
• B-tier comprises characters that I think would be good ideas, but are FAR less likely than those found in A-tier. Klonoa is the only character who I have personal attachments with here, and if I'm honest, I probably should've placed him in C-tier. He's basically not happening and represents the 10% of personal bias that I had mentioned earlier. I think he would be a cool pick as someone who loves his games, and he wouldn't even necessarily be that out of place. The main issues are that he's not relevant, and he's not far enough in the past to be considered a "classic" gaming icon in the way that Ryu Hayabusa is.
• Speaking of, Ryu would be a great choice, but the problem is that we already have a character named "Ryu" in the game, which makes things kind of awkward. It's true that we have two Roys, if you count the alternates of Bowser Jr, but I think that's a very unique case. It would be different if Roy Koopa was the base character, but he's not. So that's Ryu Hayabusa's main problem.
• Lloyd Irving and the Monster Hunter both have the benefit of not having their Smash 4 costumes in the game as of yet, which boosts their chances ever so slightly in my opinion. They're also both from relatively big franchises, and are both decently popular. I can't see them generating too much in the way of hype, though. We already have so many sword-wielding characters as it is.
• C-tier involves characters that I straight-up do not see happening, personally, but I can concede that they have a tiny chance. The problem with Crash and Spyro is that, in my opinion, you cannot have a crossover fighting game without having them BOTH in the game. You can't just have one or the other, but to have two DLC slots spent on these two guys? I just don't see it happening. Plus, it would just be kinda lame. I think these characters belong in the past.
• Black Mage and Crono are both potential Square reps if Erdrick ends up not being the one. I don't have my money on them, but they wouldn't be bad choices or anything.
• Viewtiful Joe, Amaterasu, and Phoenix Wright have all been playable in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, so the notion of them coming to another fighting game doesn't seem completely out of the question to me. But I'm not expecting them.
• Rash from Battletoads would just be kinda cool, in my opinion. Otherwise, he has no chance.
• Quote from Cave Story wouldn't be that cool or hype, as far as I'm concerned, but in terms of representing indie games, I guess you couldn't go wrong with representing the first-ever breakthrough indie success, and arguably the most important indie game ever made.
• Euden from Dragalia Lost would be boring, stupid, and unhype, but I don't think his chances are below 1%.
• A Pokémon from Generation VIII would not be remarkably exciting from my point of view, and it doesn't seem all that likely to me anyway. It depends on a lot of factors we know nothing about, and I was on the fence about even placing this one.
• D-tier is reserved for characters who have less than a 1% chance of making it, in my opinion, as well as for all the really fucking dumb ideas. Occasionally, I'll throw in a character who I just really, really, really don't want, like Bandana Waddle Dee, because that would just be so fucking lame, or Edelgard from the as-of-yet unreleased Fire Emblem: Three Houses, simply because we have too many Fire Emblem shits. Their chances are higher than 1%, but I just don't care because of how stupid they would be.
• I used to have Porky a little higher up, mainly because 1.) he doesn't have a Spirit, and 2.) he's not a boss, despite being a boss in Brawl. However, based on the fact that he's still a Nintendo first party, I had to knock him down a bit. He's still the highest in the tier, though, for those two reasons. It just seems suspect to me that he has no presence in the game whatsoever, especially since the 30th anniversary of the Mother franchise is coming up this year. It seems plausible to me that if he were to become a character, they could also announce a Mother collection, which would be the perfect excuse to finally localize Mother 3. I'm not holding my breath, but that would be fucking dope, and I think the pieces all fit together kinda nicely.
• I don't think anyone else in D-tier is worth entertaining the thought of, really.

Might post more of these.

Sleeper - Smart
Britpop
Debut album

I only know these guys for their cover of Blondie's "Atomic" from Trainspotting, which is a fantastic cover, but this album was made well before that cover was recorded, so I can't say my expectations for this record were too high.

It's decent. It's an unfortunate case where the opening track is the best track, so every song that follows doesn't quite live up to it. None of the songs are bad, but nonetheless, it's a record that leaves me feeling a little cold.

6/10

---

Seefeel - Succour
Ambient IDM
Sophomore album

Here's an interesting one by post-rock pioneers Seefeel.

Not for the impatient, this record is essentially a collection of these simple, sorta-catchy-but-also-kinda-unnerving minimalist ambient beats that loop incessantly with very little (if anything) in the way of instrumental build-up, often stretched beyond the 6-minute mark, which (as far as I'm concerned) encourages listeners to just zone out and feel whatever they end up feeling, or picture whatever they end up picturing.

If you make it a few minutes in, and your visceral reaction is, "What the fuck is this shit?" then that probably either means that the album straight-up isn't for you, or you may not be in the right mood to listen to this kind of music. If, for example, you're feeling particularly sullen or pensive about life, I've found that it suits these moods rather well. Otherwise, it'll probably sound like the musical equivalent of wallpaper.

Because of how skeletal each and every track is, however, there's really not much else I can really say about it. If you do end up giving it a shot, though, just don't expect anything conventional.

7/10

---

Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Brainbloodvolume
Alternative rock
Final album

Here's an English band with a mildly interesting attribute: they have two bass players, one who plays the low tones, and one who players higher up on the scale. I liked their first two albums just fine, but their sound seemed a little too frenetic and upbeat for my tastes. The music they make is considered "grebo," which I had to look up. Wikipedia describes it as a crazy combination of punk, EDM, hip hop, and psychedelia.

With the possible exception of hip hop, I can definitely hear all of those genres on Brainbloodvolume, and while the experiments don't always result in something that sounds great, it actually does occur on this record far more often than it does not.

In spite of what the cover may suggest, this is a very colorful, punchy, and exciting rock album. Yet, it's also very straightforward in a way that I find very refreshing. Some of the stickiest grooves I've ever heard (at least, within the confines of this project) can be found on this record, and I'm still revisiting some of my favorite cuts well after my first listen. I'd check it out if I were you.


8/10

---

The Tea Party - The Edges of Twilight
Progressive blues?
Third album

I think this is a great record, too, and I'm about to give it a strong recommendation as well, but it comes with a couple of asterisks tacked on, because this is a band that loves to wear their influences on the sleeve. Similar to a Greta Van Fleet, their early work sounds a LOT like a more bluesy Led Zeppelin if Jim Morrison was their lead singer instead (or maybe Sully Erna, depending on the song), and your ability to tolerate that sort of thing will probably inform how much you'll tolerate the band's work.

This record in particular was made partly as a reaction to that very criticism, where they do try to employ a lot of Middle Eastern instruments and other influences of world music into their sound. I think, for the most part, it pays off.

However, there are moments where it seems like they're overcompensating for their lack of originality a bit, and there's at least two moments where a ballad latches onto a nice mood or atmosphere, maybe with some unique-sounding instruments, only for them to fuck it up by injecting some ill-fitting blues rock hook with some overwrought crooning into the mix (like in the song "Correspondence," or "Turn the Lamp Down Low"), which rarely does anything but ruin the song for me.

"Ruin" might be a strong word, actually, but I do honestly think that the songs would be improved if you took out the cheesy blues breakdowns in the chorus. They just don't feel like they belong.

However, you still have a lot of genuinely great cuts on the record that exhibit not only great overall musicianship, but offer enough world influence and general artistic pomp to make you feel smart and cultured for listening to it. I rather adore "The Badger" as an instrumental cut, for example. "Shadows on the Mountainside" and "Inanna" are awesome, too, with the latter being my favorite song on the album, and all the remaining tracks are pretty solid, as well, especially "Fire in the Head," "The Bazaar," and "Silence."

There's not a bad song on the album, really. There are just some ideas that work well and some that don't, similar to the previously-discussed Brainbloodvolume. Only here, the ideas work a little bit less often.

Overall, this is a difficult one for me to rate. I won't give it a 7/10, but know that I'm not trying to put it up on the same level as the Swans record, or even the Ned's Atomic Dustbin record. It's teetering on the edge, but I think it has JUST enough to merit an 8/10. I might even change my mind later, but that's what I'm sticking with for now.


8/10

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Monster Magnet - Dopes to Infinity
Stoner rock
Third album

I want to dislike this album more than I do, just because I normally hate this genre, and Dopes to Infinity is probably the stupidest album title ever. One of its songs is also the namesake of Negasonic Teenage Warhead, who may not a lame character in and of herself, but she DOES make me think of those horrible Deadpool movies, which I fucking despise. So, basically everything about this album gives me really bad vibes.

In spite of my prejudice, though, it's not actually bad at all. It's pretty good if you like super heavy and super sludgy spaced-out rock music that's made for people who smoke pot religiously, and the more I relisten to some of the better tracks on it, the more difficult it becomes to deny that fact. There were multiple times where I was thinking to myself, "Okay, fine, that was a pretty good song," and it wasn't before long that those moments added up until I simply couldn't deny that I had just listened to a pretty good record. Especially after I heard the song "Ego the Living Planet," another song title with Marvel comic connections. I love any song that's able to turn decidedly unmusical things (like bloodcurdling screams of agony) into something distinctly musical.

You can't force me to keep saying nice things about it, though.


7/10

---

Next up:

Blessid Union of Souls
Railroad Jerk
Death
Morphine
Headstones

Elton John, too, if he didn't have a billion albums.

Nice map, Verb.

aaahahahahahahahaha