Lurker > PumpkinCoach

unless it never comes up and i'm just left wondering why everyone else got super powers

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

i got reality awareness, the awareness that reality has been changed. so nothing unless someone else rolls a relevant reality warping power, but if they do watch out i'll... just keep the information to myself probably if i'm being honest.

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

1. Outer Wilds
2. Disco Elysium
3. Anodyne 2
4. A Short Hike
5. Eastshade
6. Heaven's Vault
7. 10 Beautiful Postcards
8. Hypnospace Outlaw
9. Elsinore
10. Mutazione

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

while i was spacing out all the wjsn and pentagon in my top 10 to make it look more varied i was thinking 'it's fine, nio probably has like 7 ateez songs here'

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

AOA - Come See Me (Tipsy Live)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dBoTdt4LYo

i can't listen to jimin's lines in the original song without hearing this version instead and it's good/terrible

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

transience posted...

here's my counterpoint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFG0MxeGZWA

is this star ocean 4

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

happy new year!

yeah. i'm skipping december what with the year-end list, which is almost done. just going to trust that everything that's worth considering was already added to the longlist from the monthlys. been kinda disconnected from kpop until i started fussing with the list - barely watched any year-end stages.

oh well, hyunseung's back in march and mystic girls probably debuts next year so maybe that stuff'll pull me back in!

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

I played Eliza and liked it quite a bit - definitely considered it for the list. Didn't play NeoCab, but wanted to esp. since it falls into the 4 genres. Didn't get to Telling Lies or AI: Somnium Files either, which I really wanted to.

I'm part way through a second playthrough of Heaven's Vault. It has the feeling of discovery and adventure of 80 Days. It also has some weird controls and interface, like a 3D adventure game from before they figured out 3D adventure games.

And yess Elsinore - there's no way I wasn't going to play timeloop Hamlet fanfiction.

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

years over so heres my list:

10. Mutazione
9. Elsinore
8. Hypnospace Outlaw
7. 10 Beautiful Postcards
6. Heaven's Vault
5. Eastshade
4. A Short Hike
3. Anodyne 2
2. Disco Elysium
1. Outer Wilds

ah the four video game genres: detective, time loop, vacation, and strand

top 2 are all-time greats and it was tough choosing between them, a sentiment that seems pretty common from several lists Ive seen which is nice. rest of the list is no slouch either, and overall its been a good year for games. anyways, short write-ups to come.

also, honourable mention to Slay the Spire, which would be here if i didnt already have it on last years list.

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

it's cool

i just helped the ikura sushi find its missing ikura but somehow it got a palm tree on its head while i was away so the ikura proceeded to scale the palm tree.

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

also the blackpink truck reminded me that the topic title is still holding strong

but hey the truck pushed them to hastily throw together a christmas cover for ros so that's something.

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

kahi album is the real surprise on that list. yes it was good

Seunghee - Where are you? (Rearranged ver.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNsikPEFu30

thank you seunghee - v glad to see they haven't forgotten this unfairly maligned era. is CLC established enough for them to dip back into this style yet?

Pentagon - Way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb8twXAxBHI

i keep watching this.

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

over supersonic (or subsonic or just listen) tho?

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

Merle Haggard - If We Make It Through December

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

oh right award shows are happening

Oneus - Best Performance Mash Up + Lit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw2PNUcdB_k

haven't seen all of it does anything top oneus's 2 minutes?

and this finally:

CL - DONE161201
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DQXWaIcwGc

CL - REWIND170205
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4SfrrFy1xM

really just fan songs to tide folks over, but i'm into the dates in the title to remind us how long she's been sitting on shit.

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

you'd think having made a lot of lists would make this doable, but i don't know if i agree enough with past me.

willy nilly sotd is Beast - 12:30 which is the first song to come to mind, but i don't think i can have a ballad to represent a decade of kpop.
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

A Christmas Carol (Dickens)
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

i have not actually, but if i did it would probably have a lot of 'things use to be better, dammit' bias instead

speaking of, here's youkyung's drum cover of 'come see me':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvS9qGo8T-A

been following this channel for a while, and now is as good an occasion as any to mention it here
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

11. Golden Child - Wannabe
10. Golden Child - Lately
9. AOA - Come See Me
8. IU - Love Poem
7. Bvndit - Dumb
6. IU - Above the Time
5. Nature - Oopsie (My Bad)
4. WJSN - Luckitty Cat
3. Golden Child - She's My Girl
2. WJSN - WW
1. WJSN - As You Wish
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

yeah MLD really fucked this up but ehh i don't want to write them off entirely just yet.

Grimlyn posted...

https://i.imgur.com/mczUw0G.gif

good shit
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

depends what you mean by similar.

unexplained hiatuses happen, departures happen, but it is egregious to lose 2 (maybe 3) members a year after a massive breakout hit.
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

oof, taeha and yeonwoo have left momoland while daisy is still in discussion. taeha's contract has been terminated, and yeonwoo is staying with the company but as an actress.

sad to see my bias go, but at least we have closure after 8 months of it being up in the air. now she could re-debut, sing all the OSTs.

i've not seen any pd101 japan at all i feel so out of the loop.
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

Barry
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

god fucking damn

RIP
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

WJSN - As You Wish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q9G6R2hKIQ

yess

the last minute or so is grand
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

IU - Blueming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1PvIWdJ8xo

glad we're getting a full mini this year. it's been a while esp. for someone who didn't care for 'bbi bbi' much. 'love poem' is still my favourite of what i've heard so far.

Golden Child - Wannabe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knIBy6fKR5Y

speaking of it being a while

not really sold on this, and sad to lose one of the few remaining groups with a bright concept, but idk i got use to it with astro and i'll get used to this i suppose

Rainbow - Aurora
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8f3tu8HYfY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySqnycdRCm0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPtKZEyBBZ8

man what a good discography
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

i think mummy stories are either steeped in bad orientalist tropes or they're not about much at all - probably the most limited of the classic monsters by far.

old dark house is a lot of fun - a top 3 universal horror movie at least.
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

i'm weird in that i was a huge fan of the first season of breaking bad mostly for the comedy, then became less and less interested as it became less funny - never did get around to season 5.

incidentally, i watched both seasons of barry recently, which is amazing and a bit like if breaking bad escalated more in the direction i would have wanted instead.
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

Nature - Oopsie (My Bad)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRN12TaTFlU

the amount of shouting could get tiresome, but idk kinda like it.

at the very least i like looking at lu

Elris - Miss U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0NSezI_ahk

been 1.5 years since their last comeback so here's a crappy fan song i guess
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

oh it's back now time to get lifted

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr29X77OA5g
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

sometimes i forget how ridiculously long kpop contracts are

also they've deleted her youtube channel and such which is weirdly petty
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

great write-up for bogeyman that echoes a lot of my experience with it. even when trying to side with the kids, the game is very effective at goading you into a more self-serving path and pushing you into this uncomfortable mix of helplessness and complicity.
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

i will always remember tauros because ash has like 50 of them or whatever
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

https://www.soompi.com/article/1363539wpp/super-juniors-sungmin-to-release-first-solo-album

i willed this into existence.

PumpkinCoach posted...

alternatively idk, a SS501 member? or super junior's sungmin which would be pretty funny.

---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

10. Day6 - Emergency
9. TXT - Run Away
8. (G)I-DLE - Lion
7. Takeuchi Miyu - My Type
6. Limesoda - Wave
5. ONF - Why
4. Ateez - Wonderland
3. SuperM - I Can't Stand the Rain
2. Lim Hyunsik - Dear Love
1. SuperM - 2 Fast
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

Mamamoo - BTOB Squad
i mean, without any additional context, if asked who the boy group equivalent of mamamoo is, the answer would invariably be BTOB, right? with 3 members missing, they're not as obvious a draw as mamamoo, but the comparison is still apt because they have that wide appeal and public recognition like mamamoo, rather than just a large fandom. i also think it helps a bit in both cases because they're slightly less conventional vocal-based groups, which make it less of a straightforward stomping, though it's less likely to be that compared to mamamoo. like if they win, it's not winning by doing what the other groups are doing, only to greater success. it's like how both groups are certainly popular enough, but were never used in the 1st round of a produce show, where they're looking for balanced performance to set a standard.

winner could work here too, but i don't see that happening. beyond that we're just looking at big fandoms.

Lovelyz - Pentagon
yeah, i'm abandoning all reason and just turning this into a fantasy line-up but hear me out.
i wouldn't say pentagon is well-established or mid-tier but they do, however, have a hit. i'm choosing them for the narrative - of the group that was threatening to have a breakthrough but hit a setback, of a producer who has made multiple hits for other survival shows and now competes in one himself. i'm putting them in the lovelyz slot because they're here to prove something and change perceptions, except whereas lovelyz wanted to prove they can do other concepts, pentagon is here to show that they're not doomed. they can also go in the (g)i-dle slot since it's about seeing hui (maybe kino?) work their magic, though self-producing isn't an anomaly with boy groups like it is with girl groups. hui actually already gets attention whenever he shows up solo on a singing show and usually with some cool remix no less, so it's perfect.

actually the hit song criteria is a bit tough, because boy groups rely more on fandom meaning they can chug along fine for many years without a public hit. the ones who chart digitally are either anomalous or have massive fandoms, and they still might not chart that high. the mid-tier for boygroups is closer to got7 and monsta x, and that's probably who you actually need for the show to succeed, so alright-

Oh My Girls - Got7 / Monsta X

both instead of pentagon, if we're being rational, but come on

also both especially because i have three cube acts otherwise.

(G)I-DLE - Ateez / TXT / AB6IX / Stray Kids

any one of these would do for the rookie slot i think. personally would prefer ateez or stray kids.
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

thinking out loud about kingdom now that queendom is over:

queendom's line-up has two veteran groups who are sort of entering a new phase, two fairly well-established mid-tier groups, a rising rookie, and a current top tier group. mamamoo aside, these are groups from very different stages in their careers, so less direct comparisons, and with no massive disparities in popularity. mamamoo is ofc well ahead and the inevitable winner from day 1 but it's good because the competition isn't the point, exposure is the point, and having a top group in there is beneficial to all except maybe mamamoo, but at least they get the prize. also it being entirely predictable might have persuaded at least some to argue less about results and just see it as a venue for performances, remixes, and interactions.

so thoughts on a kingdom line-up, mostly going like for like, though the metrics for boy group success are different. the show isn't about getting a nugu group their break, but rather works because all the groups are decently popular already. it keeps the stakes low, while also being momentous enough to get viewers. round one is a hit song, so the group needs to at least have a hit.

(ofc, while queendom's format is good, absolutely all the changes between pd101 seasons 1 and 2 made the show more competitive and less fun, so if mnet did kingdom they would probably fuck it up anyway)

AOA - Teen Top
trouble is most of the still active boy groups with this level of seniority are missing key members due to military service, but teen top debuted young so they're still all present. i'd like this for them even with more options, though. no one thinks about them anymore, so some renewed interest like AOA got would be nice. they were well-known for their performances (esp. their footwork) so they're a good fit. they had hits back in the day too - new gen kpop fans need to know about 'crazy', which i'm guessing would be their round 1 song. also we don't have to, but if we're looking for AOA parallels specifically, they're also working with less members than before, and are the boy group equivalent to AOA when it comes to getting the best brave brothers songs.

the other possible group for this slot is nu'est but i don't know if they'd want to be on another survival show even if it's very different. it's a much more reasonable choice if you don't consider teen top relevant enough for this show relative to AOA's current standing, but idk maybe it's okay to put more weight on past popularity than current popularity for this slot, and teen top was at least mid-tier. plus nu'est already revived their careers so what have they to gain.

Park Bom - Jang Hyunseung
oh god. first of all, a solo artist is sort of an ill fit for the show, especially one who's fairly limited in the type of performance she can give like bom. i can see them scrapping this slot for one more group but if they keep it then hey, you know who's a veteran boy group member turned solo artist who was also derailed somewhat by scandal, but with the added bonus of not having to sit out the dance performance? i don't know if he'd want this, i don't know if i want this, i definitely don't want this to be his first activity out of the military. ideally he'd have a song or two out beforehand like bom. i am nervous about the response so i'm torn between hyunseung and literally anyone else, but if we're in a place where we know he'd be fine then it could be cool. hit song is a hurdle though, since that's going to have to be a beast song and his relation to that material is a bit fraught, but god, can you imagine the fandora's box round with 'home' performed for the first time and with the choreography it was supposed to have?

alternatively idk, a SS501 member? or super junior's sungmin which would be pretty funny.
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

http://www.asianjunkie.com/2019/10/30/starship-entertainment-announces-wonho-will-leave-monsta-x/

goddamn

details are missing ofc, but it does sounds like he had a rough past, but served his time as a minor and managed to turn his life around, only to have it all that brought back on him now. they only thing that's sus is the money he supposedly owes, but we don't know the circumstances there either.
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

Day of the Tentacle
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

admittedly only been paying attention to her american career in passing, but sounds nice!

and rdr hell yes. we may never get another season of produce (for good reason), but prior to that i was thinking about an rdr vs. oh! battle now that they've broken from having teams compete with the same song.
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

this is happening a lot lately, huh? hwall left the boyz a week ago, but at least that was due to injury. laun left onf a month ago, also right before a comeback and without explanation.

anyways, nothing to speculate on - hope everything's okay
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

huh

woojin left stray kids
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

day6 album is solid as a whole. highlights for me are 'emergency' and 'not fine'.

and on the queendom finale tracks:

Guerilla > Lion > Destiny > Moonlight > Sorry > Wanna Go Back
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

yeah, i missed out on that having only played it on PC

still, a beautiful, haunting game with a great soundtrack
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

WJSN - Tempo (all-rounder idol dance cover)


these have been great, and also filmed long enough ago that it's new OT10 content
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

did they not tease this at all or did i just miss it:

Ariaz - Moonlight Aria


yess hyogyeong finally

nice song too - love me some e.one
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

loving the txt and day6 comebacks. as far as beat drop choruses go, alexa's isn't too bad, but it's overall pretty forgettable, and yeah, not into it much.

will check out those album tracks after i'm done looping this:

Takeuchi Miyu - My Type (Monthly Project 2019 October Yoon Jong Shin)


<3
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

jagmeet singh is the hottest so i hope that's what we're going by again this time
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

Gridlock is my favourite episode of the new series - just an incredibly suprising, humanistic, and hopeful episode of ordinary people making the best of a rough situation through community. Rare for this sort of story and rare for Doctor Who, there's not really a monster. The Macra are there, but are completely incidental. There's no evil for the doctor to fight - just systemic issues, and the mistakes (even if well-meaning) along the way that brought us to this point. The episode constantly wrongsteps the viewer into thinking it's going one way, before showing it's not that sort of story, and the Doctor gets it wrong.

"You think you know us so well, doctor, but we're not abandoned. Not while we have each other."

The contrast between Martha and the Doctor's reaction to the hymn is great. Personally, like Martha, I'm in tears at this point. Before it, the Doctor needles them, seeing them as complacent rather than hopeful, which is a sort of story Doctor Who does, and would have been the more predictable one. I can imagine this story with Sylvester McCoy or Christopher Eccleston and they'd understand where Brannigan is coming from and it'd be an incredible episode too, but the specific imperiousness of David Tennant's Doctor here adds another dimension to it, and it starts with his tough guy posturing with the vendors at the beginning without really knowing what's going on. Brannigan's argument above is lost on the Doctor. He denies it at the start of the episode before he even heard it, and only starts to accept it barely when Martha forces the issue at the end.

I also love the set design in this episode, but ymmv and I get it. I expect Doctor Who to look a little shoddy and for its reach to always exceed its grasp and I'm into it. The future earth stories in particular tend to be more ambitious in trying to represent the variety and panoply of humanity's future on the show's limited budget, which might be why they stick out to you. I think all the carriages have a nice lived-in, personalized feel. It's a space story, but also a very domestic argument around the kitchen sink.

Midnight is excellent as well, speaking of the 10th Doctor getting it wrong, speaking of episodes that are fun to imagine with other Doctors
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus

(G)I-DLE - Say No / Put It Straight (Nightmare ver.)


this might end up being the only (g)i-dle song on my year-end list, but at least it might be on there twice.
---

https://imgur.com/CQr5Xab
this is a world... where Advokaiser eats gurus