STATE OF THE BASTARD 2026

RHYTHM BASTARD: EXPEDITION 38

No, I haven't played that game. It's on the list, and I don't think I'll get to it for a while, but fuck you, this is about me looking back.

Normally at this point I look back and be like "OH SHIT I'M GETTING OLDER!" and then last night I put this as a placeholder because I'd bring him up eventually, but looking at this picture I took with Jeff on what we called "The Gay Bridge" when I visited him this past Christmas, all that anxiety fades away.

We can handle what comes next, and there's no one else I'd rather being going through it all with.  

As for Rhythm Bastard, I speed ran throughout my State Of The Bastards of yore seeing how I developed and there's something unique about how much FUN I had, but if I were to ask what I feel now, it would be "satisfied, but not content". I'm proud of what I'm making now, with the situation I'm in. I have a day job, two parents two support, I'm also looking to move in with MY BOYFRIEND sooner rather than later, but I could use some sort of guidance on what MORE I could be doing. 

Not so much Rockstar Delusions, but more so, "How could I get MORE out of something I put so much time and energy in?" I panic a lot on what would happen if I couldn't do *all this* any more and who I would be with out Rhythm Bastard. I look back at the picture again, and I think back to all the good times we've had. 

I do all this for the opportunities I get: to travel, to meet new people, to force myself to make new things and step out of my box, to fall in love. 

Then that fucking donger Trump bombed Venezuela for oil. 

MOST RECENT SONG: My Work In "The Bygones" and "Down The River's Edge"

"Down The River's Edge" is a western furry visual novel, in which you experience Javi's story as he turns from a hopeful young man into a grizzled outlaw. I also co-wrote some songs with Zack Loup.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Bygones" is a short drama visual novel where you view the past through the eyes of Everett Summers, the band's lead guitarist. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still need to prep some kind of release, but the reason my productivity was shot in the latter months of the year because I had this, MFF and BOYFRIEND visit one right after the other. 

For "Down The River's Edge", I worked on four songs but actually only wrote 2. Racky, the project lead, was good about keeping me and Zach efficient, because I could re-use "Cormac's Theme", the villain song, reworked to various degrees.

First was the main riff, which had to be slowed down and intimidating. Since the game is about man being imprisoned, a tambourine would make for a good sound-alike for shackles, and to add some creep factor, I just slowed a harmonic note WAAAAAAY the fuck down. I repurposed the riff with Acoustic Guitar for the "Forest Road" song.

For the "Prison Song" I just did some 12-bar blues noodling.  

My lone song for The Bygones, it's a pastiche on Britpop and in game it's about the band breaking up. I was given "Popscene" by Blur and "Don't Look Back In Anger" by Oasis as inspirations. Britpop is already a subgenre that oozes cynicism and feels like it's too good for you, so before I had the full context for the song, I already had a direction.

FAVORITE SONG I MADE THIS YEAR: "R-H-Y-T-H-M"  

 

WITH A BULLET. It's a good intro song, it teaches you how to spell my name, and MY BOYFRIEND worked on the visualizer for it. I was going for something real simple with it, so it's a blast to play, and to do visuals for. 

ART POST

Since I've been doing ART now, I figured it'd be fun to make one of those art recap posts!

January through October shows the most growth, since November and December was "let me do something quick for promotion. I love that the Schmoopy Stream (yes, that's what I'm calling it) dynamic is now me and Jeff making our PNGs for each other. He makes an adorable Cid and he popped off for his work making Thrash into Daddy Auron. March and November was me rendering his work for promo stuff. 

I also started offering "Bandcamp Friday" sketches, to encourage people to support me then (if you get the equivalent of my digital discography OR MORE on Bandcamp, I draw you a free 30 min drawing). I did my first YCH this year as well, and I hope to do more soon!

OTHER COOL SHIT I DID 

Novembuck

See above. This and May Wolf are interesting exercises in Just Making Shit, especially since a Visual Novel has so many other disciplines you can bring in, like music (hi!), sound, art, and programming other than just writing.

It's more communal, which is what I like about the furry fandom! 

Pencils Down At Megaplex

For the past couple years when I didn't have a concert at Megaplex, I did "Scratch Game" which is a take off of the game show "Match Game". 

 

This year I also submitted "Pencils Down" which is just my take on the Game Changer Epsiode "Pencils Down".

My panel was:
-PaintedFox
-Giovanni DiMilano
-Pajammers
-Hellbreakfast

And it was a BLAST! I was a little nervous on how it would turn out or if everyone got the concept, but there was a lot of laughs, and I can't wait to do it next year.

Furry In C

I talked about this in my MFF Recap Post, but it was a window into a more "advanced" world, and brought my back to my days in high school as part of concert band. 

Made "Iblis And The Burning Blade" With Jane Drolf 

 

My contribution to Season 3 of The Adventures Of The Fox In The Fedora. 

He came to me after playing Alan Wake 2, saying he wanted something akin to "Herald Of Darkness" to get some exposition across in a fun and cool as fuck way, and I feel like I delivered. At worst there was some LIGHT feedback from Fox about how names were pronounced and some lore things, but he LOVED it. 

Jane Drolf is a metal singer and she is also looking to get into making music, so I brought her on as someone to play against, since it seemed like in every "scene" there were two characters that can speak to each other. 

Obviously "Bohemian Rhapsody" was a huge influence, but here's my Act by Act Breakdown:

Act 1- Obviously the choral opening to "Bohemian Rhapsody". I was playing around with chord progressions on the acoustic that led to what I'd use throughout the whole song in some respect. The organ sound was something I was fiddling around with that sounded "heavenly", since these are oracles. 

Act 2- METAL. This was more in Jane's wheelhouse and it was fun to play Iblis across her Death.  

Act 3- This was going to be Symphonic Metal, but it ended up at best something like Yellowcard. The transition with Fox and Mia Passarella (the voice of Cassie Rascal, Fox's adventuring partner/love interest) was because I didn't know how to get to the next "act" in a smooth way, but they went along with it, and made it overall a more playful tune. 

Act 4- I came up with this RIGHT after watching "Hedwig and the Angry Inch", particularly "Midnight Radio"

Act 5-  I figured the best way to tie this off was some Bowie-glam. I brought the organ back to give it a little 2000s indie, with songs like "Bohemian Like You" by The Dandy Warhols and "Sequestered In Memphis" by The Hold Steady. 

TREND I LIKED THE LEAST: Really Cringe Fascism

People call comparing immigrants to the Flood from Halo or trying to find Charlie Kirk's unaliver (his wife) into a True Crime podcast "Reddit-brained", but Reddit has proven itself useful, and a way for subcultures to share niche information. It's also "What google was before AI". 

There's no other way to describe anything this administration is doing as anything other than "For The 'Gram/Vine/Tok/whatever", because when you've secured the bag so hard your life gets boring and everyone hates your guts, the only new capital to accumulate is social capital, because in the Attention Economy, substance matters WAY LESS than eyeballs.  

Venezuela was invaded so that Twitter Psychophants can get some engagement. And oil. 

The DHS posted an AI Ghibli meme of people getting deported! Every picture of Trump is AI! FAFO! Haha check out this BASED EDIT! This is what you do when you don't worry about "intrinsic worth".

One of my most vindicated takes is that the "Lives Matter" upset conservatives more than "Black". 

Like, think how many big military operations are preceded with "Now they'll know why America doesn't have healthcare!". 

Next time someone's being an asshole to you online, just be like "debate your worth to me. Why does your life matter." Because they have to either confront the fact that life is worth living regardless, or they just want to be the arbiter of who lives and dies. And when they start crowing about "THE LEFT WANTS YOU DEAD!" you just gotta go, "Well, you ain't much use alive"

TREND I LIKED THE MOST: "No, We Actually Don't Like You People"

Hasan Piker getting mainstream coverage despite .Zohran Mamdani winning the NYC Mayoral Election despite Islamaphobia and "why haven't you denounced Hasan Piker?". Wine Moms calling for Republican Bloodshed. Everyone who steps outside shitting on the ICE Gestapo. Trump failing with the Gen Z that voted him in. Charlie Kirk's death mocked and his wife celebrating his death with firework displays everywhere. 

When your idea of power is Really Cringe Fascism, the average person isn't going to take you seriously, and yeah, when you're worried about grocery prices while tariffs make everything more expensive as a sleepy Don says "we just want oil", the whole facade falls apart, and suddenly those SCARY SOCIALISTS sound a lot more reasonable, ESPECIALLY when you have the opposition party leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries go "come on guys, just one more strongly worded letter and he'll think about maybe doing the right thing. 

WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS SOONER? Aunty Donna

*cue dubstep music*

 
TO BE FAIR, my boyfriend has been trying to get me into them for A WHILE, but this was the year it finally took. Aunty Donna is an absurdist comedy troupe from Austrailia that usually do their sketch in themed mini-series ("1999" is about office culture, "Ripper Aussie Summer" is about, well, summer, etc.) and when I visited Jeff for Christmas, we watched their Netflix series, which does not have a second season because it was very good, and Netflix are cowards. They also managed to get some big names working with them on the series, like Weird Al Yankovic, Kristen Schall, Egg Helms, and Paul F. Tompkins. 

While nowadays they work more with Grouse House, fellow Aussies, they manage to put out some brilliant shit recently, like this COMPLETELY LEGITIMATE AND ACCURATE EPISODE OF FRIENDS.

 

OLD GAMES OF 2025 RUNNER-UPS

Honorable Mention: Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes From Liberty City: I was going to give it to Brok The Investiagator and The Hayseed Knight for being well put together visual novels, the former for even having a beat 'em up engine that works alongside its investigation mechanics, but the "canon" endings for both involve me going far back a fair bit in between for the "best ending". 

GTAIV:EFLC contains two side stories from GTAIV's main campaign that offer up an opportunity to revisit Liberty City from different angles with new mechanics, or rather, mechanics missing from IV that were in San Andreas, but it's still a welcome to my beloved NYC Expy.

5. Ratchet and Clank Series (PS2): The first game has a great story and tone, Going Commando brings the gameplay to a boil, and while Up Your Arsenal suffers from inflation, the gameplay and world for the first RaC trilogy was a blast to playthrough with virgin eyes/hands. 

4. Final Fantasy IV (PC): With MTG's Final Fantasy set dropping this year, I revisited Final Fantasy's 1 and 4, the latter making the list for regularly keeping things fresh with a rotating cast and visiting the moon on a giant whale. 

3. Chicken Police: Paint The Town Red (PC): The best visual novel with anthropomorphic characters this year, with stellar presentation in character design and voice acting which contributes, rather than contrasts with, a straight laced film noir tribute.

2. Cyberpunk 2077 (PC): This game is a lot more fun when you have a boyfriend gushing about all the references and all the thing he likes in your ear instead of some little bitch complaining the glitches, and can allow this fully realized, if choppy immersive sim/open world crime game to breathe. 

#1 OLD GAME OF 2025: Sleeping Dogs (PC)

 

 If Saints Row (360) is the platonic ideal of Grand Theft Auto right before IV came out, then Sleeping Dogs is the platonic idea of GTA right before V came out. 

Sleeping Dogs puts you in the role of Wei Shen, an undercover cop placed within the Triad gang Sun on Yee. His loyalties get more and more tangled up with the inner workings of the gang as he gains more trust, even as all different parties within and without the gang proper start stabbing everyone in the back. 

What makes the game refreshing is its emphasis on a well put together hand-to-hand combat system. It works much like the Batman Arkham series, with a heavy focus on counters and finishers, more about keeping your options open rather than hard-hitting combos. The city of Hong Kong feels a lot denser than most open world cities, with even less populated area still brimming with collectibles and encounters, so I can take a look around and marvel at the details. 

Cyberpunk 2077 also offered a very dense Night City, but the car physics handle a lot better, and there's so much more greenery to look at. I wanted to play in Night City, but live in Hong Kong. Every block is dotted with at least some kind of shop or concession stand. While most only offer minor health boosts, it made sprinting through the city looking for a car or a pickup bearable. 

As I'm typing this I'm very conflicted whether I should have made Cyberpunk my OLD GOTY. I think I just found Sleeping Dogs to go down easier, but in reality, they're two different games: Cyberpunk 2077 is an immersive sim wearing the skin of an open world crime game, with lots of text to read and themes to digest that, because I was playing on stream I skipped over and would have missed without my boyfriend. Sleeping Dogs is a Hong Kong action movie that I traverse an open world to get through. 

It comes down to TWO BIG factors (I'm sorry Jeff I love you): 
1. Steely Dan's "Reelin' In The Years" in the Karaoke bar
2. I want to be cast in the movie that Simu Liu is putting together. 

NEW GAMES OF 2025 RUNNER-UPS 

Honorable Mention: Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4 (PC): This WOULD have been #5, but there have been rumbling that it's used generative AI in it's games, albeit with questionable credibility, so as much fun as I've had with the foray into the "classic" entries I'm less familiar with (and a lot less insane to 100%), this gets a provisional mention. 

5. Marvel: Cosmic Invasion (PC): Sometimes you just want some fun fluff to play with your comics-loving boyfriend and this game has plenty of fun characters and incredibly well animated pixel art to make an altogether incredible package AND IT HAS TASKMASTER!!!!

4. Assassin's Creed Shadows (PC): Could have used a lot of trimming down, but turns out this games better when you have your boyfriend gushing about Sengoku Era and Chanbara cinema in your ear instead of some white boy or morbidly obese Latinx who will never be a samurai, let alone anything, crying about Yasuke, meaning they miss out on OF ALL THINGS one of the best kisses in gaming, because Naoe and Katsuhime just fucking go for it. 

3. Unbeatable (PC): Super unpolished, with significant risk softlocking between scene transitions, a LOT of circular dialogue, and a constantly shifting UI that makes dropping combos common, but with an incredible soundtrack and an heartwrenching ending that makes the game worth it, I couldn't justify putting it below a Ubisoft open world game and a Marvel sidescrolling beat-em-up.  

2. Dispatch (PC): You can argue about it being a game in the strictest sense, but the Dispatching gameplay was fun, and it was refreshing to have a "water cooler game" where you can talk about your decisions with your friends, like in Telltale's The Walking Dead peak era, and while #2 might feel VERY high, it got dinged points considering I saw so much sexy Sonar bara fanart only to realize that he was voiced by MoistCritikal.

#1 NEW GAME OF 2025: Back To The Dawn (PC)

 

 

After my first Backlog Blitz playthrough of this game, I DEVOURED IT non-stop off stream, because there's SO MUCH to get into. "One more time segment" became "One more day" became "One more chapter".

Back To The Dawn puts your character in a prison with the task of making an escape and completing your goal. Alongside your inmate of choice are 46 fellow prisoners and at least a dozen other NPCs to build rapport with. You earn money at jobs, trade, connive and build loyalties to survive and thrive. 

I played as Thomas the Fox, a journalist who got too close to the truth and was set up and sent to prison. During his 21 days of playtime, you have to uncover the truth and work with your friends on the outside to get to the bottom of what really happened and make it out before the mayoral election. Time IS of the essence and it might require another play through on NG+ just to know what tasks to zero in on and how to do them. 

For a Chinese studio, it's really on the pulse of what American Prisons are like in that A. Everyone is helplessly corrupt, and B. Everything is expensive. Your first mission in the game is to call your lawyer, but using the phone costs $100. So, you go to the lead guard, and he's willing to give you a laundry room job in exchange for doing him so favors. Then the deputy gives you your weekly essentials, but it's only enough for half a week. The rest is done by trading with your fellow inmates, but they'll only part with the good stuff after building significant trust, meaning that the scary prison gangs are more reliable hum- animals than the supposed "good guys". 

The 21 days are broken up into several distinct sections: there's "morning/post headcount" where you can work jobs to make money, "lunch" where you can also unlock a 3 card poker game to earn more money, "recreation" where you can chat, go to church, build up your brawn in the exercise yard, or your brains in the Genreal Building. Each time block has distinct NPC dialogue, and your fellow prisoners talk amongst each other, who have relationships and stories that develop throughout your stay Bellevue Prison. I LOVE it when game has distinct threads you can pull on that can all lead to different places. 

And there are A LOT. With several ways to escape, it's easy to get distracted and have the deadline creep up on you. Everyone was talking about Expedition 33 this year, but this is the RPG I sunk my teeth into .

ANNUAL REMINDER THAT YOU ARE YOUR OWN PERSON AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT THE MISTAKES OF YOUR IDOLS

ALSO I SHARE A BIRTHDAY WITH MARY J. BLIGE

 

Status Quo For Chirstmas!

Yeah, my New Year's Resolution should be to streamline all my posting so I'm not having to retrace my steps and everything can be automatic. 

By the time you read this, I'll be with MY BOYFRIEND in NC, but I did want to get SOMETHING out before my State Of The Bastard 2026, namely my recap of Midwest Furfest 2025!

The one MAJOR hurdle to this year was not having Critter Kickback help us with the merch booth, but Pepper Coyote and Scurrow of I've Made Too Much Pasta lend us lesser musicians their table space. At the very least, registration was straight forward, and we were able to get our passes right away. 

Most of my con was manning the table, and we did a damn good job of running that place! There was nothing like learning Mahjong or how to make balloon animals this year, it was just a nice con of catching up with online friends and spending quality time with my boyfriend after being so far apart for way longer than we usually are in between cons. 

That doesn't mean there wasn't ANY exploration. I also took part in Herr Wozzeck and Trio Menagerie's "Furry In C, which is a bunch of furries who can play instruments performing composer Terry Riley's "In C", a minimalist piece where the performers play 53 different arrangements over the course of the piece. There's no restrictrions, except for time. Speaking of time, in order to maintain tempo, there's no contuctor so there are a couple people who are required to play C over and over again to keep time, and I was one of those people. 

For the 30 minutes I was playing a high-C on my guitar, I was able to get lost within the piece. All the segments are in the Key of C, but there's little recurring motifs that your ear picks up on as the players progress. There was one other person keeping time, and we locked in for that hal hour connecting in that unique way that only a symphony can. 

You can listen and see it here! 

Saturday, right after we finished tabling, before my soundcheck, Jeff and I went exploring to grab dinner. Now that I've been to these cons multiple times, I'm more comfortable exploring the city around the convention center. We got tacos at the place called Fat Rosie's where there was also an ice skating rink, a piano bar, a comedy club, and a bowling alley with an arcade not too far away. 

This is my first who where I have visual accompaniment, and it worked well for the most part. Still need to figure out my timing, but it gives my shows a big boost. MFF did record the video, but it'll be a while before they post it. 

Thank you TKTigerkat! 

Slowly but surely, I'll be doing more videos as part of my usual live staples and all my new tracks. The animation MY BOYFRIEND WHO IS TALENTED made for "R-H-Y-T-H-M" made its debut, and Patrons can get a look at the one for "Thrash Panda". 

If you are a video editor and want to make visuals for one of my songs, send me an email to RHYTHMBASTARD@GMAIL.COM

After my show, we cuddled in post-show glow and a job well done as Rebel and Cleric begun their soundcheck. Rebel and Cleric's gimmick is they perform in masks resembling Animal Crossing charcaters, but their sound and stage show can best be described as WHATEVER THE FUCK THEY WANT AS LOUD AS THEY DAMN WELL PLEASE, which I'm glad I make a good opener for. My ears rang out and my neck was sore days afterward, so not only am I 37, but they also put on a kick ass show. Pick up their new album, Isabelle RAW!

Sunday was the convention winding down, and that night me and my boyfriend ordered sandwiches from a nearby pizzeria and watched "Ha Ha You Clowns", the new Adult Swim show. Honestly, it's so wholesome it's a farce, but nowhere near as cynical as what you'd expect from adult animation. 

I think one of my favorite parts of the con was when a girl came to me after my show and told me that it was a must see, because it was where she asked her girlfriend out at LAST year's Midwest Furfest. I first tied the knot with Jeff at Megaplex, so I understand how important these things can be. I may feel old, but I'm glad I can make these moments for others at a con. 

 

There was a Twitter post not to long ago about someone lamenting about how "Christmas doesn't feel magical anymore", probably as bait for some RETVRN fashy shit, but the most popular response to it was "You were a kid. When you grow up, you have to pay the magic forward." and this makes me feel like I paying the magic forward.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

NEW MERCH! Pre-Order Rhythm Bastard Secret Lair!

SIX PROXIES FOR MAGIC THE GATHERING DEBUTING AT MEGAPLEX! 

***DISCLAIMER: THESE ARE NOT OFFICIAL MAGIC THE GATHERING CARDS, THEY ARE PROXIES INTENDED FOR CASUAL USE ONLY***

***BULK CARD ORDER HAS BEEN PLACED AND WILL BE SHIPPING SOON!***

After years of throwing MTG cards out to crowds, it only makes sense for me to put my mug on something you can tap! People always look at my posters and business cards and go "Are these ACTUAL CARDS?" so now SIX cards from the Rhythm Bastard ouevre can be yours!

Cynar, Foolish Hierophant (Driftgloom Coyote)

Status Quo Radio (Propaganda)

Hardcore Headliner (Tenacious Underdog)

Rhythm Bastard's Epiphone SG (Embercleave)

Bard Class

1x Thrash, Rock God (Xenagos, God Of Revels)

 
Art by Jeffrey Scronce

NEW VIDEO: "Twitch Highlights - Racc and Daxnar"

aka "I'm Done With The PS2 Platformer Trinity" 

Status Quo Sunday Has A Lot To Catch Up On

 shiiiiiit...

 From now on, I'll try and update this more often with bigger events to point to like song releases, con announcements and the like 

CON UPDATES

  

PREVIOUS CONS

Since we last spoke, we had Texas Furry Fiesta, Furry Weekend Atlanta and Virtua Ongaku! 

 

Texas Furry Fiesta has been a walk-around con for me, where me and my boyfriend explored the area of Dallas around the con, moreso than what was in the con. Then again, it was our first con by ourselves and we wanted to be gay together, alone. Still, the show went off great, and the TFF crew is always reliable for making me sound good, and I sold a lot of merch, probably my best one yet.

 

Furry Weekend Atlanta I performed with the Critter Kickback crew at their suite show on Sunday, which, even though it was 15 minutes, was still kind of a relief. I only had to "play the hits", which are pretty much muscle memory to me at this point. CK9C and the Critter Kickback crew did a good job of running things for me and selling merch while I can just focus on my set and having fun at the con. The only downside is that this is clearly a transitional year for FWA where they're figuring a lot of things out, since there were two other concert series from Critter Kickback alone, and four other festivals with their own line ups.

 

 

Virtua Ongaku was a Charity Pride show, for the Zebra Youth Foundation, and again, it was another simple set. Obviously with everything going on this year it's now more than ever important to speak out!

FUTURE CONS

Megaplex! Will again not be hosting me. It will also not have the Scratch Game. I will be doing the Bara Panel with Anubis, and "Pencils Down", a game show inspired by the Game Changer episode of the same name. 

 

We're talking about stuff behind the scenes, but it's clear I need to over inflate my numbers next time.

 

NEW SONG: "Black And White Lawyer Show"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's Perry Mason. Which odd enough considering it's Pride Month, the actor who played Perry Mason in the original two runs, Raymond Burr, was gay!

This was a very personal song that took a while to ferment, but I'm glad I finished it! It's another one of those songs where I'm talking to myself, and having a conversation in my head, since it's about how you can't wait for other people to change if you yourself are on the precipice of your own life events. 

SECRET LAIR: RHYTHM BASTARD

One of the most common questions I get is that people come up to my Magic The Gathering posters and go "OH, ARE THESE REAL CARDS?" (to an 11x17 poster) 

 

Fuck you, I've giving you real cards. As a preview, here's the first (canonical?) look at Jonesy Spencerson, who's on the proxy of "Propaganda", "Status Quo Radio"!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm giving you five *WINK* cards that are Rhythm Bastard themed from the deep lore, and are from all across the color pie! I tried to cover as many bases as possible offering a wide variety. All the art is done by my wonderful boyfriend, Jeff!

 

Want to see more? Paid Patrons have been getting full looks at the cards in progress!

 

BANDCAMP FRIDAY SKETCHES

This is just a new thing I've been doing as part of my Pomodoro streams, where if you order my digital discography or place an order more than that, you get a free drawing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JAM OF THE WEEK: "Let Me Entertain You" by Robbie Williams

  

This week's Jam is an artist I've been looking more into, in a song full of bombast, reminiscent of The Who's biggest crowdpleasers. While it can come off as an attempt to be a generational anthem that sounds cynical over 25 years later, Robbie Williams's attitude cuts through and belts out the vocals with so much bravado that you almost forget he rhymes "mon cher" with "mon cher" 

"hey RB is this because you saw Better Man, that biopic of British pop star Robbie Williams where he's a monkey?" 

NO. i saw the first half of Better Man on a plane, and then haven't finished it since.

The rest of his discography runs the whole gamut in style, but he always delivers it with a smooth, cocky croon undercut with a huge wink at the audience. "Millennium" was the first track I heard from him in snippets on Now's US premiere and samples "Diamonds Are Forever", "Kids" was a collab with Kylie Minogue that was on Band Hero and has them playing off each other beautifully, until Robbie raps for the last minute over some funky guitar, and "Rock DJ", the centerpiece of Better Man leans into Williams's rap affection and the comes out on the other side unscathed and even more seductive than a traditional delivery would allow. 

Anyway, I'm off to LEGITIMATELY OBTAIN the latter half of Better Man.  

STATE OF THE BASTARD 2025

TOO BUSY LIVIN' TO BE BLOGGIN'

Yes, I know I don't post much here anymore, and yes, I'm aware of all the goddamn problems going on in the world, and we're at a dangerous precipice, but... you can get reminders of that anywhere. I'm not here to be "the #Resistance" or "get your mind off of it, Soundwave made cookies!", in fact, looking at what music I made this year, I might make it worse!

While I only put out two songs (four if you count the two I did for the VNs, more on those later), and they focused a lot on MORTALITY, I still did a lot that I'm proud of.

I played shows, and collabed with friends...

 

I got into making art... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've streamed a lot on Twitch... 

And most importantly... I fell in love!

 

 

If you've followed me elsewhere, you're more than familiar with him... ;) Jeff and I have been talking for a couple years, and when I met him at Megaplex 2023, I spent the entire weekend with him because we got a long so well. Things kept up, and in Megaplex 2024, we finally gave into to that tension we've long held on to, and it's such a relief to have someone that makes me happy, even on bad days. Someone who I can talk to anything about. Someone I can melt into and be insufferable with. 

Turns out all that shit I said last year about "good things can just happen you", and "telling the little voice to shut up when shit's going good" actually made sense!

This is the point where I talk about what I made so let's get on with it: 

MOST RECENT SONG: "Death Of A Bastard" 

"My friends would be too busy to come to my funeral" became "My friends and family are too dumb to solve a post death riddle to find my riches" and I was bouncing a few ideas back and forth between friends whether it could be a song or even a full on concept albums where all my usual suspect collaborators become the typical characters you see in those kinds of stories, "The Widow That Grieves A Lot But Did It", "Money Grubbing Uncle", "Love Interest That Saves the Protag at the last Minute", etc. 

 

I knew I wanted it something slower placed and more early-00s emo sounding.

The twist to make it turn out "less sad" came after I realized, "Well I have Jeff now!"

...and we watched Clue as part of movie night. 

 

And that's how it REALLY happened! Now time for me to go home and have sex with my wife husband boyfriend!

FAVORITE SONG I MADE THIS YEAR: "Grey Muzzle" 

Only did two songs this year because I've been so busy otherwise. but at least they were important songs to me about facing "The End" and "what comes next". "Grey Muzzle" was my way of comforting myself as I'm getting older, and it helps I'm dating a man who's ACTUALLY going grey, but still, we're moving forward and being alive is enough, because being alive means IT'S NOT OVER YET

OTHER COOL SHIT I DID

Chord Progressions

OK, there's ONE MORE track I did this year that I co-wrote for Chord Progressions. The song is called "Fuck Around and Find Out", and the song was BowserPuma learning my songwriting process and how to make shit in Reaper. I taught him some of the basics of what I do, and then I gave the riffs he was thinking of some structure and added words to them. A high point was us playing it together at MFF last year! 

 

Road Kill

 

OK, there's ONE MORE OTHER song I released this year, but in my defense I finished it last year... You should be hearing updates on Chapter 2 very soon! 

I Made A Visual Novel!

I'm stopping it FOR NOW, but at least I can see it be written off and make a little story that people can be satisfied with as a prequel to RPG Pals Club.

 

Raccoon City Thrashers Shirt! 

 

 

Drawn by MY BOYFRIEND and designed by Enbiety!

Fox In The Fedora Season 3

I did some VO work for the show and a big epic musical number but I don't know if those will be out by then so keep an eye out for that.

TREND I LIKED THE LEAST: Capitulating In Advance

Trump was reelected, and the morning after I got stuck in the worst traffic jam in YEARS having to go to Miami at 5:30 AM, and that felt very apt: forces outside of our control got us stuck in a bad situation, and they could have gotten resolved years ago but that would have been too much investment and too much work, and the best we can do is keep our hands on the wheel so we don't crash before we get to where we're going. 

 

Though there's some dipshit who's also stuck in traffic going "HAHA YOU'RE TRIGGERED!". He's actually five cars behind you. 

 

Even if the jackbooted thugs never come out to kill all the queers and browns, every other Republican administration has been AT BEST Smash-and-Grab Capitalism, where the people who promised they'd make eggs and gas cheaper gave their power over to people who run Publix and Exxon, while cutting funding to the people that check the eggs, and use the gas for public transit.

 

The #Resistance Liberalism has been replaced with on the one hand, a heavy sigh and "UGH, not this shit again" while we load up a shotgun, and on the other hand...

"Hey, let's give the guy we've been saying is a fascist will destroy democracy a chance and peacefully transfer power! He only said he'll be a dictator for ONE DAY! January 6th was our biggest talking point for keeping out of the limelight, but c'monnnnn! Let's work with the Ketamine addicted illegal immigrant Neo-Nazi! Instead of forcing him to enact his bullshit and call his bluff, let's just let him do it! We're not going to do anything these last two months to safeguard anything, and it was YOUR FAULT we didn't do a ceasefire"

 

It's rule FUCKING ONE. You don't have to give assholes SHIT. 

TREND I LIKED THE MOST: GamerGate 2 Being More Pathetic And Reaffirming My Stance On Art

You've heard me on my Pomodoro Streams and earlier this very post and last year's State Of The Bastard where I talk about AI, but it remains the same: making stuff yourself is worth it. DIY is worth the effort, and even if it sucks, you have a new skill and you can say you did it. Every little decision in the process of making things is another thing you're personally bringing into the world.

 

There's a HUGE swath of people willing to help you out because they love making things too. The one HUGE lesson I've learned from the furry subculture is the value of community. Opening up to others and receiving the affection back makes you just want to give back more. Even when the world gets you down, this attitude of creation will be a stake you can claim was yours.

Which is more than I can say about the worthless peasants who declare themselves to be "fighting the Woke DEI Mind Virus" and "Making Gaming Great Again". Never doing anything themeselves, since, you know, producing non-AI art or making a game means you might get criticized.

 

I had a lot more written about this shit, but there's nothing these people produce: All the YT rant videos copy each other, and there's no GAMES to speak of produced by these people, only games that have been latched on to.

WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS SOONER? Literally Anything About Art

I improved a FUCK TON on the art front, especially with Jeff and Andy teaching me a lot. Seriously, looking through a sketchbook Jeff gifted me and Enbiety before FWA and seeing how much better all my studies and sketches have gotten is ASTOUNDING. Especially when Andy gifted me the Wacom Intuos tablet, and I could do computer art with an actual drawing implement, not just a mouse and patience.
The earliest piece I did at the beginning of the year:

 

My most recent art:

 

 

 

(his name is Vinchenzo and he's a douchebag, he sucks, I love him) BUT IT'S DAY AND NIGHT.

DIDN'T LISTEN TO MUCH MUSIC SADLY, BUT POP MUSIC GAVE US CHAPPELL ROAN THIS YEAR SO LET'S HONOR HER HERE

New Years Resolution #1: Listen To More New Music

Also liked "Not Like Us". Yaaaay

OLD GAMES OF 2024 RUNNERS UP

5. Marlow Briggs And The Mask Of Death (PC): The best $1 you will ever spend on a video game, even if it's impactful "FUCK YEAH!" gameplay gets long in the tooth toward the end. 

4. Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons (PC): A very efficient game that takes it novel control scheme and wrings every drop out of it, while avoiding going on too long like the studio's later games.

3. The Sly Cooper Trilogy (PS2): Theivus Raccoonus holds up well, Band of Theives was a welcome if bloated departure and the third game went on too long, but Sly-Day Friday gave us some comedy gold.

 

2. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (PC): My BOYFRIEND (see above) got this for me, and he knew what I was getting into: A combination of retro style, puzzle platforming and vibes that remain chill even when messing up hard jumps. It's a game I chill out with whenever I'm not playing it on stream. 

#1 OLD GAME OF 2024: Killer 7 (PC)

 

 

 

 

 

Another one courtesy of MY BOYFRIEND, this one stands up as game designer Suda51's seminal work. You play as an assassin, Harlan Smith, who is remotely controlling seven distinct personalities, all of which who have different combat abilites and are used for different puzzles throughout the game. 

I highlight the fact that it's a puzzle game first and formeost, even though the unique combat is a "Rail Shooter" where you choose to move which direction you go to along pre-determined paths and have to shoot invisible enemies that you can only see when in "firing mode", because the puzzles and navigation are what the game is really about, and every word matters.

It's easy to say "LOL WEIRD JAPAN!" or "PRETENTIOUS" when the style is so distinct neo-noir, the cast and characters are full of Goichi Suda's indulgences (the assassins are named after The Smiths, one of them patterned after a luchador, etc.), half the bosses are anime girls, and the gameplay is so unconventional. However that belies a greater story that thematically has more relevance today than when it first released in 2005.

 

SPOILER WARNING

The entire premise of the game is an East-West conflict (thought the Eastern power is Japan, not China), the perpetrators of either side (Kun Lan and Harlan Smith) are not really affected by the events of the game, since no matter what your decision was in the game's epilogue, (spare a politician to allow Japan to start WWIII or execute him and have Japan nuked AGAIN) both characters are like "Welp, here we go again!". The events of the game were kicked off by a terrorist plot that got in the way of World Peace, which reflects a cynicism that "War won't end, because people 'bigger' than us keeps wanting it to happen."

 

The final proper level of the game uncovers a conspiracy which states that the Secretary of Education determines who rules the government, since elections are held in schools. Again, relevant when you consider that the Republican Party in the U.S. are more focused on stuffing the courts, which determines which laws can be enforced and can therefore let the people they like get away with anything!

SPOILERS END

If you critically consume what you play, then killer7 will give you plenty to chew on. It's nowhere near perfect, but the bewilderment you'll face every step of the way makes it worth your time, and makes it the best old game I played in 2024. I have no intention of going back, but I think about this game all the time. 

Also you can play as a luchador with grenade launcher and headbutts bullets out of the air.

NEW GAMES OF 2024 RUNNERS UP

5. Paper Trail (PC): Like Brothers, it takes its puzzle mechanics to the absolute limit, and guides you gently enough to where you feel like a smarty whenever you solve the next puzzle, as to be expected from the developer's previous game, Hue. 

 

4. Mouthwashing (PC): I liked the GAMEPLAY of Paper Trail over that of (what little of it there was it) in Mouthwashing, but the overall presentation of its story and an OH SHIIIIIT moment early in the game made me bump it up a spot to give it a recommendation as a game you need to experience.

3. Crow Country (PC): A lot of reviews are copping to the obvious Resident Evil and FF7 comparisons, but it can very much stand aside those games in a PS1 demo-disc, especially when it has plenty of new tricks up its sleeve and some desperately needed QoL changes that make this go down smoother as it ramps up the overworld difficulty in the late game. 

 

2. Strange Scaffold's Output in 2024 (Life Eater, Clickolding, I Am Your Beast) (PC): Strange Scaffold did A LOT to pad out my games to beat in 2024, and this is a studio to watch because Xalavier Nelson Jr.'s and his team have a penchant for making games that are spontaneous, yet confident, whether it's the "behind the scenes of Saw" horror of Life Eater, the visceral "FUCK YEAH" thrills of I Am Your Beast, or the ability to turn an inside joke into a game like Clickolding. 

#1 NEW GAME OF 2024: Balatro (PC)

 

 

 

 

 

I have not played this game in months because I physically had to stop myself. It was incredible seeing people scoff at "Poker With Spells", only to say "I get it..." an hour after playing. The game was more or less developed by one guy as a coding practice, and shot up to Game Of The Year nominations all over the internet. 

Winning your first run feels like a hard fought victory, and higher stakes require zeroing on the optimal strategy of what you've been presented. I've not made any Galaxy Brained plays, but like Vampire Survivors, I had to keep this game out of sight, out of mind because otherwise, I would play this game at every opportunity. 

However, I still yearn to reintroduce this game in to my life because it's so well designed. Like with Deus Ex, any time anyone mentions it, I still need to replay it and I get a liiiiiittle more back into it each time.

ANNUAL REMINDER I SHARE A BIRTHDAY WITH MC BAT COMMANDER

Actually, Christian Jacobs let me down this year:
-The AI video for "Whatever! Forever!"
-The weird tangents from the live show I saw in Ft. Lauderdale (even though for the most part the band was incredible)
-Him and his brother Parker Jacobs split ways with their brother Tyler, who helped with a lot of creative decisions for the band, and then Tyler got divorced, became homeless for a time, and then got disowned when he came out as bisexual a few years after they were out of his life.

Allegedly MCBC has been trying to repair things, and he isn't as much of a whackjob as Parker, but this just puts everything in a bad light and leaves me feeling a little sour over someone I've seen as a guiding light for so many years. 

Though there is a lesson in that. MCBC has to be MCBC, I don't. I can be me. 

Maybe something else will go in this section next year, but right now I'll leave you some lyrics from "Grey Muzzle" that will keep you around until then:
It goes to say
That we're still in play
And that's a damn good reason to sta

Status Quo Sunday Wants To Meet Jessica Harper

 *dusts this off* All right, let's get back to it... but first!

RACCOON CITY THRASHERS SHIRTS ARE NOW OFFICIALLY FOR SALE! 

 

People were psyched to get them at FWA, and now since FWA is over, my stock is for sale on Bandcamp! Scronce did a really good job on the design, and the printers are the same people who did my Swoletariat shirts, so they're built to last!

Speaking of FWA...

TFF and FWA were A-OK!

Made the rounds to Dallas and Atlanta this year, and while the specifics fade away, there's still PLENTY of highlights!

For Texas Furry Fiesta, I got to meet up with Luis Huerta, aka GamutFeathers, who has whimsical watercolor style, and if you follow the Pomodoro streams, did the "Fangs Of Fury" design practice that became a staple of me making up songs on the fly.

He came to my show, AND gave me a signed Lorcana card! I still need to play my first game, but I'll be sure to slot this in! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Furry Weekend Atlanta could be best summed up with this picture:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From left to right, Enbiety, me and Scronce, and FWA was the first time we were all in the same room together. UB and Scronce are not only incredible supportive of my music, but also me as a person. I love them both very much, and could not ask for better friends. Even on our worst days, we always encourage each other to keep going.

It was also UB's first furry convention! We met back when I was regularly playing anime cons, and was floored by the sheer difference in enthusiasm, especially when it came to my shows.

Scronce is also wearing the shirt he designed! It started off as kind of a joke in our discord, but then he drew a flxing Thrash and we took it off from there. YES HE GOT PAID FOR IT. HE DOES GOOD ART, BRENT.

Before I go into the next section, I want to give a shout out to the AV teams for TFF and FWA, because they were on point the whole time. I still feel weird asking for stuff, because it's just little old me, but both cons did their best to match my freak as the kids like to say.

Discord Movie Nights: A Jessica Harper Double Feature

In an attempt to cross more movies off my "To Do" list, I've made a list of movies I haven't watched yet to go through. In an attempt to put more stuff on this site, I'll be talking about them a little bit, because let's face it, I do ignore this place A LOT. 

Phantom Of The Paradise

Phantom of the Paradise is a rock opera from 1974 directed by Brian De Palma. A songwriter, Winslow Leach, has his version of Faust stolen from him by a greedy record exec, Swan, played by Paul Williams.

I first found out about this movie through, of all things, a short made by Matthew Gafford set in his totally original universe, A Fox In Space.

The blue bird, who's totally not Falco Lombardi from the Star Fox series, is dressed as Winslow Leach, once he adopts a disguise and starts interfering with the opening of The Paradise, Swan's latest venue. Didn't know anything about it, it just looked fucking cool. 

Phantom fucking GOES after a couple brief songs that introduces a fictional nostalgia band, and Winslow's song. After that, he gets ripped off, goes to jail, gets his teeth ripped out, escapes, gets deformed and starts killing people. 70's movies have a reputation for feeling slow, but Phantom avoids the pitfall by filling long shots with a unique sense of dread, like "OooohhhhhHHHHH"

Jessica Harper plays Phoenix, a singer auditioning for Swan's new production, and GOD DAMN WHY DIDN'T ANYBODY TELL ME ABOUT HER BEFORE? She's pretty and has this voice that draws you in, Very reminiscent of Karen Carpenter. 

Overall, it's a very simple premise that's been done before: the music industry is like a deal with the devil, the humble creative vs. the greedy producer, blah blah, we've seen it before. BUT, it's presented in such an exciting and gonzo matter, with performances that for how over the top the material is, are very reserved, Phantom of the Paradise draws you in to see what's around the corner.

Right after the movie finished, I looked up how old Paul Williams was when he made this because he looked super old, and he was 34. I'm 36. People aged differently back then.

Shock Treatment

If I had a nickel for every movie I've seen where Jessica Harper plays a woman who performs well as a one off thing and then gets wrapped up in super stardom where she ends up constantly performing under the influence of drugs, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but weird it's happened twice. 

Shock Treatment is the 1981 sequel/follow-up to the seminal Rocky Horror Picture Show, dircrected Jim Sharman, and co-written by him and Richard O' Brien, the latter being responsible for the ICONIC music from RHPS. It follow Brad and Janet, now married, in the audience at a television studio. They aooear on the game show "Marriage Maze", and Brad is committed to an institution in the name of Mental Health.

The setting makes it feel very uncomfortable to watch, because it ALL takes place INSIDE the aforementioned television studio. There's no outdoor establishing shots, or off-site locations, and even "outdoor" scenes, where Janet's dad mows the lawn is done on this over-lit, AstroTurf garage. During the song "Lullaby" where everyone goes to sleep, there's a shot of the television audience asleep in their seats. It feels more like the movie takes place in a prison than in a studio.

It's not as memorable as Rocky Horror, but it ends up being more relevant, since it revolves around the themes of Americana propaganda, and ignoring your exploitation and real human problems in the search of fame. 

That being said, there still are some good songs, I'm partial to the opening number, "Thank God I'm A Man", and "Breaking Out". AND, like Phantom, I became aware of this movie in a very stupid way. 

Marc With A C made a cover album for it:

I'm like Slumdog Millionaire when it comes to movies. I ALSO HAVEN'T SEEN SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. 

JAM OF THE WEEK: "Hot To Go" by Chappell Roan

It's the end of Pride Month, I'm Bisexual, you do the math.