Megaplex was a bit stressful to say the least: I had a lot of panels to manage on TOP of my show, it was in a new, bigger hotel, and Ron Desantis's Fucktarded Bullshit led the con to be only 18+.
What panels you say? WELL ALLOW ME TO BREAK IT DOWN:
One thing that came with being in a new hotel is not being a 100% sure how to use the space, so panel rooms didn't have much of a flow to them as previous years. I wasn't on main stage, so I was in a panel room, that was off the beaten path, even though everything was very well sign posted.
The show itself went very well, even though it is show #0293-01385 where I do realize I have to invest in monitor.
Still, I gave it my all, and the crowd walked away VERY happy!
This came together WAY better than I expected! I was able to get 5 panelists, and it turned out to be just enough to fill up the hour and get three full rounds.
Bara Panel
This started off a little awkward getting the setup ready, but we had a packed house and hopefully got people an education in drawing beef men. I also got my chest drawn on, and it got weirdly emotional toward the end.
Even though I was commentary, me and Anubis worked VERY well together, and it was so popular we were meeting up with people at 3 AM afterward!
Sunday I just sold in Artist Alley. I also did the escape room, which was card game themed this year, so I was into it. Very Yu-Gi-Oh reliant, so I wasn't able to blaze through it as quick as I could, but regardless I'm always impressed by escape room tech.
Some other highlights:
1. Got to meet Xeno/Scronce, for the first time IRL.
He's done so much for me and has been such an enthusiastic supporter of my music that it was an HONOR.
also he gave me uppies
2. I full suited for the first time ever!
I learned a lot from taking it for a field test, namely what works and doesn't work walking around for extended periods of time.
3. I kept meeting a lot of people from the fandom I recognize, and also are familiar with my work, including Renard, who I commissioned a story from, and WANTED to reference my music in the story!
The show's all wrapped up and lucky you, Thrash invites
you out behind the venue where he's got something stiff for ya!
Featuring rosemary, lime, tequila, the woods and some other "behind the
venue" scents!
This shirt blew up a bit on Twitter and Bluesky, so I bit the bullet and made the design available.
A shirt with for men, women and otherwise with chests to be proud of! If you can bench three plates, or bang out a lot of pushups, this offers some helpful suggestions on how to refer to your prodigious prized pecs!
JAM OF THE WEEK: "I Don't Wanna Be Me" by Type O Negative
Peter Steele is one of those hunky men Kelly Turnbull is always going on about, and when aforementioned Jeff dropped this in my Discord, my curiosity to FINALLY hear what this large man sounds like piqued.
He sounds fucking awesome.
Now, I HAVE heard that this is one of their more straightforward songs instrumentation-wise, but this is EXACTLY my speed, even if the rest of their catalogue is more gothic. It's this heart-wrenching, primal growl of a song about how Peter Steele, due to his addictions and health issues, didn't want to be himself anymore, but he had to keep going.
"Please don't dress in black When you're at his wake Don't go there to mourn But to celebrate"
is SUCH a fucking hard line that's like "I don't want people to mourn the end of my life, but to celebrate the end of my suffering and that attitude has gotten me through so many losses of loved ones over the years. And THEN it's followed by wailer of a guitar solo.
The music video is Balls Of Fury guy doing shtick.
HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW HUMANS? I TOTALLY REMEMBERED TO MAKE AN UPDATE POST ANTHROCON!
I WAS AT ANTHROCON!
This was it, my biggest con yet, and it took a while to get there. It was a hectic day, and I was nervous as fuck, but during my set, all that anxiety melted away. Special thanks to ChaoticK9 for having me on his Furry Musicians Panel, and for Pepper Coyote for allowing me and the other musicians some space at his table.
You can watch the full set here!
Now, some general impressions:
1. I don't know what Owen's talking about, Pittsburgh is a perfectly cromulent city. Then again, there was a smoke warning during the weekend, so uh, that might have set some things back.
A lesson I'm learning from these cons is to just go off grounds more and take public transit because A. it's cheaper and B. I get to see more of these locations that are just beautiful.
2. Speaking of seeing more of the city, Anthrocon has a little street fair and while I didn't see much of it, it was nice having this little bit where we can walk outside, get food truck food, and eat outside at the many restaurants that were like "Fuck it, why not?"
3. They had Pawperty Damage in the game room! I don't know how people took it, but WHO CARES?!? It's there!
4. Fursuiters brought out their A Game:
5. I just got to meet up with a shit ton of people I know from online, and several of them were like, actually excited to meet me! Namely a couple members of the crew from the Visual Novel I'm doing VO work for, Chord Progressions.
(that's me, 3rd from the left)
MEGAPLEX 2023: OH GEEZ I'M GONNA BE SO BUSY YOU GUYS
Ever wondered what makes music tick? Multiple furry musicians from
different backgrounds have come together to share their different
approaches to writing songs, marketing their work, making music videos
and growing their communities as well as how they are turning creating
music from a hobby into a career path. Along with a Q&A session at
the end of the panel, each musician will take turns describing their
work and their journey to how they became a part-time or full-time
musician as well as their plans where they want to take their work in
the near future. With a combined total of nearly 1 billion plays across
the internet between the panelists, each brings a unique perspective to
the topic of being a furry musician online in 2023.
I was on this panel at Anthrocon this year, and it was great answering a lot of people's questions and passing on what we all knew!
Hardcore Nerdcore Punk Rock comes back to Megaplex when Rhythm Bastard cranks it up to 11! You like video games? Comics? Card games? Songs about Thrash Punk playing raccoons? Come on down and open the pit up!
Not a Main Event stage, but hopefully I still have a good set up!
Scratch Game SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th, 2023
11:00 AM-12:00 PM, TOURNAMENTS
You've heard of Match Game, you've heard of Snatch
Game, now get ready for SCRATCH GAME! Contestants try to match answers
given by "celebrity" panelists to fill-in-the-blank questions!
I get to pretend to be RuPaul, only without the fracking! I hope I get some people to be panelists who actually know what Match Game is!
In this panel Anubis is gonna help you master the art of drawing Bara bodies and how to draw big muscled dudes.
Anubis draws Bara, I am Bara, works out perfectly.
JAM OF THE WEEK: "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit Ft. Jess Glynne
This one's been bouncing around in my head a lot, and I've mentioned before that I'm a sucker for some 90's house music. I rediscovered it after Professor Shyguy covered it during one of his streams and it hit me how much I loved this song.
It's light and uplifting, and it eases you in with violin and soft synths that sound like wind chimes. For those of you looking for the definition of "ear candy", look no further, as "Rather Be" knows when to add a little something to improve the texture: The synth drop in during the repeat of the refrain, the violin becoming more present in the second pre-chorus, and descening piano before the bridge keep this song as an active listen.
The music video, even though the plot is "girl goes crazy from seeing Clean Bandit everywhere" is just so soothing. It's long shots of urban Japanese life and for however hectic it can be, the chaos keeps things simple. It makes me feel nostalgic for back when I lived in New York and trips into the city were a regular occurrence.
One criticism though? Those business guys in the restaurant have NO sense of rhythm.
I've done a bunch of shit since the last SQS, so let's go!
FURRY WEEKEND ATLANTA
WOW, WHAT A WEEKEND! I'm serious, this show popped the FUCK off, and I couldn't be happier! I made a bunch of new fans, sold a lot of merch, and most importantly...
THEY GAVE ME A MIC STAND!
Also I was a host for the live Fastest Furs event, which while relatively uneventful given my timeslot, was a great place to meet people I've only seen on the other side of a Twitch stream, and really, why else do we show up to these conventions?
Still incredible that we made 60% more than our goal for the Animal Park Conservatory!
Excited to go back next year, and yes, I will be getting TWO MIC STANDS! Maybe three? I dunno.
Atlanta's also been the city where I've been putting a lot of my job applications, because as you might have seen in the news, Florida ain't going too great...
A funny story I got is that I got a call for a job interview on the elevator at the con... while on my way to a Himbo Hooters meetup!
FUTURE SHOWS
Anime Festival Orlando- June 17th, 2023, 8 PM Open Panel Room
AKA The only anime convention that hasn't pissed me off yet! I remember actually doing pretty well, but this year it's the same weekend as CommanderFest Orlando, so I'm trying to get some cross promotion going. Of course, I will make it plenty early so everyone can jam in some commander games with me :D
This is the big time, y'all! I'm going to be crammed in a room, but this is the best way I can make it work on such short notice. THE PREMIERE furry con (well, at least until Midwest Fur Fest) but this is such a big opportunity, I'm making it count!
Hey, a game I did music for made it to the final game!
It's a tight little package that is a well constructed experience. There's not a whole lot there mind you, but what is there is 100% solid.
I would like to do more music for it, especially if and when they plan to make more content for it. Hopefully someone else can run with it.
JAM OF THE WEEK: "Call Of The Void" by Mutoid Man
My friend Milt introduced me to these guys through the series "Two Minutes To Late Night", where they are the house band. Coincidentally, 2M2LN directed the video, and Jordan Olds/Gwarsenio Hall makes an appearance as an "Imagineer"/Jonesy Spencerson. Mutoid Man is the name of a boss from the game Smash TV, and this is the closest I've seen them pay homage to its namesake.
"Call Of The Void" FUCKING GOES. It's constant motion and whining, screeching chaos that belies a song about avoiding despair, which GIVEN EVERYTHING is very necessary. I can "hear" everything without it devolving into noise or "Put Me In Clone Hero" shredding. Just a well put together song that varies up its central conceit to keep it recognizable without having it get dull or overly "pop"
One thing I like noticing in TV shows and such is when a character that's a robot has mechanical whirring effects dubbed in later like Jimmy The Robot from "The Aquabats Super Show". Here, the band is portrayed as an animation band, and YUP, the got the little whirs. Don't worry nothing bad happens, trust me.
I dropped it for Bandcamp Fridayand it's probably my favorite things I've written so far!
I'M GOING TO TEXAS FURRY FIESTA!
Yes, my FIRST Texas Furry Fiesta! It's my first time playing, so I'm a little nervous, but I'm bringing a bunch of new songs to my repertoire, and going to make this one HELL of a show!
Bringing a bunch of new songs with me (see aforementioned "Hop On!"), including some new covers, one of which from a VERY Texas band, and since the theme is "Attack Of The Jackaluffles!", I'm throwing in some stuff from a certain Science Fiction Double Feature ;)
I'M ALSO GOING TO BE AT FURRY WEEKEND ATLANTA!
Fastest Furs is making their IRL Debut at FWA, and I'm a host! My sexy voice will be reading your donations Saturday afternoon!
AND I'll be playing a show! Hopefully, with a mic stand!
JAM OF THE WEEK: "Whirring" by The Joy Formidable
Yet another song I got from a video game, "Whirring" comes to us from the Welsh band The Joy Formidable, and every word describes this song to a T.
Whirring - The intro, a dizzy plucked arpeggio feels like I'm coming out of a dreamy haze, and the outro speeds by so quickly that it leaves my with a hardcore adrenaline rush.
The- pass
Joy- The song is about a relationship that you can't quite get together but the thought of it, and the swooning just lifts you up to the goddamn sky.
Formidable - For a song that starts out so delicately, it knows when to HIT, especially toward the end in this version with like, two solid minutes of soloing
"Whirring" plays toward the end of Hi-Fi Rush in the battle before the final boss fight, right after an emotionally powerful scene where Chai, the wannabe rockstar hero, saves his friends and leads the charge to take on the big bad.
The opening notes play as the protagonists walk slowly toward the camera, and throughout the level, every big fight scene is punctuated with the chorus belted out by lead singer Rhiannon Bryan and ends with you fighting a big robot to the intensely chaotic.
Right then and there I knew that I'd be staying up late finishing the game, and it would be a strong contender for GOTY.
Well, no I’m doing… stable. I guess the scary 35 is here, and I wonder if all of this is worth it.
However, even though I didn’t do a lot of music this year, I still traveled a lot: this year alone was Maryland for Magfest, Atlanta for FWA, Chicago for MFF, and I went back to Orlando TWICE.
I guess that’s what Rhythm Bastard has been for me: A way to get out. Out of my shell, out in to the world, outside of my own head. People recognized me at these places and it finally felt like I was getting somewhere.
Until my Twitter suspension, but I don’t want to dwell on that.
But even that doesn’t deter me because as inconvenient as it was, it made me try harder and starting over helped me slim down and learn how to cultivate an online space, which is a necessity in these anger-inducing times, but more on that later
My inspirations like MC Bat Commander, Mark Mothersbaugh and Billie Joe Armstrong are 40+ and are still doing goofy shit, so why can’t I?
TWO UPCOMING SHOWS SOON: OTAKUFEST AND BIT BRIGADE
Otakufest (as I'll post later) is the best South FL anime con, and Bit Brigade is the REAL show I'm working hard on!
At long last! I've been saying "I'll get around to it!" for over 2 years, but now it's finally out! It's a best of/road mix but at the first couple cons I've been able to sell it at, it also boosted the sales of my OTHER albums as well!
FAVORITE SONG I MADE THIS YEAR: “Shutdown”
I didn’t do a lot on Patreon song wise this year, it was a lot of build up for other projects, and I guess I was in a malaise, hence why I started doing weekly updates for my Patreon. It felt like I was doing SOMETHING with you all.
Shoutout to ThirdKoopa from GameGrooves for helping me out immensely with this, and for introducing me to the concept of “ear candy” that gave the song a big boost.
Also helped the stories for Neon Dynasty and New Capenna ended up being really good? It was VERY clear that there were themes to explore within the setting of tech vs. nature, and that was a NATURAL fit for Shutdown.
PODCASTS I'M A PART OF! RPG Pals Club-
…We’re wrapping up at 100 episodes which should be soon.
The Dragon Heist Campaign has been wrapped up, we’ve all had big changes in our lives, ONE OF US HAD A BABY! It sucks, especially with late stage RPG Pals being so fun and carefree with our improvisation, but the podcast itself is stagnating. We can have fun without needing to record and edit it.
As much as I love my punk drow monk and his motley crew, maybe opening their dog cafe is the “ride off into the sunset” moment he needed.
I love Luke, Sahoni, Sam, Jean and Madison so much, and want to keep playing with them.
Taste Of Dragons-
Not only do I do their theme song, but I was FINALLY ON! I have not seen these people in person since the pandemic started and it was great to see the 3KB crew again!
OTHER COOL SHIT I DID Did music for Quinton Reviews I made the fake “credits" to the actually real "Gibby!" pilot for his "The Scandal Of Sam and Cat" video. Quinton's one of my favorite Youtubers and I was really glad I got to work with him on this.
A lot of Backhouse Mike's music sound like "What if Nine In The Afternoon by Panic At The Disco sucked?". Definitely "White Guy Who Is OK At Blues Guitar" energy.
I Was Interviewed By One Of The Largest Furry News Sites, Dogpatch Press Damn, what is it with furry outlets and good interviews? Dogpatch Press has been in the game for a while, covering a lot of very diverse topics within the fandom, so it was a huge honor. Patch O' Furr really talked me up AND I STILL WANT THAT CAT/RACCOON GRUDGE MATCH!
Finished a fursuit Full body, front and back with muscles included. There's a shitton of pictures in various stages of completion, but I have it COMPLETED. There's still some work to be done in regards to giving that bitch some ventilation, but I'm so happy I was able to accomplish what I have, learning so many new skills in the process.
Even made a last minute Sly Cooper costume for it!
Played a bunch of new conventions
MAGFest - National Harbor, MD What if a con had everything you wanted in it? And was reasonably walkable to decent food?
Otakufest - Miami, FL
What if a local FL anime con was good?
Furry Weekend Atlanta - Atlanta, GA I don't need a mic stand to fucking shred. But I love attending these big conventions where I can do nothing but play Commander games all weekend.
Midwest Furfest - Rosemont, IL PAX East for all my furry bullshit. Well, not really. PAX East is where I see a bunch of shiny new stuff, MFF was more meeting people I've only known online through handles and hashtags.
Made Stuff In VR Chat SPEAKING OF FURRY BULLSHIT...
i swear to xenagos there should be like a double jeopardy on this shit
TREND I LIKED THE LEAST: DIVORCED DADS MAKING THEIR CASTRATION OUR PROBLEM
Elon Musk, Kanye West, and Johnny Depp are the biggest examples of this, but a lot of the Proud Boys here in South Florida are so divorced, I'm starting to think that Fidel Castro invented the concept of alimony.
If you want to stem the rise of fascism, just award the man at every divorce a certificate saying that they "Won The Divorce". That's what it is: people who wrap up their self worth not in what they do, but in a preassigned role in the hierarchy.
See also: Men who only have children to prove that they're straight. If their children turn out Not Straight, then that means he is "defective", bringing into question his Straightness. Drag is not "Straight" so it will infect the child, where as Hooters and church is considered reinforcing How It Should Be
TREND I LIKED THE MOST: COMMUNITY SOLIDARITY For all the threats of men in the former category wanting to murder people for being Not Straight, local communities showed up in numbers to protect each other, especially when Antifascists show up armed to scare the gravy seals.
Yeah, I know it's not some video game or internet thing, but half my brand is Being Swole, and I found a new routine that works for me.
Long story short, 8 sets, 8 reps, 30 seconds of rest. I do four exercises per workout focusing on two different muscle groups. It's time efficient, gets me a good pump, and forces me to retreat a little on the weight so I can make sure I'm hitting those SIXTY FOUR REPS with the best form I can. Work out wise, I've been in a rut for a while, and this is getting me out of it!
NOT FOR BEGINNERS, THOUGH.
FAVORITE SONG OF 2022: "C'mon Loretta" by Trixie Mattel
Trixie Mattel has two modes: Catchy as fuck Pop-Rock or introspective country. "C'mon Loretta" is a power pop tribute to the late country star Loretta Lynn, that still has the storytelling DNA of the latter genre. In Trixie's usual fashion, it's a dire story, told with a peppy and uplifting facade.
Of course, the video is pure sunshine-y camp, recreating the Bille Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs match, featuring a cameo from UNHhhh co-star Katya.
TOP 40 SONG I HATED THE LEAST IN 2022: "About Damn Time" by Lizzo
This was no contest, Lizzo rules, and has been a shining star in the pop music landscape in the past few years. About Damn Time is a disco song with fun turns of phrase like "I'm gonna need two shots in my cup: One to get up, one to get down" and "Bad Bitch O' Clock/Thick Thrity" and it's impossible to feel anything close to bad while listening to this.
OLD GAME OF 2022 RUNNERS UP: 5. A Golden Wake (PC)- An historical point-and-click adventure game that's perfect if you want something light and, like me, are an NY to FL transplant that will have plenty of "Oh! I know that place!" moments, even though the game has you playing a Floridian realtor in the 1920s who turns to crime, which reminds me of how his counterpart 100 years later will turn to divorced Fascism.
4. Doom (Switch)- Hey, turns out the old FPS that influenced many other it its wake is a good game!
3. Danganronpa v3: Killing Harmony (PC)- Its conclusion is similar to Zero Escape in that it will leave you wondering "Well what's the point?" but the madcap happenings will make you forget about all that and leave you with an hype swan song for the series that FINALLY MANAGES TO MAKE HANGMANS GAMBIT NOT SUCK!!!
2. Grand Theft Auto IV (PC)- Everyone was sour on this game for "NIKO, IT'S YOUR COUSIN!" and being less humorous than its predecessor, but the game tells a story about how the American Dream is a bunch of bullshit upheld by crooks and liars and gets the immigrants to turn to crime to scrape at each other in a New York City expy that felt so real I teared up a little just driving through the different boroughs.
#1 OLD GAME OF 2022: Timespinner (PC)
Jeff was kind enough to gift me this out of the blue and once I was an hour in, I then played it in its entirety on stream. Metroidvania's are a dime-a-dozen, especially in the indie scene and this wears it's "I LOVED SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT" inspiration like a lighthouse beacon. I never played Symphony of the Night.
Where Timespinner shines is how it uses the "AHA!" Moment, in every aspect of both its setting and its gameplay.
As the name implies, you'll be traveling between two separate time zones, as you play the role of a titular "Timespinner", someone who is tasked with going back in time to warn your tribe about danger, at the cost of you essentially restarting a new life since you were erased in the old one. It makes for some very bittersweet moments, but also allows some very intense AHAs! when you finally are able to warp between time periods.
For example, when you first encounter the castle area, you encounter it in the past, so the technology is medival, and while the soldiers are tougher than the flora and fauna you've been tackling thus far, they don't do THAT much damage. But in the "present", the soliders are more technologically advanced, are tougher, and require new strategies to beat. And that's just the tip of it: Flooded areas drain, pathways become blocked by walls that have crumpled over time, even basic layouts become rearranged.
It's a game that builds all of these connections as you play concluding in one grand tearjerker of an ending.
NEW GAME OF 2021 RUNNERS UP: 5. Beacon Pines (PC)- While it doesn't have a whole lot of game play going on, its hand painted presentation and wholesome, 80s movie adventure left giving it a solid recommendation to play through.
4. Vampire Survivors (PC)- The indie darling everyone's been talking about hits all the brain parts of a clicker, but has enough strategy required to make it a game worth coming back to that has plenty of challenges to shoot for.
3. Grapple Dog (PC)- While it juuuuuust misses the mark by being failed by its main mechanic in the later levels, it's still an extremely well designed platformer with a soundtrack that recreates the 90s in all the best ways, mainly with orchestral hits.
2. Neon White (PC)- A platformer experience that starts and ends strong, and keeps you coming back for more creative ways to explore your environment, Neon White also has the crisp art style and strong audio aesthetic that makes the game feel like a fever dream.
#1 NEW GAME OF 2022: Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers (PC)
Two years in a row! Kinda!
Where it's predecessor took notes from the workplace romance sitcoms of yesteryear, Arcade Spirits: The New Challnegers takes its cues from the 80's Sports Movie, complete with a douchebag rival team and a gang of misfits you work your may to the top. If you're coming off of harder fare like say, an Echo or Adastra, this is like a sweet, fluffy cotton candy after that meal from the movie The Menu.
Arcade Spirits is not a series about MAKING DECISIONS, it's about HANDLING SITUATIONS. It's more about whether or not you, for example, handle a dispute between teammates by being aggressive, humourous, or logical, making every piece of dialogue feel natural and like you're just carrying on a conversation. While there are certain interactions you can "fail", those are more like "There's no good way to handle this". Towards the end there are "Boss" interactions but those are more about leaning in to your natural way of handling things.
Can I just say, as I posted on a Twitter thread, this game addresses social issues WAY better than most media out there? Discussion about social justice and those who pursue it (BASED COMRADE BOYFRIEND LOCKSLEY), the Gamer Branding, technology and its consequence, all written in a fairly lighthearted story about playing Not League Of Legends.
ANNUAL REMINDER I SHARE A BIRTHDAY WITH MC BAT COMMANDER:
