RNF Weekly Chat Archive: September 2024
This is a collection of episodes 3-7 of RNF Weekly Chat, which is hosted on the Home Page. I apologize for any typos (like the one in this sentence) as I right these on the day of post usually.
Episode 3: September 3rd, 2024-September 7th, 2024
Sup you beautiful bastards, welcome to another fantabulous (and not at all late) episode of RNF Weekly chat. Week 3 baby! And the start of a new month. August kinda sucked dick for me personally, outside of RNF starting properly, so here's hoping that September is much better and we can continue expanding the RNF experience. Starting something I've wanted to begin for a long time now feels so good, and I can't wait for what the future holds. In other good news, the weather is getting cooler and that's always something to celebrate. I'm a fall guy personally....
No....just, what? Not at all what I was...
Ok...let's just get on with the show.
Weekly Schedule:
All Times Are in Eastern Time
* Sunday, September 1st
-Just this chat (Which totally came out on time)
* Monday, September 2nd
-Nothing
-Happy Labor Day if you celebrate though.
* Tuesday, September 3rd
-RNF Pokémon Quests #76 (2 PM-Pokémon Quests)
* Wednesday, September 4th
- Random Shitpost (12 PM-RNF Treasure Trove)
-RNF Pokémon Quests #77 (2 PM-Pokémon Quests)
* Thursday, September 5th
-RNF Pokémon Quests #78 (2 PM-Pokémon Quests)
* Friday, September 6th
-RNF Pokémon Quests #79 (2 PM-Pokémon Quests)
* Saturday, September 7th
-Nothing
Firstly, I'd like to apologize. Despite my promises, RNF Games is not starting this week and I honestly don't have any excuse, other than just I put too much on my plate and couldn't devote the time needed to edit the first batch of videos. This is totally on me and my lack of planning, and I apologize. This is something I'm just going to have to figure out as RNF continues forward. So I apologize for this misstep. Weirdly enough I got a new position at work recently where I also feel like I've been fucking up, and my coworker gave me some wonderful advice. I can't learn anything without messing up. So while this does suck, I'm not going to beat myself up too much and just try to do better. Jokes aside too, that's also why this episode is so fucking late. Going forward I'm going to try to keep my metaphorical plate smaller and less full. And also create a better scheduling system to help me balance work, my personal life, and my creative passions.
With all that said we still have some fun stuff happening this week. 4 more episodes of Pokémon Quests which will feature the continuation of the Maractus hunt, and the Eevee outbreak event. Next week to I plan to post the remaining Maractus episodes. Then after that, I may take a small hiatus to focus on making thumbnails for the series. If you haven't noticed only the first 12 episodes of the show have thumbnails and even then they're very simplistic. This is because Pokémon Quests wasn't something I was taking as seriously as I should've taken it for a long time. I still tried to make something good with it, but I always just saw it more as a way to preserve my journies in the Pokémon games more than anything and was a lot more lax with it for a long time there. But as I got further into making the series, and started to hone my craft, there came a piece of me that wanted to take it more seriously. And that includes making thumbnails for the episodes and not just using the default ones YouTube suggests to me. You may also notice an improvement in commentary in these newest episodes and going forward. So I'm currently working on thumbnails for the last set of episodes that were released, and the next dozen of episodes too. As for the older episodes, I'll probably just use the simplistic thumbnails I did for the first 12 for convenience. But I want to make an active effort of improvement going forward and these latest episodes seem like a good place to start. I want to get all the Shiny Maractus hunt episodes out first before I take this little break though just so there are no long gaps in that little series of episodes. I'm really excited to get caught up with these PQ uploads. I think the Indigo Disk DLC and Volume 6 are some of the best content I've recorded for the show so far and it's coming out publically very very soon. I hope you all look forward to it.
And of course, we got that shitpost I was teasing last week. Which I decided will technically be the first video on RNF Treasure Trove. But the first serious video will still have to wait until RNF Day, which I still plan for October 9th. Yeah, that's another thing I realized. If I keep at how I'm going right there's no hope that RNF Day will happen on time. Hopefully, these changes I'm planning to implement are what I need and we can continue as planned.
And, in good news, despite these changes Danganronpa: LIVe or Die is still planned to return on the 9th. Just one week away. I plan to record the final episodes either tonight or tomorrow so at least not everything is falling apart due to my incompetence.
Song of the Week:
September By Earth, Wind & Fire
A lot of people today will tell you it's cringe, or whatever stupid word they've made up to bully people. But fuck it. I'm assuming most of you are alone in your room reading this, or around people you trust and care for. Just let loose. Start off this month right.
So shout out to September for always reminding us to not take ourselves too seriously. I think this interview quote from Allee Willis for NPR, the songwriter along with Maurice White, sums up my thoughts. For context, throughout the song White sings "ba-dee-ya" quite often. Willis apparently didn't like this nonsense word. And yeah, it is one of those things that's easy to riff on when you hear it like we were discussing earlier. I know I definitely made fun of it in my more cynical youth. Anyway, Willis wanted that part rewritten. Eventually, he went on to say: "I just said, 'What the fuck does 'ba-dee-ya' mean?' And he essentially said, 'Who the fuck cares?' I learned my greatest lesson ever in songwriting from him, which was never let the lyric get in the way of the groove."
"That's OK, Allee. Maurice was right. It doesn't matter what it means. When we hear it, it's September 21st, and we are dancing again with our family, in a song that never really ends."
And I don't think I could describe this song any better.
September 1st:
- Jon Kent from the DC Universe
-Bakura Ryou/Ryo Bakura from Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters
The soft-spoken duelist, and holder of the Millennium Ring. Such a kind soul. Thank god he doesn't have an evil alter ego from ancient Egypt. Happy (late) Birthday, Bakura.
-Boa Hancock from One Piece
I know nothing about her, but while doing some research I stumbled upon her, and she is so fucking pretty. I guess Mermaid Melody is about mermaid idols, and she's one of the main characters. I do love mermaids, and I do love idols. I think I found the next anime I'm going to watch for RNF Anime Quests, whenever episode 1 finally drops. Apologies to my brother Jack who keeps trying to get me to watch Frieren. But like...you can't beat mermaid idols. Happy (late) Birthday, Rina.
-Doraemon from...take a guess.
One of the most iconic characters to come from Japan period. A robotic cat from the 22nd century. He's the star of a long-running manga series and 3 anime. The current one has been going on for almost 20 years. Some even consider it to be the Mickey Mouse of Japan. Hell, in 2008 he was appointed the anime ambassador by Japan's Foreign Ministry. He was also apparently portrayed by Bruce Willis at some point. I don't even have a joke for that. Happy Birthday, Doraemon.
Gonna be real, not one of my favorite fighters from the games. However, the idea of just a regular boxer in this tournament when everyone else is using fancy martial arts and energy balls is really funny and makes him look like an even bigger badass. Still being able to go toe to toe against all these freaks (I say that in the nicest way possible). Hell in his original game, he was one of the bosses. Unfortunately, according to the Street Fighter Wiki, he hates Chun-Li. And I can't accept anyone who disses my girl. But fine. Happy Birthday, Balrog. Have fun with your game room.
-Crow Hogan from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds
Hello, once again my buddies. My pals. My compadres. Other synonyms.
Welcome to the fourth week of RNF Weekly Chat. How are you all? Friday was probably one of the most stress-filled days I've had in a while so I'm taking today to relax and play some games. Maybe do some cleaning later. Either way, I'm feeling great now. Even got some recording done on a video for Treasure Trove coming sometime after RNF Day (which as a reminder is still happening on October 9th). So things are going pretty well over here right now. Which is lovely, and I hope you all can say the same. If not, I hope this week gets better for you. Anyway, we have a fun week ahead of us as far as RNF content goes. So let's jump into it.
Weekly Chat:
All times are in Eastern.
* Sunday, September 8th
-Nothing as usual
* Monday, September 9th
-Danganronopa: LIVe or Die Chapter 4 Daily Life (2 PM-Live and Unedited)
* Tuesday, September 10th
-Danganronpa: LIVe or Die Chapter 4 Deadly Life (2 PM-Live and Unedited)
* Wednesday, September 11th
-Danganronpa: LIVe or Die Chapter 5 Daily Life (2 PM-Live and Unedited)
-RNF Pokémon Quests #80 (5 PM-Pokémon Quests)
* Thursday, September 12th
-Danganronpa: LIVe or Die Chapter 5 Deadly Life (2 PM-Live and Unedited)
-RNF Pokémon Quests #81 (5 PM-Pokémon Quests)
* Friday, September 13th
-Danganronpa: LIVe or Die The End Part 1 (12 PM-Live and Unedited)
-Danganronpa: LIVe or Die The End Part 2 (2 PM-Live and Unedited)
-RNF Pokémon Quests #82 (5 PM-Pokémon Quests)
* Saturday, September 14th
-Nothing
So as we can see this week is packed with Danganronpa: LIVe or Die, and I'm very excited to get these out. These last 3 chapters are absolutely insane. It definitely has some of the best moments in the whole game, and I can't wait for you all to see my reactions to them. Also special shoutout to the team behind this game. They commented on the Chapter 2 Deadly Life video, which made me so happy. It was so cool to be noticed by the team even if it was just to let me know the song's name at the end of the chapter. It was still neat.
Anyway, this will sadly be the last week of LIVe or Die episodes. Maybe one day I'll play the bonus story, Synthetic Love. I hope one day I'll also be able to play the sequel, Survivor's Guilt, when that releases. And while we're finishing up LIVe or Die, Pokémon Quests will be having a finale of its own. Episode 82 is the last episode of the Shiny Maractus hunt. After that, I either give up, or I get it. So Friday is a big day. In fact, this whole week is pretty big. I think this is the most that's been listed on the weekly schedule so far. I hope you all are looking forward to it.
Like I mentioned briefly last time, Pokémon Quests will take a bit of a break so I can focus on making thumbnails for the last few and upcoming episodes. We'll get back to catching up with the uploads ASAP. But that's all for this weekly schedule. Sorry there's still no updates on RNF Games. My goal with that is just to get it out before RNF Day. Hopefully late September. I'm trying not to pressure myself so I'm sorta taking my sweet time. But it'll come soon. With that said, let's move on.
Song of the Week:
Continuing the trend from last week, I just wanted to focus on something fun this week. Though, admittedly, this one is a bit goofier.
Bailando by Paradisio
Bailando is a Spanish language song by a Belgian group known as Paradisio. Which seems strange, and you can kinda tell the Spanish is kind of simple. Hell, if you look at the English translation, you can see the song honestly doesn't have much meat on its bones lyrically. It has a lot of repeating phrases and random noises. Which makes sense, it is a dance song. In case you couldn't tell by the name. Bailando means dancing. So we essentially have a dance song called dance. But being a dance song it has more of a focus on fun beats and exciting energy. So what it lacks lyrically it makes up for in fun.
Honestly, the main reason I love this song is how quintessentially 90s it is. I mean just look at that fucking music video. It's all the goofiest tropes from the decade thrown into a blender to create an awesome, over-the-top smoothie of a music video. There are actually two versions of the music video. A Belgian one (the one I shared), and an international one. I actually originally meant to share the international one because that one is even sillier. Unfortunately, I guess the ability to embed the video on other sites was turned off meaning I couldn't put the video here. However, I can still post the link to it here. Take that YouTube.
But the editing for the international version is so insanely nonsensical. The Belgian version is silly too, but a lot more tame and more like a regular dance song video. It is probably objectively a better video, but it is a lot less memorable. Please do yourself a favor and watch the international video. It's so fucking crazy!
Of course, I wouldn't share this song just for that. I do genuinely find it a fun song as well. I'm not the biggest fan of simple dance songs like this, but I don't know. This one just does something for me. Maybe it's the vocals. The singer, MarÃa Isabel GarcÃa Asensio, is very talented and delivers the lyrics in a way that's perfect for this kind of song. It's fun and lighthearted while being a little sensual. The beat, made by DJ Patrick Samoy, is also very bouncy. A perfect tune to bust down to. I can't lie, it could also be because it's in Spanish as well. When it comes to foreign music I think Spanish and Japanese are my two favorites to hear music from overall. Spanish is just such a beautiful language, and I think even when it's so simplistic it's very melodic. It just brightens my mood, and I hope it brightens yours as well.
This Week's Character Birthdays:
September 8th:
-Asuka from Senran Kagura
The main character from the game series. Asuka is a free-spirited, hopeful Ninja in training.
Senran Kagura is honestly a lot of fun, even with the weirdness of it being about a bunch of high school Ninja girls who lose their clothes during combat, and Asuka is a lively protagonist to lead the series.
Even if googling her lead to some unfortunate pictures popping up in my search history. Happy Birthday, Asuka.
September 9th:
-Juvia Lockser from Fairy Tail
Juvia is a badass water mage that's a part of the Fairy Tail guild. She starts off a little secluded and cold before opening up a bit more. Also, I just think she looks neat. One of my favorite character designs in the series personally. Happy Birthday, Juvia.
September 10th:
-Aegis from Persona 3
Gonna keep it real, I've never played a Persona game. But my brother, Jack, is obsessed with it right now. So this one goes out to him. I'll probably play them some day. They do look cool, I just haven't got the conviction up to play through multiple 50-hour RPGs currently. As far as I know, Aegis is a robot. So that's neat. Happy Birthday, Aegis.
-Ami Mizuno AKA Sailor Mercury from Sailor Moon
Speaking of franchises my brother Jack loves, Sailor Moon. Thankfully I'm a lot more familiar with this one. And hey, another magical being who's powers focus on water (and ice and other water-based elements). Ami is the brains of the group, initially starting out as a shy girl who spent her time studying. She may honestly be my favorite of the Sailor Scouts, though that's hard for me to say with certainty. It's been a while since I consumed any Sailor Moon related media, so there's a good chance my taste may have changed. Either way, she's up there. Happy Birthday, Ami.
September 11th:
Honestly could not find any characters I was familiar enough with to add here. Which may be for the best considering the negative connotations of this day. There were a few anime characters, but none I knew. I would assume after 9/11 a lot of American creators were probably not comfortable on setting that as the birthdate for their characters. So that definitely explains the lack of choices.
I guess we could do what I did a couple episodes ago and choose the Animal Crossing character who's birthday is today. We actually have two.
-Peewee, a grouchy gorilla.
-Ione, a normal squirrel.
Ione is actually my favorite Animal Crossing villager so that's exciting. I didn't realize her birthday was today. She just has such a cool design, and I can't lie I think squirrels are adorable little critters. The space pattern on her tail though is just so neat. It kind of upsets me I never had her on my island.
Oh, and Peewee is cool too I guess. Uh...When you get his picture in Wild World the quote on it is "I AM BEHIND YOU" and the vague threatening aura that has is incredibly funny. So that's...something. Happy Birthday, Ione and Peewee.
September 12th:
-Cosmo Hojo from Pripara
Once again, I couldn't find any character I was familiar with. But this time I was able to find one that caught my eye. Cosmo Hojo from Pripara. I know nothing about Pripara, but she looks so fucking pretty. I really like space patterns on characters in case you can't tell. I would probably watch Pripara just for her, but it looks like she's more of a minor character. At least if the lack of info on the Pripara wiki is anything to go by. But fuck, I'm in love. Happy Birthday, Cosmo.
September 13th:
-Bella Swan from the Twilight book series
God, what can I say about Twilight that hasn't been mocked to death already. Bella is the titular character and is apparently catnip for sexy monster guys. I will say I used to be Team Jacob. This was coming from a guy who had no knowledge of the books, I just thought the werewolf was cooler. That was until I found out about him forcing a kiss on Bella, and imprinting on her daughter. Yeah, this guy screams incel creep. Make fun of Twilight all you want, but I think the fact that I care at least this much about the romance when I only have tertiary knowledge of the series goes to show how much of an impact it made on culture for a while there. And it was all headed by this girl. Notice how I didn't talk much about her though cause she's pretty plain. Happy Birthday, Isabella.
-Sakura Ogami from Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Now here's a badass female. And yes I know I talk about Danganronpa a lot. Sorry for enjoying stuff. But also for this segment specifically there are like 60 characters all with their own birthday. So yeah, it's gonna come up a lot. Sakura is the Ultimate Martial Artist, and I appreciate her buffer design considering how many Danganronpa girls are twig-shaped. I appreciate the diversity. I just wish they didn't make so many jokes about her looking like a man. Sakura is such a sweetheart. She doesn't deserve that. I also find her character one of the saddest ones in the first game, for reasons I can't get into. The point is, Sakura is cool. Happy Birthday, Sakura.
September 14th:
-Mary White from Sanrio
And let's end this segment celebrating the mother of one of the most popular fictional characters ever. Mary White, the mother of Hello Kitty herself. Everything you'd want from a mother. Kind, smart, and caring. Happy Birthday, Mary.
And that's all for the birthdays. As usual, let me know if I missed anyone. Happy Birthday to every character I didn't mention though. And if you have a birthday this week, I wish you a Happy Birthday as well.
And yet again that ends it for the Weekly Chat. I'd like to thank you all for joining me yet again. This week is looking like it'll be a lot of fun so I hope it's the same for all of you. Take care of yourselves, love y'all, and see you next time. Buh-bye!
"Video Log Number 444. It's December 20th, 2012. It's finally done. The little nuisance that's been holding back this project has been taken care of. Tomorrow, I will finally begin the plan to bring humanity to greater heights. I've sacrificed so much for this project. I've lost a lot of time trying to accomplish my goal. I've neglected my health, I missed so much going on outside as to remain focused, and I...I hurt my family. But this is bigger than me and my worries. This will change everything! Imagine the possibilities this project will grant to humanity. New resources we could use, new scientific discoveries. This could save humanity when the Earth becomes an unsuitable habitat. But enough, I've talked about all this multiple times in the previous 443 logs. Perhaps I'm still trying to justify the lengths I went to. But it's too late. I can't look back now when I'm so close to finishing my, no...the human race's, magnum opus. It's kind of poetic that the test run is happening tomorrow. The day that the Mayans allegedly predicted to be the end of the world. Maybe, in a way, they were right. Not that I think everything will cease to exist, nay, it will be quite the opposite. After the tests tomorrow we as a society will be in a completely new realm. To the point you could say it's like a whole new world. The world we currently know will come to an end when I open the path to the multiverse!"
Episode 5: September 18th, 2024-September 21st, 2024
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That's the sound of me cleaning my keyboard. Oh hey, welcome to Episode 5 of RNF Weekly Chat. I don't really have a lot to say and honestly, I want to keep today's episode low-key (I am experiencing very intense stomach pain). Maybe this episode will at least come out on time (edit: whoops). That might be hopeful thinking. Anyway, let's waste no more time and begin.
Weekly Schedule:
*Friday, September 20th
-Danganronpa: LIVe or Die Synthetic Love (Live and Unedited-3 PM Eastern)
-Edit 9/20: Sorry guys, the video won't be coming out today. I wasn't happy with how it turned out so I'm going to rerecord it and get it up tomorrow. My apologies.-
I think from now on for these Weekly Schedules I'm only going to list dates where I know something will happen. Just makes things look nicer. As always, the schedule is subject to change for whatever reason. In this case, if I do change it'll probably be me adding something. But this week is going to be real low-key. Right now the only thing I have planned is the bonus story to LIVe or Die: Synthetic Love. Which I'm very excited for. I can't tell you what it's about as it involves spoilers for LIVe or Die, but it was definitely a very deep story that hit closer to home than I expected. Anyway sorry this week is so bare. Let it be known though I'm not slacking off, I have some behind-the-scenes stuff I'm working on. Gotta prepare for the big RNF Day that's rapidly approaching. 3 more weeks baby. Plus there's just some personal stuff I'm working on. Hopefully whatever is making me feel down isn't anything too serious and I'm not super fucking sick.
With that said, Synthetic Love will be the last thing created for the RNF Plays Danganronpa: LIVe or Die series. But mayhaps there will be more Fanganronpa content in the near-ish future. I'm still thinking about whether that'd be something I want to do and, if so, which games I should play. The only one I know I want to play is the sequel to LIVe or Die when that comes out. And even then I'm not sure if I want to wait until it's completed or as it's releasing. Either way, I know the next step for the Live and Unedited channel is to finish Mario Wonder and continue Shovel Knight. I also have an idea for one other series. But I'm saving that for another RNF Direct.
And if you're wondering about RNF Games. I don't know what to tell you. I'm sorry. I want to get this out, but things keep coming up. So I'll just stay quiet about it until I have something definitive. RNF Games will happen. Just who knows when. I'm sorry. I'm mostly saying this to myself, but I am bummed nothing has happened with it yet. That is entirely my fault though, so hopefully I kick myself in the ass soon and get those first batch of episodes done.
Song of the Week:
This one is gonna be different than the past 4 as it's from a video game. However, in my opinion, good music is good music no matter the source. In fact in the future, I'd like to throw in more music from games, anime, or other media mixed with the usual stuff we've been doing. And before someone yells at me saying song specifically refers to music with words or poetry, yes you're right. But people also use the terms interchangeably all the time. If it really bothers people I'll just change the segment's name to Music of the Week. Or maybe I'll be fine and I'm just making up a guy. We'll see. Either way the song/music of the week is...
Jaws of a Scorched Earth by Michiru Yamane for the game Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
The reason I chose this as the song of the week is I'm actually playing through Order of Ecclesia for the first time right now. In fact, if this post is coming out late it's probably because I'm super absorbed in it. I am fucking loving this game. I've been wanting to play it for years and thankfully the Dominus Collection gave me just the opportunity. Honestly, I bought it solely for this game because I thought it looked neat, and I love Shanoa (the protagonist)'s design. She's so fucking cool.
I mean I want to play the other DS Castlevania's too. I'm a big fan of the classic Castlevania games, but never really played through any of them from Symphony of the Night onward. Because honestly, Metroidvanias stress me the hell out. But I've actually been playing a couple of them this last year, like Kirby and the Amazing Mirror or Rygar NES, and that really boosted my confidence in handling the genre. So I knew it was time to get into the more modern Castlevania. Starting with the one that has piqued my interest the most over the years of me knowing about it. Order of Ecclesia.
I'm not ashamed to admit I would've totally bought this game by itself. But the other DS games and a remake of the arcade game (technically the first new game in the series since this game in 2008 that isn't a spinoff, remake, pachinko machine, part of the reboot series, or mobile garbage...which is kinda sad) were an extra little cherry on top. Yeah, I was very excited about this game, and honestly it really lives up, nay, goes beyond my expectations. I fucking love this. Recency bias is a thing, so take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt as I may change my mind later. But I may love it more than Super Castlevania 4, which I consider my favorite in the series and my 5th favorite game of all time. Even if I change my mind later, the fact that I'm even considering that should show how much I'm enjoying my experience. I'm so close to beating it too. I just need to do the last bit of stuff required for the good ending and I'm golden. So we'll see how I'm feeling in a couple weeks.
Anyway yeah, this was just an excuse to praise the living hell out of this game. But one of the aspects worth praising is the music. Though I think that's something most Castlevania games can say. Well maybe except for the PC port of the original game (if you know you know). Out of all the excellent songs in this game I chose Jaws of a Scorched Earth. With a name like that, you'd expect it to be this intense piece that's all fiery and passionate. But no it's actually rather chill. I feel like the first few seconds honestly could be part of a song in a Katamari game. Of course, as it goes on it gets a little more moody and atmospheric. Typical of the rest of the series. It does have one sort of intense part in there, right before getting back to the quieter instrumentals, but even then it keeps that atmosphere up and is built up so well.
This song plays throughout the Tymeo Mountains level. Tymeo Mountains is filled with all sorts of bleak and dark areas, dying trees and crows, and some really cool caves. Which I think fits the song's more relaxed, haunting vibe. I couldn't imagine a better tune for when Shanoa is running against the gloomy sky. Part of the reason this song stands out so much to me is it's just such a different vibe from the others in the game, while still using the more gothic music style we're used to. It's still very Castlevania while providing something refreshing that not many other songs in the game do. Castlevania as a whole isn't new to more mellow songs, but this game only has a handful of them. And they're mostly used for smaller areas like the village. Not the big sprawling mountain this level is. Not to sound like I'm complaining. I think all the music in this game is very good. But this fact did help engrain the song into my mind a lot more.
Sometimes with video game music, it only really works within the context of the game. But there are plenty of examples of pieces that work just as well as any "regular" song. And this is one of those to me. I could easily see myself listening to this while walking on my nearby trail and taking in the sites of nature. Within context, it can be this chilling, slightly haunting piece as you explore a decrepit mountain full of monsters and death. But outside it works really well as just a relaxing, elegant tune. I think the ability to take it out of context and still get enjoyment from it is what helps music from other media break out of what it was meant for. And Jaws of a Scorched Earth does that incredibly well.
Pokémon of the Week:
During the next few weeks, I'm going to be trying some new segments, that we'll occasionally throw into the mix of these episodes. My plan is to have a handful of segments eventually, including the 3 usual ones we've been doing, and switch between them during different episodes. So here's the first of them. As you can probably tell by the fact I have a whole series dedicated to it, I fucking love Pokémon! It is without a doubt my favorite media franchise, and the one that has impacted my life positively the most. I don't think I'd be the person I am now without Pokémon. It's gotten me through so many hard times and difficult moments in my life. Of course one of the coolest things about the game series is the customization you can have with your team. Even in a game post dex-cut you still have hundreds of options to choose from. And those individual Pokémon can have things that separate them from other members of their species. Believe it or not, it's the Pokémon that make Pokémon so amazing. And this segment will be dedicated to celebrating them. I'll talk some facts about each mon and share some personal anecdotes as well. So let's start with one that's been relevant to the content I've been posting recently.
Maractus: The Cactus Pokémon.
Maractus is a Gen 5 Grass Type Pokémon first introduced in Pokémon Black and White. It is number 556 in the Dex.
Maractus is not a very popular mon. In fact, if you watch any video about forgettable Pokémon there's a good chance Maractus will be on it. Which weirdly, I think makes Maractus less forgettable, as it is commonly the first thing a lot of people see in their heads when thinking of forgotten Pokémon. But it makes some amount of sense why people consider it forgotten. It's only been in 3 regional dexes since its introduction and it's not exactly the easiest to find. In BW and B2W2 it's a rare spawn in a pretty out-of-the-way place. In Sword and Shield, it spawns a lot more commonly, and even has some NPC appearances around some towns. But it is only actually found on one route in the middle of the game. It also gets unfairly compared to the Cacnea line. Another Cactus Pokémon. Which is complete BS if you ask me. Why can't there be more than one cactus? Especially when they have totally different vibes. Cacturne is part Dark and as such is much spookier and mean. Maractus though is a happy Pokémon that likes to dance and have fun. Maractus is just a good-vibes kind of mon. I don't get how people could hate it. It may not be the strongest, but do you think it gives a shit? It just wants to dance and make music. In fact, as it dances it makes a noise similar to Maracas (hence its name). It also uses these noises to deter bird Pokémon from messing with it, which I think is a cute detail.
Point is, people don't like it generally. But I have a few reasons why I'm fond of it. One is that it's a member of my favorite type. The Grass type. And I have a bias towards all of my lovely plant creatures. Second is I just really enjoy it's vibe. It's present and fun as I mentioned before, but it draws a lot of inspiration from Spanish culture. Which is a culture I love learning about and seeing represented in media. And thirdly, I have some personal memories with it.
I first really fell in love with Maractus during a replay of X and Y, where it can appear in the post-game Friend Safari. The Friend Safari is a place where you can find mons, including some that aren't typically in the Kalos region. to unlock it you have to add friends on your 3DS and each friend gives you a safari of a different type. Each safari type can have 3 mons at a time in different slots, but you have to unlock that third slot by being online at the same time as your friend after they beat the game too. Maractus, of course, can only be in slot 3. So once again, they just had to make it so difficult to get Maractus. I was lucky enough to get one though, and when I found my Maractus I was in awe. Because, admittedly, I forgot it existed to at this point (I never said those videos were wrong). So it was like discovering a whole new Pokémon. Something that always brings me a lot of joy. I, of course, remembered what it was after finding it. But the pure child-like joy it brought me will never be forgotten. It got it's hidden ability too, which just adds to the fun. I caught that Maractus and named it Paul after Mr. McCartney himself. I still have the little guy floating around in my Home. One day I really ought to take him to the Galar region.
And I can't forget about our recently posted victory of getting Shiny Maractus in SwoShi.That was a really fun hunt to do, as since ScaVio released I haven't really done too many longer, grindier hunts like that. I really enjoyed doing those, but they are very time-consuming. I'd like to get back into it though. What I'm trying to say is Maractus was a fun return to form. Especially since I actually don't have many shinies from SwoShi via wild encounters like that. It was definitely something special all around, and a special Maractus like that had to be named after another musician. This time the lead singer of my favorite band, Cafuné. Sedona Schat. Go watch the video on the Pokémon Quests channel. My reaction was amazing. I got it at the perfect time as well since the DLC was quickly approaching.
This was the main reason Maractus is the Pokémon of the week. It's been on my mind a lot lately because of the video, and in doing so I also remembered all the other fun times I've had with it. My first, failed attempts at getting a shiny one which. Some of which I attempted back when I streamed, and honestly it may be one of my better old streams. I remember I had a lot of fun that night anyway. I've also used it as a team member a few times and it's always been fun. I love using underappreciated mons on my team, and discovering new fun sides to them that some people take for granted.
So thank you Maractus for all the fun times. You were definitely a perfect contender for the first Pokémon of the week.
And that's the chat. Good golly gee was this super late. I apologize once again. Between feeling like shit for a while, and picking up more hours at work I've been burnt out. I don't know if I can stick to this every Sunday schedule. Especially since next Sunday, I'm going out of town, and won't be near my computer for probably the whole day. I could write these in advance, but I like the feeling of chatting with you all more in the moment. I'd just lose that feeling if I handled it this way. I know that seems strange, but I like it this way. And hey, for me this is all about having fun. It's also a fun little challenge to me to see how quickly I can create something under the pressure of a time limit But maybe I went a bit too hard on myself. Heh heh...whoops. So from now on, I'm giving myself more leeway. Expect these chats more on Monday or Tuesday instead of Sunday. They may still come out that Sunday, but if not I won't beat myself up too hard about it. I do this show because I enjoy writing, and want to share what's happening in my life. Whether that be sharing updates on content or talking about a song I've been thinking about.
You may have noticed there are no birthday segments this week. Firstly, I'm sorry, and happy birthday if you have one this week. The birthday segment takes up the most time when writing I find so I had to cut it. Honestly, it'll probably be cut next week too. I want to do it, cause I love celebrating character birthdays like a goofy little twerp, but I definitely need a new system for it. Research takes way too long when I'm giving myself no time. the problem is there's only so few good resources for character birthdays. And even then they miss some obvious/important ones. Like recently I missed Walter White's birthday, September 7th. One of the most popular TV characters, and from a show I love to death. All because none of my sources listed him. So what I'm thinking is making my own reference page of character birthdays. I'll add all the ones that are important or interesting to me (seeing as I need to say something about each character it's imperative I know them in some capacity), and I'll use that as my main source. I'm going to take a few weeks to build it up with many characters spread across every day of the year. Using my previous sources along with some new ones and my own knowledge. That way when the segment retunes I can just look at my cheat sheet and know who I'm writing about each week. Saving me a lot of time on research in the long run. So birthdays are on hold. A sentence that sounds extremely weird out of context. Don't worry though, as I said earlier I will experiment with a few new segments to fill in the gap. And once birthdays return I'll probably add these new segments in a rotation as a fourth segment per episode.
Once again, thank you all for reading. Hope you have a great day, and I'll see you all next time. Buh-Bye!
Episode 6: September 24th, 2024-September 28th, 2024
Roses are red.
I'm voting Democrat.
Welcome back to another
RNF Weekly Chat.
I've taken up poetry. I hope you all enjoyed that.
I have no other ideas as to how to start this. So let's make like DeFranco and just jump into it.
Weekly Schedule:
Gonna keep it real. I have plans to get some stuff out this week. Concepts of a plan you could even say. I just don't have a set schedule for them. They're all for the LIVe (Edit: I totally meant to spell Live, but I got so used to typing LIVe like that because of Danganronpa I did it subconsciously. It's funny, I'm keeping it.) and Unedited channel. It's picking up some steam thanks to the LIVe or Die series, so it feels a bit weird to stick with my original plan of waiting until RNF Day before uploads resume. Plus I'd like to get back into a sense of normalcy for the channel since it was so Danganronpa filled recently. I like having variety. I know YouTube's algorithm hates that, but I like having different stuff going on. I would post everything to one channel if that was wise honestly, but the different channels are mostly just for different types of content. Even then I like to have variety within the confines of what each channel does. For Live and Unedited that means long, unedited video game content. Once Mario Wonder and Shovel Knight return on RNF Day the mix-up will go back to normal. But I want to get some videos out before that, especially since the sequel to LIVe or Die (Survivor's Guilt) is releasing it's first chapter soon, and I do want to play it obviously.
Anyway, point it I want to do 2 quick videos unrelated to Danganronpa. I do want to continue with the fangans though, as I stated in the Synthetic Love video, so I'll probably play a short one after those 2. There are a couple ones that I found in my research that's only a chapter. Just because I want variety doesn't mean I want Danganronpa taken out of it. I just want more. I love playing Danganronpa, but I also love so many other games. So many others that I want to share with you all. So I have a vague plan that's essentially: 3 videos before RNF Day. RNF Day will feature the return of Mario Wonder and Shovel Knight. From there those videos will be more frequent (I'm hoping for at least once a week, but no promises). Survivor's Guilt releases mid-October so after that fangans will be thrown back into the mix. And for a while, we'll rock with Mario Wonder, Shovel Knight, and Fangans as our 3 big series on Live and Unedited. Now Mario Wonder probably doesn't have that many episodes left to be honest, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Now as for the 3 videos happening before RNF Day. They're all going to be one-shots as I stated earlier. And again, all I know is that they'll release sometime before RNF Day. I still need to record them and figure out when to get them out. So one of them might come out this week. If not then this week is nothing but crickets. I promise by next week I'll have the release date of these 3 videos figured out. As for what these videos will be...
1-Castlevania Legends
2-Eh....IDK...???
3-Danganronpa: Checkmate
I still need to decide on the second non-Danganronpa game. I have a few options, but I definitely know I want to play Castlevania Legends. I love Castlevania, and recently I've been more into the franchise than ever thanks to all the collections they've been releasing lately. Legends is not any collection. If you want to play it on a modern console legally you need NSO. It is the oft-forgotten game, that was originally supposed to not only be the follow-up to the fan-favorite Symphony of the Night and a follow-up to the last beloved Gameboy title but was also intended to be the first game chronologically. A new starting point of sorts for the series. Since then it's been removed from the canon. Some rumor it was because of how horrible it was. This game was met with a lot of negative reviews. Series producer, Koji Igarashi, has stated it's just because it conflicted with the plotline of other games. But still, Legends is not well remembered and the ones who do remember it...kinda hate it.
I, however, have never played through it fully. It's one of the few classic-style games I haven't done a full playthrough of. I attempted to play it in high school but haven't touched it since. So I have no opinions one way or another. So I thought it would make for a fun extended playthrough vid. I love Castlevania, and want to play so much more of it in videos. Legends might not be the best first one to play in a video for RNF, but rest assured I hope to play a lot more soon.
As for Danganronpa: Checkmate, it's a quick hour-and-a-half visual novel that was made for a one-month writing challenge between other Fangan creators. I'm not entirely sure what the story is or how it connects to Danganronpa, other than featuring Ultimates, but the art style is so so so fucking good. I love it. The character designs are also amazing! So that's why I'm playing it. So once again, you can expect these videos sometime in the next 2 weeks before RNF Day. Jesus RNF Day is coming up fast huh? Save the date, October 9th. Hopefully, RNF Games can release before that too. That would be freaking sweet. But honestly this week and next might be on the smaller end because of RNF Day. Just expect these 3 videos and maybe Games.
Song of the Week:
Fighting Pose By Daoko
Another month has gone by. Welcome to the final episode of September 2024. And that also means best month is happening soon. That's right October baby! Best weather, best holiday, and my birthday. What more could you ask for? More content from me? Well to the one weirdo who asked for that, good news. RNF Day is the 9th just as a reminder. But we still have lots of fun stuff before and after that coming up. So let's get to that weekly schedule so I can show you.
Weekly Schedule:
Monday, September 30th:
- RNF Plays Castlevania Legends Part 1 (4 PM~Live and Unedited)
Wednesday, October 2nd:
-RNF Plays Castlevania Legends Part 2 (4 PM~Live and Unedited)
Friday, October 4th:
-RNF Plays Fanganronpas Episode 15 (4 PM~Live and Unedited)
Yep, these are the 3 videos I was talking about last episode. Castlevania Legends ended up taking longer than I assumed it would, so instead of 2 different non-Danganronpa games this week, I split the one game into 2 videos. As a reminder, the Fanganronpa video will be covering Danganronpa: Checkmate. And it will be considered the start of Season 2 for RNF Plays Fanganronopas. The LIVe or Die playthorugh+Synthetic Love is season 1. I originally intended that to be its own stand-alone series, but I had so much fun I decided to play more fangans. And to me, it just made sense to put them all into one continuous series. So RNF Plays LIVe or Die has been rebranded to allow for that. Hence why Checkmate will be considered Episode 15 of that series.
While on the topic of LIVe or Die, it was recently announced that the sequel is releasing on Friday, October 11th. Which is super exciting. So expect Survivor's Guilt content not too long after that. I may even post it on the same day as the release if it comes out at a time when I'm free to play the prologue.
So that's the plan for this week. And as a final reminder, next week is RNF Day. The proper start to the RNF Brand, and I can't wait. Lots of cool stuff has already happened during the last few weeks, and I'm excited to see where things go from here. I hope you all are also looking forward to it.
Song of the Week:
Nintendo Online's Greatest Announcement by Starbomb
I think this is the first time we featured a comedy song on this segment. Which I really needed today. My brain was fried trying to find a more serious song to write something about. Guess it just wasn't in the mood for that. So I figured let's flip it and try something humorous instead. This is the newest song from Starbomb. A comedy band formed by Arin Hanson of Game Grumps, Brian Wecht of Ninja Sex Party, and Dan Avidan of Game Grumps and Ninja Sex Party. They're releasing a new album on the 25th, Rise of Lyrics, and this is one of the songs they're using to preview it.
Nintendo Online's Greatest Announcement parodies the Switch's online selection of retro games and how the most oddball, obscure, random games get thrown on there. Even when there are still plenty of classics to choose from to add to the service. Personally, I don't mind Nintendo adding weird games. It is a little disappointing waiting months for an update though and only getting something like Quest for Camelot for the Gameboy. Based on the hit animated movie with a 43% on Rotten Tomatoes. But hey I discovered lots of fun games thanks to this service. And hell, even the bad ones have gotten a new spotlight. People were talking about Quest for Camelot as a movie and game on Twitter when that update dropped more than ever before. What I'm saying is, despite my liking of the service it is ripe for parody.
This song accomplishes that by making up a bunch of fake games that are supposedly being added to the service. Top secret information the narrator's dad (who works at Nintendo) gave to him. It's weird cause most of the song is just Arin whispering silly game titles the team made up over a really funky beat. But it works so well. Not only is it genuinely an enjoyable song to listen to musically, but it is pretty funny. I think the setup is one of the things that helps with that. The "my uncle works at Nintendo and gave me all this information about future stuff" joke is a classic. The idea that the narrator is so excited to share this info to he just has to make a song about it just adds to it. The music video, animated by Shigloo, adds even more to this. With the narrator breaking into a strangers's house just to share this info. My man is a big fan of Squark. What can I say? It's just a really funny idea though. Add to that Arin's delivery. He's whispering the whole time to avoid the Nintendo Ninjas from finding him. You'd think that be a bad idea for a song, but it works. He does a really good job whispering the whole song and still managing to perfectly time his delivery. I think the last big thing that makes this song work is simply the games they make up are funny as hell. Again, I think the music video really adds to this by making up some gameplay to attach to each game. But even just hearing games with names like Plerm, The Video Game Version of 'I Saw The Sign', and Mario Teaches Wiping is enough to get a chuckle. The Chiptune sounds over Arin making weird ass noises also makes me smile whenever I hear it. And again...Shigloo's animation during those parts is fucking amazing! Gotta give as much love to the video as possible cause it's so good.
I think my favorite game they listed is Pachinko De Mayo. Just something about the name and how Arin says it in the song scratches an itch in my brain and it's the one I think about the most. And again, the animation for it makes it almost look like a real game. One I would genuinely enjoy. Plus, I love me a good pun. Let me know which of these fake games you would play/is your favorite. And I am very excited for Rise of Lyrics.
And I'm sorry to say that's the end of this episode. I know I promised that this episode would be longer. I lied.
....
I mean it wasn't intentional. I just feel a little tired this week and want to put my energy into other things. Honestly, I may need to rethink how I do these. So I'm sorry for this, but rest assured I'm learning. And this lesson will be helpful in finding a better way to do the things I want. Such as this. So I'll be real, while I'm figuring this out the next few episodes may be really short. Once again, I apologize to the 2 people reading. Jokes aside, I do feel bad for not being able to put my all into something I decided I wanted to do. Views be damned.
Well, thank you guys for reading nonetheless. I'll see you all soon, and hopefully make up for these shorter episodes at some point. If not next week, some other week. Buh-Bye!
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