Vander

1. Please get Fightcade.

There are basically infinite games on there and it takes 5 seconds to boot up. I can't stress how much fun I've had mashing with people in obscure games. Even if you don't end up getting really deep into them, it builds a good mindset and makes it easier to pick up big new releases when they roll around. It's super easy to set up as well: download it from fightcade.com, then grab the rom auto-downloader

2. Watch, if not attend, Combo Breaker.

I can't speak for the in-person experience because the last time I was at EVO was 2015, but as a viewer it kinda sucks when you see more ads than games. Now CB has incredible vibes, tons of side games that get attention, and less huge ad breaks to take you out of it. It's still the number one event to me. It's a lot more accessible and less hot and crowded than EVO's Vegas location, being in Chicago. I even wrote a full article on the Mystery Game, a still-living tradition from the region. You can read that here

3. Have fun!

I get it, a big part of fighting games is the fact that anyone could be a top player. This doesn't mean you have to force yourself to play when you're not having fun, much less worry about results. So what if you went 0-2 at your first local or got placed into Bronze on ranked? You're here to have a good time at the end of the day. None of this would exist without people like you, no matter what anyone says.

gonna post some old fanart from twimirage, since i'm relistening to it!

more fanart, the bottom two are more recent!

oh how could i forget the futura free fanart

like this

I just opened my Google drive and was like "why are these files all over the place? Why aren't these folders nested any more?" and after a moment clicking around I realized that Google Drive has instituted an algorithmic view of my stuff. Not "here's your files where you left them" but "here's some files we think you might like!"

Is nothing sacred

I know Twitter is very publicly showing its ass and is ruining its reputation for the one thing it did and now fails to do but like

It really must be noted that Google has been tanking its reputation in the 30 different things it had been perceived to do well. It is no longer a good email client. It is no longer a good search engine. Chrome is now considered toxic and bad next to Firefox. They killed their RSS reader. Docs is loaded with problems. Between Stadia and various projects before it, it is no longer a place to assume they will build a well supported platform you can release software on. YouTube continues to integrate Shorts in the most awkward, ham-fisted way, and that's ignoring the myriad problems it has for creators and viewers alike.

Like, Musk's ass-showing spectacle of a disaster might be more glamorously embarassing, but Google's collective failure on and enshittification of like 80% of their business ventures is undeniably just as terrible.