Local NJ Otaku (Current VT Arc)

You can call me Allen. I'm a 33M from the US. My interests are music, movies, anime, etc. While my posts here might mostly be SFW, some of my likes may contain NSFW stuff, so please be wary about that. I am also allowing my DMs to be open to talk about whatever you like (SFW, NSFW is okay). I will attempt to reply ASAP.

I had found a clip of an old Sesame Street skit featuring Cookie Monster. The snippet I've presented above shows the end where he tears off half of a bus stop sign and eats it. What got my intention right away is the sound of the sign breaking and Cookie's first "om". These are the exact same sounds used in the My Sesame Street Home Video logo (as shown in the presented GIF below). However, it seems the logo splices separate sound bites (pun not intended), and I'm not sure where the rest of it comes from. I have a soft spot for the logo, so I'm curious to find out what was used to make it. If anyone knows, feel free to enlighten me~!

Happy 56th Birthday to the best children's program out there. Teaching generation after generation how to spell, count, read, and accept one another~!

When I stated I was in the middle of getting my BFA in film, which I've yet to utilize, graduating a couple years later. Upon going back home I would start my very first job. It was only seasonal, so I lost it once the holidays were over.

Later the following year, I began another job which I stayed at for a little over 6 years. What began as fun over time became super stressful, watching management change multiple times and employees coming and going. The pandemic worsened working conditions, with higher demands needing to be met. The last couple years were the most tumultuous as I became a supervisor in the department I worked in, which proved I'm not cut out for leadership. On top of that, the store manager who came in in my last year was the absolute worst.

I was only able to finally leave when my parents retired and planned to move to Vermont. I left the company last August with little to no pomp and circumstance, and was also during the same week of my grandmother's sudden passing.

Last month, Hololive Engish member Mori Calliope started a remix contest for one of her songs. I was enthusiastic to do it! It took me some time to record all I had wanted, but mixing was the hardest part as I wanted it to be the best it could be.

Little did I know that would keep me from submitting my entry nearly close to the deadline. From when I sent out the tweet, it seemed like there was still time. However, upon waking up after the top 10 listening stream, I checked out the SoundCloud playlist hoping to at least see mine in there. However, out of the 400+ remixes on there, I couldn't see mine.

I'm so conflicted, right now. I knew I didn't have a chance of making it to the top 10. All I wanted was for someone to notice what I've made (a like or retweet or whatever), because I've never done this before. I've spent the last month thinking about this "remix" I made, feeling proud of it despite my lack of recording/mixing skills. At this point, I don't care who acknowledges it.

I'm honestly not trying to sound condescending. All I want it my month of effort to not go to waste. I'll probably get over it eventually. Just wanted to get this off my chest. In the meantime, if you have the time, give my remix a shot!

Thanks for listening!

If it wasn't enough that the 5th Generation only debuted close to a month ago, Hololive gets that hype train going with the sudden announcement of the highly anticipated English branch. And not only that, they're going to launch this weekend! (Tomorrow as I write this.)

The members of Hololive EN, which are also collectively known as HoloMyth, consist of:

Mori Calliope

Takanashi Kiara

Ninomae Ina'nis

Gawr Gura

Watson Amelia

They will all debut on the same day at 7am, 9am, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm (EST), respectively, and a group collab will follow at 9pm (EST) on Watson's channel.

This honestly surprised me. I was not expecting this to happen so soon. I got the news not long after it hit, and I had problems sleeping that night. That's how excited I am! I also had to follow them on Twitter and their interactions on there are what I'd expect from them: pure chaos. Currently, their sub counts are around 50-60k, which is great! I'm sure those will go up upon their debuts.

I woke up this morning to news I know no one wanted to hear...

On the day of Hololive 5th Generation member Mano Aloe's supposed return, following a two-week hiatus, it was announced that she will be graduating.

For those unaware, after all five members of 5th Gen debuted, Aloe announced a two-week break due to leaking her Live2D model and character traits. She was also getting doxxed and harassed as people discovered she was in a relationship prior to her debut (she had already broke up with them beforehand). In addition, she had made remarks about another vtuber that underwent the same situation, which resulted in them retiring. However, there is speculation that Aloe knows the vtuber in question, so her comments might not be of ill will.

According to the official statement regarding her graduation, it was Aloe herself who made the final decision, as she was not mentally prepared to return. I honestly don't blame her for this decision, nor do I blame her for the incidents that led to all this. She knew how frightening idol culture can be.

Unlike those who thought it was alright to ruin someone's career from the get-go, I was devastated when the hiatus was announced. Every time the other 5th Gen members collaborated together, it made me wish that Aloe was there. Every day, I checked their sub counts, and while Aloe's was the lowest, she was still gaining subs (as of me writing this, she has 161k).

There were even groups of people that had planned days of mass tweets: first to wish her a safe return, and then give her a warm welcome back. Unfortunately, it was all for naught. Hopefully, they all understand her decision.

But I think the ones that miss her most are the other 5th Gen members. From the video I saw on Botan's channel (where I initially heard the news), they were clearly upset over the matter. Lamy and Nene had the hardest time expressing their feelings without breaking down.

I want to be upset, but I shouldn't. I feel like if I was in Aloe's shoes, I'd make the same choice. I get where she's coming from about being afraid of not being accepted after all that happened. But, I'm sure those who waited patiently for her to come back outweighed the rest. We just now have to accept her wish and hope for a brighter future for her.

Initially, I was going to do individual thoughts on each 5th Gen member, but chose to wait until Aloe had enough time to grow. I might still do that, but I'll hold off on it for a bit. I need a moment to take all this in to allow myself to move on.

For a final tribute, I offer my real-time screenshots of her debut...

I'm really gonna miss this smug succubus...

さよならアロエ...

Omaru Polka appreciation post.

I am in love with this feral fennec maniac. An absolute clown, and I am here for it.

Just a couple days ago, Hololive revealed the lineup for their highly-anticipated 5th generation. All we know so far is what they look like (see below image), and their basic bio. Their YouTube channels and Twitter accounts have been made public. All five members have been quite active on Twitter, introducing themselves, showing clips of their Live2D models, and interacting with their fellow Hololive senpai.

From left to right we have:

Omaru Polka

Yukihana Lamy

Mano Aloe

Momosuzu Nene

Shishiro Botan

They will debut next week from August 12-16:

8/12 - Lamy

8/13 - Nene

8/14 - Botan

8/15 - Aloe

8/16 - Polka

With the all the information we have, fans are already choosing sides and predicting what type of characters they are, and even what they’ll be like after some time (to once again ruin Yagoo-san’s dream lol). This will only be my second experience with a Hololive group debut, the first being Hololive Indonesia. As we draw closer to the big week, I’d like to give my first thoughts on the new girls.

To start off, let me get my most anticipated right away. From a design standpoint, Polka is the one that caught my eye right away. And her bio claims she’s trying to become the “ringmaster of the vtuber world”, which could mean she’s attempting to pull a Kiryu Coco and become the brains of Hololive. Of course, that’s just what I’m picturing. She also looks cheerful with a hint of mischievousness, and I’m all for it.

Second to Polka would have to be Botan. From other’s reactions, I can see why Botan looks to be the overall favorite. Her tall figure, her stoic nature, and her being a big cat understandably qualifies her for “best girl” status. I can see her as one who wants to act stoic, but only ends up being cute to the viewer’s eyes.

While Polka and Botan are my favorites at the moment, doesn’t mean the others won’t be. Lamy’s a snow elf with a blue theme (I love the color blue), Nene’s drawings are adorable, and Aloe got her Twitter banned for the first hour (no joke there). Also, for Aloe, despite being a succubus, can have her initial image be flipped upside down by the fans (a la Tokoyami Towa).