Hello again everyone! Autumn is approaching, temperatures are finally, finally starting to dip here in the subtropics, and I've got some great news and new stuff to show you!

New From Me
After playing through the highly-anticipated Bomb Rush Cyberfunk a few weeks ago, I left the game with a lot of mixed feelings. Enough feelings to write a proper review, though, which is always a fun time! It's available for free over on Patreon. Patrons got it a week early!

Our k-pop podcast K-YOS is back as it is every month, but twofold for this newsletter! The July recap was pretty late as I was travelling, and then sick, but it as well as the August episode are available now. I've also had some people ask me about the podcast's platform availability; I'm afraid it's only available on Spotify right now. We're doing a lot of planning behind the scenes, though, and hope to share some exciting news soon.

This next bit isn't technically from me, but is worth mentioning to keep y'all in the loop. Our rental application was approved, and we're finally moving into our new apartment in just a couple weeks! I'll be hosting a marathon stream on September 15th starting at 6PM Central time to celebrate, and also do a bit of fundraising for our home goods. As mentioned in the previous newsletter, we're in no way doing poorly, and there's no obligation nor urgency to tip. Think of it as a specific, targeted method of support if you like what I do and wanna kick a few bucks my way. Those who tip will be entered into a raffle to name my houseplants (within reason), and there'll be some other rewards as part of the marathon, too... You can find our wishlist right here.

SOTN (Song of the Newsletter)
Late one night after we got our approval back, I was planning the layout of my future bedroom on Milanote. I told myself I would just make sure the scale was correct for the base layout and then go to bed. And then Psychedelic Switch by Carly Rae Jepsen came on, and then it was 2:00AM. It's such an energetic contemporary disco/boogie track, and one of CRJ's best — and she's got a lot of great tracks! It's from The Loveliest Time, the B-side album of her big 2022 release The Loneliest Time, both of which I would recommend giving a listen if you like pop, disco, house, and everything in between.

News & Recommendations
Starting on October 16th, the Epic Games Store will offer developers 100% of net revenue on new releases in exchange for six months of PC storefront exclusivity. Not only does this deliberately mention PC storefronts, meaning that a developer could simultaneously release on all consoles and the Epic Games Store, but also that a game's Early Access release is considered its official launch date. Theoretically, a game could release in Early Access on the Epic Games Store for 100% net revenue share and then make its 1.0 release on Steam with no adverse effects; even avoiding the often unpleasant situation of having Early Access reviews and opinions follow them into 1.0 on Steam. Here's the official statement if you'd like to read the specifics. As per usual, I'm interested to see what effect this will have on the indie gaming sphere, and if this can make a dent in Valve's monopoly on PC game distribution. While Steam won't be seriously challenged for the foreseeable future, it's nice to see someone attempting to court their dev-side userbase, as indie game developers are pretty poorly served by Steam. Ah, the stiff competition bred by the free market.

It's really difficult to talk about the nuanced feelings we, as queer people, have about queer media without feeling we're undermining the rare piece that's allowed to exist (let alone become popular, or even celebrated). Eli Cugini threads the needle quite honestly for Dazed, discussing the politics and messy feelings of what gay shit gets to succeed and why.

Lastly, I'll leave you with one of my favorite fashion YouTubers, ThisIsAntwon. While he started off as a relatively straightforward techwear creator, he's further evolved into an extremely compelling fashion video essayist. He's created, in my opinion, some of the best — and certainly most approachable — writing on personal style out there with his video Why Personal Style Is (Mostly) A Lie. It's a dissection of the alleged differences between fashion and style, a dichotomy that's endlessly propped up by both well-meaning fashion enthusiasts and the absolute grifters we've come to call "influencers." He has an extremely pragmatic perspective on the process of finding your own style, one that I think especially applies to those just starting on their fashion journey, who've found themselves drowning in a sea of ultimately unhelpful and confusing advice that they don't quite realize is so.

Thanks for reading! I'll be seeing y'all in this newsletter again in a month or so, hopefully writing from a new space after a smooth move.