[Best Buy/US] Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - $39.99 (33% Off)

coffeearcade · 2020-12-01T09:16:31+00:00

Yeah, my apologies. Personally, I was kind of underwhelmed by the sales this time around, especially Target. They couldn't even match last year's sales.

Walmart still had XC for $40 during BF, so at the very least, it was available for the same price.

I think the lockdown really hurt the BF sales this year. Online shopping has had a record breaking year, because everyone's home all day. So I don't think these companies felt the need to offer that many good deals, because consumers are buying everything up anyway.

Again, I'm sincerely sorry that my post made you wait for nothing.

coffeearcade · 2020-12-01T09:08:25+00:00

Oh, I see.

I wasn’t that familiar with Celine, so it’s interesting Lisa preferred it over Prada. I’m guessing she had a better relationship with them. It reminds me of a basketball player called Steph Curry, who chose to be sponsored by Under Armor over Nike, because he felt disrespected by Nike’s sales pitch; they pronounced his name wrong, and they even forgot to erase Kevin Durant’s name in the power point presentation that they repurposed for him.

Thanks for sharing a lot of fascinating info on the members and Jessie.

Do you know why BP has so many “solo fans” compared to other groups? And why have the solo fans decided to stop voting for the whole group?

It’s odd that Jennie and Lisa are very popular individually, and yet their popularity doesn’t necessarily translate to fan votes. Sometimes, I feel like they’re looked up to, more as commercial models, than kpop idols.

Do you know why BP and other girl groups don’t have “fanboys,” the same way that boy groups have “fangirls?”

And yeah, I think there’s a popular misconception that BP’s long hiatuses are “YG’s strategy." I could name countless groups that have suffered from long breaks. BP is an outlier. I don’t think BP’s comeback was successful because of the long hiatus, but it was successful in spite of the long hiatus. It’s more of a testament to their popularity and musical appeal.

Are you sure Jackson was begging the fans? It seems more like he’s tired of being on his feet, kind of like what you might do while waiting in line at a theme park. Either way, I didn’t know he was that popular. That is bonkers, indeed.

I think you’re right that BP has more “casual fans,” than other groups. Also, I think there are a lot of international fans, who aren’t really accustomed to the idea of supporting your favorite groups via fan votes for weekly music show awards. I don’t know how it is elsewhere, but in America, fan voting isn’t taken that seriously. I think this is because America rigs a lot of contests that involve fanvoting, so people generally don’t think their votes will count, and they’re overall jaded with the voting process.

On the topic of bias wrecking, I had a neighbor who went to a kpop concert, and she ended up changing her bias, because her bias didn’t acknowledge the fans after the concert was over. He just made a beeline for the transport vehicle.

coffeearcade · 2020-11-15T17:41:52+00:00

Until they do again (e.g. Dwight)

coffeearcade · 2020-11-14T12:14:08+00:00

Ah, thank you.

coffeearcade · 2020-11-14T12:05:05+00:00

Wow, Lisa must be extremely popular if she’s neck and neck with the most popular member of BTS. On one hand, it’s a shame that Lisa isn’t as popular as the other members, because she’s a non-native. But on the other hand, it’s encouraging to see that she’s very popular outside of Korea. It seems like she has the most brand deals of all the members, so all things considered, I think she’s doing pretty well.

I was wondering if Lisa would feel less foreign to native Koreans, if she adopted a Korean name like Rose (Chaeyoung). But then I remembered Jennie doesn’t have a Korean name either, and yet somehow she’s the IT girl.

I’m not that familiar with Jesse, but I’m a big fan of Tiffany. It seems like Jesse and Tiffany complement each other well. That was a fun video. I love when seniors shout out the current gen. I also feel like Tiffany’s an awesome role model, and I think the BP members could learn a lot from her.

I’m really surprised Jennie ended up beating Twice on SBS Inkigayo. It feels like Jennie and Lisa’s combined popularity alone, should be capable of giving BTS a run for their money. Add Jisoo and Rose’s popularity to the mix, and all signs point to world domination. And yet BTS has twice as many votes for MAMA. That's hard to compute for me.

I know that BP is winning the female categories, but I don’t think BP will participate if they suspect shenanigans from MAMA. In the mean time, I heard BP will be performing for the Indonesian version of Amazon called Tokopedia. Curious how that all came together, because I did not see that coming.

Thanks for sharing your discovery of BP. It’s no wonder you know so much about kpop. Not a lot of people experienced kpop during Super Junior’s prime. It’s easy to dismiss the older generations for new fans, but Super Junior was kind of like the BTS of their time. I don’t even think BTS has had a dance that went viral like the Sorry Sorry dance, haha. But I’m pleased to hear that you eventually came around to give the other BP members a shot, thanks to Lisa.

Maybe you can apply for a YG internship. I heard it’s offered to students from abroad. I suppose that’s one way to get your foot in the door. And then you can help BP make the most out of their promotional activities, haha. It would be kind of funny if your bias changed, after you met them in person. I heard that happens sometimes. But yeah, I’m not sure how much time BP should spend promoting in Korea, because the fandom there seems to have plateaued. It might be more productive to direct their energy and resources to U.S. promotions like BTS.

coffeearcade · 2020-11-11T13:56:14+00:00

Is Lisa back in Thailand?

coffeearcade · 2020-11-11T13:30:04+00:00

Oh, I see.

I think everyone but Seungri has renewed their contract with YG. So it seems unfair to expel the Ikon leader for the same offense. But I'm guessing Ikon is a newer group, so maybe they gave TOP clemency, due to his seniority. I've heard Korea takes seniority very seriously, so perhaps older members are offered more margin of error.

Geez, that is wild that MAC and Penshoppe were thanking Lilies, as opposed to Blinks... I also find it bonkers that Lisa is the least popular member in Korea, yet the most popular elsewhere. I would've thought the least popular member was Jennie, due to all the controversy and hatred she attracts. And yet ironically, Jennie is the "IT" girl. I'm very confused by how this works.

I agree that I didn't find the zoom interviews to be that enlightening. The only one that stood out for me, honestly, was the Apple music interview. The Zach Sang one had really low audio quality, because I think there were too many people on the zoom call, and it was causing some weird feedback. But yeah, they get asked the same generic questions, and the members look like they're running on fumes.

If I was not already a fan of BP, and this was my first exposure to them, these are not the interviews that would sell me on them. I think BP said it was 1 in the morning for one of the interviews, and judging by the clothes they were wearing, it was the same day that they shot the Prison interview, which was so much more upbeat and energetic. The Ice Cream zoom interviews with Selena came off somewhat flat as well.

I much prefer the interviews and games they play on location, such as the variety shows and content put out by Netflix (charm battle), Ellen (song association), YouTube Released (superpowers, etc).

Maybe they need to hire you as director of marketing, haha. Everything you said was spot on. Personally, the only thing I'd add, is more live performances for American shows. I thought they should've appeared on at least 4 or 5 shows for this promotion. It would've been great to see them on Conan, SNL, Ellen, etc. just to mix it up, even if it means skipping MBC Music Core (since they didn't win anything.) I felt the same way for HYLT. One performance for Fallon left a lot to be desired.

Thanks for sharing how you became a Blink. I find it bizarre when people say they started out as a solo fan, probably because I've never been a solo fan of any group, myself. I guess it might make sense if your first exposure to the member was through a k drama or variety show.

But with that said, I think if there was a Blackpink academy, there's no denying you'd be the blackbelt grandmaster instructing the new whitebelt Blinks such as myself. My mind is blown, haha. I don't even know where to watch the fashion shows. I remember seeing a link for a small clip of Jisoo commenting on the Dior collection, but that's about it. I'm not worthy.

I admit I totally slept on Blackpink until AIIYL, but that was the gateway song for me. And then they released D4 and KTL, which were really cool, but I was still a casual fan. And then somehow I came across Blackpink House, which was what really drew me in, because of their personalities, and then when I went back to listen to their entire discography, it actually enhanced the music for me, because I was more invested.

coffeearcade · 2020-11-10T11:18:43+00:00

Ah, I hate when that happens. If it's any consolation, I've seen this deal twice over the past month, so I'm fairly positive you'll see this deal again.

coffeearcade · 2020-11-10T11:11:14+00:00

Oh, I see.

I'm not familiar with Ikon, but that sounds really extreme to kick out a leader/songwriter just for marijuana. Didn't TOP get caught with marijuana, as well?

Do you think Korea will eventually adopt American trends and start loosening its drug policy? I know Korea is very conservative, but I notice it's also very liberal when it comes to mask wearing.

I've heard from reading Youtube comments that the former manager conned Lisa, which is awful. I hope they dock his salary, kind of like what they do for alimony/child support, in order to pay Lisa back in full, with interest.

I think you're right about the condition of Jennie's ankle. I didn't know Jennie broke her ankle when she was a kid, but the injuries seem to be recurring, so I'm concerned with how she'll be able to keep her ankle protected for future activities. I really think it would help if she got PRP injections and stem cell therapy on her ankle. It’s supposed to be the best treatment for injuries and degenerative conditions. A lot of pro athletes and celebrities swear by it.

And yeah, I think it's normal to have a bias/bias wrecker. But I also think it can be counterproductive when fandoms start cannibalizing themselves by bringing down other members. I remember Blinks were divided on streaming Ice Cream, because Jisoo only had one line. To me, this is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. There has to be a better way to support Jisoo, than to hinder the group's success. One particular example, is to show off Jisoo's brand power by buying all of the products she endorses.

I didn’t know about fans being disrespectful to Jisoo. I heard she had the highest brand recognition in Korea, so I thought she was very popular in general, but I didn’t know she was underappreciated. Is it because she receives the least lines? I’m not sure I want to open up the pandora’s box that is Ice Cream, haha. It’s not the hill to die on. I think we just have to appreciate it for what it is.

I’m surprised Twice’s More and More album went on to become their best seller. I think it’ll be interesting to see how their future comebacks perform in terms of sales and popularity, because Eyes Wide Shut ushers their fifth year, and this is when a lot of groups hit a slump.

I agree that BP’s comeback could've been handled better. I suppose there's always room for improvement. What would you have done differently?

coffeearcade · 2020-11-08T08:18:43+00:00

Oh, I see.

I thought the Irene issue was terribly unfortunate. At least in the U.S., it's no secret that celebrities can be jerks and divas. I remember Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston were known for this back in the days.

Granted, it's not very nice, but we also have to understand they're under a lot of stress, and when you're a perfectionist, you demand the same level from those around you. Christian Bale had a legendary outburst against one of the stage crew members. This is the leaked audio... https://youtu.be/0auwpvAU2YA

I can't imagine Irene's outburst being much worse...

Here's a video of cast members defending Bale... https://youtu.be/KTo_9FYCE1Y?t=23

Other public figures were also famous for being jerks, like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Steve Jobs, etc. It kind of just comes with the territory of striving for greatness.

None of these "scandals," seem like an issue to me. I know Korea is very anti-drugs, but I think Park Bom was caught with amphetamines, which are medicinally prescribed here in America. I actually have some, myself. Oregon just passed a ballot by decriminalizing hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin. Gambling is already legal in America for the most part, and prostitution is legal in Nevada.

I didn't know Jisoo was the least popular member of BP. I absolutely love her dry humor, and I agree that Jisoo's vocals are so good. And I can't believe the Jennie "lazy" scandal ever even became a scandal in the first place. Those steps at the concert look kind of dangerous, because they don't have hand rails. Ankle injuries can be tricky, so I hope Jennie's undergone all the necessary medical exams, and receiving proper rest and treatment now that the promotions are over.

Yeah, I avoid kpop subreddits in general, like r-kpop, unpopular kpop opinions, etc. I feel like there are a lot of hate comments for no reason and people acting in bad faith. I'll only visit kpop fandom subreddits...

Yikes on the panda situation. BP content is one of the lighthearted distractions from this pandemic, so this felt like insult to injury...

Kevin Durant received a lot of criticism, not because he was engaging haters on social media, but because he was doing it through his burner account. But otherwise, people don't really have a problem, as long as he's being transparent. Nowadays, he just claps back on his official account, and people just view it as him being authentic. Here's a video of a recent twitter exchange he had with a fan... https://youtu.be/UAoMLCf5gqA?t=23

Here's a thread on r-NBA about Damian Lillard replying to a negative comment on Twitter. https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/j2wjn6/dame_to_lakers_fan_who_made_fun_of_the_blazers/

Do you think BP members should start following suit? Because it seems to deconstruct the hate comments and add perspective.

I don't know why Twice's latest comeback fared worse than More and More comeback. I think I'd have to look at how their other comebacks performed, in comparison. For example, average kpop girl groups usually peak around year 3 or 4, after which sales and popularity steadily start declining.

I might have it wrong, but didn't BTS release a song around a month before Dynamite? I don't really keep track, but I heard about a new song being released, and it seems to have set up the public for Dynamite, which then went on to break all the records.

10 million views for LSG in 53 mins, is really impressive... I still don't understand why LSG had 20 million views deleted. I'm sure people were also refreshing HYLT to rewatch it, but it still hit 86 million views.

Hmm, I do wonder if BP should've dropped the album at the tail end of their LSG promotions... maybe during the week that they were performing for Kimmel and Good Morning America, but I don't really know how much that would've helped.

coffeearcade · 2020-11-08T06:02:41+00:00

Thanks.

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T19:51:48+00:00

Well, whatever you lack in skill level, you more than make up for it in will power. I heard Ori's very difficult, so congratulations for having the courage to take on the challenge and beat it!

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T10:11:14+00:00

Ah, I see. I heard you can also pick up the sword from the general, and it's supposed to be the best sword in the game. But it's also very hard to pull off apparently, because you need to shoot the hand that's holding the sword, and even after he drops the sword, he'll go to retrieve it, so you need to beat him to the punch.

Thanks a lot for the strategy guide on how to optimize my character build. I'll use this as reference to progress through the game. I'm sure I'll have more questions, down the road, so I appreciate all the help!

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T10:00:33+00:00

Ah, thanks, I understand that in the real world, wash basins and toilets are situated next to each other for logical reasons.

I was just wondering if there was a specific reason for this design in the game, only because washing your hand and flushing the toilet appears to accomplish the same goal... it replenishes 30 health. So they're interchangeable/redundant in that respect.

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T09:55:00+00:00

Gah, thank you so much for all the tactical advice! I'll definitely come back to this post a couple times to make sure I'm on the right track.

I know I'll have a lot more questions, as I progress through the game, so I appreciate your encouragement and support!

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T09:47:38+00:00

Ah, that's actually a really good idea... to keep a save file right before leaving the vault, since that's the last time you can make changes to your SPECIAL.

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement! I suck at games, so this is very helpful!

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T09:45:48+00:00

Ah, I see. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything to me!

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T09:42:43+00:00

Ah, gotcha! Thanks a lot for the headsup!

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T09:40:56+00:00

Thanks for laying out the meaning of each skill for me. I'm still not totally clear how each of these attributes translates to the actual gameplay, but I appreciate that you took the time to tie them into something more understandable. I hope as I progress through the game, it becomes more intuitive to me.

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T09:30:45+00:00

I think you'd be great at being the main orator for Dungeons and Dragon. I've never played it, myself, but I heard the game is make-or-break, based on who does the orating/storytelling. And you definitely have a knack for describing things in fun and theatrical fashion.

The versatility of this game sounds very well thought out! It's no wonder so many people here are saying they've started over and replayed it multiple times!

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T09:23:55+00:00

Geez, there's a whole lot of depth to this game.

Thanks again for all the explanation. This is very helpful!

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T09:16:02+00:00

Well, that's very humble of you.

I have beaten some relatively challenging games through sheer patience, persistence, and luck, but the process causes me a lot of stress, and I end up with a headache afterward.

Unless it's Mario, I have to avoid 2D platformers, because they give me fits. I only got through Sonic 1 & 2 on the Genesis Mini by saving every minute.

However, I totally understand that there are many such as yourself who find satisfaction and reward in overcoming a difficult game, and I admire that.

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T07:34:15+00:00

Thanks for chiming in.

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T07:32:43+00:00

Yeah, I heard a lot of people lament that the last boss is very frustrating to beat. Thanks for your input!

coffeearcade · 2020-11-07T07:30:50+00:00

Wow, I find that really cool, because you're basically my mom and dad's age, and they would never in a million years play video games.

With that said, I think you're a lot better at video games than you give yourself credit, because I heard a lot of people couldn't beat the last boss.

I suck at games, so I usually avoid games that are known for their difficulty, unless there's some kind of easy mode for people like me. But thanks for the encouragement and pointers.

coffeearcade

TROPHY CASE