#lesser evils

[aliettali]

for my next trick i will project on him

[patrickbrianmooney]

That's the thing about autocracy. It looks pretty decent while it still looks pretty decent. Survivable, anyway. And it keeps looking like that right up until it doesn't. That's how you find out it's too late.

James S.A. Corey, Tiamat's Wrath, ch. 8

[beingfacetious]

All this because you made a couple short jokes.

[lazyscience]

So anybody else out there who was thinking about switching over to Tidal from Spotify for whatever reasons (sound quality, artist treatment, Spotify's CEO pumping funding into AI drones, the algorithm going to shit) it was super easy to switch over.

initial thoughts on switchover for those also considering behind the cut.

To preserve my mixes/playlists from Spotify that I didn't want to lose, I used the suggested 3rd party app TuneMyMusic since I had more than 500 tracks in mixes. It was very easy to do (it was not free, but Tidal offered me 1 month free or 2 for $2, which made up the difference for the premium sync). Note: it won't port songs that aren't on both platforms, but I had very few losses and I listen to some pretty obscure shit so unless you have VERY niche taste you shouldn't have a problem. One thing it apparently doesn't allow that I never used on Spotify was collaborative mixes where more than one person can add to a playlist. I never did it so I won't miss it, but possibly that's a thing fandom folks might miss? (You can still share a mix with someone, you just can't do one together)

If you are a podcast/audiobook person and you like that functionality: Tidal is only music. For me, this is no hardship because no matter how many times I try, I do not brain podcasts well (and Spotify apparently pays a shit ton to Joe Rogan who i am happy not to be subsidizing). I need either music or video to be able to absorb words so people just talking does not work for me. Ditto audiobooks; even REALLY good ones where the voice actors are doing THEE MOST to keep you entertained, I find myself drifting. But if you are not that person and you like/need that functionality in your streaming audio service, you'll need a separate app for podcasts/audiobooks, which could add up (most podcasts are free so it's just the bother of switching back and forth but I gather Spotify has an Audible deal of some sort with free or reduced price content?)

Tidal's sound quality and algorithm fucking SLAP compared to Spotify's, which has gotten noticeably worse over the last couple years. I have just in this evening of switching over heard so many new (to me) things that make me happy. I USED to be able to use Spotify suggestions to find new stuff but it has really stagnated over the last couple years probably because of the demonetization/trying to pay fewer and fewer artists.

The interface is going to take a minute to get intuitive with because I've gotten so rotted/used to Spotify's but I don't think it'll take long. And the phone interface is better than desktop - which brings me to something that DOES irritate me, you can't listen offline except on the mobile app, not on the PC. I don' t understand the difference, it's all DRM-controlled either way so why would you not make it possible to listen offline on your computer? I'm a lot more productive writing when I can't get a wild hair to go research something COMPLETELY unnecessary that won't even make it into the story at ALL or if it does will ruthlessly get the chop in favor of stuff that somehow advances the plot instead of a Sidebar on Merovingian Currency. Is it a lot to ask to be able to play my Story Playlist while I'm cut off?

I mean, I can listen offline on my phone, but then I've got to take two devices on and offline to not check social media/faff around on the phone if it's right there, and have two devices plugged in and playing when I would really rather just do one. but alas, no solution is perfect.

So I'm happy I did it and the hiccups for me are minor, but wanted to be fully transparent about the things that might be dealbreakers for someone else. I'm sure there are shitty things Tidal's C-suite is doing/subsidizing and I'm not going to judge someone for their streaming radio, it's just I finally hit my personal switching point for things I wasn't willing to put up with any more.

[state-of-franklin]

All Brimstone Angels enjoyers should make me a mutual and talk to me about this series because I will combust. 10 years from now I will still combust.

[cantheywinthehungergames]

This character was previously rejected, but allowed again with me re-allowing humanoid characters.

Keep Reading for Tribute Info and Restrictions

Can Havilar win the Hunger Games?

Yes

No

Voting ended onFeb 17, 2025

If you would like to see your favorite character as a tribute, please fill out this Google Form. Mentor submissions for characters aged 19 and older are currently closed.

Please also look at my pinned post for submission rules as well as a list of previously submitted characters prior to submitting your character.

Tribute Name: Havilar

Age: ~17

Media: The Brimstone Angels series

Restrictions: No magic or magical abilities of any kind

[jackpot-library]

my brain is stupid and sporadic. i really want to write about a crossover event where the prime evils are vying for an archangel's affections against the like of the main chaos gods from wh40k.

baal throws hands with Khorne (mephisto occasionally tags in bc no one hates more than literal hatred, arms up small man). tzeentch is trying to out-wit the likes of Belial and Mephisto. slaanesh is tempting the archangel with pleasure while andariel and duriel are absolutely livid to where they declare open war on them. diablo and azmodan are in an arms race against nurgle because that damn God needs a bath.

khorne gives the archangel excitement. weirdly the most chaste of the chaos gods. literally somehow hates everyone but the archangel, they don't really think about it. possessive, arrogant, yet chivalrous only to the Archangel. grand displays of violence against the likes of Baal and his kin, blood spilled in their name. jewelry of bones, weapons crafted with horns and sinew. the Archangel would know no luxury for Khorne is the embodiment of battle and war. beauty is wearing the skins of your enemies and reveling in adrenaline. it is the highest source of the grand divine.

sadism reigns as a dominant thought in the likes of nurgle. the most dangerous to be near. his care delves into the likes of self-experimentation and allowing despair to reap its crop. the archangel is infected, all to better themselves and thrive in the breath of death. humble is a word foreign to the likes of nurgle; he speaks common tongue and his speech lacks elegance and poise. his intentions held gold, but his actions are rusted silver.

tzeentch grows and shifts. the tides never waver, life is at the water's mercy. their light is warm yet plagued with afflictions. the Archangel would be embraced by the likes of libraries, each brimmed with tomes and books from times long extinct. they wish to see this interest grow and learn, to rise beyond what path they led and become astry to a beckoning forest. it calls for them, whispers dancing in the gentle breeze so tantalizing they'd feel its essence upon their tongue. come now, be whisked away. feel the grace of change for they'll emerge as the spouse of a great god. why wallow in the care of other sins when they soil their hands with the likes of filth?

slaanesh's words drip with a succulent pleasure. an addiction soon grows. fly with them amongst the artistry of the many, feel their hands upon your body, leading you towards a paradise glazed upon only in myth. their name would become a lie, replaced by the likes of sweet endearments that rot the minds of the many. stay for a while, ignore the cries of the far off demons. pain and anguish, why would you want the likes of them tending to your every need when pleasure and creativity lies at your feet? the Archangel must resist the temptations less their fate be sealed by the likes of the dark prince.

all of this? imagine the anger that rips apart the inards of the Prime Evils. to be sized up like they were scraps of meat on a hook ignites their fire. they feed each off of one another's sins; they might not be one in body nor spirit, but their unity finally shines under the marks of history. once enemies of another they find common ground in annihilating the competition, they'll not be made fools by the likes of foreign gods. this sign of cooperation shown by the Evils intimidates the High Heavens. they worry for what lies behind tomorrow's veil. where one falls, a greater threat rises. which of the lesser Evils do they prepare for? in the end, the answer is obvious. against better judgement the Council assists their sworn enemies, if only for they are familiar with their kind than the gods of another realm.

oh, how i pity them. the chaos marines, daemons, and daemon princes/traitor primarchs say hello.

[claudia-kishi]

I must say, Watson, I enjoyed catching a glimpse of you in your former element.