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kingstylesdaily · 4 years ago

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Why Harry Styles Just Scored His First No. 1 Song

Like any boy band alumnus, he first had to overcome radio’s bias against teen heartthrobs.

Late summer is a great time for sleeper hits: songs that have been hanging around the charts for months and finally hit their stride. Four years ago, in August 2016, Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” reached No. 1 after knocking around the charts since the prior winter, getting its final boost from a Sean Paul remix. In September 2018, Maroon 5’s year-old “Girls Like You” slipped into the top slot after wafting around the Top 10 for more than four months, with a Cardi B verse putting it over the edge. Last year around Labor Day, Lizzo finally topped the Hot 100 with “Truth Hurts,” a song that was two years old and had been rising gradually on the chart since the spring.

This year’s sleeper hit is “Watermelon Sugar,” a wisp of a song by boy bander–turned–self-styled rock star Harry Styles. With a name inspired by Richard Brautigan’s hippie-era, post-apocalyptic novella In Watermelon Sugar, Styles’ lackadaisical tune is not only a sleeper but a grower, the sort of hit that sneaks up on you—I wasn’t sure it even had a fully written chorus the first time I heard it, and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. Indeed, the whole nation took its time deciding that this quirky ditty would give the starriest, most eccentric member of One Direction his first-ever U.S. chart-topper.

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“Watermelon Sugar” is the third single promoted from Styles’ second solo album Fine Line, which was released last December. That alone is remarkable, given the challenge in the digital age of generating chart interest in anything other than an album’s first couple of singles. Generally, in an era when all of an album’s songs are available to be consumed the day the album drops, you need a remix or a special guest of some kind to gin up chart action months after the song first hits streaming. “Sugar” has none of those. To be sure, there was some gimmickry fueling the song’s leap to the top, albeit of an old-fashioned kind: The song had its best week of sales ever thanks to an assortment of limited-edition vinyl and cassette singles that came bundled with a digital download. Those sales got “Sugar” the last mile on the charts, but Columbia Records wouldn’t have put the physical goods on sale if the song wasn’t already a radio smash—“Sugar” currently has the second-biggest U.S. airplay audience—and they knew they had an opening between current hits by Taylor Swift and a pair of lascivious female rappers I’ll almost certainly be writing about in this space next week. So, fair play to Team Harry: They took advantage of an open chart window, a tactic as old as the Hot 100 itself.

As “Sugar” leaps from No. 7 to No. 1 on the Hot 100 this week—essentially switching places with his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift’s “Cardigan,” which falls to No. 8—Styles scores only the second-ever chart-topper by a member of One Direction. That includes all of the hits by 1D itself. In its five years of recording, from 2011 through 2015, the band never scored a Hot 100 No. 1. This despite topping the Billboard 200 album chart with its first four studio albums, the only group in history to launch a career with that haul. So … what was that other 1D-affiliated Hot 100–topper I mentioned? It was by ex-member Zayn Malik, the only member to break from the crew while it was still active. Zayn’s smoldering, Weeknd-esque boudoir jam “Pillowtalk” debuted at No. 1—and spent a solitary week there—in the winter of 2016, fueled by blockbuster streams and downloads ginned up by 1D superfans still mourning his departure the prior year and the group’s resulting, presumably permanent hiatus.

Explaining how the top-selling boy band of the 2010s could shift so many CDs and downloads but generate only two No. 1 singles means briefly recapping the fraught history of boy bands and the charts. Selling albums has never been hard for pinup pop groups, since the days of Meet the Beatles! and More of the Monkees. And in the ’70s and ’80s, such precision sing-and-dance troupes as the Jackson 5, the Osmonds, and New Edition managed to generate both gold albums and chart-conquering singles. In 1989, New Kids on the Block had the year’s second-biggest album and four of the year’s top singles, including a pair of No. 1s. But starting in the ’90s, as U.S. radio networks consolidated (fueled by the 1996 Telecommunications Act) and programmers more narrowly targeted specific demographics, radio stations shied away from maximalist teen-pop that appealed primarily to under-18 audiences. By the end of that decade, even as boy bands were enjoying a new wave of TRL-fueled popularity, radio became a chart handicap for them. The Backstreet Boys and ’N Sync had the top-selling albums of 1999 and 2000, respectively—the diamond-selling Millennium and No Strings Attached—but only scored a solitary Hot 100 topper between them, ’N Sync’s “It’s Gonna Be Me.” (Backstreet never hit No. 1: The deathless “I Want It That Way” peaked at No. 6.)

This radio bias against boy bands has persisted into the 21st century. And ever since the Hot 100 went digital about a decade and a half ago, teen-pop’s chart placements have been the result of a battle between rabid downloaders and radio gatekeepers—massive digital sales compensating for modest radio play. For example, radio was what kept the Jonas Brothers from scoring any chart-topping hits during their original wave of teen idoldom; their biggest hit of the ’00s, the No. 5 hit “Burnin’ Up,” sold 2 million downloads but only ranked 55th at U.S. radio. By the ’10s, the same fate befell one-man boy band Justin Bieber. In this long-running Slate series, I have chronicled the blow-by-blow between Justin Bieber and radio programmers that swung from Justin as hit-starved teen idol in the early ’10s to dominant young-adult chart-dominator in the late ’10s. In the early ’10s period, Bieber was a YouTube and iTunes demigod with not a single radio smash to his name. He could sell a half-million downloads of “Boyfriend” in a week and still fall short of the No. 1 spot, thanks (no thanks) to radio.

For One Direction, the chart patterns were the same. A Frankenstein’s monster that Simon Cowell famously threw together in 2010 on his televised competition The X Factor from five solo competitors—Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson—1D continually found its singles dragged down on the Hot 100 by radio, even as the band sold truckloads of albums. The pattern was set in fall 2012 when “Live While We’re Young” debuted with a staggering 341,000 downloads but could only get to No. 3 on the Hot 100, thanks to its 50th-ranked radio airplay. In the summer of 2013, the slyly Who-interpolating “Best Song Ever” became 1D’s highest-charting hit ever, debuting at No. 2 with record video views and near-record downloads, but at radio it never got past No. 53. “Story of My Life” (No. 6, 2014), “Drag Me Down” (No. 3, 2015)—no matter how many downloads sold or videos viewed, 1D could never top the Hot 100 so long as its radio spins remained limited.

The reason I’m running down all of this granular chart data is it reveals the hurdles both 1D and its post-breakup soloists had to overcome to top the Hot 100. Like Justin Bieber, they had to become credible radio fodder with adults as well as kids. With his early break from the group, Zayn was the first to pull this off. Though “Pillowtalk” debuted at No. 1 largely due to massive sales and streams, the carnal song did eventually become a No. 4–ranked airplay hit. Cleverly, Zayn had chosen a then-current EDM-inflected R&B mode and dropped his debut while the Weeknd was between albums. Other former 1D-ers have had their share of solid radio hits, including Liam Payne’s hip-hop–inflected “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo of Migos (No. 10 on the Hot 100, No. 4 on Radio Songs) and Niall Horan’s softly bopping pop jam “Slow Hands” (No. 11 Hot 100, No. 2 Radio Songs).

And Harry Styles? He decided to make things harder on himself. His 2017 debut album was chockablock with old-school classic rock. This would be like launching a career in 1964 with big-band jazz. While Styles’ fame ensured a big launch for his Bowie-esque single “Sign of the Times”—it opened, and peaked, at No. 4 on the Hot 100, fueled by strong downloads—radio showed only moderate interest. It eventually reached a modest No. 21 on the airplay chart. Later Harry singles like the twangy “Two Ghosts” and the thrashy “Kiwi” missed the Hot 100 and had little radio profile beyond a handful of pure-pop stations that were loyal to Styles from his 1D days. One admired Harry for following his artistic muse—more Joni Mitchell than Justin Bieber—but as a pop star, he arguably squandered his momentum coming out of One Direction.

What has made Fine Line, Styles’ sophomore album, such a clever left turn is he retained the rock flavor he naturally gravitates toward but converted it into mellow California-style surf-pop, and he let his production team—Tyler Johnson and Thomas “Kid Harpoon” Hull—fashion the songs into percolating radio jams. Each single has opened the door a bit wider: “Lights Up,” a No. 17 last October, is lightly strummed beach music with ethereal backing vocals. And “Adore You,” a No. 6 hit in April (for my money, still Styles’ best single), is thumping electropop. “Adore” in particular served as Styles’ entrée onto radio’s A-list—it reached No. 1 on mainstream Top 40 stations and No. 2 on Radio Songs by early summer.

With this beachhead established, Harry was finally free to let his freak flag fly with “Watermelon Sugar,” which is simultaneously his oddest single and his most infectious. The chorus consists of nothing more than the line “Watermelon sugar high” repeated a half-dozen or more times, with emphasis on the “HIGH.” (TikTok users have keyed into this idiosyncrasy, sharing videos in which the “high” gets its own video edit of the user playacting her best stoner face.) Last November, when Styles did double-duty hosting and singing on Saturday Night Live, “Sugar” was one of the songs he performed, and in that indoor setting, it came off as willfully quirky and seasonally incongruous; the song’s first verse line is “Tastes like strawberries on a summer evenin’.” Now, timed for 2020’s beach season—complete with a video filled with beautiful people on the shore, shot just before the pandemic and, according to a title card, “dedicated to touching”—it’s sitting atop the hit parade.

In short, Harry Styles finally has a profile on the radio and on the Hot 100 that matches his profile on magazine covers, and he achieved it on his own schedule and something like his own terms. Like John Lennon in the ’70s—the founder and nominal leader of the Beatles but the last former Fab to reach the toppermost of the poppermost as a solo artist—Styles just had to find his own way. As that onetime teen heartthrob sang, “Whatever gets you to the light, it’s all right.”

source: Slate

#kingstylesdaily #harry styles #hs: watermelon sugar #august 2020

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zrtranscripts · 4 years ago

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Radio Abel, Season Eight

Part 4 of 5

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Hello ci-ti-zens! Welcome back to Radio New Hope.

ZOE CRICK: This is a very special edition of our show, listeners.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: That's right, Zoe! [laughs] It's our first broadcast since Fort Canton became the seat of the UK government. We’re only a few feet away from the office of the prime minister, Amelia Spens. [sighs] Prime Minister Amelia Spens. [laughs] How did this happen again?

ZOE CRICK: There's never any one factor that determines who rises to power, Phil.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Uh, for the benefit of any listeners not up to date with current affairs, uh, can we list the -

ZOE CRICK: An understandable predicament, given the post-apocalyptic demise of the 24-hour news cycle.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: - can we list the factors that led to Amelia's appointment?

ZOE CRICK: Opportunism...

PHIL CHEESEMAN: ... And?

ZOE CRICK: I'm thinking.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I thought you said there was never any one factor.

ZOE CRICK: You know, I think Amelia's a special case. Most world leaders aspire to the job, for better or worse, but Amelia only ever wants what's best for Amelia, whether that's nabbing the last reservation for an exclusive spa treatment -

PHIL CHEESEMAN: - or seizing control of a country.

ZOE CRICK: Exactly.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: [sighs] Listeners, I realize that the phrase “seizing control” had some negative connotations, and I'd just like to explain what I meant when I said that's what the prime minister did to the UK. There was a power vacuum and no one else was up to the task, so Amelia stepped in.

ZOE CRICK: I'd also like to clarify what I said. Amelia does only want what's best for Amelia, but right now, that's what's best for the country, too.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: We hope.

ZOE CRICK: Amelia wants to live in a UK with hot running water, a plentiful supply of luxury goods, and no V-types. If she's the best person to make that happen, then her being in power is a good thing for all of us.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: And on that note, here's a song that always puts me in an optimistic mood.

ZOE CRICK: Radio New Hope is still fully independent and completely unbiased.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I wouldn't call your veto of progressive art rock unbiased.

ZOE CRICK: Phil, many of our listeners are out scavenging for supplies and running away from zombies. We don't need to make their lives any harder. My point is that our proximity to the prime minister has no bearing on our editorial stance.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Oh, definitely. The fact that Amelia's just down the hall and controls the penal system doesn't affect what we say in the slightest. I hardly ever think about how easy it would be for her to kick me out of Fort Canton and leave me to the V-types.

ZOE CRICK: The only person who'll do that is me the next time you try to put on some King Crimson when I'm not looking. Amelia said a strong government has nothing to fear from a free press.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Might have been a test.

ZOE CRICK: She knows if we suddenly started spouting propaganda, our listeners would get suspicious. As long as she lets us carry on as normal, she looks confident, like she's got nothing to hide.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Which she hasn't. Probably.

ZOE CRICK: Do you really think that's necessary, Phil?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: It's journalistic ethics, Zoe. We've got to disclose it.

ZOE CRICK: [sighs] Go on, then.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Listeners, one of Amelia's first acts as prime minister was to give us a new studio.

ZOE CRICK: It's hardly new.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: It's a lot nicer than what we were in before. Less sticky.

ZOE CRICK: To explain, listeners, Amelia is building a scale replica of the House of Commons at Fort Canton. Just like the original, it's furnished with green leather seats. Although most of the leftover building materials went to settlements more in need of refurbishment than Fort Canton, no one else wanted the green leather, so we've got it. All of it. Everything in this room is green.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: It's... a very relaxing color?

ZOE CRICK: In moderation. [sighs] I feel like I'm broadcasting from the depths of the swamp.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: The important thing is that our new upholstery wasn't payment.

ZOE CRICK: Are you satisfied?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I think so. We can't be too careful about this. Transparency's critical.

ZOE CRICK: Oh, perhaps, but it's hardly the most exciting way to fill the airwaves. Here's some music to lighten the mood.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: We hope that's made it clear, listeners. Radio New Hope has no official affiliation with the prime minister, so you can stop filling ROFFLEnet with requests for new laws. We can't help you with them.

ZOE CRICK: And in many cases, we wouldn't want to.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Yeah. To whoever wrote to us under the username Undying_Love, no, I don't think human/zombie marriage is going to be legally recognized anytime soon.

ZOE CRICK: I also think it's also safe to say that if and when the DVLA is back up and running, zombies probably won't be eligible for driving licenses.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: To be fair, we have received some reasonable requests, uh, it's just that we can't do anything about them. We're just broadcasters.

ZOE CRICK: That's right. While it's wonderful that so many of you are politically engaged, you need to direct your efforts towards the right people. If there's something you want discussed in parliament, contact the leader of your settlement.

ZOE CRICK: I'm glad that's cleared up. I must say, it's a relief not to be talking about politics for once.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Not that politics isn't important, listeners, it's just that Zoe and I haven't really had a break from it since Amelia became prime minister.

ZOE CRICK: If we're not bumping into settlement leaders in the canteen, we're tripping over King Jamie's retinue when he drops in for his weekly conference with Amelia.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: We can't even get a cup of tea without getting caught up in an argument about V-type policy.

ZOE CRICK: Oh, it's exhausting.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: So allow Radio New Hope to be your refuge from current affairs.

ZOE CRICK: Here's a song with absolutely no political message at all.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Since we're not talking about politics, let's catch up. Uh, Zoe, what have you been doing recently?

ZOE CRICK: Well, last night I went to see Amelia to -

PHIL CHEESEMAN: No need to go into too much detail.

ZOE CRICK: - borrow a David Attenborough DVD.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Oh.

ZOE CRICK: She says they keep her children entertained, but I'm not sure they fully appreciate the lion cubs of the Serengeti. Anyway, I never even got to ask her for it because she was too busy arguing with the representative from the Psychoanalysts Enclave. The UK Alliance hasn't really figured out taxes yet, but Amelia's interpreting the concept loosely. In exchange for services, she wants control of all the dirt the Enclave acquired prior to the apocalypse.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Purely to keep it confidential?

ZOE CRICK: Of course.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Oh, that's sort of like... It's politics, really, isn't it?

ZOE CRICK: All right then, Phil, what non-political activities have you been engaging in?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I've been researching Alan Parsons.

ZOE CRICK: Don't you know everything about him already?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I'm putting together a biography. It's important that the history of significant cultural figures isn't lost. To make sure my information’s correct, I’ve been cross-referencing my sources with the fan community on ROFFLEnet. It's just that there aren't that many Alan Parsons fans -

ZOE CRICK: Who’d have thought?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: - because many of them died in the apocalypse.

ZOE CRICK: I'm sorry.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: The point is that because there are only a few people left with expertise in classic progressive rock, everyone else on the message board figured out who I am and that I work near Amelia.

ZOE CRICK: So you can't even escape politics on the Alan Parsons forum?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Exactly. I've been bombarded with questions for her, things she hasn't addressed in her own broadcasts. I printed them out, actually. [paper rustles] Here, you can take a look.

ZOE CRICK: You know, some of these aren't bad. I wonder if Amelia would come on the show and answer them.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I always secretly wanted to host Question Time.

ZOE CRICK: Listeners, I'm very happy to announce that the prime minister Amelia Spens has agreed to appear on Radio New Hope and answer some of your questions.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I won't ask how you convinced her.

ZOE CRICK: I didn't have to. She said it would be good for her image.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Really?

ZOE CRICK: Yes. She says the population sees her as intelligent, refined, and sophisticated, but that those qualities make her hard to relate to. According to her, appearing on Radio New Hope will increase her appeal to people who don't care about personal grooming and who haven't read a book since the apocalypse.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Is that what she thinks of our listeners?

ZOE CRICK: To be fair, reading materials and cosmetics are in short supply.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Yes, and people's priorities have changed. Some of us are more concerned with staying alive than getting our well-manicured hands on the last remaining issues of the Times Literary Supplement.

ZOE CRICK: A fair point. Listeners, to find out what our prime minister's priorities are, send your questions to us over ROFFLEnet.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Zoe, since this is our first prime ministerial interview, do you think we should have picked a more appropriate song than that?

ZOE CRICK: It's too late now.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: People of the UK, we'd like to introduce a very special guest to Radio New Hope. Please welcome our prime minister, Amelia Spens.

AMELIA SPENS: Hello, Phil and Zoe. I must say, I'm glad this is a radio broadcast. This studio looks frightful.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: [sighs] Now hang on. It's decorated with offcuts you gave us.

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, is this where they ended up? I thought we were going to burn them.

ZOE CRICK: We're off to a good start, listeners. Let's have some serious music before we get into the questions.

ZOE CRICK: Our first question is from Concerned of Dorchester. “Prime Minister, when democracy is reinstated, will zombies get the vote?”

AMELIA SPENS: “When democracy is reinstated.” [laughs] Phil and Zoe, I hope these aren't all going to be comedy questions.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I think just focus on the zombie part for now.

AMELIA SPENS: I think we can all agree that one of the few silver linings of the apocalypse is the way outdated prejudices and social orders have been rejected.

ZOE CRICK: Just to be clear, you're not ruling out zombies having the vote?

AMELIA SPENS: Not until I know who they'd vote for. V-types are very intelligent in large groups.

ZOE CRICK: This next question is from Sir Augustus Headley Coombs. “Prime Minister, do your duties as a mother hinder your ability to run the country?”

AMELIA SPENS: Quite honestly, if anything, they help -

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I'm sorry, Prime Minister, you don't have to answer that. I apologize on behalf of Radio New Hope to you and to all other mothers listening for airing a question that implies that motherhood might compromise a woman's abilities to do her job.

ZOE CRICK: Quite. We all know that if Amelia's abilities are compromised, it's by her refusal to do anything that might damage her manicure.

AMELIA SPENS: Are you still annoyed about that, Zoe?

ZOE CRICK: Now isn't the time.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: There's really no need to acknowledge this question, Prime Minister. Let's move on.

AMELIA SPENS: It's a reasonable question, and the answer is that dealing with a clutch of screaming children with no control over their emotions is the best training a prime minister could have.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I've got a question from, uh... this person's username is just a string of cat emojis. They say, “Prime Minister, doctors and scientists are increasingly aware of the therapeutic benefits of caring for animals. Simply stroking a cat has been proven to lower blood pressure. Why, even when there's so much evidence that animals make it easier to cope with mental health difficulties, are kitten pens still not compulsory in all settlements?”

AMELIA SPENS: Zoe, did you write this? I told you, if you ever need a way to relieve stress, just come to my quarters and I’ll -

PHIL CHEESEMAN: So that's a no on the kitten pens for now, listeners. Here's a nice loud song to block out the sound of your own imagination.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: This question comes from BV, but I'm not sure we should ask it. Zoe, take a look.

[paper rustles]

ZOE CRICK: Hmm, I see what you mean. But if this is a true public forum, nothing should be off limits. Besides, I think the time for editorial qualms would have been before you printed out the entire message board.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Perhaps it wasn't the best use of our paper allowance.

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, just ask it. I've scheduled a hot stone massage after this and if I have to cancel, running out of paper will be the least of your problems.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Um... “Prime Minister, how does it feel to be the most attractive world leader of all time?”

AMELIA SPENS: It's a meaningless accolade.

ZOE CRICK: Of course. We shouldn't judge politicians on their appearance.

AMELIA SPENS: No, I mean there's no competition.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Oh, the next question's also from BV. Uh, this one's a bit more sensible, though. It's about health policy. “Prime Minister, I am the CEO of a corporation with an extensive pharmaceutical arm. I'd be happy to discuss supplies for ministry hospitals. Perhaps over a bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947 Saint-Emilion, and some caviar.”

ZOE CRICK: Wait, pharmaceutical corporation? BV? Is this Valmont? Prime Minister, I don't think this is a genuine request.

AMELIA SPENS: I'm terribly sorry, BV, but a meeting won't be possible right now. I have to be very careful about the relationship between business and government. You understand. More importantly, red wine and caviar is a dreadful pairing. Let me know when you've got some Dom Perignon and then we'll talk.

AMELIA SPENS: Zoe, I know that was a dreadful song, but could you at least -

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Hey!

AMELIA SPENS: - but you could at least stay awake for the duration. The rest of us had to.

ZOE CRICK: I was awake. I just like to close my eyes sometimes, or the green gets too much. Anyway, what's the next question, Phil?

[paper rustles]

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Ah, I don't think we need to ask that one.

AMELIA SPENS: Nothing is off limits. Please go ahead.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Um, Outraged of Essex asks, “Prime Minister, does your involvement with Zoe Crick create a conflict of interest regarding your appearance on this program?”

AMELIA SPENS: I don't know, Outraged, do your hobbies create a conflict of interest with your job?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I've got a question from [clears throat] Nice Try, But If You Think I'm Writing My Name In That Box, You've Got Another Thing Coming.

ZOE CRICK: I didn't know ROFFLEnet usernames could be that long.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: “Prime Minister, is it true that you're demanding the Psychoanalysts Enclave give you all their information? Would the details go public? Asking for a friend.”

AMELIA SPENS: Firstly, the UK Alliance doesn't demand anything, it's a negotiation. As for the information, it sounds like its secrecy is valuable to you. Interesting. Write to my office and we'll talk.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Happy and Glorious asks, “Will the king attend the State Opening of Parliament?”

AMELIA SPENS: The State Opening of Parliament took place in the House of Lords, not the House of Commons. Since we haven't built a House of Lords, it just wouldn't be right to reenact such a historically significant ceremony. A shame, as I'm sure King Jamie's speech about self-sacrifice and duty would have been a hoot.

ZOE CRICK: Couldn't you adapt the ceremony for post-apocalyptic times?

AMELIA SPENS: What do you mean?

ZOE CRICK: Before Z-Day, the State Opening of Parliament consisted of several commemorative rituals. For example, the Palace of Westminster cellars would be searched for explosives in remembrance of the Gunpowder Plot.

AMELIA SPENS: And you're suggesting we open Parliament with zombie-themed rituals, is that it? [laughs] Amused as I am by the thought of King Jamie being chased through Fort Canton by a horde of V-types, there are several recent events that it would be best the population stop associating with the office of minister.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: You mean all that stuff with Sigrid?

AMELIA SPENS: It's easier for people to forget if they're not being constantly reminded, Phil.

ZOE CRICK: Lance Corporal Kapoor asks, “Is there any truth to the rumor that defense resources are being spent retrieving high heels from the last remaining Christian Louboutin shop in Mayfair?”

AMELIA SPENS: Yes. Politics is all about image, and I need to look stylish yet powerful to intimidate our enemies.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: But aren't zombies our biggest enemies? Do they notice shoes?

AMELIA SPENS: There's a lot we don't know yet about zombies.

ZOE CRICK: On that note, here's a song that'll make us all feel powerful.

AMELIA SPENS: Are we nearly finished? All this green is giving me a headache.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Almost. The Truth Is Out There asks, “Is the UK Alliance withholding information about UFOs?”

AMELIA SPENS: UFOs?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Unidentified flying -

AMELIA SPENS: I know what they are, Phil. Listener, was the zombie apocalypse not enough? Haven't you had your fill of government conspiracies? Don't you think if - actually, no, I'm not going to dignify this stupid question with an answer. That's it, I'm afraid, Phil and Zoe. It's time for my massage.

[chair legs scrape across floor]

ZOE CRICK: Wait, there's one more.

AMELIA SPENS: No.

ZOE CRICK: Where is Janine De Luca?

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, Janine. I'm amazed anyone noticed she was gone. Don't worry, listeners. Colonel De Luca is on a secret mission and it's all under control. She and her appallingly drab outfits will be back at Abel in no time. And with that, I'm off.

[door opens]

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I think it's probably time for some music.

ZOE CRICK: I think that went... about as well as could be expected.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Yeah, considering it was our first prime ministerial interview, we didn't read the questions before going live, and we're broadcasting from what looks like the inside of a spinach tin.

ZOE CRICK: [laughs] I thought you liked the decor.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: [sighs] Just didn't want to complain. Fort Canton's been a stressful place to work since Amelia became prime minister, but I try to remember that we're all on the same team. Everyone wants to get rid of the V-types and we need to work together, focus on the big things, and not sweat the small stuff.

ZOE CRICK: Hmm. Like how our studio looks like Kermit the Frog's fever dream?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Exactly.

[magazine pages rustle]

ZOE CRICK: Phil? Phil, we're live.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Oh, sorry. Uh... [clears throat] Hello, ci-ti-zens! Welcome back to Radio New Hope, where your entertainment is our priority.

ZOE CRICK: Except when we're reading... [magazine rustles] Vogue? Phil, don't take this the wrong way, but I never thought of you as being particularly interested in fashion.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I never was, Zoe, before the apocalypse. But one of our runners picked this up from a dentist's waiting room during a meds run and I was curious. So fascinating, really, that there used to be this whole industry dedicated to the way we looked.

ZOE CRICK: The people in these pictures had no idea what was coming.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: If they had, maybe they'd have worn more practical shoes.

ZOE CRICK: Yes. [laughs] Good luck running from a zom in those. They're quite fun, actually.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Yeah, they're pretty good, but I prefer these.

ZOE CRICK: Wow! [laughs] Those are quite something. You couldn't wear them to work, though.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Not unless you were this next musical artiste!

ZOE CRICK: Welcome back, listeners. Today we're reading Vogue, which is like gazing through a portal into another dimension.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: A dimension where people thought it was sensible to make dresses out of tin foil and feathers.

ZOE CRICK: Mm, I'm not sure sense had anything to do with it. These clothes are about fantasy. They're works of art.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well, those ones are, but look at this other fashion mag I picked up. [magazine page rustles] This article is called “Summer Must-haves.” It's telling me I must spend 700 pounds on these trousers. And it's next to an advert for some magic cream to make me look young. Now remember, before the apocalypse, a lot of people worried about not wearing the right clothes or that it was a bad thing to look their age.

ZOE CRICK: Hmm, that's a good point. Nowadays, if you see someone older, you know they've probably got some wisdom to share. Always handy in the post-apocalypse.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Exactly! Just yesterday, a teenager asked me where the toilets are.

ZOE CRICK: Hmm, impressive! [laughs] Here's a song by someone even older and wiser than Phil.

ZOE CRICK: You know, Phil, how we look hasn't become totally irrelevant since the apocalypse.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well... yeah. Uh, it's-it's important to look basically alive so that no one mistakes you for a zombie and tries to knock your head off with a baseball bat.

ZOE CRICK: True, but I was thinking more about the way we express ourselves. For example, isn't that a Dream Theater T-shirt you're wearing?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Yes. You know, it does cheer me up to wear a T-shirt featuring a band I like, even if they are all dead.

ZOE CRICK: And I'm wearing socks with cats on them. Every now and again, someone will stop me in the corridor and compliment me because they like cats, too. Then we'll have a conversation about cats and the whole day gets a little brighter.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: They are pretty nice socks.

ZOE CRICK: Thank you, Phil. [giggles] Since we're on the topic, why don't you put on a song for our listeners and I tell you about the morning I spent in the kitten pen?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Uh, do I get a choice?

ZOE CRICK: Nope.

#zombies run #zrs8 #s8 radio #s8 radio part 4 #zr transcript

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resilientsovl · 5 years ago

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BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: samuel william winchester. PRONUNCIATION: pronounced how it’s spelled. MEANING: so from the hebrew name שְׁמוּאֵל, it means god has heard, or name of god. it’s a little ironic considering sam is lucifer, god’s fallen son’s, true vessel. REASONING: sam was named after his maternal grandfather, samuel campbell. NICKNAME(S): sam, sammy, little winchester, moose, 738273 other height related nicknames. PREFERRED NAME(S): sam. BIRTH DATE: may 2, 1983. AGE: honestly he’s not sure. he’s died 3-4 times, been the vessel for demons and archangels which probably stalled his physical aging too. i say he’s probably biologically somewhere around 35, even though he’s technically 47ish. ZODIAC: taurus. GENDER: cismale. PRONOUNS: he/him. ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: heteroromantic. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual. ( he can appreciate that men are attractive, has probably even slept with a couple, but has no desire to be in romantic, serious, relationships with men. ) NATIONALITY: american. ETHNICITY: wonderbread white. CURRENT LOCATION: san francisco, ca. LIVING CONDITIONS: a crappy two bedroom apartment he rents by the month. it’s small, not in a great neighborhood, but it does the trick. TITLE(S): n/a.

BACKGROUND

BIRTH PLACE: lawrence, kansas. HOMETOWN: technically lawrence kansas, but they moved around frequently. SOCIAL CLASS: blue collar. EDUCATION LEVEL: undergraduate degree from stanford. FATHER: john winchester. MOTHER: mary winchester ( neé campbell ). SIBLING(S): dean winchester, adam milligan ( half ). BIRTH ORDER: dean, sam, adam. CHILDREN: jack kline ( adopted / unofficially ) PET(S): n/a. OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES: bobby singer, pseudo uncle. castiel, pseudo brother / brother-in-law. SIGNIFICANT OTHER: natasha herrera, wife. ( separated ) PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: jessica moore, amelia richardson, meg, sarah blake, ruby, a few one night stands, amy pond ( first kiss ), etc. ARRESTS?: a few, yes. PRISON TIME?: minimal, seen in folsom prison blues.

OCCUPATION & INCOME

PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME: credit card scams, illegal activity. SECONDARY SOURCE OF INCOME: n/a. TERTIARY SOURCE(S) OF INCOME: hunting, but it pays for shit. APPROXIMATE AMOUNT PER YEAR: unknown. CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: this is never the job he wanted. so no, definitely not. PAST JOB(S): student. SPENDING HABITS: extremely frugal, only on necessities. MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: john winchester’s journal.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: peak physical condition, human, in-shape. OFFENSE: extremely skilled with weapons and hand to hand. DEFENSE: extremely skilled with lethal and non-lethal defensive moves. SPEED: faster than average. INTELLIGENCE: educated and above average. ACCURACY: above average. AGILITY: above average. STAMINA: above average. TEAMWORK: below average. he doesn’t work well with people he doesn’t know or trust. it takes time to develop a bond / ease of working with others. TALENTS: computer skills, digesting information, critical thinking skills. SHORTCOMINGS: stubborn, naive, reckless, deep psychological trauma, suicidal ideation, a nice grabbag of issues. LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: latin, english, probably a bunch of other old, dead, languages that might come in handy. he probably also took spanish in school. DRIVE?: yes. JUMP-STAR A CAR?: yes. CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: yes. RIDE A BICYCLE?: yes. SWIM?: yes. PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: no. PLAY CHESS?: yes. BRAID HAIR?: no. TIE A TIE?: yes. PICK A LOCK?: yes.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

FACE CLAIM: jared padalecki. EYE COLOR: hazel. HAIR COLOR: brown. HAIR TYPE/STYLE: long and flowing. GLASSES/CONTACTS?: n/a. DOMINANT HAND: right. HEIGHT: 6′4 WEIGHT: 220 ish lbs. BUILD: slender but muscular. EXERCISE HABITS: rigorous. he jogs in the mornings, does sit ups / pull ups at night, and lifts weights during the day in between cases. he stays in shape. SKIN TONE: tanned. TATTOOS: anti-possession tattoo over his heart. it was carved out in 2026 but the scar has been tattooed over, replacing the original. PEIRCINGS: none. MARKS/SCARS: he’s died and come back so many times, it’s hard to say what’s still there and what’s gone. he does still have the bullet wound from where he shot chuck though. it never healed. NOTABLE FEATURES: nose, hair. USUAL EXPRESSION: smirk of disbelief, concern. CLOTHING STYLE: lumberjack lesbian. JEWELRY: he wears a chain with his wedding ring around his neck, the one he never got to put on for real. ALLERGIES: none. BODY TEMPERATURE: normal. DIET: not great. hence the need to work out. PHYSICAL AILMENTS: general fatigue from a rigorously active lifestyle.

PSYCHOLOGY

JUNG TYPE: INFJ JUNG SUBTYPE: Introvert(47%) iNtuitive (34%) Feeling(31%) Judging(38%) You have moderate preference of Introversion over Extraversion (47%) You have moderate preference of Intuition over Sensing (34%) You have moderate preference of Feeling over Thinking (31%) You have moderate preference of Judging over Perceiving (38%) ENNEAGRAM TYPE: the reformer or the challenger. MORAL ALIGNMENT: chaotic good. TEMPERAMENT: melancholic. ELEMENT: taurus are usually earth elements, but i think air suits sam better. PRIMARY INTELLIGENCE TYPE: logical-mathematical, probably. APPROXIMATE IQ: unknown. we know he scored a 174 on the LSAT, which is incredible, but that doesn’t always translate over to IQ. i would say he’s got a pretty high IQ even if he lacks a few common sense points. MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: undiagnosed depression, anxiety, PTSD, imposter syndrome, and survivor’s guilt — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. don’t ask me to psychoanalyze the winchesters, it’ll break us all. SOCIABILITY: he doesn’t seek it out but he can keep up with the joneses. EMOTIONAL STABILITY: not good. he has exhibited severe signs of codependency, suicidal ideation, lack of regard for his own life, and believe that he’s cursed. the boy is a mess. OBSESSION(S): vengeance after significant loss, saving people ( even if it’s from themselves ), trying to make up for all of the blood on his hands. PHOBIA(S): clowns. not a fan. ADDICTION(S): demon blood ( previously ) DRUG USE: no. ALCOHOL USE: recreationally. PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: can be, yes.

MANNERISMS

SPEECH STYLE: casual. ACCENT: american. nothing specific. QUIRKS: chewing on pen caps, tapping to songs on the radio against the steering wheel with his fingers. HOBBIES: reading, researching, pool, morning crosswords. HABITS: stress pacing, irritability under extreme pressure. NERVOUS TICKS: jaw clench, nostrils flaring, hands curled into fists. DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: vengeance, restoring order / protecting people, survival. FEARS: losing the people he loves, hurting innocents, isolation. POSITIVE TRAITS: dependable, loyal, protective, determined, strong, honest, vulnerable. NEGATIVE TRAITS: impulsive, reckless, guilt-stricken, naive, obtuse, too trusting. SENSE OF HUMOR: dry, sarcastic. DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: no. CATCHPHRASE(S): damnit, dean. jerk / bitch.

FAVORITES

ACTIVITY: long drives. ANIMAL: hedgehogs. BEVERAGE: monster energy drinks. BOOK: probably the classics, or something by neil gaiman. CELEBRITY: he doesn’t have one. COLOR: blue. DESIGNER: doesn’t have one. FOOD: philly cheesesteak. maybe mashed potatoes, if not the cheesesteak. FLOWER: sunflowers. GEM: none. HOLIDAY: none. MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: car. MOVIE: mallrats. MUSICAL ARTIST: none. he’ll just listen to whatever they have in the car, or is on the radio. before i think he was probably into top 40, maybe even classic rock as much as he complained about it. QUOTE/SAYING: none. SCENERY: autumn leaves falling from trees. SCENT: linen. SPORT: none. he doesn’t care. SPORTS TEAM: see above. TELEVISION SHOW: none. he probably only watches soap operas every now and then again. he doesn’t watch anything he would have to invest time and energy in. maybe pawnstars, or mythbusters. WEATHER: drizzle. VACATION DESTINATION: somewhere warm, tropic, and free of monsters.

ATTITUDES

GREATEST DREAM: to have a normal life. he knows he’ll never get it, has come to terms with the fact that he was never going to be normal. GREATEST FEAR: ending up alone, watching everyone he loves die. MOST AT EASE WHEN: around the people he loves. LEAST AT EASE WHEN: on a hunt that’s starting to go awry. WORST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAPPEN: turning into a monster — the very thing he’s dedicated his life to hunting, or becoming evil. being forced into killing his own brother, or someone he loves like family, would also make the list. BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: in a really soft way, i want to say it’s becoming a pseudo dad to jack. it might not have been what he saw for himself, or how he imagined being a dad, but he loves the kid. if not that, maybe stopping the apocalypse. not that it lasted for very long. BIGGEST REGRET: not telling jessica the truth. he will always believe he got her killed. that guilt will set with him until the day he dies. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: too many to count. BIGGEST SECRET: he remembers a lot of what the demon did when it possessed him in 2026. he fought with everything he had, but every time he broke through they pushed him back down. TOP PRIORITIES: figuring out what comes next, i suppose.

#meta.

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randomvarious · 3 years ago

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Today’s compilation:

British Rock, Vol. 1 1991 Hard Rock / British Invasion / Pop-Rock / Garage Rock / Blues-Rock / Rock & Roll

This is an excellent little collection of mostly 60s British rock tunes. It has some gargantuan hits, like "All Day and All of the Night" by The Kinks, and songs that ended up becoming the signature hit for their respective acts, like The Troggs' "Wild Thing," but the true greatness of this compilation lies in the moderate and less remembered hits that were still brilliant pieces of music that you aren't likely to hear on your typical oldies or classic rock radio station today.

Case in point: Sir Rod Stewart. I highly doubt that many radio station libraries currently have 1971's "(I Know) I'm Losing You" ever queued up. If you hear Rod on the radio, it's probably likely to be one of just a small handful of songs, including "Maggie May," "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy," and "Forever Young." It's very unlikely to be this one, and that's a shame because this song flat-out fucking rocks. And same goes for The Yardbirds' cover of Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man," which features one of their patented "rave-ups"—an instrumental section that crescendos into dazzling, unbridled chaos—as well as Ian Whitcomb's "You Turn Me On (Turn on Song)," on which he sports a sexy falsetto that reaches orgasm on the chorus and it also has a pair of wild instrumental sections 😍. All of these are fantastic tunes, but you're not likely to come across them unless you're weird like me or you make a pointed effort to dig into each of these artists' greatest hits. And even with Rod Stewart, "(I Know) I'm Losing You" doesn't appear on his definitive 2001 double-disc greatest hits album! And it was a top-25 song in the US!

Awesome pulls on this short, ten-song compilation. Got three volumes of these to go through and I'm hoping the next two were compiled in a similar fashion 🤘.

Highlights:

Rod Stewart - (I Know) I'm Losing You" The Troggs - "Wild Thing" The Kinks - "All Day and All of the Night" The Zombies - "Tell Her No" The Moody Blues - "Go Now" The Yardbirds - "I'm a Man" The Kinks - "Tired of Waiting for You" Ian Whitcomb - "You Turn Me On (Turn on Song)"

#hard rock #british invasion #pop rock #pop #garage rock #blues rock #rock & roll #rock and roll #classic rock #music #60s #60s music #60's #60's music #70s #70s music #70's #70's music

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major2501 · 3 years ago

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Living in the Fray: Chapter 4

Krieger had gone for a nap in hopes that it would help her along with the monster hangover she had. Everybody else had gone about their business whether they had work to do or if they went to chill out. Tony and Devin were watching some show on television about classic cars while Justin, Ronson and Michael gathered round the snooker table and had a few games of cards as well as a few beers. Jess and Faye however were still up at the bridge. Zeke was currently piloting ship but the twins stayed up there just in case anything happened. They were quite happy watching their own shows on TV and reading magazines or articles on their holowatches. Michael had won a few rounds of cards much to his surprise as he was never that good at card games. He left Justin and Ronson to it, making his way to the galley where he would start preparing something for dinner.

He set the main speaker in the galley to play whatever was on at that moment on the Galaxy Radio Network. It's was a seventies show, playing some great tunes by The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and some other brilliant bands and artists he actually liked. Michael set about making dinner for everyone, taking everything he had learned earlier in to consideration. He decided to make a fragrant chicken curry with mixed vegetable rice and homemade naan. At least with this he could swap out regular white rice with brown rice especially for Justin as Zeke had informed him that it was okay for his moderately strict diet. He could make it with yoghurt too instead of cream so that would make it a bit healthier. And not too hot either, he didn't want to blow everyone's head off with the first meal.

It was fairly easy to make, Michael knew the recipe off by heart as it was something he enjoyed making plus it tasted really good. He could also leave it to simmer for a little while, which gave him time to go and get accustomed to his quarters. He had brought a few more bits on board but his room didn't really have that much of a lived in, homely feel to it yet. Perhaps when they got to Pacifica he might find something there he liked or he might buy something when they got back to New Edo, maybe some trinkets or some action figures he liked. There was a craft and hobby shop in the nicer part of New Edo quite a bit further up from the port where they sold various model kits, especially Gunpla kits. Michael had always wanted to have a go at building and painting one, maybe even make it a hobby seeing as now he had a good job to actually pay for a hobby. He then remembered that now he could probably do whatever he wanted. Save up for a vehicle, or a holiday somewhere nice or maybe even a nicer apartment.

Michael did a little dance to himself in joy now that he had a good job with decent money. Positively beaming, he made his way through the ship back to the rec room and joined the card game Justin and Ronson were still playing.

'I've made a chicken curry for dinner. It'll be ready in a short while.' Michael announced.

'That's great, haven't had a curry in ages.' Ronson exclaimed.

'Oh I substituted one or two things in it for healthier options,' Michael said to Justin. 'But it won't compromise the taste or flavour.'

'I like this kid already Chris.' Justin said to his Vice Captain. 'I appreciate that. Besides, this lot could benefit from eating healthier than what they've been doing.'

Ronson stuck his tongue out at Justin's remark and carried on fiddling with his cards. 'I'll go wake Cas up in a bit when dinner's ready, she'll be ravenous when she wakes.'

Michael occasionally popped back to the galley to check on the curry he had made which was now properly cooked, he set everything on its lowest temperature and prepared the rice and naan bread which wouldn't take too long. He decided to take stock on the equipment that was in the galley that had never actually been used before. Blenders, food processors, huge stand mixers and random electrical kitchen trinkets like waffle irons and toasted sandwich makers. There was plenty of cutlery and crockery along with loads of baking dishes and tins. Michael had come across an entire drawer dedicated to baking, filled with cookie cutters, piping bags and other baking paraphernalia; some of which had actually been used, showing signs of wear.

'We might not be cooks but we do love a good cake. That smells amazing by the way'

It was Ronson stood in the galley doorway. He had wandered in at some point to check on Michael.

'It's nearly done, just gotta wait five minutes for the rice and naan.'

'Great I'll go wake Cas up then. I'm surprised she isn't awake already and feeding her face.' Ronson mused. 'Zeke can call everyone for dinner, the rest of us don't need physically dragging out of bed.'

'I'll do that now Chris.' Zeke's voice sounded out. 'Dinner is ready, please report to the galley.'

Michael set a stack of plates and cutlery on the table in the galley as well as the large dishes containing the curry and rice and a serving dish for the naan he made. He figured the crew weren't the type to stand on ceremony and would most likely help themselves instead of being served. Soon enough everybody started filing in to the galley, taking a plate for themselves and spooning food on to it. Michael was in two minds on if he should put some glasses and a jug of water out on the table, but seeing how the crew of the Osiris operated he figured beer would be a better choice and grabbed a case of Budweiser stubby cans from out of the fridge in the pantry. Justin, Devin and Tony were all sat down enjoying their meal. Michael made two extra plates for Jess and Faye and set them on a hotplate to keep them warm whilst the twins sorted their navigation plan and left Zeke to pilot the ship while they ate. He eventually sat down with his own dinner, casually watching Krieger and Ronson who quite frankly ate like animals; hunched over their plates shovelling food in to their faces like they hadn't eaten in a month. Krieger and Ronson had turned up to the table later than their crew mates and finished a full plate of food well before them too. The Captain and Vice Captain inhaled their meals and pushed their plates away.

'Mikey, that... was fucking awesome.' Krieger partially belched out as she rubbed her stomach. She then proceeded to drag her plate back and spoon some of the remaining sauce on to her plate and wiped some torn up naan bread around it before stuffing it in to her mouth.

'I think we can all agree that was amazing, thanks Mikey we're looking forward to what else you're gonna cook.' Ronson added. He eventually got up and gathered all the plates and dishes, stacking them so they were ready to go in the kitchens pot washer that had barely been used. The twins had come through and ate their meals in relative silence as they were both watching videos on their holowatches, letting an occasional chuckle out at some funny cat videos. They soon finished and said their thanks to Mikey for the food then went back to their posts on the bridge. They didn't need to really as Zeke could run the ship on his own but they always needed to be on standby should anything happen.

Space travel was never an easy thing. It was boring and pretty tedious. This was a relatively short journey to Pacifica from New Edo however longer journeys especially on commercial ships warranted a stint in stasis for the passengers just to make the trip shorter. But the only cryo-stasis pods on board the Osiris were the emergency escape pods and no specially fitted ones just for travel. Krieger and Ronson didn't like stasis anyway not since their mishap with Bishop so they purposely never took jobs that would take forever to travel to or couldn't make good use of the interdimensional travel gates; they'd put up with being bored for a little while.

'We have approximately thirty minutes before we exit the Nova 5 gate, please perform your landing checks then return to the bridge ASAP.'

Zeke's smooth voice sounded out over the ships speaker system. The crew instantly went to work checking that everything was still in place and wouldn't come loose during landing. Eventually everyone came to the bridge and sat themselves down ready for entry in to Pacifica's atmosphere, not before exiting the Nova 5 gate. Michael wasn't a huge fan of being on a ship that was exiting an interdimensional gate, it felt like you were in a really fast elevator coming to a stop where it made your stomach feel like it was bobbing up and down inside you; except this felt like your stomach was full of heavy rocks and it was trying to exit through your mouth hole and arsehole at the same time. Not a pleasant experience. It soon passed, then it went to feeling like you were landing in a commercial aircraft.

'Wow, I've never been to Pacifica before.' Michael mused as he watched the main cargo harbour of Pacifica's main city Belvedere come in to view. The waters of the harbour were immaculate and glistened in the late evening setting sun. The city lights of Belvedere began to illuminate the impending darkness, spilling up the grand and tall buildings and on to the streets.

The Osiris landed in the off-world cargo bay in a space specially reserved for them by Conner. Krieger beamed at this fact as it meant that they were close to getting to the Grosvenor; Conner's fancy as hell hotel where his daughters party would be held and also where the crew would be staying. The Grosvenor was a hotel of complete fantasy and elegance and the crew of the Osiris were going to savour their stay here even though they were working. Ronson told everybody to never mind the hotel itself but apparently the bar was the stuff of legends. The crew disembarked the Osiris carrying just a few belongings with them in small suitcases. All they had to do now was pass through planet security and state their business to the local authorities. They all steadily approached the off-world ship dock exit

'Captain Cassandra Krieger of the Osiris. We're here at the request of Byron Conner.' She stated as she stood front and centre, her audience being half a dozen armed police officers. They looked her up and down noticing the twin shoulder holster containing her guns and the black katana positioned on her left hip. One or two of the officers had sighed at the mention of Byron Conner; the guy practically ran the planet and pretty much the police force too meaning that those under his personal employ were damn near untouchable and one of the guards even looked slightly shocked at Krieger stood before him; obviously knowing who she was. Paired with the fact that the galaxy wide law of people being able to carry weapons corresponding to their home planet with a valid licence, the police officers figured something was going to go down.

The crew still had to register as visitors to the planet which was a fairly simple process. Just a quick DNA fingerprint scan from them all, a quick pat down for things that may not be licensed and a bag search and they were on their way somewhat to the chagrin of the guards who knew damn well they were letting mercenaries out in to the city. They couldn't do anything about it, not when Conner was the one who brought them here.

'Right lets get to this damn hotel then.' Ronson huffed as they finally left security. He fiddled around with his holowatch for a moment then alerted everyone that a shuttle would be along in a few minutes to take them to the Grosvenor. The crew stood at the side of the road clutching on to their bags and suitcases as they watched the people of Belvedere walk on by to their evening activities. Pacifica was an incredibly rich and vibrant planet and Belvedere was where the cream of the elite crop resided. If you didn't have tens of millions of credits in your bank account or an important high flying job then you couldn't live here. The people out on the streets instantly recognised the crew as outsiders and glared as they walked past the smoking and cursing group looking dishevelled and scruffy with their guns and swords on show. They would glare for a few moments then hurriedly walk on and give the crew a wide birth as if they had some sort of infectious disease. The people of Belvedere were always clad in the finest designer gear, many of Earths designers who also came out to the new galaxy had set up shop there; the city itself being almost like an amalgamation of every rich shopping district back on Earth. Everybody looked smart and stylish. The crew of the Osiris just looked like reprobates, the faces of the staring locals showing their disgust and slight fear of the outsiders.

The crew didn't care either way. They had a job to do and were getting paid mega money to do it. The shuttle eventually turned up and took the crew to the Grosvenor just a short ride away.

'Hi. We have rooms booked. Under Captain Krieger and the Osiris crew.' Krieger boomed at the staff behind the marble and gold reception desk on the ground floor of the hotel. The staff consisted of two attractive young women and a handsome young bloke dressed in possibly one of the finest uniforms Krieger had ever seen. They all quickly glanced at her before giving off a simultaneous condescending eye-roll, obviously not happy at the off-world filth that had just walked in.

'And who made this reservation exactly?' One of the receptionists asked sarcastically. She was blonde, probably in her twenties and absolutely stank of some stupidly expensive perfume that was practically burning Krieger's nostrils.

'Well if you just be a doll and look at your little holoscreen there you'll see the reservation was made by your boss Mister Byron Conner.' Krieger put on her most sickeningly sweet voice on paired with a smile that was bordering on dangerous. The receptionists face soon changed, nearly turning grotesque after confirming this fact. Little did Krieger know there was actually a note along with the reservation.

'Special security under my employ for tomorrow's event. DO NOT ANGER THE CAPTAIN. BC.'

'Ah yes. Ms. Krieger' The receptionist changed her tune quickly upon reading this note. 'Mr. Conner has reserved our biggest and best sui...'

'Captain... Captain Krieger.'

'Ah I apologise, Captain Krieger.' The receptionist breathed heavily, only now just properly noticing that the woman in front of her had two guns in a shoulder holster and a huge katana hanging from her hip; which Krieger instinctively and habitually had her left hand resting on over the kashira of her sword. 'Yes Mr Conner has put you in the hotels best suite on the fifty-third floor, its actually just a few floors below his own personal floors.'

'Isn't that just delightful!' Krieger stated sardonically. 'And how convenient! I'm meeting with Mr Conner tomorrow morning.'

The receptionist didn't really know how to reply. So she just kept her mouth shut whilst the typed away on her holoboard. Her colleagues were trying to make themselves look unknown but Krieger knew from their looks along with them repeatedly looking down at their holoscreens then back to her that they were obviously looking her up on the net. She chuckled internally before turning back to the young woman dealing with her.

'Okay so if everybody would please sync their holowatches on the panel here, it will give you access to the suite.' The receptionist gestured to the data panel just in front of her. Krieger went first hovering her holowatch above it, waiting for a beeping noise signifying it had synced. 'And if you Captain can present a credit account for the security deposit.'

'Of course your boss doesn't trust us that much to waive that shit.' Krieger mumbled. Sure they were getting the suite as part of the job but Conner was watching his back with the crew in case of rockstar behaviour or running out after a huge room service bill. She rested her index finger on the reader on the counter and waited for yet another beep signifying it was confirmed. The receptionist blinked in surprise at what popped up on her screen; Captain Cassandra Krieger: Rhodium Level Account.

Michael poked his head round just to see what was going on and noticed that the receptionist looked like she was about to throw up.

'Chris what's wrong with her?' Michael whispered to his Vice Captain. 'She gonna barf or something?'

'She's just found out that Cas has a Rhodium class bank account.'

Michael wanted to throw up himself after hearing that. Nobody had a Rhodium level bank account unless you had at least several hundreds of millions of credits in it. He only had an Indium level account which was the lowest of the low. He was lucky he even had a bank account to begin with. Krieger turned back to face them with the sternest of faces.

'What. I've been thrifty.'

A few minutes later and the rest of the crew had synced their holowatches with the suite door code.

'Okay so...' Krieger trailed off as she squinted to look at the girls nametag pinned to her left lapel. 'Christina. Be a sweetheart and call somebody to take our luggage to our room would you please? We're gonna hit the bar now. Thaaanks.'

Krieger left her with a sickeningly faux smile. The girl stood from her desk and signalled to a nearby porter who dragged over a large bell cart and proceeded to load it up with everyone's cases and belongings ready to take to the suite. The crew eventually made their way through to the hotels bar on the ground floor that was upon even just a quick glance, incredibly well stocked. The hotel itself seemed pretty quiet though with only some rooms being booked out for those attending Conner's daughters party tomorrow evening. Conner's idea was that if he only had the party's guests stopping at the hotel and denied any other bookings he may be able to reduce any dodgy people staying there. Ronson had requested Conner's P.A. send through blueprints of the hotel along with a list of all guests who were to be attending and various other bits of information that may be of use. That could wait till tomorrow though as the crew were currently getting shit-faced in the hotel bar, earning them some pretty stern looks for some of the other hotel patrons; most of whom were guests at tomorrow's party and had flown in earlier.

Everybody was winding down after their trip by consuming a large amount of alcohol, but with the twins and Justin being the voice of reason and probably the more sensible people of the group they managed to usher everyone else upstairs to the suite as they had a fairly busy day tomorrow. Krieger and Ronson had a meeting with Conner at ten in the morning plus the others had stuff to prepare like suits, dresses and weapons for the job that night as well as go over their plan. Zeke however was tasked with going through the extensive guest list, cross checking everyone with any database he could find to hopefully get more information on them and if they were a potential undercover threat. Zeke also had a list of staff who would be working at the party to go through also.

The twins made sure that Krieger and Ronson were definitely tucked up in bed. The somewhat drunken pair clung on to each other for support as they wandered in to what would be the master bedroom. Michael noticed this and quickly asked Justin some questions before he retired to bed.

'Is that a thing? Like, those two sleep together?' Michael quizzed the Doctor who just nodded.

'Well not 'sleep together, sleep together'" Justin finger quoted. "Whenever we're off planet and not stopping on board the Osiris those two always share a room. They're stupid close to each other. Seriously in all the time I've known them I've never seen them apart for any lengthy amount of time it's like they get separation anxiety when they're not together.'

'PTSD I assume?' Michael said. He knew what it was like, not from personal experience but from some of his old EMA buddies.

'Something like that. Mental health isn't really my speciality but they went through some nasty shit together under cryosleep without knowing any of it. Waking up physically a different person is bound to have an effect on you y'know?' Justin stated.

'I suppose so.'

'Hey if it's anything, they both used to be stand up respectable soldiers. Y'know they actually took it seriously. After the whole Bishop thing they just said fuck it to everything, they do whatever the hell they want now, no need to repress their individuality or personalities.'

'That's how it should be though.' Michael mused. 'Nobody should have to change how they are for some social ideal.'

'And wouldn't the universe be more interesting if everybody could be who they truly are.' Justin grinned. 'Go get some sleep man we got a busy day tomorrow.'

'Yeah, goodnight Justin.'

Michael made his way through the massive suite in to a bedroom that he was allocated, saying goodnight to the others who were still milling about. His small suitcase had been taken in to the room and placed at the side of the door. Retrieving a small washbag he had in his case he began his night-time routine of washing his face and brushing his teeth before stripping down to his underwear and climbing in to the huge emperor size bed, feeling the chill of the high thread count cotton sheets against his skin. It sent him to sleep straight away.

Michael woke up the next morning relatively early considering what time he actually went to sleep. It was just a little before nine and it sounded like the others were awake too what with the loud chatting and laughing he could hear from somewhere else in the suite. He groggily slid out of bed and pulled on a t-shirt and shoved his feet in to a pair of complimentary slippers courtesy of the hotel before readjusting his boxers and making his way out. The noises were coming from the balcony that lead out from the main living area of the suite through some large sliding doors. He prepared himself from the onslaught of the morning sun that was already beating down, shielding his eyes from the glare as he sat himself down at the patio table next to Devin. The twins were tucking in to some various fruits laid out before them as everyone else picked at the other breakfast items laid out on the table. Krieger was slouched down in her chair opposite Michael with her katana propped up against the table, wearing her comedy sized sunglasses and hotel bathrobe, trying to navigate her mouth round a stick of celery protruding from what was obviously a Bloody Mary.

'FUCKING ROOM SERVICE YEEEEEESSSSS!' A voice shouted out. Ronson had finally showed up for breakfast, breezing round the table to where Krieger was and giving her a bizarre hug round the neck as she carried on attempting to drink her Bloody Mary. He parked himself beside her and dove in to whatever was in front of him. Krieger had eventually decided to try and cram some butter smothered toast in her mouth as well as some bacon and sausages that were in a heated tray. Ronson was busy helping himself to some fresh orange juice and some toast smothered in raspberry jam.

'So what's the plan then boss?' Tony asked. He was sat next to Justin who was reading the morning news report on his holowatch as he slowly chewed through his scrambled eggs on wholewheat toast. Tony himself shovelled more fruit salad in to his bowl as he waited for a reply from Krieger.

'We need to prep as much as we can for tonight. Chris and I are meeting Conner in just over an hour so we'll get more details off him, but in the meantime I want you lot to go over our weapons detail and find some suitable attire for this stupid brats party.'

Krieger downed the rest of her Bloody Mary as if it was a signal for Ronson to carry on for her. She had only just noticed there were sweet waffles and maple syrup within arm's reach so he could talk for a bit.

'Conner has given us the details of a nearby suit hire place if any of you guys if you haven't got a suit handy. Just go down, get fitted and the hire charge will be sent to Conner. Fay, Jess, you two have something to wear yeah?'

The twins nodded. Michael payed attention as they both spoke.

'Faye's lending me her dress.'

'And Jess is lending me her dress.'

The rest of the crew slowly looked at each other as if the twins were pulling their legs. They both wore the same clothes all the time and they were both the exact same size so what difference would there be?

'Yeah Jess' dress fits me better.'

'And Faye's dress fits me better.'

Michael had now figured that Jess was sat on the left and Faye was sat on the right, both had different hair partings again this morning; left for Jess and right for Faye. He internally groaned at knowing that telling the two apart was going to be difficult, so he tried to push that out of his mind and carried on listening to Ronson.

'Well get more info off Conner then we'll relay it back to you. Zeke's been going through the guest list and staff roster so if he finds anything odd we'll know. He's also monitoring the hotels CCTV which will be a big help'

'The whole point of tonight is for us to be as inconspicuous as possible as if we are actual party guests. Listen in to some conversations, try get some info out of the others guests in case any of them know anything or even slip up and to generally protect the important people if anything happens. Remember the OWLF have been going after Conner and his businesses pretty viciously, there's no reason why they wouldn't attack tonight especially with his family and this many VIP's in attendance.' Krieger added. She munched on a syrup slathered waffle.

'Conner has however stated that he wants absolutely no weapons on show.' Ronson continued. Krieger let out a mammoth groan.

'I hate not being without my USP's,' She whinged through her toast. 'It goes against the Armament Laws but it's a good idea if we wanna flush out any dickheads. They'd maybe think twice if they saw any of us open carry, not having anything on show might tempt them to make a move.'

'Cas you don't have your guns on you now.' Justin said to her. She simply looked at him then opened her bathrobe revealing the black shirt she had slept in and the double shoulder holster she always wore firmly strapped to her holding her beloved .45's. She wrapped the robe back around her and carried on chewing her waffle. 'Well that answered my question.' Justin thought.

Tony blotted his lips with a napkin signifying he was finished breakfast and gradually rose from his seat.

'I'll go order us a shuttle then, I definitely need a suit for tonight I left mine at home after I last had it dry cleaned. Who else is coming?'

'I need a suit.' Said Michael. 'I don't actually own one to begin with.'

'I'll need one too. I've bulked up quite a bit recently so I'll probably not fit in the one I have.' Justin raised his hand. Everybody looked at Ronson who shook his head no as he already had one aboard the Osiris then they looked at Devin.

'I already have one with me but I'll tag along anyway.' Devin replied. 'I wouldn't mind the ride out.'

'Sweet.' Said Tony. 'I'll get the shuttle for ten. Faye, Jess, you two coming with?'

'No.' The twins replied in unison. Jess took the lead from there. 'We can go back to the ship and pick up anything you guys need. Just give us a list and we'll take care of it.'

Everyone nodded in agreement. After demolishing whatever breakfast food was left on the table, the crew went their separate ways, getting ready for the day then heading out to do whatever they had planned. Krieger and Ronson had cleaned up and changed; Krieger putting a little make up on her pale face and Ronson styling his hair how he liked it. They dressed as they normally would; Krieger in her usual form fitting black clothing and Ronson dressed comfortably in jeans and a fitted t-shirt. Neither of them were tarting themselves up to meet Conner, they were doing that later for this stupid party. Krieger arranged her shoulder holsters and slung her sword from her left hip. Ronson had brought his own sword this time, hanging it on his left hip but taking the time to make sure his inner pants holster was in the correct placement for his Sig Sauer P220; the handle and receiver just slightly visible showing some elaborate engraving and custom grip.

As everyone else had left, Krieger and Ronson made their way out in to the hallway where they were greeted by a rather brawny looking woman in a suit, maybe around five foot six but twice as bulky as Krieger.

'Mr. Conner has sent me to get you. Follow me please.'

Krieger and Ronson turned to each other then shrugged their shoulders. They followed the woman down the hallway then off in to a private elevator that could only be accessed with certain coding on a holowatch which this woman obviously had. A short quiet ride up in the elevator led out in to a small room that contained a small desk, a few machines with holomonitors and a full body scanner. There was also yet another guard sat behind the desk who instructed Ronson and Krieger to deposit their weapons on the desk for a visual check then to pass individually through the scanner after laying a finger on the DNA fingerprint reader. Ronson went first. The scanner machine started beeping instantly to which the male and female guards inspected the full body scan that popped up on the holoscreen next to his DNA profile which showed his identification profile.

'78% NANOMACHINE CYBERNETIC. REGISTERED VICE CAPTAIN OF OSIRIS COMPANY. NEW EDO RESIDENT. ARMED.'

That was the too long, didn't read version. Underneath was Ronson's full identification record which pretty much listed everything from where he last checked in to using a fingerprint scanner along with medical history and any other details such as arrests.

The guards were told what to expect with these two. And knowing that their boss had requested there be no weapons on show at the party tonight, he didn't say if they were to see him without them today. And wanting to avoid any potential lawsuit over the Armament Law they gave him his sword and gun back. Ronson quickly replaced everything as he waited for Krieger to pass through. She really didn't like being without her weapons if she could help it, sometimes she even slept with her holsters still on and her sword propped up beside her bed.

She begrudgingly removed her holster and sword and dumped them in front of the guard at the desk. The woman stood behind the desk waiting for Krieger's scan to appear on screen. She stepped in to the scanner and waited for it to start making a horrible noise.

'82% NANOMACHINE CYBERNETIC. REGISTERED CAPTAIN OF OSIRIS COMPANY. NEW EDO RESIDENT. ARMED.'

Krieger was ever so slightly higher on the cyberized scale than Ronson. The scan showing that most of her insides had been converted to a much more stronger and resilient material than flesh; nearly on the same scale as Ronson but her skeletal and skin structure was just a touch more denser. She stepped out of the machine and quickly took her weapons back, strapping them in to place with a quick precision. The female guard wandered to the other end of the room and opened a door in to yet another elevator which they rode only a floor up. They were now in Conner's private quarters. The woman ushered them through in to a rather grand but extremely modern kitchen where they saw Byron Conner himself sat at a shiny glass dining table reading an actual newspaper as he sipped at a cup of coffee.

'Mr. Conner. Captain Krieger and Vice-Captain Ronson to see you sir.' The woman said to her boss. She retreated behind him and stood firmly with her hands behind her back.

'Thank you Margie. Please, take a seat.' Conner gestured for the duo to sit opposite him. They both complied. As if from out of nowhere, a maid appeared and placed two cups in front of them along with a cream jug and a sugar bowl and started pouring coffee for them. She left as quickly as she came leaving Krieger and Ronson a bit startled wondering where the hell she came from. Conner neatly folded his paper and laid it down on the table.

'Thank you for coming. I wanted to go over the schedule for tonight along with any other details that you may require.' Conner spoke. He sounded stern, but tired.

'Well we've already got a crew member working on your guest list and staff roster, trying to cross reference with various sources and records if they have any affiliation with the OWLF. We're also monitoring your CCTV system in real time just in case.' Krieger replied. She sipped the coffee slowly, it was actually really good coffee too so she was going to savour it.

'Good start. I also want you to work in conjunction with the remaining security team I have. You've already met Margie she's one of my trusted personal body guards.'

Krieger and Ronson both leaned to the side and gave Margie a quick grin and wave before returning back to a normal position to try and look somewhat serious.

'I only have a total of four personal guards left after the last attack, these are people that have been with me for years so I know I can...'

Conner trailed off as a shrill scream of "DADDYYYY!" rand out through the kitchen. It was the blonde haired daughter who come flying through quicker than shit through a goose.

'DADDY! Mom says I can't go out on my own today I wanted to go shopping for a new dress because I don't like the one I got for tonight and I hate it and I want another one and I need to buy new shoes that match and Kelly Sissons is such a bitch because she told everyone that I'd look...'

The girl who had just blurted a whole bunch of nonsense with barely a breath was soon shushed by her father.

'Your mom's right you can't go out on your own, you know why.'

The girl's face contorted as she was on the verge of a crying tantrum. Her skin started turning red and her eyes started welling up. Her face soon changed as she heard footsteps approaching behind her. Krieger and Ronson leant to the side again to see a tall, blonde haired man in a black suit come and stand beside Margie and rest his hands behind his back. Krieger and Ronson both made slight "oohs" at the man, returning upright again as they noticed the daughter scowl at them for their action then hurriedly try and regain her composure.

'Well can I go out if I take Erik with me? I've been out before recently with one of the other guards. Can I?' The daughter asked her father.

'I don't see why not. You can go with Margie though, Erik has some work to do today for your party later.'

The daughter made yet another face at the answer she was given.

Krieger and Ronson watched the two guards roll their eyes slightly at the spoilt daughter. Erik looked to sigh slightly as she had requested he go with her on her shopping trip and Margie also groaned as she had been the one tasked with the job instead. The duo knew there was something going on there that the guards obviously couldn't make known at that time. Krieger and Ronson being as good as they were operating their bodies as they should to appear normal but were actually having a private conversation using their neuralmod coms link. They had plenty of practice talking normally to others but talking to each other through the neuralmod. It wasn't easy for most people to multi task like that, but then again Krieger and Ronson weren't most people.

'Fifty creds says he's straight.' Krieger sounded out through the com link.

'Fifty creds says he's gay.' Ronson retaliated.

'You're on mate. You're not winning this one like last time.'

'I so will. He'll give me his number first just you watch.'

'Dream on. What's this spoilt bitch's name anyway I forgot already?'

'Tiffany? Tanya? Tamara? I dunno it's a dumb T name whatever it is, she's annoying the fuck out of me.'

'You and me both dude. She fancies that Erik summat rotten though.'

'Girl at this point I don't blame her. That's a good looking man right there.'

'So that's pretty much it for this evening. I'll have my P.A. send you the finalised schedule for tonight A.S.A.P.' Conner said to the pair. They stood from their seats and finished off the rest of their delicious coffee.

'Daddy are these the weirdos you hired for my party? They don't look very professional.'

'Wow, blunt force trauma girlie.' Krieger thought. The arsehole in her had to follow up with something sarcastic and witty.

'Oh believe me we're very professional.' Krieger stated as she laid her left hand on the kashira of her sword and stared directly at the daughter. 'If I can participate in the Convict Chase every year and come out alive and myself and my crew can handle incredibly difficult contract killings and bounties then we can handle a little old potentially dangerous birthday party.' Krieger laid on a condescending tone at the end of her sentence. With a quick glance at Margie and Erik, she noticed slight grins appearing on their faces, they nodded at each other just before Erik began leading the way out. The young girl however stood with her mouth slightly agape, not knowing what to say.

'We'll see you later. Thank you for your time.' Ronson added. He followed Erik with Krieger bringing up the rear. She could hear Conner telling his daughter off in a serious whisper, the reflection of him grabbing her arm appeared in the shiny mirror chrome of the kitchen cabinets as she walked past.

'Do not make those two angry, especially her okay Tammy she's dangerous? There's nobody else I can get at this short notice that can do this job. You're lucky this party is still happening.'

'Yes daddy.'

Krieger rolled her eyes as she stepped back in to the elevator with Ronson and the bodyguard Erik. Hopefully he could shed some light on the whole situation. Conner was genuinely worried about something, especially after what he just told his daughter. There was something going on and she was going to find out.

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sexydeathparty · 3 years ago

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Richard Madeley And Susanna Reid Disagree In Debate Over BBC Licence Fee

Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid went head to head during Tuesday’s edition of Good Morning Britain amid a debate about the BBC licence fee.

Earlier this week, culture secretary Nadine Dorries announced a two-year freeze to the licence fee and indicated she wanted to find a new model for the BBC’s funding after its current deal expires in 2027.

While a number of stars have spoken out against the plans, Richard questioned whether the move might be a good thing during Tuesday’s live broadcast.

“We live in a culture of choice, don’t we?” he said. “And we pay for our choices. For example, if I want to watch Netflix, I will pay for Netflix. And I do. If I want to watch Sky, I’ll have a Sky subscription and I do.”

He then argued: “Why should I be paying for Radio 1 that I never listen to? Why should I be subsidising Radio 3 which I never listen to? I actually listen to Classic FM, rather than Radio 3… there are all sorts of BBC services which cost a lot of money that I’m paying for in my licence fee. Why should I?”

Later in the discussion, Susanna – who spent more than a decade at the helm of BBC Breakfast before making the jump to GMB in 2014 – responded to Richard’s point.

She said: “It’s interesting, because what comes to mind when you say ‘why should I pay for the BBC licence fee when I don’t listen to Radio 1 or Radio 3?’... you pay for the NHS through your national insurance, even though you may never want IVF, for instance. Or may never need cancer treatment.

“There’s plenty of things available on the NHS that you would never access.”

“But I elect a government on its agenda on how it’s going to spend my tax money,” Richard said. “I have a choice in that matter.

“I don’t have a choice – it’s a matter of criminality – in whether I pay my licence fee, whereas I elect a government to spend money on my behalf on the NHS or anything else.”

“Well, the NHS will be funded by whichever government you elect,” Susanna pointed out, before noting: “And there are services on the NHS you will never access.”

Remarking on the fact that they were supposed to be moderating the debate, rather than having one between them, Richard then joked: “Sorry, excuse us…”

Among those to speak out in favour of the licence fee in recent days have been MOTD host Gary Lineker, BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker and actor Hugh Grant.

Laying into the government, Hugh said: “The BBC is something the whole world admires with envy.

“It is entirely appropriate that the insecure, spittle-flecked nut jobs of this government want to destroy it.”

Good Morning Britain airs every weekday from 6am on ITV.

BBC Responds To 'Disappointing' Licence Fee Freeze As Nadine Dorries Faces Criticism

Hugh Grant Among Stars Defending BBC Over 'Insecure Nut Job' Government's Licence Fee Plan

Julia Hartley-Brewer's Bizarre Critique Of BBC Services Goes Down Like A Lead Balloon

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#IFTTT #HuffPost UK - Athena2 - All Entries (Public)

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patriotsnet · 3 years ago

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When Did Republicans And Democrats Flip

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/when-did-republicans-and-democrats-flip/

When Did Republicans And Democrats Flip

The Rise Of Modern Social Liberalism And Social Conservatism

Election 2020: Democrats keep control of House and fight to flip the balance of power in the Senate

Later we get a third way with Bill Clintons New Democrats. This third way is an extension;of the;progressive bourbon liberal wing, but mashed-up with the progressive social liberal wing, and Reagan-era;conservatism. These three social liberal ideologies which Clinton embodied can collectively be referred to as an;American liberalism. These factions, which we can today denote as;progressive, neoliberal, and social liberal, can be used to differentiate types of liberals on the political left from the New Deal Coalition and the modern Democratic party of today.

TIP: As noted above in the introduction, there is no one way to understand Americas political ideologies, but each angle we look at things from helps us to better understand;bits of the historic puzzle.

An Overview Of The Platform Switching By Party System And President From The Founders To Eisenhower

The First and Second Party Systems included some important changes and debates. Examples included the argument;over the Federalist favored Constitution, and the Anti-Federalist favored Articles of Confederation;and Bill of Rights;and debates over slavery, modernization, and;banking.;Major;changes began;at the end of the Second Party System.

The Second Party system ended with the;Whig Party dissolving;in 1854. They were critically divided by the;Kansas-Nebraska Act;and the related debate over;manifest destiny and popular sovereignty;. The heated battle;over whether;Kansas should be a slave state, and the debate over whether the south could keep expanding southward creating slave states,;resulted in the country being split.;This had happened in the Mexican-American war.;One;faction became the Northern Republicans and their;allies the Union, who wanted to hold together the Union under a strong central government. The other became the Southern ex-Democrats and their allies the Confederacy, who wanted independence;and wanted to expand southward, to for instance Cuba, creating new slave states. By the time;Lincoln took;office in 1861, the division was inescapable

FACT: The tension was so great the Democratic party ceased to exist from 1861 1865 as the Confederacy rejected the;concept of party systems; which is why we refer to;them ex-Democrats above.

The Third Party System: Reconstruction And The Gilded Age

Post-Civil War era politics in the United States can be understood by examining the;Third Party System factions of;Reconstruction and the Gilded Age.

In the Gilded Age things change in a major way due to both parties embracing cronyism but before we get there we need to understand Reconstruction.

The changes in the Republican party in this era are best explained by looking at;the conservative, moderate, and radical;Republicans of Reconstruction;. Meanwhile factions like carpet baggers and ex-Southern Unionist scallywags are illustrative of different reconstruction Democrats.

Here it is vital to note one of the hardest;things to talk about in American history, but Ill say it plain. The South didnt want to lose the war, they wanted to win, they didnt want to stop slavery, they wanted to continue it. They did not respond well to losing the war. Lincoln was immediately executed, Andrew Johnson took over, he was impeached, and the military had to occupy the south while the KKK committed what was frankly genocide against Freedmen.

As noted above, Reconstruction was part rebuilding, part Civil Rights ,;part enforcing actual law and order and preventing forced slavery under different names and murder , and part ;Redeemers.

The Redeemers completely changed the Democratic party by unifying the non-racist factions and moving the Democratic party toward business interests .

Recommended Reading: Did Republicans Free The Slaves

Other Factors Of Note Regarding Switching Platforms Progressivism The Red Scare Immigration Religion And Civil Rights In 54

Other key factors involve;the Red Scare , the effect of immigration, unions, and the Catholic vote on the parties.

The Republican party changed after losing to Wilson and moved away from progressivism and toward classical liberal values under Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover. In this time they also became increasingly anti-Communist following WWI . While both parties were anti-Communist and pro-Capitalist, Wilsons brand of progressive southern bourbon liberalism and his New Freedom plan and then FDRs brand of progressive liberalism and his New Deal were opposed by Republicans like Hoover due to their;use of the state to ensure social justice. Then after WWII,;the Second Red Scare;reignited the conversation, further dividing factions and parties.

Another;important thing to note is;that the Democratic party has historically been pro-immigrant . Over time this;attracted new immigrant groups like Northern Catholics ;and earned;them the support of;Unions;. Big City Machines like Tammany Hall;also play a role in this aspect of the story as well. The immigrant vote is one of the key factors in changing the Democratic party over time in terms of progressivism, unions, religion, and geolocation , and it is well suited to be its own subject.

Despite these general;truisms, the parties themselves have typically been factionalized over;complex factors relating to;left-right ideology, single issues, and the general meaning of;liberty.

Democrats Blue Wave Crashed In Statehouses Across The Country

Democrats failed to flip chambers in Texas, North Carolina, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Republicans flipped New Hampshires Legislature.

After an election that failed to deliver the powerful gains that Democrats had hoped for, results from statehouses painted a similar picture, with the lowest number of chambers changing hands in more than half a century.

Democrats had hoped for a Blue Wave to sweep statehouses that Republicans had controlled for years, running expensive ad campaigns and extensive get-out-the-vote efforts. But as the results came in, it became increasingly clear that they had failed on multiple fronts.

On Wednesday, the results were not yet final, but the National Conference of State Legislatures, which tracks state-level races, said there were changes or potential shifts of control in just four chambers: the New Hampshire House and Senate, which Republicans took back from Democrats, and possibly the House and Senate in Arizona, though the contests for those chambers were still too close to call. He said it was the first time since 1946 that so few chambers were changing hands.

This is crazy in that almost nothing has changed, said Tim Storey, an expert with the N.C.S.L. It really jumps off the page.

In all, about 80 percent of the nations 7,383 state legislative seats were up for grabs.

Michael Wines contributed reporting.

You May Like: How Many Democrats Are In The House

Republican Voters Turn Against Their Partys Elites

The Tea Party movement, which sprang into existence in the early years of the Obama administration, was many things. It was partly about opposing Obamas economic policies foreclosure relief, tax increases, and health reform. It was partly about opposing immigration when Theda Skocpol and Vanessa Williamson;interviewed Tea Party activists across the nation, they found that “immigration was always a central, and sometimes the central, concern” those activists expressed.

But the Tea Party also was a challenge to the Republican Party establishment. Several times, these groups helped power little-known far-right primary contenders to shocking primary wins over establishment Republican politicians deemed to be sellouts. Those candidates didnt always win office, but their successful primary bids certainly struck fear into the hearts of many other GOP incumbents, and made many of them more deferential to the concerns of conservative voters.

Furthermore, many Republican voters also came to believe, sometimes fairly and sometimes unfairly, that their partys national leaders tended to sell them out at every turn.

Talk radio and other conservative media outlets helped stoke this perception, and by May 2015 Republican voters were far more likely to say that their partys politicians were doing a poor job representing their views than Democratic voters were.

Southernization Urbanization And Big Government Vs Small Government

Today the Republican party doesnt have a notable progressive left-wing and the Democratic Party doesnt have a notable socially conservative right-wing.

Instead both parties have establishment and populist wings and the parties are divided by stances on social issues.

In other words, regional interests and the basic political identities of liberal and conservative didnt change as much as factions changed parties as party platforms changed along with America.

The modern split is expressed well by;the left-right paradigm Big Government Progressivism vs. Small Government Social Conservatism, where;socially conservative and pro-business conservative factions banded together against socially liberal and pro business liberal factions, to push back against an increasingly progressive Democratic Party and America .

This tension largely created the modern parties of our two-party system, resulting in two Big Tents;who disagree on the purposes of government;and social issues. This tension is then magnified by the;current influence of media and lobbyists, and can be understood by examining;what I call;the Sixth Party Strategy and by a tactic called Dog Whistle Politics).

The result is that today the Democratic Party is dominated by liberal Democrats and Progressives.

Meanwhile, most of those who would have been the old;socially conservative Democrats now have a R next to their name.

Just look at;the 115th United States Congress under Trump;.

Also Check: What 10 Republicans Voted For Impeachment

James A Haught Says Teddy Roosevelt Was The Last Republican Liberal And Was Shifting By The Time His Democratic Nephew

Strangely, over a century, America’s two major political parties gradually reversed identities, like the magnetic poles of Planet Earth switching direction.

When the Republican Party was formed in 1856, it was fiercely liberal, opposing the expansion of slavery, calling for more spending on public education, seeking more open immigration and the like. Compassionate Abraham Lincoln suited the new party’s progressive agenda.

In that era, Democrats were conservatives, partly dominated by the slave-holding South. Those old-style Democrats generally opposed any government action to create jobs or help underdogs.

Through the latter half of the 19th century, the pattern of Republicans as liberals, Democrats as conservatives, generally held true. In 1888, the GOP elected President Benjamin Harrison on a liberal platform seeking more social services.

Then in 1896, a reversal began when Democrats nominated populist firebrand William Jennings Bryan , “the Great Commoner.”

“He was the first liberal to win the Democratic Party presidential nomination,” political scholar Rich Rubino wrote. “This represented a radical departure from the conservative roots of the Democratic Party.”

The Progressive platform attacked big-money influence in politics, vowing “to destroy this invisible government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics.”

How Republicans Gave Up On Reforming The South

Democrats flip Chesterfield blue for first time in 72 years

As mentioned above, Republicans had done a lot to help former slaves in the South, but many of the gains they had made existed more on paper than in practice, and others were in danger of being rolled back.

And indeed, the backlash soon arrived. In the South, whites were dead set against what Radicals had done, and were willing to use violence to fight it.

In the North, whites essentially thought they’d done more than enough for black Southerners at this point. Businessmen wanted their own interests to take center stage. Some intellectuals worried about the federal government squelching states rights.

And public opinion turned there was little appetite among white Northerners for an indefinite violent federal occupation of the South.

But most Republicans no longer cared. The party had achieved its founding aim and had gone quite a bit further, since the Slave Power was now a thing of the past, and that provided a handy rationalization for not doing more. The cause of equal rights for black citizens would now essentially vanish from national American politics for decades.

Also Check: Do Republicans Want To Impeach Trump

Understanding The Basics: How The Parties Changed General Us Party History And Why The Big Switch Isnt A Myth

Above we did an introduction, this next section takes a very general look at how the major parties changed and how factions changed parties.

To sum things up before we get started discussing specific switches, both major U.S. parties used to have notable;progressive socially liberal left-wing;and socially conservative right-wing;factions, and now they dont.

Originally, like today, one party was for big government and one party was for small government .

However, unlike today, party lines were originally drawn over;elitism and populism; and preferred;government type more than by the;left-right social;issues;that define the parties today, as the namesake of the parties themselves imply;.

In those days both parties had progressive and conservative wings, but the Southern Anti-Federalist, Democratic-Republican, and then Democratic Party was populist and favored small government, and the Northern Federalist, Whig, and then Republican Party was elite and favored bigger central government.

However,;from the lines drawn during the Civil War, to Bryan in the Gilded Age, to Teddy Roosevelt leaving the Republican Party to form the Progressive Party in 1912, to FDRs New Deal, to LBJs Civil Rights, to the Clinton and Bush era, the above;became less and less true.

Instead, today the parties are polarized;by left-right social issues, and;each party has a notable populist and elitist wing.

This Is What The Gop Has Unleashed

Texas Democrats are mad and motivated after a slew of new hard-right legislation. But its not clear the party has the organization to translate the anger into electoral wins.

Nancy Thompson, founder of the Mothers Against Greg Abbott Facebook group, protests against the Texas governor outside the state capitol in Austin. | Photo courtesy of Nancy Thompson

Link Copied

Renuka Rayasam covers Texas politics, policy and health care for POLITICO.

EL PASO, Texas One Friday in early August, Nancy Thompson woke up and decided to protest Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. She had, in her words, been stewing all night, worried about sending her kids to school after a summer of rising Covid cases and Republican leaders resistance to mask mandates and other pandemic measures. A day earlier, Abbott also called a second special legislative session to pass a partisan election reform bill that Democrats had blocked earlier in the summer.

Thompson, an Austin-based mother of three, found a poster board and red and bluesharpies. When she finished writing, she realized her sign which read, Mothers Against Greg Abbott spelled out MAGA down the side. Thompson thought that was cool and perfect. She drove south from her home to the state capitol and stood on the steps by herself with the poster. Then, almost on a whim, she created a private Facebook group under the same slogan on her sign.

This, Thompson said, is what the GOP has unleashed.

Texas has been here before, of course.

Recommended Reading: What Is The Number Of Republicans And Democrats In Congress

This Is Not A New Argument

Princeton University Edwards Professor of American History Tera Hunter told USA TODAY that this trope is a fallback argument used to discredit current Democratic Party policies.

At the core of the effort to discredit the current Democratic Party is the refusal to accept the realignment of the party structure in the mid-20th century, Hunt said.

In September, NPR host Shereen Marisol Maraji called the claim, one of the most well-worn clapbacks in modern American politics.

Comedian Trevor Noah tackled the misleading trope on an episode of “The Daily Show” in March 2016, after two CNN contributors debated the topic.

Every time I go onto Facebook I see these things: Did you know the Democrats are the real racist party and did you know the Republicans freed the slaves? Noah joked. A lot of people like to skip over the fact that when it comes to race relations, historically, Republicans and Democrats switched positions.

A similar meme attributing the claim;to U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;Ben Carson has been circulating;on social media since November 2016.

Who started the KKK? That was Democrats. Who was the party of slavery? Who was the part of Jim Crow and segregation? Who opposed the Civil Rights Movement? Who opposed voting rights? It was all the Democrats, the meme reads.

Other posts making more specific;claims about the Democratic Party;starting the Civil War or founding the KKK continue to circulate.

Three Factions Of Modern Republicans To Oppose This

Although conservatism is complex, it is defined well as an opposition philosophy to liberalism. Through this lens, there is a type of conservatism that stands against for;brand;of liberalism. Modern American conservatism wants to conserve, which means not being progressive on a given issue and which by its nature is not conservative. Thus we get modern social conservatism which says no to social programs and federal power, except when it upholds conservative social values.;There is also a;more liberal version that;we call libertarianism. It is against all uses of state power for any reason and is a form of radical classical liberalism, combined with;traditional classical conservatism, which is willing to use federal power to keep order, but not inherently against social programs. These factions can be said to become;allies;the conservative coalition mentioned above, although the establishment of both parties tends to favor aspects of traditional classical conservatism.

TIP: When either party uses government power, they are traditional conservatives, when either party deregulates and lets the private market and individuals handle it, they are classically liberal. More than one ideology uses classical liberalism, and more than one uses classical conservatism, as all political ideologies grow out of these foundational ideologies.

Recommended Reading: How Many Democrats Republicans Are In The Senate

How Can We Tell What Switched If Anything

If we want to more accurately see what is happening with the parties we have to look at each political, party, faction, and platform in regards to each issue. We can take any;issue, from any;major American political party platform over time, and see how it compares to other issues of other parties. This can help us see how parties like;Federalists, Whigs, Republican-Democrats,;Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and Progressives;did or didnt change over time, and what that means in perspective.

Below is a chart we created showing one way to view the complex political left-right spectrum;.

A left-right paradigm using a four point graph to show how common government types relate to left and right in terms of who has authority and who says so.

If one had to place historical figures on the left and right, in terms of the chart presented above , then VERY loosely we might say:

Right Wingers: Hamilton , Cleveland ,;Hoover, , Reagan

Left Wingers: Jefferson , Lincoln , Teddy;Roosevelt , FDR , Johnson

If one had to place historical figures on our more complex 4-point spectrum, then VERY loosely, but more accurately than above, we might say:

Again, we find that party names are spread out over political leanings;. From here forward we will focus on telling the history of each Party System;in detail, discussing platforms and political views to better illustrate the changes.

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fullysowerewolf · 7 years ago

Text

My Likes and Dislikes for Sonic Forces

Likes:

The story, with its dark tone and mostly cohesive narrative, for me ranks up there as one of the best in the series. It’s tied with Unleashed currently as my 5th favorite Sonic story.

The supporting cast is superb and everyone in it are the most in character they have been since practically forever. Knuckles being the biggest example of this.

The gameplay is good, fun, and enjoyable across all four playstyles, though some are more fun than others.

The Avatar concept and how they were handled in the story with their own character growth arc.

The character creation is huge and has plenty of clothing options and physical features and is pretty great. Would really like to see it again in a spinoff game of sorts.

Eggman’s characterization was great and is at his most threatening and darkest in the series. Crusherthedoctor’s recent post on his portrayal explains this point well.

The voice cast brought their A game and have greatly exceeded expectations. Hopefully they will be able to keep up this kind of performance in the future.

Warren Graff actually did a decent to good job with translation, as both scripts are practically 1:1 with each other, with only a few things left out or mistranslated.

The music is amazing, though I know for some the amount of synth/techno is annoying, personally I think all the tracks are good to awesome. Another thing is how the all of the vocal tracks specifically tie into the themes of the story, which hasn’t been done since at least Black Knight.

Infinite. Just. Infinite.

The different changes and remixes to classic levels was a pretty cool idea and was done pretty well.

The fact that Forces and Mania are actually connected and tie into each other is a great idea and I hope that Sonic Team keeps doing more in depth continuity things like that.

Mind control wasn’t a factor or used here and that is a very good thing. Especially in the case of Shadow.

The Wispons are fun to use and are a big part of why the Avatar stages are so good to me.

The fact that Sega/Sonic Team are actually branching out into story driven DLC for the first time with Sonic, as well as slowly making other characters playable again.

On that note, Playable Shadow.

The character dialogue in the radio chatter mostly as well as in the cutscenes is really enjoyable. Everyone almost always has something important to say that fits with the events of the plot.

Dislikes:

The story has a moderate case of “Tell, don’t Show”, which brings it down a fair bit. It really could have used a few more cutscenes to really bring the ideas and plot points it was trying to make together.

Levels are too short and needed to be longer.

Classic Sonic didn’t serve much of a point other than to add another playstyle to the game. I know the his addition was probably set in stone long before Mania, but I feel they should have just left him out of it and just had the Phantom Ruby teleport to Forces at the end without Classic.

Sonic and especially Tails characterizations were wack and a bit off at times. Sonic’s is more forgivable since shrugging off (or at least pretending to) mental trauma is sort of his thing. But they still should have made more of a bigger deal about him being captured and tortured and should have shown the effect that had on him. Tails is much worse and this has been going on since probably Unleashed or longer. Hopefully these issues get addressed and fixed in a later story.

Not enough enemy variety, it was mostly just the same robots throughout the game. There really should have been different robots Eggman had to have made during his reign over the planet.

The difficulty was markedly rather easy, even on Hard mode.

Sega needs to not use any more returning levels and bosses after this game, this also includes the Wisps. It was tolerable here, but I don’t think the fandom can take much more of seeing Green Hill, Chemical Plant, the Death Egg, and so on after Forces, same goes for seeing bosses like the Egg Dragoon and the Wisps for the fifth time.

There wasn’t an option to change the height and body type of the custom characters, which is a damn shame. More species would have been nice too.

The last Infinite boss was a let down. I was expecting Infinite to go really crazy with the Phantom Ruby like he did during the Avatar’s Metropolis City stage, but he didn’t.

The “Is Classic Sonic from the Past or an actual other Dimension?” kerfuffle that still hasn’t been solved.

No (fake) Shadow or Chaos fight.

Why aren’t there more Wispons? I thought that the achievements stated that there were over 50 wispons? Why are there only six? It seems like a cop out to only have six (technically 7) actual wispons and have the rest just be upgrades to them. We could have had a Rocket Wisp rocket launcher or a Cyan sniper rifle wispon.

Misc.:

These are various likes, dislikes, and mehs that I found not too big of a deal to put into the major ones.

D: Wish there was some way they could have incorporated actual, full on voice acting for the custom characters/avatars. With the ability to pick your voice like in Mass Effect.

M: I wish that the Avatar had a super form, or better yet, a Phantom Ruby powered form to fight Infinite with.

D: Why do they need to make a fake Metal Sonic? Couldn’t Eggman just use the real one?

D: I wish the forgotten Sonic characters were in this.

D: I wish there were more enemies in the final battle scene besides the known illusions, like other anthros working for Eggman either of their own free will or via force and other robots made by Eggman.

L: The return of “Long time no see”

L: That Jackals, Wolves, Dogs, and Bears are now officially canon Sonic species.

M: The Chaos Emeralds weren’t in the game. Would have liked a brief explanation about why no one used them in the story but it’s not that big of a deal so eh.

M: Dark Sonic wasn’t in it or made canon and neither was Hyper Sonic

M: Cream, Vanilla, and Gemerl weren’t in it.

M/D: Blaze wasn’t in it. They could have found a way to include her in there, I’m sure.

L: Some of Adventure’s plot points were brought up again.

L: That creepy chestburster moment during the final boss.

L: Those creepy giant, twisted Infinite abominations.

D/M: Sonic wasn’t the leader of the Resistance. I still think they could have really made a great character arc for him in Forces if they had made him the leader. But I;m still glad they made Knuckles leader since he got some much needed character rerailment and him being the leader helped with that.

M: No Sonamy unfortunately

L: I like the little cube figure manifestations that appear when ever you have the Asteroid wispon equipped.

D: The final phase of the boss apes too much off of Sonic Colors’ final boss. It’s an okay fight all things considered, but I would have liked it if it had a more unique fighting style.

M: Some of the locations in the game have been changed from where they’ve been traditionally in Sonic lore, such as Green Hill being in the middle of a continent instead of being in South Island. This kinda irks me but it’s nothing that really ruins the story.

If I were to give Forces a rating, despite how dumb scores have become and how they’re abused and used arbitrarily by gaming media to put more or less value and worth on a game as a crappy shorthand measuring stick for what people would enjoy, I would give it objectively 7-7.5/10 and for my personal score 8/10.

It is a fun, enjoyable game. It’s not as good as Generations gameplaywise, but that doesn’t make it unplayable or not enjoyable in the slightest. Don’t buy into the ever constant Sonic Hatebandwagon and give it a shot if you want a high speed platforming experience. If you’re more a Mario style platformer fan, aren’t fond of the boost style gameplay, or don’t like a more serious toned Sonic game, I suggest skipping it.

#my post #sonic the hedgehog #sonic forces

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idolizerp · 6 years ago

Photo

LOADING INFORMATION ON ATLAS’ MAIN RAP NO GUNWOO...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Gun CURRENT AGE: 24 DEBUT AGE: 20 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 16 COMPANY: KJH SECONDARY SKILL: Music production (hip-hop and r&b)

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S): gun pd and dj gun (both from his two main career interests, producing and radio hosting), 단호건/danhogun (a play on his name and danhobak, because he’s stern/decisive), 총우/chongwoo (gun in korean + the second syllable of his full first name), 노센스/no sense (play on his surname and the fact that he has no variety sense), 건담/gundam (play on his name and a popular character that he has a moderate collection of) INSPIRATION: several older hip-hop groups and artists that he started listening to back when he was younger, most notably epik high and tiger jk and a plethora of western artists. he says he felt really connected to the music and wanted to make his own that other people could connect to as well. SPECIAL TALENTS:

freestyle rapping

playing songs on piano by ear (simplistic versions)

good at random games like 딱지/ttakji, 공기/gonggi, and 제기차기/jegichagi (he attributes this to the fact that his little sister always wanted to play them)

NOTABLE FACTS:

prior to atlas’ debut, he released a few solo tracks and mixtapes that were moderately successful in the local underground scene

can play the piano, has learned it since he was six, mostly self-taught with a few lessons here and there

he’s very handy, can assemble and fix a lot of random furniture/appliances and things of that nature

his moderate collection of gundam collectibles started due to fans gifting them in the beginning, but he started buying them on his own after as well and has them in display cases in his studio

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

after his solo debut as atlas’ gun essentially flopped a few years back before they really blew up, he wants to attempt another solo release. now that there are a lot more eyes on them, he really wants to show off more of his personal work. in addition, he’s always wanted to be a radio dj and after hosting a few as a special guest, he wants his own radio show in the near future.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

funny enough, despite his short term solo goal, gun’s love for performing live has been fading the more popular atlas gets. getting on stage and hearing screams is still one of his favorite parts of the job, but the side-effects that it comes with (the lack of privacy and stalker fans, the public scrutiny and pressure, the insane work hours and ridiculous amount of traveling, the way his career has become his entire life, etc.) are starting to outweigh all the positives. so, in a way, his long term goal is to get away from all that once atlas is done. he still wants to work with music, but he’d much rather be behind the scenes as a producer and lyric-writer, as opposed to an active performer.

IDOL IMAGE

no gunwoo -- no, gun, is atlas' stone, atlas' rock in more ways than one.

he is: rough around the edges.

they tell him not to lose his daegu accent, not entirely. to let it slip on purpose more often than not. to not let people forget that he's just a country boy at heart who had a dream, a passion for music and risked it all by coming to seoul to pursue it. they say not to censor himself too much, either, let a cuss word or two slip every now and then, let his face betray all his emotions sometimes, even negative ones when he's annoyed or angry or confused or sad. if you're feeling down, post some thoughts on the fan café, maybe go live. obviously, they say not to do it too much or at the wrong time, but just enough to give off the feeling that he's genuine, unpolished, not some cookie cutter idol. he won't be relatable by any means, but real. believably flawed like anyone else. just a daegu boy who happens to rap because he wants to.

he is: stubborn. or, in nicer terms, strong-willed. immovable.

he's the poster boy for 'if you just work hard and take risks you can do anything you want'. from the country to seoul, from no one to someone, from giving up his artistic integrity for the first few years of their career to risking his entire life to get it back and not backing down, not caring who he threw under the bus. in the end, gun seems to have gotten everything he's wanted and they leverage that, too.

of course, atlas as a whole stands for hard work making the dream work, but gun's inherent stubbornness is played up just that much more. like when they tell him to talk about how long he takes to produce tracks sometimes because he won't let it go until it's exactly how he imagined it. or to talk about how he couldn't dance worth a damn and almost got kicked out of the tentative lineup, but, well, look at him now. he still can't quite dance anywhere near as well as the rest of the group, but that's fine, they say. that's all part of it too, because now his ability to follow choreography as well as he can is the product of pure hard work with no natural talent to back it up.

he is: foundation.

when it comes to atlas' music (post 2015), gun is a large part of the foundation it lies upon. he's not the only one, of course, but he is often the one they turn to when questions about their music come up. about the concept. about the lyrics. about the meaning behind it all and the process with which they came up with it. they tell him to go all out, go ahead and answer with technical terms to show he has a deep understanding. this is what he threatened to leave for, after all, so he may as well make use of it. show the people that there was good reason kjh yielded, that he knows what he's talking about. that atlas' music is good because "of course, the members helped write the lyrics" or "of course, the members helped produce it" or "as expected of self-producing atlas~"

he is: well grounded.

with gun, what you see is what you get. he is confident sometimes veering on cocky, he is decisive often veering stubborn. he is real, genuine, flawed, human, just with a particularly strong passion for music. at least, that's the vibe they want him to give off. a real, serious musician.

it's a precarious image, to say the least, still manufactured in its supposed genuineness. an image he has trouble balancing because sometimes he's not quite sure anymore where gun ends and gunwoo begins.

(if he begins anywhere at all anymore).

IDOL HISTORY

FATE PANN TITLE: WOW THEY 'RE REALLY GONNA LET THIS GUY DEBUT? ㅡㅡ

let me start with my proof: i went to school with this b*stard, here's my school id and here's my picture in our yearbook and here's no gunwoo's picture. he looks exactly the same ㅋㅋ

anyway, wow i heard he ran off to seoul but i didn't know it was so that he could train to be an idol... f*ck, this guy used to curse at idol groups all the time and now he's going to be one? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ i hope his group f*cking flops

he was just annoying? he always made stupid jokes during class and would get so pissed when he actually got in trouble for it. he cleaned our classroom almost all year round because he really got in trouble that much. and he was just such an a*shole so he got into fights a lot even though he was so skinny ㅋㅋㅋ

but yeah that's all i have to say for now~ i just thought it was annoying that someone who cursed at idol groups so much is now becoming one because ah... i still remember when he spilled his water on my precious midnight album ㅡㅡ

no gunwoo is born in daegu in the middle of winter and spring and this sets the tone for his childhood.

he is the middle child, the awkward transition, the unwanted and accidental. the classic case of the second child of three. he's born when his parents are hoping for a daughter after already having a son, and that foundation of disappointment never seems to disappear as he grows up. everything he does pales in comparison to his hyung of 2 years if his parents have anything to say about it, and this quickly takes a toll.

everything becomes a competition and he's already two years behind. so he just tries that much harder, at least in the beginning. his grades are good, and at six he picks up the piano after minwoo picks it up too. none of it matters, though, because minwoo is first in his grade and can play their mom's favorite classical music while gunwoo's stuck in the middle once again and his little hands can only do so much on the piano keys.

even when gunwoo rises in class rank and bikes back home to their little farm on the edge of the province excitedly to tell them, minwoo's already there with an award for some math competition and a sign-up form for another one waiting for their signature. even when he's now eight and has practiced piano at his grandparent's house for the past year almost every evening to play his mom's favorite songs, minwoo's already there telling them about a recital he's been asked to play at.

he's always two years too late and his parent's don't expect anything from him. gun is ten years old when he learns how to accept that.

he stops studying in the library after school and explores the city with friends instead. his street smart grows while his grades drop, and his parents just act like they've known it all along, that they're just proving him right, that, as expected, he can't amount to anything anyway.

soon enough, anger replaces his desparation for their approval.

he acts up in class and comes home late, he starts fights and comes home with cuts and scrapes and bloody bandaids, he finds hip-hop music that sounds like what he feels and the seed is planted, watered every day until it blooms later in his life.

the only thing that stays constant is his love for piano and his little sister. jiwoo, at least, has always been the light brightening up the shadow behind minwoo he stands in. the only one whose eyes sparkles when he plays her favorite songs for her, who congratulates him when he comes home with good news, who is happy, proud even, to be his family. he's just three years older, but he likes to claim he's raised her as much as his parents have, has protected her more than they have (if the guy that ended up with a damn near broken nose has anything to say about it).

and so jiwoo is the reason he still holds onto the name gunwoo to this day, but it's also jiwoo who helps him become gun.

FATE PANN TITLE: DOES ANYONE ELSE KNOW WHO THIS GUY IS?

i went to hongdae this weekend and saw this guy busking there, he looked really young but i was so impressed with his rapping??? i waited around until he was done to talk to him a bit and i found out he's a kjh trainee! his name is gun and he's seriously so impressive for his age.. i was shocked when i found out he's the same age as my seventeen year old little brother... ㅠㅠ

anyway, if anyone else wants to listen to his music he has a soundcloud and he's posted a few of his tracks on there! i'll link it here ~ soundcloud.com/n0gun

when gunwoo is fourteen, the seed blossoms. his love for hip-hop evolves into something more than just an interest in the music, but in an interest for the process of creating it, too. performing it, writing lyrics, producing the beats.

he spends the time he used to spend studying and playing piano penning his own lyrics to already made songs. he picks up odd jobs from his neighbors and from the grandmas he’s gotten to know in the city to pocket as much under-the-table income he can come by and buys second-hand music equipment he can then call his own. he uses free online tutorials to teach himself how to use the software then just goes at it. he creates and creates and creates.

it's all rough, of course, but it's something. it's his and his only. it's something his brother's never done before and it's something he loves, something he's done for his own personal interest only, something he wants to keep doing.

he's sixteen when jiwoo shows him a way for him to keep doing it by way of a kjh audition flyer. he resents the idea of becoming an idol, but after one particularly bad argument with his dad gets all of his hard-earned music equipment thrown out the window and broken beyond repair, he bikes into the city, into an audition he’d been subconsciously been preparing for for years.

when they present him with an offer, he signs right away.

when he presents the same to his parents, they sign even quicker.

to get him out of their lives, he assumes. but not without one last comment about how he would probably fail this too, anyway.

he tries to forget their words when he moves up to seoul, tries to ignore it, but it stays with him for years

otherwise, the move to seoul is just as difficult. miles away from all his friends and jiwoo and the city streets he knows by heart, the river, the isolated farm, he feels more alone in the most populated city of the country.

so he throws himself into training. they all do, of course. but for the second half of his teenage life, it is almost all he knows. the company makes it clear that their next group will have a heavy focus on their dancing, and gunwoo is anything but a dancer. what takes others minutes takes him hours to learn. he gets frustrated easy, remembers those words he keeps trying to forget, and it's the anger that boils every time he remembers them that motivates him to never stop. he practices in the tiny dorm until others tell him to shut up. he sits outside the doors, the windows of dance classes provided at other dance studios that he can’t afford and tries to mimic them on his own time. he stays up at night with his stomach grumbling and his eyes heavy producing song after song after song to show the company that he has something to bring to the group, despite his weakness.

it never gets easy, but it becomes routine and seoul is no longer scary. no longer lonely. he finds friends, he finds his passion in music like he’s never done before and with proper equipment and training at his disposal, he prospers.

he busks at hongdae, he performs at café open mic nights, he throws together a soundcloud account and gives himself the stagename gun. he posts tracks whenever he can and when he posts his first mini mixtape at eighteen, the response is more than he expects. it’s nothing much in the grand scheme of things, but it gets passed around a little, and when he requests to book performances, some organizers recognize his name, his music. it’s euphoric, getting on stage and hearing a few people sing along to his lyrics. his music. his work. it fuels him, drives him to release another mixtape the following year to the same amount of moderate success, drives him to train, train, train because if this is what it feels like to be on stage, to make everyone know your name, then so be it.

he’ll be an idol.

he'll be gun. if gunwoo is fated for failure, at least gun doesn't seem to be.

FATE PANN TITLE: DO YOU GUYS REMEMBER THIS GUY FROM THOSE PICTURES OF VIXEN?

i heard from my uncle's friend that he's a trainee at kjh and he really did date one of the members. i can't say which member, but i'm sure everyone can guess which one~ apparently, aside from the main rapper's mess... another reason kjh dropped vixen was because of all those pictures and rumors about him dating that vixen member.

kjh is about to debut his group soon and they wanted to make sure his name's not attached to someone like her ㅋㅋ so they're just getting rid of the group entirely ㅋㅋ kjh is really sly... i bet they made them break up too or something like that~ it's funny though, this guy's already making trouble and he hasn't debuted yet... kjh is really a mess right now aren't they

that is, until he makes a bit of a mess and even gun is at risk of failing.

he does as he's always done and breaks the rules. specifically, he dates. and not only that, but he dates one of the company's active idols. his own debut is right around the corner around when they're caught and vixen is already in a mess of their own. there's talk about dropping him from the lineup entirely, but they do the opposite instead. all the rumors about him and the vixen member are just that anyway, rumors with blurry photographic proof that can easily be denied and they'd already been on the verge of disbanding all of vixen.

so, they take this chance and do. they keep gun on track to debut (with a tighter leash around him now) and try to drown out all his rumors, then disband vixen instead.

this is the first real taste he gets of the company's stronghold on him and his anger starts heating slowly within him again.

he stays, though, because what else does he have?

FATE PANN TITLE: CAN YOU GUYS BELIEVE KJH WENT FROM VIXEN TO THIS?????

i was a fan of that gun guy's old mixtapes before so i was looking forward to his debut but... what is this sh*t... ah, why did he have to debut as an idol, what a waste.. the group seems so f*cking try hard...

maybe because i knew of him before but gun especially made me cringe, he was trying too hard to seem cool but ㅋㅋㅋ his chain necklaces look like they weighed more than him....

after the mess is cleaned up and atlas debuts, he gets to keep his stage name because it fits their image at the time and with his moderate success at least around the hongdae scene, they think it may bring in some fans.

they're wrong.

when he sees their debut concept, he’s –

well, he’s upset. but he’s an idol, so what can he do but go along with it?

the seeds of doubt have already been planted, though, and they only grow the more they prep. the choreography is hard, the styling feels gimmicky, and the music video does too. it feels like everything he never wanted to do, it feels like tarnishing what he’s done so far as gun underground, and it just feels. miserable. he feels miserable.

useless, too, like his father always said. because nothing he suggests gets taken into account, waved off instead. because he’s just a prop, or at least that’s what he feels like and everything in him sinks.

they debut the day after he turns twenty to little fanfare but plenty of criticism, those who were fans of his mixtapes commenting he’s sold himself out, that they’re not looking forward any longer. he agrees.

but he’s an idol.

he performs on stage because that’s his job, but the euphoria isn’t there like it had been underground. replaced instead with some sinking feeling he doesn’t know how to define at twenty years old. doesn’t know how to get rid of except with anger, with alcohol.

his drinking starts with just a shot or two of soju upon returning to the dorms, snuck into his room and hidden from their managers. then shots turn into bottles, and dorms turn into convenience store fronts. then his anger bleeds into his work environment and some staff leave blind items about him on pann.

no one ever guesses his name, though, because who is atlas anyway?

two years into their career and the public still refuses to respond well to their releases. two years, and the company still refuses to listen to his, and the other atlas members’, ideas. and so two years is how long it takes for gun and the rest of atlas’ rap line to band together and threaten for what they’ve wanted the most, what gun has always dreamed of: having more creative control with the group direction.

it’s a huge risk, he and the other boys know this. going behind the other half of the group’s backs, risking their contracts, their livelihoods, their chance in this industry because if they fail they know there’s no chance in hell anyone will take them in anymore. but it’s a risk they’re willing to take, and one that pays off massively, because to their surprise: they get what they want.

and the public loves it too.

suddenly, they’re thrust right into the spotlight.

suddenly, there’s more responsibility shoved onto his shoulders.

but gun loves it, thrives in it. the stage feels better, now, the feeling he’s missed from all those years ago returning in full force. the music feels good, too, the lyrics. because they’re now actually his in part, songs he can proudly put his name on, songs he will gladly ramble on and on about on vlives and interviews.

there’s a crack in the atlas infrastructure, but gun thinks it’s all been worth it. even if they are running a marathon now, and have been for three straight years. it’s not without consequences, of course. what used to just be small pann rumors and blind items of some nobody idol being an asshole to work with, or of some nobody idol supposedly dating around the stylists and flirting with fans, with other idols and every girl he ever collaborates with are now rumors of an idol everyone in the business knows and have become very real threats to the image he and atlas have built up.

now the pressure and stress keeps building and building, weighing heavier with not only the threat of those rumors blowing up, but now also with every new milestone reached, every comeback, ever growing expectation.

and so slowly but surely, the euphoria fades again, replaced with worry, with burden, with feelings of not being able to meet impossible expectations. with his parents words from all those years ago resurfacing and reminding him that he's never good enough.

now, it’s only a matter of time before gun cracks, because even atlas shrugged while holding the weight of the world.

#id.bio #id.atlas #id.kjh #id.min yoongi

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