#they're another band where when i first discovered them i heard the voice and i was like

[lock-my-feelings-in-a-jar]

are we seeing a new band hyperfixation?

possibly! but right now it's more just me reliving a past one.

the exies were one of my favorite bands while i was going through probably the worst point in my life and i feel like they're kind of helping me deal with what i assume are suppressed emotions from that time.

i remembered them about a week ago and decided to listen to their albums again, remembered how good their music is, remembered a bunch of other stuff

i also decided that, besides processing things from that time in my life, i also don't really want all of that attached to music that i love.

i'm 100% against the idea of anybody having the power over me to ruin things for me, so i'm gonna continue working through whatever it is i need to work through and i'll keep listening to them until i can associate them with better things.

like right now, that bad point in my life feels like it was just stage 1. this is my second stage with them, their music helping me get through it a second time, but like the aftermath of it.

after this, maybe there'll be an even better 3rd stage, and so on. the past can stay where it is, but i'm taking my music forward with me.

i never felt the need to learn anything more about them besides their music, so that's just kind of what i'm doing now by posting pictures. i still don't feel like i need to dig into everything i can about them like i normally would with bands, but i at least want to know their names and faces and talk about them a little bit.

[kunstmull]

Bauhaus v Buck-Tick

Originally written as an addendum to this great post but it got so long it might as well have its own post.

As much as I keep saying, "I wish I had that deep, decades-long history with Buck-Tick", I do have that ancient connection with Bauhaus / Love and Rockets - I spent a significant part of the 80s obsessively watching Shadow of Light, Archive and The Haunted Fishtank (gee, wonder where Mr. Imai got that word from?)

The first thing that drew me to BT, when I discovered them off an "old Visual Kei" playlist - was that, where other VK / J-rock bands seemed to have Metal as the fundamental building block of their DNA, BT had Bauhaus. (And it's interesting how both bands have such a strange relationship to the genres they spawned - Bauhaus invented Goth as we know it, but very few Goth bands actually sound like Bauhaus - ditto BT and VK.)

But here's the thing: when I went to write this post, I could think of half a dozen BT songs, where I thought "OMG, this is a direct rip of Bauhaus" - but when I went back to the Bauhaus song I thought it imitated to compare them? The BT song was clearly inspired by Bauhaus, I could hear elements of the composition, in particular the visceral, noise-based, non-technical, abuse-the-guitar sound pervert style of Daniel Ash. Bauhaus, inspired by dub reggae and funk, flipped the script around the role of the guitars - in Bauhaus, the bass was the most prominent element, carrying both the groove and the melody, leaving the guitar to occupy a semi-percussion, semi-atmospheric role. In many BT songs, the bass drives the melodic structure, while Hide creates atmospheric waves of sound and Imai punctuates the rhythm with discordant squiggles of noise, playing against what the others are doing. The effect is electric! But it's very Bauhausian.

But again, I can't ever find a Bauhaus song that sounds exactly like what they've done - I can only point out the elements they've lifted and very cleverly repurposed and re-positioned.

Let's start with an early track, Iconoclasm:

Notice how it starts with a discordant, alarm-like guitar siren before the sped-up disco bass joins in? Once the rhythm section get going, it's clear that Imai's siren-guitar guitar is playing against the grain of tight unit of Toll, Yuta and Hide's funk groove. And then the surreal lyrics are strung out over the top in long disjointed segments that form yet another complex interplay with the drums.

Now let's listen to Bauhaus:

-starts with a discordant guitar siren -sped-up funk and bass kick in -surreal strings of lyrics glazed over the top in disjointed segments

They're not even remotely the same song - different chords, different melody - but the building blocks are the same, and they've been assembled in an almost identical arrangement. Other Bauhaus songs that clearly informed this era of BT include the frenetic groove of St Vitus Dance and the withering Small Talk Stinks. (This influence is even more clear in the studio version of Iconoclasm, where you can hear them lift the background voices and double-vocals.)

Did Imai stop his pilfering when they went Cyberpunk? NO, OF COURSE NOT

Now come on, Kunstmull, this sounds nothing like Bauhaus, right? This is much heavier, more doom, more low end.

RONG!

Listen to what Imai is doing the way he's playing, syncopated against the rhythm section with that weird, repetitive, OCD tick-tick tick-SCREE scratch that makes the song so compulsive.

Where have we heard that sound before? Hmmm...

Daniel Ash's rhythm is ever so slightly different - it's SCREE-tick tick tick, but it's syncopated against the rhythm section in exactly the same way. (Also watch out for the gratuitous theremin noises in the background, LOL, Mr. Imai has never used that trick either, has he?)

Obviously the arrangement and feel of Of Lilies And Remains is very different from the BT track - BT are much heavier, much darker, much more intense... oh, kind of like Stigmata Martyr (where Ash is showing how he makes the guitar-string-scratch noise)!

It just shows how creative and how original BT are, that Imai can lift something so distinctive and easily recognisable as Ash's riff, and yet make it wholly their own.

One more and I'll stop I promise, though I could do this all day. This was one of the first BT songs I ever heard, and it stopped me in my tracks, how familiar the arrangement sounded. (And I can't even blame Imai for this - it's a Hide song!)

I know, OK, it's just backwards reverb on the vocals, in particular the little breaths at the end of the chorus (first heard about 1:30) that makes it sound like that?

Where have we heard this effect before?

Well, this is one of my all-time fave Bauhaus tracks (and videos - I cannot tell you how many times I watched this as a teenager, and did silly cosplays intently watching lightbulbs in sunglasses and a grey suit) - listen to the backwards reverb on Murphy's voice during the bridge (about 2:20) and tell me teenage Hide didn't partake of this as deeply as I did.

It's even more pronounced on the dub version of the track, where you can hear how they did the effect in isolation.

I could do this all day!

Now I want to be clear - I am not accusing the band of plagiarism! (Anyway - Talent borrows; Genius steals - and Buck-Tick are clearly on the side of Genius here!) Mostly I'm in awe at their magpie inventiveness, the way they are able to invoke the style, the spirit and the atmosphere of the older Northampton band without ever descending into parody or plagiarism. You can hear that they never sound exactly like Bauhaus - they always sound like Buck-Tick.

But the Homage is very clever, and very appreciated by those who know.

[wheelin-after-midnight]

66.

What’s the first thing you thought in your head when you woke up today? That I was still in fucking agony from period cramps. If your best friend confessed that they can see the future, you would…? I don't know if I'd be totally sold on that, but I'd let them talk about what they were feeling and why they thought that. I'd probably ask them something about the future, mine or otherwise, and wait to see if it comes to fruition or not. Write a random quote that comes to your head: "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." What’s your opinion on milk chocolate? I love that shit. What about Dark Chocolate? I love that shit, too.

You do know that white chocolate isn’t even really chocolate, right? Whatever. I still like it.

Do you get annoyed when surveys mention a band you’ve never heard of? No, why would that annoy me? I'm a very musical person. Chances are I'll look them up and see if I enjoy any of their stuff. What’s your opinion about Katy Perry’s song “I kissed a girl”? It comes up in my rotation every now and again. I'm not a big fan of Katy Perry, but she has a few ear worms that grew on me. What’s your least favorite pizza topping? Sausage, probably. What would you do if you discovered the US was now drafting for the war? Well, that'd be devastating, obviously. War always is. Are you even living in America, or are you from another country? I'm from another country. What’s your favorite social website? I don't really have one. Do you believe in heaven? If so, what’s it like? If not, why? I was raised to believe, but I don't anymore. On one of my more emotional days I may lean a little bit more toward being agnostic, but for the most part I'm a complete atheist at this point. I'd love for there to be a heaven that's free and loving and accepting and a much kinder place than here. Somewhere where people are not sick and they don't suffer. I want more than anything to see my Nan again. I hate that I'm starting to forget her voice. I just don't think an afterlife like that actually exists. I'm really jaded and angry when it comes to thinking about or believing in any god or organized religion. What’s your favorite video game? I don't have one. I like some of the Netflix games on my tablet, but I don't play all the time. In your opinion, is Bzoink the best place to find fun surveys? It used to be one of the better places.

What kind of mood are you in right now, and why? Period cramps are making me feel like shit and I have wicked heartburn. Feel like crying my eyes out for a number of reasons.

What’s your opinion of high school? I did well academically, but it didn't end up doing me any favours in the end. The overall culture of high school was absolute bullshit. Could not pay me to go back to that hellscape in a million years. Do you prefer the country or city? To visit I enjoy cities. I don't do well residing in them. They're congested and confusing and give me major anxiety. I'm not used to navigating them as I grew up in the polar opposite of any city. Texting: Is it fun, evil, boring, or none of the above? I guess it could be both boring and fun, depending who you're texting. What email service do you use for your main (or only) email account? Gmail. What’s your favorite dumb pick-up line? "Damn, did you wash your clothes in Windex? Cause I can see myself in your pants tonight."

What are your plans for the next 48 hours? Sleeping off these horrible cramps, cleaning, taking care of Nippy and giving her attention, showering, watching things, hopefully trying to get a lot of writing done that I wasn't able to when I had another bout of migraines.

Did you ever read “Captain Underpants” when you were little? Nope. What’s better: The old Cartoon Network, or the new one? Or do you not care? I don't care. Disney Channel shows are all pretty cheesy, aren’t they? Yeah, but I still enjoyed a bunch when I was younger. What’s your opinion on the Jonas Brothers? I like a handful of their songs. What are some of your favorite singers/bands? Singers: Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Toni Braxton, MJ, Selena, Jennifer Nettles, Patsy Cline, Teddy Swims. That's just a random handful off the top of my head. I have so, so many. Bands: So many here too, but.. Sugarland, Jennifer Nettles Band, Soul Miner's Daughter, Zac Brown Band, AC/DC, Steve Miller Band, The Wreckers. There's like fifty thousand more I can't think of at this moment. I like a lot of songs of Queen's even if they're not my all time favourite. The Temptations.. I dunno. My taste is everywhere, dude. Why do the lead singers in bands always get the most recognization?! Previous person's answer basically said that they breathe a different kind of life into the song with their vocals, and I was like, yeah, basically this. Song's gonna be a lot different if you have no lead vocals on it. Did you ever believe in the Tooth Fairy? Yeah. What’s your favorite type of weather? Warm, clear, and sunny. What’s your opinion on reading books? I used to be such a voracious reader and I love hearing/seeing others be passionate about reading. Since my Nan died, I just don't have the same focus on anything. I consume audiobooks, if anything, these days. Just easier for me to process. You’re given a chance to act in a hollywood blockbuster! Would you accept? Oh god, yeah! I miss acting so much. I wish so badly I could get back into theatre like I was as a teenager. What it if it was a movie directed by Tim Burton? (He directed Sweeney Todd) Eh. How do you feel about Taco Bell? I've had it exactly once in my life, and I wasn't a fan. Are you hungry right now? No. How often do you go on to YouTube? Like once a day. It’s possible to be addicted to anything… What are you addicted to? I don't think I'm addicted to anything. What’s your opinion of Wallgreens? I have no opinion. We don't have it in my country. Back when Spongebob Squarepants was famous, were you interested in it? Meh. What’s your dream pet? I want a Golden Retriever so bad. Always have. But I also really want a second cat/kitten. You see a mermaid while relaxing on the beach with friends. What now? I'd admire it and think it was cool, but I wouldn't do anything.

Who’s been your favorite teacher growing up, and why? Drama class literally saved me in high school and the teacher was/is one of the greatest human beings I've ever met. When you were little, did you ever like Pokemon? A little bit. How often do you get headaches? I never get regular headaches. I get migraines often. Do you have any songs stuck in your head right now? If so, what? She Works Hard For The Money - Donna Summer. It was playing in an episode of something I was watching.

[kunstmull]

Aw, THANK YOU FOR WRITING THIS!!!

I'm about to make your Long Post even Longer - because as much as I keep saying, "I wish I had that deep, decades-long history with Buck-Tick", I do have that ancient connection with Bauhaus / Love and Rockets - I spent a significant part of the 80s obsessively watching Shadow of Light, Archive and The Haunted Fishtank (gee, wonder where Mr. Imai got that word from?)

The first thing that drew me to BT, when I discovered them off an "old Visual Kei" playlist - was that, where other VK / J-rock bands seemed to have Metal as the fundamental building block of their DNA, BT had Bauhaus. (And it's interesting how both bands have such a strange relationship to the genres they spawned - Bauhaus invented Goth as we know it, but very few Goth bands actually sound like Bauhaus - ditto BT and VK.)

But here's the thing: when I went to write this post, I could think of half a dozen BT songs, where I thought "OMG, this is a direct rip of Bauhaus" - but when I went back to the Bauhaus song I thought it imitated to compare them? The BT song was clearly inspired by Bauhaus, I could hear elements of the composition, in particular the visceral, noise-based, non-technical, abuse-the-guitar sound pervert style of Daniel Ash. Bauhaus, inspired by dub reggae and funk, flipped the script around the role of the guitars - in Bauhaus, the bass was the most prominent element, carrying both the groove and the melody, leaving the guitar to occupy a semi-percussion, semi-atmospheric role. In many BT songs, the bass drives the melodic structure, while Hide creates atmospheric waves of sound and Imai punctuates the rhythm with discordant squiggles of noise, playing against what the others are doing. The effect is electric! But it's very Bauhausian.

But again, I can't ever find a Bauhaus song that sounds exactly like what they've done - I can only point out the elements they've lifted and very cleverly repurposed and re-positioned.

Let's start with an early track, Iconoclasm:

Notice how it starts with a discordant, alarm-like guitar siren before the sped-up disco bass joins in? Once the rhythm section get going, it's clear that Imai's siren-guitar guitar is playing against the grain of tight unit of Toll, Yuta and Hide's funk groove. And then the surreal lyrics are strung out over the top in long disjointed segments that form yet another complex interplay with the drums.

Now let's listen to Bauhaus:

-starts with a discordant guitar siren -sped-up funk and bass kick in -surreal strings of lyrics glazed over the top in disjointed segments

They're not even remotely the same song - different chords, different melody - but the building blocks are the same, and they've been assembled in an almost identical arrangement. Other Bauhaus songs that clearly informed this era of BT include the frenetic groove of St Vitus Dance and the withering Small Talk Stinks. (This influence is even more clear in the studio version of Iconoclasm, where you can hear them lift the background voices and double-vocals.)

Did Imai stop his pilfering when they went Cyberpunk? NO, OF COURSE NOT

Now come on, Kunstmull, this sounds nothing like Bauhaus, right? This is much heavier, more doom, more low end.

RONG!

Listen to what Imai is doing the way he's playing, syncopated against the rhythm section with that weird, repetitive, OCD tick-tick tick-SCREE scratch that makes the song so compulsive.

Where have we heard that sound before? Hmmm...

Daniel Ash's rhythm is ever so slightly different - it's SCREE-tick tick tick, but it's syncopated against the rhythm section in exactly the same way. (Also watch out for the gratuitous theremin noises in the background, LOL, Mr. Imai has never used that trick either, has he?)

Obviously the arrangement and feel of Of Lilies And Remains is very different from the BT track - BT are much heavier, much darker, much more intense... oh, kind of like Stigmata Martyr (where Ash is showing how he makes the guitar-string-scratch noise)!

It just shows how creative and how original BT are, that Imai can lift something so distinctive and easily recognisable as Ash's riff, and yet make it wholly their own.

One more and I'll stop I promise, though I could do this all day. This was one of the first BT songs I ever heard, and it stopped me in my tracks, how familiar the arrangement sounded. (And I can't even blame Imai for this - it's a Hide song!)

I know, OK, it's just backwards reverb on the vocals, in particular the little breaths at the end of the chorus (first heard about 1:30) that makes it sound like that?

Where have we heard this effect before?

Well, this is one of my all-time fave Bauhaus tracks (and videos - I cannot tell you how many times I watched this as a teenager, and did silly cosplays intently watching lightbulbs in sunglasses and a grey suit) - listen to the backwards reverb on Murphy's voice during the bridge (about 2:20) and tell me teenage Hide didn't partake of this as deeply as I did.

It's even more pronounced on the dub version of the track, where you can hear how they did the effect in isolation.

I could do this all day!

Now I want to be clear - I am not accusing the band of plagiarism! (Anyway - Talent borrows; Genius steals - and Buck-Tick are clearly on the side of Genius here!) Mostly I'm in awe at their magpie inventiveness, the way they are able to invoke the style, the spirit and the atmosphere of the older Northampton band without ever descending into parody or plagiarism. You can hear that they never sound exactly like Bauhaus - they always sound like Buck-Tick.

But the Homage is very clever, and very appreciated by those who know.

Since I've been into Bauhaus for years and B-T members have mentioned them as an influence, going deep into the roots is something I enjoy. I wasn't sure of writing this (long post), but the two bands are really important at a personal level, gonna share some thoughts.

The first time I watched Physical Neurose PV, the aesthetics inmediately reminded me of Telegram Sam MV. Sakurai has mentioned that he enjoyed "Shadow of Light" (1984), an archive with promotional videos of the band. So, it's possible he got some inspiration from it.

Physical Neurose (1988)

Telegram Sam (1980)

Tbh, there are several interviews where Sakurai (love him for being enthusiastic about the band) shows his appreciation for them, their image and Peter Murphy's vocals. He has highlighted Mask and The Sky's Gone Out as important records since he was a teenager.

It is well known that B-T members enjoy post-punk and goth bands, Imai's love for Love & Rockets, and Hidehiko and Yuta have also shown interest in Bauhaus and Peter Murphy's solo albums. They even got Daniel Ash in Schiz.o Genso -the spiderman mix-.

Six/nine videos also make me recall Bauhaus live at Riverside (1982), look at Murphy's outfit, body language, his extravagant dance moves, and the spotlight game. Also, Ash & Murphy dynamics on stage were similar to Atsushi & Hisashi in early performances.

Another example of getting inspiration from the English band might be in the title of "Mr. Darkness and Mrs. Moonlight", which made me remember "Who Killed Mr. Moonlight". Maybe it's a coincidence but as a fan, it didn't go unnoticed.

And of course here, I'm going to mention The Mortal's cover of Spirit <3 (I was very moved when I listened to this cover for the first time).

Gonna add this Bauhaus live version too 'cause it's so good and when you watch The Mortal's live version you can tell that Sakurai has possibly watched this performance at least once.

I recommend to watch that entire show (Gotham, 1999), if you like vampiric costumes, hats and boas.

I'd like to include Hamlet Machine & Sponge Spirit cover, which can be found in the Satori: A Tribute To Bauhaus (1998) album:

I'll finish by saying that Issay & Atsushi went to watch Murphy's live shows together during the 90s, soo lovely! It's cool to see how music connects people and inspires.

[echo-three-one]

Whatever It Takes : RELOADED

Augustus' burner phone is the key to locating Nero but the team discovers that it's more than just Nero that's behind all of this. Will the former 141 soldiers find out what Nero is up to? Will Alex rescue Samantha?

Table of Contents

Hello! Ray's Back in his game!

Chapter 16 to another story made by Ray (echo-three-one) Comments and Reviews appreciated! I hope you enjoy! Love you all ❤️

My Damsel in Distress

"Alex"

Task Force 141 - Disbanded

On a plane off to somewhere

General Shepherd.

The name sent Alex's blood boiling from rage. He couldn't believe that a high ranking official would actually betray them and could still run away from it.

It's no secret that he wanted 141 out of the Nero scene. But why? He knew full well that Samantha doesn't have access over the address but he still took her? And he also knew that this little team won't walk away without her safe. Alex wondered what's running inside the snow-caterpillar-stache's little brain. He couldn't even say his name now.

He clenched his fists, feeling the thick leather gloves he wore for battle. It was a devastating day for him. They just bonded for a few moments here and there and now she’s already taken away from him. He couldn’t keep count how many times it happened. It was frustrating.

“So, which safehouse are you bringing us today?” Alex joked with his former CO. Jack looked serious as always, he never gets these kinds of humor.

“Same one in Brazil. It’s the most forgotten and spacious. No one’s going to come looking for us in South America.” Jack replied, looking worriedly at Alex.

“I know when you’re preoccupied Alex. What happened afterward?” Jack turned to him and Alex knew he had to open up. He deserved the truth anyway.

“I uh… I fell for her, Jack. I know I told you that I won’t but it just hit me.”

“Like a fucking brick…” Jack interrupted and chuckled.

“All I can say is that you’ve done a better job than I did when I fell in love. I could still see your determination towards your work. Or maybe because she’s still involved in all of this.” he added, causing Alex to relax his tensed shoulders.

“It’s good to have you back, old man.” Alex shook his hand and smiled. With all the problems around him, it was good to have someone close to him to talk to. He was glad Nero didn't kill him back in the Gulag.

“Yeah. Me too, and it looks like you’ve got yourselves a determined bunch. Especially that guy.” he noted, pointing to Soap who was sitting with France. Alex remembered how the two of them met at the Gulag and in that short span of time Jack was able to read the whole guy’s personality.

“Soap? Yeah, he’s an achiever. Heard he’s top of every obstacle course back at the base.” Alex mused, looking at the two. They were sitting together quietly but Alex felt jealous. He could've been doing that with Samantha right now. Now that she's ready to hear the truth about them.

"Yeah. He's got some fight in him. I'm sure we'll defeat Nero even with this little band right here. And I'll do my best to be of assistance to you." he patted Alex's shoulder and went back to check on Nikolai.

~

Safehouse 110197, Brazil

Alex remembered that this place was compromised, but then again that was the CIA mole's henchmen that found them here and they're no longer affiliated with Nero. Or he picked this place because no one would think of going back here after being compromised. The Reverse Psychology card. Either way, Alex didn't mind.

As the team slowly scattered around the house and prepared everything, Alex took note of some changes since his last visit. More beds were added and supplies got restocked. Even the bullet cache looked reloaded.

The team loaded off everything they salvaged, or stole, from the 141 and set it all up. Ghost prioritized the tech stuff while the women fixed the bedrooms. Alex offered help but was denied by Gary saying "Your face still hurts so don't over exert yourself, we can do this on our own."

So Alex plopped by the central couch as Ghost untangle the wires, putting them on their respective slots.

"You holding up okay?" The masked man asked as soon as Alex released a deep sigh.

"I'm worried about Samantha." he replied, resting his hands on the back of his head.

"She doesn't have the address, what does Shepherd want from her?" Alex added, his tone raised like a kid complaining.

"I have no idea. But I do have something else. Information on the surprise attack at the 141." Ghost said, as Jack and Price moved toward them and discussed the contents of Augustus' phone.

"That bastard gave away our location." Price cursed.

"So his plan to disband us would be successful." Alex added and Ghost nodded.

"Why get Samantha though? He knows we'll be coming for him." Ghost added and the rest of them speculated their theories.

"Augustus failed to get her so Shepherd did it for him? For what?" Jack noted, reviewing their whole mission for reference.

"Something bigger, I presume." Price spat and everyone fell silent. The rest of the team except for Gary and Maxine gathered for a short briefing. Everyone gave away their take as to why, some of them made sense while some reasons don't add up. And thinking about it was only making them more frustrated.

Everyone looked serious until they inhaled the fresh aroma of dinner from the kitchen. Alex turned and saw Gary and Maxine, smiling while serving up the team's dinner. He could sense something him and Samantha once shared in this place and it looked like the Safe house did it's charm once again.

"Now that's bloody good cookin'" Price announced and everyone laughed. He wasn't the kind of person to say those kinds of things, but he did, and it was all they needed to ease the tension of not knowing what's next.

They never gathered like this before, together, happy and noisy. The two oldies sat on the opposite edges of the round table while Soap, France, Gary and Maxine sat beside each other on the left. Simon and Alex sat on the other side, an empty chair resided beside them.

"Don't worry lad, we'll rescue her." Price muttered and Jack nodded. Alex smiled as they started to eat some food.

"Hold on a minute!" Soap exclaimed causing everyone to halt.

"Thank you Lord for thy blessings which we are about to receive. Amen." he muttered while everyone looked at him.

"Amen!" they all said in unison and wolfed down Gary and Maxine's delicious meal.

"This tastes so good! Just like Mom used to make!" Francine chewed happily. Maxine stared at her supposed to be sister and smiled.

"It does?" she breathed.

"Mmhmm.. I was always jealous that you two were so close together in the kitchen, everything I touch turns to a culinary mess." she frowned and made everyone else laugh. Soap stared at her in amazement.

"You and me both, France." Jack agreed. The gang bonded throughout dinner and enjoyed the company. Alex volunteered on the dishes and France offered to help.

"You think she's going to be fine?" Maxine asked as she checked the contents of the fridge, looking at Alex who looked very focused on the dishes he's cleaning.

"She's been kidnapped a lot of times now. I think she's used to it." Alex attempted to joke, but the tone of his voice was far from kidding.

"Aye, That lassie's a tough one. Don't worry Alex. We'll get her, Shepherd's bound to make a mistake anytime soon." Soap commented from behind him while leaning on the kitchen island.

"I told you I can handle assisting Alex on my own!" France giggled as she wiped the plates dry.

"Aye! I know! Can't a man just enjoy some time with his girlfriend?" he raised his hand mocking surrender. France turned back and crossed her arms.

"Ahem. Girl space Friend. There's a space in between." she scolded and MacTavish just chuckled.

"Whatever you say, Babe." he joked once again as he stepped out of the kitchen.

"Ugh. That guy's so full of himself." France groaned. Alex and Maxine exchanged glances and laughed, causing the female soldier to worry.

"What?" she asked.

"You two look cute together." Maxine chuckled, closed the fridge and walked away.

"We're not together!" France yelled, making sure Maxine would hear it wherever she went.

"We will be soon!" Soap exclaimed from outside, followed by collective laughter from the group of men with him.

~

Alex groaned and looked at his watch. It's already 3:36 am and he couldn't sleep. He slowly got up and looked around. On the huge bed, Jack and Price slept peacefully as evidenced by the loud snoring. Beside him on the floor was Soap, Roach and an empty spot where Ghost was supposed to sleep. The girls occupied the guest room.

Alex slowly got up and carefully assisted his metal leg, trying not to make noise as he waltzed to the balcony where he suspected Ghost to be.

And he was right, Ghost sat by the railings on the terrace, not a single expression of fear etched on his face. A face Alex saw for the first time.

"Can't sleep?" the former CIA asked. Ghost slowly turned his head and nodded.

"I'm just contemplating…" he muttered, the tone of his voice sound defeated.

"We caught ourselves in a crazy situation, huh?" Alex chuckled trying to make the best of the situation. Ghost didn't seem to like the vote of happiness as he clicked his tongue and sighed.

"I'm into France… but it looked like she's happier with John." he spat. From what Alex heard from Roach, Ghost was not the kind of person to open up. And this was all too surprising for him.

"I… uh…" Alex stammered.

"Look, I'm also sorry… You don't have to reply… I was about to vent to Gary about this but he seemed too preoccupied with Maxine and I didn't want to bother him."

"Look, it's okay. Ghost."

"It's Simon, Simon Riley."

"It's okay Simon. That's life. You win some, you lose some." he consoled. He tried to make it as positive as possible but he was also down in the dumps, like him.

"Thanks for the honesty. I just realized how devastated you must be. I never got to hear your story until Gary told me. It must've been tough losing her over and over again." Gary talked without looking at him.

"It's like I've been cursed to lose her and save her all over again." Alex complained.

"Like Link." Simon announced like it's a great metaphor which Alex didn't get.

"Link?"

"Like from the video game. Where this knight was always out to save her damsel in distress. It's got many different variations but it's always the same name. Generations have passed and Link was always destined to save Zelda." he said in amusement.

"My damsel in distress…" Alex noted and looked up at the stars, wishing that wherever Samantha may be, he hoped she's safe and also thinking of him.

Next Chapter : Delayed Flight

Notification Squad my beloved

@smokeywhalee @samatedeansbroccoli @enderio @whimsywispsblog @beemybee @ricinbach

[your-20th-century-boy]

Under appreciated musician check!!

Y'all i just need a second to talk about Dan Fogelberg. I know very little about him and that seems to be the general picture the internet has on his stuff but like ive done a little digging in the first 7 years of his career.

Here's my personal highlights

I've briefly mentioned this one before when 4 hit 30 hours, but it's the sweetest song I know of.

So often in music people talk of romantic love and platonic love, but I've yet to come across a familial love song like this.

Its a song about his father, and its painted crystal clear. in talking about it he said something along the lines of when his father passed that song left nothing unsaid, and you can hear it for yourself! The words themselves are sweet and poetic, musically being accompanied by an acoustic guitar and the occasional brass instrument (I believe they're French horns)

Now to throw things back is an earlier track, while reading up on him the other night I discovered this album was produced by Joe Walsh which got me excited, Joe is the equivalent of god to my Grandmother and I've grown fond of projects of his, what a small world that these two collaborated!

Music wise its not as simple as Leader of the Band, it's got things like cowbell, bass, piano, and a brief feature of an electric guitar!! Overall a much more upbeat track

Its another story based song, not of one of love but more the meaning of life. Its a story of one understanding the world around them, and from what I understand that things are part of a grander plan.

There's no surprise in a meaning like that it does at times pull biblical imagery. But nothing too in your face go to church and kiss that bible heavy

Lastly, another one off souvenirs (as I really like this album)

This is the closest one in my books to the typical rock sound, though from what I've heard and read generally he can be categorized under "soft rock"

I appreciate this one for that more rock sound, though still heavily reliant on the acoustic guitar it pulls heavier on that electric guitar and piano from earlier.

Lyrically its nothing fancy, its a common trope of "if you've heard ive been sleeping around its a lie", but y'know not every song needs to be a grand novel with a plot, the backing music speaks enough for itself no fancy words are necessarily needed.

Now to wrap my thoughts. I know i have a lot to learn over time, but I love where I'm starting. I think hes a hella strong lyricist and id be lying if I said I never cried to leader of the band (every. single. time.) I also quite enjoy his voice, he can capture quite strong emotions in it if he wished, which is a huge aid to the stories he writes.

[yangingaround]

What could RT be thinking putting BMBLB there while they just put two songs earlier for Blake and monkey-boy? Also, making Blake blush at monkey-boy's antics and having him as a date in the school dance and all that winking-flirting shiz. And now they're trying to push through with BB? Are they doing it for the views and for milking out from fans? That's just not cool. Building up BS and teasing BB now...unless you could prove me wrong here...?

okay, this got long

well, to counter your first point, they didn’t put two songs earlier for Blake and Sun

Not Fall In Love With You wasn’t written for the show, it was a song Jeff wrote back in his boy band days that he just wanted to use (and the scene it’s used in you can barely hear it anyway), it’s a very, very generic, one-sided love song - i mean look at the lyrics of it and try to think of any time they would work for Blake/Sun; hell, try and make sense of it in the context of Sun’s character, he’s not exactly the type to say “You’re my PYT/My cherie amour”

Like Morning Follows Night, from what we’ve heard of it, while it’s about the two of them, isn’t a love song. it’s clearly following the same argument they had throughout volume 4, Blake haunted and chased by her past and Sun refusing to leave her alone and being dismissive of her past and her want for space. we’ve had about half the song so far and the word love isn’t even used once (it also contains the line ‘i won’t endanger one more friend’)

by comparison, the 30 seconds we’ve got so far of BMBLB makes it undeniably a love song and undeniably about Blake and Yang because they are the only Bumblebee actually mentioned in the show

Blake blushed at all of one antic, and that’s when he was pointing her out in front of a huge crowd - mild embarrassment and flattery are a reasonable explanation for that

date for the school dance? Blake specifically said she was technically going with him - because they were arriving together and she was throwing him a bone because he’d asked her before - but her first dance, with Yang, was spoken for

and the winking-flirting stuff was all one-sided on Sun’s part - but don’t forget, Yang has winked at and made flirty comments to Blake in the past too

there is very little build-up to Blake/Sun, it’s incredibly shallow (because Sun is an incredibly shallow character with the bare rudiments of a personality, minimal backstory and no motivations beyond ‘gravitate around Blake’), Sun spends most of their shared screen-time annoying her (and rightfully so because he keeps making fun of her and not respecting her space or privacy) and Blake’s made a point in the past that she wants to be seen for who she is, not what. Sun’s reasons for liking Blake are as follows, “she’s a Faunus, she’s pretty, she’s a good fighter” - these are all what reasons, and the one (1) comment he has made about her personality has been this: “Where’s Blake, she still being all Blakey?” - he frames her then bad temper, brought on by her issues and the sheer exhaustion caused by it, as a problem inherent to her personality, and something he clearly doesn’t like and doesn’t want to deal with, as he asks this in an expectant tone like he thinks someone on her team should have dealt with it already

Yang meanwhile clearly understands Blake on a level no other character is shown to, which is why she was the one to get through to her at her lowest point, and her compliments towards Blake once they get to know each other are about who Blake is - “I love it when you’re feisty!” “You’re never one to back down from a challenge”

Blake is also always serious when interacting with Sun, we don’tsee her silly side, where she joins in on the fun like we do when she’s around Yang - Sun’s goofing around tends to piss Blake off more, because it’s usually inappropriate to the moment and/or at someone elses expense

Blake and Yang have had numerous moments across the series, in each others company - they care deeply about one another and their narratives are now wholly intertwined by what Adam, Blake’s ex who Yang has numerous parallels (but ultimately contrasts) with, did to them. a scene that deliberately used the word ‘love’ when Adam was threatening Blake just before Yang appeared (and Yang was the one to run to Blake when she heard Blake was fighting the White Fang, Sun, meanwhile, was right there and didn’t react, so…), and is framed very much as ‘old flame vs new flame’. that the scenes are using similar story tools as the ones used with Pyrrha/Jaune (a trend across volumes 2 and 3, nearly every Pyrrha/Jaune scene happens close to a Blake/Yang scene or scenes - with parallels and similar themes in these scenes. for example, in Burning the Candle, the Blake/Yang scene has Yangopening up to Blake about her past and being supportive and encouraging of Blake, and then making a lighthearted, open offer of a dance at the end. these are paralleled in Pyrrha opening up about how lonely her fame has made her at the dance, Pyrrha offering support and encouragement to Jaune during their training session and when he’s about to go ask Weiss to the dance again, and then Jaune making the lighthearted joke about wearing a dress. both lighthearted joke promises are also kept - Blake takes Yang up on the offer of a dance, she didn’t have to, arriving at the dance would’ve been enough, but they danced, likewise, Jaune kept his word and put on a dress because Pyrrha didn’t get a date, and Pyrrha says that he didn’t have to) which absolutely had a canon basis

when Yang talks about what they lost in the battle of Beacon, it’s very clear that Blake leaving without explanation hit her the worst. when Blake brings up her team at the end of volume 4, she explicitly says she loves them more than she ever thought she could love anyone (and ‘anyone’ would include Sun there), and there’s hesitation and her voice cracks when she mentions Yang - her feelings there are clearly more complex than with the rest of her team

for what could be considered ‘build up’ for Blake/Sun, there is far more for Blake/Yang, and on top of that, Yang does not annoy Blake - Blake being around Yang also immediately marked a change in her character, she ‘brightened up’ and joined in the silliness of Yang and Ruby within 24 hours of their team being official, Yang breaks through to Blake in Burning the Candle when she’s in a very dark place (Gray Haddock, head of RT animation, voice of Roman and was a producer on the show, even said in the commentary for that episode that Yang is light and Blake is in shadows, and Yang lights up Blake’s darkness - which fits her name as Yang means ‘light’ or ‘sun’)

little sidenote - but they do have that perfect little yin-yang thing going on, Yang is light, Blake is darkness (Yang has blonde hair and purple eyes, Blake has black hair and yellow eyes), Yang has that sunny disposition but she hides a lot of hurt, Blake is dark and brooding but has a lighter, sillier side. the two also have symbols that resemble flames. they’re complementary, they have contrasts and similarities and they clicked from the moment Blake chose Yang as her partner in the forest. Blake and Sun don’t have that, because his name means ‘monkey’, his theming is that he’s a monkey (it’s even his symbol), and that’s it

and i don’t know if you’ve been paying attention to the cast and crew but, Blake/Yang comes up a lot with them - Arryn and Barb, their actresses, have always vocally supported the ship (and once on her youtube channel before she closed it, Arryn was asked if she preferred Adam or Sun as a romantic option for Blake and refused to pick because she doesn’t like either of them and she’s said before that Blake/Yang is the only one that makes sense to her), Gray Haddock when on the Fan Service podcast has said that it’s one of his favourite ships in all of media. there’s a t-shirt for the ship, there are numerous teases to it in Chibi (by comparison, Blake has interacted with Sun all of once in that show, and there was one gag where she mistook Jaune for Sun while being very disinterested in him), the advertising for Chibi season 2 had this, and in general, whenever ships for the show come up, Blake/Yang is almost always mentioned alongside Ren/Nora and Pyrrha/Jaune. by comparison, Blake/Sun rarely, if ever, comes up

so this ‘teasing’ doesn’t come out of nowhere with no buildup when they’ve been talking about it for years, but this is almost always dismissed as just ‘trolling the fans’. but RT don’t have a history of ‘trolling the fans’ with their scripted content - at least not in such a malicious way (because doing this just to pull the rug out would be queerbaiting at this point). but consider the opposite, consider that they might be trolling the fans in a different way and have heterobaited Blake/Sun. if you’re willing to believe they would tease Blake/Yang so hard just to “troll the fans” you have to be willing to believe they would do the same with Blake/Sun

from the beginning, RT have been talking about including LGBT characters in the show, that the LGBT characters are here already and as the show goes on and these characters discover more about themselves, this will come to light. doing this, representing not only a big chunk of their fanbase, but also their openly LGBT employees, cast and crew would be fantastic. last year in their other shows they had LGBT characters, Day 5 had Ally, one of the protagonists and driving force of half the plot, who was a lesbian. RvB14 had a two part story with two lesbians in leadership roles and another story which revealed that Epsilon-Church (one of the core characters of the entire franchise) is bisexual - representation matters and while they’ve dropped the ball before, they’re aware of it and they’re trying to take strides (even if those strides should be larger)

so i highly doubt it’d be for ‘views and milking it’ especially as the fanbase is already there and ready for it, and at this point, backing out would be queerbaiting and cause a veritable shitstorm, which they’re going to be keenly aware of

what we’ve heard from BMBLB is that it’s a love song from the perspective of one half of the ship. we’ve seen these before in Boop and Dream Come True, and those came into their own in later volumes, so in including BMBLB on the volume 4 soundtrack, they’re suggesting that, well, not only is Yang definitely LGBT, but that the ship will be coming in and developing romantically over the next couple volumes