#what did i expect with my personal track record of ships

[24-guy]

I’m back in rarepair hell. (I love being here, honestly.)

Please. I want to draw them. Ask me to draw them with your ideas. Please.

[withahappyrefrain]

⭐ 60 Fun Meet Cutes ⭐

1) A and B’s coffee orders are identical. Confusion (and promised calls) occur.

2) A always steals B’s parking spot and normally they wouldn't say anything but not today asshole!

3) A and B are seated next to each other at the singles table for a wedding.

4) B owns a bookshop and A really needs this book because their book club meeting is in two days.

5) A is a doctor/nurse treating B for an injury, but B won't stop flirting.

6) A pretends to be B’s significant other because they can tell that creep is bothering B.

7) They meet at the dog park and their dogs won't stop playing with one another.

8) They meet at the dog park and B’s dog won't stop following A’s!

9) They're both at a party and notice the other is sitting alone on the couch so we join.

10) They get volun-told to do a karaoke duet by their respective friend groups.

12) A and B’s families have been trying to set them up for years. They meet by accident.

13) A runs a stand at the local farmers market that B loves (the owner being cute and sweet is a major plus too).

14) They grab the same book at the library.

15) “You have the wrong number, but stay on!”

16) A and B have been set up on a blind date together. Neither one of them expect it to go well, given their mutual friend's track record.

17) A and B both want the last pack of cigarettes. It's not even for themselves, but they'll certainly argue about it.

18) "Hi, I'm pretty sure I saw you on a dating app and while I swiped right, you did not and wow you're beautiful in person."

19) A’s a tour guide for B, who is currently supervising a field trip of twenty seven-year olds.

20) A is B’s least favorite author but they don't realize until halfway through their rant.

21) "Hey, my friend is into your friend. But they're too scared to make a move, can you help me get them together?"

22) They're at the grocery store and A can't reach the item on the top shelf, so B helps them.

23) “Hey, so I helped your grandparent cross the street and they insisted that I meet you, their grandchild.”

24) It's their high school reunion and A is like eighty percent sure B was their lab partner, unfortunately B has no idea what they're talking about.

25) A’s friends insisted on going to a strip club for a bachelor/bachelorette party and A is really enjoying their time talking to B, the hostess.

26) An unexpected torrential downpour happens and they end up taking shelter at the same place.

27) “I'm your neighbor and I swear to God, if you don't turn that music down-"

28) They’re both PhD students and their dissertations contradict each other's and boy, are they going to have some intense eye contact about it.

29) B is A’s child's new teacher and their kid won't stop mentioning that their parent is single.

30 “I'm so sorry, but my friends won't stop bothering me until I get someone's number tonight, it doesn't have to be your real one, I'm just so tired of their shenanigans.”

31) A is the hot firefighter who visits B’s classroom to talk about safety.

32) A and B are paired up for a roller coaster and one of them needs to hold the other's hand to get through the ride.

33) “Look, your date may not want to dance with you, but I certainly will!”

34) They're both celebrities and their fans ship them so A and B do an interview together for their respective press tours.

35) They're both on the bus and A is reading the book B’s been wanting so badly and they gotta know if it's good or not because the waitlist at the library is ridiculous.

36) They're at an art museum and have wildly different interpretations of the same portrait.

37) It's been arranged by their families for A and B to marry as a peace treaty. When they meet for the first time, they bond over their families fighting

38) "Do you mind if I sit here? There are no other seats available."

39) A doesn’t know why their friend's girlfriend invited them to their coworker's nephew's bar mitzvah but they have a stain from the chocolate fountain and B is an angel with their Tide to go stick.

40) “If you don't fix your collar/tie/hat, I will do it myself!”

41) “The food in your grocery store cart looks so good, what are you making?"

42) A sees B at the Renaissance Fair and is determined to give B a rose.

43) They're both at the eye doctor and can't figure out which glasses to buy.

44) They end up sitting next to each other in a movie theater during a horror movie, and cling to each other for moral support

45) A owns a flower shop and B just needs the courage to go inside and say hello.

46) B’s dog somehow got out and A find it. Yes, it's late at night but from B’s voice over the phone, A knows they need to return this dog STAT.

47) A has always signed up to bring the dessert for their work's potluck. Who does B think they are taking their slot?

48) A’s friends signed them up for a dating app and set them up on a date with B without A’s knowledge.

49) B’s running an adoption event and A doesn’t even like animals but my God, is B so damn cute with them.

50) They're spies who have to pretend to be a couple for an assignment.

51) They’re professors who teach the same course but disagree over teaching methods.

52) A is B’s friend's asshole boss and B is just trying to drop off C’s lunch without strangling A.

53) A’s a witch who run a shop. B barges in, asking about the best curse to give someone (without killing them of course).

54) A is a hairdresser at a fancy salon and B shouldn't be spending $150 on a haircut but they need to talk to A.

55) A is a personal trainer and B is their client and A knows they need to keep it professional but it's really hard!

56) A is the photographer and B’s the caterer for the worst wedding ever.

57) It's the county Fair and A has lost their niece/nephew, so they ask B for help.

58) A is having a horrendous case of writer’s block, B works at the cafe A has been staying in for the past few days and is very concerned.

59) Hades and Persephone AU bc why not

60) A is a tattoo artist and it's B's first time getting a tattoo.

[ravenstargames]

✦ Lost in Limbo Devlog #14 | 12.02.24

And November is over! This month has been filled with paperwork, organizing receipts, and so on, which isn't very fun, but it's part of the job!

We are making great progress with everything overall; merch has been ordered and we have received proof and approved it; our voice actors are already delivering the voiced names y'all paid for during our Kickstarter campaign; and more! Let's see it in detail, shall we? :^)

Our dear Raquel has been working hard (I think I say this every devlog, but damn) on reworking the sprites for the extended demo now that the Special postcards for the Kickstarter are done! For this next batch, she'll be working on Ara and Amon, so here's a WIP of how Ara is looking so far! 💜

I think you can see how her design is already more detailed and cohesive in some areas. We'll most likely ask for feedback when Amon is ready too, to test the waters with both characters like we did with Gael and Xal :^)

The street is coming to life! This background is almost ready thanks to Astro. We'll have four new locations in the Extended Demo to help with the pacing and the introduction of our world and story to (hopefully) make it perfect. Or something close to it!

In the writing department, I've so far added 7000 words to the prologue. We have one flavor choice, two personality choices (and several personality reactions), and three "relationship choices". These basically shape your relationship with Evie in this case. For example, you'll be able to choose if you are intimate friends, are warm to each other, or if you prefer something less physical / touchy. And Evie will remember that!

And this is just so far. While River has a kind of "set" personality, I want people to be able to shape some aspects of their life.

In the writing department I should also include the documents I've provided to our VAs, and to our composer, Tomás. More on that below!

We have a proper help screen! Wohoo! 💜

Now you can enjoy Ren'py's default help screen but looking a bit nicer. This is for those who are not familiar with Ren'py's usual keybindings and stuff :^)

Nothing else on the programming side this month. I've focused on writing the script and that's going to be my main job until I can actually start programming something!

As I said before, our beloved voice actors are already working on the voiced names! In fact, Xal's VA (Francfil Pontañeles) and Pride's (Pat Langner) already recorded them! A little surprise is that we have been able to add our default MC's name, River, as a voiced name. For those of you who want to play with that name, you'll also enjoy some voiced lines!

What else—ah! We are already working with Tomás for our OST, and we have settled in 19 tracks total. Those are even more tracks than we expected! This is thanks to you all, and especially thanks to those of you who ordered more merch via Backerkit. You made those four extra tracks possible!

Our merch has been checked and so far only the pins are missing a preview and therefore our approval. We had to edit some files (beginner's mistake!) but being the first time we do this, I'd say things have been rather smoothly! We'd like to be able to start shipping this month, but it may not be possible. Which is a bummer! But well, we settled in December / January, so January it is, if nothing happens!

(Don't mind the colors being too flashy here—they will look more cohesive in game!)

OH, and the last extra bit! I've been working on the personality choices, as you all know, and Kayden has been helping me make the icons that will appear next to those choices for those who are colorblind. An extra thing to make them pop and differentiate them better! I think they are pretty self-explanatory, and if not, well—that means we have to give those icons a twist!

November has been a chaotic month for me due to the aftermath of the floods and my vacation week. The rest of the team has also had their good amount of irl stuff happening around them, but we've made it! The new year is approaching faster than I thought, as per usual, and I hope we can finish 2024 on a good note!

And that's all! As always, please take care, have fun, and enjoy the rest of the week!

[sgiandubh]

Lights, camera, shit show

I was just cleaning my OL folders (all those Chinese paintings and scrolls do take a horrendous amount of space, heh) and I just stumbled upon something I completely forgot to share and discuss with you. I found this particular article during my solitaire lurking months and I remember being befuddled by it for a long time, then thought I've lost it for good.

I don't remember ever seeing it shared or discussed in here, either and if, by any slim chance, I am wrong, kindly forgive me. That professional website is now closed, but its content is still available to browse:

Anyway, there goes: https://www.studiodaily.com/2018/06/outlander-dp-stephen-mcnutt-asc-csc-saucy-scottish-show/

We discussed Terry Dresbach and her inebriated rants, Vanessa Woman's devastating impact on set as Intimacy Coordinator, RDM's jealousy and many other aspects of life on the OL set. Rumors likely to have originated there peppered our shipping trail like flickering lights in a sea of darkness. So yes, we dissected these things to death. But not Stephen McNutt's interview to Studio Daily, on June 22, 2018 - please keep in mind the date, it is essential!

Stephen McNutt is a well-established professional and a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), as he hails from British Columbia. He also has a consistent track record of previous work with RDM, both on Battlestar Galactica and Caprica (its prequel). Therefore, one has to immediately suppose he was handpicked and brought on set by the same RDM, of course: set a very low bar on your expectations, I am warning you.

By the grace of RDM, he was one of the main Directors of Photography for OL during Seasons Two and Three. IMDb is not the best source for corroborating things, because they credit him with 13 episodes in Season Two (including La Dame Blanche- he is the Blue Room guy!), but only one for Season Three (First Wife), which is completely wrong. I even had to check some opening credits on Netflix (at reduced speed, ugh), because he speaks at length of A. Malcolm, something that would have made little sense otherwise. He was there, of course: and his is a first-hand account, heavily loaded with both innuendo and TPTB bullshit, up to the point of complete incoherence.

We focus on the three final questions:

This is a study in bullshitology, right here. The question asked is very clear and very technical: how did you approach those famous love scenes?

The answer is a mumble jumble of retcon, deflections, slips and overall impossible scramble for a logical explanation. I am doing a line by line, because this is almost too good to be true:

'(...) But as far as Cat and Sammy making love (...)' : um, hello and excuse me, I thought the question was about Jamie and Claire?!? And then we are delusional and can't fucking separate, when your own henchman, the Director of Photography no less, seems to be totally unable to do so, too? Hello? Also: 'Sammy'? 'Sammy'? What. The. Total. Fuck, and I LOLed then and I am still LOLing now. Terms of endearment overheard on set - but no, here comes the 'friendship' shite, hitting the narrative fan with Mach 5 speed. Objective? Explaining in a plausible way the hugging and 'keeping warm'. And I am sorry, but this begs the question: what the hell did this man see on that set? And how many people did see the same, hence the need to release such a gratuitous lie, for pure retconning purposes?

'They are not an item at all - I think she just got married'. Oh, fuck my life, man: you are such a terrible, terrible liar! Remember, that interview was taken in June 2018: after the OZ EFH and just about when C. was gleefully answering 'oh, God forbid!' every time she was prompted by press about her marriage plans. How can somebody with a pretty high trophic level and personal rapport to both S and C be totally unaware about C's marital status at the time? How can a long time acquaintance and coworker of RDM say no both to a friend and to a current boss (same person, the worst case scenario) asking for a favor, in that particular context? It also goes to prove that the shit show plot mainlines never originated with S and C and that the Remarkable Week-end was already planned for quite some time. By TPTB. With the full knowledge of RDM.

Let's suppose Mr. McNutt was so deeply engrossed in his work as not to notice all the people who must have congratulated C on set. I mean, I know who our (spinster) colleague from Accounting is currently banging and that guy is (mercifully) not among our staff (I totally wish them well, btw). Maybe because nobody congratulated C on that fakegagement? Also, you know them well enough to confidently say 'they are not an item', but don't know she was not married at the time and state an enormity with the same confidence? What in the name of the hoo-ha did I just read, here?

'I was always in such amazement of that.' In amazement of exactly what, Mr. McNutt? Surely not a woman holding hands or keeping warm with her gay co-star on set, huh? I mean, I need the best American English dictionary, here:

Again: what the heck did this man see? What comments did he hear? Surely, 'amazement' is a very precise choice of wording, with particularly enlightening synonyms:

Hence the need to end the demonstration with a deflection: 'They would just have fun.' You know, there is no such thing as a virgin whore, Mr. McNutt: you either are in such astonishment or you think your pals, good old S and C, such a funny girl, were having, well... 'fun', what else? You can't logically have both in the same paragraph!

And there we go: 'a very collegial atmosphere on set'. The answer is pure fool's gold, if you ask me: 'Nobody goes to sit in a trailer or says they aren’t showing up that day. '

And I laughed. And I laughed. And I laughed. I really don't know what this man is talking about. I never heard McTavish telling S to get out of that trailer ('nephew'). I never read the 'two very loved-up birdies' in a trailer a-rockin' Anons. I never watched that 2015 Anglophile SDCC interview, when S mentioned listening in their shared trailer to Erasure's Oh, l'Amour and C immediately reacted ('oh, did you just admit to that?'). But unlike me, McNutt must have been legally bound by a big cojones Non-Disclosure Agreement and morally bound by loyalty towards RDM, his friend, boss and benefactor.

This. All of the above. This is the real reason for all the bullshit you've just read: explaining a real, shocking love story by socially progressive regulations, allowing the cast to be 'much more happy'. I would laugh some more, if this was not sinister and cruel, in fact.

It is Love. A deep, strong one. But the seeds of the adverse narrative were planted early and deep, forcing even decent people like this guy to lie and smear himself a bit in the process. What we see and hear now are but better worded and more refined consequences of that fateful January 2016 morning in LA. And since I am allowed the dubious luxury only a healthy distance in time allows, let me remind you a simple, fun fact about this interview who stated they were never an item:

About ten months after McNutt uttered these words, the fandom was hit by the Covfefe Pics.

I rest my case.

[athforskz]

More Random Ult Kpop Group Questions: SKZ Version!

I did something like this a while ago when I first started this blog. So it’s time for another round! Questions below the cut I'm marking as MDNI. Like before, feel free to use this template of questions for your own ult group & tag me (and some friends if ya like). I love to see everyone’s responses 🤗

Dumbest thing you believed as a new fan?

Oof… there’s a few things I fell for as a baby stay, technically I still am a baby stay I think, BUT here’s my uhhh list: 

I thought Hyunjin had an identical twin brother.. 🫣 wait WAIIIT before you come at me, there was a rumor/joke going around at the time and obviously I didn’t know any better, so I believed it. There were even really good edits of Jinnie and his “twin” too. Then when I watched interviews where Hyunjin said he was an only child I was like ???? but eventually I figured it out.

I thought the sunshine twins were legitimately twins (they are) . Like biologically. Wtf is up with me believing twin things??

At first, I could NOT for the life of me tell the difference between Lee Know and Jeongin. No joke thought they were the same person. Which looking back on this one… how could I ever have trouble with them? They literally look nothing alike in facial structure and sound completely different in the way they talk & sing. Only thing they’re the same in is their menace behavior. 

2. Favorite duo/ship?

Usually not a shipper type of person but in regard to favorite friendship dynamic in skz, it’s gotta be SeungChan. Just watch this and there’s my reason why. Jilix is a close second because, again, sunshine twins. Followed by MinChan because watching Lee Know with his only hyung is so precious.

3. Favorite Racha (or other mini group within the whole group)? 

MeanRacha (Minho, Seungmin, & I.N) One of these 3 is literally always up to something. Causing chaos when you least expect it. The phrase “Lee Know is linoing” has become a favorite of mine because it always means he’s doing some menace antics again.

4. Favorite unreleased song?

There was a song that Hyunjin and Chan recorded years ago that Chan supposedly lost. We got a snippet of it and when I heard it I went feral because like Red Lights part 2???! PLEASE I NEED THIS SONG LIKE I NEED AIR! Chan like wtf do you mean you lost the track?! FIND IT. RECORD IT AGAIN. 

Also, all the solo performances they did at the opening concert in Seoul for the DominATE tour. Yeah, I need all those unreleased songs to be RELEASED right tf now. Give us another Replay album! And Chan… ykw let me shut up and be good for once, but I just wanna say THE GRASS AINT WORKING 

5. Favorite old song of theirs? Favorite song from their most recent project?

HEYDAY by 3racha. The whole song is a vibe but Jisung’s lazy rap when he first starts his part just does something to me 😩 

In regard to the whole group, I’d say the song 'YAYAYA' is one of my go-to jams from their older stuff. I love the tempo changes, scratches my brain in a good way.

Now as for the new album “ATE” this may be controversial to say but “I like it” is my favorite. It’s just so catchy!

6. Has your bias/bias line changed?

Since the last time I did this, yes and no? I mean as I’ve grown more as a stay I can confidently say OT8! But if I was forced to choose I say Hyunjin no surprise there and Minho.

7. What about your wreckers?

Chan continues to wreck me every. single. day. Like it’s truly insane, that man KNOWS what he’s doing. I’d also like to add that I.N has been wrecking me left and right the last few months which I blame his hyungs for that. 

NOW FOR THE UNHINGED QUESTIONS!

Please skip this portion if it makes you uncomfortable. This is the delulu brain talking. 

8. Which member are you attracted to the most physically? What about emotionally?

Physically I’m going to say OT8! Like have you seen those MEN?! I would be lucky to even get a crumb from them like bffr. Changbin, Hyunjin & Minho

Emotionally probably Changbin & Chan. From the glimpses we get of their true feelings & perspectives on things I relate to them the most. Honorable mention for this one will be Hyunjin because he’s such a romantic and I wanna say Seungmin too. I feel like before we didn’t get to see a lot of Seungmin ‘off camera’ per se, but with his [Song by] series we get to see more of his real personality and thoughts.

9. If you ever actually had the chance, who do you think you’d work out in a long-term relationship with (please remember the first rule of Kpop)? 

Probably, Changbin. Mans is a walking green flag. He’s a good listener, considerate of other’s feelings while still being honest. Always there for you. Funny af too. Overall, considering how I am as a person I think, Changbin would just be a good match for me. Like in my delulu brain me and Binnie would have that friends to lovers trope going for us. Even my dearest honey bun thinks so, she did write about it for me afterall💕 

10. A favorite kink of yours and member to fit that kink?

To keep it somewhat light in the kink department I’m going to go with hands. And a member to fit it the best, aka who I think has the most attractive hands will go to Jeongin. Innie has giant and such well structured hands. Rings sit so pretty on his fingers too which makes me feral. Like AHHDKSISVJKDW please grip my wrists and throat sir! *ahem* I mean, please let’s hold hands 🫶🏽 

Honorable hands mention will go to Minho because the veins on that man’s hands are just so ✨🥴

11. Favorite sluttiest choreography/move they’ve done?

Damn do I have a lot for this one *cracks knuckles*

The choreo for Silent Cry. Need I say more?

Anytime Hyunjin body rolls

Every single hip thrust/roll from Minho

The “POPPIN 🗣️” part in Maniac, especially when Binnie does it.

That one part in Charmer. Y’all know exactly what part I’m talking about.

Red lights. Need I say more, pt 2

The entire choreo for Taste. Bonus points to Minho when he did the special stage where he’s fucking hip thrusting from the side (I hope y’all know which one I’m mentioning here)

12. Most unhinged fic or edit you have enjoyed of them?

There’s a lot for this question too but I’ll keep it short. I’ll start with unhinged fics. I enjoy dark themes because let’s face it. Trauma. Please be warned these fics aren’t for the faint of heart, so if you read them, be warned. Some are lighter than others, but please read warnings!

Game Over feat. Seungmin & I.N by @sanakimohara

Games feat. I.N by @dandelions-143

Chemical Infatuation feat. Han by @hanjisick

ABANB series feat. OT8! by @doitforbangchan

The SKZ House series feat. Chan & Hyunjin by @writeonwhiskey

As for edits, there are even more that I enjoy. But I’ll only choose 1 for the sake of time and it’s only letting me attach one video.

Alright, that’s it! Thanks for reading if you stuck it out this far! I really didn't intend for it to be this long but it was so fun that I got carried away. Now for tags, I’ll go with my typical beautiful babes @doitforbangchan @jehhskz @torialefay + anyone else who wants to join!

[my-head-is-an-animal]

The Climb

Summary: You're a scientist, an engineer to be exact. Called to a meeting you had no real right to be at, Optimus Prime takes an exclusive interest in you, but you can't help but ask yourself at every turn, Why?

Rating: 18+ 🌹🩸🍆

Story Masterlist

Chapter 2

‘So, what did he say?’ Theo asked, excitedly, his curly brown hair dangling in front of his thin framed glasses as it always did.

     He hopped onto my bed, crossed his legs and waited for me to tell him about Optimus Prime and the task that now lay ahead of me. I told him everything, including how scared I was that I wouldn’t be able to complete my task.

     ‘Oh my God, you’re going to work with Optimus Prime!’ He squealed, making me laugh, reminding me that this was the opportunity of a life time. ‘You have to call every chance you get and tell me how it’s going.’

     ‘Well, I was kind of hoping you’d stay and help me?’ I asked, knowing Theo would lose his mind as the prospect. And he did. He fell back laughing and squealing yes.

     ‘Oh my God,’ he sat up bolt right. ‘I’m going to work with Optimus Prime!’ He suddenly realised and it only spurred him on to start talking about the kind of person we needed to find.

     ‘I want to ask Lennox to take us through a climbing session.’ I said, sipping the wine Theo had stashed away in case all went well. ‘I think we need to properly understand what it is we’re asking them to do.’

     ‘Good idea’ Theo nodded.

     I sent a message to Lennox and the very next morning he scheduled us in for a light training session with his team.

     When we arrived at the hanger the next day, after having set up our new office, which was basically a janitor’s closet, Lennox met up with us and drove us to the training complex. Theo was excited to see Bumblebee and Hound hanging out with some of the soldiers, making Lennox chuckle.

     ‘We figured you scientists wouldn’t have packed for a gym session, so you can borrow some gear.’ He said, handing over a vest and shorts to both myself and Theo. I hadn’t expected his whole team to be there and suddenly I was extremely nervous.

     We got changed and headed out to training area. There were obstacle courses, running tracks, weights and more importantly for us, a climbing wall.

     ‘The alien ship won’t have nearly as many places to grab onto, but this will give you an idea of how difficult it will be regardless.’ Lennox explained as we walked past the wall towards the running track. Both Theo and I were confused. ‘We gotta warm up first.’ He said as if it were obvious.

     Theo and I weren’t runners, I was exhausted the day before just going up the stairs to talk to Optimus.

     Sergeant Epps seemed to be the only one who was immediately stepping forward to help us through the session. The track was hard, but Lennox’s team, made sure to encourage us both to complete a least a circuit. We were exhausted by the end whereas the soldiers were barely out of breath.

     ‘You got this.’ Epps said, helping Theo back up to his feet. ‘Just keep breathing, nice and slow.’

     ‘You good?’ Lennox asked me. I nodded, trying to take slow deep breaths as Lennox handed me a bottle of water. ‘Make sure you stay hydrated, last thing you want is to pass out before we even get to the wall.’ He offered a sympathetic smile and I suddenly realised that I was incredibly ill-equipped to do any of this.

     We moved onto the obstacle course, Lennox’s team completed it in almost record time, doubling back to help myself and Theo through every step. Climbing the rope was where I got into the most trouble, but Lennox was below me calling up to take it one step at a time. Epps was at the top ready to pull me up the second he could.

     ‘That’s it, come on now, just a little further.’ He called down to me. I took another deep breath and reached up moving my feet up below me to grip the rope. ‘It’s all in the legs, let them do the work. Keep pushing.’

     Epps kept me going until finally he could reach me and hoist me up to the top. I could hear Lennox’s team cheering for myself and Theo, but my body was almost depleted.

     ‘Nice job.’ Epps nodded, again, barely out of breath. ‘Next step is the descent.’ I looked over to what he was referring to, it was a series of logs that I would need to hop across. ‘It’s all in the legs, Harding, just use your arms for balance. You got this.’

     Epps took the first step and I supposed we didn’t have a choice. Theo and I looked at each other before picking ourselves up and following behind.

     By the time we were done, Lenox and his team were standing with Bumblebee, Hound and Drift, all of them ready to help us through the wall climb.

     We took a short break where Theo and I took on some more water, and Lennox took us through how to climb the wall properly. Epps began strapping us both into the harnesses as he spoke.

     ‘You can take as much time as you need, just make sure you know where you’re placing your foot and secure it before pushing off. Got it?’ Lennox asked. Both he and Epps quickly strapped themselves into their own harnesses to make the climb with us.

     A couple members of his team went first, ascending speedily and making it look so much easier than I knew it would be.

     Finally, it was mine and Theo’s turn. Epps and Lennox stood beside us and made sure to stick with us the whole way up. The first few feet were fine, Theo realised his sudden fear of heights and so struggled more with keeping his feet secure, I was just struggling with exhaustion.

     ‘You good? You need a minute?’ Lennox asked beside me. I took a few deep breaths and the temptation to give up was pulling at me. ‘It’s okay, you’ve done a great job all things considered.’

     That made me chuckle. ‘I can’t believe this is a light session for you guys.’ I panted.

     ‘Yeah, we train pretty hard, but we all started somewhere.’ He tried to say encouragingly. ‘A lot of us couldn’t even make it up the wall first time.’

     ‘Really?’ I was surprised at that.

     ‘It’s not easy to get your body to push through its limits, but you’re doing it.’ Lennox gave me another minute to rest.

     ‘This is what it’s going to take isn’t it?’ I asked before we went any further. ‘The moment you want to give up and you keep going anyway.’

     Lennox nodded. ‘Mind over matter.’

     My body was exhausted, depleted of everything, I had nothing left to give, but I couldn’t stop. If I stopped then I would be proven wrong, human endurance wouldn’t be what I thought it was, but if I could make it to the top, me, someone who had never climbed a wall in her life or done much in the way of exercise, then I would know it was possible.

     ‘You wanna stop? There’s no shame if you do.’ Lennox told me, sincerely.

     I took another breath. ‘No.’ I shook my head, looking up to see I still had a minimum of eighty feet to climb. The wall was one hundred and thirty feet in total and it had looked monstrous from the ground. ‘I’m going to make it to the top.’

     Lennox just smiled. ‘Well okay then. Let’s go.’

     It took nearly an hour, my body was shaking, giving everything I didn’t have left and more. I stopped a couple of times, but kept reminding myself that anything was possible if you put your mind to it.

     I could hear Lennox’s men cheering me on and it was only then that I realised Theo hadn’t made it. Epps had taken him back down to the bottom where they both watched me climb higher and higher.

     ‘Come on, just a few more steps.’ Lennox pushed me.

     My legs were like lead, I couldn’t lift them and I’d never wanted to give up so much in my life. I lifted my leg to find the next step, but missed and slid down, catching onto whatever I could grab.

     ‘You okay?’ Lennox called, moving down to where I’d fallen. I could feel blood trickling down my knees from where I’d scraped them against the wall. ‘Easy, easy, just take a breath and place your foot onto the ledge below you.’ I did as he said and felt the tears streaming down my face, it was just too hard. ‘You can do this, you’ve done this bit before, it’ll be a breeze now.’

     I couldn’t find the will to laugh, I couldn’t even find it in me to acknowledge he’d said anything at all. I managed to secure myself again and found myself panting harder than ever, I was crying and sweating and there was nothing else.

     ‘Come on, Harding, don’t give up now.’ Lennox commanded me.

     I looked up to see how much further there was to go, it just looked so far, but it was maybe only twenty feet or so. I placed my foot into the next crevice and pushed myself up.

     ‘That’s it, we don’t quit when we’re this close.’ Lennox cheered.

     I placed my foot again and pushed up. Every step was more agonising than the last, my legs just weren’t built for this kind of endurance, in fact, I wasn’t built for this kind of test. I pushed and pushed and pushed again, knowing that every time was me giving the last of my energy, but I was so close. I couldn’t give up now.

     Finally, I was there. I was a step away from the top where Lennox’s team where yelling and cheering that I’d come so far. I placed my hand on the next ledge and with anything that my body had left to give, I forced my legs to push me up to the very top. Lennox had helped me get my body up onto the top of the wall, where I just lay staring up at the blue sky above, unable to lift any part of myself.

     ‘You did it.’ Lennox kneeled over me, smiling and only a little out of breath. ‘You made it to the top, Harding.’

     I kept breathing, trying to smile, but it was too hard. I could see nothing but a blue sheet above me and all I wanted to do was go to sleep.

     ‘Can’t sleep now.’ Lennox chuckled. ‘We still gotta get you down.’

     I felt my whole body groan.

     ‘Don’t worry, it’s easy, all you have to do is fall.’ Lennox helped me sit up and drink some water, my arms wouldn’t work on their own and he needed to hold the bottle for me, but at least my body was getting something of some energy back.

     Lennox’s team nodded and some patted my shoulder as they made their way back down the wall, all in acknowledgment of the challenge I’d just faced. They knew it was a tough climb any way, but to do it in the way I had done was a feat in itself.

     I looked out at the horizon and to my surprise, I saw Optimus Prime walking towards the wall with Bumblebee.

     ‘He was watching the whole thing.’ Lennox told me as he prepared me to drop down from the wall. ‘I think he’s impressed. I know I am. Good job, Harding.’

     I couldn’t speak, I was too tired, I needed whatever was left to make the descent. Lennox helped me manoeuvre my body over the edge to drop down gently. It was much quicker going down than it was going up, but my legs were too weak to hold me steady once I reached the ground.

     I felt a cool, metallic hand gently stop me from falling to hard onto the ground and vaguely recognised the outline as Optimus Prime, kneeling to catch me.

     ‘Rest now, Dr Jane Harding.’ He said and I felt my eyes closing.

If you liked this, please consider supporting me ☕ thanks for reading!

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

Supplication

In which Ikora conducts a staff performance appraisal with Tom the janitor. (Set during Season of the Witch.)

Link to Ao3 if you prefer to read it there

“Crow.”

“Ikora.”

“You see everyone who comes through this door, correct?”

“That is why I'm stationed here isn't it?”

“Have you seen the Drifter?”

“Lots of times.”

“In the past few days?”

“Mostly bringing Eris food, yes.”

“And yet, no one else has, and there are no records of his passage.”

“I mean… I've seen Tom, the janitor.”

“Tom the janitor? We don't have a…” Ikora’s eyes narrowed. “I see. Does he know you know?”

“Heh, yes. He made a point of it. Tossed me one of his coins. He's not doing anything bad. I made sure of it. He's just watching over Eris. It's really sweet actually. I wish Amanda could have seen it. She was always insisting they were perfect for each other and would become a thing someday.”

“You… know about them?”

“Anyone who regularly deals with the Drifter has noticed he's been happier. To be honest, it's pretty blatant if you ever see the way he looks at her. His whole face softens and his eyes light up. His posture changes. He's even got bounties for tithing to her right now. You get extra glimmer if you do.”

Ikora clasped her hands behind her back and nodded for him to keep going.

“So yeah, Tom has been around a lot. To be honest I thought he was working for you."

Ikora closed her eyes and sighed.

"Drifter's pretty sneaky." Crow continued. "Like, I'm pretty sneaky myself but Drifter is... good. Pretty sure that's why he outright showed me who he was. He was showing off. He's not a hunter, but he gets us. He wanted me to know it was him so I could be impressed, and, well, I am.”

“Next time you see Tom, let him know he's due for a staff performance appraisal in my office.”

“Ok, will do.”

. . .

Ikora sat across from Tom the janitor at her desk in her small office at the H.E.L.M.

“How many different people are you?”

“I'm old, Rayray," Tom’s ancient face spoke in the Drifter’s voice. "Been a lot of people, why?”

She slid something across her desk.

His hand whipped out with snake-like precision and caught it.

It was an employee badge for Tom the janitor, on a lanyard, with a key card.

He laughed.

“Much appreciated but uh... I don't need that.”

“You can make use of it though.”

“And you can track me through it.”

“I am assuming you would only make use of it when you were willing to be tracked. Otherwise it can hang in your ship with all the other things we've tried to track you with that never seem to go anywhere interesting.”

Tom smiled with the Drifter’s characteristic grin.

“I suppose right now if it helps Eris, we can coordinate tactical.”

“It does.”

“I’m all for helping Eris.”

“Thank you. Since we are helping Eris, I would like to ask you, have you encountered Elsie?”

“Yup.”

“As Tom?”

“Yup.”

“Does she know she encountered you?”

“Nope. Don’t think so. She might figure it out eventually. Hopefully not ‘till this is all over.”

“Does Eris know?”

“We ain’t discussed it. She's busy. Shouldn't have to deal with that. I don't expect she'd mind, though. She likes it when people let her focus so she can do her thing.”

Ikora leaned forward, concerned, a knot forming in her stomach. “Did Elsie actually come to… kill Eris?”

“Well, that’s what she thought she was doing, but her heart wasn’t in it. And due to some inconvenient locking of doors, she lost some of her steam. Then she talked to Tom for a bit and he changed her mind a little, at least for now.”

“And if, the next time it happens, you aren't able to change her mind?”

“Hope it don't come to that. Stranger's not a bad person. And she's a good stasis teacher. Ask me how I know. She’s just hurting and scared and needed some perspective. Now is not the time to turn on each other.”

As if there was ever a good time to do that.

“But if she does go after Eris again and you can't talk her down…”

“Ikora, you were the best at the crucible, right? Undisputed absolute best, if I recall. That means there ain't no one better than you at fighting other guardians, or fighting in general, is there? You're the right person to be at Eris' side right now. She’s safe with you. You got this.”

Ikora sighed, realizing she was not going to get a straight answer from him, only deflection. Eris had warned her this would happen. He was indeed infuriating.

“Do you need anything else, Ray… Ray?" He spoke in Tom the janitor’s voice. Tom’s way of pronouncing the Drifter’s pet name for her was wildly different from the way the Drifter said it. It sounded halting, ancient, harmless.

It was impressive how well he slipped into character. Ikora barely recognized him now despite the fact that moments before she’d very definitely been speaking with the Drifter through an old man's face.

“I'm glad we're on the same side.” She said quietly.

“Well,” the grandfatherly man stood, stooping, and nodded, “...that makes two of us. You take care now,” he said as he shuffled out of the room, pausing at the door to run his new key tag past the sensor so the door would open. “Huh, I suppose that is convenient. Much obliged.”

The door hissed shut.

Ikora stared at it.

She was missing something. 

That means there ain’t no one better than you at fighting other guardians, or fighting in general, is there?

His words echoed in her mind.

…or fighting in general, is there?

It wasn’t a statement, it was a question. It was a leading question. The answer, obvious in the phrasing, or was it?

…is there?

Ikora thought about what she knew of the Drifter, his long life, his well known paranoia, the amount of people who wanted to kill him, the guns he obtained and shared with guardians, his perpetual fear of being murdered by Shin Malfur, a guardian. The well known gun he gave out which used darkness for precision damage, particularly effective against fellow guardians in gambit. The reports of his use of weapons of sorrow.

…ain’t no one better… is there?

…fighting other guardians, or fighting in general…

She was better at fighting, but it was possible the Drifter was better at… killing… both the lightless and lightbearers so they stayed dead.

…not a bad person… hurting and scared… …not the time to turn on each other…

He had answered her, after all, in his sideways tangential way.  A ricochet off the truth without actually speaking it.

If Elsie went after Eris again, the ideal situation would be that Ikora be the one to stop her because Ikora was good at fighting. Ikora could stop Elsie without killing her. Ikora could deal with her safely in a direct confrontation. Whereas the Drifter’s methods would undoubtedly be less direct… and more permanent.

…A lot of people have bit the dust cuz of me. Been trying, lately, to avoid making that number any higher than it needs to be… 

It was a supplication. A request.

He was asking Ikora to intervene because he had already made his choice and did not wish to have to enact it. He was in fact going to great lengths not to kill Elsie, because if he thought he had to in order to protect Eris, he absolutely would.

Ikora’s fingertips drummed on her desk as the pieces of this puzzle clicked into place in her mind.

Eris was right: layers upon layers, masks upon masks. And for Eris, with a mind that focused on precision, detail, the solving of riddles, digging for the truth, what an endless source of fascination he must be, this complex human filled with painful experiences and sadness to match her own. No wonder she was so attracted to him.

Know thy self.

Ikora paused, analyzing her own feelings. Gratitude. That was what she was feeling right now, as odd as it was to have such a reaction to the Drifter. She was grateful for how he was caring for Eris. Glad that he was there, keeping Eris safe from the shadows, while Ikora stood next to her, keeping her safe in the light. It was a relief to know that he, too, cared this much for Eris Morn. Ikora was not the only one. They really were on the same… team.

Ikora blinked as she realized that while she did not trust the Drifter… at all… with anything… she somehow did trust he would actually protect Eris.

“Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice,” Ikora mumbled the quote to herself and began filling out a report.

This is one of a series of stories written during Season of the Witch that I called Kept Conficence, after the hand cannon with the lore that helped to inspire them.

Here is a link to all of them in order if you wish.

[fuzzy-set]

I always think DAO and DA2 are good games albeit in different aspects. DAO's plot is the traditional crpg style- the world is ending, and the protagonist has to save it. What it does well is the cool origin system and the quests- nothing to novel, but they are well-written with good world-building.

DA2 is the "wildcard". Hawke is partly the cause of the tragedy (though they don't know it when they unearthed the lyrium idol) and no matter what they do, they are involved somehow. It fits as Hawke isn't some larger-than-life hero, rather than a normal person who happened to be caught in the middle of several mess. And that's why it is so brilliantly written. The companions also feel like a tight knit group of friends (albeit a bit dysfunctional, but hey, can you blame them given the circumstances?).

Also, did I mention the friendship/rivalry system? It's such a stroke of genius, shame that it's not seen in later games.

These two games also have very fun combat, but that's probably because I am primarily a tactical player. I don't enjoy action-style combat as much as I enjoy planning and devising combos, so I guess that's why I love 1&2 combat better than the rest.

The other two games... I don't know. I feel like the inquisition's biggest problem is the "open world" feel, where you have to grind levels to unlock main quests. The side quests are, to put quite bluntly, boring. And the gap between main quests is so long that sometimes I forget what I am supposed to do. I feel like dai is an imitation of DAO, but it isn't a very good one, the same way that DATV isn't a good successor of DA2. Neither game learns what makes their predecessors outstanding, and that's why I don't rate them as highly. Granted, they are still good games on their own, it's just unfortunate that they come after masterpieces.

(and a little note about solas- it's actually the character that surprises me, but not in a good way. I expect myself to like him, considering my track record of liking problematic apostates, but... Well, I just don't. I still find his character fascinating, but he is not as compelling as Morrigan or Anders. I also don't ship him & Lavellan as hard as I ship Warden & Morrigan and Hawke & Anders. But at the same time, speaking of lies- I do like Blackwall's arc. He is probably my favourite character from DAI, which is kind of surprising considering that spot is usually taken up by a mage.)

And if you read DA2's opening carefully, you'll see heavy implications that Hawke was slated to become the Inquisitor. And it would have been awesome. The "here lies the abyss" mission would have been so much more compelling with Flemeth's prophecy. And to think we'll hear more purple Hawke's lines... It'll be such a treat. I'll forever mourn the loss of Inquisitor Hawke the same way I'll mourn that there won't be a Tyranny 2 😔

[clarabowmp3]

Could you please predict for me when we will be done with the meathead?

stoppp 💀💀 honestly I didn’t expect them to have lasted till now but also I fully expected that she’d end up marrying joe so what do I/anyone rlly know lmao 🤡🤡

Fully explained below but tl;dr - it’s either until the travis team (i legit forgot the name i know the colour is red or smthhhh) keeps winning the Super Bowl/maintains a relatively good reputation OR until Taylor gets bored of him and looks for another shiny toy to make a complete fool of herself over (so like by this time next year) OR they get married and ride off into the sunset towards some happily ever after.

Howeverrr just for funsies: the way I see it is by working backwards, starting with if I see them getting married, and honestly…based on ttpd, leaning towards yes. When they will get married I have no inkling and I don’t even feel like speculating cuz of all those gross pregnancy/marriage rumours going around 🤢 I think they’ll get married cuz:

their careers are such that they’re both lifting the other up when they show up for games/concerts, there is no conflict of interest (ie no competition) cuz of the vastly different fields they’re in. Also, he was more established than joe at the start of their r/ship which makes for a very rosy picturesque love story image which at least some part of Taylor desires (based on her interviews, the fearless/speak now eras) but she’s also become quite jaded (as per ttpd) so maybe she thinks this is the closest she’s going to get to it

i also think she’s in no rush to leave a r/ship this comfortable after her last 2 emotionally complex ones. Not saying this is good or bad of her; I do understand why she would want to take it easy now (and possibly forever) but given how little they seem to have in common, I don’t think she can find this r/ship as emotionally fulfilling as she would want with a life partner, so I don’t see them sticking it out forever. Ofc I could be wrong and maybe she’s changed, but based on her track record travis does not seem the type of person Taylor Swift would want to spend the rest of her life with (girlie was cringing so hard in the viva las vegas clip)

Possible triggers for the breakup and why:

She finds someone else to obsess over and for some weird reason…she suddenly realises what a temper travis has? And how aggressive he is?? Cue the breakup songs/album, swifties dig up That Clip and go omggg how did we not see this he was abusing mother 😢😢, rinse and repeat until she (hopefully) finds some self-worth NOT tied to a man

travis’ team starts losing the Super Bowl/not doing all that well in other competitions. I think the main reason swiftie are kind of sweeping his messed up tweets and behaviour under the rug is cuz they won. But what abt if/when they stop winning? All that’s left is a hot-tempered football player who isn’t even an “all-star” (am I using that term correctly?) and she’s not going to like being associated with that/have that tarnish her brand. I find it so absurdly hilarious but she would rather be seen as problematic (re: M*tty) than unsuccessful, so she’d prob drop him if this happened

very unlikely, but maybe she breaks up with him and enjoys being single for a while? No reason for thinking this tho

ngl as long as this reply is, im kind of apathetic cuz she’s changed so much recently that im becoming less and less invested in her. I’m not even rlly looking forward to rep tv despite it being such a formative album for me cuz that version/image of taylor has been sooo tarnished by recent events yk? So idc what she does, mostly cuz if I had her as an actual friend I’d cut her out of my life SO fast

again, the usual disclaimers apply, idk her/them or anything abt their relationship, I am literally just a girl sipping her ginger ale and watching this train wreck of whatever taylor swiftTM has become 🍹🍹

[wardenred]

Flufftober 3: "Wait, you love me?"

Tales from the Witch House is one of my oldest stories/settings that keeps growing out of control, changing directions, sprouting new characters and plotlines, and generally being a wild urban fantasy kitchen sink thing that refuses to stick to one shape. Some of the characters keep staying the same though. Like Tim and Leo, my favorite chaotic anxious fuck-ups in love.

The city was creeping up closer and closer to the Witch’s House. It wasn’t so evident if you stuck to the kitchen whose windows faced the desolate closed courtyard, or the living room that had no windows at all. Maybe if Leo was still only an occasional guest in this place, he would be able to pretend that this wasn’t happening. That the House’s borrowed time wasn’t running out. But he was now living under this leaking roof, sharing a room with Tim, and every time he passed the window with its sheer curtains, he caught a glimpse of the street on the other side of the barbed wire fence. What used to be a boring gray patch of asphalt and concrete, a border drawn between the House and the railway track, now brimmed with life. Streetlamps shone brightly through the evening fog, and the buildings were littered with signs for take-out venues, mom-and-pop shops, and other small businesses.

The Witch's House used to be an island drifting off the edge of the world. Now, it felt like a sinking ship about to crash into the shoreline.

Behind Leo’s back, the door hinges screeched. “The new guy is awful,” Tim complained.

Leo smirked, turning away from the window. “You say it about every new person.” It was a relief, really, to get this reminder that their broken boat was still getting new passengers. If the Witch kept letting people in, that could only mean she didn’t expect for the whole project to collapse any moment, right?

“Yes, but this one is particularly awful! He just called Tyssa a ‘buxom babe.’ Who talks like that?”

“The new guy, apparently,” Leo said. He hopped up to sit on the edge of the shabby, scratched desk, squeezing himself between Tim’s laptop and the ancient lamp with its dragonfly-patterned fabric shade. None of the mismatched chairs in the room offered much comfort for his lanky frame. The sunken armchair in the corner was occupied by Tim’s guitar and a stack of laundry they really needed put away. 

He supposed he could go plop down on the bed, like Tim just did. Except that was the thing: Tim was already there, stretched over the faded blue comforter, his toes nudging at the low table tucked between the bed and the door, the one with the record player and a stack of dusty vinyls they never played. It would be the easiest thing in the world to come join him, tuck himself against Tim, take a peek at whatever he was scrolling through on his phone, steal a kiss or two.

Get hopelessly late for work as a result.

“I have looked up ‘buxom’ in the dictionary,” Tim proclaimed, “and I have serious suspicions the guy is sexist, stuck-up, and old-fashioned.”

“The way you say it makes the last part sound like the worst of his crimes.”

Tim let out an over-the-top groan. “Love. Please. Take me seriously.”

The endearment made Leo freeze. He dug his fingers into the edge of the desk and forced a smile in place of the real one that had dimmed. “That’s really an impossible request.” He was speaking lightly, right? Just joking around. Tim wasn’t going to notice any weirdness.

Tim tossed the phone on Leo’s pillow and turned to his side, propping himself up on one elbow. “Is something wrong?”

Crap. Why was he getting so perceptive lately? Leo drew a breath. We did promise each other to be honest, he reminded himself. Maybe it was his turn to start.

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing.” Yup. Perfect start there. His suddenly damp palm slid uncomfortably against the unevenly polished wooden surface. “It’s just—I like all the pet names and stuff, all right? But, um. Maybe save this particular one for, for when you really mean it.”

Which was probably never, and he had now successfully stuffed his foot in his mouth again, and Tim was going to—

“But I do love you.”

Leo’s train of thought crushed into a wall of rock-solid confusion.

“You... love me.”

Tim sat up slowly, his brow furrowed. “Well, yeah? I mean, I always have. Like, literally always? From that very first night in the club? Come on, you must know. Everyone knew before I did.”

“I—” But this didn’t make any sense. What did he mean, everyone knew? Yes, of course, now that Leo thought about it, there had been all those jokes. Karolina needling Tim about being oh so smitten, Gella making cutesy faces. Xan’s exaggerated eyerolls. Agnia’s grumbling.

Leo thought those jokes had been at his expense.

“You... didn’t know,” Tim stated. He sounded kind of lost.

“Well, you never said! And the way you were acting around me, up until the last time we got back together—” Leo forced himself to shut up. There was no use rehashing it. Those old hurts were scabbing over just fine. The two of them had sorted it all out, hadn’t they? They were literally living together. He was here to stay. The past didn’t matter.

Tim had the grace to look sheepish. “Well, yeah, I was an ass, I know. But that was precisely because I was trying to come to terms with—ugh. Why am I so bad at this?” He dragged his fingers through his dark hair, and then suddenly, adorably, he was babbling. “Listen, I’m a coward, okay? I met you once, and I couldn’t think of anything else. And then we kept, um, meeting, and every second with you was like stars colliding. Yes, I know! It sounds sappy and stupid! But that’s how it felt. How it still feels. So I chickened out and tried to act like you weren’t important, because at that time, I was still fucked-up. I mean, I’ll probably always be fucked-up, that’s like, my style! But when we met, I still believed wanting something openly was the surest way to never get it. And I’ve never, ever wanted anything the way I want to be with you.”

Leo decided his shift could wait.

[magnetarbeam]

Frames of Reference (WIP 1)

[I feel like I'm almost at a chapter break, but there is a lot more to do here.]

When Ahsoka woke up, the first thing that registered was that she didn't know where she was. 

She stood bolt upright, instantly assessing the situation and ready to run or fight as needed. 

The two others in the room with her turned away from whatever they were doing and fixed their attention on her. Ahsoka quickly realized she sensed no hostility from them, and only then did she decide to let herself relax a little. 

"You're not in danger," one of them - human, male-presenting, red hair and blue eyes - reassured her. "You're in the Jedi Temple on Shedu Maad. You chose to be here." 

"Oh." Ahsoka blinked, trying to recall everything that had happened as she took in her surroundings: A room more than large enough for three people to live in - by her standards, anyway - featuring two other beds, a computer, and various other features that suggested that the place had been lived in and used for some academic purpose for some time.

On the small table next to the bed Ahsoka had slept in rested a pair of WESTAR-35 blaster pistols and a DC-15S carbine, the weapons she had carried with her in the Siege of Mandalore. This observation further relaxed her. 

"I remember now," she said truthfully. Discovering that the Jedi of this era had learned from their mistakes, were no longer under the command of politicians that knew nothing of the needs of the oppressed or compassion for innocent beings, had motivated her to give it a chance. 

That, and there was just no place for her anywhere else. 

"I'm Ben Skywalker, by the way," the one who had spoken before introduced himself nonchalantly. "Jedi Knight." 

"I'm Padawan Vestara Khai," the third person said. Ahsoka took a look at her, light brown hair hanging loose, brown eyes that spoke of trauma at least as profound as Ahsoka's own in a comparable number of years, a scar on the side of her mouth that curved to evoke the shape of a smile, and- oh.

Blast it, Ahsoka.

"It's okay," Vestara said with a self-assured smirk. "It happens to everyone." 

"She's not wrong," Ben said, with a certain satisfaction in his voice that obviously meant I was first. Then he thankfully changed the subject. 

"So what happened to you," he asked Ahsoka, "at the end?" 

"Hyperdrive malfunction," Ahsoka said shortly. 

"Oh," Ben almost looked disappointed. "Yeah, that can happen." 

"What were you expecting?" Vestara asked him. 

Ben shrugged. "I hoped it would be a little more dramatic." 

"I had just killed a Sith Lord without my sabers, if that helps." For all that she had grown out of thinking herself invincible, Ahsoka couldn't help the pride that colored her voice at that accomplishment. 

As Ben and Vestara gaped, Ahsoka remembered her quarry's track record. 

"Unless - wait. Maul didn't come back from that, did he?" 

"No," replied Vestara. 

"Not yet," replied Ben. 

Vestara rolled her eyes. "Really?" 

"Hey," Ben defended, "we know better than anyone about bad guys who won't stay dead."

"It's been sixty-five years," she said dryly. "I think if he was somehow still alive, we would have heard of it." 

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "That's what they said about all the Sith."

"And that was just the Banites," Vestara said, as if to agree with her.

As Ahsoka realized the implications of that statement, Ben and Vestara exchanged a concerned glance, and something passed between them in the Force. Ahsoka didn't have the context to guess what they were thinking. 

With a hesitation that Ahsoka didn't appreciate being on the receiving end of, Vestara started explaining. 

"There's a planet out in Wild Space called Kesh." Vestara's voice took on  a more reserved tone that Ahsoka wasn't sure what to make of. "Five thousand years ago, during the Great Hyperspace War, a Sith dreadnought named Omen was knocked off course from a hyperspace jump and crashed there. The crew didn't have the resources to repair the ship, so they conquered the primitive natives and made the planet theirs." 

Ahsoka considered that. "I assume they aren't still stuck there." 

"Yeah," Vestara said awkwardly. "That's where I was born." 

There was a beat of silence. 

"What?" Ahsoka asked, her complete bewilderment causing her voice to rise to a pitch she knew some humans couldn't hear at all. 

"When you're from," Ben spoke up, "the Jedi believed that you could never come back from the Dark."

At a loss for words, Ahsoka simply nodded. 

"Before my dad even founded the New Jedi Order," Ben continued, "he had turned Darth Vader back to the light side using the love of a father for his son, and it was Anakin Skywalker who killed Palpatine."

Ahsoka wasn't ready to examine every emotion that sprung up in her upon learning that. Which was just as well, because Ben was still talking. 

"When Palpatine came back from the dead," he said, while Vestara rolled her eyes at that, "my dad turned to the dark side, and Aunt Leia pulled him back from it.

"My mom was raised by Palpatine and trained in the dark side," Ben continued, "and Dad brought her into the light." 

"Okay, I think I get it," Ahsoka said. "Since that misjump, my life has become a perpetual existential crisis, but…" She arrived at her conclusion on the matter in barely a second. "I think this change is for the better."

[As I've mentioned, there's not going to be actual romance between Ves and Ahsoka, but it is probably going to be queerplatonic.]

[moss-selfship]

Do you have a specific idea for a self insert to ship with Entrapta, any storyline etc?

i swear i had put the information about them here but i cant seem to find it? so either im wrong and just thought i did or tumblrs search function is ass (either is possible). but doesnt matter either way, ill explain it here. The explanation is under the read more as it contains some stuff im tagging with a trigger. as well as being long and not wanting to clog timelines Tw incest

STORYLINE So the first thing i want to get out of the way is they are siblings. yes this is a sibling ship, And there is a reasons why. Entrapta is a princess and we all know how royalty feels about incest (im joking, this is a joke XD) the real reason is that she lived alone her entire life. she grew up in her castle surrounded by machines and robots that raised her. she genuinely had no living family that ever raised her. so the idea of the only other person she was raised with being her brother, the only other person she ever really knew being him? well thats a bond that is so incredibly close and goes beyond what one normally expects. they are literally the only other person each other has known their entire lives. even as siblings its no wonder the feelings bloomed when the only other human being you ever interacted with growing up being your brother means the feelings between the two of you are extremely personal and isnt the same as everyone else. like sure there are the robots that taught her all the stuff she knows and TOLD her about society and how people act and stuff. or atleast how they are supposed to..but its not the same. pretending a robot is another person isnt the same. and sure they are taught about laws and societies and stuff..but doesnt really mean much in the end

Plus i mean we already know she isnt the most caring about laws and morals, i mean she happily joins the horde after she sees the advanced technological power they had as well as some "convincing" from catra. so even in the end she wouldn't care im her brother, or realize that its bad no matter what anyone said. To her it only made logical sense she would fall in love with the only other person she had ever known growing up and vice versa.

INSERT THEMSELF

My inserts name is moss aka "The Huntsman" , and as i said before he is entrapta's brother. ive taken some liberties with canon to expand more on entraptas family. See, in the story we have some books and audio recordings of our parents and are able to learn a little bit about them. Our father was a brilliant technological genius and he originally designed the robots that raised me and entrapta, and was the old leader of dryl and he had a deep fascination with first one technology. As you can imagine he is where entrapta inherited her genius and love of robotics and first one tech. She took to his research like a duck to water and sure enough she had an intellect to rival even his. I tried but it never clicked with me and i always ended up more confused than anything. Our mother was in tune with the wilds, combining her otherworldly tracking and hunting skills, the ability to control her hair like limbs, Her deep knowledge of the natural world, as well as her supernatural skill with a spear. She was the greatest hunter in all of etheria and she loves nothing more than the thrill of the hunt. I inherited almost all of our mothers skills and abilities and took to her teachings much more than i did our fathers (that was entraptas favorite as you can see, as well as her gaining our mothers hair powers.) and so i became the great huntsman like our mother had been the great huntswoman all those years ago. Entrapta was only ever interested in these teachings if it involved first one tech based nature. Design wise i feel like his outfit is a mix of furs and leathers with more advanced plating underneath (courtesy of entrapta) and even some augments that can improve my abilities (things like ability to hide my body temperature, muffle my footsteps even more, and change color to blend into environments).

[noddytheornithopod]

Alright, some more Ahsoka thoughts under the cut. Spoilers beware.

So we actually get an opening crawl of sorts, and the Star Wars logo is red too. Filoni definitely trying to make this an event.

People have been rightfully comparing the opening scene where Baylan and Shin break into the New Republic ship to The Phantom Menace and A New Hope’s openers. Honestly not as on the nose as I was expecting.

The opening scene with Ahsoka where she finds the map did feel a bit too long. Like I understand trying to set a slower tone, but I feel like this went on for a bit.

Speaking of the map, anyone getting The Force Awakens flashbacks? All they needed to do was give it to Chopper, lol.

So the three figures in that mural... I have no idea if it’s going to be significant down the line, but the fact that there’s three of them makes one wonder... Mortis gods?

“Location of the last missing Imperial Grand Admiral”. So do they know where Sloane is? Or is she going to be presumed dead (along with the proto-First Order types?), like they seemed to think Thrawn was until the whispers of his return? Either way, just a small detail, and one that people are probably gonna get way too hung up over.

I will say Ahsoka definitely looks better than in previous appearances. IDK if it’s the performance, my own jadedness based on the controversy around Rosario Dawson, or an intentional character choice that is making it harder to connect with her at first, but Ahsoka weirdly doesn’t have that much of a presence? Like, there’s a stoicism to the character, but even when other characters are around, they always end up feeling like they stand out more than her. Hopefully they’re building to something, otherwise it’s going to be weird to have your lead character feel this distant.

“It’s never a straight line with you Jedi”. Why do I feel like Hera was thinking of Kanan when she said that? Maybe Ezra too for that matter.

I do wonder what Ahsoka specifically heard that lead her on the trail to Elsbeth, TBH.

So with Ahsoka and Sabine, we still don’t really know what happened. We know at some point Ahsoka agreed to train her, but then gave up on her and left.

Lothal looks cool! Okay maybe some shots do look clearly fake, but I like seeing that aesthetic translate into live-action, and also seeing Lothal after the Imperial occupation rebuilt.

Ryder Azadi is back, wasn’t sure if he would be back but it’s a cool connection nonetheless. Jai Kell is apparently Lothal’s senator now too. Stuff like this definitely adds to the feeling of it being a continuation.

Not sure how I feel about Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera. I THINK I like her? There’s one or two scenes where I find myself questioning it, but then there’s others where I think she works perfectly fine.

Of our main heroes, Sabine was easily the standout character. I do feel like they could’ve found a better actor to look the part (I do think she’s a bit pale for Sabine’s complexion, but that’s a whole can of worms to open and I’m probably not the person most invested in this topic), but even if her performance is quite different to what Tiya Sircar did, I feel like she manages to embody the character well in her own way.

I do like seeing Sabine the way we did. That opening scene for her with her on the speeder chased by the E-wings was pretty cool, the fact that the Kiners decided to have a rock track play over it only added to the feeling of Sabine’s rebelliousness (also NGL with the sudden change in sound from the usual Star Wars score, I thought for a moment they were playing a licensed song, but nope it’s just an in-universe track I guess XD). You do get the sense she’s feeling pretty lost after everything that happened. Like Sabine’s lothcat too.

Also, confirmation that Ezra recorded another message specifically for Sabine. No real comments on Eman Esfandi’s portrayal yet, but I do hope to see more of Ezra.

“But you’re like a sister to me.” This line is sweet of course but primarily I find it unintentionally hilarious because Season 1 Ezra was really trying to hit on her. Obviously this is Ezra at the end of Rebels and he grew out of that crush and his bond with Sabine was more serious and of course platonic... but still. Lol.

Just noticed Shin has a padawan braid. Seems like Baylan is still doing Jedi stuff but isn’t operating as one? Also, neat touch that Huyang was able to identify Baylan from his lightsabre, but not Shin because obviously hers would be constructed well after he was around to document it.

Speaking of which... no explanation on why Huyang is around. I mean, I’m not complaining, but it’s kind of wild this major piece of Jedi history was able to avoid being hunted down and destroyed by the Empire.

Morgan Elsbeth confirms she’s a Nightsister, and the temple on Arcada Ahsoka was raiding (which is what she got out of her in Mando S2) was apparently built by them. It sounds like the Nightsisters may have been bigger many millennia ago.

Alright so we still don’t know what the deal with Marrok is, if they’re a familiar face or just some new ex-Inquisitor. Elsbeth is lucky to have managed to hire three Force Sensitive mercenaries, huh? Marrok doesn’t even have any lines, lol.

So with Ahsoka and Sabine’s relationship, we’re not really sure what happened yet. I think we might learn more over the course of the show, but from what I can tell, Sabine’s feeling pretty disillusioned after losing Ezra (even acting surprised at the idea he might be alive), and even if it’s yet to come up, I’m sure the Great Purge on Mandalore affected her too. She isn’t at the celebration of Lothal’s liberation because that day is painful for her. She seems to be lacking a sense of purpose. Ahsoka probably saw these things and realised she couldn’t commit, hence leaving her. The fact that Sabine and Huyang confirm that she never showed any Force sensitivity is just salt in the wound. So I guess that still begs the question: what happened to make them initially train together in the first place?

I love how Huyang makes sad eyes when Ahsoka talks about how she left the Jedi (I think he does it in other scenes too but this was when it stood out to me the most). “Sometimes even the right reasons have the wrong consequences” I think is a standout line for sure, Ahsoka definitely still feels guilt for Vader’s existence. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is affecting a lot of her decisions, like her lack of faith in Sabine (maybe she’s afraid that being taught by the Jedi who became Vader would cause her to create that again?).

Oh yeah, Ahsoka saying she did some stuff that wasn’t very Jedi to get the map info from Elsbeth... yeah, still no Jedi, apparently. Even if she’s gotta get dark.

When Sabine reacts to Ahsoka mentioning the Nightsisters, I definitely think she was thinking back to the creepy ghost possessing her.

Shin is obviously young and seems quite impressionable, always asking questions and needing to know what to do from her superiors, so she’s still clearly inexperienced. She definitely wrecked Sabine there, though. Cue someone complaining about another character surviving a stab wound when characters like Qui-Gon never did or whatever.

I do think it’s cool that Sabine is still showing her wide skillset to do things like analyse the map and get info out of the HK assassin droid head. The one to one with Hera was nice too. I like that Hera thinks they’re gonna work best if they’re together and she’s trying to make that happen, heck even Huyang is. Lol at Hera also saying that them both being difficult is what she thought would “make it work”.

We catch up with Elsbeth on Seatos, who has some big teases and reveals. She describes the location she’s showing the map with it as being built by people from a distant galaxy millennia ago. So yeah, Star Wars is finally going extragalactic, at least in a major way. Seems Thrawn and Ezra wound up in this distant galaxy these people that traveled here did (I wonder if the connection between the Arcana and Seatos locations implies the Nightsisters also built this, implying that they themselves are extragalactic... which is one big can of worms to open for sure).

So Baylan describes the route they’re taking as the “Pathway to Peridea”. IDK if Peridea is this new galaxy or a specific world or place in it, but yeah. Apparently even the Jedi had stories about this.

Elsbeth acts and sounds very witchy, appropriate for a Nightsister. In a particularly eerie moment, she says Thrawn “calls to her” (which must be how she knows all of this shit to even get to him in the first place, how she knew she needed the map with the right route to this galaxy and all that) and even describes it as being from “across time and space”. Those specific words make me wonder if there’s some World Between Worlds type shit going on. Also what is even calling to her? Is it really Thrawn, or someone from this distant galaxy? If this IS Thrawn, what does this mean for him? What has he found that is enabling him to reach out this far?

Morgan is constructing a ship called the Eye of Sion to travel to Peridea, one that is pretty huge and requires hyperdrives of super star destroyers. Side note, but it’s cool that the villains seem to be ahead of the heroes here. And this is even without Thrawn’s strategic genius.

Okay, hiring a Jewish actor to play your shady businessman character... I think someone should’ve thought about the optics of that a bit more.

That one questionable casting choice aside, I do think it’s an interesting idea to have ex-Imperials who are still loyal to the Empire still working in places like these shipyards. Big structural change is hard, and it tracks with the New Republic we’ve seen to rush things and overlook things like this.

We see Chopper again, which is cool.

Huyang saying “Lady Tano” gives me Maul flashbacks, lol.

Sabine feels like Ahsoka came back just because she was useful to her, and well Huyang’s account of things certainly doesn’t help that (because it WAS Hera’s idea to let Sabine know the news). Also, Sabine cutting her hair and putting her armour back on. The haircut definitely called back to Kanan’s for sure.

The final conversation between Bayland and Elsbeth was interesting too. Through these episodes I’m definitely getting the impression Baylan is following some kind of code, or at least isn’t just simply just a bad guy there to do bad guy things. Honestly, Shin has seemed more ruthless so far, lol. But especially when he says stuff like “it would be a shame to kill [Ahsoka]” and how he doesn’t immediately attack in the opening scene of the first episode is intriguing. Anyway, the giant hyperdrive ring that is the Eye of Sion seems close to completion, I have a feeling next week it might be.

I do like the tone the show’s going for. It’s no Andor, but it does feel a bit more serious than The Mandalorian, with more scenes that slow down for character beats and such. Also appreciate that they’re truly trying to make this feel epic, even for a TV show filmed in the volume. Filoni is definitely getting better directing live-action, and of course after her Boba Fett outing Steph Green is great. It definitely is adding to the Space Opera feel more than say the Space Western that is The Mandalorian.

So yeah, enjoyed this premiere! Goddammit Filoni, still finding ways to suck me in. :P

[theangryjikooker]

Hey, TAJ!

How have you been?

I know the past several months have been crazy in all spaces (might be crazier now, if I'm being honest, and I'm talking about everyone), but I'm glad you're back to sharing your thoughts.

Have you had the chance to listen to Face and D-Day? May I know your thoughts about them?

Also, are you anticipating the release of JK's album? I'm wondering what kind of direction he's decided on.

I've been feeling that the timing for the release of the members' albums to be very tight, though, I understand that they have a timeline.

Thank you!

Hi! Everything is great with me, I can’t complain (outside of the Internet anyway lol). Hope all is the same for you. :)

So, disclaimer, my feelings are based on my musical preferences. I just know some people are going to take this personally because they’ve made it their mission that music is not a subjective art form at all.

For some background, my listening pattern tends to be that I loop things for an indeterminate amount of time upon initial release. Eventually, I no longer have the interest to loop things and start getting selective about tracks I really like and shove them into my shuffled BTS playlist. If I really love something, I also add it to my like tracks, which is more extensive and spans different genres. I often switch between my specific and liked playlists because my listening style makes it very easy to get bored.

“Just change it,” one might say.

If I could, I would, but I also don’t want to. I’ve been like this since I was a kid. It’s also very rare that I listen to whole albums and like every single song. I cannot stress this enough, though I can confirm that this has been achieved by several OT7 albums. Prior to these, however, I was raised on classical vinyl records, and I don’t quite count them as “albums” in the way we understand them today. Make of that what you will.

Anyway, point being, my listening style and ultimately how I organize songs after the initial novelty has worn off is definitely a reflection of my long-term interest.

And I should hope that many of you are adult enough to understand that not liking everything an artist puts out does not make someone any less of a fan. Purists are not invited in this house; if you have an issue with it, go to someone who’ll pander to you.

All this said, I’ve listened to both albums.

When FACE and D-Day were released, both followed the aforementioned pattern. I agreed with the sentiment that FACE didn’t sound like your typical Kpop genre. Jimin has always defied expectations in that regard. Visually and conceptually, FACE was excellent, but knowing what Jimin is capable of, I was also expecting something a bit more, musically. I’m not saying the album was bad, but it was different. I think, for that reason, I’ve mostly been undecided, even though I did add the majority of the album to my BTS playlist. Except for “Letter”—shipping aside, it’s very beautiful. It’s a shame it wasn’t released as a stand-alone because I probably would have given it near infinite plays, and it would’ve found a spot in my liked playlist as well.

If I were to take anything away from this, it’s that I’m more interested in what his sophomore album will look and sound like, now that he has a taste of the process and has the experience.

D-Day is a very strong album, but keep in mind that Yoongi (like the hyung line) has a lot of experience under his belt. That’s natural. But for a while, with the exception of “Daechwita” and “People” off D-2, I had a hard time connecting to the tracks released under Agust D. FOR SHAME, I know. It wasn’t until D-Day that I was able to listen to D-2 and the self-titled album with a different mindset, which also affected my renewed appreciation for them. D-Day, however, is the superior installment of the trilogy. Maybe it’s cheating, but I think it also helped immensely that I was given free passes for the Agust D tour, which I hadn’t anticipated on attending. But free is free, what can I say. There’s a reason why music and live performances are crucial to an artist and their art. Sometime ago, a lot of people here assumed Yoongi was my bias, despite how rarely I talked about him. He wasn’t, and over time I gradually accepted that I didn’t really have one. Now? I can say that statement probably resonates with me a lot more these days.

And of course I’m interested in what Jungkook’s cooking up. I maintain that his voice is appealing to big western production, so I’m thinking we might see something that fits that particular palate? But the thing with Jungkook is that he’s been exploring sound and allegedly having a hand in the instrumentals, which only serves to expand his range, so my previous assumptions on his album might already be outdated.

[loganthrives]

Wanted to let you know that I did get around to watching it and I am absolutely on board with you here. I need a season 2.

Spoilers for the show under the cut for anyone who hasn't seen it (psst you should go see it):

I love how each person's individual story and perspective is thoroughly examined, and how each of them have different responses to the situations they are in. Azi's initial response was to try and stubbornly 'tame' the land around her, to grow her tomatoes and fend off the wildlife from what she considered to be her patch, her farm, etc. It wasn't until the farm was destroyed and she was forced to realize Levi was less following orders and more self-actualizing that she realized that she could work with the environment instead of against it. The distress calls she sends out feels like a stubborn admission of "I'm trying my hardest but I don't think I can do this alone", or maybe just a desperate plea that her one friend on the ship is still alive and can reach her, especially with how closely she guards the book she gave her.

Levi might be my favourite character actually because I've got a real soft spot for machines and androids gaining sentience/free will and proper personhood in fiction, even moreso when that is acknowledged and respected by their people. I cringed when Azi was trying to remove the stuff from Levi's circuits, as if she was literally pulling bits of his brain off, of his personality, and I loved how he immediately set the boundary for her not to do that unless there was a serious issue once he was turned back on. Azi on her own was stubborn and not really interested in getting along with the environment, but Levi opened her up to it to the point where she was able to figure out on her own that the fish would help clean up her infection before it got any worse. Like its really interesting to see the shift in her perspective from asking if what he's experiencing is an error or irregularity in his programming, to asking him to keep singing and to share any songs he comes up with with her.

And then there's the scavengers Azi meets at the end of the season. They're all archetypes as well. Kris following a very rugged and destructive archetype of 'you can't keep up then you're not worth the effort of saving you' and how that impacts the other two members of her team. She's not totally heartless though, and will stop to try and help if one of them gets into a bad situation, and I was on her side about the voice recorder multiple times as it was obvious he was getting off track and distracted when they still very much in a survival situation in an environment trying its damnedest to kill them (and succeeding in Terrence's case). But as soon as he's gone, you can see that he was the compassionate one who held the group together and she's the blunt dictator with an impressionable young kid she's working to mould to be as emotionless as she expects herself to be. She thinks she's a mountain that can weather the storm but the storm hasn't come yet.

I love Ursula's ability to stop and smell the roses, and how much that contrasts with Sam's (not unjustifiably) bullheaded attitude towards their situation. They've obviously spent some time working within the rules of the environment with how much is intuitive for both of them in the first scenes of the show, like they know exactly what they need, how it works, and how to get access to it, but Sam's approach is like a blunt instrument whereas Ursula's is able to stop and take it in and be curious about it. Its very refreshing to have a character who's in an obviously dangerous situation to be able to have that curiosity and wonder still about her. And she's no slouch either - for one of the softest and sweetest characters in the show with her compassion and caretaking of Sam while he's going through it, multiple times, she puts up the most fight of anyone when the situation calls for it.

I think Sam's frustration and angry spats are a result of the guilt he feels for not being able to recover from the damage from the solar flare on Kamen's new course, and the thought of how many people must be dead because of what happened. As much as he's committed to getting to the ship as quickly as possible after remotely triggering the landing, he still insists that they stop to honour the dead crew in the pod they find. While Ursula stops to smell the roses, he only stops to honour the human cost of the accident, to check the weight of his own guilt as the leader of the crew. Its very telling that the first thing he asked Ursula when they crashed together was "should I have stayed up there?", as if checking if he should've gone down with the ship to pay for his perceived/self-inflicted crimes. I love how that question is also used to motivate him to do the final stretch of the journey, instead of what he was going to set himself up for in that cave at the whim of his new little friend...

And freaking Kamen. Man. Selfish person through and through, obviously regretful but not enough to justify the things he's done. I feel like the series is setting him up to have some kind of redemption maybe (and I was hopeful for it when Charlie found him), but the alien he's being puppeted by removed that potentiality real quick. And yet, while the alien is very much on some kind of warpath right now against other humans and their technology it seems, in the beginning I was like "Oh its manipulating him, that's not cool", but then I had to remember that that's just how these things work to survive and get food is by manipulating other creatures to get it for them. So the alien itself, while its actions and the consequences of them are bad, may not have an understanding of good or evil and is literally just working on the instincts its developed in order to ensure its own survival. Can't honestly fault it for that. Like, just because its using Kamen's memories to manipulate him doesn't mean that it understands the broader context of those memories or why its been effective. Taking that into consideration, its possible that its destruction of Levi and the scavengers' ship is just it either ensuring that no other humans can take its human away, who has proven to be very effective at killing bigger and bigger creatures for its meals, or that others of its kind cannot take control of a human for themselves. Their relationship is interestingly symbiotic too apparently, because when Kamen started to show signs of resisting, it took him inside itself and is preserving and even sustaining him somehow, for who knows what end.

I need to know how all of the current plot threads tie up, or even how they get worse. Thank you very much for your earnest and heartfelt recommendation 💜

[jbblackwell]

KISS - Music from Fridays 1982 (franKENstein Redux) from KENN NARDI on Vimeo.

I consider myself a "charter Elder fan", meaning I got the album on release day back in 1981 and loved it from the beginning. I had been a fan since 1977 and after I watched most of my friends jump ship after Dynasty (and the rest long gone by Unmasked) I felt like the only KISS fan left in the world.

I had seen photos of the band in 16 Magazines showing their new makeup and costumes and wondering what to expect. I went to the local Music Vision and got the new single "A World Without Heroes". For me, anything new from KISS was beyond exciting and I liked what I heard. Even better, the B-side was a new song by my hero Ace. This music was fresh to my ears and even though I was only 12-going-on-13 I personally liked this more "musical" version of the band. Eric's drumming was really cool on "Dark Light" and Ace's solo was great. I also liked Gene's "mellow" voice which reminded me of some of my favorite songs from his '78 solo album.

Shortly after that, the album was released. I remember going to the store 2 or 3 days in a row asking about it, but it seemed to be a couple days late in arriving. Finally, I got it and instantly fell in love with the music. Having discovered stuff like Pink Floyd's the Wall (still my favorite album of all time) I though it was great to hear something a bit "deeper" from the guys than "Shout It Out Loud". I had even formed my first band that same year which I called "ODYSSEY" because of the song. I should also mention I was one of those unfortunate fans who got the LP with the clear sleeve, but NO lyric sheet. I still didn't know some of the words until the Internet was born many years later.

I also can remember like it was yesterday watching Fridays when it aired and being beyond thrilled to see KISS on TV (not that common back then). Plus...three new songs played! The perfect "Elder sandwich" of the opener ("the Oath"), closer ("I") and the middle track "A World Without Heroes". I don't care what anyone says, I agree with the record label and the album MUST have the 1981 US running order. The "original" Japanese release is horrible. It sounds like climbing up a very long hill to find nothing at the top. As for the "story line", for me "The Oath" sets the stage and gives a great overview of what's to come (as told through the rest of the songs). The musical balance is perfect in that order. It flows great and begins and ends with a bang. I consider "The Oath" to be proto-power-metal with its riffing, drumming and lyrical content. Musically speaking, the album overall was incredibly influential on my own writing throughout the years.

So, here is my version of the Fridays appearance, upscaled to 1080p.

For the audio, I wanted to remix and recreate the sound for a stereo mix. To do this I had to borrow a bit of Paul's guitar from the album. Ace's guitar dominates the original mix, so it was isolated and used for his parts. Paul's rhythm parts on "The Oath" and "I" are taken from the album, but edited to match his playing as he does a few things differently live (mostly due to his over-the-top theatrics, ha). Ace was also badly out of tune (or bending the stings) on a lot of parts, so I did some cut-and-paste work replacing the rougher spots with better parts where the same things are played.

Gene's bass is 100% from the show as are Eric's drums, which I have augmented using kick, snare, tom and cymbal samples I created rather than using "modern" samples. These are blended with his original drums.

For "A World Without Heroes" a stereo guitar/keyboard mix was created using the parts from the show mixed with some from the album to get separation (the show actually did have keyboards). I tweaked Paul's solo slightly just to fix up a couple bum notes and also blended his album solo very low to give a bit of the same ambiance since his tone is very dry on the show.

Even in 1982, as I watched the show I could tell the singing was a bit "off" in places. Particularly Paul, who comes out of the gate hot, singing uncharacteristically sharp all over "The Oath" with Ace's very loud and out of tune guitar not helping. So, for this version, I borrowed a few words from the 3rd verse where he re-sings the same lyrics and blended it with the rest to make the first verse a little more on-key. Gene also gets the same treatment for his 2nd "and you don't know why you don't know". I also used very small bit the album vocal tracks for a few words that were missing or very low in the mix due to the guys not being on-mic at time. I also blended a VERY small bit of the background vocals from the album on "I" just to fill them out a bit.

As I always say, these videos are NOT for the purists. This performance is MOSTLY true to the original, but approached the same way KISS might approach an official release, with just a bit of "clean-up" for a more enjoyable experience. The original is readily available, so this in no way is intended to replace it or re-write "kisstory".

Enjoy!