#to think i started work on this before staged disc finale was confirmed and now it is :)

[kenjo-arts]

…See you later, buddy

#to think i started work on this before staged disc finale was confirmed and now it is :) #punz #dreamwastaken #c!punz #c!dream #stage duo #sapnap #awesamdude #badboyhalo #dream smp #dsmp #kenjos art #staged duo #drunz #dreblr #stagedduo

[dreamerstreamer]

Never Meant To Be Yours

Pairing: Wilbur Soot x gn!reader

Summary: [Dream SMP!AU] Wilbur Soot’s heart may belong to you, but yours? Well...

Warnings: some cursing (hi, Tommy) + one scene with slight violence 

Word Count: 3.5k

A/N: i realized that i hadn’t written a story that was strictly just angst, so... ta-da! this story takes place during the betrayal of l’manberg. inspired by both the events of the smp and also heathers: the musical. remember folks: pog through the pain <3

The campfire crackled and popped as Wilbur tossed another stick into the roaring flames, the embers leaping up and soaring into the starry night sky. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance as Tommy opened his mouth again.

“I’m fucking telling you, Wilbur. Just let me sharpen some sticks and I can win this war for L’Ma—”

Wilbur sighed, reaching over to rip the two branches from Tommy’s hands. “Tommy, if you pick up another set of sticks one more time, I will throw your discs into the fire.”

Tommy gasped, absolutely appalled that he would even suggest it. “Big man, you wouldn’t fucking dare—”

“No,” Tubbo said, smiling as he threw some more kindle into the fire, “I’m pretty sure he would.”

“Oh, he definitely would,” Fundy confirmed, his tail swishing this way and that as he looked on in amusement.

Tommy frowned, snatching another stick from the firewood pile and turning to glare at Wilbur from where he sat on his log. “Fucking fight me for them, you beanie bitch.”

Wilbur stared back, unimpressed and his patience wearing thin. “Tommy,” he said, “I’m not doing this, again.”

“Oh? Are you scared of my sharpness 1000 sti—”

Without even an ounce of hesitation, Wilbur grabbed Tommy by his arms and hoisted him into the air, his feet dangling dangerously close to the campfire. Fundy hooted as Tommy let out a piercing scream, Tubbo watching with wide eyes and a grin on his face as the flames licked at the soles of his shoes. “I swear to fucking god, Tommy,” Wilbur nearly shouted, “I am going to drop you into the fi—”

“You lot seem like you’re having fun.”

Wilbur froze, Tommy practically melting in his arms in relief. “Thank the lord, I’m saved,” he muttered.

You walked over to the group with a small wave and a bashful grin. In an instant, Wilbur had released Tommy, dropping him back onto the log as he walked over to you. The irritation seeped out of his bones as he took in the sight of your face, your eyes glowing in the golden light of the campfire.

“You’re finally here,” he said, leaning over to press a quick peck to your cheek before sitting once more.

You giggled, settling into the space next to him. “Hi.”

Beside you, Tommy made a gagging noise. “Jesus Christ, you guys are actually fucking gross. I would never do some shit like that.”

You gave him a quizzical look. “But Tommy,” you pointed out, “I thought you loved women. Don’t you want to date one, one day?”

“I do love women!” Tommy confirmed. “And I respect them! But you know me, [Y/N].” He patted his chest, smirking with pride. “I’m married to the grind.”

You tilted your head at him, bemused. “Are you, now?”

He nodded with full confidence. “Of course I am!”

“And you didn’t invite me to the wedding?”

Tommy shot you a condescending look. “The grind and I have been married far longer than you and Wilbur have even been together—hell, I’d say we’re a better fucking couple than you two!”

You feigned a gasp and turned to your lover with a dramatic pout. “Hey, Will? Do you hear that? Tommy says his marriage to the grind is better than our relationship.”

Wilbur paused for a moment, blinking, then shrugged. “Well, that’s an easy fix.”

Confusion flashed across Tommy’s face. “How?”

Wilbur stood up and turned to look at you, a serious expression crossing his face. “I suppose we’ll just have to get married.”

You felt your jaw drop, a wave of shock running through you as Tommy sputtered, “Pfft—what the fuck?”

Taking a deep breath, you sighed, rubbing your temples. “Will,” you said, “getting married in the middle of a war doesn’t exactly sound like the best idea you’ve had.”

“But Wilbur never has good ide—”

“Well,” Wilbur said, cutting Tommy off, “how else are we going to beat Tommy and the grind?”

You cocked a brow at him. “Are you implying that are relationship isn’t already stronger than Tommy’s with the grind? That we have to prove it?”

Now it was Wilbur’s turn to sputter. “No, uh, I’m just, um—”

“Will,” you said again, “you realize you have a son that we both care for, right?”

Wilbur paused. “Oh. Right.”

You could see Fundy groan from the other side of the campfire, hanging his head in his hands. “Jeez, thanks, dad.”

Wilbur flashed his son a bright grin. “You’re welcome, son.” He whirled, triumphantly pointing at Tommy’s face. “See? Do you and the grind have a physical representation of your love in the form of another living being?”

Tommy’s face contorted in disgust. “Wilbur, what the fuck, no. I’m a fucking minor.”

The smile dropped from Wilbur’s face like a dead fly. “Oh. Right.”

Tubbo let out a whistle, raising his fist in the air. “Aaand, scene! That’s a point for Tommy!” He shook his head apologetically at the general. “Sorry, Wilbur, but you lose.”

Wilbur looked offended. “How did I lose? [Y/N] and I have a Fundy!”

Tubbo’s expression shifted to something more serious. “Didn’t you know that I’m a lawyer, Wilbur? You don’t mess with the law.”

Fundy let out another groan as Tommy howled in delight. “Oh, no.”

“Big Law is back!”

It didn’t take long for the bickering to start up again, and you found yourself zoning out, simply smiling and nodding every once in a while. A lone crow squawked in the trees above you, and you cast your gaze up at the night sky, watching as the campfire sparks danced and faded into the shadows above. Something stirred deep within your chest. 

It really was a lovely night, and you were surrounded by some lovely people, even if they were rather chaotic. With the campfire keeping you warm and their peals of laughter tugging at your lips, you almost felt sad.

Only a few more days remained of this idyllic life. Just a few days more until—

“[Y/N]? Are you okay?”

Wilbur’s worried voice drew you out of your thoughts and you turned to face him, plastering a small smile to your face. “Yep! Just thinking.”

He leaned down to peer closer at you, his gaze scanning your face. “What about?”

You averted your eyes from his, your cheeks dancing with warmth. “About you.”

He grinned and pulled you into his chest, ignoring the way Tommy pretended to choke at the sight. You giggled, your hands wrapped around Wilbur’s arm in return as he held you close.

High above you, the stars winked down at you from the pitch black sky, waiting and watching to see what came next.

Wilbur sighed, staring down at the map on his desk.

Just how was he going to stage an attack on a nation as large as the Dream SMP? Every opening would have been accounted for, and Dream was not a foe to be taken lightly. Even if all of them came in, bows blazing and swords drawn, Dream was still very much capable of taking them on, even by himself. That, he knew, and that was what weighed him down.

He slumped over, dragging a hand over his face. What in the world was he going to do?

A knock sounded at his door, startling him out of his thoughts.

“Knock knock,” you greeted, leaning against the doorframe with a smile. “You doing alright in there?”

Wilbur offered you a tired smile. “Not really, if I’m being honest.”

You stepped inside, slipping into the seat next to his. “What’s going on? Tell me.”

He sighed. “It—It’s just that the odds are so incredibly stacked against us.” His eyes were sad as he stared blankly down at the parchment. “It makes me wonder, is freedom even attainable, or is it just another one of my silly pipe dreams?”

You frowned, reaching over to stroke his face with the back of your hand. “Freedom is more than just a dream, Will. You know that.” You squeezed his shoulder. “Fundy is living proof of that. Your son is living proof of that. He was born in these walls, remember?” Your voice dropped to a whisper, and it sent a shiver down his spine. “He was born free.”

You pulled away from him, sending him a sugary grin. “We can become free, Will. I know you can do it. You’re not alone. You have me. You have us.”

His smiled crookedly at you. “Even Tommy?”

The look in your eyes was kind as you giggled. “Yes, even Tommy. I’m sure of it. Why else would you have made him your right hand man?”

He chuckled, turning his attention away from the map and onto you. “You’re right. You always know how to make me feel better, [Y/N].”

You offered him a small smile. “I try my best.”

The two of you set into a comfortable silence for a moment or two with you watching Wilbur strategically move pieces across the map while he jotted down notes on a slip of paper. It was only after a few minutes had passed when you spoke up once more.

“Hey,” you said softly, reaching over his ink well to slip your hand in his, “I want to show you something that’ll make you feel even better.”

He raised an eyebrow at you, his hand freezing on its quill. “Oh?”

You nodded, smiling sweetly at him. “I’ve been working on it for a little while, and I really think it’ll help us win that freedom of ours.”

He smiled at you, his gaze fond as he stood, setting his quill on the table. “Let me gather the men and I’ll be right there.”

It only took him a few minutes for him to rally everyone together, although he did have to silence Tommy when he let loose a string of curses yelling about his dedication to the grind. In practically no time, the whole battalion stood in front of you, eager to see what you had in store.

“Alright,” Wilbur said, bowing towards you, “lead the way.”

You grinned, jokingly curtsying back before turning on you heel, a skip lining your step as you strode toward a small tree sitting near the edge of the walls. “If you come down here,” you began, sliding down the side of the hill to point behind the tree, “you’ll see that there’s actually a small entranceway here.”

Wilbur’s eyes widened in surprise. There really was a hole in the hill dug out just here. He wondered just when you made it. “How the fuck did you keep this hidden from us?” Tommy muttered, squinting as you led them inside. “You didn’t even try to hide the fucking door.”

You shrugged, still strolling comfortably. “It was pretty out of the way and it faces the wall itself, so you weren’t likely to spot it, anyways. I didn’t really think it was necessary.”

The walls were dark and dank, lit up only be the occasional torch, but even then it was still dim. “This is a long tunnel,” Tubbo murmured after they had been walking for a minute or two, his head swiveling this way and that as he took in his surroundings.

You laughed. “Well, this place was pretty well-hidden, if I do say so myself.” Suddenly, you stopped, turning to look at the rest of the group. “Well, lads, here it is.”

You stepped in and to the side, and Wilbur gasped.

Lying just within the hill was a grand room. Every surface was made of smooth, polished, black bricks, and pale blue lanterns hung from each corner of the room, emitting a faint light that painted the room in an enchanting glow. Chests lined the walls, and in the center of the room sat a single button atop a panel.

Wilbur was floored—he had no idea when you had built all this.

“What is this place?” Fundy asked, his dark eyes wide with awe.

You hummed, tapping a finger on your chin as you strode to the middle of the room. “Well, I guess you could call it a secret base, but I’ve been calling it the final control room.” Something glinted in your eyes. “I spent a lot of time gathering resources and forging weaponry that we can use to fight.” You pointed at each labelled box with delight. “Look—you each have your own chest!”

Wilbur felt his heart swell with pride. Just when he didn’t think you could be any more perfect, you just had to shatter his expectations.

Everyone split apart, each rushing toward their respective chest with anticipation thrumming in their fingertips. Wilbur grinned as he reached his, unlatching the clasp on the front and flipping the lid open to reveal... nothing.

There wasn’t anything in the chest.

Uneasiness seeped into his stomach.

“[Y/N],” he said slowly, turning to look at you, “these chests are empty.”

You still stood in the center of the room, sending him that same sweet smile you always did.

“I know,” you said, lifting your hand to hover over the singular button lying on the control panel.

Something like terror struck his heart.

“[Y/N]?” he whispered.

It was only then that he noticed how cold your eyes were.

“It was never meant to be.”

What came next happened so quickly that Wilbur almost didn’t process it. He watched as your hand slammed down on the button, and a hole in the wall opened up to reveal the Dream SMP, their swords unsheathed and armour polished to shining. Screams rang out all around him, echoing in the tiny chamber of the so-called final control room. He could only watch in horror as his men were slaughtered at his side until a sword pierced his chest as well.

With a pained gasp, he looked up to you as he fell back, disbelief and the pure, utter pain of betrayal sinking into his veins while he coughed for air.

You still wore that saccharine smile of yours, the one he had fallen for long, long ago. Something menacing shone in your eyes.

He wondered how you could still be smiling at a time like this as his world went dark.

Wilbur awoke with a gasp, lurching forward with wide eyes. Panting, his hand flew to his chest, grasping at where he was just stabbed—or had been stabbed. His shoulders sank in relief as his fingertips met unmarred skin and the softness of his shirt, a sigh escaping his lips.

Coming back after death never really got any easier after the first time. He could only wonder what Tommy and Tubbo were going through—they were so young.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

Wilbur’s head shot to the side, his eyes briefly noting the fact that he was indeed lying on the bed in his room. On the opposite side of the room, you sat on a wooden chair, a book clutched between your fingertips. Something warm flitted through his chest as his eyes met yours, and he almost felt glad to see you.

Almost.

“What are you doing here?” he spat, a cruelty he had never felt for you before brewing within his gut. “Why are you even here?”

You blinked innocently at him, shutting the book in your hands and setting it on the table next to you. It was the declaration of independence, he noted with disgust. He felt sick knowing that you held it in yours hands, that you even signed it at all.

“I’m keeping you company,” you said casually, as if nothing had happened at all, as if you hadn’t just gotten him killed. “I didn’t want you to be lonely.”

Rage ripped through him, roaring through him like a wildfire. With shoulders shaking with agony, he tore the sheets from off his legs. “‘Didn’t want me to be lonely’?” he parroted mockingly as he stood to his full height. His glare was as cold as ice. “Is this some sick joke to you?”

You tilted your head at him, your mouth remaining a straight line—hard and firm. “Not particularly, no.”

That was when it hit him—when everything came crashing into him all at once.

You had sold them out.

You had abandoned them.

Did you mean anything you ever said to him? Did you ever really love him? Were your kisses ever real? Did his love really mean nothing to you? 

“[Y/N],” he breathed, horror wracking his every word, “what have you done?”

You stared at him, your expression blank and unreadable—an impenetrable wall standing between him and your psyche. He hated it. He hated how unreadable you were in this moment, and his anger older burned brighter.

“What were you thinking?” he shouted, his voice growing louder and louder. He ran a hand through his dishevelled hair, pushing it away from his soot-stained face. “We were going to get married. We—we were going to start a new life together. With Tommy, and Tubbo. Niki. Fundy, my son.” His eyes flashed. “Our son. Whatever happened to that?”

He sank to his knees, suddenly feeling very tired. The fire burned out, and an indescribable sense of sadness flowed in instead, flooding every inch of his being. He felt his eyes begin to water as you simply stared down at him, unfeeling and harsh. His voice cracked.

“[Y/N], why?”

There was no denying what you had done. He had seen it with his own two eyes, had watched a wicked glint creep into your gaze as you pressed the button and vanished.

You were a traitor, through and through, yet he still could not fathom why.

Suddenly, you took a stood, taking a slow and deliberate step toward him. Wilbur’s breath hitched in his throat as he saw you draw closer and closer, his heart pounding in his ears. Even after all that you’d done, after you’d betrayed him, his heart still yearned for you—still ached for you.

Just a step before you reached him, you stopped, crouching down to be level with him. For a moment, you simply stared at him with those eyes—those eyes he loved so, so much. Then, you opened your mouth.

“Wilbur,” you murmured, soft enough only for him to hear. “Oh, my darling, lovely Wilbur.”

Your voice was sickly sweet, dripping like honey that stuck to the roof of his mouth. He swallowed, the tiniest flicker of hope igniting in his heart. Perhaps this was all just some big misunderstanding, some prank that you were pulling on him—you always did love your mischief.

You smiled at him, the glimmer in your eyes wicked and unkind as you stood up. The sun hung just behind you in the sky, framing your face in a heavenly glow.

In another life, you would have looked like an angel.

“I was never meant to be yours.”

His heart shattered.

The tears were now freely streaming down his cheeks, running down like tiny rivers. He half-hoped that he would drown in them, that he would never have to see your beautifully wretched face again for as long as he lived.

Bending over, you pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, pulling away just a second later after gently patting his head. The spot where your lips met his skin burned, and he hated himself for wishing you would stay.

You strode over to the door, swinging it open with one last glance over your shoulder and an empty half-smile. “Goodbye, Will.”

The door closed. Wilbur stared at the solid oak wood, feeling an abyss open up inside him.

Gone—you were gone.

And he was left alone.

So much for getting married.

“Was it worth it?”

You stopped swinging your legs from the gold throne you sat upon and cast a glance up at Dream, his green eyes boring into you from where he was perched on the chandelier. How he got up there, you still had no idea.

“Was what worth it?” you asked, examining a diamond between your fingers.

He cocked his head at you, gesturing to the castle surrounding the two of you. “This life. Your new title. You gave up so much for them, after all.” He began counting off on his fingers, his lips quirking. “You faked a relationship with Wilbur, pretended to love his son, befriended that brat, Tommy, and then blew it all to smithereens for the crown on your head.”

His gaze flickered back to yours. “Well?” he said again. “Was it worth it?”

You looked at him for a long moment, your expression pensive.

You thought of soft, brown curls tickling against your face as you awoke on the couch. You thought of fluttering laughter and bashful giggles. You thought of a pearly white grin flashing at you from the other side of the campfire. You thought of an old acoustic guitar that was almost always just a little out of tune. You thought of gentle kisses pressed to hands, cheeks, necks, and mouths. 

You thought of Wilbur Soot.

And you smiled and felt nothing.

“Yes.”

#mcyt #dream mcyt #mcyt fanfiction #mcyt x reader #mcyt fandom #mcyt imagine #mcyt scenario #mcyt angst #mcyt fluff #mcyt fanfic #wilbur soot #wilbur #wilbur dream smp #wilbur soot x reader #wilbur x reader #wilbur soot imagine #wilbur soot scenario #dreamwastaken #dream #dream team #dreamwastaken x reader #dream smp #georgenotfound #sapnap #georgenotfound x reader #sapnap x reader #wilbur soot angst #wilbur soot fluff

[ruby-whistler]

(Just for time- any name I refer in here is all character unless specified!)

Nah, cause I'm convinced that the vault was 100% a set up and there's so much that is just left unexplained that proves that:

The Elevator

The Polished Blackstone room

The Gold/highly lit stand for the discs

The enderportal

The attachments

The Avenger's Endgame bullshit at the end

Ranboo

(1) - I don't know why, but this was one of the bigger ones to annoy the hell out of me as to why it looked so complicated. Dream- as far as I remember- hasn't had that many creations with such complex machinery/redstone engineering. Even more so to the extent of making an elevator that can function going up and down with a platform big enough to fit multiple people on.

(1) - Not only that, but we never even got to see the inner workings of the redstone itself- it may seem like an unnecessary detail, but as far as I'm aware, not many people are able to make redstone this complex in order to properly function as an elevator (in Minecraft terms). Dream just doesn't seem to fit within that category because- again, as far as I'm aware- the most complicated redstone device he's made has been the doomsday one, and even then, it wasn't even that complicated- nowhere near the level enough to make an entire elevator by himself.

(2) - Maybe it's because of the amount of times I've seen Dream login to the server and how infrequent it had been in the past, but I don't see how Dream could mine up so much Polished Blackstone, especially to use in this specific purpose. Dream doesn't even have many structures to his name, even his own base doesn't even have any materials that could suggest he would need extra Blackstone for. If it had been made out of obsidian, I could believe it considering all that material had been used for walls around L'Manburg. (Plus, it's been confirmed by the CCs that creative mode is barely used as is, so this makes mining this much Blackstone/Polished Backstone make even less sense.)

(2) - I feel like this is strongly indicated with how much Ranboo had been supposedly mining at the time and had a ridiculously low durability on his tool set so often, sure he could be mining for something totally unrelated, but if that were the case- why would he be so "unaware" of why his tools are so low to begin with?

(3) - Now this is where the bullshit meter starts kicking higher. Why would Dream display the real discs so proudly and in such a gaudy manner, especially when it functionally served no purpose? Not even the walls he had around L'Manburg or the obsidian grid were as flashy. Gold floors, bright lights, the portraits of the discs side to side by the very clear escape portal™, hell, they were even positioned to be directly in front of the elevator so that Tommy and Tubbo would first notice them and would try to run for them. AND THERE WERE TWO ENDERCHESTS RIGHT NEXT TO THE PORTALS AND THE DISCS.

(3) - What kind of Saturday cartoon evil villain™ leaves such an obvious flaw, even when taking into account that Dream is supposedly a strategist? What kind of strategic mastermind would leave an interdimentional chest that could potentially have back up gear and various other items to assist his enemies out in the open like that especially next to a portal where they could easily escape? Not even Jack Manifold would make such an oversight like that.

(4) - The placements of the portal and where Dream, Tommy, and Tubbo all stopped off at the end of Dream's grandiose speech were all much to convenient/coincidental. It was like it was choreographed so that when Dream was specifically away for the duo, Punz and whoever else would be able to step in and "separate/rescue" the two from the big bad Dream despite the fact that Dream could've easily killed the two if he really wanted to by being near and crit'ing them out.

(4) - Plus, the portal was already lit. Which leads directly to where they would've been. Again, from a strategic standpoint that makes no god damn sense. Why leave an obvious portal out in the open like this so that your enemies could try and come and find the people you're trying to supposedly kill?

(5) - Oh yeah, but the bullshit alarm is blaring. Albeit with a bit of wavering doubt, I thought that the attachments room was the most solid part of the plan, at least, if we're going with the mindset that Dream's ultimate goal was to take control of attachments, force everyone to be friends/unified again, and achieve his ultimate goal of peace and unity on the server. But as I thought more on it, some of the attachments... Don't make sense for Dream to know.

(5) - How did Dream know about someone having an attachment that was bedrock? How did Dream know about Punz's shulker box? (I know Drista gave it to him and cc!Dream was there for that, but canonically it makes no sense.) Why did Dream specifically think that Enderchest was Ranboo's only primary attachment? How did Dream know about Dogchamp despite Purpled and him never properly meeting in canon?

(5) - Sure Dream could've gone snooping around and managed to find out, but some of these attachments he doesn't even properly know of unless he had to walk up to someone and be like: So hey, what are you emotionally attached to that would make you utterly destroyed when it's gone? :D

(6) - How in the ever loving fuck did everyone manage to get there?

(6) - This one is clear that Punz lead the charge on this one, but why did everyone flat out believe him? Beforehand, everyone was deadset on staying back, regardless if it was on Tommy and Tubbo's word. But Punz? Alone? He managed to convince everyone? Even if they had a neutral opinion on Dream, to go with him to the vault to rescue the two? Nobody questioned how he even knew about where the portal to the vault is, or that it even had a portal? Nobody? Not a single soul? Or how nobody even questioned how Punz knew that Dream had taken the two down there and didn't just send them off into their own exile?

(7) - Ranboo rarely ever metas about the lore. Unlike most CCs in the DSMP, cc!Ranboo has a particular way of making sure that chat doesn't spoil him on plot points going on, so I highly doubt he would "accidentally" recite Dream's speech, word for word, bar for bar in a room he hadn't even been in yet. Nor even was there for (it's heavily hinted that Enderwalk was present during the confrontation instead). Plus, although it was confirmed unintentional by the CCs later on, Ranboo and Dream were both staring at each other, and I don't think it was to keep him in place- considering Enderwalk went to go visit Dream as often as he could before his ban and Enderwalk seemed to be on good terms with Dream even before the whole Doomsday Era.

Nah, the whole confrontation makes no sense, even down to the cherrypicking examples of it all. If it somehow gets confirmed that the confrontation wasn't staged and that Dream was somehow this cocky, I won't make a fuss, but I'm not gonna be entirely too thrilled at the idea.

But contrary to popular belief, I don't think Dream did this with only Punz or Enderwalk, I think those three were the main ones to set up this whole thing, but considering the redstone and the attachments that Dream wasn't supposed to know of. I don't know, but something about that screams like there was one other involved, the question is- who would also help Dream like Punz or Enderwalk too?

This one is an old one, but I absolutely agree. The Disc War finale is, with all due respect, either egregious writing with no character continuity in the slightest, or c!Dream faked the whole thing. It's way too suspicious not to be obvious. That's a banger analysis.

#my asks #anon #*an old one as in an old ask #dsmp analysis #anon is genius #c!dream #dream smp #dreblr

[sytycdinternational]

Eurovision 2021 Semi-final #1 Review

Strongest Semi-Final ever since I started watching this show. I’m fully prepared to lose faves.

1. The Roop - Discoteque - Lithuania 🇱🇹: Singing “There’ noone here, I feel safe to dance alone” in front of millions of viewers perfectly illustrates our current state of mass surveillance, change my mind. There were no major changes to their performance at the national final (why would there be when the underlying concept got them a record win at Pabandom iš naujo!), but the bigger stage definitely added another (violet/pinkish) dimension to it. I wouldn’t mind at all if the checkered flag background image forshadowed their win this year.

2. Ana Soklič - Amen - Slovenia 🇸🇮: Ana’s performance sucked me in like the black hole on the background screen at the start. Great gestures to enhance a rather static show and the staging, just wow. One half of planet earth on screen reflected on the floor, the big bang bursting beneath her feet at the climax, it was simply a presentation of galactic dimensions. I do wish her pronounciation was clearer, since every time I was tempted to sing along her words seemed to devolve into gibberish in my ears.

3. Manizha - Russian Woman - Russia 🇷🇺: DON’T BE AFRAID, DON’T BE AFRAID, DON’T BE AFRAID! OF MANIZHA TAKING THE WIN!!! Cause that’s where she’s headed for! That. Was. So. MINDBLOWING. It truly exceeded all my expectations. The charisma, the drive, the vocals, holy shit. I was close to bursting out in tears during the folklorish chanting segment. Like, there was just something swelling up in me that’s hard to describe. All while I’m head-banging like crazy. Perfect execution starting with the patchwork fabrics and clay art in the postcard melting my heart. Ana really had bad luck being stuck between two crazy (good) entries lol. 

4. Tusse - Voices - Sweden 🇸🇪: It seemed like Tusse was caught in a permanent state of crouching. Tbh I was warming up to the song, but then the key change happened and I just went nope. I think the song would have benefitted from incorporating the harmonica element at the start more. 

5. Montaigne - Technicolour - Australia 🇦🇺: The dancing condoms from Lena’s 2011 entry for Germany made an unexpected comeback. I feel so bad for Montaigne, especially now that it’s become apparent what a drawback not being able to perform on the real stage really is. Also, that “technicolor” effect every few moments did nothing but harm the entry.

6. Vasil - Here I Stand - North Macedonia 🇲🇰: Vasil seems to like rock-climbing, that interesting to know. It could not, however, prepare me for the disarmingly sincere performance that Vasil gave us. Nothing he’s singing is ground-breaking at all, but it’s the sum of its parts that makes it so special for me. How could I not fall for  someone who’s dedicating a song to his lover in front of all of Europe.

OMG I first thought Nikkie told Montaigne to stay away, instead of awake lmao.

7. Lesley Roy - Maps - Ireland 🇮🇪: I thought Jendrik’s entry was the most kindergarten-y entry this year, but clearly I was wrong. I think Lesley bit off more than she could chew. Poor thing was so visibly nervous I was almost having a nervous breakdown from all the anxious energy she was giving off. Also, was she crying at the end??

8. Elena Tsagrinou - El Diablo - Cyprus 🇨🇾:   Tomboy Elena is not what I expected from the postcard. Hmm, some of the more questionable lyrics (taco, tamale...) suddenly became a lot more difficult to ignore. Still, surprisingly strong vocals for how much Elena is moving around, so major props for that6. Elena Tsagrinou - El Diablo - Cyprus 🇨🇾:   Tomboy Elena is not what I expected from the postcard. Hmm, some of the more questionable lyrics (taco, tamale...) suddenly became a lot more difficult to ignore. Still, surprisingly strong vocals for how much Elena is moving around, so major props for that.

9. TIX - Fallen Angel - Norway 🇳🇴: The song gains another dimension when taking Efentix into account, doesn’t it... For some reason I don’t think this song got elevated by the new stage at all. 

10. Albina - Tick-Tock - Croatia 🇭🇷: I feel like accidently stumbled into a showing of the Starlight Express musical. I think I know what they were going for with the outfits but they made me go more aww than oof. Still fierce. In an endearing way. Which works btw. Also, some nice ideas like turning Albina into a quintuplet and her dancers raising her up above their heads. Damn, her being all excited to be on stage at the end was super cute.

11. Hooverphonic - The Wrong Place - Belgium 🇧🇪: I think I’d have preferred an even darker song if that’s the attire they wanted to go for. In the end I really think they were in the wrong place.

12. Eden Alene - Set Me Free - Israel 🇮🇱: I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an unnecessary outfit change. I really like how Eden went for a warmer tone for the beginning before turning up the sass. I love what she did with her hair. Queen vibes. Also, my favorite dance choreography so far, the guys can get it.

13. ROXEN - Amnesia - Romania 🇷🇴: It really feels like she’s lost herself, including her voice. Okay, that was mean. Dancing while executing such an intricate stage choreography can’t be easy. Still, I think Finland got upstaged when it comes to edge factor. I was not sure, but then the font on screen last-minute basically confirmed it.

14. Efendi - Mata Hari - Azerbaijan 🇦🇿: It’s official, the true successor of “Fuego” has emerged. Elena who? Albina who? Efendi slays them all. All hail the snake goddess from the orient who ensnared millions of men in her pit this very night. Whoever came up with the ring-around-the-rosy circle dance is a god damn genius. So many circle elemnts too like the revolving flower pattern on the floor, the golden pear and the revolving fireball of doom turning into an all-seeing eye at the end. I’m positively hypnotized. 

15. Go_A - SHUM - Ukraine 🇺🇦: Kateryna’s piercing eyes stare right into my soul. Not sure if I’m in the mood for some winter vibes but interesting cyber-druid look. Is that what people mean by technopagans?

16. Destiny - Je Me Casse - Malta 🇲🇹: I’ll definitely add this catchphrase to my dictionary.

Ranking: Obsessing over #1-2, adore #3-6,  really like #6-10

Manizha - Russian Woman - Russia 🇷🇺

Efendi - Mata Hari - Azerbaijan 🇦🇿

The Roop - Discoteque - Lithuania 🇱🇹

Go_A - SHUM - Ukraine 🇺🇦

Vasil - Here I Stand - North Macedonia 🇲🇰

Albina - Tick-Tock - Croatia 🇭🇷

Eden Alene - Set Me Free - Israel 🇮🇱

Destiny - Je Me Casse - Malta 🇲🇹

Elena Tsagrinou - El Diablo - Cyprus 🇨🇾

Ana Soklič - Amen - Slovenia 🇸🇮

Montaigne - Technicolour - Australia 🇦🇺:

Tusse - Voices - Sweden 🇸🇪

ROXEN - Amnesia - Romania 🇷🇴:

Hooverphonic - The Wrong Place - Belgium 🇧🇪:

TIX - Fallen Angel - Norway 🇳🇴

Lesley Roy - Maps - Ireland 🇮🇪

Prediction of who’s not going to the finale:

Australia

Belgium

North Macedonia

Romania

Ireland

Slovenia

Nikkie dragging past Eurovision entires lmaoooo. The audacity. And of course they had to put Duncan’s ass shot into the promotion video I’m diiiieing. I don’t know what a double platinum disc is but I didn’t think someone would get it randomly handed to without pre-announcement.

Aaaand I was right except for Croatia instead of Belgium. Damn, that kinda hurts. But in terms of staging it had the least effective staging among the many bops in this semi-final so it makes sense in retrospect.

#Eurovision #ESC2021 #Eurovision 2021 #Efendi #Manizha #The Roop #Go_A #Vasil #rankings #text

[tisthenightofthewitch]

GHOST: INTERVIEW WITH TOBIAS FORGE, DURING THE HEAVY MONTREAL 2019

At Heavy Montreal, we had the opportunity to talk with Tobias Forge. He is the mastermind behind the Ghost formation, a group that continues to climb the ladder of the metal and even the musical domain. This year, I suggested that the Heavy Montreal organization do all my interviews with my two children, Renaud and Raphaëlle. Heavy Montreal wanted to open up to the family this year and with this series of interviews with my two children, we understand that the goal is reached! Polite and incomparably sweet, Tobias greeted us with a sparkling smile. As a family man, you feel that he is used to talking to children. What's interesting is how Tobias takes the time to explain his answers to my children, so that everything is well understood, especially for two young francophones who are doing well in English! Of course, I was able to ask a few questions myself.

Ω INTERVIEW WITH TOBIAS FORGE, THE MAN UNDER THE CASSOCK OF ALL PAPAS EMERITUS AND THE ONE WHO WEARS CARDINAL COPIA'S RED VELVET, WITH STYLE! ♥

Hi, I'm Tobias , what's your name?

My name is Raphaëlle.

It's a very pretty name! Hi, I'm Tobias , what's your name?

My name is Renaud.

This name is very beautiful too! Sit down!

Raphaëlle: I would like to know why you chose the name Nameless Ghouls (nameless Ghouls) to name the musicians who are members of the band?

Very good question! From a global point of view, ghouls do not have the characteristics that can be expected for musicians. The sound of the word Ghoul was close to the word Ghost . From the beginning, we had in mind to make a kind of joke. We did not want to write in the booklet of the first disc: "All the songs are interpreted by Ghost" . Instead, we wanted the following phrase: "All songs are performed by Papa Emeritus I and a band of Nameless Ghouls." It would not have sounded good if we had opted for Nameless Ghosts . The word Ghouls sounded much better. Almost ten years later, I dare to believe that we made the right decision. Should we have chosen the idea of Nameless Ghosts instead? I do not know! Sometimes these are simple ideas that pass the test of time.

Renaud: I really like the album Prequelle. Me and my family, we listen to the album every day. Especially on supper time. I was wondering if you started to have ideas for Ghost's next album?

I'm glad you like the album. When I have time, I write and compose for Ghost's next album . All the time. I do this, all the time. So, yes, I'm preparing the new album. At the moment, we are touring, we are giving performances, like today's, but also in Europe. But I write anyway. When I have time, when we wait. I'll tell you that I even started working on the new album as soon as Prequelle came out. That's how it is for many artists, we write constantly. When you have finished recording, you do not say to yourself, "Well, my job is done! "The disc is not available the next day. No, it takes about 3 months, just to wait. Something else happens on other levels before you can get the finished product. And sometimes it can be even longer. Three months, doing nothing? It's impossible! Do you know what's funniest? When the album comes out, finally, you're already fed up because it was so long that you moved on! It's the same with movies. If you go to the cinema to see a movie now, the people who are in the film and have worked on the film, they are already doing a new one. Sometimes they even have time to do two because everything is a matter of time. To wait. It's the same thing in music. Right now, we're on tour for Prequelle but my mind is so much elsewhere! I'm constantly thinking about the next album. I even think that the next show will look. And that's a bit sad, it looks like we can not appreciate what's happening right now because we always think about what will follow. Sometimes, I feel that it is not me who benefits most but rather people, like you three. It's a bit like organizing a big party: you spend time preparing it. You plan drinks and food. When you have finished the preparations, you are out of breath but when you receive your guests and they appreciate, you feel that you did things well! You see that everyone is happy, that it was all worth it but you always have the impression that you, you did not benefit from the party.

YKT: But you're already anticipating the next party, all the time!

It's in full!

YKT: During your last visit to the Place Bell de Laval, last December, you said on stage: "We like to visit you during the winter but we would also like to visit you during the summer. I have the impression that you were telling us, subtly, that Ghost would be back at Heavy Montreal. Was it a roundabout way to announce it?

I knew it, probably. But I'm not sure. I can not tell you that it was intentional. When I say these things, it's because I know there will be something that involves Ghost and even if it's not announced officially yet, I can say it was not the goal! In saying this, I kept a certain reserve. You must be able to assume that you are talking to 5,000 people and that if you tell something that you can not confirm later, there will be many witnesses. We must be able to learn from our mistakes. In the past, I have already made blunders of this kind. On stage, I was talking about things that were planned for Ghost In the coming months. In the excitement of the moment, you announce them. For example, you are in Sao Paulo, and you scream at the end of the show: "See you in 6 months! " Instead of saying " See you soon! " This is the kind of mistake you can do. People in the crowd have received accurate data over a period of time and they will have expectations about this. Then, what was planned does not happen. It's like baiting the fish. You're better off having something solid to announce so you do not create false hopes. The more I think about it and the more I think you're right, I had to know it!

YKT: My next question is a bit long. Things went pretty fast for Ghost. About 7 years ago, Ghost played at the Corona Theater. Subsequently, you were on tour with Mastodon and Opeth. Then, you found yourself at the head of the Metropolis and finally, you sold at the Place Bell to come back today as Heavy Montreal's headliner. Four albums later, Ghost is no longer this band that records on Rise Above. You, Tobias, you come from the Swedish metal scene. I wanted to know how your peers coming from this scene perceive you now? Are they happy for you? Do members of Entombed or Katatonia have a good look at everything that's going on for you? Or is there anyone who sulks you?  

Hmm ... Good question ... I think it varies. It depends on who you are talking to or who you could ask. It also depends on who is asking for it. In general, people are very happy about what is happening to me, even if it does not fit with what I have done in the past at the musical level. But sometimes, and not only in Stockholm, there are groups that I loved a lot with whom now, there is some animosity. All this surprised me! I will not name names, that's for sure. It happens, it is not a majority but it happened. For example, I'm in a festival like this. We are backstage and all groups are here to relax and have a good time. I see many musicians who are members of a group that I have been listening to for a very long time. A group that I listened to at the age of 12, which I still listen to and which is on the same festival where we play. For me, this group isbig , popular because they are on tour all the time and for me, it's a major band because the musicians still offer albums that I listen and buy. We are 25 years later, I have the chance to meet the members of the group. I introduce myself and they tell me ( imitating someone grumpy ): "Oh yes, it's you, the rockstar ..."   I say, "What, me? " Not at all! In my eyes, they are the rockstars. It happened a few times. What happens, too, is when you think that the members of this group are cool , that they are men and no longer young men mad but you realize that they are unpleasant when you approach them. I thought :"Yeah, you do it hard! "

Hahhhaha (Group laughter)  

I was very disappointed that the members of this group were so arrogant. Why? I did not understand. Sometimes, when things do not work, some people may create a barrier, unfortunately. With this kind of situation, you can not do much. This is not our problem, it is rather their problem. There is nothing that can be done to change it because if you try, it's worse. Fortunately, these are just a few people. It is only a minority. Some musicians who remained bitter. Over the years, I have met a lot of people. People to whom I had a lot of respect and high regard. Today, I respect them even more because they are great people who respect you as much as you respect them.Metallica or Iron Maiden . There are people from underground bands who show me a lot of support. And respect. And it's reciprocal. But at the same time, I do not know exactly what they can think of me because I do not ask, in a direct and personal way to all members of the Swedish death metal scene. It would be a huge waste of time in addition to an energy expenditure!

YKT: Right now, you're wearing a Voïvod t-shirt. We have already done two interviews together and in the first, at the time of Opus Eponymous, I spoke to you about my impressions of Ghost's influences. I told you that I thought Ghost had similarities with Mercyful Fate and Blue Öyster Cult. You told me something rather remarkable: "We are definitely much more influenced by Voïvod." This comment had frankly surprised me! Since you are in Quebec and Voïvod is a training from here, what can you tell us about your passion for this band?

Since listening to this band, I have always found that there is an element of strangeness in their music. I was immediately able to create a link with what Voïvod was proposing and I could easily identify with their music. I have always felt this connection with the fact that this group has always wanted to contribute to the movement and not just participate. It was clear. They had their way of seeing and proposing the music. They did not interpret it according to the basic conventions. They had audible influences like Venom and Motörhead but they did not just want to follow the path of their influences, they wanted to create something unique. At that time, there was the European thrash as Destruction and Kreator but Voïvod did not go exactly in the same direction. They were much more like Celtic Frost . Groups, unique. In a deliberate way, they did something different than the others, original and on each album. Even though I'm more fond of an album like Killing Technology , I really enjoy albums like Angel Rat . Voïvod , they were so, brave! It had to be done and it took courage to release something that was so much the opposite of what they usually proposed. Nothing face is also an album that has guts! I always liked when Voïvod arrived with a sound that could be goth, lugubrious and pop but that kept the same style. It's in their DNA I believe. In all that the band can offer, there is this weird element, this detuned way to agree! A special touch! I like everything about Voïvod . And the group's visual is superb. The work of Away is fantastic. I had an old jeans jacket. I had gone to see the band and had met Away . Really nice and generous of his time. He autographed my jacket. You know, his classic signature? As soon as you see his signature, you know it's his. I had to be, 17 or 18 years old in time. I still have this jacket but I can not wear it anymore, it is too worn!

YKT: When Nergal of Behemoth posted on Instagram this now "famous" photo where you are both behind the scenes, without your Papa Emeritus costume. People immediately understood that it was Tobias Forge who was under the papal toga. In addition, Nergal wrote, by way of title: If you have Ghosts. It was obvious. Has this photo been the spark plug in the face of unmasking?

Not at all.

YKT: When did you feel like it was time to do like KISS on Lick it Up?

Hahha! Everything was done gradually. There were small steps to my decision. It was a deliberate decision made deliberately. At the aesthetic level, Ghost must wear masks and it will be like that. There is no question that we are on stage with our everyday clothes. This is non-negotiable. I even venture to say that it will never happen. There is no reason to do it. This is an integral part of Ghost . It's like watching a movie and we know it was done with green screens when shooting. They must be replaced by computer-generated images. Otherwise, it would be a movie with actors walking in front of green screens. With Ghost, it's the same thing. You want to see something complete. A finished product. What happened with Nergal ? He was just taking pictures, as usual! I took one with him because we are good friends. He posted the picture. Was it planned or was it an accident? I do not know. This photo has never night me as such. She had a chat, that's for sure. In the end, it was mostly him who got shit for doing it! I do not see this as something bad or as something that made me unmask.

YKT: Tobias, we thank you very much!

It was very cool. Thank you, thank you children!

Voir.ca

#Tobias Forge #Tobias Interview #The Band Ghost #Ghost Band #Cardinal Copia

[sunsetinmyvein]

Just Off the Key of Reason - Chapter Fifteen - I’m Not a Shoulder to Cry On

Thursday, 21st of June, 2007 - Los Angeles, California

The drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles was fairly short. Despite this, they still had to wake up early and leave their plush hotel beds in order to make sound check in time. The small coffee machine managed to wake them up enough to cope. However, much to Joe’s dismay, it turned out that getting up early wasn’t required anyway. They made good time on the trip, the driver said something about getting every green light, which left them with a little while to kill time before being required at the venue. The weather wasn’t too sweltering hot, so they figured they might as well see the sights of LA. Or, as many sights as you can see on foot. They piled out of the bus, heading in various directions in search of food or something to look at. Patrick spied their red-headed drummer walking at a brisk pace down one of the café strips and started jogging to catch up with him.

“Andy!” He shouted once he was within a decent distance. Andy turned around to look at him, watching as he jogged up to a halt. “Buddy, pal.” He continued, grinning at the drummer and pretending he was not out of breath. He only eyed him suspiciously in return. “Just the man I wanted to talk to.”

“Oh?” He asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Let me buy you a coffee.” He offered, motioning inside the café they were standing in front of. Andy looked up at the window in front of them, seeing it emblazoned with some fancy lettering and many disclosures about being vegan, cruelty free and all made from scratch. In all honesty, it looked expensive, even for what it was, and like it wouldn’t be worth the high price tag. But he wasn’t going to complain if he wasn’t paying.

“What have you done?” He asked, turning back to the singer.

“Nothing.” Patrick lied. Andy just stared at him. “Okay, okay. All will be revealed in due time.” He assured, pushing him through the glass doors. Andy rolled his eyes, already sensing what he was walking into but knowing if he didn’t do it now, Patrick would only force it on him later.

“I want a cake as well.” He muttered over his shoulder as he was forced to sit down at a table.

 The two of them sat there munching on their baked goods in silence. Andy had assumed when he had been dragged inside for conversation that talking would actually be occurring, but it seemed that Patrick had cold feet all of a sudden. “We’ve been back on tour less than a week. What is it that you’ve done now?”

He chewed on his bottom lip nervously. “You remember our last conversation?”

“When you dragged me into your hotel room?” He asked. Patrick nodded, fiddling with the side of his glasses. “Yes.”

“How I said that maybe finding a girl to distract me might help?” Andy made a noise of confirmation as he took a sip of his coffee. “Well… as it so turns out, having a girlfriend didn’t.” Patrick huffed, feeling his face burn up in embarrassment.

“What a surprise.” Andy gasped over dramatically. “And did it also turn out that your feelings were not one-sided?”

“It, uh… yeah, it did.” He admitted sheepishly.

“You need to listen to me more, kiddo.” He sighed. “But, hey. Now you can ask her out, right?” He asked, leaning across the table to light-heartedly punch Patrick in the shoulder.

“No, not really. I might’ve screwed it all up. It turns out she’s worried about something happening because of what the label might do about it, particularly if things go south.” He explained, taking a bite of the chocolate cake that he had ordered.

Andy nodded thoughtfully. “So what are you gonna do now? Fake your own death?”

Patrick laughed dryly. “It’s tempting.” He muttered as he stared down into the swirls of milk in his coffee. “What do I do, Andy? How do I fix this?”

“You need to work this out yourself, man. I can’t rescue your love life for you.” He shrugged. “I can offer you somewhere to start, though.”

 Friday, 22nd of June, 2007 - Los Angeles, California

The Los Angeles show went a lot smoother than their San Francisco show. The band was able to play as a cohesive unit, nailing their set list and even chucking half of an extra song in on the high of playing a good show. Patrick’s heart seemed more in the music, and when he was happy, Pete was happy. When Pete was happy, everyone else was content that nothing was going to get broken. Their next stop was Vegas, and the trip was only short. As a result they had a comfy bed for the night and an almost-sleep-in drive to the venue. The McDonalds drive through breakfast also allowed everyone to be full, happy, and caffeinated. Pete sat on the lounge couch, happily fiddling with his Happy Meal toy as pressed his phone against his ear with his shoulder. His girlfriend had just finished her shift at work and he had agreed to chat if he was free at the time. This was the first time that things had gone so well between them and he had to admit, it felt oddly nice. He was almost falling into a sense of routine with it. It almost felt secure. Almost. He felt like if he could keep it going through this tour, he could keep it going for good. When the call finally ended, everyone else clambered into the lounge with him and shoved a disc into the DVD player.

 Halfway through the movie, absolutely nobody was paying attention. It was nearing on lunch time and the drive through goodness had long since been forgotten. The conversation had dissolved into the foods they were craving from back in Chicago. It had only been a week, but there’s just nothing like home when it comes to favourite restaurants.

“I’m telling you, there’s this great place on Roscoe that does the best mac and cheese.” Pete said, trying to keep himself from drooling at the memory. Patrick made a grunt in agreement, nose stuck in the book he had been trying to finish since Oregon.

“Did they not used to exclusively sell variations on mac and cheese..?” Andy asked with a frown.

“They did!” He beamed.

“That’s not healthy.” The drummer muttered under his breath.

Pete ignored him and continued anyway, “Their hot and spicy mac was the best.” He said, his eyes almost glazing over at the thought. “Me and Trickster used to go there every Wednesday.” He wrapped an arm tightly around the man in question, pulling him into his chest.

“No wonder you were always comatose every Thursday practice.” Joe laughed loudly.

“We should go back. You can bring your girlfriend; it can be like a double date!” Pete started excitedly, shaking Patrick’s shoulders under his grip.

“We broke up.” Patrick mumbled quietly.

 The bus fell silent at the sudden news. Nobody was sure if they’d heard Patrick right or not. Andy looked out of the back window nonchalantly as the other three looked between each other in confusion. Pete had a chill run through his bones, leaving him feeling like he’d just had a bucket of ice water thrown over him.

“What?” Joe asked eventually.

“We broke up.” He repeated, slightly louder this time.

“When?” Pete frowned. He tried to think back to any time he had seen them arguing before she left. He was sure that things had looked pretty solid between them. Though, he hadn’t exactly hung around too much between talking to his own girlfriend and not wanting to be a third wheel.

“Yesterday. I called her after sound check.” He explained, still not looking up from his book.

Pete felt this sinking feeling settle in his chest, threatening to pull him under. “Why?”

Patrick shrugged. “I dunno.” His eyes flicked up from the pages, meeting hers across the lounge. “My heart just wasn’t in it, I guess.” He added. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks. Andy snorted with something that sounded like laughter, but he covered it up with a cough.

 “I, uh – I gotta go… do something.” Pete stuttered out as he scrambled to his feet. He glanced around the bus for a moment, seeming like he was looking for something, before climbing into his bunk and pulling the curtain shut. Joe watched him curiously, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned to Patrick.

“Welcome back to the bachelors club.” He grinned, holding his fist out for Patrick to fist bump. He stared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes and tapping his fist to Joe’s.

“How’d she take it?” Andy asked, still watching the flat landscape roll by behind them.

“Pretty well, considering.” He answered with a relieved sigh. A shout came from the front of the bus telling them that they were going to pull into a petrol station to refuel if they wanted to stretch their legs. The three band members left on the couch stood up and went to leave the lounge, but she caught Patrick’s wrist before he could leave. Ever since he’d revealed this new information, a pit of guilt had been sitting in the back of her mind and slowly growing.

“Please tell me you didn’t break up with your girlfriend for me?” She asked quietly.

“No, I did it for me.”

 Friday, 22nd of June, 2007 – Las Vegas, Nevada

Their Vegas show didn’t go as well as they had hoped after their high in LA. Ever since they had gotten there Pete had vanished. He was nowhere to be seen for sound check and when he finally rocked up for the show (after Joe running through his bass and mic checks for him), it was like he didn’t want to be there. It seemed that when one member of the band got their act together, another just fell apart. Not that Patrick could be described as entirely having his life together right now. He had thought that maybe ending things with his girlfriend would make things a bit less awkward and maybe give him a chance to clear the air after California, but they seemed to be even more awkward now. He was still being avoided. But at least he was back to his old self on stage. Pete, however, was a terrible bassist at the best of times, so when he wasn’t trying, it really showed. His normal banter with the crowd was either half-assed and slurred into his microphone, or simply non-existent. Thankfully, the crowd didn’t seem to notice. They were either too happy that the Pete Wentz was right in front of them, or too out of their own minds to notice he was out of his. When the show finally wrapped up, he made a beeline to the tour bus. Joe felt like he couldn’t just let him get away with how terrible that show was. Particularly after the fact that he had effectively done two sound checks this afternoon, so he followed in the direction of the bus.

 He finally cornered Pete rummaging through his bunk.

“What the hell was that today?” Joe asked. Pete jumped in surprise, the top of his head slamming into the bunk above his.

“Ow, what the fuck?” He asked, rubbing the back of his head and moving to sit back on the aisle between the bunks.

“Where were you, man?” He continued, ignoring the pain Pete was groaning about. “I had to do both of our sound checks.”

“What’s it to you?” He spat back, glaring up at the guitarist from the floor.

“To the band, Pete. We need you out there; the music isn’t the same without you and a lot of the kids think you’re the face of this whole thing.”

“I was on the bus, okay?” He answered, pulling out a fresh shirt. He smelled it once to make sure it was at least somewhat clean before changing into it.

“What’s wrong?” Joe asked with a concerned frown.

“Nothing, I’m fine. You wanna go get a drink?” He asked, pulling a hoodie over his shoulders. Joe watched him suspiciously, trying to decipher what was going on in Pete’s head. In the end though, a drink was a drink. And if he went with Pete, that meant he could keep an eye on him. Right?

#Patrick Stump #Patrick Stump x Reader #sunsetinmyvein

[eagle-eyez]

The premise was perfect – 15 August, 2021 marking India’s 75th Independence Day, a homegrown start-up promising to supercharge the electric mobility revolution in the country, for a reservation amount of Rs 1,947 – not coincidental, but an undisguised nod to the year the country attained independence. As far as making an entry was concerned, Bengaluru-based EV start-up Simple Energy seemed to have timed things to perfection. Moreover, the highlights from the unveil made for eye-catching headlines – highest range for an e-scooter, biggest battery for an e-scooter, quickest-accelerating e-scooter; all this, for a price of Rs 1,09,999.

But while the story of a local, built-from-scratch product bettering all comers has immense potential, a series of errors from Simple Energy threatens to erode potential buyers’ confidence in the start-up.

The mystery of changing specifications

It’s clear from the outset that Simple Energy is banking on the attention-grabbing values of its first scooter – named the Simple One – to attract buyers. Performance, says Simple, is one of the key focus areas with the One, and that the e-scooter will have the acceleration to outrun its competition. In a tweet published on 9 July, Suhas Rajkumar – Founder and CEO of Simple Energy – mentioned 3.2 seconds, ostensibly referring to the Simple One's 0-40 kph acceleration time, which meant it was quicker than the Ather 450X.

A while before the unveil of the One got underway, the Simple Energy website was updated with a significantly improved 0-40 kph time of an impressive 3.05 seconds. This is also the figure supplied to journalists present at the unveil in the print brochure. However, at the showcase itself, Rajkumar mentioned the Simple One’s acceleration time was a mere 2.95 seconds.

While the difference of a tenth of a second may seem negligible, in this case, it does make a difference. Just a couple of hours before the Simple One was unveiled, Ola revealed its S1 Pro electric scooter, which has a claimed 0-40 kph acceleration time of three seconds flat. The Simple One’s 2.95-second claim lets it snag the title of the quickest accelerating scooter on sale in India. The Simple website was soon updated to reflect the newer figure post the unveil, which is from “recent data”, said Rajkumar in an interaction with Tech2.

Then there’s the matter of power output. Before the unveil of the One (and even for some time after it), the Simple website mentioned the e-scooter’s peak motor output being rated at 7 kW. However, at the unveil event, Rajkumar said the Simple One’s peak motor output was a significantly higher 8.5 kW. For perspective, the Ola S1, just a couple of hours before the One was unveiled, also debuted with a peak motor output of 8.5 kW. Speaking to Tech2, Rajkumar put this anomaly down to a “typo mistake” made by “a third party”.

Other anomalies included the size of the rear disc brake (mentioned as a 190 mm unit at the unveil but later revised to 180 mm; the same size as the Ola S1) and Rajkumar’s claim at the unveil of the One having the “best-in-class” under-seat storage space, which is, in fact, incorrect, as the Ola S1’s 36-litre storage bay is larger than the One’s 30-litre space.

Identity crisis

The Simple One showcased on 15 August was a pre-production prototype, and was only running a preview version of the software buyers will see on the finished model. However, the 7.0-inch screen of the scooter at the showcase displayed the vehicle identification number (VIN) and registration number of an Ather 450X – among the Simple One’s key rivals – sold and registered earlier this year. Rajkumar attributes this, too, to a “technical glitch”, a mistake not warranting a second look. However, it didn’t look like this error was addressed quickly, as it was seen in multiple walkaround videos of the scooter.

A shift in statements

At the unveil of the One, the indication made to journalists in attendance was that deliveries of the scooter would begin by October or November. However, Simple Energy’s production facility in Hosur – previewed in a tweet at the start of August – is far from ready, and is a good while away from being operationalised. Rajkumar now says Simple is aiming to begin production towards the end of this year, which means those who have pre-booked the scooter can only expect deliveries early in 2022.

The scooter itself doesn’t seem fully ready yet. Simple says it is putting the final touches on the One, but Tech2 has learned from journalists in attendance that the scooter ran into technical issues at the very start of the media rides held the day following the unveil. Invited media was requested to not file reviews of the pre-production model or compare it to existing electric scooters, and this is why the media – despite having the One and a go-kart track to themselves – did not file any first ride review/experiential pieces.

Ola Electric introduced cruise control on its S1 Pro electric scooter, and while it is certainly not a necessity for a two-wheeler, buyers have been keen to know if the Simple – which claims to match or better the Ola on most fronts – has it, too. Many have been thrilled to find out the Simple One does have cruise control, something Rajkumar has also previously confirmed on Twitter in response to customer enquiries. However, Rajkumar now says what the One has is “not exactly” cruise control, and is unsure if the finished product will even offer something similar to it, as he believes customers won’t find much use for it.

“It is not exactly a cruise control. It is a mix of things, which is not really a very highlighting point for us. It’s just a feature there. It’s not going to be a selling point for us, something that I don’t think customers would even like to use. If it’s there or not there I can’t confirm because we’re working on the OTA update for that. Not sure if we’ll be involving that but we’re working on it. I have to consult my team”, says Rajkumar, when pressed on the topic of cruise control availability on the One.

Tweet, delete, repeat

Rajkumar has been quite active on social networking platform Twitter in the build-up to the unveil of the Simple One, dishing out info on his firm’s maiden product and throwing thinly-veiled jabs at competition. This means that those interested in the Simple One have been keeping a close eye on his updates, but the intense scrutiny leaves no room for error. Rajkumar promised an announcement late on 18 August, but later rescheduled it for 6 pm on 19 August and deleted the first tweet. The second tweet was perceived by many as being the date for the full-fledged, detailed launch announcement, when it was, in fact, just a date reveal, and Rajkumar ended up deleting that tweet later, too.

As promised, Rajkumar did share a tweet post 6 pm on 19 August, mentioning a ‘mid of September’ announcement of vital details of the Simple One. This tweet, too, was subsequently deleted.

The tweet that aimed to answer buyer queries about the battery and vehicle warranty for the Simple One elicited a backlash from several followers. Simple offers a three-year vehicle and battery warranty on the One, which is the same as what Ather Energy offers with the 450X, and falls well short of the eight-year battery warranty offered by Revolt Motors for the RV400 electric motorcycle.

Bengaluru resident Rahul Prasadh was among many enthusiasts fascinated by the Simple One. A motorcyclist at heart, Prasadh has been wanting to make the shift to an electric two-wheeler himself, and was impressed by the One’s specs, so much so that he asked his spouse and sibling to book the Simple e-scooter, but says they have now mailed the company to request cancellation of the orders and a full refund of the booking amount following constant changes in the company’s statements.

“I really want to support an Indian company, but I got irritated by the inconsistency of the tweets. He [Rajkumar] said everything is on the website, but the website only has the most basic details. Why should a customer have to ask about the product – shouldn’t you have a brochure with all the details and specs on your website? The words he has chosen have not gone down well. All these things are putting a negative perspective in the customer’s mind”, says Prasadh.

Having recently parted with his Mahindra Mojo, Prasadh is now keen to get his hands on the Ola S1, and isn’t closed to the idea of revisiting the Simple One – but says he’d now like to take some more time and see how things pan out for Simple Energy.

“I wouldn’t mind buying a Simple, but I’d take some more time. Wait, watch, see initial customers’ observations, maybe get it by June next year. The product is impressive by the looks of it, but the communication part is where they’ve lagged a lot. Some people have even said it seems like another Freedom 251 scam, which is a very bad thing and something that shouldn’t happen to a new company”, he adds.

There is no denying the potential of an electric scooter like the Simple One, but the targeted start of production appears to be ambitious at this stage, given the stark on-ground realities. As they press forward with their plans, Rajkumar and his team will have to tidy up and ensure no more communication blunders occur, or they may simply risk losing swathes of potential customers to two-wheeler brands perceived as more reliable and trustworthy.

source https://www.firstpost.com/tech/auto-tech/the-unbearable-complexity-of-being-simple-glitches-confusion-mar-start-ups-electric-scooter-launch-9905901.html

#Technology

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #379

Top Ten Things I Want From E3 2019

This list gets harder and harder to do every year. Partly that’s because my gaming interests – certainly as pertains to what’s coming over the horizon – really narrow down to a couple of core franchises/developers and focus almost entirely on the Xbox. It’s also in part down to my diminishing free time, and the fact that I tend to play a lot of older games; not necessarily retro, but games from two or three years ago that I’m just catching up with. At the moment, on the Xbox I’m playing Mass Effect Andromeda, and on PC I’m playing Civilization VI; hopefully soon I’ll get round to Gears of War 4 and Parkitecht (although having said all that, I really like the look of Void Bastards). Also, every year, it feels like more and more companies vacate E3, or choose to announce things outside the conference; companies have even taken to announcing what they’re not announcing, with Rocksteady confirming that they’re not ready to show off their new game yet, puncturing my hopes of a Silver Age Batman title. And the leaks! Leaks out the wazoo! Just this week we had fairly comprehensive details of Fable IV, and whether they come to pass or not, I feel the momentum is behind a Fable reveal at Microsoft’s show tomorrow night.

So with this in mind, I’ve decided to focus instead on things I’d like to see. I’m trying to be realistic here; no free Xbox One Xs for people whose names are anagrams of “Vidad”. Here, then, are ten things that I think would be really, really cool if they were announced over the next week, even if most of them are unlikely.

The New Xbox Looks Amazing: Microsoft announces its new Xbox, which comes in two flavours: “Xbox A” and “Xbox B”. “A” is the all-singing, all-dancing number, with ridiculously high specs which Digital Foundry spends the next fortnight pouring over; “B” is the cut-down version, which doesn’t have a disc drive or HDMI-In, and has a smaller hard drive. Although realistically I think it’s too early for prices, as I’m wishing on a star, “A” is $399 and “B” is £299.

The Old Xbox is Cheaper: as a result of this announcement, MS slashes the prices of the current Xboxes, with the S coming down to £150 and the X to £299. I can’t see this happening, to be honest; not with presumably eighteen months still to go before the new console(s) is/are released. But hey, this is my fantasy, you do yours.

Oh Look, a New Switch Too: in its Nintendo Direct stream, Ninty announces a new souped-up Switch (the Switch On?!), with a larger screen, better battery life, and a touch more oomph, giving existing games a bit of a speed boost without fragmenting the user base. Out at Christmas, it’ll be priced at the Switch’s original RRP, whilst the existing model sees a £100 price cut in time to slot under my kids’ tree.

Nintendo Brings Back the Classics: I think Nintendo will capitalise on the increasing success of the Switch by bringing back some stalwart titles from its DS/Wii glory days. I foolhardily predict announcements of Advance Wars Switch, Brain Training Switch, and Nintendogs & Nintencats Switch. Prove me wrong, Nintendo!

There is Another (Star Wars Game): we already know that Jedi: Fallen Order will be showcased during Microsoft’s show, and I imagine we’ll see a lot of it throughout the conference. But I think EA will surprise us by teasing another Star Wars game, too. My prediction? X-Wing: Resistance, set in-between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. It’ll just be a tease, probably just a CG trailer, but it’ll be there, and the internet will lose its mind.

Project xCloud Shenanigans Ensue: Xbox and Windows Insiders get to download X Cloud and try it free for a number of months later this year, streaming a variety of Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles, before the actual launch of the service, which will either be around Christmas or (my prediction) early in the New Year. Unless, of course, they’ve already announced all of that and I’ve just missed it. Also, I think they’ll officially rename it whilst they’re at it.

Big Game on Switch Shock: it seems to be fashionable now to port very big games from the recent past to the Switch. I reckon something else will get announced. Maybe the Batman Arkham Collection? The Tomb Raider reboot trilogy? The newer Wolfenstein games? I’d like it if they went a bit further back and we got, say, the whole Command & Conquer saga or all four Mass Effect games.

Switch Apps (Finally): not much to say here, but I want them to start announcing video apps for the Switch. BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video… that sort of thing. Also a bespoke media player that will play videos from your SD card. And it’d be great if Microsoft announced an Xbox Companion app for the Switch, as a first step to xCloud streaming!

Semi-Realistic Game Announcements: I hope we see more of the Command & Conquer reboot from EA; there’ll no doubt be a new Forza game from Microsoft; I think we’ll see some new IP from one of their new acquisition studios; there are inklings of a new BioShock and Metroid Prime 4; we pretty much know about Fable IV and WatchDogs Legion and Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok… maybe we’ll see some of Bungie’s new post-Destiny game, or the next Elder Scrolls title, or the first suggestion of what the new Tomb Raider will be (might be a way off that one, mind). Avengers, that’s a cert. I think the Microsoft conference will be bookended by a detailed playthrough of Gears 5 at the start and a long gameplay preview of Halo Infinite at the end. Hopefully oodles of Animal Crossing.

Utterly Ridiculous Game Announcements: Grabbed by the Ghoulies 2. Perfect Dark. Ron Gilbert working on a new Monkey Island for Disney. Spielberg on stage to discuss the Halo TV show. Bungie announces something during the Microsoft conference. Destiny for Switch. Boom Blox for Switch. A brand-new Duke Nukem title. Project Gotham returns. Mario Kart 9. World of Starcraft. Age of Empires for Xbox (and Switch!). Half-Life 3. Microsoft buys Sega. Spider-Man is coming out on the Xbox after all. Someone explains to me exactly what Death Stranding is, and I remember without having to Google whether it’s “Stranding” or “Standing”. Minecraft 2. I mean, come on – some of that lot has to be on the money, right? Right?!

See you on the other side…

#top ten #e3 #e3 2019 #xbox #microsoft #nintendo #switch #games #gaming #halo #animal crossing #destiny #star wars #ea #sony

[mukyoucom]

How the Iconic Wipeout Series Was Born

From Playstation Blog USA

“It’s only really many years later when you have the benefit of hindsight that you look at the idea, the art direction, the soundtrack, the platform… and it’s all just perfect timing. Those moments don’t come along very often.” – Nick Burcombe, co-creator, WipEout (1995)

WipEout hit 1995 with the force of an earthquake. Its sci-fi vision of armed anti-grav craft battling it out at 1,2000kph for gold and glory on twisting, vertigo-inducing race tracks couldn’t have been further removed from the quintessentially English pub in which it was conceived. Yet it felt perfectly in sync with the world it roared into like a supercharged sci-fi colossus.

Birthed in Liverpool, England and deployed on PS One’s bleeding edge tech, WipEout dropped into the eye of a raging cultural storm that was gripping the United Kingdom. Yet while it embodied the zeitgeist of ‘Cool Britannia’ – a celebration of the country’s beautiful collision of movies, music, art, club culture – its impact wasn’t restricted by geography. Cool Britannia’s epicentre was the British Isles. WipEout’s was anywhere a PlayStation was hooked up to a TV.

How the Future of Racing Started in an English Pub

WipEout was the child of a concept pitch and a vivid memory. The two met in a pub just outside Liverpool in the early ’90s, introduced by a pair of Psygnosis developers – designer Nick Burcombe and artist Jim Bowers. The drinking establishment was a regular haunt for studio staff of which Bowers and Burcombe were two. They’d regularly meet and bounce ideas of each other.

Years earlier, Bowers had created a concept movie of two wedged ships dogfighting along a race track, firing missiles at one another before soaring round a huge loop.

He’d showed it to Burcombe, who recalled the footage when regaling Bowers with a story of how he’d overcome a particularly difficult race in Super Mario Kart by turning the TV’s volume off and cranking up a trance track (‘Age of Love’ by Age of Love) on his hi-fi.

“I had a zen moment were everything flowed perfectly,” remembers Burcombe. That sense of exhilaration as the music reached its peak as he crossed the finish line “was the moment I knew I wanted to make a game that did that to you.”

He envisioned doing the same to Bowers’ concept, setting the piece to a Liam Howlett cover of surf track ‘Wipe Out’ that broke out into the Prodigy’s ‘No Good’.

“I think that was the moment we could both see immediately what the game could be,” Nick says. “Even if it was in our slightly sozzled minds’ eye.”

The concept was gold. But there were two other key elements that helped turn the concept into reality.

How the CD-ROM and the Movie Hackers Made WipEout a Reality

In the early ’90s Psygnosis was making inroads in two key areas. Alongside researching CD-ROM technology on the belief it’d soon be the next big shift in the industry, its Advanced Technology Group art team were getting to grips with 3D modelling. The result was a pair of arcade shooters, Microcosm and Novastorm (the latter, designed from scratch by Burcombe, offered a heavier emphasis on sci-fi).

Unbeknownst to Psygnosis, Sony’s PlayStation console would also use the technology. Impressed by the studio’s output, Sony would soon buy the studio outright and put it to work creating a game for its debut games machine.

At the same time, Sony Pictures approached the studio to create a gameplay sequence for a scene in its movie Hackers. Bowers and Burcombe saw their chance to solidify the idea born from their recent pub conversation. A tight deadline meant there couldn’t be any fat, and the pair raced to refine their initial idea. Burcombe focused on vertigo-inducing track design while Bowers added pop-up walls that could be shot to access new sections of the level.

Their work paid off. So impressed by the concept, when the studio took delivery of its first PSone development kits, Burcombe was put in charge of creating its debut title. “I think [my boss John White] and Jimmy knew I had something in my head that I wanted to get out,” Nick theorises.

Tracks, Setting, and the Feel of Anti-grav

Initial focus was on perfecting track design. Trackside details, the game’s overall tone and theme were secondary.

“I was much more concerned with the length of straight, steepness of elevation, frequency of undulations and the tightness or camber of chicanes and corners,” says Burcombe.

The designer also had a clear idea about the weapons pilots could use during the races, stating that everything initially designed made it into the final game.

The 2052 setting was picked because of its relative proximity to the modern day. Close enough to relate to (“it should still be recognisable. An arbitrary date – like 3231AD – would mean nothing to me”) but still offer a tantalising glimpse into future tech such as anti-gravity, which would be the cornerstone of WipEout’s feel.

“For some bizarre reason, I’d use vocal sound effects to really emphasise the weight of something or the inertia and drift,” recalls Burcombe of trying to convey the feeling of anti-grav to the rest of the team. “So I’d have to say it is a testament to the programming team who actually understood what I was trying to achieve.”

How the Iconic Soundtrack Emerged

You can’t talk WipEout without discussing its soundtrack. At a time when licenced music was a rarity in the industry, it was a combination of Sony’s extra marketing heft – specifically tapping into Sony’s music label – and an early demo of the game that secured the title’s first artist. Burcombe headed to London to meet Phil and Paul Hartnol – better known as dance outfit Orbital.

“We got talking about [the demo we showed them] and they were really enthused.They took us down to the studio to play me a track they had called P.ET.R.O.L. After some remixing and reworking – this track actually ended up on the disc. I think once that contact had been made, it was easier to get some others.”

Leftfield and The Chemical Brothers soon followed, and the game’s success greenlit further collaborations in sequels with the likes of FSOL, Fluke, Underworld, Prodigy, Photek and more. “It was a who’s who of the ’90s dance scene,” Nick says as he runs down the artist list.

Restarting the Project and Finishing the Game

Yet despite discussing the initial concept at length and fine-tuning it before full production began, creating a fully textured, real-time 3D game proved challenging, to the point that at one stage, the team had to restart the entire project, rethinking its approach to its production and programming pipeline.

“There was a moment when Ken Kutaragi came to the Liverpool studio and left believing we couldn’t make our launch dates,” Nick reveals. “But that was like a red rag to a bull for a team that had already worked very hard on it. The final few months of WipEout’s development was extraordinary, and I think being there for the European launch was a monumental achievement.”

“Looking back on it now, if it was just reverse psychology – it worked,” Burcombe admits.

Even when discussion shifts to the game’s launch, and acknowledgment of the fact that WipEout was on every early adopters’ wishlist come the PS One launch night at the studio’s local HMV, in typical developer fashion Burcombe mainly remembers the less enthusiastic critical responses.

“We were reading the 7s more than the 9s and nodding about the things that could be improved. It really focused our attention on what we needed to achieve for a sequel.”

After celebrating its success the team rolled up its sleeves and immediately started work on the next entry: WipEout 2097.

The Price of WipEout 2097

In the original game, weapons were deployed only to slow the competition down, give you time to overtake. In 1997 follow-up WipEout 2097, the studio introduced ship energy bars, meaning competitor – and player – ships could be destroyed if you didn’t recharge via trackside pit lanes. It added a new layer of strategy to races; WipEout’s version of F1 tyre changes mid-race.

Ships would now scrape up against walls, sparks flying, rather than coming to abrupt halt. While the original’s difficulty had its fans – including XDev’s John McLaughlin (“This is also why it is loved so much,” he says. “Once mastered you become one with the handling model, zipping through tracks, bounding over boost pads”) – the team wanted to make a more rewarding experience.

But the development turnaround proved creatively tough. Coming directly off finishing the original, the studio now had just less than eight months to develop and release the sequel. Despite 2097 bettering the original in every way, some of the original staff needed a break. As a third game went into production, Burcombe became a bystander to the franchise’s future. Nick eventually left Psygnosis – or Studio Liverpool as it was rebranded – to form his own independent label, PlayRise, and work on mobile turned console racer, Table Top Racing.

“I was able to stand back and watch as WipEout 3 launched, then Fusion on PS2 and then the PSP, PS3 and PS Vita versions.” But he remains upbeat about seeing the series continue without him. “Watching it evolve from afar has been great and I know so many of the people who have worked on all these different versions – improving and building on it each time.”

“I think it’s one of those games that actually conveys something of the team in it. It is a game with a soul and I think people get that,” Burcombe concludes. “The ideas, the graphic design, the music and the PlayStation all combined to make it perfect for that moment in time.”

The Origin of WipEout Omega Collection

“It’s a unique game; there’s nothing else like it. It defined a generation.” – John McLaughlin, XDev, Omega Collection

December 2016, Anaheim, California. A packed auditorium’s roars are only emboldened as the tease of a bass-heavy electronica track kicking in merges with stunning HD visuals to confirm WipEout is returning. The Omega Collection couples PS3’s fan favorite tag-team of WipEout HD and Fury to PS Vita’s WipEout 2048 for an upgraded, remastered package on PlayStation 4.

It’s a welcome surprise for fans. For John XDev’s McLaughlin – one of those lifelong franchise fans and brainchild behind WipEout’s rebirth – “it seemed a simple and obvious choice” to bring the series back.

Though he admits it couldn’t be his decision alone, he made sure he was in the best possible position when pitching the idea.

“I managed to pry [WipEout HD’s] codebase from IT and got it over to Hustle Kings developer EPOS”. Together with CEO and programmer Staffan, McLaughlin worked out how they could conceivably make a PS4 remaster happen and worked up a timeline for development. To achieve it, they’d have to reach out to Clever Beans studio (When Vikings Attack) to partner with. The pitch worked. WipEout was on its way back.

The original plan, according to McLaughlin, was just to work on the HD/Fury package. “But very early on in development we looked at the 2048 code,” he explains. The PS Vita launch title is the most recent entry into the franchise, but its fiction provided a glimpse into an earlier era of the Anti-Grav Racing League. “We thought it would be great to bring all of the tracks and ships from that game too.”

Artwork was reworked, details added. SFX was totally remastered. Split-screen was coded in – a first for the previously handheld only 2048 – and a couple of nods to the classic era added (“we set about bringing back a couple of defunct teams from yesteryear and brought back Tigron and Van Uber teams.”).

And today, some months short of WipEout’s 21st anniversary, the futuristic racing franchise is reborn on PS4.

Back in 1995 there wasn’t anything like WipEout. In 2017, there still isn’t.

Your favorite race track from the franchise…

While Burcombe has the very first WipEout track, Altima VII, as a highlight (“I purposely put it first so you get that “wow” moment from the rollercoaster style downhill section”), it’s pipped by the game’s later course Arridos.

“It has a brilliant flow to it,” he remembers. “There’s some insane airborne shortcutting and great air-brake drift corners too. I also love that it looks carved into the landscape; the location seems plausible.”

For McLaughlin, it’s a pair of Sols – Sol2 from HD and Sol from 2048 – that are closest to his heart. “I love being thousands of feet in the air, zipping along at 1200KPH knowing I can fall off the edge at any moment. Real seat of your pants stuff!”

Your favorite WipEout team…

Maybe because it’s the default team come the ship selection menu of every WipEout, but both Burcombe and McLaughlin favour the Federal European Institute of Science and Research, better known under their acronym, FEISAR.

Though McLaughlin “has some affection” for Triakis, Burcombe points out the story behind FEISAR’s naming may be why it’s his only choice.

“It was a bit of a political joke. The UK had just signed the Maastricht Treaty in ’92 and it was a sort of prediction on where the UK and EU might be heading.”

Your favorite music track…

Despite not making its WipEout debut until 1997 sequel 2097, Prodigy and dance classic Firestarter is what immediately comes to mind for both men.

“It’s embedded in everyone’s brain,” Burcombe sums up simply. “Even though the version in [WipEout 2097] is the instrumental, it’s so engrained in the UK psyche, your mind just fills in Liam’s incredible vocal without even thinking about it.”

Your favorite piece of fan appreciation…

Much as WipEout is a unique melting pot of near-future techand killer tracks, so too is fan love spread across mediums, styles and disciplines. Burcombe points to seeing WipEout tattoos (“it blows my mind that its influence is strong, they felt the need to etch it into their skin forever”) but also that he “still gets regular emails” from fans thanking him for getting them into PlayStation, dance music or becoming DJs themselves. For McLaughlin though, a homage to the in-fiction ships wins out. “I simply love this model.”

Celebrate WipEout Omega Collection’s launch with its iconic art and music

Listen to WipEout Omega Collection’s soundtrack on Spotify here, and crank up the volume for a curated tracklist of the franchise’s best track from previous entries in our new The Best of WipEout playlist here.

Check out 25 stunning pieces of unseen WipEout artwork from across the franchise’s history here.

Celebrate the franchise’s stunning artwork with a collection of WipEout League t-shirts and hoodies, available from tomorrow exclusively on PlayStation Gear. The tops which were debuted on stage at PSX last year, feature a variant of the iconic Anti-Gravity Racing League logo – which dates back to the original game. Check them out below..

The post How the Iconic Wipeout Series Was Born appeared first on Ship 2 Block 20.

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