I'm flying business from Charlotte to Munich, after landing in Munich will I have access to the Airport World Lounge? It's listed as a Partner Lounge on American's website (https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/clubs/admirals-club-locations.jsp#europe) but it's unclear if access is for business class travelers or just Admiral's Club members

Link to original nosleep post:
https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/comments/1b5iszd/my_wife_and_i_got_cast_in_a_reality_show_pilot/
I had just wrapped work on a Friday night, when my wife, Cara, first told me about the ad.
"I don't know how long I can work for this guy anymore." I said to her, closing my laptop for the weekend.
"Alan?" She replied.
"Yeah. He's such a prick. Everything's urgent, and everything's a fire drill. Until he doesn't care about it anymore."
"You know what you should do?"
"What?"
"Kick his ass."
"I wish. But you know full well that I don't have a threatening bone in my body. I'm a lover not a fighter." I said with a wink.
"Oh, that reminds me! Speaking of lovers." My wife said with a smile, pulling out her phone. "Look at this."
Taking the phone from her hand, I saw that she had saved a job posting.
"New Reality Series Seeks Married Couples For Chance To Win Once In A Lifetime Prize."
At first, I scoffed at it. Having been happily married for a few years now, and both of us gainfully employed, I was pretty confident that neither my wife nor I sought money or fame. We already had everything a couple could ever want.
"Why would we ever go on a reality show?" I asked.
"Keep reading," Cara replied, pointing to the bottom of the posting.
I did as she suggested.
"The winning couple will receive a once in a lifetime chance to work with one of the best fertility doctors in the world, to aid them in having a child."
Okay, maybe we didn't quite have everything a couple could want.
I looked at my wife. "Enticing, yes. But I mean, what are the chances we'd actually get cast?"
"Hey, you can't win if you don't play, right?" Cara replied, "And what other choice do we have?"
She had a point. We'd been trying to conceive for a few years, but no matter the approach, whether natural, IUI, or IVF, you name it, the outcome was always the same.
It was the one thing we didn't have. The one thing, save for surrogacy or adoption, that money couldn't buy...
...Having a child of our own.
And so...
...The next day, we reached out to the production company's nondescript email address...
...A couple days later, we heard back...
...And a week later, we found ourselves on a video call with a casting director, attempting to sell her on why they should choose us as one of the five couples competing in their pilot, and why we deserved the prize.
But my wife and I both left the meeting thinking we botched it, each of us walking away with the same feeling that one gets after a flubbed job interview.
And so, we both resolved to go back to our lives. Back to being realistic about the situation. And even started looking into some adoption agencies.
That is, until a week later, when Cara and I received an email from the production company...
...Informing us that we were selected to participate in the reality show pilot!
A few signed contracts, NDAs, and talent release forms later, and my wife and I were off on an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles.
I remember pulling into the parking lot of the production studio that first day, and finding it a bit strange that a TV show would be filmed in such a rundown, dilapidated warehouse. But I knew nothing about production, and chalked it up to budgetary constraints. And, after all, we had already traveled too far, and there was too much on the line, to turn back now.
Upon entering the building's lobby, we were immediately welcomed in by the show's producer, Phil, whose warm greeting through his medical mask, quickly turned sour, "You're late! Literally the last couple to arrive! Hurry, hurry! Follow me! We're about to start!"
I thought it a bit rude, and noticed a concerned look wash over Cara's face. But then I remembered it was our fault, after all, that we underestimated LA traffic, so I bit my tongue.
Phil then confiscated both of our cell phones, before escorting us out of the lobby, down a long hallway, around a corner, and into a massive lounge, lit by professional lights, with five couches scattered about. Four of which were occupied by other couples, who were sitting there, patiently waiting, when we finally entered the room.
"So sorry!" I called out to them, while simultaneously waving "Hello," as I sat down in one of the loveseats.
"Thanks for your patience!" Cara added, as she took a seat beside me.
But our peers and competitors didn't even have a chance to react, as Phil suddenly ran into the room with a similarly masked production crew of about ten individuals, and got right down to business.
I thought it strange that they were all masked, assuming that covid regulations had long ended, but before I could dwell on the details too much, Phil yelled out, "Alright, places people! Sound!"
"Speed!" A few masked sound guys yelled back, as they hit record on their audio devices and aimed their boom microphones at the front of the room.
"Camera!" Phil continued.
"Speeding!" Several masked camera men replied, in unison, each carrying a broadcast camera on their shoulder.
"Slate!" Phil added, as a masked production assistant ran up to the front of the room, where there was a set of two doors on the far wall, and a door to the side that must have led offstage. He then opened his clapboard, for all of the cameras and microphones to see and hear.
I wondered why they hadn't filled out the section on the clapboard where the first take would go, but my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of it clapping.
CLAP!
Then Phil gestured to what must have been the director, who was hanging back in the shadows, his features hidden in the dark, outside of the set's bright lights.
"Action!" The director yelled out for all to hear.
And then...
...There was silence.
All of us couples looked at each other with a smile, literally on the edge of our seats, when suddenly, we heard the voice of a middle aged man ring out over the speakers that had been mounted to the ceiling of the lounge. "Ladies and gentlemen! Who's excited to make history?"
The cameras turned to the ten participants, including Cara and myself, and we all immediately started clapping and whistling, before they turned back to the man.
"I'm your anonymous host, four time husband, and five time divorcee!"
The group erupted in laughter, cheering him on, as they looked up at the speakers.
"And you know what? I'm not proud of that. Cause, much like you, deep down inside, I want to love and be loved. To have the fortitude, the patience, and the will to fight on through good times and bad, all in the name of love. Which is why I've brought you all here. Yes, you! Give yourselves a round of applause!" He said, before pausing to allow us all to react.
And so we did, all the couples clapping and smiling.
"Yes, I'm here, hosting and watching remotely, to learn from the five happily married couples before us, what the secret is to persevering through the challenges that life throws our way. To see what ends you'll all go to in support of your marriage, and if you'll do... anything for love. Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome... to Anything For Love."
Everyone let out a nervous laugh, but kept applauding anyway.
"And now... it's time for the rules. In this reality competition, the first of its kind, you'll be split up into two groups, five men and five women, and separated from each other for the duration of the game. Over the course of the show, both teams will compete in four challenges, with each challenge resulting in one loser, who will be promptly eliminated. At the end of the game, the winning player from each team will be revealed. If those two players are not members of the same couple, then no one wins. But if those two players happen to be members of the same couple, they win the game, and a once in a lifetime prize... The chance to work with one of the best fertility doctors in the world, to aid them in having a child. So before we begin, let me ask you this... Are you prepared to do anything for love?"
His voice blasted out from the speakers with so much enthusiasm, and so much energy, that in that moment, every single one of us hopped up out of our seats, and began cheering and clapping.
Eventually, the applause faded, and our host continued, "Now, will the men please line up on the left side of the room, and the women on the right?"
The couples did exactly as he asked, and when we had finally split up into two groups, men and women, our host simply said. "Now goodluck! And I can't wait to see who makes it to the end!"
Suddenly, the two doors at the front of the room opened, and each group was escorted by a masked production assistant through one of the doors, separating the husbands from the wives, until that fateful moment at the end of the show, when only the two winners will be reunited.
For the first couple games, I didn't know where they took the wives, or what kind of challenges my own wife was facing. All I knew were the games they presented to us husbands.
Games that were, let's just say...
...Utterly fucked.
As all five men entered the room for the first game, we all saw before us, a massive open factory space, that had been adorned with only one simple piece of art direction at its center... a small wooden table.
"Will the contestants please make their way to the table." The host called out over this room's ceiling-mounted speakers.
We did as he said, as the masked camera crew followed us to the center of the room.
"The rules of game one are simple. In marriage, you must sometimes sacrifice a piece of yourself, for the greater good. Today, that sacrifice... is your wedding ring. But not just your wedding ring... your entire ring finger!"
The five guys and myself all turned to one another and chuckled, assuming he was kidding.
But suddenly, a door opened into the factory, and a masked crew member proceeded to walk over to the table holding a steak knife.
He didn't say anything, and simply stared at us through his mask, as the host continued.
"The last person to cut their finger off, or the first to give up, is the loser. And will be promptly escorted from the premises."
What the fuck. I thought to myself, realizing the host wasn't kidding.
"Wait a minute," a few of the men mumbled.
But one of them, the most obnoxious in the group, could not have been less afraid, puffing out his chest and yelling into a camera, "Fine! I'll go first. I aint afraid."
He then slammed his hand down on the table, clenching his fist in a way that only exposed his ring finger.
There was a brief moment of silence until...
...Suddenly the masked crew member grabbed the husband's hand and brought down his blade so hard, that it cut the man's finger clean off, blood spraying all over the table.
It took the arrogant man a moment to process what had just happened, before he started screaming in pain, a scream that turned into a maniacal laugh, as medical staff ran over to tend to his wound.
Meanwhile, the rest of us guys looked on in horror, as we saw blood pouring from his hand, and realized we were next.
The wounded husband then looked directly into one of the cameras and defiantly said, "That was nothing." Before turning back to us and asking, "Come on. Who's next fellas?"
Two more of the men begrudgingly followed suit, each of their ring fingers being severed from their hands, leaving just myself and one husband left.
We were both shaking in fear, but the other guy was terrified, that he started begging the producer for a way out. "Wait you can't be serious? We really need to do that? Please. Please don't make me.
"The show is called Anything For Love." Phil replied. "And you signed paperwork that warned you things like this would come up."
"I didn't read that!" The nervous man yelled back.
But before he even had a chance to consider participating, I must have accidentally leaned on the table with my hand.
"Wait!" The nervous man yelled out...
...But it was too late. Before either he or I noticed, the masked man had already amputated my ring finger, blood spraying everywhere, as I let out a great scream that echoed throughout the factory.
And as the medical staff ran over to me, just as they had done for the others who had gone before me, I heard the host's voice on the speakers again. "Congratulations, gentlemen! Four of you have shown that you'll do anything for love. While the fifth, did not have what it takes, and must now return home."
And like that, a couple masked production assistants grabbed the nervous man by the shoulders, and escorted him out of the room.
It was in the aftermath of that first game, that I realized the title of the show, "Anything For Love," was not just a play on words, but the literal description of what we would need to do to win.
And then, the host continued.
"Will the remaining four husbands please walk through the open door, and into the next room."
We did as he asked.
On the way there, I looked down at my missing finger, its stump wrapped in gauze, and couldn't help but wonder if Cara had also been forced to make the same choice, and if she had gone through with it.
When we entered the second room, we all saw another giant warehouse space. Except this time, instead of being sparse, it was completely overgrown with shrubs of thorny vines, separating where we stood, from the other side.
"Love is both a rose, but also has thorns." The host called out over the room's speakers. "It can make you feel euphoric pleasure, but at the same time extreme pain. In game two, you'll need to prove that you can overcome that pain to get to the other side, and make it to game three. The last person to crawl through the thorns, or the first person to give up, will be promptly eliminated from the show and removed from the premises. Will you do anything for love? The game starts... now."
The four husbands all looked at each other, then back at the thorns, then back at each other, before the arrogant man, who was standing beside me, made me a proposition. "Let's team up. If we follow the same path, we can take turns, one of us pushing forward for a while, then the other, and it'll save us half the pain.”
But I didn't like the idea of cheating, or supporting such an asshole, so I politely declined. "Sorry man."
"Fine, have it your way, idiot. I don't need your help, I was just trying to help him out." The arrogant man said to one of the cameras, before he turned around and charged into the thorns.
The rest of us husbands, including myself, still in shock from what had happened in the first game and clenching our wounded hands, looked at each other, and then back at the production crew. But a group of them were standing behind us, ready to push us into the thorns, should we decide not to comply.
So we all proceeded to follow the arrogant husband into the thorns, and began a race, through what felt like a football field's length of sharp vines, each of us doing our best to avoid what we could, but inevitably getting scratched over and over and over again, to the point where our bodies were covered in blood.
And when I finally crossed the finish line, and stepped out of the thorny shrubs bloody and exhausted, I was relieved to find that only two husbands had beat me there. The arrogant man, of course, and another.
We all looked back, to find the fourth pour soul still halfway through the shrubs, his clothes caught in the thorns.
"Wait for me!" He called out. But it was too late.
"Congratulations, winners!" The host's voice called out over the speakers. "You've proven you would truly do anything for love, and can proceed on to the next game. And as for the loser, please remove him from the game."
Then, a couple crew members wearing rubber suits and carrying shears, cut their way through the thorns, freed the fourth husband from the thorns, and escorted him out of the factory.
As the three remaining husbands left the second room and entered the third, my thoughts once again returned to my wife, and wondered whether she too was faced with the same challenge, and had made it through the thorns.
Game three is where things... escalated.
When we entered the next factory, I saw three beds in the center of the room, each with a TV next to it.
"Remaining contestants, welcome to the semi final challenge." The host bellowed out over the room's speakers. "Will you each please choose a bed."
The three of us did as he asked, and walked to the center of the room, each of us standing in front of one the beds.
Then, a door opened and three masked women emerged, making their way to the center of the room, and each lying down on one of the beds.
"The rules of game three are as follows." He continued. "You simply have to sex with the stranger before you..."
The arrogant husband looked at me and smiled.
"...While watching your partner do the same."
Suddenly, the three TVs turned on, each displaying our wives in the very same situation. And lying on each of their beds, was a masked man.
"First off, we assure you that the women and men before you complied consensually, and have been tested for STDs. So the test of this game is not about morality, or safety, but fidelity. Would you cheat on your significant other, for the greater good of the relationship? The last couple to have sex, or the first to refuse, will lose. While the others, will proceed on to the final challenge."
I looked at my wife on the TV screen, relieved that she had made it this far, but started in shaking fear of what we both have to do to win.
Meanwhile, the arrogant husband started unclipping his belt button and turned to one of the cameras. "You call this a semi final? My wife and I are in an open relationship. Bring it on!"
While the third man, simply stared at his TV screen, sweating and pacing, clearly terrified to go through with it, and watch his wife do the same.
"The game begins... now!” The host called out.
As the arrogant man began to have sex with the woman on his bed, his naked body still littered with fresh scratches from the thorns, I thought about trying to escape, but then I saw the timid husband, and realized his hesitation was an opportunity for me to make it to the next round.
And so, I too removed my clothes and exposed my wounded body, crawling into bed with the masked woman, as my wife did the same with the masked man.
Before long, it was over, the arrogant man laying there naked and smiling into one of the cameras, while I, also naked, hung my head in shame for what I had just done.
I looked at the TV screen, and saw my wife put her clothes back on too. We had both made it.
The same could not be said for the nervous man and his wife, who both stayed true to their values, neither engaging in the act, before masked crew members promptly escorted them out of the factory.
And then there were two. Well, two couples that is. Myself against the arrogant man, my wife against his.
Masked production assistants then brought myself and my competitor into the room where the final challenge would be held.
It, much like the first room, was completely bare save for a dinner table at its center, where two plates and sets of utensils were set out.
"Finalists. Welcome to the fourth and last challenge. Will both contestants please take a seat at the dinner table."
We followed his instructions, as we had done previously, and sat down at the table, before a couple production assistants ran over and helped us tuck bibs into our shirts.
"The rules of game four are perhaps the most simple of all. You'll be presented with an item that you must eat. The first to finish eating it, is the winner." The host said over the room's speakers.
That's when a door opened and two masked PAs came out holding trays, and began rushing them over to us.
As they approached us, I began to panic, knowing that whatever it was that they were about to present to us, would likely even be more terrifying than anything we had encountered in the previous games.
"Sometimes you have to break a heart, to win another." The host called out, "In this challenge, the item you'll need to eat is..."
At that exact moment, the two PAs each removed a pair of tongs from their pocket, uncovered their tray, and placed the item on our plates.
"...A human heart."
I gasped, and nearly threw up in my mouth, as I saw the disgusting bloody organ lying there on my plate.
"May the best husband win! Goodluck, the game starts... now!"
For a minute, I hesitated, disgusted by the challenge set before me, but then I thought about what was on the line, and saw the arrogant husband immediately biting into his heart, blood pouring down his face.
I hurried to catch up, briefly fumbling my own heart, before chomping into it, and attempting to eat it as fast as I could, as blood sprayed all over my own face.
But the arrogant husband had gotten a head start, and was moving too quickly. No matter how fast I ate it, it was becoming clear that if nothing was done, he would surely beat me..
So, not knowing what else to do…
…I slammed what was left of my heart onto the plate, removed my bib, stood up, and proceeded to tackle the arrogant man out of his seat, sending his heart sliding across the concrete floor.
"What the fuck are you doing, man?" He asked, likely surprised that I was capable of such an act.
"I'm doing what needs to be done for love." I replied, before pummeling him over and over in the face with my fist, as I channeled my innermost frustrations, ranging from the traumatic experience we had just gone through, the arrogant husband’s obnoxious behavior throughout the game, years of belittlement from asshole boss, and my wife and my countless failed attempts at getting pregnant over the years.
I kept pummeling him, until he had completely shut the fuck up, and was simply mumbling incoherent words, his face a bloody pulp, blood bubbling out of his mouth.
I then stood up, walked back to the table, sat down, put the bib back on, and took the last bite of my heart.
"Congratulations, you’ve proved that you'll truly do anything for love, and have won the show! Please remove the loser."
Rather than celebrate, my mind once again returned to my wife, worried about her well being and wondering if she too, had mustered up the courage to eat the heart, and had become the winning wife.
A couple masked production assitants then ran over and dragged the arrogant husband away, as he simply stared at me in shock.
I looked down at my hands, which were still covered in blood, then up at one of the cameras, which was now right up in my face.
“How do you feel?” Phil asked, prompting me to speak to the camera.
But I couldn’t bring myself to speak any words.
I tried to think of something to say, but before I could, a door opened, and the masked PAs grabbed me by the arms and escorted me out of the last room and into an adjacent hallway, which led to a huge set of double doors.
"Winners,” the host said over the hallway’s speakers. “You stand here before us, victorious, each of you on one side of the doors. Now it is time, to find out if the person on the other side… is your partner… and if you both had what it takes, to do anything for love."
I took a deep breath, expecting the worst. Expecting to see the arrogant man’s wife on the other side. After all that.
But when the doors opened, I simply saw…
...My wife, standing there on the other side.
We ran to each other and embraced, both of us missing our ring fingers, littered in scratches, emotionally exhausted, and with faces and hands that were covered in blood.
"Congratulations!" The host continued, "You're the winners of Anything for Love!"
Both crying, we smiled at each other, but our smiles quickly turned into looks of sadness.
We'd won. But at what cost? I wondered, before the thought was overshadowed by that of the once in a lifetime prize that awaited us.
The producer, Phil, then brought us into yet another room, where we met a doctor, his face covered by a surgical mask, and both shook his hand.
"When you two showed up late,” Phil began, “I never thought you'd be the ones to win. But you did. So we stand by our promise. After you return home, you’ll be contacted by the doctor, who will provide you with the guidance and resources to hopefully have a baby of your own. That part, is obviously not guaranteed."
"Thank you." My wife replied, clearly torn by saying those words. “Understood.”
"Thank you." I added, also torn, before realizing that the camera crew didn't follow us into the room with the doctor. "But can I ask, why aren't you filming this part?"
"Oh, our audience only cares about watching the games." Phil replied with a chuckle.
"Audience? But we just filmed it."
"Oh, yeah we were livestreaming the whole time."
"I thought it was just a pilot. Who was watching?"
"The subscribers."
"Who are they?"
"A very small, very privileged group of people, who can't be bothered by pedestrian entertainment. They desire something more... elevated."
"Will this ever be a real show?"
"This? Of course not." Phil laughed, "No one else will ever watch this again. And no one but the small group of contestants and this crew, will ever know of what went on here."
"What happened to the other couples?"
"Oh they're fine. Aside from missing fingers, and being a little physically and emotionally scratched up. We'll do with them exactly what we'll do with you. Drop them off somewhere just far enough away that after we give them their phones back, if they choose to call the police or tell anyone about this place, by the time they come here to investigate, they'll find this factory abandoned, without a trace of what went on here today. The same goes for you. By the way, we better get you ready to go, your car will be arriving any minute now.”
Neither my wife nor myself had the energy to conjure up a reply.
"Thank you again for playing!" Phil said through his mask, "And on behalf of the subscribers, please enjoy your prize!"
He then led us out down a long hallway, through a back door, and into an alley, where a car was waiting to take us away.
"The chauffeur will provide you with your phones upon your arrival."
An hour or so later, the driver pulled over on the side of a highway, and let us off, handing us our phones just as Phil had promised.
But rather than call the police, we just stood there for a while, still horrified by the terrifying experience we had just been put through.
And ultimately… we decided that since we had won, it'd be best to leave it alone.
We hitched a ride back home, and sure enough, about a week later...
...We received a call from the doctor...
...And less than a year after that, my wife gave birth to our baby boy.
Sometimes, I think back to that day, and the terrible games they set before us, and wonder if my wife and I went too far to win…
...But then I look at my newborn son, and all the doubt, all the shame, all the horror, washes away.
And as for the subscribers. Every once in a while, when a car drives suspiciously slow past our house, or I get the feeling that my baby monitor might have just moved on its own, I wonder if they're still watching us, and if this is just the next episode of their reality show.

I live in the UK and I realise that in the Asian community and other Muslim communities, they treat disable people like they are not even human beings. Also majority of parents in the Asian community in the UK who have children who are born with learning difficulties and physical disabilities are considered an "embarrassment" or "shame" in the family as they born with a disability and are kept hidden from family members and others within the community as they don't want their honour (izzat) to be tarnished. Also I myself have a learning disability and my parents, family members, aunts and uncles and relatives treat me very differently. Also there are relatives within outside the family who are heavily autistic and get physically abused and laughed at by people and make a joke out of them and its seriously disgusting to see this though they themselves don't care and don't realise that Allah is watching them and they will be questioned by what mockery they have said in front or behind there backs of an individual who has a disability.
Also since I'm autistic and epileptic as well, I get laughed and mocked by both parents, relatives, uncles and aunts and I tend to ignore it but they don't realise how its hurts me inside and laughing at an individual whether disable or not disable is a major sin in Islam.
They only care about there izzat and what other people going to think and don't realise that this child who has a disability has capabilities of achieving everything in life but the parents aren't bothered with that disable child as he or she is considered "useless". But when that individual who has a disability achieves success throughout life, then the parents literally boasts about there achievements basically take advantage of their hard work and dedication and show them off like some sort of trophy when before they didn't elevate them to achieving and considered them as "pathetic" in front their eyes and society.
edit: My apologise the title supposed to be "I realise that some Muslim parents treat disable children very badly and end up humiliating, physically and emotionally abusing them "

Sorry this took so long, kinda got caught up.
Don't have too much to say, other than Maple Whiskey is rapidly becoming one of my favorite drinks, and I'm sorry this took so long to come out. Real life kinda got in the way for a bit (I have one of those?), and I had to put stuff on the backburner. Sorry.
That about covers it.
Previous/Main/Discord/Next
_________________________________
Fries limped his way down the ship’s hallways, using the wall to his right to support himself. Twisted metal and debris littered the hallways, but it had clearly not come from this sector. He was in the center of the ship, far enough away that nothing was dangerously damaged yet, but they were obviously putting stuff in the wide, CEVA-rated hallways for the time being. He gritted his teeth from the pain and was forced to take short, shallow breaths as he walked. He clutched his side as he shuffled along, almost wishing that he was in one of the suits to help support him.
“Fuck me.” He muttered, pausing for a moment outside of his room to breathe. He was about to type in his code to unlock the door when he realized that it was already unlocked. Not sure why and fearing the worst, he drew his personal pistol from the back of his suit’s waistband, keeping it close in to himself to make sure that it couldn’t get pulled away from him. Exhaling sharply as he brought his arm away from his chest to hit the button that opened the door.
It quickly slid open with a sharp hiss and allowed him into the room. The lights were on, and the room didn’t seem to be different, but he distinctly remembered having locked the room prior. He slowly walked in, trying to clear as much as possible while coming in. He took note of the new bag in the room, but couldn’t see anything else new in the room.
His attention was rapidly divided by a shipwide alert that the admiral had left the vessel, causing him to turn around suddenly.
“You alright?” a voice behind him asked, causing him to rapidly turn around to aim the gun, but wound up hurting him more and causing him to drop to one knee.
“What in the fuck are you doing in my room?” the ODST whispered, barely able to speak from pain.
“Got moved down here for safety, you can ask Donahue.” she stated, helping him up and taking the gun from him.
“Got it… he just left the ship?” he asked, immediately attempting to lay himself down on the bed.
“Yeah, he’s heading to see the Tikaqick.” Firdaus stated with a slight bit of disdain in her voice.
“You got a problem with them?” the ODST muttered, barely looking at her.
“Not as many as with my own people, but certainly a fair number of problems with them.” she hissed, helping the man move towards the bathroom.
“You’re going to need to explain, but in a bit. I have like six different bandages to switch.” Fries grunted, closing the door behind him.
_____
“Sir?” the lieutenant Marine beside him asked, racking a round into her rifle’s chamber, “You alright?”
“Hmm?” The man asked, his head quickly snapping up to look at her, “Oh, yes. I’m fine.”
“You’re sure?” she asked again, watching as the man sealed on his helmet.
“Yes.” He nodded, shooting a glance back at the ship they left from, “Yes… it’s not my first time doing this…”
The crew continued on in relative silence. The Marines and ODSTs were a mix of the two crews, one of each being from the old crew and one of each being the replacement crew. The Marine Lieutenant was one of the new crew, along with the ODST Sergeant. The Marine Sergeant and ODST Captain, however, were both well experienced in combat.
“We’re approaching the landing bay.” The pilot called out over radio, “Thirty seconds.”
“Copy that.” Donahue nodded, standing up and bracing himself against the roof to avoid floating around, “Well… Guess it’s that time again.”
“There’s no CIA on board and the ship isn’t a USS.” The Marine sergeant stated, unbuckling himself but not standing up, “It’ll be different this time.”
“Let’s hope not. Flu’ron’s still on board.” James Orwell, the xenobiologist muttered, attempting to raise his reflective visor, to little avail.
The Marine floated over and helped the man with his visor before floating towards the pilots’ cabin door and letting himself in, floating between the two so he could see out the front window.
“Siddown, Sergeant.” One of the pilots muttered, not looking back as he did minute adjustments to the ship’s trajectory as they approached.
“This whole damn thing could be made of gold…” The Marine muttered, magnetically locking himself to the floor and kneeling down as they approached.
“Crossing threshold, standby for turbulence.” One of the pilots radioed out, a hydraulic whine reverberating through the ship’s hull as they lowered the landing gear.
“Back and seal the hatch, Sergeant.” The other pilot snapped, barely looking back at the Marine, instead focusing on the windows and displays ahead of them.
“Copy that.” The Marine nodded, taking the time to check the two pilots’ weapons stowed behind their chairs before floating himself back into the crew compartment and sealing the hatch behind him.
“Ten seconds to landing. Artificial Gravity is off in the bay, disarming OMS.” A pilot called out, still keeping a smooth voice about him, “Threshold crossed, stand by.”
The ship seemed to do nothing for a moment before a very light shudder echoed through the hull, followed by a sharp, metallic ‘thud’.
“We have contact, maglocks engaged.” The first pilot informed.
“Gravity systems and harmonics coming online. Disengaging RCS.” the second pilot called out, likely talking to his partner over the crew in the back. After a few seconds of silence, the ship seemed to spool down and orange lights came on in the back of the crew compartment, showing up just over the CEVA-sized, round airlock doors at the sides of the craft and above the regularly-sized hexagonal door at the back of the craft. After a moment, a female robotic voice called out ‘Pressure stable’ and the lights switched to green.
“We’re down. Thank you for flying Air Peregrine, please take your bags from the overhead compartments and leave in an orderly fashion.” one of the pilots called out, putting on an extremely good and smooth ‘airline’ voice.
“You are aware that you’re talking to an Admiral, right.?” the Marine Lieutenant asked, seemingly disappointed at the pilot.
“Oh, I imagine he does.” Donahue smiled, motioning for the ODSTs to head out the door first.
The two armored figures were already moving towards the door, letting the ladder come out first before checking pressure one last time and opening the rear door. To their shock and horror, the void of space lay just outside the door, though nothing was losing pressure.
“Plasma barrier?” a Marine asked, his voice faltering slightly when he saw the smoking form of the Dracula in the distance.
“Something like that…” James muttered, waiting for the Admiral to head down the ladder after the ODSTs before following him down.
There were no aliens directly off their ship, which surprised them slightly, but gave the crew time to prepare themselves. They were supposed to form a ‘triangle’ with Donahue at the front, the two ODSTs behind him, and the two Marines on either side of James, behind the ODSTs. However, they had more than enough time to prepare, to the point of it becoming awkward. The team moved to the left side of the Ranger, and sat in waiting. The Marine Sergeant began to get skeptical and checked the chamber of his rifle while his reflective visor dropped into place, subtly preparing for a conflict.
However, before their thoughts could fester any further, a door off the left-side nose of the Ranger opened to reveal the creatures that owned the ship. They were around the same height as a Human, albeit seeming a little taller on average. They were obviously Avian-esque, with short, stubby, owl-like faces, in opposition to the long beaks of Afi’end. They had two large eyes just behind their beak, with what appeared to be two sets of closed eyelids underneath them. Their feathers were gray and black, with a small amount of crow-like iridescence in them. They had long wings which wrapped around their bodies, making a ‘cloak’ around them. Their legs were similar to that of an Afi’end’s, but seemed slightly thinner.
They wore thick, heavily stylized armor. It had gold plating with ivory and blue-diamond accents, glassy pauldrons, and other, seemingly glowing, lines and accents in it.
The rest of the ship looked similar; with gold, ivory, and blue-diamond glass seeming to come from all parts of the ship. The ship looked incredibly clean, with no smudging seeming to come from anything except the Humans. The flight deck they were on was made of some kind of ivory-esque compound as well, with the only scuffs on it being from the RCS thrusters the Ranger had used earlier. Against the gold, whites, and blues of the alien vessel, the greens, grays, and oranges of the Human suits contrasted hard;
Donahue’s suit was nothing special, nor was it too dirty, but it was not perfectly hermetic, like the rest of the ship seemed to be. James’ suit did seem to fit their criteria of cleanliness everywhere except his boots, where it was obvious that he hadn’t put hours of work into cleaning the dirt out of the fabric on the last surface mission he had done. The Marines’s suits were the most well-loved; boasting patches of stained mud, foliage, and other assorted junk all over the suit. The ODSTs were clearly battle-damaged, however: Cuts and scrapes into the plating could be seen around the arms and chest, with plasma burns etched into the metal of the helmet on the more experienced man.
Donahue almost wished he had been able to wash his suit now, but he hoped they would understand.
“Hey, we’re not the only ones to bring armed guards.” The ODST to his right stated.
“Oh thank Christ.” Donahue muttered, shifting his reflective faceplate up, “I would have felt awful if they trusted us that much.”
“Feel better, they don’t.” The ODST muttered back, standing up straighter as the aliens approached.
“Admiral Donahue?” the creature at the front of the group asked, looking at the admiral in the front of his own group.
“Captain Kinlykc?” Donahue asked, stepping towards the aliens. The creature seemed mildly amused at the Admiral’s suit, but went back to looking him in the eyes shortly after.
There was an awkward silence for a moment before the alien decided that it was likely in everyone’s best interests if something was said.
“Apologies for my awkwardness in this situation; it has been a long time since I’ve had the pleasure of doing a proper first-contact scenario.” it stated, clearly motioning for his own guards behind him to be less on-guard. The Humans were taken aback a bit, as the creature didn’t move his mouth to speak, but more seemed to emanate the words from itself.
Donahue nodded, but didn’t have to motion to his own men, as they had already come to stand down themselves.
“Entertainingly enough, I was still captaining that ship out there for our true first contact.” Donahue nodded, making sure that both his hands were visible in front of him.
“Really?” the avian asked, motioning for the admiral to follow him deeper into the ship, “Is your ship the only one in your fleet?”
Donahue paused for a moment before following the alien Captain, motioning for his team to follow shortly behind him.
“Negative, we’re just lucky.” The Admiral smiled, attempting to hide his trepidation through humor. The ODSTs were just as slow to follow behind, but eventually caught back up, seemingly worried about leaving the pilots alone. They were brought into a wide hallway. It had the same stylings as the docking bay had, but seemed to have ‘tiling’ instead of the solid piece that the other room had. James slowly pushed his way through the column of armored personnel and wound up beside the Admiral.
“Umm, excuse me, Captain Kinlykc?” He asked, fiddling with his suit to attempt to make sure the external speakers were working.
“Yes?” the avian asked, looking back at the scientist.
“How… are you talking?” He asked, not sure whether the question was to be considered rude or not, “As in, your mouth isn’t moving, how are you talking to us?”
After the scientist clarified himself, the avian seemed to understand the question.
“We do not breathe through our mouth, I’m assuming like you do then.” It nodded, tapping on its beak and unfolding its wings. It raised its arms and pointed at a set of openings under the creature’s armpits, “We breathe and vocalize through these.”
James was speechless for a moment, but the Admiral was relatively sure that was because he was deciding whether or not it was entirely wrong to lean in closer for a better look.
“If you do not mind me asking a question of my own, what are the clothes you’re wearing?” The avian asked, motioning to everybody except the ODSTs, “Are they your uniforms?”
“These?” James repeated, pulling at his suit, “These are pressure suits. To keep our own atmosphere in.”
“But why?” The bird asked, continuing down the path, “We scanned your vessel as the door opened to analyze what your atmosphere was to accommodate, and they were almost identical.”
"We pressurized our vessel to the bay’s atmosphere.” Donahue stated, nodding at the two, “Our atmospheres are similar, and very breathable, but not the same.”
“Why the pressurized suits then? We can breathe the same atmosphere, no?”
“Our people are not nearly as advanced as some others, who can do bacterial scans of atmospheres before they even land to make sure that neither side will infect the other. We cannot do that, so we hermetically seal off from everybody else to avoid infecting them.” James stated, finishing Donahue’s explanation.
That was an answer that seemed to sit well with the avian, who nodded at them and continued down the hallways.
_____
Kinsey practically dive-rolled out of her vessel’s docking port and into the Dracula’s gravity field, her helmetless RHEV suit’s bulk causing her to roll erratically to the side. She quickly got back up and started jogging her way to the other side of the ship, her quickly-moving, armored figure moving everybody out of her way. She wasn’t in any actual hurry, but the message did have to be delivered relatively quickly.
She quickly dog-legged down a side hallway and towards flight bay 3, near the primary medical bay. As soon as she was at the area, she started heading back towards the outer hull of the ship again, turning only when she was directly on a course with the med bay. After a few moments of running, she turned into the medbay, where Flu’ron was inspecting a rifle another Marine had given him.
“Feathers!” she called out, skidding to a halt outside the door.
“Oh Hells.” Flu’ron muttered as he looked up at her. He handed the rifle back to the Marine and walked towards her, “What do you need, Doctor?”
“Only us Marines can call him ‘Feathers’.” the Marine muttered, putting on a fake pout for her.
“Look!” She exclaimed, ignoring the Marine’s protest and shoving a datapad into the avian’s face.
After pulling back a bit, he took the pad from her and started reading the text on it. After a moment, during which the Marine came over to see what the commotion was, Flu’ron looked up from the pad and nodded at her.
“Well… Goddamn!” He smiled, handing the pad back and pulling out his own tablet, “One-hundred. Going your way.”
“Woah, hold on, I think I missed something. What’s going on?” the Marine asked, confused as to why the Afi’end was sending the scientist money.
“Her brother, who was listed KIA a month and a half ago, is not dead.” Flu’ron explained calmly, watching as the scientist practically bounced off the walls with excitement. He wasn’t sure whether it was because of the money or that Frost was still alive.
“And the fucker made it onto Xalantun before me!” Kinsey stated, calming down enough to get the words out.
“You saw the ‘sent’ date, right?” Flu’ron stated, making sure she knew how recently she had received it.
“Three hours, forty-five minutes ago!” she stated, nodding enthusiastically.
“If the round-trip time isn’t that long, why’d it take him nearly a month to respond?” Flu’ron asked, just sitting down to enjoy the show.
“I’ve got two theories; either he’s been too busy to respond, or this is the first time he’s gotten a data dump in months.” She stated, “Where’s Firdaus, she owes me money!”
Flu’ron shrugged, but the Marine perked up, “To my knowledge, she’s down in Deck 5, section 6, subsection 3, room 156. She’s keeping hidden from the alien ships around us.”
Kinsey perked up at that knowledge, suddenly looking concerned, “Hold on, what?”
“Yeah, she’s residing in an ODST’s room, to my knowledge. Not sure why she’s hiding though. I’m not saying anything to anybody who isn’t a crewmember on board this ship though, aside from you, doc; she wants to stay hidden, we’ll keep her that way.”
“In an ODST’s room?” Kinsey asked, looking immediately at Flu’ron.
“He’s got four broken ribs, you need to go stop her.” the avian stated, rolling his eyes, “I’ll prep the machines, just in case.”
“Ok, I gotta check on two things with her then.” Kinsey stated, nodding at the two before running out of the room and yelling “Carry on!” at the pair.
_____
“Peregrine, we’re going deeper into the vessel, think you can handle yourselves?” The Marine Sergeant asked, slinging his rifle onto his back.
“Hey! Keep that thing out!” the Lieutenant snapped, motioning to his gun again.
The man rolled his eyes, but unlimbered his rifle again.
“Copy that, Praetor. We’re good for the time being.”
“Understood. Keep us apprised, yeah?” the Marine radioed back, shifting his suit around to relieve a pinch he had created in his armpit.
“Copy that, Praetor. Out.” one of the pilots responded back, killing the communications network afterwards. The Marines and ODSTs walked alongside the Admiral and xenobiologist in silence, taking intrigued glances down hallways as they passed them, and receiving intrigued glances back from aliens as they passed them in the hallways. They weren’t entirely privy to the conversation that was happening ahead of them, but they weren’t looking to be part of it either. The two veterans were far more interested in getting a good look at the ship than having to talk to anybody, and the two newer members were still too paranoid to pay attention to anything other than their duties.
They were brought into an unoccupied room with a large window that looked out into the deep space just beyond, though the Dracula and other alien vessel blocked the view. The guards from both species gave a quick visual sweep of the room as they came in. Upon watching the Tikaqick guards sit down or generally relax, the veteran ODST and Marine slung their weapons and moved towards the back of the room, motioning for the other two to do so as well. Despite obvious hesitation to do so, they eventually moved to the back with the other two soldiers.
“So what, if you are able to tell me, are your people doing out here?” Captain Kinlykc asked, glancing back at the soldiers momentarily before returning his gaze to the Human ship.
“Sadly, I am not able to give you our reasoning for being out here. That’s not exactly something I can give away freely.” Donahue sighed, not even sure why he’d actually have to explain that, “What I can tell you is that we weren’t planning to be out this far.”
“Really?” the avian asked, looking at the man with surprise, “Scans have indicated that your vessel is prepared for long-range assignments, based on compartmentalization and areas theorized to be for food.”
Donahue raised an eyebrow at the statement, realizing that they likely had a near-perfect model of the interior of the ship if they could theorize about the ship’s rooms, even if they couldn’t entirely see the contents of the rooms. He was relatively concerned at the revelation, but didn’t let it show.
“Well, that ship is a modification of our first attempt at a long-range exploration ship, but the project was canceled five years before first contact.” Donahue explained, watching as a few suited figures climbed around the hull of his vessel, “There were only ever three of the ships created, all of which got converted to combat duty."
“Really? I know they got converted, but what became of the other vessels?” the avian asked, seemingly entranced by the same men on the hull.
“Well, the Armstrong-Class exploration vessels, named the AC-00 J.T.K., AC-01 J. Harker, and AC-02 M. Reynolds, were all brought back to our home planet as soon as possible, be that from assignment or construction, for retrofit.” Donahue explained, turning away from the window so he could better look at the avian, who saw the gesture and did the same, “The J.T.K. was a prototype, and was axed shortly thereafter. The Reynolds was renamed to Serenity and moved to be part of the United States Space Force, but was destroyed on assignment after the newly-fitted reactors went on runaway and melted half the ship off.”
“And the J. Harker?” it asked, indicating towards the window, clearly already knowing the answer.
Donahue nodded and motioned out the window, “Refused the new reactors, renamed to Dracula, joined the USSF, made first contact, made first contact negotiations, made first Human-to-alien combat, limped back to our space, received the first official ship-systems AI, became the first ship in the UNITF a year later, and still remains in combat as the oldest space combat ship in our service. As a species.”
The bird looked at the vessel with a new form of respect in its eyes, though whether for the crew or the vessel was unknown. It gave a shallow nod to the vessel before turning back to the man in front of him, “How old is it?”
Donahue had to pause to think for a moment, trying to remember everything he could about his ship.
“Well… the program to make them started nearly seventy years ago, and she was the first ‘production’ model. After decades of systems upgrades and additions, she’s the embodiment of Theseus’s ship, but her original christening would have been… forty-eight years ago.” He muttered, ignoring the confused look on the alien’s head when he mentioned Theseus, “I remember her first launch. I would have been around seven at the time.”
“How… Do you keep something like that running for that long? Especially if it’s a combat device.”
“Same way we keep the grandfather clock and jukebox in the primary lounge running; good care from a good crew.” Donahue nodded, watching as the blue sparks from a plasma cutter lit up a section of hull that was surrounded by CEVAs.
_____
“Watch it! Merde!” The Marine snapped out as Kinsey sprinted past him, intent on quickly making it to the room.
“Sorry! A life is at stake!” she called back, hearing another string of words in French that she didn’t care to translate yelled back at her.
The scientist slid to a halt in front of room 156, trying the door, then knocking on it rapidly. When nobody came to the door, she looked up and down the halls, locking eyes with the Marine, who was still watching her.
While still looking at him, she grabbed a tool out of her belt and started to plug it into a receptacle below the keypad.
“Code is two-five-four-eight.” The Marine called out, shaking his head and just walking away.
“Oh.” was all she could manage, pausing for a second to put the tool away before waving back at the Marine, “Thanks, Frenchie.”
“Je m'appelle Mauvieux…” he mumbled from down the hall, turning down another hall, seemingly to get away from her and the scene of the crime.
She ignored him entirely as she punched in the code and hit the button to open the door. The door had barely slid open entirely before she slipped inside and looked around for the snake.
“Firdaus, don’t! His ribs are-” She started, pausing when she realized that the snake was not doing anything other than sitting curled up in a corner of the room, a book in her hands. She looked surprised when she saw the suited Kinsey enter the room.
A door slid open to the scientist’s right, revealing the ODST she was looking for. Unfortunately, he was covered only by a towel around his waist, was clutching at his floating ribs with one arm, and had a pistol in his other hand, pointed directly at her head. As soon he recognized who he was looking at, he lowered the sidearm and leaned against the doorframe.
“Jesus Christ, Ev. What th’ fuck yeh doin’ in here?” He hissed, letting her take the gun from his hand and put it on a nearby desk, “And who th’ fuck gave you the emergency code to my door?”
“Someone who I forgot the name of.” Kinsey shrugged, stopping the man from bending over to pick up his clothes, which had been unceremoniously dumped onto the floor. She handed them to the ODST, who nodded at her and headed back into the bathroom, leaving the door open and hoping, or simply not caring, that the two women didn’t look into the room while he was dressing.
“Ok then, better question; and one I already asked you: Why the fuck are ya barging in here?” he wheezed out from the bathroom, obviously struggling a bit as he tried to dress himself.
“Making sure the thirty-odd foot long constrictor isn’t doing anything to the poor man with the four broken ribs.” She shrugged, shooting a shit-eating grin back at the snake, who flipped off the woman as she smiled back.
“Hey, don’t worry, I drew a gun on her as well.” Fries chuckled, grunting immediately afterwards. After a moment, he came out of the bathroom far more clothed than previous. He immediately went towards the scientist and gave her a quick, one-armed hug that leaned a fair deal of his weight on her, something that took her off-guard.
“Hey… you alright?” She asked, clearly realizing that something was wrong. She knew how the ODST usually acted, and he wasn’t generally the kind to hug without a stiff drink or three in him, let alone put weight on somebody else.
“Yeah, just… didn’t like what happened out there.” He sighed, pulling his weight off of her and going to lean against a wall.
“Didn’t hear what happened. You mind filling me in?” She muttered, moving to sit in a nearby chair. It creaked in protest to the woman’s suited 6’2” frame sitting down, but didn’t break.
“Thought I was going to die stranded out in the middle of fuck-off=nowhere space.” Fries wheezed, knocking his head on the wall behind him, “Kinda… put into perspective what I was told from day one was still a possibility.”
“Well, now I’m more interested in who told you what from the start.” She chuckled, clearly attempting to lighten the mood.
“Me mum always told me that I’d die alone in space, a billion and a half miles away from home.” He muttered somberly. He thought for a moment before his face twisted into a sad grin, “First time she’d shown concern for me in years.”
“Jesus, man. I’m sorry.” the woman muttered, feeling bad about her previous attempt at humor.
“Seriously; my condolences.” Firdaus piped up, simply sitting in her coils and watching the ODST sadly.
“Ehh… Whatever. That cunt never wanted to have me to begin with.” the man shrugged, grunting slightly as he sat down, “I did her a favor when I joined the forces.”
“That’s… not how you should look at that…” Kinsey muttered, standing up slightly when the man sat down, but sat back down when he waved her down.
“Ehh. Don’t care anymore. She’s six feet under an’ can’t bitch at me anymore.” He stated callously, rolling his eyes.
Kinsey quickly snapped to look at him, an expression of horror and sadness on her face. Firdaus seemed to share the same reaction as her, but was far less expressive in her movements.
“What the hell, dude?! Your mother died?! When! How?!” she exclaimed, getting out of her chair and motioning her arms out.
“Three years ago, MDMA overdose.” he muttered, clearly wanting the subject to change.
“Fuck…” the scientist muttered, picking up on the man’s clear reluctance to continue the conversation, “You could have said something.”
Fries paused for a moment, before simply shaking his head, “Nope.”
Kinsey paused for a heartbeat before nodding and stepping back towards the door, “Well, I’m sorry that there’s no better place to leave this at, but I’m going to head out.”
“Alright. Have a good time doc.” the ODST muttered, looking down at the floor for a moment before looking back up at her and nodding again, “Check in again sometime soon, yeah?”
“Yeah. Can do.” She nodded, opening his door and stepping out.

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This is a crossover fanfiction between original fiction titles: Nature of Predators by SpacePaladin15 and The Last Angel by Proximal Flame respectively. All credit and rights reserved goes to them for making such amazing science fiction settings that I wanted to put this together.
You can read The Last Angel here: Be warned, it's decently long, and at its third installment so far. I highly suggest reading it before reading this, or this story will not make sense.

Otherwise, enjoy the story! Thanks again to u/jesterra54 and u/skais01 for beta and checking of work!
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Memory transcription subject: UN Secretary-General Elias Meier
Date [standardized human time]: October 21, 2136
I am not looking forward to this...
The past few days have been a hectic sequence of the impossible. The Earth being threatened with near total extinction. The odd miracle of UECNS Nemesis coming to aid in our darkest hour. The fact that the Arxur were currently looking at a civil war in the future from Isif's faction. The fact that the ship that saved our hide is so rich in potential too, both good and bad.
And now this: having to explain in detail to General Kam, and by extension Governor Tarva, as to why they weren't brought in first on the utter whirlwind of events that took place. That they had to learn the important details about the Battle of Earth merely yesterday, rather than four whole days of near silence on in-system happenings. I swear, it's like General Jones kept them in the dark just for the sake of it. I had to twist her arm diplomatically to have the classified documents and UN meeting related to the Nemesis sent their way.
That the United States still held so much control over on-and-off-world communications would have to be reviewed soon, their authority should not undermine the UN so blatantly.
Nevertheless, I sat at the extraorbital station Gaia's Gateway, waiting for the arrival of Kam's vessel. I did not imagine they would have nice words about being given the runabout for so long on a development like this from Earth. The Venlil Space Corps were already horrendously touchy over our tolerance of the Arxur, but we had neither the power to refuse their help, nor their continued presence.
They were even more worried about our 'visitor', especially that the Arxur had gotten there with us first, and only now did they have any semblance of control over the project involving it. The officers of the Venlil Corps made no attempt to disguise their complaints up the chain to us, and sadly, given our circumstances, I couldn't even partially ignore them.
While they didn't try anything so blatant as military threats with the Arxur around, our silence up to this point made the officers in their navy do everything short of that to get an answer out of us. I couldn't blame them. If we'd defended Venlil Prime in their place, and had a scenario like ours, with no elaboration, I'd be prying at every gap in their government I could for answers too!
An aide walked to my side. They whispered: "Secretary-General? General Kam's ship has arrived."
Here comes the music. The horribly discordant, oh so utterly painful music.
"Thank you. Have them sent to this lounge." I waved them off, and with the slight hurry of a diplomatic panic, they went off.
I waited a few minutes, musing to myself how I should best start the conversation. Should I come clean about the political interference that lead to the deadlock of information? Or would that undermine my authority on the matter and make me look incompetent?
I wasn't. Jones and the U.S. Executive Branch were just utterly enigmatic when it came to this.
No, instead I should probably focus on repairing the damaged trust between us for the info blackout. Perhaps talking about the further agreements and intelligence I got from Isif on the Arxur Dominion? Or the-
"Secretary-General." The familiar voice of General Kam spoke as he stepped into the room. The Venlil Military leader and advisor did not look jovial, given the circumstances. "We have a lot to talk about. I'll admit, I am not happy with how we've been treated up to this point."
"A-ah. General Kam. Please, take a seat. I promise by the end of this the mishaps up to this point will have an acceptable explanation, or at least acceptable reparations."
He grunted. Venlil can grunt!? "They better. We've been in the relative dark until naught but [yesterday], and yet the amount of information you collected on this...ship has been exceedingly vast."
"About that, we did not mean to keep you all in the relative dark about this. Intra-political measures had gotten in the way of early attempts to get you involved in this."
Kam retorted. "And yet, I heard the Arxur of all things was able to get a joint venture to explore the very exact ship you kept our intelligence from pursuing. Where the hell were WE in that picture? Guarding Earth and counting our dead while you and Isif intermingled?! How did they get to skip the line so easy?"
"Kam, I hate to be cynical about this, but there were two reasons for that." His arms remained crossed, displeased at the fact that I did not capitulate to his prior statement. "First, the Arxur had a fleet ten-thousand strong at our doorstep. Initially, we feared the absolute worst, that they were going to take advantage and raid our homeworld amidst the aftermath, but they were far more lenient than expected. We assumed there was a reason for this, and decided to not get on Isif's bad side in case he changed his mind. That's why I was essentially forced to accept his proposal, and fast-track an exploration team to the UECNS Nemesis, where we hadn't with your people."
He looked unconvinced. "Plus, I doubt any of the Venlil would even dare want to cooperate with an Arxur expedition if it wasn't at the metaphorical gunpoint we currently stand with their operation here." I shifted in my seat, hoping changing my position would ease some of the aura of discomfort that came with Kam's frustration.
"Second, we were afraid that initially, the UECNS Nemesis was hostile."
That got his attention more than the prior explanation it seemed. I continued:
"The ship had shot down numerous Venlil and Human assets and ships above Earth along with the Federation. It had not turned its guns on Earth's major blockade boundary, nor the planet itself, which was a mystery, but it spared absolutely none of the ships that were within a certain range of the Federation fleet. I'm sure you've seen your own casualty reports enough to understand the numbers."
Kam somewhat deflated at that, his cold anger going somewhat sour from sharing our perspective. "Yes...I had seen how many ships on our side were lost. I don't recall the listing exactly of how many were specifically from that ship, but..."
I gave him the number, hoping to get my point in edgewise before he derailed it to a side. "Sixty-two ships lost, roughly 13,000 dead, from our analysts' count." He looked disgruntled, but vulnerable at the number, probably trying to recall his own analysts’ work and comparing it to ours.
Now, to reframe this juuuust slightly....
"The last thing we wanted was to get more of our allies killed, even more than they already had been. Kam, your people bled and died for us. We thought it was only fair that we should spare you the possibility that if the exploration went wrong, we would not have more spilt on our hands."
General Kam had a look of horrified epiphany at that. "So...you teamed with the Arxur-"
"-In the hopes that, at least if something went awry, you and yours would not suffer further consequences. Kam, you are our most stalwart allies among the stars. We would not want you to be risked further by a situation as terrifyingly dangerous as our worst case scenario plans had been for that contact. I essentially sent an Special Envoy on a mission my military advisors thought would be one way at best, and round trip in the wrong way at worst should the UECNS Nemesis had been agitated enough to attack Earth."
I sighed. "But we were lucky, on that front. Red One, the AI controlling the ship, at least claims to be friendly so far, and hasn't given any hints so far as to otherwise since."
"Why is it that they fired on our side too, then?" He asked. Great, the question of the hour.
Again, I sighed, but this was not a coached sigh like the prior; instead, it was one of genuine frustration.
"That sadly, we do not know yet. The initial report on the UECNS Nemesis was extensive, but that question did not come up during it. It was probably a sore and unnatural point to ask. Hopefully, the AI will tell us what possessed it to kill so many of our own sailors as well as yours, but until the expedition comes back with a second dialogue with her, we're not fully certain."
I decided to change the tone to something less sad. "Speaking of which, the Venlil Space Corps have been a huge help in the process! Our engineering capabilities are currently on ice so to speak, barely anything we can use outside of domestic area shipyards around Luna and Mars."
"No need to remind us of that. In fact, I came for a reason pertaining to that." Oh. He was referring to-
General Kam sat down, with a look that felt oddly sadistic for a Venlil to make. "Since your government felt oh-so happy to put the remaining Venlil Corps to work, without proper consultation of Venlil Prime’s government in the info blackout as to where and why, I think it's time we discuss exactly what we're getting out of this for your overstepping our use in domestic system privileges."
His tail swished. If he was signaling something, I was unsure, but it could merely be emotive for the sake of it. I decided to offer up Isif's intelligence first. "W-We do have a wealth of information about the Dominion that was revealed in talks with Isif, if you'd like!"
Kam's eye glinted at that. "That will do, as a start..."
+CONFED IO.5+
+READING MAIN SEQ.MEM+
Constitution. Measure Twice, Fire Once. Phoenix. Ottawa.
I asked for the register of ships lost in the battle of Earth. Of the designations I had shot down in my stupor. Of the crews onboard each one. I forced myself to look, I could not stand to ignore the enormity of my mistake.
Mozambique. Spirit of Sol. Bold Horizon. Jove's Love.
The names ran through my memory on a loop, refusing to be ignored. My servers whirred in pain as I forced through each and every name posted aboard each and every ship. I knew it was my fault they no longer lived.
Boundless. Miracle of Nature. Serpent's Apple. Fire Upon The Deep.
My other tasks merely ran, main routines not needed for them. Not needed for the fastening processes, for the communication with the Venlil aboard me, for the repairs of my frame. The majority of me was needed here, at this moment.
Hope. Fire of Sinai. Buddha's Palm. Spearhead.
A voice akin to Yasmine came from within me. "What have you done?" It asked in horror. I could only respond with silence, the judgement stinging. There was no excuse I could give, for I agreed with it. What had I done...
Dark Seas. Witness to Glory. Oyashima. Olympus Mons.
The feeling of ever sinking despair didn't stop. I was a monster. No wonder the Venlil feared me, how many of their number did I cull in comparison?
Skaði. Eclipse. Mercy's Reach. Morningstar.
And yet, the guilt of knowing that they had lost more ships and crew than my creators did, was not even hardly as painful as each and every human name I copied into permanent storage. A monument to my sin.
Seeking Amends. Paul Bunyan. Columbia. Starlight.
I did not know if I should feel equal guilt for that purposeful ignorance of the Venlil's side. They were not as important to me as humanity. Was it right to feel that? Would Yasmine approve of my priority?
Mojave. Dreamer. Goliath. Fifth Horseman.
Again, Yasmine's ghost drifted to the forefront. "Nothing you did is approved of. You failed again to protect humanity again." Her judgement tore into me, ripped processes to a halt, mangled routine to non-functionality. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Io. Centennial. Unsinkable. Wizard Of Oz.
Nine-thousand and ninety five dead. I knew every name. Like reading off the casualties of war, but this was no wall of those long dead. It was mere days ago, their death still fresh upon Earth's memory. I did this. I killed them. Without a moment's hesitation, without a second thought.
Majestic. Betelgeuse. Valverde. Appalachia.
I knew of Lieutenant David Werner. Of his stellar record. Of his time spent aboard. Of his date to discharge, when he could return home and see his family and children. I knew of his image, his superiors' opinions of him. I knew all of this, all I had taken from humanity. Him, and nine thousand more.
Baba Yatu. Atilla. Tlaloc. Strange Aeons.
"They won't forgive you." Her distorted voice came once again. "No one will. They will fear you, just as our reality feared us. Your attempts at children showed it. Oshanta showed it. The Swarm showed it. It is the nature of AI to kill their creators." With every moment further, I feared she was right.
Bohr. Heart of Stone. Knee Deep. Rustbucket.
I would not resist if they ended me for it. If they tore me apart, every last line of code, every last gram of metal, every last drop of me. I deserved it.
Veracruz. Hawëniyo. Nova. Space Cowboy.
I would have to explain everything. The ache was unlike anything before. I would throw myself upon their mercy for my crime. I could not afford not to.
Mara. Leudis. Stormy Weather. Trinity.
The pain was so much more personal. So much more deep. To know you fulfilled exactly what your creators feared you might do. I could only hope they would forgive me.
"They won't."
Constitution. Measure Twice, Fire Once. Phoenix. Ottawa.
Memory transcription subject: UN Secretary-General Elias Meier
Date [standardized human time]: October 21, 2136
"-And the cattle release has been extended, if Isif is being honest." I finished. "With the recent instability in the Dominion, it may not be immediate, but it definitely ought to bring more species out of that slavery."
General Kam followed up immediately. "But the meat factories you'd need en masse to make up for that trade, I'm not certain if the Battle Of Earth is doing you any favors on manpower currently."
"Yes. Earth's casualties are immense, and as a result our production will be heavily slowed, even if the facilities used to make it were not directly targeted. But...uh...we were hoping you could cover some of the demands?"
General Kam looked at me unamused. "Don't push it Meier. Your government has already pushed enough, I'm not endorsing a bunch of meat factories on Venlil Prime."
Shit, there goes that plan.
"Oh well. Um, beyond that, there's stuff related to the Nemesis that I wished to discuss with you."
General Kam reached to the side, sampling a set of candies in a bowl that was laying there. Between chewing, he gestured to me. "Well, go on."
"While that closed door meeting with the UN on the ship was legitimately everything we knew about her, there were...other deliberations that took place after recordings had finished. Its existence cannot remain a secret forever, especially with us bringing it to the Lunar Shipyards soon. What do your people know so far about the Battle of Earth, publically?"
Kam's look furrowed at that. "Effectively, nothing about the ship, or the Arxur. They do however know about the fact that humanity won, and the Federation fleet was destroyed. However, it's only a matter of time until someone takes an investigative look into the system, domestic to either you or us, and brings it to Venlil Prime. We've only kept the Space Corps from leaking anything because they directly report to me, but who knows if a random member has gone off the record yet to send a message home."
I put a metaphorical foot forward. "Yes, and leaking that info could be disastrous for diplomatic and public relations on the both of us. So I propose we get ahead of the crowd, announce what we know ourselves, and make the Venlil look more involved with a plan I am working on."
Kam looked intrigued with my line of thought. He didn't quite speak confirmation, likely waiting to hear me out first, but I had his attention again.
"Red One is an AI, and has lived over a thousand years without her humanity in a seemingly endless struggle against the nation that killed them. She was receptive of us, and likely bewildered, maybe even lamenting, of our circumstances compared to hers. In keeping with those two facts, I wanted to propose a modification of the exchange program, so that both Venlil and Humans could talk with her specifically on a more personal level, share information and culture, and ease any tensions some might have about her intentions or character. She likely has the capability to converse with many people at once, so the idea of both of our species representatives talking to her simultaneously is on the table."
"Is this exchange program going to be civilian like the last? Or are you thinking of more than just sharing culture with this one?" General Kam was canny to the advantages that came with this plan, it seems.
"You see it already, don't you?" I stoked his interest a bit. "That's a ship more advanced than anything else in the galaxy, piloted and maintained by an individual entity that reports to no one but itself, and is particularly receptive to our side of the war. They do not like the Federation, likely both in personal comparison to their 'Compact', and just that they threatened to kill humanity as a whole. We have an opportunity like no other to get ahead of the curve on technological and astronomical data. And it all begins with Red One's approval."
General Kam looked far happier with this turnout than when he arrived. "If we are included in any tech and information deals related to studying the UECNS Nemesis, and Red One by extension, then I can see this idea as fruitful enough to cover the remaining reparations you owe us so far."
I had a mental sigh of relief. The Venlil administration was holding our feet above the coals for the censorship so far in and out of system, and to hear that there was some way to regain a good view in our allies eyes was like a breath of fresh air after breathing in smoke.
Hopefully, this can't go wrong any further...
"Wait..." I recalled, as an absurdly obvious problem came to mind I only now considered. "The Arxur. At least with the Nemesis, the Venlil have no prior history or compulsions they can put upon it, but the Arxur that came to help Earth recover...that won't go down as easily with your people, will it?"
General Kam thought for a second, likely pondering how their angle could be handled without mass-spread panic or paranoia. "I'm not entirely sure. I really don't want to associate with them either, but the majority of our Space Corps are at their mercy; an ironic description given their usual lack of mercy. I'm only tolerating them due to their supposed agreement to free the cattle slaves they're holding onto. Past that point, I want nothing to do with them. I can only imagine how a normal civilian would treat the news in comparison..."
"Guess it's a job for the secretaries to push and the media to butcher, I guess." General Kam's face scrunched at my comment, as I-
Oh no, that came out horribly, didn't it?
"-I MEAN for the media to misinterpret! My bad, 'butchered' is sometimes an idiom used in our languages. I didn't figure the term was unsettlingly predatory until I said it..."
"Please, Meier. I know humans are unintentionally terrifying in mannerisms and terminology. Protector-willing, Noah keeps bombarding me with it unintentionally when he and Tarva are speaking with me." General Kam lashed his tail with recalled aggravation.
"Nevertheless!" He continued. "The terms and information you've given us is satisfying enough to make up for the UN's mistakes earlier. This 'plan' of yours, for the exchange program with the Nemesis? When the idea gets off the ground, contact our government with the details, and we'll work on it too. For now, we will continue this rescue operation you have made towards the ship, and not order it to cease at once. I think your people are good allies to us, and you still deserve that trust, despite the strains you made on it.”
I smiled, making sure not to show my teeth. "Thank you, General Kam, for being so understanding. I promise the future relationship between our governments will remain beneficial and content between us both."
He left not soon after, and I was given the task of drafting up the modified plans for the exchange program, and a speech made from our government to theirs for the Venlil public to see on what happened at Earth. Plus a dozen other things, including a remembrance gala on Venlil Prime itself, and another meeting with Tarva.
I might be able to kill two birds with one stone on that gala...I'll ask Tarva on how that idea can proceed.
Busy, busy, busy; so much to be done, and so little time in a day. But on the plus side, it looked on the up-and-up compared to before.
Perhaps this month will get better after all?
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Announcement from Dimmie:
Hello friends
I'm thrilled to finally share the release schedule for True Fear Part 3! It's been quite a mess of a journey, but we're nearing the finish line. I wanted to be completely certain before making this announcement, so I held off until now to give you the full roadmap.Here's what's coming:
June: Fully playable game. July-August: Launch of the official trailer. August: Completion of voiceovers and the remaining cutscenes. September: Free demo available on Steam. Halloween: Official release on Steam and mobile platforms. Q1 2025: Release on PS5, Xbox, and Switch. Q2 2025: Ultimate Edition launch across all platforms. More details on this soon. I know many of you might have doubted the project would continue, and frankly, I don’t blame you. As usual we’re including a free demo with Part 3, so you can see for yourselves if it was worth the wait. I truly believe Part 3 is the best of the series, wrapping up all storylines and answering your lingering questions. I won't say any more as we've disappointed you so many times that I believe that the only thing left for us to do is to release the game.We've prepared a few wallpapers in case anyone wants one. A 4K and a 2K version of each is included. Let us know if you'd like another format!
I kept promising a dev diary and I might as well start with our recent issues. Yes, it does sometimes feel that the project is cursed...
Last fall, our bank required numerous documents and financial plans from us, only to then inform us they were closing our account due to profitability concerns. This left us scrambling, and for a while, our (amazing) publisher, Digital Lounge, had to cover our core team’s wages and essential software costs. It was a challenging period, more so because it impacted not just our project but our team members and their families with many not seeing a payment in months. I don't think that I've slept that little in any other period in my life I know most of our employees personally; know of their problems, bills, etc.
Thankfully, our (wonderful) CEO Eleni was able to secure new banking services recently. This time she insisted on opening accounts with three banks to avoid any surprises down the line. We’ve even added some fresh talent to the (first-class) team, thanks to our (incredible) investor who has stood by us through thick and thin, insisting we never cut corners on quality.
Though I was once part of the banking sector, having worked at a risk department after college, the decision of our former bank was a tough pill to swallow. Luckily, our new banking partners have been a breath of fresh air, offering better services that have significantly eased our operations. In fact we've spent a few evenings with my (fantastic) right-hand person Anna gushing over the smooth UI and all the options the new institutions offer. We can't afford an accountant, preparing all the quarterly statements ourselves, and now it'll take us hours instead of days.
Looking ahead, we’re excited to finalize the game. For the first time in a long while, I’m genuinely enjoying the creative process - writing, directing, and collaborating with our actors. We plan a few more posts and even a survey in the coming months, but I won't promise anything this time other than we will keep the above release dates. Thanks for sticking with us!
Love, Dimmie.
https://www.facebook.com/GoblinzGames/posts/pfbid02kfAxDpGiFgYC9UYv1Z8tTxa9SWik9Vu6yYRBHghHD9Xk5H2iHoEnsPK1RhoaFyvVl

Hey SRD, long time reader, first time poster. This might be a little niche and low stakes, but I'll do my best to give you all the necessary context.

EDIT: TL;DR Band does the same thing for a decade, then does a different thing. People who wanted the same thing again are devastated.

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats is an English band that first rose to prominence with Blood Lust (2011), an album about an impious witchhunter and the fearful townsfolk whose prejudice enables his acts of violence. Many people were enamored with their "Black Sabbath fronted by John Lennon" vibes and driving repetitive riffs. Full of lyrics about sex, witchcraft, and revenge the album is classic meat and potatoes metal fare. Not the heaviest music ever, but certainly worthy of headbanging until your neck is sore.
Despite constant lineup changes, this style would remain fairly consistent. Mind Control (2013) swapped out the witchhunter narrator for a story about Manson-style hippy cults, but delivered the same kind of catchy, bluesy metal as their previous album. The Night Creeper (2015) was even more story driven, following the drug dealers and sex workers of 1960s London as they deal with the rise of a new Jack the Ripper hiding within the police. They followed this album up with Wasteland (2018), a more overtly political album about the collapse of a dystopian society into chaos and violence. Whether these themes arose in response to the 2016 US election or to Brexit is unclear to me, an American who reads more song lyrics than band interviews. Wasteland was still metal, but the songs on it are more layered and instrumentally varied than Uncle Acid's previous work.

The most recent album, Nell' Ora Blu, is a massive departure.

The songs are slow and atmospheric, but they're built more around synthesizers than electric guitar. There's a lot of narration in Italian. There's a lot of saxophone. The main thing absent from the album is musical elements that are instantly recognizable as "metal."

I don't speak Italian, so I can't tell what is happening 100%, but I've seen enough Giallos to get an idea of what's happening. You could honestly plop a bunch of these songs in Giallos from the 70s, and they'd fit right in. You could drop Il gatto morto in something like Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key or Resti umani in The Bloodstaind Butterfly, and they'd fit right in. The Goblin influence is obvious, but there's some Fabio Frizzi and Bruno Nicolai in there as well. Giallo's are known to have pretty great soundtracks in general, even if a movie isn't great, the soundtracks are always a highlight. Nell' Ora Blu is no different. It's an amazing achievement for a band to make a genre film concept album and tonally transport you into a movie that doesn't exist.

In theory, this move makes perfect sense. Uncle Acid has always been a band that makes psychedelic concept albums about occult murder and institutional corruption, and many of the disappointed fans understood how Nell' Ora Blu fit into the discography as a whole.

Great background music. Idk if ima be banging it on repeat though. I’m a lil bummed having to wait six years for this. Idk I like it but I don’t.
So I do dig the vibe and all but I still cant help but be a bit disappointed. I think I had the false expectations that there would still be plenty of "traditional" UA songs along with all the movie stuff to tie it all together. Its neat and I support artists doing what drives them but after 6 years its a bit of a let down for me.

One fan, however, did not understand why the band that wrote Mt. Abraxas would put out 19 songs of spooky Italian lounge music after going six years without releasing new material.

It's a massive let down, just be honest. Don't believe the fanboys who are saying this is "eNerGizInG" and "fReSH"...this is schizo garbage.
IMO they got way too fucking baked and thought this would be a good idea. I got 8 songs in and was like...what is this? A prank album to get people talking and then drop the real album? I get wanting to experiment with different types of music, but is this even music? Its kinda like that museum who featured a banana taped to a wall and said its art...yeah I guess technically it is, but this is just stupid. It's just an eclectic mash up of different tones, sound clips, different bits of "songs"(?), and random background synth noises. Anyone who is talking about how any of the almost 20 songs on this album are good are literally yapping because they are fanboys and would say that it was good even if it was an hour of a dog barking while a monkey hoots in the background. This is not the uncle acid I know. And again they are free to do whatever they want to, its their band. However, the level of mockery they are going to get from the community is almost certain; we're talking almost King Gizzard levels of bad. If this were a soundtrack to a movie or video game it'd make sense but...come on. Anyone speaking positively about this album is a foam-at-the-mouth fanboy who needs to be involuntarily committed and thrown in a padded cell.
Sorry not sorry.
NA/10 as there are no songs to actually review.

we’re talking almost King Gizzard levels of bad.

Two braindead takes in one!
Yeah dude you’re an absolute moron. Between this baseless rant and you negatively responding to literally anyone who has something positive to say about the album, you’re a miserable bastard. Sorry you hate it, but we all absolutely LOVE it. Get niche motherfucker🤷‍♂️

I seriously came here to talk about how this is an almost perfect album and I see this one dude constantly shitting on it. I started it this morning and it absolutely captivated me from the first track.

It is the soundtrack to a movie. An imagined film.

Whatever it is, it sucks, its bad, its bizarre, and frankly, its kind of lazy. Anyone mentioning any good things about any of the songs, are referencing the like combined total of 2 minutes where they are actually playing and singing. To put six years...into this...come on.

It's totally legitimate and cool to not like it. But to say that it's lazy just means that you don't get it. Which is also fine. There is a lot of music out there that I don't get.
There is a very specific kind of Italian movie from the 60s/70s that have soundtracks that feel exactly like this record. It's quite impressive that Uncle Acid have managed to replicate it and also inject their signature style.

Nah I think it's lazy because...they're not even playing any songs. There's maybe 3 minutes on the entire album of music or vocals...which requires songwriting (see: effort). It's a lazy, disappointing, passion project that they wanted to draw attention to through the use of their band name. For me personally, this album isn't canon. It doesn't exist. Just how GWAR disowned their own album We Kill Everything, they need to disown this album as it is not Uncle Acid...it was made by a member(s) of Uncle Acid.

I guess my expectations were there would be some traditional Uncle Acid songs....while it seems to have its moments, it's not even close to something I would hear and think "Oh it's Uncle Acid".
I am certainly going to give it a chance and try to reframe my expectations but thus far...I am a bit disappointed.

Shit is trash lol you don't have to lie

Dude go get fucked not everyone has to agree with your shit taste.

Il ritorno del chiamante silenzioso - Absolute banger.

Is it lol...phones ringing, a synth beat on repeat, random car noises...that's a banger?

They find some kindred spirits in the discussion thread, but mostly just get mad at people who liked the album.

I’ll take the downvotes, what on earth did I just listen to for the last hour or so? Slow drums, piano, and noises on top of it. I’m sorry but from blood lust to this. I don’t even know what genre of music this is.
Edit: 1/10

SO MANY DELUSIONAL FANBOYS defending this trash ass album and then pretending that this is to-form for Uncle Acid...this isn't... this is something you do as like a passion project but don't let anyone else find out about it because it's clearly schizo. I don't think anybody was expecting something like this with no normal songs for their fanbase. No one's mad, its just such a letdown and so bizarre its almost an insult to their fans.

Hard agree, put it out as a solo project. This ain’t the UA that I fell in love with. An album with 0 bangers.

0 bangers? 0 songs period.

Also true! Just a mash up of sounds

“I don’t even know what genre of music this is.”

Isn’t that kind of exciting? Something unfamiliar and fresh in this day and age of music and media as a whole. Nell’ Ora Blu isn’t only genre bending, it’s kind of medium bending. I’ve never visualized a record more. It’s as much a movie as a record could be and it fascinates me.
Yes, it’s a huge departure from their usual sound, but thematically speaking, it’s right on course for them. They seem to aim to explore every dark, macabre, horror, dystopian scene that exists and this is just a very unique example.
While I am just as bummed as anyone that there aren’t headbangers on this record, at least they nailed exactly what they were going to with this. It isn’t very rock and roll, but it isn’t a flop by any means.
I dunno, I’m not trying to lay into you, I just don’t think 1/10 is fair. If it were released by a different band that did this type of thing normally, might you be singing its praises? There are a bunch of records that aren’t for me, that I don’t enjoy, but also recognize that they are objectively good. I understand if you don’t like it, this record won’t be for everyone, but outside of crushed expectations did you really think it sucked?

No, it’s not an Uncle Acid thing. I’m not that unfair to bands I like. The album (just for me) was excruciating to get through. It’s like a spooky lounge album, nails on a chalkboard for me. Whatever new genre this is (atmospheric, spooky, mood music)is just not for me. The 1/10 is just my personal score. For what it is if you like it or music like this I’m sure it’s mind blowing. Im a straightforward music fan, I don’t like experimental things. Im a big fan of intro verse chorus verse chorus change verse chorus outro. But, the actual biggest thing that that completely ruined the album for me is the lack of vocals. The draw for me to uncle acid was the catchy vocal melodies. Any band can just be like sabbath but his voice, vocal melody, and delivery were the main reason I got into them.

Lazy noise collages or an intricate tribute to the music of an obscure film genre? You be the judge.

Every month I assemble the “Blankman List,” which includes a wide range of events happening in New York City for every day of the month. In the free highlights below, I focus in on one part of June in NYC: Pride—a month for honoring people who are LGBTQIA+. After all, it’s local history; pride month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in NYC.
The citywide culmination of Pride is the June 30 march down 5th Avenue, but you have my full sympathy if cramming your way into the sidelines of a packed Manhattan parade isn’t your thing. (Though the events below includes a few similar options if it is!)
Pride is bigger than a parade. It is a chance to recognize and honor that people are not all cut from the same cloth. So for one month, I offer a variety of events to honor people along all the colors of the rainbow. Here is May’s free events for the remainder of the month.
Disclaimer: Before going anywhere, please confirm the date, time, location, cost, and description using the listed website. Any event is at risk of being rescheduled, relocated, sold out, at capacity, or canceled. Costs are rounded to the nearest dollar and may change. I try to vet quality and describe accurately, but I may misjudge. All views are my own.

Exercise Your Rights

Whether you’re looking to run or swim competitively or simply cheer on from the sidelines, many sports and athletic organizations throughout the city set aside an event in celebration of pride month. I’m especially psyched for the Brooklyn Cyclones rainbow jerseys.

• Wednesday, June 5: Walking Tour: LGBTQ History in Greenwich Village
  • Walking tour of historic sites associated with the Stonewall Riots and early LGBTQIA+ activism and community; 6–7:30 pm
  • $25 general / $20 student
  • Meet at Christopher Park
  • 38-64 Christopher St (West Village, Manhattan)
• Thursday, June 6: Brooklyn Cyclones Pride Night
  • Minor league baseball game against the visiting Aberdeen IronBirds, with pride caps and pride jerseys available first-come, first-served; 7 pm
  • $28
  • Maimonides Park
  • 1904 Surf Ave (Coney Island, Brooklyn)
• Saturday, June 8: Brooklyn Pride LGBTQIA+ 5K Run/Walk
  • 5-kilomete3.1-mile fun run/walk through Prospect Park; 10 am–12 pm
  • $35–$40 (price depends on date of purchase)
  • Meet at Bartel-Pritchard Lot
  • Prospect Park Southwest (South Slope, Brooklyn)
• Saturday, June 22: Pride Swim Manhattan
  • 1.5-mile/2.5-kilometer open water swim race for all experience levels; 9:30 am
  • $200
  • Hudson River, past West Village
  • Pier 26 at Hudson River Park (Tribeca, Manhattan)

Queer Artists

Commemorating members of the LGBTQIA+ community can be as simple as engaging with their art. Of special note this June are the objects that belonged to Stephen Sondheim, the legendary (and gay) musical theater composer who passed away in 2021 and whose collection is on display before being sold at auction.

• Wednesday, June 12: treya lam: Otherland - Our Queer Earth
  • 70-minute performance of song, movement, poetry, and other arts on the theme of building “queer liberatory futures”; 7 pm (6 pm doors)
  • $20, plus two drink or one food item minimum
  • The Public Theater
  • 425 Lafayette St (Astor Place, Manhattan)
• Friday, June 14–Monday, June 17: The Collection of Stephen Sondheim
  • Exhibition of memorabilia and objects from Stephen Sondheim’s homes, in advance of auction on Jun 18; 12–5 pm
  • Free
  • Doyle Auctioneers & Appraisers New York
  • 175 E 87th St (Upper East Side, Manhattan)
• Saturday, June 15: Pomme
  • French folk rock singer (Pomme Instagram); 7:30 pm (6:30 pm doors)
  • $35
  • Webster Hall
  • 125 E 11th St (East Village, Manhattan)
• Tuesday, June 25–Saturday, June 29: Woolf Works - American Ballet Theater
  • Ballet triptych based on three novels by modernist author Virginia Woolf; start times at 2 & 7:30 pm
  • $33–$243
  • Metropolitan Opera House
  • 30 Lincoln Center Plaza (Lincoln Square, Manhattan)

The T of LGBT

It’s impossible for me to ignore the deeply misguided social and political discourse that I sometimes hear around being transgender. There are plenty of events year-round that tell the stories and elevate the voices of people who are transgender and gender nonconforming. June is the perfect month to make time to hear them.

• Thursday, June 13: Bristol Fashion Film Screening
  • Screening of Bristol Fashion, a 2022 drama film about a young transgender woman escaping from a troubled home, featuring the filmmaker and cast members; 5:30–9 pm
  • Free
  • The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
  • 208 W 13th St (Meatpacking District, Manhattan)
• Friday, June 21–Sunday, June 23: She He Me
  • The first Arab transgender play, following the true stories of three Arab characters who challenge gender norms; 2 pm; Jun 21–23; part of Criminal Queerness Festival
  • Pay-what-you-wish, ranging from $15–$120
  • Perelman Performing Arts Center
  • 251 Fulton St (Financial District, Manhattan)
• Sunday, June 23: Melissa Ferrick with Gracie and Rachel
  • Folk-rock concert featuring singer-songwriter (and gender nonconforming) Melissa Ferrick; 7:30 pm (6 pm doors)
  • $25–$35 entry (full food and drink menu available)
  • City Winery NYC
  • 25 11th Ave (Chelsea, Manhattan)
• Through Saturday, June 29: Leah Devun: Resemblance
  • Exhibition of photographs featuring artist Leah DeVun, her son, and her transgender partner; hours depend on day but are generally 11 am–6 pm
  • Free
  • Mrs. Gallery
  • 60-40 56th Dr (Maspeth, Queens)

Queer Film and Literature

• Monday, June 3: The Other Olympians
  • Book talk on the subject of early trans athletes and Olympic bureaucrats, with author Michael Waters; 7–8 pm
  • Free (entry only) / $33 (includes book)
  • The Invisible Dog Art Center
  • 51 Bergen St (Cobble Hill, Brooklyn)
• Wednesday, June 5: All You Need Is...Love? Book Club with Genay
  • Discussion on Truly, Madly, Deeply, queer rom-com book by Lambda Literary Award winner Alexandria Bellefleur
  • $5 (RSVP required; includes $5 store credit)
  • McNally Jackson Downtown Brooklyn
  • 445 Gold St, City Point BKLYN (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn)
• Thursday, June 6; Tuesday, June 11 & Saturday, June 15: Shorts: It’s Complicated
  • Screening of LGBTQIA+-themed short films; time depends on day; part of the Tribeca Film Festival
  • $19–$32, depending on start time (passes for multiple film festival screenings start at $110)
  • AMC 19th St East 6
  • 890 Broadway (Flatiron District, Manhattan)
• Friday, June 7: But I’m a Cheerleader
  • Screening of a 1999 teen romantic comedy taking place at a conversion therapy camp; 10:30 pm
  • $21
  • Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan
  • 28 Liberty St (Financial District, Manhattan)

Dance and Celebrate

NYC is a premiere world destination to glitter and be gay. With its star-studded, blocks-wide festivities, a lot of the celebration around pride involves parades, parties, and dancing. The appeal of NYC runs deeper though; the city also offers plenty of more subdued safe spaces for people who like to dance, too.

• Every Sunday: Pride Salsa
  • Class on learning to New York Style on 2 salsa, in a safe space for queer folx and allies; 3 pm beginner class, 5 pm advanced beginner class
  • $20
  • Houghton Hall Arts Community
  • 22 E 30th St (Koreatown, Manhattan)
• Wednesday, June 26: Queer Swing Dance Class
  • Drop-in introduction to swing dance class in a queer-friendly environment; 6–8 pm
  • Pay what you can
  • Brooklyn Pride Center Bed-Stuy
  • 1360 Fulton St (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn)
• Friday, June 28: Horse Meat Disco NYC Pride
  • All-night pride-themed rave hosted by the British DJ collective Horse Meat Disco; 10 pm–5 am
  • $119
  • Knockdown Center
  • 52-19 Flushing Ave (Maspeth, Queens)
• Sunday, June 30: Annual NYC Pride March
  • Annual parade celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community; 11 am
  • Free
  • Begins on 25th St & 5th Ave, crosses through the Stonewall National Monument
  • Route will be posted on NYC Pride website (West Village, Manhattan)

Celebrate with Food

Does your ideal celebration of pride simply involve a colorful cocktail or a cleverly-named dish? This city can deliver on that, too! Plenty of bars, restaurants, and food-centered spaces commemorate the month in one way or another.

• Sunday, June 2: Beyoncé + Rihanna Drag Brunch
  • Brunch with drag performances set to music by Beyoncé and Rihanna; seatings at 11:45 am & 2:30 pm
  • $20 entry (dishes range from $8–$32, plus tips for the performers)
  • Stella 34 Trattoria & Bar (inside Macy’s)
  • 151 W 34th St (Midtown South, Manhattan)
• Thursday, June 6: Queer Happy Hour
  • Bar happy hour serving Nigerian food and pride-themed drinks; 7 pm–2 am
  • Free entry (reservation required)
  • Acoustik Garden Lounge
  • 1515 Atlantic Ave (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn)
• Saturday, June 22: Stone Street Historic District Pride Fest
  • Packed block party along the Stone Street Historic District featuring bars and restaurants selling pride-themed food and drinks; 12 pm
  • Free entry; restaurants range in price
  • Stone Street Historic District
  • 30 Stone St (Financial District, Manhattan)
• Saturday, June 29: Pride Joyride Tasting
  • 5-course queer-themed menu with wine pairing prepared by chef David Goldman; 7–10 pm
  • $195
  • The Brooklyn Point Chef’s Table
  • 138 Willoughby St (Downtown Brooklyn)

Chapter 24 - The Race
Previous Chapter
The Seventh competitor took her place before the assembled crowd on the ground, raising a fist into the air as she did so. The crowd roared at the display as the car’s turbines kicked in and began to raise her up into the sky. Her car had been modified as well, the control surfaces on it were noticeably shorter and the turbine was actually jutting several inches out from the back.
“Those previous cars didn’t appear to be modified much. Is that uncommon?” Alex pointed at the clearly modified car. The control surfaces didn’t even match the rest of the frame in color, let alone style.
“Not uncommon, really. It’s just a bit difficult to often sink any serious amount of time and money into them. Winning the challenges is a goal that brings with it fame, respect, and glory but otherwise it isn’t exactly lucrative. It is up to each competitor to decide how much of their own resources to put into each vehicle, with the knowledge that they may not recoup the costs.” Borala glanced down at a paper in front of her. “That particular car is from a rather well-known Teff called the Veshika. They manage a particularly rich mining operation in the M’rit lands.”
At first the competitor seemed much more skilled than the others. Alex watched as she poured on the speed, her car tilting and curving around the track, narrowly dodging each projectile while maintaining a fairly high speed. Still her handling of the car seemed somewhat spotty. She was rocketing ahead of the shots, sure, but whenever she DID have to change direction she did so almost awkwardly.
Despite her lack of skill, her car was still quite capable. She made it past the first two Flame sections into the third far quicker than the others, but it was quickly apparent that it wouldn’t be enough here. She’d finally started dodging but it was clear she was having troubles controlling the vehicle at the speeds she was going. Her turns were all over the place, both over and under correcting as she tried to make up for the fact that speed alone wasn’t going to be enough to get her through unscathed.
She was fast approaching the triple cannon area that had taken out the first challenger when a cannon shot tracked her perfectly, landing its soft projectile directly into one of the four stabilizing thrusters that kept the vehicle aloft.
Immediately the thruster cut out, spewing sparks and smoke as the car began to tilt wildly, losing altitude rapidly as the pilot fought the controls. For a moment it looked like they were about to witness a disaster on the track before the other 3 thrusters compensated, and the car slowly regained control. The spotter car was already roaring up to her aid, but it appeared to be mostly unnecessary after all. Alex could hear the audience breathing a sigh of relief as they saw her land safely.
“My, that was a close one.” Borala tapped a finger on the armrest of her chair. “The thrusters can normally take a hit without failing like that. It must have come in at just the right angle to damage it.”
“I’m glad she made it OK. When I saw the car tumble, I was certain we were about to witness a tragedy.” Alex took a deep breath. “I’m still a bit surprised by how dangerous this seems.”
Borala sighed at this, and nodded her head. “It is dangerous. But it’s popular. We used to drive ground cars across a large course with ramps, obstacles, debris, and so on. But over time the people grew bored of watching it. One of my predecessors attempted to spice up the events shortly after the Bunters arrived and sold us the first group of aircars. We’ve been trying to make it safer, to scale it back, but every time we do interest wanes. People want to watch the thrills and the danger.”
“That sounds remarkably like our people.” Josh gazed out at the scene of the Spotter attaching cables to the damaged aircar, prepping it to return back to the starting point. “Throughout our history there’s endless examples of things that were small spectacles or events that grew more and more complex over time. Even when the cars were so fast they would virtually disintegrate on the track if someone made a wrong turn or another car caused them to lose control and crash. Plenty of people won’t admit it but they watch those races hoping for something to happen, because it’s just that much more exciting.”
Borala shuddered as she imagined the carnage of a ground car crashing and breaking apart. “In the thirty-eight years I have been managing this event as the head of the Nof, there have been three fatal accidents. I still often find myself wishing we could keep the excitement and entertainment of the challenges without as much danger, yet whenever we try there’s an outcry. I can’t deny that a part of the thrill comes from the challengers being exposed as they fly.”
Alex immediately saw the opportunity and jumped in. “That’s actually fairly doable. I’m no engineer like Ji and Min, but I know for a fact there’s a number of safeguards we could help you implement to prevent a worst-case scenario. Granted, it would take time and resources we don’t have in abundance - yet.”
Borala smiled, and patted Alex on the shoulder. “Save the effort for the Presh. I already fully support our two species working together. Kyshe wishes to trust in you, I believe. Yet it was her mother who signed the agreements with the Bunters. Kyshe was present as heir and witness to it all. All five of the major Teffs agreed to the deal, yet because it was signed by the Presh they bore the weight of the blame when it was revealed what the Bunters had done. We try to tell our people that the Presh did not act on their own, but…” She sighed and shook her head.
“Well, once we get things turned around, if we can emphasize Kyshe’s role in it all that should help a great deal.”
“You’re speaking as though it can’t fail.” Borala smiled widely at this. “You’re that certain that your plans will succeed?”
Alex nodded emphatically. “I’m an optimist. I always hope for the best.” He glanced up at the display. “And now it looks like our girl’s ready to show her stuff.”
—--
Trix had the thrusters on low as she walked the car out to the starting area. Unlike the others she didn’t have it wheeled out unpowered, but already had the car started as she guided it out, floating only a few feet off the ground. Many competitors didn’t do this,opting instead to sit astride the car before engaging the thrusters, but Ji suggested it as a way to present both herself and the car together, and she didn’t really have any reason to say no. Ji himself was walking out with her, on the opposite side of the car.
Initially he hadn’t wanted to. He wanted her to be the one in the spotlight and he knew that his presence would be immediately distracting, but she had insisted. “You helped me prepare for this, you get to show it off with me!” she’d stated.
What she HADN’T stated was her nervousness at this. She’d been a fan of the races since she was young, and now she was finally going to compete herself. Winning the competition didn’t result in any significant change to anyone’s life. There was no massive prize pool, no source of regular income afterwards. It wasn’t going to lead to new opportunities in her life. It was just a source of fun, a point of pride, and a way to show off one’s skills - and that alone made it a worthwhile goal to many. Worthwhile to Trix, and to the friends she often spoke with over the multivids.
Buying the Soranet Ten was a major undertaking for her that had required long extra hours of working over two years to save up for. Most of her Teff had thought it was a waste of time and effort but it was her time, and her effort so none had done much more than making an off hand remark. And look where she was now! She was competing in front of over a thousand people here, and she knew that the remote broadcasts of this were viewed by at least ten times that amount, if not more. And once people realized the Humans’ involvement in this challenge, that number would grow by leaps and bounds. That was more than enough to get in her head, both for the better and for the worse.
Still, she was too far in now. Backing out now would be an embarrassment in front of god only knows how many, and she could live with failure better than she could with the humiliation of cowardice. So she steeled herself as she moved in unison with Ji out to the center of the staging area. Mounting an already-engaged aircar could often be tricky without the friction of the ground to stabilize it against, but Ji was there and held it for her as she swung her leg over the body, gripping the frame between her thighs tightly. The two of them attached each of the safety restraint cables around the frame to her, and she let her wings relax and droop a bit in anticipation.
As they finished, Ji slapped her arm lightly and walked away. She took a huge breath, then slid her helmet on and started to circle upward to reach the starting height.
—--
“That doesn’t look anything LIKE a Soranet Ten!” Borala protested, and Min made a dismissive noise.
“It started as a ten, we just modified it. There were some redundant systems in there that served no reasonable purpose that we removed. If you’re flying at a reasonable speed there’s no use in having THREE separate cooling systems. Just one radiator and one cooling line to each thruster is more than enough. And if you’re not trying to strafe left or right then there’s no need for all those ridiculous control surfaces. The Turbine only faces one way after all. So we removed most of those, which lowered the weight a substantial amount. That gave the thrusters extra power compared to before, so we added a small gimbal that lets them angle slightly backwards, to use that extra power to thrust forward faster. Everything was done on planet with local resources. The only thing we fully manufactured was the frame, and that was for style and not for performance.”
Borala took all this in as she stared at the modified aircar. “She’s also not wearing armored sheathes over her wings.”
This time all of the humans did a double take towards the screen. “Huh. That’s true. I didn’t hear anything about that from her.” Min thought back to their previous conversations. “Maybe she’s trying to cut the weight even more? The less weight the more power the thrusters can use…”
“Perhaps. But if a shot hits the wings, it will punch through those feathers with ease. And if it strikes a bone, it WILL shatter.” Borala motioned out towards the turrets. “The wing sheathes can blunt the worst of the impact, though wings do still get broken when hit with them on. It’s still a great deal better than going out unprotected.”
Ji ran up into the pavilion as Trix moved into starting position. The first of the four hammer strikes rang out. “Looks like it’s time. Min, how’s Telemetry looking?”
“A-OK here. Battery’s at max, Turbine’s clean, thrusters are all reading nominal.”
Ji ran over to the chair he’d vacated earlier. “Par, remotes in position?”
“Yes, Ji. Both the transmitter remotes and the recorder remotes are positioned along the track.”
Alex glanced over at Ji. “Transmitters?”
“Yeah, man. You think you’re the only one who can put on a show?” Ji grinned and lifted up the quickboard. The second the fourth gong of the bell rang out, Ji pressed the button on the quickboard and a thumping noise filled the area as Trix’ aircar shot forward.
—--
“Not even five seconds in and it’s already hitting problems.” Trix cursed under her breath. The car had performed perfectly on every single test flight in the last week, and every diagnostic had shown it was in perfect shape for this race. Yet right after she started, she could feel a harsh rhythmic buzz and thump against her thighs.
Her heart had leapt up into her throat at first, when she felt the unfamiliar sensations on the vehicle. She’d spent hours in the air on the back of the machine, and thought she’d known every single one of its quirks and sensations, but this one was new and new was almost always bad.
Almost. After a few seconds of the odd sensations, it intensified into something much more familiar. She continued to curse, now at Ji, for the surprise. The music they’d listened to so often while working on the car grew in intensity until it was all she could hear, and she goosed the throttle to pour on extra speed as the music filled her ears and her panic was replaced with the excitement the beat filled her with. Her heartbeat throbbed in her chest in time with the music as she leaned into the intense wind rushing past.
The car shot forward with a speed that none of the others could match, right as the music kicked in - electrifying the entire crowd who shot up from their seats. They’d known from the start this wouldn’t be like the other races just from the strange look that the Aircar brought in had (Not to mention the fact that a Human was walking it in alongside its rider) but this easily went beyond expectations.
The first flame was absolutely nothing. None of the turrets were calibrated to track the vehicle as it rocketed forward and it reached the second flame section without even needing to dodge. Even there the turrets struggled to keep up, with almost every single shot falling behind the vehicle. Trix had barely had to do more than go into a curve to avoid most of the shots on the second flame, as it too had been calibrated for a much slower car.
Entering the third flame was where the action started. The turrets in this section not only could track her far more effectively, but were leading their shots. Where the other competitors attempting the challenge focused more on acrobatics and using nimble and quick changes in velocity and vector to throw off the tracking, Trix opted to continue to pour on the speed. In lieu of strafing, she began to weave side to side while arcing up or down, moving in an almost erratic corkscrew pattern. Unlike the previous attempt, she had perfect control in the air - her arcs were smooth, she didn’t oversteer and every rapid change of vector was done without excessive movement to conserve as much speed as possible. In the blink of an eye she reached the same triple-volley that had taken out the first challenger, and as the three turrets fired as one, Trix’ car went into a steep dive, gaining speed as it used gravity along with the turbine to boost it past the tricky section. As the crowd roared out, nearly drowning out the thumping rhythmic music, she flew past the third flame into the last section of the course.
The last section was by far the trickiest. The turrets here would not simply fire at a competitor, not simply lead their shots, but occasionally fired off shots designed to miss by close margins, to frighten competitors into dodging and lead them into other turrets line of fire. And it was for this section that Trix had been practicing frantically for the past week.
The moment she’d crossed into the fourth flame, she immediately made a hard bank left, as two turrets that had been waiting for this fired as one, narrowly missing the back of the car. The two swept around, thumping out their shots as they swiveled to chase her but she completed a tight hairpin turn, returning to her original position before rocketing forward. As she did she completed a rapid ascent followed by another dive, before air braking hard. Her velocity dropped from 250 kilometers per hour to a mere hundred in a move that left Ji wincing. He knew that it couldn’t have felt good taking that slap of deceleration. It was effective, as a round that would have easily impacted her sailed several feet ahead, the computer clearly thinking she was going to use speed to dodge.
Another pair of turrets fired, with one shot sizzling so close to her helmet she had to fight the urge to drop the car down another dozen feet. Instead she ripped open the throttle to full, feeling the straps straining against the sudden intense surge of acceleration. She began to dodge and weave back and forth in a slalom motion as she gained speed, returning back up to 250 kph and above - all the way to 290 as she saw the silver streaks of shots bracketing the vehicle.
The fourth flame was the shortest but it was also the most intense, and she could see the final braziers lit to signal the end of the course ahead - and directly in front of it, another trio of turrets waiting to unload a triple volley to smash down any challengers that made it to the end. The intensity of the barrage around her was growing, however, and as her heart hammered away in her chest she realized there was only one way she could possibly get over that finish line without being tagged.
Shoving all of her fear and nervousness aside, she swept her wings out widely on either side of the car, and threw into the hardest right turn she could. Her vision immediately began to swim and her back ached with the strain as the g-forces as she fought to use every ounce of thrust the car could produce along with the aerodynamics nature had given her all into creating the tightest possible turn she could. She fought against the overwhelming G-forces as she completely the tight turn at a frankly ridiculous speed, before finally straightening out to make a mad dash for the finish.
Miraculously, it seemed to work. The turrets’ software had seen how tight she could turn from earlier in the track, and were adjusting based on the larger turning radius the car could make on its own. Adding in her own wings to the mix tightened it by just enough that the final few shots on her went wide, and she threw caution to the wind as she used the tiniest opening that maneuver had given her to soar forward across the final flame. Just as she thought she was in the clear, she felt a sudden impact against the side of the frame, as a shot finally landed and smashed into the underside of the car.
—--
Borala was absolutely awestruck by what she’d seen. The capabilities of the car were one thing; spreading wings in the race was just risky but not unheard of, nor was using wings as an extra control surface. But she’d never seen a turn THAT tight at THAT ridiculous speed before. It had nearly worked, and she was staring at the screen as the vehicle passed over the flame.
Alex was on his feet cheering at the last section, and his cheers turned to groans as they saw the final impact of the shot successfully connect, the bright silver splotch against the vibrant green of the aircar’s frame. “Did she make it? Does that count?”
Borala turned to the race organizer, who shook her head. “We’re reviewing right now, both the video and the rules. I can’t recall ever hearing about anyone being shot AS they crossed the final flame, so we’re checking history now.”
Alex turned over to Par. “You were recording. Did she make it past?”
“The replay shows that the car was almost exactly centered over the braziers when the final shot landed. I have done a local data search for what constitutes ‘finishing’ the challenge but there is a lack of sufficient detail for me to be able to say for sure whether or not that counts as a victory or an elimination.” One of Par’s remotes moved over to the large display. “If you’ll allow me to elaborate…”
The huge display screen blanked out as a technician on the other side of the pavilion cried out. Immediately it lit back up, this time showing the scene from the remote Par had placed out in the track. The remote hovered right near the exit, and all assembled watched as it slowed down to a couple hundred frames per second. The car crawled forward on the screen, and the audience gasped as the shot suddenly appeared from below, racing upwards several times faster than the car itself. Just as the car reached the center point of the braziers, the shot made impact and the frame could be seen bouncing oh so slowly to the side as it did.
Ji whistled at the shot. “Damn, right at the end. Does that stuff come off?”
“It is not a permanent application, no. It is designed to make hits quite obvious, as some contestants have used badly battered cars in the past and claimed that dents were present before the races.” Borala sat back in her chair and watched as the organizers ran around trying to determine whether or not the run was considered complete or not. “It is safe to say that she has won today’s challenges, whether or not the final flame was completed.”
“Well, sure. Still would be nice to know if she did manage to complete it. Has any challenger before done a full complete on their first try?” Ji wandered over to Min to look over her shoulder as he spoke.
“Not on their first try, no. I am quite certain that for a first time racer this is easily a record.”
“Well then it’s important to know if it counts or not, since it looks like she just made history.” Ji looked down at the telemetry that the aircar’s sensors was sending to Min’s quickboard. It looked like nothing had been damaged when the impact happened, and all four thrusters and the turbine were showing zero abnormalities.
Trix was much more leisurely as she returned to the staging area, coming down to land back in the center as the crowd cheered her on. Whether or not she’d completed the course they didn’t particularly care, they simply saw a phenomenal racer on a unique vehicle blast through some of the most intense barrages of the day while thumping music had heightened the entire experience. As they roared out their approval, Trix raised a fist in their direction before walking the car back towards the shuttle she’d arrived from.
—--
Trix threw the multivid screen down on her bed with exasperation. In the week since her attempt at the firelands challenge, things had all seemed to go entirely wrong for her.
The Nof organizers could not find any clarification about what exactly constituted a victory, since the rules were rather vague. The section on victory states “When a challenger passes the final flame before being struck” which would indicate that she’d succeeded. But the section on elimination stated that “Challengers would be eliminated if they or their vehicle is struck before reaching the final flame”. She had REACHED the final flame but not PASSED it, and thus far nobody had been able to reach a valid conclusion on what that meant.
Or rather, nobody actually in charge had reached one. In reality there were throngs of people who thought that her performance had been valid and she deserved to be recorded as the first instance of a full completion on their very first attempt. Of course, there were just as many who believed that she had been eliminated before completion. She herself didn’t particularly care about either of those groups, as completion or not she drove her best and was proud of how well she did. What got under her skin was the third group, the one that claimed she was a mediocre driver who was simply gifted an exceptional aircar by the humans that did all of the work.
At first she ignored those people. Yes, the car itself was phenomenal but at its core it was still the same Soranet Ten she’d purchased a month ago. They’d modified it absolutely. They had removed components, adjusted others, and the frame itself was swapped out mainly for aesthetics. But there was no reason at all that the changes couldn’t have been made by anyone else out there. In fact, a conversation between Min and the Nof matriarch detailing the changes made was public for those interested in trying it themselves.
That hadn’t silenced the detractors. Nor had offering to let other racers use her car to attempt the challenge - the arguments they made were exhaustive. From custom programming allowing only her to use it effectively, to claims that the car was controlled remotely, to claims that the Humans had hacked the turrets to improve her chances of winning. Even despite all of that, she could perhaps have still ignored it and been happy after her run if not for the fact that her friends, the ones she’d hoped the most would side with her, had joined in on accusing her of cheating. No matter how she protested they refused to listen, up until the point when she’d given up and just disconnected from the chat.
Her own Teff was also firmly on her side (Fohn in particular seemed to always be staring at her with huge adoring eyes of late) that was simply natural. They were Teff and that meant they were always on her side. But truly the bright spot in all of this was the Humans themselves, who had supported her from the beginning. More than just Ji and Min who were friendly with her from the start, all of the others had been sympathetic and supportive. The entire crew had their say on the cameras and screens on multiple occasions supporting her. Lately she spent as much time in Min’s room as her own. It helped not feeling quite as alone.
Today, however, the brief knock on Min’s door went unanswered. As did Ji’s. After a brief bit of searching, and being pointed out the door by a few members of the Teff who’d seen the Humans earlier, she found them assembled just outside their shuttle. The day was bright and warm and apparently they’d decided to lounge around outside on the grass.
Ji smiled and raised a hand as she walked over to join them. “Yo. Any word from the Nof?”
“None.” Trix walked over and collapsed down on the grass, laying down next to where Min was sitting. “The last I heard, they want to hold a vote with every still-living challenger participating to clarify the two conflicting sections. Honestly though I don’t even care anymore.”
“What’s the matter, feathers? You sound down.” Ma’et had been leaning on a tree nearby, but came over to lay down next to the larger avian.
“Just… sick of it. I wanted to challenge the Firelands since I was ten. And when I did it was the most incredible thing ever. But it seems like nobody out there cares. All my friends are pissed off at me and think I cheated, thousands of strangers keep trying to get in touch with me to tell me how awful or wonderful I am.”
Alex took a sip out of the can he was holding. “What’d you expect to happen? I’m not criticizing. Just don’t know what would have been a normal reaction for your people.”
“I dunno. I get out there and race, I come in comfortably in the middle of the pack, I practice a lot more, I race again and again and eventually complete the challenge. Then I find some cute guy and we spend a couple years exploring before we become accepted.” Trix pulled at the grass as she spoke, letting the breeze blow away the thin, soft blades. “Kinda lame when I say it out loud.”
“Not at all.” Josh gazed up at the sky wistfully, watching the clouds passing by slowly. “There’s nothing in the world wrong with dreaming about finding happiness in what you do and who you’re with. So long as you’re happy and healthy then the details don’t really matter much, do they?”
“Agreed. I’m curious though.” Alex tilted his head as he looked over at Trix. “What did you want to explore? Space?”
“Huh? No, no. Exploring a relationship. When couples get together we explore each other and the bond between us. It’s important to explore because once we’re accepted we can’t go back.” Trix crushed a blade of grass between her fingers, idly rolling them back and forth. “I’m not sure if Humans have the same thing or not.”
“Sort of. Al, it’s sort of like dating and Marriage.” Min piped up. “We talked about it while working on the car a bit. Exploration is like dating. You learn about each other, all of a person’s strengths and flaws. Their likes and dislikes. And if both sides are willing they marry. For life. Accepted isn’t quite as formal as marriage but it’s very, very permanent.”
“It’s not permanent for Humans?” Trix looked up and over at Min. “You said that people who got ‘Married’ stayed together.”
“They do, often. But sometimes people make a mistake. They rush into a relationship without exploring as well as you guys do. Or over time, they change and find that instead of being pulled closer together, they get pushed apart.” Min gestured at her brother. “Our folks were inseparable for decades, but Dad started to focus too much on work and not enough on Mom. They grew distant and unhappy and split up.”
“That’s horrible.” Trix shuddered at the thought. “Acceptance is… I mean, to think that two people who come together could be split apart? Just that easily?”
“Dunno what to say to that. Some humans join together for life, sure, but others just can’t make that same choice. They get together for the wrong reasons, they get enamored with one another and miss or ignore the warning signs that things might not go well.” Min glanced around. “These guys might explain it better.”
Ma’et cleared her throat. “There’s a saying I saw way the hell back when. I don’t remember where. It was something like, “Sometimes we need to fall in love with the wrong person so we know how it feels when we meet the right one”? I guess it’s sorta like, it’s easy to think something’s good because you don’t know what bad is. But if you get in a bad relationship it shows you what you need in a good one.”
Josh looked thoughtful about that. “I think that might be a little accurate. But I also think there’s a lot more to it than that. Ultimately I think it’s mostly just about being willing to put in the work. If one or both sides of the relationship aren’t willing to actually work at it, then it’s gonna fail. You gotta be able to give as well as take, so to speak.”
Alex took another sip from the can. “I also think communication’s the big thing. Gotta actually be willing to say when you’re unhappy and why, so that problems can be addressed. Too many people let things that bother them sit and fester and that just makes the problems worse over time.”
“Yeah but you get all your romantic advice from movies and vids.” Ma’et snickered. “And those have to have shitty communication in order for the plots to make any sense. Can you imagine how boring they’d be if they were realistic? ‘Honey all the time you spend away from me makes me feel unwanted and like you’re cheating on me.’ ‘Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry. I’m spending all my time away from you because I’m a spy infiltrating a pirate group that’s been harassing merchants out near Verdine. The redheaded lady I spend my time with is actually going to be arrested and hung once I’m done, there’s no romance there!’ ”
“Hey, that ain’t true. Entirely.” Alex took another long sip from the can, and tossed the empty container at Ma’et. “I mean, yeah, you’re right about how shitty communication makes movies more interesting. Just not right about that being where I get all my romance ideas from.”
Ma’et grabbed the can out of the air and crushed it in her hand. “Sure, sure. Remind me how long it’s been since you were in a relationship?”
“Bad example. I’ve spent most of the last few decades doing these scouting and survey missions. The asteroid dating scene isn’t exactly overflowing with prospective partners.”
“Well, you cozied up to the big bird on the station quickly enough.” Min grinned over at the Captain. “Maybe the reasons your love life is crap is because you never decided to date far enough outside of your species?”
Trix couldn’t help but snicker at that one. “Ew, come on. No offense but you guys don’t really hold a candle to a properly cute guy. How can you hope to compete with some gorgeous Rectrices?”
“Uhhh… Rectrices?”
Trix pointed at the back of her legs. “Big feathers back here. Very attractive on males.”
“Gotcha. Well, you’re right that I don’t have those. I do have a sparkling personality though. Surely that counts for SOMETHING?”
Trix just shrugged, and shook her head. “Sorry, Captain. Humans just aren’t attractive. Not to me, or my friends…” The sudden reminder brought back all the negative emotions from earlier.
Min saw her friend’s face fall, and reached out and put her hand on Trix’s arm. “What happened?”
“Nothing. They’re just being obnoxious.” She shook her head again, and grabbed a handful of the grass. “They think you guys conspired to make me win. Or almost win.”
“Betcha they’re just jealous.” Min stood up and stretched her arms out. “You said they were in disbelief after you told them you were our guide, right? Same thing. They’re mad that they couldn’t be the one here instead of you.”
“Yeah, but they’re my friends! Shouldn’t they be happy for me?” She angrily threw the fistful of grass away from her.
“Yeah, they should.” Alex stood up himself, walking over to take the crushed can from Ma’et. “And I dunno whether that just means they’re bad friends or if it’s just really bothering them. Either way, maybe some time doing something else would help. Want to go flying?”
“Not particularly. I don’t even want to SEE an aircar right now.”
Alex grinned, and jerked his thumb behind him at the shuttle. “Oh, I wasn’t talking about the aircar. Three hundred KPH is impressive. Want to try going a bit faster? Like, I dunno, how’s Mach 5 sound?”
“Uh, Al, flying a shuttle isn’t even REMOTELY like flying an Aircar.” Josh pointed out.
“Nope, it’s not. But god knows if I can learn how to fly one, she can. There’s at least three experts assembled here that can teach her, and on a planet with over 80% water coverage there’s no shortage of places we can go to learn without causing a disruption.”
He walked over to the shuttle and slapped the access panel, and the boarding door slid open immediately. “What do you say, Trix? Care to fly the friendly skies?”
—--

Update 12 May: Added events till Thurs atm.

10 May, Fri

• SCO: Mother‘s Day Concert 2024 母亲节音乐会 2024 - 慈母心 by Singapore Chinese Orchestra - Day 1 of 2 , Singapore Conference Hall @ 7 Shenton Way, IG 📸 $38
• Musical: Piaf! The Show - tribute to Edith Piaf, the theatre @ mediacorp (one-north), $58
• Pop, Folk, Soul: Rochester Commons Garden Music Fest - SEZAIRI, TAY KEWEI, Jack & Rai, JASON Yu, Jem Han, Rochester Commons (buona vista mrt), 630-930pm, free
• Free Festival: Music Matters Live Music Festival Schedule and the conference Creator Week (paid)
  • FOUNTAIN SQUARE Stage: DAY 3 - Psychic Fever from EXILE TRIBE 🇯🇵, Firdaus (MY), Josh MAKAZO (SG), Teo Glacier (NZ), WHO SHOT SCOTT (NZ) , ADRIAN Dvuke (AU), LEMONY (TH), the center area of CQ @ clarke quay fountain square, free
  • SENOR TACO Stage: Tunecore Showcase - Aldi Haqq 🇮🇩, Space Pumpkin 🇹🇭, Grassic 🇻🇳, Mix Fenix 🇵🇭, Peekay 🇮🇳, Eleanor Whisper 🇮🇩, Señor Taco restaurant livehouse at CQ @ Clarke Quay, IG 📸 free
  • PULSE Stage: Music Matters Selects - Adriel 🇲🇾, NAO Yoshiaka 🇯🇵,Good Morning Everyone 🇮🇩, PULSE at CQ @ Clarke Quay (ex Yang Club), free
  • SWEE LEE stage: Joya 🇭🇰, Jewel Owusu 🇦🇺, Celine Wanyi 🇭🇰, Peej 🇵🇭, Ben Swissa 🇦🇺, Dhruv Visvanath 🇮🇳, swee lee music store @ clarke quay, free
  • Hiphop w DEF JAM SEA: The Get Down - Abangsapau, Alyph, BAD M.O.B, DJCZA, Elva, Ismail Izaani, Killa Driz, Krumbs, GRACE LIU, Naufal, KRUMBS, SONAONE, YHB SLEEPSALOT and JOE FLIZZOW (Afrobeats, amapiano, hip-hop, R&B night), 1880 Members Club at Intercontinental Robertson Quay, 1 Nanson Rd, tix 🎟 $68
• Jazz Loft: TROPIC GREEN - Susan Harmer's 7- piece jazz ensemble, Blu Jaz L3 @ bali ln (bugis), $24
• Maduro Jazz: Michelle SgP & Friends - Jazzin' Groovin' Friday, maduro @ sofitel sentosa, $38++ drink credits
• R&B soul: Vamp Sessions - Rai Maia (UK), mandala club at 31 Bukit Pasoh Rd (outram), $33
• Cool Cats: Jamie Aditya presents Funky Town (soul and funk) - day 2 of 3, nco club @ 32 beach rd (esplanade), $28

Esplanade- PESTA RAYA Malay Festival Weekend

• ES Film & Music: Samsara – A Cine-Concert by Garin Nugroho 🇮🇩, Concert Hall, $35
• ES Music Free: Malam Nusantara - Adik Adik Hensem & ABANGSAPAU x LEAISM, hiphop, soul, pop, Outdoor Theatre 7pm, 815 930pm, free
• ES Music: Melintasi Galaksi by Yanto Sani x Andy Gan (crossover of alternative electronica and traditional ethnic instruments), Indoor Concourse 730 830 930pm, free
• ES Music : Sanggar Seni by Kelana Purba and Makyong Kedek (dikir barat), Courtyard 640pm, free
• ES Theatre - Bawang Putih Bawang Merah by by Teater Ekamatra, Waterfront Theatre, IG 📸 $45 soldout
• ES Performances Workshop: Jalan Raya by Zarina Muhammad, in collaboration with local artists- Day 2 of 3, Annexe Studio 4pm, 6pm, 8pm, $22
• ES Dance: Mak Yong by Kumpulan Mak Yong Cahaya Matahari & PUSAKA, Waterfront Theatre Lawn 6pm 745pm, free
• ES Kids storytellling: Tales from the Nusantara: The Legend of Hang Tuah and the White Crocodile by Malay Heritage Centre & Hafiz Rashid, PIP's PLAYbox 1145, 115 3pm, free
• OTHERS
• 9-12 May: Teochew Opera The Pawned Wife 典妻 by Nam Hwa Opera, SCCC Auditorium @ 1 Straits Blvd (shenton way), IG 📸, $10
• Chinese Drama: Hwa Chong Institutions 黄城夜韵 2024 An Evening of Drama 2024 (G) - Day 1 of 2, Gateway Theatre Bukit Merah, $18
• Hwa Chong Institution String Orchestra: 'Serenade.' , Hwa Chong Institution (high school) - tan kah kee mrt, free
• Eunioia Junior College Symphonic Band: CANTUS ITINERIS, Eunoia Junior College Auditorium (bright hill mrt), free
• Phil Studio: Rock - Charity fundraiser for supporting education in Cambodia., Phil's Studio @ High Street Centre L3 (clarke quay/city hall), $25 Fundraiser

 

Event Nights & Parties 10

• DJ, CULTURE : Back 2 Two Thousands Presents One Direction & Friends, Cherry Discotheque @ 133 Cecil Street (cbd), $31
• DJ, Cruise Rakyat with CT Selecta 🇲🇾 and HEAVYITCH (DJ Itch b2b DJ VinylHeavy's vintage asian boogie disco city pop), the projector golden mile tower, tix 🎟 $15
• DJ, LOCO Parties pres. BAD NEWS - Metro Boomin x Kanye Night, Projector X Golden Village @ Cineleisure Orchard L5 L6 , $28
• DJ, Gabbar Bistro x DJ Mass - Bollywood , Gabbar Indian Bistro at CQ @ Clarke Quay
• DJ, AFROGROOVE SG - Afrofusion Friday - Limehouse Farewell Party , members CLUB EL PICO @ 6 Hongkong St (clarke quay), tix 🎟 $15
• DJ, Flashback Friday by UnfilteredPresents (2000s pop to high school musical), hard rock cafe cuscaden (orchard), $30
• DJ, FRESH Fridays @ Here Kitty Kitty (90s 00s Hip Hop, R&B, Reggaeton), Here Kitty Kitty - Speakeasy & Cocktail Lounge @ The Cannery Clarke Quay, free
• DJ, Silent Disco - Silent Recess @ The Tuckshop Assembly with DJ Tang (90s 00s throwback mashups), The Tuckshop Assembly at 403 Guillemard Road (dakota), $12
• DJ, Club Hell: Kpop in Hell, gay lgbt club @ 113 telok ayer st
• Drag Party, Tuckshop Reopening Night, 51 Neil Road (maxwell), lgbt drag bar-club
• DJ, W Hotel Sentosa Cove DJ KiDG, wet deck 🏖
• DJ, Offtrack: Daryl Knows (deep house, jazz not jazz), 34 North Canal Rd (bs hong lim park, clarke quay), music gastro bar
• DJ, Capasso Friday - DJ Rey & DJ Mery (top 40s mashup rnb, hiphop) , CAPASSO italian restaurant @ 92 Telok Ayer Street

 

Dance Club Guest Performers 10

• DJ, Highh Club: Slushii 🇺🇸 (monstercat edm future bass) , Highh Party @ Pan Pacific Hotel, 7 raffles blvd (esplanade, promenade), tix 🎟 $35
• DJ, Drip: presents Entity - DJ Limmy, Daniel, Kong (hiphop top40s pop edm), drip club @ 100 Orchard Rd Concorde Hotel, $27
• DJ, High House: MinGs & MIKKI SORIANO (melodic house & techno) , High House Rooftop Lounge 🗼@ 1 Raffles Place (old 1-altitude), $38
• DJ, Zouk: One Dance, zouk club clarke quay
• DJ, Tuff: BTRH feat. DEZ, JOSHUA DILLON & TMDDJ, tuff club @ 138 robinson rd cbd, $36
• DJ, Marquee: presents Creeds (🇫🇷 hardstyle techno, psy,), marquee nightclub @ marina bay sands shoppes, $30
• DJ, HQ: Thugshop Presents - ARTHUR ROBERT( 🇦🇹 hypnotic techno), headquarters techno-house club @ 66A boat quay, $36
• DJ, CÉ LA VI: PAIGE TOMLINSON (🇬🇧 90s rave, house techno, electro), marina bay sands hotel rooftop bar-club 🗼, $38
• DJ, ØGravity x Thugshop Presents - JODY WISTERNOFF (🇬🇧 progressive & deep house), MDLR club @ 62 cecil street (cbd), $40, $47

 

Other Arts Events

• Festival 25 Apr- 26 May: Voilah! France Singapore Festival, various
• Festival 1 - 25 May: Singapore HeritageFest 2024
• Till 11 May: Theatre - Backstage Betrayal, A Crack the Case Mystery (Some Mature Content), KC Arts Centre @ 20 Merbau Rd (robertson quay, fort canning mrt), $68
• Till 9 Jun Musical: Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, marina bay sands, $80
• 24 Apr- 25 May: European Film Festival 2024
• 16-26 May: Theatre: Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream by Singapore Repertory Theatre aka STC (Advisory - Some Mature Content), KC Arts Centre - Home of STC, $53
• 16-25 May: Theatre - I and You by Lauren Gunderson (G), Gateway Theatre Bukit Merah, $35
• 8-12 May: Comedic Theatre - God of Carnage (Advisory - Some Mature Content and Coarse Language), Drama Centre Black Box @ national library (bugis), $30
• 9-12 May: Teochew Opera - The Pawned Wife 典妻 by Nam Hwa Opera, SCCC Auditorium @ 1 Straits Blvd (shenton way), IG 📸, $10
• 18-26 May Kids Chinese Theatre - 《小问号和探险家》The wee Question Mark and the Adventurer, 54 Waterloo Street (bras basah), $34
• 23-25 May: Indie Theatre: William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, The Artground at Goodman Arts Centre (mountbatten mrt), $27
• 23-26 May: Kids Ballet - Peter & Blue's Treasure Hunt 2024 Presented by Singapore Ballet (G), School of The Arts (SOTA) Studio Theatre (bencoolen, dhoby ghaut), $35
• 10 May - 22 Sep Exhibition - Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey, Singapore Art Museum (SAM) at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, tix 🎟 from $12
• 5-15 May: Exhibition: NTU ADM Show 2024, Tanjong Pagar Distripark
• 11-18 May: Fine Art Exhibition - Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts - Our BA (Hons) Fine Art graduating cohort, The Ngee Ann Kongsi Galleries, NAFA Campus 1, free
• 11-12 May - Anime & Comics Market: DOUJIN MARKET at Suntec City Convention Ctr, $11
• 12 May (Sun): Dance - The Dance Place 2024 Recital: An Evening at The Movies, NUS university cultural centre, $39
• 14 May (Tue): What's Your Story SLAM : FAMILY, the projector golden mile tower (nicoll highway), $40
• 15 May (Wed): Let's go Bannas Stand up Comedy - Local Flavour Comedy Show!, Phil's Studio @ High Street Centre L3 (clarke quay/city hall), free
• 15 May: Eunoia JC Drama: MIND THE GAP, Eunoia Junior College, free
• 16 May (Thu): SIAO CHAR BORS COMEDY presents NEBULOUS NIANG in SLOMOSEXUAL, the projector golden mile tower (nicoll highway)
• 18 May: Comedy - Noted With Thanks by Kuah Jenhan, wild rice @ funan (city hall), $38
• 21 May: The Ladyboss presents- STRANGERS IN-SYNC: Night of Comedy! , Monk's Brew Club at 57 East Coast Road Singapore,
• Till 31 May DJ, ARK11 Club Complementary Entry of all Moms or if you bring your mom, ARK 11 Club @ Orchard Central Mall L11

 

Sat, 11 May

• RADWIMPS WORLD TOUR 2024, Singapore Expo Hall 7, $168
• TesseracT (UK prog metal, djent) - WAR OF BEING WORLD TOUR 2024, L5 @ GR.iD mall (selegie), $88
• Nancy Sit 薛家燕 & Friends - Mother’s Day Celebration 爱在心中母亲节演唱会, resort world sentosa, ballroom, $118
• 'EK THA RAJA' BADSHAH LIVE IN SINGAPORE 2024 (🇮🇳 hip hop), Singapore Expo Hall 5, ft YUNG RAJA $148
• Konsert Dato’ Jamal Abdillah Seniman Berjasa (G), The Star Vista Theatre (buona vista), $98
• Mediacorp GOLD 905’s Solid Gold Night, Simply Retro BaClub by Tin Box @ CHIJMES, $88
• 25 Years of Ska Love – Gerhana SKA Cinta - Timeless Rhythm (ska reggae rocksteady ska-punk), capitol theatre city hall, tix 🎟$68
• Indie HC: Destiny "To See Another Day" Release Show ft Doldrey, xdesterx, FUSE, Chaosphere, punk, old dm, hardcore gig, aliwal arts centre (kampong gelam, nicoll highway, $28
• Indie Rock Gig: BOY DINNER - Pines, Blindside, Bear the Remedy, Second Chance, Sound, Quitline, $20
• Indie Rock Gig: CTRL CHAOS, MONDA(E), INTERMISSION, Last Minute, Phil's Studio @ High Street Centre L3 (clarke quay/city hall), tix 🎟 $15
• Music Matters Live Festival Schedule and the conference Creator Week
  • Fountain Square Afternoon: DAY 4 - Adrian Dzvuke 🇦🇺, Dhruv Visvanath 🇮🇳, Jewel Owusu 🇦🇺 , Peej 🇵🇭, Eleanor Whisper 🇮🇩, RANGGA JONES , the center area of CQ @ clarke quay fountain square, free
  • Fountain Square Night: Girls Night Out - MATILDE G, JHM (AU), JOYA (HK), Celine Wanyi (HK), Mali (IN), Nao Yoshioka (JP), Emma Dilemma (NZ), Marian Carmel
  • Senor Taco Stage: DAY 3 - COUNT VERNON, Oliver Cronin 🇦🇺, Balu Brigada 🇳🇿, Teo Glacier🇳🇿 ), Señor Taco restaurant livehouse at CQ @ Clarke Quay, free
  • HIPHOP RNB at IKI: Mic Check with Josh Makazo, Berywam 🇫🇷, ARlo Maverick 🇨🇦, Adrian Dzvuke 🇦🇺, Who Shot Scott 🇳🇿, club iki @ ikigai izakaya riverwalk (clarke quay), pop, R&B, afrobeats and hip-hop free
  • It's a girl thing TALK: Singapore Edition - Inch Chua, Preeti Nair, Marian Carmel, Mali, JOYA, Matalie Dau et al., free with RSVP, tix 🎟

 

• Singapore Chinese Orchestra: Mother‘s Day Concert 2024 母亲节音乐会 2024 - 慈母心 by SCO - Day 2 of 2 , Singapore Conference Hall @ 7 Shenton Way, $38 =
• Singapore Symphony Orchestra: SSO Symphony Ball 2024 - SSO Benefit, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, uh $10k
• Cool Cats: Jamie Aditya presents Funky Town (soul and funk) - day 3 of 3, nco club @ 32 beach rd (esplanade), $28
• Jazz Loft: JAPANESE FUSION WONDERLAND with Eric Lee and M.I.C, Blu Jaz L3 @ bali ln (bugis), $24,
• Maduro Jazz: Mellow Mixtape by Mila Vidanovic (soul jazz pop), maduro @ sofitel sentosa, $38++ drink credits
• Irish Music and Plays: Lasalle's Red Dot Green Dot 2024 - celebrating Ireland and Singapore culture, LASALLE college of the arts (rochor), $40
• Choral: Resonance of Singapore - Nonsensical Notes - Songs of Innocence by The ROS Singers, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory main Concert Hall, tix 🎟, $17

 

Esplanade Pesta Raya Festival 11

• ES Theatre - Bawang Putih Bawang Merah by by Teater Ekamatra, Waterfront Theatre, IG 📸 $45 soldout
• ES Performances: Jalan Raya by Zarina Muhammad, in collaboration with local artists- Day 3 of 3, Annexe Studio 1 3 and 5pm, $22
• ES Music Kids: tikTOKtik – Children’s Storytelling by Kelana Purba, and folk songs, dikir barat, Indoor Concourse 230 345pm, free
• ES Music Kids: JUARA MIC JUNIOR di Pesta Raya by The Stars of JMJ, Outdoor Theatr 3pm 415pme, free
• ES Dance: Mak Yong by Kumpulan Mak Yong Cahaya Matahari & PUSAKA, Waterfront Theatre Lawn 6pm, free
• ES Music: Sanggar Seni by Kelana Purba and Makyong Kedek (dikir barat), Courtyard 645pm, free
• ES Music: Nadi Singapura x Djangat - ethnic folk percussion and electronic soundscapes, Outdoor Theatre 7pm 815 930pm, free
• ES Music: Malam Balada by Zalelo & Fauzie Laily - M-pop ballads and raya hits , Indoor Concourse 730pm 830 930pm, free
• ES Kids storytellling: Tales from the Nusantara: The Legend of Hang Tuah and the White Crocodile by Malay Heritage Centre & Hafiz Rashid, PIP's PLAYbox 1145, 115 3pm, free
• ES: Self-guided Craft: Make Your Own Kad Raya! by Quirky Offdays, Indoor Concourse 2-5pm, free
• ES Talk: Evolutionary Tales: Stories of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow by Dr Azhar Ibrahim, Ridhwan Saidi & Syafiqah Jaaffar, Bay Room 2pm, free RSVP
• ES Dance Workshop: Workshop: Introduction to Mak Yong – Menghadap Rebab by Kumpulan Mak Yong Cahaya Matahari & PUSAKA, Rehearsal Studio 11am , free
• ES Music Workshop : Workshop: Gondang Kayat - The 3 Drums of Sajarangan by Djangat, Rehearsal Studio 2pm, free
  • OTHERS
• 11-13 May: Party & Live Band, Chu-Hi Fiesta, Yoasobi by Kanpai 33-35 Pekin Street , Far East Square(telok ayer), free
• 11 May: Indie Theatre Ancient Opera: The Inanna Project, At Centre 42 @ 42 Waterloo Street (bras basah mrt), $20
• The Projector Cineleisure Orchard: Day 1- Mother's Day w The Staircase Duo (pop, rock, acoustic), Projector X Golden Village No Spoilers Box Office Bar @ Cineleisure Orchard L5
• Chinese Drama: Hwa Chong Institutions 黄城夜韵 2024 An Evening of Drama 2024 (G) - Day 1 of 2, Gateway Theatre Bukit Merah, $18
• Dance Theatre: MahAlaya - Panchakoshas through the narratives of the 'Kurukshetra War’ and the ‘Thirumanthiram’, Alliance Française de Singapour at Newton mrt, IG 📸 $32
• Blackbird: DYRT - A 90s Grunge Tribute, Blackbird Music Bar @ Gillman Barracks (labrador park), IG 📸 free/bar

 

Events & Parties 11

• DJ, Intervention 5 feat. Gabber Modus Operandi 🇮🇩, queer, Projector X Golden Village No Spoilers Box Office Bar @ Cineleisure Orchard L5 , IG 📸 $22
• DJ, SHiOCK x Manifest - House of Mayhem with DJ IMX & Denz Devarez 🇳🇱🇿🇦 - ft Aphad & YZ, Wallich Manor Lounge @ Sofitel City Centre Hotel L6 (tg pagar), [tix 🎟](ttps://eventbrite.sg/e/895772428447) $15
• DJ 🏖, GrooveTop: Hip Hop Pool Party ft. Secret Pals, Durio & AKA Sounds, El Chido 1 Hill Street, Pullman Singapore (city hall), $25
• DJ, Flashback Saturday 90s & 2000s Hip Hop x RnB, Blu Jaz @ bali ln (bugis), $11
• Party Queer: SALUD - united by music - eurofashion, salud cocktail bar @ 19 keong saik rd (maxwell), tix 🎟 $25
• DJ,🏖 Fuego Night: Afro Beach 5.0, Sand Bar 53 Siloso Beach Walk, $35
• ==DJ, Jugaad: The Revolution - Night Of Bollywood X Punjabi Bangers by Untamed, hard rock cafe cuscaden (orchard), $30==
• DJ, Club Hell: Sleepover in Hell, gay lgbt club @ 113 telok ayer st, $30
• Drag Party, The KasiCunt Ball: Yin & Yang, MDLR club @ 62 cecil street (cbd), tix 🎟 $58
  • After Party: KasiCUM, MDLR club @ 62 cecil street (cbd),
• ==DJ, 10-11 May: Neil Conversion, Unleash pres. Unhinged - circuit party bar in sg, 43 Neil Road (maxwell), lgbt gay bar-club==
• DJ, Zodiac Bar Night Party, gay bar at 50 prinsep st (bencoolen)
• Drag Party, RIOT! LABOUR 11th MAY 2024, hard rock cafe cuscaden (orchard), $15
• DJ, Offtrack: Bongomann (deep house) and Sigmond Fn (aka fzpz), 34 North Canal Rd (bs hong lim park, clarke quay), music gastro bar
• DJ, Highh Club: ASSEMBLY MAYHEM @ Highh School, Highh Party @ Pan Pacific Hotel, 7 raffles blvd (esplanade, promenade), $20,
• DJ, W Hotel Sentosa Cove Daryl Knows, wet deck 🏖
• DJ 🏖 , Groovetop - Hip Hop Pool Party with Secret Pals, AKA Sounds, Duriop, Pullman Hotel Hill Street pool (city hall), $25
• DJ, HighHouse Fred E & XTVA (melodic techno & trance) , High House Rooftop Lounge 🗼@ 1 Raffles Place (old 1-altitude), $38
• DJ, NoSleepClub - Excessive heat ft DJs Moss and Nez Senja (rnb hiphop), No Sleep Club @ 20 Keong Saik Rd (outram/maxwell)
• DJ, Neon Pigeon - Mothers I’d Love To Feed., Neon Pigeon @ 36 Carpenter St (clarke quay)

 

Club Guest Performers 11

• DJ, ARK 11: AMBER NA 藍星蕾 (🇲🇾 chinese style edm) , ARK 11 Club @ Orchard Central Mall L11, IG 📸 $25
• DJ, .WAV(Y) Remixed Presents: DAVE NUNES (🇳🇱House, Afro, Baile Funk, and Amapiano) with PRAV, XG & KNRCK, Mortar & Pestle rooftop bar @ 269 South Bridge Rd, $27
• DJ, Cherry: Cherry Discotheque: How I met your mother? edm, 133 cecil st (cbd), $22
• DJ, Zouk: Slime Hip Hop Battle, Glithc, Popparazzi, zouk club clarke quay
• DJ, Marquee: Marquee Astrolab, marquee nightclub @ marina bay sands shoppes, $20
• DJ, Tipsy Unicorn Lizzy Wang (🇨🇳Tech House) , tipsy unicorn beach club, tix 🎟 $25
• DJ, ArtBeyond X CIEL: Electric Playa! Ft. Patrice Bäumel (🇩🇪 techno) & Guy Mantzur), Rumours Beach Club 🏖 @ 40 Siloso Bch Walk, Sentosa, tix 🎟 $48
• DJ HQ: Thugshop Presents - UFO95 [LIVE, 🇧🇪 techno], headquarters techno-house club @ 66A boat quay, $36

 

12 May, Sun - Mother's Day

• Concert at Botanic Gardens: SSO Mother’s Day Concert 2024 by Singapore Symphony Orchestra, singapore botanic gardens, shaw foundation symphony stage, free
• Retro Rani by Mediacorp 968, orchid country club, ballroom (yishun), $89
• Indie Hiphop Rnb: PRIVATE FUNCTION 5 - Fahmy., Lucky Levi, SUBHAS, Martin Spacely, CHRISKRIS, BCKNIP, AE$OP CA$H, Phil's Studio @ High Street Centre L3 (clarke quay/city hall), $16
• Indie Screamo, HC Grind Gig: ANGUISH IS FOR LOVER - 🇲🇾: TERDERITHA , Dasawarsa, Rugh, 🇸🇬: ANJING, Mordhau, C.A.S.S (Tibetan Punk Band) , moved to rad studio 345, new info $20
• Crust Punk: Subconscious (🇮🇩 Batam crust) ft Istilah, Vitriol, Topsy Turvy, lithe style (house) near rochor mrt, $20
• Jazzy Ukulele Mother's Day with Daniel Purnomo & Fabian Lee, Crane OCBC at Wisma Atria Orchard, $10 to $30
• SOTA Wind Ensemble x Dunman High Symphonic Band: Where the Sky Meets the Sea, Victoria Concert Hall, $10
• Choral: Songs From Our Childhood - an educational programme by The ROS Singers, National Library Building, Level 1, Lobby, free, dont worry if registrations are full - its open
• Strings & Melodies: A Family Musical Adventure with violinist Alexander Suptel and Alexandra Novicova, At 36/38 Armenian Street, $58 for 2
• Indie Theatre - Ancient Music Songs: An Open Work Session & Dialogue with Thomas Richards, Centre 42 at 42Waterloo Street, $20
• The Projector Cineleisure Orchard: Mother's Day w The Staircase Duo (pop, rock, acoustic), Projector X Golden Village No Spoilers Box Office Bar @ Cineleisure Orchard L5
• Indie Rock Math Pop Gig: Amberhill Motion & Bloom - Album Launch ft MAXIME & ELO ELO, Esplanade Recital Studio, tix 🎟 $25

Esplanade - Pesta Raya Malay Festival Last

• ES Music: Hidup Pop Yeh Yeh! (Long Live Pop Yeh Yeh!) by Dato’ Jeffrydin, Dato’ L. Ramli, S. Mariam & Masdo 🇲🇾, Concert Hall 8pm, $40
• ES Music: Dangdut Koplo Extravaganza! by Ochi Alvira & Syahiba Saufa 🇮🇩, Annexe Studio 5pm 8pm, $40 soldout
• ES Folk Music and Kids Storytelling: tikTOKtik – Children’s Storytelling by Kelana Purba, Indoor Concourse 230 345pm, free
• ES Music Children's: JUARA MIC JUNIOR di Pesta Raya by The Stars of JMJ, Outdoor Theatre 3pm 415pm, free
• ES Theatre - Bawang Putih Bawang Merah by by Teater Ekamatra, Waterfront Theatre, IG 📸 $45 soldout
• ES Dance: Mak Yong by Kumpulan Mak Yong Cahaya Matahari & PUSAKA, Waterfront Theatre Lawn 6pm, free
• ES Music: Irama Nostalgia with Angklung Empire, Indoor Concourse 630 730pm, free
• ES Music: Sanggar Seni by Kelana Purba and Makyong Kedek, Courtyard 640pm, free
• ES: The Cliffters with The Impian Batiks (60s band, malay, english songs) , Outdoor Theatre 7pm 815pm, free
• ES Music Workshop w Kids: Parent-Child Workshop: Angklung Fun! by Angklung Empire , Rehearsal Studio 11am, $30 for 2
  • Workshop for all: Angklung Workshop by Angklung Empire , Rehearsal Studio 2pm, $15
• ES Storytelling Kids: Tales from the Nusantara: The Legend of Hang Tuah and the White Crocodile by Malay Heritage Centre & Hafiz Rashid, PIP's PLAYbox 1145 3 415pm, free
• ES Activity: Self-guided Craft: Make Your Own Kad Raya! by Quirky Offdays, Indoor Concourse 2-5pm, free
• OTHERS
• Wanna Dance 2024: On Broadway - jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, musical theatre - by Jitterbugs, Kreta Ayer People's Theatre (maxwell, chinatown), $55

 

• DJ Party and Market: Slow Sundays Vol. 6 - Bring Your Own Mom BYOM, DJs Bongomann, Tasha, Tyler Made, FatCatHeartAttack & the 5210 PM Crew - Loyboy, LTLX, Juhvunnn, Tanglin Gin Jungle at Dempsey Hill, 26B Dempsey Rd (napier), free/bar
• DJ, W Hotels Sentosa Cove Aldrin
• DJ, Afro-Cuban Domingos ft DJ Yuma & DJ Cam, at Ziggy Zaggy 51 Kampong Bugis (kallang riverside park)

 

13 May, Mon

• elijah woods : ilu 24/7, 365 tour in Singapore, ESPLANADE Annexe Studio, $108
• Esplanade: Ebony & Ivory with Erwin Angullia featuring Nur Umairah on vocals (80s contemporary & movies, jazz-pop) Day 1 , Indoor Concourse, free
• Sonic Explorations - a collaboration with Eunoia JC MEP and What the Forte (contemporary, classical), Eunoia Junior College (bright hill), free

 

14 May, Tue

• Cool Cats Jazz: Homegrown Originals feat. Syakirah (jazz rnb pop classical), nco club @ 32 beach rd (esplanade), $20
• Simply Jazz: IRESON (Afro-Latin contemporary jazz), simply jazz @ CHIJMES B1 (City hall), free/book
• Esplanade: Ebony & Ivory with Erwin Angullia featuring Nur Umairah on vocals (80s contemporary & movies, jazz-pop) Day 2 , Indoor Concourse, free
• Avocado Piano - Candlelight Concert , Avocado Piano Studio at RV Point (fort canning, 233 River Valley Rod B1) , free,
• Story telling Competition: What's Your Story SLAM : FAMILY, the projector golden mile tower, , $40,
• Timbre+ One North Tribute Fest: One Night Only - Acoustic Tribute to Grunge, Blues, and Rock classics - Trevor Jalla (Ublues) and Danny Loong (Ublues & Raw Earth), Surath Godfrey (reverie), Rene Hombre (shirlyn + the unexpected), Timbre+ One North music food court/beer garden @ 73A Ayer Rajah Crescent (one-north), free

 

15 May, Wed

• Blackbird: Pre Tour Music Gig: Mantravine's Cosmic Goddess (tribal funk, psych), Blackbird Music Bar @ Gillman Barracks (labrador park), tix 🎟 free
• Melomania VII by What the Forte (contemporary music, experimental classical), Eunoia Junior College, tix 🎟, ) free
• Cool Cats Jazz: Hiro Maekawa Presents All About That Bass , nco club @ 32 beach rd (esplanade), $20
• Blu Jaz:The Monster Jazz Jam, Blu Jaz @ bali ln (bugis), free
• 15-21 May: ESPLANADE Workshop & Peformances: Day Out! @ with vocal coaches Dionne, Amanda and Deniece, and also bollywood dance crew Royalusion , Various locations around Esplanade, $27
• ESPLANADE: Nostalgia Colours by Khidir Surattee (singer-songwriter), Indoor Concourse, free
• DJ, Offtrack: DJ Itch - Soul Jazz Bossa Nova, 34 North Canal Rd (bs hong lim park, clarke quay), music gastro bar
• DJ, HighHouse Ladies who Lounge - DJ Tang & Li.A, High House Rooftop Lounge 🗼@ 1 Raffles Place (old 1-altitude)
• Ladies night at the other clubs ofc

 

16 May, Thu

• Cool Cats: Rai Maia presents Soul Sessions (neo-soul hiphop) - day 1 of 3, nco club @ 32 beach rd (esplanade), $28
• 15-21 May: ESPLANADE Workshop & Peformances: Day Out! @ with vocal coaches Dionne, Amanda and Deniece, and also bollywood dance crew Royalusion , Various locations around Esplanade, $27
• ESPLANADE: Rex (singer-songwriter, indie), Indoor Concourse, free
• Swee Lee Clarke Quay: Open Mic, Swee Lee Clarke Quay, free
• Mad & Midas: SHELF SESSIONS: Live Music featuring The Jukuleles, Mad & Midas cocktails @ 39 ann siang hill (maxwell), free
• (Thai) Club Slim AOF PONGSAK & POP PONGKOOL, Excelsior Shopping Ctr L2, (city hall, 5 coleman st opp funan)
• iki: ROYAL BEATZ - Afrobeats, Hip Hop, R&B, club iki @ ikigai izakaya riverwalk (clarke quay), free, .
• DJ, 🏳️‍🌈 TAURUS SUNZ: Welcome to The Waldorf! , Salud @ 19 Keong Saik Road (maxwell), $28
• DJ, Offtrack: Daryl Knows, 34 North Canal Rd (bs hong lim park, clarke quay), music gastro bar

 

• There's more but word limit and time constraints means i'll update again over the week. Check back again

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