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ace-oreos · 3 years

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For the prompt ask if you’re still doing it- alpha gets back from being tortured by ventress, Fordo’s there to pick up the pieces, both mentally and physically

I have to admit, I was excited to do this as soon as I read it - putting Alpha in a more uncertain situation like that and seeing how it develops is really fun. It’s also very challenging, which is partly why it’s so fun. @shadow-hyder was a huge help when I was stuck halfway through trying to navigate Alpha in an emotional situation we rarely see him in.

Prompts like this that make me explore new aspects of Alpha’s character are my favorite. 😁 So many thanks to you, anon!

I feel like I should mention that I was listening to Nonstop from Hamilton... well, nonstop right around the halfway point. So there may be a few vague references in there. XP

tw: mentions of blood (nothing graphic)

The barracks block is empty and silent, and Alpha-17 can only be grateful. He’s not ready to face anyone else.

Luckily, Fordo isn’t due back from the Mid Rim for a few weeks yet - Alpha made a point of checking not long after he was discharged from the medbay.

(It still isn’t enough time.)

(The most he can hope for is that he’ll be able to pull himself together long enough to ward off any concern.)

He forces himself to shower, rinses the last of the caked blood from his skin. The water would almost be soothing if it didn’t make the wounds littering his skin sting and burn. Proper medical treatment wouldn’t go amiss, but the idea of admitting to his vulnerability makes his stomach twist and his throat tight.

It’s nothing I can’t handle by myself, he decides, shoving away the doubt that’s already wormed its way into his thoughts.

It’s nothing he can’t handle when he wakes from a fiftful doze some hours later, damp with sweat and breath coming short. It’s nothing he can’t handle when scars that are just beginning to form break open and bleed anew when he pushes a little too hard during a solo training session. It’s nothing he can’t handle when he can’t bring himself to let his guard down long enough to sleep and instead paces the halls at all hours of the night.

At first, the quiet is a relief - time to process his thoughts he wouldn’t be afforded otherwise. But it becomes stifling over time, the silence that both presses in and somehow leaves too much room for him to think at the same time. The stark walls don’t offer shelter so much a reflection he’s not yet willing to see.

He almost misses Fordo, some days. Other days he can only be thankful that Fordo isn’t here, because his brother is the only one who would see that he’s falling apart at the seams.

_______________________

Training becomes an escape, of sorts, and Alpha throws himself into it for hours on end. He can almost convince himself that nothing has changed if it weren’t for the twinge and pull of half-healed wounds that leave thin trails of blood on his skin when he refuses to let up.

(It wasn’t enough last time.)

He suspects Fordo wouldn’t approve, but it’s for the best.

(He won’t make that mistake again.)

(He isn’t any less of a soldier than he was before, and sometimes he even recognizes as much, but then he remembers feeling utterly powerless and he can’t bring himself to stop.)

Alpha can’t shake the feeling that he’s running out of time somehow, so he attacks it the only way he knows how: relentless, single-minded, determined to find the vulnerability at its source and eliminate it.

He doesn’t know what he’s trying to prove, but he does know - all too well - it’ll keep eating away at him until he does something about it.

_______________________________

It doesn’t take long for Alpha to find comfort in his voluntary solitude. Training alone after hours lets him breathe again. It’s… calming, almost; nothing like the uneasy restlessness that overtakes him when he slows down a breath too long.

(You don’t know when to stop, Fordo warned him time and again - but he’ll have to eventually, and he doesn’t know what will happen when he does.)

He’s putting himself back together for the first time in his life, and he thinks it might just work if he were left to his own devices.

But Fordo, being the sort who would give his life for a brother without a second thought, never met a challenge he didn’t like to puzzle out so he could piece it together again his way. It’s only a matter of time before he adds himself to the equation, so Alpha isn’t as surprised as he should be when Fordo arrives unannounced just before reveille.

“I thought you were slugging it out with the CIS in the Mid Rim,” Alpha says slowly, not bothering to hide his bemusement.

Fordo shrugs. It’s not like him to evade the unspoken question, but there’s something his face Alpha can’t quite read. “We took their forward operating base a few days ago. My squad can manage without me.”

“Fordo…”

“We’re winding down anyways,” Fordo dismisses. “This wasn’t much of a haul as far as those things go.”

Never one to dance around an issue, Alpha asks pointedly, “So what are you doing here?”

Fordo’s silence is enough of an answer. The carefully neutral expression is gone, and Alpha doesn’t like the look playing across his brother’s face now.

“You shouldn’t - ”

“- have bothered?” Fordo interrupts. “Don’t give me that osik.”

“Your men need you.”

“And my brother doesn’t?”

“I thought you could figure it out for yourself,” Alpha returns.

“I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t,” Fordo counters.

Alpha closes his eyes against the rush of anger that overtakes him. He wouldn’t be half as furious if he didn’t know there was gratitude somewhere beneath it. I don’t need your help. He doesn’t need Fordo’s help, except -

Except he does, and it terrifies him to admit it, and there’s no chance Fordo will be fooled by any sort of front he puts on -

“Udesii, ner vod.” Fordo’s hands are raised, placating. “I know it’s not what you want, but let me worry about you just this once.”

“Because I could jeopardize the mission?” Alpha grinds out.

Something he’s tempted to mistake for hurt flashes across Fordo’s face. “Because I care.”

He doesn’t know how to respond to that, so he doesn’t even try.

___________________________

It’s a mark of how remarkably Fordo knows him that he isn’t put off when Alpha spurns his attempts to help. He navigates Alpha’s temper with steady patience Alpha has never seen before and responds with diplomacy to rival Kenobi’s. If he’s frustrated, he hides it well.

A few days and Alpha doesn’t bother taking out his residual anger on his brother. It’s not really directed at him, anyways - he just happens to be a convenient target for the deep-seated disquiet that’s been threatening to overwhelm Alpha for weeks now.

Alpha doesn’t resist when Fordo drags him to the mess hall, more for his brother’s peace of mind than his own. It’s still too much of a crowd for his taste, but letting Fordo have his way spares him a great deal of aggravation.

Fordo doesn’t press him for conversation, which suits Alpha fine. Bad enough that there’s been plenty of time for rumors and speculation to circulate the ranks; the last thing he wants is to recount everything that happened after Jabiim. Some days Fordo relays his squad’s latest doings, and Alpha can’t help but smile despite himself.

It’s early enough that the mess hall is nearly empty aside from a handful of pilots just returned from a simulation. Alpha is forced to admit, however grudgingly, that Fordo might’ve been on to something, insisting that they come so early.

“You should eat,” Fordo adds halfway through what’s shaping up to be a long-winded account of a recent misadventure on the other side of the galaxy.

Alpha shrugs noncommittally in response. “‘M not that hungry.”

Fordo looks skeptical. “How long are you going to keep this up?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Alpha mutters, studying the table so he doesn’t have to meet his brother’s eyes.

“You’re impossible,” Fordo says under his breath with an eye roll to match. He shoves his own plate towards Alpha. “Go on.”

Alpha swallows a few mouthfuls without complaint. As is his standard now, it’s for Fordo’s sake more than his own. No doubt Fordo knows exactly what he’s doing, but his brother doesn’t question it.

__________________________

Fordo joins him to train now. He follows Alpha’s lead and goes about it in grim silence, but there’s something companionable about it nonetheless.

Alpha soon takes to challenging Fordo over the training droids. An organic opponent is more complex; another Alpha ARC means it’ll be a good fight. Fordo doesn’t hold back by any means, but he’s mindful that Alpha isn’t quite back to top form yet.

It would be a lot easier if he didn’t feel every pull and strain when he and Fordo are locked body-to-body or when he’s slammed to the floor because he couldn’t dodge his brother’s attack in time. Afterwards he’s careful to hide the new scars that have opened again, dressing the wounds when Fordo is out of sight.

He’s cursing at a length of bandages that he can’t quite secure one-handed when the door slides open. Bracing himself for the lecture, Alpha lifts his chin.

Fordo, to his credit, takes it in stride. “Let me give you a hand with that.”

Alpha fights the urge to pull away when Fordo touches his arm. He’s careful, gentle, but Alpha’s skin burns with the contact. Thankfully, Fordo knows what he’s doing and doesn’t take longer than he needs to; Alpha’s hands are shaking by the time his brother sits back.

“It’s okay, ner vod,” Fordo says softly.

It isn’t yet, but Fordo is here with him, and Fordo is hurting with him too. Alpha can’t express it, but he nods anyways, and he sees in his brother’s eyes that he understands.

__________________________

Fordo is unusually quiet, even for 0500 and barely six hours of sleep. Alpha still prefers to conduct their meals in near silence, but he’s become accustomed to Fordo’s idle chatter. Their corner of the mess feels odd without it.

Just as he’s readying himself to speak, Fordo draws a deep breath and says, “I got new op orders last night.”

“It was bound to happen,” Alpha answers like it doesn’t cut far deeper than he expected.

“Given the chance I would’ve sent this one on,” Fordo continues slowly, “but I’ve got a squad waiting for me.”

And we don’t have forever.

“Don’t worry about it,” Alpha assures. “I get it.”

A look of relief crosses his brother’s face like he had something to feel guilty about in the first place. “Vor entye, ner vod.”

Alpha allows himself a smile. “Someone has to keep your di’kute in line.”

Fordo laughs at that. “You’re telling me.” Then his face becomes pensive. “What about you?”

“I’m lucky to have made it this far without Kenobi asking when I’ve got time to help him win over another unsuspecting Senator. I’m sure I’ll have a new assignment soon enough.”

Fordo turns his fork over in his fingers. “We could always use another soldier.”

It’s not an offer he extends lightly, Alpha knows. He’s tempted to take him up on it, but…

“I appreciate it. Really, I do.” He hesitates as he mulls over how to phrase it. “But I have things sorted out now. And…”

Fordo smiles. There’s an edge of regret to it, but it’s genuine. “Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

“I will,” Alpha promises.

Fordo’s gone by the next morning. They don’t waste time on goodbyes; neither of them put much stock by promises that can’t be kept.

After so many days of his brother’s quiet company, his quarters are strangely empty. The silence isn’t the refuge it was, but it’s not hostile, either, like it’s still holding on to some part of his brother’s presence. It’s still comforting in its own right, but not in the way he’d imagined.

It’ll be back to the front soon enough. He can only guess what the war will throw at him next, but if he’s lucky, it won’t be long before he sees Fordo again. He hasn’t properly thanked his brother yet, and he’s curious to see if his brother’s squad lives up to their reputation. It’ll certainly be interesting, Alpha thinks.

Vode an.

#alpha-17 #alpha 17 #captain fordo #the clone wars #star wars #fanfic prompt #thanks for the prompt!#i had so much fun with this one #my askbox is open!

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kitsoa · 5 years

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Can you expand on the KHUX/Wreck-it-Ralph/5th realm of thought line of analysis? I'm sure your head is spinning too because this is veering into seriously supernatural territory but I'm struggling to wrap my head around it o.o

Hiya! I’ll see what I can manage. I assume you are referring to my post about the WiR/”Metacatastrophe” jazz I posted right when that stuff was going down. I’ll say for the record that we haven’t gotten much corroboration on this fact since this was revealed, but I still think this realm of speculation holds up. Of course it runs on this underlying plot twist that the KH world exists as a video game and is become keen to that fact, be it through the characters or the audience. But honestly, this doesn’t even have to be the big endgame twist for this to work (though it is evidence to support the twist).

I’m gonna walk through the post in a little more detail.

So essentially, the question posed is Why is Daybreak Town glitching?

The recent updates just before the Game Central Station reveal started with visual glitches, bug-block heartless, and shoddy quality replays of certain events in DT history. Elements that made certain to the entire cast that they were in digital territory. So the first assumption that comes up is-- hey, are we in digital-DT? Because assuming that they somehow, without knowledge jumped to the data-version of Daybreak is probably the most possible and logical answer. It is worth mentioning that this is actually a common theory about the Daybreak Town KHUX situation in general. As the glitching evidence came into light, it was interpreted that this was going to get confirmed, until Brain started contradicting us. In a way, we are finally addressing a common misconception/theory that everything in KHUX is happening in a simulation (as opposed to only a fraction of the events).

But Brain does not accept that easy conclusion. He insists that just because things are digital, does not mean that they are in data-DT. And we viewers have to stay keen to the fact that this was brought up at all. Because this stipulation from a writing perspective is only useful to either 1.) characterize Brain in some form for ill or good or 2.) state a truth under the guise of a theory (or 3. both).It is safe to say that Brain has a level of honesty and curiosity in terms of the scientific efforts. It comes from a genuine place no matter his intention, and if Brain is to be trusted on matters of scientific befuddlement then we can trust his refusal of the easy ‘They are in Data-Daybreak Town’ assumption. He’s not just stirring the pot.

As a writer, we do not shoot down the easiest assumption just to complicate things. We do it to change the question.

So let’s believe Brain’s theory. The Daybreak Town they are in is real. And it is glitching.

New question: Why is Real Daybreak Town Glitching?

Well that comes down to some deduction and analyzing Brain’s theory-- which is more likely completely right than anything.

Brain blames the connection to the new world.

He proceeds to explain how the Disney Worlds are connected to Daybreak Town in the first place. A factoid that could have been clarified much earlier without this context, but came about naturally in the conversation. Both from the organic conversation and narrative standpoint, It’s important to know how the worlds connect to Daybreak Town in order to understand that the connect being formed here is deviating from that process. We as the audience need to accept that this world is foreign.

Usually, the Disney Worlds are connected in their past incarnations to Daybreak Town in a manner that appears to be almost physically. Traversal between worlds is possible but practically unattainable. After the war, the connection was completely shattered and they are definitively unreachable and isolated. Point being established: Game Central Station is not a world typically connected to the Real Daybreak Town. It does not exist in this ancient sphere and nor is it in the Book of Prophecies which depicts the futures of worlds connected to DT.

So then we ask: And what about Game Central Station would make it digitize and glitch out an entire world?

And the answer is kind of obvious. Game Central Station is a digital world. It, like Space Paranoids, or Data-Twilight Town, is explicitly a data fabrication. So how could a Data World interact with a Real World? Within Kingdom Hearts universe logic... it can’t interact. Things can traverse between the two but, the world completely assimilating another is unheard of. Data Worlds have servers and terminals that are subservient to the real world (because they exist in the real world as a portal). The connection form is one that is not... passively produced. So we stop running on KH universe logic and go on Wreck-it-Ralph universe logic.

And that logic is pretty simple too. Video Games... hook up to an outlet. Cross-over happens. They talk, and interact. That’s how WiR works. So from... Ralph’s perspective... Ephemera and the gang are just a bunch of JRPG video game protagonists who got connected to the GCS. And... we just have to accept the fact that somehow... Ralph is right.

And that’s a little more than wild. Because he is right. They are.

How did a Data World connect to a Real World? -- it connected on their end?

Why is Daybreak Town glitching? --because it’s being interpreted as a data world via a data world. It’s either being digitized or it was in the most macro sense... (and meta sense) never real in the first place.

It could explain why important scenes are being flickered on the screen. They are actual cutscenes being layered onto the world. The heartless spawns are data versions because the universe is having a literal existential crisis.

---

If we want to have some real fun, we have to... get into the WiR side of thing. Where KHUX exists as a game in their world. And that it somehow connects plug-in, internet, you name it to a subworld-- that is not alternate to prime KH reality but in fact synonymous. That would bring about this extra... dimension of thought, where KHUX is shared by a mutual universe in it’s form, and there’s interchange of understanding... and dude it gets wild.

The most tame interpretation has to do with the metaphysics of a digital reality simply forcibly interacting a real reality by nature of it’s laws. But that doesn’t really explain the catalyst for the connection. They didn’t just bump into each other and figure out which crossover rules to obey... at least we can’t assume that happened yet.

As you can see, that does go down a rabbit hole. But man am I adamant. This is probably the biggest break in my (and many other’s) meta-catastrophe theory to date and we have to wonder if it’s gonna get a tame, but vague explanation to save the reveal for a mainline game or if it’s gonna boldly make it the worst kept secret.

#kingdom hearts #dude thank you for the question #this is still the wildest thing #khux theory #khux spoilers #Game Central Station #kh theory #kh meta #annis-k

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angeltriestoblog · 4 years

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I went from reluctant leader to ACTM officer!

Kind of a late update but after what seemed like an endless discernment period and an unforgivably rigorous application process (on my part), I’m officially the Ateneo Association for Communications Technology Management’s Associate Vice President for Documentations! And yes, I’m aware that’s a mouthful so from this point on, I am referring to myself as ACTM’s AVP for Docs.

I honestly did not see this coming though: Freshman Angel stuck out like a sore thumb in her home org. In addition to finding all upperclassmen intimidating as I do with anyone born at least a day before me, I felt like I was just… not feeling it most of the time. All I lacked was a button that read “I really wish I weren’t here right now!” pinned to my shirt. It was only when I was a sophomore, familiar with the organization’s events and able to see them up close that I realized that I didn’t remember going through most of them myself. Although I’m pretty sure I was present because it was mandatory for all new members, I don’t recall going to a general assembly, being briefed on the different departments within the org, and especially being taught what our core competency was. I was very content with doing the bare minimum as a Docs Head: going to meetings to take minutes and do registration, nagging at the project heads and point people to submit the necessary requirements for post-documentations, and smiling shyly and saying “I’m ok!” when people asked me how I was.

Although I was much more active in my second year, I never realized I wanted to increase my level of involvement until I went to LEAP, the three-day leadership training seminar in Zambales I raved about in my first semester recap blog post. It was there when I noticed the home aspect that ACTM prides itself on: everybody—regardless of batch and predetermined social circle—bonding in more ways than one, both with and without the influence of alcohol, just having a great time and joking around like they’ve been friends forever. I saw just how much ACTM was investing in me to help me realize that maybe I could be an officer too. Maybe I could contribute to the great culture that makes us so much of a family. But of course, that thought quickly found its way to the backburner the minute we boarded the bus back to Manila.

I never really saw myself as leader material after several failed stints in my old school: I was the secretary who forgot to ask the teacher to sign the attendance sheet, or the vice president that ran out of the classroom first during earthquake drills when I was supposed to be last in line to check if all appliances were off. (In my defense, it was an act of self-preservation.) I didn’t realize it then while I was busy wreaking havoc in every homeroom class I found myself in but when I finally grew up, for the lack of a better term, I came to the conclusion that being put in charge of a group of people would only bring disastrous consequences and I didn’t want anyone involved in that.

Fast forward to several months later: I had an individual consultation with my boss Chelsea, the previous holder of my current position, to help with her plans in running for vice president of our department. Somewhere along the way, she tapped me to fill her shoes—a request that was met with a high-pitched “WEH?” that probably shocked everyone on the third floor of MVP that day. I had been diligently doing my work for two years, she said, just as long as she has so I knew enough about the processes. Back then, I was very preoccupied with two other extracurricular commitments and had plans of joining three more the next school year. My goals and ambitions were all over the place and I guess it reflected in the way I skirted around the topic because she just patted my knee (throwback to the time when physical contact was still acceptable) and told me to think about it. Real hard.

I guess this lockdown period also served as the time for discernment I needed: I weighed the pros and cons, made the necessary trade-offs, and got the insights of those I trusted, mostly by pestering them with uppercase keyboard smashes. I’d think I had a final decision one day then wake up the next, completely changing my stance. It’s not like I didn’t want to serve—I guess I just wasn’t giving myself permission to believe I could. I can’t really pinpoint when it happened but one day, my brain went: “What the heck. What could possibly go wrong?”

—

After making the decision to run, I felt at peace, no longer overthinking about every single thinking that could possibly go wrong, just eager for the day application season would formally start. Well, that is until I received the actual notification from the Ateneo ACTM page that said a Facebook group for all AVP aspirants had been made. I tossed my laptop aside and started yelling, much to the dismay of my mother who was on the receiving end of all this panic. Over the next few days, I would watch the electoral talk that followed, a webinar of sorts that basically gave a rundown of the process we would have to go through should we want to take on the challenge.

One of my requirements was a long-ass form complete with questions about myself, my leadership skills, the department, and the organization. I remember looking through the platforms of the Executive Board applicants during the first wave of elections and saying to myself, “Wow, I hope I don’t have to fill up something that long. I would cry my ass off!” only to find out that I would have to submit almost an exact replica of that and truly enough, cry my ass off. While Noelle, our EVP, was glossing over everything, I took these pictures on my laptop’s photo booth to express my frustration and sent them to my friend Julia, who was also watching via Zoom. I was actually very paranoid that I had my video on during the call and would end up exposing my contorted facial expressions to all 70 people watching the livestream. Thankfully, the universe was merciful enough to be on my side at the time.

Believe me, I wanted to get started with the work the minute the virtual meeting ended: I felt like I needed to so everything wouldn’t pile up and paralyze me on the day of the deadline. But even early on, I was already pretty overwhelmed and I couldn’t bring myself to do anything. So I lay down on my bed for the rest of the night and played Ribs by Lorde on repeat. It was an effective coping mechanism then but I instantly regret it the next day once I realized just how much time I had wasted doing nothing when there was so much to be accomplished.

I answered the introspective questions pretty quickly: thanks to my sense of self-awareness, I was able to identify my strengths and weaknesses well. What I really struggled with was the platform. I couldn’t generate any original ideas that I felt could solve the problems I spotted—I had wondered if I could just copy paste Chelsea’s platform and add comments such as “Same” or “RT” on the side and call it a day. Thankfully, this is what individual consultations were for. I contacted Elise, a co-Docs Head from the previous school year, and Gella, my boss back in freshman year and both were kind enough to bounce ideas off me and give me reassurance that the working drafts I had in my mind were actually worth executing. With their insight (and a lot of ice cream), I was able to finish my application form days before I expected to.

I also wrapped up shooting my platform presentation ahead of schedule. I couldn’t find any decent background at home besides this one cabinet but I failed to notice that part of its door was actually faded until I was already done filming. In an attempt to hide it in a way that still appeared on-brand, I slapped some star and cloud stickers on the video and claimed that it matched my own name. The only obstacle I had to overcome was practicing for my panels.

The fact that my question and answer session with the Executive Board was to held be online instead of in-person given our circumstances was supposed to comfort me somehow. But either way, not knowing which answers were going to be expected of me gave me a great deal of anxiety. To stave off this irrational fear, I prepared a Quizlet with 27 potential questions or points for clarification on one side, and my response on the other, which I rehearsed with just the right amount of uh’s and um’s interspersed to make it look as spontaneous as possible. Maybe my greatest sacrifice though was boycotting any TV shows or movies until I was done presenting because even the most mindless programming could take away precious brain cells needed to retain more important information.

On the day of my actual interview, I was feeling pretty confident. I had gone the extra mile by preparing an hour early and recording videos of myself answering my imaginary questions on my laptop camera. This way, I felt like I was simulating the actual experience. But not even this form of planning could have prepared me for the real deal. I wish I could tell you more about how it went but I was so nervous that I blacked out. I vaguely remember puckering my lips and flashing a peace sign every time I didn’t know the answer to something and had to respond with, “I will look into that if I ever get the position.” I also remember that not a single one out of the 27 questions I had committed to memory was asked.

As expected, I was the most relieved when it was over, I didn’t even feel embarrassed until much later on. I got out of my smart casual attire, slipped into some pajamas, watched a movie, and finished the tub of Coffee Crumble waiting in the freezer as a reward. Two days later, I had received a message from Chelsea asking if she could call me. My friend Iverson had said that results are announced to all applicants via phone call before being released to the public at night. It’s not a clear indicator that I was the one they chose, which was horrifying because who wants to be rejected over the phone? My younger self hated Joe Jonas and what he did to Taylor Swift for precisely this reason!

Thankfully, I was only met with good news. Chelsea had told me that I had been chosen by the Executive Board and I was ACTM’s new AVP for Docs. I hadn’t eaten breakfast at the time despite the fact that it was 10 minutes to noon at the time so it took a while for my nutrient-deprived brain to generate the appropriate reaction. The joy kicked in eventually: I jumped up and down and yelled I’M SO HAPPY so many times once the call ended that the words have started to lose meaning.

Since then, I’ve spent my time familiarizing myself with my roles and responsibilities while getting to know everyone else on the team. I’ve had a video call via Google Meets with the people in my department where we leveled off, got to know one another better, and set our goals for the year as we watched Chelsea eat pasta. Very wholesome! EC Wars was also pretty fun: all eight departments of the organization were head-to-head in different challenges. It kinda reminded me of high school intramurals but with less broken friendships. We had to auction one another a la Unsubtle Syota Searching, make a Tiktok introducing our department, its relevance and the roles of each member (which officially launched my career as the org’s official Kris Aquino impersonator), and had a chaotic game of Bring Me through Facebook Messenger. Yes, it’s possible but not if you’re a PLDT subscriber! I also got put in a group with other members of the EC for an activity where we had to make an IMC campaign for a chosen advocacy. As the Mind Readers (named as such because of the multiple instances we sent the exact same message at the same time), we were assigned to tackle sustainable fashion and I have to say that our finished product was, as Dani Rosales herself would call it, “hot”.

This week, we’re on to the more serious stuff: revising internal procedures, refining platform points, etc etc. The fear caused by my self-doubt is further compounded by our current situation, which is keeping us from performing our tasks the way we envisioned we would. But I am a hundred percent confident that since I’m with the right people and we’re all doing the very best we can, it’s going to be one crazy fulfilling year ahead for all of us. I’m endlessly grateful to ACTM for taking a chance on me! Shoutout, of course, to: (1) Chelsea for serving as the final push I needed to decide that serving this organization is what I wanted to do; (2) all my friends who told me I had nothing to worry about while I was being neurotic and who were the first to congratulate me and say that they told me so; and (3) my parents who listened to my rants even if they were 90% org-related jargon.

Wishing you all love and light,

Angel

#quarantingz #personal?? actually ewan #angeltriestoblog #life dump #angel tries to be a leader #hopefully angel succeeds

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tathrin · 6 years

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For a lighthearted scene, I have two characters debating who is the better pilot: Poe vs Han Solo from Star Wars. (I realize Poe has a more maneuverable fighter, bit taking into account both fighter capacity and sheer skill). I know nothing about Star Wars and Google isn't helping. What do you think? Any major battles I can refer to for research?

Okay strap-in because you asked me a Star Wars question so…rambling ahoy!

I’m probably (okay definitely) biased, because I’ve spent several decades reading about Han Solo and his piloting and my exposure to Poe’s consists of all of one movie plus a few comics – but I would say Han, personally, just because he flies so much outside the box. And I don’t just mean he’s an idiosyncratic pilot who comes up with unorthodox techniques; I mean he literally flies ships in ways they are not meant to be flown. Regularly.

There’s a quote that comes to mind (and I may be paraphrasing slightly because I’m pulling it from memory, but): “That has to be Solo. No one else thinks a stock-freighter is a snubfighter.” And that’s why I’m putting him over Poe.

Because as good as Poe is as a pilot, Han regularly takes ships miles beyond their specs – and does it well. He’s not just good, he’s insane. Stock light freighters are not snubfighters; they don’t have the maneuverability or the weapons for close-combat engagements. Even when they’re tricked-out with extra armaments, it’s so they can defend themselves from pirates and flee – not so they can cruise into snubfighter engagements and shoot TIEs out of the sky. But Han does this so regularly that people start to expect it. Like “oh that’s the Millennium Falcon, they’ll come help us out in this fight!” or even “oh that’s the Millennium Falcon, we’ll take that with us when we go up against the Second Death Star in a massive space battle!” That’s not the type of ship that should be going into combat…but Han does it so often that people just nod and accept it as an okay thing to do. By the way it is not an okay thing that people should do.

(And yeah, he caught Vader by surprise…but there still aren’t a lot of people who can say they’ve shot down Darth Vader. Heck, there aren’t a lot of people who can say they’ve caught Vader by surprise, but Han and Chewie did it!)

As for direct battles to refer to, I’m not going to be much help because all of the battles that I know about exist in a canon where Poe doesn’t exist. Because they’re from the old Legends EU, which is defunct now. (Sadness.) However, you can always bring up the shooting-down-Darth-Vader-thing as that’s from the movies so it counts…and of course, the Kessel Run thing is a big deal, much as it gets played for jokes: he managed to fly so close to the event horizon of a bunch of black holes that he actually shaved distance off his flight path (without getting consumed by said black holes) which is…pretty impressive. And crazy. (And also perhaps no longer canon ummm maybe check on that.) But hey, you can definitely bring up the 3720-to-one odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field, because not a lot of people could survive flying that and that was in the movies as well, so it’s definitely canon!

(He did once outfly Boba Fett in the Dark Empire comic too…which again my bias is showing, but that’s pretty damn impressive in my book!)

So I would focus the conversation on the madness that is Han Solo’s piloting, for sure; because while flying a snubfighter well is impressive, flying a ship in ways that the ship wasn’t even designed to do is just nuts, especially when you do it over and over again instead of just when under duress and don’t have a choice. Because it’s one thing to shoot down TIEs when they’re swarming at you, and something else altogether to go chase those TIEs down willingly when you’re in a ship that has no business going up against fighters like that.

Especially because his ship is usually falling apart at the time, too. People tend to be pretty impressed that he can even manage to keep the Falcon in the air, honestly…let alone fly it well enough to shoot down crack Imperial snubfighters.

The fact that Han (again, in Legends chronology) also figures out how to fly and manage capital ships is a big mark in his favor too, because they operate very differently from snubs (or light freighters pretending to be snubs lol) and as far as I know, Poe has only ever done snubfighters. As far as I know, mind you!

Vaguely Relevant Story Time: at one point (in defunct Legends chronology) a Rebel base was evacuating too slowly and a star destroyer was going to pound them, so a few X-Wing and A-Wing pilots fake-up a weird shield/energy signature and broadcast some staticky communications to make it sound like they’re an escort of fighters trying to sneak a breaking-down Millennium Falcon with Princess Leia onboard out of the area before the Imps can detect them, and the Imperial captain’s reaction is basically “this makes no sense – but that sounds legit because nothing Solo does makes sense, quick break off the attack on the base and go after that ship!” At one point he asks his sensor-techs if the specs they’re reading match the Falcon’s sensor profile and the response is basically “umm…we have at least four different sensor profiles on record for this ship over the last three years alone, sooo…no?”

At another point, in order to infuriating an egotistical post-Imperial Warlord, some of those same pilots – with Han’s blessing and Chewie’s help – mock-up a different YT-1300 freighter to look like the Falcon and fly it around to annoy this dude (they call it the Millennium Falsehood) and just the nonsense that goes on with this escapade is…pretty damn epic. And at one point involves a protocol droid wearing a Han Solo-facemask and impersonating his voice. This has actually very little relevance to Han’s piloting abilities…but is one of my favorite tricks ever pulled by any of the Rebel pilots, so I’m sharing it anyway because it’s a good story and does at least support the idea that people think of Han as a good and utterly unpredictable pilot, because the Imps at no point suspected that it wasn’t actually Han flying around on these ridiculous missions despite the fact that he was supposed to be managing an entire fnarling taskforce at the time and had no business taking his ship out on risky solo (ha) jaunts like these wtf dude.

Also Han (in Legends; I have no idea if this part of his backstory remains canon now) attended the Imperial Academy, which means he once flew TIE fighters when he was younger, and anyone who can survive flying those tincans…well! Let’s just say that attrition among TIE pilots is hella high and leave it at that. (They have no shields; that’s why they’re faster than X-Wings. No hyperdrives or ejection life support either, so not only will you go up in a ball of flaming gas if you get shot, you can’t eject and you can’t escape. Talk about a deathtrap…)

At any rate, the fact that people like Wedge Antilles (arguably the greatest snubfighter pilot in the Rebellion, at least in my opinion!) respected Han’s piloting to the degree that he did means that his reputation was not unearned.

tl;dr in technical terms, Poe is probably the “better” pilot. In terms of what the fuck just happened was that even a ship??? however Han Solo wins hands-down because while Poe might be able to outfly him in a straightforward one-on-one simulator match…Han Solo doesn’t fly straightforward ever. He’s a maverick pilot who makes his ships do things that they should not be able to do. So no matter how good of a stick-jockey Poe is (and I do believe he’s a good one), Han ranks as a better pilot in my book due to his audacity and unorthodox tactics because he flies ships in ways that other people cannot. In ways that, in fact, those ships cannot. But in Han’s hands, they do. Somehow.

…erm so I hope that lengthy ramble helped? I will be glad to answer follow-ups or tangents if you have more questions! And I apologize for the verbosity lol.

@andspiders

#(posting this one publicly so i can also call in my friend who is even more of a han solo expert than me!)#(she can add or correct as needed)#(although to be fair she has read even less New Canon than me so her help will also be limited #(sorry)#(legends eu forever!)#star wars #han solo #poe dameron #legends eu #overzelos

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