#heavy jacob ryan influence

[miss617]

I've been having a rough relationship with art lately, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of it. So, here be some art and some lore for my fanfic.

[newgenog]

REVENGE

Notes: This is part one of chapter three. If you're just stumbling across this, and haven't already done so, please stop and start by reading part one of chapter one.

This is a #Batwoman AU based on the ABC tv series #Revenge. The character parallels are pretty neat. So I'm reimagining a world where Ryan Wilder has a more intentional pursuit of vengeance.

Spoiler alert: she is not the caped crusader in this #fanfic. 

Each Friday, I post portions of my (very long 😅) chapters on Tumblr, and post their conclusion (the final part) on A03 with the complete chapter.

Okay, enough reminders and such. Y'all ready? Here it goes!

CHAPTER THREE - BETRAYAL (Part One)

Summary: Before he can announce his intent to run for Mayor, Robyn Wilde makes it her mission to destroy the life of the District Attorney that decided to bring criminal charges against her for the events that led to her mother’s death when she was the child known as Ryan Wilder.

PRESS DAY

DA Sionis: “Thank you all for joining me here for this press conference. Some of you have been supporting me in any way you could since I became District Attorney. I’ve had to make some tough calls, and you’ve always trusted my judgment. We know government and law enforcement isn’t for the weak, and I’ve always been committed to standing strong in our shared value system, for you, my friends and constituents. I know everyone has been wondering if I’m going to announce my run for mayor. Mayor Castellanos was at times short sighted, and limited his influence. We need a mayor that values our law enforcement. We need to eliminate those responsible for making Gotham wild, run down, drug infested, and unsafe. We need to get back to the structure that came from traditional families. These progressives who have no regard for the principles Gotham was built upon, and these criminals who don’t contribute to our society and instead bleed us dry with their subsidized living, have taken over our city. We need to take it back.”

Roman Sionis pauses to allow the audience to applaud for his heavy handed approach to law enforcement. He’s been reading a script off of a tablet on the podium in front of him. The screen turns black and large, white font appears where his lines once were. 

ROMAN SIONIS! IF YOU ANNOUNCE YOUR CANDIDACY TONIGHT THE WORLD WILL SEE THIS. 

~~~~~

3 DAYS EARLIER

Ryan walks down the stairway that lands in the back of The Hold Up, near the manager’s office. The door is closed, and the lights are off. She continues towards the center of the bar, and no one is around. It’s night time, and it's odd that there isn’t an evening crowd. She continues towards the front doors, and before she can exit, lights flash through the opaque windows, and the doors burst open with armed, bullet proof vested men. Jacob Kane is at the center of them. 

Jacob: “Ryan Wilder, you’re under arrest for identity theft, fraud, and perjury. We know everything. And if you thought for one minute that you could destroy my family without me figuring you out, you were sadly mistaken.”

One of the men captures her arm, placing it behind her back, and turns her around, so that he can cuff both wrists. Sophie is behind the bar with a confused, heartbroken expression. Her eyes well, and Ryan can see her choke out the word 'Ryan' in the form of a question. 

Ryan shoots up in a cold sweat, her sheets tossed to the floor. Selina bounds onto her bed and climbs into her lap, meowing in concern. 

Ryan: “It’s okay Selly. It was just a dream. We’re okay.”

She pets the cat’s head, comforting them both, and the feline crawls up so that she can nuzzle into Ryan’s neck. 

Ryan: “I’m glad you’re here too.” 

Ryan looks over at the clock, while rubbing Selina’s back, and sees that it’s after 8 a.m. 

Ryan: “Should we go check on your mom?”

She accepts the purr as an agreement, and sets Selina down so that she can pull herself together and prepare to head downstairs, while trying to shake the feeling that her world is about to be rocked. 

~~~~~

Ryan takes the same path down the stairs that she did the night before, and then again in her dream, reminding herself that the last time was just that: a dream. When she hits the landing, the office door is open, and the lights are on. She drops Selly off, and continues towards the bar, looking for whomever is around to check-in with. 

She finds the Moore sisters sitting at a round table for four. Sophie is trying to convince Jordan that she’s not responsible for her mother’s current state. Ryan leans against the bar, waiting for them to finish their conversation, appreciating Sophie's natural caregiver tendencies. She's not the lanky teen that stayed out of trouble, yet tried to save Ryan from herself more than once anymore, but she's still doing what she can to support everyone around her. 

Jordan: “You were right. I did this. I’ve been immature and selfish.”

Sophie: “No offense, but you’ve been a teenager…”

Jordan: “If I was more like you, I would have been here to help out. Mom wouldn’t have run herself into the ground trying to do everything by herself.” 

Sophie: “You know that’s not true. I was here last night, and she was still driving everyone in the kitchen crazy. Mom’s going to do what she wants.” 

Jordan: “I don’t even understand how we got here.”

Sophie: “We’re really not great at talking about health stuff. It’s pretty common for Black moms to be strong for everyone, and only share what’s going on when it’s an emergency, or when they’re not the ones telling the story. I think Mom’s been keeping how serious things are from us to protect us.” 

Jordan: “How is this protecting us? Being completely caught off guard, feeling like I could have done more…that’s not helpful!” 

Sophie: “I know Jordan. Trust me.”

Ryan doesn’t want to interrupt, but she also doesn’t want to pry. This seems like the best moment to make her presence known.

Ryan: “Hey…”

Sophie: “Robyn! Hey!”

Sophie looks at Ryan as though seeing her is the first good thing to happen in a while. 

Ryan: “Are you ladies doing okay? How’s Ms. Moore?”

Sophie: “She’s alright, but also not great. She had a mild stroke last night. Apparently, her blood pressure has been out of whack for a while, and she was at increasing risk for something like this to happen. But she's going to be fine.”

It's clear she doesn't want to worry her sister, but Sophie's poker face wouldn't have helped her hide that the deck was stacked against her. Ryan moves closer to the table, automatically, but stops short, fighting back the urge to reach out.

Ryan: “I’m so sorry…”

Sophie: “Me too. She’s still at the hospital, but just under observation to make sure her blood pressure is stable. Thank you by the way, for your help last night, and for taking care of our little runaway cat.” 

Sophie's phone rings before Ryan can respond. She turns the phone around so the other women can see the name of the caller.

Ryan: "Guess her ears were burning."

Sophie gets up, too anxious to sit while she talks to her mom, and Ryan finally closes the distance to take her vacant seat. 

Ryan: “How are you holding up?” 

Jordan: “I’m not really.” 

Ryan places a hand on top of Jordan’s. She feels like she knows her. Sophie used to talk about her all the time.

Ryan: “I lost my mom when I was younger than you are. So, I get that this is really scary. I also know what it’s like to have a mom who is willing to die for you. It’s a blessing to be loved that much by someone. So, we can be angry at them for putting our lives ahead of theirs, or we can choose to love on them as hard as possible, because we never really know how long we have with anyone, and the time we do have is a gift.” 

This is the advice her mama would want her to give: to help Jordan choose to love instead of being angry with herself and her mom. Jordan nods, understanding, and wipes away the tears that had finally fallen. 

Jordan: “Thanks. I should probably help Sophie get us ready. Mom would hate it if she ended up in the hospital trying to keep this place running and we didn’t even open the doors because of that.”

Ryan grins at her, and then her phone vibrates. She pulls it out of her back pocket to read the notification. 

Kate's cell: Hope you don't mind that I'm bringing Mary with me to brunch. She insists on getting to know you better. See you at 10.

Ryan: "I've got to get going anyway. Tell Sophie…"

Jordan gives Ryan time to search for what she wants to say, and watches her tighten her lips like she’s trying to keep the words she comes up with from spilling out. Ryan knows she's walking a thin line, and can already hear Luke's disappointed warning. Jordan decides to offer a suggestion.

Jordan: "You'll check on us later."

Ryan cracks a grateful smile, and Jordan raises with a bigger, knowing smile. 

Ryan: "I will check on you…"

Jordan: "See you later, then."

~~~~~

MARY KATE'S, 10AM ON SUNDAY

Ryan’s seated at Mary Kate’s, listening to the voices floating around her for any useful keywords worth tuning into. She's at a table set for four, angled so that she can see every corner of the dining room, as always. Some people don't like having their backs to the door. That isn't enough for Ryan. 

When her two brunchmates arrive, there's an addition to their party. Ryan imagines tossing the table in front of her over, and bounding across the room so she can hem the woman with the bob up by her trench coat, and slam her back against the wall until she’s struggling to breathe. Instead, she grips her seat, cocks her head to the side, and smiles, inviting an explanation. 

Kate: “Robyn! You beat us! Surprise?!”

Ryan raises her eyebrows, expecting her to expound, as Kate and Mary approach the table, and Beth trails behind them.

Mary: “Our parents are supporting who they believe will be the future Mayor in his campaign. He’s over our house strategizing. My mom wanted me and Kate to stay, to show off her well-to-do kids, and something about our generation demonstrating we take an interest in politics, but we told her we had plans. So thanks for letting me crash.”

Kate: “He’s an ass. I’d just end up arguing with him anyway.”

Ryan nods, somewhat following along, and Beth fills in what they’ve omitted. 

Beth: “Catherine didn’t want me to embarrass her. Without Marcia and Cindy there to manage Jan, our bunch isn’t so Brady. But don’t worry. Your theorizing about making responsible decisions that have a positive impact on society bores me. So I’ll be at the bar.”

Kate rolls her eyes at Beth's back as she purposefully strides over and plops onto a bar stool.

Kate: “Sisters…”

Ryan: “I wouldn’t know.”

Ryan forces herself to relax her shoulders, and picks up the menu, to busy her hands.

Mary: “It’s not all bad.” 

Mary grins towards Kate, who mirrors her smile. It’s obvious it means a lot to Mary to be included. Kate seems not to mind having her younger sister around, but Ryan gets the feeling she needs reminders to bring her along. 

Kate takes her seat, but Mary freezes in front of hers when she sees who Beth is sitting next to. Ryan follows her stare to the back of a long-haired brunette covered in leather from wrist to to knee boot, in the middle of summer. She returns to Mary, curiously.

Ryan: “Friend of yours?”

Mary: “Hardly.”

Kate finally looks up and, if it’s possible, becomes paler. 

Kate: “What the hell is she doing here?”

Mary: “And Beth would run straight to her…Unless she told her to come…”

Mary looks as though she’s considering backtracking to the door. 

Ryan: “Does someone want to fill me in?”

Mary and Kate turn to communicate with their eyes, and Mary finally takes her seat. 

Mary: “That’s Natalia Knight. She and Kate have history.”

Ryan: “An ex?”

Kate: “That’s too generous a label.” 

Ryan: “Consider me on the edge of my seat.” 

Ryan puts the menu down, and leans back in her chair, excited for the unexpected tea at this brunch.

Mary: “Nat and Beth partied together in high school. Nat wanted to be with Kate, and claimed she was going to leave behind her bad girl ways to win her over. But she’s a trickster with a knack for chemistry.”

Ryan: “What does that mean?”

Kate: “Ketamine. It’s her drug of choice. She’s like a siren, praying on anyone with the means to take care of her. She lures them in, and dopes them up with drugs she’s baked into her lipstick. One kiss, and you’re doing her bidding. Once you’re at her mercy, she keeps you there by slipping more into your drinks.”

Ryan: “And she’s still roaming the streets how?”

Kate: “There’s nothing concrete enough to stick. No one remembers what’s happened. No witnesses have ever come forward. It all just sounds like rumors and judgment against an emo girl who has less than the rich girls she hangs out with.” 

Mary: “No one remembers but me.” 

Ryan: “So, something happened.” 

Mary glances at Kate, who's looking through the menu as though it's transparent and she can see past the table to her shoes.

Mary: “The kiss worked on Kate. She agreed to go out with Beth and Nat one night, and I’d always ask to come-with when Kate and Beth were going out. This time Kate said yes, which I should have realized was off.”

Kate responds without looking up, sounding guilty but also defensive. 

Kate: “Two years is a lot in high school, and those kids were always getting into shit...” 

Mary: “Right…Anyway, Beth and I were in the back, so she could drink. Kate was driving, but Nat was all over her, trying to make out at stop lights. At some point, Kate was either too out of it, or too distracted, but she veered into oncoming traffic, lost control of the car, and we flipped.” 

Ryan: “Wow.”

Kate’s voice lowers and her words run together.

Kate: “Mary, being the only sober one to see what was happening, tensed and took on the most impact.” 

Mary: “Clearly I’m fine.” 

Kate finally looks at Mary, frustrated. 

Kate: “But you weren’t…”

They've had this argument before, so Mary is unmoved and continues looking at and talking to Ryan.

Mary: “Broken bones are a right of passage for kids. And I heal fast.” 

Kate runs her fingers through her hair, anxiously, and is saved by the server.

Server: “Can I get you ladies started with any drinks.” 

Ryan: “I’m thinking yes.”

They all order, and then Mary picks back up where she left off. 

Mary: “Anyway, we’ve heard her interests have developed, and now she’s into some even weirder activities.”

Ryan: “Like…?”

Mary: “Look, I’m not one to judge. People can get down in the dark however they want, but when you’re not coherent enough to agree to those activities, that’s a whole other story.” 

Ryan thinks she knows what Mary’s getting at, but she needs someone to say it out loud, because she won’t believe it otherwise. 

Kate: “Nat’s taken S&M to the extreme. Word is she’s into what they call blood play. She’s this dom who drugs her partners so much that they beg for pain until they bleed.”

Ryan: “Oh-kaay… That’s different.”

Mary: “It’s worse than you think…supposedly she likes the taste.” 

Ryan: “OF BLOOD!”

Mary and Kate’s eyes widen in a uniformed warning, because Ryan’s volume had increased in shock. She puts her hands up in apology.

Mary: “That’s what’s going around. They call her Nocturna now.” 

Ryan: “Gotham is weirder than I thought.” 

Kate’s flipping through the menu, looking somewhat ashamed. Ryan sees this as another opportunity to build some trust, and throws her a bone.

Ryan: “Hey. We all do shit in high school. I have my fair share of horror stories, but I think we’ve gotten dark enough for this time of day. So, maybe we should shift gears, and save vampire stories for Halloween.”

Their drinks arrive right then, and Kate responds in an appreciative half-smile.

Kate: “I’ll drink to that. Besides, you wanted to run an idea by me?”

Mary: "You guys talk shop over mimosas? I thought we were here to have fun!" 

Ryan laughs, surprising herself. Mary is not a part of the plan. She was almost inconsequential when Ryan was preparing, like white noise playing in the background. And she's starting to understand how that came to be… Mary deserves better, but while she has no role in Ryan's mission, she can't become Ryan's problem either. 

Kate: "I guess we kinda do, don't we?"

Ryan: "I think it's a little more therapy than business."

Kate: "Ha. Fair."

Mary: "I've got shopping for that."

Mary's smile is warming, and Ryan feels lighter than she can remember feeling in a long time. She recalls her mom talking about the girl her age at the Kane's, and it's as if two hands rest on her shoulders, gently encouraging her to lean-in. She doesn't want Mary mixed up in this, but…

Ryan: "I might need to try out your style of therapy, and Evan's been asking me when we're meeting up, next…"

Kate: "I think I'll stick to seeing you at kickboxing."

Mary: "You're not invited anyway. You bring down the vibe."

Ryan laughs a real laugh, which should be impossible given who's sitting within reach behind her. She tries to hold onto this feeling, because she doesn't know when it'll come again. And it's a better way to transition back to what brought her here. Ryan has decided that, with all the harm the Kanes have caused, their undoing isn't enough. One way or another, she'll make them put something good back into the communities that they've neglected and exploited.

Ryan: "I did have an idea, Kate. I think I've figured out what Gotham is missing, and after our last chat about how you want to be different than your parents, I thought you might want to team up on it."

Kate: "A Jeturian-Wayne collaboration? They'll hate that!" 

Kate seems intrigued.

Mary: "Which means you love it."

Ryan: "But you're right, Mary. It's a Sunday, and I had a hell of a night. So, maybe we can meet after work this week and I can do this for real with a pitch?"

Kate: "I'm good with that. It just can't be Wednesday. My parents are hosting the D.A.'s constituents at our house, and my dad wants us there. We're choosing our battles, you know…? 

Ryan: "I get it. Tomorrow night work?" 

Kate: "Works for me. Want to come by our house around 7, or is this an in-office kind of meeting?"

Ryan knows being invited to their home is necessary and pivotal, but that happening so soon has made her appetite non-existent. She powers through.

Ryan: "Sounds like you have a full week…No need to get stuck in the office."

Kate: "Thanks for the mercy. So, want to tell us about your night?"

Ryan's eyes fall to her menu. She's not sure how to navigate this - she doesn't want to discuss Sophie more than she has to - but it seems Mary's going to take care of that for her.

Mary: "It's Diane. She ended up in the hospital last night. Robyn was there when she passed out and helped Sophie until they left in the ambulance. She even closed up the bar."

Ryan: "She told you…?"

Mary: "Sophie's my girl…it meant a lot to her."

Kate's clearly not in love with being the last to know, but she decides to try to cover, and raises her glass.

Kate: "To Robyn, then, for coming into our lives at just the right time, and being exactly what we all didn't realize we needed."

Ryan smiles wide at the compliment, which is founded in more truth than anyone realizes. She's become what Kate needs due to calculated precision. For Sophie and Mary, though…she's exactly what they don't need. 

All three glasses clink, and Ryan makes a promise to herself. The Moores and Mary will not become collateral damage. She must protect them, especially from her.

~~~~~

Ryan is the last to leave Mary Kate's. She used the excuse of needing to run to the ladies' to make sure her brunch mates and their callous tagalong were gone before she walked out. She immediately calls Luke.

Luke: "To what do I owe this afternoon cold call."

Ryan: "I need to know everything about the event the Kane's are hosting Wednesday night. They're helping with the DA's campaign for Mayor."

Ryan listens as Luke moves into position at his desk and begins keying in the characters required to fulfill Ryan's request.

Luke: "It's basically a press conference. He hasn't officially announced his intent to run, but it seems he's going to do that Wednesday night."

Ryan: "Alright. Find out when the next flight from London to Gotham is."

Luke: "Are you expecting someone?"

Ryan: "Yes. You're going to email Circe Sionis from Roman saying it's safe for her to return home and attach a full itinerary so she can be present to publicly support her father's announcement."

Luke: "And what are you going to do?"

Ryan: "What I always do. Prepare."

~~~~~

To be continued...

The Reminders:

I'll be back here next Friday with another update.

All #Batwoman things I do now are in the name of #SaveBatwoman. Go follow all the social handles and support the cause, please. Have you signed the petition? https://www.change.org/p/savebatwoman

[gaming]

Indie Game Spotlight: Wintermoor Tactics Club (@wintermoortc​)

Get ready to roll a D20 in this week’s Indie Game Spotlight. Wintermoor Tactics Club is a narrative-driven tactics RPG set in a private boarding school in the 1980s, inspired by classic tactics RPGs and visual novels. It’s about a misfit tabletop games club trying to survive high school as they’re forced to fight in a mysterious high-stakes snowball tournament. The game is earnest and light-hearted in tone, with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor (they like to use the term “hygge,” if people are familiar with that).

We spoke with Kyla Fury, who works on the narrative, and Ryan Anderson, who created the combat design, about gameplay, characters, and more!

How does Wintermoor Tactics Club balance tactical combat and visual novel gameplay?

Kyla: We wanted to make sure the two types of gameplay would both support each other. You alternate between playing tabletop tactics games in your clubroom and exploring the campus, talking to other students, and helping them with their problems. Getting to know students is how you get new upgrades for your tactics team, and playing the tactics game is how you recruit new team members to progress with the story. We’re hoping there’s something for everyone: if you love story and characters, you can spend time exploring every nook and cranny on the campus. On the other hand, if you’re more about the tactics gameplay, then there are extra-challenging battles where you can really put your tactical skills to the test.

Who are some of the characters we can expect to meet? 

Ryan: We tried to design each character’s abilities around something that reflects the kind of C&C character they would be most excited to play. For instance, Jacob’s character is all about repositioning enemies and allies to set up clever and unexpected plays. Alicia, on the other hand,  plays a character that supports teammates from the backline while she waits for the perfect opportunity to call down a massive chain lightning attack.  

Are there any specific influences that inspired the game?

Kyla: We were initially inspired by the snowball fight tutorial in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Our combat, however, is a little less like traditional long-form tactics games, and more similar to something like Into the Breach, where each turn can be predicted and puzzled out, so you never get taken out by an unexpected lucky dice roll. We wanted to make sure that this game would work as someone’s first tactics game if they’re not familiar with the genre, so we’ve tried not to be punishing in the way some of the more classic tactics games can be. 

We were also hugely inspired by more narrative-heavy games, like Persona 4. We cared a lot about the idea of your abilities improving as you spend time with people and get to know them, and characters that really reveal their true colors over time. 

Ryan: Into the Breach’s incredible combat was a great inspiration for how we approached things. Each turn presents an immediate set of choices, battles are short but decisive, and your mistakes are clear so you can try a different approach next time. In addition, the Mega Man series heavily influenced our approach to progression throughout the game. Their boss battles frequently feature abilities that you unlock by defeating them, turning the challenge itself into an exciting future reward.

Finally, as a kid I was a massive fan of Final Fantasy Tactics on Playstation. Easily my favorite part was that I could use creative combinations of abilities and characters to create unique approaches to battles. The upgrade system in Wintermoor is much more focused on giving you more options rather than directly increasing your power level, allowing you to tweak your favorite characters into new roles to fit how you want to play.

What are some of the themes in the game, and what inspired you to make a game about those themes?

Kyla: We wanted to make a game relevant to today, so we decided to make it about the internet. That may sound silly—especially for a game set in the early 80’s—but there’s a lot to say about how we communicate with each other in today’s digital world. We wanted to make a game about the sort of isolation that people can feel when they’re treated as an outsider (like being one of the only Black girls at a private boarding school, for instance), and the type of fanaticism that results from basing your entire identity on one thing. It’s really a game about trying to reach out to people. Internet culture promotes a very intense sort of tribalism that has a tendency to force everyone into viewing the world as a flawless “us” and an irredeemable “them.” We often forget that real people are more complicated than that; sometimes, we even forget that about ourselves. So the metaphor of school clubs forced to battle each other for domination felt like it resonated really well with many modern problems. We hope our players will feel that resonance with their own experiences as they go through the game.

Wintermoor Tactics Club is available for PC on Steam! The game will be releasing on Switch, Xbox, and PS4 later this year, or you can follow them here for more updates.

[doomedandstoned]

Chatting It Up with Body Void

A give-and-take with vocalist and guitarist Willow Ryan.

Photograph by Benjamin Collins

One man's quest to mine the depths of sludge metal continues, as long-time Doomed & Stoned contributor Shawn Gibson reaches out to the inimitable BODY VOID. Read along as Willow takes us into their world, including the band's third full-length, 'Bury Me Beneath This Rotting Earth' (2021) -- out now on Prosthetic Records. (Editor)

How is Body Void these days?

Pretty good, all things considered.

You changed the band name from Devoid to Body Void. What prompted the name change?

We mostly just wanted a more unique name that no one else had. There were a number of bands named Devoid and we realized it was an ultimately arbitrary thing we didn't want holding us back.

I still think of Body Void as a West Coast band, but you've been East for a while now.

We started the band on the West Coast and then moved east in 2019. Eddie Holgerson (drums) and I actually live together on the East Coast now.

LISTEN: Bury Me Beneath This Rotting Earth by Body Void

There are some powerful feelings underlying your new record, 'Bury me Beneath This Rotting Earth.'

The album is kind of a complicated love letter to the planet Earth. This sense that it's worth fighting the oppressive structures that have brought it to ruin even with how bleak things look. There's obviously a lot of anger, but it's born out of that urgency and love.

How do you make those gargantuan riffs that always manage to floor us?

I use a Kramer DMZ-1000 aluminum neck guitar tuned to drop F# with a couple different kinds of distortion pedals running into about 300 watts of amp power.

This is your first LP on the Prosthetic Records label. How'd you get on board with them?

Some friends of ours on the label, Vile Creature and Bismuth, encouraged us to send our music to them when we were looking for a new label home. Prosthetic seemed excited to work together and it's been really great. It's opened a lot of doors for us and we've accomplished a lot of things we weren't able to do in the past.

The artwork for 'Bury Me Beneath This Rotting Earth' artwork was done by Ibay Arifin Suradi. His stuff blows my mind!

Ibay has been doing our artwork since we were Devoid, so we have a really good relationship with him. He knows what's important about the concepts we bring him and how to bring them to life. We definitely want the artwork to be cohesive across all our records, but I also think themes of change and transformation are as inherent to his artwork as it is to our music so it's just a good fit.

What music most influenced Body Void?

Khanate, Indian, Primitive Man, Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

What bands are you into that are as heavy as hell?

Right now I'm listening to new stuff by Oryx, Altarage, Pupil Slicer, Socioclast, and Knoll.

What makes you laugh in these trying times?

Friends, mostly.

LISTEN: Remains by Hellish Form

Speaking of friends, you've been writing and recording with Jacob from Keeper on a project called Hellish Form. How similar or different is it to Body Void?

It's definitely still slow and heavy, but it's meant to be a lot more dynamic tonally. Hellish Form's new album coming out in June is more different from Body Void than our demo from last year was. There's a lot more major key tonality, which in itself is pretty antithetical to Body Void. We also wanted synthesizers and guitar leads to take a more prominent role as well.

Hellish Form drops 'Remains' on June 24th. What does this release mean to you?

It's a special album. It's fun to be able to explore different emotions than with Body Void. It's very sad, but also uplifting at times. It was very cathartic to write and record. It's very much about the pandemic and the unbelievable sense of loss its cast over everything. It's funeral doom in a real sense.

How was Body Void's experience with Roadburn Redux?

Great! We were very happy to be involved after the festival was cancelled in 2020. Hopefully we'll still be able to play Roadburn proper someday.

If conditions improve, will be you taking Body Void on the road?

Absolutely.

Hell yeah. Thanks for writing and playing some of the slimiest sludge out there!

Photograph by Benjamin Collins

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[findasongblog]

Find A Song that provides a sincere perspective on a relatable practice

The Grunion - Ol’ Bar Routine

Throwing down a heavy dose of groove drenched indie rock The Grunion seeks to provide a modern representation of the 60s spirit. Each song works to create a sonic landscape full of rich vocal harmony, meticulous songwriting, and improvisation. Above all the band works to provide music that is rooted in sincerity and musicianship. The group was sourced from Cal Poly Pomona and assembled by lead singer/bassist Quinn McCarthy. This harmonious hodgepodge of members includes Jack Keough (guitar/vocals), Jacob Sahagun (keyes), Kyle Martinez (trumpet), and Chad Ryan (drums/percussion). Influences for the group include The Doors, CSNY, Pink Floyd, and Frank Sinatra. The Grunion currently resides in Los Angeles county and rehearses in a spartan trailer.  

Notes on Ol’ Bar Routine:

This single initially started out as a delta blues guitar/vocal arrangement. With the formation of the group the song was brought into a full band atmosphere with a heavy dose of funk. The track was independently recorded, mixed, and produced by The Grunion and features a field recording of an actual bar to help set the scene. (press release)

via Musosoup

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 4 February 2019

Quick Bits:

Archie #702 sees Sandy Jarrell and Matt Herms pitch in for much of this issue as Betty and Veronica try to figure out who Archie’s seeing now. It goes about as well as you’d expect. Nick Spencer is still delivering some humorous dialogue and the opening sequence from Marguerite Sauvage is as beautiful as ever.

| Published by Archie Comics

Archie 1941 #5 is pretty heavy, dealing with the the grief, remorse, and emotional devastation of loss experienced during the war. Peter Krause and Kelly Fitzpatrick’s artwork has been wonderful throughout this entire series and they nail the conclusion.

| Published by Archie Comics

Avengers #14 sparks the fuse of the vampire civil war from Jason Aaron, David Marquez, Justin Ponsor, Erick Arciniega, and Cory Petit. There’s some really nice world-building going on here with the Legion of the Unliving and a rather interesting development with Ghost Rider.

| Published by Marvel

Batman #64 begins “The Price” crossover with The Flash from Joshua Williamson, Guillem March, Tomeu Morey, and Steve Wands. Outside of the tie-ins throughout the DC titles, I haven’t been reading Heroes in Crisis, but this ties in as well, spotlighting some of the strain that Batman and the Flash have been under. Something definitely feels off about the situation.

| Published by DC Comics

BPRD: The Devil You Know #13 feels like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic at this point, with all of the pieces moving into place, and we’re just awaiting the inevitable end of everything. Stunning artwork from Laurence Campbell and Dave Stewart.

| Published by Dark Horse

Champions #2 fills in the hole of what happened during the battle with Zzzax last issue and, boy, is it a doozy. Jim Zub, Steven Cummings, Marcio Menyz, and Clayton Cowles set up something interesting, and possibly horrifying, to come down the line.

| Published by Marvel

Conan the Barbarian #3 maintains its high bar of excellence as the one-off stories building up Conan’s past continue from Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar, Matthew Wilson, and Travis Lanham. The art from Asrar and Wilson is just perfect.

| Published by Marvel

The Curse of Brimstone #11 is the beginning of the end in the first of this two-part finale for the series from Justin Jordan, Denys Cowan, John Stanisci, Rain Beredo, and Wes Abbott. It’s great to see Cowan’s art here as he, Stanisci, and Beredo make the beginning of this final fight look absolutely gorgeous.

| Published by DC Comics

Daredevil #1 is a very impressive debut from Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles. It picks up from Matt’s recovery in Man Without Fear and, well, things are messy, unfocused, and he’s having a hell of a time getting his feet under him again. But, beyond that, there’s a real depth to the story here. Though there’s a ton of action, it also goes deep into character building and flashbacks of Matt’s time as a kid getting morality lessons from his priest. This is damn good, taking cues from Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s “Born Again”, but it also feels influenced by Mike Grell’s “The Longbow Hunters”. There’s also a back-up written and illustrated by Zdarsky himself with an interpretation of how Daredevil “sees” and the digital edition gives a smattering of back-up material including covers, art comparisons, and sketches. I highly recommend this.

| Published by Marvel

Deathstroke #40 concludes the “Arkham” arc with Slade killing Hugo Strange and then slaughtering a bunch of homeless men. Maybe. Depends on which truth you believe. In doing so, Priest sets up the seeds for the upcoming crossover with Teen Titans.

| Published by DC Comics

Die #3 peels back another layer of the onion of this world as Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles give us a story of how the various regions work. All through an allegory of war between Eternal Prussia and Little England, Tolkien re-adapted to a kind of explanation on his own allegory. It’s interesting, especially when coupled with the essay Gillen pens in the back that explains the whole construct. That said, it also works great as just an extremely pretty adventure where a party of adventurers fights a dragon. I’m loving what this series is doing.

| Published by Image

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #4 concludes the opening arc with the Hoarder from Jody Houser, Rachael Stott, Erica Eren Angiolini, Viviana Spinelli, Richard Starkings, Sarah Jacobs, and John Roshell. I still love the inventiveness and ornate quality to the Hoarder’s design.

| Published by Titan

The Empty Man #4 gives a bit more insight into the disease ravaging the planet, as more of the strange skittering monsters appear and the kids from the original mini-series return. Cullen Bunn, Jesús Hervás, Niko Guardia, and Ed Dukeshire are crafting something very dark and weird with this series, but also very, very good.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Female Furies #1 isn’t a bad start from Cecil Castellucci, Adrian Melo, Hi-Fi, and Carlos M. Mangual. I quite like Melo’s art here, as she’s adapted it somewhat to highlight influences from some Fourth World luminaries like Jack Kirby, Keith Giffen, and Walt Simonson.

| Published by DC Comics

The Freeze #3 delves deeper into the early days after the Freeze as the awakened look into the serial killings, and we get more mysteries in missing people (who may or may not be the same as those murdered) and the revelation that Ray is being manipulated. Really great work here from Dan Wickline, Phillip Sevy, and Troy Peteri. 

| Published by Image / Top Cow

GI Joe: Sierra Muerte #1 sees Michael Fiffe bring his kind of retro charm to the Joes in the beginning of this series. It’s actually played pretty straight and reminds me of the loving care that Tom Scioli also takes to these properties. Great art and a story that reminds me of the original GI Joe cartoon.

| Published by IDW

Giant Days #47 intertwines Daisy learning to drive, McGraw’s brother dropping in on him and Susan, and Esther taking care of an illicit adorable puppy. All the usual humour and character building you’d expect from John Allison, Max Sarin, Whitney Cogar, and Jim Campbell. 

| Published by Boom Entertainment / BOOM! Box

The Girl in the Bay #1 is an intriguing debut from JM DeMatteis, Corin Howell, James Devlin, and Clem Robins. It jumps headlong in to some of DeMatteis’ favourite themes and topics as spiritualism, reincarnation, and coming of age (particularly in Brooklyn) and presents a compelling world and mystery for the seemingly dead, then strangely awakened fifty years later Karen Sartori. Very nice artwork from Howell and Devlin.

| Published by DC Comics / Berger Books

The Green Lantern #4 may yet be the most beautiful issue to date, with Liam Sharp and Steve Oliff elevating the impossibly high bar of their artwork to an even greater level. The character designs, page layouts, panel transitions, and sheer storytelling in the artwork is incredible.

| Published by DC Comics

Gunhawks #1 is another of the revived title one-shots in celebration of Marvel’s 80th anniversary, this one a western from David & Maria Lapham, Luca Pizarri, Neeraj Menon, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Travis Lanham. It’s gritty, bloody, and the art from Pizarri, Menon, and Rosenberg is very impressive.

| Published by Marvel

Immortal Hulk #13 concludes the descent into Hell in an issue that is probably as epic as the Avengers beatdown from #7. Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Belardino Brabo, Rafael Fonteriz, Paul Mounts, and Cory Petit continue to deliver one of the best series on the stands today.

| Published by Marvel

Justice League #17 follows on from the annual and the revelations in the “Escape from Hawkworld” arc in this single issue story of Martian Manhunter’s past from Scott Snyder, Jim Cheung, Mark Morales, Walden Wong, Tomeu Morey, and Tom Napolitano. Some fascinating developments in J’onn’s history here, with gorgeous artwork, and the funny truth that Batman’s really a concerned bat-dad.

| Published by DC Comics

Killmonger #4 wages a pitched battle with Die #3 and The Green Lantern #4 for most beautiful art in a comic this week. Juan Ferreyra’s work is stunning, giving the book depth, character, and an immense re-readability just to stare at the imagery again. There is a wonderful sequence of blood pooling up the page as the violence and body count increases and the design for the cat goddess is gorgeous. As to that latter, Egypt isn’t for want of multiple cat deities and, though Sekhmet is probably the easy answer, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the older and somewhat lesser known Mafdet. Bryan Hill, Ferreyra, and Joe Sabino continue to deliver one hell of a solid story with this series.

| Published by Marvel

Oberon #1 is off to a fantastic start with this tale from Ryan Parrott, Miloš Slavković, and Charles Pritchett. It strikes a nice balance between fantasy and the mundane as Bonnie finds out she, and the world, aren’t exactly what she thought. Gorgeous artwork from Slavković.

| Published by AfterShock

Old Man Quill #1 kicks off a Guardians tale set in the “Old Man” universe from Ethan Sacks, Robert Gill, Andres Mossa, and Joe Caramagna. I liked the recently concluded Sacks-penned Old Man Hawkeye series as well and Star-Lord appears to be taking on that same kind of beaten-down sardonicism of Clint.

| Published by Marvel

Prodigy #3 sees Crane and Agent Straks racing across the globe to find out information on the cult aiding the alternate dimension insurgents. The artwork from Rafael Albuquerque and Marcelo Maiolo continues to be the main attraction, delivering some amazing action sequences.

| Published by Image

Self/Made #3 gives us another twist as Rebecca and Amala attempt to take down Bryce for control of Amala’s code. This story continues to evolve in some very interesting ways, while including some of the toxicity inherent in some game development studios, with some beautiful artwork from Eduardo Ferigato and Marcelo Costa.

| Published by Image

Shadow Roads #6 returns with Brian Hurtt stepping in for the line art and it’s great to see him back illustrating within the Sixth Gun world. Really nice, weird designs for the Bone Plains and interesting hints as to what’s next for the new/old threats seeping back into the world.

| Published by Oni Press

Star Wars: Age of Republic - Anakin Skywalker #1 spotlights a moral quandary for Anakin from Jody Houser, Cory Smith, Wilton Santos, Walden Wong, Java Tartaglia, and Travis Lanham. It’s still interesting to see Anakin as “General Skywalker” during the Clone Wars and how different he was from what he’d become.

| Published by Marvel

These Savage Shores #3 is almost a perfect comic, actually it may well be a perfect comic. The craft and care that goes into creating this work is astounding. Ram V, Sumit Kumar, Vittorio Astone, and Aditya Bidikar are elevating the art form each issue. With the compelling intertwining of history and horror. With the epistolary narrative approach perfectly befitting the vampire sub-genre. With the attention to detail in how dialogue and narration are presented visually. With the variations on the 9-panel grid to guide pacing and keep the reader visually interested. With the consideration of the colour washes and tones to amplify the mood and atmosphere of the tale. This series is incredible.

| Published by Vault

United States vs. Murder Inc. #6 is kind of a weird conclusion to this series as the larger plot of the predicament the families currently find themselves in is left to the next series and, like last issue, we instead get more of Valentine’s family history. Great art, though, from Michael Avon Oeming and Taki Soma. The art really reminds me of some of Darwyn Cooke’s in his Parker adaptations.

| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld

Vindication #1 is an interesting crime drama from MD Marie, Carlos Miko, Dema Jr., Thiago Goncalves, and Troy Peteri. I love the shades of grey and uncertainty in motivation and truth in this story.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Wasted Space #6 returns with all the humour, violence, and madness that Michael Moreci, Hayden Sherman, Jason Wordie, and Jim Campbell brought to the first arc. I love Sherman’s designs for the gods, they remind me a lot of Ted McKeever’s work.

| Published by Vault

The Wrong Earth #6 ends season one of the series with Dragonfly and Dragonflyman adapting somewhat each to their new Earths, showing a bit of equivocation of the characters as the environment changes them. This has been an interesting story from Tom Peyer, Jamal Igle, Juan Castro, Andy Troy, and Rob Steen and there’s ample threads to bring me back when the series resumes. 

| Published by Ahoy

Young Justice #2 continues the adventure in Gemworld in the present, while we get a focus on Wonder Girl in the past. There’s something weird going on here with time and continuity that still feels like a story beat more than Brian Michael Bendis just playing fast and loose with what he wants. Great art from Patrick Gleason, Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy, and Alejandro Sanchez.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Other Highlights: Asgardians of the Galaxy #6, Atomic Robo & The Dawn of a New Era #2, Battlestar Galactica: Twilight Command #1, Black AF: Devil’s Dye #2, Cemetery Beach #6, Curse Words #20, The Dreaming #6, Feathers, Gasolina #15, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #259, LaGuardia #3, Marvel Action: Avengers #2, Noble #15, Project Superpowers #6, Red Sonja #1, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5, Star Wars #61, Tony Stark: Iron Man #8, The Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion #5, Unnatural #7, Vampirella/Reanimator #2

Recommended Collections: Betrothed - Volume 1: Love or Die, Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack - Volume 3, BPRD: The Devil You Know - Volume 2: Pandemonium, Ether - Volume 2: Copper Golems, Lowlifes, Noble - Volume 3: No One Man, Optimus Prime - Volume 5, TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Hit the Road

d. emerson eddy sometimes feels like his old bones should light out for the wastelands.

[middleeyt]

Coachella 2018 Must See Underrated Artists

Coachella 2018 is soon approaching and I am sure you are getting your playlist ready with that Beyonce, The Weekend, and Cardi B, but that is quite honestly just the tip of the iceberg with the amount of crazy good artistry at this years festival. So get your Spotify playlist ready and check out my picks for this years must see underdogs. (Checkout my very own collaborative Spotify Coachella playlist down below and feel free to add your favorite picks!)

Friday April 13th

Bleachers- Similar Artist:  Walk the Moon 

Bleachers is the official stage name of amazing songwriter and record producer Jack Antonoff, who is also part of the well known band Fun. Antonoff has written massive hits for people like Sia, Taylor Swift and Lorde.  Bleachers' music is heavily influenced by the late '80s, early '90s.

Belly- Similar Artist: French Montana

Ahmad Balshe, better known by his stage name Belly,is a Palestinian-Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Belly’s music is both influenced by the political disparity between the Israeli- Palestinian conflict and the violence and poverty his own family endured.

PVRIS- Similar Artist: Florence and the Machine

PVRIS is an American rock band formed by members Lynn Gunn, Alex Babinski, and Brian MacDonald. As previously described by AllMusic the bands music "blends dreamy electronica with dark, beat-heavy rock."

LÉON- Similar Artist: Ryn Weaver

Lotta Lindgren, better known as LÉON, is Swedish singer whose musical inspirations range from Amy Winehouse, to Beyonce and Stevie Wonder.

Whethan- Similar Artist: San Holo

American DJ and music producer Whethan is most known for his collaboration with Flux Pavilion and MAX for their song Savage. Whethan has been touring for the past year with the popular duo The Chainsmokers.

Elohim- Similar Artist: Louis The Child

Most well known for their original version of Sleepy Eyes, Elohim is an LA-based synth-pop artist with irresistible dance worthy tracks.

The Blaze- Similar Artist: Ta-Ku

The French duo is well known for their powerful short films, their music, a blend of house and a soulful R&B reminisce.

MHD- Afro-trap

Mohamed Sylla, better known by his by his stage name MHD is a French rapper whose music is the precursor of "Afro Trap", a mixture of African music and Trap music.

Saturday April 14th

Tash Sultana- Similar Artist: James Bay

Australian singer-songwriter Tash Sultana, has been booked on a sold-out tour since the start of 2017. Her social media following has gained her world wide fame as a self-taught beatboxing, vocalist, guitar tapping, loopologist.

BROCKHAMPTON- Similar Artist: Amine

BROCKHAMPTON is self-proclaimed “online’s first boy band” after coming together through the online forum "KanyeToThe". Brockhampton is an entirely independent creative agency and record label, and a thriving musical group with die-hard fans across the country.

Alina Baraz- Similar Artist: Khalid

Most known for her collaboration with Khalid on the massive hit Electric, Alina lies between mellow R&B and down-tempo electronica.

WizKid- Similar Artist: J Balvin

Already famous in his hometown of Nigeria, Wizkid brings a blend of Afropop, reggae and dancehall to the Coachella scene.

Jorja Smith- Similar Artist: dvsn

At only 20 Jorja Smith has already independently released numerous records with her jazz tinted vibe and R&B influence. Smith’s acclaimed influences range from Rihanna, to Alicia Keys.

Flatbush Zombies- Similar Artist: Joey Bada$$

Brooklyn trio, capture the best of the 90’s rap scene with dense lyrics and melodic beats bringing a refreshing tune to the Coachella rap pool.

Ekali- Similar Artist: RL Grime

Ekali’s rapid rise to fame comes after being recognized with writing credits for Drake's If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. An advocate of young talent, Ekali brings a blend of instrumental and R&B infused trap music.

Party Favor- Similar Artist: TroyBoi

Much like his name alludes, Party Favor brings a dance party full of chart-topping tunes and rhythmic drops.

Sigrid- Similar Artist: Phoebe Ryan

Voted as one of BBC’s Sound of 2018, Sigrid is a Norwegian pop singer/ writer whose rich and powerful voice has landed her debut single Don’t Kill My Vibe on the U.S. charts.

Chloe x Halle- Similar Artist: Solange

Known to many as Beyonce’s prodigies, Chloe X Halle is a contemporary R&B duo whose rise to fame came through a rendition of Pretty Hurts by queen bee herself. Signed to her record label Parkwood Entertainment, the girls are not only great singers but great actresses starting in Freeform’s Grown-ish.

Hundred Waters- Similar Artist: HAIM

If you’re in the mood for a simp session, Hundred Waters is the act for you. Hundred Waters album “Communicating” is the bands attempt to ask societies most interpersonal questions through lyrical nuance and a crap ton of crying.

Sunday April 15th

Russ- Similar Artist: Bryson Tiller

Most known for his song Losing, Russ Vitale is a rapper, singer, songwriter from Atlanta whose work is inspired by Eminem and 50 Cent.

Jessie Ware- Similar Artist: AlunaGeorge

England native Jessie Ware’s debut album has peaked on UK Albums Chart at number 5 back when it was released in 2012. Since then, Ware has taken her powerful voice all over the world and collaborated with artist such as Ryan Tedder from Onerepublic and Cashmere Cat.

Kamaiyah- Similar Artist: Iamsu!

Oakland native, Kamaiyah’s sound is heavily influenced by 90’s rap making her debut much like the queen herself Missy Elliott, dropping some mad verses over a Young Thug beat.

DeJ Loaf- Similar Artist: Ty Dolla $ign

Born Deja Trimble, Dej Loaf’s rise to fame can be attributed to Drake’s Instagram shoutout over her first mix-tape Try Me. Now signed to Columbia Records, Dej has gained some massive popularity in the Hip-Hop scene.

LP- Similar Artist: Tegan and Sara

Laura Pergolizzi, better known as LP, is an LA-based singer/songwriter whose edgy look and epic voice has gained her a huge fan base among the Indie-pop scene.

Jacob Banks- Similar Artist: Jack Garratt

At the age of 20, Jacob Banks began his journey singing at small open mics, by 2014 he began touring with people like Alicia Keys and Sam Smith. His soulful voice makes him a heavy contender at this years festival.  

MAGIC GIANT- Similar Artist: Magic!

No artist screams #coachellavibes more than MAGIC GIANT. The LA-based band has been recognized as one of Rolling Stones “10 Artists You Need to Know”.

Coachella fest is one of my favorite festivals because of the diverse number of acts they bring each year. I  guarantee these artists will be lining up the charts in the year to come. So there you have it, your Coachella music wokeness just got a little more woke! Feel free to follow my Coachella collaborative Spotify playlist by clicking on the hyperlink RIGHT HERE! 

[lastbuckshot]

oc list

so @underbree did a lot of asking abt my ocs so i’ve been typing up a (very small) synopsis of them for a few hrs (small bc there’re So Many)

if ur curious abt them or wanna know more abt a few pls feel free to ask me about them i love my kids

some notes:

fc = face claim

some fcs repeat bc I can’t leave well enough alone and some different looks from the same actor give off completely different vibes (I’m the guiltiest of this with cm punk lmao)

 sometimes my fandoms/obsessions and my fcs go hand in hand so when u see a bunch of actors from the same show that’s usually not a coincidence

speaking of fandoms, a lot of these ocs and fcs are years and years old (I’m talking like some of them are 6 years old) so a lot of them are gonna have fcs from ppl I used to fuck w/ heavy way back when but I don’t anymore, I just can’t bring myself to change the fc (like with all the cm punks)

you’d expect me to have a pj and a milo oc and I’d expect it too but I don’t, Freddie (@miloventisoylatte) has both and we collab like every day

all the assassins aren’t assassins for fun, and they’re not hitmen either; there’s an entire company/organization that they’re a part of, which doles out missions and payouts. they only really kill scummy people so think of it as a massive trained vigilante operative organization

The Oloros

 Zemorah (Zee; FC: Janelle Monae) – she’s probably my fave oc atm, I grouped her with her family but she’s also an assassin. she’s the seed that planted the whole family, bc she was a standalone oc first. she’s a bi girl, and she has a history of past relationship abuse, but she’s growing and recovering and actually engaged (to one of freddie’s ocs as a matter of fact; a big werewolf boi named Aaron who has Milo Ventimiglia as a FC)!!! she’s a bonefide flower girl sis loves flowers and gardening but she’s Not the one to play with. Very independent and self-sufficient bc she doesn’t see the point in having anyone take care of her when she can take care of herself and do it better. Prefers hand-to-hand combat to guns on missions. Frequently goes on missions with Liam (mentioned later), but is off from missions indefinitely because she’s with child (triplets!!!)

Halina (Hal; FC: Yetide Badaki) – the oldest of the oloro sisters (but not the oldest sibling). Tendaji’s twin sister. She’s reserved and on the quiet side compared to a lot of her family; she’s on almost the same plane as rashid. she can also be a workaholic, getting stuff done and making progress (on work or in life) is one of the most fulfilling things in the world for her

Malkia (Mal; FC: Danielle Brooks) – the youngest of the oloro sisters and she loves to give love. She has a big ol’ heart and a loud infectious laugh. If you wanna have a good time and feel good about yourself and come out feeling like a Rockstar you hang out with mal

Hodari (FC: Aldis Hodge) – one of the younger oloro brothers. he’s like, the class clown of the siblings. he’s always making fun of something or someone he’s goofy as hell

Rashid (FC: Mike Colter) – oldest child and oldest brother, probably the most stoic and “put together” sibling. married with kids and very, very, very protective of his family. a “you’d be better off fucking with him than fucking with his family” type

Kaivon (Kai; FC: Ricky Whittle) – second youngest brother, and adopted. bi, and a flirt (ofc he is). Someone you can ask to fuck you one time out of the gate and he’ll have no problem w/ doing it. He could talk a priest into becoming a satanist

Jamal (FC: Trevante Rhodes) – jamal is the youngest brother and youngest sibling and he’s such a sweet heart oh my god,,, he’s pan and he’s like a giant teddy bear he really just wants to make everyone he meets happy. truly a people pleaser and a “I’ll give someone in need the clothes off my back” type. Lover of cuddles

Tendaji (‘Daji; FC: Michael James Shaw) – Halina’s twin brother. ‘Daji is the sibling you get when you mix rashid’s protectiveness and hodari’s goofiness. He’ll make you laugh and loves to laugh but you Cannot cross him or his family he won’t let it happen

Shani (FC: Viola Davis) – the mom of this gaggle of kids. she’s a really sweet and loving mom and provider for her kids, so much so that she adopted one and pushed out 7

Andwele (FC: Lance Reddick) – dad of this gaggle of kids. Very stoic and gets a kick out of being overly stoic toward people he’s meeting for the first time and seeing how they react when rly deep down he loves a good time

  The Northcutts (Werecats)

 Alexander (Alex; CM Punk [this version]) – levi’s older brother. alex is a werecat, yes, as a northcutt, yes, but he’s also a demon (his dad was one). Ego the size of texas. Still exploring and discovering his sexuality, and isn’t completely comfortable with any labels, but he’s a lover of sex in general. So much so that he has 4 kids (he’s a single dad). there’s a good heart in there somewhere but he’s still a force of chaotic evil. Chaotic neutral on a good day. Chaotic good on a better one. But always chaotic

Levi (FC: Adam Levine) – alex’s younger brother. He’s the good brother. He’s not a demon, because he and alex have different dads. Lover of sushi (yes, because he’s a cat)

Grant (FC: Jake Gyllenhaal) – charlie’s older brother. He’s a really chilled out and laid back single dad of one, but his brother is a bad influence

Charles (Charlie; FC: Ryan Reynolds) – grant’s younger brother. Getting called Charles upsets him spiritually, please spare him the pain. One of the pettiest, dumbest, most extracurricular ocs. He’s an assassin and when jay (an oc I talk abt later) gets ready to give him his payouts (which can be huge lump sums of money, I’m telling you right now), he’ll tell jay he wants something stupid instead, like pocket lint or a finger nail clipping. Like, he doesn’t want any of the money, he’ll tell jay to donate it or give it to someone else or do whatever he wants with it, and just ask for a shoestring. It drives jay up the fucking wall

Jackson (Jax; FC: Chris Evans) – rebecca’s older brother. He’s in the same boat as alex with exploring his sexuality, figuring himself out. It’s summer, he’s got his hat on backwards, and he’s ready to fucking party. has dabbled in drugs and is a patron of the one night stand

Rebecca (FC: Megan Fox) – jax’s younger sister. bi. she used to be a party animal just like jax, until she had her first son. She’s cooled way down now, and she’s the mom everyone wants. She’s the mom that takes everyone to Disney and buys everyone souvenirs on a whim bc she just feels like it

Nadia (FC: Jessica Chastain) – tara’s older sister. mother of twins. Very loving, and the type of person you go to if you need life coaching.

Tara (FC: Amber Heard) – nadia’s younger sister. bi. she’s a mom with a very big, soft heart. Her instinct is to nurture everyone around her (not necessarily coach them like her sister does; just take care of them emotionally)

Anastasia (Annie; FC: Alicia Coppola) – alex’s and levi’s mom; bi, and the youngest sibling out of the matriarchs/patriarchs. Just like all the northcutt matriarchs and patriarchs, she’s a fun-loving parent. Teases her kids in as loving a way possible (like asking alex if he’s done slinging his junk around and impregnating the city)

Katrina (FC: Julianna Margulies) – charlie’s and grant’s mom; bi, and the oldest sibling out of the matriarchs/patriarchs. Very similar to annie, but her ambiance is different. If annie is a chill mom, katrina’s more of a cool mom.

Anthony (Ant; FC: Live Schreiber) – nadia’s and tara’s dad, and the second oldest of the matriarchs/patriarchs. Looks scary, but is actually only scary 49% of the time. Probably the most serious of the northcutt parents (which isn’t saying much, bc the whole family is doofy)

Logan (FC: Hugh Jackman) – jax’s and rebecca’s dad, and the second youngest of the matriarchs/patriarchs. Prankster and a jokester, and very close to annie

  The Assassins

 Aiden (FC: Richard Armitage) – eva’s fiancé and a lover of red wine. aiden was the start of a long line of assassins. He’s a father of one, with another on the way, with his fiancee. There’s some years old drama between him and ian, that ultimately ended in the death of his (aiden’s) daughter’s mother’s death, because of the assassination of the wrong person on ian’s part (it’s resulted in an inside joke about bad aim). He’s semi-retired now, in that he doesn’t go on missions himself much, but he still works with the company.

James (FC: Andrew Lincoln) – dani’s husband. aiden’s best friend. Father of two (one with dani, one from a previous marriage). Also semi-retired, in the same way as aiden. He’s got a big fucking mouth and almost everything he has is some type of joke or innuendo

Dominic (FC: Luke Evans) – jay’s older brother (half-brother, different dads). Pan. Loves to cook (entrees more than desserts), hopeless romantic, and a single father of one. Still takes assassin work often, usually sniping.

Ian (FC: Michael Fassbender) – mr. bad aim. Still carries a lot of guilt about what happened to aiden’s daughter’s mother (should he is up to viewer discretion), but he’s still very loving, and he’s been trying to make up for it for years (despite being told it’s a buried and forgiven issue). Doesn’t handle guns much on missions anymore; he’s more in charge of extraction now (whether that be via car, bus, motorcycle, heli, etc.)

Jacob (Jay; FC: Ian Bohen [usually this version]) – dominic’s younger brother (half-brother, different dads), and a father of two. Also loves to cook (desserts more than entrees), and used to work as an actual assassin, for a very short time, but stopped, because that part of the job wasn’t for him. Nowadays, he’s more like the accountant/money man in the company, giving everyone what they’re owed, determining how much, helping decide which jobs get what pay. The object of charlie’s endless torment

Liam (FC: Dan Stevens) – liam’s a werecat as well as an assassin, as WELL as a demon (on his mom’s side). he’s adopted (his adoptive parents and biological mom r mentioned later), which he found out relatively early in life, when his abilities started manifesting on accident. He was never mad about it, and didn’t take a particular interest in finding his real parents until recently (and luckily he’s found his mom; the deal with his dad hasn’t been completely settled yet). Sniper/generally most comfortable with guns as opposed to hand-to-hand. Zee’s frequent partner and mission husband (but not her real fiancé, even if they had a fling for a while). Gets clowned for eating baked beans for breakfast (especially by zee)

Danielle (Dani; FC: Danai Gurira) – james’s wife. A jack of all trades in the company, with her hand in accounting, assassinations, mission planning, and training. She thinks her husband is endearingly dumb (she doesn’t look down on him, she just knows he’s a dumbass), but she places a high value on how much he makes her laugh.

Evalyn (Eva; FC: Rutina Wesley) – aiden’s fiancée, and a doctor within the company. You could probably tell from her job she genuinely loves taking care of people, and enjoys the pressure. She can do surgeries and the like, but poison recognition and treatment (if possible) is her preferred practice.

  Werewolves

 Jonathan (Nate; CM Punk [this version]) – one of my first ocs, and honestly, a pure, good soul. He has a history of abuse (not from relationships like with zee; his abuse came from his father and his peers [I don’t mean school here, even though that’s true too]), and struggles a lot with depressive episodes, but he still has the biggest, warmest heart in the world. He knows forgiving isn’t for everyone, but it’s what makes him feel better, given some time and space. Christmas is his favorite holiday and he has a collection of santa hats that he makes his friends wear to get into the spirit. He’s still figuring out his own gender, sexuality, and romantic attraction, but he considers himself a bi ace often (he’s not sex repulsed and he’s had sex, but not often and it’s not important to him), and fluctuates between considering himself male and nonbinary (but he’s more comfortable with he/him pronouns in both cases)

David (FC: Ian Bohen [usually this version]) – cocky and full of himself and comes off as arrogant. He sort of is all of those things, sort of not. I’m just gonna say this honestly: thot. 5 kids, but all from the same mom. he’s not with her, not formally; they’re more like…….. kid partners? Mates? It’s a weird arrangement. But he a hoe

Ryan (FC: CM Punk [this version]) – one of nate’s past abusers. Repentant, very repentant, and nate’s forgiven him, but whether anyone else does (or should) is discretionary.

*Tom (FC: Tom Hiddleston) – (*name subject to change bc I don’t usually like fcs and ocs to have the same first name) the second of nate’s main abusers, alongside ryan. Has also repented and earned nate’s forgiveness, but again, whether anyone else can forgive him is discretionary.

  Demons and Fallen Angels

I’m gonna save some breath here: all the fallens are pansexual and panromantic, unless stated otherwise (god’s not included here)

 God (FC: Idris Elba) – okay, obviously god isn’t a fallen angel or a demon, but he’s still in this equation. Not much to say bc god is……… god.

Lucifer (Lucy; FC: Colin O’Donoghue) – yes, Thee lucifer, the fallen angel. Big ego, as you can imagine, and very, very bitter at god, not just for casting him out, but for keeping people he was close to before the fall from following him, including his girlfriend (and now wife) at the time, ariel. Extreme lover of red wine and makes his own in hell bc mortal wine isn’t strong enough or good enough for him. Father of twin daughters in the official sense, but has fathered literal devil spawns in the past So I Mean

Ariel (FC: Jennifer Morrison) – lucy’s wife and long time (millions/billions of years long) girlfriend. Did not follow lucifer in the fall, half because god convinced her not to, and half because she thought his betrayal of god was a betrayal of her, since it’d put their relationship at risk (whether she’s right or not is a matter of personal opinion). She’d visit lucy as an angel to talk to him, because she was upset that they were apart, but still missed him. Eventually, she made the decision to put her love for lucy over her angelhood and fell. She’s still an angel at heart, though.

Jonah (Ares; FC: Sean Maguire) – lucy’s best friend. Fell with him, and was his right hand man during the rebellion. He got his nickname from lucy, because he reminded him of the god of war. Despite lucy seeing them as equals (minus lucy being king, and ares not), ares has a tendency to refer to lucy as “my lord” and “king” (though he’s cut down recently). Honestly a workaholic, and loves being occupied (which in hell means a fair amount of soul torturing, but he also makes lucy’s wine)

Adam (FC: Josh Dallas) – another fallen angel. Didn’t fall with lucy, but fell well before ariel. If a frat boy were a fallen angel, they’d be adam.

Sabrina (FC: Rebecca Mader) – o shit bois, another fallen!!! Before lucy met/fell in love with ariel, sabrina was his main squeeze. she fell shortly after lucy and ares did, and she and lucy did some fooling around in the years before ariel fell. She and lucy are probably more alike than ariel and lucy as far as attitudes and mannerisms go (both of them are promiscuous [not a bad thing], sarcastic, and flirtatious), but doesn’t hold any (or much) ill will toward lucy or ariel.

Malachi (FC: Liam Garrigan) - yet another fallen!!! fell after lucifer, and stayed in hell, not causing trouble, for a little bit. then he started plotting to overthrow lucy, and eventually tried, by threatening to kill ariel if he didn’t give him the thrown. got punished with torture and stripped of the privileges being a fallen got him before. lucy’s pulled him out of punishment now tho. second chances and all that.

Paul (El Demonio, Victoria; CM Punk [this version]) – genderfluid/bigender (hence the two nicknames), and currently married to haedes with a daughter (biologically theirs) after some turbulent times of denial and teasing from both of them. Sarcastic and a little bit holier than thou (but so is haedes). Would lay down his life for any and all forms of red velvet.

Desmond (Haedes; Richard Armitage [mostly any version of RA with long(er) hair is Haedes]) – paul’s husband. A little arrogant, but not usually so much that you wanna punch him in the throat. Just about as arrogant as you’d expect a demon to be.

Joseph (Joe; FC: Joe Manganiello) – alex’s dad. Estranged from his son and alex’s mom both bc of the grimy shit he did. Not born a demon, and not possessed, but filled (literally, not figuratively) with demonic energy by a demon.

Athena (FC: Jill Wagner) – Liam’s biological mother (who he only met very recently; he does openly call her “mom”)

  Humans

 Violetta (Dee; FC: Ruth Negga) – calling her Violetta or Violet will probably get your shit pushed in so please leave her be. Bi. She has tulip o’hare’s accent (as opposed to ruth’s irish one), and part of a female biker “gang” (yes, she wears plenty of leather jackets). Loves teaching herself tinkering/handy type things, like taking apart and fixing computers, building computers, fixing cars, sewing, and fixing appliances. Really, she’ll pick up and learn just about anything if you give her the time.

Abaddon (Abby; FC: Jeffrey Dean Morgan) – no, not That Abaddon. Abby’s just a country boy with strong opinions on how peach cobbler should look, taste, and be served. Master griller. Father of two (co-custody).

Wade (FC: Wade Barrett/Stu Bennett) – my very first oc, so we’re talking like, 6 years. Which you think would mean I have a lot to say here, but I don’t!!!!!! his character’s been doing a lot of changing and evolving with my tastes and perceptions, with me trying to decide what’s too far and what’s not. and I might do an entire revamp. For now, I’ll leave it at: he has a really sketchy fucking past, but he’s doing better now.

Cassandra (Cassie; FC: Emma Thompson) – liam’s adoptive mother. A+ sense of humor. Jokes about liam and zee still being together.

Denton (FC: Hugh Laurie) – liam’s adoptive father. The more reserved between him and his wife, but he has an endearing dry/subtle humor that suits him.

Killian (FC: Matt Ryan [the welsh actor not the football player]) – I’d be lying if I said killian wasn’t very inspired by john Constantine lmao, bc he is. He is a demon hunter/exorcist/jack of all trades in the supernatural. He knows lucy, and lucy knows him, and there’s a petty war between them. Lucy isn’t killing him, killian isn’t actively trying to take down lucy, but they know each other exist, and killian brags to him about trapping and destroying all his demons.

[meltedmagazine]

WUTASIA BY RYAN WU

     Spending my teen years in Charleston I have been exposed to just about every type of country music; country-pop, country-rock, country-gospel, country-bluegrass. One time I even got roped into watching a Sublime cover band that also played their own country songs. However it was not until I heard Ryan Wu’s EP Wutasia that I heard psychedelic country. Hailing from Brooklyn New York and composed of Teo Hernandez, Oliver Divone, Paul Jacob Hunter, Patrick Preziosi, Alexander Kutschera and Ryan Wu, the project began back in 2016. It was then that Wu decided he wanted to try to experiment more with his music. Naturally I had my hesitations before pressing play as I wasn’t too convinced that anyone could pull of the combination.

    But Ryan Wu did.

    Within 30 seconds of the first song, “Changin’” I regretted ever doubting it. In fact I kind of started wondering why I’d never heard this combination before. The song retained it’s mellow lo-fi feeling whilst incorporating a country twang of sorts. The Mac Demarco-esque guitar parts created this perfect groove whilst keeping the song dynamic and interesting.

     Once again, “Can’t Be Without You,” had me marveling at the cohesion of the two merged genres. It had this spacey psych feel with an undeniable soul undertone. Even with the harmonica parts it didn’t lose that dream pop quality instead it juxtaposed it perfectly. The traditional country elements seemed to just accentuate the more rock side of the song to make you notice the little details of each. “You and I,” another stand out ballad that deals with the turmoil of relationships carries on those perfect qualities. With a bit of a 60’s flair, it’s more subdued and soft. It’s acoustic guitar heavy but still has that far-out daydream feeling.

     While some of the tracks lead more towards the psychedelic side, there are a few where the country roots are the deepest. “If There's Anything I Can Do” is thick with soul and packed full of classic country influences. With the twangy lead guitar and harmonic intro it seemed like it was gearing up to be a full fledged country ballad. Then the bass came in. With the funky bass line and the beautifully executed lyrics the song balanced itself out in the most graceful way possible.

   This EP, seemingly the ultimate experiment, was pulled off brilliantly. From the catchy hooks to the unexpected influences the sound is so unique it could never be duplicated. Wu’s innovation into a seemingly banal genre is one that more artist will hopefully be inspired by. 

LISTEN TO RYAN WU HERE

written by SAMANTHA SULLIVAN

[ujetsales]

College football 2017: Oklahoma headlines a top-heavy Big 12 in search of national respect

USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg previews the 2017 Big 12 football conference. (Photo: Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports)

Ignore as best you can the bottom half of the Big 12 Conference, which will spend the 2017 season bordering on the verge of bowl eligibility – if not much, much worse – while serving as cupcakes for those five teams with legitimate postseason aspirations.

Those five: Oklahoma, of course, with its eyes on the national title; rival Oklahoma State, which could be hampered by a questionable offensive line; TCU, which aims to rebound from a rare losing season; Kansas State, that annual pest; and Texas, rejuvenated by the arrival of Tom Herman from Houston.

These are good teams – with maybe one or two great teams, in fact, with Oklahoma the safest bet to plow through conference play and once again represent the conference in the College Football Playoff.

CONFERENCE PREVIEWS

But this is very clearly a league lacking in proven depth. Why is that a larger concern? Because this has a profound impact on the conference’s national reputation, which in turn has a negative influence on the minds of Playoff selection committee.

Maybe that’s an overblown concept. Maybe it’s not. One thing I can say with confidence: The Big 12 has an image problem. That’s not new. But while conducting an informal straw poll might lead to some dissension at the top – maybe some believe the SEC is the best in the Football Bowl Subdivision, others the ACC or Big Ten – there is a consensus at the bottom: everyone puts the Big 12 last among the Power Five leagues.

A national title would change all of that. And while the Big 12 does have a sloppy and ineffective bottom half, that top half is worthy of some degree of commendation. Better yet, what if Texas rebounds? What if the league has two powers, OU and UT, to tout on a national level? That’s the foundation upon which the latter-day Big 12 was built.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE

OFFENSE

QB: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

RB: Justice Hill, Oklahoma State

RB: Justin Crawford, West Virginia

WR: James Washington, Oklahoma State

WR: Allen Lazard, Iowa State

TE: Mark Andrews, Oklahoma

OL: Orlando Brown, Oklahoma

OL: Zachary Crabtree, Oklahoma State

OL: Reid Najvar, Kansas State

OL: Dalton Risner, Kansas State

OL: Connor Williams, Texas

DEFENSE

DL: Reggie Walker, Kansas State

DL: Will Geary, Kansas State

DL: Poona Ford, Texas

DL: Dorance Armstrong, Kansas

LB: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma

LB: Travin Howard, TCU

LB: Malik Jefferson, Texas

CB: Jordan Thomas, Oklahoma

CB: D.J. Reed, Kansas State

S: Nick Orr, TCU

S: Kamari Cotton-Moya, Iowa State

SPECIALISTS

K: Clayton Hatfield, Texas Tech

P: Michael Dickson, Texas

RET: KaVontae Turpin, TCU

BEST UNITS

Quarterback: Oklahoma. There are few better in college football than Baker Mayfield, who may should rightfully be considered the preseason favorite for the Heisman Trophy.

Running back: West Virginia. It’s very exciting to consider what senior Justin Crawford could achieve statistically if given 200-plus touches.

Wide receivers and tight ends: Oklahoma State. This James Washington-led unit ranks among the best in the FBS.

Oklahoma State wide receiver James Washington leaps to make a catch against Texas Tech.

Offensive line: Oklahoma. With all five starters back in the fold and a few key additions for depth purposes, this offensive front is an obvious strength for the Sooners.

Defensive line: Kansas State. The most appealing aspect of the Wildcats’ line is the projected growth from two sophomores – Reggie Walker and Trey Dishon – who impressed as rookies.

Linebacker: TCU. The Horned Frogs’ group deserves praise, but don’t sleep on what Texas brings to the table on the second level.

Secondary: TCU. Vastly more experienced than at this point a year ago, this secondary combines with the linebacker crew to give TCU the top back seven in the Big 12.

Special teams: Kansas State. You can set your watch to Kansas State’s consistent excellence on special teams.

RANKING THE STARTING QUARTERBACKS

1. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma. He’s back for his third stab at the Heisman Trophy and the national championship.

2. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State. With his monster arm, Rudolph is a perfect fit for the Cowboys’ explosive passing game.

3. Nic Shimonek, Texas Tech. It won’t be easy to match Patrick Mahomes’ impact, though Shimonek was absolutely terrific in backup duty last season.

4. Shane Buechele, Texas. Buechele is the starter for UT, but whether he remains the answer for Tom Herman – and can fend off true freshman Sam Ehlinger – hinges on his performance in September.

5. Jesse Ertz, Kansas State. Recent history has shown that Bill Snyder’s Wildcats tend to flourish behind second-year starters.

6. Kenny Hill, TCU. Hill would be a feel-good story on a national scale should he lead the Horned Frogs to a top-three finish in the Big 12.

7. Will Grier, West Virginia. The Mountaineers are a year away, in my opinion, but I expect Grier to challenge for all-conference honors in 2017.

8. Zach Smith, Baylor. The overall numbers will slide under the new staff, but Smith looks the part of a multiple-year starter for Matt Rhule and the Bears.

9. Jacob Park, Iowa State. The former Georgia transfer will really benefit from being the Cyclones’ unquestioned starter.

10. Peyton Bender, Kansas. David Beaty could also go with sophomore Carter Stanley over Bender, though the latter’s experience running an Air Raid system should give him the nod.

PHOTOS: TOP 25 TEAMS IN THE AMWAY COACHES POLL

TOP NEWCOMERS

Kansas RB Octavius Matthews. The Jayhawks will be relying on the junior-college transfer to produce in the running game.

Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray. Now eligible after transferring from Texas A&M, Murray could provide a huge spark in certain packages.

Kansas State DB Elijah Walker. The addition of Walker plus last season’s experience – painful as it was – should lift Kansas State’s secondary to a significantly better performance in 2017.

Baylor C Ryan Miller. That Miller is headed for a starting role in the middle is a testament to the true freshman’s ability and potential as well as the Bears’ worries along the offensive line.

Texas Tech DL Tony Jones. A linebacker at junior college, Jones is expected to transition into a rush end role for the Red Raiders’ woebegone defense.

GAMES OF THE YEAR

Oklahoma at Ohio State, Sept. 9. The Sooners are fully aware that this game presents an outstanding opportunity to bolster their case for the Playoff.

TCU at Arkansas, Sept. 9. A win here would provide TCU a jolt in the polls and set up a can’t-miss date with Oklahoma State two weeks later.

Texas at Southern California, Sept. 16. Maybe you can recall the last time these two met.

TCU at Oklahoma State, Sept. 23. The matchup of Oklahoma State’s receiver corps against TCU’s secondary is one of the best in the Big 12.

Oklahoma vs. Texas (in Dallas), Oct. 14. The annual rivalry takes on a different feel with new coaches: Lincoln Riley at OU, Tom Herman at UT.

Oklahoma State at Texas, Oct. 21. The Cowboys aim to continue their recent dominance in the series.

Oklahoma at Kansas State, Oct. 21. Riley was just 6 when Bill Snyder coached his first game at Kansas State.

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, Nov. 4. That this one comes on the first Saturday of November is idiotic, for one, but it also affords the loser some time to make up ground before the end of the regular season.

TCU at Oklahoma, Nov. 11. It’s totally reasonable to view OU and TCU as the two best teams in the Big 12.

BEST CHANCE AT THE PLAYOFF

Texas is going to be dramatically improved in its debut under Tom Herman, but let’s be real: The Longhorns aren’t competing for a national title. Not yet, at least.

TCU has finished with a losing record three times under Gary Patterson, most recently last season. What happened the past two times? A year later TCU won its conference. That’s in play for the Horned Frogs in 2017. Quarterback play and the performance of the defensive line are my two biggest concerns.

Kansas State resembles a vintage Bill Snyder-coached team, especially if the secondary bounces back from a miserable season to finish in the top third of the Big 12 in the key categories – yards per attempt, opposing completion percentage and turnover margin, most notably. No one will enjoy playing the Wildcats in 2017.

Oklahoma State is locked and loaded … but what about this offensive line? And the secondary? A wonderful quarterback, an explosive offense and a just-good-enough defense will put the Cowboys on a course for a New Year’s Six bowl, but the potential sticking points are numerous enough to have me questioning this team’s ability to lose just once during the regular season.

That leaves Oklahoma. This isn’t a perfect team, either. There’s a hole at running back. No clear go-to receiver. The Sooners are more experienced on defense, but much does depend on the health of the defensive line. Still, this is the strongest, most cohesive roster in the Big 12; it doesn’t hurt to have the league’s best player in Baker Mayfield.

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