#kurt's 24 is the equivalent of our 30 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

djinmer4 · 6 years

Text

The Force

“When you first got here, I thought the Force you were so obsessed with was some sort of religion or superstition. I know it’s more than that now, but I’m still confused.” There was downtime between missions again, so Mitth’kurt’darcolm was catching up on office work and other administrative tasks. Kitty, now the official representative between the Chiss Ascendancy and the refugees who were allowed to reside in their territory, had brought lunch over. She had her own office, but it wasn’t like there were that many refugees and she did split her duties with Scott, so she usually had a lot more free time than Kurt did. “What exactly is the Force?”

“The Force is exactly what it says it is.” The Chiss glared at her. Hardened officers wilted under that glare, but too much familiarity (and too many stupid near-death experiences on missions) rendered the human immune. “Okay, you know what the four fundamental forces of physics are, right?”

“Strong nuclear, weak nuclear, electromagnetism and gravity.”

“The Force is similar to that. It’s a field produced by all living things that exists on the quantum level.”

“So a person or a bacterium would create a force, but something like a rock or a droid would not.”

“Correct.” She finished filling a bowl with some noodle dish and passed it to him, along with a bottle of water. “But if everyone exists in the Force, why aren’t we all telekinetic or throwing out bolts of energy?”

“Just because people are 99.99% identical genetically, doesn’t mean that we’re all alike. Being Force-sensitive is a talent just like everything else. Do you have the same talents as your twin?” Kitty had met Mitth’wagner’safis on a recent inspection tour. They’d hit it off and kept in touch, but if Kurt had his way, they wouldn’t meet in person again. He was rarely jealous of his Syndic twin, but he hadn’t liked how Kitty had mistaken Wagner for himself on arrival. Wagner had managed the impromptu hug better than Kurt would have if the mistake had been the other way, but it still gave him a tight feeling in his chest that was . . . unpleasant.

“I understand that. What I mean is what the difference is? Why can one human or Chiss or Shistavanen can use the Force while another cannot?”

“Are there any Chiss Force users? The X-Men haven’t seen any in the time we’ve been here.”

“There are suggestions in the records that some Chiss were taken as apprentices of the Sith, but those are ancient and unreliable. Also, may not have had anything to do with the Force.” He took a bite of the food she had brought. Good, something nutty and spicy in the sauce. “Did you make this?”

“Nope, can’t cook at all. I think Remy made this, he’s on canteen duty today.” She finished serving her own portion, and a few minutes passed while before she took up the conversation again. “The Force is in every living thing, but the ability to tangibly effect the Force is not. It varies from species to species. Humans and Larfrarians have cells in their blood stream that grant the ability, the Shistavenen and Devaronians have a certain organ in their body. Some species, like Grand Master Yoda have organelles that are in every cell. All these things are rolled up under the name midi-chlorians. If you are born with midi-chlorians you can manipulate the Force. If you aren’t, then you can’t.”

“So some sapients have these midichlorians and some don’t. I take it that some species have this occur more often than others?” She nodded while she chewed. “Are there any species that don’t have midichlorians at all?”

Kitty laughed, nearly snorting her own water up her nose, then spent a few minutes coughing it out again. “Ugh, that’s awful. And Kurt, you can’t prove a negative hypothesis like that.”

“You and Hank say that all the time but never say why.”

“Because there’s always the possibility for the hypothesis to be proven wrong. Sure, there don’t appear to be any Chiss Force-sensitives around now. But there could have been in the past that we just don’t have records of, or there may be people now who have midichlorians and just don’t know it because they’ve never been tested, or even if there have never been any, it doesn’t mean that a Chiss with Force-sensitivity couldn’t be born in the future. Mutations do exist after all.”

He had never really thought about it that way before. Perhaps he should cut Hank some slack. Then he remembered that Hank could have explained it that way any time before this and resolved to put the Commander in the worst mission he could think of. Or maybe steal and keep the next bit of weird technology that they found.

“Wait, you said people could be Force-sensitive without realizing it. How would you tell?”

“Some spontaneously develop some abilities, but generally you need to be trained. So if someone starts randomly shooting lasers out of their eyes one day, that’s a pretty good indicator that they’ve got midichlorians.” He reminded himself to ask Scott how he had found out about his ability one day. It sounded like the type of thing that would annoy the leader of the X-Men. “In the Core Worlds, a midichlorian test is generally part of the natal check-up procedure. So an alert would be sent to the Jedi if any new borns with a high enough midichlorian levels were born. Then they’d come and pick up the acquire the baby.”

“So all Force sensitives were inducted in the Jedi order?”

“Nnnooo . . . I think they had to get the parents’ permission first. The Jedi cut themselves off from their families, so a lot of people didn’t necessarily let their kids join. And there was some sort of age limit.” She finished her noodles, then reached into the bag to pull out some sort of fried dumplings. Half went into her empty bowl, the other half she passed to him. “Now that I think about, I think the Jedi Order might have been dying even without the Purge.”

“They don’t have kinder, they have high requirements to join, many people who meet the requirements don’t join because of the restrictions, and finally many of those who do join wash out. Are midichlorian levels hereditary?” Another nod. “Your Jedi Order sounds impractical. If they wanted more Force Users they should have required them to have kinder, not taken those genes out of circulation.”

“That’s where organizations like the X-Men, the Hellfire Club and Genosha get our recruits. People like Jean who were too old to be inducted, or like Jubilee who didn’t have a high enough level to be worth the time to train. We’ve met a lot of people bitter about the Jedi.” He wrapped his tail around her wrist, wondering if she was one of those bitter people. An apprentice to a Dark Side User who’d had no voice in her own fate, set aside like permanently tarnished goods.

“What abilities does the Force grant?”

“That also varies by individual. People who are strong in the Force tend to have multiple abilites, like the way Jean is both a telekinetic and a telepath. On the other hand, weaker Users tend to have singular, quirky abilities. Scott’s only power is energy projection. They’re are a lot of people like that, but he’s the only one who does it from his eyes. Or my phasing ability; I’ve never met anyone else like that.”

“Is there anything in common that the Force always grants? Healing, perhaps?” She took another drink and thought about it. “Force users do seem to heal better than normal people. Not necessarily faster, but things like your scar,” she leaned forward and traced the red lightning bolt on the left side of his face. “As long as the parts remain, we do heal perfectly. And longer life, yes. Most Force Users have a maximum life span of at least twice their species average.” She pulled away again with a frown. “Of course, dying of a blaster bolt in the back could be considered dying of natural causes now, so take that with a grain of salt.”

Now that was interesting. “Twice the average? Does that mean you’re older than you look?”

“I guess that would depend on how old you think I am.”

“Sixteen? No, you’ve were already in charge of the X-Men when you arrived. Eighteen?”

She gaped at him. “Why would you think I was sixteen? Who puts a sixteen year old in charge of an entire ship of refugees?”

He flushed, but was glad that she wouldn’t be able to see it. “Fourteen is certainly old enough to take adult responsibilities. And you X-Men did seem rather desperate when you first arrived.”

“Chiss are considered adult at fourteen?”

“We’re considered adult at twelve.” It was her turn to look at him suspiciously.

“How old do Chiss get any way? And how old are you?”

“Chiss have a maximum lifespan of 80 of your Standard Years.”

“That’s not so bad.” she muttered under her breath.

“I’m 24.”

“I would never have guessed that.”

“Well, how old did you think I was?”

She bit her lips, clearly reluctant to say. But he kept his eyes on her, and moved his tail from around her wrist to her waist. “F-forty.”

“Do I really look that old!”

“Forty’s not that old for humans. I’m only 36.” They paused for a moment. “I kinda feel like I’m robbing the cradle here.”

“Really? I feel the same way.”

#kurt darkholme #Kitty Pryde #X-men #star wars #CrossOver #more world building #but they're definitely friends now #kurt wagner is mr not appearing in this fic #i made kurt w's core name Thwagners #i'm so sorry kurt #i never liked the midichlorian explanation in star wars #so that stuff is completely made up #age comparison #kitty's 36 is the equivalent of our 18 #kurt's 24 is the equivalent of our 30 #fridge horror if they both live to old age she will outlive him by 80 years #there are no droid jedi in the cartoons or movies so i've decided they don't exist in this universe

2 notes · View notes

soundofawesomeblog · 6 years

Photo

100 songs for the ultimate 2017 playlist: this is Estelle’s picks for the best DAMN. tracks of the year.

2017 is the year when everyone is tired of all the bullshit. It is the year when you can’t just be a silent witness. It is the year when whistleblowers brought horrible people down, some of which managed to keep a shiny facade for decades all while being pieces of crap behind closed doors. It is the year (Afro-)American football athletes acted like heroes. It is the year Australia voted in favour of same-sex marriage and realized that love was the answer.

Don’t get me wrong: 2017 was horrible in an awful lot of ways. But we need to look at the positive if we want to be able to advance in 2018. Many artists felt the need to address the state of the world as it is right now and managed to make diamonds from the coal. Some were confrontational, some were loving and caring. But all of the artists behind the 100 songs on this list helped on their own scale to make our lives more bearable.

As usual, this is my personal list of the best jams of 2017; Léa's list of 100 songs and Mathieu’s choices are also available now. If you want more music, you can revisit my lists of 2014, 2015 and 2016. This time, however, the top 50 tracks will come with a short description so you can know what to expect from them.

100. Cardi B – Bodak Yellow 99. Nilufer Yanya – Golden Cage 98. Wolf Alice – Don’t Delete The Kisses 97. Priests – Nothing Feels Natural 96. Tove Lo – Disco Tits 95. Vince Staples – Crabs In A Bucket 94. Sampha – (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano 93. Future – Mask Off 92. Tops – Petals 91. Cuesta Loeb – Grass It Grows 90. Sleigh Bells – Rainmaker 89. Kesha – Praying 88. Tyler, The Creator feat. ASAP Rocky – Who Dat Boy 87. Father John Misty – Pure Comedy 86. Remo Drive – Art School 85. French Montana feat. Sae Lee – Unforgettable 84. Miguel – Told You So 83. MØ – Nights With You 82. SZA feat. Travis Scott – Love Galore 81. Methyl Ethel – Ubu 80. Carly Rae Jepsen – Cut To The Feeling 79. Alex Lahey – I Haven’t Been Taking Care Of Myself 78. Paramore – Hard Times 77. Jay-Z - The Story of O.J. 76. Charly Bliss – Westermarck

75. King Krule - Dum Surfer 74. The Courtneys - Minnesota 73. LCD Soundsystem – tonite 72. Jay Som – Baybee 71. Slowdive – Don’t Know Why 70. Charli XCX feat. Uffie – Babygirl 69. Lorde – Perfect Places 68. Kelly Lee Owens feat. Jenny Hval – Anxi. 67. Haim – Want You Back 66. Naomi Elizabeth – When You Got The Best You’re Like Wow 65. Japandroids – North East South West 64. Hannah Diamond - Never Again 63. Washed Out – Get Lost 62. BROCKHAMPTON – GUMMY 61. Mura Masa feat. Charli XCX – 1 Night 60. Lana Del Rey feat. The Weeknd – Lust For Life 59. Tkay Maidza & Danny L Harle - Bom Bom 58. Phoebe Bridgers – Motion Sickness 57. St. Vincent – Los Ageless 56. Charly Bliss – Percolator 55. Haim – Right Now 54. Real Estate – Darling 53. Pale Waves – There’s A Honey 52. Makthaverskan – In My Dreams 51. Julien Baker – Appointments

50. Saya - Cold Fire

Canadian newcomer Saya proves that the coolest pop happens North of the border with Cold Fire, the sonic equivalent to a dark thick and sexy cloud of smoke. And it feels just as dangerous as the title implies it.

49, Beach Fossils – Down The Line

Driven by a bouncy bass line worthy of Joy Division, Down the Line sees Beach Fossils revealing a 4am indie text message of a track, a low-key anthem to living a slacker life and trying to find someone to share it with.

48. Calvin Harris feat. Frank Ocean & Migos – Slide

Calvin Harris created with Slide the dancefloor number we always knew Frank Ocean had in him, with inspiration from Thinking 'Bout You's echoed handclaps and Nikes' pitched up vocal hook. More important, Ocean sounds fun in a way we rarely see in his solo work. Migos' verses only add more spice.

47. The Drums – Blood Under My Belt

One of the best songs of the summer, Blood Under My Belt is a catchy slice of effortless indie pop that should stand the test of time like The Drums' best material for decades to come.

46. Lorde – Supercut

Lorde embodies the millennial generation through one of our best guilty pleasures: supercut videos. The song feels as dizzying as the lyrics, with various moving parts stitched together better than any supercut you'll find on YouTube.

45. Kendrick Lamar – DNA.

Kendrick Lamar's attack mode is something to behold. On DNA. he raps about his blackness and attacks FOX News' divisive and clueless stances, all while riding one of the hardest beat of the year on the track's back end.

44. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar

Selena Gomez gets serious indie cred for sampling Psycho Killer's bass line, and the fact that it's pretty much all that backs her up on Bad Liar showcases her talent as a charismatic interpret for this year's best low-key pop moment.

43. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Over Everything

Two of the greatest slack-rock icons of today pair up for some serious hammock soundtrack as Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile stop time together in the chilliest of ways on Over Everything.

42. Björk - The Gate

"It’s about rediscovering love", said Björk to Dazed about her latest album, Utopia. Lead single The Gate showcases the veteran artist surrounded by reverb and deep love, pleading for the unnamed "you" to care for her until Arca's production finally takes over.

41. LCD Soundsystem - call the police

James Murphy and his friends have lost nothing of their dance-punk instincts and LCD Soundsystem builds another snowballing number with call the police, a track that becomes so manic you might as well text the cops.

40. Colour Of Spring - Love

Leeds' best-kept secret, Colour of Spring is yet to release a full album, but Love sounds like it came from a classic shoegaze band with years of experience, all while keeping the urgency of someone trying to break out into the scene.

39. Kelela - LMK

Kelela came of age on Take Me Apart, her first full-length album and LMK is the sound of an artist finding her own, unique lane. Here, Kelela mixes Smooth R&B vocals to a bass-heavy beat from the future.

38. (Sandy) Alex G - Bobby

(Sandy) Alex G's latest album was a little less lo-fi than his earlier works, but Bobby proves that he can still make charming and honest folk music when he wants. Emily Yacina's voice only adds more warmth to a track as comfortable as a blanket.

37. The War On Drugs - Holding On

Channeling the gods of classic rock and indie, The War On Drugs deliver one of the band's most immediate and blown up song of its catalogue with the urgent Holding On.

36. Mac Demarco - My Old Man

Freak folk icon Mac DeMarco realizes he is becoming like his father in the worst ways on My Old Man, but his trademark no fuss delivery renders his uh-ohs as charming as he can be.

35. Lil Uzi Vert - XO TOUR Llif3

The exact moment where grunge, SoundCloud, hip-hop and mainstream collided together, XO TOUR Llif3 is one of the most depressing but also fascinating singles to make it to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

34. Kevin Morby - City Music

Even with a limited set of lyrics, folk rock artist Kevin Morby channels his inner Marquee Moon on the ambitious City Music, a musical trip that starts with a soothing guitar riff and turns into a damn fine jam.

33. Miguel feat. Travis Scott - Sky Walker

It's no news that Miguel can do sexy, but with Sky Walker, he injects a whole dose of fun and raunchy one-liners to his music for a smooth party number.

32. Alvvays - In Undertow

On In Undertow, indie pop darlings Alvvays' comeback single, the Canadian band sounds more direct and confident than ever. With its waves of guitar wooshes and Molly Rankins’ unique voice, it’s a real heartthrob.

31. Frank Ocean - Chanel

Frank Ocean is on a streak; after releasing the outstanding Blonde in 2016, he came back with several singles in 2017. On Chanel, he blurs the lines between rapping and crooning, carrying the sparse production all the way over the high expectations he now has to deal with.

30. Alice Glass - Without Love

God bless Alice Glass and her comeback. There was no better way to start the next chapter of her career than with such a devastating electropop single, one where she channels a mix of the darkest parts of Samus from Metroid and Grimes for unique results.

29. SZA - Drew Barrymore

Perhaps the biggest revelation of 2017, SZA exposes all of her flaws and insecurities on Drew Barrymore, an honest R&B ballad set to a gin-fuelled backbeat. Her skilful flow in the verses is only a bonus.

28. Miya Folick - Give It To Me

Miya Folick showcases a sweet voice over a sparse guitar riff until she really, really wants you to give it to her. Then, her voice launches into the stratosphere as goosebumps emerge from your entire body.

27. Slowdive - Sugar For The Pill

Sugar for the Pill is quite the ballad, but it is still the most pop Slowdive has ever been with Neil Halstead's voice front and center over the dreamy guitars.

26. Vince Staples - Big FIsh

Don't let the banging beat or an uncredited Juicy J fool you with its club-ready hook; Vince Staples is not praising partying, money and booze on Big Fish. He instead reflects on his past misfortunes and how he can try to leave it behind him.

25. Thundercat - Friend Zone

No one did groovy in 2017 the way Thundercat did. Friend Zone is the best example of this, with its dizzying synths, bouncy bass line and Thundercat's unique voice.

24. Jay Som - The Bus Song

Jay Som is a low-key girl. She makes bedroom pop and likes the bus. Yet on The Bus Song, she hints at bigger ambitions with her rich arrangements and undeniable sense of melody.

23. Jay-Z - 4:44

One year after Beyoncé called him out for cheating on Lemonade, Jay-Z takes the blame and faces how he fucked up on 4:44. And unlike the wave of apologies that came out in the last few months, this one feels sincere. Oh, and it's got quite the beat too.

22, Waxahatchee - Never Been Wrong

Katie Crutchfield opens her fourth album as Waxahatchee with a solid rock single, ready to defeat someone who wronged her badly - and who is definitely going to regret it.

21. Screaming Females - Glass House

This post-punk number is driven by an incessant bassline and start-stops from the rest of the band while Marissa Paternoster gives an unforgettable vocal performance.

20. The xx - I Dare You

Oliver Sim and Romy's voices intertwine perfectly on I Dare You, pleading to fall in love over a Jamie xx beat that recalls the band’s early days.

19. Charly Bliss - Glitter

Real glitter is apparently as toxic to the environment than the relationship Eva Hendricks details in this track, one that matches powerpop and indie aspirations with melody, fun and one hell of a hook.

18. Pierre Kwenders - Sexus Plexus Nexus

Polyglot, Montréal-based Pierre Kwenders offers a smooth as hell mix of world music on Sexus Plexus Nexus, a track that should bring bodies closer to each other on any dancefloor.

17. Tyler, The Creator feat. Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy - 911/Mr. Lonely

Tyler, The Creator enlists Steve Lacy and Frank Ocean for a breezy complaint about being lonely on 911, a trend he flips on the Mr. Lonely part of the song. There, he quits playing games and admits that he can't even lie, he's been lonely as fuck.

16. Mount Eerie - Real Death

Death became a common theme in music lately, and Mount Eerie's mourning of his wife on Real Death might be the most honest, direct and arresting testament of grief yet.

15. The War On Drugs - Thinking Of A Place

It's not the first trick in the book to release a comeback single that runs for eleven minutes. But The War On Drugs pulls it off with Thinking Of A Place, a song that embraces classic and indie rock in a laidback way. After all, we've got all our time.

14. Slowdive - Slomo

Slowdive's Slomo is seven minutes of pure bliss. Three decades in the scene, the British band manages to bring a track that already sits up there as one of the best shoegaze anthems.

13. Khalid - Young Dumb & Broke

"Yeah we're just young, dumb and broke, but we still got love to give" sings the newly Grammy nominated Khalid. Here, he delivers a laidback anthem for a generation that has nothing else to do but get high and live its life like there are still plenty of tomorrows.

12. St. Vincent - New York

St. Vincent is now an insane BDSM lord, but her most powerful single in 2017 was still a tender ballad called New York. Is it a love letter to the city? To David Bowie? To her ex? No answer can be as satisfying as the way she says "motherfucker" in the track.

11. Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights

Julien Baker knows how to strip naked her emotions in her songs. In Turn Out the Lights' finale, she lets it all out as she realizes she needs to get out of her lowest point on her own.

10. Julie Byrne - Natural Blue

Singer-songwriter Julie Byrne looks as peaceful as ever on the cover of her latest indie folk album Not Even Happiness, and highlight ballad Natural Blue feels just as comforting.

9. Japandroids - No Known Drink Or Drug

All Japandroids songs are propelled by a crunchy riff and a big rush of passion. No Known Drink Or Drug just happens to pack an unmatched level of it all, as rock and love triumphs in a truly life-affirming anthem.

8. Alvvays - Dreams Tonite

Dreams Tonite unfolds like a flower in Spring, with Molly Rankin's voice as sweet as a late-night milkshake for a soothing and timeless twee pop number.

7. Perfume Genius - Slip Away

The single most uplifting moment in a song this year comes exactly 49 seconds into Slip Away. Perfume Genius opens the curtains wide to show his love to the world in the loudest chamber pop number.

6. Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE.

Kendrick never really left, but HUMBLE. hits harder than any comeback. Kung Fu Kenny's first solo #1 saw him take the throne and shut down all pretenders as hip-hop biggest force.

5. Lorde - Green Light

Lorde is all grown up now and she knows how to build a memorable, if quirkily constructed, hit single. Green Light is the sound of a popstar hitting her zeitgeist, a dance song that feels vital.

4. Charli XCX - Boys

My favorite emoji lately has hearts in lieu of eyes and Boys sounds like its favorite song. Here, Charli gets lost in her pretty boys' fantasies, laying in a bed full of heart-shaped pillows, and forgets about her problems, one game coin sound at a time.

3. Lana Del Rey - Love

After years of dark and bleak songs, Lana Del Rey decided in 2017 to look out for us. For the first time, she sounds happy and bubbly: Love was the unexpected rush of hope we so desperately needed this year. "Don't worry baby..."

2. Vince Staples - Yeah Right

With boundaries-pushing production from SOPHIE and Flume, Vince Staples provides the most forward-thinking rap song of the year. Add Kendrick flexing one of his best flows in a guest verse and you've got the biggest banger you haven't heard yet on Yeah Right.

1. Sorority Noise - No Halo

Written by Cameron Boucher as he pulled off in front of his friend's house, forgetting he passed away a year ago, No Halo is emo's most essential single in this decade. An arresting number, the song reaches a whole new level on its gut-wrenching chorus.In a year when our heads spun out of control in all directions, No Halo is a reminder that life is short and that you should tell your close ones that you love them before it’s too late.

This is it for this year, one in which I found myself toying with the top 10 up until the very last minute. If you want to listen to these songs, I encourage you to check the Spotify playlist at the bottom that should contain almost all of the tracks you’ve seen here.

0 notes