archive-of-fear

[archive-of-fear]

Name: London Calling

Artist: The Clash

Category: Song

Alignment: Extinction

Lyrics:

London calling to the faraway towns Now war is declared, and battle come down London calling to the underworld Come outta the cupboard, ya boys and girls

London calling, now don't look to us Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust London calling, see we ain't got no swing Except for the ring of that truncheon thing

The ice age is coming, the sun's zoomin' in Meltdown expected, the wheat is growin' thin Engines stop running, but I have no fear 'Cause London is drownin', and I live by the river

(London calling) to the imitation zone Forget it, brother, you can go it alone London calling to the zombies of death Quit holdin' out and draw another breath

London calling, and I don't wanna shout But while we were talking, I saw you noddin' out London calling, see we ain't got no Hyde 'Cept for that one with the yellowy eyes

The ice age is coming, the sun's zoomin' in Engines stop running, the wheat is growin' thin A nuclear error, but I have no fear 'Cause London is drowning, and I, I live by the river

The ice age is coming, the sun's zoomin' in Engines stop running, the wheat is growin' thin A nuclear error, but I have no fear 'Cause London is drowning, an' I, I live by the river

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh, ooh Now get this (London calling) Yes, I was there, too And ya know what they said? Well, some of it was true! (London calling) At the top of the dial And after all this, won't you give me a smile? (London calling)

I never felt so much alike, alike, alike

[archive-of-fear]

Name: The King of the Dead

Source: Doctor Who

Category: Statement

Entity: The Web

Description: Statement of Nyssa, regarding the events at the opening night of The King of the Dead

The Doctor, Nyssa, and Tegan accidentally arrive in the middle of an interactive play named The Kind of the Dead. There, they find that one of the lead actors, Patrick, has ulterior plans for the grand finale, intending to unleash extra-dimensional spider-like beings to feast on the minds of the unwitting audience. However, it turns out that this plan was not entirely of Patrick's doing, with the spider-beings utilising a fragment of his late father's consciousness to manipulate Patrick into joining UNIT and stealing the necessary technology to let them pass into this dimension. So, despite its very End-coded title, The King of the Dead is very much a web-aligned story.

[archive-of-fear]

[archive-of-fear]

Name: The Others

Artist: Birds of Tokyo

Alignment: Lonely

Lyrics:

I'm losing days Living life in cinematic haze Moving through it frame by frame And I'm trying not to notice That I'm never in the moment

I'll let it pass A numbing sense Disguised by sleight of hand Better thoughts are built on air And they'll crumble if I hold them And it won't last in the moment

Wait, am I about to lose myself again In between these walls so torn and thin Everything is seen for what it is

Why don't I feel like all the others Why don't I feel like all the others Just like the broken I have suffered So why don't I feel like all the others

I don't recall What it's like to walk down vacant halls What if I could turn it off If I wake up from this coma Will I wake up in the moment

I wrestle fate Knowing life will win this great debate Chance will have the final say And I wonder for a moment Will I break down When it's over

Wait, am I about to lose myself again In between these walls so torn and thin Everything is seen for what it is

Why don't I feel like all the others Why don't I feel like all the others Just like the broken I have suffered So why don't I feel like all the others All the others All the others All the others All the others

[archive-of-fear]

Name: The Ballad of Sara Berry

Source: 35MM: A Musical Exhibition

Category: Song

Alignment: Slaughter

Lyrics:

Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! Down on your knees before the Queen Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! Down on your knees before the Queen Sara Berry was a popular b*tch. (Mm-hmm.) Hot bod, hot boy, cheer captain, plus she was rich. (Oh, yeah.) That girl had everything till hiccup and hitch: Julie Jenkins lost a leg in a wreck. (Am—pu—ta—ted!) The nominations for Prom royalty came (Uh-huh.) Our Sara's senior year, and Queen was her claim— (Uh, duh.) Till gossip stirred the student body would name Julie Jenkins, Queen of the Prom. (Pi—ty—vote!) "Sara," her father said, "Life is a Prom I know you won't disappoint me and Mom…?" You taste the silver, Sara! You taste the crown You thirst for blood from the roses in hand Whoa, you spoil for sash and scepter, music to dance As they crown you Queen of High School Land (Check Sara, choose Sara, vote for Sara Berry.) (Check Sara, choose Sara, vote for Sara Berry.) So obsessed, our Sara near lost her mind To life un-Prom-related, Sara was blind; She shoved her squad, her clique, her boyfriend behind— Still Julie had a hold on the lead. (Poor, poor, Julie...) Soon Sara's sanity was hung by a thread Her B.F.F.'s proclaimed her socially dead 'Til then, at last, her boyfriend texted and said: "I'm taking Julie to the senior Prom." (Love, love, Julie...) "Sara," her father said, "Why be so calm? There's just no future for a Princess at Prom…" You taste the silver, Sara! You taste the crown You thirst for blood from the roses in hand Whoa, you spoil for sash and scepter, music to dance As they crown you Queen of High School Land Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! Down on your knees before the Queen! Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! Down on your knees before the Queen! Some girls are rational but Sara was not She stared in mirrors thinking one single thought: (Julie) There's seven reasons this crown's not good as got— (Anne, Eunice, Raquel, Marianna) And so the night of Prom, mercy! Thus went her plot: (Patricia, Quiara) (Thus went her plot!) "P" is for Patricia drinking poisoned punch "R" is for Raquel dashed on a rock-- crunch! "O" is what Anne said when Sara bludgeoned her brains And "M" is Marianna's marinated remains But! But! "Q" is for Quiara, quiet, drowned in the pool And "U" is for Eunice's pieces spread round the school But "E's" are for the easy way in five minutes tops A one-legg'd girl can bring an "N" for end by calling the cops. (What a b*tch.) You got your silver, Sara, you got your crown You got their blood on your roses in hand Whoa, you donned the sash and scepter, doing a dance As you crowned you Queen of High School Land! Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! (God save the Queen...) Down on your knees before the Queen (God save the Queen!) Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! (The Queen of High School Land...) Down on your knees before— (Oh! The Queen of High School Land!) They wrapped your wrists in silver, they took your crown As they washed your bloody fingers and hands Into a tight straitjacket, small padded cell Screaming, "I'm the Queen of High School Land!" Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh! At least in your head, you're Queen of High School Land! (Woah-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh!) Oh pity the dead, you're Queen of High School Land!(Down on your knees before the Queen) Check Sara, choose Sara, vote for Sara Berry. Check Sara, choose Sara, vote for Sara Berry.

[archive-of-fear]

Name: Speed the Collapse

Source: Metric

Category: Song

Alignment: Extinction

Lyrics:

All the way from where we came Built a mansion in a day Distant lightning, thunder claps Watched our neighbor's house collapse Looked the other way

And then the storm was overhead All the oceans boiled and rivers bled We auctioned off our memories In the absence of a breeze Scatter what remains Scatter what remains

Pushed away I'm pulled toward A comedown of revolving doors Every warning we ignored Drifting in from distant shores The wind presents a change of course A second reckoning of sorts We were wasted waiting for A comedown of revolving doors

Fate don't fail me now

And when the days that followed past In another mansion built to last From our window we could see Only possibilities down the road and back

But then the storm returned for more In a comedown of revolving doors We auctioned off our memories In the absence of a breeze Scatter what remains Scatter what remains

Pushed away I'm pulled toward A comedown of revolving doors Every warning we ignored Drifting in from distant shores The wind presents a change of course A second reckoning of sorts We were wasted waiting for A comedown of revolving doors

Fate don't fail me now Fate don't fail me now Fate don't fail me now Fate don't fail me now

[archive-of-fear]

Name: Infinitesimal

Artist: Mother Mother

Category: Song

Alignment: Vast

Lyrics:

There’s a million, billion, trillion stars But I’m down here low Fussin’ over scars on my soul On my soul, on my soul On my soul, on my soul, I am so Infinitesimal, oh 

And they say it started with a big bang But they say it came out of a small thing Lately, I’m feeling like a big bang ‘Cause I’ve been making something out of nothing (Like my soul) 

Millions and billions and trillions of stars, but I’m down here low Fussin’ over scars on my soul On my soul, on my soul On my soul, on my soul, I am so Infinitesimal, oh 

And they say it started with a big bang But they say it was really just a small thing Strangely, I’m feeling like a big bang 'Cause I’ve been making mountains out of concaves 

Do you ever really think about the grains? Every little one’s got a million things Every little bit’s got a billion bits And that ain’t it, no that ain’t it 

And did you know that when you really get close Nothing really touches, bro, just kind of floats? So when you think it might just come to blows Just so you know, it won’t, because it can’t, bro 

There’s a million, billion, trillion stars, but I’m down here low Fussin’ over scars on my soul On my soul, on my soul On my soul, on my soul, I am so Infinitesimal, oh 

And they say it started with a big bang But they say it was really just a small thing Strangely, I’m feeling like a big bang 'Cause I’ve been making something out of nothing 

[archive-of-fear]

Name: Heathers: The Musical

Authors: Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy; based on the movie of the same name

Category: Statement

Alignment: Desolation

Description: Statement of Veronica Sawyer, regarding the 1989 suicide epidemic of Westerberg High.

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In 1989, Veronica Sawyer despairs at the hellish social hierarchy of Westerberg High, where students like her friend Martha Dunnstock are relentlessly bullied and the clique of Heathers (Chandler, Duke, and McNamara) rule the school. When Veronica’s gets noticed by the Heathers, they elevate her to a position of popularity, then order her to forge a love letter from jock Ram to Martha to mess with her. This causes Veronica to get entangled with JD, who has been constantly moved around by his dad and gives himself brain freeze as a self-harming coping mechanism. Veronica stands up to the Heathers when they cruelly prank Martha; they vow to destroy her reputation, so Veronica decides she’s a “dead girl walking” and sleeps with JD.

The next day, when Veronica goes to apologize to Heather Chandler, JD tricks her into poisoning Chandler with drain cleaner and fake a suicide note. Duke takes up Chandler’s former position and joins Kurt and Ram in slut-shaming Veronica after the jocks fail to rape Veronica. Veronica and JD plan to get payback by shooting the jocks with tranquilizers and faking their gay suicide pact, but Veronica realizes too late that the bullets were real and has a breakdown. Convinced the murders are for the greater good, J.D. urges Veronica to target Heather D. next. She refuses, so he complains about doing nothing in the face of injustice, revealing he witnessed his mother’s own suicide as a young boy, straining his relationship with his father and causing their constant moving around. When Martha tells Veronica she believes JD killed the jocks, citing the forged love letter as proof, Veronica (urged by Chandler’s ghost) confesses to the forgery, breaking Martha’s heart. McNamara publicly admits suicidal thoughts, causing Duke to lead the students in mocking her and almost driving her to kill herself. Veronica breaks up with an increasingly unstable JD, who blackmails Duke into making the students sign a petition.

Martha, heartbroken over Ram, tries to commit suicide. Veronica realizes JD intends to kill her by faking her suicide; even worse, he plans to do the same to the entire school by blowing up the gym during the pep rally and plant the “petition” (actually a suicide note) in the ashes. After faking her hanging, Veronica confronts JD and shoots him. Unable to disarm the detonator, she takes it to the football field, where JD insists on taking it from her and blows himself up.

[archive-of-fear]

Name: Emperor Zing and The Majestic

Source: American Dad (ep. ‘Lost in Space’)

Category: Avatar(s)

Alignment: The Lonely

Description: Emperor Zing captures other species to serve him in his enormous shopping mall spaceship. The only way anyone can be freed is to prove that they have a true love back home that they have been parted from. If they fail the test, however, not only must they continue to serve Zing but they will also have their genitalia removed and be ‘made smooth.’ Nobody has ever passed.

The arbiter of this test is The Majestic, who has the power to scan people’s memories for proof of that person’s love. The test is performed in an arena with the memories put on display for all to see. When Jeff takes the test, The Majestic only displays memories of him being selfish and thoughtless towards his wife Hayley, and therefore fails.

It is soon found that the test is rigged. The Majestic, too, is a prisoner, and is forced by Zing under pain of death to only display bad memories. Zing had his heart broken (by Roger, who else?) and stopped believing in love as a result, seeing it only as a chemical reaction compelling animals to breed. Thus, in The Majestic’s words, Zing “waged a war against love.” The ship became a shopping mall so that Zing could fill the void with shopping.

These two’s Avatar quality comes from the fact that through his Imperial power, Zing spreads that loneliness to his people. The mall is entirely staffed by Zing’s captives, who are kept stranded in space with no hope of finding their true loves again and have been successfully indoctrinated into not believing in it in the first place. Captives and civilians alike have witnessed other people consistently try and fail The Majestic’s test, and civilians will be served by those same captives in the mall. Because the ship is a mall, the people on it have no choice but to succumb to the culture of consumerism within. They are effectively being forced to play out Zing’s coping mechanisms of denial and consumerism. Captives must endure being held prisoner and stranded in the depths of space, and civilians must witness them as cautionary tales against believing in true love.

[archive-of-fear]

Name: Bone Glass

Source: Lockwood & Co.

Entity: The End

Category: Artefact

Description: Created by Edmund Bickerstaff in 1877, the bone glass is a mirror whose rim contains the bones from 7 people, their souls trapped within. The concentrated essence of these souls allows a large enough gateway for the living to have a glimpse into the Other Side. It was said to show enlightenment to whoever looked into it, but would cause death shortly after. Those who did survive were driven mad. One glimpse would cause the victim to become obsessed with it, with a voice whispering  "Look, look. I give you your heart's desire." whenever the bone glass was near, with said victim doing anything to have another look. There are elements of the Spiral with this ability to drive victims mad, as well as the Corruption, with the element of obsession, plus the constant, nauseating drone of flies that any Sensitives hear when near it. However, given it was forged by basically an avatar of the End using other people's bones, it being a gateway to the realm of the dead and its ability to kill with a look, the bone glass is first and foremost an artefact of the End.

[archive-of-fear]

Name: Lockwood & Co.

Author: Jonathan Stroud

Category: Statement(s)

Alignment: The End

Description: A collection of statements by Lucy Carlyle, regarding her time as a psychical investigation agent at A.J. Lockwood & Co. Investigators.

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“There is an epidemic of ghosts in Britain. Their touch brings death, and only children have the power to fight them.”

Death permeates the alternate British society of the Lockwood and Co. series. Beginning five decades before the events of the first book, the existence of ghosts became undeniable as an epidemic of hauntings began. Dubbed “The Problem”, it has only gotten worse with time, with the number, strength and range of the hauntings continuing to escalate, with no end in sight.

Only children are able to detect these dangerous visitors from the other side, with this psychic Talent fading to nothing as they age, leaving adults next to useless when it comes to avoiding the deadly ghost-touch. As adults hide inside during the night curfew, children as young as 8 are forced to act as Night Watch or as Agents who risk their lives to fight off ghosts. Mortality rates are high and those who do survive often go on to become supervisors of younger Agents, forced into the position of sending children into mortal danger and being powerless to help them. This is a society dealing with basically the aftermath of an End Ritual and/or an End Domain, where death and the fear of death is the major driving force for most people. This fixation on death isn’t just only fear for some; there is also a thriving black market for Sources - objects (usually human remains) that a ghost is tied to and allows them passage into the living world from the Other Side.

MASSIVE spoilers for the final book below. Seriously, don’t look if you plan on reading this series (which you absolutely should and also check out the incredibly well done TV adaptation):

---FINAL SPOILER WARNING---

Turns out that the origin of this ghost epidemic was caused by the actions of the supposed “Hero” of The Problem, Marissa Fittes, who was the first one to figure out and codify (and profit from) most defences against ghosts. Her expeditions to the Other Side caused the dead to stir and make their way to the land of the living. She was obsessed with the potential properties of ectoplasm, the substance that ghosts are made of and what makes them so deadly, including immortality. Her frequent incursions into the Other Side to harvest and utilise ectoplasm, continued to greatly escalate The Problem, which only served to increase her wealth and fame as the head of the prestigious Fittes Agency.

Despite these constant trips to the realm of the dead rapidly ageing her, her experiments with ectoplasm allowed her spirit to possess the body of her granddaughter on her so-called deathbed. Now posing as her granddaughter, she continues her quest for immortality, escalating The Problem even further, which only increases her fame, fortune and power, giving her more resources to exploit both the dead and the living for her personal gain.

[archive-of-fear]

Name: 73 Yards

Source: Doctor Who

Category: Statement

Alignment: The Lonely

Description: Statement of Ruby Sunday, regarding the mysterious old woman who follows her everywhere.

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Upon accidentally disturbing a fairy circle, Ruby is suddenly alone, the Doctor instantly disappearing from right beside her. She notices a strange old woman in the distance, but every attempt to get nearer is futile, with the distance between them always remaining 73 yards. Any attempt by another person to approach the woman to try and speak to her, causes them to react in horror and disgust at Ruby, fleeing immediately. Even her own foster mother abandons her after doing this, despite her and Ruby having a strong, loving relationship prior.

Eventually, Ruby settles into her new empty, Lonely life, never being able to get close to people due to the mysterious woman driving them away; either directly by talking to them and turning them against Ruby, or indirectly as they feel that Ruby is constantly distracted and unable to fully connect with them, since she is constantly preoccupied with the woman. Even when Ruby thinks she has fulfilled her purpose in this strange timeline - weaponising the strange woman to make a dangerous PM quit shortly after being elected - the woman remains. It's not until Ruby is on her deathbed when the woman finally closes the semperdistans between them. Ruby seemingly dies (alone of course), but then wakes up on a very familiar clifftop in Wales 61 years prior - she had been the mysterious woman following her younger self for all those years. While older Ruby is able to prevent her younger self and the Doctor from disturbing the fairy circle and starting the loop again, there's no telling how many times this cycle happened before it was broken.

[archive-of-fear]

Name: Vasta Nerada

Source: Doctor Who

Category: Creature

Alignment: The Dark

Description: Literally known as "the shadows that melt the flesh", the Vashta Nerada were microscopic carnivorous beings found on most planets. On their own and in small swarms they were not a threat however, once a swarm was big enough, they could strip the flesh off living creatures in seconds. Believed to be the reason many species have a fear of the dark, they live in darkness and would mimic their prey's shadow when hunting. While light slowed them down somewhat, in high enough concentrations they could block even strong sources of light and once a victim had more than one shadow, it was too late.

[archive-of-fear]

Name: Cobb Avery

Source: Lord Huron Lore

Category: Avatar

Alignment: The Desolation

Description: Cobb Avery was once a construction worker who was murdered with his family in a house fire deliberately set by a corporation looking to get a hold of his land through any means necessary. He crawls out of his grave a new man – if he can even be called a man at all – brought back by some beyond his understanding. He’s unable to bleed, age or die, and is only fuelled by his need for revenge for his family.

Cobb tracks down each of the people responsible for the fire and kills them in brutal, destructive ways (trapping one in a burning gas station, killing another in with a corkscrew, derailing a train and lighting it on fire, etc). He begins to gain a reputation, becoming something of an urban legend, “The World Ender.” He forms a gang of equally restless and destructive folk, with himself at the head, to take down the cooperation with fire and bloodshed. He killed the CEO of the company by trapping them both inside the headquarters and blowing it up, yet he walks out entirely unscathed. Even after his vengeance has been fulfilled, the legend of the World Ender and his violence strikes fear into the hearts of the greedy, and a similar fire in the hearts of the scorned.

[archive-of-fear]

Name: The endless city 

Source: Gone with the Blastwave 

Category: Stronghold 

Alignment: The Slaughter, The Vast, elements of almost all in parts of the city 

Description: We find an unnavigable, ruined city that is the site of a war that has lasted so long none know the reason but to win. There are three main extent factions left go simply by colour as opposed to national identity of any form. There are the Reds, who seem to have poor equipment, but, rather clever, if boredom driven tactics, The Blues, who are better equipped for small arms, and the Yellows, who are the only faction that seems to field significant amounts of armoured vehicles, for all the good it does them.

The city does have some civilians, but they appear almost uniformly to be unaligned, begging the question of where any supplies for this war come from. Lastly, the city appears to resist attempts to escape it, generally, it is locally possible to reach locations, but any attempt to leave seems to inevitably lead to getting lost.

Curiously, the war in this location has continued so long that most survivors are inured to it’s terrors, but, there are plenty of apparently new recruits who have not become numb yet as well.

[archive-of-fear]

Name: Help I'm Alive

Artist: Metric

Alignment: The Hunt

Lyrics:

I tremble They're gonna eat me alive If I stumble They're gonna eat me alive

Can you hear my heart beating like a hammer? Beating like a hammer?

Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer Hard to be soft Tough to be tender Come take my pulse, the pace is on a runaway train Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer Beating like a hammer Beating like a hammer Beating like a hammer

If we're still alive My regrets are few If my life is mine What shouldn't I do? I get wherever I'm going I get whatever I need While my blood's still flowing And my heart still beats

Beating like a hammer Beating like a hammer

Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer Hard to be soft Tough to be tender Come take my pulse, the pace is on a runaway train Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer Beating like a hammer Beating like a hammer Beating like a hammer

If we're still alive My regrets are few If my life is mine What shouldn't I do? I get wherever I'm going I get whatever I need While my blood's still flowing And my heart still beats

Beating like a hammer Beating like a hammer (Beating like a hammer) Beating like a hammer (Beating like a hammer) Beating like a hammer (Beating like a hammer)

I tremble They're gonna eat me alive If I stumble They're gonna eat me alive

Can you hear my heart beating like a hammer? Beating like a hammer? Beating like a hammer Beating like a hammer

Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer

[archive-of-fear]

Name: Compliance

Artist: Muse

Alignment: The Web

Lyrics:

Compliance We just need your compliance You will feel no pain anymore And no more defiance We just need your compliance Just give us your compliance We won't let you feel lost anymore No more self-reliance (Com-com-com-com-compliance)

Fall into line, you will do as you're told No choice fatigue, your blood is running cold We lose control, the world will fall apart Love of your life will mend your broken heart Life lived in fear, you need protection You're all alone, too much rejection We have what you need, just reach out and touch We can save you (We can save you), we just need your

Compliance We just need your compliance You will feel no pain anymore No more defiance Just give us your compliance

Cover your tracks, we know what's best for you You've bitten off much more than you can chew You're running scared, you'll run into our arms Come join our clique, we'll keep you safe from harm Our toy soldier, you'll do the dirty work Stay loyal to us, we'll take away the hurt We have what you need, just reach out and touch We can save you (We can save you), just give us your

Compliance We just need your compliance You will feel no pain anymore No more defiance Just give us your compliance

(Com-com-com-com-compliance) (Com-com-com-com-compliance) Ooh Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh Ooh ooh ooh Ooh ooh ooh ooh (We can save you, we can save you)

Compliance We just need your compliance You will feel no pain anymore And no more defiance We just need your compliance We just need your compliance We won't let you feel lost anymore No more self-reliance (Com-compliance)

Compliance We just need your compliance You will feel no pain anymore And no more defiance We just need your compliance

Oh (Com-com-com-com-compliance) Fear is controlling you (Com-com-com-com-compliance) It's time to give it up (Com-com-com-com-compliance) And give in to us (Com-com-com-com-compliance) (We can save you, we can save you) Give us your compliance