#2021 i was also on a camping trip :) but this one was dead. first one was good though

[eggmeralda]

happy 10th anniversary to when I started remembering everything forever

[neechees]

I'm putting out a scam warning for the user @/sheeyancjoje, also previously @/sheeyanc @/sheeyancjosie, possibly other urls, who claims to be a homeless & asthmatic trans person living in a tent. I have reason & evidence to believe that they are not who they say they are, that their photos/evidence is stolen, and that they are actually the scammer Laura Deramas, who is likely also running the blog @/destrawberry. They exhibit multiple red flags for typical scammer behavior including the following evidence:

First off, who is Laura? Laura is a scammer who was initially called out for scamming & suspicious behavior in 2021, then with some manipulation, convinced multiple people that she was genuine (including me), then it was revealed once more that she was scamming & doing everything she was originally called out for: including pretending to be multiple different people & then lying more when confronted about it, exaggerating how badly her family apparently needed "help", guilt tripping people into giving her money and then harassing anybody who did give her money & demanded they give her more. & then later lied a bunch more including faking an arrest & faking her own death (& later pretending to be her own sister asking for funeral money, & calling any evidence against Laura being alive "hate") despite the fact that shes still very much alive & has posted on her own social media multiple times after her alleged "arrest" on May 30th 2023, & alleged "death" on June 2nd, 2023. We'll come back to Laura & why all that is relevant in a minute.

First off, Sheeyanc doesn't actually ever provide evidence that proves what theyre saying is true. They say they're homeless and living in a tent, and while they keep showing a tent, how do we know that these photos aren't stolen? How do we know that those photos aren't just from some camping trip, or staged? How do we know they didn't just go take photos of an another homeless person's set up? We don't. They make other claims that they don't provide proof for, such as saying their legs were swollen, but didn't provide photos of this. We've also had a similar tactic of someone else claiming to he "homeless" and "living in a tent" & this turned out to be false.

Secondly, Sheeyanc has been harassing people to send them money, either by going into their dms to beg them and sending people photos to guilt trip them, or even literally telling people to open up their askbox or messages when they were closed specifically so they could do this. Laura was ALSO known to do this to various users, & she would send people unsolicited photos of her child or her family & talk about how much she was "suffering" to get people to feel bad for her, which she ALSO did to me. When she pretended to die, she also randomly sent people photos of her allegedly "dead" body to ask for money, which upset many people. If you go into the notes of this post, there's multiple users testifying in the notes that Laura would regularly pester them for money & send photos. Note that people asking strangers for large sums of money as a "loan" is a big red flag for scammers we've seen multiple times, including Laura. Below is Sheeyanc doing the exact same things listed above that Laura did: sending people unsolicited photos, talking about how much she was "suffering" unprompted, and asking for large amounts of money from individual users. Also notice the similarity in language and tone between Laura doing this & Sheeyanc doing this.

Thirdly, Sheeyanc blocked the Filipino user who called out Laura Deramas. This Filipino user was the one to discover she had faked her death & photoshopped someone else's death certificate to pretend it was hers. In addition to this, we also know Laura isn't actually dead also because after she'd been called out for this, the user who called her out very mysteriously started getting anon hate in Tagalog. Below is sheeyanc interacting with them just before blocking

& we know Laura has been known to get sassy & rude with anybody who called her out like here. note the appropriation of aave by itssmelau when confronting people who called her out, just like Laura did in the first callout link with the user lizardamiibo while ALSO pretending to be someone else.

As another major point, Sheeyanc has been seen interacting with another scam blog, @/destrawberry, and verbally encouraging people to give them money. Destrawberry is very likely run by the same person who was running imgonetoofar/imthegonetoofar because theyre claiming to be the same person & using the exact same photos, & before deleting, imgonetoofar was promoting & being promoted by the scammer sassysweetiegirl/zaquaaaablu (who referred to "imgonetoofar as their "friend"), both of whom I called out here. And as I mentioned before, the person behind @/destrawberry is a scammer, either someone who stole imgonetoofar's (another scammer) photos & is pretending theyre recent & to be them, or they're the same person who faked their death and came back again to ask for more money. And who else do we know who faked their own death? Laura lol. So in other words, Sheeyanc/destrawberry/imgonetoofar/sassysweetiegirl are all likely run by Laura pretending to be different people. On the left below is Sheeyanc promoting destrawberry, & then on the right is imgonetoofar promoting sassysweetiegirl in the replies, where you can also see me calling them out.

And lastly, Sheeyanc's banner is of the New Matina Town square in Davao city, the Phillipines. Davao city is where Laura lives. Here's a screenshotted image just in case they change it, and below, here's a comparison between Sheeyanc's banner on the top part of the image, while the image below it is a screenshot from a video of NMTS in Davao, very near where the banner photo would've been taken, but at slightly a different angle/position. You can tell its the same place because of the little circular green grass section in both of the photos, which is surrounded by a metal fence with the same design, both have the exact same road signs in the exact same place, & both are in front of a yellowish-white building with a second floor & balcony & the same design of roof, with palm trees.

& heres that same building but at a different angle (at the front). If you google "New Matina Town Square", you get the yellowish white building featured in the photo, and if you reverse image search sheeyanc's banner photo, you still get results for this Town square. Left is Google results, the right image is the Google reverse image results, highlighted in yellow.

If you want to be more precise, The yellowish building is a restaurant called "The commons at MTS", while the photo would have been taken next to another restaurant called "Taboan". Below is a helpful legend I've created from a Google maps view of the New Matina Square. The highlighted red area is where the banner photo approximately would've been taken, & the yellow area is where most Google search photos are taken at the front of the building. You can see the buildings I've mentioned, & if you don't believe me you can go take a look at Google maps & see for yourself.

And just so there's no confusion that Davao city is indeed where Laura lives, here's my old reblog of a post that Laura convinced someone to make for her where it confirms she lives in Davao city, as reblogged also by Laura and she was fundraising because of allegedly being affected by a flood there.

So to recap: the user Sheeyancjoje is likely the scammer Laura Deramas due to similar patterns of behavior, such as 1. Vague "proof", 2. Harassment of tumblr users in asking them for money, including sending unsolicited photos and guilt tripping or repeatedly asking for more money from people who already donated, 3. Asking for large amounts of money from individual users the same way Laura did, 4. Fighting with and blocking the same user that called out Laura for faking her own death, 5. Interacting with other confirmed scammers, including another one involved in a funeral scam, like how Laura was, 6. Their banner is literally a photo of Laura's city of residence

[secrets-of-everwich]

10-1 Into the Caves

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies recording]

[Sounds of outside – wind, the occasional bird, twigs snapping etc.]

{Callie}

Hello, this is Callie Hewitt, recording on the 24th October 2021. I’m here in the graveyard in the evening, because I’m about to do something very stupid.

I know, I know, what could be more stupid than camping out for the Everwich Ghost? Well… Going into the Everwich Caves is definitely more stupid. And yet, I’m still going to. Why? Because I need answers. I need them. I, uh, did something very bad earlier, so I’m a bit on the clock right now to get into the caves, so let’s just go straight into it!

[Sounds of a lock opening]

[Sounds of a door opening]

[Sounds of Callie struggling]

Well. I’m currently looking at an open trapdoor. It’s… Very dark in there. Thankfully, I brought my lantern, my phone, and two torches. I also brought a backpack full of snacks, a first aid kit including emergency medication, a knife (just in case), an umbrella, and – obviously – the map. I also brought a map of Everwich, because why not! You can’t say I didn’t come prepared.

[Sounds of someone clambering around]

[Sounds of a door slamming shut]

[Echoes after all of Callie’s words]

Wow… It really is dark in here.

[Footsteps]

This is quite exciting, to be honest. Although- I wish there was someone here with me. But that’s okay, I’ve got you, loyal listener! Right. Well, I guess I should explain how I got here in the first place. Earlier today, I snuck into the graveskeeper’s house and stole Bert’s spare skeleton key… I really shouldn’t have, but I searched everywhere – and I mean everywhere – in the manor for the key to the basement, and I couldn’t find it. I even got Xavier to search his room again.

The entrance by the war memorial has been blocked up entirely since the 60s, and there’s no way I’m trudging through the forest in near-darkness alone.

[A pause]

[Footsteps stop]

Okay I understand how stupid that sounds now.

[Footsteps resume]

But at least in the graveyard, I could see where people were coming from, and I know it very well. The forest, I do not.

Anyway, I stole Bert’s skeleton key so I could unlock the trapdoor that leads into the caves. I feel bad, but, like I said, I need to get answers. At this point, it’s too late to turn back anyway.

My parents don’t mind I’m not here, they’re out doing… I don’t even know what they’re up to. They just said ‘business trip’. Point is, I was going to be home alone anyway. Xavier’s off with Emilia again, I think, so…

It’s definitely quite spooky, but it’s also quite fun down here. Listen to that echo!

[Loudly]

Echo!

{Echoes of Callie}

Echo, echo, echo, echo…

{Callie}

[Laughs]

Frankly, I was getting sick of being stuck in my room. There wasn’t anything to do!

Oh, that’s interesting! Look- Wait, you can’t look. There’s initials engraved here. Lots of them. Some look newer, some look older. That’s so cool… It’s so interesting seeing all the people’s initials. They all wanted to make a mark. And they did!

[Rustling]

I forgot to mention, I also took a camera. Like, a proper old-fashioned one, so I could take cool pictures.

[A different click]

There we go! Now I can look at this later on.

[A pause]

[Footsteps continue]

[Faint panting begins as time goes on]

Oh, I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. I’m in a dead end. It kind of looks like a small room. I’ll pause here for a second, and just check the map.

[Rustling]

Okay, so if I walked from the graveyard entrance- Hold on, which one is that? This map kind of reminds me of a spider’s web… [Laughs] Okay, so it could be… That entrance, in which case… I didn’t turn around, so I would have gotten… I should have gone straight towards the basement of Everwich Manor by now, which means it wasn’t that entrance. So maybe… This one-

Oh wait, I could overlay the maps!

[Rustling]

Okay, so… There is the… The entrance… But that’s not possible… I didn’t take a turn anywhere, did I? Unless I started out the wrong way… This is such a maze.

[Sounds of a throat clearing]

Okay well, it appears I have taken a wrong turn somewhere, which means I’m going to keep my map out from now on. I think I know where I am, so I’m just going to follow the map.

[Rustling]

Lantern in one hand, map in the other, backpack on my back, let’s go!

[Footsteps]

[Silence]

[Radio static grows in loudness as time goes on]

[Radio static grows quieter]

[More panting]

So… I am… Very tired, and would like to sit down… I must have… been wrong in where I was with the… map, because I’ve been… Walking for… So long…

[A pause]

Unless… the layout has… changed… People haven’t been… In here for a… While, so…

[A pause]

[Footsteps stop]

Well… I think… This expedition has… not been a success… Hold on… What’s the time?

[Rustling]

[A pause]

Oh.

[Callie’s voice grows quieter, and more scared sounding]

[Less panting, but panting is still there]

It’s… Apparently very late. I entered at 5pm, and… apparently it’s 7pm now. I think I’m going to sit here for a bit, and retrace… My steps.

Thank you for listening to… This secret of Everwich. I’ll see you next time.

[Click]

[disenfranchisedgriefed]

To draw closer,

The past couple of years have been some my most challenging and rewarding years of my life. The steps forward into uncertainty, the ever longing itch to become what I have always desired to be. The beginning of a new life that I have carved and shaped. Wrought with constant blockades, impatience, and a gloom hanging overhead.

It wasn't something that just happened. I had to make a conscious decision to leave the world I had created around myself, the prison I had ensnared myself into. It started about 6 years ago. Attempts were made to break free of this repetitive cycle. Truly, I was alone in this endeavor. I had used up all of my friends and family. This isn't to say I don't blame them, I don't. However, the road I traveled was destined to be a lonesome journey. The first steps were recognizing self-destructive behavior, and isolating why I felt the need to perform acts of sabotage on my own life. This took a lot longer than I expected. Breaking free from patterns in behavior is much easier said than done.

The year is now 2019. I had broken free of the destructive cycle that kept my mind suspended for the last decade and a half. This isn't to say I was cured. I was far from it. Certain scents and sounds could trigger memories I wasn't prepared for at that moment. It's interesting how much memory affects our mental well-being, even negatively. This new chapter was rediscovering who I was, but this was a dead end. For what I had remembered about myself was distorted, often shrouded and eclipsed by moments that I barely existed for. A new way of thought was necessary. Instead of becoming what I was, I would become what I wanted. Every hope and dream. This became a creed for me, a clarion call.

The next year was, for many, a very difficult year. However, for myself, it was a breakout moment. A moment where I could focus on myself and drown out the outside noise. Develop new skills, new hobbies, and interests without the distraction of the world around me interfering. The year came and passed, but I had made significant progress. This year would also be of new introductions, new friends, and past ones returning. This trend continued for 2021. Family relationships improved, friendly relationships improved, and generally, overall, my mood improved. The progress that I had made since 2017 was unbelievable. Lifestyle habits began to form, long camping trips, movies, concerts, and other events began to fill that void in my life that consumed so much around me and gave nothing back. I had formed meaningful connections with others, myself, and the world at large.

2022 began the same as previous years. This year would be a sort of major milestone. Thoughts of suicide were all but extinct, moments of anxiety and stress were almost nil. I knew the next step was to cleanse my body, much as I did with my soul and mind. I began to lose weight, improving my "style" of who I wanted to be on the outside, or rather, what I wanted to portray. Elements from my hobbies, my friends, and my beliefs began to take shape as physical representations. Weight was lost, but a slide back occurred during the winter of 2022. I knew this would be difficult, portioning in the US often is.

We are now in the current year. With the help of the gym, portion control, and a healthier diet not consisting of fried foods, my weight has dropped substantially, and notably, my BMI has improved. Not quite where I want it to be currently, but I will get there with time. I continue to meet new and interesting people in my life and welcome them with open arms. Although my past life has left a substantial scar for personal relationships, I have chosen to see past these moments and embrace the world for what it is, and shape what I can into what I would want it to be.

Why? Why did I do this? Aside from the obvious depression, I was physically dying. Not in any literal sense, but I was most certainly wasting away. Expecting something to come along or someone to believe in. This, however, did not happen. As time went on, I realized that whatever was going to happen, needed to happen sooner rather than later. I would give it one more college try, and if all my attempts failed, I could rest. I guess what I am telling whoever stumbles upon these messages in the void is whatever trouble you're going through can be overcome. You don't need anyone or anything to become what you want. These things help and encourage you, but they are not the be all and they are certainly not the end all. Life is full of wonders and amazement, it's also full of cruel and harsh realities. We cannot just have one. No matter how hard we claw and scream, we must take it all. So believe in yourself, believe in the inner you. It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight and it's never too late.

"To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life."

-The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

[theghostpinesmusic]

Deschutes River Canyon (1/3)

A few weeks ago, back before all of our recent travel and right after the end of the school year, Lindsey and I backpacked the Deschutes River Canyon from Mack's Canyon to the confluence with the Columbia.

My obsession with this area started during COVID, when I took a solo trip there during spring break in 2021, because I was overwhelmed by work and stress and work-related stress and thought that maybe going on a backpacking trip earlier in the year than usual might help. It did, and so I came back in the spring of '22. Where my '21 trip was, by necessity, an out-and-back hike of part of the canyon, with Lindsey's help I was able to set up a shuttle in '22 and hike the full canyon from one end to the other. I had so much fun the second time that I started thinking of the trip as a new spring tradition of sorts.

Unfortunately, I was so buried by work this past spring break that I couldn't make the third annual iteration of the trip happen. Arguably, I needed the break this year more than in previous years for a variety of factors that probably deserve their own story, and I was heartbroken to have to "miss" the trip…but only until June, as it turned out.

Usually, the canyon heats up so much by June that while it's not unhikeable, it would be distinctly uncomfortable and possibly even dangerous to hike it. Also usually, by June I'm typically aiming for higher elevation alpine backpacking destinations that have a higher "payoff" (however you want to parse that word) for the effort than the Deschutes Canyon.

However, in one of those situations that was likely just random chance but felt like evidence of providence, the three days immediately following the end of the academic year this year were forecast to have atypically low temperatures. Simultaneously, because of the exceptionally high snowfall in the mountains this winter and spring, many of the high routes that are usually "in" in mid-June were still a month or so away from melting out. So, Lindsey and I booked a shuttle, packed our bags, and headed to the Mack's Canyon trailhead the Monday after Saturday's graduation. For "fun," we both decided to hike with completely new bags: by and large, this worked out fine, although I found my REI Flash 55 bag to be a bit less comfortable when fully weighted than my usual Exos 58.

It's a five-hour drive from our house to the trailhead, but a lot of it is through really beautiful Central Oregon country, culminating in a drive along the Deschutes that wedges you between the river and insane columnar basalt pillars for a few miles before dead-ending at Mack's Canyon. There are a lot of paid campgrounds along this stretch of road, too, that would be fantastic stops if I ever manage to take a break from backpacking and car camp instead, but I digress…

Because of the long drive, we didn't plan on making great mileage the first day, but nonetheless ended up covering about eight miles from the trailhead to Lockit Camp, coincidentally the exact same camp spot that I stopped at on my first night of the trip last year. One of the fun parts of this trip is just the sheer number of potential along-the-river campsites that are available to choose from, so repeating myself felt like a little bit of a cheat, but Lockit is definitely the best campsite within a half-day's walk of the Mack's Canyon start point.

The entire Deschutes Canyon hike is roughly twenty-five miles of walking along an old railroad bed (check out the history of "The Deschutes Railroad War" if you're interested, it's wild, and at one point we found the remains of a century-old boiler from an old train), which means that there's very little in terms of difficult topography or elevation gain/loss.

That said, the first three miles or so heading north from Mack's Canyon is the toughest part of the whole trip in this regard. The culprits are a series of canyons that used to be spanned by railroad bridges almost a century ago, but now are…not. Which means you have to scramble down into the canyons, pick your way across them, and then scale the canyon wall on the other side to regain the road bed. I'm selling this as if it's incredibly difficult, and it's not. But it's also not easy.

Fortunately, we didn't have much trouble negotiating these spans, and the rest of the day was spent ambling along the road bed until we ended up at Lockit Camp and bedded down for the night.

It's always hard for me to explain why I find this particular trail so beautiful. It's not as immediately striking as many of the alpine locations I've hiked in, and it also more dry than wet, more brown and yellow than green. Maybe you have to live in central/southern Oregon for it to make sense. I think it has something to do with the contrast between the dry, rocky canyon and the huge, blue river hammering its way through the middle of it all; hopefully some of these photos help illustrate what I can't explain in words. More later about the second and third days of the trip!

[monarchisms]

Erlande my beloved help I’m sad and sad and wanna jump back into AH but I dunno where to start pls hold my hand and guide me ur like the ceo of this place

i am holding both of your hands right now

okay, so like, even though i've watched a lot of AH stuff from this past year, i can't recall every single thing i’ve watched off the top of my head. to make this easier for myself, i'll mainly look at the let's play and achievement hunter channels on youtube. from there, i'll recommend series from 2021 that are easy to binge, and then suggest one-off videos, some of which are longer than others :)

before i start the list, the short announcement video with BK and joe is really cute. show them your love and support on the socials!

here are all of the AH videos i really liked from this year [as of december 23rd, 2021]:

★ live action ★

challenged accepted (formerly known as “challenge finders”)

unruly rollers (a let’s roll miniseries)

go-op! (like the series “go!” but more cooperative)

between the games (not a new series, but it returned this year)

achievement hunter summer games in spring (their first video in person as a large group. very fun. very wholesome)

extra life 2021 (alternatively: a highlight reel of extra life 2021 made by rt themselves)

specific videos:

ready set show: fake british slang quiz 4

between the games: sumo x floor is lava on hoverboards and how we broke the ceiling

let’s roll: monikers with barbara + is this another HR incident? (title refers to the previous game)

chump: the face jam episode and the takeout crew episode

off topic: the halloween episode, episode 300 (more chill than 200 lol), the hot tub episode, and the rtx 2021 episode

also, this one sponsored video where jack and lindsay get a tank (from december 2020, but sshhh) and that one olympics video with ray

with many podcasts getting video versions and bonus content on youtube, i’d like to recommend:

red web: yorktown memorial hospital

face jam: road trip videos [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ] + this sponsored video

f**kface: their “breaks sh*t” series. not much gets broken (physically, at least) [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ] + geoff’s bike stunt video

annual pass: the rtx 2021 panel and their youtube channel. the channel was made in june, and videos started being uploaded in november, so there’s not much in-person content to recommend this year :)

★ gameplay and animations ★

AH animated (yes, all of them from this year. i couldn’t pick a favorite)

ocarina of time and super mario 64 randomizer (with michael and matt)

pokémon snap (with matt and jeremy) [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] + their pokémon stadium video

halo 4: laso (michael, gavin, jeremy, and alfredo)

gta v: the chungschwa videos [ 1 | 2 | 3 ], the cayo perico heist (michael, gavin, jeremy, and matt) and los santos tuners (matt, alfredo, trevor, and a rotating crew member, each episode being a different person)

minecraft: ya dead, ya dead season 4, ya dead, we dead, this capture the tower video they did with the other departments at rt, and of course, episode 500

hitman 3 (played by gavin as the other AHers watch and have a laugh)

play pals: the room series and cursed halo [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 ] (this one’s still an ongoing series!)

specific videos:

drawful 2 custom game (with the internet’s geoff ramsey™. it’s from december 2020, but hey, that’s close enough to 2021)

50-turn mario party

that weird-ass bigfoot roleplay video (ky plays as bigfoot, and it’s as great as you'd expect)

march to madness: the 2021 AH wrestling video (as hosted by post team’s aaron)

mario golf super rush (the one where alfredo died inside)

play pals: getting over it (the second part that was only made because they joked that they’d do it when the first video hit a million views)

★ first-exclusive content ★

dead little roosters

camp betrayal

last laugh: season 2

let’s firt + an explanation as to why it’s called “let’s firt”

specific videos (and miniseries):

off topic: last call: episode 300

sims 4 cottage life (with ky, lindsay, and fiona)

let’s build (with ky, lindsay, and matt)

hades (with lindsay, matt, and alfredo) [ 1 | 2 | 3 ]

i... think that’s everything? at least, i hope it is. i started writing this at 2 in the morning, so there’s a chance that some of the links are broken or misplaced. if i got lucky and all of the links are good, then everyone is free to add their own suggestions!

[shesclearlya3]

*MASTERLIST*

started; 10/30/2019

updated; 08/29/2021

masterlist for all my ahs characters! :) thank you, enjoy, lovelies. i also do take requests/asks, if it’s do-able, I will be more than happy to write it!

* denotes smut

MICHAEL LANGDON:

Dead Girl Walking (On-Hiatus)

your parents decide to enroll your family in the Foreign Exchange program at your school. her name is Violet Harmon and she will be living with you for an entire year. someone fucked up and now you have to live with her brother, Michael, as well. hopefully he will behave.

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

Dancing With A Stranger (Request-Completed)*

you’re staying at the Hotel Cortez for the week with your best friend, Winter. that night you meet Michael Langdon, the owner of the hotel, also known as the Count. au!

part 1 | part 2

XAVIER PLYMPTON

In Case You Don’t Live Forever

your best friend, Xavier Plympton, was murdered at Camp Redwood. a year later, you’re still not over his death. a spontaneous trip to Camp Redwood doesn’t go like you expected.

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | epilogue

The Last Time

you and your boyfriend Xavier go to warn Chef Bertie about what is going on at Camp Redwood. When things take a nasty turn, one of you has to do the unthinkable.

Grow As We Go

the night your boyfriend Xavier, relapses, you reflect on his rocky past. warning: mentions of drug use

Dancing With Your Ghost

you go camping with your friends at camp redwood and meet a mysterious group of people. 

part 1 | part 2 | epilogue

Summer of ‘84*

your job at the drive-in with your friend xavier plympton takes an unexpected turn.

I Loved You First

xavier plympton becomes someone’s boyfriend. and it’s not you. you loved him first, but his heart is running out. or so you thought.

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | epilogue 

Merry Christmas, Darling

just a little something for the christmas season, y/n reflects on the past year after nearly losing xavier :)

Haunted (Happy Halloween!)

you go to a haunted house with the gang, where scares and hilarity ensue

DANDY MOTT:

You’re Ravishing (Request)*

dandy is thirsty, and it’s not for water.

A Boy Like That (Excerpt)

elsa catches you sneaking back onto her grounds after spending time with dandy.

Pity Party

dandy is upset, so you take him out for ice cream.

Tag, You’re It

you’re alone on halloween night and notice a strange figure lurking outside.

Class Fight

high school au! when the quarterback takes an interest in you, your friend dandy has a few things to say about it.

part 1 part 2 part 3

More Dandy Requests:

Accompanying Dandy

Ghost! Dandy 

Ghost! Dandy part 2

Comforting Dandy

Sick Dandy

Clingy Dandy

BOBBY RICHTER:

Look What I Found

you’re nervous to see a new face in camp redwood after all these years, and bobby is happy he found you.

HARRY GARDNER

Freak Like Me*

harry spends too much time writing his new script, so you decide to distract him (tw: blood kink, knife play)

RATCHED:

EDMUND TOLLESON

Dangerous Woman*

you’re a nurse at lucia who has to deliver edmund his meals. upon meeting, edmund immediately likes you, causing mildred ratched to get you together. part 1 part 2 part 3 (coming soon)

[torchwoodfanfests]

The Torchwood Bingo 2021 Masterpost

The masterpost for our first ever repeated fest is here! Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2021 Bingo Fest, and congratulations to all of you who got bingo! Enjoy browsing through 104 creations from 18 wonderful participants!

You can also read the fics submitted in this fest’s AO3 collection!

If one of your works should be in this post but isn’t, please let us know and we’ll add it ASAP.

@adhd-jack-harkness

FANFICTION

<3 + me = ?

Team bonding 

Five Times Sam Hated John Hart and One Time She Didn’t

John Hart, Anger 

Our Second Time Dipping Went Better

Hub goes into lockdown, Under the influence

Team Torchwood & Flowers moodboards

Plants/Vegetables

Slumber Party

Camping, Femslash, Team bonding

Alien Outfits

Clothes/Outfit

CyberSam

Anger

Ianto and Jack’s Fabulous Date Night

The year that never was

Frozen

Animal transformation

META

Sam’s perfect future

Backstory

@bashir-one-alpha

FANFICTION

Grieving (for the living)

Clothes/Outfit, Blue, Exercise

so much in love (& yet so far apart)

Immortality, Bullet wounds, Death/Dying

@celstese

FANFICTION

Home is where the Hart is

Amnesia/Memory tampering

The Cardinal

Doubles and doppelgangers

Countrycide AU

Camping

ART

Yvonne Hartman

DW crossover

Timelord Toshiko

Timelord AU

PLAYLISTS

Ianto

Hurt/Comfort, Domesticity, Bisexuality

Yvonne Hartman

Fantasy, Mission related trip, Betrayal

Jack

DW crossover, I had a boyfriend who used to do that, John Hart, Set between s2 and s3, Twelve and Frobisher confusion

Gwen

Set between s2 and s3, Family, The ghost machine/The resurrection gauntlet

John

Alien tech/Future tech, Stars, Exposed

@greendreamer

ART

Pony!Jack and Pony versions of Jack and Ianto

Animal transformation, Crossover of your choice

King Gender

John Hart, Gold

“Excuse me. Have you seen a Blowfish driving a sports car?”

Weevils/Blowfish/Hoix

The Bisexuals of Torchwood and Suzie watercolour

Bisexuality, Purple, Blue, Suzie Costello

Gray and Wynn and Wynn Reference sheet

Old friends/Chance meetings

Captain Jack Harkness

Black and White

Tosh and Sherbert

Canon character is an alien au

Shopping trip

Friendship

Naughty Time Agents get chained up for their crimes

Angry, Handcuffs

“Where the heck are we?”

Mission related trip

@haventacluewhatimdoing

FANFICTION

The Beauty Of Being A Teaboy

Neurodiversity

Nothing Like A Birthday

Surprise

How many whisks does one girl need?

Misunderstanding

The End of Time

Waiting, AU where Jack came back later

@horselover107

FANFICTION

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Prison/Prison Break

Changing Tides

“I’m fine”, Nightmares

The Great Welsh Cookoff

Cooking, Red

Mark It With A T

Torchwood Logo

Cat’s In the Cradle

Kids

Untitled Undercover Mission

Pets

Together in the Dark

Dark

Pub Quiz

Bar/Karaoke

Untitled World Tour

Missing, Day off work

Should Stay or Should I Go

UNIT

On moving in

Pink

A Good Man

Trying to change the timeline

Beyond the Veil

Cybermen/Daleks, Paranormal powers, Future fic

Myths and Legends

Harriet Jones/Mickey Smith/Face of Boe, Soulmates, conspiracy theorists, Boeshane

PLAYLISTS

Undead Owen Playlist

Came Back Wrong

Cyberwoman

Lisa Hallett

Torchwood Outbreak

Weapons

@iantojpg

ART

Flower symbolism

Plants/Vegetables

Favorite Torchwood outfits

Clothes/Outfit

That’s okay

Dead/Death

@iantosboyfriend

ART

Geo-caching date

Date night, Exercise

FANFICTION

in a mirror, dimly (or, remembrance and other troubles)

Friendship, Amnesia/Memory tampering

what you leave behind

Torchwood One

@itneveroccurredtomeatall

FANFICTION

Look For The Light That Leads Me Home

Amnesia/Memory tampering, Time travel, Dead/Death

@my-ghost-monument

FANFICTION

(un)seized opportunities

Episode tag/Missing scene, Weddings, Yvonne Hartman

inconvenient situations 

Rhys Williams, Trapped together, Red, Missing

old refrain

Future fic, Boeshane, Summer, So, there’s two of me in the current timeline

date interruptions

Trust, Prison/Prison break, Rules

@roselees

FANFICTION

Up Under Pressure

Trapped Together

@searching-for-arcadia

ART

Actaeon

Animal transformation

@shejustcalledmeafish

FANFICTION

It’s Wrong to Take What Is Given You

Harriet Jones, Mickey Smith, Face of Boe, Rules/Bending or Breaking the Rules, Outer Space

Know Your Hearts Like My Own

Genderbend, Paranormal Powers

Stay, Sit, Squish

Pets

In for a Pound (of Flesh)

Everybody Lives AU, Sweet/Sour, DW Companion Cameo, “I’m fine”

Sharing is Caring

First Kiss/First Date

Spice of Life

Cooking

@sweet-sammy-kisses

FANFICTION

I Won’t Let Your Light Dim

Stars

Tears of Phoenix

Fantasy

Thunder and Fire

Polyamory/Consensual non-monogamy

Love Drunk

Under the influence

Blue Bird of Torchwood

Blue

@this-is-quite-homoerotic

ART

LISA/IANTO MOODBOARD

Lisa Hallett

JANET THE WEEVIL EDIT

Pink, Janet the weevil

TIME LORD!JOHN HART MOODBOARD

Memories

TOSH/RIVER MOODBOARD

Outer space

FANFICTION

ALL WE DO IS TO DIE FOR

Con-man/Grifter, Autumn/Spring, Day off work, “Bloody Torchwood!”

@toshsato

ART

jack’s pink bisexuals gifset

Pink

rhys holding anwen gifset

Rhys Williams

bi!gwen cooper gifset

Canon-compliant

jack and john parallels gifset

Con-man

FANFICTION

Love So Soft

Pets, Food

they can’t believe I made you weak

Surprise, Miracle Day

friends are something that we were (before me sleeping in your shirt)

Genderbend, Pining, Bar

giving me everything

Team TARDIS, “I’m fine”, Daleks

shorking responsibilities

Alternate universe, Water

Is It Insensitive For Me To Say

Outer space, Authority, Sweet

The End is Where We Start From

Canon-divergence, Grief, Episode tag

I Don’t Do Fake Love

Prison break, Autumn, Conspiracy theorists

@twincityhacker

FANFICTION

In the Dark

Dark

@ultraviolet-eucatastrophe

FANFICTION

Pulling strings in your heart

Dreams, Anger, Myfanwy/Untitled the dog/Steve the rat

Second hand warmth

Past conquests, Cold/Warm, Suzie Costello

Picking up the pieces

Set between s2 and s3

Gwen and Ianto's Excellent Wine Night

Mission-related trip, Meeting the family, Torchwood One

Catch like fire

Historical figure

Laid Bare

Exposed

And to be shared on this night

Werewolves/Vampires, Exercise

Countdown to Destruction

Martha Jones, The Hub goes into lockdown

[idjitlili]

Your eyes can be so cruel.

Kili x reader

Summary:  Being apart of the company, and growing close to Kili. After stopping at an inn, some drunk men, decide to pick at Kili's appearance. Words from Bowie come into favour.

A/n: Requested by Thatfoolishhuman  I have seen this idea a lot for Kili, but I'lol make it my own :) Also I'm British, so don't be mad at my spelling. FIRST IMAGINE OF 2021

Word count:3375

Warnings: Listened to David Bowie while writing this, sorry Bowie you just too handsome. Swearing.

Songs in order: rebel rebel, as the world falls down.

There was perks from travelling with your parents; due to business. The most frequent place you'd go was Tortuga, it was a quite a large village. Every time that you'd go, you and your parents stayed in an inn, which had a pub connected to it.

You'd eat with your parents in there, before all the drunks arrived, it was also a Saturday that you'd go. Saturdays meant that a song writer, and singer in one , was always there. His name being Jareth, he was a very beautiful man, in honesty one of the best musicians, in history.

Jareth was a skinny man, had a huge blond mullet, beautiful eyes one pupil larger than the other, beautiful accent, beautiful everything. Who couldn't have a crush on Jareth, his songs were like none other. 

These trips started when you were 5, when your parents business finally picked up, all the way up until you came to age. Which is when you joined the company, due to Gandalf.

You didn't think you'd ever see Jareth again, but you do.  You had undoubtedly had a crush on the singer growing up, you had almost forgotten about him when you joined the company.

Personally you didn't know Gandalf very well, not like your parents did, but he recruited you for an adventure, how could you deny it. A chance to see elves, dwarves, dragons? No way you was going to pass up that chance, no way.

You were surprised when the company had picked up, after getting Bilbo, since you lived on the way. Scary yes, not knowing any of these people, a chance at getting friends, you could only hope.

Strange was to say the least, you had seen a couple of dwarves growing up , that was just in pubs mostly. The were always not so pleasant, but these dwarves, plump and strikingly handsome. That hobbit? Bilbo that didn't take long for you to become friends, being shy didn't help, but some how you managed.

Dwarves were were quite scary; to say the least they intimidated you. 

That was until a particularly rainy day, when the mud was like cake batter. Thorin had decided it was time to stop for the night, the rain hammering down, lightning even, every now and then. 

Everyone was getting off their pony's, as were you, you was about to step down, when a huge crack of thunder was sounded above you. Damn you Thor. You had jumped, slipping on the mud, but you never hit the floor, instead you into strong arms.

Looking up , drips of water from dark hair had dripped on you, as Kili looked down at you. Your feet upwards, like a trust fall, you had smiled in embarrassment back to Kili, who had pulled you up to your feet. "T-thank you." Now standing up on your own, pulling your tunic down, trying to avoid eye contact.

"You're welcome, wouldn't want you to ruin your clothes a day into our journey." Kili had smiled at you, as you looked back to him from your feet, smiling slightly back.

Dwarves weren't as bad as they were made out to be, you learned that very quickly. When it was time for baths, turns out they were protective over females, always when you bathed two dwarves stood guard, just in case.

On cold nights, you'd wake up with an extra blanket.

Even though Thorin didn't like you were on this quest, he was never horrible, maybe because you just stayed quiet. You did not want to anger that beast, Bilbo talked quite a lot and look at him..

On one night, you were told to hide, Bilbo had been kidnapped by trolls, you hadn't listened. You followed everyone else, staying the bushes, getting as close as you possibly could, before quietly climbing up a tree with your knife.

It wasn't long before they were all caught, you just staring down at them, specifically Kili, you had hoped at he look up, and see you drop the knife. You could not make nose that would have alerted the trolls immediately. Sat on a branch , trying to blend in as much as possible.

That was Kili had looked up wide eyed, as you dropping the knife , and quickly climbed further up the tree to get out of eye view. You had thought it had worked, oh you was wrong.

"That one has gotten out!" Kili had started running around the trolls , as if he was sonic. A few minutes that lasted before you had noticed a shadow. But it didn't matter because Bert had grabbed Kili tightly,like he was slime that wouldn't stay put. No way would not have bruises after that. Of course he got out of Berts grip as Gandalf had appeared, cracking the large Boulder, turning the trolls into stone.

Feeling terrible the next day still, when the company had stopped again for the night and everyone had went to sleep. You could not, Kili being on watch, you had gotten up quietly, making your way over to him, sitting on log next to him.

Thinking about what you would say, Kili had beaten you to it. "Can't sleep?" His voice sounded tired, but still as lively. "Yeah.. um I'm sorry." Very convincing, indeed.

" for what?" The fire glowing orange, causing Kili to be barely visible as he turned to his to look at you. "It's my fault, that you got hurt yesterday, I should've listened to Thorin."

"What on earth are you going on about? I wasn't hurt? I'm fine, no one is dead , you did great, you didn't throw the knife at my head, maybe then I'd be distrusting in you." You felt like sighing, thankfully, but that would be cringy.

"I haven't got good aim, so it could've happened."

"You need someone to teach you."  You had scoffed slightly at Kili, gaining his full attention.

"I do not think anyone would have the patience." The warm orange glow from the fire, lit up the outline of Kili's face, a small grin could be seen.

"Are you challenging me? I have to sit through multiple speeches from Thorin a day."

"That's because you and Fili mess with him, I saw you the other day tangle a bunch of branches into his hair ,while he was sleeping. Why are you always surprised that he gets mad?"

"That was funny though, did you not see that bird fly at him? It shat on his face." Kili's grin only widened, as did yours, you had seen, Thorins face was bright red with the whipped cream.

"I'm surprised Thorin doesn't just leave you somewhere." 

"My mum would kill him. Right that settles it, you will learn from the best , to throw knives."

"You will really get Fili to help me?" Kili had gasped at you , sarcastically. "Oh I see, you want that Lion, over me, I'm hurt y/n."

"No,no, thank you Kili."

Thus, a bond was formed every night the company stopped, Kili would take you from camp, taught you basic defensive techniques and knife throwing.

To say the least, it did not take you long to develop a crush. Fili and Bilbo had became suspicious and decided to sneak up on you two. Why you'd do , not sure, Bilbo supposed to be smart, for all they knew you could've been going at it.

Instead they found you both sparring, undoubtedly they were confused, as you knocked the sword from Kili's hand ,before tackling him. Straddling him, as you looked up to see Bilbo and Fili. Quickly letting go of Kili's wrists, Kili looking up confused too, as you stood up, pulling him up with you.

"Oh, hi, we were just sparring." Too embarrassed to speak, Kili did soon as he noticed his brother and hobbit.  "So, this is what you two have been doing for weeks? 'Sparring'?" Fili didn't believe it, if Thorin knew he would not have, an heir to the throne, left unsupervised with a woman? No way.

"Yes Fili, I've been teaching Y/n how to defend herself." Sweat dripping down both of your faces,  "Right okay, Thorin said it's time for you to have a bath in the quarry, before the dwarves filthy it. Come on y/n." Bilbo had pulled you away, turning your head back to Kili you had sent a smile back to him.

You were back on the road soon enough, Thorin had decided to let the company stop for a night at an inn, an inn with a pub on the side.

Tortuga, the inn you had grew up at.

What day was it? Saturday, you could only hope, you had a huge grin on your face. You had grabbed your stuff,  once everyone was off their pony's, heading in to the inn,

Getting to the desk, to check into the inn, which consequently next to the bar, you in front.  "Aye, it's y/n/n! It's been a while, luv. And you've brought friends, do you all need rooms?"  Sparrow, the owner of the inn had greeted you,with a grin. That man was also very handsome, but too old for you though.

"I know, mum and dad been here a lot though, I assume? Oh I'm, when they next come here, would you be able to give this. And yes please we need for 16." Handing Sparrow the letter from your pocket.

"Of course, okay right it's 2 coins each for the night." The dwarves soon pulled out there coins passing them forward, as did you.

As Sparrow got the keys after counting the coins, he had turned back to you. "Oh, and lucky for you, y/n/n Jareth is here tonight." Sparrow had grinned, as your face flushed.

"Oh,really?" Kili unknowingly to you had also developed a crush on you, the mention of Jareth, made him bubble with jealousy. The company wondered, why such a young woman would be on nickname terms with the pub owner, and who Jareth was. They hadn't seen you as that type of girl, they were right not you, you weren't an alcoholic.

You had all went to your rooms, you had bathed deeply ,  dressed and headed down to the pub for dinner. The company already there, sat at tables, with jugs of ale. There was a space next to Kili, who had waved you over to sit.

Squeezing next to Kili, Sparrow had catcalled you again. "Oi, y/n/n , usual?"  Nodded to his question, Loki the cook had brought out your favourite dinner, as Sparrow brought you an ale.

"You had it ready? Thank you." Sparrow had just winked leaving you to eat your dinner, the others were too busy drinking , but when they had noticed your food, they quickly ordered food.  

"So, you come here regularly?" Kili had questioned as you finished your food, "oh, I'm yes, I travelled with my parents growing up , we had to drop stuff off here in Tortuga often , so we would stay here for the night." You had spoken quickly , wanting to change the subject.

" Transporting goods then?" Kili was intrigued, watching you intensely as you sipped your ale. Really he wanted to know who Jareth was. "Yeah, pretty boring, got to see a lot of places though." After that, a lot of people began to pile in, and the dwarves got drunker.

You knew it was going to be soon, that Jareth would be here. Not long at all, customers getting drunk, it was lively indeed.

Though nothing ever happened between you and Jareth, he still held a place in your heart, as well as being your best friend.

That's when you heard it.

"Doo doo doo-doo doo doo doo doo

Doo doo doo-doo doo doo doo doo

Doo doo doo-doo doo doo doo doo"  you head had shot up,in search of him, but you couldn't see him.

"You've got your mother in a whirl

She's not sure if you're a boy or a girl

Hey babe, your hair's alright

Hey babe, let's go out tonight

You like me, and I like it all

We like dancing and we look divine

You love bands when they're playing hard

You want more and you want it fast

They put you down, they say I'm wrong

You tacky thing, you put them on."  Then you saw him, on the stage , well sort of a stage. 

Catching sight of his mullet, down to his eyes, he had not noticed you, you wondered if Sparrow had told him you were here.  You hoped he would see you.

"Rebel rebel, you've torn your dress

Rebel rebel, your face is a mess

Rebel rebel, how could they know?

Hot tramp, I love you so!" Thats when Jareth finally caught your eyes, holding eye contact as he sang, Blush upon your face. You had gotten up and went to the bar, ordering something strong, before retiring to your seat.

As Jareth had already started another song, you smacked down your drink.

"There's such a sad love

Deep in your eyes a kind of pale jewel

Open and closed

Within your eyes

I'll place the sky

Within your eyes."  Jareth , catching your eye, gesturing you to come closer , with his hand.

"There's such a fooled heart

Beatin' so fast

In search of new dreams

A love that will last

Within your heart

I'll place the moon

Within your heart"

Standing up , Kili watched you as you walked towards the stranger man, as did the other dwarves. 

"As the pain sweeps through

Makes no sense for you

Every thrill is gone

Wasn't too much fun at all

But I'll be there for you-ou-ou

As the world falls down."

  Jareth had held knelt down, holding his gloved hand for you to take, which you did. Pulling you up onto the stage.  Still holding onto your hand, still singing, as he continued singing, you placed your hand on his shoulder as he placed his other hand on your waist.Kili's heart ached.

"Falling

As the world falls down

Falling

Falling in love."  As you two danced , in sync, you truly loved Jareth, Kili stood up , went to the bar to get another drink.

"I'll paint you mornings of gold

I'll spin you Valentine evenings though we're strangers 'til now

We're choosing the path

Between the stars

I'll leave my love

Between the stars."  Jareth had taught you how to dance, and every time you visited , he'd give you another song he had written for your book.  A book which held all his songs.

"As the pain sweeps through

Makes no sense for you

Every thrill is gone

Wasn't too much fun at all

But I'll be there for you-ou-ou

As the world falls down

Falling

As the world falls down

Falling

Falling

As the world falls down

Falling

Falling

Falling

Falling in love

As the world falls down

Falling

Falling

Falling

Falling in love

As the world falls down

Makes no sense at all

Makes no sense to fall

Falling

As the world falls down

Falling

Falling

Falling in love

As the world falls down

Falling

Falling

Falling in love

Falling in love

Falling in love

Falling in love

Falling in love."  As soon as the song was over, you both had gotten of stage and you had jumped into Jareths arms. 

"Missed you."

"Ditto,"

Jareth had looked over to your table, "so you are travelling with dwarves now?" You had smiled , looking back your table, Kili wasn't there.  "Yes, Jareth, I'm going on an adventure, we have already seen trolls."

Grinning down at you, realisation hit Jareth, and went rushed to his bag quickly before returning back to you with a sheet of paper.

'Magic dance.'

"Just in case you meet a Goblin king. So who is your beloved?" Taking the piece of paper,  looking at into Jareths blue eyes in confusion. "W-what?"

"The dwarf that stormed out, he does not like me."  Jareth had chuckled, as you folded the piece of paper up placing it away.  "We aren't together."

"Maybe you should go check on him, y/n/n, come see me later, I'm staying here tonight." You had briefly hugged Jareth before leaving the pub. 

That's when you heard it, "stupid fucking hairless, fuck."   Local drunks harassing Kili. "Oi, what are you doing?"  The men had turned briefly to look at you, before scoffing. "Fuck of tramp."

You had marched up to the greasy man, pulling by the shoulder, to face you , and kneeing him in the crotch, making the man double over. Kili had punched one of them.  The men soon ran, when you had tackled one of them, beating them into mash, when Kili had pulled you off,the ground, trying to get out of his grip. All the men ran.

"It's me, y/n, stop, if you continued you would have been arrested." Placing , you back onto the floor, Kili had soon walked off, heading to his room, you following. But he had closed the door before you could get in.

This, you climbed up the roof hanging over the roof, to look into Kili's room. Looking like Spiderman. Kili sat on his bed staring at the wall, not moving, jumping when you knocked the window.

He had rushed to the window when he had seen you , hanging of the roof, you definitely couldn't hold on longer. Though Kili wasn't tear stained , it was clear that he was upset.  He had opened the window, helping you in.

"What are you doing? On the roof, what if you fell." He as definitely annoyed, "I would not have, plus I wouldn't have to if you let me in before." You definitely would have fell.

He hadn't answered this time, just sat on the bed, away from you, you sat next to him on the bed. 

"Kili, talk to me, tell me what has made you not yourself. Please, Kili." You didn't dare touch him, but you did placing your hand on his foreman. "Why don't you go to your beloved? You won't be seeming him for a while , instead of bothering me." You had scoffed pulling your hand off of him, you already knew he ran off because of Jareth.

"You are very stupid dwarf, in all honesty, Jareth is my bestfriend, only friend I had growing up, and don't you think he is a bit old for me?" 

"I don't believe it, you like a man that has long soft hair, nothing like me, I can't even grow a beard."

"frankly beards are really gross, tell me that the dwarves don't smell? You know why? Because they drop food all their beards and don't know it."  You had laughed, imagine Bombur going through his beard and finding cheese.

"They do smell,"

"Exactly, and what's wrong with your hair, Kili?" You had turned on the bed, bringing your hand up  to his hair,touching it gently, moving it out for his face. "I think you've got lovely hair, those guys were just idiots, Jareth had to beat them with a soup spoon once, you are not stupid nor hairless. How could they call you hairless? They are bald?"

Cupping Kili's face, to bringing him to face you, looking into his chestnut eyes.  "Y/n, I must confess, that this would not have happened if I did not like you."   And with that you had pressed your lips to his.

"Your eyes can be so cruel

Just as I can be so cruel

Oh I do believe in you

Yes I do" Jareth singing faintly could be heard.

[endlich-allein]

Once again, @iinchicore was very kindly to translate an article for me. This is the interview with Till and Joey in MetalHammer (January 2021). The boys tell about their journey in the Amazon and their future projects together.

A big thank you, lots of kisses and a big hug to @iinchicore ♡

Till Lindemann & Joey Kelly : Friendship Without Limits

MetalHammer: How did the preparations for this journey differ in comparison to your Yukon trip?

Joey Kelly: We took along different equipment. While riding on the Yukon we used sturdy Canadian kayaks, which we couldn't find in Colombia. So we took along our own foldable 15 kilogramme kayak. Due to the climate, our choice of clothing was also different. Besides, the Amazon is much more dangerous than Alaska. There are many dangerous animals, small and big ones. You can find snakes, crocodiles and piranhas, which is why you shouldn't bathe in the river. You have to move differently on the Amazon than on the Yukon, where you only have to keep your distance to bears and elks. Amazonia is a jungle, where only those animals survive who eat the others.

Your first river journey led you to the Yukon, now you travelled on the Amazon. Was there a reason for why you picked that river exactly?

Till Lindemann: We were considering to travel along the Chinese Yangtze or the Lena in Russia, Siberia. Siberia was my favourite, but Joey convinced me to go to the Amazon. We have both been there before and knew a little about how to prepare and what to expect. One thing we knew right away was that, in regard to the nature and people, South America was much more exciting – Siberia looks similar to Alaska. That wouldn't have been all that interesting for our second book. Now the contrast is much greater: Alaska is austere and glum, the Amazon is the exact opposite with an entirely different wildlife and vegetation. Don't forget the wonderful colours of South America!

Any fascinating experiences of nature?

TL: It is really rare to spot an animal in the jungle. You can hear them everywhere, but they hide or are disguised very well. With the help of the local guides we observed snakes, birds, monkeys and a tapir. We saw pink dolphins and watched them do their jumps on the river. Because of their skin-like colour the locals believe they're incarnations of their dead loved ones and worship them.

How did the locals at the river react towards you?

TL: Reluctant, at first. You go to them and, for example, ask whether you can stay the night. They don't really talk much in the beginning, but after a night with a lot of Cachaca they warm up to you. Usually they were interested in our fishing gear. Most of them had never seen something like it, as they were used to fishing with rolled up strings and nets. I was amazed that every village we visited, no matter how remote the location, owned fridges with cold beer, they even had solar energy. Huge satellite dishes to watch football. For three days we visited one particular village. There was a storm, so they allowed us to stay. There was an older guy who had fallen off his stilt house, drunk, and broke his foot. Two young men went to the neighbouring village, a day's journey away, to get the shaman. The man should have belonged to a hospital, but that was entirely out of the question for him. It either heals on its own or it doesn't. We bandaged his foot and supplied him with pain meds. Then we continued drinking.

Did you plan beforehand what you wanted to see during your journey?

TL: Yes, a coca plantation. We knew that they existed there everywhere. At first, it was a lot of back and forth. They were staving us off, but after a lot of endless waiting and our patient agreeing to it, they allowed us to go. Along with two attendants from the village, we paddled down a branch of the Amazon that became narrower over time. A labyrinth of branches we would have never found our way out of. Eventually, we ended up at one of the countless plantations. It wasn't harvest time, however, so the leaves weren't ripe yet. But you could see all the tools for it: mashers, bags, and hundreds of bowls. And a little storage.

Did you try the coca leaves?

TL: Yes. We were on the plantation. They hid the plants below banana trees, so you couldn't see the plantation from the air. I did try a few coca leaves, but there is no sorcery about it. You just stay awake and feel energized. Everybody is chewing on them there, it's like coffee, just ten times stronger.

Did you reach your physical limits during this journey?

TL: The body adjusts to the climate pretty quickly. After three weeks you don't sweat all that much anymore. Even the sun doesn't bother you as much anymore, because you're thoroughly cooked anyway. But the humidity requires getting used to. The people there are handling it very differently. They own to pairs of shorts, two t-shirts and beach slippers, and they walk around like that all day.

JK: The climate there is exhausting, you're sweat-soaked after only three minutes. Personally, I don't mind it, but to people who aren't used to it it's a pain. The route we went on was quite difficult in parts, it was very serpentine. You had to paddle the whole time, you had to steer, then there were shoals or the water became too flat, so we had to relocate the boat.

You didn't capsize though, like it happened to you on the Yukon?

JK: No, the water level during that season was way too low. Later on, when the water comes in from the Andes during the monsoon season, the level rises by 15 metres. It drowns out entire forests.

TL: I was there once during the monsoon season. Back then only the tree tops were peeking out of the water. That's why they build their houses on stilts, so the water doesn't reach them. Many villages are located on mountain tops, as the water level won't rise that high.

Considering the many preparations and daily challenges, did you ever find time to relax during such an extensive journey?

TL: Travelling on the Yukon wasn't stressful, because we were sleeping on the sandbanks. Those experiences made travelling the Amazon even easier. As the sun goes down very early there, our only concern was to make camp before 6PM. Whenever we found a good location we sometimes made camp even earlier than that, instead of travelling on and risking not finding a good spot. That only happened to us once, so we had to sleep in the jungle, which wasn't all that bad either.

With a camp fire and night watch?

TL: A camp fire, yes, but we didn't need a night watch. You have to trust your guide, those guys know what they're doing. Our guide went ahead a couple of metres with a bit of string and, within a few minutes, came back with six piranhas. Then we turned on the grill and ate. Piranhas are really tasty, like giltheads.

Did you gain more respect for nature due to this journey?

TL: I had a great respect for nature before that already. Still, I couldn't hold myself back from taking pictures with snakes. I love snakes, Joey thinks they're scary. (laughs)

What did you learn along the way?

JK: I asked the Indians to teach me how to fish with a cast-net and pulled animals out of the water, which an aquarist would usually pay thousands of euros for. Scalars, discus fish, loricariids, sisorid catfish, catfish in all shapes and sizes.

Here in Europe we read a lot about the fact that these romantic times might be of the past soon, due to the systematic ecocide. Is that what you saw over there?

TL: When you approach Leticia you can make out the slash-and-burn methods used below. We assume that every minute jungle area the size of 1.5 football fields gets cleared, for soy plantations or pasture areas. The search for gold is also devastating for the nature. They use mercury to wash the gold out of rocks and clay. The mercury ends up in the rivers, in the fish, and then inside the people.

JK: The Amazon traverses through the entire continent. It is so broad and deep, there are even bigger ships cruising the river than on our rivers here in Europe. They carry natural resources, mainly wood. You can find a sawmill every couple of kilometres. They carry the tree trunks there and cut them along the length (4m by 1,20m or even 4m). Those planks then get transported either by ship or overland, a systematic deforestation of the Amazon area.

TL: You find a lot of filth in the main stream: huge tree trunks, garbage, bags full of plastic, and a lot of wood waste. It's illegal, but everybody does it. Very obviously, even during the day, nobody cares.

Are the locals not aware of the drastic situation?

JK: The sawmills pay the farmers 250 to 300 euros for one tree trunk. The sawmills sell it for 2.500 euros, and then here in Europe it costs up to 30.000 euros.

TL: As soon as they saw us, the lumbermen turned off their chainsaws and fled into the forest, yelling: “Piss off!” They were afraid that those pictures would be seen by the world. Same thing for the fisheries. Usually, the fish leave the lagoons during the dry season and swim back into the main stream, because the lakes dry out. The law allows it that they cast a net over half of the lake, so that a part of the fish can swim past. Now, the fishermen close off the entire lake, with up to ten nets. No fish can get past that anymore, only the very small ones. They're overexploiting the area high and low. They even steal all the turtle eggs from the clutches. It didn't used to be that way, back then they would leave half of it where it was.

Do you think that could change, if other types of income would replace the exploitation, like tourism?

JK: I don't think that the parts Till and I went to would be suitable for commercial tourism. Let's be honest, the biggest income is ensured by the coca production. You would travel right into a drug area. We could only move around freely there, because the government was taking care of the cartel conflicts at the time. Apparently, the military is now in charge of the coca trade.

TL: Corruption is the order of business. A policeman is earning less than a coca farmer. Thus, bribery and blackmail are commonplace. Almost all of it is illegal: fishing with the many nets, the gold-seeking, the wood clearing and the coca plantation. The areas are huge and hardly controllable. Since president Bolsonaro is in power in Brazil, the clearing business went up by 30 percent. Bolsonaro announced officially that the Amazon is a product, and that's how the people treat it. They expel the indigenous people and allocate them to surrogate areas, their land goes to the gold-seekers and their prospecting rights. The surrogate areas aren't of any use, however, so they don't live in villages anymore, but in small cities. That'll turn out to be very problematic in the future.

Was it a bizarre experience to you to live with indigenous people, even though it is said that there is no room for the white man?

JK: I've seen tourism in parts of the world where I'd have never expected it. An example would be the South Pole. Once I reached by goal there a plane landed, six tourists came out and paid several thousand dollars for a four to six hour long stay. I thought there was a lot less tourism at the Amazon than anywhere else. The only tourists who travel there are either extremely rich Americans or Russians who come in by helicopter, no matter how expensive the journey. As long as they were there once in their life, took a picture with an Indian and a monkey, then they fly back to Bogotá. All in all, you only meet natives here.

TL: You have to differentiate. There are also motor boats and Americans with sun hats on, sleeping in their loggias. But not in the area we were in. There were children there, who pulled at our pants and ran to our kayaks, because they had never seen anything like it. A canoe made of plastic! They only know boats made out of wood. The kids played with our fishing poles, the angling reels, and were amazed by our lures and wobblers. They had never seen something like that before. They only knew of the hooks, where you put a little meat on. There was a lot of curiosity.

Did the journey affect your friendship at all?

TL: Our friendship didn't get any better or worse, it's been a good friendship before. We want our travels to be periodic. Joey and I want to grant us this sort of time off every two, three years. We realized we're getting better at it. We drove down rapids. While travelling on the Yukon we would have peed our pants, but now we're capable of really daring manoeuvres among waves that are 1.5 metres high. You get well attuned over time, become more experienced with the daily routine, the luggage, moving around.

JK: That was one of the reasons why we planned out the next trip right after our Amazon journey. We paddled down the Rhine in August 2020. We decided to do this during the Corona pandemic, because like that we didn't have to travel through so many countries and still got to tell the entire river's history, which led us through Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, France and the Netherlands.

Do these travels to the Yukon and Amazon satisfy your wish for solitude?

TL: Like we said, we already travelled along the Rhine. The Nile will be next. The Mekong river is also on our list, but with the goal to start at its origin. These journeys are really important to us. We might have published up to six books some time. We still have a couple of goals ahead of us: The Nile, maybe the Mississippi, one Russian river and the Mekong. Like that we would have visited a river in almost each part of the world.

Which seems to be a difficult goal to achieve, considering the current Corona pandemic...

JK: Sadly so. Because even if Germany will be cleared of the virus, that might not be the case for Tanzania, where the Nile originates, or in Egypt, where it ends. There are five countries in between, after all.

Symbolically, what did you take home from this journey?

TL: Humbleness! And gratefulness for what we have. At the same time, however, a sort of incomprehension for how we live here in Europe. With so much waste, lunacy and luxury. The people we met didn't really have anything. Property and wealth don't mean anything. The huts, the boats, tools, even the TV, it all belongs to everyone. You eat and drink together, and most of the work is done as a community. They say people are happier there. I won't be the judge as to whether that's true, but life there is simpler, more manageable, and thus people there live more modestly. In Germany people get up in the morning, rush to the office, are stuck in traffic, sit at the computer all day or manage machines, rush back home in the evening. In comparison, it's very relaxed at the Amazon. The people go to bed early, when they wake up they go fishing, hunt or raise manioc and corn. Life there is structured in a very simple way, it's been reduced to only the bare necessities.

What is the first image you see when you think of Amazonia?

JK: Looking back, I'm always thinking of this one boat ride very early in the morning. It was still foggy when we started paddling. To the left of us I can still barely see riverside, apart from that only fog, I can only see for two, three metres. We are on the Amazon without knowing what's ahead of us. It's quiet, there is no wind, the water is calm... That was a great experience.

[tothemaxxx]

My Favorite Films and Performances of 2020

“I wish I could’ve seen it on the big screen.”

It was a strange year, and even stranger year of movie watching. In 2020 I saw only one of my top films in a theater, which is crazy (like much else over these past months). But the experience of keeping up with the movies this year was a reminder that great filmmaking can transcend the specifics of the viewing experience. In your living room, in bed, projected onto the side of a garage, streaming on Twitch, broken up into multiple sittings, maybe even on your phone (desperate times)… if doesn’t matter as long as it connects with you. A great film has the power to soothe and transport, to alter your perspective, to re-wire your brain. So while I didn’t get on a single airplane last year, I definitely went places. And I’m grateful for these changes of scenery. For the time-travel as well; last year in my house, we found great comfort in revisiting a bunch of old favorites. It was also an opportunity to finally watch a number of those older films that had someone evaded us… a year of catching up, now or never. We were members of a weekly movie club for some months — that was cool. Another pleasant silver lining was the emergence of virtual film festivals, which have been a fantastic opportunity. I hope that they can continue in some form when this pandemic is in the rearview. Because, you know, getting to Park City is a real schlep. All this to say: like you, I’ll always remember 2020. In this truly crummy year, the movies really helped.

I’m including some of the film festival stuff that’s coming out a little later, because the boundaries between 2020 films and 2021 films feels blurry to me without proper theatrical releases.

TOP 5, loosely ranked. I love these deeply.

1. LOVERS ROCK, Steve McQueen

2. NOMADLAND, Chloe Zhao

3. ANOTHER ROUND, Thomas Vinterberg

4. TIME, Garrett Bradley

5. MARTIN EDEN, Pietro Marcello

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The rest of the Top 25, in alphabetical order. I loved these.

À L’ABORDAGE, Guillaume Brac

BACURAU, Kleber Mendonça Filho

COLOR OUT OF SPACE, Richard Stanley

THE FATHER, Florian Zeller

FIRST COW, Kelly Reichardt

I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, Charlie Kaufman

JASPER MALL, Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb

LUXOR, Zeina Durra

ALEX WHEATLE / EDUCATION / MANGROVE / RED, WHITE AND BLUE, Steve McQueen

THE NEST, Sean Durkin

NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS, Eliza Hittman

NEW ORDER, Michel Franco

THE PAINTER & THE THIEF, Benjamin Ree

THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD, Armando Iannucci

POSSESSOR, Brandon Cronenberg

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, Emerald Fennell

RELIC, Natalie Erika James

SAINT FRANCES, Alex Thompson

SOUND OF METAL, Darius Marder

THE TRUTH, Hirokazu Koreeda

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I also enjoyed (some more than others):

Apples, The Assistant, Babyteeth, Bad Education, Black Bear, Blow the Man Down, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Butt Boy, The Climb, Da 5 Bloods, Deerskin, Emma, The Father (Bulgaria), Greed, His House, The Hunt, I Used to Go Here, I'm No Longer Here, Impetigore, The Intruder, The Invisible Man, Kajillionaire, La Llorona, Let Them All Talk, Lost Girls, The Man Who Sold His Skin, Mank, Never Gonna Snow Again, News of the World, One Night in Miami, Palm Springs, Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time, Rebecca, She Dies Tomorrow, Shirley, Slow Machine, Sorry We Missed You, Soul, Spree, Straight Up, A Sun, Swallow, Tenet, Tesla, Tommaso, The Traitor, The Trip to Greece, True History of the Kelly Gang, Uncle Frank, Under the Open Sky, The Vast of Night, Vitalina Varela, Wendy, The Whistlers, Wildland, Young Ahmed

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And these documentaries!

American Murder: The Family Next Door, The American Sector, Assassins, Beastie Boys Story, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Bloody Nose Empty Pockets, Boys State, Brainiac: Transmissions After Zero, Circus of Books, Class Action Park, Collective, Crip Camp, David Byrne's American Utopia, Dick Johnson is Dead, Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds, The Go-Go's, Gunda, Miss Americana, MLK/FBI, The Mole Agent, Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado, My Psychedelic Love Story, Mystify: Michael Hutchence, Narrowsburg, On the Record, Other Music, Sisters with Transistors, Spaceship Earth, The Way I See It, Whirlybird

--------------------

And these shorts:

Bye Bye Body (which I edited), Fit Model, Friday Night Pizza for Daddy, Hard Cracked the Wind, The Human Voice, John Was Trying to Contact Aliens, Michael's Preference West, What Did Jack Do?, World of Tomorrow Episode Three: The Absent Destinations of David Prime

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My favorite performance of the year:

Frances McDormand as Fern in Nomadland

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Favorite ensembles:

À l’abordage, Another Round, Bad Education, Babyteeth, Bloody Nose Empty Pockets, Blow the Man Down, Emma, First Cow, Kajillionaire, Let Them All Talk, Lovers Rock, Mangrove, Mank, One Night in Miami, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Promising Young Woman, True History of the Kelly Gang

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More memorable (and in some cases under-discussed) performances:

Christopher Abbott as Colin Tate in Possessor and as Gabe in Black Bear

Idir Ben Addi as Ahmed in Young Ahmed

Riz Ahmed as Ruben Stone in Sound of Metal

Daniel Algrant as Kelvin Kranz in Let Them All Talk

Maria Bakalova as Tutar Sagdiyev in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Haley Bennett as Hunter Conrad in Swallow

John Boyega as Leroy Logan in Red, White and Blue

Rob Brydon as Rob Brydon in The Trip to Greece

Jessie Buckley as Young Woman in I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Nicolas Cage as Nathan Gardner in Color Out of Space

Salif Cissé as Chérif in À L’abordage

Sheyi Cole as Alex Wheatle in Alex Wheatle

Cleopatra Coleman as Trina in The Argument

Carrie Coon as Allison O’Hara in The Nest

Michael Angelo Covino as Mike in The Climb

Willem Dafoe as Tommaso in Tommaso

Charles Dance as William Randolph Hearst in Mank

Catherine Deneuve as Fabienne Dangeville in The Truth

Katie Findlay as Rory in Straight Up

Sidney Flanigan as Autumn in Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Johnny Flynn as George Knightley in Emma

Julia Garner as Jane in The Assistant

Robbie Gee as Simeon in Alex Wheatle

Chris Giarmo as himself in David Byrne’s American Utopia

Betty Gilpin as Crystal Creasey in The Hunt

Ethan Hawke as Hank in The Truth

Kris Hitchen as Ricky Turner in Sorry We Missed You

Anthony Hopkins as Anthony in The Father

Jonathan Jules as Dennis Isaacs in Alex Wheatle

Sandra Guldberg Kampp as Ida in Wildland

Joe Keery as Kurt Knuckle in Spree

Udo Kier as Michael in Bacurau

Orion Lee as King Lu in First Cow

Delroy Lindo as Paul in Da 5 Bloods

Peter Macdissi as Walid "Wally" Nadeem in Uncle Frank

Matthew Macfadyen as Wilcock in The Assistant

George MacKay as Ned Kelly in True History of the Kelly Gang

Yahya Mahayni as Sam Ali in The Man Who Sold His Skin

Luca Marinelli as Martin Eden in Martin Eden

Tuppence Middleton as Sara Mankiewicz in Mank

Mads Mikkelsen as Martin in Another Round

Wunmi Mosaku as Rial in His House

Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass in The Invisible Man

Kelly O'Sullivan as Bridget in Saint Frances

Shaun Parkes as Frank Crichlow in Mangrove

Robert Pattinson as Neil in Tenet

Paul Raci as Joe in Sound of Metal

Kadeem Ramsay as Samson in Lovers Rock

Gayle Rankin as Marissa in The Climb

Tanya Reynolds as Mrs Augusta Elton in Emma

Tyler Rice as Detective Russell Fox in Butt Boy

Andrea Riseborough as Hana in Luxor

Cecilia Roth as Marta in The Intruder

William Sadler as the Grim Reaper in Bill & Ted Face the Music

Kenyah Sandy as Kingsley Smith in Education

Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn as Martha Trenton in Lovers Rock

David Strathairn as David in Nomadland

Michael Stuhlbarg as Stanley Edgar Hyman in Shirley

Swankie as Swankie in Nomadland

Tilda Swinton as Woman in The Human Voice

Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca

Steve Toussaint as Ken Logan in Red, White and Blue

Alec Utgoff as Zhenia in Never Gonna Snow Again

Jairaj Varsani as young David Copperfield in The Personal History of David Copperfield

Ben Whishaw as Uriah Heep in The Personal History of David Copperfield

Sharlene Whyte as Agnes Smith in Education

Letitia Wright as Altheia Jones-LeCointe in Mangrove

Ramona Edith Williams as Frances in Saint Frances

Kôji Yakusho as Masao Mikami in Under the Open Sky

Youn Yuh-jung as Soon-ja in Minari

Helena Zengel as Johanna Leonberger in News of the World

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Favorite pre-2020 films I saw for the first time in 2020:

Blood on the Moon, But I’m A Cheerleader, Crooklyn, Cure, Daughters of the Dust, The Death of Dick Long, Deep Cover, The Draughtsman's Contract, Eyes of Laura Mars, Give Me Liberty, Greener Grass, Hardcore, High Hopes, The Last Party, Long Day's Journey into Night, Maiden, One Day Pina Asked, Persona, Right Now Wrong Then, Right On!, The Seventh Victim, Slightly French, Synonyms, Tammy and the T-Rex, Variety, The Watermelon Woman... and a tip of the hat to Coppola's new The Godfather Part III recut, The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone

[abybweisse]

Possible backstory for Bard, Part 2

⚠️ Long post.

😅 There is a TL/DR at the end of Part 3 that covers all three parts.

Here’s Part 1

Use of Explosives and machine guns during the Apache Wars

I didn’t think they would have used much in the way of explosives during the Apache Wars, but they did use some, as well as the first machine guns.

The explosives listed above are probably what Bard used the most, besides a rifle and/or pistol, and a sword. Here are the grenades and the landmine.

I mention whether they were invented and used by the Union or the Confederacy simply because all of these were developed during the Civil War. The Adams Grenade was invented by John S. Adams, while William F. Ketchum invented Ketchum’s Grenade, both for the Union. The Confederacy started making grenades in response, and George Washington Rains used a Ketchum grenade as inspiration for the Rains Grenade. However, it was his brother, Brigadier General Gabriel J. Rains, who came up with the downright evil idea of land mines (also sometimes called subterra torpedoes). Even his own side thought the land mines were ghastly, and many despised him for inventing them. Together, they were known as The Bomb Brothers.

No need to include a photo of your average stick of dynamite 🧨, but those were invented by Alfred Nobel, in Sweden, also during the 1860’s. Yes, THE Alfred Nobel. Interesting story: Alfred’s brother died, and the local newspaper wrote and published an obit for Alfred by mistake. In the obit, the paper absolutely trash-talked about him and said the world was better off with him dead. Reading this, Alfred felt terrible for what he had done and was worried how he would be remembered whenever he finally died. So, he wrote up a will that had his fortune designated to be used for five Nobel Prizes, one of which was specifically for the promotion of peace. Lucky him, that’s now what most people associate with him.

The Gatling machine gun is interesting, since Bard uses something like it in the circus arc. Says he got one brought from the US. What he has at the manor is an upgrade from the Gatling... but by a different inventor. More information on that later on in this post!

The Apache Wars in Arizona are not a good example of trench warfare, if an example at all

The Apaches wouldn’t have had any reliable access to explosives or artillery. They had some firearms that they had acquired, definitely, but most of the weaponry was traditional. Axes, tomahawks, lances, bow and arrow, and so forth. About all they had for defense were battle shields. In fact, the Wikipedia entry I found for the Apache Wars lists “battle shields” as the only defensive weaponry that was used. The US was on the all-out offensive.

So, the US Calvary didn’t use/need trenches for defense purposes. Also, they didn’t really stay in one place, since they were practically chasing the Apaches around Arizona, New Mexico, a few other states/territories, and Mexico... not trying to hold a line of defense. Digging trenches that could protect soldiers (and horses!) from arrows, spears, and the occasional rifle would have been far too time consuming, anyway. If anything, it might have helped the Apaches to dig some trenches... but that’s not how they fight. When they were not making raids into towns and army camps, they were basically getting chased down and slaughtered.

It’s interesting that Bard mentions the Crimean War (because of Florence Nightingale), since that’s one of the first major uses of trenches for warfare.

Trenches were used in the US Civil War, too, and that’s partly because of the Union unleashing the Gatling gun upon the Confederacy near the end of the war. That and all the explosives being invented and produced throughout much of the war.

There’s no mention above of trenches being used in the Apache Wars, and, as I said earlier, it would have been unnecessary and a waste of time/effort for the US to use such a defensive tactic.

Most people, though, associate trench warfare with WWI. The firepower had reached such levels that there was no running or driving away from artillery or similar weapons.

Bard’s use of a machine gun

Was Bard using a Gatling gun in the Apache Wars? I’d say no. He was likely in the 4th Calvary (or some Kuroverse equivalent) and relied on rifles and his sword, as well as small explosives that he could throw, such as hand grenades, dynamite sticks, and IEDs... like the ones he later makes with food cans.

So, what’s up with the machine gun he uses in the circus arc? This one:

It’s way more advanced than a Gatling gun, and he even says that this is not something that was available when he was on the battlefield. The fan translation I’ve seen online says it came from someone named Higham, but thankfully, the licensed version says “Master Hiram”.

Here’s one of many versions of the automatic machine gun he made. This model is from around 1885.

Bard says it wasn’t around during his soldier years. He seems to have been a career soldier, and the Maxim gun existed before Sebastian recruited him. It could be that he was stationed so far west, and fighting enemies with such inferior weapons, that no one deemed it necessary to send any of them out there. The list of weapons mentions the Gatling gun but not the Maxim gun, so I’m going to assume this to be true.

He could also be talking about previous experience during the Civil War, and the Gatling gun wasn’t introduced until near the end of it. It was invented for the Union’s use. That could be the true source of the trench warfare experience he had. I’m not sure, since Yana-san gets to decide what’s available/in use in the Kuroverse. The timeline is hers to mess with, too.

It’s interesting how Hiram Maxim got into making weapons. It was suggested as a moneymaking opportunity that would allow Europeans to kill each other faster.

He eventually left the US and became a British subject, but not until 1899. Until then, he was spending more and more time in England, making fewer trips back to the US. So, he must have brought that particular Maxim gun with him to England late 1888 or early 1889, when his trips were still relatively frequent.

Here’s Part 3.

Feb 12, 2021 Edit: Please check out the comments on this post to see a discussion with @plague-of-insomnia regarding how Sebastian and our earl might have heard about Bard. As well as these posts: Plague’s post and the comments section. My Part 4/Update.

[regardezmoica]

GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL - from home - launches today !

We would have loved to go to Scotland for the first time and enjoy the Glasgow Film festival but this year is different and it will be a home online festival. From the 24th of February to the 7th of March, Glasgow is coming into our home with a vibrant and amazing line-up.

The GFF will host 7 World premieres, 2 European premieres, 50 UK premieres online. World premieres include Anthony Baxter’s Eye of the Storm and an exploration of the life of punk rock’s least conventional front person Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché. World premiere of Creation Stories written by Irvine Welsh and starring Ewen Bremner leads a programme filled with strong Scottish stories.

The festival will open on Wednesday 24 February with Lee Isaac Chung’s autobiographical drama following a Korean-American family Minari, starring The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun, and close on Sunday 7 March with Suzanne Lindon’s debut feature Spring Blossom, a coming-of-age tale set against a dreamy Parisian backdrop.

Scottish highlights include:

Eye of the Storm - Scottish filmmaker Anthony Baxter (Flint, GFF 2020), which follows one of Scotland’s most gifted painters, James Morrison, through the last two years of his life. 

Creation Stories - Written by Irvine Welsh and starring GFF favourite Ewen Bremner, Creation Stories charts the rise of the infamous founder of Creation Records, Alan McGee. Directed by Nick Moran, the incredible cast includes Jason Isaacs, Suki Waterhouse and Rebecca Root. Creation Stories will be available on Sky Cinema from March 20. 

Limbo - critically adored British debut feature from Scottish director Ben Sharrock and the first feature film to ever shoot in Uist –  a deadpan comedy-drama following a Syrian refugee (Amir El-Masry) who finds himself in a refugee centre on a remote Scottish island

World and European Premieres including:

Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché brings to screen the life of ‘one of the least conventional front-persons in rock history’: Poly Styrene, founder of acclaimed punk band X-Ray Spex, co-directed by her daughter, Celeste Bell, and Paul Sng. 

Handsome - Luke White’s documentary, Nicholas Bourne and his brother Alex set off on a journey to meet other siblings with Down’s Syndrome, as Nicholas prepares to become Alex’s full-time, dedicated carer. 

Sweetheart - Marley Morrison’s knockout debut feature charts the relationship between two young women during a summer holiday; 

A Brixton Tale - Darragh Carey and Bertrand Desrochers debut is a star-crossed romance confronting class, race and love in modern Britain

49 UK premieres including those titles:

The Mauritanian, directed by Kevin Macdonald and based on the best-selling memoir by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, which tells the story of Slahi (played by Tahar Rahim), who was held for years in Guantanamo Bay. Jodie Foster takes on Benedict Cumberbatch in this true-life courtroom drama. 

The Toll, welsh thriller starring Michael Smiley as a contented toll booth operator whose past shows up to haunt him. The cast also includes Annes Elwy and Iwan Rheon. 

Surge - Set over 24 hours in London, Aneil Karia’s stripped-back thriller sees Ben Wishaw give a standout performance that won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting at Sundance Film Festival. 

Black Bear - Lawrence Michael Levine’s psychosexual drama, a darkly comic tale starring Aubrey Plaza, Sarah Gadon and Christopher Abbott. 

Riders of Justice - from Anders Thomas Jensen starring Mads Mikkelsen as a military vet set on a path of revenge. 

Gagarine is a beguiling debut from directors Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh set in a Parisian housing estate earmarked for demolition. 

Rosa’s Wedding -  from Icíar Bollaín,  is the feel-good comedy about becoming the most important person in your own life, even if that means marrying yourself. 

Apples is the haunting debut feature from Greek director Christos Nikou, set during a mysterious pandemic which causes sudden amnesia. 

Cowboys - Anna Kerrigan’s debut feature which won Best Screenplay and Best Actor in US Narrative Feature at Tribeca Film Festival, stars Steve Zahn as a father on a camping trip with his transgender son Joe (Sasha Knight).

This year, The GFF turn their popular Country Focus to South Korea, with five incredible UK premieres, including:

Our Midnight, debut feature from director Jung-eun Lim. 

Voices of Silence -  from Eui-jeong Hong’s  is a bittersweet crime caper about good people who do bad things, with an award-winning performance from Burning’s Yoo Ah-In. 

The Swordsman, from director Jae-Hoon Choi, blends epic fight scenes and heartfelt drama in a tale of skilled swordsman brought out of a life of hiding and seclusion for one last battle. 

Da Capo - from Chan-yang Shim - a struggling musician returns to his hometown and rediscovers his passion for music while helping a former bandmate coach a rock band made up by her music school pupils. 

The Man Standing Next from director Min-ho Woo -  South Korea’s 2021 Oscar candidate - a tense conspiracy thriller set in the final days of President Park Chung-hee’s (Sung-min Lee) rule in 1979. Korean intelligence chief Kim Gyu-pyeong (Byung-hun Lee) has sworn to serve, but his loyalty is tested to the limit in a key moment for South Korea’s history.

There are still tickets available for all these titles. Feel free to have a look at the whole programme on their website and enjoy Scotland in your home. Next year, we’ll definitely go to Glasgow !

[handeaux]

17 Curious Facts About The Cincinnati Reds

The Original Cincinnati Baseball Team Now Plays In Atlanta

Everyone knows baseball’s first professional team was organized in Cincinnati in 1869. What’s forgotten is that team’s disappointing 1870 season, after which the franchise dissolved. Manager Harry Wright moved to Boston, where he organized, with some former Cincinnati teammates, the Boston Red Stockings in 1871. Renamed the Boston Braves in 1912, that team moved to Milwaukee in 1953, and to Atlanta in 1966.

Red Stockings Were Dangerous

The 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings created a sensation by wearing knickerbocker trousers to show off their manly calves, clothed in lurid scarlet, to entice more women to the ball park. Other clubs adopted Cincinnati’s style, but players reported cases of blood poisoning when they were spiked, because the toxic dyes coloring their stockings seeped into the wounds. By the early 1900s, players started wearing white “sanitary socks” under brightly (and dangerously) dyed “stirrup socks” to avoid infection.

Today’s Reds Are Cincinnati’s Fifth Professional Baseball Team

1. The Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869 dissolved after the 1870 season. 2. A revived Reds, formed in 1875, joined the new National League in 1876, but was expelled from the league and dissolved in 1880 because they refused to stop serving beer. 3. The current Cincinnati Reds team was organized in 1881 to join the rival American Association, then quit the AA in 1889 to rejoin the National League. 4. The American Association returned to town in 1891 with team known as Kelly's Killers, who played in the East End. 5. A short-lived professional league, the Union Association, recruited a Cincinnati franchise, the “Outlaw Reds,” who competed during that league’s only season in 1884.

Too Much Sunshine.

Baseball games have been called on account of rain, snow, earthquakes, darkness and all sorts of factors, but the Cincinnati Reds once had a game called on account of sunshine. The Reds and the Boston Braves squared off on 6 May 1892 in League Park. This ancestor of Crosley Field was built facing west and, after 14 innings of scoreless play, the catchers and hitters complained they couldn’t see the ball as the sun slowly settled behind Price Hill. Umpire Jack Sheridan agreed and called the tie game on account of sunshine. The next day’s Enquirer called the decision “just and sensible.”

Cicadas Are Good Luck

Local maven Joe Hoffecker notes the Reds have played eight seasons during which Cincinnati endured an infestation of 17-year cicadas. During those eight seasons, the Reds won a World Series, two National League pennants and two second-place finishes. The combined won-lost record for those eight years is 633-553, for a cumulative .534 percentage. This bodes well for the 2021 season.

Build It And They Will Come

Before settling in at the corner of Western Avenue and Findlay Street, the Reds played ball at Union Grounds, located approximately where the Union Terminal Fountain is today (1867 to 1870), at  a park variously known as Cincinnati Baseball Park, Avenue Grounds, and Brighton Park, located in Camp Washington on Spring Grove Avenue north of the stockyards (1876 to 1880), and at the Bank Street Grounds in Brighton, near where Bank Street ends at I-75 today (1882 to 1883). The team settled at a former brickyard at the corner of Western Avenue and Findlay Street, named League Park (1884 to 1901), rebuilt as the Palace of the Fans in 1902, and as Redland Field in 1912. This venue was renamed Crosley field in 1934.

Ovine Groundskeepers

On the morning of 4 July 1894, somebody opened the gates at League Park and all the lawnmowers escaped. Groundskeeper John Schwab arrived at the ball grounds early to get the lines painted and stands swept for a double header only to discover that a flock of sheep he employed to trim the grass had wandered off. By nightfall, he hadn’t located his errant grounds crew.

Palms Of Seasoned Leather

Second baseman John Alexander “Bid” McPhee was the first major leaguer to play his entire professional career (1882-99) for the Cincinnati Reds. Many years later, Johnny Bench and Barry Larkin also achieved this feat. But there is another curious feat associated with Bid McPhee. He was certainly the last second baseman, and some sources claim he was the last player, to take the field without a glove. After 14 years of outstanding fielding without a mitt, McPhee donned a glove in 1896 and had a Hall of fame year.

Let’s Go Out To The Lobby

In 1913, the hottest concept in movie theaters was the airdome, an outdoor set-up under the stars with a piano player pounding away as silent films unspooled. The Reds organization hopped on that bandwagon by opening Cincinnati’s only roof-covered airdome at Redland Field. The nightly theater sat 3,000 viewers who got to see a feature and four shorts for a nickel. The Reds also leased their ballpark for dances, boxing, wrestling and track events.

Spring Training In A Cemetery

Although the 1919 Reds went on to claim the World Series crown, the year got off to an inauspicious start. Manager Pat Moran hauled the team to Waxahachie, Texas for spring training but found the weather anything but vernal. Constant rain and plunging temperatures prevented play on the field at Jungle Park, so the team practiced on the adjacent railroad tracks or crossed the road and found higher – and dryer – ground in the Waxahachie City Cemetery. It was the “dead ball” era, after all!

Ejected For Napping

Hall-of-Fame center-fielder Edd Roush has the distinction of being the only major leaguer ever ejected from a game for taking a nap on the field. The Reds opened an East Coast road trip on 8 June 1920, facing the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. The defending world champions played miserably but vociferously challenged an eighth-inning call by umpire Barry McCormick. The ump allowed the debate to go on for a good 15 minutes, so Roush made a pillow of his cap and glove and reclined in the outfield. At length, McCormick ejected a couple of players and ordered play to resume, but Roush couldn’t be roused and was sent to the showers. New York won, 5 to 4.

Three Is Better Than Two

In all of major league history, there have been only three occasions in which two ball clubs played three games on a single day. The last of those rare triple headers involved the Cincinnati Reds. Fighting against Pittsburgh for third place in the National League, the Reds faced the Pirates at Forbes Field on 2 October 1920 for a marathon outing beginning at noon. The Reds took the first two games, clinching their third-place finish. The Pirates were ahead 6-0 when the third game was called on account of darkness.

Postponed On Account Of Lindbergh

In May 1927, Colonel Charles Lindbergh flew alone across the Atlantic Ocean. After returning stateside, Lindbergh embarked on a nationwide tour, arriving in Cincinnati on 6 August 1927. The Reds hastily erected a temporary platform at Redland Field and the gates opened for a standing-room-only crowd to hear their hero speak. So many aviation enthusiasts filled the stands that the Reds couldn’t clear them out to let the paying baseball crowd in. That day’s game was postponed and the Reds and Phillies turned the next day’s game into a double-header.

Up, Up And Away!

On 8 June 1934, the Cincinnati Reds became the first major league baseball team to travel to a game by airplane when they journeyed to Chicago. Manager Bob O’Farrell and 19 players flew to Chicago, some said, in a bid to distract attention from their last-place standing. The Reds beat the Cubs that day, 4 to 3.

No Commies Here!

Throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, Americans suspected anyone with liberal leanings of supporting Communism. Nationally televised hearings led by Senator Joseph McCarthy raised anti-Communist feelings to a fever pitch, and no one wanted to be labelled a “Red.” Bowing to popular pressure, the Cincinnati Reds became the Cincinnati Redlegs from 1954 to 1959 to allay any concerns about their patriotism.

Fewer Trains Meant Parking For The Reds

In 1957, both the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants departed for sunny California, and New York City was left holding the bag. That bag contained an unfulfilled offer to build what would become Shea Stadium as part of a futile effort to hold either of the National League teams in Gotham. Snubbed by both, New York determined to build that stadium anyway and attempted to lure the Reds to the Big Apple. Reds owner Powel Crosley Jr. hinted that he might consider such an offer, because he needed parking. Cincinnati rushed a plan to demolish Union Terminal’s maintenance facilities to create more parking spaces around Crosley Field.

Rosie Reds Kept The Team In Cincinnati

Despite winning the National League pennant in 1961, the Reds saw dwindling attendance over the following years. When owner Bill DeWitt let it be known in 1964 that he was entertaining an offer to sell the team to a San Diego syndicate, the Queen City panicked. Among the proposals to boost attendance was the successful formation of the Rosie Reds to encourage women to attend games. The Rosie Reds are still going strong after more than 50 years. “Rosie,” by the way, is an acronym. It stands for Rooters Organized to Stimulate Interest & Enthusiasm.

[A tip of the hat to Cincinnati Reds Historian Greg Rhodes whose research was invaluable in compiling this list.]

[jadelotusflower]

Roundup - September 2021

This month: Saving Fish From Drowning, Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass, Anne Boleyn, Cruella, The Chair

Reading

Saving Fish from Drowning (Amy Tan) - I've always enjoyed Tan's work (particularly The Joy Luck Club, both the book and film) - Fish is somewhat of a departure, following a group of American tourists in Myanmar, narrated by their recently deceased friend Bibi Chen. The novel begins with a preface in which Tan explains she drew inspiration for the novel based on real events chronicled by a San Franciscan psychic's "automatic writing" channeling Chen's spirit (in truth a complete invention on Tan’s part, both literary device and metaphor).

Bibi is a compelling narrator, full of wry commentary of her friends as they bumble their way through their trip, the tone of the novel quite light despite some of the dark subject matter around the political situation in Myanmar (the novel was written in 2005 and set several years earlier) and the nature of intervention - the title referring to fisherman who "save fish from drowning" by netting them. It was at times difficult to keep track of all twelve (!) of the main characters and who was who outside of the few who get the most attention of the narrative.

An interesting read, about the stories we tell ourselves and others, and the fictions we believe for comfort and hope.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and what Alice found there (Lewis Carroll) - I've been making more of an effort to work on my novel lately, which makes some reference to these works so thought it was due for a re-read. It seems impossible to consider these separate novels given how conflated they have become in pop culture - even the Disney film takes elements from both - they act as either a duology, or alternatively a single story told in two parts.

I personally much prefer Looking Glass, perhaps because I imprinted on the 1985 miniseries as a child (which adapts both novels, but we only had the second part on tape) - best known for it's celebrity cameos in silly costumes - including Sammy Davis Jnr, Donald O'Connor, Ringo Starr, and Carol Channing, among others, and the danger of the Jabberwocky as a manifestation of Alice's fears quite a nice idea that isn't found in the original text.

Perhaps Looking Glass, while remaining absurdist, is more cohesive than Wonderland with the chess motif and central motive for Alice to reach the Eighth Square and become a queen. I do however find the constant poetry tedious, and wonder whether both Wonderland and Looking Glass are better remembered for the concepts rather than the actual text.

Watching

Anne Boleyn (episodes 1-3) - I didn't think we needed another film/show about Anne, but I was always going to watch it. This series relies upon familiarity with history as it begins with Anne's final, doomed pregnancy - opening with the haunting words “Anne is the most powerful woman in England - she has just five months to live.”

There's nothing especially new here; rather a mood and character piece as Anne's isolation and desperation grows. It is of course built around the central, compelling performance of Jodie Turner-Smith, in every single scene and not afraid to shy away from Anne's sharper edges while remaining profoundly sympathetic, surrounded by a court of whispers, her existence on a knife's edge. We know only what Anne knows, and we see the smaller, heartbreaking moments usually passed over in other adaptations - in her grief following the stillbirth, Anne sits up in bed almost catatonic, milk leaking from her breasts, her attempt to walk back the infamous “dead man's shoes” comment, and the long days of her imprisonment.

Then there’s the beautiful costumes - in a court of dark furs, Anne wears bold primary colours and velvets that catch the light, that them become more subdued prints once she is in the Tower.

The other notable feature is the casting - described as "identity conscious" rather than colour-blind, representative of the othering of Anne and her relatives. Another standout is Thalissa Teixeira as Anne's cousin Madge Shelton, fleshed out as her confidant and the only one who remains true to her. It's a fresh perspective and a worthwhile watch, particularly for Turner-Smith's performance.

Cruella (dir. Craig Gillespie) - Spoilers. I wasn’t planning on bothering with this, but my sister wanted to watch it and I’d been told by several people that it was actually quite good. Look, I'm not saying they lied, I just think they were able to look past things that I was not.

Because actually, the core story has potential and the film has enjoyable elements (notably Emma Thompson), but simply falters every time they try and shoehorn references to the source material, and there are some truly egregious attempts - Roger is the Baroness’s lawyer for some reason? And writes the familiar Cruella De Vil song about how awful she is when she's just given him a puppy?

It doesn’t work as a prequel, or villain origin story, or even a reboot, since Cruella’s character journey is over by the end of the film (I have no idea what the purported sequel is going to be about) - in fact "Cruella" is just a persona Stone's Estella adopts (complete with a terrible affected accent), and there is no conceivable way for her to become the wannabe puppy murderer we know from the book or any of the film adaptations. Oh, and Pongo and Perdita are siblings! Well done, Disney. Slow clap for you.

Also, with a runtime of 2 hours 16 minutes it is Interminable and the whole thing is saddled with a terrible, unnecessary voiceover. Seriously, they should show this in film class to demonstrate when v/o hinders not helps.

They were likely going for a Maleficent-style re-imagining, but where that succeeded (somewhat) in a completely new retelling right down to a different ending to the source material, this wants to have it's cake and eat it too - it wants to have the Cruella aesthetic (the car, the hair, Hell Hall, the camp accent) but doesn't ever let her be a villain, or even the beginnings of a villain, but that's that's reason she's so memorable in the first place. It puts all the pieces in place for the story we know, and yet that story simply cannot happen with this version of Cruella.

In the end, it's a story of a fundamentally decent person who maybe goes a bit overboard in retaliating to bullies, and swindles a sociopath to reclaim what's rightfully hers. Cruella De Vil! I just couldn't get over this fundamental misapplication of the source material.

In many ways, it almost feels as if this was pitched as a sequel, with Cruella in the Baroness role. It would have fit a lot better with the aesthetic, the time period, and the concept of punk disruption of classic fashion. Or, it was a completely unrelated story of a plucky orphan who rises in the fashion world, that at some point was grafted onto the Dalmatians property. Either one would have worked better, frankly.

I am probably being overly harsh. If you switch off your brain and enjoy the clothes it’s fine. But honestly, if you want your live action Cruella fix, just watch the Glenn Close version, because it is superior in every way.

The Chair (season 1) - I watched this for Sandra Oh, and I was not disappointed, because I got to watch Sandra Oh. On the other hand...it's not that I didn't like it, I just...wish it had been better?

The story revolves around Ji-Yoon Kim, the first woman (let alone woman of colour) to become Chair of English at a "minor Ivy" university, as she tries to juggle the clash of old style academia and new, raise her daughter as a single mother, and deal with a series of controversies caused by one of her professors (and love interest). It's the latter I feel sucked up way too much time and was ultimately unsatisfying - particularly the end, which was played like a moral victory but really rubbed me the wrong way. If this gets a season 2, I hope they dump Jay Duplass' fuckup sadsack because hoo boy, am I sick of that kind of male character.

But Sandra Oh is wonderful.

Writing

The Lady of the Lake - chapter 5 posted, 4215 words (10,261)

Against the Dying of the Light 1954 words (11,976)

Here I Go Again - 414 words (12,948)

Novel - 1039 words (1484)

Total this month: 7,622

Total this year: 48,435

[jwood719]

Thurmond, West Virginia: a Rail Road Town that the World Passed By, Then Found Again (sorta’) - Updated.

As I explained recently over a dinner with friends in town (for the first time in how long?!), Thurmond, West Virginia was south and west of Pittsburgh, so it seemed like a good option for a kind-of side trip on the way home from Pennsylvania.  Little did I know how long the trip south would be, but glad I was to have done it.

A CSX coal car drag passing the Thurmond Depot, as seen through the window of the yardmaster’s office. [1]

The town was founded by one Capt. W.D. Thurmond in 1873, the same year the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway completed main line track building through the New River Valley.  The New River Valley was scene to intensive coal mining in the latter half of the 1800s and first half of the 1900s, and Thurmond was literally and figuratively at the heart of it all.

I believe the tall structure visible through the coal smoke and vented steam is the coaling tower. [2]

Thurmond in 1988.  Conspicuously absent now are all the structures on the left side of the tracks -- as well as the tracks to the left. [3]

The New River Valley was also the scene of some of the worst of the “coal field wars:” the operators paid by weight, ran company towns and stores, and lured unsuspecting laborers into the valley with promises of good wages -- promises that never materialized.  Instead, coal weight was shorted, company rents and store fees were exorbitant, and rules were enforced with extra-judicial posses, bought-off law enforcement officers, and state militia at times.  Miners were repeatedly denied recognition of their unionizing efforts, scabs were thrown in between the simmering, or boiling, antagonists, and strikes devolved into shooting matches.

Thurmond in 1988. [3]  Two generations of water towers (near center) holding hundreds of thousands of gallons of water for the thirsty steam-powered engines, and the post office building (at right)  CSX removed the water towers in the 1990s.

Concrete footings for the water towers seen in the 1988 photo above.  The post office building still stands (at far right), and is still U.S.P.S. property, though it is no longer in operation. [1]

Thurmond was the vital hub for the C&O and for all the various people who moved through the Valley throughout the coal mining years; in 1910, Thurmond  moved more freight and passengers than any other town the rail road serviced.  It’s hard to imagine today, but from its founding until the early 1920s, Thurmond could only be reached by rail, and thousands of people moved through or lived in the town, going to work in a mine, working for the C&O, or providing goods and services.

The Marilyn Brown house, with the roofline of the Fatty Lipscomb house beyond. [1]

At one time, Thurmond boasted many commercial structures, scores of houses (like those above), and was also a service hub for the C&O’s engines and rolling stock.  Steam-powered rail road engines require daily maintenance, work that was effected in a large engine house that was perched above the river.

Thurmond in 1988. [3] The engine house is right of center in the mid-ground, behind the trees.  Some of the remaining private houses can be seen uphill behind the commercial buildings, as well as the one “street” that wound across the face of the hill.

Like so many towns built around 19th century industries, Thurmond’s importance declined dramatically as the 20th century proceeded.  The use of diesel rail road engines left steam engine mechanics unemployed; many of the mines played out, and those that remained (and remain still) employed far fewer miners to pull the coal from the seams -- or blast it from hill tops; and people who would have been passengers on the trains began driving automobiles.  The world, if you will, moved on, and Thurmond dried up.

Two views of the Fatty Lipscomb house. [1]

As coal mining declined, though, tourism increased, and in the 1960s and 1970s, enthusiasts of outdoor sports found the U.S. Congress receptive to the idea of setting aside some of West Virginia’s landscapes for boating, hiking and camping.  In 1978, a substantial swath of West Virginia was designated as the New River Gorge National River, and later, lands along the Gauley and Bluestone Rivers were conserved, designated as National Recreation Areas in 1988.

Another house, here perched on the hillside above the commercial district, and a stretch of the local roadway, looking downhill. [1]

Once the land along the rivers became national reserves, Thurmond basically passed into federal control, though up until the early 1990s, up to 50 people still resided there.  The Chesapeake & Ohio had also declined, and became a foundational holding of today’s CSX Transportation rail road company.  CSX still moves coal through Thurmond in long drags of hopper cars, either full and destined for power plants, or empty and heading back to the mines.

In 1988 (above) [3] and in 2021 (below). [1]  The view below is perhaps the best known angle of the old commercial buildings.  From right, these are: the Mankin-Cox Building, the oldest of the three, which housed a druggist and a bank; the Goodman-Kincaid Building, which housed a dry goods store as well as offices and apartments; and the National Bank of Thurmond Building; all held a variety of business concerns before business fled.  To the upper right is the Erskine Pugh house.  The track in the foreground has been removed.

Circa 1900 [2]  The engine house is right of center, with the commercial buildings to the left.  The large building at far left was a hotel, but it burned down and was replaced by an Armour meat company building -- which also burned, in 1963 . The depot (seen following photo) is at the far right, with the rail road trestle just in view.

The 1904 passenger depot, now the NPS visitors center (as of 1995), and yes, Amtrak does have Thurmond as a stop! [1]

The NPS owns most of the remaining buildings, and efforts began in the early 2000s to keep them from deteriorating further, with roof repairs and seals to keep out the weather. There are still 5 residents in Thurmond, all are on the town council, and in addition to being active within the park, they are also seeking ways to keep the town alive.  

The red house at left is new construction, but on an old foundation, and where possible, older building materials have been recycled in its build-out.  A project of Thurmond’s residents, the hope is to have it available for seasonal leases; my guess is it’ll wind up with a long wait-list -- and my name will be on it! [1]

Old rail road ties in the dirt: now an access road, the C&O service track that led to the coaling tower were once mounted here; the engine house would have been to the extreme right and partially out of view; the depot is dead ahead, and my road-weary car is parked near the trees. [1]

Maybe I was taken-in by the town because of the setting, nestled as it is among the hills and above the river; maybe it’s because the old buildings have that “certain something” that makes history buffs like me snap more photos than is reasonable; maybe it’s the potential that I can see in them (provided anyone ever coughed up the money to really rehabilitate them); if I was to get metaphysical about it, maybe it’s because of all the lives and history that occurred in the area and the energy left behind calls out still (y’know if I got metaphysical about it -- past lives anyone?); perhaps it’s all of those.  What-ever the reason, I’ve been thinking of making a trip back in mid-Autumn, take a long weekend as the leaves are turning and it’s got chilly -- and shoot yet more photos than is reasonable.

The 1922 coaling tower (above), built by Fairbanks Morse (as noted on the sign below). [1]

The reason for the coaling tower: a pair of the last steam engines in Thurmond: 1953. [2]

I briefly stopped at the New River Gorge visitors center where I got directions, and figured I could at least find out where I was going before getting off the highway for the night.  I arrived in Thurmond just before 5 PM, but even that later afternoon hour left plenty of daylight to walk about and take photos.  My thought had been to simply find Thurmond, then make my stop-over somewhere nearby (Beckley, WV is less than 10 miles away) then return in the morning.  That thinking quickly became “Oh! I can come back for more in the morning!” 

Up the hill: the old church. [1]  The church grounds now host the local triathlon and reunion events for those who once lived in Thurmond.

What I realized as I strolled around in the afternoon, was that the light would be dramatically different if I arrived early the next day (yeah: a “well duh!” moment if ever there was one), an effect of the changed daylight hours mixed with the topography that proved itself quite wonderfully -- and is why the images here show both the golden glow of evening and the cool white of morning.

Amtrak’s Cardinal route-train, on-time (or nearly) on a Friday morning. [1]

Standing by my car, having a sip of coffee, looking around as other visitors arrived or departed, I just, well -- “sighed with contentment” is an apt description. 

A view of the ticket agent’s office. [1]

For more information on Thurmond:

The National Park Service’s web page for Thurmond, WV.

Thurmond, WV on Clio, a history and culture website.

Both of these share some of the same information, and each has additional images, both historical and contemporary.  

A view of the New River Valley from the west side, across from Thurmond (note the houses and rail road cars on the far bank below the hill). [4]

The historical narrative written here was gleaned from the NPS hand-out for Thurmond, as well as from the Summer 2021 issue of National Parks magazine, published by the National Parks Conservation Association (“Miner’s Angel” concerning Mother Jones and the coal field wars of West Virginia, by Nicolas Brulliard).  Identification of the Marilyn Brown house made possible by access to a PDF of the NPS’ structural assessment report of buildings in Thurmond, revised edition, published in 2002.

A view of the yardmaster’s office [1]

Atlas Obscura’s “22 of America’s Best Preserved Ghost Towns”  Sorry, Mental Floss, you were forgot.

Looking south toward the depot past the three old commercial blocks. [1]

[1] Photographs by R. Jake Wood, 2021.

[2] Historic photographs displayed on-site by National Park Service, photographed on-site and edited for this posting by Jake Wood. 

[3] Photographs by Jet Lowe, 1988, for the Library of Congress’ Historic American Building Survey/Historic American Engineering Record; retrieved from the Library of Congress’ Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, with minor editing by Jake Wood.

[4] Photograph by the Detroit Publishing Co., circa 1910; from the Library of Congress’ Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, with minor editing by Jake Wood.

The depot, alongside CSX trackage. [1]

CSX coal drag outbound with hoppers full of coal.  The post office building is visible just beyond the engine. [1]