#Annaleigh Johnston

[testedtransgressor]

Why

Category: Post Shock Rating: T Warning/s: Death, post-apocalyptic Originally Written: 21st February 2020

The sun was low in the sky by the time they finally reached the old shack.

Anna had seen it from the top of the rickshaw, and Alaric had made a beeline for it once she told him, but they hadn't been too hopeful about the safety. Most places out here were abandoned and left alone for good reason.

Anna stood nearby, readying herself to run as Alaric stomped heavily across the front porch, thumping a fist against the weathered siding beside the door. After a few moments of silence, he raised his gun and torch, and moved inside. Silence followed, and Anna bit her lip as she waited. There was the occasional sound of shuffling from inside, and Alaric's heavy footfalls across the floorboards, but it felt like an eternity before he returned to the door.

"It's clear. C'mon in. Bring your pack."

Anna hurriedly grabbed her bag and ran to the shack, ducking under Alaric's arm as he held the door open for her. They had a safe place for the night, it seemed.

After the fire was going and some food had been cooked, Alaric finally settled onto the moth-eaten sofa and relaxed. Anna was brushing out her hair, and looked over at Alaric as he put his feet up. His face was so lined that she wondered how old he really was. She knew it was rude to ask, but her curiosity sometimes got the better of her - and he looked like he was in a good enough mood to answer her.

Sometimes, however, he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.

"Fifty-six,"

Anna stared at him, her mouth dropping open. "Huh?"

"I'm fifty-six, Annaleigh."

"How'd you know I was gonna ask?" She asked.

"'Cos you always do," he snorted softly, but it seemed like he was laughing. "Any time we've found a safe place for the night and fed well and get comfortable, you ask. And if you don't ask, you get this look on your face, like you're gonna ask. But you don't, not always. You just stare."

"I'm sorry," she dropped her head, feeling embarrassed, "I know it's rude to ask--"

"It's only rude if the person you're askin' gets upset," Alaric told her. "A lot of things ain't polite to do, but if nobody knows you're doing it, nobody's gonna get upset. Remember that, Anna. You'll need that cunning one day," he muttered to himself. Anna looked down at the brush in her hand, before looking back up at Alaric. He seemed to be in a better mood than usual, so she decided to press her luck.

"Alaric?"

"Hm?"

"I miss Elizabeth."

He opened his eyes, staring at the wall for a few moments before sighing deeply.

"Me too."

Anna frowned slightly. Did he regret sending her away? She knew that sometimes he'd wake up at night with nightmares, and Elizabeth used to be the one to throw cold water in his face so he would stop panicking. Anna was always too scared to get close, so she would just wait for him to realise that the dream was over.

"Anna," Alaric sighed again, "Do you know why I had to send Elizabeth away?"

Anna shook her head, pursing her lips. "No."

Alaric sat up and leaned forward, looking at Anna carefully. "Anna, what happened about... thirty years ago?"

"I don't know. I wasn't born then."

"Daemons spread," he stated. "Now, thirty years ago, I was twenty-six. I had a wife. Most beautiful lady you've ever seen. She looked like Cinderella, with big blue eyes and beautiful dark blonde hair."

Anna didn't know who "Cinderella" was, but she guessed that Alaric must have thought she was really pretty, just from what he was saying.

"We married way younger than most thought right," Alaric explained, "We weren't even out of school, but we knew it was right. Probably a good thing, too, because my folks got sick when I came out of school. Med bills weren't cheap, so I joined the military to help ease the pain of the bills. Did two tours in Mongolia, saw some shit, then got out and came home. I took shrapnel to the leg while on duty, and they botched the surgery not once, not twice, but four times. So, they let me out, paid out the rest of my expected salary, plus all the bonuses, and a nice little somethin' extra so I wouldn't go runnin' to the media about it. I was fine with that - the money was enough to pay off my folks' medical bills, and buy myself a house, and give Gisele the weddin' she deserved. It was worth it to see the way her face lit up when she walked into that church," he shook his head, smiling with his eyes closed. Anna closed her eyes as well and tried to imagine what "the wedding Gisele deserved" might look like. All she came up with was something like that wedding they went to in Sarc, where there was lots of dancing and fun. She decided to add a few more flowers to her mental image - she figured Gisele might have liked flowers.

"We moved into my house together, and within a year she gave me a daughter. We called her Sienna, and her little sister Demi followed four years later. And that's... where things got bad,"

He exhaled softly, as if trying to keep himself calm, and Anna wondered if she might need to get some of the washing water to throw at him, in case he started to panic. But he seemed to get a hold of himself, and shook his head. He looked over at the fire they'd lit, watching the flames.

"Where we were, it was pretty safe at night. The daemons had already happened, and by the time Demi was ten, they were everywhere. We mostly knew how to avoid them, so we kept our house surrounded by lights at night and if any of them did dare to come too near, we'd throw them poisoned or rotten meat. They'll eat anything, as you've seen, but they had a semblance of intelligence then. If a few of them got sick eatin' at one place, most of that pack would stay away from that place. Daytime, we lived normal, night time we stayed indoors and hoped they didn't develop immunity to light."

"Sienna was around sixteen when she started to chafe. People've since told me that it was normal. Teenagers start arguin' with their folks a lot sooner, that we were lucky we had so many good years before puberty got the better of her. But it's no comfort. See, I don't tell them that I told her to go outside that night,"

His voice was shaking, and he took a moment to compose himself. Anna was watching him carefully, watching as he tried to stop himself falling into the emotions.

"We were arguin', like we usually did. She didn't want do the dishes, wanted to know why she always had to do the dishes and Demi never had to Demi was twelve by this time - just like you and Elizabeth," he added. "She'd been tryin' to get Demi to help with her chores, since she had started doin' them when she was twelve. But Demi... Demi was a bit clumsy. She was more likely to run the water too hot and burn herself, or accidentally cut herself washin' up knives. We had her doing the less dangerous chores, stuff like helping with the laundry, or dustin' the sideboard. Sienna had a bit of a tantrum, and I lost my temper. Told her if she didn't like it, she was welcome to find somewhere else to live. So she grabbed her coat and a torch and went outside, into the night."

Alaric dropped his gaze to the floor, screwing his eyes shut, but Anna could tell from the shake in his shoulders that he was fighting back sobs.

"I thought she'd come back..." he finally managed to say, his voice tight. "But when she didn't, I went out to look for her. And while I was out... I-i don't know. The power went out, and--"

He didn't need to continue. Mr Fischer had told her a long time ago. Daemons were a constant threat to life almost everywhere, so it was no surprise to her that they'd swept in and seemingly claimed everything that was left. It was a story many people had told her already; they'd turned their back for just a few seconds, and when they turned back, their family and friends were gone.

It took him a long time to recover himself, and she waited silently and patiently, letting him have his grief. She looked away, watching the fire while she heard him pulling himself back together behind her.

"Elizabeth fought with me, a lot like Sienna did," he finally said, "Sometimes, I'd forget that I was talking to Elizabeth. Horrific things like the things I've seen, they do funny things to your brain. When something sets it off, "triggers" it... It puts me back in that place when the bad things first happened. The last fight we had, me and Elizabeth, I forgot I was fighting with Elizabeth. I was lookin' at Sienna, yellin' at Sienna. And it was Sienna who said she could make it on her own, but that wasn't what Elizabeth said. I didn't hear Elizabeth, I only heard Sienna."

It was starting to fit together. Anna had heard of the brain problem Alaric was describing. A nurse at Sarc had told her about it. PTSD. She didn't know what the letters stood for, but sometimes it would make people just stop, unable to go on - and sometimes, it would make people forget where they were, what they were doing, and make them think they were in a different place, different time, with different people. It could make people violent and aggressive, or make them silent and submissive.

She knew Alaric had it. The nightmares were a symptom, the way he'd sometimes stare vacantly, or ramble almost incoherently about how things "used to be". Mr Fischer had said that he could get help, but he wasn't and didn't seem to want to. Anna knew she should suggest he get it fixed, but she didn't think it was her place to make that comment.

"It was because of that, that I knew Elizabeth couldn't stay," Alaric admitted finally. "Oh, I've been keeping track of the man she went off with. Noah Everett. Don't know where exactly she is all the time, but Joe keeps in touch with him, and he mentions her from time to time. She's doin' okay. And I think that, given everything I was goin' through, it was better to send her away with someone who'd keep her safe, rather than keep her here. I learned from last time, I guess."

Anna had turned to look at him, curious now that he'd mentioned Elizabeth. Why didn't he ever tell her that he knew she was safe?

Once again, he seemed to know what she was thinking, and smiled slightly at her, waving a finger in front of her admonishingly. "Don't you go runnin' off after her, Anna. I still need you. She'll catch up with us eventually, I'm sure of it."

[nameinbullets]

Post Shock character Annaleigh Johnston. Physically 22, mentally 12. She does not support fighting, likes to do things with craft and sewing, and has a big, genuine heart that welcomes in anybody. First Post Shock character. Shitty photo but yonow, whatever. Cameras probably don't have the HD they used to... #postshocklarp #larp #characterdesign #clockworkwings https://www.instagram.com/p/B0I_SPSAKCl/?igshid=1r3ew54wdamaj

[testedtransgressor]

Post Shock Masterpost

I figured that the posts were becoming too numerous to expect you to trawl through looking for each individual post, so here’s a list of the content related to Post Shock - both in and out of character info.

Sisters’ Parting - Anna (12) / Elizabeth (15)

Always There - Anna (12) / Anna (22)

Warnings of Horror - Liz (15)

Why - Anna (16) / Alaric (56)

Breaking Rules - Anna (22)

Ticking Clocks - Liz (26)

Summons - Liz (26)

Tracking - Noah (32)

Radio Waves - Liz (26)

New Rules - Anna (22)

(OOC) Trailer

[testedtransgressor]

Category: Post Shock Rating: T Warning/s: N/A Originally Written: 20 January 2020

As the truck rattled over the uneven desert road, and most of the people in the truck seemed to have calmed down from all the excitement of the evacuation, Anna found herself reminiscing. For as long as she could remember, her life had been governed by rules. When to eat, when to sleep, who to talk to, how to dress - so many rules. She had never been annoyed, because as far as she could tell, the rules had kept her safe.

But Alaric was gone now, and the rules he had set out for her were quickly starting to seem irrelevant. There had always been rule changes, but throughout everything, five of them had stayed the same. 1. Little Princesses are seen and not heard 2. Little Princesses don't mess up their clothes or hair 3. Little Princesses don't fight or use guns 4. Little Princesses do as they're told 5. Little Princesses don't talk to strangers Well, she thought, she had broken every single one of those. She'd spoken up, made a mess of her clothes, had shot at people with her borrowed gun, ignored what people told her to do, and had spoken to nothing but strangers from the moment she'd arrived. And what had she gained from it all? Anna looked around the truck, at the people that were mostly still little more than strangers. Mr Windsor was right there with her, one of her first friends along with Alex and the other Lost. They kept each other safe by sticking together, she'd learned. Other people seemed to know her, and they were nice to her. The only thing she'd really gotten out of breaking all the rules was a bunch of new friends - and every single one of them had helped her in some way or another. Anna decided that maybe it was time for another change of the rules. Except this time, it was going to be her own rules, rules that she could stick to in a place like Los Palos, where the entire town seemed to ignore rules no matter what. As she considered this, she remembered Mr. Phil's comment. "You can't help everyone." Well, she could damn well try, at least. She knew some people didn't want to be helped, but others... Sometimes they didn't know when they needed it. So, Anna decided to make it a rule. 1. Try to be kind and helpful to everyone The second rule had to go, Anna realised as she thought of Alaric's rules. There was so little time in Los Palos to keep up her appearance, and why should she bother with it anyway? So long as her private bits were covered, what did the rest of it matter? 2. Keep your private bits private "Don't fight or use guns"? She snorted as she looked down at the gun in her hands - once a source of concern, now the object felt comfortable in her hands, like it belonged there. For all the safety it provided, too, there were still some dangers in Los Palos, so maybe that one should be a rule as well. 3. NEVER leave your gun behind And speaking of guns... The Security people, they had been so adamant about her and the rest of the Lost helping them by hurting others. Anna wondered how many people might have been hurt if she had just followed the orders of the man who gave them the bomb? "Blow up a base" he had told them. If she hadn't asked so many questions, he wouldn't have gotten agitated and said "blow something up" - and that, technically, was why they had decided to blow up the church. But if she hadn't asked questions, they wouldn't have had that technicality. In fact, many times already, she had seen people questioning things and getting away with it. So obviously, she could too, right? 4. Question everything and stall for time That should do it, Anna decided. She couldn't think of anything else that really needed to be a rule - after all, she'd lived without Alaric's rules for a few days, and so far the only thing that had happened was her getting shot. Wait... There's always been punishments for doing something wrong. Whether it was being made to cook dinner for a week or having to take first watch, there was always something, some reasoning, that Alaric had put in place to make sure Anna stayed in line. And there were unwritten rules for the outside world that did the same. They were the reason nobody attacked her, or why brawls were never started inside stores. She recalled the synth that had shot her, the way her anger at the thing had made her feel stronger, and the joy that she'd felt watching him get beaten up. It seemed that he would now think twice about trying to hurt her. And maybe that was a rule she should have for herself, to make sure nobody else tried hurting her. Smiling to herself, Anna nodded as she mentally noted her final rule. 5. If they hurt you, Make Them Pay.

[testedtransgressor]

Category: Post Shock Rating: K+ Warnings: Mentions of violence Originally Written: 13 July 2019

Hello, darlings! It’s been a bit of a hectic week, sorry for lack of updates. This time of year is just chaotic as fuck, y’know? Anyways, Post Shock was a LOT of fun, and I’m way too keen for the next one even though it’ll probably be two-three months away... Epic Adventure for my other LARP is coming up, though, so I need to focus on that and getting Birbgirl Kireia perfected for the event.

Here’s some musings from Annaleigh after her first day in Los Palos, and a bit of a teaser into what I’ll be focusing on for her for the next event...

"Little princesses don't let their clothes get messy."

Annaleigh pulled the thread tight and cut it, the slicing stroke of the knife a little more savage than she meant for it to be. Alaric's words rang through her head as she mentally went over the rules he had always set out for her. She'd already torn up her clothes, and there was mud all down one side from that explosion at the Iscariot base. How many other rules had she broken?

"Little princesses should be seen and not heard."

She had learned to use her ears and eyes, and her silence, to listen to all sorts of things. Alaric wasn't a synth, so he wasn't always aware of everything, and that was why she needed to be - so that she could fill in the gaps when he missed something. But her first day in Los Palos had led to her breaking that rule, talking out of turn and interrupting people.

"Little princesses always wait for others to go first."

She'd done that with the truck, and had ended up almost missing out on a seat. Another night out on her own would have been disastrous; she had already been tired and hungry, and had finished the last of her water just before finding the rest of the group. When food had been served, she had been fast to join the line, rather than waiting for everybody else to go first. Alaric would have been furious if he'd seen that.

"Little princesses don't talk to strangers."

He'd made exceptions to that rule, but she'd still broken it today. Miss Katie, Mr James, Mr Windsor, the nice man that was giving out candy, Mr Preacher, and the man with the teddy bear - she'd spoken to all of them, and they weren't synths. All of them were strangers, and if Alaric knew she'd spoken to them, he'd probably yell at her.

"Little princesses don't ever, under any circumstances, fight."

That was the only one she wasn't sure of. Mr Windsor had invited her to go have some "fun", and she had helped him and the other smartypants (she couldn't remember the right word for it, only what Alaric called them) with destroying that base. Did that count as fighting? She hadn't done anything herself, she had just followed Mr Windsor and told people not to go in. Alaric would sure be angry that she got involved, at the very least.

Five basic rules, and she had broken all of them. Well, she always got her clothes messy, she reminded herself, so that wasn't really a surprise that she'd broken that rule again.

But it looked like those rules didn't matter anymore. Alaric was... well, he wasn't here, and she was in a place that was probably the safest place she'd found since he had... well, died. People here all had messy clothes, spoke a lot, took what they wanted when they could, and talked to each other. And they fought - a lot. She'd watched people fighting in the middle of the street, in broad daylight. She had watched as people had blown things up, pointed guns at each other, even shot each other, and she had watched when the pretty (but scary) lady from the casino had started yelling in the middle of town. Fighting just seemed to be the normal way of doing things in Los Palos.

"People fight when they're scared. They're scared, so they try to take what others have, but if others won't give it up, they start to fight."

People here were angry, which she knew was just fear with a target. Some were sad, but most of them were angry or scared, or both. Annaleigh had spent most of her life scared, but she knew that at least pretending to be happy was sometimes enough to make it feel better. Maybe everybody just needed to do what the candy man had done for the sheriff man. Maybe if everybody got some sort of gift, they'd be a little bit happier. And if not... well, she figured it was at least nice to try.

[testedtransgressor]

Category: Post Shock Rating: K+ Warnings: N/A Originally Written: 7 July 2019

Post Shock is on today and I’m literally finishing this up before I head out to it. I’m really excited, but I sort of felt like I needed to give a bit more of an explanation on Alaric and Anna, their relationship, and exactly what kind of things he said to explain away bad shit that would happen in the apocalypse. This takes place over two times - almost immediately after the last fic I wrote, and almost immediately before Anna winds up in Los Palos.

She was trying really hard not to cry in front of Alaric. She knew he hated it when she cried, and Elizabeth used to always fight with him when he got upset about her crying.

But every single thought of Elizabeth made it harder to hold back the tears.

She clutched the necklace Elizabeth had given her, closing her eyes and letting her body shake with a silent sob. but the one that followed wasn’t so silent.

“Why you cryin’, Annaleigh?”

It wasn’t a gentle tone, a soft query - it was more of an accusation. Annaleigh’s eyes snapped open and she found herself staring at Alaric across the small campfire. Hesitantly, embarrassed he had caught her, she lowered her gaze.

“Annaleigh, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She lied. Elizabeth had always told her to say that if the person asking couldn’t fix what she was sad about; as much as she wanted to believe Alaric could find the trader and bring Elizabeth back, she knew that he couldn’t.

Alaric sighed, poking one of the small branches into the fire. A flurry of sparks flew into the air as the fire was disturbed, and he slowly got to his feet. Annaleigh kept her head down, watching him out of the corner of her eyes like Elizabeth had shown her - Alaric only had two eyes, so it used to be up to her and Elizabeth to see the things he might not. Danger was everywhere.

Alaric settled on the ground beside Annaleigh, and paused, before awkwardly wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against his side. She was surprised for a few moments as her brain registered that he was giving her a hug - Alaric never hugged either of them. The most physical contact he had ever allowed himself was mussing up her hair.

“It’s Elizabeth, isn’t it?” He asked. His voice was soft, gentle, and Annaleigh felt the lump rise in her throat once again at the thought of her sister.

“You got rid of her,” she stated, “Are you gonna get rid of me, too?”

It was one of her biggest fears. Elizabeth had told her to stay with Alaric, but how could she do that if he gave her away, like he did to Elizabeth? Would she still be able to find Annaleigh if that happened? Alaric’s arm tightened around her shoulder, almost protectively.

“Of course not, Annaleigh. I’ll always be here for you.”

“Then why’d you get rid of Elizabeth?”

Alaric sighed heavily, resting his head on top of hers. He was warm and she closed her eyes, letting herself imagine it was Elizabeth hugging her instead of Alaric. But when he spoke, the illusion was shattered.

“Remember how I said that some people are sad or angry?” Alaric asked her. Annaleigh nodded - Alaric had once told her that there were no bad people, just people who were sad or angry or scared. Those people made themselves feel better by hurting others. It wasn’t an excuse for their actions, and it didn’t mean that what they did was okay, but it made Annaleigh less afraid of them.

“Are you sad?” She asked Alaric. He nodded slowly.

“Annaleigh, I am very sad. Having you girls around made me... less sad. But fighting with Elizabeth all the time only made me sadder. All I ever wanted was my two little princesses, and I wanted to protect you both. But Elizabeth... she’s also sad. And sometimes, people who are sad or scared turn that into anger, and that’s why we fought so much.”

Annaleigh nodded. She understood what he was saying, even if she didn’t completely understand why he had to get rid of her. “Is that why you got rid of her?”

“No, princess. We needed food, remember? And that trader man, Noah, he’s a good man. Very much like Elizabeth. He’ll look after her, until she can look after herself. So I knew, when I said she could go with him, that she’d be alright.”

“He had a gun,”

“I have a gun,” Alaric reminded her, “Does that make me a bad person?”

Annaleigh shook her head, and Alaric smiled.

“Y’know, seeing you girls happy made me feel less sad,” he told her, hugging her again. “That’s all I ever wanted for the both of you; see you safe and happy. That’s why we’ve got so many rules.”

“You promise you’ll keep me safe?” Annaleigh asked. Alaric nodded.

“I promise you, Annaleigh, I will always be here to protect you, and I will do everything I can to make sure you’re happy. You’ll always be my little princess, you got it?”

Annaleigh hummed, still worried about Elizabeth, but she burrowed into Alaric’s side as he hugged her, both of them watching the fire.

She knew he hadn’t been lying back then. But she wished now, looking at him beside the road, that he hadn’t made such a promise.

After all, dead people weren’t very good at protecting the living.

[testedtransgressor]

Category: Post Shock Rating: T Warnings: Slavery Originally Written: 1 July 2019

In anticipation of Post Shock this weekend (6th-7th July), I wrote this based around the two characters I’ve made for the event. This happens some ten years before Anna arrives in Los Palos, which is what I’ll be roleplaying this coming Sunday. This gives a bit more background on Elizabeth and Annaleigh Johnston, and a little bit of insight into Noah and Alaric. Hopefully, it fits with the lore that’s been done up for the event.

If you’re curious about Post Shock, check out the website here...

Sisters Parting

The two girls huddled together by the side of the road, partially hidden by the sparse scrub that lined the dusty cracked bitumen. A few feet away, two males stood beside vehicles - one a modified utility vehicle with an open cab, the other a simple, small pedal cart. The driver of the utility wore a broad-brimmed hat and a dust cloth covering his nose and mouth, a worn leather trench coat covering him from the shoulders almost to his ankles.

"The one in the coat's a trader," the elder of the two girls whispered to the other. "Alaric said he's gonna try to trade for some food, at least enough to get to the next camp."

"Good," the younger stated, huddling against the older, "I don't like being hungry."

"We'll figure something out, even if things go bad," the elder promised, "We've done it before."

"It's never been this bad before."

Both wore dresses that might have been considered their "Sunday best" in another time. Their brown hair was neatly pinned back in identical fashion, neatly framing their near-identical faces. In fact, the only obvious difference between the two seemed to be the age.

"Elizabeth!"

The other man called out, and the older of the two looked at her sister nervously before standing up. The man gestured for her to approach, and she did so hesitantly, eyeing the trader warily.

"This is Elizabeth, the elder of the two," Alaric Steinberg told the trader, reaching out and grabbing Elizabeth's arm as she moved within reach. "She can fight well enough, gave me this," he touched the black bruising around his eye with a slight smirk, "Can hunt, skin, gut, cook, light fires, and sew. Trapper," he added.

Elizabeth kept her gaze down and her shoulders hunched, uncomfortably aware of the trader's gaze on her. She'd only recently begun developing a less childlike figure, and tried to turn herself away so that the small mounds on her chest weren't so easily visible. Of course, the dress she wore wasn't the most modest in that particular part of design, and she covered herself awkwardly with one arm.

"What's your name?" The trader asked. Elizabeth kept her face turned away, glancing up at Alaric for confirmation - he hated it when she spoke to strangers.

"I already told--"

"I was asking the girl,"

Elizabeth looked at the trader again, before dropping her gaze to the cracked bitumen. "Elizabeth, sir."

"You hungry, 'Lizabeth?"

It was an odd question, and Elizabeth looked up at Alaric, who nodded ever so slightly, giving her permission to speak. She nodded, turning to look at the trader.

"Yes, sir."

"How long you been hungry, 'Lizabeth?"

"A few days, sir."

"Do we have a deal or not?" Alaric pressed the man. The trader's eyes flicked from Elizabeth to the older man, and Elizabeth imagined that he seemed irritated at being interrupted. Instead, he turned his attention back to Elizabeth.

"You can trap, 'Lizabeth?"

"Yes, sir."

"Cook? Sew? You any good with tinkerin'?"

"Yes, yes, and yes, sir."

"She usually fixes the cart when it breaks," Alaric supplied, "Saved us having to walk a long way."

The trader didn't take his eyes off Elizabeth, who was steadily becoming less and less comfortable with the scrutiny. She glanced at the scrub where Annaleigh was still visible, crouched among the shrubbery. The trader followed her gaze, then looked between the two.

"Sister?" He asked. Elizabeth opened her mouth, but Alaric beat her to it.

"The younger one isn't for trade."

The younger one isn't for trade.

Elizabeth realised suddenly what was happening, and felt the pit of her stomach drop. Alaric wasn't going to sell her, was he?

"What?" She demanded, whirling to Alaric, "You're selling me?"

"For food, Elizabeth."

"No! I'm not leaving her!" Elizabeth tried to pull back, but Alaric's grip on her arm tightened, and he yanked her towards him. Elizabeth stumbled, boots catching on a crack in the road.

"Hey! Let go of the girl," the trader snapped. Alaric began to snarl a response, but a twitch of the trader's coat revealed a gun tucked against his side.

"I strongly suggest you let the girl go," the trader said, this time in a deadly calm voice. Alaric hesitated, eyes on the rifle, before he reluctantly loosened his grip on Elizabeth's arm. She wrenched it free, stumbling back as the trader took a step and put himself between the older man and Elizabeth.

"'Lizabeth, bring your sister up here and say goodbye."

Elizabeth felt her throat tightening. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. She wasn't going to leave her sister alone with Alaric. Her mind flashed back to the fights, the nights she had stood over a drunken, sleeping Alaric, his own silver knife in her hand. She regretted her own inability to make that strike, to take the life of the man who had kept their freedom from them.

Alaric had come from nowhere, swept into their camp shortly after Elizabeth and Annaleigh's parents had died. He had given them food, and promised to look after them if they stayed with him. Elizabeth, not understanding at the time, had agreed, and they had left the safety of that camp with Alaric.

Ever since she'd been six, Elizabeth had been travelling with her sister and Alaric. She had raised Annaleigh, protected her sister when Alaric had begun paying special attention to the younger girl, fighting the man in her efforts and gaining more bruises from their carer than any she received from their travels. But he had always tried to be fair, and had always shared his food with them, protected them, and done for them what he could. Elizabeth couldn't hate him for that, because it would have been much easier for him to simply abandon them to death on the roadside, so many times.

The worst of her fears had come about as the older man had begun insisting Annaleigh wear pretty dresses and do her hair a specific way. If the fighting hadn't been bad before, it got worse as Elizabeth had begun to fear for Annaleigh's safety. Several times, she had come close to simply killing their carer, just to protect her sister, but she had always remembered the other girls they'd met on the road, the ones forced to sell their bodies to their male guardians. For all his faults and eccentricities, his lingering gaze and ridiculous demands, Alaric had never actually laid a hand on either of the girls as anything more than a guardian and authority figure. The fear that she and Annaleigh might have to become like those other girls was enough to stay her hand in those nights with the silver knife.

Annaleigh seemed to have sensed that something was wrong, and ran to meet Elizabeth as the trader blocked Alaric from reaching them. Elizabeth dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Annaleigh, hugging her tightly as she felt the tightness in her throat moving to her chest.

"What's going on?" Annaleigh asked, her small voice right beside Elizabeth's ear. "You either take the girl, or be on your way," Alaric's voice snapped behind them. Elizabeth didn't hear the trader's soft reply, but she knew what men out here were like. She was almost sixteen, and one of the women in the last camp had said she was the "right age". She hadn't understood then, but she figured she did now. Alaric was selling her because she was suddenly worth something.

She closed her eyes, hugging Annaleigh tightly, wishing she wouldn't have to let go, but she knew that one of the two men would force them to part eventually.

"Eventually" came all too soon.

"'Lizabeth," the trader's drawl called to her, his voice gentle. "We need to get movin'. Both of us gotta find shelter before night."

He was right. With night time came the Daemons; horrific remnants of humans, creatures devoid of emotion and filled with only the desire to consume. Just the thought of them made Elizabeth shudder - she had never seen one, and she didn't plan for that to change.

"Annaleigh, we gotta get moving," Alaric called, "Come along."

Annaleigh pulled away, looking from Elizabeth to Alaric, eyes wide and startled. "Isn't Elizabeth coming?"

"No, pet," Alaric replied, "She's gonna go with this gentleman. He's given us plenty of food, though, so you won't have to go hungry for a while."

Elizabeth felt her eyes burning as Annaleigh looked from Alaric to Elizabeth again, before hugging Elizabeth. "No!" She cried, "We can't leave her!"

Elizabeth closed her eyes, knowing that Alaric was seconds away from having a temper flare. Usually, she would take the brunt of his fists when that would happen, but she knew that if she tried to do that now, the trader might shoot Alaric, and then Annaleigh would be even worse off.

"I'll be okay," Elizabeth told Annaleigh, stroking her hair gently, "I'll be looked after, and once I can look after myself, I'll come lookin' for you, okay?"

Annaleigh pulled back, looking at Elizabeth with her big, sad eyes. It was the look she always gave Elizabeth when she wanted something, and they both knew that Elizabeth often acted like she couldn't resist it, but this wasn't going to happen this time.

"I don't want you to go," Annaleigh said softly. Elizabeth forced a smile. She had to be strong, so Annaleigh would be strong as well. Reaching up, she unlocked the clasp of the necklace she wore.

"This was our Ma's," she told Annaleigh, holding up the pendant. A pair of silver wings were fixed to a bronze cog, with two small rubies and an aquamarine set into the wings. "You look after it for me, okay? Keep it on, never take it off for anything, and I'll always be able to find you."

"But that's yours!" Annaleigh told her, pushing the necklace back towards Elizabeth. She smiled.

"You can give it back to me when we see each other again," she told the younger girl. "And we will see each other again, okay? I promise. I'll come find you. You just stay with him," she jerked her head at Alaric, "And you keep that on, and don't give it to nobody, don't take it off, always wear it. And I'll always be able to find you."

Annaleigh carefully took the necklace.

"Can you help me put it on?" She asked. Elizabeth smiled, taking the ends of the necklace and locking the clasp behind the younger girl's neck. She tucked the pendant out of sight beneath the neckline of the dress, patting the spot where it was hidden with a smile as she kept blinking back her tears.

"Annaleigh!"

"You'd better go, before he gets grumpy," Elizabeth told her. Annaleigh hugged her one more time, and Elizabeth clung to her, closing her eyes and letting a couple of tears quickly slip down her cheeks.

They released each other and, after a moment of hesitation, Annaleigh ran over to Alaric. At a soft word from him, she turned to the trader and curtsied daintily, before climbing up into the cart.

Elizabeth watched Alaric give the pair a wave before he climbed in, and released the brake. The cart, pushed on by the pedals, began to move away slowly, picking up speed quickly.

Annaleigh's face was turned towards them, watching from the back of the cart as it moved away. Elizabeth didn't want to move until they were well and truly out of sight.

"He's not a bad man," the trader told her, "He wouldn't let you go for anything less than a fortnight of rations. They'll make the next camp and he can sell off some of the scrap I gave him, should give them enough to get further and find a more permanent place."

"He don't look for a permanent place," Elizabeth told the man, eyes still on the road. The cart was now a speck in the distance, the heat haze making it almost invisible to the eye. "He's paranoid. Doesn't stay in one place for more than a few nights."

"Smart man," the trader shrugged. "Now, I need a gunner. Last one thought they could take on some raiders with an axe, didn't work out too well. Your main job is ride up front and shoot anything that poses a threat."

He was moving around the ute, checking that the tarpaulin covering the load was secured. Elizabeth looked over at him, watching him.

"What do you cart?"

"Mainly medical," the trader replied, "Your man got lucky; I had Billy's rations still locked up and I don't have much use for 'em. We're heading to Millstream, and that's as far as I'll need you for now, if you want. I ain't droppin' you off anywhere before there - they've got a little town set up there now, you'll be able to find someone to ride with from there."

Elizabeth frowned as the trader turned to her. "What do you mean? I thought you just... bought me. Like a slave."

"Yeah, and I don't agree with slavery," the trader told her, "So, I need a gunner. There's food and pay in it for you."

She stared at the man for a moment, and he snorted, rubbing at a patch of dry skin on his cheek. "You're free, 'Lizabeth. Y'ain't a slave or servant. I'm payin' you to help me out, and then after that you go do what you want."

"Why?" Elizabeth asked. She felt numb. Being a... well, she had never really considered herself a slave, but she had certainly worked for Alaric in return for the bare necessities and nothing more. The idea of someone paying for her, and then telling her she owed them nothing was... It was ludicrous.

"I don't agree with slavery," the trader told her again, approaching and stopping in front of her. "I wasn't gonna say anythin' in front of that guy, since he might wait around and try to reclaim you. But, you're free. And I need another pair o' eyes and someone to shoot."

If she was free... The thought danced through her mind all too quickly, but Elizabeth snatched at it. "So I'm free to go back and get my sister?"

The trader hesitated, tilting his head side to side. "I mean, if you're crazy enough to, sure. But you need food, water, weapons, and transport. You won't catch up to them now, not when he's got leg power that good."

"You could take me," Elizabeth told the trader, "Two of us, two shooters."

"He would never trade the little one."

"You don't know him like I do!"

"You'd be surprised,"

"So I'm free, but only if I work with you?" Elizabeth snapped. The trader reached out, grabbing her arm gently. "I'm sayin', I'll pay you to work for me just until the next town," the trader insisted, "I need you, 'Lizabeth."

"Are you kiddin'?" Elizabeth demanded, wrenching her arm free of the trader's grip, "You want me to leave my sister in the care of that psycho?"

"Hey, I know it ain't ideal, but I seen guys like him all over the roads," the trader insisted, "Trust me. He ain't no saint, none of us are, but he'll protect her."

"Oh yeah? And how do you know that?"

"Guys like him worship kids," the trader told her, "Seein' that innocence? It's a throwback to simpler times. Their own childhood. Helps them cope with all the shit. I know his kind, I know he won't lay a hand on her in any way other than to muss up her hair or push her out o' danger. She'll be safe enough with him, for now. Now, are you gonna gun for me or not?"

Elizabeth looked at the rifle, which he had pulled out of his coat. It was an ancient model, simplistic in design. A plain point-and-shoot with a bolt on the side. She looked over her shoulder, in the direction the cart had gone, feeling a pang in her chest.

"She'll be safe with him," the trader repeated, "I'll bet my life and cargo on it."

Elizabeth looked at the man. His skin looked weathered, but his eyes were bright with that energy that so many others had lost. She realised that he wasn't much older than her, perhaps in his mid-twenties, and the weathering in his skin, on closer inspection, was the dust and grit of the road.

"I never shot a gun before," she admitted. The guy smirked, pressing it into her hands.

"Point it at anything that moves," he told her, "If it keeps movin', and it's movin' at us, pull the trigger. Only thing that won't flinch from that is a Daemon, and bullets ain't much use against them anyway. Keep your eyes peeled - ain't no such thing as a safe place when you run supplies these days."

Elizabeth looked over the gun again as the trader moved away to the other side of the vehicle, climbing up into the open-top cab. She looked back down the road, half tempted to just start walking, to Hell with what this guy needed from her and to Hell with his promises for Annaleigh's safety. She was just a kid, and if Alaric was so ready to pawn her off for supplies, who was to say he wouldn't do the same to Annaleigh later down the track?

"'Lizabeth," the trader called her attention, "You comin', or what?"

She sighed heavily, before awkwardly climbing up into the passenger seat and laying the gun across her lap, stroking the barrel as her mind raced. The trader gave her a small lopsided grin as he handed her a dust cloth for her nose and mouth.

"Name's Noah, by the way. Is it okay if I call you Liz?"

[writemarcus]

Jun. 23: Jason Robert Brown, Savion Glover, Priscilla López, Susan Stroman, Marisha Wallace, and Christopher Wheeldon Join I’M STILL HERE: A Virtual Benefit for the Billy Rose Theatre Division Honoring George C. Wolfe and the Late Harold Prince and Celebrating 90 Years of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts; Tickets for the In-Person Viewing Party are Available Now

Jason Robert Brown, Savion Glover, Priscilla López, Susan Stroman, Marisha Wallace, and Christopher Wheeldon join the cavalcade of stars participating in The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’ I’m Still Here: A Virtual Benefit for the Billy Rose Theatre Division, airing June 23, 2021 on Broadway On Demand at 8pm EST and 8pm PST. The fundraiser will help raise critical funds for the Library for the Performing Arts’ beloved Theatre Division as it celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.

Tickets to the online fundraiser will be donate-what-you-can, with a recommendation of at least $19.31 in honor of the year the division was founded. To purchase tickets to the one-time-only virtual event, visit StillHereAt90.com.

An in-person viewing party at the Library for the Performing Arts in Lincoln Center for donors has also just been announced, including a pre-screening reception and performance featuring Pulitzer Prize winner Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop), and GRAMMY and two-time Tony Award winner Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening). For details and ticket prices for this limited capacity in- person event, please contact tickets@stillhereat90.com.

An incredibly special aspect of I’m Still Here is that it will feature clips of Broadway productions from the Theatre Division’s Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT), shown especially for this occasion with special permission from The Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds and the respective talent, creative teams and rights holders of each production. These archival recordings are typically only available to view onsite at the Library for the Performing Arts. The recordings shown will include the original Broadway cast of In the Heights; Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson in The Mountaintop; Brian Stokes Mitchell in Ragtime; Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard; Kelli O’Hara and Paulo Szot in South Pacific; Craig Bierko and Rebecca Luker in The Music Man; Meryl Streep, Marcia Gay Harden and Larry Pine in The Seagull; Savion Glover, Jimmy Tate, Choclattjared and Raymond King in Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk; Bette Midler in I’ll Eat You Last; Christian Borle and Tim Curry in Spamalot; and more.

I’m Still Here will also include interviews with Broadway legends and emerging creatives; and reconceived performances of musical theatre songs, including Stephanie J. Block performing “A Trip to the Library,” André De Shields performing “I’m Still Here,” original Company cast members from 1970-to-present performing “Another Hundred People,” “Wheels of a Dream,” “Love Will Find a Way,” and more. The evening’s honorees are Harold Prince and George C. Wolfe.

Featuring new performances and appearances by Troy Anthony (The River Is Me), Annaleigh Ashford (Sunday in the Park with George), Major Attaway (Aladdin), Alexander Bello (Caroline, or Change), Laura Benanti (She Loves Me), Malik Bilbrew, Susan Birkenhead (Jelly’s Last Jam), Shay Bland, Stephanie J. Block (The Cher Show), Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice), Matthew Broderick (Plaza Suite), Jason Robert Brown (The Last 5 Years), Krystal Joy Brown (Hamilton), David Burtka (“A Series of Unfortunate Events”), Sammi Cannold (Endlings), Ayodele Casel (Chasing Magic), Kirsten Childs (Bella), Antonio Cipriano (Mean Girls), Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza), Max Clayton (Moulin Rouge!), Calvin L. Cooper (Mrs. Doubtfire), Trip Cullman (Choir Boy), Taeler Elyse Cyrus (Hello, Dolly!), Quentin Earl Darrington (Once on This Island), André De Shields (Hadestown), Frank DiLella (NY1), Derek Ege, Amina Faye, Harvey Fierstein (La Cage aux Folles), Leslie Donna Flesner (Tootsie), Chelsea P. Freeman, Savion Glover (Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk), Joel Grey (Cabaret), Ryan J. Haddad (“The Politician”),James Harkness (Ain’t Too Proud), Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof), Marcy Harriell (Company), Mark Harris (“Mike Nichols: A Life”), Neil Patrick Harris (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly), Arica Jackson (Caroline, or Change), Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop), Cassondra James (Once on This Island), Marcus Paul James (Rent), Taylor Iman Jones (Hamilton), Maya Kazzaz, Tom Kirdahy (The Inheritance), Leslie Kritzer (Beetlejuice), Michael John LaChiusa (The Wild Party), Norman Lear (Good Times), Baayork Lee (A Chorus Line), L. Morgan Lee (A Strange Loop), Robert Lee (Takeaway), Sondra Lee (Hello, Dolly!), Telly Leung (Aladdin), Priscilla Lopez (A Chorus Line),Ashley Loren (Moulin Rouge!), Allen René Louis (“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”), Brittney Mack (Six), Morgan Marcell (Hamilton), Aaron Marcellus (“American Idol”), Joan Marcus, Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), Annie McGreevey (Company), Sarah Meahl (Kiss Me, Kate), Joanna Merlin (Fiddler on the Roof), Ruthie Ann Miles (Sunday in the Park with George), Bonnie Milligan (Head Over Heels), Rita Moreno (West Side Story), Madeline Myers (Double Helix), Pamela Myers (Company),Leilani Patao (Garden Girl), Nova Payton (Dreamgirls), Joel Perez (Kiss My Aztec), Bernadette Peters (Into the Woods), Tonya Pinkins (Jelly’s Last Jam), Jacoby Pruitt, Sam Quinn, Phylicia Rashad (A Raisin in the Sun), Jelani Remy (Ain’t Too Proud), George Salazar (Be More Chill), Marilyn Saunders (Company), Marcus Scott (Fidelio), Rashidra Scott (Company), Rona Siddiqui (Tales of a Halfghan), Ahmad Simmons (West Side Story), Susan Stroman (The Producers), Rebecca Taichman (Indecent), Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home), Bobby Conte Thornton (Company), Sergio Trujillo (On Your Feet), Kei Tsuruharatani (Jagged Little Pill), Ben Vereen (Pippin), Jack Viertel, Christopher Vo (The Cher Show), Nik Walker (Ain’t Too Proud), Marisha Wallace (Dreamgirls), Shannon Fiona Weir, Christopher Wheeldon (MJ: The Musical),Helen Marla White (Ain’t Misbehavin’), Natasha Yvette Williams (“Orange is the New Black”), and Kumiko Yoshii (Prince of Broadway).

Click here to watch New York Public Library’s Doug Reside on Backstage LIVE with Richard Ridge.

The virtual benefit is produced and conceived by co-founder of the upcoming Museum of Broadway and four-time Tony nominee Julie Boardman (Company) and Co-Executive Producer of Broadway For Biden Nolan Doran (Head Over Heels), featuring direction by Steve Broadnax (Thoughts Of A Colored Man), Sammi Cannold (Endlings), Nick Corley (Plaza Suite), GRAMMY Award Winner Ty Defoe (Straight White Men), Drama Desk winner Lorin Latarro (Waitress), Mia Walker (Jagged Little Pill) and Tony Award winnerJason Michael Webb (Choir Boy), choreography by Ayodele Casel (Chasing Magic),Lorin Latarro and Ray Mercer (The Lion King), with new music arranged by ASCAP Award winner Rachel Dean (Medusa) and Annastasia Victory (A Wonderful World), with arrangements and orchestrations by Brian Usifer (Frozen). Casting is by Peter Van Dam at Tara Rubin Casting.

Tony Marx is the president of The New York Public Library, William Kelly is the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries,Jennifer Schantz is the Barbara G. and Lawrence A. Fleischman Executive Director of the Library for the Performing Arts, and Doug Reside is the Lewis and Dorothy Cullman Curator of the Billy Rose Theatre Division. Patrick Hoffman is the curator of the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive. Henry Tisch serves as Associate Producer and Travis Waldschmidt is Associate Choreographer. Animation and Motion Graphics by Kate Freer, Graphic Design by Caitlin Whittington, Sean MacLaughlin is Director of Photography and Ian Johnston is B Camera Operator. Dylan Tashjian is Onsite Coordinator with COVID compliance by Lauren Class Schneider.

HOST COMMITTEE: Ted & Mary Jo Shen, Barbara Fleischman, Agnes Gund, Fiona & Eric Rudin, Lizzie & Jon Tisch, Kate Cannova, Joan Marcus, Daisy Prince, Gayfryd Steinberg, Van Horn Group

LIBRARY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS THEATRE COMMITTEE: Emily Altman, Margot Astrachan, Ken Billington, Julie Boardman, Ted Chapin, Bonnie Comley, Van Dean, Kurt Deutsch, Scott Farthing, Barbara Fleischman, Freddie Gershon, Louise Hirschfeld, Joan Marcus, Elliott Masie, Arthur Pober, Ed Schloss, Morwin Schmookler, Jenna Segal, Ted Shen, Kara Unterberg, Abbie Van Nostrand, Kumiko Yoshii

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS DOROTHY AND LEWIS B. CULLMAN CENTER houses one of the world’s most extensive combinations of circulating, reference, and rare archival collections in the field of dance, theatre, music and recorded sound. These materials are available free of charge, along with a wide range of special programs, including exhibitions, seminars, and performances. An essential resource for everyone with an interest in the arts — whether professional or amateur — the Library is known particularly for its prodigious collections of non-book materials such as historic recordings, videotapes, autograph manuscripts, correspondence, sheet music, stage designs, press clippings, programs, posters and photographs. The Library is part of The New York Public Library system, which has locations in the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island, and is a lead provider of free education for all.

BROADWAY ON DEMAND is the industry-leading livestream platform housing performance & theatre education programming, & the preferred choice of top Broadway artists, producers, educators & professionals. Broadway On Demand has streamed 2,500 events & live productions—from Broadway shows to concert series, performance venues to individual artists, & original content—in 82 countries to over 300,000 viewers. Thanks to a unique licensing interface, ShowShare, approved middle school, high school, college, community & professional theatre productions utilize the platform to stream to their audiences. Broadway on Demand is available on the web, mobile, Apple and Android app store, AppleTV, Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV. For access to the complete and ever-expanding Broadway on Demand library, subscribe at BroadwayOnDemand.com.

[testedtransgressor]

Medics

Category: Post Shock Rating: T Warning/s: Post-apocalyptic, blood/gore Originally Written: Idk like January? Originally posted in Post Shock RP Group on Facebook sometime last week

This was a collaborative RP between myself and Jess Goodwin, who plays Azura in the Post Shock universe. Set immediately after the last post I dropped for Anna.

The truck was still moving, every bump in the road shaking Anna to her bones. She clutched her gun just a little bit tighter as she looked at the other people of Los Palos. Most had - somehow - managed to fall asleep, or at least gave the appearance of such, but she and a few others were still awake. They had been driving for hours, and we're somewhere in the desert.

Her gaze settled on Miss Azura, the feisty archer lady from the SOTA people. She had seemed more tolerant of Anna with their shared experiences earlier that day - after all, Miss Katie had somehow ended up in the body of one of her friends, and Anna had been there and ready to help.

"You can't help everyone."

Mr Phil's words came back to her, as well as the thought she had blurted out in response - "I know. I'm not a Medic."

Well, she might not be a medic, but she was certain Miss Azura was. And she had seen the cut on the woman's arm - it looked deep, but she hadn't tended to it. Anna wondered if that was because she didn't have the right things, or if she didn't want to. Some people were crazy like that, not wanting their injuries to be fixed. But Miss Azura wasn't that crazy, was she?

With most people having fallen into sleep, there was a little more space, and Anna moved closer to Miss Azura. She had seemed upset earlier, but Anna was quickly getting used to telling if the SOTA people were upset enough to try and hurt her or not.

"Miss Azura?" She asked tentatively, "Are you okay? Your arm looks bad. Is there anything I can do? We should get it covered, so it doesn't get infected."

Azura sighed as this ‘young girl’ approached. Anna was persistent; she’d give her that. “It’s fine! Not even that deep, I’ve had deeper wounds before.” She turned to the left moving her arm outta sight. “Why do you care anyway? No one cares about anyone but themselves in this shithole.”

"I know," Anna sighed, "And it's dumb. You gotta care about stuff and people, or else you're as bad as a daemon. They don't care, 'bout anything."

She sat next to Miss Azura and tried to look at the injured arm. Hesitantly, she lowered her voice.

"I seen you cut yourself on purpose," she admitted, tilting her head to one side. "Why'd you do that?"

Azura continued to hide her injured arm. “You’re particularly nosy aren’t you? If you really must know, some... information was in my arm that I needed to find out.”

Anna frowned at the statement. "Why would anyone put information in a real human arm? You've got the special arm right there," she gestured to the cyborg arm. "That's kinda dumb, giving you info but making you hurt yourself to get at it."

Azura frowned “Are you squeamish little one?”

"What's squeamish?" Anna asked, tilting her head. "Is that like, where you faint from seeing blood? Cos, no."

With a sigh Azura bought her left arm into view and turned to the right to face Anna. With a quick glance around the truck to see if anyone was watching she quickly revealed her injury. Clear as day, the wires running through Azura’s body were visible to both girls.

The temptation to poke was overwhelming, but Anna remembered her manners at the very last moment. She frowned slightly.

"It all looks fine, but I'mnot an engineer. Why'd you need to get in at it? Was something not working right?"

“I’m a human! Humans don’t have wires in their bodies now do they!” Azura raised her voice but quickly quieted herself, glancing at the others in the truck. “Something about my past is fucked up, and I’m gonna work out what!”

Anna shrugged. "Well, some humans have wires in 'em. Doesn't make you not human, it just means you're different to other humans. And that's okay! I'm different, Mr Windsor's different, Miss Stella and Mr Preacher and Mr Phil - all of 'em are different. Doesn't mean none of 'em are human. Same for you - you got a thing, it makes you different. But it hurt when you cut yourself, didn't it? Only synths don't actually get hurt from stuff like that."

She paused, thinking about the other thing Azura had said. "I'm good at puzzles, and people tell me stuff, a lot. So if you want, I can help you find out. You don't gotta do stuff on your own, Miss Azura. That's how people get so angry at the world, 'cos they think they're alone when they're not really."

Reaching for a bandage Azura started covering her wound. “I’m used to doing things alone; when your father only used you and your sisters as a fucking personal army, or being sentenced to death cause the asshole decided to kill your twin, you learn to deal with people’s bullshit by only trusting yourself in this fucked up world.”

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like something any real dad would do," Anna admitted, her eyes on the bandage. An idea popped into her head suddenly, and she was speaking before she really even thought of the words.

"Hey, can you teach me to be a medic? It helps people, and I know you're really good at it. And it's gotta be hard to bandage up something with only one hand, too," she added, nodding at the injured arm. "I can help you, if you want to show me how."

Azura looked up at Anna in confusion. “You wanna be a medic? You realise that being a medic kinda puts a target on your back in this group. Not everyone likes medics, and they'll use you as leverage to get what they want."

Anna shrugged. "I mean, I wanna help people. Not everyone likes medics, but not everyone likes me already, so what's the difference? I just wanna help, because people are scared and it makes them angry. Maybe if they knew there was always help around, they wouldn't be so scared, and then they'd be less angry."

Azura let out a small chuckle - not the evil type either, which was unusual for her. “Okay why not. Well when wrapping a wound, here'swhat you do..."https://testedtransgressor.tumblr.com/post/612917657655771136/sentinels-07

[writemarcus]

NYPL Billy Rose Theatre Division Will Celebrate 90 Years with I'M STILL HERE Virtual Benefit

I'm Still Here will feature never before publicly shown archival content of Broadway productions from the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive,

by BWW News Desk 

May. 27, 2021  

I'm Still Here, a new virtual benefit for The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts' Billy Rose Theatre Division, will stream on Broadway On Demand on June 23.

The evening is a celebration of the division's 90th Anniversary, and the 50th Anniversary of its beloved Theatre on Film and Tape Archive and will honor Harold Prince and George C. Wolfe.

Tickets to the fundraiser will be donate-what-you-can, with a recommendation of at least $19.31 in honor of the year the division was founded. To purchase tickets, visit stillhereat90.com

I'm Still Here will feature never before publicly shown archival content of Broadway productions from the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, shown exclusively for this occasion, including Savion Glover, Jimmy Tate, Choclattjared and Raymond King in Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, Meryl Streep, Marcia Gay Harden and Larry Pine in The Seagull, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Robin de Jesús, Christopher Jackson, Karen Olivo, Andréa Burns, Janet Dacal, Eliseo Román, Seth Stewart in In The Heights, Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard, and even more to be announced. The program will also feature interviews with Broadway legends and emerging creatives and reconceived performances of classic musical theatre songs, including "A Trip to the Library," "Wheels of a Dream," "Another Hundred People," "Love Will Find a Way," "I'm Still Here," and more.

I'm Still Here features artists and figures from the theatre community including Annaleigh Ashford (Sunday in the Park with George), Alexander Bello (Caroline, or Change), Laura Benanti (She Loves Me), Malik Bilbrew, Alexandra Billings (Wicked), Susan Birkenhead (Jelly's Last Jam), Shay Bland, Stephanie J. Block (The Cher Show), Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice), Matthew Broderick (Plaza Suite), Krystal Joy Brown (Hamilton), David Burtka ("A Series of Unfortunate Events"), Sammi Cannold (Endlings), Ayodele Casel (Chasing Magic), Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza), Max Clayton (Moulin Rouge!), Calvin L. Cooper (Mrs. Doubtfire), DeMarius Copes (Mean Girls), Trip Cullman (Choir Boy), Taeler Elyse Cyrus (Hello, Dolly!), Quentin Earl Darrington (Once on This Island), Robin de Jesús (In the Heights), André De Shields (Hadestown), Frank DiLella (NY1), Derek Ege, Amina Faye, Harvey Fierstein (La Cage aux Folles), Leslie Donna Flesner (Tootsie), Chelsea P. Freeman, Joel Grey (Cabaret), Ryan J. Haddad ("The Politician"), Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof), James Harkness (Ain't Too Proud), Marcy Harriell (Company), Neil Patrick Harris (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Mark Harris ("Mike Nichols: A Life"), David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly), Cassondra James (Once on This Island), Marcus Paul James (Rent), Taylor Iman Jones (Hamilton), Maya Kazzaz, Tom Kirdahy (The Inheritance), Hilary Knight, Michael John LaChiusa (The Wild Party), Norman Lear (Good Times), Baayork Lee (A Chorus Line), Sondra Lee (Hello, Dolly!), Telly Leung (Aladdin), Ashley Loren (Moulin Rouge!), Allen René Louis ("Jimmy Kimmel Live!"), Brittney Mack (Six), Taylor Mac (Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus), Morgan Marcell, Aaron Marcellus ("American Idol"), Joan Marcus, Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), Sarah Meahl, Joanna Merlin (Fiddler on the Roof), Ruthie Ann Miles (Sunday in the Park with George), Bonnie Milligan (Head Over Heels), Rita Moreno (West Side Story), Leilani Patao (Garden Girl), Nova Payton (Dreamgirls), Joel Perez (Kiss My Aztec), Bernadette Peters (Into the Woods), Tonya Pinkins (Jelly's Last Jam), Jacoby Pruitt, Sam Quinn, Phylicia Rashad (A Raisin in the Sun), Jelani Remy (Ain't Too Proud), Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (Beetlejuice), George Salazar (Be More Chill), Marilyn Saunders (Company), Marcus Scott (Fidelio), Rashidra Scott (Company), Rona Siddiqui (Tales of a Halfghan), Ahmad Simmons, Rebecca Taichman (Indecent), Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home), Bobby Conte Thornton (Company), Sergio Trujillo (On Your Feet), Kei Tsuruharatani (Jagged Little Pill), Ben Vereen (Pippin), Jack Viertel, Christopher Vo, Paula Vogel (Indecent), Nik Walker (Ain't Too Proud), Shannon Fiona Weir, Helen Marla White (Ain't Misbehavin'), NaTasha Yvette Williams ("Orange is the New Black") and Ricardo Zayas (Hamilton).

"From the Great Depression of the 1930s to the COVID crisis, the Billy Rose Theatre Division perseveres and preserves the greatest treasures of theatrical history," said Doug Reside, the Lewis and Dorothy Cullman Curator of the Billy Rose Theatre Division. "As I look back on the last 90 years of our history, I'm struck by how our division has managed to document almost every aspect of the creative process and the people who bring theatre to life. I am so grateful for the opportunity to celebrate our first 90 years in such spectacular fashion, and to the theatre community for its support. As we plan for the next 90 years and beyond, my hope is that the collection continues to grow and flourish and reflect the diversity of voices that have shaped the theatre as we know it and are shaping its future."

"The Billy Rose Theatre Division has served as the collective memory for our community by capturing the ephemeral nature of our unique art form. Until we can all experience the joy of live theater again, we are thrilled to look back into the archives to highlight theatrical masterpieces from their vast collection," said producers Julie Boardman and Nolan Doran. "Our hope is to raise funds to ensure the archives remain accessible to future theatre makers for generations to come."

The virtual benefit is produced and conceived by co-founder of the upcoming Museum of Broadway and four-time Tony nominee Julie Boardman (Company) and Co-Executive Producer of Broadway For Biden Nolan Doran (Head Over Heels), featuring direction by Steve Broadnax (Thoughts Of A Colored Man), Sammi Cannold (Endlings), Nick Corley (Plaza Suite), Grammy Award Winner Ty Defoe (Straight White Men), Drama Desk winner Lorin Latarro (Waitress), Mia Walker (Jagged Little Pill) and Tony Award winner Jason Michael Webb (Choir Boy), choreography by Ayodele Casel (Chasing Magic), Lorin Latarro and Ray Mercer (The Lion King), with new music arranged by ASCAP Award winner Rachel Dean (Medusa) and Annastasia Victory (A Wonderful World), with arrangements and orchestrations by Brian Usifer (Frozen). Casting is by Peter Van Dam at Tara Rubin Casting.

Tony Marx is the president of The New York Public Library, William Kelly is the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries, Jennifer Schantz is the Barbara G. and Lawrence A. Fleischman Executive Director of the Library for the Performing Arts, and Doug Reside is the Lewis and Dorothy Cullman Curator of the Billy Rose Theatre Division. Patrick Hoffman is the curator of the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive. Henry Tisch serves as Associate Producer and Travis Waldschmidt is Associate Choreographer. Animation and Motion Graphics by Kate Freer, Graphic Design by Caitlin Whittington, Sean MacLaughlin is Director of Photography and Ian Johnston is B Camera Operator. Dylan Tashjian is Onsite Coordinator with COVID compliance by Lauren Class Schneider.

[testedtransgressor]

Tracking

Category: Post Shock Rating: T Warning/s: apocalyptic settings Originally Written: 20 November 2019

There were dangers to driving in this part of the country, dangers that Noah Everett was all too aware of - but he knew that he didn't have time for fear. Let the passengers deal with the racing heart beat and sweaty palms that came with dangerous territory.

Ever since he'd known Elizabeth Johnston, Noah had been aware of the girl's sole driving purpose in life. He had been there when she had been separated from her sister, exchanged for food and ammunition that her so-called father figure had sorely needed at the time. Noah had been the one on the other end of the exchange, after all - and the second that the old man and Elizabeth's younger sister were gone, he had told Liz she was free to make her own decision on what she wanted to do next. It was a luxury she had never been awarded before, but one that she would be offered time and time again in the decade that would follow.

Noah had taken her on as a gunner. He needed a second pair of eyes when he was on the road, and although she had never shot a gun before, Liz had picked it up pretty fast. She wasn't a very talkative type, having lived as a servant to a bitter old man who was trapped in his memories of the past. But over the years, she had broken out of the shell she had been forced to develop. Noah was proud to say that he had been a direct influence on that - he'd quickly grown attached to the strange teenager, and insisted on ensuring she knew how to protect herself. He had taught her to fight, shoot, drive, haul cargo, and actually enjoy the chaos that was modern life in the States.

But that fire he had helped her to build up would undoubtedly get her into trouble, one day. And that one day was coming soon - if it hadn't arrived already.

Noah had spent the past six months in the comms house at Base. The Everett Trading Company was by no means a small operation, and obviously there was a need to maintain constant contact with everyone involved in the operations - whether they were out on runs, resting up, or waiting around in Base. Being the main trading group on the eastern seaboard, the various members of the Everett "family" had access to all sorts of information, and being the youngest son of the original family, Noah was one of the few people who had the security clearance to be privy to all of that knowledge.

Liz had spent the better part of the last ten years looking for her younger sister, Annaleigh Johnston. Noah had seen an opportunity in the comms house to track down the girl's location; he'd been able to trace the girl's guardian, a man named Alaric, but since Anna was mostly kept out of sight, she had been difficult to track.

Until a week ago.

Noah had made contact with an old friend, who had once been a photographer. Though the decline in civilisation and culture had ebbed away at the need for his trade, Fischer, hadn't given up on his old skills or hobby. He had some of the almost ancient photography equipment he also maintained, and the second Noah had made contact, Fischer had mentioned "the little girl you're lookin' for".

There was only one "little girl" Noah was trying to track down, and after Fischer had described her, he had known it was the right one.

"Her and her dad come through. He set her up with nice new clothes, since she’s gettin’ big now. But she came back a week later, alone. I helped her get on a truck for somewhere west of here," he had said, "Lost Palace? I dunno, some place out near the Nemexa camps."

Noah had checked the maps, and the only place in the area Fischer had described was a shady town called Los Palos. He double checked and triple checked, just to be certain, and then just before dawn, he had sent a message to the last camp Liz had been in, one he signed off on himself: Los Palos, Old West.

That had been three days ago.

Noah glanced at the treeline bordering the road again, before flicking the headlights on. Night fell faster in these hills, but the tracker told him he wasn't too far away.

Liz had stolen the pickup, abandoning the driver and almost all of ETC's company gear. At least she'd had the sense to do that - Mama wasn't happy about her stealing the truck, but if it came back in good condition then such a misdemeanour could be excused. Usually, they were able to track the vehicles, but Liz was one of the few people who knew how to disable the tracker - she'd had the sense, however, to reconnect it once she was apparently finished with the vehicle. Or in distress.

Noah knew Liz too well to imagine she was in any sort of distress.

Still, the girl had left behind a hell of a mess to clean up, and Noah had unfortunately volunteered to do that. At least it got him out of the office.

Night had fallen by the time the headlights illuminated the white shape of the missing pickup. Noah sighed as he pulled up on the side of the road behind the vehicle, killing the engine and climbing out. At the same time, the original driver and Noah’s own gunner both jumped down from the tray of the ute he’d been driving.

"Why the hell would she drive it this far out and then ditch it?" The other driver, an almost naive youth known as Skitz, was shaking his head. "If she ran out of gas, we're gonna have to find some of our own to get it home."

"She'll have left it with gas," Noah reassured him. "She brought it to this point so it was out the way, less likely to be targeted by raiders and scavengers. But she also stopped here because it's half a tank from the last refill station - which means, if you economise, you'll get it back there without trouble."

Skitz huffed, clearly disgruntled by Noah's knowledge. Skitz was relatively new, only two years into the family, but he had already adopted the attitude that he knew everything. Noah hated people like that.

"I'mma check it out," he told Skitz and the gunners, starting for the vehicle, "Y'all keep ya ears peeled. We don't want no daemons sneakin' up on us."

He didn't wait for a response, approaching the ute and scanning it for any signs of a trap. The door was unlocked, and he pulled it open to find the keys sitting on the driver's seat.

"Liz, you considerate bitch," he chuckled, scooping them up and pocketing them quickly. He scanned the interior of the vehicle, and was about to close the door and give Skitz the all-clear to take over, when he noticed something tucked under the front passenger seat.

Leaning over, Noah tugged at the fluorescent yellow box. The device was easily dislodged from the hiding place, and he frowned at it as he looked it over. If he didn't know better, which he did, he would have guessed that he was looking at an old VLF radio.

While most communication radios used the ultra high frequency spectrum, VLF radios had been used almost exclusively by military units, particularly naval units, back in the days of submarines. The density of the radio waves made it much easier to communicate without environmental disruptions, and the waves tended to actually follow the curvature of the earth's surface - though they were more susceptible to interference from higher radio frequencies. Given their current location, Noah figured that such things wouldn’t be a problem - they were too deep into Georgia, and most people actively avoided the wooded mountains because of daemons and raiders alike.

The fluorescent yellow paint job told him that it was definitely left by Liz. She had a love of obnoxiously bright colours, for some inexplicable reason. Noah wondered why she’d leave a radio behind when she was heading out west, but he realised almost as quickly as the thought occurred - she would want to say goodbye. If not in person, then at least over radio.

Noah tucked the radio inside his jacket and shut the door, gesturing for Skitz to take over. He'd have to make contact later, when he was alone. Hopefully, she wouldn't be out of range by then.