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waterfiltergurus · 2 years ago

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Is Fairbanks Alaska Tap Water Safe to Drink in [year]?

How safe is the tap water in Fairbanks, Alaska? Are there any water contaminants that you should know about, and how does the water quality compare to that of other states and cities? Does the Fairbanks water exceed or violate EPA guidelines? You'll find all the answers to these questions and more in this Fairbanks water quality & safety guide. 📌 Key Takeaways: - The drinking water in Fairbanks, Alaska is considered generally safe to drink. - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets standards for tap water safety that all water utilities, including Fairbanks, must comply with. - The 4 biggest problem contaminants in Fairbanks tap water are disinfection byproducts, chromium-6, PFOA, and radium - but these contaminants don't exceed the EPA's Maximum Contaminant Levels. 🚰 Can You Drink Fairbanks Tap Water? Yes, you can drink the water in Fairbanks, Alaska. The water doesn't violate the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and is regulated for safety by the Environmental Protection Agency - which technically makes the water safe to drink. The most recent of Fairbanks' annual Consumer Confidence Reports shows that no contaminants are present in quantities exceeding the EPA's Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), meaning that you shouldn't experience health effects from drinking the City's water. However, Fairbanks tap water isn't perfect quality, clean, or pure. There are still some contaminants present - even if they're detected below the EPA's maximum allowances. The Environmental Working Group is an independent organization that contests the EPA's guidelines, arguing that they're too lenient. The EWG has conducted its own research and produced a Tap Water Database for most Cities, including Fairbanks. In this database, 10 contaminants were noted to exceed the EWG's Health Guidelines. So, the drinking water distributed by the Fairbanks water service is safe according to EPA standards, but the EWG believes otherwise. We've looked more closely at these 10 contaminants later. There's also a low risk of lead contamination in Alaska. Lead is a highly toxic heavy metal with known health effects, including cancer. The most common way for lead to enter a municipal water supply is through old underground water pipes that were installed before lead became an illegal material to use in service lines. The danger of this type of lead contamination is that 0 PPM of lead might be detected at the water utility, but once water reaches your home, it might have absorbed dangerous levels of lead from its journey through the pipes. There are several regional programs in place that should reduce your likelihood of lead exposure in Fairbanks, including the Regional Health Corporation Remote Maintenance Worker Programs and Alaska Village Safe Water Program. However, there's still a risk that lead might leach into your water from your own plumbing if you have an old home built before 1986. You can test your water for lead and fill out a survey to help the local water utility to determine where customer-owned lead service lines exist. 👨‍🔧 Looking for further reading? Our guide looks in detail at which 10 states have the worst-quality tap water. Fairbanks SDWA Violations Within 10 Years Data Source: EPA ECHO database 🗺️ Where Does the Tap Water in Fairbanks Come From? The majority of Fairbanks tap water comes from three wells beneath the City. These wells tap into a very large aquifer located beneath Tanana Vally and are between 70 to 90 feet deep. The City established its groundwater supply and distribution system in 1953. The groundwater occurs in varying conditions depending on its exact location. Under the ground of the Tanana valley and under the higher slopes and ridges, groundwater occurs under water-table conditions. On the lower slopes, the water exists in artesian conditions. Groundwater is generally higher-quality than surface water (such as rivers and reservoirs) because water is naturally filtered as it seeps through the layers of rock and earth into the aquifer. However, there are certain contaminants that specifically affect the quality of groundwater, including iron, manganese, and water hardness. Most groundwater in Fairbanks is naturally high in iron, but some groundwater supplies are iron-free. Like all community water systems adhering to the EPA's guidelines, the Fairbanks water service conducts hundreds of water tests per year (including testing at the source and post-treatment testing) as part of an ongoing assessment of water quality. If you want to keep informed and monitor the regular test results released in Fairbanks, you can use Alaska's Drinking Water Watch webpage, which lets you search for test results (including an option to search for specific parameters) from an independent laboratory. Water is then pumped to the Golden Heart Utilities Water Treatment Plant, where it undergoes several treatment processes, including mechanical filtration to remove particles, and (if necessary) UV treatment or chlorination to kill bacteria and other microorganisms. The treated drinking water is stored in large reservoirs or water pressure tanks, ensuring that customers in Fairbanks have access to a reliable and constant supply of water even during times of peak demand. Pressurized water is delivered via main water networks, which run under the City's sidewalks and streets. Property owners are connected to the public watermains through their own private service lines. Source: usgs.gov 📉 Who Regulates Fairbanks Drinking Water? The City of Fairbanks tap water is managed by the Golden Heart Utilities Water Treatment Plant and is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Division of Environmental Health Drinking Water Program, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Water. All public water utilities must comply with the EPA's National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, regulated drinking water contaminants that are considered (based on studies and research) to be harmful to human health. According to these Regulations, water utilities - including Fairbanks, Alaska - must reduce contaminants to below the EPA's maximum allowance - and provide water monitoring and testing as proof. The EPA also has several Health Advisories for emerging contaminants that aren't yet officially regulated. Water utilities aren't legally required to reduce these contaminants but may choose to do so based on the evidence that exists relating to their health effects. The Division of Environmental Health Drinking Water Program helps ensure that public water systems comply with these EPA regulations and health advisories (and any state regulations) to provide safe drinking water with no risk of disease or exposure to dangerous contaminants. General water quality standards in Alaska are evaluated by the Quality Standards team at the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Water. These standards don't just cover drinking water quality - they're also used to develop waterbody recovery goals, monitoring plans, and more. 🧪 Fairbanks Annual Water Quality Report The most recent Water Quality Report (or Consumer Confidence Report) for Fairbanks, Alaska is dated from January to December 2021. The Report shares everything you need to know about the City's water quality, including the water source, results from the 2021 water tests, and how contaminant levels in the water compare to the EPA's MCLs. According to the Report, no contaminants in the City's drinking tap water violate the EPA's health guidelines, meaning that it's technically safe to drink water in Fairbanks. However, this doesn't guarantee that Fairbanks drinking water is completely clean or pure. For example, the Report documents that 0.41 pCi/L of radium was detected in the City's water. That's still well below the EPA's MCL of 5 pCi/L, but most folks would probably rather not drink even trace amounts of this radioactive metal in their water. All of the contaminants listed in the Report were detected below EPA MCLs, including: - Iron - Radium - Arsenic - Fluoride - Barium - Haloacetic acids - Free chlorine - Manganese Many contaminants haven't been included in this Report, which tells us that they're not detected in the water and therefore don't need to be documented or compared to EPA regulations. Keep in mind that the data in annual Consumer Confidence Reports is only accurate for the specific testing period. The EPA continues to reevaluate its standards and regulations based on emerging evidence on the dangers and health effects of certain contaminants. Some contaminants currently aren't regulated by the EPA, such as emerging contaminants like PFAS. We recommend reading through the Consumer Confidence Report and noting any contaminants that you want to research or learn more about. You can also compare this most recent Report to previous annual Reports (available on the Golden Heart Utilities website) to get an idea of how the quality of the City's water has changed over the years. ☣️ Contaminants Found Above Guidelines in Tap Water in Fairbanks None of the contaminants in Fairbanks drinking water exceed the EPA guidelines. So, here, we've focused on the contaminants present in levels that exceed the EWG's Health Guidelines. To quickly refresh, the EWG is an independent organization and its guidelines are simply that: guidelines. However, many folks agree with the EWG that the EPA allows unacceptable levels of contaminants in drinking water. If you're in this boat, you'll want to know which contaminants in Fairbanks water exceed the stricter Guidelines set by the EWG: Hexavalent Chromium Hexavalent chromium, or chromium-6, has serious health effects if consumed in high doses in contaminated water. This cancer-causing chemical usually gets into water as a result of industrial pollution and can't be removed with a standard water filter. 0.0525 PPB (parts per billion) of hexavalent chromium was found in Fairbanks drinking tap water - 2.6x the EWG's Health Guideline of 0.02 PPB for this drinking water contaminant. Hexavalent chromium currently isn't regulated by the EPA. Haloacetic acids (HAA5)† and Haloacetic acids (HAA9)† Chlorine disinfection produces two types of haloacetic acids: HAA5 and HAA9. These disinfection byproducts increase the risk of various cancers, including bladder and liver cancer. Fairbanks has HAA5 and HAA9 contaminated water - 25.2 PPB of HAA5 and 21.3 PPB of HAA9 were detected. That's between 252 and 355x over the EWG's Health Advisories of 0.1 PPB and 0.06 PPB. The EPA has set a legal limit of 60 PPB for HAA5, and there's currently no legal limit for HAA9. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) Perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA for short, is a chemical belonging in the group of "forever chemicals" called PFAS chemicals, used in fire fighting foams, non-stick cookware, and more. PFOA can remain in the human body for long periods of time and may affect growth, development, and reproduction. 1.07 PPT (parts per trillion) of PFOA was detected in Fairbanks municipal water - 152x the EWG's recommended Health Guideline of 0.007 PPT. The EPA currently doesn't regulate PFOA. Radium (-226 & -228) Radium -226 & -228 were also detected in Fairbanks tap water. Radium is one of the radiological contaminants with known health effects if consumed over long periods, including anemia, cancer, and depression of the immune system. The EWG recorded 0.41 pCi/L (picoCurie per liter) of radium in Fairbanks water - 8.2x the EWG's recommended Health Guideline of 0.05 pCi/L. The EPA has set a legal limit of 5 pCi/L for this contaminant. Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)† Another potentially cancer-causing drinking water contaminant caused by chlorine disinfection is trihalomethanes (TTHMs). 39.1 PPB of this disinfection byproduct was detected in Fairbanks drinking water, which is 261x the EWG's recommended Health Guideline of 0.15 PPB. However, this doesn't exceed the EPA enforcement of 80 PPB for this contaminant. Other Disinfection Byproducts Several other disinfection byproducts, including bromodichloromethane, chloroform, dichloroacetic acid, and trichloroacetic acid were also detected above the EWG's Health Guidelines in Fairbanks drinking water. Between 3.13 PPB and 36.0 PPB of these impurities were detected - that's between 51x and 150x the EWG's Health Guidelines. None of these impurities are legally regulated by the EPA. The most abundantly present contaminants in Fairbanks drinking water are disinfection byproducts. What's worrying is that many of these, including dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, and HAA9, aren't currently regulated by the EPA. This is one of the reasons why they're so commonly found in public drinking water supplies: they aren't legally required to be reduced or maintained within certain levels. Emerging research suggests that disinfection byproducts may cause a number of health problems, like liver damage and cancer, as well as decreased nervous system activity. How can you prevent contamination from disinfection byproducts? You can't, really - they're produced as a result of disinfecting water with chemicals. However, some disinfectants, such as chloramine, are less reactive with organic matter in water, and produce fewer byproducts. You could petition for better use of disinfectants, or (the quicker and easier option) you could install a water filter in your home to remove these contaminants. 🧫 Main Contaminants Found in Fairbanks Tap Water We know which drinking water impurities are present in potentially dangerous levels in Fairbanks tap water. But what about the other contaminants? There are a few additional impurities that the EPA and the EWG deem to be present in acceptable amounts: - 1,1-Dichloroethane - A colorless oily liquid (classed as a volatile organic compound) used to produce various chemicals and as a solvent in some varnish and paint removers; may have heart and kidney effects if prolonged exposure to high concentrations occur. - Disinfection byproducts like chlorate, dibromochloromethane, monobromoacetic acid, and monochloroacetic acid; produced when chlorine and other disinfectants react with naturally occurring organic matter in water; may cause liver damage and increased risk of cancer. - Manganese - A mineral that occurs in rocks and soils and enters groundwater as it seeps into the aquifer; doesn't have any health risks in naturally occurring levels but is a known water hardness mineral that causes scale in plumbing and other hard water effects. - Several types of PFAS, including perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS); persistent, toxic, and bioaccumulating chemicals that are used in numerous manufacturing processes and have been linked to cancer, developmental issues, immune system disruption, liver damage, and more. - Strontium - A silvery heavy metal that's found naturally in calcium carbonate and other minerals; may cause cancer in large doses but shouldn't cause harmful effects in low levels. - Total chromium - Refers to both chromium-3 (harmless) and chromium-6 (dangerous; linked to kidney and liver damage and cancer if consumed in high levels) which are often found together in water. - Vanadium - A metal that's naturally released into water through rock and soil erosion and fossil fuel deposits; doesn't pose a health risk when it occurs in low levels in drinking water. �� Fairbanks Drinking Water in Public Places We know what to expect from the water we drink at home in Fairbanks - but what about when you're out and about? How does Fairbanks tap water compare to the City's public water in hotels, bars, and restaurants? In restaurants and bars in the City, you should legally be given free tap water (the same that comes out of your taps at home) if you ask for it. Some restaurants may filter their tap water and offer it to you for free. The same goes for hotels - if you ask at the reception or bar for clean tap water, it should be provided to you. Most hotels in Fairbanks have clean drinking water in their rooms, but if you're not sure, check with staff at the reception desk. If you'd rather avoid drinking the public water in Fairbanks, you can buy bottled water from most stores. You'll find popular brands like Smartwater, Dasani, and Aquafina, across the City. Make sure to recycle your water bottles to avoid plastic waste. 💬 Frequently Asked Questions Can I drink the tap water in Fairbanks? Yes, you can drink the tap water in Fairbanks. Like the majority of Cities in the US, Fairbanks is legally obligated to treat its tap water to make it potable and safe to drink according to standards set by the EPA. That means all property owners in the City can safely drink the tap water without health effects - but there are still trace levels of certain contaminants in Fairbanks water. How clean is Fairbanks water? Fairbanks water isn't exceptionally clean or pure, but it's still clean enough to drink. There are trace contaminants like PFOA and disinfection byproducts in Fairbanks tap water, but these contaminants are only present in low levels and shouldn't have any health effects. However, some Fairbanks residents choose to filter their water to remove these contaminants and enjoy cleaner, safer, tastier water. Does Fairbanks water have chlorine? Yes, Fairbanks water has chlorine. The City's water supply is disinfected with chlorine or similar chemicals to kill microorganisms and prevent waterborne diseases. You might notice a chemical, swimming pool-like taste or smell in water from your faucet. A good water filter, such as an activated carbon filter, can be used to remove chlorine in the water in your home. Is Fairbanks water fluoridated? Fairbanks water used to be fluoridated as part of the national community water fluoridation effort, established to reduce dental costs associated with cavities, tooth decay, and other dental health issues. Fluoride has been proven to support dental health but may have negative health effects when consumed in excess. However, additional fluoride is no longer added to Fairbanks drinking tap water after the Fairbanks City Council voted 5-1 in 2011 against fluoridation of its water supply. This is because Fairbanks water naturally contains around 0.3 parts per million, so adding artificially created fluoride was deemed unnecessary and potentially unsafe. Read the full article

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elinawhiteauthor · 4 years ago

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Best Company for Cleaning Service in Fairbanks

Choose HD Clean, it is a local cleaning company in the Fairbanks area. They are proud to provide trusted, high quality services to all their clients and to members of their community in need. Contact for Cleaning Service Fairbanks. Call (907) 750-0924 or visit the website now.

#Cleaning Service Fairbanks

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maxwell-grant · 4 years ago

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Downfall of a Dark Avenger Part 1: El Sombra

Having finished reading Al Ewing’s El Sombra trilogy and having had enough time to digest it, I’d like to talk about the trajectory of it’s titular protagonist, the character and series’s relationship with it’s influences. Relating to The Shadow and Zorro and general pulp archetypes, and also the way it incorporates Astro Boy’s Pluto into the mix. My interest in Pluto’s imagery led to me reading Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto, and I will go into the correlation between all of these seemingly random sources coming together.

But before we can talk about what El Sombra becomes, we must talk about what he is, and where he starts.

The very first chapter of El Sombra is dedicated to establishing the happy scenery of the village of Pasito, as a big wedding is drawing the entire town together, eager to see one of it’s greatest heroes marry his sweetheart. We get a great description of said hero Heraclio...and then the reveal that the character we��re gonna be following for the rest of the story is not Heraclio, but instead his loser brother Djego, a morose, slow-witted poet largely considered a joke by the village, currently being rejected and beaten by the love of his life, which is just about the 2nd worst thing that happens to him that day, followed by winged Nazis storming the village, murdering scores of men, women and children, killing Djego’s brother as he watches helplessly, and then said brother cursing Djego with his dying breath as Djego just barely escapes into the desert, with nothing but a sword and a wedding sash in hand. Djego is probably the last man in the village anyone could have possibly expected to become a hero (which may be part of why he ended the way he did).

Cut to 9 years later, Pasito has been transformed into a mechanized nightmare, a clockwork city of endless toiling and suffering ruled by Nazis, freely enacting their every dark whim on it’s population, revealed to be little more than just a large-scale experiment conducted by the Nazis to increase workforce enough to match Britain’s. After two agonizing chapters with little more than Nazi atrocities to occupy our time, we get our first look at the intrepid hero, Djego. And how does El Sombra introduce himself? Through laughter.

The laughter. Rich and strong, echoing around the square, freezing the milling workers in their tracks. An awful laugh - a terrible laugh of hope and joy and strength! A sound that had not been heard in the clockwork-town for nine years.

as the sound of laughter echoed across the town, the men shuddered and glanced at each other briefly, as though hearing the first sounds of an approaching storm.

The smile on the creature's face was powerful and confident and utterly unafraid. To Alexis, it seemed like the smile the devil might have in the deepest pits of Hell.

For the most part, El Sombra is heavily modeled after Zorro. He’s got Zorro’s swashbuckling fighting style, wields primarily a sword, his main outfit is styled partially after Douglas Fairbanks’s costume, he can be quite friendly and charming and peppers an “amigo” at every sentence. His name is the same as Diego’s minus one letter, his main enemies specifically consist of tyrants who rule over his town, and his mission of vengeance gradually turns him into a rebellious, inspirational figure for the city he strives to liberate. El Sombra is Zorro vs Nazis and it delivers on that.

But nothing is ever quite as it seems in this trilogy, and the first installment of El Sombra goes to great lenghts to establish that El Sombra is a long, long way from being the pure and heroic fantasy that Zorro embodies. He doesn’t live in a world where problems can be solved with guile, luck, good swordplay and a good smile. He doesn’t live in a world where he can show up, humble imperialists and get the people behind him. He lives in a world where the only recourse available to him, to even stand a chance, was nine years of an extended fugue state trip through the desert, ingesting hallucinogens, having his soul shattered and then repaired into something much, much darker. And it’s in those moments that we start to see why exactly his name is El Sombra.

There was something in his voice as cold and unyielding as a gravestone.

"Djego is dead, Father Santiago. He was useless and stupid and pathetic. And he died and left good flesh behind. So I took his place." The eyes behind the mask met Santiago's then, and the priest breathed in sharply. There was nothing of Djego in them. There was nothing human in them.

Something bigger had lodged there, something stronger and faster than a man, something with a laugh that could shake mountains and a spirit like hot iron and fire. Something better.

"I am his shadow. El Sombra."

Atop of his inhuman speed and agility and skill at combat and murder, Djego repeteadly demonstrates skills and traits that, not only did he not have prior, but he couldn’t have picked simply in his desert sojourn. He knows how to apply advanced first aid, he speaks German, in Gods of Manhattan he is able to get the drop on Blood-Spider with a textbook Shadow hypnotic trick, and for all of those, the only explanation he gives is a shrug and “I picked it up somewhere”. Djego had the same trip to the unknown that defined The Shadow and so many other pulp heroes, except Ewing never provides any explanation for El Sombra’s advanced skills other than what the character says. Because there is no explanation. El Sombra is bigger than that.

El Sombra has to be, because a mere man with training and skills and strength and inspirational heroism isn’t going to cut it against what he’s up to. His brother had all of those things, and he died in the first chapter. Like The Shadow, El Sombra has warped himself to address calamity upon mankind, and morphed into something bigger and darker than just another vigilante.

In that moment, El Sombra knew himself to be no longer a man. He was, instead, what the ticking clock had made of him. He was a monster.

In fact, with the devil imagery Ewing grants upon El Sombra at points, and the reocurring “itch in the back of the skull” prelude to crucial moments, you can pinpoint exactly the points where El Sombra’s character traits would later manifest in Immortal Hulk, with Ewing’s reinvention of the Hulk plumbing the darkest possible alternatives for said character by digging into the greater horror roots of the character. This will be more relevant when we get to Pluto though.

But to put it plainly, Djego may be Zorro in every aspect at his surface. He may desperately strive to be Zorro, and it may be his Zorro traits that allow him to truly save Pasito. But Djego is not Zorro. He is El Sombra, as illustrated most in the following sequence. The moment where he pulls the most Shadow-esque destruction of a Nazi ever since The Shadow convinced a Nazi general to gut himself with his own sword.

The chained man began to laugh. Softly at first, then louder, the sound rolling through the quiet, cold room like the skeletons of winter leaves in a chill and bitter wind. It was not a laugh of joy, or of hope, or of strength, or of anything associated with sunlight and clean air. It was a laugh that belonged in these dank and fetid conditions, a snide chuckle, a sneering, contemptuous snicker. A laugh like a thousand beetles marching across a sheet of glass.

It was a sound that would have been sickeningly familiar to anyone who had once been a guest of the Palace Of Beautiful Thoughts. The old man started back, looking at the features of his chained captive, breathing in sharply as the handsome face of the terrorist became foreign and strange, warped by the noise emanating from it. He recognised the sound too, recognised the dry, hollow chuckle. And it chilled him.

The chained man turned his head, as though on aged bones, and smiled, a dry and sinister grin. And then he spoke. And the voice that came from his throat did not belong to El Sombra at all.

The chained man spoke with Master Minus' voice.

The chained man's smile froze him in his tracks. It promised terrible cruelty, a mephistophilean love of manipulation, and the eyes sparkled with fire from the depths of Hell itself. The old man sucked in another breath scented with sickly yellow and looked desperately away, to find himself staring once again at the mirror, at the face that was surely not his own...

The old man, who suddenly felt neither old nor a man, raised his hands, fingertips touching the aged, wrinkled face with the unfamiliar eyes. Could he fool himself that his fingertips travelled across soft, worn flesh, lined with years of service? Or was he feeling sterile plastic, soft, loose latex? He shuddered, the motion travelling up his spine, his hands shivering and twitching as he tugged ...

"Take off the mask."

... and the old, wrinkled, false face was torn away, coming off in long strips, pulled away bit by bit to reveal another face underneath. His eyes were wide, unblinking, unable to close as he stared at the face underneath, the face that had been there all the time.

Behind him, the thin beetle-voice spoke once more.

And this is what it said:

"APRIL FOOL! Quién es el hombre? Quién es el hombre? I'm the hombre! I'm the hombre! Now all I need are some pants."

El Sombra grinned down from the vertical rack at Master Minus, slumped on his knees in front of the blood spattered mirror, staring without eyelids at the remains of his face. He had succeeded in tearing all of the flesh from it, and all that remained were a few scraps of muscle clinging to a crimson, bloodstained skull, with two grotesque eyeballs gazing mercilessly at their own reflection. El Sombra smiled and did the voice, again while he made another attempt to work his left hand free of the shackle that held it in place.

"Creatures of the night... what music... they make... I vant to suck your blooood... yeah, you keep looking, amigo. Intense shame boosted by mind-warping drugs, hey? That's very original, I wouldn't know what that's like at all... ah, these bastard cuffs!" He was babbling, a result of the endorphin rush from the intense pain and the thrill of victory.

The yellow mist coursing through his veins - the mist Master Minus relied on so heavily - had been counterbalanced by the Trichocereus Validus already in his system, the desert cactus that had destroyed and rebuilt his mind. But while El Sombra was in a stronger position than the torturer realised, Master Minus was weaker than he knew, far too used to the easy victories the mist brought him, not realising that his own exposure to it made him ripe for psychological attack. The old man had spent years claiming that he was immune to the yellow mist, but nobody had ever been in a position to test that claim - until now.

In the end, El Sombra is able to drive the Nazis out of Pasito, and he’s succeded in ultimately inspiring the population to rally against them, eventually winning not because of said darkness granting him power, but by turning said darkness into a tool of good. The true victories of El Sombra are not in the violence, but in selfless heroism, in actions big and small. And in the end, He’s given even the opportunity of a happy ending, to settle down in the town he’s wanted so long to rescue. And if this were the story of Djego, the poet turned hero of his hometown, that’s where it would end.

But this is not Djego’s story. It’s the story of a man who’s destroyed himself to be rebuilt as an avenging force of nature. Someone who’s subsumed as much of his humanity as he could, who now can see and done things much beyond the scope of ordinary man, and now must pay the price of said terrible gifts. Who will pay much, much bigger prices for them in the future. It’s the story of El Sombra, and it’s only just begun:

It was too bad about Djego. El Sombra regretted little, but he regretted denying Djego that one small chance at happiness. But it couldn't be helped.

Until Adolf Hitler was dead, El Sombra could never rest

The man walked west, towards the sinking sun.

#replies tag #pulp heroes #al ewing #el sombra #the shadow

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aryburn-trains · 3 years ago

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Sparkling Clean - It is quite obvious the pride the ARR takes in its passenger service given how clean and polished the equipment is. The eyes play tricks on you as the mountains and the Indian River are reflected in near perfect symmetry on the flanks of ARR baggage car 101 which is bringing up the rear of this three car pocket streamliner. The Aurora makes a 12 hr journey to Fairbanks every Saturday and returns each Sunday providing the only scheduled winter time passenger train service on the ARR. Canyon, AK February 12, 2011

#aurora winter train #arr #alaska railroad #2011 #anchorage #fairbanks #trains #passenger train #history #canyon #alaska

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221bshrlocked · 5 years ago

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Wanted Man (1)

Wanted Man Masterlist

Pairing: Bruce Wayne x Reader

Words: 3750

Warnings: the tension is real.

A/N: Please please comment and tell me how I am doing. I am in constant need of validation. I am not sure if I will have a taglist or not.

They promised clear skies last night. But you should have known better, this city never saw the sunlight. It didn’t matter either way, you’d worked under worse conditions for years and from what you’ve heard, it had gotten better over the last few months. You kept on looking at the skyscraper ahead of you, wondering why your advisor requested for you to meet with the COO of Wayne Enterprises. It wasn’t a request per se, more of a command if you were honest with yourself. But you weren’t one to negotiate with her, especially when you could tell how little space she left for a reply from you.

“Black coffee for Y/N.” You heard the barista yell out from behind you, excusing yourself as you made your way through the crowd impatiently waiting for their drinks. Once you grabbed the drink, you quickly headed out of the coffee shop, looking at your watch to see if you were still on time. So busy juggling your notebook, the phone and the coffee, you didn’t see the gentleman exiting his car right in front of you. There was no time to react, dread washing over you as you realized how much the fall would hurt and that yes, there was now coffee all over your white shirt.

“Ah crap really? Of all the days...” You dabbed at the stain on your shirt in vain as you stood up, picking up your phone and looking for your notebook when you saw that the gentleman had already picked it up for you.

“I believe this is yours.” The timbre voice snapped you out of your pain and you looked up in time to see who it was you had also just spilled your drink on.

And it was at that precise moment that your lungs collapsed in fear. You stared at him for a few seconds before you realized the smile aimed at you was not meant to be friendly but- actually, you couldn’t quite understand what kind of smile it was but you didn't want to stick around to find out.

“I am so sorry sir, I usually watch where I’m walking but I didn’t see you at all I swear. Shit that probably costs more than my apartment and I just spilled my coffee all over it. I could pay for the dry-cleaning sir...sorry no not that you can’t afford to pay for it I just meant that I could-”

“Please, don’t worry about it.” He cut you off and you shivered under his direct gaze, one that shamelessly took in your form before returning to your eyes and maintaining eye contact until you couldn’t help but look away. “Normally, I would offer to buy you another one but I believe neither of us have the time.” He could tell how nervous you were, choosing to look away from your heaving chest as he buttoned his suit and shut the door of his car. You were about to say something when you saw his driver walk out and stand behind him.

“Would you like to change before the-”

“That’s alright Alfred, it's not like anyone will report me.” He turned to his driver and nodded, letting him know he didn’t need his services at the moment. Looking at his watch, he frowned and adjusted his clothes one more time before walking away.

“You should be more careful.” You blinked at him confusingly, unable to look away as he took his phone out and dialed someone as he walked the opposite way.

Was there even a point to go to the meeting now?

You tried to find any excuse to tell your advisor but you were a horrible liar, and she knew that more than anyone.

“What have I done?” You whispered to yourself as you made your way to the highrise building you were sure you’d be kicked out of as soon as you entered. You kept on looking around to see if he was anywhere nearby but when you saw that his car, and the driver, remained in the same spot, you decided it was better to go and end the meeting quickly rather than avoiding it all together.

“Hi, I have a meeting with Dr. Fox in fifteen minutes. I was sent on behalf of Dr. Karen Fairbanks.” You told the security guard at the front desk, sighing in relief when he asked you to follow another guard to the elevator. So he didn’t ask for the meeting to be canceled yet? That must be a good sign.

You waited in the elevator as the guard swiped his access card and pressed on the 39th floor button. The elevator ride didn’t give you nearly enough time to try and figure out what you would say should the meeting not go your way. A loud ding announced your arrival and as soon as you stepped out of the elevator, another guard greeted you and led you to the only door visible on the floor. You walked behind him and sighed at how loud the silence was, thanking him when he opened the door for you and asked you to go inside.

“Hi, I’m here for-”

“Good morning, you must be Y/N Y/L/N. He is ready for you. You can go ahead.” The woman never stood from her chair, smiling at you as she waited until you moved towards the second door. You reluctantly turned the handle of the door and pushed through, quietly shutting it behind you before turning around and making your way to the desk.

“Good morning Dr. Fox, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” You were proud of how steady your voice was, reaching out to shake his hand only to be met with two warm ones on top of yours.

“Please, call me Lucius. There are no formalities among colleagues.” He softly tapped on your hand before walking around the desk to sit down, motioning for you to take a seat opposite him.

“C-colleagues? I am sorry sir I believe you are mistaken.” You responded, not sure what he was speaking of as you flipped your notebook to explain to him what it was you were doing here. “Surely Karen told you what it was we are looking for?” Fox raised an eyebrow when you shook your head, sitting back and taking a few moments to collect his thoughts.

“Well, in that case, let me fill you in. Wayne Enterprises is looking to...expand. Not just metaphorically but literally. I’ve spent months attempting to convince Mr. Wayne of this project and I had spoken to Karen a while back to let her know I needed her top student for this large-scale development should he agree. And one he agreed, I asked her to send whoever she chose over so I could finalize everything and get started. She must’ve mentioned at least something with relation to this?”

“I- wow umm sorry, excuse me sir this is all a bit to take in. She hadn’t said anything apart from an hour meeting with yourself. I was meant to ask you a few questions about the underground structure of Wayne Enterprises and ask if you would be willing to assist in a similar one in New York. She mentioned nothing of what you had just told me.” Fox said nothing, smiling at you before asking if you needed anything to drink.

“No thank you sir, I have already spilled coffee on my shirt earlier and I’d rather not make a fool out of myself again.” You tried to return the smile but didn’t have the energy to do so.

“Would you be surprised if I told you I thought that was a design on the shirt?” He tried to put you at ease but it did little to your nervous spirit.

“You are too kind sir.”

“Lucius. Or at least I hope that is how you’ll address me soon.” His tone became more serious and you thought he might be a little impatient. Before you could respond, the door to the office was opening, in walking the man you wished you wouldn’t be able to see ever again.

“Mr. Fox, I do apologize for my tardiness, I ran into some-” The words died in his throat as soon as he took one look at you and it took everything in his power to not smirk at your obvious distress. “Something urgent came up and I needed to take care of it. Hi, Bruce Wayne. Pleasure to meet you.” Bruce took three strides before he stood right in front of you, reaching out his hand to shake yours. When you couldn’t move, he took a deep breath and sat opposite you, crossing his legs before turning his attention to Fox.

“I must apologize Mr. Wayne, but I believe my old friend did not fill in our architect.”

“Really? How so?” Bruce rested his cheek on his hand and waited for you to respond. When you didn’t, he asked Fox to tell him what you discussed so far. You suddenly felt light-headed, refusing to acknowledge the situation you were currently in until you heard your name a few times.

“Sorry, yes?”

“Well, I was just asking for a reason behind your apprehension? Is it a salary problem or relocating?”

“R-relocating?” You looked at Bruce then Fox, then back to Bruce again.

“It is my understanding that Mr. Fox informed you of the importance of this project, and I do not make light of such matters, especially ones in need of such a large investment. You’d have to relocate to Gotham. Most of the work following your sketches, should they be approved, will require you to be on site at all times and I cannot have you wasting time going to and from New York.” Bruce spoke with such eloquence and authority you couldn’t not shift in your seat.

And although you were only looking at him for a few seconds, he was studying every one of your movements, his chest slowly filling with pride when he noticed the effect he had on you.

“Sir, I- with all due respect, I do not think I am the person you want on such a project. I only just received my Masters and I assure you there are many more capable architects out there than myself, whether in my graduating class or ones already established. You will have no trouble finding the perfect fit for you.” You silently cursed at yourself for that last sentence but you paid it no mind. “And even if I were to take you up on your offer, I have to say that I do not have nearly enough to relocate on such a short notice.”

“As far as I can tell, your objections all have solutions.” Fox cut you off, digging through one of his drawers before taking out a folder and handing it to Bruce. “I would not have agreed to hire you without an interview had I not seen your portfolio Ms. Y/L/N. It is quite exceptional if I may say so myself. Most architects I’ve worked with are more theoretical than practical, choosing to rely on every penny going into the building without truly caring for its function or what it communicates once it is erected. But your designs are more practical and reliably distributed than anything. As for the second matter, I am sure Mr. Wayne will have no problem convincing you to come on board. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do need to ask my secretary for something.” And with that, he stood up and walked out of his office, leaving you a flustered mess in front of the one man you dreaded talking with.

You’d spent a few minutes in silence before daring to look up, only to see that Bruce was already gazing at you.

“Do I have the face of a monster Ms. Y/L/N?” Of all the questions you thought you’d be asked today, that was the last one you expected.

“N-no sir not at all.”

“Then there must be some other reason behind your refusal to look at me as we speak.”

“S-sorry Mr. Wayne I don’t mean to be rude. It’s just that-”

“Nevermind. I do believe I must convince you to take on this project because I will not hear the end of it from Mr. Fox if I don’t.” You could tell he sounded more annoyed and you hated to be on the receiving end of that tone.

“And why is that?”

“Well, for starters, I’ve never seen him speak this passionately about someone else’s work so you must be exceptional at what you do. I am sure we could come to an arrangement on such a short notice. How does one fifty sound?” Bruce asked neutrally and you took a deep breath before deciding to look at him again.

You’d thought he was a handsome man on the news, but now that you were this close to him, he was somehow much more attractive. The pictures didn’t do him any justice. He was much more broad-shouldered, his hair softer than it looked on screen. And my god, were all billionaires this fit? His suit wasn’t too tight on him but it was constricting enough for you to see how potentially muscular he was. But nothing, absolutely nothing, could compare to his eyes. You weren’t sure if they were brown or just an incredibly dark hazel color. Either way, they managed to look straight through you and you barely managed to maintain eye contact with him this time around.

“One fifty sir?” You asked, not sure what he meant by that number.

“I can make it two hundred if you want me to. I am sure you’ll deliver.” He crossed his arms, and you couldn’t help but shift your gaze to the way the dark material of his suit clung around his biceps.

“You misunderstand me, what do you mean by one fifty?” The question must have surprised him because his eyebrows furrowed for a second before relaxing again.

“One fifty an hour of course.” Bruce remained unfazed by your surprised reaction, gauging your reaction carefully.

“Y-you are too kind Mr. Wayne but-”

“I am not a cruel man Ms. Y/L/N.”

“That wasn’t what I mean sir. I only wanted to say that for a fresh graduate who hadn’t worked on previous projects, you might regret that number. My work has only been on paper.”

“You would be horrible in business. I’ve never met anyone who asked for less in exchange for his time and efforts.” He chuckled and if it weren’t for the fact that he may have just given you a backhanded compliment, you would have returned the gesture.

“I am only attempting to be honest. One fifty is more than enough Mr. Wayne.”

“So you will take the job?” Bruce hadn’t meant to sound so eager but when he knew you hadn’t noticed his excitement, not with the way you were still staring almost timidly at him.

“I would be dumb not to. Student loans aren’t a joke.” You rang your fingers and Bruce immediately shifted his attention to the nervous tick, incapable of understanding why you were so rigid, perhaps even fearful, around him.

“Ah yes, I am sure Columbia University was not a walk in the park.” Bruce said as he stood up, buttoning his suit and placing your portfolio on the desk before turning around towards you.

“I take it that is a yes?” He waited for your response patiently, smirking at you when you nodded and wavered through an answer.

“Yes sir, it would be my pleasure to be associated with Wayne Enterprises,” you stood up and stretched out your hand for him to shake, amazed that he never brought up the coffee thing this far. He still hadn’t changed and you wondered why a man of his standing would purposely walk around all day long in that state, knowing fully well paparazzis were everywhere.

He took your hand and you felt your heart skip a beat at how warm and firm it was. Bruce watched your body language, amazed at how quickly you responded when it was only a small touch. You watched as he placed his hands and his pockets and said nothing more, raising an eyebrow when you didn’t budge.

Thankfully, Fox entered the office again and approached you, smiling before welcoming you on board and telling you that you’ll receive an email from him shortly. You couldn’t get out of there fast enough, bidding the secretary a good morning before almost breaking the ‘close doors’ button.

“Believe me the pleasure was all mine.” Bruce whispered to himself as he watched you go, turning to Fox and shaking his head at him. “I don’t want to hear it.” He said, sitting down and crossing his legs again before picking up your portfolio.

“A bright young lady, one of the top in her class. Fairbanks couldn’t wait five minutes before telling me about her work. I think you will not be disappointed by her Mr. Wayne.” Fox said as he looked out the window of the high rise.

“You don’t have to convince me Mr. Fox, I can see for myself.” Bruce gestured at the portfolio but Fox couldn’t help but warn him. “I assure you Mr. Wayne, I know you have seen her work yourself. But I will keep reminding you that she is a great asset for the team, one I would hate to let go should she run into any...executive problems.” Fox was no longer smiling, his serious expression enough of a warning sign to Bruce.

Bruce turned his attention to Fox, knowing fully well what he was implying. He knew his friend meant well but for some odd reason, he felt a bit possessive over you already.

“She’s too young for me Mr. Fox, and I can assure you, she will not have to deal with executive problems.” Bruce stood up and took the portfolio with him, knowing fully well Mr. Fox can see the files in his hands.

“Good day Mr. Wayne.”

“And to you Mr. Fox.” Bruce waved back as he exited the office and headed to his car. He’d already put your name in his system, his paranoia getting the best of him yet again. It would be a shame if you weren’t who you said you were. By the time he’d finished all his meetings and arrived at the penthouse, Alfred had already prepared every record on you and placed it on his bed.

“Impressive girl Master Wayne. I didn’t realize we’ve started checking individuals who spill their drinks on you.” Alfred bellowed sarcastically as he set down dinner on the nightstand.

“Very funny Alfred.” Bruce shook his head at the butler before flipping through the pages.

“There is nothing out of the ordinary in those files, and yet you’ve read every word.”

“She’s my new architect,” Bruce responded as he read up on your undergraduate work.

“Your architect?” Alfred couldn’t help but smile when Bruce looked up and threw imaginary daggers at him. “The new architect, happy now.” And he laughed even more when his master responded with irritation.

“Oh you misunderstand my curiosity Master Wayne, I only meant to remark on the job and not your choice of adjectives.” Alfred left before he could get a response but he knew Bruce was staring at him as he walked away.

“She’s too young for me!” Bruce yelled out to the empty hallway, knowing fully well he wouldn’t hear the end of it. He quickly finished his meal before accessing the numerous dummy corporations he had scattered around for pursuits he didn’t want to be associated with. By the end of the night, he’d gotten in touch with Ascendium Education Group and sent them a few invoices, telling them to contact him, through the corporations of course, when they received the checks.

Bruce went to sleep that night more satisfied than he’s ever been in years. But this satisfaction was short-lived when he realized that yes, you were too young for him. More importantly, you didn’t deserve being associated with someone like him, not that you weren’t already when news went out that he was looking to expand.

Following the meeting, you took the ferry back to New York, and spent the entire commute talking with your advisor. She told you that you’d understand her deception once you spoke to Fox, letting you know that she shouldn’t be seen as favoring anyone. You’d asked her for an honest answer and she told you that while she did not consider this as partiality towards you, other students and professors in the department might misunderstand. And when you finally asked her the dreaded question regarding doctorate applications, she told you that you probably wouldn’t need to worry about that for a very long time. Being associated with Wayne Enterprises would open many doors for you and even if there weren’t job offers after the completion of this project, the salary would be more than enough to cover you until you did find a job or decided to go back to school. You’d thanked her for her time and recommendation, telling her that you did in fact take the job and planned to move in the next few weeks.

When you got back to your apartment, your excitement got the best of you and you started packing your things, telling your rather inattentive roommates that you would be moving out soon. Before you went to sleep, you checked your emails and saw that Dr. Fox had already sent you an email, your eyes widening in horror when you saw that Mr. Wayne was cc’d. He had an email? Wasn’t there someone that did this stuff for him?

You quickly researched the prices of moving companies, grimacing at how expensive most of them were. But it was going to be alright soon. You could afford to spend whatever you had left now that you knew how much you’d be getting. The man seriously thought you would ask for more? These goddamn billionaires and their shameless lack of understanding.

You went to sleep with immense relief. You hadn’t felt this happy and safe in such a long time and it was strange that this feeling was caused by a man who probably forgot your name as soon as the meeting ended.

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rosascleaningservicellc · 2 years ago

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silent-era-of-cinema · 4 years ago

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William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff was an English actor who was primarily known for his roles in horror films. He portrayed Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). He also appeared as Imhotep in The Mummy (1932).

In non-horror roles, he is best known to modern audiences for narrating and as the voice of the Grinch in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). For his contribution to film and television, Karloff was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Karloff was born William Henry Pratt on 23 November 1887,[2] at 36 Forest Hill Road, Dulwich, Surrey (now London), England. His parents were Edward John Pratt, Jr. and Eliza Sarah Millard. His brother, Sir John Thomas Pratt, was a British diplomat. Edward John Pratt, Jr. was an Anglo-Indian, from a British father and Indian mother, while Karloff's mother also had some Indian ancestry, thus Karloff had a relatively dark complexion that differed from his peers at the time. His mother's maternal aunt was Anna Leonowens, whose tales about life in the royal court of Siam (now Thailand) were the basis of the musical The King and I. Pratt was bow-legged, had a lisp, and stuttered as a young boy.[7] He learned how to manage his stutter, but not his lisp, which was noticeable throughout his career in the film industry.

Pratt spent his childhood years in Enfield, in the County of Middlesex. He was the youngest of nine children, and following his mother's death was brought up by his elder siblings. He received his early education at Enfield Grammar School, and later at the public schools of Uppingham School and Merchant Taylors' School. After this, he attended King's College London where he took studies aimed at a career with the British Government's Consular Service. However, in 1909, he left university without graduating and drifted, departing England for Canada, where he worked as a farm labourer and did various odd itinerant jobs until happening upon acting.

Pratt began appearing in theatrical performances in Canada, and during this period he chose Boris Karloff as his stage name. Some have theorised that he took the stage name from a mad scientist character in the novel The Drums of Jeopardy called "Boris Karlov". However, the novel was not published until 1920, at least eight years after Karloff had been using the name on stage and in silent films, opening the possibility that the Karlov character might have been named after Karloff after the novel's author noticed it in a cast listing and liked the sound of it rather than simply being a coincidence. Warner Oland played "Boris Karlov" in a film version in 1931. Another possible influence was thought to be a character in the Edgar Rice Burroughs fantasy novel H. R. H. The Rider which features a "Prince Boris of Karlova", but as the novel was not published until 1915, the influence may be backward, that Burroughs saw Karloff in a play and adapted the name for the character. Karloff always claimed he chose the first name "Boris" because it sounded foreign and exotic, and that "Karloff" was a family name (from Karlov—in Cyrillic, Карлов—a name found in several Slavic countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria).

Karloff's daughter, Sara, publicly denied any knowledge of Slavic forebears, "Karloff" or otherwise. One reason for the name change was to prevent embarrassment to his family. Whether or not his brothers (all dignified members of the British Foreign Service) actually considered young William the "black sheep of the family" for having become an actor, Karloff apparently worried they felt that way. He did not reunite with his family until he returned to Britain to make The Ghoul (1933), extremely worried that his siblings would disapprove of his new, macabre claim to world fame. Instead, his brothers jostled for position around him and happily posed for publicity photographs. After the photo was taken, Karloff's brothers immediately started asking about getting a copy of their own. The story of the photo became one of Karloff's favorites.

Karloff joined the Jeanne Russell Company in 1911 and performed in towns like Kamloops (British Columbia) and Prince Albert (Saskatchewan). After the devastating tornado in Regina on 30 June 1912, Karloff and other performers helped with clean-up efforts. He later took a job as a railway baggage handler and joined the Harry St. Clair Co. that performed in Minot, North Dakota, for a year in an opera house above a hardware store.

Whilst he was trying to establish his acting career, Karloff had to perform years of manual labour in Canada and the U.S. in order to make ends meet. He was left with back problems from which he suffered for the rest of his life. Because of his health, he did not enlist in World War I.

During this period, Karloff worked in various theatrical stock companies across the U.S. to hone his acting skills. Some acting companies mentioned were the Harry St. Clair Players and the Billie Bennett Touring Company. By early 1918 he was working with the Maud Amber Players in Vallejo, California, but because of the Spanish Flu outbreak in the San Francisco area and the fear of infection, the troupe was disbanded. He was able to find work with the Haggerty Repertory for a while (according to the 1973 obituary of Joseph Paul Haggerty, he and Boris Karloff remained lifelong friends). According to Karloff, in his first film he appeared as an extra in a crowd scene for a Frank Borzage picture at Universal for which he received $5; the title of this film has never been traced.

Once Karloff arrived in Hollywood, he made dozens of silent films, but this work was sporadic, and he often had to take up manual labour such as digging ditches or delivering construction plaster to earn a living.

His first on screen role was in a film serial, The Lightning Raider (1919) with Pearl White. He was in another serial, The Masked Rider (1919), the first of his appearances to survive.

Karloff could also be seen in His Majesty, the American (1919) with Douglas Fairbanks, The Prince and Betty (1919), The Deadlier Sex (1920), and The Courage of Marge O'Doone (1920). He played an Indian in The Last of the Mohicans (1920) and he would often be cast as an Arab or Indian in his early films.

Karloff's first major role came in a film serial, The Hope Diamond Mystery (1920). He was Indian in Without Benefit of Clergy (1921) and an Arab in Cheated Hearts (1921) and villainous in The Cave Girl (1921). He was a maharajah in The Man from Downing Street (1922), a Nabob in The Infidel (1922) and had roles in The Altar Stairs (1922), Omar the Tentmaker (1922) (as an Imam), The Woman Conquers (1922), The Gentleman from America (1923), The Prisoner (1923) and the serial Riders of the Plains (1923).

Karloff did a Western, The Hellion (1923), and a drama, Dynamite Dan (1924). He could be seen in Parisian Nights (1925), Forbidden Cargo (1925), The Prairie Wife (1925) and the serial Perils of the Wild (1925).

Karloff went back to bit part status in Never the Twain Shall Meet (1925) directed by Maurice Tourneur but he had a good support role in Lady Robinhood (1925).

Karloff went on to be in The Greater Glory (1926), Her Honor, the Governor (1926), The Bells (1926) (as a mesmerist), The Nickel-Hopper (1926), The Golden Web (1926), The Eagle of the Sea (1926), Flames (1926), Old Ironsides (1926), Flaming Fury (1926), Valencia (1926), The Man in the Saddle (1926), Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1927) (as an African), Let It Rain (1927), The Meddlin' Stranger (1927), The Princess from Hoboken (1927), The Phantom Buster (1927), and Soft Cushions (1927).

Karloff had roles in Two Arabian Knights (1927), The Love Mart (1927), The Vanishing Rider (1928) (a serial), Burning the Wind (1928), Vultures of the Sea (1928), and The Little Wild Girl (1928).

He was in The Devil's Chaplain (1929), The Fatal Warning (1929) for Richard Thorpe, The Phantom of the North (1929), Two Sisters (1929), Anne Against the World (1929), Behind That Curtain (1929), and The King of the Kongo (1929), a serial directed by Thorpe.

Karloff had an uncredited bit part in The Unholy Night (1930) directed by Lionel Barrymore, and bigger parts in The Bad One (1930),The Sea Bat (1930) (directed by Barrymore), and The Utah Kid (1930) directed by Thorpe.

A film which brought Karloff recognition was The Criminal Code (1931), a prison drama directed by Howard Hawks in which he reprised a dramatic part he had played on stage. In the same period, Karloff had a small role as a mob boss in Hawks' gangster film Scarface, but the film was not released until 1932 because of difficult censorship issues.

He did another serial for Thorpe, King of the Wild (1931), then had support parts in Cracked Nuts (1931), Young Donovan's Kid (1931), Smart Money (1931), The Public Defender (1931), I Like Your Nerve (1931), and Graft (1931).

Another significant role in the autumn of 1931 saw Karloff play a key supporting part as an unethical newspaper reporter in Five Star Final, a film about tabloid journalism which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

He could also be seen in The Yellow Ticket (1931) The Mad Genius (1931), The Guilty Generation (1931) and Tonight or Never (1931).

Karloff acted in eighty movies before being found by James Whale and cast in Frankenstein (1931). Karloff's role as Frankenstein's monster was physically demanding – it necessitated a bulky costume with four-inch platform boots – but the costume and extensive makeup produced a lasting image. The costume was a job in itself for Karloff with the shoes weighing 11 pounds (5.0 kg) each.[13] Universal Studios quickly copyrighted the makeup design for the Frankenstein monster that Jack P. Pierce had created.

It took a while for Karloff's stardom to be established with the public – he had small roles in Behind the Mask (1932), Business and Pleasure (1932) and The Miracle Man (1932).

As receipts for Frankenstein and Scarface flooded in, Universal gave Karloff third billing in Night World (1932), with Lew Ayres, Mae Clarke and George Raft.

Karloff was reunited with Whale at Universal for The Old Dark House (1932), a horror movie based on the novel Benighted by J.B. Priestley, in which he finally enjoyed top billing above Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Raymond Massey and Gloria Stuart. He was loaned to MGM to play the titular role in The Mask of Fu Manchu (also 1932), for which he gained top billing.

Back at Universal, he was cast as Imhotep who is revived in The Mummy (1932). It was as successful at the box-office as the other two films and Karloff was now established as a star of horror films.

Karloff returned to England to star in The Ghoul (1933), then made a non-horror film for John Ford, The Lost Patrol (1934), where his performance was highly acclaimed.

Karloff was third billed in the Twentieth Century Pictures historical film The House of Rothschild (1934) with George Arliss, which was highly popular.

Horror, however, had now become Karloff's primary genre, and he gave a string of lauded performances in Universal's horror films, including several with Bela Lugosi, his main rival as heir to Lon Chaney's status as the leading horror film star. While the long-standing, creative partnership between Karloff and Lugosi never led to a close friendship, it produced some of the actors' most revered and enduring productions, beginning with The Black Cat (1934) and continuing with Gift of Gab (1934), in which both had cameos. Karloff reprised the role of Frankenstein's monster in Bride of Frankenstein (1935) for James Whale. Then he and Lugosi were reunited for The Raven (1935).

For Columbia, Karloff made The Black Room (1935) then he returned to Universal for The Invisible Ray (1936) with Lugosi, more a science fiction film. Karloff was then cast in a Warner Bros. horror film, The Walking Dead (1936).

Because the Motion Picture Production Code (known as the Hays Code) began to be seriously enforced in 1934, horror films suffered a decline in the second half of the 1930s. Karloff worked in other genres, making two films in Britain, Juggernaut (1936) and The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936).

He returned to Hollywood to play a supporting role in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936) then did a science fiction film, Night Key (1937).

At Warners, he did two films with John Farrow, playing a Chinese warlord in West of Shanghai (1937) and a murder suspect in The Invisible Menace (1938).

Karloff went to Monogram to play the title role of a Chinese detective in Mr. Wong, Detective (1938), which led to a series. Karloff's portrayal of the character is an example of Hollywood's use of yellowface and its portrayal of East Asians in the earlier half of the 20th century. He had another heroic role in Devil's Island (1939).

Universal found reissuing Dracula and Frankenstein led to success at the box-office and began to produce horror films again starting with Son of Frankenstein (1939). Karloff reprised his role, with Lugosi co starring as Ygor and Basil Rathbone as Frankenstein.

After The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939) and Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939) he signed a three-picture deal with Columbia, starting with The Man They Could Not Hang (1939). Karloff returned to Universal to make Tower of London (1939) with Rathbone, playing the murderous henchman of King Richard III.

Karloff made a fourth Mr Wong film at Monogram The Fatal Hour (1940). At Warners he was in British Intelligence (1940), then he went to Universal to do Black Friday (1940) with Lugosi.

Karloff's second and third films for Columbia were The Man with Nine Lives (1940) and Before I Hang (1940). In between he did a fifth and final Mr Wong film, Doomed to Die (1940).

Karloff appeared at a celebrity baseball game as Frankenstein's monster in 1940, hitting a gag home run and making catcher Buster Keaton fall into an acrobatic dead faint as the monster stomped into home plate.

Karloff finished a six picture commitment with Monogram with The Ape (1940). He and Lugosi appeared in a comedy at RKO, You'll Find Out (1941), then he went to Columbia for The Devil Commands (1941) and The Boogie Man Will Get You (1941).

An enthusiastic performer, he returned to the Broadway stage in the original production of Arsenic and Old Lace in 1941, in which he played a homicidal gangster enraged to be frequently mistaken for Karloff. Frank Capra cast Raymond Massey in the 1944 film, which was shot in 1941, while Karloff was still appearing in the role on Broadway. The play's producers allowed the film to be made conditionally: it was not to be released until the production closed. (Karloff reprised his role on television in the anthology series The Best of Broadway (1955), and with Tony Randall and Tom Bosley in a 1962 production on the Hallmark Hall of Fame. He also starred in a radio adaptation produced by Screen Guild Theatre in 1946.)

In 1944, he underwent a spinal operation to relieve a chronic arthritic condition.

Karloff returned to film roles in The Climax (1944), an unsuccessful attempt to repeat the success of Phantom of the Opera (1943). More liked was House of Frankenstein (1944), where Karloff played the villainous Dr. Niemann and the monster was played by Glenn Strange.

Karloff made three films for producer Val Lewton at RKO: The Body Snatcher (1945), his last teaming with Lugosi, Isle of the Dead (1945) and Bedlam (1946).

In a 1946 interview with Louis Berg of the Los Angeles Times, Karloff discussed his arrangement with RKO, working with Lewton and his reasons for leaving Universal. Karloff left Universal because he thought the Frankenstein franchise had run its course; the entries in the series after Son of Frankenstein were B-pictures. Berg wrote that the last installment in which Karloff appeared—House of Frankenstein—was what he called a " 'monster clambake,' with everything thrown in—Frankenstein, Dracula, a hunchback and a 'man-beast' that howled in the night. It was too much. Karloff thought it was ridiculous and said so." Berg explained that the actor had "great love and respect for" Lewton, who was "the man who rescued him from the living dead and restored, so to speak, his soul."

Horror films experienced a decline in popularity after the war, and Karloff found himself working in other genres.

For the Danny Kaye comedy, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), Karloff appeared in a brief but starring role as Dr. Hugo Hollingshead, a psychiatrist. Director Norman Z. McLeod shot a sequence with Karloff in the Frankenstein monster make-up, but it was deleted from the finished film.

Karloff appeared in a film noir, Lured (1947), and as an Indian in Unconquered (1947). He had support roles in Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947), Tap Roots (1948), and Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff.

During this period, Karloff was a frequent guest on radio programmes, whether it was starring in Arch Oboler's Chicago-based Lights Out productions (including the episode "Cat Wife") or spoofing his horror image with Fred Allen or Jack Benny. In 1949, he was the host and star of Starring Boris Karloff, a radio and television anthology series for the ABC broadcasting network.

He appeared as the villainous Captain Hook in Peter Pan in a 1950 stage musical adaptation which also featured Jean Arthur.

Karloff returned to horror films with The Strange Door (1951) and The Black Castle (1952).

He was nominated for a Tony Award for his work opposite Julie Harris in The Lark, by the French playwright Jean Anouilh, about Joan of Arc, which was reprised on Hallmark Hall of Fame.

During the 1950s, he appeared on British television in the series Colonel March of Scotland Yard, in which he portrayed John Dickson Carr's fictional detective Colonel March, who was known for solving apparently impossible crimes. Christopher Lee appeared alongside Karloff in the episode "At Night, All Cats are Grey" broadcast in 1955.[17] A little later, Karloff co-starred with Lee in the film Corridors of Blood (1958).

Karloff appeared in Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1952) and visited Italy for The Island Monster (1954) and India for Sabaka (1954).

Karloff, along with H. V. Kaltenborn, was a regular panelist on the NBC game show, Who Said That? which aired between 1948 and 1955. Later, as a guest on NBC's The Gisele MacKenzie Show, Karloff sang "Those Were the Good Old Days" from Damn Yankees while Gisele MacKenzie performed the solo, "Give Me the Simple Life". On The Red Skelton Show, Karloff guest starred along with actor Vincent Price in a parody of Frankenstein, with Red Skelton as "Klem Kadiddle Monster". He served as host and frequent star of the anthology series The Veil (1958) which was never broadcast due to financial problems at the producing studio; the complete series was rediscovered in the 1990s.

Karloff made some horror films in the late 1950s: Voodoo Island (1957), The Haunted Strangler (1958), Frankenstein 1970 (1958) (as the Baron), and Corridors of Blood (1958). In the "mad scientist" role in Frankenstein 1970 as Baron Victor von Frankenstein II, the grandson of the original creator. In the finale, it is revealed that the crippled Baron has given his own face to the monster. Karloff donned the monster make-up for the last time in 1962 for a Halloween episode of the TV series Route 66, which also featured Peter Lorre and Lon Chaney, Jr.

During this period, he hosted and acted in a number of television series, including Thriller and Out of This World.

Karloff appeared in Black Sabbath (1963) directed by Mario Bava. He made The Raven (1963) for Roger Corman and American International Pictures (AIP). Corman used Karloff in The Terror (1963) playing a baron who murdered his wife. He made a cameo in AIP's Bikini Beach (1964) and had a bigger role in that studio's The Comedy of Terrors (1964), directed by Jacques Tourneur and Die, Monster, Die! (1965). British actress Suzan Farmer, who played his daughter in the film, later recalled Karloff was aloof during production "and wasn’t the charming personality people perceived him to be".

In 1966, Karloff also appeared with Robert Vaughn and Stefanie Powers in the spy series The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., in the episode "The Mother Muffin Affair," Karloff performed in drag as the titular character.

That same year, he also played an Indian Maharajah on the installment of the adventure series The Wild Wild West titled "The Night of the Golden Cobra".

In 1967, he played an eccentric Spanish professor who believes himself to be Don Quixote in a whimsical episode of I Spy titled "Mainly on the Plains".

Karloff's last film for AIP was The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1967).

In the mid-1960s, he enjoyed a late-career surge in the United States when he narrated the made-for-television animated film of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and also provided the voice of the Grinch, although the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" was sung by the American voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft. The film was first broadcast on CBS-TV in 1966. Karloff later received a Grammy Award for "Best Recording For Children" after the recording was commercially released. Because Ravenscroft (who never met Karloff in the course of their work on the show) was uncredited for his contribution to How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, his performance of the song was often mistakenly attributed to Karloff.

He appeared in Mad Monster Party? (1967) and starred in the second feature film of the British director Michael Reeves,The Sorcerers (1966).

Karloff starred in Targets (1968), a film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, featuring two separate stories that converge into one. In one, a disturbed young man kills his family, then embarks on a killing spree. In the other, a famous horror-film actor contemplates then confirms his retirement, agreeing to one last appearance at a drive-in cinema. Karloff starred as the retired horror film actor, Byron Orlok, a thinly disguised version of himself; Orlok was facing an end of life crisis, which he resolved through a confrontation with the gunman at the drive-in cinema.

Around the same time, he played occult expert Professor Marsh in a British production titled The Crimson Cult (Curse of the Crimson Altar, also 1968), which was the last Karloff film to be released during his lifetime.

He ended his career by appearing in four low-budget Mexican horror films: Isle of the Snake People, The Incredible Invasion, Fear Chamber and House of Evil. This was a package deal with Mexican producer Luis Enrique Vergara. Karloff's scenes were directed by Jack Hill and shot back-to-back in Los Angeles in the spring of 1968. The films were then completed in Mexico. All four were released posthumously, with the last, The Incredible Invasion, not released until 1971, two years after Karloff's death. Cauldron of Blood, shot in Spain in 1967 and co-starring Viveca Lindfors, was also released after Karloff's death.

While shooting his final films, Karloff suffered from emphysema. Only half of one lung was still functioning and he required oxygen between takes.

He recorded the title role of Shakespeare's Cymbeline for the Shakespeare Recording Society (Caedmon Audio). The recording was originally released in 1962. A download of his performance is available from audible.com. He also recorded the narration for Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra under Mario Rossi.

Records he made for the children's market included Three Little Pigs and Other Fairy Stories, Tales of the Frightened (volume 1 and 2), Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories and, with Cyril Ritchard and Celeste Holm, Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, and Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark.

Karloff was credited for editing several horror anthologies, commencing with Tales of Terror (Cleveland and NY: World Publishing Co, 1943) (compiled with the help of Edmond Speare). This wartime-published anthology went through at least five printings to September 1945. It has been reprinted recently (Orange NJ: Idea Men, 2007). Karloff's name was also attached to And the Darkness Falls (Cleveland and NY: World Publishing Co, 1946); and The Boris Karloff Horror Anthology (London: Souvenir Press, 1965; simultaneous publication in Canada - Toronto: The Ryerson Press; US pbk reprint NY: Avon Books, 1965 retitled as Boris Karloff's Favourite Horror Stories; UK pbk reprints London: Corgi, 1969 and London: Everest, 1975, both under the original title), though it is less clear whether Karloff himself actually edited these.

Tales of the Frightened (Belmont Books, 1963), though based on the recordings by Karloff of the same title, and featuring his image on the book cover, contained stories written by Michael Avallone; the second volume, More Tales of the Frightened, contained stories authored by Robert Lory. Both Avallone and Lory worked closely with Canadian editor and book packager Lyle Kenyon Engel, who also ghost-edited a horror story anthology for horror film star Basil Rathbone.

Beginning in 1940, Karloff dressed as Father Christmas every Christmas to hand out presents to physically disabled children in a Baltimore hospital.

He never legally changed his name to "Boris Karloff." He signed official documents "William H. Pratt, a.k.a. Boris Karloff."

He was a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild, and he was especially outspoken due to the long hours he spent in makeup while playing Frankenstein's Monster.

He married six times and had one child, daughter Sara Karloff, by fifth wife Dorothy Stine. His final marriage was in 1946 right after his fifth divorce. At the time of his daughter's birth, he was filming Son of Frankenstein and reportedly rushed from the film set to the hospital while still in full makeup.

He was an early member of the Hollywood Cricket Club.

Upon returning to England in 1959, his address was 43 Cadogan Square, London. In 1966, he bought 25 Campden House (in 29 Sheffield Terrace), Kensington W8, and 'Roundabout Cottage' in the Hampshire village of Bramshott. A longtime heavy smoker, he had emphysema which left him with only half of one lung still functioning. He contracted bronchitis in 1968 and was hospitalised at University College Hospital. He died of pneumonia at the King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst, in Sussex, on 2 February 1969, at the age of 81.

His body was cremated following a requested modest service at Guildford Crematorium, Godalming, Surrey, where he is commemorated by a plaque in the Garden of Remembrance. A memorial service was held at St Paul's, Covent Garden (the Actors' Church), London, where there is also a plaque.

During the run of Thriller, Karloff lent his name and likeness to a comic book for Gold Key Comics based upon the series. After Thriller was cancelled, the comic was retitled Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery. An illustrated likeness of Karloff continued to introduce each issue of this publication for more than a decade after his death; the comic lasted until the early 1980s. In 2009, Dark Horse Comics began publishing reprints of Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery in a hard-bound edition.

For his contribution to film and television, Boris Karloff was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1737 Vine Street for motion pictures, and 6664 Hollywood Boulevard for television.[36] Karloff was featured by the U.S. Postal Service as Frankenstein's Monster and the Mummy in its series "Classic Monster Movie Stamps" issued in September 1997. In 1998, an English Heritage blue plaque was unveiled in his hometown in London. The British film magazine Empire in 2016 ranked Karloff's portrayal as Frankenstein's monster the sixth-greatest horror movie character of all time.

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Boris Karloff among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

#boris karloff #silent era #silent hollywood #silent movie stars #golden age of hollywood #classic movie stars #classic hollywood #1910s movies #1920s hollywood #1930s hollywood #1940s hollywood #1950s hollywood #1960s hollywood #classic horror #horror icons #frankenstein #the mummy #hollywood legend

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rogerblackwolf · 4 years ago

Text

The Angel

Containment Facility 204

60 miles south of Fairbanks, Alaska.

-Modern Day-

A single black Osprey VTOL flew over the snow covered land, a full moon helping illuminate the nighttime sky. The winds caused some turbulence but the pilots were experienced enough to handle it, the single passenger however found it to be a little rough. The passenger shifted in her seat to look out the window at the expanse of white land and the mountains they were heading towards, in the distance she noticed some dark clouds which the moon helped outline. Another gust of wind shook the Osprey, and before long the snow began falling again, thankfully their destination was in sight. The lights of the mountainside were like a Christmas tree, lighting the way for them to land, the Osprey's twin engines slowly turned upward allowing for it to land on a massive helipad. Once on the ground the woman grabbed her two suitcases and got blasted by the cold air as the ramp was dropped.

A couple of men in uniforms immediately came up to her and got her to a waiting vehicle nearby. They drove from the helipad and into an open illuminated tunnel, just as the snow began to fall. A perk of getting stationed in Alaska during the winter months. The first thing she noticed upon entering the mountain was the massive interior hanger which held several other Ospreys. The car then drove down another tunnel and stopped at a service entrance for the personnel.

"Now ma'am, go inside to the front desk, they'll show you where to go." The driver said.

"Thank you. I appreciate the help." She said before grabbing her suitcases and heading inside. Once inside she was greeted by one of a pair of men at the front desk who stood and asked;

"Ms. Clark?"

"Yes. That's me." She replied, putting her hood down and removing her beanie.

"Do you have your ID badge?" The man asks

"Yes right here." Clark said, taking it out of her jacket pocket.

The man looked it over and checked against the file on the computer.

"Please place your right thumb on this." He says whilst putting a small scanner on the counter. Clark obliged, taking her gloves off and placing her thumb on the scanner. After some more typing the man gave back her badge before asking her to follow him, leading her down a hallway to an elevator. Next to the doors was what looked like an electric lock where the man inserted his ID badge, once the light turned from red to green a hidden plate opened next to it, revealing a scanner with the outline of a handprint. The man put his hand in the outline, a line of light quickly ran the length of his hand before a green arrow pointing up above the doors lit up.

"When the doors close, put your badge into the lock, follow the instructions given and you'll be fine." He says.

"Thank you." Clark replies.

"Enjoy your stay, ma'am." The man said before walking away. A few moments later the elevator rang and the doors opened. Once inside, Clark put her ID badge into the lock and a hidden plate opened to her right revealing another handprint scanner and a retinal scanner. A small screen also lit up with a set of instructions; the first being 'Place right hand in the scanner.', once she did so, another instruction came onto the screen 'Look directly into the lens.'

Clark looked into the lens and a pair of lights scanned both her eyes. When the lights stopped she blinked with relief, and the last instruction came on-screen 'Report to Dr. Malcolm on Level 4.' Clark pressed the number 4 button and felt the elevator beginning to descend. She unzipped her winter coat and undid her light brown hair which stopped at her shoulders. She took a deep breath, nervous of what would happen next since this was new to her. She glanced at her watch, 9:45 pm, not terribly late but she didn't ponder it as the elevator opened again, this time welcomed to a reception area that split into a couple of hallways. She was met by a receptionist, a young woman with auburn hair tied in a bun and dressed in formal business attire, who happily showed her to Dr. Malcolm's office. The women entered as the man inside was in the process of putting some files away and locking the cabinet. Dr. Malcolm was easily six feet tall, had long blonde hair with some grey mixed in that was tied into a ponytail, clean shaven with an angular face, and dull grey eyes. He also had faint bags under his eyes, probably not the type of man to get much sleep.

"Ms. Clark, welcome to Containment Facility 204." Dr. Malcolm said, shaking her hand firmly before leaning against his desk.

"Thank you, Doctor." Ms. Clark said standing in front of him.

"My name is Dr. Howard Malcolm, I am the Head Researcher and Overseer for this facility. I'm sure you have many questions but I'm also sure you are tired so I'll show you where you'll be staying and get you settled. Shall we?" He asks, leading the way out of his office and holding the door for her. Clark followed him down a hallway and up some stairs to another hallway where there were multiple doors on both sides with room numbers. They stopped at a room near the end of the hall and Clark noticed the lock required a key card.

Dr. Malcolm stepped aside letting her do the honors. Clark inserted her badge and entered, being welcomed with what looked like a high-end hotel room. It had a full sized bed, a bathroom with a shower, a small living area with a tv and workspace, and even a kitchen with a fully stocked fridge. It was devoid of decorations but that could be fixed in due time. Clark put her suitcases at the foot of the bed before taking her heavy coat off.

"Make yourself at home, and in the morning we'll get you set up for your job here, anyway I'll leave you to it. Goodnight Dr. Clark." Dr. Malcolm said, closing the door before she could reply.

Dr. Clark quickly got acclimated after a simple dinner and getting unpacked. Without much else to do she decided to go to sleep even if she was still a bit nervous.

Awakened by her alarm, Clark stumbled out of bed and made some coffee before taking a quick shower and having some toast. She then got dressed in a plain blouse, skirt that went past her knees, plain black flats and some light makeup, first impressions and all. She got a knock at her door as she put on her lab coat and attached her badge.

"Yes?" She asked through the door.

"It's Dr. Malcolm."

Clark opened up to the man who waved with a smirk.

"Morning Ms. Clark, How was your first night?" He asked.

"Good. I was about to come and find you actually." She said

"Well, if you're ready I'll give you the tour and get your security clearance settled." He said.

Clark nodded before following Dr. Malcolm through the halls of the facility. They passed multiple other Researchers and men in security uniforms, the researchers carried files and iPad devices but they still managed to wave or say a morning greeting. Before long, Clark and Malcolm arrived in the main control center where she was given an iPad that, among other things, showed a map of the level she was on. She noticed how it was rather Labyrinthine in design, but with the map handy she'd adapt with time. Dr. Malcolm explained how the facility housed many creatures that resembled folkloric creatures but each was unique in a way. Each of the creatures were separated by level as were the researchers who studied them. Dr. Malcolm introduced the head of security, a tall imposing man with broad shoulders and short black hair named Andrew, to Clark. He asked her for her ID badge which he told her was only a temporary one, he showed her to an area with a camera and a blue screen. Andrew took her picture, a couple minutes later, she had a new ID badge and finally turned a mic toward her.

"Ok, last thing, speak your full name and credentials." Andrew said pressing a button on the desk next to the mic.

"Dr. Amelia D. Clark, PhD in Philology." She said.

Andrew then typed on the computer before speaking again;

"Ok, the software now recognizes you as part of the staff. Congrats." He said with a smirk.

"Thank you." Clark replied.

"Now onto the reason you are here. Follow me please." Dr. Malcolm said, having Dr. Clark follow him as he walked and talked;

"Dr. Clark, you were selected out of a roster of one hundred and fifty individuals, and only your credentials stood out the most. Received your Master's from the University of Pennsylvania, top of your class, and you did your field study at the British Museum and the Louvre. All impressive." Dr. Malcolm said.

"Well yes...so where am I gonna be placed, and why was I chosen?" She asked

"You'll be placed with Research Team 18, they're looking into one of the creatures stored here. One that's quite...unique." Dr. Malcolm said.

They came to a room with a few other researchers working on a number of different artifacts. On one table was a tablet covered in writings that looked like some form of cuneiform, another had an ornate dagger covered with similar symbols along its edge, and the two last tables had many jewelry pieces from a necklace and rings to bejeweled bracelets. One Researcher came up to the duo, an older man with balding hair and some grey peach fuzz on his face but he still seemed able for his age.

"Dr. Clark, this will be your lead researcher Dr. Luke Allen. Dr. Allen, meet our latest addition, Dr. Amelia Clark." Malcolm introduced.

"Oh yes, the new linguist." Dr. Allen said, extending his hand to her.

"I'm actually a Philologist sir." Amelia replied, shaking his hand firmly.

"What's the difference?" Allen asked.

"A Linguist studies languages spoken today, including dialects used by small populations, while a Philologist studies ancient texts and the evolution of ancient languages a linguist would consider "dead" languages because they only exist in writing, like Sanskrit, Old English, and Old High German." Amelia explained.

"Well then, what language did you study?" Allen asked.

"My focus was Assryiology." Amelia answered.

"If you would, I'm certain our guest is awake by now. And I think it's safe to say that Dr. Clark likes a challenge on her first day." Dr. Malcolm said, looking at Amelia.

"Well, I guess no time like the present." Amelia replied.

"Alright. Good luck." Dr. Malcolm said before taking his leave.

Dr. Allen escorted Amelia through a couple of corridors and down a hallway with several contained creatures. The cells themselves were made of impact resistant metal and the doors looked like glass but it let out an electrical pulse when touched. In one cell was what resembled a massive feline with a wolf-like head that paced back and forth snarling at the researchers as they passed. Another cell had a polar bear but it was larger and had bony horns protruding from its body. It took a swipe at the door before getting a powerful shock that made it recoil.

Dr. Allen showed her to a quieter passage that held some of the more docile creatures, like a supersized elk that reminded her of a Megalocerus and an overgrown bison that appeared to have bony plates on its head and shoulders. While amazed, Amelia was surprised when they arrived at a pair of heavy doors with a hand scanner next to them. Dr. Allen scanned his hand and the doors began unlocking before opening, Dr. Allen stepped in first followed by Amelia. Inside was a circular room comparable in size to Amelia's room, it had stacks of books, magazines, even DVDs and CDs. In four corners of the room were cameras, one of which focused on the researchers as they entered. There was a bed in the corner that had been made and a TV playing a popular show on the opposite end, what surprised her more was the one watching it. The figure turned off the TV, setting the remote aside before standing to turn towards the duo.

He was humanoid, easily seven feet tall, dressed in a gold and white robe with vestments draped over his shoulders, and smooth, tanned skin with golden hair that showered down his back. He also had a pair of feathered wings that sprouted from his back. Amelia was first stricken by how handsome he was but then saw he was hovering in place.

"Good morning Dr. Allen." He said.

"Good morning Subject 11572. This is our new addition." Dr. Allen replied.

The humanoid turned to Amelia and extended his hand to her. Amelia took it and began to introduce herself.

"Hello I'm-"

"Dr. Amelia Clark, PhD in Philology, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Among other things." He said.

"Uhm." She responded.

"Yeah he does that. Anyway, this is Subject 11572, we often refer to him as the Angel for obvious reasons." Dr. Allen says nonchalantly.

"Apologies if I overstepped." The Angel said.

"Oh it's fine, I'm just starting to get used to things here." Amelia chuckled. The Angel smirked in response.

"Dr. Clark will be responsible for studying you from now on. I'll be monitoring the interview from the observation room. Good luck." Dr. Allen said, taking his leave.

Amelia nearly protested but figured this could likely be a test so she took a deep breath and turned back to the Angel.

"May I offer you a seat?" He asked, hovering to the side to offer a couple of chairs.

"Sure. Thank you." She said taking a seat just as the Angel followed suit.

Amelia pulled up the file on the Angel and read some details while the Angel sat patiently, she couldn't really gauge his emotions if he had any to begin with. She finally spoke by reading off his bio.

"This file says you were found in 1976 on one of the Aleutians. How'd you arrive there?"

"I chose to come to your world as an ambassador. The portal sent me to the islands, I was found by the local tribesmen who welcomed me with food and drink. Your agents found me, I surrendered and I've been here ever since." He responded.

"Ok, how did you know my name and credentials without me or Dr. Allen telling you?" She asked.

"I am able to tell a lot about a person by reading their aura." He says

"Aura?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"All humans have an aura, a byproduct of the magical lifeblood that exists in all Creation. I can see and gain a basic understanding of a person by simply reading it, such as if they are good or hold other intentions. However by physically touching a person I can see many more details, like their name, family, etcetera." He explains.

"What did you sense from me and Dr. Allen?" Amelia asks.

"Dr. Allen hides no ulterior motives but he has his own problems like many humans. He is trustworthy despite being easily irritated. Your aura is nervous but good, you're worried you won't do a good job. Perhaps due to your past experiences of clumsiness." The Angel speculated.

Amelia blushed in embarrassment before continuing.

"So do you have a name? Or are you ok with being referred to as "Angel"?" She asked.

"My name is inscribed on the tablet I brought with me, I cannot tell you it though. And for the sake of simplicity, I've allowed myself to accept the moniker." He says.

"Why can't you tell me your name?" Amelia asks curiously.

"Telling you my name creates a bond that cannot be easily broken, and allows you access to my knowledge. However, the cost for such knowledge could overwhelm your mind to the point of insanity, if it doesn't destroy you outright. By learning my name, that is a sign that you could stand a chance of surviving and retaining what I show you." He says.

"Sounds simple enough." Amelia said with a nervous chuckle.

The Angel chuckled with her and she caught him with a faint smile, she blushed in response.

The interview went on for roughly another hour before Amelia was called to conclude it. She thanked the Angel and exited the room meeting with Dr. Allen as the doors shut and locked behind her. Amelia then asked Dr. Allen to show her the tablet, when they got back to the research room, Amelia began studying the object. It was 12 inches tall, 6 inches wide, half an inch thick, had rounded edges, and looked like it was made of some metallic alloy but it was considerably lighter. Etched into its surface were symbols that covered only the front side, they resembled the writings of ancient Babylon which gave Amelia a lead.

She downloaded scans of the tablet onto her iPad while also trying to see if she recognized any of the symbols herself. The other researchers helped by getting her some books and journals on cuneiform, and lots of coffee. Many hours passed and Amelia was only able to translate a few sentences talking about a great mission and a person to bring unity. Amelia finally decided to hit the hay and took her iPad with her to her room, she made a sandwich for dinner and showered before looking at the scan of the tablet. She finally decided to let her iPad go through the translation program through the night so she could get some sleep.

The next morning, Amelia got up and went about her routine, just finishing her first cup of coffee when her iPad suddenly dinged. Upon opening it, the program had finished its translation, which excited her enough she immediately began reading. In essence the tablet spoke of a civil war between the forces of Creation, in the end the rebellion leader was cast from the realm along with his followers. The realm of Creation elected one of their own to go to the Earth so that he could teach mankind the importance of unity even among enemies. To see past the differences of one another and instead see what makes them human.

The strange thing though was the last sentence was incomplete simply reading 'The Watcher has been chosen, he will be known to mankind by his given name of-' with the last word unable to be translated. Amelia got ready for the day and took her findings to Dr. Allen who, after reading the translation, told her to see if she could decipher it. As she poured through journal after journal, she grew frustrated due to not finding what she needed. As a result she sat at her desk staring blankly at her open books and iPad which had the untranslated word that vexed her mind. Suddenly it came to her.

The word consisted of six letters not just Babylonian but each letter was from a different language of the region. One was from the Sumerian language, another from Assyrian, and Amorite. She wrote out the letters in order, finding them to make sense as she translated them down to the English alphabet. Finally it spelled a name she could read but, despite her eureka moment, she didn't want to reveal it just yet. She went to Dr. Allen, who then took her to see Dr. Malcolm, and needless to say he was surprised by her discovery.

"I think we should consult our guest." Dr. Malcolm said, leading them to the holding cell. This time the Angel was reading a book with a hard cover and a title in Italian. He closed it before standing to greet the trio as the door closed behind them.

"Doctors Clark, Allen, and Malcolm. How are you all this day?" He asks.

"We believe that we have finally translated your tablet, and your name, thanks to the work of Dr. Clark." Malcolm said.

The Angel's brow arched as he turned to Amelia.

"You believe you know my name?" He asked.

"I do, and though I am new here I also believe that these two can be trusted with your secret." Amelia said.

"For security purposes, this device was programmed with your name, whenever your name is said the device will distort it. Keep in mind though that my superiors will be able to hear the unaltered version. Knowing this, are these measures satisfactory?" Dr. Malcolm asked, showing a small recording device.

"They are." The Angel said after a moment of thought.

Once the measures were in place, Dr. Malcolm and Dr. Allen let Amelia take the lead.

"Your name...is Anauel."

The Angel, who was hovering in place, landed on his feet. His eyes had a glossy glow before but they now took on a more human color, that of a bright blue.

"You are correct." He said before he took a seat, the rest following suit.

"You have many questions, I will answer them as well as I can. No holding back." Anauel said.

#BRSC #Story 7

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withabackpackandcamera · 4 years ago

Photo

September 16th, 2020

Day 3: A Full Day of Hikes and Lights

Today was our designated Denali National Park hiking day, especially after we weren’t able to squeeze one in before nightfall yesterday. To fuel ourselves for it, we got some extra sleep because we didn’t wake up super early to hike and we ate our leftover flatbread from last night. Both great decisions. By the time we actually checked out of the lodge, the weather did us a favor and cleared up and was looking pretty good, with little bits of blue sky actually visible in between the heavy layer of clouds.

On our way to the park, I made a couple of quick roadside stops to take some photos of the area. Not too long afterward, we were back in Denali National Park. We first made a stop at the Visitor Center to talk to the rangers about some different hiking route options before ultimately heading to the Mountain Vista Trailhead to hike the Savage Alpine Trail. This hike was essentially a 4+2 mile hike (meaning that we would hike through the alpine landscape for 4 miles before hiking 2 miles back along the main road to our car to close the hiking loop) that would take us up around 1,500ft in elevation gain. And the hike was gorgeous with superb weather. We couldn’t have lucked out any more than we did. The hike itself was a slow, winding hike through beautiful landscapes that were ever-changing as we ascended. Most of the hike was under the partly cloudy sky, providing great views all around. There were great colors and great views of the Alaskan Range. During some parts of the hike, especially along the ridge, we even got glimpses of Mount Denali (though it wasn’t entirely free of clouds)! What a treat! Because of all of our stops for photos, videos, rest, and views, it took us around 4 hours to hike through the beautiful landscape and get to Savage River. Once there, we pulled out our Lunchables (which we had brought as snacks and not a meal) to re-energize ourselves before leisurely hiking back up the main road to our car.

Because Cynthia had some business to take care of that required access to cellular data, we drove back to the Visitor Center briefly. Even though we had hiked for 4+ hours already, it was still relatively early in the afternoon and we wanted to make the most of our time in Denali with good weather. So, before closing out the day, we went on another short hike near the entrance of the park called Horseshoe Loop Trail. This 2-mile hike wasn’t strenuous at all. We essentially walked down to the observation area to view Horseshoe Lake below before descending further to lake level. At that point, we wandered along the trail and through the trees and managed to find views of the Nenana River and Beaver Dam. But little did we know that the first path that we took wasn’t actually the entire trail. On the way back, we found the real trail and took that trail and looped around Horseshoe Lake back to the Nenana River before turning back to the car as the sunlight was fading. Oh, and I must mention that there were TONS of mosquitoes along the trail as we hiked around Horseshoe Lake. I mean LOTS of mozzies.

We reached our car around sunset or so but given how heavy the clouds were in the area, I decided not to go all the way back into the park for sunset photos and instead decided to start our 2 hour trip up to Fairbanks. As we drove through the fall colors of interior Alaska, we had great views of the sunset as it went from nothing but clouds to full of color and warmth, with very colorful oranges and reds exploding across the sky until 9pm or so.

Once we arrived in Fairbanks, we grabbed some quick fast food dinner (Subway for Cynthia and McDonald’s and their new Spicy Chicken Nuggets with their new hot dipping sauce and a McDouble for me) to quickly fill our bellies before it got too late. By the time we made it to our AirBnB, our hosts had already called it a day so we didn’t see them and let ourselves in.

After eating our food and cleaning up, we started to look at tomorrow’s plans. And just as I was starting to look into things to do in Fairbanks, I got side tracked by the crazy idea of chasing the auroras tonight, even though we had spent an entire day hiking and it was getting late in the night. But I found myself looking up the night’s forecast and the aurora forecast with it. Based on what I had found, there seemed to be a slim chance of catching the Northern Lights tonight. But we went out to try seeing them anyways because the whole reason we drove up to Fairbanks at all was to give Cynthia every opportunity to see the auroras.

I looked at a couple locations just outside of town to find the best viewpoints for the auroras and decided that we would check out Cleary Summit Aurora Viewing Area, located about 30 minutes outside of Fairbanks. We didn’t want to go too far but we also didn’t want to be stuck in the city lights trying to view the northern lights. So I drove us out there and before long, we were sitting in our car in a dirt parking lot with other hopeful and eager Northern Lights spectators parked around us. It took awhile for the sky conditions to become optimal as dense clouds heavily blanketed the sky above us. But we waited and waited. Eventually, the clouds started to lift just a little, enough that I was able to somewhat discern possible shades of off-gray that could possibly be the auroras. And I only knew what I was looking for after my short time and experience in Iceland and Norway with the auroras back a few years ago. So I took my camera, changed the settings, and pointed it at the sky from the car. Click. The shutter opened and a couple seconds later, it closed. And tada! There was some green light in the sky! The auroras! The very elusive auroras were visible on our first try!

With evidence that the Northern Lights were indeed active tonight, I adjusted my eyes while also telling Cynthia about the trick to viewing weaker auroras in the sky. After we adjusted our eyes for some time and the clouds started to lift, we started to see more and more auroras in the sky. Eventually, the activity became high enough that we could see gray-ish, cloud-like lights slowly dance across the sky above us! At this point in the night, people were coming and leaving because they probably didn’t know what they were looking for. Some people actually came to me to figure out what they were supposed to be looking for and what they were expected to see. I kindly passed my knowledge and experience along to them as I stood there with camera and tripod in hand ready to capture some shots. We stayed out at the viewing site for a little more than 3 hours because I wanted to give the auroras a chance to get even better and more spectacular. And it did! Even though it never became super green to the naked eye, the activity level of the northern lights got to the point where we could see the lights flickering across the sky, something I didn’t at all expect during our trip given how difficult it is to time the auroras to good weather and good fortune. But wow, three hours that were well-worth the wait!

Eventually, the lights started to die down and become less dynamic. It was at this point that I called it a night with a sleeping Cynthia in the passenger seat. I drove us back into town while catching up with my dad on the phone before eventually arriving at our AirBnB sometime past 3:30am. Whew, what a night out!

5 Things I Learned/Observed Today:

1. Alaska is home to 16 of the U.S.’s national parks and accounts for nearly 2/3 of the acreage of all the national parks combined! Wowzers! That’s humongous!

2. There are very few trails in Denali National Park and Preserve. The reason is because the park service wants to keep the area there as pure as possible and give people the opportunity to try off-trail and backcountry hiking.

3. Mosquitoes are the real deal in Alaska. We had read about all the mosquito issues people have in the summer and expected to avoid them altogether in mid-September but boy were they swarming in the damp, moist areas around Horseshoe Lake. Luckily, no bites.

4. Alaska has some of the prettiest fall colors I’ve ever seen. It seems as if there are way more and way denser forests of aspens in Alaska compared to what I’ve seen in the many parts of Colorado I’ve visited during the fall. It’s amazing! And when you drive (for example, from Denali to Fairbanks), it feels as if you’re driving through a tunnel of gold!

5. The northern lights are definitely viewable in Alaska in September! But as always, the weather and solar flare radiation from the sun must both be optimal in order for the auroras to be visible to the naked eye. Always temper your expectations when trying to view the lights as you don’t want to be too disappointed if you don’t catch them. However, you should always give aurora searching a shot. Even if it’s a cloudy or rainy evening.. Even when the forecasts say nothing will be visible or that there’s a low chance… You just never know because the conditions change so quickly. Always, always give it a try. Go out into the darkness and look up (and/or shoot your camera upwards if you have one) and you may not be disappointed. But remember, patience is key! Also key are the following websites I found very useful for aurora viewing in Alaska, especially Fairbanks:

a. https://www.gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast (University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute’s Aurora Forecast Page (Note: You can access live camera view in (b) from here))

b. https://allsky.gi.alaska.edu/#page-tonight (Live Camera View of Night Skies at Poker Flat Research Range, AK)

c. https://www.swpc.noaa.gov (NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center)

d. https://www.explorefairbanks.com/explore-the-area/aurora-season/aurora-tracker/# (Explore Fairbanks’ Aurora Tracker)

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a-shepherd-blog · 5 years ago

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Hi all! I’m Rey and I’m here with my fave Andrea!

The TL;DR version is: U.S. marshal who is just a little too trigger happy. Used to work for the NYPD as a detective and then climbed through the ranks. Comes from a mafia family but has gone straight - can’t deny her inherent nature either. Andy’s an old west gunslinger who’s been born into a different era. Above all she’s about putting bad guys behind bars and protecting good people; she’s a hunter.

I’m always looking for plots and connections! Also you can read her super extra bio below. Feel free to hit me up here or on discord at the_revati#8487.

Give it a like and I’ll slide into your DMs!

ANDREA SHEPHERD ;

&&. word has it ( andrea shepherd ) was just spotted around the city. ( she ) is/are a ( thirty-two ) year old affiliated with ( nypd ). it’s been said that ( she ) resembles ( stella maeve ). ( she ) has been said to be ( tenacious & resourceful ) but also quite ( judgmental & self-destructive ). ( she ) is currently serving as ( a u.s. marshal ).

(bio below)

tw: death, murder, self- mutilation

BACKSTORY

Her father was a Voloshyn and that meant he was a part of the Ukrainian mafia that existed in a certain corner of the world. His family? They didn’t live in this corner. Though born in Odessa, Ukraine, Andrea was raised by her mother Alice Shepherd in New York. Alice had grown up in the Hudson Valley and she’d spent most of her life in New York working as an art curator. When motherhood struck, she decided that keeping her children far, far, far away from Odessa was the best choice for them. Mikhail was her first born, but her daughter Andrea was born two minutes later. When they were older, Alice would tell them they came into this world holding hands.

New York was a decent enough place to grow up. Like any city, it had its dark underbelly. Alice did her best to keep both Mikhail and Andrea away from it, but the two grew up a part of the city as much as anyone else. It’s where Andrea picked her first fight, had her first kiss, got drunk for the first time. And Mikhail? He was her best friend.

For the most part, Andrea and Mikhail didn’t see their father. The holidays were the exception and dinners were always silent when Alexi Voloshyn sat at the head of the table. There was a shock in this pattern when the twins turned 11. Summer break rolled around and, all of a sudden, Mikhail was whisked off with Alexi to spend the summer in Odessa. Ever summer after that was the same. Mikhail would leave in the dead of night and Andrea would get left behind. It became increasingly obvious before long that Alexi was grooming Mikhail to step into his shoes. The young girl grew increasingly bitter about this tradition with the passing of each halcyon season. Mikhail would return just in time for school to start with nothing but a “It was fine” as a reply to Andrea’s “Well? How was it?”

It’s not that Andrea wanted her own hand in the criminal underworld of Europe - she was too young to understand that - she just wanted to be taken as seriously as her brother. She began to act out as a cry for attention - but all attempts went ignored. A stray comment from Alexi about marrying her off one Christmas dinner set off the final fuse. Andrea was 15 and at peak teenage rebellion. Without blinking, she grabbed the carving knife from the ham in front of her, and cut off her own ring finger. She tried not to cry when she did it and felt immensely betrayed by the three tears that managed to leak out during the act. The entire thing was very much a ‘fuck you’ to the path that had been laid out for her. It was very much supposed to be a ‘fuck you’ to her father. He wanted her to get married? Fuck that. Ring finger? Gone. Now she could never get married.

Instead of reacting with anger or fury, her father simply looked at this act of defiance and laughed. In her 15 years it was probably the first time Andrea heard such a sound. It was a warm, accepting laugh. As the family doctor stitched and patched her up, Alexi finally conceded that Andrea could join them in Odessa next summer. The young woman learned that acts of self-destruction as loyalty held a certain sort of esteem in her father’s eyes.

Sure enough, Andrea went to the Port of Odessa the next summer. It’s where she learned how to fire a gun, worked as a hired hand on a ship, saw her first dead body. She’d been brought along but it was Mikhail that Alexi continuously sent into the fray. It was Mikhail that went on the ride alongs and once again it was Andrea that was left behind. You’d think a father would be more precious with the life of his son but, again, acts of self-destruction as loyalty held a certain sort of esteem in Alexi’s eyes. One cold night, a deal went south and shots were fired. Andrea heard about it from one of her father’s friends the next morning. She heard that while Mikhail’s body had been found, Alexi’s was conveniently missing. Whispers floated that her father had managed to flee the scene. Any sadness Andrea had for her brother was swept away with the resounding notion that her father was a fucking coward.

Andrea returned home to Alice alone. That was Andrea’s tipping point. At her mother’s insistence she applied to colleges in New York and wound up settling on pursuing a political science degree at Columbia. There was an intense irony with the fact that Andrea was quickly falling into a path carved out for law enforcement, but the second she noticed it, she leaned into it. It was another ‘fuck you’ to the memory of her father. More than that, she had a knack for it in a way that she a knack for nothing else.

Andrea joined the NYPD fresh out of college when she returned home and quickly climbed the ladder to the rank of deputy sheriff. In the police department, she finally found the family she’d been searching for.

She continued on up, leaving for the state department and then eventually the federal sector. She spent some time as a firearms instructor in Glynco, Georgia at the U.S. Marshal’s training center before she became a full-blown Marshal herself.

During her time with the Marshal’s service, Andrea was assigned to several different field offices across the U.S. She gained a reputation for being trigger happy and was thus stationed in increasingly remote stations. (It seemed she was still, in many ways, her father’s daughter.) Alice passed during Andrea’s time in the Fairbanks office and due to poor weather conditions it was a week before Andrea got the news. Alice had left Andrea the house in New York.

Her life continued in other ways. During the day she would do her job, and at the night she would come back to the husband she’d met during her time on the NYPD. For a while, life was right. When Andrea caught whiff that Alexi Voloshyn was making the journey from the Port of Odessa to the Port of New Orleans, Andrea caught the first flight she could to Louisiana.

CUT TO: two weeks later. Andrea. Run out of New Orleans by the Ukrainian mob for publicly killing Alexi Voloshyn.

Andrea has been lying relatively low in in New York ever since the incident a year ago at the insistence of her U.S. Marshal Chief. Criminals infest the city and Andrea has done her best to stay above it. Andrea has a rigid view of most things. While others see the world in shades of grey, she sees it in shades of black and white. The thing about killing her father though, was that all the debts that Alexi had (the coward he was) were suddenly transferred to his only living family member upon his passing.

Now, Andrea lives alone in Prospect Park with the occasional roommate that comes and goes. She keeps most of the estate boarded up and only really uses the parts she needs. She still conducts her business from the police department. She’s been trying handle her father’s debts. Above all else - hunting is in her bones. She plans on cleaning up this city.

PERSONALITY / OTHER

grew up in New York, went to college here, but then was stationed all across the country - has been back permanently for about a year or so

an old-west gunslinger born into a different era

trigger happy

deep seeded anger towards the criminal underworld of this city. All about putting bad people behind bars and protecting good people.

holds a mother-fucking grudge like no other.

methodology: shoot it before it shoots me.

honestly, “back in the day” she’d be pretty close becoming an outlaw herself. She walks a dangerous line but shhhh we don’t talk about that

is no-nonsense

If you missed it in her bio, she’s missing her ring finger. She cut it off herself cause she didn’t want to get married. Ever. She always wears a glove on her left hand.

forgets to eat. Survives on a diet of scotch and gummy bears.

has two facial expressions: scowling or smiling slyly

is angry. Always. Keeps it bottled up. Always.

crime never sleeps and neither does she.

likes crossword puzzles

plays the saxophone and the piano. A fan of jazz music.

“I think she had fun, once” - the gas-station lady

also has a goldfish that she keeps forgetting to feed it’s a wonder it’s still alive.

“Call me Andy.”

Is all about the vigilante life, actually.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

I’m down to get creative with any of these! Also, I love angst???

Debts! - Did Alexi owe your gang member a debt? Congrats! Andy now owes YOU. Have fun with that.

Housemate - There is too much room in her parents estate in Prospect Park for her live there alone. Andy’s put up a “for rent” sign with the intention of renting out one of the rooms to another citizen. (CLOSED - Marcelo Rodriguez )

Former friends, exes, frenemies - Maybe she lost touch with them, maybe she didn’t. If your character grew up in New York, there’s the chance they knew each other. Maybe they had sleepovers, maybe they were childhood enemies, maybe they dated. Bonus points if they lead lifestyles she disapproves of now! (open)

Hate-sex - they hate it but they gotta get it on. (open)

Drinking buddies - dear god, Andy consumes so much whiskey. (open)

Siblings - Andy and Mikhail were Alice and Alexi’s oldest, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have had other younger siblings. Also open to having Alexi have had other affairs. (open)

The Hunted - they’ve crossed paths in the past and she’s got a vendetta against them (open)

Ex-husband - He joined the criminal underworld. She left him. Simple as that. (open) *** would give my kidney for this one

Co-worker - Other police department friends. (open)

And literally anything else!

#tdrintro #( andrea shepherd ; seven nation army )#( andrea shepherd ; biography )

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iano-me · 5 years ago

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rangers in women

0 to macleay valley rangers in women (2) Her mum was working away on a farm at the time. Really it an ideal solution.. You just put them in the bag and move on to the next one.". We've got a wide mix of top notch single and multiplayer games you can really sink your teeth into and wash down with lovingly crafted coffee. But, also the toothbrushes themselves are unique where the 5000 comes with a 'flossing type brush' (which isn't to replace flossing') but offers you a pretty intense clean.. Van Duzen. The Marine Corps, with its large concentration of people in North Carolina, could be especially affected. Draper and Elmere Wright were local baseball standouts. This study explores the different motivating factors experienced by coach outlet online teachers, both Primary and Secondary, in the 21st Century. Peter German to review (anti money laundering) practices in the industry are looking forward to the outcome of his report.". There's a universe in which Penn State has one loss heading into the Nov. As someone who grew up in Guangzhou and discovered the relative freedoms of Hong Kong through TV broadcasts from the region and then Taiwan, she has some experience in that area. But these days, the affable host is interested in more than just sharing advice on where to find the best pizza in Italy. Make each other better. Bradley throw to no one went into the dugout, allowing two runners to score.. The last is a major player, with a membership of 16,500 in 90 countries. It is interesting how this primal urge to achieve a target continues to inspire achievement in many modern occupations. (If you didn know, the M rating is the video game equivalent for a rated R flick.). This is a huge game, there's no doubt. Many of us in this room I, included have degrees from the UW, and in my case, I also started the academic leadership portion of my career there.. Moore's class is in session Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 4 pm to 6 pm (6 am to 8 am in Vietnam). Also, it is hoped that fans will enjoy an improved sense of safety."If you do not have a clear plastic bag when you arrive at the stadium, complimentary clear gallon sized freezer bags will be available at the guest services locations outside of each corner spiral of the stadium (Gates 5, 21, 31, 45). Brianna Ingram, a 6 foot sophomore, contributed five kills and two blocks for the Ravens.. For a meal, sandwich, or a quart of homemade chicken corn or ham and bean soup. The Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry, WHO Life Chart and Global Assessment of Functioning were used to assess clinical, social and service use outcomes. ET, FoxPoint spread: NO 8 Matchup quality: 76.4 (of 100). National disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho dismissed concerns that the volcano's eruption could affect planes transporting aid and supplies to the quake disaster areas. Got holidays booked in but no plans? How about these adventures to fill your time or at least to keep dreaming about? Australia's longest running regional food festival, Orange FOOD Week, has provenance and sustainability at its core for 2019. More coverage Alleged wife killer denies poison pen letter affairs claims 'Hitman' denies telling pack of lies at murder trial 'Hitman's' vital phone evidence 'lost' before murder trial 'Hitman' tells court of 20,000 plot to murder wife Brother of first wife denies involvement in death Son found stepmother's body after school, murder trial hears Neighbour found murder accused cradling wife's lifeless body Wolverhampton murder victim told friend of 'loving' family Wife murder trial hears mystery accomplice could be woman Wolverhampton wife murder trial shown images of ransacked house Husband 'murdered second wife and offered employee 20k to kill first' Asked by Mr David Mason, QC, prosecuting, whether he wanted justice for himself or his wife, Singh said: "For myself and my wife. For that fleeting few hours, Fairbanks experienced civil twilight, when the sun bobbed less than 6 degrees below the northern horizon. The adjustable crossbody strap gives you comfortable and hands free carrying convenience great for everything from running errands to traveling. Wilson West Lawn There was also a decent sampling of local teams Allen, Bethlehem Catholic, Central Catholic, Parkland, Northampton, Palmerton and tournament runners up Executive Academy Charter among them.The other tournament, which intentionally had a different vibe to it, featured primarily public school teams, several of whom didn't want any part of playing in the same event as Executive.You can debate whether that was a legitimate reason to run a different tournament, but from all accounts the organizers of the Lehigh Valley Summer Jam, primarily Freedom coach Joe Stellato and Dieruff coach Joe Jarjous, were pleased with the results of their first effort and plan to build a bigger field.Those who thought all local public schools would have been in the coach outlet clearance Summer Jam might have been surprised, but those coaches either preferred playing outside competition, and outside, leaving their kids decide where they wanted to be.. I mentioned the need to do something with your hands when you're socialising.

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anachroniisms-archived · 6 years ago

Photo

Hi all! I’m Rey and I’m here with Andrea!

The TL;DR version is: ex-U.S. marshal who was just a little too trigger happy so she got put on time-out. Now she’s a journalist. Andy’s an old west gunslinger who’s been born into a different era. Above all she’s about putting bad guys behind bars and protecting good people; she’s a hunter. She’s here to kill detain Madden Coyle. And maybe a few others.

I’m always looking for plots and connections! Andy grew up in Valdez so I think there’s potential? Also you can read her super extra bio below. Feel free to hit me up here or on discord at the_revati#8487

THE HUNTER -

⋆ ◦ ° ☾ stella maeve + cisfemale + she/her — have you seen andrea shepard around? this thirty one year old known as the hunter has been hanging out at valdez town square a lot recently. they are a civilian that works as a/n ex -u.s, marshal turned journalist, and they feel vindictive about the gangs. a heteroflexible scorpio, they are tenacious + resourceful, as well as judgmental + destructive. gunpowder, lioness, bruised knuckles × rey. twenty-one+. she/her. PST. × (Madden Coyle’s connection)

tw: death, murder, self- mutilation

BACKSTORY

Her father was a Voloshyn and that meant he was a significant part of the Ukrainian mafia that owned a small corner of the world. His family? They didn’t live in this corner. Though born in Odessa, Ukraine, Andrea was raised by her mother Alice Shepard in the town of Valdez, Colorado. Alice had grown up in Valdez and though she’d spent most of her life in New York working as an art curator when motherhood struck, she decided that returning home - far, far, far away from Odessa - was the best choice for the children. Mikhail was her first born, but her daughter Andrea was born two minutes later. When they were older, Alice would tell them they came into this world holding hands.

Valdez was a decent enough place to grow up. Like any town, it had its dark underbelly. Alice did her best to keep both Mikhail and Andrea away from it, but the two grew up a part of the town as much as anyone else. It’s where Andrea picked her first fight, had her first kiss, got drunk for the first time. And Mikhail? He was her best friend.

For the most part, Andrea and Mikhail didn’t see their father. The holidays were the exception and dinners were always silent when Alexi Voloshyn sat at the head of the table. There was a shock in this pattern when the twins turned 11. Summer break rolled around and, all of a sudden, Mikhail was whisked off with Alexi to spend the summer in Odessa. Ever summer after that was the same. Mikhail would leave in the dead of night and Andrea would get left behind. It became increasingly obvious before long that Alexi was grooming Mikhail to step into his shoes with the mafia. The young girl grew increasingly bitter about this tradition with the passing of each halcyon season. Mikhail would return just in time for school to start with nothing but a “It was fine” as a reply to Andrea’s “Well? How was it?”

Andrea returned home to Alice alone. The two boarded up Alice’s childhood home and moved to New York. That was Andrea’s tipping point. At her mother’s insistence she applied to colleges in New York and wound up settling on pursuing a political science degree at Columbia. There was an intense irony to the fact that Andrea was quickly falling into a path carved out for law enforcement, but the second she noticed it, she leaned into it. It was another ‘fuck you’ to the memory of her father. More than that, she had a knack for it in a way that she a knack for nothing else.

Andrea joined the NYPD fresh out of college and quickly climbed the ladder to the rank of deputy sheriff. In the police department, she finally found the family she’d been searching for. In Sheriff William Kolstad, she found the brother she had lost. Alas, Sheriff Kolstad was a good man and good men don’t last long on the force.

Only a few months into her time with the PD, Kolstad was murdered in cold blood. The incident turned Andy’s vision red. She was 21 and full of fire. She hadn’t been able to do anything about her brother... but for William? She’d find it in her track down whomever was responsible.

Madden Coyle, eighteen years old was found guilty and placed on death row for the murder of an on duty police officer in cold blood. Andrea didn’t blink an eye. The loss of Kolstad left her affected and, in the same way she handled her brother’s death, she decided that packing up and moving was the right way to cope with things. She asked to be relocated and, as a result, was shipped off the Glynco, Georgia to become a firearms instructor at the U.S. Marshal’s training center.

She was in Georgia when she heard that Coyle had gotten out on a technicality. She heard of the ruling by way of a ping to her cellphone in the middle of class and the young woman came to a full stop at the mere sight of it. It possibly right then that Andrea decided to transition from an instructor to marshal.

During her time with the Marshal’s service, Andrea was assigned to several different field offices across the U.S. She gained a reputation for being trigger happy and was thus stationed in increasingly remote stations. Alice passed during Andrea’s time in the Fairbanks office and due to poor weather conditions it was a week before Andrea got the news. Alice had left Andrea the house in Valdez, Colorado.

Cut to: two weeks later. Andrea. Run out of New Orleans by the Ukrainian mob for publicly killing Alexi Voloshyn. Out of a desire to avoid scandal and a fear for her safety, her Chief Deputy decided that it was time for Andrea to take a sabbatical. It was time for her to go home.

Andrea had no interest in hanging up her badge. She fucking despised the thought of it. She was ready to contest, she was ready to fight back. But as fate would have it, Andrea caught word through the grapevine that Madden Coyle was based in Valdez, Colorado. Any protests to the suggestion died in her throat. She took the sabbatical, left her gun and her badge, and made her way back home. She intended on going alone, deciding that she’d make the trip, handle Coyle, come back. To her surprise, her husband was looking for a change as well and so Andrea and her husband into the old estate her mother left for her.

Valdez came with its own obstacles. The gangs infested the town and Andrea did her best to stay above it. When her partner strayed, Andrea kicked him out and never looked back. For her, it was as simple at that. Andrea had a rigid view for most things. While others saw the world in shades of grey, she saw it in shades of black and white.

Now, Andrea lives alone with the occasional roommate that comes and goes. She keeps most of the estate boarded up and only really uses the parts she needs. To keep herself from going stir-crazy, she has taken up a part-time job as a freelance journalist. Old habits die hard though - hunting is in her bones. She plans on cleaning up this town.

PERSONALITY / OTHER

an old-west gunslinger born into a different era

trigger happy

deep seeded anger towards the criminal underworld of this city. All about putting bad people behind bars and protecting good people.

holds a mother-fucking grudge like no other. See: 10 year vendetta against Madden Coyle.

methodology: shoot it before it shoots me.

honestly, if she wasn’t wearing a badge “back in the day” she’d be pretty close becoming an outlaw herself. She walks a dangerous line but shhhh we don’t talk about that

is no-nonsense

If you missed it in her bio, she’s missing her ring finger. She cut it off herself cause she didn’t want to get married. Ever. She always wears a glove on her left hand.

forgets to eat. Survives on a diet of scotch and gummy bears.

has two facial expressions: scowling or smiling slyly

is angry. Always. Keeps it bottled up. Always.

crime never sleeps and neither does she.

likes crossword puzzles

plays the saxophone and the piano. A fan of jazz music.

“I think she had fun, once” - the gas-station lady

also has a goldfish that she keeps forgetting to feed it’s a wonder it’s still alive.

“Call me Andy.”

WANTED CONNECTIONS

I’m down to get creative with any of these! Also, I love angst???

Housemate - There is too much room in her parents estate for her live there alone. Andy’s put up a “for rent” sign with the intention of renting out one of the rooms to another Valdez citizen. (taken)

Former friends, exes, frenemies - Maybe she lost touch with them, maybe she didn’t. If your character grew up in Valdez, there’s the chance they knew each other. Maybe they had sleepovers, maybe they were childhood enemies, maybe they dated. Bonus points if they lead lifestyles she disapproves of now! (open)

Siblings - Andy and Mikhail were Alice and Alexi’s oldest, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have had other younger siblings. Also open to having Alexi have had other affairs. (open)

The Hunted - they’ve crossed paths in the past and she’s got a vendetta against them (open)

Ex-husband - He joined the criminal underworld. She left him. Simple as that. (open)

Co-worker - Other “journalist” friends. (open)

And literally anything else.

#outlaw.intro #{ the hunter }#{ the hunter about }#{ the hunter intro }

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