#Notable Deaths in April 2024

[gone2soon-rip]

'MANDISA' aka MANDISA LYNN HUDLEY (1976-Died April 18th 2024,at 47). American gospel and contemporary Christian recording artist. Her career began as a contestant in the fifth season of American Idol, in which she finished in ninth place. She is the fifth American Idol alumna to have won a Grammy Award, for her album Overcomer in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album category.Mandisa - Wikipedia

[covid-safer-hotties]

9 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID as Summer Wave Surges - Published Aug 19, 2024

The answer "damn near everywhere people go" may shock you.

COVID’s surge shows no sign of slowing down as the biggest summer wave in two years continues. In fact, COVID levels are “very high” in 27 states, according to the CDC’s wastewater data. “Currently, the COVID-19 wastewater viral activity level is very high nationally, with the highest levels in the Western US region,” Dr. Jonathan Yoder, deputy director of the CDC’s Wastewater Surveillance Program, said to CNN. “This year’s COVID-19 wave is coming earlier than last year, which occurred in late August/early September.” Fortunately, death rates and hospitalization rates are nothing like they were during previous waves due to greater immunity and vaccines. But catching COVID still comes with risks, including LONG COVID, which can result in chronic, debilitating illness. So how do you stay safe? Use caution before entering these nine places you’re most likely to catch COVID now, as the summer wave surges.

Crowded indoor events COVID spreads primarily through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks, or breathes, especially in close-contact settings or poorly ventilated areas. “People who are higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19 should consider taking extra precautions for the next few weeks, like limiting time in crowded indoor settings or wearing a mask in crowded indoor settings. People rarely get COVID-19 outdoors, so outdoor events remain quite safe,” say the experts at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

Airports, airplanes and public transportation Given the COVID rates right now, the CDC urges travelers to “get up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines before you travel and take steps to protect yourself and others. Consider wearing a mask in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor areas, including on public transportation and in transportation hubs. Take additional precautions if you were recently exposed to a person with COVID-19. Don’t travel while sick.” They go even further for certain folks: “If you have a weakened immune system or are at increased risk for severe disease, talk to a healthcare professional before you decide to travel. If you travel, take multiple prevention steps to provide additional layers of protection from COVID-19, even if you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines. These include improving ventilation and spending more time outdoors, avoiding sick people, getting tested for COVID-19 if you develop symptoms, staying home if you have or think you have COVID-19, and seeking treatment if you have COVID-19.”

Shopping malls Studies are just now coming out with an analysis of what happened during the height of the pandemic. Although times are different now, these results can be instructive. For example, one study published in April 2024 “examines the transmission of COVID-19 through casual contact in retail stores using data from Denmark. By matching card payment data with COVID-19 test results, researchers tracked over 100,000 instances where infected individuals made purchases in stores. They found that customers exposed to an infected person in the same store within a 5-minute window had a significantly higher infection rate in the following week. The study concludes that retail store transmissions contributed notably to the spread of COVID-19, particularly during the period when the Omicron variant was dominant.”

Religious gatherings The transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus during religious events has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with a communal gathering in which people, well, commune. “The smallest SARS-CoV-2 droplets can remain airborne and travel farther than six feet. The scientific community does not agree upon what is a ‘safe distance,’ but standing near an infectious person is riskier than standing farther away,” says the AMA. Additionally, “the amount of virus a person is exposed to can influence the chance of infection and the severity; consequently, staying in one place for a longer time creates a higher risk of infection.”

Movie theaters The box office is back, as hits like Deadpool & Wolverine, It Ends With Us, and Alien: Romulus pack them in after a few dark pandemic years of low attendance, the rare Barbenheimer proving the exception to the rule. For movie buffs, it’s a thrill. But check your theater’s ventilation before lining up around the block. One study published this year “investigates the risk factors for COVID-19 transmission during an outbreak in a movie theater in Incheon, South Korea, in November 2021. It involved 48 confirmed cases, primarily among theater attendees, with a high attack rate of 84.8% during one screening. The study found that inadequate ventilation and close proximity among audience members were key contributors to the spread of the virus despite most attendees being fully vaccinated. The study emphasizes the importance of proper ventilation in enclosed spaces like theaters to prevent airborne transmission of COVID-19.”

Healthcare facilities “Some hospitals across the United States are reinstating indoor masking rules amid rising cases and hospitalizations of respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 and influenza,” reported ABC News earlier this year. "Ultimately, health systems, hospitals, places that deliver care are going to see some of the most vulnerable and at-risk individuals -- many, with underlying conditions," Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and an ABC News contributor, told the network. "Those are especially the places where we want to protect individuals, and so when we have this rapid rise in respiratory illness, those are going to be the first places to try to use measures to reduce chances of transmission, both to protect patients, those receiving care, as well as workforce."

Gyms and fitness studios Common sense will tell you transmission of an airborne disease may increase the more frequently people breathe in and out—as you might do at the gym. One “study looked at the number of aerosol particles 16 people exhaled at rest and during workouts. These tiny bits of airborne matter — measuring barely a few hundred micrometers in diameter, or about the width of a strand of hair, and suspended in mist from our lungs — can transmit coronavirus if someone is infected, ferrying the virus lightly through the air from one pair of lungs to another,” reported the New York Times during the pandemic. “The study found that, at rest, the men and women breathed out about 500 particles per minute. But when they exercised, that total soared 132-fold, topping out above 76,000 particles per minute, on average, during the most strenuous exertion.”

Bars and Nightclubs Just when some of us wanted to drink the most, bars were verboten during the height of the pandemic. There was a good reason to use caution. One study published last year “analyzed over 44,000 COVID-19 cases in Tokyo in 2020, focusing on transmission in various settings, including healthcare and nightlife venues like bars and nightclubs. It found that nightlife settings were more likely to involve clusters of five or more infections and were more likely to lead to further spread compared to other settings. The highest case-fatality rate was observed in healthcare settings. The findings suggest that targeting interventions in nightlife venues could be crucial for controlling COVID-19 transmission, especially during the early stages of an outbreak.”

Restaurants and cafés Last year, the Washington Post asked virus experts if they’d eat in restaurants. Joanna Dolgoff, a pediatrician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, offered an answer that may be a decent North Star for you today. “At this time, I will continue to eat in restaurants as long as they are well-ventilated and not overly crowded. If somebody near me shows signs of illness, I will be prepared to leave immediately. If covid cases continue to spike and if illness becomes more severe, I will stop eating inside restaurants until cases subside,” she said.

[veneritia]

april 2024 camp nano wip intro - when comes the dawn

this is just something silly :)

taglist: @bloomingwrites @writinglyra @zmwrites @trapped-inadystopianovel @inky-duchess @aalinaaaaaa @seasteading @kaatiba @lazulis-stuff @serpentarii @sourrcandy @charlesjosephwrites @marrowwife @forever-and-almost-always @halcionic

Slide transcripts under the cut!

[TRANSCRIPT BEGINS]

Slide 1: Title slide

When Comes the Dawn, book 1 of 2

Slide 2: wdym my fantasy story has to have magic?

Set in a fantasy world loosely set in the late antiquities/early middle ages., where everyone alive has the capability to harness magic. But actually using it requires strict and intensive education (and maybe a phD or 5) so most people only know very basic spells.

In Trinitarian belief, it’s believed that the goddess Meidther gave her blood to bring humans to life, and because of that people are imbued with magic. No living person can be alive without magic because it’s literally impossible! Wait -- the emperor of Aetier has a what????

So there’s this weird phenomenon where on very rare occasions, babies will be born without magic. Called “deadbornes”, these babies are incompatible with life and usually end up passing away minutes to days later. With one notable exception (we’ll circle back to this later)

Slide 3: the set-up

The Empire of Aetier (or if you ask any local: “the gods’ specialist little empire”) has a very unique way of handling succession in the imperial family. That way is murder. Just murder. All heirs plot against one another in a formal-informal system called “The King’s Game.” It’s supposed to be a competition of skills, but it’s kind of warped itself into state-sanctioned fratricide (NOT to be confused with a battle royale. That’s just uncouth /j)

The last King’s Game ended 22 years ago, when Dantalion vi Aetier defeated and killed his half-sister in battle. As the victor, he crowned himself the new Vasilier of the empire and proceeded to bring in a new golden age of prosperity for his people. And nothing is wrong and everything is beautiful, and there is no way this can go wrong

... right?

It all starts on the day Fenice was born... where instead of being the healthy and uber powerful child Dantalion expected her to be, Fenice turns out to be a deadborne. Deadbornes are considered harbingers of ill omens, and siring one is a terrible way to start your new reign. And even stranger still is the fact that Fenice...doesn’t die? Someone call the priest and ask them what does it mean if your death omen refuses to go away

Slide 4: The plot

The end of the Hesperia-Aetier war brought new lands under the Empire’s rule, and with it, new ways to gain power and prestige in the Imperial Court. The biggest thorn in the empire atm is that Hesperia’s last king is still wandering the lands somewhere, waiting to strike.

Imperessa Fenice vi Aetier (who’s still alive and kicking) just lost her mom in the war, and now she’s desperate to prove herself to her estranged father that she’s more than a disappointment and wasted potential. And what better way to do that than to succeed him as the next Vasilier?

The problem? Only those that undergo an Ascension are considered legitimate contenders for the throne. The other problem? Dantalion won’t give her one.

Fenice: “Trade offer: I receive my own province to rule and an Ascension. You receive the head of the deposed king of Hesperia.” Dantalion: “Deal. But you have to marry his brother though” Fenice: “What”

[in big, bold, italicized font] disclaimer: this is not a romance

Slide 5: The plot pt. 2

Now wedded and gifted with a province of her own to rule , Fenice actually has to set-up her own power base and follow through with her end of the deal to find and kill the runaway king, as well as extinguish the rebellions he’s so keen on igniting.

But the more she looks for him, the more she realizes he’s being backed by someone much more powerful. But who?

And on totally unrelated note, there seems to be some weird rumors going around of some guy claiming to be Aretos vi Aetier, the son of the very same person Dantalion killed during the King’s Game 20+ years back. But that’s obviously fake news. Surely no one will fall for it!

Slide 6: The POV characters

[image description, the slide is split into two parts with fenice on the left and nikephoros on the right. end image description]

[heading ] fenice vi aetier

[image description: a face claim of the character is displayed on an arched frame, the model is female,has long red hair, pale skin, and an intense gaze]

20, she/her, imperessor of Aetier, Kaisarim of Isidore

the deadborne child that just won’t die

The most calculative and petty bitch you will ever meet

Has the constitution of a sick Victorian lady

Has an inferiority complex so bad it loops back around to a superiority complex

May have met god. not entirely sure

(Debuff) (unremovable) an off-putting aura that cancels out all magic in her immediate vicinity

Ginger

She’s soooo aroace

[heading ] nikephoros deominos

[image description: a face claim of the character is displayed on an arched frame, the model is male, has short light brown hair, is wearing a red sweater, and has his chin tucked into the crook of his arm, while leaning off the arm of a sofa. end image description.]

24, he/him, prince-consort, prince of Hesperia

has been having the worst day of his life for 5 years in a row and counting

his country? conquered. his brother? in hiding. his sister? captive. himself? trying not to die of liver failure

the opposite of a wife guy, the only person he hates more than his wife is his father-in-law loves his family, would be nice to see them though.

generally a nice guy but recent events has him very stressed and angry 24/7

has murderous urges almost all the time

At the bottom middle of the slide it says "married in body but divorced in spirit."

Slide 7: Major characters (spar's notes edition)

(no pictures bc face claimsare hard :(

[heading] dantalion vi aetier

47, he/him, vasilier of the empire

a living legend that all history nerds of the future would study

the dilfiest dilf to ever dilf

has many kids. is a father to maybe one of them

has many wives. is a husband to one, maybe two of them

canonically extremely pretty

surprisingly the only vi aetier to recieve the “kinslayer” epithet despite all previous generations also...slaying kin

Is a wife guy but for a specific wife only

conquered Hesperia as a pride thing

[heading] titania of taul

45, she/her, late vasilia of the empire

the most badass woman to ever walk the face of the earth

mother to fenice and first wife to the guy on the left

she dies before the book starts but she’s still present in the story because death has nothing on her

has many fun epithets such as “the strongest mage,” and “the scourge of men”

Titania is to Hesperians as Hannibal was to the Romans

A+ fighter, B+ mom

Not brought up or relevant in the story, but did you know no one knows who her mother is. One day, her dad just walked out into the wilderness to hunt and then a couple weeks or months later came back with Titania. no explanation was given

Slide 8: major characters cont.

[heading] andras vi drochona

44, he/him, imperessor of Aetier

Dantalion’s only full-blooded sibling, and also his only living sibling

the vasilier’s right hand man

lopped off his own sword arm to prove his loyalty

Designated a forever bachelor by the government

terrible at being comforting

likes to mess with his nieces and nephews

[heading] charles vi aetier

18, he/him, imperessor of Aetier

dantalion’s second child

everyone’s favorite person and can do no wrong

has to always be ok or he’ll detonate like a nuke

achilles coded bi-disaster, take that however you will

a disney prince trapped in game of thrones someone please help this boy out he just wants his family to get along

absolute mama’s boy

[heading] sola eidos

27, he/him

that is not his real name, he made it up

could be the star of his own book ngl

primarily deals in information nowadays but sometimes he misses the adrenaline rush that comes from a well-executed assassination. this is what lands him in fenice’s hands

his secrets have secrets, that’s why his hair is so big

slide 9: major characters cont.

[heading] isandros deominos

28, he him, king of Hesperia

Nike’s older half-brother

Had the worst start of a reign ever. He’s proclaimed king and then immediately has to flee into hiding

hates Aetier with a burning passion

is Stressed TM and in dire need for some hot cocoa

[heading] leda vi bryennia

48, she/her, honored fidari

long story short, she once witnessed Titania fight and covered in blood and had such a massive girl-crush she swore to be Titania’s knight the second she was asked

helped raise fenice and is now serves her as her guardian/protector. that is her child thank you very much

had a shounen-style rivals-to-friends-to-lovers arc with fellow fidari Thetis. It’d be great if it wasn’t for their explosive break-up

[heading] sartore vitae

28, he/him

he can mansplain, manipulate, and manwhore his way into and out of any situation

has a cool eye-patch

is maybe a little too invested with Fenice’s relationship with her father

he WISHES he was as cool as lelouch lamperouge

+ many more characters! (seriously this cast is huge)

slide 10: featuring

way too much extraneous worldbuilding

court intrigue

morally dark gray protagonist

family as your allies and family as your enemies

lots of near-death experiences

no romantic subplot!

too many code geass references

slide 11: camp nano goals

write everyday

2wrte 15,000 words total

reach 50,000 words on my draft

slide 12: fin

[image description: the final slide is full of discord screenshots of funny jokes and commentary about the wip. ]

[end transcript]

[captainsavre]

100 Episodes and Beyond: The Legacy of ‘Station 19’

What we’ll always take away from the landmark series even after it fades to black.

BY MALCOLM VENABLEPUBLISHED: APR 10, 2024

Station 19 is ending, sadly, but when it does make its final farewell this year, Shondaland’s ABC series will leave behind more than teary eyes and a legion of loyal fans not ready to say goodbye. Though on the surface Station 19 functions as a standard emergency services/rescue drama, it has so much more going on underneath its fireproof exterior. For seven seasons now, the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off has become a landmark TV show in its own right, leaving behind a lasting legacy.

On a recent visit to the Station 19 set, where Shondaland was on hand to celebrate the momentous achievement of Station 19 finishing its 100th episode, which airs Thursday, April 11, we caught up with its beloved stars to probe what the show means — and talk about some of the ways the show will live on forever.

First-responder life

Perhaps the biggest and most important legacy of Station 19 is the way it reveals the struggles, sacrifices, and everyday heroism of first responders. Statistics show that Americans make roughly 240 million 911 calls a year — that’s more than 600,000 emergency calls per day. If we’re lucky, we’ll never have to make such a call, making it easy to forget that on the other end of that line are real people who get up every day and put their own needs and lives aside to help us when we’re having the worst day ever.

Through all kinds of calamities, disasters, and unthinkable emergencies — gas leaks and bombs, medical scares and car crashes, and of course, fires — we’ve seen these fictional characters mirror the courage and heroism real first responders exhibit every day. “I think Station,” executive producer and co-showrunner Peter Paige says, “has this magical formula of great action, incredible characters, incredible human stories that model a better way to be in the world.” Amen to that!

Mental health

The flip side of those incredible acts of service on Station 19 is the toll such a job takes. Sure, fires and rescue scenes make really good TV, but what has made Station 19 so impactful is the way it shows the human cost of such work. The death of Rigo (played by Rigo Sanchez) in season three is a good example: The subsequent group therapy sessions, where Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz) and the team confront their grief and loss, illustrated how the job doesn’t exist in a vacuum and even the world’s toughest people feel emotional pain. “The relationships and circumstances really resonate with the audience,” Ortiz says. “They cry with us and grieve with us.”

Representation

“I feel like we have a lot of good representation,” says Zoanne Clack, co-showrunner and executive producer. “A lot of people who don’t see themselves represented usually on network television see themselves on our show.” She couldn’t be more correct. Station 19 has been trailblazing for the way it depicts a number of underrepresented groups — most notably Latinos, who are vastly underrepresented on television — in lead roles, with Pruitt Herrera (Miguel Sandoval) and Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz) in particular as standout examples. Showing them as captains has been quietly revolutionary, helping to undo persistent stereotypes that have Latinx people in service jobs or as criminals. LGBTQ characters get a lot of shine on Station 19 too; we see characters like Carina (Stefania Spampinato) and Maya (Danielle Savre) living out their lives, and not being held up as perfect aspirational models but as everyday people dealing with work, relationships, parenting, and the like — just like so many LGBTQ people the world over.

Family

“I think everybody sees the family they grew up in and the family they created — good, bad, and ugly,” says Jason George, otherwise known as Dr. Ben Warren. Indeed, Station 19’s 100 powerful episodes give us unflinching glimpses into what it looks like to be a pea in a pod, so to speak, and navigate the dynamics of being in a forced cluster — particularly accepting and supporting other people even if, in the moment, you’d really rather not. From courtships to breakups, baby making, and confronting the finality to death, the Station 19 family have endured it all together, and viewers have gone through it all alongside them. And that’s just one of the many reasons why its impact will stick inside the hearts of viewers for years to come.

For more on the legacy of Station 19, watch the video above from the series’ 100th episode celebration. And catch the final season of Station 19 on Thursdays on ABC, or stream episodes on Hulu.

Link: 100 Episodes and Beyond: The Legacy of ‘Station 19’ (shondaland.com)

[moongazeonastarfillednight]

The Terror: When, How, Where... (PART 1)

See part 2 for the end of my sanity (ep 6 through 9. Wasn't enough characters left on the post for ep 10)

See part 3 (and episode 10)

As I am writing the fic, I was getting frustrated at trying to figure out the timeline of the expedition. More specifically, what happens after they dropped the Victory Point Note.

Therefore, in order to organize my ideas, and also because it might be of interests to some of you, I will document here what I got.

Episode 1 through 5 for now.

Methodology

If we agree that the showrunners (and Dan Simmons to an extent) made their research, we should be able to match some of the event of the story with notable point of interests where artefacts and/or remains were found over the numerous searches made to ascertain the fate of the Franklin Expedition

I also tried to take note of all indications of time passing so that I might document their speed travel and the dates when they are not mentioned.

... And the death count. (Departing Beechey Island with 24 officers and 102 men)

Finally, I also used the following website to keep track of sunrises and sunsets: https://www.timeanddate.com/

1927 Admiralty Map

I may be an amateur in this kind of research but I find myself frustrated that the most complete map I've been able to find showing all that was found between 1850 and 1926 is shown on this map from 1927

To be noted, we now know that the Skeleton of H. Peglar was more probably W. Gibson or T. Armitage

The Skeleton of Lt. Le Vesconte has also been reevaluated and is now believed to be that of Harry Goodsir ( :( )

Also, as it happens, if we compare to 2024 maps, we can say that this is not the actual shape of KWI (close enough!).

Therefore, for my own sanity, I recreated with modern maps. Is it accurate? Well, I wouldn't publish it but I think it gives a good enough view of where they went and where they were going:

Where the Ships had drifted to in June 1847 (According to G. Gore's coordinates left on the Victory point note)

Where the Ships had drifted with the Pack by April 1848 (Victory Point Note)

Victory Point

McClintock's Boat Place (proposed to be same location as NgLJ-1)

Camp with Many skeletons

From D. Simmons' The Terror - The Hospital Camp

Peglar Skeleton

Starvation Cove

A Bunch of cairns in the area

Harry Goodsir

Gjoa Haven (Netsilik Settlement)

Fort Resolution (Dear God... look at how far they wanted to walk/Canoe/make portage...)

Matching the Show

Episode 1 - Go for Broke

Location 1 - David Young's grave (71.22, -96.60)

Date: September 5th 1846

Nighttime - None

Daylight - 14h 57 min

Twilight - 9h 03 min

Sunset: 7:51 PM - Sunrise: 4:55 AM

David Young was buried 7 days before they were beset in the ice (see point 3 on the map below).

During the dinner in which we were regaled by the tale of Mr. Fitzjames' Holes, Franklin discuss that they were approaching a bigger channel, which is now know as the McClintock Channel (see point 1 on the map below), meaning that at the time, they were still in the Franklin Strait.

On the day after his death, Franklin discuss their next course and assure that they must be 'nearly in sight of KW Land'. Crozier suggests it might take them weeks to actually make it to KWI. This would confirm what was infer above.

As we can see the two ships fitting in a cozy little cove while the grave is being dug, I would like to propose Point 4 on the map below as Ficitonal David Young's final resting place, on Tasmania Islands

Location 2 - Ships September 1846 (70.25, -98.00)

Date: September 12th 1846

Nighttime - None

Daylight - 13h 45 min

Twilight - 10h 15 min

Sunset: 7:19 PM - Sunrise: 5:34 AM

Well, for this one, we need to use the extrapolation provided by the 1927's Admiralty map by tracing the line from where the ships were known to be in 1847 and 1848 (Point 5 and 6). (see point 3)

For Future Reference:

Travel Time between Loc 1 and Loc 2 - 7 days

Distance between Loc 1 and Loc 2 :70 NM / 80 Miles / 130 km

Average Travel Speed - 11.4 miles a day

Travel Condition - Ice breaking

DEATH COUNT: 2 + 3 (Total 5)

24 Officers and 100 Men remaining

Episode 2 - Gore

Location 3 - The Ships in 1847 (70.15, -98.30)

Date: May 24th 1847

Nighttime - None

Daylight - 24h min

Twilight - None

Sunset: N/A - Sunrise: N/A

Coordinates and Date From the Victory Point Note (see Point 1)

Location 4 - The Cairn (69.66, -98.27)

Date: May 28th 1847

Nighttime - None

Daylight - 24h min

Twilight - None

Sunset: N/A - Sunrise: N/A

From the ships, Gore lead his party to James Clark Ross' Cairn.

Now, in the Show, they found JCR's Cairn without an issue. In reality, while Gore had found the Cairn just fine, Crozier and Fitzjames did not. One of the reason for it is that JCR had, apparently, made a miscalculation in reporting where he had erected the Cairn by several miles. Honestly, the way that Fitzjames had written the words was so confusing, I appreciate that the show made the whole thing so much simpler, ahah. So let's say that it matches what we know now as Victory Point. Easy Peasy! (see Point 2)

To be Noted, we know the dates of departure from ships and arrival at cairn from the Victory Point Note.

Location 5 - The Ice Camp (69.665, -98.32)

Date: May 28th 1847

Nighttime - None

Daylight - 24h min

Twilight - None

Sunset: N/A - Sunrise: N/A

The Camp was raised just beyond the ice ridge that blocked the way form the shore and the Cairn was only a mile or so away. (see Point 3... hidden between point 2)

Of Note: That hail storm's cloud coverage was intense to say the least... So dark :')

Back to Loc 3 (70.15, -98.30)

Date: June 2nd 1847

Nighttime - None

Daylight - 24h min

Twilight - None

Sunset: N/A - Sunrise: N/A

Wednesday is a good day to drink with the Captain :D which makes it the Wednesday following May 28th 1847! So it's June 2nd!

For Future Reference:

Loc 2 to Loc 3

Travel time - 8 months, 12 days or 254 days

Travel Distance: 8.6 NM / 10 miles / 16 km

Average Travel Speed - 0.04 miles a day

Travel Condition - Pack drifting

Loc 3 to Loc 4/5

Travel time - 5 days

Travel Distance: 29 NM / 33.5 miles / 54 km

Average Travel Speed - 6.7 miles a day

Travel Condition - 6 Men hauling Sledge on Ice

Loc 4/5 Back to Loc 3

Travel time - 4 days

Travel Distance: 29 NM / 33.5 miles / 54 km

Average Travel Speed - 8.4 miles a day

Travel Condition - 6 Men hauling ASS and Sledge on Ice

DEATH COUNT: 1 (Total: 6)

23 Officers and 100 Men remaining

Episode 3 - The Ladder

This one is fun because, well... they're not moving! I could point out where Silna ends up but it looks like she remain close enough to the ships that it doesn't matter all that much. So, let's just make note of the date and events:

Location 3 - Ships in June 1847 (70.15, -98.30)

For the duration of the episode:

Nighttime - None

Daylight - 24h min

Twilight - None

Sunset: N/A - Sunrise: N/A

Date: between June 2nd and June 10th 1847

- Silna makes her igloo a few miles away from the Ships

Date: June 11th 1847

- Franklin Dies

- Crozier drafts his resignation letter

Date: June 12th 1847

- Franklin's leg is buried :')

- Lieutenant Fairholme is sent to KWI.

DEATH COUNT: 2 (Total: 8)

22 Officers and 99 Men remaining

Episode 4 - Punished, As a Boy

Another fun bottle Episode!

Location 3 - Ships in same approx position as June 1847 (70.15, -98.30)

Date: November 23rd 1847

Nighttime - 12h 35 min

Daylight - None

Twilight - 11h 25min

Sunset: 11:47 am - Sunrise: 10:51 am

- William Strong's birthday :)

- We know because it's the last sunrise of the year!

- Evans and Strong die :(

They searched for a long time if it was just before 4 pm when they got the alarm and then they came back in time for last sunrise at 11 am...

Date: November 24th 1847 to November 25th 1847

Nighttime - 12h 35 min

Daylight - None

Twilight - 11h 25min

Sunset: N/A - Sunrise: N/A

- Hickey has a communion with Tuunbaq (supposedly next day or so)

- Then Hickey gets evily booped.

DEATH COUNT: 2 + Hickey's postern (Total: 10)

22 Officers and 97 Men remaining

Episode 5 - First Shot the Winner, Lads

More fun in a bottle. These boys are not going far...

Honestly, for this one, the trouble was figuring out how much time had passed. For one, we know it's not yet Christmas because Christmas is, in fact, mentioned in Episode 6 (And Lady Jane's Christmas Pudding, hear hear) as part of the meeting between the officer and there was not yet a cooperation between the Terror Lts and Fitzjames for counting the supplies.

ALSO! That scene where Mr. Wentzell got killed dead over his nail... well, it gave me the feeling that either the review of the crew is not daily or that they've been on Erebus for a short time because 1) Fitzjames doesn't know their names and 2) He has to repeat the instructions about cleanliness... Perhaps they sent the Terrors in waves and not all 50 of them at once.

Other details to be mentionned:

Hickey is not recovered yet and Goodsir suspects he might reopen his wounds from working.

Goodsir has had time to be quite good at speaking inuktitut. Now, he could have had a continuous learning experience from Dr. McDonald since June 47 and before but considering that Dr. McDonald is stationed in Terror and Goodsir in Erebus, I suspect they did not have much time to have a class together...

Finally. Crozier suggests that he would be 2, perhaps, perhaps more... sick from sobering up. He got up just in time for First sunrise (Jan 17th).

So! We can infer that the episode might have spanned over 1 or 2 days (what's with the movement between the ships and the whole Rat Wedding).

My best guess is that the dates for this whole episode would be:

Date: December 14th 1847 to December 18th 1847

Nighttime - 13h 32 min

Daylight - None

Twilight - 11h 28min

Sunset: N/A - Sunrise: N/A

Why December 14th? Because it would be Edward Little's Birthday and I feel like it is appropriate for his character to have his boss send him back to the killing cold for more booze :') (December 16th to December 20th seems more likely but...)

This would give Crozier a full month to recover from sobering up and 22 days for Goodsir to learn inuktitut (impressive!), for Hickey backside to feel better and for Fitzjames to NOT learn the name of his new Terrors.

DEATH COUNT: 3 + Blanky's leg (Total: 13)

22 Officers and 94 Men remaining

That's it for now. I'll do the last 5 episodes soonish...

Conclusion to the first sets of episode: Sunsets and Sunrises were whacky in June 1847 but, so far, distance and travel times make good sense. If the accuracy holds up until episode 10, we might be able to have a pretty good idea of what, when and where everything happened in episodes 6 through 10.

[image-junkie]

Patrick Nagel (American, 1945-1984) Girl Seated on a TV, Playboy magazine interior, May 1982 Acrylic and ink on board

Patrick Nagel (American, 1945-1984) Terri Welles, Playmate of the Year, Playboy, 1981 Acrylic on board

"Drawing inspiration from Art Deco and pop art movements, and capturing the dynamic futurism of his time, Patrick Nagel's captivating, minimalistic style has become synonymous with the 1980s. Nagel's illustrations are a visual feast, and during his all-too-brief career, his work gained widespread recognition through his collaborations with Playboy magazine and the iconic rock group Duran Duran. With over 285 illustrations within the magazine, Nagel's paintings graced the pages of every Playboy issue between August 1975 until his death in 1984, particularly in notable columns like the Playboy Advisor, Playboy Forum, and Playboy After Hours. This exposure to a wider audience propelled the popularity of what became known as "the Nagel Woman."

The present work is an exceptional and rare example by Patrick Nagel featuring the renowned model and actress, Terri Welles, and comes from her personal collection. This stunning and bold piece holds a unique significance for several reasons. Firstly, it was gifted to Terri as part of her Playmate of the Year award in 1981 after Terri sat for Nagel in his personal studio-the first Playmate to ever do so. After the sitting, Terri received the portrait as a gift from the magazine. A one-of-a-kind hidden treasure, this artwork was never published in the magazine, and has until now remain unseen by the public for over 40 years, carefully preserved by Terri it in its original frame in her private home. This untouched and highly personal work showcases Nagel's artistry in a distinct way. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that Terri is one of the very few blondes Nagel ever painted and chose to keep as a blonde, as he often preferred to darken their hair to a brunette hue." --- Heritage Auction April 2024 Illustration Art Signature Auction

[violetsareblue-selfships]

#31. Halloween / Death

Selfshiptober 2024 | [WC: 863] / so uhhh heed the prompt warning (it's not like gruesome but still involves death so) also spoilers for Love & Deepspace if anyone cares about that - this just felt like the perfect opportunity to tie this off with a lore-important fic so yeah :3

"Should I go check on them?" April asks quietly, more to herself. The longer Caleb and May stay outside, the more she feels something's going on. Maybe there actually is a Wanderer outside, and if so, she'd be able to help.

"They'll be alright. They're very capable kids," Grandma answers, spooning more food onto her plate. "Eat. They'll be back before you know it."

"Yeah…" April murmurs, continuing to eat. Her unease doesn't quite settle, but she tries to ignore it.

It's supposed to be a good occasion after all. Caleb's back for a little while and it's lovely getting to see him again. It's odd to not be able to see him all the time like she could when they were younger. But April's incredibly proud of him, too. Becoming a pilot for the Deepspace Aviation Administration is certainly impressive.

To ease her nerves, Grandma asks her a few more questions and she answers each one, relaxing more as she gets to talk about her life out in Linkon City - how it feels to work as both a baker and a part-time Deepspace Hunter.

Soon enough, the door cracks open and a wave of relief grips her heart at hearing Caleb's voice playfully teasing her sister. He enters the building and shuts the door behind him, and that's when everything changes.

It happens fast - a loud blast of sound and flash of light, barely enough time for April to register that her Evol has activated, shielding her from whatever the source of the noise is. Her eyes automatically shut and her hands cover her ears, the familiar chill of her shadows covering her body.

Her heart's pounding in her ears, and she counts out several beats before cautiously opening her eyes. She leaps to her feet as her stomach sinks, her eyes briefly scanning her surroundings.

Without her shield, she'd be dead.

Guilt wraps around her heart as she stands in the rubble of Grandma's house. If only she realized what was happening a split-second faster, she could've thrown her shield over them too and maybe…

No. May was still outside. Her eyes scan further out and she runs to the body she can see, tears prickling her eyes with relief as she sees movement. She watches as May reaches and grips Caleb's necklace in her fist before going limp against the pavement.

She's alive. She's alive.

"I've got you," April murmurs as she kneels down to her sister's crumpled form. She grabs the necklace and bracelet off the pavement - a matching set that they had bought Caleb before he left to start his job - and shoves them into her pocket.

She then carefully lifts her sister up into her arms, her mind whirling at what the next step is. Taking her to the hospital, obviously, but it's next to impossible to take an unconscious body on a motorcycle. Plus, the looks she'd receive.

She carries her away from the flames in the rubble, somewhere that she can sit and wait. Then she pulls her phone out of her bag and dials a familiar number.

"Zayne?" She asks as soon as he answers, her relief tipping him off that something had happened. "Are you busy? Can you pick us up?"

"I'm free. Where are you?" Through the phone, she can hear the sounds of him getting ready to leave wherever he is. She fills him in shakily, and he promises he'll be there soon.

"Should I stay on the line with you?" Zayne asks, his voice notably concerned. It's not rare for her to be on the brink of tears, but she knows how intuitive he is. He's bound to know something happened.

She's torn. She needs to let the authorities know that something's happened. Whether this is the doing of a Wanderer or something else… it's important to call Captain Jenna. She'd know who to contact for something like this.

So as much as she'd love the comfort of his voice, she tells him no. That she needs to call someone else.

His reply is even more alarmed as he's putting all the pieces together. "Alright. I'll be there as quickly as I can. Just hold on."

With that, he hangs up and she shakily makes the call to Jenna. She lets her know that she's taking her sister to get looked at medically, and that she'll come answer any questions she has to afterward once her sister's safe. Not that she has any clue about what happened, but it's her duty to report back.

Thankfully, Jenna understands. She says that she'll handle the rest from there, and April relaxes.

Once she's off the phone, she looks down at May. She doesn't look too injured. Given that she was outside still, she was shielded from the majority of the blast. But better safe than sorry.

Now, all she has to do is wait for Zayne while trying not to let it sink in that their family has been halved. There won't be time for those tears until after her meeting with Jenna.

She needs to stay strong for her sister.

She's all she has left.

[cleolinda]

Weekend links, April 28, 2024

My posts

I spent the first half of the week struggling through (well-medicated) mania and the second half currently with a sinus infection! I’m not enjoying it! Not either one! 

Reblogs of interest

Pro-Gaza protests at universities in the U.S.: a solidarity Passover seder and an accidental Pulitzer photo

Canada Agrees 200 Islands Belong to the Indigenous Haida Nation

--

The Hot Vintage Lady Polls continue to go for the throat. I felt so bad about Dorothy Dandridge that I started posting and reblogging propaganda for her, but Ava Gardner, my beloved, went through anyway. Backing her felt like a wish on a monkey’s paw ("Not like this!!"). (See all poll results here.) I tremble to think what round 5 will look like. Like, there’s a point when your girl is gonna come up against a Hepburn, you know?

Notably gone this week: Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Lupe Vélez, Irene Papas (who took out Vivien Leigh in the previous round), Gene Tierney, Barbara Stanwyck, Lena Horne, Jean Seberg, Anita Ekberg, Angela Lansbury, and Cyd Charisse. Like I keep saying, everybody loses. Everybody but one. Round 5 will start May 1st. 

--

Hozier Watch 2024: His first U.S. #1, which he’s now playing at shows! The first U.S. #1 for an Irish artist in 34 years! What?? you cry. Did “Take Me to Church” not do that ten years ago? Well, I went and looked it up: No. That was the “Blank Space” era. Say no more. 

Speaking of Taylor Swift—Paste Magazine went IN on the new album and got threats as a result. Meanwhile, Taylor’s fans are harassing the ex-boyfriend who did nothing wrong (as opposed to the racist one) because her PR is egging them on. I’ll admit: even though I’m not a fan, I found the Paste review to be overlong and not focused enough on the actual songs, proportionally. But that post about the PR saga is everything I miss about Fandom Wank. 

(“My rival dresses to display her legs, and her shoes are of an alluring fashion”)

Meanwhile, the Watcher guys issued the best apology possible, although it was still excruciating to watch. (Background.) They will remain on YouTube while introducing the streaming service. As a Patreon member, I haven’t asked for my free subscription code yet, but I’m going to. Some fans forgave them pretty easily; others have walked away. I’m curious to see if this affects the mood of anything new they film, since a segment of the fandom got really, really ugly about it. Mostly it just felt sad all around. 

Meanwhile, in Alabama: nobody wants to measure the feral hog.

Turns out Death Note had a good reason to concoct “American” names like “Bobson Dugnutt.” Also, I somehow had two posts tagged “death note” this week and I don’t even go here.

The worst brownies ever created and what Tumblr has to say about them

“You roll up to the Wizard Battle and your opponent takes out his spellbook but it’s just one of these”

I know that Loki is not Odin’s son in actual Norse mythology, but the bredlik is amazing.

TIL that Florence and Ravenna are still feuding over Dante’s remains

Maybe haunted dolls cost extra

Chorses

Video

Branch manager

Senior branch manager

“Free serotonin from Honey the Italian greyhound”

Sola learned to show love from her humans

I have seen many of jauncydev’s videos about dog personalities, but I have never seen him commit quite this hard before

I like tie-dye videos anyway, but this one is sick as hell

The sacred videos: you are not prepared for this police sketch, and neither is this news anchor

The sacred texts

Kick his ass, baby. I got yo flower.

Gold Star, You Tried: A compilation

A personal favorite: “mayhaps I TWIMST aroumd”

The origin of “By Talos this can’t be happening”

Personal tags of the week

Seasonally: cherry blossom. Also, art: an old standby, but it was really good, and also, I’m sick.

[enlighten3d]

ok another ask because you are fun

explain the minecraft guys with the ken and wifies and parrot in simple beginner terms. I know absolutely nothing and i want a basic understanding so that i can start to digest whats actually happening 'cause as i understand it, a LOT is happeneing

cackles evilly you will regret asking this.

okay so. theres two things happening here. theres the kww collab (fandom-given name) and unstable universe. ill explain both !

so the kww collab (that playlist is not chronological, its recommended watch order imo) is a series of. okay its mostly three videos, all released on june 29th, 2024. its a very very late april fools thing LMAO. theres the main three videos (main two actually, and then theres the true creator which is an epilogue of sorts), and then theres. the supplementals ig? two short videos (from wato and from ken), and a prologue in the form of a weird short part of a video released three months earlier by wato)

and the kww collab thing is PROOOBABLY a part of kenadians general april fools lore thing (heres a playlist)! we only know this because we see wato wear a mask in the true creator thats. a kenadian lore thing. so quickly, ill summarise both the ken lore and the kww collab:

ken lore is essentially that shes debunking fake 'prison' (its actually rly bad escape rooms) escapists, notably this guy named omziscool, but then omz quit youtube and ken essentially made him into an oc LMAO. so in the lore, ken is debunking omz and finally defeats him, and. gets the mask that omz wore. and omz dies i think, after thanking ken. so the mask was making him fake escape rooms and be insane abt hoppers (its a thing). but ken now has the mask, and is wearing it, so they go a bit insane too and... kill a hundred thousand ppl using hoppers. and then he loses the mask somehow. is in jail. abt to be transported to the prison that they themselves built. then theres a video where theyre on a train to said prison, almost escape, and then get their memory wiped again I THINK?? and. then we never got an escape from the daedalus prison.

and the kww collab is basically. ken goes to debunk wifies (an actually legit escape room escapist), goes to spy on him, finds out that theres TWO wifies (henceforth theyre evilfies and clonefies). one, evilfies, is helping out clonefies from the outside, like chanigng the weather or flatout cheating. clonefies has no clue this is happening and thinks its all legit. ken confronts evilfies, learns that cloenfies is a clone made to fake escape rooms bcs evilfies just wants that sweet video revenue, and ken gets sent into the escape room themselves (clonefies softlocked himself btw). so ken goes through the escape room (solving it a second time bcs thats possible here), finds clonefies, and they escape together. they track down evilfies, ken realises that shes had Character Development (aka she actually cares abt clonefies now), and they confront evilfies. and clonefies challenges him to trivia to the death bcs if theyre the same person then whoever knows more should be the real wifies. but its rigged in clonefies favour, evilfies is Dead, yayy they win!!

AND THEN YOU WATCH THE TRUE CREATOR AND NOTHING MAKES SENSE ANYMORE. I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY HERE. basically we see wato being interrogated by ken and wifies, and camera footage of wato (WEARING WIFIES CLOTHES AND THE FUCKING OMZ MASK) going through the escape room after ken did (thus solving it for a THIRD time), going to the evil lair, picking up a wifies head, and dying. and. yeah we have no actual clue whats happening here, its v confusing. but. yeah omz mask is there, watos memory is fucked up.

thats the kww collab. i personally hc that uu and kww collab are in the same universe and that uu!wifies and uu!ken are kww!wifies and kww!ken. they are the Same Thing to me.

now, unstable universe.. this ones harder to explain. have an explanation post i made an hour ago: here. read that, that goes over the basics of what uu IS.

so whats most relevant here is parrots pov of uu, and. basically hes just doing shit and wifies shows up, and they end up being rlyyy close, and would do almost anth for eachother. ken shows up and then, in my head, the kww!loyalty duo (thats ken and wifies) dynamic gets superimposed onto uu!loyalty duo and its rly interesting, yeah?

so. yeah thats the whole thing basically explained. iirc this ask was sent around the time i explained rau?? like. i dont actually fucking remember, i thinkt hat was a week ago. but. whatever. for rau, kww is canon to uu, which im sure explains a lot of shit. and. if im very wrong abt the timing of this ask, heres my bad explanation of rau (my beloved au that im so very insane abt): here. so much angst.

uhh yeah thats about it. sorry this is fucking LONGGG. i hope i have answered your questions !!! i rly do !! im. ASK ANY SPECIFICS AND I WOULD BE SO GLAD TO ANSWER??? this is rly a heavily-summarised ver of everything, and i can provide a summary of parrots uu too if you want (that would be Long), but. i really do just recommend watching kww collab at the very least, im so insane abt it. rahh !!

[moonbreezes]

"-sickly Georgie (literally trauma bonding through sickness and period accurate “medicine”) he was ill every other month why not use it '

Sounds intresting and I haven't heard that before. What did you mean by that????

I do not know how to present this in a coherent way so allow me to create a vague list of some of the more notable events that revolved around George’s health. And I will restrict myself to only the time that he was James’s favourite.

I will not comment on George’s early years, because I cannot find any source (I might edit this later when I find anything of substance) that comments on his health. (Nonetheless I vaguely remember reading something about his poor health when he was a child.) However, there are records about him being sick whilst being already a favourite. It is especially interesting as King James often personally visited George or sent him gifts (fruits) so that he could recover quickly. There are not only third party records about George’s health and his sickness form outside visitors, but there are also letters from James directly addressed to Buckingham that mention his health.

The first incident oh his health collapsing is around late 1616, when it was speculated that he fell from grace and was not going to stick as a favourite, because of his absence. This is also around the time when he received the nickname Steenie, after St. Stephen who was dubbed as person with an angelic face. At that time, it became imminent that he was prone to being sick during moments of great tension. It might have been a prolonged sickness as it was noted around spring he was not feeling well, perhaps due to the death of one of his promoters – Sir John Graham. Some also speculated whether his poor health and absence was connected to John’s ‘fits of insanity’ (elder brother).[1]

Another incident happens three years later around June 1619. In April, James fell ill, and many feared he might die due to the severity of it. George, fearing his bad prospects after the possible death of the king was immensely relieved once James started to recover. Nonetheless the constant fear and taking care of the king resulted in him felling ill. After quick recovery he overexerted himself once again and a series of fainting spells took place, this forced him to rest much longer. After that James gave him, a stern talking to as he worried about George.[2]

Then, at the very end of Charles’s and his stay in Spain (around the end of August 1622) he, once again, fell ill which resulted in a delay of their return to England. There were rumours that he contracted syphilis while staying in Spain, which was supposed to explain a collapse in health shortly after he returned.[3]

(late April 1624 – June 2024) Then, there was the carriage incident. After the failed Spanish Match, there was a lot going on between not only between James and George but in general (Spanish weaving in accusations against George while talking with James, then there was the Parliament, James not liking what was going on and the influence George was exercising over Charles and the whole popularity thing. There was a lot). Their relationship turned colder.

He was about to leave for Windsor, for the Garter ceremonies on St George's Day, but could not bear to take Buckingham in his coach with him. The Duke, sensing that something was wrong, pressed James to say what was the matter. Thereupon the King, bursting into tears, declared that he was the unhappiest man alive, to be treated with such ingratitude by those who were dearest to him, and told Buckingham of the charges made against him. The Duke, who could not restrain his own tears, protested his innocence and called for a full investigation to discover who had given the ambassadors this false information. But James drove off to Windsor, taking only the Prince with him, and the disconsolate Buckingham was left to return to Wallingford House where he retired to bed and refused to see anybody.[4]

After that George fell ill once again. Charles in letters to Buckingham assured him, that he would mediate with James so that he would forgive the duke and the affection would return once more. Still weak in body and mind, after some time George was allowed to travel with the king in his coach. Nonetheless, his frail health was compromised once more, and illness returned. This time however, it was not entirely certain that he would survive. (James’s head physician tended to him).

Chamberlain reports on 13 May 1624: "The Duke of Buckingham hath ben sicke above this sevenight of a feaver, the jaundisse, and I know not what els, so that besides other phisicke he hath ben thrise let bloud at least, yet the world thincks he is more sicke in mind then body and that he declines apace" (Letters, 2: 558) [5]

After a difficult night, the King, fearing for his favourite’s life rushed to his side and was by his bedside for some hours. As Buckingham steadily recovered James was said to send him gifts (fruits such as cherries, melons, or grapes) daily, for which George thanked him in letters.[6] Then it is also said that at one time, he knelt at his bedside and begged the God to transfer the illness onto him so that the favourite would recover.

Dear Dad and Gossip, Though you commanded me to write no answer, yet, since I should not a slept well this night except I had done it, I hope you will excuse my disobeying of you at this time. I have been the longer a-doing of it because I might send you the certainer news of my health, which at this time is so good, what with your sweet cordial and my seasonable drawing of blood, that I hope tomorrow to wait of you a perfect man. I hope you will not be put to much pains to read this hand, since you have received so many love letters from her who joins with me in humble thanks for your kindness and care of us both. So, craving your blessing, we end Your Majesty's most humble slaves, Kate. Steenie.[7]

And once again, the affections between James and George returned to their, let’s call it, default state. Nonetheless, despite a quick recovery, during his next appearance Buckingham was supposed to be carried on a chair, as he was unable to walk or even hold a pen; his body was simply too weak.[8]

Following that, there were other minor instances when George’s health gave out.

Dear Dad and Gossip, I have not yet been able to acquaint the Ambassador with what you have found in your book, because I received your letter when I was come from him; but before I shall be able to see you, I shall have done it; for what with the rainy weather, my late coming last night, and this day's long treating with him in the garden, I have such a swelling in my throat, and such a noise in my head, that I can neither swallow nor hear well; wherefore I shall be forced for my health, if your service will permit me, to take a little physic. The physicians tells me this is the seasonablest time […].[9]

Sweet heart, Blessing, blessing, blessing […]. Remember now to take the air discreetly and peece and peece. And, for God's sake and mine, keep thyself very warm, especially thy head and thy shoulders. Put thy park of Bewlie to an end, and love me still and still. And so God bless thee, and my sweet daughter, and god-daughter, to the comfort of thy dear dad. JAMES R[10]

In January 1625, whilst dealing with various (war-related) affairs he has once more fell ill, and even the King urged him to leave London and rest in the countryside. Nonetheless this time around, he had to suffer through what was ailing him and carry on working.  And lastly the death of king James also affected George, as the grief rendered him so weak in his body that he had to be, once again, carried in a chair.[11]

So there it is. I am absolutely sorry about the amount of my yaaping about George and his health, even if is truncated. I have tried to stay coherent and do not stray from the timeline, so I hope that this little ‘compilation’ is alright. Tldr; George had health of a Victorian street urchin battling with consumption and contemporary medicine.

Bibliography

Bergeron, David M. 2002. King James and Letters of Homoerotic Desire. University Of Iowa Press.

Lockyer, Roger. 2014. Buckingham: The Life and Political Career of George Villiers, First Duke of Buckingham. Routledge.

[1] Lockyer, Roger. 2014. Buckingham: The Life and Political Career of George Villiers, First Duke of Buckingham. Routledge, 28.

[2] Lockyer. Buckingham, 55-57.

[3] Lockyer. Buckingham, 162.

[4] Lockyer. Buckingham, 187.

[5]Bergeron, David M. 2002. King James and Letters of Homoerotic Desire. University Of Iowa Press, 125.

[6] ) Bergeron. King James and…, 208.

[7] Letter form Buckingham to King James (c. 16th June 1624) ) Bergeron. King James and…, 205.

[8] Lockyer. Buckingham, 196-9.

[9] An excerpt from the letter form Buckingham to King James (c. August 1624) Bergeron. King James and…, 207.

[10] An excerpt from King James’s letter to Buckingham (c.1624) Ibid., 176.

Lockyer. Buckingham, 213, 226, 234-5.

[foundationhq]

MISSION: SCP-9584.

DATE & TIME: MARCH 28 - APRIL 1.

DECLASSIFIED DETAILS: Tasked with auditing what went wrong in the containment breach, can MTF Chi-00 overcome the hurdle together as a team?

FOR PLAYERS: This log pertains to the events in 𝑎𝑐𝑡  𝑖.  𝑐ℎ.  𝑖𝑖.  (𝑑𝑖𝑠)𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑦; players will work together to piece together what happened and come up with a "game plan" in-character before MTF Chi-00 encounters the SCP and solve the mystery of the containment breach.

This post is part two out of three. Please follow the OOC Requirements for activity. All active players' participation is mandatory for activity check. There are no SIDE STORIES in this chapter.

CONTENT WARNINGS: mentions of death, gun violence, unsettling digital images.

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲! 𝗦𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴? 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁! 𝗜𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹!

An exterior shot of SCP-9584. Addresses and other information have been censored for this document.

Discovery

Item #: SCP-9584

Object Class: Safe Keter

Before containment, Happy Family Corp. had a 3.4-star rating on various business review sites. Negative reviews often cited that the venue was constantly listed as fully booked despite appearing empty on multiple days, odd or erratic behavior from staff, and notably, “The Happy Family Events Hall” was the last known location listed in various strange missing person reports. Police investigations into these reports have been dropped, specifying that no foul play is suspected.

Due to the peculiarity and frequency of these cases, Foundation personnel were instructed to investigate the Happy Family Corp. location in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. At the time of its original discovery, it was believed that SCP-9584’s anomalous behavior was tied to the Newmarket location; however, after it breached containment on 3/18/2024, that conclusion was proven false.

“The Happy Family Events Hall,” located at the Brookstone Mall Plaza in Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada, opened on 3/19/2024. The property owners were contacted but could not give definite answers as to who had leased the space, citing that all transactions had been done via the Facebook “Marketplace” and PayPal. Investigations into the accounts in question did not lead to any useful results.

Summary of Previous Special Containment Procedures:

Due to the successful containment of the anomalous properties associated with SCP-9584 at its physical location in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, the primary focus of the containment measures centers on the maintenance of the Masquerade Protocol and the minimization of civilian interest in the locality.

The property containing SCP-9584 was acquired by the █████████ ███████, a subsidiary of the Foundation. It has subsequently been reclassified as Outpost 716B due to the impracticality of relocation. Both the building and its parking area are now enclosed, inaccessible to the general public, and subject to continuous video surveillance. In addition, two (2) armed security personnel maintain round-the-clock vigilance, with rotating eight-hour shifts, to ensure the security of the premises.

The surroundings of Outpost 716B have been deliberately organized to minimize visibility from external vantage points. Construction equipment and materials have been strategically positioned in front of the numerous glass storefronts. A fabricated narrative has been disseminated, asserting that redevelopment activities at Outpost 716B were suspended by the Newmarket City Authority following the discovery of asbestos during a routine inspection. It is imperative that all personnel stationed at Newmarket consistently uphold this fabricated narrative when discussing Outpost 716B with civilians.

Besides these measures, Foundation web crawlers should continue monitoring The Happy Family Events Hall’s social media accounts for any possible breaches or mentions of the business by civilians in or outside Newmarket.

Mobile Task Force Psi-7 (“Home Improvement”), under the command of the Site Head Researcher Mink, has been designated as the primary unit responsible for maintaining containment procedures related to SCP-9584. Once every two (2) weeks, personnel stationed inside Outpost 716B must perform all duties per the Masquerade Protocol.

As the procedure of the Masquerade Protocol requires maintaining a constant cover story, D-Class testing is currently prohibited.

Following the successful implementation on ██/██/████, the utilization of D-Class operatives in the Masquerade Protocol has been sanctioned. However, owing to the volatile nature of SCP-9584, only exceedingly cooperative D-Class personnel should be considered for this role. It is strongly recommended that preference be given to D-Class with a proven background in performance arts when selecting candidates. In the absence of such individuals, those with a keen interest in acting, theater, or improv may serve as temporary alternatives until more suitable participants can be secured.

UPDATED - Revised Special Containment Procedures:

On 3/18/2024, a containment breach occurred, resulting in the reclassification of SCP-9584 to Keter status until further notice. The specific anomalous properties and inadequacies in the former containment protocols are presently undetermined.

A few days after, Foundation agents documented the rediscovery of SCP-9584 at the Brookstone Mall Plaza in Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada. Following the acquisition of the property by a real estate Foundation Front, known as the █████████ Group, all remaining tenants were either evicted or bought out of their leases.

An encompassing perimeter around the property has been secured with fencing and is currently subject to 24-hour video surveillance. Two (2) distinct guard stations have been established at opposite ends of the property, ensuring the presence of at least one (1) guard at each post at all times. Additionally, a minimum of two (2) guards perform patrols of the grounds during eight-hour shifts. It is imperative that security personnel stationed at the guard posts deny access to SCP-9584 to civilians. Security are to justify this action by citing safety concerns arising from ongoing construction activities.

Foundation personnel dressed as construction crews will simulate working on the property from 0600 to 1900 hours. Construction equipment and materials have been strategically placed around the property to limit visibility from outside the perimeter. Additionally, a false storefront has been constructed in front of SCP-9584’s entrance to disguise the coming and going of MTF units and researchers.

Any unauthorized individuals approaching SCP-9584 claiming to have RSVP’d to an event at the “Happy Family Events Hall” should be detained for further questioning by Lead Researcher Kowalsky, and auditing Containment Specialist Solanki.

MTF Sigma-5 ("'; DROP TABLE taskforces --") has been tasked with monitoring and containing SCP-9584 online presence on social media sites until SCP-9584 can be fully re-contained. Members of MTF Kappa-10 (“Skynet”) and MTF Mu-4 (“Debuggers”) have also been contacted to assist in locating small business social media pages that SCP-9584 has infiltrated.

Description:

SCP-9584 denotes all anomalous phenomena and entities associated with the Happy Family Corp., including its members, its physical location, and its online presence on social media websites.

The Happy Family Corp. is a small event-hosting business that exhibits a currently unknown spatial and memetic anomalous effect. SCP-9584 spontaneously manifests in small towns in commercially zoned properties that are abandoned or not in use. However, it appears that SCP-9584 will only materialize in one location at a time. Investigations into how SCP-9584 gains control of these locations are ongoing.

Once SCP-9584 appears in a location, it will begin advertising its venue on local social media pages. It will then search for social media groups or communities that focus on networking and building comradery among the local privately owned businesses. In the case that no such pages exist, SCP-9584 will create one. SCP-9584 will then insert itself into these communities and build rapport with civilian businesses, frequently interacting with their social media posts, leaving positive reviews on their pages, and recommending them to their own following. Once SCP-9584 has built goodwill in these communities, it will begin posting “open invite” get-togethers at its own storefront. Though the reason SCP-9584 facilitates these gatherings is still under investigation, it seems to specifically target small business owners and those who these types of companies may employ.

Once a group of at least 6 (six) people has RSVP’d to an SCP-9584 gathering, the next phase of its anomalous behavior begins. These events are designated as 9584-α events and proceed as follows:

One (1) hour before guests arrive, SCP-9584 begins a “warm-up” phase to prepare the location for visitors. Humanoid entities, designated as SCP-9584-A, dressed in the uniform standard for waiting for staff in black tie events, begin to appear from “Employees Only” rooms.

These instances of SCP-9584-A will begin to prepare the events hall for guests. Although the layout changes from location to location, the inclusion of a buffet-style spread, sitting areas, and a small stage have been observed in both confirmed instances of SCP-9584.

At the hour mark, two (2) instances of SCP-9584-A will unlock SCP-9584 and wait near the door. Once guests begin to arrive, these instances of SCP-9584-A will greet any person approaching SCP-9584, ask for a name, and then cross-reference a guest list before allowing them to enter.

All other instances of SCP-9584-A will stand near the stage until guests filter in. They will then beginning to perform duties standard to waiting staff. Outside of initial greetings, general pleasantries and anything necessary to complete their work, instances of SCP-9584-A will not speak unless spoken to.

Guests are allowed to socialize for roughly 2-3 hours before their attention is directed to the stage area. An instance of SCP-9584-A, dressed in formal clothing, will introduce themselves as a member of “The Happy Family” and thank everyone in attendance for coming. It then will give a speech for no more than 15 minutes, speaking of the importance of family and community and how theses topics are vital to running a successful business.

This instance of SCP-9584-A will conclude its speech by welcoming the guests to its “Happy Family” and will request a final round of applause. Once the speech has concluded, it will mingle with the guests until the event’s scheduled end.

Approximately 20 minutes before the event’s conclusion, a random "wait staff" instance of SCP-9584-A will go to the stage and alert guests that the event is coming to a close. It will then encourage attendees to take as much of the remaining food as they’d like.

Following the exit of the last civilian guest, SCP-9584 will go through a “cool down” phase. An instance of SCP-9584-A will lock SCP-9584’s doors, and then all instances will proceed to collect and clean the events hall. Once finished, all instances of SCP-9584-A will disappear via the “Employee Only” rooms.

Addendum-01:

If fewer than 6 (six) people have RSVP’d, SCP-9584 will manifest instances of SCP-9584-A to fill the guest list until there are at least fifteen (15) “guests” in total. Instances of SCP-9584-A vary widely in age, ethnicity, and gender. It should be noted that these entities bear a striking resemblance to missing persons reported in locations where a prior instance of SCP-9584 is suspected or confirmed to have occurred. However, at this time it is unclear whether or not these manifestations have any relation to these missing persons other than the visual resemblance, as no instance of SCP-9584-A has been removed from inside of SCP-9584. Until further research can be conducted, the question of whether SCP-9584-A are created by SCP-9584 or if they are gathered by some other means cannot be conclusively answered.

INTERVIEW LOG-9584-1:

On ██/██/████, Lieutenant Grant Zhao of the Newmarket, ON RCMP was interviewed to provide insight regarding some of the missing persons reports associated with SCP-9584. Lieutenant Zhao was informed that this interview would be used as part of a true crime podcast focusing on missing persons in Ontario.

Interviewer: Agent Marcus De Smit.

[BEGIN LOG.]

Interviewer: Before we begin, I would like to thank you again for taking the time to conduct this interview with us, Lieutenant Zhao. Lieutenant Zhao: Just make sure this doesn’t get tied back to me, yeah? Interviewer: Of course. My colleagues and I pride ourselves on our commitment to secrecy. Lieutenant Zhao: Okay, just know that I’ll hold you to that to the full extent of the law if we get any more harassment over this, you hear? Interviewer: Sure. Let’s start with the first question, shall we? Could you explain why your precinct has stopped investigating the missing persons reports associated with The Happy Family Events Hall? Lieutenant Zhao: It’s simple. It’s not our job to assist with civil disputes. Especially if no crime has been committed. Interviewer: I see. A lot of the families would disagree with you on that. Do you have any reason to believe the theory that these missing persons are being held against their will? Lieutenant Zhao: [Laughs] No, nothing would make me jump to that conclusion. And, despite what the public may think, the police have no legal right to detain an adult just because their family and friends disagree with a choice they made. Interviewer: What do you think of Mr. █████████'s claims that The Happy Family is a cult and they brainwashed his brother? Lieutenant Zhao: It's pure speculation and I cannot comment on it either way. But even if "The Happy Family" is a cult, there aren’t any laws against those existing if there is no probable cause that a crime is being committed. There’s nothing we can do, legally speaking. [Pause] I know that this isn’t the answer those families wanna hear, but they have to come to terms with the facts, and the fact is that those “missing people” [Lieutenant Zhao lifts his hands to perform “air quotes”] are where they want to be. A legal adult cannot be “missing” if they’re of sound mind and left on their own accord. Interviewer: Okay, that’s all we needed for today. Thank you for your time, lieutenant.

[END LOG.]

Addendum-02:

After various expeditions inside of SCP-9584, it appears that all instances of SCP-9584-A will remain docile unless they witness guests engage in majorly disruptive behavior to 9584-α events. It should be noted that the response carried out by instances of SCP-9584-A varies based on the seriousness of the offense, and they will attempt to de-escalate before becoming hostile. However, once an instance of SCP-9584-A is in a hostile state, all other instances will also show hostility towards the same target, regardless of whether they were present for the instigating action. How individual instances communicate information to each other without speaking is currently unknown at this time.

The behavior known to trigger an aggressive response from instances of SCP-9584-A is as follows:

Engaging in instances of SCP-9584-A or another guest in a physical act of aggression. This includes threatening or attempting to Intimidate instances of SCP-9584-A or another guest.

Attempting to enter any area of SCP-9584 that is marked as “Employee Only” or otherwise inaccessible to guests.

Attempting to remove an instance of SCP-9584-A from SCP-9584.

Attempting to disrupt the speech given near the end of the event or purposely damaging property inside of SCP-9584.

All instances of SCP-9584-A will remain hostile toward a target until that target leaves or is removed from SCP-9584. This aggression continues if the same target attempts to reenter SCP-9584 during the same expedition. While SCP-9584-A is not immediately hostile to a “banned” target if they attempt to enter SCP-9584 on a different day, the target will be barred from entering SCP-9584. SCP-9584-A will become immediately hostile if any attempt is made to enter by a “banned” target.

Addendum-03:

MASQUERADE PROTOCOL

Foundation personnel in groups of no less than five (5) and no more than fifteen (15) must enter SCP-9584 dressed in formal civilian clothing. These personnel members are equipped with communication devices and visual/audio recording devices that constantly relay a live feed to Outpost 716B.

Foundation staff deployed into SCP-9584 are required to participate as a guest and may not exit SCP-9584 until the event's conclusion or if they are asked to do so by an instance of SCP-9584-A.

All personnel scheduled to enter SCP-9584 will be given an individual cover story prior to deployment. While engaging in conversation with each other or any instances of SCP-9584-A, it is imperative that these cover stories are maintained for the entire duration of the expedition.

While inside of SCP-9584, personnel may partake in the food and refreshments provided by SCP-9584 as testing has shown that these items are not anomalous. Additionally, instances of SCP-9584-A have shown signs of agitation if the provisions provided remain untouched by guests.

Once the speech begins, personnel should give it their utmost attention and must refrain from speaking unless prompted to by the instance of SCP-9584-A giving the speech. Polite laughter and clapping when appropriate are highly encouraged.

After being alerted that 20 minutes remaining before the conclusion of the event, Foundation personnel may begin to exit SCP-9584 at staggered times.

Incident Case No: 562

Description: 

On 3/18/2024, after █ years of containment, SCP-9584 violently breached containment. The source of the breach remains unknown, however, four (4) D-Class Masquerade Protocol Agents, five (5) Security Officers, two (2) Staff Researchers, and one (1) Containment Specialist, all from MTF Psi-7 (“Home Improvement”), were found dead. Five (5) Psi-7 operatives have been reported Missing in Action (MIA). After the breach, MTF Psi-7 Site Head Researcher Mink documented that Outpost 716B and the Newmarket location had lost all anomalous properties.

Then, on 3/19/2024, email newsletters circulated to local businesses in a 5 km radius around Unit [REDACTED] at the Brookstone Mall Plaza in Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada. All visiting online traffic have been intercepted by data officers from MTF Sigma-5 ("'; DROP TABLE taskforces --"), MTF Kappa-10 (“Skynet”), and MTF Mu-4 (“Debuggers”).

The following individuals registered for the social networking event to be held on 3/31/2024:

A used-car emporium dealer

A family-owned furniture store manager

A food truck owner

A tax accountant

A wedding planner

A repair shop owner

A landscaper

A dogwalker

A bed and breakfast owner

A bookshop owner

These local entrepreneurs were detained by Foundation agents on 3/19/2024, and have been relocated to safe houses for monitoring and further questioning.

fig. 1 - a censored version of the email newsletter's landing page. The message reads as follows: calling small bussiness [sic] owners interseted [sic] in self improbement [sic] and net working [sic]! happy family co will be hosting a semynar [sic] 'for sucess [sic]' as well as celebrateing [sic] the gran [sic] opening of our new locaton [sic]!! plese [sic] come and enjoy our compeny [sic] and free unlimted [sic] boffet [sic]. form [sic] our family to yorus [sic], thank you for bieng [sic] apart [sic] of our story!

MTF Psi-7, upon the discovery of the new SCP-9584 location, sent MTF Corporal Dieter Karter to Hawkesbury, ON, with reinforcements. The team initiated an armed combat search and rescue (CSAR) mission on 3/19/2024 at roughly 9:40 PM local time.

Supervising the mission from the outside command point, Cpl. Karter reported "hostile activity" from SCP-9584. There was a skirmish leading to gunfire. Three (3) rescue team members, namely Task Force Operative Massimo Vito Niccolo, the five-man party's Captain, became MIA; however, there were no casualties. The two remaining members cited to "not remember" what happened inside, seemed to be a trance-like state for a few hours after. They have been sent to monitoring.

On 3/20/21, Cpl. Karter requested backup personnel and a Class 10 weapons ordnance. The Ethics Committee denied the ordnance but granted extra personnel. A second rescue attempt, involving 10 members, took place on 3/21/2024 but was met with failure. Task Force Operative Lucia Inès Muñoz was reported MIA.

The Foundation's Department of Internal Affairs assigned Containment Specialist Vihaan Solanki to the site on 3/22/2024, after the sudden medical collapse of Site Head Researcher Mink. Solanki's review of the third rescue attempt on 3/23/2024 were reported to Internal Affairs without the knowledge of Cpl. Dieter.

Addendum-1A:

[The following are transcribed text messages from Containment Specialist Vihaan Solanki's cell phone on 3/23/2024.]

[End of transcription]

- 11:13 PM: overlooking their self-made reports, i am unsure if they [MTF Psi-7] are following masquerade protocol...

- 11:18 PM: tried to talk to the cpl again about what happened in the initial breach. very little data and sparse notes, which is unlike dr. mink. no d-class around personnel since then.

- 11:31 PM: the cpl is not interested when i say that we should re-examine the location, what changed from the previous iteration, why there aren't any casualties after the initial breach from the newmarket location. something happened in the first breach that is affecting the behavior of scp-9584, i'm sure of it

- 11:32 PM: by the way this rescue mission did not have any MIAs, which i am thankful for. i told cpl. we should stop going into SCP-9584 for the time being. the rescue team is exhausted and says they do not remember what happened inside. but cpl is obsessed with getting his people back asap. wants to get them before "brainwashing."

- 11:39 PM: will try to implement my proposed containment procedures without cpl. scp-9584 isn't "hostile" as the cpl reported, but i don't know if this will last if we keep poking at it.

Containment Specialist Solanki's proposed Containment Procedures were unsuccessful. Solanki decided, with Foundation approval, message SCP-9584 and schedule a business meeting on 3/24/2024, ahead of the 3/31/2024 Social Networking Event.

However, MTF Psi-7 were notified due to a miscommunication with MTF Sigma-5. Cpl. Dieter did not agree to Solanki going in alone and assigned him a task force operative to accompany as a bodyguard when "meeting" SCP-9584.

Solanki entered the location at 1:24 PM local time with his chaperone. However, SCP-9584's instances did not appear, and both Solanki and the bodyguard exited the site within an hour. Solanki did not experience any brain fog, however his bodyguard reported not to remember any events.

Cpl. Dieter reported Containment Specialist Solanki for "needlessly endangering the mission" and requested his removal for insubordinate behavior, whereas Solanki requested the Foundation to re-assign the Cpl. Dieter as the Head Commanding Officer.

On █/█/████, the Ethics Committee contacted Site-φ Director Buckley Osterholz, assigning the auditing task to MTF Chi-00 ("The Broken Scales of Themis").

They are to arrive on-site of SCP-9584 on 3/31/2024.

Personnel file of Cpl. Dieter Karter.

Personnel file of Containment Specialist Vihaan Solanki

Personnel file of Task Force Op. Massimo Vito Niccolo

Personnel file of Task Force Op. Lucia Inès Muñoz

📌 OOC REQUIREMENTS!

⒈ Players are welcome to continue any old threads or post prompts from previous chapters, as well as flashbacks, as long as they do not coincide with the same date of this event. As decided by the group, this event will be a LIVE WRITING event, meaning that there will be a scheduled date and time for all members to write together online, similar to a standard tabletop session. Members will be notified of the schedule on the Discord server.

⒉ Roleplaying and writing for this chapter's event will be on the FHQ Discord Server, in the #MISSIONS forum channel. Players will be writing together as a group, and every active member will be expected to be on Discord in the appropriate mission thread within the selected timeframe. If a muse is exempt from the group mission due to hiatus, they will not gain any information or experience associated with that event, as they were not there. Further details can be found in the FHQ discord server!

₃. Missing two (2) group sessions in a row will lead to a member's withdrawal from the game.

Mission-events are time-sensitive and requires the participation of all our non-hiatus players. As stated in our guidelines, we are a limited-run game. Regular inactivity will affect the group. Similar to tabletop experiences, there is a turn order in the event. 

For any questions or concerns, please contact us through 𝑆𝐶𝑖𝑃𝑁𝐸𝑇 𝑆𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 on Discord.

📍 A summary of the group event will be posted to the main at the session's conclusion. All attending members will receive experience perks, and may receive subplots based on their actions in the event.

© IMAGE CREDITS. Template 63 on deviantart (link unavailable), Dorset Realty, ACS Anomaly Classification System, ACS Animation by EstrellaYoshte, Corporate Event Invitation by Freepik.

© TEXT CREDITS. Lyrics from "Wilkommen" from Cabaret (1972).

[gone2soon-rip]

ALAN SCARFE (1946-Died April 28th 2024.Death announced June 7th,at 77).British-Canadian actor,writer and theatre director.As an actor,he was best known for portraying Dr Bradley Talmadge,in the sci fi tv series,Seven Days,and for playing Majistrate Augris,in the Star Trek:Voyager episode,Resistance,as well as appearing as two seperate Romulan character sin Star Trek:The Next Generation.He has appeared in films such as Iron Eagle II,and Lethal Weapon 3/He has directed and performed in theatre,at first in the UK,then in his adopted Canada.Alan Scarfe - Wikipedia

[cadybear420]

Cadybear's Re-Reviews- With Every Heartbeat

Welcome to the third of Cadybear’s RE-Reviews! In Re-Reviews, I of course reassess my original opinion of a story I’ve recently replayed. Maybe my opinion has changed, or maybe it still holds up and I have further thoughts. 

Today I will be re-reviewing With Every Heartbeat, the twenty-second review I’ve done. The last time I played this story was 3 years ago, in April 2021. I last reviewed it in March 2024, putting it on the Silver Tier with a 7 stars out of 10 rating. As of my most recent replay however, I can comfortably put it on the Platinum Tier at 9 stars out of possible 10.

Okay. Uh. What the fuck. My last review did NOT do this book justice. It was praising, but more or less apathetic. Which I think is because… it's not one that got a lot of strong opinions out of me back when I first and last played it, which was about 3 years ago. But still. 

Anyways, this time around, the story really grew on me and I am so so glad I replayed it. 

To start, a lot of elements of this story are pretty goddamn refreshing, especially as a single LI story. The romance between MC and Dakota, most notably, is actually very enjoyable. It barely feels like a romance that leans heavily into gendered/normative tropes, and instead feels more egalitarian. Dakota is a single customizable LI, but they actually have character and depth. Not to mention they’re also the sweet and soft babygirl type that we’ve sorely been missing lately. 

Although I wasn’t really sold on how fast Dakota fell for our MC, as time went on and we saw MC and Dakota spend more time together in the hospital and on the film project, it did start to feel more grounded. And by the time of the student film festival, where we got to see the final result of their hard work culminate, I was definitely invested in their relationship. 

One part in particular that stuck with me is when Dakota ran out after seeing Nolan Grant come in, and the premium scene where we can follow and talk to them, they confess they’re worried because a lot of other student projects seemed to go into more deep, abstract, serious themes, and then theirs was “just a silly little ghost story”. Honestly, that just hit really close to home for me, because I’ve felt similarly to Dakota about my own creative works. I’ve often felt insecure that some of the fanworks I’ve made don’t delve into nearly the level of complex themes as what my friends have made, and thus just look “trivial” and “childish” in comparison. So when I see Dakota expressing that insecurity, I JUST WANT TO FUCKING HUG HIM. 

In my original review, I did say that it was serviceable in being a tragic romance– it was done well, but it didn’t wow me. After my replay, however, I say it was done quite masterfully. I feel like it would have been really easy for this story to treat Dakota’s cancer cheaply or be overly wishy-washy about it, and like I said, I do think Dakota fell for MC just a bit too quickly… but in the grand scheme of things, it was anything but cheap or wishy-washy. It treats Dakota’s situation (as well as that of other hospital patients) with a lot of maturity and nuance, and the emotional framing is all in the right places. 

And can I just also say how well-constructed the atmosphere of the book is? Especially the scene that leads up to Dakota’s death. I usually don’t go in-depth about the use of sounds and music in Choices, but I absolutely have to here. In my original review, I said that it still shook me quite a bit, even knowing it was coming. That still rings true, but even more strongly now. 

First of all, the thumping heart audio sound from ILB that’s used just as MC arrives at the hospital and hears that Dakota’s body is rejecting the bone marrow transplant. That in itself is absolutely chilling and captures the feeling of sudden shock and internal panic quite well. 

Second, and probably most importantly, there’s something to be said about the choice of music track that’s used as we see Dakota in their last moments. Instead of going with one of the emotionally-charged sad piano tracks that they’ve been using throughout the story that one would typically expect… they go with the slow and tender guitar track. And personally, I think this is a fantastic move. 

After the aforementioned scene with the heart pounding, which captures the mood of shock and internal panic, we transition to what I think is a more… peaceful mood to Dakota’s death. It emphasizes that even though everything suddenly went wrong for them… Dakota died having been with their loved ones. They died having experienced all this happiness and adventure in the past year with the MC, their friends, etc. They died having been supported and loved. Kind of like the old saying “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”.

Which is exactly the message of the story overall. Making sure your loved ones have, as well as making sure you yourself have, in Dakota’s words… a life worth watching. No matter what adversity or tragedy you face, no matter how your life may end. Whether it’s a potentially terminal illness, or the loss of a loved one. And not gonna lie? That got me to tear up, in this playthrough. And it still gets me to tear up when I think about it. 

My main problems? Obviously this book being the most pointlessly genderlocked story that ever pointlessly genderlocked, for one thing. But besides that, my only gripe would have to be the part of the story where MC’s mom was being a hardass on MC dating Dakota. Most especially when she says MC is becoming a different person she “doesn’t recognize” from hanging out with them, after MC taught Dakota how to bike. 

I get why the mom was worried about MC dating Dakota, because she herself had lost her loved one to cancer… but the “I barely recognize you” line just did not feel fitting for any of MC’s behaviors. It felt more like it was written for the ROD MC’s dad. I also think they had MC be a bit unfair to her mom over her not spending a lot of time with her. Like, I get why MC might feel neglected, especially as a teenager, but these are surgeries where people’s lives are on the line. Luckily those whole plotlines seemed to be short-lived, but like… why even include them at all?

The story did feel very minimal in impactful choice gameplay, which is why I can’t quite rank it on the diamond tier… but I don’t think that harms the story nearly as much as it does others. And the choices that do exist– such as customizing Dakota’s film, or choosing which college your MC ends up going to, or choosing to shave our MC's hair in solidarity with Dakota– still feel pretty meaningful and engaging. 

Honestly I feel kind of bad that I didn’t care much for the story in my first playthrough. It’s really well-done, and is definitely among my favorites now.

[hearttsck]

my name is POPPY AUGUSTA STERLING … and i am from HELLTOWN  and i’m a LAWYER . i lived in helltown for  18 YEARS, BEEN BACK ONE MONTH  because  THE STERLING FAMILY HAS DEEP ROOTS AND DEEPER SECRETS . i am 29  my pronouns are  SHE/HER  and i am  OUTGOING, METICULOUS, DEVOTED  though some may say i’m  OBSESSIVE, SECRETIVE, HYPOCRITICAL . i also hear i look a lot like  VICTORIA PEDRETTI  but, i don’t know if i see it. i’m here because  MY MOTHER’S GHOST WON’T LEAVE ME ALONE  but, maybe there’s more to it than that. you never know with helltown.

BIO | MUSINGS | CONNECTIONS | PINTEREST

ORIGINS & FAMILY:

Name: Poppy Augusta Sterling 

Nickname: Pops, P 

Birthday: February 7, 1995 

Place of Birth: Helltown, Ohio

Places Lived Since: New York, New York; Durham, NC ; Washington DC

Current Residence: Helltown, Ohio ( begrudgingly ) 

Notable Family Members: Ottilie Juliet Sterling ( daughter, age 5) ; Violet Sterling ( younger sister ) ; Rose Sterling ( older sister ) ; Daphne Sterling ( mother, deceased April 2024 ) ; Julian Sterling ( father,  deceased 2004 ) ; Nicholas Sterling ( uncle, missing since summer 2014 )   

PHYSICAL:

Faceclaim: Victoria Pedretti

Height: 5’3

Build: slim 

Hair Color: currently blonde, naturally brunette 

Eye Color: dark blue 

Jewelry? Tattoos? Piercings?: both ears pierced , many hidden tattoos that will be expanded upon in a post to come 

Scars: tbd ( there are stories here ) 

Unique Mannerisms/Physical Habits: twisting her rings, eyes suddenly losing focus, avoiding corners, running when things get messy 

PERSONALITY:

Occupation: Lawyer 

Level of Education: BA Columbia University ; JD Duke Law School 

Languages Spoken: English, Spanish, French, Latin 

Positive Traits: outgoing, charming, devoted, meticulous, resourceful 

Negative Traits: obsessive, paranoid, avoidant, secretive, hypocritical

Likes: the east coast, a particularly tricky legal argument, the oxford comma, early 2000s romcoms, a crisp diet coke

Dislikes: lazy writing, landlocked states, the legal ambiguity of deals with the devil, cliches, feeling trapped

Aesthetic: perfectly crafted citations; falling asleep to the comforting sounds of the city; this house is not haunted - you are; collecting scars as penance for your sins; the turn of a page in a silent library; intimacy like a drug, these hands on your body are the only thing separating you from your ghosts; your daughter's laughter carried across the breeze; craving the ephemeral taste of early spring because it will not last; is it worse to be doomed by the narrative or haunted by it?

BIO ( coming soon )  Tldr - grew up in helltown, middle child of three, perfectionist and outgoing and obsessive - prom queen gunning for a full ride to an ivy energy. there was An Incident her senior year involving her sisters and resulting in the Death of her uncle. poppy got the fuck out of ohio. undergrad at columbia, went to law school at duke. came home for thanksgiving 2017 during her 1L year and had a fling/one night stand/something { wc } that resulted in a pregnancy which she fully hid from her sisters/everyone in helltown until her daughter was born august 2018. Been living in DC as a single mom since law school, came back when her mom died a month ago.

[doctorwhohugh]

Theory about what season 9 is setting up - Flash vanishes in Crisis, just not the one we thought... *heavy spoilers*

So I was watching the new episode, when I noticed something very interesting.

With Red Death's city-wide blackout still in play, the skies are notably red, very similar to Crisis

Wayne Enterprises is a central focus with Red Death in play, but also Luke Fox (who I hope will make an appearance)

It has been confirmed that Oliver Queen is coming back as the Green Arrow, which also brings back the possibility of a Queen Consolidated revival

Matt Letscher's Eobard Thawne is returning, the original Reverse-Flash.

Episodes 10 and 11 are titled "A New World Part 1" and of course Part 2, Part 2 airs on 26th April 2023, almost exactly 1 year before 25th April 2024, the day that the Flash is meant to vanish in Crisis.

So... my theory, is that episodes 10 and 11 will end the Red Death plot-line with Oliver and Wally returning too, before jumping forward a year to 2024, where we see the Flash vanish in a crisis in the penultimate episode, with the final episode showing Barry returning as Barry Allen, but without his speed... ending with a slight spark to suggest that he may still have a connection to the speed-force.

Flash vanishes in a crisis (just not the one we thought), the red skies part, Oliver merges Wayne Tech with Queen Consolidated (which in the year between 2023 and 2024 has made a comeback) with Wayne Enterprises (due to maybe Ryan dying, or hanging up the cowl), and Barry and Iris move into Nora and Henry's old home.

IDK, a lot of this is just speculation, but my main point about those 5 key details I think gives it a bit of merrit. Also, seeing Danielle Nicolet post a photo of the empty Star Labs? Made me tear up a bit. Can't believe this show is coming to an end.

[gendecoder]

Eminem and the industry in its entirety is death centric as always so lets have a look. The twitter post is on the 26th of April 2024 which has a date numerology of 74 and 38 like 'killing'. The name of the album implies an ending or murder.

One can already tell it's gonna be a 38 special of an album

The album announcement (which was the 25th of April 2024 at the draft ceremony and he posted about it on the 26th) comes 3 months and 8 days after the anniversary date of the release of his last studio album 'Music To Be Murdered By' in January 2020

Other notable decodes