#Paroxysm Unit

[idiotcoward]

Paroxysm Unit - Fragmentation // Stratagem

Paroxysm Unit is a fucking Death Metal super group! Made up of members of Gorguts, Krallice, Relics of Humanity, 7 H.Target, and Darkall Slaves and you can absolutely see the talent on display on this thing. This is a super technical, melodic at parts, piece of really nice brutal death metal. The production to me seems a little raw, but that could always be a stylistic choice. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of any of the above mentioned bands.

[schraubd]

Things People Blame the Jews For Volume LXXI: Trump Losing

Back in 2020, I suggested that Jews needed -- in the event that Trump lost his re-election bid -- to prepare for a "stabbed in the back" narrative. The fact that Jews consistently vote Democratic, I observed, would assuredly not make Republicans reconsider their arrogant assumption that they're the best friends of the Jews. The fact that Jews consistently vote Democratic would instead make Republicans fly into paroxysms of rage at the fact that the ungrateful Jews don't recognize what wonderful friends Republicans are. Well, it took a little longer, but come 2024 Donald Trump is expressly laying this gauntlet down: Speaking at antisemitism event on Thursday, Donald Trump doubled down on attacks on American Jews — those who do not vote for him. He suggested that Jews would be to blame if he loses in November. He also said American Jews who vote for Democrats harm American interests, in an escalation of his standard rhetoric. [....] “I will put it to you very simply and gently. I really haven’t been treated right, but you haven’t been treated right, because you’re putting yourself in great danger, and the United States hasn’t been treated right,” he said. “The Jewish people would have a lot to do with the loss if I’m at 40%. I mean, think of it, that means 60% voting for Kamala.” Obviously, this sort of "the Jews betrayed us" narrative is extraordinarily dangerous, -- the stabbed-in-the-back narrative was central to how the Nazis whipped up an antisemitic frenzy that ultimately led to the Holocaust. And it's particularly scary given a MAGA base that's already primed towards White supremacism and extreme right-wing nationalism, and has been increasingly open in accepting and promoting antisemites of all stripes (oh hi, NC GOP gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson, I didn't see you I totally did see you there, because the revelation that you called yourself a "Black Nazi" was only the latest iteration of an antisemitic record that was already widely known when you were nominated!). The comments came at an event titled "Fighting Antisemitism". This might seem ironic, but I believe observers were missing the point: It's "Fighting Antisemitism" like "Fighting Irish" -- the promise of a more pugnacious, in-your-face style of antisemitism. Not limp-wristed Genteel Antisemitism or bookish and wordy Academic Antisemitism, but Fighting Antisemitism. That's the MAGA way. via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/VKqEr8c

[bozemane]

Paroxysm Unit - Fragmentation // Stratagem, 2023

[freetheshit-outofyou]

A French Soldier's View of US Soldiers in Afghanistan

Edited by Wes O'Donnell, Founder- Warrior Lodge.

What follows is an account from a French ISAF soldier that was stationed with American Warfighters in Afghanistan sometime in the past 6 years.  This was copied and translated from an editorial French newspaper.

A NOS FRERES D’ARMES AMERICAINS

"We have shared our daily life with two US units for quite a while - they are the first and fourth companies of a prestigious infantry battalion whose name I will withhold for the sake of military secrecy. To the common man it is a unit just like any other. But we live with them and got to know them, and we henceforth know that we have the honor to live with one of the most renowned units of the US Army - one that the movies brought to the public as series showing "ordinary soldiers thrust into extraordinary events". Who are they, those soldiers from abroad, how is their daily life, and what support do they bring to the men of our OMLT every day? Few of them belong to the Easy Company, the one the TV series focuses on. This one nowadays is named Echo Company, and it has become the support company. 

They have a terribly strong American accent - from our point of view the language they speak is not even English. How many times did I have to write down what I wanted to say rather than waste precious minutes trying various pronunciations of a seemingly common word? Whatever State they are from, no two accents are alike and they even admit that in some crisis situations they have difficulties understanding each other. Heavily built, fed at the earliest age with Gatorade, proteins and creatine- they are all heads and shoulders taller than us and their muscles remind us of Rambo. Our frames are amusingly skinny to them - we are wimps, even the strongest of us - and because of that they often mistake us for Afghans.

And they are impressive warriors! We have not come across bad ones, as strange at it may seem to you when you know how critical French people can be. Even if some of them are a bit on the heavy side, all of them provide us everyday with lessons in infantry know-how. Beyond the wearing of a combat kit that never seem to discomfort them (helmet strap, helmet, combat goggles, rifles etc.) the long hours of watch at the outpost never seem to annoy them in the slightest. On the one square meter wooden tower above the perimeter wall they stand the five consecutive hours in full battle rattle and night vision goggles on top, their sight unmoving in the directions of likely danger. No distractions, no pauses, they are like statues nights and days. At night, all movements are performed in the dark - only a handful of subdued red lights indicate the occasional presence of a soldier on the move. Same with the vehicles whose lights are covered - everything happens in pitch dark even filling the fuel tanks with the Japy pump.Here we discover America as it is often depicted: their values are taken to their paroxysm, often amplified by promiscuity and the loneliness of this outpost in the middle of that Afghan valley.

(This is the main area where I'd like to comment. Anyone with a passing knowledge of Kipling knows the lines from Chant Pagan: 'If your officer's dead and the sergeants look white/remember it's ruin to run from a fight./ So take open order, lie down, sit tight/ And wait for supports like a soldier./ This, in fact, is the basic philosophy of both British and Continental soldiers. 'In the absence of orders, take a defensive position.' Indeed, virtually every army in the world. The American soldier and Marine, however, are imbued from early in their training with the ethos: In the Absence of Orders: Attack! Where other forces, for good or ill, will wait for precise orders and plans to respond to an attack or any other 'incident', the American force will simply go, counting on firepower and SOP to carry the day.

This is one of the great strengths of the American force in combat and it is something that even our closest allies, such as the Brits and Aussies (that latter being closer by the way) find repeatedly surprising. No wonder is surprises the hell out of our enemies.)

We seldom hear any harsh word, and from 5 AM onwards the camp chores are performed in beautiful order and always with excellent spirit. A passing American helicopter stops near a stranded vehicle just to check that everything is alright; an American combat team will rush to support ours before even knowing how dangerous the mission is - from what we have been given to witness, the American soldier is a beautiful and worthy heir to those who liberated France and Europe.

To those who bestow us with the honor of sharing their combat outposts and who everyday give proof of their military excellence, to those who pay the daily tribute of America's army's deployment on Afghan soil, to those we owned this article, ourselves hoping that we will always remain worthy of them and to always continue hearing them say that we are all the same band of brothers".

Personal Thoughts About the Article:

For much of this article, the various veterans reading will go 'Well, duh. Of course we do our 'camp chores' and stand our posts in good order. There's a reason for them and if we didn't we'd get our heads handed to us eventually. And, yeah, we're in shape. Makes battle easier. The more you sweat, the less you bleed.'

What is hard for most people to comprehend is that that attitude represented only the most elite units of the past. Current everyday conventional boring 'leg infantry' units exceed the PT levels and training levels of most Special Forces during the Vietnam War. They exceed both of those as well as IQ and educational levels of: Waffen SS, WWII Rangers, WWII Airborne and British 'Commando' units during WWII. Their per-unit combat-functionality is essentially unmeasurable because it has to be compared to something and there's nothing comparable in industrial period combat history.

This group is so much better than 'The Greatest Generation' at war that WWII vets who really get a close look at how good these kids are stand in absolute awe.

This is 'The Greatest Generation' of soldiers.

They may never be equaled.

[sjsmith56]

The Gilded Age, Part 4 - Downpour

Summary: After sharing the complete truth of John Walker’s accusations, Amelia re-commits herself to the relationship. They prepare for her father’s visit for dinner, only to face his own inquires about the matter. After a short time apart while the Avengers are on a mission, the couple reunite and explore a more physical relationship.

Length: 6.7 K

Characters: Barnes, Amelia, Mr. Winston, the Avengers.

Warnings: Minors DNI, contains mild sexual content and a frank discussion of sexuality (both discussed in period-appropriate terms), description of animal abuse, threat of harm to Amelia.

Author notes: I did some research on female sexuality around the year 1900 and was amused to find that the medical field perceived several disorders as a consequence of “female hysteria” which was often followed by the prescription of a manual pelvic massage (provided by the doctor), meant to cause a “hysterical paroxysm” - namely an orgasm, to cure anything from nervousness, depression, fatigue and anxiety. To help provide this relief an enterprising doctor invented the first vibrator in 1899 (due to a repetitive stress injury in his hands). Strangely enough, the hysterical paroxysm wasn’t seen as sexual. Of course, women knew different and sales of the widely advertised device put them in fifth place as the most commonly purchased home appliance. Sergeant Barnes, being the man we all imagine him to be, knew it to be something he wanted Amelia to enjoy, so his plan was to take his time in “educating” her as to what men and women like when they’re alone, in bed, in their boudoir. I now return you to your regular programming. Divider by vecteezy.com.

<<Part 3

Part 4 - Downpour

It started to rain shortly before Mr. Winston was scheduled to arrive. The chill from the change in the weather meant that the fireplaces were lit in the grand room as well as the dining room on the 21st floor. As the Avengers arrived, they all commented on the cool temperatures, hoping that it wouldn’t put a dampener on the occasion. When a bell rang in the butler’s pantry, audible in the quiet of the grand room, they all knew it signalled Mr. Winston’s arrival, as Mr. Hogan would be escorting him up the elevator. Amelia waited patiently near the entrance into the room, Sergeant Barnes at her side.

Everyone was dressed for dinner in evening clothes, adding a layer of elegant formality to the mood in the room. Amelia, wearing a pale cream coloured dress, with lace overlay, that bared her shoulders, wrung her hands a little, anxious for this first meeting between Sergeant Barnes and her father. As she glanced at him, he smiled, seeming to display a calm demeanour that belied the actual figurative butterflies he was feeling. Still, he looked very handsome and confident in his evening suit of black, with a muted pewter coloured brocade vest and softly patterned silk tie. A white rose in his lapel, an item worn by all the gentlemen, added a touch of style to his ensemble. He had trimmed his beard down a bit, hoping to make the age difference between himself and Amelia less noticeable. It helped that Anthony Stark had patented an electric razor that allowed the trim to be done evenly.

The sound of the elevator doors opening was followed by the appearance of Mr. Winston. Seeing his daughter, he smiled broadly and opened his arms to embrace her.

“Father,” she murmured as she hugged him back. “How I’ve missed you.”

“I have missed you, Amy,” he said back, then he stepped back to look closer at her. “You’ve changed in the last two months. I’m not sure what it is but it definitely agrees with you. Now, introduce me to your colleagues.”

“Of course,” she said, grasping his hand and pulling him over towards Barnes. “This is Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes of the United States Cavalry, on secondment to SHIELD and the Avengers.”

Barnes offered his bare right hand to Mr. Winston. “Sir, it is a pleasure to meet you,” he said warmly. “Your daughter has spoken of you often.”

“All good, I hope,” replied the older man. “You and I need to talk, Sergeant, but it can wait until after dinner. Too bad it is raining as I would have liked a cigar outside after the meal.”

“I do have a smoking room for the gentlemen,” said Mr. Stark, coming forward with his wife to shake hands. “Anthony Stark and this is my wife, Virginia. It is a pleasure, Mr. Winston. Your daughter is a wonderful young woman who has made her mark in our Society. We would be quite lost without her.”

“I’m glad to hear it. She has worked hard for everything she accomplished. I’m very proud of her.”

The others came forward, to be introduced in turn. He seemed to be a genial man, with an open and friendly manner. Mrs. Stark led everyone back to the great room, explaining its features. Her husband offered to provide drinks to everyone, whiskey mostly for the men, and wine for the women. They sipped quietly for a moment then Mr. Winston placed his crystal glass down.

“I wonder if I could speak with Sergeant Barnes in private. There is a matter I wish to discuss with him that I realize now cannot wait.”

“Father? What is it about?”

He smiled sadly at his daughter, then sighed.

“A report of an alarming nature. The person who shared it with me was of the opinion that you are incapable of being in charge of your own life. That distressed me, as I have raised you to be an independent thinker.”

She glanced at Barnes. “Was it John Walker?”

“Yes. You know how I feel about the man. That is why I wish to discuss it with Sergeant Barnes and get his side of what is obviously a dispute between the two gentlemen.”

“Sir, there is nothing that John Walker said that isn’t already known by the others gathered here,” interjected Barnes. “I waive my right to privacy and ask that you repeat what was said to you.”

“Very well. He related how he was strolling in Central Park today and spied you both in a position that could be construed as indecent. Right away, that raised my hackles, as I know my daughter well. She is affectionate, yes, but indecent? That was a thinly veiled insult to her. Then he related that the gentleman she was with, Sergeant Barnes, was implicated in the slaughter of several women and children during the range wars of Wyoming. Walker insisted that he did all that he could to provide justice to those victims but that the verdict that freed you was bought and paid for.”

With a sound of disgust, Barnes stood up and faced the window, looking out into the wet night. Several times, he clenched and unclenched his fists at the villainy of John Walker to promote the lie that had plagued him since the verdict that freed him. A soft, cool hand grasped his and he turned, smiling down at Amelia.

“Tell him everything,” she said. “He has his own reasons to distrust the word of John Walker, but he should hear your story from your own lips.”

With a nod, he returned to his chair and related the details of his capture, torture, and medical experimentation during that time. Captain Rogers bolstered the account with his part in it. Anthony Stark related his father’s thoughts on the court-martial, describing it as an attempt to draw Sergeant Barnes back into the clutches of HYDRA, believing it to be an effort to finish their transformation of the man into a biological automaton.

“Why? Why would any rational person want to do that to another person?” Mr. Winston’s distress was evident.

Stark and Rogers looked guardedly at each other then decided to share something that only the Avengers knew.

“My father and Colonel Fury have both dedicated their lives to the defence of this country,” began Stark. “Both of them were West Point graduates in the same class. As they rose higher in the ranks, they heard rumours of a secret division within the army, referred to as HYDRA. It was a shadowy group, that seemed to shift and change their tactics like the wind changes direction. What was certain was that they were intent on effecting a coup d’état at some point, starting with the elimination of the Commander in Chief. A biological automaton would be the perfect weapon for such a crime as it could infiltrate the line of security then perform the deed without hesitation.

“The President? You’re sure?” Winston was shocked, as was Amelia.

“Very sure and President Cleveland trusted their assessment of HYDRA’s goals. It was President Cleveland, Colonel Fury and my father who decided to form SHIELD. Publicly, we perform daring missions of rescue and promote them to keep the public from knowing our true mission; to uncover those individuals who are behind HYDRA and stop them by any means necessary. When the court-martial of Sergeant Barnes revealed the extent of their efforts, the President did what he could to make sure our man here was treated properly, which he wasn’t. That’s how far HYDRA had already infiltrated the military system of justice. But he did insist that Fury and my father were on the tribunal, knowing that only a unanimous verdict could render him guilty.”

“So, it wasn’t bought and paid for,” stated Winston, frowning. He looked closely at Barnes. “You’re not a rich man, are you.”

“I am wealthier now, but my father was a sergeant in the army during the Civil War, then worked in the Brooklyn shipyards,” he replied. “We were working class comfortable, but not able to produce the funds necessary to buy a verdict. After the verdict was passed, I was free to return to my unit but was in no condition to do so. I related my care at the hands of Dr. Banner, and a position was offered to him to join SHIELD. I was seconded to the Society so that he could help me heal completely in a safe and secure environment. Mr. Stark was able to fix my metal arm, so it is functional. Captain Rogers returned to the unit briefly but saw changes already evident in several new faces that were loyal to Lieutenant Walker. He reported his suspicions to Colonel Fury, who was successful in requesting the unit be split into two, with those loyal to us stationed here in New York and the others to duty on the western frontier. General Pierce changed those orders, bringing them to Washington to serve under him. We suspect he is the leader of HYDRA, but so far, he has managed to hide any evidence of it.”

Mr. Winston seemed troubled. “General Alexander Pierce? That is the name of the man who I am to meet here in New York. He wishes me to represent him, as he plans to build a factory on the outskirts of Chicago. Why would a general need to build a factory?”

“Why indeed?” Stark looked troubled at this revelation, then was distracted by the appearance of Mr. Jarvis who announced that dinner was ready. “Mr. Winston, perhaps you and I should have that private talk after dinner. I need to know everything about your correspondence with Pierce and will make sure your revelations are kept secret, although I will relate them to Secretary of State Fury and my father. We need to find out what HYDRA is up to.”

They all rose then Winston stopped and regarded his daughter. “You know why I never considered John Walker as an acceptable suitor, don’t you?”

“I recall you calling him pompous,” she smiled.

“My exact words were that he was a pompous ass,” he smiled back. “My apologies to the ladies present. That is what I said publicly. Privately, I formed a definite opinion when he stated his belief that the man should be the singular authority of the household, his decisions final and unquestionable. He compared a good wife to a well broken horse, just fearful enough not to trigger his judgement, but meek enough to perform all her wifely duties without complaint. In his eyes, you were too headstrong for your own good, but he laid the blame on you, for not being a dutiful daughter. He assumed I was ashamed of you, not realizing I promoted those aspects of you that were just as strong in your mother, aspects that I loved dearly. My beliefs were bolstered when I saw him the following day, beating a downed horse on the street, declaring it to be lazy and stubborn. I was never going to allow him to treat you in that manner. When he showed up late this afternoon at my hotel to regale me with what he saw as proof of your impropriety I was almost tempted to throw him out the door.” He took Amelia’s hand and kissed it then placed it in Sergeant Barnes’ hand. “I approve of your courtship of my daughter and if the day comes when you are ready to ask for her hand in marriage you have my approval already. Just in this short time, I can see you are a man of conviction and honour. You would never try to change those parts of my dearest daughter to satisfy your pride.”

“No sir, I would not.” Barnes kissed her hand also. “She is already perfect, and it is up to me to be worthy of her love, not the other way around.”

“Then we have an understanding between us, in front of all these witnesses,” smiled Winston. “Come, let us dine, and forget about that pompous individual.”

With the dismay of the afternoon’s events vanquished by Harris Winston’s declaration, the dinner party was celebratory in nature. None of Sergeant Barnes colleagues believed that any other outcome than matrimony would come from the courtship of the handsome man and the woman who had captured his heart, Amelia Winston. Released from the need to keep the attachment between them private, the couple were expressive in their love for each other, often touching or gazing at each other with obvious affection. Afterwards, when the gentlemen left for the smoking room, and the women took their place in a cozy alcove in the great room, both principals, Barnes and Amelia, expressed their thanks to their friends and colleagues for their support. Both were assured that the support was infinite.

It was late when Mr. Winston emerged from his private discussion with Anthony Stark. Although the others waited to give him a tour of the building, he insisted that it wait for another day, at a reasonable hour, and bid them his adieu. Amelia and Sergeant Barnes escorted him down to the lobby to say their final goodbyes to him. Mr. Hogan wasn’t there, but one of his men was and hailed a cab for Winston. Once more, he looked fondly at his daughter then hugged her with great affection.

“I leave you in the capable hands of Sergeant Barnes,” he said. “Enjoy these early days as you discover more about each other. Those discoveries will be like an elixir to the richness of your relationship. Goodnight, my darling, until I see you soon.”

He kissed her on the forehead, then shook hands with Sergeant Barnes once again. As his hansom cab disappeared into the rainy night, the couple stopped in the darkened lobby, lit only by several electric sconces on the wall that cast a soft glow on the still operating fountain. Hogan’s man disappeared to his post outside, stationed under a canopy that kept him dry, leaving them alone in the darkened space.

“I like your father,” said Barnes. “He is an admirable man of reason and restraint.”

“He likes you, too. I could tell.” She caressed his face. “Thank you for trusting me.”

“Always, dearest Amelia.”

Drawing her closer, he wrapped his left arm around her waist, as the back of his fingertips brushed lightly against her cheek. No words were spoken as he lowered his lips to hers once again, desiring to taste her sweetness. When they pulled apart, she looked away for a moment as if she wished to say something.

“What is it, my darling?” he asked gently. “You may broach any subject with me.”

“I have noticed that although neither couple are yet married, they share an apartment together. I speak of Natasha and Mr. Barton, and Wanda and Vision. At first, I was somewhat shocked, although I said nothing as both women were so kind to me. Is that how it is with the individuals of the Avengers? Is marriage not considered as desirable?”

He shook his head sagely. “Their attachments were made before they joined the Society. Natasha and Clint will be married soon. Wanda was in a dire situation when Vision rescued her from a fate almost as bad as what HYDRA intended for me. Their love is deep, but she is still afraid of allowing herself the pleasure of a formal marriage. Since they have agreed to their arrangement together, no one is in a position to say otherwise. She is older than she appears. What her captors did to her changed her appearance, as part of their plans for her. Someday, her emotions will have healed to a point where she can allow herself to marry Vision. I dare not say more, for it is her story to tell.”

She nodded her head, then searched his face again. “I must confess that I have never been intimate with a man. This, what you and I are doing right now, is the extent of my experience. Although I was raised liberally, my only knowledge of what happens in private between a man and a woman is clinical or second hand at best and if you expect the same free relationship as those other two ladies, I am unsure if I can consent to that. I do want to please you, but I do not know what to do.”

His soft eyes travelled over Amelia’s upturned face, then he kissed every surface of it, before wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair before regarding her again.

“My darling, my desire is for matrimony, but I would not discount the possibility that we may connect physically before that blessed event. Whenever that time happens, whether before or after our marriage, I promise you to be patient and gentle, and to acquire your consent first. I will never force myself on you and if ever what happens in the privacy of our boudoir distresses you, just tell me to stop and I will do so immediately. The act itself isn’t as important as the feelings of closeness and intimacy that it can foster. My wish is also to please you so that you experience the fullness of the joining of two bodies and two souls simultaneously. Do you trust my word?”

She nodded then smiled and they kissed again before returning to the elevator. When he escorted her to her door, he kissed her on the inside of her wrist, before leaving a long lingering kiss on her lips. After locking her door, Amelia leaned against it, feeling warm inside at the words that James expressed to her, and the kiss he left her with. She did long to lay in his arms and experience the joy of a physical connection, but her lack of experience troubled her. Surely, a man like him had been with other women before; he practically said so when they discussed their pasts on their first assignation.

Her knowledge of male anatomy was restricted to the perusal of medical anatomy books, as well as the viewing of classical statues in the finer museums. By what she had seen of his chest and back when he had his shirt off for the treatment of his sword wound, James had the stature desired by artists for their models. There had been times she had witnessed the mating of animals, finding it disturbing as it seemed to be an act of domination, even subjugation, by the male over the female, involving biting, scratching and much pain for the hapless female caught under the body of the larger and stronger male. On occasion she overheard the maids in her father’s house compare stories about the men they had been with. They often used slang terms that she didn’t understand, but she had no doubt they were speaking of the sexual act. She let out a shaky breath. James promised that if and when the occasion rose, they found themselves in that position he would be kind and gentle. He was a man of his word and considering he seemed to have more experience in the matter, she would have to take his word for truth.

Her father stayed longer in New York City after concluding his business with General Pierce, in which he declined to represent the man, even though he was offered a significant retainer. When the Avengers left for several days on a mission to another part of the country, taking a private train to the location, he visited Amelia at the Society, getting the tour of her domain, including a viewing of those skulls she was told about on her first day there. On the return of the heroic individuals, Amelia felt the pleasure of James’ reunion with her. His kisses were more intense, and she felt a change in the attraction between them to something more physical, a mutual feeling on her part. On the second night after their return, when James escorted her to her room at the end of the evening, he kissed her passionately, then licked his lips as if he had something to ask.

“Would you grant me access to your apartment, so that we may be alone for a time?” he asked, in a low voice that gave her a sense of anticipation.

“Yes, you may come in,” she replied, without hesitation, turning slightly to roll the numbers on the dials.

The locks clicked and she opened the door, stepping inside, as he followed her. It was the first time they had been alone in there together. The thrumming of rain against the window was the only sound in the darkened space. As she turned away to switch on a table lamp, he grasped her hand and pulled her closer.

“I missed you,” he whispered. “All my dreams were of you, of us, being alone.” Her heart was pounding, and he placed his palm over it. “You are nervous, I know. I wish only to begin exploring a new level of affection between us. May I kiss you in a way that I’ve been longing for?”

“Yes,” she croaked, then cleared her throat. “Yes, please.”

His hold on her tightened as he pulled her in closer than he ever did before. There was a tenseness in his body that she never previously noticed, like a bow was being pulled to a tautness that would explode if released. She felt its effect on her own person, as she began to breathe quickly, while a pool of heat was forming low in her abdomen. It was a disquieting feeling but strangely not unwelcome.

When he pressed his lips against hers this time, his mouth was slightly open, and she felt the soft touch of his tongue against her mouth. It seemed appropriate to open her lips as her own tongue sought communion with his. A rush of heat blazed through her whole body and for a moment, her knees buckled but James held her upright, pressing her against the wall, while protecting her back with his embrace. His mouth moved gently but firmly against hers as a whimpering sound escaped from her throat. When he finally pulled away after what seemed like an eternity of this sensation of warmth and desire, her hands were grasping his shoulders as he continued holding her in his arms.

Amelia had no words. Never, ever had she been kissed in that manner and all that she could think of was that she wanted to be kissed again just like that … no, deeper and with more intensity. With a soft smile, James bent his head down to hers, then kissed her on the neck, just below her ear and once more, Amelia felt like her legs were weak. A smile appeared on his face, and he gazed at her in a way that made her warm inside once more.

“I feel faint,” she gasped, surprised when he picked her up in his arms and sat in an armchair, placing her in his lap.

“May I loosen your blouse?”

His voice was full of concern, in the darkness that seemed to envelop them.

“Yes, I also need light, please,” she murmured.

Reaching to the table lamp, he pressed the switch and the soft glow cast a golden light on their situation. With care, he undid the top three buttons of her blouse, his fingers lingering on her exposed skin.

“Would you like some water?”

She shook her head, trying to steady her breathing, while he tenderly rubbed her back. Turning to look at him in the light, she leaned her head towards his, resting it against his cheek.

“That was like nothing I ever felt before,” she breathed. “I am ….”

The amused smile that broke out on his face was followed by a hesitant inquiry. “You liked it?”

“Oh, James, I liked it very much.” She pulled slightly away from him and looked into his eyes. “Is the rest of what we spoke of that enjoyable?”

He took a moment to choose his words. “For a woman, the first time she allows a man to join with her might be painful, but it doesn’t last. May I ask if you felt anything in your lower body?” She felt a heat in her cheeks at his question but nodded. “It was the beginning of what is called coming, in the sense that it gets continually more prominent until your body releases the tension.”

“Like a flower bud suddenly opening?” she asked.

“You could look at it that way, but it is happening inside, although if you wish to express it through sound or movement, I would like that, for it means that I have pleased you.”

“That’s important to you.”

“Yes. If we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together it’s important that you like being with me in that way, for it is a joyous act.”

“Can we do it now?”

He smiled. “In good time. Tonight, I wanted only to show you how gentle touches between us could be pleasurable.”

“There’s more?”

“Oh yes. May I demonstrate?”

On her approval he reached for Amelia’s blouse and undid more buttons to reveal the top of her chemise. With the back of his fingertips, he brushed along the skin from her collarbone down to the ribbon in her chemise, tugging on it until it came undone. Leaning forward he pressed his lips into the valley of her bosom, kissing it with the greatest of attention, before moving up towards her neck and back to that spot under her ear.

“Oh my,” she gasped. “I feel warm again.”

“I know,” he murmured, against her neck. “I want you to feel warm. You can do the same to me, you know.”

“Take your jacket off,” she ordered, to his surprise, then watched with fascination at how quickly he did so. “I wish to take your tie off.” Pulling it out of his vest she loosened it and lifted it up over his head, tossing it to the side. Unbuttoning his starched shirt collar, she opened it, removing it from around his neck. It too, was tossed to the side. With her sure hands she undid his shirt buttons, opening the edges up to reveal his hirsute chest. Its appearance fascinated her, and she caressed the soft curls, noticing that James had closed his eyes and laid his head back against the chair back. Undoing the remaining buttons of his vest she opened it wide, then opened more of his shirt buttons, exposing even more of his chest. Looking up, she noticed James watching her.

“I like your chest,” she explained. “Ever since that first night. May I kiss it?”

“Please.”

Shifting slightly, she leaned towards him and bent her head to his chest, pressing her lips against his skin, trying to mimic how he had kissed her bosom. She became aware of a firmness pressing against her leg, positioned close to James’ groin. Looking up at him brought a small smile to his face.

“What is that?”

“That is my manhood preparing for coming. You have seen statues of unclothed men in the museums, have you not?”

“Yes.”

“They do not show the manhood in this state of rigidity, as it is considered obscene in polite company, but it is an essential part of the joining between a man and a woman.”

She placed her hand on the obvious bulge, stroking it and smiling as James groaned in a manner that made that feeling form in her lower abdomen again. After several long moments, he reached with his hand and removed hers from where it was, bringing it to his lips and kissing it.

“I am being sorely tested. It is a very sensitive part of male anatomy that is liable to go off too soon if it becomes too eager.”

Her smile was so sweet and knowing at the same time. “Because I touched it?”

“That, and placing your hands on me, and allowing my lips on your skin. It is all part of the mystery of what a man and a woman may do in private, as they explore their desires together. Now, my darling, I am going to end this, as gratifying as it has been. I made a promise to myself to educate you gradually in this matter. You are too quick a student, but that is just an observation, not a complaint.”

She smiled sweetly again, pleased and he pulled her over him, so he could gaze up at her angelic face. Lowering her face to his, they kissed again, and he couldn’t help but place his flesh hand inside her blouse, caressing over her chemise to feel her breast on his palm. A soft whimper from her throat tempted him to abandon his plan, and to take her there on that chair but he withdrew his hand and gently pushed her away, determined to remain a gentleman.

“I do love you,” he murmured, as she looked at him. “You are altogether beautiful my love; there is no flaw in you.”

She blushed at his quotation from the Song of Solomon, verse 4:7, then quoted verse 7:10 back to him.

“I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.”

“No truer words have ever been spoken.”

He rose, helping Amelia onto her feet, re-buttoning his shirt and gathering his collar, tie and jacket. At the door, he regarded her once more, then bent down and kissed her on the lips. He stepped out into the hallway towards his door, noticing she watched him. With a final smile, he unlocked his door and stepped inside, stumbling over an envelope addressed to him that had been slid under the door. Entering further into his suite, he dropped his jacket, tie and collar on a chair, then turned on the overhead electric lamp. A harsh spattering of rain against his window drew his attention for a moment then he used the letter opener to open the large envelope, finding two sheets of paper inside. He frowned at reading the content on the first sheet, written in a florid hand.

Your lady is beautiful. If you truly love her, you will leave her and return home. That is the only way she will be safe.

With a coldness building in his belly, he looked at the second sheet. It was a drawing of Amelia and her father, obviously drawn during his sojourn in New York, as it showed a landmark behind it. Stepping towards the telephone, he contacted the security desk at the door of the building. A male voice answered on the second ring.

“This is Barnes. The envelope that came for me,” he began. “Do you have a name or description of the person who dropped it off?”

“No sir,” replied the door attendant on duty. “A lady’s umbrella blew out and I assisted her in righting it. When I turned back it was there. I called to the indoor man on duty to deliver it to your suite.” There was a moment’s silence. “Is there a problem, sir?”

“Not with you, no,” replied Barnes. “Thank you.”

He sat in his armchair, reading and re-reading the note and looking at the drawing, trying to quell the fear that threatened his composure. For hours, he sat there, with only the sound of the rain hitting against the window as company. When the rain finally ended and the night began to brighten into day, he made a decision. Refastening his collar and tie, he buttoned his vest up and put his jacket then hat on. Replacing the sheets inside the envelope he went to the door of his apartment and opened it, looking to see if anyone was up. It was quiet and he slipped over to the elevator, waiting for it to rise to the 17th floor.

On the trip down he wrestled with what he was about to do, but it was clear to him that Amelia was in danger. The need to get her out of New York seemed to scream at him in increasing intensity. Striding out of the elevator, he went to the door, surprising the door attendant.

“Hail me a cab,” he ordered, which the door attendant did immediately. When it came, he practically jumped into the interior. “Astor House.”

There was no other way around it, he had to send Amelia away. The quickest and best way was to send her back to Chicago with her father. The trip to the hotel seemed to take forever but they finally arrived, just as the early risers were awakening. He strode to the front desk and pressed the bell to call the clerk. A man in morning clothes came out of the back and faced him.

“I need to speak with Mr. Harris Winston, of Chicago,” stated James.

“Is he expecting you, sir?”

“No, but it is an urgent matter. I beg that you call up to his room, as I know he rises early. Tell him it is Sergeant James Barnes, and it involves his daughter.”

“One moment sir.” The man went to a telephone on the desk behind him and dialled the room. Several seconds later he started speaking, then hung up. “Room 516, Sergeant Barnes on the fifth floor. It is to the right of the elevator.”

“Thank you.”

Trying to temper his growing disquiet he looked up at the floor indicator, wishing that elevators were faster. The doors opened and he looked right to see Mr. Winston standing in the open doorway, beckoning to him. He was still in his night clothes but wore a robe. Quickly, Barnes stepped inside and waited for Winston to join him.

“I apologize profusely for interrupting your usual morning routine, but an envelope was delivered to my attention at the Society late last night,” began Barnes. “It is a disturbing communication from an unknown source. I beg you to look at it and counsel me on how to respond to it.”

He handed the envelope to the older man, who went to a table and pulled a pair of reading glasses on before opening the envelope and removing the contents. After reading the note, he studied the drawing.

“We were there, two days ago,” he said, “shortly before your return, I believe. You think it is a threat against my Amy?”

“I do, sir, a credible threat. I believe that she needs to leave New York.”

“She won’t leave. Her independent nature will convince her to stay and prove the threat wrong. Unless, you have a means to convince her.”

“I do but it won’t be pleasant.” Barnes removed his hat to run his hand through his hair, noticing for the first time he had forgotten to wear gloves. “I mean to break it off with her. It pains me to do it, because I do love her dearly, but I can see no other way that she willingly leaves. I want her to return to Chicago with you.”

Winston studied the papers again, then gestured to Barnes to sit with him.

“You would sacrifice your happiness to protect her?”

“I would, sir. Her safety is paramount, and I fear the people behind this are the same ones who held me captive. It is likely they wish to finish what they started. They are extremely dangerous and even our assemblage of individuals is hard pressed to fight them. We need to focus all of our attention and resources on the fight. With her there, my attention may be divided and that could mean the difference between success and failure.”

“Very well, I will cut short my visit and purchase 2 train tickets for Chicago. If you wish to dine with me here in the room, I believe I can make that call shortly after I finish eating. I think it would be prudent to confirm the tickets before you break the news to her.”

“Thank you, sir. I don’t think I could eat at the moment, but I will accept a cup of coffee. I did not sleep last night, and I need the stimulation of a strong coffee.”

Winston placed the call for breakfast then took some clothes into the bathroom, coming out about 15 minutes later, dressed. Almost immediately, there was a knock on the door and breakfast was delivered along with a pot of coffee and two cups and saucers. As Mr. Winston ate, Barnes sipped his coffee, savouring the quality of the roast. It was fine coffee, but considering the fact that Astor House was the premier hotel in New York City, it shouldn’t have been surprising. Half an hour later, Mr. Winston checked his pocket watch and swallowed his final bite of breakfast, washing it down with the coffee.

Lifting the receiver of the telephone he asked the front desk to connect him to the ticket booth at Grand Central Depot, the train station located at the edge of the city. After enquiring about the times of the day’s trains to Chicago he requested a reservation for two people in a premier car for Mr. Harris Winston and his daughter Miss Amelia Winston. The train, scheduled to depart at 11:30 am, would arrive in Chicago 12 hours later. The cost was $7.00 for both of them. With the tickets reserved, Winston hung up and looked at Barnes.

“It will take us at least 45 minutes to get there from your location. I will try to be there for 10:30. Do you believe that is enough time to inform her and get her packed?”

“It will have to be.” Barnes stood up and replaced his hat, then offered his hand to man who could have been his father-in-law one day. “I am truly sorry for hurting her.”

The older man smiled sadly. “I know it, but it is indicative of how much you do love her. Once we return to Chicago I will explain the real reason behind your actions. She will be angry but perhaps she will find it in her heart to forgive you one day.”

“Perhaps,” agreed Barnes. “Good day, sir.”

He left, never expecting to resume the Winston’s acquaintance again, already accepting that with this strategy it would be truly over. As he rode back in the hansom cab, he steeled himself to the distasteful task ahead of him. After the loving interlude of the evening before, it was difficult to reconcile that he was now planning to break the heart of the woman he loved to protect her.

Part 5>>

Series Masterlist

Please support the author by reblogging.

[mariacallous]

From Israel’s founding to the present, no concept has so thoroughly dominated the country’s strategic imagination as much as deterrence. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon once said deterrence was the country’s “main weapon—the fear of us.” “Israel,” remarked the fabled Israeli general Moshe Dayan, “must be seen as a mad dog; too dangerous to bother.”

That’s why, after the attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, an unprecedented existential urgency was placed on reestablishing the country’s deterrence, which had been steadily waning since Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000. “What happened today has never before been seen in Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israelis after the Oct. 7 attack. The military, he vowed, would attack Hamas with a force “like never before.” Since the Oct. 7 attack was unprecedented, it then followed that Israel’s response, too, had to be at least equally so, a paroxysm of violence unparalleled in both scope and intensity.

But on these basic terms, the war has been a failure. Israel’s unprecedented displays of military might in Gaza—and the associated efforts elsewhere in the region—have failed to restore Israeli deterrence.

The most basic reason for this failure is that a major military victory, such as decisively crippling Hamas, is still not in sight. Instead, the ground offensives of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have drawn international condemnation, and the IDF’s alarmingly high casualty rates have exacerbated earlier concerns about the vulnerability of Israel’s land forces. None of this has communicated a message of strength to Israel’s foes—especially not to Hezbollah.

Ever since the Israeli onslaught on Gaza began in October 2023, Hezbollah and Israel have been involved in a measured escalation of tit-for-tat exchanges of fire along the Israeli-Lebanese border. Despite Hezbollah’s battlefield losses, with at least 240 fighters killed, the organization has managed to portray itself as standing in solidarity with the Palestinians while keeping tensions below a certain threshold. Furthermore, without entering into a full-scale war, the organization has so far tied a sizable portion of the IDF ground forces down along Israel’s northern front. Moreover, instead of withdrawing north of the Litani River, just as U.N. Resolution 1701 calls for, Hezbollah has pushed more than 80,000 Israeli civilians farther south, away from the border. In other words, Hezbollah has imposed its own terms of engagement by creating a buffer zone inside Israel, essentially forcing Israel to do internally what Resolution 1701 could not make Hezbollah do: relocate away from southern Lebanon.

This constitutes a grave affront to Israeli deterrence, even prompting IDF Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen to describe the IDF’s conduct in the north as “embarrassing.” “Hezbollah managed to make a move here, with limited fighting, that embarrasses the state of Israel,” Hacohen said, while adding that Hezbollah “conditions everything that will happen in the future by ending the war in the Gaza Strip. In fact, Hezbollah is the ones who are currently deciding whether they will stop.”

With neither Gaza nor Lebanon offering a realistic path to redemption, Netanyahu appears to have sought to escalate pressure on Iranian military assets in Syria, most likely in an effort to stem the flow of Iranian military aid to Hezbollah, project Israeli power, and possibly provoke an Iranian response that could draw the United States into a broader regional conflict. But Israel’s bombing of Iran’s embassy complex in Damascus and the killing of high-level officers appear to have unwittingly exposed not only the limits of Iranian patience, but also the limits of Israel’s operational latitude, military capacity, and impunity, factors that are likely to have serious ramifications for Israel’s long-term threat perception.

Iran promised retaliation almost immediately after Israel’s airstrike on the Iranian complex. It finally made good on its promise about 12 days later with a barrage of at least 300 drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles fired at Israel from inside Iranian territory. Iran’s deliberate pace kept Israel on edge before the ultimate retaliation. It also gave Israel and its allies time to prepare defenses. As noted by Israeli defense analyst Tal Inbar, despite spending billions on underground missile cities, the Iranians chose to launch their largest ballistic missile attack with above-ground missiles, making them detectable to various intelligence-gathering platforms.

The scope, pace, timing, and official communication of the Iranian attack suggest that it was designed to be a largely theatrical show of force to inspire fear while minimizing the risk of casualties. Significantly, several Iranian projectiles penetrated Israeli airspace, reaching the country’s southernmost regions, including an Israeli air base. Despite official Israeli claims that 99 percent of Iran’s projectiles were intercepted, this was achieved with significant assistance from the French, Jordanian, American, and British militaries.

In stark contrast, Israel’s response to Iran’s retaliation now appears extremely underwhelming, both in terms of substance and theatrics. Unlike Iran, which communicated its intentions through various channels, including the United Nations, Israel’s response to Iran’s retaliation appeared disjointed and lacking in clarity. The nature and origin of the Israeli strike remain unclear, with no definitive statement from Israeli officials or iconic images to convey its impact. There is also no conclusive evidence of the Israeli weapons used, whether they were warplanes or drones. Even Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir could not help but ridicule the half-hearted Israeli strike, calling it “lame.”

Despite having a sophisticated, multilayered air defense system costing billions to construct, maintain, and replenish, it took a Herculean effort involving Israeli, French, Jordanian, British, and American forces—along with billions of dollars of interception costs—to shoot down Iran’s barrage. This was despite advance preparation and reports that half of Iran’s missiles failed either at launch or during flight. Nevertheless, an unknown number of Iranian missiles did penetrate Israel’s thick defensive wall. Ironically, had the Netanyahu government not provoked Iran’s attack by targeting the Iranian consular complex in Damascus, and had the Biden administration not made clear to Netanyahu that the United States would not participate in an all-out war against Iran, the vulnerabilities of Israel’s defenses may very well have remained hidden. The scope and scale of Iran’s attack, coupled with the meekness of Israel’s underwhelming response, may thrust Israeli military planners into a strategic introspection that could reshape the country’s security calculus for years to come.

For decades, Israeli strategic doctrine has been dominated by a unique notion of deterrence, what Sharon referred to as the region’s “fear of us.” But with the enduring image of Iranian warheads soaring over Israeli skies now etched firmly into the region’s consciousness, that fear has become ever more difficult to preserve. Israel’s future engagements and tactical decisions will be calibrated by the humbling realization that what remained of Israel’s aura of invincibility has been profoundly shaken.

This could force Israeli leaders to intensify their efforts to rebuild deterrence in a full-scale war with Hezbollah, even though the prospects for success will be slim without robust U.S. involvement in such a war. It may also prompt Israel either to escalate military operations in Gaza, potentially triggering increased international criticism and its own isolation, or to push to develop next-generation air defense systems, such as cutting-edge laser technologies. More hopefully, it could catalyze a move toward more diplomatic avenues as a means of securing lasting peace and stability. What’s clear, however, is that Israel’s bid to reestablish its security is nowhere near over.

[fatelesschild]

FC's Doctor Who Fic Masterlist

Pseudonyms: Laurawrzz, reddwarfaddict, fatelesschild 10Whump, H/C, TenxRose

(Image by @fritzmetzger)

Destinyverse

The Doctor's new life in "the adventure he thought he could never have" is in full swing, and it's nothing like what he thought it would be. With Rose and their children by his side and the support of Jack's Torchwood, Sarah Jane, UNIT, new friends and old friends alike, the Doctor faces some of the biggest challenges he's ever had in an increasingly hostile universe full of age-old enemies and dangerous new villains.

In this collection, the Doctor and Rose try to nurture a relationship and raise children in a Universe with other ideas. Facing amnesia, torture, imprisonment, childbirth, illness, corruption, war, hate, love, loss, plus all the trouble and fun in between, being "the Doctor in the TARDIS with Rose Tyler" was never going to be normal.

TenxRose A/U of post-Journey's End. All stories carry tags/warnings for 10Whump, H/C, graphic violence and emotional trauma, general dark themes, and some descriptive sex.

Mainline stories

1 Destiny (Novel, Explicit) [TenxRose, Torchwood, Master] ﹂"I think he's from the future. This is a future me." The Doctor and Rose are in a fledgling relationship travelling the stars, until one fateful day, the Doctor's tortured future self arrives in Torchwood, intent on breaking the laws of times and changing his own past.

2 Paroxysmic (Novel, Mature) [TenxRose, Torchwood, UNIT] ﹂“That boy who died… He had what Leah has.” The Doctor and Rose's two-year-old daughter suddenly falls ill and is taken to a UNIT hospital. But when unexplained deaths of children in the ward begin to occur, the Doctor must race to solve the mystery before it takes his girl away too.

3 The Debt (Novel, Explicit) [TenxRose, Torchwood, Shadow Proclamation, Master] ﹂“Theta needs Koschei's help one last time.” When his young daughter is put into mortal danger, and Rose is imprisoned by a corrupt Shadow Proclamation, the only one the Doctor can turn to for help is the Master, calling in a debt from their childhood. But he can't be trusted …. Can he?

4 Mother's Nature (Novel, Explicit) [TenxRose, Torchwood, Ulysses, Penelope Gate] ﹂“… But what if she's not real?” The Shadow Proclamation upgrade Earth to a Level 6 planet, endangering visiting species as humans turn hostile. Seeking refuge, some old family members of the Doctor turn up, but … haven't they been dead for hundreds of years?

5 Echoes (Novel, Mature) [TenxRose, Torchwood, Shadow Proclamation, Braxiatel, UNIT, Master] ﹂“I want to remember. I sound so happy.” After receiving a message from his future self and fleeing Torchwood in a hurry, the Doctor turns up on the Master’s doorstep three months later with utterly no memory of who he is, how he got there, or what happened to him and his family.

6 Time (Novel, Explicit) [TenxRose, Torchwood, UNIT, Braxiatel] ﹂"He is very, very ill. I believe he has three months to live." After twelve years of imprisonment in Volag-noc the Doctor is terminally ill, giving him and Rose three months to find a lost memory so he can regenerate into the same body. However, someone has been chasing the Doctor for a very long time ...

7 Mind Games (Short, Mature) [TenxRose, Multiple Doctors + Companions, Master] ﹂“You need to go inside his mind, find him, and bring him out." The Doctor has regenerated and become trapped within his own mind. Rose must enter to save what's left, battling riddles and games and searching his deepest, darkest memories to reach Ten and free him from his own mental prison.

8 Co-consciousness (Novel, Mature) [TenxRose, Torchwood, Braxiatel] ﹂‘Tell him that I love him too. And also that I hate him.’ A freak accident has left Rose’s consciousness trapped inside the Doctor’s head, and the only solution is on the most criminal-infested planet in the Universe. With Jack's help, the Doctor has to find the cure before his brain shatters under the strain.

9 Insurgent (Novel, Explicit) [TenxRose, Torchwood, UNIT, Braxiatel, Master] ﹂‘I love you, all of you. Don’t stop. Never stop.’ With UNIT having faked his death, the Doctor goes undercover to save Earth. But this time, his adversaries are out of his childhood nightmares, and his family are under severe threat from a xenophobic human race.

10 The Ten Keys of the Moirai (Novel, Mature) [TenxRose, Torchwood, Braxiatel, Master] ﹂'I don’t believe in fate.' Someone is finding the fabled Keys of the Moirai. The Doctor and his friends must embark on the greatest treasure hunt ever known, as the rumoured prize is to become the immortal ruler of the Universe, and who knows who's about to claim it?

11 Memento (Novel, Mature) [TenxRose, Torchwood] ﹂'This isn't a story. This is your life, and you need to remember it.’ The Doctor wakes up with a damaged memory as a prisoner of an unknown entity. With him is someone who claims to be his friend. Time is apparently running out, and all the Doctor has to reconstruct his life are stories told by a man he can’t remember, and is not sure he can even trust.

12 Panacea (Novel, Mature) [TenxRose, Torchwood, Millennia] ﹂You should've killed me. On a mission to cure his paralysis, the Doctor heads with Jack to the most renowned clinic in the universe, where he meets a very old friend. But with infected Rose one step ahead, the threat to the Doctor and his family has never been so personal.

13 The Things in the Dark (Novel, Explicit) [TenxRose, Torchwood, Millennia, Daleks] ﹂‘Who says you’re imaginin’ anythin’?’ After being blinded by Rose's disease, the Doctor must prepare the TARDIS to navigate through one of the most hostile regions of space to save her, but old traumas die hard ...

14 Oblivion (Novel, Mature) [TenxRose, Torchwood, Millennia, Eternals, Ravenous] ﹂‘Just … acknowledge what I said. I’m telling you what to do if I die.’ A blind Doctor, his six-year-old daughter, Jack Harkness, and Millennia embark on an Odyssean journey into an extremely hostile region of space in a race against time to find the cure for a diseased Rose Tyler. But their ticket may only be one way.

15 Twilight of the Innocents (Novel, Mature) [TenxRose, Braxiatel, Master] ﹂‘Haven’t you learnt not to trust the villain yet, Doctor?’ To save Rose Tyler and free the Universe from a sentient disease's grip, the Doctor, the Master, and Irving Braxiatel must work together: forced to navigate the complexities of their relationships, face the depths of their fears, and consider the cost of their decisions. But can the last three Time Lords, so deeply divided by distrust, be trusted with the fate of the Universe?

Add-ons/spin-offs

22 Weeks (Oneshot, Explicit) [Ten, Jack, The Master] ﹂'I'm Jack. I love you; I'm not going to hurt you.' During the Year That Never Was, Jack struggles to take care of a brain-damaged Doctor over the course of one week following the Master's relentless assault.

Santa's Not Real (Oneshot, General) [TenxRose] ﹂'Santa is real, Leah. He needs you to believe in him.’ The Doctor’s daughter doesn’t believe in Santa, but that might just be the undoing of Christmas for children all over the Earth.

Other Series

Weeds

A weed inside the TARDIS has buried itself so deeply in her heart that reality becomes an illusion. When Rose is poisoned by the weed, the Doctor has five hours to obtain the cure, fighting reality and unreality to save his companion.

1 Weeds (Two-part, Mature) [Ten, Rose, TARDIS] ﹂“Help,” the Doctor whimpered, his eyes filling up with tears. A destructive weed is inside the TARDIS and poisoned Rose. With five hours on the clock, an injured Doctor must find the cure, but to get it, he must venture into the very heart of his own beloved ship.

2 Pains (Two-part, Mature) [Ten, Rose, TARDIS] ﹂"I am the emergency medical interference for this time capsule, TARDIS type 40, mark 3." The weeds are still in the TARDIS, and the Doctor is lying useless in the infirmary. Rose takes it upon herself to kill the weeds, but straying too near the TARDIS Heart and its terrible effects may end up killing her.

3 Hearts (Two-part, Mature) [Ten, Rose, TARDIS] ﹂"No, I don't want you to be my champion. I want you to be my slave." The weeds are multiplying, and Rose and the Doctor are lying at the bottom of an access shaft, badly injured. The Heart of the TARDIS is screaming for help, but is there anyone left to answer?

4 Minds (Two-part, Mature) [TenxRose, Jackie, TARDIS] ﹂“I've only… I've only ever been with you.” The weed has taken the Doctor's mind, placing him in a made-up world with little memory of the TARDIS or the danger she and Rose are in. Rose can only communicate with him through his dreams, and who says he wants to leave his dream world anyway?

5 Bodies (Two-part, Mature) [Ten, Rose, TARDIS] ﹂"Take me over, fry my brain, sacrifice me, I don't care. Whatever it takes. Just beat this weed. For the Doctor, okay? It's what he'd want." It's the end of the line, and with the Doctor's body dead and his mind held captive, it's up to Rose and the TARDIS to kill the weed once and for all.

The DoctorRose Fic Marathon 2022

Collection of Ten and Rose-centric stories created for the 2022 Doctor Rose Fic Marathon, ranging through lovely fluff, absurd crack, genuine horror, and intense whump / H/C.

The Man in the Leather Jacket (Oneshot, Teen) [Ten, Rose] ﹂'But you don't know where I'm going. You don't even know who I am.' After five years of working listlessly in Henrik's, a very strange customer walks in looking for a new outfit and changes Rose Tyler's life forever.

The Bitter Pill (Oneshot, Teen) [TenxRose] ﹂'Oh god, I took so long that you've had a stroke.' A Gallifreyan biological curiosity causes a severe medical emergency for the Doctor, leaving Rose to pick up the pieces.

Tell Me What I'm Thinking (Oneshot, Teen) [TenxRose] ﹂'Wait, that means I could use telepathy like you if I trained it, yeah?' Over the course of two months, Rose tries to get the Doctor to teach her how to use telepathy.

Goodnight, Sleep Tight (Oneshot, General) [Ten, Rose] ﹂'Oh my god, are you actually doin' this?' Rose and the Doctor share a single bed for the night, and it’s not quite as romantic as Rose imagined.

Sale of the Century (Oneshot, General) [Ten, Rose] ﹂'When you come through here every so often with fifty trolleys, you tend to stick in the mind.' When the TARDIS food stocks run low on Earth supplies, the Doctor has to go on his centennial grocery shop. Unfortunately, this time Rose is along for the ride.

Bet Your Life? (Oneshot, Mature) [Ten, Rose, Jack] ﹂'I'm tired, Jack, I'm s-so tired of w-watchin' him die …' The Doctor's temporary death causes temporary chaos for Jack and Rose.

He May Surely Have Bad Dreams (Oneshot, Mature) [TenxRose] ﹂'Stop. Please. Please. I'll do anything. Just let me wake up.' Have you ever had a nightmare you couldn't wake up from?

School's Out (Oneshot, Teen) [Ten, Rose] ﹂'I'm … from the future.' A new student appears at Jericho Street Comprehensive, just as schoolgirl Rose Tyler needs saving.

Her Last Goodbye (Oneshot, General) [TenxRose] ﹂'I know it'll hurt. But remember. You gave me the best life. The best.' After nearly three centuries of travelling with the Doctor, Rose Tyler dies. But she’s not quite done looking after him yet.

Standalone Novels/Shorts

Death in Paradox (Short, Mature) [paused] [Ten, Martha, Rose] ﹂'If I’m going to die, I‘d like to see what finally killed me.’ After seeing a past version of himself shot dead by an unknown assailant, the Doctor, with the help of Rose and Martha, must embark on a murder mystery to solve his own killing before time corrects and his death catches up with him.

Xeno (Novel, Mature) [Ten, Donna, Jack, Martha, UNIT] ﹂Why wasn’t Martha speaking the right language? Unless, of course, he was speaking the wrong one. Donna is still looking for the Doctor when a UFO crash lands outside of Downing Street, containing the severely injured Time Lord. Trouble is, the human race is about to be the victim of genocide, and the Doctor can't speak English. Russian translation available here

Jack (Novel, Mature) [Ten, Rose, Jack] ﹂"I'm Cap'n Jack Harkness. Who the hell are you?" The Doctor and Rose are forced by the TARDIS to the 52nd century, where they meet a Time Agent Jack in the middle of his two years of missing memories fighting a gruesome biological war.

Eli (Novel, Teen) [Ten, Sarah Jane, Martha, Jack, Rose] ﹂'All grown-up humans need is sleep, food, something to amuse them, and some attention. Right? So you need that too. Just in smaller doses.' In the wreckage of a crashed ship, the Doctor discovers a sole survivor - a small human boy in the tight grip of his dead mother. While finding him a home, the Doctor has to look after him. The problem is he has no idea how human children work.

Ordinary World (Novel, Mature) [edit pending] [TenxRose, Jackie, Jack, Sarah] ﹂'Them aliens out there? They're s'posed to be the killers, yeah? The murderers? The monsters? Well they're not. The monsters are right here. It's us.' A malfunctioning TARDIS has sent the Doctor, Jackie and Rose to an alternative version of Earth. Without the TARDIS, the Doctor, Rose and Jackie are forced onto separate sides of a gruesome alien vs. human war.

Reborn (Novel, Mature) [edit pending] [Ten, TentooxRose, Jack, Martha, Sarah Jane, Multi-era, Koschei, Theta. Romana] ﹂'We have to stop the Darkness before it consumes everything.' When the walls of reality begin to break down, the 10th Doctor and every person he has ever known assemble in one reality. The Darkness is coming, and not all of them will reach the light.

13 Woodcutter Road (Short, Teen) [Ten, Donna] ﹂"Something's not right with this street, Donna. I think it's some kind of alien intervention, a front for some sort of operation…" After a misadventure that needs the TARDIS to self-repair, the Doctor and Donna have to live in a temporary Earth house. But while Donna thinks he's going mad with boredom, the Doctor is convinced that something very strange is going on in Woodcutter Road.

One/twoshots

(Image by @fritzmetzger)

Time With Mother (Oneshot, Mature) [Ten, Jackie, Rose] ﹂Somewhere over the course of the afternoon, he'd stopped being a stranger, and started being a member of the family. The newly regenerated 10th Doctor finds himself trapped and injured with Jackie in the stairwell of a shopping centre on Boxing Day, where they find they've got more to talk about than the sales.

Happy Othersmas (Oneshot, Teen) [TenxRose] ﹂'I know it's just some silly human holiday that doesn't make much sense, and it shouldn't feel so important, but it does.' Rose’s plans for her first Christmas without her mum are scuppered by a highly contagious alien disease, and she and the Doctor are forced to spend 48 hours in TARDIS quarantine.

The Curse of the Time Lords (Oneshot, General) [Nine, Ten, Rose, Martha, Donna, Multi-Doctor, Multi-Companion] ﹂'It's you …' TARDIS ground rules: 1. Don't put posters up. 2. Don't be overly joyful before 10am. 3. Don't go into the attic.

The Monster's Ball (Oneshot, Teen) [Ten, Rose, Jackie] ﹂'I now, officially, have utterly no idea what's going on or how I'm supposed to stop it.' The Doctor and Rose accidentally visit Jackie on Halloween, just in time for the Powell Estate annual Halloween party. Audiobook version available here

Dear Santa (Oneshot, General) [TenxRose] ﹂WE WOOD LYK TO SAAAAY THAT YOOOU SHOOD NOT GET THE DOKTAH A PREZENT THIS YEEEEAR!!! Documenting a series of "umails" from the Doctor and the Daleks to Santa, asking him not to get the other one presents.

Shipwrecked (Short, Teen) [edit pending] [Ten, Multi-companion] ﹂"We're stuck in the void…" The TARDIS has crashed, leaving the Doctor and eight companions trapped in the console room with only twenty minutes of oxygen.

Yet to be AO3'd

All below have yet to be AO3'd. Most are on FF.net.

Key: - Rewrite probable - Can't decide - Let the internet swallow it into the abyss

Novels/Shorts (a-z)

Casperton Horror Laura's description: Fun horror with blatant TenxRosexTentoo, even though it wasn't Rewrite notes: Nice premise, deserves another outing

Dreams Laura's description: James Bond, but it's the Doctor, and he can't stop being heroic. Plus helicopters Rewrite notes: Has a special place in my heart, seems likely

It IS Halloween Laura's description: Series of epic 10Whumps tenuously linked by Halloween subplot Rewrite notes: ... Ahahahaha!

Lector Manor Laura's description: What you get if you mix Kingdom Hearts with Saw but still want it Saturday-night friendly Rewrite notes: Always liked its vibe, I'd like another crack

Lure of the Sirens Laura's description: If Lost had more sex, 10Whump, and bears, because every desert island has bears Rewrite notes: Totally oversexed, but nice premise with a desert island survival vibe that could be more fun if I thought about it

Memories Laura's description: A story to remind you that Laura likes medieval RPGs and plot duality Rewrite notes: I always liked this one, it at least deserves a look at

Miss Doctor and Mr Rose Laura's description: Bodyswap with author's blinding pubescent overtones Rewrite notes: Noooooo. No. Nope.

My Darlin' Rosaline Laura's description: If Doctor Who was a Western everyone would have Western names and talk about the Calaboose Rewrite notes: Some very nice H/C but ... nah.

Ransom Laura's description: Tentoo has a really bad time, like REALLY bad. Also, there's plot. Rewrite notes: Always intended to repost

Shipwrecked Laura's description: Time petals with canonical context. Rewrite notes: Probably best left to the furnace

Ten Minus Five Laura's description: An excuse for cute tiny Ten, validated by plot Rewrite notes: It's the only deageing fic I've done, maybe it needs some love ...?

The Long Meaningful Rambles 1-4 Laura's description: If you read the Destinyverse, it's like that, but written by a child Rewrite notes: Nice moments, but ultimately defunct

Unwanted Lodger Laura's Description: MPreg, but it's not an MPreg, MPreg, but it's not an MPreg ... Rewrite notes: Barely remember besides the obvious, need to review, but seems unlikely

Walking Dead Laura's description: The dead Doctor wants to eat your face, Rose Rewrite notes: Kooky idea with some cool moments, not a rewrite but a recycler

YinYang Laura's description: A very long excuse to bury the Doctor alive Rewrite notes: Has ultimately led to ideas for the Destinyverse. Defunct.

Oneshots/Twoshots/Other (a-z)

TARDIS Drabbles of Randomness Laura's description: Intermittent brain splurges of varying quality Rewrite notes: I like a lot of it, but not sure anyone else would 😂

A Christmas Story About Christmas (and a Wii) Laura's description: If crack took a crack and married Mrs Crack who gave birth to a baby named Crack at Christmas Rewrite notes: No, tah.

A Pound of Potatoes and a Broken Nose Laura's description: What happened when a child Laura went to Sainsbury's and thought, 'how can I hurt the Doctor in here?' Rewrite notes: Absolutely not.

A Year's Free Supply of Marmalade Laura's description: Do you remember that time before Gen Z learnt to walk and the concept of babygirl didn't have a name? Yeah, it's that. Rewrite notes: Not even a tiny bit of me wants to rewrite this but it's always available for posterity.

Beyond the Void Laura's description: Something that began as an attempt to fix Doomsday but somehow made it even more traumatic Rewrite notes: Not worth a rewrite, but the spirit lives on in pretty much everything since.

Chocolate Spread or Marmalade? Laura's description: Laura can't grieve properly so had to turn Rose's loss into a small crackfic Rewrite notes: Even if God commanded me, he couldn't make me redo this.

Circle of Life Laura's description: A neat little oneshot that seemed real mature at the time. Rewrite notes: It's a really interesting premise but has ultimately made its way into other fics in other forms.

Dear Mr Dalek Laura's description: A confirmation that if Laura does naff poetry it needs to include naff whump. Rewrite notes: Nope.

Help! I'm a Cat! Laura's description: A short little ditty that turned the Doctor into cat (I think it was all the rage in noughties fics?) Rewrite notes: Even my cat hates it. No.

Kiss of Death Laura's description: Classic example of the inverse ratio between the size of the horror and the size of the teenage ability. Rewrite notes: Yeah ... no.

Parallel Valentine Laura's description: Excuse for a TenRose fest and no other reason. Rewrite notes: It's actually not COMPLETELY terrible, but still pretty terrible.

Perils of Parenthood Laura's description: A spin-off of Unwanted Lodger that I actually sort of like Rewrite notes: Kind of funny, but ultimately has no place anymore.

Pranks Laura's description: Crack, before I even knew what crack was Rewrite notes: I think you'd like it in a strange endearing way, but it's going nowhere.

Sacrificial Time Lord Laura's description: Yet more crack for (I think?) April Fool's, involving traumatising Rose Rewrite notes: Never have I used the phrase 'lol' with more conviction

Sleepwalking Laura's description: Even more crack, this time with things that kinda seemed cute at the time to my teenager self but with the hindsight of maturity was actually non-con Rewrite notes: No thank you

Spin the Bottle Doctor/Donna Laura's description: If Doctor Who was a 90's sitcom this is at least two episodes Rewrite notes: It has absolutely nothing to bring to modern life but hey it was fun

The Day the Doctor Couldn't Save Her Laura's description: Absolute whumpfest with no real plot Rewrite notes: Lots of lovely whump but no story. Not worth reviving.

The Doctor GO!/The Doctor ACTION! Laura's description: Yet more crack, this time with the help of Teen Titans Rewrite notes: You've GOT to be kidding.

Timeout Laura's description: Another April Fool's fic. Becoming apparent I was less April Fools and more 'let's completely fuck them all up, isn't that hilarious!' cos that's the kind of stellar girl I am Rewrite notes: Rewrite? I should probably delete it.

Tomorrow Never Comes Laura's description: A short actually written for my GCSEs in school that got full marks, marked by a teacher who I don't think had ever seen Groundhog Day. Rewrite notes: Nice marker in my life, but not very noteworthy.

[madamlaydebug]

So what is this 144,000? Who are they? I don’t actually think there’s a single answer to this but I do believe I’ve found one of them. Since the Bible, and the book of the Unveiling especially, speaks in symbol and allegory it’s only fair to say there are many possibilities to it’s real meaning. I’d say that the orthodox “understanding” of the book is the one that’s most incorrect. We’ll get into more of that later.

So let’s get to it. Most folks have heard of Chakras. If you haven’t, I strongly encourage you to do some homework. They’re basically where the universal life force energy plugs into your body. Whirling vortices of energy at specific vibrations are channeled into your vital systems via these nerve centers. When there’s a blockage, disease manifests. It’s really fascinating stuff. Anyway, these energy centers are represented by different stages of the lotus flower, which is itself a symbol of purity of the body. Here are the chakras and their corresponding lotus blossoms:

Making reference to the 144000 sealed men whose speaks in the Revelation (Apocalypse), this number is that of the election, 12, carried to its paroxysm: 12 x 12 x 1000, where 1000 is a coefficient of the immensity. In others words, this number indicates that all the elects, without exception, are kept under the protection of God.

Bible

Number of sealed or elected of all the tribes of Israel, marked of the seal of God. (Rv 7,1)

General

The 144000 petals of the main chakra or coronal (located to the summit of the cranium) represent the 144000 rays of light originated from all the seven chakras, or centers of energy of the body, deployed and balanced, or again the 144000 vibrations of the divine Creation which travel in the cosmos and that are source of life.

In the Gospel of Barnabe, chapter 17, it is written: "144000 prophets that God sent to the world, have spoken obscurely; but after me will come the splendor of all prophets and saint; he will illuminate the darkness of whole what have told the prophets, because it is the messenger of God". Some have seen in this passage an allusion to Muhammad, "The Seal of prophets" (Koran XXX, 40).

When we add the number of petals of the five inferior psychic centers, we obtain a total of 48 petals. By adding 96 petals of the frontal center (the place of the third eye where the small number must receive its divine mark), we obtain the number 144, symbol of the perfect and expressed spiritual work, that is to say of the marriage between the soul and the personality. If now we multiply 144 by the thousand petals of the coronal center, we obtain 144000, the number of the elects, who will be all these that will have waked up in them the seven stars or spiritual and psychic centers.

John Phaure advances two mathematics divisions which, according to him, are very revealing. As numbers he uses the 144000 servants of God "marked to the front", the number of the Beast, 666 and 216, a fundamental cyclic and cabalistic number (tenth of the one Era: 2160 / 10) that he interprets as one of figures of the Christ:

144 000 / 216 = 666 with a rest of 144

144 000 / 666 = 216 with a rest of 144

These results express according to him that the 144000 "marked" as servants of God before the advent the Antichrist are here the object of the eschatologic combat between the Christ and his Adversary. From this combat leaves "the rest": 144, those who will be the Elects of the celestial Jerusalem". He points out moreover than 666 + 144 = 810, numerical value of the Greek word Parakletos, the Paraclete. Thus the Holy Spirit espressed at the end of time "will be the 'glorificater' of the Creation".

By using the pyramidal inch, the external volume of the tomb of the Room of the King in the Great Pyramid gives 144000 cubic inches. The pyramidal inch measures 25.303 mm. By using this unit of measure, the pyramid would have a height of 5800 inches and a volume of 160 billion cubic inches, giving all numbers without decimal.

The external recovery of the Great Pyramid would be made of 144000 stones.

Occurrence

The number 144000 is used 3 times in the Bible.

-Thank you Paul

[death-before-ilion]

Troy as nexus

The most famous conflict in Greek mythology is the Second Trojan War. Numerous epics, poems and histories were written about it or about events that led to it or followed it. It is a moment in time when all Greek heroes united and all the different mythical arcs mingled into one glorious paroxysmic event. Arcs had mingled before, during the Calydonian boar hunt, the voyage of the Argo, and the two Theban wars for example, but none to that scale and fame.

This war was a consequence of Zeus' will to put an end to the race of heroes, offspring of gods and humans, which he deemed too numerous, and marked the end of the heroic age and the beginning of the iron age. Setting aside the nostoi and the semi-historical dorian invasion of the descendants of Heracles, Greek mythology's grand finale pretty much takes place there.

As such, with the objective of building a coherent chronology of events, characters and lineages, I will start at Troy and work my way backwards. Greek historians provide various dates for the fall of Troy, ranging from the mid-XIIth to mid-XIVth centuries BC, but the most widely accepted date is 1184 BC, as supported by none other than Eratosthenes, Diodorus the Sicilian and Castor of Rhodes. This will be my starting point.

My first objectives, therefore, are to build a general chronological framework (theogony, ages of the world, major events) without dating anything precisely and to then devise a detailed chronology of events around and during the Second Trojan War.

But to do this, I will first need a method to compare sources, resolve their contradictions and therefore rank their authority.

[thoughtlessarse]

An ongoing joint military exercise involving a comparatively small number of American and Armenian troops at a base in the Yerevan suburbs has caused a paroxysm of rage in the Kremlin. The 11-day joint exercise, dubbed Eagle Partner, will run through July 24 and is intended to boost the “interoperability between the US and Armenia during peacekeeping and stability operations,” according to a report distributed by the US European Command. It isn’t the number of troops involved that have Russian officials in a tizzy, its more about the timing and symbolism of the joint exercise. It is a tangible measure of the progress made by Armenia in its geopolitical pivot away from Russia towards the West following Yerevan’s loss of Nagorno-Karabakh. “You [US and Armenian troops] are at the forefront of an important and growing relationship and partnership, and our nations thank you for your personal commitment toward ensuring peace, security, and prosperity,” US Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien said in remarks made at Eagle Partner’s opening ceremony on July 15. In parallel with the exercise, Armenian media outlet Hetq reported that a resident adviser from the Pentagon will be attached to Armenia’s Ministry of Defense. The adviser’s duties and responsibilities haven’t been publicly disclosed. In addition, the US and Armenia are exploring cooperation on the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Armenia. Currently, Russia has a stranglehold on atomic power generation at the Metsamor facility, which has 12 years remaining in its life cycle. In the history of Soviet/Russian diplomacy, the level of vitriol contained in an official statement has often been in inverse proportion to Moscow’s ability to influence its preferred outcome. In the case of Armenia’s rapid embrace of the West, as embodied in Eagle Partner, the vitriol vented by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was up there. She painted the presence of American forces in the Caucasus in dire terms, saying the United States and NATO were intent on upsetting “the fragile balance” in the region and reigniting conflict.

continue reading

Suck it up, Russia, this one's on you. Had Russian peacekeepers done their job in Nagorno-Karabakh, Yerevan would still be under Moscow's sway, but Moscow was too busy trying to take over Ukraine.

[belacqui-pro-quo]

The memory of the Holocaust is ritually celebrated as a civil religion in the European Union, and the defense of Israel has become, as Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz have repeatedly affirmed, the “Staatsraison” of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). Today, Germany invokes this memory to justify the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza. After October 7, the country is pervaded with an atmosphere of witch-hunting against any form of solidarity with Palestine. Yet Germany is only the paroxysmal expression of a broader tendency. This explains why, especially in the United States, many Jews have raised their voices to say, “not in my name.” The references to “reason of state” are both curious and revealing as an implicit admission of moral and political ambiguity. As any scholar of political theory knows, this concept reminds one of the dark and hidden sides of political power. Usually identified with Niccolo Machiavelli’s thought, even if the term itself does not appear in his writings, raison d’état means the transgression of law in the name of superior imperatives of state security. It is by invoking raison d’état that the secret services of states that have abolished the death penalty plan the execution of terrorists and other people who threaten their social and political order. From Machiavelli to Friedrich Meinecke and Paul Wolfowitz, raison d’état alludes to a “state of exception,” the immoral side of a state that transgresses its own laws. Behind raison d’état stands not democracy but Guantanamo. Thus, when the FRG backs Israel by invoking Staatsraison, it implicitly admits the immorality of its policy. Today, Germany’s unconditional support to Israel compromises the democratic culture, pedagogy, and memory that had been built over the course of several decades, and particularly after the Historikerstreit in the middle of the 1980s. This policy throws a dark shadow on the Holocaust Memorial that stands in the heart of Berlin, which does not appear anymore as the expression of a tormented historical consciousness and the virtues of remembrance, but rather as an imposing symbol of hypocrisy.

[averseunhinged]

because i am deeply tired of arguing with the music bros, i'm doing my year ends here. these are my favorite albums of 2023. favorite. my personal favorites. not the best albums of the year. the albums i, as an individual human person with free will and my own taste, which i am allowed to have, enjoyed the most.

i also didn't listen to as much new music as i usually do and did a shit job tracking it, because this has been a particularly headachey year. pls feel free to tell me if there's something you think i'm missing out on. in a friendly way!! doesn't have to be polite, but i am pre-empting any even remotely music bro-ey arguments. i don't know if they exist here on the tumblrs and i don't particularly want to find out.

country/alt-country/americana/folk/whatever

jason isbell and the 400 unit - weathervanes

i'm not a huge jason isbell/truckers/whatever fan, but this album is a+++ sad old man alt-country.

zach bryan - zach bryan + all my homies hate ticketmaster

i'm just lumping these two together. i thought they were going to be generic bro country, but learned a valuable lesson about stereotyping people with generic bro country names. the self-titled is genuine, smart, well-written country music, but the real star is the live album, and not just for the shitpost title.

ruston kelly - the weakness

this is not my favorite ruston kelly era, but it's still a pretty good album. leans more on the emo side of dirt emo.

reverend kristin michael hayter - SAVED!

after ending her lingua ignota era, i was curious what hayter would do next and was not disappointed with hymns and glossolalia that sound like they were recorded in silent hill and are being piped into the rapture.

rock. i guess. guitary stuff, anyway.

yves tumor - praise a lord who chews but which does not consume; (or simply, hot between worlds)

i think i ended up liking this album more than the music bros did, but it's full of glammy goth rock bangers in the year of our lord 2023. very dance-able, if your style of dance is paroxysms and flailing.

skating polly - chaos county line

i was happy to see skating polly back this year after kellie mayo's throat surgery. it's a tighter, more evolved version of their particular brand of wild pop rock that never quite admits they're now adults.

midwife and vyva melinkolya – orbweaving

a mix of indie, doom folk, and ambient. it’s excellent mood music, if the mood is maximum bummer.

feeble little horse - girl with fish

so fuzzy and garagey and fun. i've listened to steamroller approx 74376386 times this year.

palehound - eye on the bat

possibly my favorite album this year. just rad queer indie rock with zero skips. on point lyrics and tightly crafted songs that still sound loose and garagey.

the veils - …and out of the void came love

i was thrilled to have a new veils album after almost a decade since their last. not only that, it's probably my favorite of their work. does it have a highlight track like total depravity did with house of spirits? no, but that's in, like, top 20 favorite songs ever for me. it does have a full listing of really solid, creative brit rock.

indigo de souza - all of this will end

it's unreal how good a songwriter de souza is. my favorite track is always, which sounds like glassjaw, if glassjaw made indie rock.

pop/r&b/lecktricky

chappell roan - the rise and fall of a midwest princess

this is more of a past singles compilation with some new tracks mixed in, so i feel a little weird including it, but overall, it's probably my favorite pop album this year. roan makes well-written and mostly well-produced, extremely dance-able, queer, feminist pop.

sza – sos

it's sza.

caroline polachek - desire, i want to turn into you

polachek continues to be the best vocalist in pop music with some of the most interesting, engaging, beautiful songwriting.

susanne sundfor – blomi

i could do without the spoken word tracks, but the rest of this is more of sundfor's warm, lovely blend of pop, folk, and electronic.

guldimund - jeg venter i lyset

sort of lumping this in with the previous album. both guldimund and sundfor take experimental folk music to a more poppy place than joshua burnside does, but the songwriting is just as good and the production as interesting.

100 gecs - 10,000 gecs

i'm not sure anyone invites as much dissention in the music bro ranks as the gecs do, but i was a big fan of happy hardcore and rave back in the day, so they're a fun throwback for me. learn to embrace obnoxious ebullience, music bros.

nia archives - sunrise bang ur head against tha wall

again, a throwback to the electronica of my youth, this time house and drum and bass. it's really nice to hear it done so well in combination with nia's pretty, jazzy vocals.

olivia rodrigo - guts

i am way, way too old to really relate to this album on a soul-deep level, but if this had come out when i was 14? life changing obsession, let me tell you.

hip hop

slowthai - ugly

every year there's at least one album that is outstanding, but too emotionally raw for casual listening. ugly is, imo, slowthai's most honest and brutal album. whenever never again comes up in a shuffle, i think, this is it! the time i won't start crying halfway thru. but no. every time is the time it makes me cry.

grouptherapy. - i was mature for my age, but i was still a child

i've been following this collective's single releases for a while, and it's been a genuine pleasure hearing them evolve and fold in their various influences, creating a sound that's theirs. this album is thematically interesting, as well as a lot of fun and very well done, touching on topics like being young and queer in a very public forum and their pasts as child actors.

aesop rock - integrated tech solutions

no-one does a hip hop concept album with as much aplomb as aesop rock. do i love it as much as i love spirit world field guide? no, but only because the unhinged meandering topics work a little better with the lengthy ayahuasca trip that is swfg.

also i'm giving extra points because he releases instrumental versions of his albums. i frequently listen to them when i need getting shit done music that won’t distract me with words.

killer mike – michael

rtj is great. i love rtj. but it's also nice to hear killer mike working with producers other than el-p. this album's full of bangers that feel very personal and run an emotional gamut from love and gratitude to anger and resentment without being so raw that it's hard to listen to regularly.

[mcatmemoranda]

●Definition – Thrombocytopenia (ie, platelet count <150,000/microL [150 x 109/L]) may be associated with a variety of conditions, with associated risks that range from life-threatening to none. We are most concerned about spontaneous bleeding with counts <10,000/microL, and surgical bleeding with counts <50,000/microL. Rarely, thrombocytopenia is associated with a risk of thrombosis rather than, or in addition to, bleeding. (See 'Definitions and areas of concern' above.)

●Causes – The potential causes of thrombocytopenia differ depending on the clinical setting in which it occurs (table 6). (See 'Causes of thrombocytopenia' above and 'Overview of our approach' above.)

•Severe thrombocytopenia with bleeding and certain causes of thrombocytopenia (suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia [HIT], thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura [TTP], hemolytic uremic syndrome [HUS], drug-induced thrombotic microangiopathy [DITMA], or bone marrow failure syndrome with severe pancytopenia) are medical emergencies that require immediate action. (See 'Thrombocytopenic emergencies requiring immediate action' above.)

•In asymptomatic outpatients with thrombocytopenia, common diagnoses include immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), occult liver disease, HIV infection, and myelodysplastic syndromes. Congenital thrombocytopenias (sometimes misdiagnosed as ITP) may also occur (table 2). (See 'Asymptomatic, incidental finding, mild thrombocytopenia' above.)

•In patients with bleeding who lack signs of systemic illness or other abnormalities of the complete blood count (CBC), drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia (table 3) or primary ITP are likely diagnoses. (See 'Thrombocytopenia with bleeding or other symptoms' above.)

•In patients with other clinical findings, causes of thrombocytopenia include infection, sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), drug-induced thrombocytopenia, HIT, liver disease, lymphoma, other malignancies, nutrient deficiencies (vitamin B12, folate, copper), TTP or HUS, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). (See 'Thrombocytopenia with bleeding or other symptoms' above.)

•In acutely ill patients, common causes of new-onset thrombocytopenia include sepsis, DIC, and drug-induced thrombocytopenia (table 1). Many patients in the intensive care unit with thrombocytopenia have more than one cause. (See 'Acutely ill/intensive care unit' above.)

●Evaluation – We confirm thrombocytopenia by repeating the CBC and reviewing the peripheral blood smear; obtain prior platelet counts, if available, and assess other hematologic abnormalities. The pace of the subsequent evaluation, further testing, and hematologist consultation depends on the clinical presentation, which can range from asymptomatic to acutely ill. (See 'Overview of our approach' above and 'Initial questions and pace of the evaluation' above.)

•History and examination – The history should focus on prior platelet counts, family history, bleeding, medications (table 3), over-the-counter remedies (table 4), infectious exposures, dietary practices, and other medical conditions (eg, hematologic disorders, rheumatologic conditions, surgery, transfusion). The physical examination should evaluate bleeding, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, thrombosis, and organ involvement. (See 'History' above and 'Physical examination' above.)

•Laboratory testing – No additional laboratory testing besides the CBC and peripheral blood smear is absolutely required in a patient with isolated thrombocytopenia. Adults with new thrombocytopenia should have HIV and HCV testing if not done recently. Additional laboratory testing may be warranted in patients with other findings. (See 'Laboratory testing' above.)

●Referral – Hematologist consultation is appropriate to confirm a new diagnosis or if the cause of thrombocytopenia is unclear. The urgency of referral depends on the degree of thrombocytopenia and other abnormalities, and the stability of the findings. In hospitalized patients, early hematology involvement is appropriate for individuals with suspected TTP, HUS, HIT, and some hematologic malignancies (eg, acute leukemia). (See 'Hematologist referral/consultation' above.)

●Bone marrow – Bone marrow evaluation is not required in all patients with thrombocytopenia; however, it may be helpful in some patients if the cause of thrombocytopenia is unclear, or if a primary hematologic disorder is suspected. (See 'Bone marrow evaluation' above.)

●Management – Management of patients with thrombocytopenia depends on the underlying diagnosis. General principles that apply to all patients include a review of medications that may interfere with normal hemostasis and a decision regarding whether they should be continued, coordination with anesthesiologists and surgeons before invasive procedures, and correction of coagulation abnormalities. Activity restrictions are often not needed. (See 'General management principles' above and "Platelet transfusion: Indications, ordering, and associated risks".)

●Other populations – Thrombocytopenia in neonates and children, and thrombocytopenia during pregnancy are discussed separately. (See "Neonatal thrombocytopenia: Etiology" and "Causes of thrombocytopenia in children" and "Thrombocytopenia in pregnancy".)

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.26 (before 1900)

683 – Yazid I's army kills 11,000 people of Medina including notable Sahabas in Battle of al-Harrah. 1071 – The Seljuq Turks defeat the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert, and soon gain control of most of Anatolia. 1278 – Ladislaus IV of Hungary and Rudolf I of Germany defeat Ottokar II of Bohemia in the Battle on the Marchfeld near Dürnkrut in (then) Moravia. 1303 – Chittorgarh falls to the Delhi Sultanate. 1346 – At the Battle of Crécy, an English army easily defeats a French one twice its size. 1444 – Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs: A vastly outnumbered force of Swiss Confederates is defeated by the Dauphin Louis (future Louis XI of France) and his army of 'Armagnacs' near Basel. 1542 – Francisco de Orellana crosses South America from Guayaquil on the Pacific coast to the mouth of the Amazon River on the Atlantic coast. 1642 – Dutch–Portuguese War: Second Battle of San Salvador: The Dutch force the Spanish garrison at San Salvador (modern day Keelung, Taiwan) to surrender, ending the short-lived Spanish colony on Formosa and replacing it with a new Dutch administration. 1648 – The Fronde: First Fronde: In the wake of the successful Battle of Lens, Cardinal Mazarin, Chief Minister of France, suddenly orders the arrest of the leaders of the Parlement of Paris, provoking the rest of Paris to break into insurrection and barricade the streets the next day. 1748 – The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, is founded in Philadelphia. 1767 – Jesuits all over Chile are arrested as the Spanish Empire suppresses the Society of Jesus. 1768 – Captain James Cook sets sail from England on board HMS Endeavour. 1778 – The first recorded ascent of Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia. 1789 – The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is approved by the National Constituent Assembly of France. 1791 – John Fitch is granted a United States patent for the steamboat. 1810 – The former viceroy Santiago de Liniers of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata is executed after the defeat of his counter-revolution. 1813 – War of the Sixth Coalition: An impromptu battle takes place when French and Prussian-Russian forces accidentally run into each other near Liegnitz, Prussia (now Legnica, Poland). 1814 – Chilean War of Independence: Infighting between the rebel forces of José Miguel Carrera and Bernardo O'Higgins erupts in the Battle of Las Tres Acequias. 1833 – The great 1833 Kathmandu–Bihar earthquake causes major damage in Nepal, northern India and Tibet, a total of 500 people perish. 1849 – President Faustin Soulouque of the First Republic of Haiti has the Senate and Chamber of Deputies proclaim him the Emperor of Haiti, abolishing the Republic and inaugurating the Second Empire of Haiti. 1863 – The Swedish-language liberal newspaper Helsingfors Dagblad proposed the current blue-and-white cross flag as the flag of Finland. 1883 – The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa begins its final, paroxysmal, stage.

[leam1983]

Globe-Trotter

"Why won't he come and see us?"

The Mercedes rep is curt on the phone. We're nearing the end of October, the industry's going to go through one last paroxysmic spasm of extreme activity before collapsing in on itself for the Holidays. I grimace as I work my neck, getting a flicker of release as something pops in there and momentarily reduces my lockup to a vague sense of buzzing.

"Have you checked the guy's address?"

He waffles. "No, but that doesn't explain anything. Why won't he-"

He stops. "Maple Creek is in Saskachewan?!"

I smile with teeth. He's welcome to arrange for airfare and airport pickup if he's that desperate to see the client. Sales reps always forget that car stocks work like Risk units. You get an alotted number, and it's up to regional directors to divvy up the spoils and re-canvas the spread of particular models.

"They're expecting you to work out sales with this? Seriously?!"

I have to swallow my laughter and my strong urge to add something sardonic like "Oh wow, you needed all of five years to notice it, Mike! Congratulations!"