#Survived the Forest of Death 2017

[finishinglinepress]

NEW FROM FINISHING LINE PRESS: An Orchid’s Guide to Life by Kathryn Jones

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/an-orchids-guide-to-life-by-kathryn-jones/

#Orchids, the world’s largest and most diverse family of #flowering #plants, grow in deserts, in tropical forests, and on mountaintops. They cling to whatever they can – rocks, trees, crevices – and draw sustenance from air and water, letting their roots dangle. As the daughter of an orchid curator, Kathryn Jones closely observed these fascinating plants and found guidance for her own life, navigating grief and loss, adapting to change, and seeking solace in the natural world. An Orchid’s Guide to Life is a rich tapestry of #poems that, like the flower spike of a Phalaenopsis orchid, reaches for light and with resilience and desire, blooms.

Kathryn Jones is a poet, journalist, and essayist who grew up around orchids. For many years her father was the curator of orchids at the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center in Corpus Christi. Observing them at the Samuel Jones Orchid Conservatory named for her father and cultivating orchids herself gave Jones insights into a mysterious and exotic plant that transcends outer beauty and reveals truths about the inner human world.

PRAISE FOR An Orchid’s Guide to Life by Kathryn Jones

The poems in An Orchid’s Guide to Life offer us the sensuous colors, scents, and textures of the natural landscape in which Kathryn Jones spent her childhood and which she now carries within her as memory. The poet wrestles with the great grief of being wholly orphaned by loss, as she pays tribute to her mother and father, her childhood home, and the girl she once was. Like Amichai, she finds wild peace in nature, among purpling mistflowers and Monarchs, and she contemplates the many-chambered heart of the hard-shelled nautilus—as if to ask how we survive in our deeply bifurcated world. Perhaps the flower spikes of the Phalaenopsis orchid appearing in the title poem—with their beckoning beauty and hard-edged shield—suggest the paradox all life must navigate.

–Robin Davidson, 2015–2017 Houston Poet Laureate & author of Mrs. Schmetterling

A plant can be our teacher as revealed in Kathryn Jones’s lush and deeply personal collection. Guided by her father’s passion—orchids whose beauty springs from gangly roots and tough resilience—the poet confronts grief and loss, recognizing her own solace within the natural world. She asks the orchids after his death: “How will I care for you?” With a realist’s eye and a romantic’s heart Jones eloquently answers as memory becomes a legacy of caring and keeping—like the bitter-sweet loquat’s “sunshine on the tongue.”

–Shelley Armitage, A Habit of Landscape

This deeply moving collection of poems serves not only as a daughter’s poignant paean to her father, but also as a beautifully rendered series of life lessons about family, about growing old, and about the consolations of nature. As she tells us about orchids, even when held captive in a pot, their roots grow out of their confines in order to dangle free in the air. For Kathryn Jones, the poet is the keeper of memory –the observer and recorder of everyday life in a wild, yet intimate universe that reveals itself, even in the most mundane of situations, in a dazzling order of patterns, colors, swirls, and spirals — in the improbable exotic beauty of an orchid blooming in the unlikeliest of places.

–Carol Flake Chapman, a former journalist, is the author of three books of poetry. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including The Sixty Four: Best Poets of 2019.

Please share/repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #read #poems #literature #poetry

[darthnaderer]

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

Category: Newbery Medal Winner, 2017

Summary: Every year, the people of a small town must sacrifice a baby to the evil witch who lives in the woods. The only problem is that Xan, the witch, is far from evil. She rescues the children left in her woods and feeds them a diet of starlight until she can find a nice family to take them in. However, one year she accidentally feeds the baby moonlight, which causes the child to become "enmagicked." Xan decides to raise the girl, whom she names Luna, as her own and Luna grows up loving her found family of witch, swamp monster, and a Tiny Dragon. However, Xan locked Luna's powers and memories away for her own protection. Of course, when Luna comes of age those powers will reawaken, but what will Luna do when Xan is away, she's discovering her newly awakened magical powers, and a young man from town has decided to lead a charge to kill the "evil" witch?

Justification: Barnhill was awarded a Newbery Medal for her outstanding contribution to American literature. This book received high praise from many publishing and book companies including a place on the New York Times Bestseller list, an Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2016, a New York Public Library Best Book of 2016, a Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016, an Amazon Top 20 Best Book of 2016, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2016, a School Library Journal Best Book of 2016, a KirkusReviews’ Best Books of 2016, and a 2017 Booklist Youth Editors’ Choice. In addition to being beautifully written, the plot is easy to follow and the characters are all likable.

Evaluation:

Drawing a Line in the Sand - Barnhill does this in her prologue, which records only the parent's side of the conversation they are having with their young child, explaining that a child must be sacrificed each year to the evil witch in the forest and yes, once the child had a brother who was sacrificed to the witch. Of course, this is disproven in the third chapter and we know that Luna is going to survive and be raised with love.

Pacing - The Girl Who Drank the Moon is told in short chapters from multiple perspectives, which makes it easy to read multiple chapters at a time (making the book seem to fly by faster) yet it also offers readers frequent stopping points if they need to take a break. The story moves quickly and doesn't take any unnecessary detours, meaning everything wraps up nicely at the end without loose threads.

Tone - Barnhill doesn't pull any punches when it comes to talking about subjects like grief and death yet writes in a way that is easy for children to understand. The tone is that of a light-hearted fairy tale in many parts but without any condescension. During the heavier moments, especially the chapters of the parent talking to their child, it's clear Barnhill respects her reader's ability to make inferences.

Barnhill, K. R. (2016). The girl who drank the Moon. Algonquin Young Readers.

[lboogie1906]

Judge Ernest Adolphus Finney, Jr. (March 23, 1931 - December 3, 2017) was the first African American elected to the South Carolina General Assembly, the first African American Circuit Court Judge in South Carolina, and the first chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. He was born in Smithfield, Virginia, the son of Ernest A., Sr. and Colleen (Godwin) Finney. His mother died ten days after giving birth to him. His father, an educator, moved to the DC area after her death. They moved to South Carolina where Finney, Sr. became the dean at Claflin College.

He received a BA from Claflin College. He graduated from South Carolina State University School of Law with a JD. He had a difficult time finding work in the legal field. He was forced to teach in the public schools in Horry County, South Carolina, and to wait tables at the Ocean Forest Hotel.

He married Frances Davenport (1955). They had three children. The family moved to Sumter, South Carolina. He opened the Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Law Office and served in private practice. He and Reuben L. Gray formed the Finney and Gray Law Office. He worked defending the Freedom Riders and civil rights demonstrators. One of his most notable defenses was on behalf of the nine students who staged one of the first sit-ins in Rock Hill, South Carolina in 1961. He lost almost every case that went to trial, he won all except two in the appellate courts.

He was appointed chairman of the South Carolina Advisory Commission on Civil Rights. He was elected as an Associate Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. He was elected the first African American Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, serving for five years. In 2000, he retired from the bench. He served as president of South Carolina State University for a brief term.

He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and received many honors and awards for his public service, including several honorary doctorates.

He was survived by his wife and children. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphaphialpha

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

some Bangers above!! i'm hopping on all those trains (i have not read RUBY VEIL and AMBERLOUGH, but i trust ur judgement here).

i, too, went through All My Goodreads Ratings, all the way back to when i started using GR (in, uh. 2017). from most- to least-recent reads, here’s my favorite niche SFF:

BUTCHER OF THE FOREST by Premee Mohamed (2,238 ratings) haunting!! exactly a perfect little book for me!! this one’s newer so i’ll excuse the low number of ratings. for NOW. our protag has been pressed into rescuing a tyrant’s kids from an otherworldly forest—delightful horror of a fairy tale.

FLIGHT AND ANCHOR by Nicole Kornher-Stace (138 ratings—criminal?!?!) this is the perfect mix of heart crimes and hilarious and i had a great time, plus it’s a shortie (fits in the universe of FIREBREAK!). think box car children but in a hypercapitalism dystopic high-tech future with supersoldier children marketed as action figures.

NOTHING BUT THE RAIN by Naomi Salman (2,737 ratings) PTERODACTYL SCREECHING what a hilarious deeply fucked up weird book!! yes queen explain NOTHING, give me an ENTIRE NOVELLA of GASLIGHTING by the RAIN and [REDACTED], this has been living rent free in my head since I finished it (there is both animal and child death though, be advised)

WALKING PRACTICE by Dolki Min (2,335 ratings) MUMU, MY BELOVED, I'M STILL THINKING ABOUT YOU, what another gr8 deeply fucked up funny lonely tragic queer little book. this one’s about an alien who crash landed on earth trying to survive, and everyone’s gotta eat, right?? (also wow check the content warnings)

DRIFTWOOD by Marie Brennan (855 ratings—HOW?!?!) this is SUCH a melancholic apocalyptic fantasy with multiverse vibes by the same author of THE MEMOIRS OF LADY TRENT about where worlds go to die, gosh please go read this, it’s lyrical and lovely and heart wrenching

THE REFRIGERATOR MONOLOGUES by Catherynne M. Valente (3,966 ratings) shoutout to all the fridged women in comic books, i rated this one 4 stars (i love valente) but i'm surprised it hasn’t broken 4k ratings yet?? what is going on

ALL THOSE EXPLOSIONS WERE SOMEONE ELSE’S FAULT by James Alan Gardner (1,212 ratings). superheroes! ridiculous! funny!! i read this a long time ago, so i don’t remember many specifics except that i had a great time.

honorable mention to LEECH by Hiron Ennes, too—it’s at 8,285 ratings, which is more than 5k BUT less than 10k and it needs MORE READERS (winter chateau gothic horror Agency: The Book, featuring POV fuckery!, one of my All Time Faves!! i'll be rereading this in the fall)

What's your favorite niche SFF book? Something that doesn't have a fandom, but still matters a lot to you? (Lets say, less than 5000 ratings on GR?)

[sumigakure-userbase]

Starrydoodler

@starrydoodler

Graduated: November 15th 2017

Rank: Genin

Promotion Dates: n/a

Missions

SSS-rank: 0 | SS-rank: 0 | S-rank: 0 | A-rank: 0 | B-rank: 1 | C-rank: 0 | D-rank: 0

Achievements

Survived the Forest of Death 2017

Mission Listing

Halloween Event 2017 (Prompt 12) (B-Class)

[weird-color]

According to Lamp in the episode "Death" about how when we die we may come back as our favourite animal or object, here are my headcanons of how everybody fucking died and their dates.

TW : SENSITIVE THEMES, MENTIONS OF DEAD, NEGLECT, ABUSE, ETC.

Sketchbook - Either was stabbed by a pencil multiple times or tried to paint something with their own blood. 1996 - 2015

Tony - Maybe died by poison on his tea or had an accident in a clockwork shop kind of thing. 1867 - 1891

Shrignold - I think he died for love, trying to save his special one, only to die in the hands of whoever his partner was. 1990 - 2012

Colin - Died electrocuted because he was trying to repair his own computer, I say no more. 1980 - 2004

Laptop - Her laptop exploded in her face somehow and basically deformed her entire face. 1988 - 2004

Gilbert - Died in the middle of the forest when his friends left him behind after encountering a bear, he could've survived if it wasn't because he didn't know how to react. 1991 - 2009

Mr.Steak - Stabbed in the guts by an intruder while cooking. 1899 - 1935

Mr.Fridge - Freezed to dead outside of his house after having a fight with his partner. 1900 - 1930.

Spinach can - Thrown away by their own parents after not being good enough and was soon hit by a truck. 2002 - 2014

Bread boy - I feel like he fell from a high place and broke his legs, or maybe was also murdered by a horrible person. 2007 - 2015

Lamp - Died while sleeping or by excessively drank too much alcohol and died the next day. 1990 - 2009

Key - Either died in a fire, or a big, hard metal piece fell on top of him. 1890 - 1919

TV SHOW CHARACTERS

Briefcase guy - The office he worked in caught on fire and he couldn't escape. 1970 - 2001

Unemployed Brandon - Was in the same place his brother died, he was rescued but passed away in the hospital a few days later. 1990 - 2001 (He lies about his age, or maybe not, who knows.)

The other guys who work in the Peterson company died because the building was demolished unresponsively.You can't change my mind.

Elevator girl - Elevator accident, she ended up stuck inside and then the lights went out, causing the small place to fall very fast and cause her dead. 1979 - 1994

Coffin guy - Maybe buried alive? Or died naturally, or burnt. 1789 - 1834

The twins - Were both manipulated and killed by their own family. 1899 - 1910

Warren - His friends were mere traitors and basically killed him for fun. 1998 - 2018

Transport man - Train accident, basically something went wrong on the rails and boom. 1860 - 1930

TIME CHILD IS DEAD EVEN??????

Electracy - Also electrocuted while trying her best to build some weird invention she herself made. 2000 - 2017

I THINK THAT'S ALL???? BY BYE

[beardedmrbean]

CONCORD, N.H. -- A hermit known as River Dave — whose cabin in the New Hampshire woods burned down after he had spent nearly three decades on the property and was ordered to leave — has found a new home in Maine.

David Lidstone, 82, has put in windows and is working on installing a chimney on his rustic three-room cabin, which he said is on land he bought.

“The foundation needs repair work," Lidstone, who received more than $200,000 in donations following the fire, said in a phone interview on Monday. “It's just an old camp, but I enjoy working (on it)."

Lidstone, who grew up in Maine, declined to say where he was living or provide a contact for the landowner. A search of Maine county registers of deeds did not show any recent transactions involving Lidstone, but a cousin confirmed that he had moved to Maine, and a Facebook post had photos of Lidstone with a family member in his new home.

“He's working on putting it together, and clearing land, and planting gardens, and he's got some chickens. He's moving on," said Horace Clark, of Vermont, Lidstone's cousin.

Lidstone said he had to leave Canterbury, New Hampshire, over his dispute with a different landowner since 2016 over a patch of forest near the Merrimack River that Lidstone called home for 27 years. A judge issued an injunction in 2017 for him to leave after the landowner, Leonard Giles, sued him, and another judge recently ruled Lidstone would receive a $500-a-day fine if he didn't move.

There have been many delays in the case. Besides the pandemic, Lidstone didn't always show up for court, and he was in and out of jail as he resisted the injunction.

It also was difficult to serve Lidstone with a notice to appear in court. There's no road access to the property, which is about a mile and a half (2.4 kilometers) into the woods. In January, one process server slipped, fell down an embankment and injured his leg in his attempt to reach Lidstone, according to a motion filed by Giles' attorney.

In March, a judge said Lidstone would face the daily fine if he didn't leave the area by April 11. The judge ruled Lidstone also has to pay some of Giles' legal fees. Separately, Lidstone faces trespassing charges in connection with the property.

Giles, 87, of South Burlington, Vermont, died in July. It wasn't immediately clear if his death changes the status of the case. His attorney didn't respond to a request for comment.

Lidstone said he was sad to hear that Giles died. “I had nothing against the old man," he said.

But he seems to be embracing his new life.

“I’ve got all kinds of friends up here," he said. “I’ve had friends every weekend, all summer."

Last August, while Lidstone was in jail over the property dispute, his cabin, which had solar panels, burned down as it was being dismantled at Giles’ request. The local fire chief said the fire was accidental.

Lidstone agreed to collect his remaining possessions. He had secured temporary housing as he figured out where to live next — he had offers — and believed that he could not go back to being a hermit. But late last year, he returned to live in a shed on the property that had survived the fire, prompting more legal action.

“Sometimes, you have to stand up for what is right,” he said in January.

Court records said the undeveloped property has been in the Giles family since 1963 and is used for timber harvests.

Lidstone, who represented himself in court, had claimed that years ago, the current owner’s father gave his word — but nothing in writing — allowing him to live there. He also disputed whether he was on the property in the first place.

[mellylari]

Hello! I’m here today to tell you why I think you should vote for Iris Lovefeather from Tales of the Rays: Recollections! This might get long, so I’ll shove everything under the read more:

Now then, before we start I need to give you a bit of prior information:

What is tales of the rays?

Tales of the Rays is a mobile game that came out in early 2017, and follows in the footsteps of games like Tales of Link(Which another competitor, Sara, is from!) and Tales of Asteria.

(Image ID: Early art for tales of the rays. Ix and Mileena are closest to the screen, while an array of protagonists from previous mainline tales games stand behind them.)

The story features Ix Nieves and Mileena Weiss, two Mirrists who, after the destruction of their town, are tasked with restoring their world(Tir Na Nog) by building off of what’s left and replacing what can’t be saved. In order to do this they use their powers(creation, illusion, fusion) to recreate the land once destroyed. They do so via ‘exoflection’, a process where Ix will use his power(amplified by the kingdoms own machinery) to mimic and reimagine sections of other worlds to add to theirs! Through this process, a person known as a nexus will form. A nexus is any notable individual in that world, like, for instance, the main protagonists/antagonists of one of the mainline games within the tales series.

(Image ID: Yuri [far left] and Repede [far right] defending main character Ix [center] from a pack of monsters. The scene takes place in a forest.)

Once the land is exoflected, it’s up to Mileena and Ix to find the Nexuses, and get them to safety before an opposing organization, known as the Salvation Front, get to them first and take advantage of them! How does this tie into Iris, you ask? Well, 4 arcs later and Ix and Mileena’s stories have finally wrapped up, leading to Rays introducing a new set of main characters: Iris being one of them!

(Image ID: Official art for the current story arc of Tales of the Rays: Recollections. Ix and Mileena in their arc 3 and 4 outfits stand in the front, with larger shots of recollections protagonists, Kodama and Haze, are behind them.)

This story takes place a couple hundred years after the final arc of the original story, where the world Ix and Mileena touch so hard to save has been destroyed and taken over by creatures known as ‘wraiths’. Due to this destruction, only one true city remains within the world, only able to survive through a magic barrier that had been placed around it. While there are other, smaller, civilizations on the outside, they’re in much more danger, and are often looked down upon by those living within the barrier. This new story follows Kodama Atwood and his group, as they try to locate and destroy the source of these wraiths by working as the Reaper Knights, people trained to fight off the Wraiths, alongside the Immortal Queen Haze.

What about Iris?

As mentioned before, Iris is a part of this group, and thus, is also a Reaper Knight alongside Kodama. She also doubles as a songstress and performer, though her voice itself is synthetic.

(Image ID: Iris’ mirage arte. She’s in battle with a horde of monsters. One hand holds her megaphone as she shouts through it. The other holds her hammer.)

When she was younger, she and her grandfather were attacked by a wraith, leading to her grandfather’s death, and her losing her voice. Her grandfather had always been someone who loved beautiful things, and when he was still alive, would tell Iris her voice was very beautiful. While she’s not fond of her synthetic voice, she continues to use it in honor of her grandfather, using that voice to sing for the people in need and around her, to help lift their spirits.

(Image ID: Iris’ basic mirage arte. She’s smiling at the screen, with one arm extended towards it, megaphone in hand. Her hammer is directed away from the screen.)

So please vote for Iris! While there’s still not much to her yet- her story’s only just starting! And with a new chapter coming sometime soon, I may just have more information to give you by the time the next matches come around!

Pink Hair Swag Tourney, Round Two, Part One

[theparanormalperiodical]

The Real Story Behind Silent Hill And Six Other Ghost Towns You Can *Actually* Visit Today

What if you woke up one day and everyone had just disappeared?

No white noise from cars roaring down the motorway. No clatter of people putting out their bins. No yelling from that about-to-get-divorced-please-get-on-with-it couple down the road. Just silence. The population of your entire town vanished into thin air.

But by far the most terrifying thing about this scenario is that it’s happened. Ghost towns (and cities or villages) are a very real fact of life, often attributed to natural disasters or a slump in economic activity.

This inherent fear has gone on to inspire many urban legends, campfire stories and horror films. In fact, it’s the basis for one of the most infamous horror franchises that defined the survival horror genre.

Today, we’re talking about Silent Hill.

Silent Hill is a horror media franchise consisting of no less than thirteen video games, two films, at least four cancelled titles and a handful of comics. First released in 1999 in Japan, the franchise has taken over the world. Its heavy reliance on psychological horror, in particular, has earned it the reputation of one of the scariest franchises, with the second instalment being recognised as the most terrifying.

The video games, films and print media mostly centre around a mysterious town in New England called Silent Hill where an Asceticist cult (they abstain from any sexual activity) are doing culty things, like reviving deities. Mix in a couple infamous monsters, from over-sexualised zombie-like nurses, to leggy-crabby-things, to infamous Pyramid Head and you got yourself an icon.

Some instalments do take place in other locations, but for the most part the player sticks around in a small, foggy, empty town that typically is reminiscent of a Japanese-American hybrid town. And this trademark village has been traced back directly to several real towns like Cushing, Snoqualmie and Centralia in the States.

While Cushing is, by all means, a simple, small town, the latter two have far more spooky reputations.

Snoqualmie is dripping in history, and a dark one, of tensions between settlers and Native Americans. Even the name of this town in Washington means “ferocious people”, denoted to those that once owned the land. While it doesn’t have any obvious mysterious attributes, its aesthetic has also inspired other horror franchises with Twin Peaks filming in Snoqualmie and its neighbouring towns.

Centralia, on the other hand, is drenched in mystery. This ghost town - with a mere five people living there in 2017 - was claimed under eminent domain (basically, the state can take private property without consent) in 1992. Why? Well, in 1962, some firefighters were commissioned to set local landfill on fire and let it burn. But the fire was unextinguished and quickly found its way into the underground coal mines. Then, it spread.

Sinkholes appeared out of nowhere, dragging down locals into the ground below and replacing them with noxious gases like carbon monoxide. Levels of dangerous fumes and ground instability are still an issue today. This fire has been burning ever since - this year is its 60th anniversary.

In 1980, there were 1000 residents, but only a decade later 63 remained. In 1992, eminent domain was invoked on all properties across Centralia, and in 2002, the ZIP code was discontinued. A final formal eviction took place in 2009, leaving behind seven residents who are allowed to remain there until their death. And then, the property will be taken through eminent domain.

Today, Centralia is an odd place. Most homes have been demolished. Some overrun by local vegetation. And one of the most famous landmarks of Centralia, the abandoned section of Route 61 which has been splattered by graffiti over the years, has been covered with dirt. What’s left of the town is often described as a field in which random pavement appears here and there. Over the years, the nearby forest has slowly encroached on the area and will soon eat it alive. All that’s left, apart from the remaining residents, is the church and four cemeteries. All are maintained regularly with St. Mary’s still holding weekly services.

It’s obviously the perfect setting for a spooky story. And it’s not the only ghost town worthy of a horror franchise.

Oradour-sur-Glane, France

In about a week’s time, it’ll be the 78th anniversary of the massacre of Oradour-sur-Glane. In 1944, the SS killed 642 civilians in this village in Nazi-occupied France and destroyed the homes in which they used to live.

I would go into the details of the massacre as the execution of the innocent men, women and children is absolutely horrendous. You can find out more about this village and the events surrounding it here.

After the war, Charles de Gaulle - who would eventually go on to be the French Prime Minister and President - decided the village should not be rebuilt. Instead, it remains should be a brutal but honest memorial of Nazi occupation.

Today you can find historic hardware like bikes and sewing machines among the ruins, and even tour other objects in a museum dedicated to the village, like watches and glasses that belonged to the villagers.

Varosha, Cyprus

Much like Oradour, Varosha’s current status is down to tragedy.

This once-thriving town has a long history dating back to the 16th century. But this same history has seen it change hands multiple times between the Brits, Turks and Cypriots. By the early 70s, it was one of the most popular tourist destinations on the planet, drawing in A-listers including Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot. In 1974, however, things changed.

When Cyprus was invaded by Türkiye (Turkey changed their name like 22 hours ago), Greek Cypriots fled Varosha. Today, the high-rises built in the 20th century for celebrity tourists have started to crumble, pavements and roads have been overrun with vegetation, and, for the most part, it’s a ghost town.

Only five years ago Varosha was re-opened to civilians. And more and more tourists troop back every year to explore what was a hotspot many decades ago.

Bodie, California

Now, this is a ghost town with over half a million visitors every year.

The story starts in 1859, when a line of gold was discovered there. A mining town was rapidly set up, and within twenty years it was officially booming with approx 10,000 citizens living there. It’s even been said that it was one of America’s biggest cities at the time. In the space of 90 years, Bodie’s mines produced a huge amount of gold and silver that today would be worth $85 million.

At it’s peak, Bodie was a picture-perfect stereotype of Wild West America. With 65 saloons littering the town, it was known for its shootouts, brawls and stagecoach holdups. It even had a Chinatown (which turns out was a thing back then?) with several hundred residents and a Taoist temple.

But as much as it represented ‘boom’, it had a timely ‘bust’, too. Miners would come to get rich quick and then head elsewhere for other booms. By 1880, the first signs of decline had set in, but only by the 1910s did local amenities, like the local newspaper and the railway, close down. In 1920, the population had shriveled to 120.

Today, only 170 buildings remain and it is a National Historic Landmark. You can still visit a fully operational goal mine and even check out saloons with their unchanged interiors still stocked with early 20th century goods.

Fordlandia, Brazil

This one deserves a horror franchise.

If you didn’t study America in the 1920s, then you probably haven’t heard of Henry Ford. He was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and pioneered mass production. His techniques of assembly line production quickly turned luxury cars into affordable goods.

So, in 1928, he decided to maximise his profits even further by securing a source of cultivated rubber for his cars. And that source was on the banks of the Rio Tapajós in Brazil. The 2.5 million acre land was turned into an American village complete with traditional American houses, a hospital, school, library and hotels. The water tower was even shifted over from the States.

If that wasn’t odd enough - you know, a random American town in the middle of Brazil - the town also had a strict set of rules employees had to follow, like no tobacco, alcohol or women. Inspectors would even visit houses at random to ensure they were being followed. As a result, a small settlement known as the “Island of Innocence” was set up, chockful of bars and brothels to circumvent the town’s rules.

Problems were apparent as soon as work began on the area. Many workers fell victim to yellow fever and malaria, and with so few roads connected to the area, they had to rely on the river to transport in essentials. And when it came to harvesting the rubber, they uncovered more issues, too. Managers had little knowledge of the local tropical plants, like how rubber trees normally grow far apart to project against plagues and diseases. But in Fordlandia they grown were in plantations close together and therefore weren’t able to produce sufficient amounts of rubber.

The workers were also unhappy with their treatment, like wearing nametags all day and living in an unfamiliar American settlement. So in 1930 - yep, four years after Fordlandia was established - native workers revolted. They cut telegraph wires and chased off the managers. Another four years passed and Ford Motor Company officially abandoned it.

Today, a majority of the old buildings still stand. You can even still find clothes, furniture and silverware in the houses of the American village left behind.

Have you ever visited a ghost town?

Let me know in a comment below.

And while you’re there, make sure you like and reblog this post!

[ukrfeminism]

Woman sentenced to nine years for abandoning newborn baby in woodland

Baby Maliki was abandoned in woodland by Silipa Keresi who herself was the victim of domestic violence.

The wife of a former soldier who was beaten by her husband and whose life was in “chaos” has been jailed for life to serve a minimum of nine years for the murder of her newborn baby who she abandoned in woodland.

Silipa Keresi was convicted at Winchester Crown Court in connection with the death of Maliki Keresi who was found dead, wrapped in a bath towel near to the defendant’s home in Hythe New Forest Hampshire on March 5 2020.

The trial heard that the defendant, from Fiji who is married to a former Commonwealth soldier in the British Army, was stressed at the time by the process of applying for permission to stay in the UK combined with financial difficulties.

She told the court that her life had been “hell for the past couple of years” with her family being homeless while living in a small hotel room, surviving on contributions from a food bank.

The court also heard she was the victim of domestic violence since 2008 from her husband, Dharma Keresi, who used to hit her and beat her with his army belt.

The assaults led to Mr Keresi being told by the Army to resign in 2017 or face disciplinary proceedings.

The trial was told she found out that she was pregnant when it was too late to legally have an abortion.

Keresi, who has four other children, told the jury: “I felt my life was just chaos.”

Sentencing the 38-year-old, the judge Mr Justice Garnham told her that she had left her child “exposed, defenceless and alone” and added: “Regardless of your circumstances, abandoning your baby was a truly dreadful thing to do.”

He said that Keresi had “poor coping strategies” and was wary of the authorities and was reluctant to seek help as she lived in fear of deportation.

He added: “I have no doubt you feel some genuine and enduring remorse.

“I accept you acted in a way that was wholly out of character and you would not have done what you did but for the extreme nature of your personal circumstances.”

James Newton-Price QC, defending, said Keresi faces deportation and added: “This was an act of some desperation by Mrs Keresi in the circumstances she found herself.

“This defendant could expect no real support from her husband on learning she was pregnant, the reason for that was the background of intimidation and domestic violence in the marriage.”

Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, told the trial that in November 2019, Keresi visited the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) seeking a termination.

But she had left the appointment distressed after a scan revealed she was 26 weeks and five days pregnant, past the legal limit of 24 weeks for an abortion.

Miss Maylin said: “Silipa Keresi appeared very shocked, she became visibly uncomfortable, she got off the bed abruptly and tried to leave.”

She said that several attempts were made by the midwife service to contact the defendant during her pregnancy, including a visit to her home, but she failed to attend appointments.

A post-mortem examination of the dead baby showed that Maliki suffered no injuries but he would have suffered from hypothermia with the cause of death given as “omission of care”.

[bouncybrain]

Get to Know my Fics

Newest to Oldest; AO3 edition

This is a really long post with little insights into my fics published on ArchiveOfOurOwn. Years and fandoms marked down so you can scroll past if there's a fandom you don't like and so you can see how long I've been posting on AO3!

Format will be:

Title That Is A Link To AO3 (year, fandom)

Rating: Content rating, relationships/pairings, applicable content warnings

Relationships: Condensed compared to AO3 tags

Series/Fic Description:

This is taken straight from AO3. Series use series description only, individual fics within may vary.

Here I just. Say stuff. Like if it's complete or incomplete.

Series:

Felon Fathers (2021, Dream SMP)

Rating: General-Teen and Up, General Relationships

Relationships: Technoblade & Dream (the roleplay finger puppets, not the people), both & DSMP ensemble, both & plot baby OC

Series Description:

Dream spent years in Pandora's Vault, several of those alongside Technoblade. Nearly a year after being released, living in a little cottage in a vibrant forest, Dream comes across an abandoned child.

Dad moments, healing, and reconciliations to follow.

Sammy is a plot baby designed specifically to fit this story for convenience's sake.

This is the first self-indulgent fic I’ve posted since 2017. DreamSMP had me by the throat ngl, but it didn’t stop me from getting stumped. The series and two of three fics are unfinished, and may stay that way. I have like a dozen half-finished chapters in my docs. Will likely remain unfinished.

The Radio Demon Has… Something (2020, Hazbin Hotel)

Ratings: Teen and Up, Other Relationships, Graphic Depictions of Violence

Relationships: Alastor & Husk & Niffty & Charlie (Vaggie's here, too, I'm just scared of writing her)

Series Description:

There are many things Alastor never really experienced in life, and simply assumed he never would experience. In Hell, though, the unexpected becomes the expected, and Alastor... really should have expected things like this to start happening after a few decades.

A series of Alastor-centric fics exploring his character, psyche, and his relationships with others.

So. Alastor, amiright? His potential as a character from what we know immediately grabbed my attention, and I had too many thoughts about it. Series features a Christmas fic! The main fic is unfinished, but it's three chapters away from being completed: I have one of them in progress, though it's a lot of work.

Individual Fics:

Fins and Fangs (2022, Five Nights at Freddy's [Security Breach])

Rating: Teen and Up, General Relationships

Relationships: Sun & Moon, Sun & Moon & the Glamrocks & Vanessa

Fic Description:

Sun and Moon had a family. They knew there was family beyond the two of them, because they could remember it. When they saw the other merfolk in the facility, how lonely they were, they knew they were different because of it. If they could stay together, they would be able to survive. Then Moon's violent tendencies became too much for their handlers, and they're being thrust into an unknown world because of it. Follow Sun and Moon on their journey from captivity to freedom.

Along the way, watch as they meet new people and make their first friends!

I was trying something new and complex with this fic, inspired by Mermay with a desire to post something new. It takes a lot of work to get chapters out for this. I am still working on this fic, it's just going to take quite a while in the background because I burnt myself out on this one initially. Not that I don't like it, I just need to be careful with how much energy I spend on mapping it out and actually writing it.

Once Upon a Midnight Dreary (2020, My Hero Academia)

Ratings: Mature, Multiple Relationships

Relationships: Kurogiri/Mr. Compress, Eraserhead/Present Mic, every combination of those four with & between them

Fic Description:

Mr. Compress told himself he wouldn't get attached. He did anyway.

Eraserhead told himself he was over the death of an old friend. He isn't.

When the identity of Kurogiri comes to light, so do many other things, including the past of one of the elder members of the League of Villains. Eraserhead has to negotiate with the enemy for the sake of one man, and come to terms with the reality of what happens next.

The quintessential My Hero Academia fic! As the person that coined “BlackMagic” for the Kurogiri/Mr. Compress ship it was a crime that I hadn’t actually written and posted anything for it. So I did. The plot for this fic was like 80% fleshed out and then I got distracted (see above series as to why) so it's very unfinished. I’m probably not going to come back to this one. Built on the idea that Mr. Compress used to be a UA student at one point, was close friends with Oboro, and was a campus cryptid.

Nights Darker Than the Beast (2017, My Hero Academia)

Ratings: Teen and Up, unspecified relationships

Relationships: Shouji/Tokoyami, Shouji & Tokoyami

Fic Description:

Really angsty short fic about Tokoyami with a dash of Shoutoko throughout. I do brush by canon-typical violence, suicidal thoughts, and pretty bad nightmares in this fic, so if you're sensitive to those things please do not read it. Since this does have a bit of a darker tone to it, I moved the rating to Teen and Up.

Honestly? Ew. I don't like this anymore. Just adding this because it is part of my list of works and it's always good to have something to look back on to see how you've grown over the years. But that doesn't mean I have to like it, and that's okay, too! I haven't read this since I posted it. I don't look at it.

Ficlets (less than 600 words)

Sunshine and Storm Clouds (2019, Detroit: Become Human)

Ratings: General, General Relationships

Relationships: Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed, Elijah and Gavin & Elijah and Gavin's mother

Fic Description:

Gavin Reed has a favorite song he never listens to. Gavin Reed has a talent he never shares. There's a reason, but he won't tell anyone, of course. His half-brother Elijah Kamski is the only other person that knows, for one very specific reason.

I spat this out in less than an afternoon. Starring the “Gavin Reed and Elijah Kamski are somehow related” thing we all ran away with. Technically a song fic? I wouldn’t know because I don’t read them and I guess I’ve only written this one.

Two Spiders, One Body (2016, Overwatch)

Ratings: General, Multiple Relationships

Relationships: Widowmaker & Gerard Lacroix, Widowmaker & Reaper

Fic Description:

Widowmaker had a husband and good friends, once. That all disappeared within minutes.

Another ficlet, except this time it's because I... used this as a prompt filler for a class in high school. It's weird to scroll all the way down my works list just to see this because I don't remember writing it in the slightest. But I mean it's here?

Prompt/Dump

Dump Description:

Fic ideas I've abandoned to rot in my docs that I figured I might as well let out as potential jumping points for other creators. If anybody wants to use an idea credit would be nice but some of these are generic enough you shouldn't feel obligated to. Also some just weren't going to go anywhere so just enjoy those.

Canon is mush and I have eaten it and regurgitated whatever these are. Little to no editing before posting! You may or may not be able to tell I have favorites shh

Tags are vague because I don't want a wall of tags since most chapters/ideas are going to be pretty different from each other.

These are fics compiling ideas I never finished, would never finish, and often haven't revisited. Telling on myself a little, here. Relationships and other tags are generally not used because the variety would be annoying to see in the tags. Only the most common characters used were tagged. Free to new home!

Building Blocks (Various, Dream SMP-centric, Minecraft)

Ratings: Unrated, Other

Relationships: None listed

Nuts and Bolts (Various, Detroit: Become Human)

Ratings: Unrated, Other

Relationships: None listed

[wonderduorising]

Bakudeku Fic Recs

Wonder Duo: Rising has reached 500 followers on twitter! To celebrate, we decided to come together and create a list of Bakudeku fic recommendations. All fanfics on this list are SFW, are within the range of 300 kudos or less, and were recommended by one or more of the anthology’s contributors!

*

Fic: stones at the starlight by Shousanki

Length: 2.9k

Summary: Katsuki and Izuku struggle to survive in an adult world not kind to (not-quite) childhood sweethearts as they search for the small and good things amidst petty indignities.

*

Fic: to the moon and back by Rejectimate

Length: 1.4k

Summary: Training camp has nothing on Katsuki's strict sleep schedule. But Deku's embarrassing ass sure does.

*

Fic: don’t misunderstand by Kokushibo

Length: 1k

Summary: three times that kacchan addresses him. one time that he does it differently.

*

Fic: Twin Stars Week ficlets by Hollyandvice (series)

Length: Varies

Summary: A collection of Bakudeku ficlets for Twin Stars Week.

*

Fic: CORDIPUGUS by Greatcloudninja

Length: 3.2k

Summary: Katsuki Bakugou, a slave-turned-gladiator, has one more fight to win to earn his freedom. His goal? To be able to marry his beloved Izuku Midoriya, noble son of Senator Toshinori Yagi. But first, he has to get through his toughest battle yet.

*

Fic: when the saints by Flapkack

Length: 2.5k

Summary: In Bakugou Katsuki’s humble fucking opinion, parade blocks were one of the most effective forms of torture. Telling someone to walk straight forward, eyes ahead, shoulders square, rolling their feet, playing the exact same damn cadences over and over and over again was already bad enough. But then, toss in a string of other people to keep in line, bad marchers and freshmen, to make matters even worse.

*

Fic: Small Town Change by CommanderSipShady

Length: 12.2k

Summary: They say nothing ever happens in this sleepy town, but that night everything changed for the better. 40 year old BakuDeku real world AU. 

*

Fic: At the Mountain’s Edge by Anzul

Length: 30k (multi-chap, WIP)

Summary: Muromachi Japan, 1465. Soulmates - once nothing but a flightful fancy among the Heian nobility - have become the political currency of the century. Blessed with telepathic communication and the ability to sense each other regardless of their geographical distance once a bond has been established, they are an invaluable commodity to any warrior hoping to amass power in the wake of the Ashikaga's weakening rule.

Bakugou Katsuki is no exception. But no matter what matchmaking house his family visits, they all tell him the same thing: that at the end of his red string, there waits no one. Katsuki is destined to walk his path alone.

Now forced to become a candidate for political marriage, Katsuki must learn the traditional arts and proper courtship etiquette to attract more suitors. Izuku, the adopted protégé and matchmaking master of the Midoriya House, is hired to be his tutor. Izuku himself is not only without a soulmate, but Bondless - someone without a red string at all, but capable of seeing everyone else's.

[Or: An alternate soulmate x historical AU where everybody has soulmates except Katsuki and Izuku.]

*

Fic: all the savage soul requires by Majjale

Length: 50k (multi-chap, WIP)

Summary: Bakugou seems to have exhausted his patience for words and no longer acknowledges that Midoriya exists, so Midoriya crosses his legs, stares down at his hands limned in firelight, and makes a list of things he knows.

One. His name is Midoriya Izuku.

Two. He is a Godmarked, future god of life, heir to the divine throne.

Three. The gods have been fighting Death for eons, and now he's coming for recompense with everything he’s got.

*

Fic: to measure a year by Shousanki

Length: 4.7k (multi-chap, complete)

Summary: The dance of two leaves around each other. Collection of Katsuki/Izuku drabbles, originally written between the winter of 2017 and summer of 2018.

*

Fic: we run in antiparallel by Kokushibo

Length: 1.1k

Summary: there are different ways in which a boy can be saved.

*

Fic: this is not a night for tragedy by Keigeyama

Length: .6k

Summary: Katsuki looks at him, forehead creasing, his expression somehow at once angry and soft—then he smiles, simpering. “Well, aren’t you just the best”.

*

Fic: once more, with feeling by OneshotPrincess

Length: .8k

Summary: He’s not Yamikumo, Katsuki tells himself fiercely. He’s not Yamikumo, he thinks as he watches him play in the grass with a kite with Kouta and Eri. He’s just fucking Deku.

So why does he still make Katsuki feel this way?

*

Fic: of all kinds by Coldbones

Length: 4.3k

Summary: A story is never just a story, and a dragon can never change its scales.

*

Fic: I Don’t Have Any Roses But I Have A Rabbit? by Teaandtumblr

Length: 3.3k

Summary: Midoriya has just stepped into the world of rabbit showing only to run into his childhood friend...who is apparently also into the same thing. Lucky his rabbit is so cute!

*

Fic: Starshine by Blueslove

Length: 1.3k

Summary: Deku’s eyes always light up when he talks about that book.

It’s as if his being lives to praise the pages, like his lips don’t know how to form any other words. He speaks of the characters like they’re friends, the story as if he’d lived it himself, and the place like he’d seen it with his own eyes.

Katsuki can’t stand it.

*

Fic: another old space odyssey by Sorethroat

Length: 2k

Summary: “Car-di-o-meg..aly,” Deku fumbles around the words. “I can’t see the moon with you.”

He stands there, Deku smiling tight like if he moves his tears will spill over, and they’re too young to laugh at the idea that the insurmountable obstacle in front of them is a heart that’s just too big.

Bakugou is an astronaut but he's forgotten why. Midoriya wants him to come home.

*

Fic: Butterfly Wishes by Sushirapper

Length: 4.2k

Summary: Deep in the middle of a forest out back of a little town in the country, there lay a wishing well.

It was not particularly pretty, nor particularly deep. It was not even that magical. But it was, at the very least, old—and all folk knew that with time came the strangest of truths, best left unbelieved or unseen altogether.

Izuku was one of these truths.

Or, Izuku can grant wishes, Katsuki is a mortal who doesn't know any better, and even the most innocent things always come with a price.

*

Fic: Beyond the Veil by Seeress

Length: 11.9k (multichap, complete)

Summary: A locked door. A ghostly presence. A long forgotten name.

Katsuki goes back to his grandparent's old house and finds a presence he barely remembers, still waiting for him.

His grandmother’s stories all had the same cautionary theme: Do not stray off the path. Keep your hands to yourself. Be polite to those you meet. Be wary of undeserved generosity. Do not be deceived by masks. Remember your way home.

But Katsuki was a child of skyscrapers and 24 hour convenience stores. He walked on streets lined with man-made lights that turned on before the sun goes down the horizon and never went out until the sun rises again. He lived in a house full of noise, in a city full of living, breathing people.

He had never known true darkness; nights when even the moon sheds no light and the world is silent, but you know deep within your bones that you are not alone.

*

Fic: Nowhere I’d Rather Be by Dat_heichou

Length: 1.8k

Summary: It’s 3 a.m. on the coldest sunday of the year and Izuku is too excited to feel tired. It’s release day of the newest All Might figure and he made sure he woke up early enough to buy one.

It’s freezing and dark and Izuku is sore from the rigorous training that U.A. third years go through, but he still excitedly shifts from one foot to the other. There’s nowhere he’d rather be.

“It’s cold as fuck out here,” Katsuki gripes beside him, burrowing his nose deeper into the collar of his thick, thermal lined jacket.

*

Fic: solar by Kindaopps

Length: 7k

Summary: Here he is, a god, wanting a mortal.

*

Fic: Sunlight Moving by Peredhils

Length: 3.8k

Summary: The night air was cool but not as damp and depressing as it had been when leaving England. The sea breeze was refreshing and it was crisper than it smelled standing from the shore. Although the rocking of the boat made him a bit nauseous, coupled with the unease that came with being unable to see any land on the horizon, Katsuki liked it more than he thought he would. Standing at the ledge and looking up at the stars, all so bright and clear, was easing the day’s troubles.

He wasn’t alone for long.

Katsuki, a duke organizing the creation of a new university in England, meets astronomer Izuku on board a voyage overseas.

*

Fic: let me hurt you, until we don’t by DeKatsu

Length: 3.3k

Summary: Deku decides that using his quirk with his hero license suspended is a smart idea. Katsuki doesn't understand why he's thrown into the holding cell as Deku's accomplice.

And then they talk about feelings.

Which isn't even the weirdest shit, considering that their cell mates end up giving them the push they need.

*

Fic: last days of war by antisora

Length: 38k (multi-chap, WIP)

Summary: When the first Kaiju climbed through the portal to their world, Izuku and Katsuki were six years old. And from the tender age of six, they knew they were going to be rangers.

All Izuku wanted, all he ever wanted, was to save the world alongside his best friend.

[sitp-recs]

Do you have a list of abandoned stories that are still worth reading even if they're never completed?

Hi anon! I used to read abandoned fics when I was in a much smaller fandom (times of need call for desperate measures 😂) but I don’t really feel this urge with Drarry? I’ve been following just a few WIPs and I’m reasonably confident they will be finished. But even if they’re not, I totally recommend these:

9 ½ Days by @magpiefngrl (2017, E)

After the events at the Manor, Harry and Draco find themselves stranded in the countryside with a broken wand and Death Eaters on their tail. This is the story of an uneasy truce, featuring faerie forests, seaside caves, Romani camps, kind old ladies, and a shared bed in an attic. Or how two boys fell in love in the midst of a bloody coup.

At the end of all things by @quicksilvermaid (2020, E)

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are real and Harry starts dreaming of them.

By the Grace by @letteredlettered (2020, T)

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

In The Dark by @bixgirl1 (2020, E)

In the aftermath of an apocalypse, Harry receives an order to find and bring Draco Malfoy nearly a thousand miles, to the tenuous safety of Hogwarts. But more than distance separates them from their goal. The world has fallen, and death is hungry.

Tales from the Special Branch series by @femmequixotic (2017, E)

When Gawain Robards asks him to form Special Branch seven-four-alpha, Harry Potter knows they'll have to work outside the confines of the law--even though they are the law.

Way Down We Go by @xiaq (2019, T)

In which Harry and Draco both run away from their pasts and conveniently choose to hide in the same tiny American town. It's super.

When Times are Dire by @aibidil (2020, E)

Magical Britain is screwed, and it's once again up to Harry to save it. This time, by marrying Draco Malfoy.

Oh and I haven’t read these two yet but I’ve only heard great things:

survival is a talent by ShanaStoryteller (2017, T)

In the middle of their second year, Draco and Harry discover they're soulmates and do their best to keep it a secret from everyone. Their best isn't perfect.

The Mirror of Ecidyrue by starbrigid (2020, E)

All it takes is one look in a mirror and an ill-advised attempt to shatter it, before an embittered Draco Malfoy fresh out of Azkaban is sent back into his body on the day he gets his Hogwarts letter. Suddenly, Draco has an unwanted second chance, with a Sorting Hat that doesn't know what to do with him, a certain Muggleborn who won't leave his study table alone, and green eyes he just can't get out of his head. And then there's his new wand, whose choice of him could just mark him as every bit as dark a wizard as his name means he should be.

[rjzimmerman]

Anthony Caere, a pilot for Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, cradles Felix and Mara as he flies them to Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center. The babies�� families were killed by poachers. Caere, who survived a plane crash in 2017, says helping to rescue chimps gives him purpose.

Vélez del Burgo plays with Mara, Felix, and Mubaki (left to right). Mubaki, which means “survivor” in Swahili, was close to death when he arrived at the sanctuary. He’d been mistreated by poachers who killed his mother and planned to sell him into the pet trade. To help them recover, young chimps need to play with one another as their distinctive personalities emerge.

Excerpt from this story from National Geographic:

Chimpanzees, along with bonobos, are our closest living relatives. Their numbers throughout Africa are estimated at no more than 300,000—down from perhaps a million at the start of the 20th century—because of poaching for bushmeat, smuggling for the pet trade, and habitat loss.

Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center was founded in 2002 when war in the DRC spurred bushmeat poaching in nearby Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Wildlife authorities confiscated orphaned chimps from poachers and villagers, housing them in old lab rooms at an abandoned Belgian science research center in Lwiro. As the numbers of orphans grew, two institutions—the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature and the National Center for Research in Natural Sciences, also based in the DRC—created the sanctuary. Bernard Masunga, a senior veterinarian who’s been at Lwiro since its inception, has seen the haven grow into a home to chimps and monkeys, more than a hundred each, in forested enclosures. “I am very proud of local efforts to arrive where we have arrived,” he says. But as primates keep coming, he says, the long-term strategy is to release as many as possible back into the wilderness once they’ve regained health and confidence.

[popculty]

52 Films by Women: 2020 Edition

Another annual challenge complete!

Last year, I focused on diversifying my list. This year I kept that intention but focused on watching more non-American films and films from the 20th century. Specifically, I sought out Agnès Varda’s entire filmography, after her death in 2019. (I was not disappointed - What a filmmaking legend we lost.) 

I also kept a film log for the first time and have included some of my thoughts on several films from that log. I made a point of including reviews both positive and negative, because I think it’s important to acknowledge the variability and breadth of the canon, so as not to put every film directed by a woman on a pedestal. (Although movies directed by women must clear a much higher bar to be greenlit, meaning generally higher quality...But that’s an essay for another day :)

* = directed by a woman of color

bold = fave

1. The Rhythm Section (2020) dir. Reed Morano - Not as good as it could have been, given Morano’s proven skill behind the camera, but also not nearly as bad as the critics made it out to be. And unbelievably refreshing to see a female revenge story not driven by sexual assault or the loss of a husband/child.

2. Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962) dir. Agnès Varda - If you ever wanted to take a real-time tour of Paris circa 1960, this is the film for you.

3. Little Women (2019) dir. Greta Gerwig - Still my favorite Little Women adaptation. I will re-watch it every year and cry.

4. Varda by Agnès (2019) dir. Agnès Varda & Didier Rouget

5. Booksmart (2019) dir. Olivia Wilde - An instant classic high school comedy romp that subverts all the gross tropes of its 1980s predecessors.

6. Girls of the Sun (2018) dir. Eva Husson

7. Blue My Mind (2017) dir. Lisa Brühlmann

8. Portrait of a Lady On Fire (2019) dir. Céline Sciamma - Believe the hype. This film is a master thesis on the female gaze, and also just really effing gorgeous.

9. Belle Epine (2010) dir. Rebecca Zlotowski

10. Vamps (2012) dir. Amy Heckerling - With Krysten Ritter and Alicia Silverstone as modern-day vampires, I was so ready for this movie. But it feels like a bad stage play or a sit-com that’s missing a laugh-track. Bummer.

11. *Birds of Prey (2020) dir. Cathy Yan - Where has this movie been all our lives?? Skip the next onslaught of Snyder-verse grim-darkery and give me two more of these STAT! 

12. She’s Missing (2019) dir. Alexandra McGuinness

13. The Mustang (2019) dir. Laure de Clermont-Tonnere - Trigger warning for the “protagonist” repeatedly punching a horse in the chest. I noped right out of there.

14. Monster (2003) dir. Patty Jenkins – I first watched this movie when I was probably too young and haven’t revisited it since. The rape scene traumatized me as a kid, but as an adult I appreciate how that trauma is not the center of the movie, or even of Aileen’s life. Everyone still talks about how Charlize “went ugly” for this role, but the biggest transformation here isn’t aesthetic, it’s physical – the way Theron replicates Wuernos’ mannerisms, way of speaking, and physicality. That’s why she won the Oscar. I also love that Jenkins calls the film “Monster” (which everyone labels Aileen), but then actually uses it to tell the story of how she fell in love with a woman when she was at her lowest, and that saved her. That’s kind of beautiful, and I’m glad I re-watched it so that I could see the story in that light, instead of the general memory I had of it being a good, feel-bad movie. It’s so much more than that.

15. Water Lilies (2007) dir. Céline Sciamma – Sciamma’s screenwriting and directorial debut, the first in her trilogy on youth, is as painfully beautiful as its sequels (Tomboy and Girlhood). It’s also one of the rare films that explores the overlap of queerness and girl friendships.

16. The Trouble with Angels (1966) dir. Ida Lupino – Movies about shenanigan-based female friendships are such rare delights. Rosalind Russel is divine as Mother Superior, and Hayley Mills as “scathingly brilliant” as the pranks she plays on her. Ida Lupino’s skill as an editor only enhances her directing, providing some truly iconic visual gags to complement dialogue snappy enough for Gilmore Girls. 

17. Vagabond (1985) dir. Agnès Varda – Shot with a haunting realism, this film has no qualms about its heroine’s inevitable, unceremonious death, which it opens with, matter-of-factly, before retracing her final (literal) steps to the road-side ditch she ends up in. (I’m partly convinced said heroine was the inspiration for Sarah Manning in Orphan Black.)

18. One Sings, The Other Doesn’t (1977) dir. Agnès Varda – Probably my favorite classic Varda, this film feels incredibly personal. It’s essentially a love story about two best friends with very different lives. For an indie made in the ‘70s, the diversity, scope, and themes of the film are impressive. Even if the second half a drags a bit, the first half is absolute perfection, engaging the viewer immediately, and clipping along, sprinkling in some great original songs that were way progressive for their time (about abortion, female bodily autonomy, etc) and could still be considered “bangers” today.

19. Emma (2020) dir. Autumn de Wilde

20. Black Panthers (1969) dir. Agnès Varda

21. Into the Forest (2016) dir. Patricia Rozema - When the world was ending (i.e. the pandemic hit) this was the first movie I turned to - a quiet, meditative story of two sisters (Elliot Page and Evan Rachel Wood) surviving off the land after a sudden global blackout. Four years later, it’s still one of my favorite book-to-screen adaptations. I fondly remember speaking with director Patricia Rozema at the 2016 Chicago Critics Film Festival after a screening, her love for the source material and desire to “get it right” so apparent. I assured her then, and reaffirm now, that she really did.

22. City of Trees (2019) dir. Alexandra Swarens

23. Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) dir. Eliza Hittmann - To call this a harrowing and deeply personal journey of a sixteen-year-old who must cross state lines to get an abortion would be accurate, but incomplete. It is a story so much bigger than that, about the myriad ways women’s bodies and boundaries are constantly violated.

24. Paradise Hills (2019) dir. Alice Waddington

25. *Eve’s Bayou (1996) dir. Kasi Lemmons – I’ve been meaning to watch Kasi Lemmons’ directorial debut for many years now, and I’m so glad I finally have, because it fully deserves its icon status, beyond being one of the first major films directed by a black woman. Baby Jurnee Smollett's talent was immediately recognizable, and she has reminded us of it in Birds of Prey and Lovecraft Country this year. If merit was genuinely a factor for Oscar contenders, she would have taken home gold at eleven years old. Beasts of the Southern Wild has been one of my all-time favorites, but now I realize that most of my appreciation for that movie actually goes to Lemmons for blazing the trail with her story of a young black girl from the bayou first. It’s also a surprisingly dark story about memory and abuse and familial relationships that cross lines - really gutsy and surprising themes, especially for the ‘90s.

26. Blow the Man Down (2019) dir. Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy - Come and get your sea shanty fix!

27. Touchy Feely (2013) dir. Lynn Shelton - R.I.P. :(

28. Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (2020) dir. Madeleine Parry - If you thought Gadsby couldn’t follow up 2018′s sensational Nanette with a comedy special just as sharp and hilarious, you would have been sorely mistaken.

29. Girlhood (2013) dir. Céline Sciamma

30. Breathe (2014) dir. Mélanie Laurent

31. *A Dry White Season (1989) dir. Euzhan Palcy

32. Laggies (2014) dir. Lynn Shelton

33. *The Old Guard (2020) dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood – Everything I’ve ever wanted in an action movie: Immortal gays, Charlize Theron wielding a labrys (battle axe), kinetic fight choreography I haven’t seen since the last Bond movie…Watched it twice, then devoured the comics it was adapted from, and I gotta say: in the hands of black women, it eclipses the source material. Cannot wait for the just-announced sequel.

34. Morvern Callar (2002) dir. Lynn Ramsay

35. Shirley (2020) dir. Josephine Decker

36. *Radioactive (2019) dir. Marjane Satrapi – The story is obviously well worth telling and the narrative structure – weaving in the future consequences of Curie’s discoveries – is clever, but a bit awkwardly executed and overly manipulative. There are glimpses of real brilliance throughout, but it feels as if the director’s vision was not fully realized, to my great disappointment. Nonetheless, I appreciated seeing Marie Curie's story being told by a female director and embodied by the always wonderful Rosamund Pike.

37. *The Half of It (2020) dir. Alice Wu - I feel like a real scrooge for saying this, but this movie did nothing for me. Nothing about it felt fresh, authentic or relatable. A real disappointment from the filmmaker behind the wlw classic Saving Face.

38. Mouthpiece (2018) dir. Patricia Rozema - I am absolutely floored. One of those films that makes you fall in love with the art form all over again. Patricia Rozema continues to prove herself one of the most creatively ambitious and insightful directors of our time, with this melancholic meditation on maternal grief and a woman’s duality.

39. Summerland (2020) dir. Jessica Swale - The rare period wlw love story that is not a) all-white or b) tragedy porn. Just lovely.

40. *The Last Thing He Wanted (2020) dir. Dee Rees – As rumored, a mess. Even by the end, I still couldn’t tell you who any of the characters are. Dee, we know you’re so much better than this! (see: Mudbound, Pariah)

41. *Cuties (2020) dir. Maïmouna Doucouré – I watched this film to 1) support a black woman director who has been getting death threats for her work and 2) see what all the fuss is about. While I do think there were possibly some directorial choices that could have saved quite a bit of the pearl-clutching, overall, I didn’t find it overly-exploitative or gross, as many (who obviously haven’t actually watched the film) have labeled it. It certainly does give me pause, though, and makes me wonder whether children can ever be put in front of a camera without it exploiting or causing harm to them in some way. It also makes one consider the blurry line between being a critique versus being an example. File this one under complicated, for sure.

42. A Call to Spy (2019) Lydia Dean Pilcher – An incredible true story of female spies during WWII that perfectly satisfied my itch for British period drama/spy thriller and taught me so much herstory I didn’t know.

43. Kajillionaire (2020) dir. Miranda July - I was lucky enough to attend the (virtual) premiere of this film, followed by an insightful cast/director Q&A, which only made me appreciate it more. July's offbeat dark comedy about a family of con artists is queerer and more heartfelt than it has any right to be, and a needed reprieve in a year of almost entirely white wlw stories. The family's shenanigans are the hook, but it's the budding relationship between Old Dolio (an almost unrecognizable Evan Rachel Wood) and aspiring grifter Melanie (the luminous Gina Rodriguez) that is the heart of the story.

44. Misbehaviour (2020) dir. Philippa Lowthorpe – Again, teaching me herstory I didn’t know, about how the Women’s Liberation Movement stormed the 1970 Miss World Pageant. Keira Knightley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s characters have a conversation in a bathroom at the end of the film that perfectly eviscerates well-meaning yet ignorant white feminism, without ever pitting women against each other - a feat I didn’t think was possible. I also didn’t think it was possible to critique the male gaze without showing it (*ahem Cuties, Bombshell, etc*), but this again, invents a way to do it. Bless women directors.

45. *All In: The Fight for Democracy (2020) dir. Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes – 2020’s 13th. Thank god for Stacey Abrams, that is all.

46. *The 40-Year-Old Version (2020) dir. Radha Blank – This scene right here? I felt that in my soul. This whole film is so good and funny and heartfelt and relatable to any artist trying to walk that tightrope of “making it” while not selling their soul to make it. My only initial semi-note was that it’s a little long, but after hearing Radha Blank talk about how she fought for the two-hour run-time as a way of reclaiming space for older black women, I take it back. She’s right: Let black women take up space. Let her movie be as long as she wants it to be. GOOD FOR HER.

47. Happiest Season (2020) dir. Clea Duvall - Hoooo boy. What was marketed as the first lesbian Christmas rom-com is actually a horror movie for anyone who’s ever had to come out. Throw in casual racism and a toxic relationship treated as otp, and it’s YIKES on so many levels. Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, and an autistic-coded Jane are the only (underused) highlights.

48. *Monkey Beach (2020) dir. Loretta Todd

49. *Little Chief (2020) dir. Erica Tremblay – A short film part of the 2020 Red Nation Film Festival, it’s a perfect eleven minutes that I wish had gone on longer, if only to bask in Lily Gladstone in a leading role.

50. First Cow (2019) dir. Kelly Reichardt – I know Kelly Reichardt’s style, so I’ll admit-- even as I was preparing for an excellent film, I was also reaching for my phone, planning on only half paying attention during all the inevitable 30-second shots of grass blowing in the wind. (And yes, there are plenty of those.) But twenty minutes in, my phone was set aside and forgotten, as I am getting sucked into this beautiful story about two frontiersman trying to live their best domestic life.There is only one word to describe this film and that is: PURE. I’ve never seen such a tender platonic relationship between men on screen before, and it’s not lost on me that it took a woman to show us that tenderness. Reichardt gives us two men brought together by fate, and kept together by a shared dream and the simple pleasure of not being alone in such a hard world; two men who spend their days cooking, trapping, baking, and dreaming of a better life; two men who don’t say much, but feel everything for each other. The world would be a much better place if men showed us this kind of vulnerability and friendship toward each other. Oh, and it’s also a brutal take-down of capitalism and the myth of the American Dream!

51. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) dir. Patty Jenkins - My most-anticipated film for the past two years was...well, a mixed bag, to say the least. Too many thoughts on it for a blog post, so stay tuned for the upcoming podcast ep where we go all in ;)

52. *Selah and the Spades (2019) dir. Tayarisha Poe

I hope this gives you some ideas to kick off your new year with a resolution to support more female directors!

What were your favorite women-directed movies of last year? Let me know in the tags, comments, or asks!

[hailbop1701]

Chapter Two: A Pale Horse

Chapter two is here guys! I'm so excited to see what you all think! Things are starting to heat up and they discover who Bones really is. Each chapter is going to be darker than the last so it's all down hill from here. I just want to say a big "THANK YOU!" to my wonderful beta @dw-writes you my dear are amazing and I truly appreciate you taking the time to do this for me.

- H ❤🖖

“Welcome to HELL,” Kirk whispered, a deep frown marring his face. As soon as McCoy drew his phaser Jim did the same.

“Bones…”

McCoy gritted his teeth; if his own personal ‘Red Alert’ wasn’t flashing before, it sure as hell was now. “We need to go,” McCoy said with finality, his searching eyes darting around the area.

Lieutenant Beckworth appeared on his other side, phaser raised, following McCoy’s movements. The three Ensigns behind them warily followed suit, raising their phasers much more slowly and unsure.

“Sir?” Ensign Bitar asked, perplexed. McCoy could smell the excitement and adrenaline pouring out of her. Kirk glanced over his shoulder at the young woman, giving her a little smile that looked more like a grimace.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Bitar, Bones is just being paranoid, as usual,” he offered in a teasing manner, trying to keep his people calm.

Leonard snorted humorlessly at his best friend’s words. “Oh yeah, the obvious sign in front of us has nothing to do with my paranoia, Captain,” he muttered dryly as they moved forward through the long entrance. ‘An Atrium,’ he observed as he took in every possible exit and vantage point.

‘Cameras; we’re being watched,’ McCoy took a deep steadying breath. Wrinkling his nose in distaste, he felt his stomach do a flip at the familiar smell: death and decay mixed with blood. “Jim I know you think I’m being paranoid here but we really need to go I’m not fucking kidding this time.”

Kirk looked at the CMO with pursed lips and careful eyes, after a second he nodded. “Okay Bones, we’ll go back and regroup.” The Captain pulled out his communicator and flipped it open. The thing chirped as he worked the dial. “Kirk to Enterprise. Come in Enterprise,” there was nothing but static.

Leonard cursed again under his breath.

“Oh no,” Ensign Lawrence squeaked, cringing at the glare Bitar gave him that clearly said, ‘Grow a pair’

A low amused feminine chuckle echoed throughout the room, it came from everywhere and nowhere. The giant screen that hung crookedly on the wall beside them buzzed and flickered to life. A figure sat lazily in a Captain’s chair; the image was too dark to see them clearly, but the silhouette made it clear that it was a woman.

“Jim!” McCoy hissed suddenly as the Captain moved steadily closer to the screen a good twenty feet away. Kirk held up his hand to reassure McCoy that he was alright and kept walking. Growling, Leonard strode purposely after him with his phaser at the ready.

Beckworth and his little gaggle turned so that their backs were covered. “I have a bad feeling about this, LT.” Lawrence hissed his voice pitching slightly.

“Shut it, Gabe,” Bitar growled out keeping her voice low.

“Both of you, can it!” Beckworth barked, not taking his eyes off the darkened corners of the room. Lawrence hummed nervously but kept a steady hand with his phaser as he scanned the room for any threats.

Chekov crept next to McCoy, his tool kit gently slapping against his hip, the strap digging uncomfortably against the kid’s neck. He had his phaser raised slightly but kept it pointed at the ground as Kirk walked ahead of him.

“Damn kids,” McCoy hissed. The nervous and foreboding energy crackling around him made his hair stand on end and his teeth itch. He split his senses apart: he kept his eyes on Kirk and the room before him, while he listened to what was behind him: Beckworth’s steady breaths, Lawrence’s hitched nervous gait, Bitar’s grinding teeth, she was gripping and regripping her phaser, and then, there was Chekov - the kid was mumbling in Russian, doing his best to keep calm. McCoy’s brow furrowed a little at his words, ‘Something about different plants and how to identify poisonous flora...he was reciting a botany textbook,’ he thought, a brief flash of amusement and approval coursed through him. ‘Whatever works kiddo,’ he thought as he watched Kirk come to an abrupt stop, staring up at the screen with wide eyes.

Following his gaze, McCoy couldn’t help but snort and roll his eyes. Kirk was practically salivating and Leonard had a strong urge to smack the man upside the head to get him to focus on the problem at hand. He didn’t but he really should’ve.

A beautiful Orion woman grinned wickedly down at them. She sat sprawled on what had to be a pilfered captain’s chair leaving nothing to the imagination; her curves were captured perfectly in the armor she wore. A phaser dangled from her fingers and rested on her inner thigh. The come hither look she shot him caused McCoy to raise an eyebrow, sure he loved a beautiful woman like the next guy. Most men (and in large cases women) would have been attracted to her. But he could only feel annoyance and disappointment. He could see under the beauty, down to her core. There was nothing there but a cold empty space, like a black hole but more crazy and sadistic.

Internally he practically sees Reaper poke and prod at the back of his mind wanting to take the reins on this one. Things weren’t right and Doctor Leonard McCoy wasn’t needed right now. Everything here already smelt dead and the away team was in way over their heads, if the warning bells in his head were anything to go by.

McCoy relaxed into a better stance and held himself like he used to, he practically melted into John Grimm again. His eyes were a touch colder, his walk more sure and graceful. Moving forward automatically Reaper stood slightly in front of Kirk and Chekov like an unmovable shield.

The scowl on his face became more and more pronounced the longer he and the woman stared at one another. Kirk looked back and forth between Reaper and the Orion woman, totally confused and in mild offense. She wasn’t interested in the starship captain what-so-fucking-ever.

The Orion chuckled again upon seeing Reaper’s darkening face. She leaned forward so she was in the light. Her face was as pleasant as the forests on Dakala; beautiful and completely deadly.* She was the hunter and they were the prey; they were right where she wanted them. She grinned wickedly before sighing, sounding almost bored. She looked at her phaser casually before she started speaking, her voice light and airy like a calm summer morning. “Your Earth history has a story. A story of four horsemen and one of them was death,” she drawled, amused by the tale she spun for them. Like a spider playing with her caught flies, the woman kept going, “He rode upon a pale horse bringing the peace and silence of death to all who oppose him,” she disappeared and the image of Enterprise filled the screen, pale in the light of the stars. Jim stiffened, an angry glint flashed in his ocean eyes before the look of shock and disbelief filled them.

Reaper felt the floor disappear beneath him; the air in his lungs left as if Sarge had come back and punched him in the stomach. The next set of images were all too familiar, they were of him but from so long ago.

“RRTS Unit Six: Full name Johnathan Leonard Grimm - Call-ID ‘Reaper’ - born October, 21st, 2017,” Kirk whipped his head around confusion coloring his face. The picture on the screen showed John in full gear, hair buzzed down, jaw set, and eyes void of emotion. The perfect soldier. “Bones? ” Jim’s voice was hushed so the others couldn’t hear him. Though they were looking at the screen with their own confused expressions. Jim sounded shaky and unnerved, no doubt he was being plagued by memories of Kahn.

John took a deep breath and turned his dark hazel eyes onto his best friend. “Sorry kid,” was all he could muster at the moment his usual southern drawl gone. He sounded almost defeated, he never wanted Jim to find out like this. Hell, he didn’t want the kid to find out at all if he could help it.

A flash of multiple emotions shot through Jim’s eyes before settling on a blank expression that would make a Vulcan proud.

The screen split down the middle showing two different starship bridges. One belonging to the Orion bitch (who was enjoying the drama unfolding in front of her immensely) and the bridge of the Enterprise. His crew, his friends, stared back at them - him - in shock, horror, and hurt confusion. All except for Spock of course he was doing his insufferable Sphynx impression again. Though his eyes spoke volumes; fascination, anger, and pity?

The Orion leaned forward licking her lips,

“I’ve caught myself a Reaper” she giggled almost bouncing up and down in her seat. John growled low, almost baring his teeth, but she seemed to love that.

“What do you want?” Kirk bellowed, throwing his hands up in the air, the phaser hand flying wildly. John tilted his head just enough to avoid being cuffed.

“A game Captain! It’s quite simple really; all you need to do for the sake of yourselves and your crew is to survive!” her voice was sickly sweet and patronizing like she was explaining to a five-year-old how to play a quick game of poker.

‘Yeah, she’s fucking insane,’ John thought dryly with no amusement.

Kirk glowered at the woman, “You seem to know who we are but we have no damn clue about you, so tell me before I come up with something unpleasant,”

The Orion smirked and leaned back. Crossing her legs she pouted for a second in thought, she was weighing the pros and cons of having her name out there it seems. After a moment of deliberation, she waved a hand at the muffled warning coming from the background. “Call me Veera.” Veera’s eyes slid from Kirk over to John again, a predatory stare if there ever was one. Sighing he stepped forward so he was a few feet in front of the group “I’m sure you have almost everything figured out, don’t you John?” she murmured knowingly.

Reaper’s jaw clenched at the use of his birth name, “I imagine you blocked us off, no transporter, no direct contact with the Enterprise. Other than what you got set up and I reckon that you put more than just us through this little game of yours. How many are watching Veera?” he let his southern drawl color his voice again.

The woman clapped slowly at his little assessment, she nodded her head approvingly “I activated a jamming device just after you teleported onboard, the holovid the Enterprise and my little collection of misfits are being streamed, is through the station itself. And yes you’re right, you’re not the only ones to play. I had to test and test and test before I could let you find me!”

“The missing ships,” Jim hissed in realization, his fists clenched and he visibly shook with anger.

Veera shrugged nonchalantly, “They were such a bore! They lost way too easily but I suppose it gave us more time to play around with that serum of yours. You do remember C-24 right, John?”

Reaper almost choked at her words, the horror on his face was abundantly clear for everyone who had eyes on him. They were either grinning madly or filled with dread and concern. He did his best to calm his breathing, the panic attack that had been looming in the back of his mind was bubbling to the surface.

Jim may have been angry at him and wanted answers but he still stepped closer holding a hand out just above John’s shoulder, “Bones breathe,”

Veera mockingly pouted, “Those memories of yours must be awful, I’ve read every report the - oh what were they called - the UAC had on you, and honey it was delicious. How many did you kill to keep your blood away from them? How many did you slaughter when you found your sister and her family slaughtered in their beds?”

There were several gasps from spectators. John’s blood boiled and he burned like he was being raked over hot coals. Jim’s jaw dropped and his eyes grew sad before he covered it up again knowing that he hated pity. He didn’t dare look at the others or at the Enterprise crew, their emotions were clear by the tense silence. Veera giggled again, her white teeth glowed in the dim light of her ship as she grinned madly.

Reaper’s hands clenched into fists, his whole body shaking, something must have flashed in his eyes because Jim stepped away from him, motioning for the others to do the same. Veera chuckled darkly and tilted her head as she listened to someone off-screen.

She hummed excitedly “I’ve left you a little something to help you, and you’re going to need it, John. These creatures are much more different from what you remember. They will infect anyone and every one good or bad and they are oh so hungry,” And with that, the screen faded to black.

John sucked in a breath pushing back whatever he was feeling into a box and locked it away. ‘Grieve for this life later, you have a job to do’ he thought sadly. His eyes scanned the room and immediately found a crate lying off to the side on an information desk. Striding over to it John quickly tore open the lid sending it sailing across the room. Someone cursed behind him in surprise, he ignored the small group as he looked through the crate of supplies.

“You’re actually trusting that crazy bitch? What if she rigged the stuff?” Lawrence asked incredulously.

Beckworth appraised Reaper with a new outlook before shaking his head, “Nah she wants him to play too much. Wants to draw out the game not shorten it,”

John pulled out four tac vests with a grumble, looking over at Kirk he shook his head, “Get that neon sign off,” he indicated to his command gold. Jim wasn’t entirely sure what he was more surprised by the order itself or that he automatically followed it without question. “You too kid,” John mumbled, shooting Chekov an apologetic look. The young Russian scrambled in setting his things down so he could yank off his overshirt.

“Damn I’m happy I wore pants for this shit,” Bitar grumbled as she and two others from security shucked their colored shirts. Reaper huffed a humorless laugh, walking over to Jim he helped the captain into the vest securing it before moving on to Chekov. Freezing for a moment John cocked his head to the side, he could hear pounding footsteps and inhuman screams; they were getting closer by the second. Cursing he pulled off his blue shirt, tossing it to the side. He grabbed a kit belt from the crate and swung it around his hips. Tucking his phaser away for later John pulled out a few old-fashioned projectile weapons.

Shaking his head John loaded the belt with everything he could fit. Lieutenant Beckworth was working on doing the same thing. Checking over a replicated desert eagle Reaper glanced over his shoulder before hurrying in his movements.

“You know something we don’t, again?” Jim asked ice coating his tone. John in his hurried movements almost forgot how pissed off Kirk still was. The man hid it well. The others froze but John kept going letting the coldness waft over him.

“They’re coming and we really shouldn’t be here when they do,” was all he said clipping a couple of grenades to his belt.

“Vhose coming?” Chekov asked quietly it was the first time in while the kid spoke, his voice was cautious, fear only just breaking the surface.

Reaper’s forehead scrunched a memory floating to the surface. “Well the first time I faced these things, a man from my unit called them demons. He was the god fearin’ type,” he muttered in explanation. That made Kirk grimace and Chekov wince as if he regretted asking. John shoved a second knife into his boot and clipped another to his belt on his hip. The last thing he pulled from the crate made him pause and mutter a string of curses under his breath. In his hands sat an old, yet new rifle.

“Damn,” he shook his head ruefully hating the fact that he missed its weight in his hands.

“Old friend?” Jim asked sourly making John wince ever so slightly.

“You could say that,” he mumbled.

John placed his finger over the scanner and felt as his chest tightened as it rang out, “Former RRTS member verified, Call sign ‘Reaper,’”

He looked over at Jim who held another rifle in his hands, something newer and sleeker. They watched each other carefully, a silent conversation taking place between them.

“We’ll talk about this later,”

Reaper whipped his head around seconds before a door on the other end of the atrium burst open with a shattering crash. The others jumped in surprise,

“Move!” John shouted, pushing them ahead. They ran the length of the Atrium toward a set of glass doors that led to the rest of the station.

“What the fuck are those?” Kirk shouted looking over his shoulder briefly as he ran with John just behind him and Chekov urging them forward.

“As I said, demons!” was all John shouted pushing the two bridge officers through the sliding open glass doors.

John whipped around and fired his rifle. In quick accurate bursts, the screaming creatures fell; he stayed long enough for the others to rush past him before flying through the doors himself. John elbowed the door controls causing the red lights to flare, heavy metal blast doors slammed home just as the demons crashed into the glass.

Jim looked up from his bent position, “What the hell were those?” he asked panting.

Reaper grimaced. “Those were- they were people once before they got infected with a compound called C-24. It’s basically - it’s an extra chromosome essentially,” he groaned at more than one confused face. Running a hand through his hair John moved forward further into what looked to be one of the main shopping areas. ‘Damn malls,’ he thought with a grumble.

“But you were injected by this C-24 da?” Chekov curiously asked, trying to keep the hint of wariness from his voice. John flinched but nodded at the young navigator, “Back when it was first discovered C-24 chose who became a monster or who became - eh superhuman I guess. Healing is fifty percent quicker, strength, moving faster, and unfortunately, aging is...slow,”

John stopped eyeing the vast area critically, “This version of C-24 is twisted beyond comprehension and that’s saying something,” he whispered and gestured for the others to keep quiet as well. John looked to the side allowing one of his ears to face the shopping center.

Taking a deep breath he filtered the sounds around him, he ignored the erratic heartbeats of the team behind him, and the crunch of glass under their boots as they shifted and walked. The faint sound of sleepy growls and snorts made John purse his lips, it was pretty far off to immediately worry about. ‘Best to keep an eye out anyway,’ he thought biting the inside of his cheek.

“Superhuman, does that mean hearing as well?” Bitar asked incredulously catching onto what John was doing.

The man looked at her a bit sheepishly, he opened his mouth to respond but the Captain interrupted with: “Wait a minute super hearing? Does that mean during the academy…”

John chuckled dryly “Oh yeah, every time. Why do you think I started carrying earbuds with me everywhere I damn went?”

Kirk blanched looking mortified “So you- oh no,” he whispered mostly to himself before laughing nervously at John’s little crooked smirk.

Reaper jerked his head in the direction of the railway system. “Come on Dynamo,” he snorted, making Kirk go completely red in the face out of embarrassment. Lawrence and Chekov snorted covering their laughter with little coughs.

“So I’m guessing you hear all the gossip, McCoy?” Beckworth asked amused, both Chekov and Lawrence became quiet.

John rolled his eyes calling the tram, “Yeah, not very creative if I’m going to be completely honest,”

Jim choked on a laugh remembering what they called McCoy on the ship and in the academy, “Some of those nicknames aren’t legal on most planets I think,” he pointed out smirking. John just scowled at his best friend - well, hopefully, they were still best friends anyway. He didn’t really want to think about that right now, the thought that he might have to leave the Enterprise hurt enough as it was.

----------oOo----------

The tram hummed and slid to an easy stop, moving in front of the group John readied his weapon and listened. No movement, no snarling, and no stench of death, they were clear. The doors hissed open just as he lowered his rifle to point at the ground. The only thing John could smell was faint traces of blood and dry air.

“Clear,” Beckworth confirmed coming up to stand beside him.

John had to silently applaud the man, he stepped up without hesitation. He wasn’t deterred by what they were up against nor was he rattled by the revelation of who “Leonard McCoy” really was. He had a job to do, and he was going to damn well do it. John nodded to Henry as he entered the tram, double and triple-checking to make sure it was safe for the others. Bitar and Lawrence followed suit while Beckworth stuck with the Captain and Chekov. They were the most important of the away team, that didn’t change.

Chekov scurried over to the tram controls and grimaced. The conductor's seat was smeared with blood; enough blood to convince the young navigator that whoever worked here was surely dead. Pavel jumped when a hand gently landed on his shoulder.

“You okay kid?” John asked softly, his eyes showed so many emotions but the ones that stuck out to Chekov the most was- understanding, pain, grief, and steely determination.

Swallowing hard Pavel squared his shoulders and nodded, “Da, I’m alright,” he whispered. John looked at him for a long few seconds before nodding and squeezing his shoulder.

“Bring up a map of the base if ya can. We need to see what we’re working with and the best way to get out,” John said letting his southern twang color his voice, it had its desired effect as Chekov relaxed further. The kid hummed as he worked at the console, muttering to himself about equations and formulas. John drifted back to where the rest of the away team sat. They were in a heated discussion about their plan of action. John leaned against one of the handrails silently listening to the debate. Jim was in charge of course, but the young Captain valued the opinions of his crew.

“We need to take down the jammer so we can beam the hell out of here,” Ensign Bitar said, arms crossed, the girl was terrified. John was rather impressed at how well she was hiding it.

Lawrence sat hunched over in one of the plastic seats head in his hands. He was continuously pulling at his hair. “How are we going to do that when we don’t know where the hell it is?” he groaned tilting his head up at the young woman. Bitar scowled at him but otherwise said nothing. Beckworth leaned back with a heavy sigh, he looked to be deep in thought. John’s gaze moved to Kirk, the kid was pacing back and forth muttering under his breath. Jim was working on a plan, and just because it was him it was going to be crazy.

Growling in frustration Jim stopped in front of John, “Got any ideas?” he asked bitingly.

John chewed on the inside of his cheek, “Chekov is working on getting us a map, so we know what we’re dealing with. I think our best bet is to either make our way to the base's bridge or to engineering.” he said with a shrug. Kirk opened his mouth but snapped it shut again,

“The bridge will give us all the information that we need. It being a starbase means it will also be connected to operations.” Jim mused running a hand through his hair. John nodded slowly,

“Genesis is also connected to Marcus and Section 31 so along the way we’ll most likely find a lot of classified information. You being Captain of the fleet’s flagship also means that you’re would technically be under orders to retrieve all classified data and bring it back to HQ,” John let the unsaid “Including me,” hang in the air. The silence was almost deafening. Bitar looked down at her feet, Lawrence bit his nails nervously, and Beckworth frowned but ready to do whatever his Captain asked of him. Jim’s jaw clenched and he shook his head in denial,

“You got that map, Chekov?” John asked without having to turn to see the navigator enter the room.

Pavel sniffed, clearing his throat, “Da, I have the map of the station. I was also able to determine which areas are safe and which are breached.” Chekov handed the PADD over to John who gave the young man a tight smile of thanks.

He showed the device to Jim who began to swipe through it for a clear path to the station's bridge. “Shit,” he muttered, brows furrowed in frustration. The only clear path to the bridge was through what would most likely be the most populated areas.

John growled and cursed colorfully under his breath, in all honesty, he wasn’t surprised. “You don’t look, surprised Doctor,” Beckworth noted gruffly. All eyes snapped to the Enterprises CMO.

The man gave a shrug and spoke without looking up from the PADD in his hands. “Veera is a psychopath, an extremely smart one at that. She wouldn’t have let us near Genesis if this place wasn’t ready for us. She would have planned all of this to the very last detail,” He took and held up the PADD showing the map and raised an eyebrow at everyone, “This will give her audience somethin’ to watch. Chekov how easy was it to get this map?”

The navigator shifted uneasily, “I didn’t have to do anything, it was already downloaded onto the PADD,” he whispered, eyes wide.

“In order to win the game, we have to play the game,” Kirk muttered, taking the PADD back from John. The ex-marine scowled at the thought, he knew Jim was right but that didn’t mean he had to like it. Kirk looked at him grimly, “Looks like you have to put on a show Bones.”

John’s scowl deepened, he looked up at the obvious camera in the corner of the tram car. Flipping it off, John quickly pulled his handgun and shot the offending piece of tech. The rest of the group yelled covering their ears against the crack of the gunshot. Placing his sidearm back John snorted, “I’m just a regular ol’ show pony,”

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