#battle of matz

[atiny-for-life]

Ateez's Full Storyline Explained - Part 27

Masterlist

Birthday (Unknown World)

We open on a letter and an envelope which is placed on top and currently being opened. The wax seal reads 'Ateez' while the letter in the back seems to be written by someone describing a dream they've had, or perhaps... a wish?

'-big wish!' '-high up in the sky-' '-soar above the clouds-' '-all I want to fly even higher ... up to the moon!' '-with twinkling stars all-' '-land on the moon-'

Right after, a child's voice is heard, reading out yet another letter detailing their birthday wish as we get a shot of a table covered in the same type of envelopes as the first one we saw: white with a wax seal showing Ateez's name in lieu of an address.

Pretty quickly, it becomes clear this version of Ateez has created an agency dedicated to making children's birthday wishes come true. In their dreams, that is, since that is where these guys are wholly in control.

The first time I saw this video, I was merely appreciating the stunning visuals of the shots, editing, styling and colors, but upon second watch, I thought: this is Halazia's Ateez again, isn't it?

The purple background we've seen with Halazia's Hongjoong twice, the styling choices, the personalities. It gives Matz, it gives Not Okay. To quickly explain myself, I've previously established in my analysis of Matz how I identify Halazia's Ateez and, while there were a lot more parallels there, I find Hongjoong's scene from Halazia in particular to be quite useful for detection.

The fluffy hat and purple lighting are easily implemented in other videos and were both also found in Matz to drop hints at a connection:

And what do we find here in this one? A purple background in the opening and during the chorus and, on top of that, a giant fluffy, purple hat on Hongjoong later in the video.

Additionally, all their behavior is also a lot more in line with the mildly unhinged personalities of the Halazia crew. They enjoy chaos, they like setting fire to things, they're like Z-World's version of Ateez but even more out there. I'll also point out more parallels as we come across them from here on out.

To bring things more in line with the commonly known lore though, we should also pause on this flash of Seonghwa in front of a full moon - the moon phase in which the Cromer enables jumping between realities which these guys seem to love doing more than anything.

Last we've seen the Halazia crew was in the unit songs in which they were searching for healing after all the trauma they'd been through. To me, it would make sense they would then choose to reunite as eight and heal their wounds further by actually using their powers for good. And what could be more healing for the soul than making children's wishes come true?

But, of course, since these guys are just a touch insane, they don't just make the sweet and pure dreams come true, but rather the "funny" and... "a little dangerous" ones because anything else would be boring and, while in a dream, there's no harm in letting kids live a little recklessly.

The most obvious one of these children's dreams is the glow-in-the-dark bicycle with wings which we get to see both Wooyoung and Seonghwa ride throughout the video. Shoutout to Wooyoung's stylist by the way - the skirt? The hair? The cropped jacket and colors? Genius. He looks absolutely stunning.

Following their shots, the lyrics change, highlighting nighttime as is common for Ateez's songs. For them, the night brings chaos, it's when they're most active, it's when they pull off their missions and get to mess around with people's dreams. "The real battle begins now," is what Jongho says. And I believe which battle he's speaking of will become clear later on.

During this sequence of Jongho, we also get this shot of him with his reflection which reminds me of Not Okay where he was reaching for his reflection, perhaps seeing himself from another world, a better world, but those times are over now. It's time to face reality.

Before we then cut to Yeosang, we see a candle with a purple flame - hinting at Halazia again, I'd say.

After this, we get a sequence of Yeosang posing with the letters spelling out Birthday and the way it was edited to match the instrumental is perfect. It's camp. I adore it.

We then cut to a clock, showing it's shortly past midnight (I assume that's when they clock in for 'work'), as Jongho asks "Why so serious?" which is likely addressing the people whose dreams they are invading here en masse. Why are you taking life so seriously? Why are you not having more fun? Why are you not taking risks?

Following the chorus, which is all about escaping the work rut and instead choosing to party, skip Mondays, etc., we move into Hongjoong's rap verse where we quickly get another shot paralleling Not Okay, which was the latest music featuring the Halazia crew and was wholly dedicated to exploring the trauma inflicted upon them by their government.

In the lyrics, Hongjoong tells us they've been reborn and are now in charge of the mic. Their voices will now be heard, they get to make the rules and dictate their own lives.

And then he proceeds to end his verse by hypnotizing himself into unconsciousness.

Mingi takes over for him, talking about how it's his birthday every day, which is (apparently) not easy for him, before he gets more serious as we pan through the bullet hole in his birthday cake.

He says each day is a fight, and yet he parties on the stage, and that, if we want our dreams to come true, we should call him, which makes me wonder if this is how they promote their services to the people of this world. Is this a dream they put into people's heads when they come into their world? During a crescent moon, they'd absolutely have the power to do so after all.

Next chorus and we've got the classic arsony reference. It wouldn't be a video with the Halazia crew if there weren't fire at some point. Where the Z-World crew enjoyed playing with fire here and there (like Wooyoung in Fireworks), these guys will fully burn down a building any chance they get.

During this sequence, we also get a classic shot of Yunho surrounded by masked dancers which we've seen with the Halazia crew many times over - in Matz, in It's You, in Not Okay. It's yet another hint.

In the bridge leading into the final section of the song, we get a line that I believe is quite telling when it comes to their mindset as a collective.

"Chaos but paradise." They acknowledge most people's lives are chaotic, full of choices to make, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and yet it's paradise to them who grew up under a government which controlled every single part of their lives, mind-controlling them, trapping them in looping days without sunlight, each day like the last, not even a taste of freedom to be had.

When you lived like that until just recently then, yes, this is paradise. This absolutely unpredictable chaos is like heaven, so of course they wouldn't understand why we take our lives so seriously. Why do we choose to obey social norms when we don't have to? Why can we only dream up flying bicycles as children and later in life, we only think of work and money? After all, everybody could skip work and just have fun if they truly wanted to. No Android Guardians would show up to kill them over it like they would have in their world.

The fact that this line is then followed by Jongho's high note, screaming out "We're drowning!" is also really telling to me. They're not at all over their trauma yet, this is merely another step toward healing and understanding their new reality. They're having fun with people's dreams to distract themselves, but as they try to do just that, they're also forced to realize that people are struggling in every world they travel to, whether there is a government like theirs or not. No matter where they go, there's suffering in some way shape or form. There's no escape. And yet they keep trying.

The final shot, after a series of chants by the entire crew ("Don't want to stop, we're on the top!"), is of Wooyoung in his adorable little outfit falling through a glittery night sky, like Alice falling down the rabbit hole to Wonderland. It's a fitting parallel given how they're all currently choosing to live in Wonderland, the dream world, instead of living out in the harsh real world where healing would take so much longer.

[rems-writing]

SFW prompt #4

Pairing: manager!oc x rapper!Hongjoong

Genre: Fluff

Wordcount: 600 words

Rating: sfw

Nets: @mirohs-aurora-society @othersideoutlawsnetwork @illusionnet

My version of this prompt from Illusion Net: *skips into the kitchen* "Kiss?" *skips away after receiving*

When you think of fourth generation rappers, only one name pops up. Kim Hongjoong. He first started out as an underground rapper, doing rap battles back-to-back and winning one every single time. He even went up against the legendary third generation rapper Agust D! Or Min Yoongi as his fans call him by. Did Hongjoong lose? Yeah. Was it worth it though and did he have any shame afterwards or was a sore loser? Absolutely not! If anything, he just got even luckier. Yoongi saw potential in Hongjoong and offered to sign him to his record label. 

Suga Records. 

Hongjoong immediately said yes and soon, he was on the rise to fame. He collabed with another rapper signed under Yoongi. His name was Park Seonghwa. Their single, Matz, topped the charts and they opened up for big names like Tiger JK, Flowsik, DPR Live, and the most recent rapper they opened up for a few minutes ago. 

The Quiett. 

Hongjoong and Seonghwa were currently backstage, still hopped up on the adrenaline rush they felt when they opened up for The Quiett. As they were talking, the door to the dressing room creaked open and a head popped in. Hongjoong saw his face and he immediately felt flustered. 

“Your manager needs to see you, Seonghwa.”

Cho Ajax was Hongjoong’s manager. Most people view him as a strict man. He never smiles, always blocks out any fans that try to sneak photos of Hongjoong, is somewhat controlling over Hongjoong’s routine, and is overall the coldest guy Hongjoong’s ever met. He was even sent death threats once! All Ajax did was simply shrug it off. 

Hongjoong swore he fell in love with him after experiencing that reaction. 

Hongjoong knows Ajax better than anyone else. He only smiles when the two of them are alone, he actually protects Hongjoong better than some of the bodyguards Yoongi hired for Hongjoong, he’s not that controlling of Hongjoong’s life, and he’s a kind man! If you cared enough to try and get to know him. 

“What does he need?” Seonghwa asked Ajax. 

Ajax shrugged and Seonghwa shrugged as well before getting up and leaving the dressing room so he could see what his own manager needed. Once Ajax was alone with Hongjoong, he strode over to him and sat down next to him. Hongjoong was slightly afraid since Ajax never looked that serious when the two of them were alone. Did he mess up on something?

“Can I get a kiss?”

Hongjoong was baffled. He shoved Ajax and the man laughed loudly before hugging the smaller man tightly. 

“You scared me, J! I thought I messed up something!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you like that!”

Hongjoong pouted and Ajax chuckled lightly before leaning in to kiss him. Hongjoong kissed him back and the two locked lips for a short while before they pulled away from each other before Ajax stood up. 

“Ok that’s it. I’mma head out now.”

“You’re an idiot, J!”

“But you love me though.”

Hongjoong couldn’t argue with that. He sighed and stood up as well before hugging Ajax tightly. The man’s tattooed arms encircled the rapper’s lithe waist and lifted him up slightly in the hug before setting him back down. Hongjoong’s heart melted upon seeing the soft smile Ajax had on his handsome face. 

“I’ll see you after the show, ok?”

“Ok, J.”

“Hey. Remember that I will always love you.”

“Remember that I will always love you too.”

Ajax kissed Hongjoong once more before leaving the room. In this moment, Hongjoong thanked God everyday for Ajax loving him. 

[starrihideshere]

Hello! You have been chosen by boredom to name 5 fun/cool/ interesting facts about your DR(s), then copy and paste this into 10 of your shifter mutuals' askboxes. Have fun!

Random dr facts ( secret life, mafia, au, general, scream )

1. In my secret life dr it's me and scar who end up battling to the death at the end instead of him and gem

2. In me and nana's django dr (mafia dr) I end up having a "wholesome talk" with her ex that becomes the reason our mafia splits into two (everyone ends up taking sides so team work was off the tables and we split up cuz we couldn't deal with eachother anymore)

3. In my adams matz dr (based off of this au) I'm actually a decendant of vampires like hwa is but I'm way more distant from it than hwa is

4. I script I speak Latin in most drs just cuz I find it cool being able to speak a dead language

5. In me and nana's scream dr I steal any looser clothes she has cuz we have kinda similar styles so anything that kinda matches my style and is oversized on her is gonna get stolen by me (it does eventually get returned...maybe)

[greensparty]

Remembering Steve Albini 1962-2024

One of the great music producers of all time has left the building: Steve Albini has died at 61. In addition to his own music he made with bands like Big Black and Shellac, he was one of the most talented music producers in my lifetime.

He produced two of my favorite albums ever! First: The Pixies' Surfer Rosa (as I noted in my album review of the 2018 reissue "With the help of producer Steve Albini they made something so innovative and timeless. The Pixies’ signature loud-quiet-loud sound that set the stage for alt-rock that followed was on full display with this album.") The other: Nirvana's third and final studio album In Utero (If you haven't listened to the anniversary box sets I highly recommend them! I named the 20th anniversary edition my #1 Reissue Album of 2013 and the 30th anniversary edition my #1 Reissue Album of 2023)!

Albini (left) with Nirvana during the recording of In Utero

He frequently collaborated with The Breeders, on their albums Pod, Title TK, Mountain Battles, and their excellent 2018 album All Nerve (read my review here).

He also worked with artists like Urge Overkill, P.J. Harvery, The Jesus Lizard, Cheap Trick, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page (Walking Into Clarksdale is one of my faves of their post-Led Zeppelin albums), and Rye Coalition. Speaking of Rye, he appeared in my friend Jenni Matz documentary Rye Coalition: The Story of the Hard Luck 5. Check out this clip from his interview for the doc:

I'd also recommend the Chicago episode of Sonic Highways, which featured Albini.

The link above is the obit from Pitchfork.

[27fm]

Playlist 23.04.2024

Leeway - Marathon (Born To Expire - 1989)

Matze Rossi & Tim Vantol - Drag My Body (Barn Tapes Collection - 2024)

Petelo Vicka et Son Nzazi - Sungu Lubuka (Congo Funk! - Sound Madness From The Shores Of The Mighty Congo River - 2024)

Cock Sparrer - Mind Your Own Business (Hand On Heart - 2024)

Conservative Military Image - Charlie From Hardcore (No Squares In Our Circle - 2024)

Battle Ruins - Glorious Dead Lay Under Waves (Glorious Dead - 2018)

Ultrablut - Schwebebahn Blues (Teneriffa - 2024)

Einstuerzende Neubauten - Ick Wees Nich (Noch Nich) (Rampen (Apm Alien Pop Music) - 2024)

R+R=Now - Reflect Reprise (Collagically Speaking - 2018)

Dödsrit - Endless Circle (Dödsrit - 2018)

Axe - Rock'n'Roll Party In The Streets (Offering - 1982)

[ladyelainehilfur]

Randomly saw your thoughts on Ateez's new album hope you don't mind me chiming in... but damn I agree so much! I know we're not completely alone in this but we're definitely in the minority I just can't help but feel very underwhelmed by their recent releases :( they used to be my number 1 group for a few years but now I don't even have them high on my wrapped because the whole the world series doesn't hit. I'd say movement was my fave even though I didn't completely love it. I feel like I have different ears because everyone's praising them left and right, the fandom keeps growing and good for Ateez ofc but I completely lost interest unfortunately :( I don't know what it is but their two recent albums have no replay value for me. I used to adore the variety in their music and while I like the instrumentals for the world series, the autotune, the repetitiveness, the songs' structure is so mehhh. Nothing is surprising to me anymore

And hard agree on Hwa's rap he's my fav and I didn't mind his rap previously but he doesn't sound good on Matz I'm sorry to say that, everyone's losing their minds and I'm like??? Anyways sorry for rambling I'm just a bit sad once again. And yeah, maybe next comeback... but I'm kinda losing hope if I'm being honest. I just wish I could enjoy the group as I used to and it sucks to be the odd one out who's just disappointed

Yeah. Yeah, they haven't been at their musically best lately. I'm thrilled about their continued growth as the top non-big 4 boy group, but I always find myself baffled when people say they became fans after listening to Fireworks, or Dune, or any of their other recent songs.

Edenary know how to make a well-produced album. By well-produced, I mean that you can tell they're experts at music production who don't rely on samples or lite-EDM to do the heavy lifting. Their intros and outros are proof of that. However, good sound production doesn't mean a lot to me if the song doesn't have a good center.

I'm always looking for a hooky prechorus, leading into a satisfying chorus with something that makes it stand out from your standard kpop fare. Bouncy did that, but Crazy Form didn't. That's the main problem: all of their songs are well-produced, but only a few of them have solid centers.

And look, not every song has to be anthemic like Treasure, or Wave, or Eternal Sunshine. Wonderland was not really anthemic, but it was still good because it achieved a sense of purpose: they're marching into battle. It was essentially a sea shanty, which was genius!

ATEEZ's recent material just feels like Edenary are flexing that they can do hiphop-style music without realizing that ATEEZ are not a group that are wholly talented at hip-hop. They're just not. They're pirates. They rough up and energize everything they touch, and Edenary are mirroring that by producing "powerful" music instead of letting them channel their energy into material that inspires or entertains, even if that's entirely subjective.

The new songs don't have heart like Answer, and they're not clever like Bouncy. They rely on the strength of ATEEZ's performance style alone and it's not hitting like it should. I don't mind autotune, but even I thought they went too far with Fireworks. You'd have to pay me to listen to that song outside of a concert. They deserve stuff that doesn't feel borderline braggadocios in its production.

However, I'm not an ATEEZ doomsdayist and they've bounced back more times than I can count + this album has a few really good songs. I don't expect ATEEZ to always make music I like, I just want them to make music that has heart and purpose again.

[geekcavepodcast]

The Killer Teaser Trailer

The Killer's world seems to be unraveling. "After a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers and himself on an international manhunt he insists isn't personal." (Netflix)

The Killer, based on the graphic novel series by writer Matz and artist Luc Jacamon, stars Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Sophie Charlotte, Gabriel Polanco, Kerry O'Malley, Emiliano Pernia, and Sala Baker. The Killer is directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker.

The Killer hits select theaters on October 28, 2023, and Netflix on November 10, 2023.

[unma]

I Want to Gush About My Dark Team so Here's a Raid I Did Right Before This Post

So I decided to try and solo Huanglong and Qilin. This is probably my second time doing this raid, as the first time I joined a random ongoing raid through a raid finder. This time I got the matz myself. Hnestly? For what little rewards you get they're a pain to farm. Though that does has to do with the fact that I spent a lot of my time getting the tetra beast summons too.

So. Results. The battle ended like this:

Two crewmates did join, but as you can see I did the bulk of the damage. Given the Undying on both Nier and Rei, I probably would've been fine solo. Besides, my front line only got wiped near the end.

And here are the damage totals.

And yes, Nier is still not fully levelled up. I've been slacking a little.

Anyway the raid was fun. Tedious, but fun. Next time ROTB comes around, I'll probably farm it more.

[screamingforyears]

IN_A_MINUTE:

AN INDIE EXPRESS… // “HARD TO LOVE” is the latest single from @bullythemusic’s forthcoming LP titled ‘Lucky For You’ (6/2 @subpop) & it finds the Nashville-based artist Alicia Bognanno bucking those “constructed gender stereotypes” across 2 ½ mins of guitar-driven & 90s-esque AltRock. “CLEAN UP YOUR ACT” is the second slacker ass single from @gnawinggg’s forthcoming LP titled ‘Modern Survival Techniques’ (5/19 @refreshrecs) & it finds the Richmond-based quartet of John Russell, Christian Monroe, Garrett Whitlow & Chris Matz slagging us off w/ 4 mins of GrungePop. “EVERY EQUINOX” is the lead single/track from @p__ari_s___ter’s forthcoming LP titled ‘Here's What You Wonder’ (5/11 @candlepin_records) & it finds the Louisville-based trio of Jake Tapley (guitar/vox), Matt Filip (bass) & Adam Dickison (drums) bringing those sweet Americana-tinged & college_rawked vibes. “TIME OUT” is the second single from @stuck.chi’s forthcoming LP titled ‘Freak Frequency’ (5/26 @bornyesterdayrecords) & it finds the Chicago-based quartet of David Algrim (bass), Tim Green (drums), Greg Obis (guitars/vox) & Sarah Clausen (sax) bumping up those BPMs across 2+ mins of frantically yoked EggPunk. “10’9”” is the lead(ish) single from @upperwilds’ forthcoming LP titled ‘Jupiter’ (7/21 @thrilljockey) & it finds the Brooklyn-based trio of Dan Friel (guitar/vox), Jason Binnick (bass/vox) & Jeff Ottenbacher (drums) bringing their “Maximum Space Rock & Roll” ethos across damn near 7 mins of grooved Psych. “BLAMMO” is the latest single from @WASHERFACTS' forthcoming LP titled ‘Improved Means To Deteriorated Ends’ (4/28 @explodinginsound) & it finds the Brooklyn-based duo of drummer Kieran McShane & vocalist/guitarist Mike Quigley battling the day-to-day doldrums w/ their brand of ragged SlackerRawk.

////

[changelingsandothernonsense]

Part 2

2. What is their grooming routine? (how do they treat themselves in private)

Josh: The guy hates the feeling of grime on his skin and ever since his Corprus infection, this issue has grown tenfold. He tries to get in a full bath at least daily, though when he's on the road he finds he can make do with a quick wash with a basin and a rag. The longer he goes without a full bath, the crankier he gets. If he's at home it isn't unusual to see him disappear into the bathroom for (or just wherever the tub is located) at least an hour. He has a routine that he preforms to relax him after a long day, a bad nightmare, pain flairs- just anything that makes him feel off. He'll apply a series of ointments to his Corprus scars that are intended to react in hot water. He'll them wash it off with soap (if it smells pretty all the better, his preference is jasmine). He will then soak for a while, usually with a bottle of matze, a book and some tobacco. He usually tries to get in some hair trimming at least every week or so. Mostly shaping his beard in the way he likes (not too long, just past stubble) and shaves down the side of his head. He has very thick, coarse hair and finds that keeping it in that style is easiest to deal with. He likes the hair on his head long and this is partially a cultural practise amongst Ashlanders. The hair on the head is only shaved off when someone's in mourning and is kept that way for the duration of the mourning period. It grows unevenly after his infection and this gives him that morrowmullet. He doesn't style it much since he's usually wearing a helmet. He just ties it up in a topknot or plaits the back. Josh usually paints his fingers with a design in black pigment. He'll also apply kohl around his eyes if he's heading out into the wastes...or wants to impress someone. If he's staying home he instead throws on one of his silk robes and lounge. (tinkering) Erra: Water is scarce in the Ashlands and Erra worries constantly about water wastage. He bathes regularly but not to the extent that Josh does. He's content with a basin most days since it does the job. He starts using full immersion baths once he and Josh get together. Part of this is because Josh at the time would seize at random and get lost in the Ascended's hive mind. So he decided it would be best to supervise him and it eventually just became something the two did together. He still worries about water usage. Hair grooming involves fragrant oils and a chitin comb. He gives himself an undercut after he meets Josh and finds it helps with hair weight like he suggested. Erra's hair's wavy and dense and he struggles to grow it past shoulder-length. He ties it in a loose tail at the back of his head if he's expecting to be out in the wastes. He also paints his fingers and around his eyes like Josh (It's an Ashlander thing that he learns from Erra). He uses a reddish orange pigment for his hands. Sydari:Bottle of wine, a charcuterie board and silence if she's going to do a full immersion bath. It had always been a treat during her childhood to just have access to a tub and Windhelm was always so cold. Such luxuries could only be achieved once a year during the warmer months when she and her brother would treat themselves to a trip to the bath houses with whatever coin they could scrape together. Now that she's got one whenever she wants it, she likes to make a big thing of it. Usually she'll style her hair in a plait if she's travelling. Though she prefers to keep it loose if she's at home or running errands. If she's going to visit any of the Jarls she'll put it up into a bun. She ends up cutting it to just above her shoulders after it got singed during battle. She doesn't mind it. She wears make up if she's going to court and she always wears a lavender scented perfume that she dabs behind her ears.

1, 2, & 4 for josh, erra, and sy!

Hello!!! Thanks for the asks! I'll have to answer this in multiple posts since Tumblr has taken issue with the post itself.

1. What is the character’s go-to drink order? (this one gets into how do they like to be publicly perceived, because there is always some level of theatricality to ordering drinks at a bar/restaurant) Josh: If it's available, he'll order matze infused with jasmine. If not whatever gets him blind drunk the quickest. He dislikes mead and Nordic style beers, though. Considers them to be little better that piss water. Erra: Erra tends to go for sujamma, it's closes to a similar brew that his Tribe makes and it reminds him of home. Sydari: She has a taste for expensive Cyrodiilic wines. She ended up accidentally facilitating the complete take-over of Skyrim's alcoholic market by Maven Blackbriar. This makes mead super cheep and means that her beloved imports are buried in tariffs. She regrets it, though she can pay for the imports, she, like most elves just don't like Maven's product.

[autodidact-adventures]

World War I (Part 71): The Black Day of the German Army

It was a morning near the end of May 1918, and the German army was on the banks of the River Marne, barely 80km from Paris – this was where they'd been 3.5yrs earlier.  They were exhausted, and while moving southwards some of the soldiers had made themselves sick from overeating food taken from enemy stores.  But since the start of their Chemin des Dames offensive, they'd advanced constantly to arrive at this point.  They'd wrecked 7 British & French divisions, taken 50,000 prisoners, and advanced about 48km.  The way ahead looked clear: the Entente troops retreating before them were thin on the ground, had hardly any artillery, and were unable to find a place to stop & turn to fight.

But it was an empty triumph all the same.  The Germans' enormous salient was growing longer and wider, but the base of the salient was far too narrow – in fact, it was in danger of becoming smaller.  It the French held onto Reims and took Soissons, and closed the salient, then these troops would become trapped.

And the Allies (the Americans were now in the war) didn't really understand how vulnerable the Germans were, either.  Germany had taken Soissons and seemed about to take Reims, they were starting to cross the Marne, and seemed unstoppable.  Commanders began to panic.

At the eastern end of the front (south of St. Mihiel), General Noël de Castelnau began working out a plan for withdrawing to the west, thus abandoning the fortresses that had made his sector almost impregnable for so long.

To the north, Haig's staff were bringing out plans for evacuation back to England.  Foch suggested that Clemenceau should prepare for the government to leave Paris (100,000's of citizens were fleeing the city) and talked of fighting all the way southwards to the Pyrenées.

Franchet d'Esperey ordered the Fifth Army to give up Reims.  Lloyd George had returned from Versailles, and finally agreed to give Foch more troops from home.  They were desperately needed – Haig was disbanding 145 battalions to replenish the other ones.

Only Pétain was calm.  He was sure that the Germans had overextended themselves to a fatal degree, and if the Allies just held on, their defeat was certain.

And then the situation began to turn around.  Two of Pershing's divisions had been ordered to converge where the Germans were crossing the Marne, and they linked up with French units & met the Germans at Château-Thierry.  This was the Americans' first major engagement, and it forced the Germans to stop.

The commander at Reims ignored d'Esperey's orders to abandon the city, and stopped the Germans there, too.  The Germans pulled themselves together for another assault on Reims, but they didn't have Brüchmuller's artillery, and failed miserably.

Reims is the red pointer on the right.

So Ludendorff turned to the next phase of his plan – attacking at the River Matz, west of Soissons.  The objective was to broaden the salient's base at the western end, pushing the Allies back far enough that they couldn't threaten the one railway line that was supplying the German troops on the Marne.  The attack would begin on June 9th, with Oskar von Hutier's army leading it.  Secrecy was impossible, as everything had to be done so quickly.

As preparations were going on, American Marines launched an attack at Belleau Wood, to block one of the Germans' approaches to Paris.  They advanced shoulder-to-shoulder like the Entente troops had at the Somme, but their morale was high and they had so many troops that they kept advancing slowly.  After three weeks and many casualties, they would secure the wood, and have killed many German troops that Ludendorff couldn't afford to lose.

Battle of Matz

In fact, Hutier's preparations at the Matz were so rushed and obvious that the French began to suspect that it was merely a ruse, to distract them from something else being prepared elsewhere.  German deserters even told the French the exact times of the bombardments and infantry advance.

When the German attack began, it started with a Brüchmuller barrage and forward rush by experienced troops, like the beginning of Operation Michael.  It was a complete success, because the commander of the defenders was a follower of Foch, and ignored Pétain's defence instructions, putting his main force on/near the front line. Of course, the German artillery just wrecked it.  Hutier's troops advanced about 9.5km that day, demolishing 3 French divisions and taking 8,000 prisoners.

But then on June 11th, the French suddenly counterattacked west of Soissons, directed by Charles Mangin, nicknamed “the Butcher”.  Throughout the war he had been obsessed with feriously attacking and never defending, and he'd been alternately praised and condemned for it, even removed from command for taking things too far.  Foch had put him in back in command of a corps, and this time he was the right man for the job.

The French were concealed by fog, and they attacked eastwards, catching Hutier's troops on open ground without any prepared defences.  They threw the Germans back with such force that Ludendorff immediately called off the Matz operation.

After that, there was a month of relative quiet.  Both Germany and France were preparing new attacks.  Also during this period, the first cases of Spanish influenza were appearing.  While all the armies were affected, the Germans had it the worst because of chronic malnutrition.  All along the front line, thousands of men became too sick for duty – as many as 2,000 per German division.  In the end, 186,000 German soldiers and 400,000 German civilians would die of the disease.

Battle of Hamel

The Battle of Hamel was on July 4th.  It was one of the most remarkable operations of the war, and relatively bloodless.  It took place near Amiens, in order to clear away the German threat to the city.  Lieutenant-General John Monash planned and executed it. In April, he'd been knighted by King George, promoted to his current rank, and appointed to be the first non-English commander o the BEF's Australia-New Zealand corps.

Monash grew up in the Australian outback, and was the son of Jewish shopkeeper parents who had emigrated from Prussia.  The Monasch (original spelling) family home wasn't far from Ludendorff's birthplace.

Monash had gained degrees in engineering, liberal arts and the law; he was an accomplished musician & linguist; and founded a construction firm that directed bridge & railroad construction all across Australia.  In Australia's tiny army he became a reserve officer; designed a breech-loading cannon; and became a popular lecturer on tactics and military strategy.

At the start of the war, he was given command of one of Australia's first brigades; he spent 1915 at Gallipoli, where his brigade went ashore as part of the first invasion, and stayed until the end.  At Messines Ridge in 1917, he contributed significantly to Plumer's success; at Third Ypres and Passchendaele he commanded a division as a Major General.

Powerful Australians had tried to keep Monash out of the war; later in Europe, people tried to obstruct his advancement.  He was an amateur soldier, a colonial, Jewish, and his parents were from Germany.  In 1918, his being given a third star and command of 200,000 Anzacs raised eyebrows.  He only continued to succeed & advance because every general who served with him came to admire & defend him, and the king came to respect him.

Monash was an organizational genius and had plenty of experience in the management of huge projects.  At Hamel, he integrated all the new machinery of war in a way that no-one else had managed to do – machine-guns, artillery, tanks and aircraft.  With his plan of attack, the troops took only 93min to reach all their objectives, capturing 1000's of enemy soldiers, and taking only light casualties. They secured Amiens and opened a way for further Allied offensives.

Basil Liddell Hart said that Monash “had probably the greatest capacity for command in modern war among all who held command.”  He had abandoned the old-school dash and flair of the British & French professionals, and “fulfilled the idea that gradually developed in the war – that the scale and nature of operations required a 'big business' type of commander, a great constructing and organizing brain.”

Hamel has been called the first truly modern battle, and for good reason.  Later British operations used it as a model.  A brochure describing Monash's tactics was distributed to every BEF officer. And it set the stage for the Anzacs to serve as Britain's shock troops for much of the rest of the war (often operating jointly with the Canadians).

Second Battle of the Marne

This began on July 15th, when 49 divisions of Crown Prince Wilhelm's army attacked Reims yet again.  It was supposed to be the climax of the Chemin des Dames offensive, open a second railway line into the Marne salient, and prepare the way for the offensive in Flanders (which was to begin 5 days later).

But unfortunately for the Germans, Pétain had finally won the commander of the French Fourth Army over to his way of thinking, and an effective defence system was put into place east of Reims – the Germans got nowhere on that side of the city.  The west side was still following Foch's beliefs, and the Germans penetrated deeply and quickly, despite not having the advantage of surprise at all.  But by the second day, it was obvious that the eastern failure had left the western German troops dangerously exposed as they advanced.

Ludendorff called off the attack, and left to meet with Crown Prince Rupprecht at Tournai, in the north.  It was time to finalize the preparations for Flanders, and Brüchmuller's guns were already being transported by train.  But it was not going to be as he'd envisioned.

It was four months since the original plan, and the Entente were in a much better position in Flanders than they had been.  Haig had finally got his 100,000 labourers fully employed, building new fortifications and laying out miles of wire, thus greatly improving the defences.  They still had powerful reserves nearby, because Foch had refused to release them for the Marne.

The attack had to go ahead anyway, because Flanders was the last card left in Ludendorff's hand, and he was determined to play it.  But while he and the CP were deep in discussion, news arrived.  The Germans south & west of Soissons had been hit by a huge French offensive.  They were in retreat.

Mangin led this attack, and again it had come out of the forest west of the Chemin des Dames.  23 divisions (including 4 American divisions), with 500 tanks in front of them, had attacked eastwards, with the goal of retaking Soissons and sealing off the German salient.

By 9:30am (while Ludendorff was hurrying southwards by train), the Americans & French had overrun three German lines.  The American First & Second Divisions were at the centre of the attacking force.

A soldier would later recall, “Machine guns raved everywhere; there was a crackling din of rifles, and the coughing roar of hand grenades.  Company and platoon commanders lost control – their men were committed to the fight – and so thick was the going that anything like formation was impossible.  It was every man for himself, an irregular, broken line, clawing through the tangles, climbing over fallen trees, plunging heavily into Boche rifle pits. Here and there a well-fought Maxim gun held its front until somebody – officer, non-com, or private – gained a few men together and, crawling to left or right, gained a flank and silenced it.  And some guns were silenced by blind, furious rushes that left a trail of writhing khaki figures, but always carried two ore three frenzied Marines with bayonets into the emplacement; from whence would come shooting and screaming and other clotted unpleasant sounds, and then silence.”

German reserves eventually arrived, and stopped the Entente advance. Their field artillery, firing at point-blank range, destroyed most of the tanks.  By the end of the day, the Germans had managed to put together a defensive line about 8km back from where they'd started. But they'd lost 15,000 men as POWs, and 400 guns.

While they'd stopped Mangin from taking Soissons, he was still a major threat.  There was no hope of taking Reims, and Soissons was in increasing danger, and the Marne salient was simply too vulnerable to keep.  Ludendorff had to postpone Flanders indefinitely to deal with the situation.

He sent an army to defend Soissons, and later on in the day he met up with Kaiser Wilhelm, and told him that (as in 1914) they had to withdraw from the Marne.  Preparations were begun for getting the troops out, and as many guns & supplies as possible, up through Soissons to safety.

Back in March, the Germans had had 300,000 more troops than the Allies.  But between the start of Operation Michael and the end of July, they'd lost a million troops (killed, wounded or POW), many of them the young, skilled storm troops.  Britain & France had lost half a million men each, and the French had almost no replacement.

But now, over 250,000 Americans were arriving in France every month; the Allies now had 200,000 more troops than Germany, and the difference was increasing every day.  The Allies did have fewer divisions, but the German divisions were in terrible shape – over 100 were classified as unfit for use on the offensive.

The men who had fought their way across the Marne were now being destroyed by the Entente armies, and the only thing left was to escape back out of the salient before they were cut off.  One German soldier later recalled, “Midnight.  Time to leave, to escape the annihilating fire at daybreak.  The Sixth Company remains behind the cover the retreat.  The first group starts off, ten minutes later the second, and then after a few rifle salvoes the rest.  We leave the ruined glade, climbing over the numerous shell holes in the underbrush.  Here and there rises a sandy mound in which a rifle is stuck, a steel helmet over its butt.  There they lie buried, those who would never come back from the battle of the Marne...Along the road back to Romigny the column passes rattling artillery, the riders in the blowing rain bent over in their saddles, the cannoneers hanging on the limbers of the guns.  Between slouch the dispersed fragments of infantry, the remnants of companies, guns slung round necks, tarpaulins over heads against the rain, the knapsacks underneath bulging with the effect of a line of comic hunchbacks...The long lines of infantry file in the grey morning out of the woods, over the open field, without haste...Behind us thunder the engineers' demolitions.  The engineers soon come running down the slope, followed by the infantry rearguard...Only our dead remain behind.”

The Flanders offensive, the whole point of Operation Michael and everything that had come afterwards, was long overdue, and not even all that likely to take place.  Ludendorff was in a terrible state – self-isolated and distracted, easily enraged, and on the edge of collapse.  And he worried about what would happen when the German public realized how great his failure was.

On Foch's orders, Allied troops were attacking all around the edges of the Marne salient.  The salient was shrinking quickly as the Germans hurried to make their escape.  On July 24th, Foch, Pétain, Haig and Pershing met and agreed (with some difficulty) on a co-ordinated series of major offensives.

Haig would attack eastward our of Amiens (this was possible because of Hamel's success).  Pershing was demanding that the divisions that had been scattered to help deal with the German offensives be returned to his section; he would advance on the old St. Mihiel salient south of Verdun.

For both of these offensives, the purpose was to capture railway lines that the Germans needed, and that would help the Allies greatly with their own supplies.  The fact that the Allies were now able to make such large-scale plans showed that they had now completely taken the initiative, and Ludendorff could only react.

The next day, July 25th, Ludendorff made a final attempt to encircle Reims, and yet again it was a failure – his forces simply weren't strong enough for an offensive punch.

The retreat towards Soissons continued in an orderly fashion, even though the Allies were still attacking from three directions.  The Germans launched counterattacks to stop them getting too close.

When Pétain's forces attacked along the Marne, they encountered a thin – but tenacious – rear guard, and made little headway.  But this attack drew in more German troops, thus preparing the way for the next French blow.

This came on August 1st.  Mangin's troops advanced eastwards, as they'd agreed, in another attempt to take Soissons, and they nearly succeeded.  The combined French-American force pushed the Germans back 8km in one day, and captured the high ground south of the Vesle river (which Reims stands on), and from there they could train their guns on Soissons.  But their attack had come just a bit too late – the Germans slipped out of the salient and took up new positions north of its base, giving up Soissons with barely a shot fired.  The French followed, moving in behind them.

Like 1914, the Germans had reached the Marne and crossed it, been unable to sustain the advance, been forced to retreat, and had stabilized themselves across the Aisne.  But the German army was reduced and battered; it faced stronger enemies than it had in 1914; and there were fewer resources with which to establish a defensive line.  But Ludendorff could not see this.  Even as late as August 2nd, he spoke of an imminent return to the offensive, in a communication to his army commanders.  And that would be impossible.

Third Battle of Amiens

August 8th was the first day of the Third Battle of Amiens, and what was known afterwards as the Black Day of the German Army (as Ludendorff named it).  The British attacked east of Amiens under Monash, whose corps had become part of a new army created to replace Gough's broke Fifth Army.  The attack had been organized hurriedly, in order to prevent the Germans from gaining any opportunity to regroup after their escape from the Marne.

It went perfectly, lead by 600 tanks and Monash's Anzac troops, taking the Germans by surprise and scattering them in all directions. Morale and organization collapsed quickly.  By 10:30am the Anzacs had advanced about 9.5km, and by noon it was about 19km.

The Germans were refusing to respond to orders, or even attempt to stop and fight.  Reinforcements came up from the rear, and they were taunted as “scabs” and “strikebreakers”.  The Germans lost over 650 officers and 26,000 troops on August 8th alone, with 2/3 of them surrendering willingly and eagerly, often in large, well-armed groups.

But Marwitz managed to bring the situation under control, sealing the hole in his line with reserves and organizing a counterattack that pushed the British back to only a few miles forward of where they'd started from.  And the Allied tanks were not invincible.  Many would break down after an hour or two of action; some overturned or got stuck in the mud; they could also be broken open with heavy machine-gun fire, or blown apart by field artillery.

Also, the British & French infantry were inexperienced on the offensive, and this helped the Germans.  August 8th showed that the Germans were in a terrible state, but also that finishing them would likely be costly and slow.

With Foch in command, the Allies were constantly attacking or in preparation for attacking.  The Germans defended effectively under conditions that, because of Ludendorff, were needlessly difficult. His staff & the army group commanders were begging him to order a retreat to the Hindenburg Line and other redoubts left behind by his offensives, but he refused.  He may have been unwilling to admit that the army's gains were useless and barely defensible.  Forcing the troops to hold their positions was just making it easier for the enemy, though, and increasing their own losses.

But at meetings of the German leadership, even Ludendorff had to admit that military victory was no longer posible.  But no-one did anything to try and start negotiations.  At one point, the kaiser instructed Foreign Minister Richard von Kühlmann to approach the Queen of the Netherlands about acting as at an intermediary, but Kühlmann didn't do anything to follow it up.

The leaders were hoping that if they restabilized the front and restored it to stalemate, they'd be able to initiate peace talks from a strong position.  But this was a vain hope – the troops were in a terrible state, and many were rebellious and undependable. Ludendorff had ordered deserters to be executed, even though up until now, the German army had been more lenient than Britain & France in using the death penalty for cowardice or desertion.

Second Battle of the Piave River (June 15th - 23rd)

Conrad von Hötzendorf had been replaced as Vienna's Chief of Staff a while back, but he was now in a field command.  In May, he had bullied the young, demoralized Emperor Karl into approving his new plans.  The Emperor actually made them worse by suggesting that they expand it into a two-pronged attack, which made it certain that it definitely wouldn't have enough strength the succeed.

The offensive was originally planned for May 28th, but Austria's transport & supply system was barely functioning, and problems with it delayed the offensive.

The battle began on June 15th, with the Austrians succeeding at first, managing to push the Italians back and cross the River Piave.  Ludendorff hoped for a brief period that, if they managed to continue, the Austrians might force the Americans to shift some troops to Italy.

But when the Austrians ran into a British-French rear guard, they were forced to abruptly halt.  On the second day of the offensive, they were driven right back to where they'd started, having lost 46,000 men.

By June 25th, their losses were 142,000 men – 11,000 had been killed, and 10,000's had surrendered.  Those left were without food or ammunition.

The battle left Austria-Hungary's armies incapable of maintaining a decent defence.  Conrad was removed from command on July 25th, and for some reason elevated from baron to count.

The Alpine snows were melting, but desertions were growing.  Soon, Austria had to tell Germany that they couldn't continue.  If Germany wouldn't join them in seeking peace, then Austria would have to do so alone.  But when they tried to approach the Allies, they were rebuffed – they'd left it too late.

Other Problems

In the east, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which had given Germany so much and the Russians so little, was causing Germany major problems – military, political and economic.  They had to occupy Kharkov (deep inside Ukraine) in order to maintain any amount of control, and to get grain from that far into their new eastern territories.  The Donets Basin had been Petrograd's main source of coal since the war began, and the Germans now had to move into it to get fuel for the railways they'd taken from the Russians (which were in a deplorable condition).  And to prevent the Allies from advancing into the Middle East, they had to stretch their communication lines into the Crimea.

Meanwhile, the Turks had overextended themselves in the Caucasus by advancing in the aftermath of Russia's collapse.  In other places, they were disintegrating almost as much as the Austrians.  British & Arab forces were defeating & outmaneuvering them in the southern reaches of their dying empire.

But things weren't so great for the Allies, either.  Earlier, the German threat to Paris had meant that Clemenceau's government might fall (and the next government might have been willing to negotiate with the Germans), but the threat had ended, and so had those possibilities.  Britain & France were desperate because of the casualty levels – Britain was drafting 50-year-olds, and France was organizing combat units that were almost entirely made up of troops over 40yrs old.

At Birmingham and Coventry, ammunitions factory workers went on strike, and returned only when Lloyd George threatened to draft them into the army.  In August, Britain's police force declared a one-day strike in protest of inflation's effect on their wages.  A railway strike in several regions happened after that.

Strikes were even more widespread in France.  The strikers were often wanting to pressurize the government into making peace, as well as aiming for the usual strike goals.

On the surface, 1918 could appear to have been a year of German gains – Germany had taken territory in eastern Europe, and held more territory in France & Flanders than they had in March.  The remnants of their army continued with a stubborn defence, slowing the Allied advance to a ridiculously slow pace.

But the Germans were taking extremely high casualties; and because the Allies were constantly attacking, they had no chance to rest, reorganize, or organize decent defences.  In August, they took 228,000 casualties – and 110,000 of them were listed as “missing”, i.e. many of them had deserted.

German soldiers were celebrating when they managed to surrender without being killed.  When new POWs arrived at the holding pens the Allies had created for the prisoners, those inside welcomed them with cheers.  By September, the Germans would have only 125 divisions on the Western Front, of which only 47 would be considered capable of combat.  The Allies, meanwhile, would have over 200 divisions, many of them fresh, double-sized American units.

All senior Allied commanders knew that a German victory was impossible, and so did most of the senior German commanders. Germany's only hope was to initiate negotiations before they, like Austria, had nothing left to offer.

[hanniiesuckle17]

Masterlist

A/n: we love committing to something right before the busy season of my job and starting labs for my major.

Tag List: @mini-meanhoe​ @leggomylino​ @hanstagram​ @desertofdessert​ @hoes4hoseok​ @jeonqqin​ @mrsunshine999​ @jisungsjheekies​ @hannie-squirrel00​ @cotccotc​ @yangs-jeongin​ @binniebutter​ @orangegyu​ @little-precious-baby​ @raethethey​ @sofie296​ @love-letters-2-jisungie​ @bluejayboys​​

SMIY Tag List: @sanccharine

Pairing: Jeong Yunho x Reader    

Genre: Series, Fluff, Angst, Comedy, Idol au, Secret Relationship

Updates: Completed

Warnings: Cursing, Privacy Invasion, Dieting, Overworking, 18+Themes (eventually)

Summary: Privacy. Normalcy. Love. Y/n was ready to give all of that up when she became an idol. She was more than happy with the absence of those qualities in her life until a certain six foot mountain of sunshine and chaos was cast opposite her in her first drama. Confronted with the fact that she no longer knows what she wants; Y/n must decide if he’s truly worth giving up the life she’s dreamed of…and how much damage she’ll let happen before she makes a decision.

✭  

Profiles Part One (Ateez)

Profiles Part Two (JINXX)

1. Pointy Elbows

2. Spit Fire

3. The Water Bottle

4. This Behemoth

5. The Uncle From Guam

6. Sunbae (🖋)

7. Bro

8. Stupid Goof Fuck

9. Finally Now It’s My Time

10. Playing Hooky (🖋)

11. I Made This Awkward   (🖋)

12. 82.4%?

13. Big Ass SAT Word

14. Battle of Lockscreens

15. Genius Idea

16. Boss Bitch

17. Best Friend’s Brother

18. Taeyong

19. Come Eat Meee

20. SEONGHWA HYUNG

21: Addicted

22. @ bby_yn Stan Account

23. Seatmates

24. Hongjoong the Wise Old Tree

25. Screw Reincarnation (🖋)

26. Glitter, Orgasms, and Self Esteem

27. Don’t Look At Other Oppas

28. Green Eyed Monster

29. Alexa, Play Now or Never

30. Subtweeting

31. Not A Total Lie

32. You’ve Got to Be Fucking Kidding Me

33. Fuck You, Hobbit

34. Matz Wine Time

35. Horny Song (title tbd)

36: Progress Not Perfection

37. Shadow in the Night

38. The Tour Fairy

39. You Do Drugs????

40. Queer Baiting

41. 15 Hours

42. Something With Tequila

43. Girly Pop

44. What’s The Point Of Knocking (🖋)

45. Playground Dating

46. 4 Days, 3 Hours, and 27 Minutes

47. Feet Pics

48. Melon Head

49. Himbo Agenda

50. Fan War

51. Cyber Bullied

52. This Bitch

53. Sugar Baby

54. Concerned in Swidish

55. 6 Million Punching Bags

56. Exposed (🖋)

57. Grapes

58. The Truth

59. Suteki

60. Big Biggie

61. Not Your Fandom

62. Missed Calls

63. I’m Outside🖤

64. How Does This Make You Feel?

65: Yeosang’s Credit Card

66. Ice Cream

67. Mister Monster

68. The Universe is a Masochist

69. Unbiased But Not Really (🖋)

70. Boca Boca

71. Choo Choo

72. Meme War

73. Dipshit

74. Xanax

75. Special Kind of Joy

76. 💛

77. My Knees (Finale)

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Shock Troops Part I

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

“Who will be the last man to die?”

The question boomed throughout the hangar as if fired from a cannon; the sound reaching every soldier of the gathered five thousand regiment even at the very back of the assembly.

Observers and flight deck workers took pause to watch the strange gathering of the 95th Human Shock Regiment as if they were watching the sacred rights of a civilization shrouded in secrecy.

The human soldiers wore thick metal reinforced armor with helmets that obscured their faces. One would be forgiven for mistaking them as mere robots than one of the most feared fighting forces humanity had to offer. They had boarded the transport bound for the frontlines three months ago and had remained in their section of the ship the entire duration. No outsider, safe for the captain of the ship herself, had been allowed to enter as they had posted several guards at every juncture and access passage to their quarters and it was only now on the eve of battle had they emerged and formed ranks in the hangar bay.

The colonel of the regiment stood atop a hastily built platform and looked out over his men. He was Haden Matz, and unlike the others he wore no helmet and the few onlookers could see a face aged by the ravages of war that time itself could not compare. His right eye bore a cybernetic that seemed to move of its own free will, the blue glow at odds with the natural green of his left eye.  

“Open your pockets.” Colonel Matz called out, and one by one the soldiers gathered pulled open a pouch on the front of their uniforms and removed a small piece of paper. Matz waited several moments as the rustling of pockets died down and he judged every one of his soldiers had done as he had asked.

“I say again; who will be the last man to die?”

The waiting maintenance crews surrounding the gathering were unsure what this meant when suddenly a lone soldier broke ranks and stepped between the empty rows of soldiers.

Matz saw the soldier and motioned him to the front.

Their footfalls could not be heard of the chaos of the hangar bay as final checks were run on the two dozen transport ships that would ferry the regiment to the battle.

After several seemingly endless footfalls the soldier finally stood before the colonel. They held out their right arm and firmly clenched between their fingers was a strip of red paper.

“Remove your helmet and state your name lad.”

Calmly the soldier reached up with his free hand and undid the straps of his helmet. The armored mask slowly fell away to reveal a surprisingly young face for such an esteemed regiment.

“Private first class Jim Kalvin, sir!” the soldier stated followed with a crisp salute.

Matz returned the salute and placed a hand on Kalvin’s shoulder.

“You laddie have been chosen to be the last man to die,” the colonel said, “do you know what that means?”

Kalvin looked unsure and nervous for a moment as his mouth opened and close, as if the answer was incapable of passing his lips. Matz laughed at the sight and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

“It means you will not be joining us on this venture.”

Kalvin’s eyes shot up at this and he made to speak but was silenced by a stare from Matz.

“What we are about to embark on is dangerous beyond measure and could very well see the end of every single trooper gathered here.” He turned Kalvin around so he could see his fellow comrades; countless blank armored faces looking back at him.

“If we all die, then there will be no one to know who we truly were.” The colonel’s voice became very quiet and soft. “No one to remember our traditions, our greatest victories and bloodiest defeats, our true history that defies whatever they write of us in history books to come.”

“We would be nothing but names and numbers on pieces of paper;” the colonel locked eyes with Kalvin and for a moment he could see a hint of sadness in the old commander’s eyes, “except to you.”

“I don’t want this, sir.” Kalvin’s voice was quiet and only the colonel could hear him. “Don’t leave me here.”

Matz’ put both arms on Kalvin and drew him for a warm embrace. “You will have the hardest mission of all private,” he said as Kalvin felt his body going limp at the realization, “you will carry the weight of our memory and if need be, rebuild us anew.”

Matz let go of Kalvin and opened a pouch on his own combat webbing. From it he pulled a small book, the cover and pages worn by the passage of time, and handed it tom Kalvin.

“This will help you along your way,” he said as Kalvin took the book. To his surprise Matz smiled and the private could see a grin that he had never seen before on his colonel’s face. “Take good care of it, I’ll be wanting it back should I return.”

He let out a loud laugh that the surrounding troops echoed. Kalvin joined in with a sheepish chuckle when Matz’s fist struck him across the right side of his face. The blow was heavy and nothing had been held back; the impact alone sending Kalvin sprawling to the ground like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Matz watched to see if the private would rise again, prepared to strike him once more, and when he did not he stepped over the unconscious soldier’s body. He raised his left leg high and brought it down hard against the private’s right leg, the heavy combat boot snapping the bone like a dried twig.

With the deed done the colonel motioned for two waiting medics from the ships medical staff to come forward and carry the grievously injured private away before turning back to face his men; his combat helmet tucked under his arm.

“Let no man judge Private Jim Kalvin a coward this day nor any day to come,” the colonel said as he strapped on his helmet and shouldered his weapon, “for though he will not fight beside us he shall no less carry the scars of the battle to come.”

With that the colonel turned around and boarded the first transport ready to launch.  

[samssimsarchive]

Ohh I am READY for the oncoming "Lonnie tussling in the dirt with a bully and beating the snot out of him" that's inevitably going to happen! This is making me think of that part of Young Sheldon where Missy went out for boy's baseball and after nearly getting nailed by a pitcher with the ball, scurried out to the pitcher's mound, tackled him to the ground, and rubbed dirt into his face while saying, "you gonna cry? go ahead - CRY!". She's a little spitfire that won't take anything from anybody!

Ahahahaha, she may be tough but she is not one to beat up other kids. Violence is never the answer is a big lesson in this house. Matz, Char, and Manu all ending up winning their battles without violence. So no tussling will be happening any time soon. But she will be showing a lot of people just how strong girls can be. It will be a lifelong battle for our little Lonnie. 

[deadbilly]

Social media site Parler may never come back online after Amazon dropped the conservative-friendly platform from its servers, its CEO said, as the company insists in court that its termination was motivated by “political animus.”    

Parler CEO John Matze told Reuters on Wednesday that the website’s future is in limbo after a cascade of online vendors rushed to distance themselves from the platform in the wake of an eruption of violence at the US Capitol last week, saying he doesn’t know if it will ever bounce back.

“It could be never. We don’t know yet,” he said.

For all of its faults, at least Gab was wise enough to use their own servers. A conservative site hosting at Amazon is like eating cyanide and being shocked at the results.

[didanawisgi]

We are the closest thing to competition Facebook or Twitter has seen in many years. I believe Amazon, Google, Apple worked together to try and ensure they don’t have competition. They will NOT win! We are the worlds last hope for free speech and free information. What they are doing is unprecedented, unfounded and absolutely disgusting. Shameful. This is a battle against all of us. Liberals, conservatives, atheists, Christians, black, white, etc. They want to keep their monopoly over speech. They want us fighting. They don’t want us working together. They don’t want us working with each other, they want us hating one another. Parley - brings two people with conflicting ideas together. Our mission is free speech, democracy and us the people having the power. The elite don’t want us to be free, they want hate division and power!

John Matze, Founder/CEO of Parler and iPhone developer