#circa July 2000

[arcadebroke]

[coimbrabertone]

Bottlegate and Cola Wars, I Can't Take it Anymore!

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blogpost about the Viceroy rule in NASCAR, and one thing I cut from it was a brief discussion of the Cola Wars in NASCAR. This week, I'm tackling that issue, along with its sports drink offshoot: the bottle wars between Gatorade and Powerade.

So, to review from the Viceroy blog, while NASCAR banned sponsors that clashed with series sponsors, it did not ban competing sponsorships among different teams - in fact, it encouraged it. Thus, Pepsico got involved with Hendrick Motorsports quite famously, initially with a number of Jeff Gordon Pepsi cars, and more recently with Mountain Dew cars from the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chase Elliott.

That came to an end after 2020, and come 2023, Chase Elliott would be scooped up by the competition: the Coca-Cola Family of Drivers.

Peaking in the late 90s/early 2000s, the Coke family once consisted of (circa 2003/2004) Steve Park, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, Bill Elliott, Ricky Rudd, John Andretti, Kyle Petty, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Elliott Sadler, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, and Jeff Burton.

That's the entire three-car lineup of Dale Earnhardt Inc., both JGR cars, both Petty Enterprises cars, both Yates cars, the Wood Brothers car, Kevin Harvick who succeeded the late Dale Earnhardt at RCR, and 60% of the Roush Racing lineup.

Coke wasn't fucking around.

Unfortunately, Pepsi had Jeff Gordon.

Well, they also sponsored Jeremy Mayfield with Mountain Dew at this time, plus Pepsi/Gatorade had deals with Jeff's Hendrick Motorsports teammates (most prominently Jimmie Johnsons) as well as the other two Roush drivers in the form of Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin, plus Ryan Newman of Penske, but Jeff Gordon is the most relevant one for the first part of this story.

That's because the Cola Wars in NASCAR came to a head at Daytona International Speedway on July 3rd, 2004 for the Pepsi 400.

Coca-Cola was promoting their new Coca-Cola C2 (essentially a soda halfway between Coke and Diet Coke by the sounds of it) brand, and they sponsored an armada of cars in this race:

John Andretti in the DEI #1 Chevy,

Greg Biffle (who won the 2003 Pepsi 400) in the Roush National Guard #16 Ford.

Tony Stewart in the Joe Gibbs Racing Home Depot #20 Chevy.

Ricky Rudd in the Wood Brothers #21 Ford.

Kevin Harvick in the RCR GM Goodwrench #29 Chevy.

Kurt Busch in the Roush Sharpie #97 Ford.

Bill Elliott in his self-owned #98 Dodge.

and Jeff Burton in the Roush #99 Ford.

Coke had eight bullets in the gun to steal the thunder right out from Pepsi's flagship race - in what Pepsico pointed out was a blatant marketing stunt - however, like I said...Pepsi had Jeff Gordon.

John Andretti would crash out, Greg Biffle would end up a lap down, Jeff Burton in twenty-sixth, Bill Elliott eighteenth, Ricky Rudd seventeenth, Kevin Harvick fourteenth, while Tony Stewart in fifth and Kurt Busch in fourth were closest to pulling off Coke's marketing upset.

Unfortunately, none of them could stop Jeff Gordon from winning from pole in his DuPont/Pepsi #24 for Hendrick Motorsports.

It was the biggest moment of the Cola Wars, but 2004 had another Pepsi vs. Coke battle going on at the same time: Bottlegate.

You see, despite the Viceroy rule normally stopping this kind of stuff, in 2004, NASCAR decided to have Gatorade (Pepsi) sponsor victory lane, while Powerade (Coke) bottles would be placed on the roof of the winning cars. How the hell was this allowed to happen? Well, despite the France family running both NASCAR and the International Speedway Corporation, at this time, NASCAR had a deal with Coke and ISC had a deal with Pepsi - the same people in the guise of two different companies signed deals with two rival brands. Of course this was going to cause issues.

Pepsi did not want their drivers in their victory lane photographed with bottles of a Coca-cola owned sports drink.

Thus, Bottlegate began.

Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson were all sponsored by Pepsi, thus, as soon as they got out of the car in victory lane, they would punch and/or sweep the bottles off the roof, instantly getting Coke products out of the pictures...which pissed off Coca-cola a lot.

They were paying good money just to see drivers knock over their product!

So, after the Pepsi 400, with the aforementioned embarrassment of Coca-cola, NASCAR made a rule banning drivers from punching the bottles off the cars.

Coke drivers won the next two races with Tony Stewart winning at Chicagoland and Kurt Busch winning at New Hampshire.

But then Pepsi's Jimmie Johnson won at Pocono on August 1st.

Well, instead of punching the bottles, Jimmie calmly got out of the car, received a giant cardboard Lowe's sign from someone on his crew, and placed it in front of the Powerade bottles.

I love this stuff, this is generational pettiness over here, the Coke guys and the Pepsi guys each trying to make the other brand look bad, it's great!

Unfortunately, Coke and NASCAR didn't seem to think so, because Jimmie Johnson was fined $10,000 over the sign incident.

So yeah, this was NASCAR in the 2000s, where corporate money was everywhere and there were enough sponsorships going around that the drivers, the tracks, and the series all had separate deals to have to worry about. Hell, three Roush drivers were with Coke and the other two were with Pepsi - compare that to nowadays where the vending machines at RFK Racing are from Fastenal.

How the hell am I supposed to drink a wrench?

[trophyprincess]

I'm an old timer.

34. Grew up fat in the 2000s, aka the worst time in Western history to be a significantly overweight teenage girl.

One day, sometime in early 2007, I decided I had had enough. I was tired of being The Fat Girl. I just wanted people to treat me like a person, not a punchline.

So I got on the ed-but-not-sheeran train. Years later, at 34, I still have pronounced body dysmorphia, or so I have gathered based on discrepancies between other people's self-reported perceptions of me versus my own sensory percepts.

I'm trying to fight my severe body dysmorphia, because it's getting in the way of my love of self-expression through fashion, beauty, and my sexuality.

~~~~~~~~~

Height: 5'6"

HW: 195 (circa 2006)

SW: 131 (circa July 2023, at which point I was seven months pregnant and had no idea lol)

CW: 115? I don't bother to weigh, seems pointless, but I wear anywhere from a 00 to a 4 depending on the brand, garment, vintage, etc. Based on previous experience over the course of my life, I'd guess I'm like 115ish probably. People tell me I'm noticeably thin, but my eyes tell me otherwise when I look in the mirror. Every mirror is a funhouse mirror for me.

GW: I just need to lose a little more, just a bit, just a tad, just a small amount... I think... 5-10 lbs?

~~~~~~~~~

Just made this as a place to remind myself that none of us are alone in this. Body Dysmorphic Disorder sucks.

I want to accept and embrace my body, but it's hard when my eyes stretch and warp and distort the image in the mirror into a sad soggy pile of flab and fat.

I'm trying my damnedest here.

If you are an 18+ adult, especially but not exclusively female or femme, who struggles with disordered eating and weight, I am here with harm reduction tips and recovery advice!

[julie-finlay]

Circa ~2000, CSI Julie Finlay transfers under Shift Supervisor DB Russell.

Seattle crime lab doesn't know what's hit it.

[banghwa]

proposal absolutely accepted! just saw american teenager on the hyyh seokjin playlist oh you’re a capital g Genius… its SERIOUS.

also, have you ever explained your ideal hyyh adaptation soundtrack playlist in depth? (ie which songs would play when) if not i’d love to hear about it!

OHHHH my god pls i’ve been waiting ages for someone to ask. this is long sry. im kissing u on the mouth btw

ok realistically i know a perfect hyyh live action would not be how i imagine it bcs it hinges so heavily on specific korean working-class experiences which a good soundtrack would help emphasize. and unfortunately i dont know enough about korean culture circa 2000-2010 to build smt truly loyal to this vision. so obviously my playlists are incredibly self indulgent and tailored to the music i listen to and very much wips anyways so obvs not perfect :’))

REGARDLESS tho i think an effective hyyh soundtrack should ground the characters in the setting and express the conflict between their ideals and desires vs their reality. i think it would need to be used to anchor characters in their own and their parent's past in a way that still feels very modern? and a good way to do that would be to play around with american music. seok-jin spends time in america and very well might be american, my heart of hearts tells me yoon-gi loves jazz as well as hip hop, hell even just the fact that bts' style came from a lot of american influences makes american music smt that could rly help build that clash between the low-income korean setting and the trapped and hyperfixated-on-utopia characters if used correctly.

as for when each song in my playlist would come in, it depends! some are there for vibes, others are there for rly specific reasons and i could write whole essays for each but here's some commentary on a fave few <3:

dr dog - where'd all the time go: my perfect hyyh adaptation would explore seok-jin's american identity/non identity much more than the notes. i picture this one as an credits scene of him landing back in seoul from the states circa 2010

st vincent - laughing with a mouth of blood: mostly vibes but i can see as seok-jin refamiliarizing himself with song-ju and slowly hears how everyone is doing now

bruce springsteen - backstreets: mostly vibes but i can see it as a tae-hyung song, same as most of the 70s music on here

j cole - for whom the bell tolls: an introductory nam-joon scene, maybe 17 december year 21

f+tm - back in town: on seok-jin's walk home after his drink with nam-joon on 14 july year 22 (in my perfect adaptation seok-jin is in love with nam-joon. nam-joon knows this. seok-jin doesn't. they stay not for each other but bcs of each other)

[isfjmel-phleg]

Titans 1999 #17: scene in which a character discloses a painful secret and gradually releases a lot of pent-up anger and sorrow that builds until he nearly literally explodes, only to break down sobbing instead

Some Guy in England, circa July 2000: meh, not getting much emotion out of this. not really effective for me.

[wavernot4love]

i've definitely said something like this before but holy crap dude, ls dunes have quite literally changed the trajectory of my life, and every time i see them, it feels like they've done the same for so many people there. i just want to, post-thursday's toronto show, talk a little about how special this band is (this is probably gonna get long).

i've come to care about this band so goddamn much in, well, definitely the 11 months since they first announced themselves, but even moreso the 8 months since past lives dropped & i saw them for the first time @ dunesday toronto '22.

for a little recap of my dunes origin story, as a 22 y/o i grew up in the mid 2010s scene, right? so most of the bands i knew n loved growing up were those & i had never truly done a deep dive into a lot of 2000s/even early 2010s stuff. of course, the biggest, most accessible bands that started during that time were an exception, people like fob, or ptv, or, well, mcr. and a lot of other bands' biggest songs, etc.

so one part of my thought process the day dunes got announced was "woah new frank band? cool, let's see who's in it!" and that's what made me click into the first article i saw.

and the other part: like i kinda alluded to, i'm very active in the scene, i love going to shows & getting involved and i am truly trying to make it my life even moreso (via live music photograohy n design stuff, and hopefully eventually music stuff?). point is, late last july i signed up to volunteer @ a scene fest kinda in my area, my home here in upstate ny, at the time i hadn't been to many shows alone before so i was kinda nervous about heading two hours away by myself, on top of not really knowing what i was gonna be doing volunteerwise, but something pushed me to decide to go through w it. and this thing had the most random (/pos) assortment of the scene. from big metalcore outfits to modern faces of emo/pop punk/post hardcore to localish hardcore, you get the idea. i had a blast & got to watch a ton of sets.

anyways, near the end of the day some dude i'd definitely heard of by name and was aware was some big dude in the scene from some band (my phone was dead so it was killing me i couldn't look that up hhhh), was about to play a solo set so i figured i'd drop by and catch a bit. i was hanging outside of that stage and suddenly bro started playing and i thought "damn, this dude seems cool" then, naturally, weaved my way into the crowd, watched his full hourish long set since he was the last on that stage, and thought, "damn, this dude is cool." besides his music, i remember admiring the way he talked w the crowd, and then after, the way he stood around and chatted extensively with every last person like they were an old friend (i just kinda stood off to the side in my "staff" shirt watching and probably smiling, figuring i'd let dude's genuine fans have their moment... little did i know). anyways, naturally i'm talking about anthony here, and that night when i got home i looked him up and saw he was from circa & saosin and had a Revelation since of course being in the scene i knew about those bands, and i basically vowed to get into bro's music. and, well, safe to say i found a way less than a month later when i opened that article and saw he was singing in a new band with the guitarist of one of the bands that's meant the most to me for the longest (spoiler: i lost my mind when i saw he was the singer in a "YES! this dude" kinda way).

anyways, since then i'd argue my love for mcr somehow grew (i like to think that's because a lot of my love for music relies on connection & community, more on that later), i (specifically surrounding seeing them @ adjacent) have been getting into thursday & coheed, and, of course, last december i got hugely into tsoaf n traveled 2 see them in january, come february i discovered saosin, & thanks to a rec from a kind person outside the dunes show the other night, i'm now becoming irreversibly attached to circa as well. these people's music has changed my goddamn life, and it's all bands i'd never really looked into before despite of course being aware of them. and that is special.

also, at no other show (and shows in general are my favorite place in the world) have i experienced quite the level of community (random but something i've specifically noticed @ dunes & tsoaf & anthony's solo shows is that circa fans are SO nice?) i do at dunes shows. i've been alone every time i've seen them, but never felt less lonely. the show quite literally ended and i immediately had multiple people yelling (/pos) things at me about my midtown shirt, coming up to talk to me in general, and hell, even I had absolutely no problem going up to people with total confidence to chat, something i usually shake in my boots over. we had a freakin campfire style singalong going. i got to talk to people about traveling for shows who do the same with their time, hell, this was the first time i ever got to ramble in person about my love for tsoaf to someone that actually knew what the hell i was talking about. i spoke to people from all over, both physically and from different parts of the scene and yet we had all ended up right here. stuff feels like the embodiment of the dunes whole "lost souls found" thing, dude.

ls dunes gave me the opportunity twice now to chat with somebody (frank) whose music has been with me for the entire going on ten years since i got into the scene. something that wouldn't really (understandably) be possible at an mcr show. and we've reached the point as of thursday's show that i don't feel nervous going up to him anymore either, we entirely just had a pretty long, chill conversation and goofed off a little and i will never take that for granted. i mean that in a "historically interactions with folks in bands i look up to in this scene have meant the world to me because, like i mentioned earlier, my love for music stems from a community "scene" based idea that we're all just people passionate about this stuff" way.

and of course, the shows themselves, but i'm not sure i can accurately describe those, it's something you need to experience for yourself. i have considered toronto1 my favorite show i've been to ever since it happened, and i have been going to shows since 2014. these dudes have chemistry like no other, and you just get the sense watching them that they were born to do this together. and don't get me started on anthony's crowd interaction stuff. he has become one of my favorite frontpeople (if not my genuine favorite) over this past year. no one does it like that dude does.

anyways, i don't know that i've ever felt quite this way about any band before, which seems crazy for me becayse i care deeply about so many bands. ls dunes is special. all i know is i legitimately have not stopped thinking about the dunes since the toronto show thursday, to the point of being kinda perpetually shaky & endlessly needing to remind myself it's okay, they're not going away yet, i still have one more show in pittsburgh this thursday. i truly hope i can talk to the other dudes (especially anthony since i feel like so much of this lore involves him) and tell them some of this then, and maybe meet some of you, too (i'll definitely be getting there early & also sticking around after)!

and no matter what, i can't wait for this show, and all the shows to come, man. so there's the complete wavernot4love recap, well, so far.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

5 Years Later: INCREDIBLES 2

Has it already been almost five years since the release of an animated movie sequel that arrived nearly 14 years after its predecessor?

INCREDIBLES 2 turns 5 in June. June 15th, to be exact, the general release date. Or the 14th, if you count theaters that do pre-shows. That's a UK poster above, it was July 13th over there... Anyways, around that frame! I want to talk about that movie...

I actually unironically love INCREDIBLES 2.

Maybe I'm very online, but it seems like this Pixar sequel isn't so... Well-liked? I often see talk of it being this big disappointment, that the "twist" kills it, that it wasn't worth the wait, etc. etc.

I don't know. I saw INCREDIBLES 2 the pre-show Thursday night back in 2018. I had seen the original THE INCREDIBLES in theaters *five* times back in fall 2004 and even into early 2005. It's one of my all-time favorite films, a massive influence on my own work, and a movie that I...

Didn't demand a sequel to...

Yeah, that's right, I'm not like everybody else. Everybody else who all said "I waited 14 years for this!" I didn't... I waited... Four years. The Walt Disney Company, during a shareholder's conference, officially announced that the movie was in the works in March of 2014. Prior to that, I didn't feel that a sequel needed to exist. The ending of the first movie is an homage to serial cliffhangers, it wasn't the filmmakers saying in 2004 "we'll be back!" Writer-director Brad Bird went off to do other movies, and wanted to pursue other movies, some of which never happened (1906), some of which finally are (RAY GUNN)... He had often said he had various ideas for an INCREDIBLES sequel and would only commit to them if he had a story to tie them all together, but that didn't mean that a sequel was going to happen. At least, any time soon back then.

Inevitably, if your animated movie was a big blockbuster and the main characters all didn't die at the end, your animated movie is getting a sequel. THE INCREDIBLES came out when Pixar still couldn't feasibly make sequels per their strict contract with Disney at the time. TOY STORY 2 was a complicated exception that caused even more problems regarding this "no sequels" rule... but that very "no sequels" mandate was overridden in early 2006 when CEO Bob Iger, shortly after taking over from his predecessor - Michael Eisner, bought the Emeryville-based studio from Steve Jobs. That being said, Bird was directing RATATOUILLE, and then departed Pixar to pursue live-action movies, resulting in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL for Paramount... But then he circled back to Disney, to direct TOMORROWLAND, which was already a Damon Lindelof-conceived script that was floating around for about a year at the studio... And then, he finally directed INCREDIBLES 2. Pixar could've easily put an INCREDIBLES 2 in development circa 2006 for a 2010-2011 release, but they waited for Bird to be available, and then they got started.

So, back in the late 2000s and early 2010s, I already understand that concept... But I get it, lots of people who aren't a nerd like I, and don't follow how the feature animation biz works... Assumed that Pixar just sat on an INCREDIBLES sequel for over a decade and then finally said "Okay, we'll make it."

Anyways... I really do dig INCREDIBLES 2 as a sequel to one of my favorite films.

I don't think it's as great, which... I'll be fair, the original was a hard act to follow. Most original movies that really work for me usually spawn a sequel that has a hard time being just as good in my eyes, if not better. Only TOY STORY 2, in terms of Pixar sequels, I feel is this scenario. So, as such, I wasn't so tough on films like FINDING DORY and MONSTERS UNIVERSITY. There were still many things I liked and loved in both of those, and that made them every bit as worthy. INCREDIBLES 2, I feel, came pretty close to being as good as THE INCREDIBLES.

For one, I love that this is kind of a vibes sequel. It's two minutes longer than the original - at 118 minutes long, and has a few action setpieces here and there. Whenever they do occur, they rule! Bird and his crew just went hard with the action beats, from the runaway electric train chase to the fight with the Screenslaver in the strobe-light cage. Excellent stuff.

Unlike the first INCREDIBLES, the majority of this film doesn't take place on an island, so we get to see more of the retrofuturistic midcentury-modern world that Bird created in the first movie and expanded upon in this sequel. In the first INCREDIBLES, we see city blocks, yes, and some locations, Edna Mode's house, the kids' schools and Bob Parr's workplace. But that's about it. Here, the Parr family are in a new home on a hillside, there's a whole new city we explore, locations like a diner, the DevTech skyscraper, Rick Dicker's office, and a motel. We get to see other Supers besides the Parrs and Frozone in action, because in the first film, we only see glimpses of them in the prologue, Syndrome killed all of them off. Here, we meet a bunch of bizarre and not-quite-amazing superheroes who are often used as obstacles by the villain throughout, but some of them try to pull their weight and prove themselves. Particularly Voyd, I like her little admiration of Elastigirl and how that pushes her to really try her powers out. They're a bunch of very strange, weirdly-designed characters that only add to the colorful cast of this world. That Reflux guy is literally me, by the way. It was cool to hang out and exist in that world with these characters, with a solid script and tight dialogue to match. I can't see what's not to like. It's more about the family than it is the hero work and the spectacle, but... As was the first movie.

That's what makes both INCREDIBLES movies unique to most other big superhero spectacles, both in 2004 and in 2018... Pre-MCU and post-MCU. For context, INCREDIBLES 2 opened just about a month after AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR and DEADPOOL 2... And shared the year with BLACK PANTHER, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (which opened right after it), VENOM, and SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE... The first INCREDIBLES shared a year with... SPIDER-MAN 2 and HELLBOY... Just SPIDER-MAN 2 and HELLBOY... Anything else? I might be misremembering.

Anyways, much like the first one, the superhero stuff is the backdrop to what is a family story. This time, it's a bit of role reversal. Bob is the stay at home dad while Elastigirl gets to do the fun stuff, with a much different context... but a lot of that is pretty darn good! Bob isn't some hapless Mr. Mom, he actually commits to doing better for his kids, righting his wrongs, and going a bit insane in the process while his youngest reveals that he has crazy-amazing powers that only Syndrome saw in the first movie. It's also strangely progressive in a way, considering that the world of THE INCREDIBLES is an alternate early 1960s... The dad being stay at home and the mom doing the hard work, an unthinkable concept in the *real life* early 1960s, pre-Women's Liberation America, that's for sure! The first one also poked at that, too: "Leave the saving of the world to men? I don't think so!" Both of these INCREDIBLES films bask themselves in this midcentury-modern period and aesthetic, but also have people of marginalized groups getting to do the cool stuff, too. It's fun what you can do with alternate histories, and create pasts that are more progressive than they actually were.

As for the main Elastigirl plot and Evelyn Deavor's elaborate plan to make the public fully turn against superheroes for good? I think it works really well! It's a 180 from taking on a powerful bad guy like Syndrome, and instead it's a more on-the-ground, sneaky, pull-the-strings threat. Almost like a little political thriller amidst this big PG-rated superhero adventure for family audiences. (Though Brad Bird writes/directs as he please, he wasn't making "kids' films" with either of these movies.) Superheroes being used to destroy themselves, the film kind of asking - amidst the explosive superhero craze of the 2010s - if superheroes are even necessary for a functioning society? Not a new question, but I like how this film presents it just the same. The whole dependency on powerful beings aspect, like the fictional Screenslaver rambles in his monologue.

The Screenslaver rant is not too far removed from Bird's question in his much-maligned TOMORROWLAND, a film that actually strikes hard in a post-MAGA era. TOMORROWLAND, a wildly misinterpreted film to begin with, posited that real change and making the world a better place starts with individuals getting up and realizing what kind of power they have. Online, I see that people expect **others** to make things right, and some who even outright refuse to do the bare minimum. Like voting. As if our sitting President has a magic wand and can make all the bad stuff go away, ditto many other prominent figures... They'll sneer "stop telling me to vote", when it's the simplest thing one can do to prevent the party that's succumbed to full-on draconian policy and open hatred from completely taking over, but one can and should go beyond that if they want to fight fascism and the ills of the system... and in turn help make the world better. It took over 70 years of hard work to get to where we are now - from protests to movements to candidates who brought about change, and it's going to continue to be hard work. You don't do it by sitting there yelling "do something!" or threatening to opt out of your one simple civic duties that very much matters. Here, Bird uses that same idea of relying on others and being dependent, but it's in service of a villain's personal vendetta against superheroes and an understandable want to make society less dependent on a band-aid solution. She even tries to use people watching TV as an "example" of people being dependent, as if she's some bitter boomer whining about smartphones on a facebook post.

I guess the only problem is, the movie doesn't quite end with a strong case against Evelyn's very real points... Other than the altruism of the characters and them doing the right thing during its rather rushed and zippily-paced third act. A little tightening on that, I think, would've helped improve the picture a bit. I guess, when you're a big tentpole animated blockbuster superhero picture being made for a massive conglomerate that's trying to appeal to a wide audience, you can only go so far with that. A lot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe offerings, particularly CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER, suffer from a similar problem. In that they chip at a meaty political theme, but then wrap things up with an action-packed climactic battle, they have a clear-cut villain that has to be stopped, and they kind of don't really make a case. Why do the Supers get legalized at the end of INCREDIBLES 2? For merely saving the city from a cataclysmic event, like they did at the end of the first movie and at the beginning of this one? Does the society seen in the world of THE INCREDIBLES go back to being dependent and complacent? Do they think about what the Screenslaver said? It's so quick, they're in the courtroom, they're legalized, cute and fun epilogue, end of movie... It's a bit weird. Like, what does the society do to work with supers and the government to make things better going forward?

That all being said, the villain's plans ultimately make sense to me. I like the idea of a grieving person who uses her wealth and influence to end what she feels is the problem - superheroes, and how that's a threat to our super-powered main characters. I just think it would've really, really landed if it went further and the supers made a case as to why Evelyn is ultimately wrong in her execution of some of her not-unfounded grievances. Or at least presented Evelyn with everything she could've done to make society less dependent on Supers without conspiring to get them outlawed, and even getting people killed in the process to make the world turn their backs on the Supers once more.

Even then, it's all executed so well. Bird had already directed THE IRON GIANT, and two all-CG pictures and two live-action biggies before this, so this was a cakewalk for him. With a 13 1/2-year difference in technology, he and his crew were able to really go all out here. Cityscapes that are gargantuan in comparison to the first film's Municiberg setting, lots of flying through and around buildings, smoother animation on the human characters, etc. The art direction, just. Perfect. The color scheme and everything, it all hits just right. Lots of fantastic retro graphic design everywhere, eye-catching! Michael Giacchino knocks it out again with the score, and we even got little theme jingles for the Supers themselves. I think it's just so well-done, I don't really get why it's often looked down upon online, nor why it has been somewhat forgotten outside of the internet? Maybe it's just because stuff is always coming out, from every pore? And that fewer and fewer things stick now? I don't know.

As for a third INCREDIBLES... It's inevitable, with or without Brad Bird. So far we got those Pixar Popcorn shorts, but that's about it. He's off at Skydance with former Pixar head John Lasseter (which... is disappointing to me on a number of levels, following Lasseter's misdeeds), it's possible he comes back to Pixar in the future to make a third one... Or they go ahead with a third one that he executive produces and signs off on. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if there ends up being a Disney+ series instead. I love those characters and that world, but will only say yes to an INCREDIBLES threequel if they do. In other words, I'm not clamoring for one, but if it comes around anytime soon? Yeah, sign me up.

Anyways, Happy 5th Anniversary...

[maximuswolf]

THROWBACK - LISTEN (LEGENDARY): DJ AM - POWER 106 Mix

THROWBACK - LISTEN (LEGENDARY): DJ AM - POWER 106 Mix LINKPlease enjoy DJ AM's epic Power 106 Mix. It is extremely clever.Another DJ's now-deleted Reddit comment eloquently explains the impact of this live mix, circa 2016 (8yrs ago):"RIP. This mix BLEW MY FUCKIN MIND!!! This mix opened the world to Open Format DJing and showed the mind blowing capabilities of Serato. At the time DJ's were either hip hop or house, you never crossed genres. Also Serato was still fairly new and it was just thought of as "SWEET! Now I don't have to buy records I hate like D4L Laffy Taffy!"The Power 106 mix broke down all walls and opened my mind to the crazy possibilities I now have with Serato. I never heard hip hop, 60's motown, 80's pop, and 90's hip hop all in one mix that could rock a club crowd. Z Trip had a ton of multi genre mixes before AM, but it was more geared towards music nerds and hip hop heads. AM's Power 106 mix could get the white girls, hip hop heads, and old school enthusiasts all going wild on the dance floor.After I heard this mix, I went on a crazy downloading spree trying to find all old school rock, 80's pop, Motown, and any old school jam to work into my usual hip hop sets. It really invigorated my DJing at a time when I wasn't excited about the 2000's hip hop which was dominated by Dirty South Crunk/Snap/Chopped & Screwed. At first copying AM's style got me alot of dirty looks by club managers but when I'd drop Sweet Home Alabama or Guns & Roses and it made the crowd go APESHIT WILD, it made DJing so fun and enjoyable again."RIP DJ AM. Submitted July 16, 2024 at 11:36PM by Deliverah https://ift.tt/KeaFPl2 via /r/Music

[y2kbeautyandother2000sstuff]

Bath and Body Works Art Stuff Mega Mint Chip Roll on Glitter

circa 1995-2000

found on Mercari, seller Julie C

[sporadicarbitergardener]

Patriarch Richard Barker, born in England circa 1621, was one of the original proprietors of Andover, arriving in the new world with his wife Joanna in the late 1630s. In fact, he might even be called the first settler of Andover. He was among a group from nearby Newbury and Ipswich who had petitioned for land in 1640. The first recorded business transaction in Andover, dated August 13, 1643, was Barker’s deed to land and livestock.

Barker originally owned 7 acres, then 10, and eventually, 300 contiguous acres, near “the Great Pond,” or Lake Cochichewick, in what is today North Andover. Barker was one of ten freeholders to establish the First Church of Andover in 1645. In August of 2000, Marjorie Wardwell Otten wrote in the Essex Genealogist (Vol. 20, No. 3), “There was hardly any town affair of importance for 50 years on record which does not bear Richard Barker’s name as party to or witness of, petitioner, etc.”

Between 1644 and 1663, Richard and Joanna had nine children. The families of three of their sons (John, William, and Ebenezer) and one daughter (Hannah) were directly affected by the witch hysteria that first arrived in Andover in May of 1692 with the arrest of Martha Carrier, and escalated in mid-July with ever-increasing accusations against Andover citizens. When all was said and done, more people were accused of witchcraft in Andover than in any other Essex County town.

On August 25, arrest warrants were issued for the Barkers’ second-oldest son, 47-year-old William Barker, as well as his 13-year-old niece Mary Barker (daughter of oldest Barker son John). William’s niece-by-marriage, 27-year-old Mary (Osgood) Marston, stepdaughter of youngest Barker daughter Hannah (who became Christopher Osgood’s second wife in 1680) was also named on the warrant. The complaint against all three was made by Samuel Martin of Andover and Moses Tyler of Boxford. Author Richard Hite, in his book In the Shadow of Salem: The Andover Witch Hunt of 1692, says, “This marked the beginning of the second phase of the Andover persecution.” All three were arrested by August 29, examined, and jailed in Salem.

The three Barker relations were accused of “woefully afflicting and abusing” three recently-afflicted local girls. One was Rose Foster, the teenage granddaughter of Rebecca Eames of Boxford (who had herself been accused of witchcraft earlier in August). Rose’s father was Andover constable Ephraim Foster. Another afflicted girl named in the complaint was Samuel Martin’s 16-year-old daughter Abigail. The third person, soon to be the principal accuser in Andover, was Moses Tyler’s 16-year-old stepdaughter Martha Sprague.

By this point, it was widely-thought that confessing was the only way to save one’s life. During his examination, William made a remarkable and elaborate confession, saying “he has been in the snare of the devil three years, that the devil first appeared to him like a black man and [he] perceived he had a cloven foot, that the devil demanded of him to give up himself body & soul unto him, which he promised to do…” William went on, in great detail, to explain that he had, indeed, tormented his three accusers, that he had signed the devil’s book in blood, and that the devil promised to pay all his debts. William said he previously attended a meeting of about 100 witches in Salem Village, where there was a sacrament of bread and wine, led by Reverend George Burroughs and the devil. (Burroughs had been hanged by this time, on August 19.) William even explained the devil’s intentions to “set up his own worship [and] abolish all the churches in the land.” William begged forgiveness for what he had done and promised to renounce the devil.

Thirteen-year-old Mary Barker also confessed to afflicting her three accusers, and said she had attended the witch meeting with her uncle, had been baptized by the devil in Five Mile Pond (known as Spofford Pond today), and she also accused Goody Johnson and Goody Faulkner of witchcraft (both were members of the extended Ingalls-Dane family), and added this colorful detail, “she has seen no appearance since but a fly which did speak to her, and bid her afflict these poor creatures which she did by pinching with, and clinching of her hands, for which she is sorry.”

Mary Marston’s confession was similar to that of her relatives – she confirmed that her uncle William Barker, her cousin Mary Barker, and she herself were witches, that she had afflicted her three accusers, and that she, too, had attended a witch meeting in Salem Village. When she was asked how long she had been in league with the devil, “she now saith that about the time when her mother died and she was overcome with melancholy, about three years since the black man appeared to her in the great room and told her she must serve and worship him. And so she did.”

On September 1, William’s son, 14-year-old William Barker Jr. was also arrested. He clearly had heard the details of the Barker confessions before him, as well as the news of the day, because his story was similar to his father and cousins, and he named recently-accused “witches.” Like his relatives , William Jr. was accused of tormenting Martha Sprague, Rose Foster, and Abigail Martin “which he did not deny but could not remember it.” He said he’d been a witch for six days and, “as he was going in the woods one evening to look after cows he saw the shape of a black dog which looked very fiercely upon him And he was much disturbed in his mind about it and could not sleep well that night.” He went on to describe a meeting with the devil, his own baptism in Five Mile Pond, and his mark in the devil’s book. He also named Mary Parker as a witch (she’d been accused of witchcraft in late August, along with four of her family members) as well as Samuel Wardwell, his wife Mary, and two of their daughters. The Wardwell family had been accused and arrested in late August and were examined on September 1, the same day as William Jr.

The last Barker family member to be caught up in the Andover witch hunt was Abigail (Wheeler) Barker who had married the third-oldest Barker son, Ebenezer, in 1686. On September 7, at the Andover meeting house, the infamous “touch test” took place. It was believed that an afflicted person would be “cured” if she or he touched a “witch.” The evil, it was thought, would flow back into its source. The touch test had been used in Salem examinations since May, but on this day, all of Andover’s accused and afflicted were gathered together at the meeting house. The accused “witches” were blindfolded and were led to the afflicted girls. If the afflictions ceased after touching one of the accused it was believed a witch had been identified. By the time the touch test was over, all of the accused women and men, at least seventeen people, had been confirmed as witches. Among them were Abigail Barker and Mary Osgood (wife of Richard Barker’s lifelong friend John Osgood).

Abigail Barker is particularly remembered for an account of the touch test in “an undated declaration prepared and signed by six suspects [one of whom was Abigail] just prior to the resumption of trials in January 1693,” according to author Richard Hite. All of the accused had been forced to participate, and all were found guilty. Said the remarkable declaration, “…we knowing ourselves altogether innocent of the crime, we were all exceedingly astonished and amazed, and consternated and affrighted even out of our reason; and our nearest and dearest relations, seeing us in that dreadful condition, and knowing our great danger, apprehended there was no other way to save our lives, as the case was then circumstanced, but by confessing ourselves to be such and such persons as the afflicted represented us to be, out of tenderness and pity, persuaded us to confess what we did confess.”

Although the date is uncertain, it is known that after his indictment, William Barker Sr. somehow escaped from jail and fled. As a penalty, his cattle were seized, and his brother John had to pay £2 10s to get them back. (William’s descendant George Barker has a theory that William may have hidden on an island in a nearby swamp, until it was safe to emerge after the trials.) Once the hysteria subsided, William Barker Sr. lived in Andover for the rest of his life, holding various jobs in town, including fence viewer and constable. He and his wife Mary Dix had thirteen children. William died in 1718 and is buried in the First Burial Ground in North Andover.

On October 3, 1692, John Barker and Francis Faulkner paid the bond for the release of three of the youngest accused: John’s daughter Mary Barker (aged 13), her cousin William Barker Jr. (aged 14), and Mary Lacy Jr. (aged 18). John Barker and John Osgood (whose wife Mary was also accused) later paid for the release of the rest of the jailed Andover children.

Mary Barker and William Barker Jr. were tried and acquitted by a jury in May of 1693. In 1704, the cousins, who had shared such a traumatic experience twelve years earlier, got married. The couple had eight children. They continued to live in Andover for the rest of their lives: William Jr. died in 1745 and Mary died in 1752. Both are buried in the First Burial Ground in North Andover.

Mary (Osgood) Marston and Abigail (Wheeler) Barker were both tried and acquitted in January of 1693. The former died in Andover in 1700, the latter in 1743. Abigail’s husband Ebenezer, who had waited until he was 35 years old to get married, lived to be 95, dying in 1746.

Patriarch Richard Barker died in March of 1693, and his good friend John Osgood died shortly thereafter.

Not everyone involved in the Salem witch trials is remembered in the same way. It’s important to highlight this quote from Marjorie Wardwell Otten in the Essex Genealogist, “Three men of Andover stand out in their efforts to defuse and to bring forth the falsities of the accusations: John Barker, John Osgood, and Reverend Francis Dane.” John Barker, who married Mary Stevens in 1670, was not only one of the voices of reason during the terrible events of 1692, and one of the men who paid to release the accused children, but he was a Deacon of the First Church, became a Sergeant in the militia in 1702, and a Captain in 1708. He died of smallpox in 1732, and is buried in the Mount Vernon Cemetery in Boxford.

What led to the accusations against so many members of such an upstanding and respected Andover family? Sometimes the reasons are hinted at in the records – family feuds, personality clashes, long-standing neighborly accusations. In the Barkers’ case, there is nothing in the records that explains it. Author Richard Hite speculates that there may have been some dispute between the accuser Moses Tyler and the accused William Barker Sr. Their farms were only a mile apart, possibly even abutting, so perhaps there had been previous altercations. We will likely never know.

There are two additional family connections to the witchcraft trials worth mentioning: Rebecca Eames of Boxford, and her son Daniel, were both accused and jailed. Daniel was married to Lydia Wheeler, sister of Abigail (Wheeler) Barker.

The other intriguing relationship involves Andover’s Samuel Wardwell (hanged on September 22). When Wardwell was examined after being accused of witchcraft, he spoke of a disappointment in love from twenty years earlier: “He said the reason of his discontent then was because he was in love with a maid named Barker who slighted his love.” The target of his affections was oldest Barker daughter Sarah, who chose to marry John Abbot instead of Wardwell.

Today, the Barkers remain a pillar of the North Andover community. Barker’s Farm was established in 1642, and has been run by 10 generations of the family, making it the oldest continuously owned and operated family farm in the United States. Barker’s Farmstand on Osgood Street in North Andover is one of our favorite places.

Special thanks to George and Dorothea Barker, and Karen, Laurie, Beth, Dianne and Sam, for their help and generosity researching their family history.

Barker’s Farmstand is at 1267 Osgood Street (Route 125) in North Andover.

[tehuti88-art]

5/26/23: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is PFC/Lance Corporal Reseda Rat. He plays a big role in Silver Rat's character development, though it's a side plot I haven't worked on in a long while. There'll be more about him later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se.

Regarding his design, he seems a bit too young and naive here, may need to tweak him sometime.

TUMBLR EDIT: Well...I've had a really, really rough couple of months (I'm typing this in mid/late-July) and haven't had time to catch up on my blog or other things. So I'm not in a very good place to be my typical longwinded self just now, though I guess I'll manage. I have to admit I don't have as much to say for Reseda as I should, though. He hasn't opened up to me yet.

I can say that Reseda, and Silver along with him, were the main driving force behind the circa-2000 reboot. I had plans, and I think maybe I did start, to write a novella "extracted" from the main plot of The Trench Rats, focusing solely on these two's subplot, and entitled "Tough Love." And...huh, I only just now realize, a year and a half after the series has rebooted for a second time, that the circumstances of this newest reboot are eerily similar. Although I still don't understand why a plethora of new and revamped characters, as well as gluts of new plot, have suddenly sprung to the surface this time, I do recall the single circumstance that led to it. Again, I don't know why, but I started thinking about a character I'd never been very interested in or spent much time on, either Papillon or Drake--I think it was Papillon. He just randomly popped into my head; don't know why. I then for some reason pondered the possibility of him getting into a relationship...with another male character. I paired up Papillon and Drake, started writing a scene...then another, unfamiliar character crawled out of the woodwork, requesting a scene: Otto Himmel. And then the floodgates opened.

Well...circa 2000, a similar scenario emerged, only thus time featuring Silver and newer character Reseda, and somewhat more ambiguous in nature. While Drake and Papillon are certainly gay, it's a lot murkier with Reseda and especially Silver. I think Reseda is actually bisexual yet much prefers men; there's a scene where he spends the night with a couple of female prostitutes, but it's mostly to distract himself from his thoughts about Silver, he has to get really drunk to go through with it, and he doesn't end up enjoying himself at all. I imagine it isn't the only time he's been with women, he just really doesn't prefer it. So either he's "kinda" bisexual, with a distinct preference for men, or he's simply in denial.

Silver...I'm not sure how to even describe him. His orientation is an anomaly to someone like me who prefers labels to make things clear. I'm pretty sure Reseda is the only male he's ever been with or wanted to be with--if the two of them were to break things off, he'd never start a relationship with any other man, because as I think he tells Reseda at some point, it's just not what he's interested in. He's apparently never had any longterm relationships, though he's been with women before. For all intents and purposes, he's straight. Just not when it comes to Reseda. Reseda is the one exception. Thing is, if they were to break things off, I don't think he'd start a relationship with any other women, either. Once he and Reseda grow close, he simply has no interest in anyone else, period.

So I'm not sure what exactly you'd call a situation like this, where somebody is arrow-straight until they meet just this one person they'd not only switch teams for, but quit the game entirely except for this one. Silver doesn't neatly fit any label I know of. There are lots of newer labels I'm unfamiliar with, though, so maybe he fits one of them.

Anyway...moving back to Reseda. I sadly don't know anything about his past before joining the Trench Rats, except that he's rather naive and idealistic. He's one of the newer, "second wave" of Rats who come over to replace those killed in the German attack on Headquarters, which eradicates about a quarter or a third of their number; many of the older/original Rats are either still dealing with the trauma or are outright hostile to the newcomers despite being on the same side, so the newer Rats have a lot of navigating to do to earn the others' respect. Silver is one of those holding a grudge, though he has extra reason to feel resentful: He was a member of the tiny exploratory unit that was trapped in enemy territory before the US even entered the war, whose members were absorbed into the newly formed Trench Rats First Battalion when they arrived to rescue them. He and Indigo were the unit members with the most time in and experience; therefore, they expected some sort of leadership positions in the battalion. These places were already taken by Sergeant Camo and Corporal Drake, however. While both Indigo and Silver were placed in charge of their own companies, and Indigo was additionally placated with a position in the medical unit, Silver never got over his grudge at being passed over for a more expansive leadership role. Result, he has an extra pissy attitude and often takes out his spite on his own company. He never does anything that crosses the line, but he's definitely earned a reputation as an a-hole, especially among his own men. It's a good thing he's skilled at what he does--sneaking into enemy territory to steal documents and kill Nazis by snapping their necks before vanishing unnoticed, a talent which earns him the nickname "Der Silbergeist" along with a top spot on the Reich's most wanted list--because most of his fellow Rats can hardly stand being around him for long. He's Aryan and comes from a higher-class background, so that combined with his already haughty and hostile demeanor makes him very difficult to get along with--and it's not like he makes any effort to be more approachable on his end, either. If anything, he's just fine antagonizing everyone else to keep them at arm's length.

This is the environment Reseda sets foot in when he joins the Trench Rats. He's assigned to Echo Company--under Silver's command--and quickly learns why Silver is both highly respected yet highly despised. Most of his fellow company members are easy to get along with, commiserating over their shared nasty treatment at Silver's hands, though Reseda does manage to cross somebody here and there. Citrine Rat is one such; jaded, cynical, and poor tempered, he picks up on Reseda's inexperience and idealism and targets him accordingly, making him the frequent butt of spiteful jokes. There's a "snitches get stitches" mentality in the trenches, so while most of Echo Company don't actively participate in Citrine's a-holery, they don't really push back against it, either. Reseda also quickly learns that when it comes to being targeted for pranks or outright attacks, he's pretty much on his own and just has to deal with it. One odd circumstance is that Silver, whenever he witnesses such things firsthand, is quick to punish such behavior--there's room for only one a-hole in his company, I guess, and that's him. This isn't terribly helpful for Reseda, though; every time Citrine gets caught and punished, he gets even more spiteful, and it isn't long before he outright hates Reseda's guts. His formerly mostly harmless pranks start taking a decidedly vicious turn; Reseda suffers more than a few scrapes and bumps dealing with him, even though he's physically bigger and stronger than Citrine is; he doesn't believe in turning on a fellow Trench Rat, and keeps hoping Citrine will lose interest in him, though as the days go by Citrine's hostility just seems to grow. Reseda can't even figure out WTF about him has pissed Citrine off so much; just typical inexplicable bully behavior, I guess.

One day events finally come to a head and in the middle of an argument, Citrine physically attacks Reseda; at first Reseda attempts to merely stave off his blows, but after a few minutes is forced to fight back. He's not as skilled a fighter as Citrine is, but like I said he's bigger, plus he has a lot of pent-up anger over all the weeks/months of poor treatment at Citrine's hands--it isn't long before he starts giving as good as he gets. Citrine is nearly overpowered for a moment, surprised by the normally mild Reseda's sudden burst of rage, but he too recovers quickly, and the fight is basically an even one. The two of them have pummeled each other black and blue by the time someone shoves them apart, yelling at the top of his lungs; Reseda tries to take a step forward to get at Citrine again, only to see that it's Silver who's pushed them apart. He looks even more pissed off than Citrine--and seeing as Citrine doesn't make any effort to get past him, Reseda decides he better not, either.

Silver: "WHAT THE F**K IS GOING ON HERE!" *glares first at Citrine, no response, then at Reseda* "SOMEBODY better answer! What is this!"

Reseda: *pause* "Personal disagreement."

Silver: *glares at him a moment, then back at Citrine*

Citrine: "Personal disagreement."

Silver: "That's how it is, then...?" *waits, no further response* "Fine. You two like blood and guts so much, report to the medical ward. Now!"

Reseda and Citrine head back to Headquarters. Both of them are confused--Reseda by his refusal to blame Citrine, Citrine by Reseda's refusal to blame him, both of them by Silver's choice of punishment. Nurse Lyndsey Skye is equally perplexed when they arrive--at first assuming they're there to receive medical attention themselves--until Reseda admits, "I think we were sent here to be punished," then she fetches the chief surgeon, Burgundy. Burgundy reacts the same way as Skye, who then says, "They believe they're here to be punished," at which point he gets an odd look and merely says, "Oh." Reseda and Citrine spend the rest of the day scrubbing and wiping up blood and other unpleasant substances spilled in the medical ward. They even witness Burgundy get to work on a badly wounded comrade who spurts blood all over the place (making Burgundy pause just briefly to take a breath), standing at the side of the room and staring silently until he's stabilized and taken away to a bed. As they start cleaning up the new mess, pale and shaken, Citrine mutters, "Better get used to it, kid. You'll be seeing a lot worse."

After their stint in the medical ward is over, they're directed to Charlie Company, led by Copper Rat--"Looks like I'm stuck with you two for a little while. At least TRY to behave yourselves...?"--and spend some time patrolling the trenches at the edge of the woods where HQ is located. Reseda is disgruntled when he sits down not far from Turquoise and Turquoise responds by getting up and moving some distance away before sitting down again. ("It's nothing personal, kid," Copper says when he notices Reseda's reaction, though all Reseda can think is why does everyone keep calling him "kid.") This goes pretty uneventfully until they're released back to Echo Company. Citrine pretty much leaves Reseda alone after that (weirdly, Reseda finds that he almost misses these interactions, he's become so used to them, and hasn't really connected with anyone else); Silver is another story. He apparently takes to watching Citrine and Reseda like a hawk; Citrine's been around long enough to know how to keep his head down (now that he's no longer targeting Reseda), yet Reseda's still pretty green. (Uh...heh...heheh. No pun intended, heh.) Result, EVERY little mistake he makes, Silver is right on top of it to give him a public tongue-lashing. This is so wearisome and humiliating that Reseda finds he preferred Citrine's attacks since at least those came from an equal; to keep getting lambasted by his company commander wears on him. It isn't long before he starts to carry a grudge against Silver and rather wishes something nasty would happen to him. Just to take him down a notch.

At the same time, though, he learns the ropes himself, learns how to better interact with his fellows to make himself useful, and witnesses Silver's own skills in action enough to at least respect him for that, if not for him as a decent person. He also gets a better look at what exactly Citrine meant with his warning. His company is on hand along with Charlie and Delta Companies one day when the Rats get wind of a small Nazi camp and set out to try to liberate it. Before they've reached the clearing where the camp is supposedly located, Reseda and several of the others notice Turquoise, walking toward the front, slow down and then crumple to the ground, clutching at the dirt and gasping for breath. Thinking he's having a heart attack, Reseda reaches for him but Copper pushes him back with a sharp shake of his head; he silently gestures at the others to have their guns ready for whatever they might find, before carefully hooking his elbow under Turquoise's and helping him to his feet. Turquoise halts again just outside the gate and Reseda hears him say, "There's nothing," before they head in.

They find that the Nazis evidently got word of a potential Allied approach ahead of time and acted accordingly. All of the prisoners have been killed, and what few guards remained behind committed suicide. Most, though, simply fled. The Rats silently peer at the scores of skeletal bodies left behind, alone and in piles; there's nobody left for them to rescue. Turquoise, who's managed to pull himself together, heads toward the main guard post and here they find a lone survivor--one of the SS guards--though he's badly wounded from a half-botched shot to the head, and obviously doesn't have long to live. Even Indigo and the other medics in Delta Company see no point in trying to save him, even if they wanted to. Reseda learns later on that this guard's dying emotions were what Turquoise had picked up on as they approached the camp. The Rats gather around him and stare as he bleeds out and pants weakly, blinking back up at them. "What was the point of this, mate?" Indigo asks; nobody really expects an answer, and the guard's breath rattles and then stops.

The Rats determine they can't handle the situation alone; they're going to need assistance dealing with the bodies. Copper leads a handful of them further into the woods until they come across a tree with an eye painted on it; a few armed partisans appear, and after a brief consultation the group continues. Reseda gets his first glimpse of Didrika's encampment. Didrika is the Roma leader and lone female of the sprawling group of mixed German and Soviet partisans; she comes out to speak with Copper, who seems to be on good terms with her, though Didrika's companion, a hulking Russian named Boris, makes Reseda nervous; he doesn't seem to like the Trench Rats at all. Didrika offers what men of hers aren't too superstitious to deal with the dead in the camp, and sends a runner to contact another network of partisans led by "Major" Champere (note, he seems to have originally been a sergeant major in my character list, though I lean toward him carrying the self-appointed rank of major) and ask for further assistance from him. Champere's men, while more reclusive, aren't nearly as squeamish as Didrika's, and a large group of them accompany the runner back to Didrika's camp and then they all head to the Nazi camp. They start the somber business of bundling up the bodies and helping to transport them to Trench Rats Headquarters for possible identification.

Silver, meanwhile, has the members of Echo Company go through the sparsely furnished buildings on the property, seeking any papers, records, or documentation the SS left behind. Reseda feels skeezy digging through the goods the Nazis took from their prisoners--spectacles, shoes, clothes, even teeth. When he gets to the small personal items such as pendants, rings, watches, he falters, especially when Silver tells them to hurry and finish up. On hearing that these things are to be left behind again, he feels a twinge of spite, and asks another Rat to help him gather the items in a sack; without Silver's knowledge he heads back outside the camp and seeks out Didrika. She crosses herself when he shows her what he found and says he'd like to make sure the items end up in the right hands, whether it's with surviving family or buried with the dead or what; she then calls one of Champere's men over. Didrika instructs the newcomer, Papillon, to help Reseda out. Papillon doesn't react the way Didrika did when looking over the sack's contents. Upon learning that Reseda is the one who rescued the items, he says, "This was very kind of you," and agrees to help return the items where they best belong.

Silver is too busy dealing with the documents left behind to notice Reseda's preoccupation elsewhere. Reseda gets some help from Mahogany, who manages most of the prisoner records; they and Papillon question some refugees in Trench Rat custody, managing to figure out how best to dispose of the items. Most are left to be placed with the dead, though a few items are returned to surviving family members. "Most people wouldn't go to this trouble," Papillon tells Reseda before they part ways.

Reseda: "I figured I'd get a bunch of questions why, to be honest."

Papillon: "No point asking why someone wishes to be kind. I figure you have your reasons."

Reseda: "What about you?"

Papillon: *pause* "There was someone I cared about. Once. Someone like those people."

Reseda: "What happened...?"

Papillon: *long pause* "I'm not sure what happened to him." *forces a smile & wave* "Adieu, and look after yourself, oui?"

Papillon spreads his wings and flies off (something that always catches the landbound Trench Rats off guard) before the words completely register in Reseda's brain. He's not entirely sure why, yet they stick with and niggle at him, how casually Papillon let something like that slip.

In the original version of events, some neglectful action of Reseda's helped lead to Silver getting captured by the Nazis. I was still going to go with this, but if I do I'm not sure how it pans out. In the current version, the primary catalyst behind Silver's capture, when he slips behind enemy lines as he has dozens of times before and gets inside Project Doomsday headquarters, is Teal Rat. Teal, one of Silver's former co-members of the original reconnaissance unit which was absorbed into the Trench Rats, was captured when Doomsday Rat was freed, and has been subjected to various kinds of torture and experimentation ever since, despite his status as a special prisoner. A complicated series of events leads to trouble for Silver on what should be a routine mission. The doctor in charge of the experiment, Kammler, has been pushing against the SS's restrictions on what treatment he can subject Teal to; just prior to Silver's arrival, he utilized an especially nasty punishment for the Trench Rat's resistance, granting a Nazi sergeant named Lange access to his cell. Lange is well known (and despised) for his brutal treatment of his unwilling male partners, and Teal is no exception. This is the event that finally breaks Teal, and he promises to do whatever Kammler wants. When Silver abruptly appears and runs into him, they're both stunned--the Rats had been just about certain Teal is dead by now, and Teal has been convinced by Kammler that they're never going to come for him. Indeed, Silver isn't there to rescue Teal, yet he promptly changes his plan, and starts trying to think of a way to get them both out of there--when Teal suddenly starts screaming, "Der Silbergeist! DER SILBERGEIST!!"

Silver commits his first actual mistake, hesitating briefly, he's so confused by Teal's behavior. He belatedly gets the idea to get TF out of there. Unfortunately, the nearby Nazi guards hear Teal's screaming and come running immediately--Silver, used to taking advantage of sneaking in secretly, has no such advantage anymore, and is quickly captured, Teal pointing at him and yelling the entire time. He's easily taken into custody, Kammler is called, and it's a very big development, somebody as highly wanted as Der Silbergeist finally being apprehended. As he's restrained and taken away, Silver hears Teal babbling to Kammler, "I got him, Der Silbergeist, I got him for you," like a child desperately seeking approval for a good deed, and Kammler actually coos at him that he indeed did well. Silver is brought to a strange medical room--there's a barred cell taking up one wall, a Jewish prisoner inside staring at what's going on--and restrained to a table. He refuses to answer any questions despite being cuffed, then punched, then beaten. Dr. Kammler then calls Sgt. Lange, and he and the others leave them alone. Things take an especially dreadful turn.

Some time later, Lange departs, fists bloody, fuming and believing Silver to be dead. In reality, he's merely unconscious; as soon as he awakes, he starts trying to free himself despite his immense pain. The Jewish prisoner, Jakob Wolfstein, tosses him a shiv he's been working on, and Silver cuts his restraints before working to get Wolfstein's cell open. With Wolfstein's help, since he can barely walk, Silver escapes, and the two manage to make their way into the countryside surrounding the city and disappear into the woods.

Almost before they've even gotten news of Silver's capture, the Rats learn of his escape, and that he's been taken in by Didrika's band of partisans. Plans are immediately made to go negotiate for his release, since Didrika rarely offers any kindnesses for free. Among those chosen to meet with the partisans are Burgundy Rat, Lyndsey Skye, and a handful of other Rats including Reseda. Reseda is absolutely agonized over this turn of events, partly because he blames himself. Even if none of his actions led directly to Silver's capture (need to work this part out), there are still the bad feelings he had about Silver, as well as the now-searing memory of a brief interaction he had previously with Didrika. She'd noticed, on the last interaction between her group and Echo Company, the vague hostile attitude between him and Silver, and half-jokingly warned him against using the evil eye so casually. When Reseda scoffed that there were no such things as curses, Didrika replied, "Careful, gadjo. Just because you don't believe in a curse doesn't mean it doesn't believe in you." Well, Reseda remembers his earlier vague, spiteful wishes for something to happen to take Silver down a peg...and now Didrika's warning takes on a lot more significance. He finds himself increasingly convinced that he's the reason Silver went through what he did, and the guilt is nearly overwhelming.

There's a bit of drama when the Rats reach the partisan encampment (Skye doesn't appreciate a joke Didrika makes at Burgundy's expense, and smacks her across the face), though as soon as Burgundy belatedly arrives they get down to business. Didrika reports that Silver is alive and in one piece, but in quite poor shape--she and the camp's doctor have been tending to him, and he needs a bit more rest before she'll let him go. Wolfstein, the only direct witness, is available to fill in more details that Didrika refuses to; the way she keeps the story vague unsettles Reseda and the others, so they can assume that something really awful must have happened. Reseda doesn't get to hear what Wolfstein tells Burgundy, though he does see how Wolfstein's eyes well up and he puts his hands over his face at one point. Burgundy haggles with Didrika and agrees to provide the partisans with penicillin and various medical supplies in exchange for Silver's release and some crates of oranges, then goes to check on him for himself. The others are invited to stay for supper, during which Didrika stops by Reseda's spot for a bit and chats with him. Getting the distinct impression she's sussing him out, he tries to keep his answers guarded, though it soon becomes clear she's picking up on a lot more than he's saying--including his guilt over Silver's fate. "You seem quite close, to care about him so much, gadjo," she says, which completely catches him off guard--"Close? I can't stand him!" Reseda blurts out, at which Didrika's mouth twitches and she says, "You have an odd way of showing it, then."

The Rats spend a couple of days in Didrika's camp--during which she appears to be flirting with Reseda at times, and he learns about the odd relationship she has with her men--before Silver decides he wants to return to Headquarters. He insists on walking out on his own, though the going is quite slow, with him limping along and having to stop often to catch his breath. Wolfstein appears and insists on walking alongside him, although he refrains from touching him. The other Rats are struck silent when they get their first look at him; his eyes are both black and still somewhat swollen, bruises litter his ribs and arms and legs, his wrists and ankles have ligature marks, and he shuffles in obvious pain. He speaks softly--not at all his usual snapping tone--though when both Didrika and Burgundy suggest he stay in the camp and rest a bit longer, a familiar bite enters his voice and he says he's going back to HQ. Even Burgundy, who far outranks him, knows better than to argue. The Trench Rats and Wolfstein depart back for Headquarters.

Silver is given a bed in the medical ward to recover in, and spends quite a bit of time heavily drugged and sleeping. Wolfstein submits to a physical exam; while in unusually good health (he'd been fed better while in Kammler's custody than he had while prisoner in a camp), he's still quite thin, and has obviously been subjected to experimentation and torture--Burgundy is especially livid to see the vivisection scars he bears. Echo Company is temporarily left without leadership and so "merges" with Copper's Charlie Company in the meantime. And Reseda finds himself left with a lot of thoughts. Thoughts primarily about Silver. The longer he thinks about him the more he starts to realize he seems to have feelings for him...and not the feelings he'd thought he had.

He finds himself worrying about Silver's welfare constantly, asking for updates on his recovery whenever someone has reason to return to HQ or the medical ward. He even ignores the looks he gets from Citrine and the others. He spends his days with his insides in knots, especially when furtive rumor starts to spread about exactly what it was that happened to Silver during his brief time in Nazi custody. Reseda isn't sure whether to believe the rumor or not; he tries to question Wolfstein about it when he gets the chance, but Wolfstein refuses to go into any detail about what he saw, saying instead, "All this is between Herr Silbergeist and Herr Doktor and Herr Gott, it's not for me to spread to the wind. If you care, just pray for him to get better soon, ja?"

Reseda knows at least two other people are in a position to know if the rumor is true: Didrika and the partisan camp doctor. When he gets the chance to speak with Didrika again, again he asks. She pauses before saying, "If you want truth, why don't you ask him yourself. I figure whatever he wants anyone to know, he'll tell." Reseda says, "I don't think that's the kind of thing he'd want to talk about," to which she replies, "You have your answer then, gadjo," and leaves. Reseda is startled when Boris halts beside him and leans down close to say quietly, "Best let some things go unknown, droog. Save yourself trouble. He want to say, he say. Otherwise, let go," and follows her. Reseda belatedly recalls the dark look that flitted across his face as he asked the question, but he can't think of why Boris would care at all. (See Lange's entry, HERE, for the most up-to-date version why Boris cares at all.)

Eventually, Silver returns to Echo Company and things return to normal...well...sort of. Everyone tries to act like everything is the way it was but they find themselves unintentionally walking on eggshells around him, and it's obvious this irritates Silver. He isn't quite as snappish as previously, however; much of the time he seems distracted or inattentive. The rest of the company responds by basically figuring things out on their own, having to deal with minimum input from him, though of course this isn't a feasible course of action in all circumstances, and they endure a few close scrapes due to Silver's lack of attention. Reseda steps up, keeping rather close to him while trying to not be obvious about it; whenever Silver's attention is needed he does vague little things to catch it again. It's a tedious, constant job always keeping an eye on him while trying to look like he's not, but it's all he can think of to keep Silver out of trouble; he still blames himself for his capture, and wants to make up for it. If Silver's attention wanders too much, he could end up losing his command--or getting someone killed.

Silver isn't completely stupid, though, and catches on to how Reseda always seems to be around now; he finally calls him out on it, getting fed up with his constant presence. Reseda's forced to explain his actions, and that includes mentioning his own guilt. Silver frowns, an odd combination of irritation and confusion, and says, "You didn't have anything to do with that." Then when Reseda admits to hoping something bad would happen to him, Silver's frown just grows and he says, "You don't make something happen by thinking about it. Now knock it off and quit harassing me."

Reseda backs off, but just enough to look like he's not fixating on Silver anymore; he still does what he can to cover for his negligence. Which, BTW, just seems to worsen. Silver's temper becomes erratic, and every once in a while he zones out or engages in irrational behavior that's nothing like his usual self. There's even an occasion when he almost gets shot and killed by a German sniper, Ratdog, yet Ratdog refrains from taking the easy shot at the last minute, and even prevents the young Wehrmacht private with him from following through instead; after a brief argument, Ratdog yells out something in German at the Rats, then the two depart. One of the Rats translates the message: "He said he won't take an unfair shot. He'll wait until you're better, and then he'll kill you." (This just peeves Silver, who insists he's fine.)

Reseda tries to find ways to distract or dissuade himself from his growing feelings; one of these attempts involves hiring a couple of prostitutes. (He doesn't go looking for them, though they manage to coax him into it.) He figures passing the night with a pair of beautiful and attentive women should jar him out of his thoughts, and it does help for a little while, until one of the women picks up a hint that he might be more into men; she makes a furtive joke to her companion and they laugh, at which Reseda, humiliated, slaps her. The women apologize, though Reseda is more dismayed by his own actions; he leaves them and decides never to try that again, since obviously it didn't work. They were right--his heart wasn't really in it, and he wasn't really into them. There isn't much point denying it now, although he does futilely attempt to shove down his feelings for Silver in particular. He figures Silver can hardly stand him as it is.

Back in Echo Company, one irrational behavior of Silver's that Reseda witnesses is him compulsively rubbing at and washing his wrists, where slight scars from the leather restraints are still slightly visible yet the bruises are gone; when he notices that Silver is starting to rub his wrists raw again, he asks him to stop, then orders him, then grabs his arm to make him stop. And gets punched in the face in return. He's too startled to be upset, just presses his hand to his eye at the pain; he blinks a few times and notices Silver staring at him with an expression he imagines is exactly like that he must've had after slapping the prostitute. Like he can't believe he did such a thing. Reseda takes a few breaths to steady himself before saying, "There's nothing there anymore. It's gone. The only thing still here is you."

Silver stares at him a moment more. Then, out of nowhere, kisses him, hard. Reseda blinks again and makes a noise, surprised and confused, yet after a few seconds relaxes. As abruptly as it started it's over and he's left standing there still blinking and gasping; Silver has a very odd look he can't describe, though he imagines he doesn't look much different. Then Silver turns and quickly walks away. Reseda returns to the company and everything resumes as before, as if nothing happened; he even finds himself wondering whether he dreamed it, though he knows he didn't. He's pretty sure how he feels by now, but Silver's reaction to his own actions mystifies him, and he has no idea what, if anything, to do about it; suddenly Boris's advice to just let things be seems prudent.

He does try again to distract himself, this time with an older German resistance sympathizer with whom the Rats come into contact, named Vischer. Like the prostitutes, he notices the hints Reseda tries so hard to keep secret, and offers him a temporary diversion. Reseda visits with him for a while, though it's obvious his mind is elsewhere, and Vischer finally broaches the subject, after Reseda unthinkingly calls him "Silbergeist." Reseda is of course mortified, but Vischer isn't upset; he knows he's not the one Reseda wants. "This just brings up the question, why are you here with me?" he says. "When it's plain you long to be with someone else." Reseda admits that he doesn't believe Silver would be interested.

Vischer: "You know this for sure?"

Reseda: "I've never asked him, but it's obvious."

Vischer: "How is it obvious?"

Reseda: "I mean...you know who I'm talking about, right?"

Vischer: "Everyone knows der Silbergeist. But how do you know what he thinks of you until you ask?"

Reseda: "Some people make it pretty damn clear."

Vischer: "And how exactly has he made it clear what he thinks of you?"

Reseda starts to answer, thinking of all the times Silver's berated and upbraided him in front of anyone else...and then he recalls their last, very confusing interaction. He'd actually mentally downplayed it and tried to forget, yet there it is, still stuck in his head. Vischer notes the look on his face and says, "I'll assume it's not so clear then after all, is it." He adds, "I won't tell you to stop coming by...but what it is you really want, really need, I don't believe you'll find it here. And you won't be happy until you do find it."

Reseda finally gets the hint; there are no distractions that will get him over his feelings for Silver. He refrains from directly dealing with the issue for a time, though one day when he spots Silver rubbing his wrists without noticing it brings the emotions back. When he says, "Sir...?" Silver mumbles, "It feels like they're still there." Reseda instantly understands--the physical wounds may be long gone, but the mental ones are still quite fresh. No wonder he keeps trying to wipe them off. Reseda hesitates a moment before crouching in front of Silver and gently but firmly grasping both of his wrists, covering up the scars. Silver instantly tenses up and looks at him, a hostile but weirdly glassy and detached glint in his eyes--he looks about ready to punch him again. "They're gone and you're here," Reseda says again; Silver blinks, and his eyes clear--like somebody waking from a dream. After another moment he kisses Reseda again and Reseda returns the gesture.

The next day Reseda is the one with all kinds of confused emotions. Company life goes on the same as always, so he keeps his thoughts to himself; he knows he's been an unfortunately open book in the past, so worries a little that this will again be an issue, but nobody seems to notice much or care. Only once, when his mind wanders, Citrine snaps, "Back to earth, kid," and he keeps better track of his thoughts. He does notice, on the other hand, that Silver doesn't seem as distracted himself as before, and he doesn't see him rubbing at his wrists so much or staring off into space. It's as if he needed something to jar him out of it. Reseda doesn't mind taking on some of his scattered thoughts in return, though he wonders what, if anything, this change will entail between them. When he finally (and awkwardly) gets the chance to ask, Silver tersely replies that he doesn't know, either. He's a lot better at hiding it, yet is just as perplexed as Reseda is.

Unlike Reseda, Silver's not really into examining his emotions; it makes him painfully uncomfortable. (I imagine having a profession in which you snap people's necks like you're opening a soda bottle can make one less prone to introspection.) He prefers to compartmentalize and keep things from getting messy. So Reseda's early insistence on them figuring out where they stand with each other wears on him, and he's rather short tempered at first. He does start trying to respond more rationally, but still has no answers; this is the first and only time something like this has happened for him, so he can't explain it. Reseda, too, forces himself to not be so pushy and just try to accept it. They're careful to keep things discreet (a few parties suspect something is up, yet never act on it), though they effectively become a couple throughout the series. (One thing I forgot to mention, Reseda learns that Silver actually hates being called Silbergeist--as that's what Lange kept calling him during his ordeal.)

Skipping ahead, as much of Silver's and Reseda's relationship isn't mapped out yet. This part, too, is still highly under development and so may change. Toward the end of the penultimate story arc, Silver goes missing and is presumed captured and killed by the Nazis--he was the one most wanted, after all. Reseda is devastated--he tries what he can to find out what became of Silver, yet at the same time, can't reveal WHY he's so invested in what became of him or why he cares so much. Gold, now sergeant of the Trench Rats, insists they're doing all they can to try to locate him, but adds not to expect miracles--the final days of the war are chaotic and messy and at one point, even the body of Indigo, the leader of Delta Company, goes missing. "You have to face that it might be that we never find him (Silver)," Gold says; when Reseda retorts, "No man left behind! Isn't that what we always say?" Gold looks wounded and replies, "We say it, and we mean it. But this is reality. It's different here."

Reseda lingers in Germany for a time and enlists LC Mahogany's help in questioning anyone who might have any knowledge of Silver's whereabouts. Former members of the Axis seem most in a position to know, although there are few who are willing to assist. Two who bother to speak with them are SS members Major Konstantin Klaus, the former commandant of the local labor/extermination camp, and Captain Otto Himmel, who once oversaw Dr. Kammler's work. (Kammler himself was killed by Teal.) Both had survived capture at the war's end (though Klaus was beaten and nearly killed by his own inmates) and stood trial for their crimes; Klaus was found guilty of more serious charges yet granted a deal for his cooperation so is serving a prison sentence, whereas Himmel was found guilty of a lesser charge, also cooperated, and was let go. Reseda and Mahogany visit the castle prison where Klaus is being kept; yet, "I can tell you Herr Silbergeist was never placed in my camp, Herr Reseda," Klaus informs him, "I'd remember if so." That leaves Himmel, who following his release returned to the farm where his son Kolten, formerly one of Kammler's test subjects, was previously sent to live; Reseda sets out to see him.

The trip there is a long one and along the way they meet an unexpected party: Ratdog, the same sniper who once relinquished his easy shot at Silver. Although he'd had several other chances, he never followed through on his vow to kill Silver. They pass not far from Ratdog's home while on their way and he comes out to confront them, rifle at the ready; Mahogany talks him down, as Ratdog doesn't speak English and Reseda doesn't speak German. He still seems vaguely hostile until Mahogany explains their reason for passing through; when Mahogany mentions "Herr Silbergeist" Ratdog looks directly at Reseda with an odd frown. Upon learning of Silver's disappearance his demeanor shifts; he offers to accompany them out of the woods along the way to the Albrecht farm where Himmel is. He says something to Mahogany before taking the lead; Mahogany murmurs to Reseda, "He says he's sorry to hear what happened. He always respected Silver and hoped they might meet and talk someday. As equals."

As they walk, Ratdog eventually falls back into step alongside Reseda; Reseda, preoccupied with his own thoughts, tries to ignore the way he peers at him sideways. After a while Ratdog speaks quietly in German; Reseda of course doesn't reply. A brief pause, then Ratdog says, "Du hast ihn geliebt?" "I don't speak German, sorry," Reseda says with mild annoyance; there's another, longer pause, Ratdog appearing to rack his brain, before he says in halting English, "You loved...?"

Reseda has to force himself not to shiver at the icy prickle that runs up his neck; he recognizes it now, the odd look Ratdog had been giving him--the same look the prostitutes, and Vischer, and Didrika once gave him. Somehow, he can tell. And he realizes he doesn't even have to ask how he knows--he'd noticed another look in Ratdog's eyes when they met. Grief. Reseda doesn't know the details, but he can tell Ratdog's lost someone, too. He doesn't respond to the question, but Ratdog appears to understand his reluctance; he says something else as he turns back to mind his own business, and they continue walking. He parts ways with them when they reach the edge of the field land upon which the Albrecht property is located.

At the Albrechts', they meet Himmel. Mahogany again explains the situation, though when Himmel replies he speaks accented yet flawless English. Like Ratdog, he's dismayed to learn of Silver's disappearance, though he has no answers to offer. "Many things and people went missing in those last days," he says, including lots of SS documents related to Project Doomsday, and his own employer, Major Jäger. He suspects this was deliberate, but that's all he knows. He starts to suggest, "Do you think it's at all possible Herr Silver went missing intentionally...?" but when Reseda quickly shoots this down, he just as quickly backs off. He promises to let them know if he hears of anything else, but there's nothing he can offer right now. As the Rats prepare to leave, he adds, "I'm sorry about your friend, Herr Mahogany, Herr Reseda. Herr Silver was...is...very brave and resourceful...if he's in any sort of trouble, I know he'll do all he can to get out of it."

Upon return to the new Trench Rat Headquarters--the previous Project Doomsday headquarters--Mahogany asks Reseda what, if anything, he'd like to try next. Reseda, demoralized, is out of ideas, plus, it's time for him to go home; he doesn't have any connections left holding him in Germany. Mahogany offers to get in touch with him if any other info comes to light, and Reseda finally heads back to the United States, dejected.

Reseda has no family (that I'm aware of); he takes a job, moves into an apartment, lives alone. The thought of moving on and finding someone else, even as a temporary diversion, doesn't cross his mind; he'd rather just be on his own. He's gotten used to his solitary life, and the hole in his heart, after a year or two has passed, when one evening a quiet knock comes at his door. He almost never gets visitors, so this jars him a bit; perplexed, he goes to unlock the door and peer out. For a few seconds all he can do is stare, dumbfounded, at the face staring back--he can't believe it's Silver, yet it is--older, gaunt, yet the same Silver he last saw so long ago. He seems just as surprised to see Reseda although he knocked on his door. After a confused moment Reseda opens his door wider and steps aside; Silver silently enters and he closes the door again.

Silver sits on the sofa and doesn't talk as Reseda fetches something to eat and drink, unsure what else to do; his thoughts are racing now and he has to force himself to not bombard the other Rat with questions as he brings him a plate and mug. Silver shows no interest in the food but does sip his drink when Reseda urges him to, then grasping it in his hands and staring into space a moment or so. "What happened...?" Reseda at last prompts him, unable to hold it in any longer; Silver looks at him glassy eyed yet says nothing, so Reseda adds, "Where did you go?" Silver just stares at him another moment, then they both gasp and jerk back--the mug has shattered in his hands, liquid spattering them both, shards flying. He'd been gripping it so tight it broke. He blinks at the sight of blood on his hands; Reseda hurries to fetch a towel, sitting down beside him and carefully pulling a few slivers of ceramic free before wrapping up his hands. Silver blinks a few more times, takes and lets out a breath, and relaxes as if finally pulled back down to earth.

Hesitating here and there, he starts to explain, though it's obvious his thoughts are muddled. He's only just returned from Germany. It's too soon for word to have reached Reseda yet about all that recently happened; Silver lays it out the best he can. He heard rumor in the final days of the war, during one of his solo excursions, that the SS was making plans to abandon project headquarters yet not Project Doomsday itself--they had a contingency plan to keep the experiment going from a new location, somewhere far to the south in the Alps. The destruction of Project Doomsday has long been the Trench Rats' primary goal; for it to continue even after the then-impending fall of the Third Reich is unthinkable. Silver had no reasonable time to notify the rest of the battalion, knowing they would need to make detailed plans of attack that would take far too long to enact; taking a calculated risk, he did the only thing he could think of, and let himself be captured.

Reseda: *sharply* "What--?" *Silver flinches, Reseda takes a breath & lowers his voice* "How could you do that--? After what--after what already happened? They could've killed you."

Silver: "They never wanted me dead."

Reseda: "Still. That wouldn't have stopped them from doing anything else."

Silver: "Kammler and that a**hole were dead. Also they weren't the SS."

Reseda: "What are you talking about?"

Silver: "We read the files. The SS didn't sanction any of that. They weren't even interested in me. The only thing they were interested in was Projekt Weltuntergang--Project Doomsday. Everything else Kammler did, he did on his own."

Reseda: "I don't understand what you were thinking."

Silver: "The only use I had to them was for intel or for experimenting. And by then they didn't need any more intel."

Reseda is stunned to find out that Silver basically offered himself up to be part of the believed-defunct Project Doomsday, which had in fact been resurrected at the last minute as Project Ultima Thule. Silver outlines how after his capture by the fleeing SS forces, he was transported south, into the mountains, where he was brought before an officer he took to be in charge of the whole thing. Calling himself Ludolf Jäger, he was oddly courteous to Silver, appearing to see through his plan to allow himself to be captured this time: "The last time was an unfortunate fluke; I find it strains credulity that you'd unwittingly be caught a second time. In other words, Herr Silbergeist, you're not that stupid." He explained that Silver could either consent to become a test subject, or have it forced on him; "Not much of a choice," Silver said, though the reaction he got from Jäger was unexpected.

Jäger: *smiles* "It's not quite the punishment you think. In fact it's no longer a punishment at all. Things have changed since you were last with us. We've put a lot of work into this, into perfecting it, and we're very close. This isn't the old serum you've heard of."

Silver: "I've heard of the side effects, is what I've heard of. And the numerous failures."

Jäger: "That was then, Herr Silbergeist, this is now! I promise you, things have changed. It's like alchemy, you know alchemy? Refining a base substance into gold. This has always been the goal, to take the Untermensch and refine him into an Übermensch."

Silver: "I know full well what you people do to an Untermensch and it sure doesn't involve 'refining' anything!"

Jäger: "It's as I told you, Herr Silbergeist, things have changed. That was the Third Reich which has fallen. The Fourth Reich arises in its ashes like the phoenix! Glorious and new like the dawn! It's true my views are different from the base views of my former comrades. That's why I'm here now, and they're not! Darwin was right! Just not in the way everyone else thought. You can only winnow out so much chaff! What if chaff is all there is? You're left with nothing! The others had it all wrong with their gas chambers and their firing squads. I'm rational enough to admit I'm not perfect, Herr Silbergeist. Herr Gott or whatever divine power created us created none of us perfect. This is where they got it wrong. No one is born an Übermensch. There is no Herrenvolk. Not yet! It needs a hand in coming to fruition, in evolving. It needs refining! Not throwing the lead away, but turning it into gold! So much waste and destruction the Third Reich stood for, yet this time around it'll be different. No more Weltuntergang. A new world! A better world. Perfection needed a hand in achieving, and Ultima Thule is it. The TRUE Final Solution! The Magnum Opus!"

Reseda listens to all this with a blank look. "What the f**k," he says simply when Silver falls silent, to which Silver replies, "Exactly. He was a batsh*t lunatic."

Jäger explained that the experimental serum had finally, successfully been tweaked enough--in a lab other than the one run by Kammler, where Himmel had constantly sabotaged the project--and so its effect on subjects was different now. Whereas previously it had often been excruciatingly painful, especially on those for whom it was unsuccessful--which was almost everyone, considering it was effective on only one very rare blood type mutation--now it could be administered with minimal difficulty, and had proven to be beneficial to everyone who took it so far, although to differing extents. "It still needs a bit more perfecting before we have our Philosopher's Stone," Jäger had said, "but with every subject, we get a little closer to achieving godhood." He urged Silver to take the serum willingly--"It won't hurt, Herr Silbergeist, nothing but the prick of the needle, and I know you can handle that." When Silver asked him how he could possibly know this, Jäger beamed and replied, "Simple, Herr Silbergeist, you're seeing the results. I've already taken the serum myself."

It's true--not just Jäger, but the other remaining SS members who fled to the Alpine Fortress with him, took the Doomsday serum and now not only had varying increases in strength and stamina, but were essentially immortal--almost nothing could kill them. Jäger proved this after a fashion by taking his Ehrendolch and slitting into the side of his neck--Silver couldn't help letting out a distressed sound as blood from the severed jugular and carotid started spitting and pouring down his uniform. Other than a brief moment to take a shaky breath and apparently get used to the shock, though, Jäger seemed unaffected, even continuing to talk: "See, Herr Silbergeist...? Anyone else would be dead within moments. You'll see it isn't so with us, and it can be the same for you. Imagine...being one large step that much closer to godhood. As strong as an oak, as strong as Donar, able to withstand all pain and adversity. This can be you." He then took his hand away from the pulsing wound and to Silver's astonishment, the cut in the skin had largely closed already and the blood flow was diminishing. "What do you say, Herr Silbergeist...?" Jäger asked. "Join us on your knees, or standing on your feet...?"

Silver says he took the only real choice available--willingly subjecting himself to the serum. After all, he'd let himself be caught; of course it wouldn't be easy. Surprisingly, just as Jäger said, the first infusion didn't hurt aside from placing the IV; afterward Jäger informed him that it would take more infusions, and some time, to notice the full effects, but he should start to experience some soon. He invited Silver to dinner with him to discuss future plans and further explain what he was to expect in his role in "this wondrous new Reich." Part of this involved him outlining the purpose and preparedness of the Alpine Fortress, starting to refer to Silver as "Kamerad" (marking him as an equal), and fitting him for a strange new version of the traditional Allgemeine-SS uniform, except white rather than black. It wasn't long before Silver was convinced none of this was an act--Jäger genuinely believed in his plan, and fully intended to implement it or die trying. He was a bona fide fanatic.

Silver originally intended to try to kill Jäger, and with hope the budding new Reich would die with him, but this idea was promptly scuttled when Jäger introduced him to some other residents of the Alpine Fortress: His wife, Magdalena, and their nine young children: the eldest, Leopoldine (actually Jäger's adopted daughter, her father being another SS officer Magda had a brief relationship with before moving into the Lebensborn home where Jäger met her), Lisbeth, Liesl, twins Lars and Lara, Lothar, twins Lilli and Lotti, and the youngest, Liane. As Magda warmly welcomed Silver he noticed she was pregnant--"Our tenth, yet just as loved as our first," she said, blushing, "I'm going to have to think of a name soon!" The thought of killing an entire family, all of whom but one were innocent, turned his stomach, and he decided he'd need to take some further time to become familiar with the Fortress and try to figure out another plan of attack. (During this time, he started noticing the effects of the serum kicking in, including increased strength and lack of sensitivity to pain--effects he displayed when he broke Reseda's mug by merely holding it.)

Silver outlines events as he witnessed them in the Ultima Thule story arc, which takes place shortly before his return to Reseda. (Let me slip back into present tense here.) He opts to remain in a largely background role, ostensibly to observe for Jäger, in reality to work on his own plot to bring down Jäger's Fourth Reich. Jäger lets him, and Silver watches events play out. This includes the "resurrection" of Silver's former comrade Indigo, whose body was retrieved from the trench where shrapnel felled him in the war's chaotic final days; Jäger explains the serum has this miraculous ability as well, to restore life--of a sort--to those who have recently died and been preserved, so long as their brain is intact. Silver takes note of this latter detail as a potential weakness as he observes the process. Unlike with those who are alive at the time of administration, subjects like Indigo react more like zombies, unspeaking and mindlessly following orders. Silver also notices the hazy bluish tint all serum subjects get to their eyes, himself included.

When a small party of intruders arrives--composed of an uneasy alliance of Allies and former Axis members, including several Trench Rats, Wolfstein, Ratdog, and Himmel and his son Kolten--Jäger sets his forces in motion to protect the Alpine Fortress. Turns out that Himmel's theory regarding Silver's disappearance, and Jäger's hand in things, wasn't so far off the mark; Jäger confiscated what Project Doomsday documentation he could get hold of and made off with it, his family, and the remaining SS officers to restart the project from the safety of the Fortress. He attempts to recruit Himmel once he meets his trusted old secretary again--the only reason he hadn't let him in on the plot previously being Himmel's capture by Allied forces--yet Himmel, who never truly believed in SS principles and joined only to protect his son, is appalled by this turn of events--he'd long suspected Jäger was a zealot, just not how much of one. He refuses to join, instead trying to appeal to Jäger about the insanity of his plan. Jäger's just as steadfast in his beliefs, though, and regretfully informs Himmel and Ratdog that they're his enemies now, so the next time they meet, it'll be anything goes. He proves this by unleashing Indigo on them, and the Trench Rats are stunned and confused to come face to face again with their friend whom they'd thought was dead.

Silver remains hidden and unknown to the Allies throughout most of this, though he does engage in whatever acts of sabotage he can manage, including killing off at least one of the SS guards who attack the others; upon seeing the guard's snapped neck--Silver's preferred method--the Rats are even more perplexed and uneasy, but it isn't until much later that he reveals himself to them, or rather Jäger reveals him as his own secret weapon. This is another stunning blow to the Rats, until Silver defects from Jäger's side after causing as much damage as he can, including revealing to the others several locations of explosives stored within the Fortress; the Allies spend the story attempting to wire these for detonation in hopes of destroying the project once and for all. Jäger and his remaining guards prove quite formidable--especially now that Jäger is infuriated and willing to do absolutely anything to achieve his vision--yet the Allies very gradually gain the advantage, even managing to subdue Indigo long enough to administer an antiserum that counters the worst effects of his condition, effectively bringing him out of his zombielike state while keeping his increased strength and pain resistance intact. Silver also informs them that damaging/destroying the brain is the only way to permanently incapacitate the enemy, which helps them pick off Jäger's guards. Details of this part of the plot are still hazy, but in a final confrontation Jäger ends up buried and presumably killed by ice and rubble, and the Allies start to head out, determined to escape the Fortress before the explosives go off.

On their way out, they encounter an awful scene that only proves the depths of Jäger's fanaticism. Ratdog and a Soviet ally (so far unnamed), walking point, crest a rise and spot something on the other side that makes them recoil; Ratdog quickly warns the others they may want to find another way out. He says they won't want to see what's on the other side, and when a few of the others draw closer anyway, he urges Himmel, especially, not to go any further. Himmel ignores the warning and climbs to the top of the slope, peering over; he promptly stifles a cry and stares for a moment before slowly making his way down into the cavern ahead. The others follow. Within is a row of bodies, arranged from oldest to youngest: Magda Jäger and the nine Jäger children. The children, the youngest of them not even a toddler yet, have cloths draped over their upper bodies to hide them from view, yet Magda is uncovered; her death was obviously caused by a gunshot to the head, and there are still tears on her face. It soon becomes clear, based on evidence at the scene, that she, likely with Leopoldine's help, drugged each of the children, laid them out, and after they fell asleep, Leopoldine included, shot each of them one by one, covering them up afterward; as the last to go, there was no one left to cover her. From the looks of it, Magda was crying throughout the entire gruesome process, yet went through with it anyway. It's revealed that Jäger had long ago successfully recruited Magda into his worldview and although she never outwardly displayed the signs (even Himmel never had any idea), she was as much a fanatic devoted to the cause as he was; the two had a murder/suicide pact in place in case of Jäger's untimely death and the failure of the project, and this included annihilating their entire family. Ever the devoted wife, Magda hadn't let Jäger down.

Himmel, who had always wanted a large family and had been especially close to the Jäger children, is hit hardest by this development; "Why? What was the point?" he laments, "I would have taken them in." "I think that was the point," Ratdog replies, and they reluctantly leave the bodies behind, unable to bring them along in time to escape the Fortress. The Alps become the Jägers' tomb as the Allies flee back to safety and the explosives go off, at last ending Project Ultima Thule for good.

Reseda listens to Silver finish his tale before falling silent. "I know I shouldn't have just left everyone not knowing," Silver says quietly, when Reseda cuts in.

Reseda: "Yet you'd do it again. In a heartbeat."

Silver: *pause* "I would."

Reseda: "Because there was nobody else to do it."

Silver: "There wasn't."

Reseda: "That's always been your reason for acting. Because nobody else would do it."

Silver: *long pause* "It's not the only reason I do anything."

Reseda: "But it is the main one. You can't deny it."

Silver: "I never tried to. You can't say you didn't know that."

Reseda: "And I'm not."

Silver: "If this is something that bothers you, you should've said so a long time ago, and saved us both the trouble."

Reseda: *long pause* "So while you're here lecturing me on what I should know about you, it turns out you don't know me at all."

Silver: *frowns & looks at him*

Reseda: "I figured out why you do what you do a long time ago. If I'd had a problem with it, I would've moved on. I didn't. I stayed because I understood. And you're saying you didn't know that...?"

Silver: *long silence* "No...I didn't know. I never understood why you did anything you did."

Reseda: "I suppose it kills you, admitting that."

Silver stares at Reseda for a moment or so more, before his eyes go glassy and he swallows and looks away. He absently rubs at his wrist. Reseda hesitates a few seconds before moving to sit beside him; he grasps Silver's hand and Silver reflexively grasps his back. Silver takes in and lets out a breath, eyes still wet but clearing. When he turns his head back, Reseda presses their foreheads together. "You're still here," he murmurs, "and that's why I'm here," and Silver closes his eyes.

[Reseda Rat 2023 [‎Friday, ‎May ‎26, ‎2023, ‏‎3:00:13 AM]]

[deanhobbyinfo]

STILL STANDING in Kingston's Daily Freeman

KINGSTON, N.Y. — The Friends of Historic Kingston’s latest exhibit, “Still Standing,” recognizes 12 buildings and structures in the city as examples of successful historic preservation and shares stories of the efforts to ensure their survival.

Featured landmarks range from well-known preservation stories like City Hall to lesser-known accounts like RUPCO’s Lace Mill and Uptown homes like the early 19th century Amelia Westbrook House on Clinton Avenue.

Some of the preserved buildings were threatened by the urban renewal-era wrecking ball that saw more than 400 homes and businesses torn down in the Rondout Area. More recent preservation fights include efforts in the 2010s to save the Alms House, now incorporated into RUPCO’s Landmark Place affordable housing development, from potential demolition. There are also current efforts to rehabilitate the historic Kingston-Port Ewen Suspension Bridge, officially known as the Rondout Creek Bridge.

Dean Engle, a New Paltz Middle School reading teacher, helped set up the exhibit and produced a short film that accompanies it. He said while conversations around preservation in Kingston often lament the loss of landmarks such as the former Kingston Post Office, the Friends wanted to focus on success stories with this particular exhibit. “We’re celebrating the people in their time who made often lonely arguments for preservation and now we’re reaping the benefits,” he said.

A Poughkeepsie native who now lives in Midtown, Engle recalled how he joined the Friends as a volunteer after touring the Modjeska Sign Studio exhibit on the very day the museum reopened after the pandemic in 2021. He later went on to help with the expanded version of the exhibit that ran last year.

Engle also leads the Friends Uptown Walking Tour, which takes place on the first Saturday of each month, with the first tour of this year set for July 1. He explained how they selected the 12 buildings. “We didn’t want to just show the oldest buildings,” he said. “Friends of Historic Kingston has a diverse perspective and is interested in all historic buildings, not just the colonial-era stone houses.”

That said, the exhibit does feature the ruins of the Louw-Bogardus House on Frog Alley. Engle said the ruins are believed to be the oldest extant building from the European-settlement era in present-day Kingston. It stands just outside of the 1658 Stockade District. The exhibit also features 20th-century photos that show the home before it was gutted by fire in the 1960s, a period when it was abandoned.

“The fire revealed older construction techniques,” Engle said. “That made us realize we had the remains of the oldest extant building in Kingston, if not the larger area.”

While preservation efforts at the stone ruins are ongoing, including stabilization of the walls, there have been instances of vandalism at the site, including the removal of stones and damage to the remains of its period jambless fireplace, Friends of Historic Kingston Executive Director Jane Kellar said. The work is being funded through state Downtown Revitalization Initiative funds received by the city in 2017.

Kellar showed off an exhibit case featuring newspaper articles and other items chronicling the decades-long fight by preservationists to save the circa 1872 City Hall. The exhibits chronicle those efforts, which started after the building was abandoned by the city in 1972 up to 2000, when it reopened after extensive restoration work carried out by Robert Carey Construction. “They did a wonderful job,” she said.

Kellar believes preservationists succeeded in saving City Hall because they argued that the building had value as an anchor of Midtown. Kellar said she hopes to add more elements to the exhibit in the future. “We have oral histories for each, but we’re not sure how to make it work,” she said. Exhibit hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the end of October. For more information about this exhibit and other Friend’s programming, visit the organization's website.

[farcillesbian]

we're done. total number of files was about 180K, the drive is 500 GB it turns out. files on it include:

- 56 GB folder of pirated comics

- mass effect (will keep this and play it lol)

- world of warcraft

- a weird adult sexual game

- entire suite of Microsoft games circa 2010

- 234 GB movie folder .... includes family guy and standup comedy and a 2007 Joy Division docum and Dexter but only season 3. Kanye West's 2011 Coachella performance. kung fu panda. 2000s comedies like you don't mess with the zohan and zack and miri make a porno. zombie strippers 2008 unrated. sixteen candles????

- apparently this guy's name is Andrew because there's a folder in his fallout saves called Drewstein69 and two saves titled Andrew.

- the most recently updated file was in July 2011. that's so long ago

I'm performing a security scan of my thrifted external hard drive and so far it seems to be an absolute nerd hard drive. there are so many comics on here and also fallout 3 soundtrack??

[pagetgram]

Paget Brewster and James Gunn for The Specials, 2000 - (x)

[vampir3-mon3y]

i organized all the tma statements in order

gertrude is rolling in her grave

note that these include episodes that aren’t exactly statements such as the finales, i basically went about this like if it has a case number it’s getting organized, which is also why i stopped at 160

if i’ve made a mistake dont hesitate to tell me !!

january 1st 1715 - mag 140 “the movement of the heavens”

november 2nd 1787 - mag 116 “the show must go on”

june 12th 1814 - mag 50 “foundations”

march 31st 1816 - mag 23 “schwartzwald”

april 9th 1824 - mag 92 “nothing besides remains”

november 21st 1831 - mag 127 “remains to be seen”

august 1st 1837 - mag 152 “a gravedigger’s envy”

december 5th 1845 - mag 58 “trail rations”

unknown date; early 1862 - mag 105 “total war”

may 14th 1864 - mag 98 “lights out”

february 13th 1867 - mag 138 “the architecture of fear”

november 6th 1922 - mag 7 “the piper”

june 27th 1930 - mag 133 “dead horse”

february 20th 1952 - mag 99 “dust to dust”

july 3rd 1955 - mag 137 “nemesis”

june 4th 1972 - mag 29 “cheating death”

november 2nd 1977 - mag 95 “absent without leave”

february 3rd 1979 - mag 44 “tightrope”

unknown; 80s or 90s - mag 85 “upon the stair”

march 2nd 1983 - mag 86 “tucked in”

december 1st 1990 - mag 84 “possessive”

july 19th 1993 - mag 125 “civilian casualties”

september 15th 1994 - mag 77 “the kind mother”

may 15th 1996 - mag 96 “return to sender”

september 5th 1997 - mag 53 “crusader”

november 22nd 1998 - mag 2 “do not open”

june 10th 1999 - mag 17 “the boneturner’s tale”

february 22nd 2000 - mag 66 “held in customs”

june 12th 2001 - mag 78 “distant cousin”

june 4th 2002 - mag 35 “old passages”

october 20th 2002 - mag 21 “freefall”

december 3rd 2002 - mag 9 “a fathers love” & mag 155 “cost of living”

august 24th 2003 - mag 27 “a sturdy lock”

september 1st 2003 - mag 146 “threshold”

november 4th 2003 - mag 88 “dig”

december 9th 2003 - mag 70 “book of the dead”

april 9th 2004 - mag 52 “exceptional risk”

january 17th 2005 - mag 24 “strange music”

november 29th 2005 - mag 59 “recluse”

january 22nd 2006 - mag 134 “time of revelation”

november 7th 2006 - mag 75 “a long way down”

november 30th 2006 - mag 139 “chosen”

january 4th 2007 - mag 115 “taking stock”

march 13th 2007 - mag 8 “burned out”

march 18th 2007 - mag 67 “burning desire”

july 1st 2007 - mag 3 “across the street”

janurary 7th 2008 - mag 51 “high pressure”

february 10th 2008 - mag 106 “a matter of perspective”

march 11th 2008 - mag 49 “the butcher’s window”

july 3rd 2008 - mag 62 “first edition”

july 21st 2008 - mag 154 “bloody mary”

december 12th 2008 - mag 18 “the man upstairs”

december 19th 2008 - mag 130 “meat”

january 4th 2009 - mag 156 “reflection”

february 2nd 2009 - mag 145 “infectious doubts”

february 23rd 2009 - mag 5 “thrown away”

march 30th 2009 - mag 97 “we all ignore the pit”

april 4th 2009 - mag 57 “personal space”

april 22nd 2009 - mag 114 “cracked foundation”

august 6th 2009 - mag 37 “burnt offering”

october 3rd 2009 - mag 144 “decrypted”

october 11th 2009 - mag 126 “sculptor’s tool”

october 22nd 2009 - mag 72 “takeaway”

feburuary 1st 2010 - mag 107 “third degree”

march 25th 2010 - mag 48 “lost in the crowd”

october 7th 2010 - mag 10 “vampire killer” & mag 56 “children of the night“

november 18th 2010 - mag 69 “thought for the day”

december 9th 2010 - mag 31 “first hunt”

january 2nd 2011 - mag 33 “boatswain’s call”

april 3rd 2011 - mag 148 “extended surveillance”

may 29th 2011 - mag 14 ”piecemeal”

may 30th 2011 - mag 19 “confession” & mag 20 “desecrated host”

november 13th 2011 - mag 112 “thrill of the chase”

february 11th 2012 - mag 12 “first aid”

march 12th 2012 - mag 110 “creature feature”

april 2nd 2012 - mag 153 “love bombing”

april 22nd 2012 - mag 1 “anglerfish”

june 6th 2012 - mag 38 “lost and found”

november 19th 2012 - mag 36 “taken ill”

december 1st 2012 - mag 136 “the puppeteer”

december 11th 2012 - mag 124 “left hanging”

unknown; circa 2012 - mag 113 “breathing room”

may 13th 2013 - mag 149 “concrete jungle”

june 23rd 2013 - mag 54 “still life”

june 28th 2013 - mag 4 “page turner”

august 7th 2013 - mag 90 “body builder”

august 14th 2013 - mag 157 “rotten core”

september 1st 2013 - mag 30 “killing floor”

september 4th 2013 - mag 129 “submerged”

october 19th 2013 - mag 83 “drawing a blank”

february 23rd 2014 - mag 32 “hive”

march 31st 2014 - mag 63 “the end of the tunnel”

june 4th 2014 - mag 102 “nesting instinct”

july 2nd 2014 - mag 103 “cruelty free”

july 14th 2014 - mag 135 “dark matter”

october 10th 2014 - mag 87 “the uncanny valley”

november 9th 2014 - mag 150 “cul-de-sac”

december 9th 2014 -mag 6 “squirm”

february 1st 2015 - mag 122 “zombie”

april 9th 2015 - mag 16 “arachnophobia”

april 19th 2015 - mag 25 “growing dark”

may 20th 2015 - mag 64 “burial rites”

june 8th 2015 - mag 74 “fatigue”

august 1st 2015 - mag 123 “web development”

january 13th 2016 - mag 13 “alone”

march 12th 2016 - mag 22 “colony”

april 2nd 2016 - mag 26 “a distortion”

april 17 2016 - mag 34 “anatomy class”

july 29th 2016 - mag 39 “infestation” & mag 40 “human remains”

september 2nd 2016 - mag 41 “too deep”

september 19th 2016 - mag 43 “section 31”

october 2nd 2016 - mag 47 “the new door”

november 3rd 2016 - mag 55 “pest control”

december 1st 2016 - mag 61 “hard shoulder”

january 7th 2017 - mag 65 “binary”

january 25th 2017 - mag 71 “underground”

february 11th 2017 - mag 73 “police lights”

feburuary 16th 2017 - mag 79 “hide and seek” & mag 80 “librarian”

feburuary 17th 2017 - mag 81 “a guest for mr. spider” & mag 82 “the eyewitness”

april 24th 2017 - mag 89 “twice as bright”

april 28th 2017 - mag 91 “the coming storm”

april 29th 2016 - mag 94 “dead woman walking”

unknown date; may 2017 - mag 100 “i guess you had to be there” & mag 101 “another twist”

june 14th 2017 - mag 104 “sneak preview”

june 29th 2017 - mag 109 “nightfall”

june 30th 2017 - mag 111 “family business”

august 2nd-4th 2017 - mag 117 “testament”

august 6th 2017 - mag 118 “the masquerade”

august 7th 2017 - mag 119 “stranger and stranger”

august 9th 2017 - mag 120 “eye contact”

feburuary 15th - mag 121 “far away”

march 3rd 2018 - mag 128 “heavy goods”

march 20th 2018 - mag 131 “flesh”

march 24th 2018 - mag 132 “entombed”

june 11th 2018 - mag 141 “doomed voyage”

june 12th 2018 - mag 142 “scrutiny”

june 16th 2018 - mag 143 “heart of darkness”

july 20th 2018 - mag 147 “weaver”

august 14th 2018 - mag 151 “big picture”

september 25th 2018 - mag 158 “panopticon” & mag 159 “the last”

october 18th 2018 - mag 160 “the eye opens”