#ford takeover

[flmboyz]

@FordTakeOver24

Mercury Zephyr #coyoteswapped #stangracingproductions

"FLM BOYZ doesn't own rights to this photo "

[phone-kisser]

.....okay I guess I'm doing it

F/OVEMBER YAY‼️‼️‼️‼️

F/o's are :

- Norm Allen (Dialtown)

- Ford Pines (Gravity Falls)

- does jake count. He's familial but still anyway JAKE WILSON (DSaF)

Okay idk what else to put in this post so. Have at it

[nerdstreak]

So, Ford, how have you and Hannah been lately? What have you been up to? (amessageonthewind)

We've been just fine! I recently got back from another sea excursion on the Stan-o-War with Stanley, and honestly it felt like years before I finally got to see Hannah again. We're making up for lost time at the moment, and I couldn't be happier.

[viir-tanadhal]

the wait for psb15 news is slowly driving me up a wall

[1929crash]

Women Tank Tesla

The Chicken's Homecoming for Elon and the Republican Party

This 5-yr Tesla stock chart shows that on 05NOV2021, the day word of MAGA Supreme Court plans to look at the Texas Senate Bill 8 Abortion Ban hit The Texas Tribune, Tesla stock went from rising to falling.(link) Tesla Tanking in Trading is now WAY too obvious for anyone to ignore.(link) What happened? My theory is a boycott. The Republican party platform has since 1976 called for a…

[hkthatgffan]

I really did not wanna talk about this stupid topic, but with so many people falling for it, I figured I should; THE DIRECT ARTICLE ABOUT A GRAVITY FALLS REVIVAL IS A FUCKING LIE!! Lemme explain below why!!

Ever since this article by The Direct was published, way too many people are thinking Gravity Falls is really coming back and the usual season 3 belief is spreading yet again. And of course, YouTubers who should know better made videos on it and other "journalists" are spreading this lie. Here's the real facts! The executive in the article NEVER alluded to a revival. All they said is that Alex is publishing a book (The Book of Bill) and there's some shorts being made. All this article is basing its claim on is the phrase, "Never say Never!" Alex has had a deal with Netflix since 2018. Under that deal, he cannot make new cartoons for other networks, including Disney and Gravity Falls. He can voice on non Netflix shows and help in small ways like he did on TOH, but he cannot make a new show outside Netflix.

The shorts they are alluding to are confirmed to be likely stuff like the Broken Karaoke series on Disney Channel's YouTube page or theme song takeover stuff. Disney TVA News, while not 100% the most reliable source, has suggested that as the case and given Alex was at DTVA in April recording something per an Instagram story he made, it makes the most sense. What's more, there is a rumoured short being made for The Book of Bill which this could be meaning. Notice how it has no indication of a revival? Alex Hirsch has said he has ideas for GF stories, but they are more book centric. Heck, in me and Hana's interview alone he alluded to Stan and Ford stories he'd wanna do if given the chance to make another graphic novel. That is all!

And speaking of Alex…he's not said shit on this! He's not tweeted about it or liked any tweet about it. And Alex has said in the past to not believe anyone claiming Gravity Falls is coming back unless he says so himself on Twitter. So, take a guess what I did? I messaged him!! I was in talks with Alex recently for another video I'm making later in the future and asked him about this article during it. Without leaking our DM's, Alex said straight up, this article is all "just talk!" It's clickbait! Alex Hirsch confirmed it is clickbait!!

Direct is lying to you and so is anyone else saying this is real or that Gravity Falls is coming back! It just isn't. The only person who you should believe about this stuff is Alex Hirsch himself and he clearly has said it's not. And even supposing Direct is telling the truth about this executive saying something is possible, it's just gonna be book or small shorts stuff…NOT a season 3 or reboot, or revival or spin off series. I know that stuff is pretty popular to talk about, hell, I'd kill for a Gravity Falls prequel story myself. But it's not happening.

But with that said, I hope this post helped you better understand what is up. This article is a sham and a joke to the field of journalism. Do your damn job and tell the truth instead of making clickbait shit that will get you ad revenue! People who write articles like this are a joke and I feel bad for anyone who falls for their BS! These articles will never stop being made, so it's up to you all to be smart and not fall for them.

Remember, if Alex Hirsch doesn't say anything about it, it's not legit!!

Stay informed properly out there! New videos coming soon :)

[ceaselesswatchersspecialboy]

With the not as he seems au how would the gideon plotline work in regards to Bill's involvement? Also I'm loving your au it's so interesting!

I considered a few options for this, but settled on one in particular. I haven’t worked out everything yet, so this will just be the stuff I have worked out. Being as Gideon’s takeover of the shack and all is how Stan got Journal 2 in canon, and was a major catalyst for the portal, I wanted the Gideon plot to retain that major catalyst factor.

I don’t have too many details yet, but the general gist is that Bill, by proxy, also has a rivalry with Gideon. Although, the main rivalry is still with Stan, and Gideon views ‘Stanford’ as more of the Pines family’s annoying, attack dog — the threat he has to eliminate before he can commit to any scheme.

The reason for this is Bill is a far more active tormentor of Gideon. Gideon bit first and so he bites back. That type of dynamic.

Most stuff at the beginning is the same besides that, although I do have some extra plot lines and also interactions I probably wanna consider.

But Dreamscaperers is where stuff becomes strange. Again, I don’t have all the details right now, but I do have the main catalyst for the plot, which is that Gideon’s summon of Bill actually works. For the first time in thirty years, Bill is in his own body (in a sense), but from Stan and Dipper’s POV, they just watched Ford’s body pass out suddenly without cause.

The other important beats here:

- Bill does not take the deal with Gideon. He claims he already has a deal with Stan that he can’t break, and while that technically isn’t a lie, there’s an array of reasons as to why he doesn’t take it.

- Bill does not stay freed, and once his summoning is over, he wakes up back in Ford’s body.

- Gideon Rises does still happen, Gideon just resorts to TNT earlier.

- Mabel and Dipper start investigating into their Grunkle Ford’s relationship with Bill after Mabel and Soos, like in canon, witnessed the summoning. Between the worrying entries in the journal and ‘Ford’s tendency to don triangular jewellery and the colour yellow, they suspect something is amiss. He suspiciously keeps dodging the questions too. But the Mystery Twins are on the case! Cue Dipper’s Guide to the Unexplained: Grunkle Ford’s Tattoos.

- Stan ends up summoning Bill during Scaryoke, which is why he’s down in the basement initially before coming up to protect the kids. And, like with Gideon, it actually works. It’s only temporary, and Ford’s body always passes out instead of Ford returning to consciousness, but it’s absolutely a step. It’s also the first time Stan sees Bill and hears his actual voice, and he’s laughing for ten minutes straight.

That’s all the rough stuff I have right now! I’m probably gonna work on the finer details some more over time, especially Gideon’s plot as a whole and if Gideon Rises would change much.

And thank you!! I’m glad the AU is enjoyed!

I also do have these very quick doodles I did while brainstorming.

[author-of-oddities]

hello.. i have no idea how to be as formal and fancy as you are here but id like to humbly request Stanford with electrocution for the Bad Things Happen bingo !! ! !!! if u need any ideas for it in specifics, maybe the aftermaths of Weirdmaggedon?? or possibly having nightmares about it on the ship with stan?? again, just if u need ideas !!! :-)

Ahhh yes!! Absolutely! I present to you...

Aftershock

Trigger/content warnings: descriptions of canon-typical violence and its aftermath A/N: Written for @badthingshappenbingo Prompt: Electrocution Word count: 1,263 Summary: Even after months have passed, Ford is still haunted by the events of Weirdmageddon.

Also on Ao3!

The electricity hit him with brutal force, an invisible lightning that seemed to erupt from nowhere, locking every muscle into an iron grip. His limbs twisted involuntarily, teeth clenched so tightly it felt as though his jaw might shatter. Beneath his skin, an intense, burning current pulsed, sparking along his nerves like fire spreading through dry brush. He couldn't breathe; his chest felt trapped, crushed by an unbearable weight, as though every fiber of his being was locked in a silent scream. It was all-consuming, a brutal takeover that left no corner of him untouched by the raw and relentless force of the shock.

“C’mon, Fordsy,” Bill’s biting voice rang throughout his mind as his body went limp. “One little equation will save you from this, y’know?” Every inch of his body hurt in ways beyond imagination- thankfully, the searing sensation that clawed its way inside out seemed to relent in the same fashion. Still, the burns on his wrists remained, only worsened by every subtle shift, every scrape of skin against the unforgiving shackles. For a fleeting moment, he considered the offer. What was one simple equation compared to the immense physical trauma that he had already and would continue to endure? Ford shook the thought from his mind as quickly as it came, reminding himself of the stakes that weighed solely on that one equation. The world, the universe, the galaxy, and the entire dimension could be ripped apart if somehow, Bill worked the right numbers into their exact places.

He raised his head, grimacing at the pain that shot through his shoulders with the movement, and pried his eyes open, meeting Bill’s with an expression that portrayed unwavering bravery. “Never,” he croaked, voice betraying the impression his look had given. Whether or not he’d admit it, Ford was on the edge of breaking. It was just a matter of what would be the first to give: his body or mind?

Then he decided. “Not until the day I die.”

Body it was.

Bill’s laughter echoed through Ford’s mind, a twisted, taunting sound that rippled like broken glass across his frayed nerves.

“Oh, Fordsy, you’re adorable,” he sneered, floating closer until his voice felt like a whisper wrapped around Ford’s own thoughts. “You really think you can keep this up? That little resolve of yours is as flimsy as a wet tissue. You’re not built for this.”

He drifted around the Fearamid, turning to face his audience, then back at his victim, eye glinting with a disturbing glee. “But, hey, keep playing hero if you want. I can do this all day. Every minute you hold out, you’re just giving me more time to savor your pain. This is fun for me. Can you say the same?”

Ford only sneered in response. Any more than that and he’d certainly be sick. Even at that, Ford had clenched his jaw until he tasted blood, even his method of distraction wearing his body to its limit.

Suddenly, there was a shift in his attitude. Logically, Bill was aware of just how close he’s pushed his captive to the brink of death, even having contorted his power to make sure he didn’t overdo himself. Now, though, Bill knew. “I’ll give you one more chance to end this,” Bill purred, “just say the word. It’s not that hard. Just one equation, Sixer.”

He knew, as much as Bill did, that the fight wasn’t just physical. Bill was tearing at his mind, prying apart each mental shield he’d built to protect himself. Regardless, this was his last chance. It would end one way or another: if he lived, his universe died.

“Suit yourself,” Bill finally sighed, feigning disappointment. “But don’t say I didn’t offer.”

A guttural scream tore from Ford’s throat as another wave of searing electricity ripped through him, a savage torrent of agony that felt like it was unraveling him from the inside out. His vision blurred, his pulse thundered in his ears, and for a terrifying moment, he was certain this was the end—that this time, Bill’s relentless torture would be the thing to leave him as a lifeless shell.

Suddenly, it all stopped.

No more pain, no more grating laughter.

Ford’s chest heaved as he struggled to draw breath. Each gasp came in shallow bursts, quick and desperate, matching the thunderous echo of his heartbeat in his ears. For a moment, those were the only two things that existed- his breathing and heartbeat, both working in harmony to remind him that he did it. He survived.

But there was always more, this time being no different. Sheets had tangled around his legs, the mattress dipped under where he lay, and some foreign pressure pushed on his shoulder. As he calmed, Ford noticed a sound. At first, it was just a muffled noise, almost drowned out by the frantic drum of his pulse. But as he took a shuddering breath, his senses sharpened, and he realized what it was—a voice, rough and familiar, calling his name over and over.

“Ford! Stanford, wake up!”

He jolted upright, eyes flying open as the world came crashing into place around him. Stan dropped his hands from his brother's arm, relieved he didn’t need to spend any more time trying to shake him awake. The loss of contact seemed to startle the older twin further, his breathing quickening again.

“Hey, you’re okay,” Stan tried to reassure, returning his hand to where it’d unknowingly been grounding the other.

Ford nodded, frantically, and it became obvious that he was trying to convince himself that Stan’s words were true. “It…” he held his hands in front of himself, examining the skin around his wrists. Scars mirrored the cuffs that once held him captive, but they were healing, fading slowly—a reminder that it was all in the past.

“It still feels so real,” he murmured, fingers tracing the marks. A strange, tingling sensation pulsed beneath his skin, different from the older scars on his chest and back, which had long since numbed. But this—this was real.

“Hey, Poindexter,” Stan tried softly, successfully drawing his brother’s attention away from his thoughts. As Ford faced him, he continued, “It’s okay. It was just a dream. Look around–” Stanley gestured to the small room around them, just large enough to fit a desk and chair at the foot of the bed. 

Ford took in his surroundings, eyes quickly sweeping the books on the shelf above the desk, the papers from his journals that littered the few surfaces they could, and the quilted blanket that was draped over him. His heartbeat gradually steadied, the familiar objects grounding him more than he’d expected. The gentle sway of the boat beneath him, the faint scent of old wood and sea salt—all of it reminded him of where he truly was, and more importantly, who he was with. Each item was a piece of the life they’d built, of the second chance they’d somehow managed to carve out. This was real, not some fleeting illusion conjured by his mind or a nightmare waiting to collapse. For the first time in a long time, he felt safe. He was on a boat– their boat. The boat of their dreams, even.

He let out a sigh of relief, then let himself fall against Stanley, his head resting on the other’s shoulder. “Yeah, you’re right,” he muttered.

Despite it all– forty years apart, fights in between, and the near-end of the world– they did it. They were here, together at last, sharing a peace they’d fought their whole lives to find.

[the-east-art]

I would like to propose an AU to your Owl House x Gravity Falls AU; Ford still falls into the canonical Gravity Falls Portal and in Stan's bid to find his twin, he finds a long forgotten portal to the Demon Realm. Stan turns to magic to try and find a way to rescue Ford; learning magic, running both businesses on both sides, and researching how to rescue Ford. Stan is acquaintances with Eda, supplying her with Human items in return for her help in his project. I can see Stan using his criminal background to takeover and run the black market on the Boiling Isles, all while staying out of Belos' line of sight as much as possible.

Then Dipper and Mabel arrive to spend the summer with their Gruncle Stan in Gravity Falls, meanwhile Luz arrives on the Boiling Isles.

This is cool but my au is really more about trying to blend the ideas of Gravity Falls and The Owl House into a single unique idea! I suppose it's more of a blend than anything haha. Sounds like you have some fun ideas tho!

[izzy-art-879]

Sector OMG Villains

Uncle and Aunt (also called Auntie) - A married couple who use all sorts of gizmos and gadgets to turn all kids, including the Kids Next Door, into obedient children that will help them takeover the world. They don't seem to have any powers (or do they?). Do they have any relations to Mother? Maybe...?

The Perfect Children From Around the Corner - Uncle and Aunt's nieces and nephews and are the type of kids who brag about how great they are. Their names are Estella, Beatrix, Ford, Thalia and Tanner. Estrella is the oldest and the leader while Thalia and Tanner are the youngest. They use their Uncle and Aunt's weapons and robots, enjoy antagonizing Sector OMG and get flustered when defeated. They live with their Aunt and Uncle and would do anything for them.

The Bad Boys - A group of biker boys who are the neighborhood bullies and are overall nuisances to Sector OMG and the other kids. The group consists of Luke, Isaiah, Ruben, Marshall and August. The boys have huge crushes on Sector OMG and frequently try to woo them with little to no success, kinda like the Eds and the Kanker Sisters.

Eletrick (Real Name: Theodore "Theo" Rod) - An lightning/magician themed kid villain who has a cocky and arrogant personality. He can create lightning bolts, lighting cards and an army of thunder rabbits with his magic wand. He has a crush on Dawn much to the dismay of August who also has a crush on her.

The Dedicated Triplets From Deep in the Island - The Perfect Children's cousins and are very much dedicated to Uncle and Aunt (even more so than their cousins). The trio consists of Otis, Owen and Onyx. They wear tribal-like clothes and are very serious and determined in stopping the KND. They have an intense rivalry with the Perfect Children and compete for Uncle and Aunt's attention. They prefer to use handmade weapons that they made from the island.

(More villains coming soon!)

[tomorrowusa]

Today is Super Tuesday. It's more than just presidential primaries.

Last night Rachel Maddow spotlighted some of the wack Republican candidates and wove them together to describe how bizarrely extremist the GOP has become. This is NOT your grandmother's Republican Party which gave us sane people like Gerald Ford or George Pataki.

If you are not taking the threat seriously then you just haven't been paying attention.

Ms. Maddow goes on to say that it's up to us to stop a MAGA Republican takeover of the US. We cannot rely on some legal gimmick to stop Trump.

In the words of civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson: "Nobody will save us from us but us."

[babycharmander]

Oleander and the effects of psitanium

A popular headcanon is that a major factor in causing Oleander to snap was the high levels of psitanium at Whispering Rock. The evidence cited for this is is typically Ford’s explanation of how psitanium works: “It responds to psychic waves, focuses them, amplifies them. It can make psychics more psychic, but it can also make unstable people more unstable. Not everyone can handle that much activity in that part of their brain. It can drive them completely out of their gourd.”

One issue with this is that it doesn’t account for Ford’s situation. Ford himself is completely shattered, but the psitanium stabilizes him. When he’s close to the giant psitanium boulder (or when he’s around a big enough chunk of psitanium, like the one he straps to his back later in the game), he’s able to function. If it were true that psitanium makes unstable psychics more unstable, Ford would be worse off.

Now you could say that maybe Ford responds well to it because he’s able to handle it, but that just brings up another problem. If psitanium was good for only some psychics and caused other psychics to lose their minds, that would make Whispering Rock a terrible place to train psychic kids. The kids would either become more skilled psychics or else lose their entire mind. If that were the case, it would make more sense for the camp to be placed elsewhere.

Given those factors, I think it’s safe to say that psitanium is good for psychics, but bad for non-psychics. This also works when we consider the history of Shaky Claim, in which most of the residents of the town slowly lost their minds, resulting in the creation of Thorney Towers. (Granted, parts of that history stump should probably be taken with a grain of salt given its timeline is kindof a mess, but I digress.)

And now for some speculative rambling!

It didn’t strike me until recently, however, that the high concentration of psitanium at Whispering Rock (which Ford explains is the highest concentration of psitanium known to man) may have been a reason why Oleander was sent to work there, as opposed to a reason why he attempted a takeover.

Even disregarding the li-po doc, Oleander is shown in canon to be aggressive and is known to attempt wild schemes, and before the first game, had also been suffering for a long while due to unresolved childhood trauma. He may have been sent to Whispering Rock not only to get him out of the way of different missions, but also so that he could be at a place with a larger concentration of psitanium to help stabilize him.

Heck, Ford could have been the one to suggest it. Something of note is that Ford was aware, to some extent, of Oleander’s trauma. Shortly after Raz arrives in Meat Circus, Ford remarks, “That’s right. Morry’s old man was a butcher!” It wouldn’t be all that difficult to put two and two together to realize that a psychic with zoolepathy having a father who was a butcher would be a recipe for trauma, though Ford might not’ve known the full extent of it.

It would then make sense for Ford, seeing how much better he himself was doing at Whispering Rock, to suggest that Oleander be sent there as well. (Of course, IIRC we don’t know who ordered Oleander to be sent to work at Whispering Rock, but Ford could have passed the idea to Sasha or Milla, who would’ve then brought it up to Truman and/or Hollis.)

Rather than the psitanium making things worse for Oleander, it could have helped stabilize him... for a time.

Unfortunately it would also put him in a place where he had very, very easy access to Thorney Towers and its residents, which would become instrumental in his eventual takeover plans.

And as the psitanium did not make Ford’s unresolved trauma go away, it also didn’t magically heal Oleander’s unresolved trauma... so all it could do was prolong his eventual breakdown.

[man-down-in-hatchet-town]

Karma Police

IT'S THE MID-SEASON FINALE BEFORE THE HIATUS! As always, spoilers for The Case of the Greater Gatsby episode 14 under the cut!

So, after the information onslaught that was the previous two episodes, "Karma Police" was a little bit of a breather—at least up until the end. Just lots of cannibalism jokes and character moments as both Ford and Fig start to show the strain of the case in their own ways (Ford’s increasingly surfacing anger, Fig’s anxiety and fainting spell). Which means that you guys get a relatively shorter essay after the absolute monster I posted earlier.

To start with, Fig’s line about the stress of working multiple jobs and how they keep you from keeping up with life events? Too real. Really, Fig’s whole unraveling physical and mental state throughout the entirety of this episode was the perfect encapsulation of my experiences over the last couple of months.

Meanwhile, either TD is way smarter and more conniving than we’re giving him credit for (possible; after all we have yet to receive confirmation of his admittedly convincing alibi) or he is innocent. His issues with blood certainly don’t remove him from the suspect list, but if he had known that Fitzgerald didn’t bleed a drop he probably wouldn’t have passed out thinking about it. But then that brings us back to the question of Mo and just who he’s reporting to. If Mo was on the lot telling Mel about Fitzgerald’s death, wouldn’t her husband/assistant know the details? Or did she kick him out? Regardless, I continue to be fascinated by the Hammermeister marriage. I have so many questions I don’t think I actually want the answers to; you know those two have either never taken so much as a sock off in front of each other or else are the kinkiest bastards you could ever possibly meet.

On the Ford side of things, what fun to get Dylan again so soon! But Shipwrecked better not think I didn’t clock Donald not telling Ford where he was on the night of the party. I’m pretty confidant that Donald did not commit the murder—on a meta level he’d just be a strange choice—but his obfuscation and successful derailing of Ford is suspicious, though that might not have even been intentional. After all, he didn’t know that Vivian was about to show up.

Speaking of Vivian, the PHIGHTINGALE OF IT ALL! Ford’s anger at her lies feels deeper and more personal—you can just taste how strongly he resents their inescapable attraction and connection. And Vivian continues to walk all over him. Her story makes good enough sense, I guess, but I’m still not sure she’s telling the truth, as it’s a little too early in the story to conclusively point the finger at Barnaby. Though I suppose he could have shown up without actually being the murderer…. Meanwhile, after a whole episode of being grilled over his use of the word “grill,” Ford learns that Vivian uses it too, and judging by her tone has met many of the same reactions as her favorite employee. I love everything about their toxic, magnetic, inescapable dynamic. It’s noir perfection. Or, as @its-short-for-jackalope put it, “I think Ford & Vivian are actually soulmates 😂.”

Which sucks for Ford, because Viv’s pulled a fast-one over on Bixby! Whatever his other designs with Mel or Fitzgerald’s murder are, this plot against Bixby seems to a major card up Mo’s sleeve. But while I can see why taking over Bixby’s would benefit Mo, but what does Vivian get out of it? Higher pay? Let’s not forget that Mo made up her alibi on the spot for the night that Fitzgerald was killed. Was he protecting her as part of his takeover? Or is blackmailing her with knowledge of the night Fitzgerald died as part of his coup? I have so many questions about these two and why Vivian’s chosen to tango with this cop in particular.

And a moment of applause for Matthew Mercer’s evil laugh at the end of the episode! What a way to go out. Matt is absolutely incredible in everything he does and Greater Gatsby is no exception. I’m so happy that MK’s brought him into the fold.

Well, that’s it for the time being! I hope Fig and Ford come back soon (have they announced how long the hiatus will be?) but in the meantime I will be re-listening and you can bet your ass I will blog any new revelations that come to mind.

This is man-down-in-hatchet-town, reporting from Tinsel Town, signing off (from these responses, not from the blog).

[bcdrawsandwrites]

I'm going to make an attempt at participating in @ailesswhumptober! I don't know if I'll be able to write something every day, but we'll see how this goes. These fics will be un-beta'd and hopefully short.

Day 1: Drugging / sick / poisoned

Characters: Razputin Aquato, Augustus Aquato, Morceau Oleander (with other characters showing up briefly)

Warnings: Emeto

Summary: The camp is finally safe, but Raz didn't get through Meat Circus entirely unscathed.

---~~~---

The day after Thorney Towers exploded was a weird one for everyone.

Raz woke up in the middle of the day along with all the other campers. At first he wasn't sure the past few days had happened at all, and half-expected to hear his mom demanding to know why he wasn't up for early-morning stretches. But hearing the hushed voices of the campers around him and opening his eyes to find himself in a cabin, not a caravan, was enough to make him realize that, no, it was all real. Or... most of it was real. He still wasn't sure about the whole stopping-the-world-takeover thing, but his headache left him wondering. He stepped outside and jumped back in surprise when his father rushed up to him to make sure he was all right. Well, that confirmed that, too.

It was a strange way to start the day, especially when he was pulled aside by Sasha and Milla, who questioned him about everything that had happened in Coach Oleander's mind. Raz was still slightly out of it when he explained, and he hoped he did a good job. After everything that had happened, he felt kinda bad for the Coach.

The next few hours involved his dad and Sheegor trying unsuccessfully to keep Chef Ford in the kitchen long enough to make everyone something to eat, while the counselors disappeared and the campers raided the candy from the camp store. While Raz wasn't too thrilled about the latter, he couldn't turn Lili down when she offered him a psi-pop. Eventually Sasha and Milla returned with Oleander in tow, and made it clear to the campers that he wasn't going to be stealing brains anymore.

Raz was sitting with the Coach on the back deck of the main lodge, having a quiet conversation, when the door behind them opened. "Hi!" Sheegor said, popping her head out from behind the door. "Um... we finally got Mr. Cruller to start on lunch!"

"Oh, finally!" Raz exclaimed, hopping up from his seat. "I'm starving!"

"Me too," the Coach said, wincing as he rose, "but uh, I'm gonna grab something from my rations."

"Okay! Suit yourself!" Sheegor said, and ducked back into the lodge. 

Raz followed her, finding the lodge was already full of campers sitting at the tables, excited to eat something other than candy. Grinning, he ran over to the camp store, where Chef Cruller was parked in front of the grill. "Hey, Ford!" he exclaimed. "Wha'cha cook..."

The smell hit him, and he stumbled to a halt.

"The burgers ain't done yet!" came Chef Cruller's voice, as though from a distance away. "The grill ain't even fired up yet!"

Raz wasn't looking at Ford. Rather, images of floors and walls and platforms made entirely of raw meat haunted the edges of his vision as he stared blankly ahead. Everything reeked, the smell of freshly-butchered flesh and dripping blood assaulting his nose. Slowly his gaze turned toward Cruller's side, to a plate where a number of raw hamburger patties sat, ready to be placed on the grill. The meat was ground, which immediately yanked his mind to visions of live bunnies dropping into meat grinders, and coming out...

His stomach flipped, and he covered his mouth, scrambling out the front door of the lodge. He made it to the edge of the deck and leaned over it just in time to discover just how acidic a psi-pop tastes the second time around.

Gripping the railing for dear life, Raz fought to catch his breath around the acrid taste in his mouth. His whole body was shaking, and he realized with a groan that everyone saw him freak out. His head clunked down against the railing, but hopefully no one would draw attention to--

"Razputin! Are you all right?!" Augustus cried, bursting out of the lodge and rushing up to him.

Raz stumbled back up to the wall and sank into a seated position, wiping his mouth. "Dad..." he croaked, his face flushing. On one hand, it was nice to have another reminder that his dad really did care about him, but on the other hand, he could hear the not-so-hushed whispers coming from inside the lodge.

Augustus crouched down next to him, placing a hand on his back. "You look so pale," he murmured, brow creasing in concern, before he gave Raz a gentle pat on the back. "You need some food in you. Come on, Chef Cruller will be done preparing lunch soon--"

"No!" Raz blurted, scooting further back against the wall as the memory of the smell and sight of blood and meat flared in his mind again. "I-I can't--the raw--the meat!"

Staring down at Raz in surprise, Augustus scratched his head. "Meat?" he repeated, only for something to click. He put a hand to his chin, glancing off to the side. "That's right--that mental world you were trapped in... You were there for quite some time!"

Wincing, Raz looked away from his dad, and was mortified to see a few kids poking their heads out from the door. He immediately recognized the mass of hair belonging to Bobby Zilch, who snickered before opening his mouth to say something. Before he could do so, a pink light enveloped him and the others, and gently tugged them back inside.

"Well, this is a predicament... We need to get you something to eat!"

Raz wrapped his arms around himself and drew his legs in closer. "It's okay. I-I'm... not hungry right now."

"What's that, soldier?!"

Groaning, Raz clunked his head down against his knees as Oleander burst out of the lodge, carrying something under his arm. "Not now..."

"C'mon, on your feet!" the Coach snapped, waving for Raz to stand up.

"What are you doing?" Augustus demanded, shooting a glare at Oleander. "He's not well!"

"Yeah, you don't need two eyes to see that," Oleander replied, his good eye taking a quick glance at Augustus before turning back to Raz. "C'mon, up!"

"Okay, okay..." Raz shakily rose to his feet, his arms still wrapped around his body, and cast a quick glance at the door. "Just... keep your voice down, please?"

The Coach followed his gaze, and the few campers that had huddled by the door again scrambled away. "Ah. Right." Clearing his throat, he stepped away from the door and around the side of the lodge. "This way, soldier. Forward march!"

After exchanging glances, Raz and his dad followed the Coach around to the back porch, where Oleander was setting out a few items--two brown plastic packets, a large metal water bottle, and a couple paper plates. The Coach reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife, which he used to cut open the packets, and pulled a number of other smaller packets out of those. Raz found himself watching in interest, his hands slowly dropping to the side.

"A good soldier isn't gonna fight on an empty stomach," Oleander said, getting to work opening the smaller packets. One contained a candy bar, another contained utensils, and another Oleander didnot empty, but rather poured water into and re-sealed. "We gotta get some fuel in that tank."

Raz wilted. "That's the problem. I know I gotta eat something other than candy, but..." He shuddered. "Those burgers... they just made me think--"

"Yeah, well, you ain't alone."

Lifting his head, Raz noticed that Oleander was frowning down at the food he was preparing. Remembering what the Coach said about getting something else earlier, as well as some of the things in that mental world, something clicked in Raz's mind. "Oh! You... you don't eat meat, do you?"

"Bit hard to eat something you can have a conversation with," the Coach grunted.

"You can speak to animals?" Augustus asked, crossing his arms.

"I can, too!" Raz replied, and his dad cocked a brow at him with an amused smile. "I mean... only a little. I can understand mice! And squirrels, sometimes. But... I've never had trouble eating meat until now."

"You didn't see that part of my mind until now." The Coach lifted his helmet to scratch beneath it. "Sorry, kid. Didn't mean for that part of me to rub off on you." He turned back to the packets of food and resumed unpacking them. "But don't worry, you got options."

The food he ultimately dumped out of the bag turned out to be some mushy-looking pasta with vegetables. It wasn't particularly appetizing-looking, but... it didn't have meat in it. 

After mixing in the sauce, Oleander handed a plate to Raz while he took another plate for himself. "Eat up!"

Hesitantly Raz took a bite, and his face lit up. While it wasn't particularly amazing, it actually... didn't taste bad, and all at once his appetite came back. Soon he found himself shoveling the food into his mouth, while Oleander joined in with his own meal.

Meanwhile, Augustus leaned back, his shoulders sagging in relief. "Thank goodness! You had me worried for a moment there." He brushed a hand against his beard. "I suppose I'll have to talk with your mother about making some vegetarian foods for a while."

"Mmmhmmm!" Raz hummed around a mouthful of food, only to freeze, swallowing. "Oh man, Mom's gonna kill me, isn't she?"

"I'm sure she'll be relieved to see you again," Augustus said with a chuckle.

"I hope so." Raz wiped his mouth on his glove and looked down at his plate. Now that he actually had some food in his stomach, he felt a lot less awful. It felt weird to think that the person who'd helped him had been the same one who, hours ago, had been trying to steal his brain. He looked up at Oleander and gave a smile. "Thanks for the food, Coach!"

Oleander grinned. "Anytime, soldier!"

[viir-tanadhal]

What we know so far about PSB15 (aka the next album):

Burning the Heather was originally going to be saved and used as the guiding framework for the next album but was released instead on Hotspot

Produced by James Ford, who notably recently produced Jessie Ware's two albums, Depeche Mode's Memento Mori, and Blur's The Ballad of Darren. Neil also has been an outspoken fan of his group The Last Shadow Puppets

Two albums worth of songs were written over quarantine, including a song about Rudolf Nureyev, and a song about the pandemic titled "Living in a lonely time". Additionally, there are several songs written from the Super era that have not yet been released

Neil bought a keyboard and learned how to use GarageBand to write songs himself

Neil stated in Classic Pop that the next album would be "...very tuneful, less super-electronic sounding. Strings will be returning. It's more autobiographical, looking back."

They started work on the album in March 14, 2023 and posted a photo likely of James Ford's studio. The photo showcases a xylophone, bell pepper shaker, multiple keyboards and synthesizers, reel-to-reel tape machines, a guitar, a hammered dulcimer, and others

In April 2023, strings and brass were recorded at The Church Recording studio in London

Recording for the album likely ended before they went back on tour at the end of May 2023

Neil supposedly told a fan that the album would be out in Spring, possibly April 2024

Things that might influence the album:

Over quarantine, Neil watched a lot of 1940s film noir

Their BBC Radio Takeover in 2021 and song selections - Chris usually is the one who decides on their albums' directions, so his choices might hint at that

Lost EP saw the release of four songs from the Super era that had previously been unreleased. Given they were released as an EP and not saved for the next album might hint that they wouldn't have fit the musical or thematic style of the next album (too electronic?)

During quarantine, Neil started a project of digitizing his diaries, which might explain why the next album might be more autobiographical

[mitchipedia]

Elon Musk Boosting German Fascists, What Could Possibly Go Wrong

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: a bigoted industrialist who owns a giant car company has endorsed a far-right German political party full of Nazis that aims to purify Europe by casting out groups of people it considers to be its lessers, if not downright subhuman. Ha ha, no, it’s not Henry Ford, but we sure fooled you….

He’s a right-winger who grew up in apartheid-era South Africa, and one of his first actions when he bought Twitter two years ago was to let tons of racists and bigots the previous ownership had banned back onto the platform, such that it now resembles a Munich beer hall in 1933 or a meeting of the White Citizens Council in Alabama in the late 1950s….

So, we hate to engage in hyperbole or cause a scene, but we think it is maybe bad that Musk on Friday endorsed a far-right party full of neo-Nazis to take over Germany. Not to be too alarmist, but historically such takeovers have gone poorly not only for Germany and all of Europe, but also for the rest of the planet….

…

The endorsement falls neatly in line with the support the AfD has received from other people in Donald Trump’s orbit, who share the party’s virulent anti-immigrant views.

Trump’s first-term ambassador to Germany “famously pissed off the German government by cozying up to the Afd.” Steve Bannon “tried to recruit the party into his plan to unite all the far-right national populist parties in Europe to form a sort of supergroup” in the European Union Parliament a few years ago."

Imagine if Henry Ford had been Herbert Hoover’s closest advisor in 1931, at the same time the Nazis were on the rise. That would have been bad, right? Well, somehow that’s what America is getting. First time as tragedy, second time as farce, etc.

— Gary Legum at Wonkette