#is Vox German in my head now?

[akikos-tribble-army]

Random thing I learnt while doing research for a paper:

The beginning of German (radio) broadcasting history started in the so called Vox-Haus (Vox-house) with the broadcast of the first radio show for entertainment.

And there is a TV channel in Germany which is called VOX and its colour scheme is red-black.

Vox, I have questions.

[hiemaldesirae]

do you have some fluffy headcanons about husk and vox bonding? 🥺

just for you, heres some fun little dad!husk morsels

husk and rosie were originally friends before rosie nd alastor became friends, and they were walking together in cannibal town on the day that vox fell. when they noticed the newly fallen sinner, husk decided to take him in originally as a means of promotion for his casino (not that he didnt already have techheads, but a full crt television? not many of those were walking around hell)

vox was kind of distrustful of husk at first, but one day, he malfunctioned while on the job and when he woke up, he found himself inside one of the casino's private rooms with a blanket draped over him and a glass of water on the table next to the couch. to vox, who had seen the kind of shit that other overlords do to their workers when they stop being useful, this was something that made him start to trust husk more

though a lot of people thought otherwise, husk never actually contracted vox for his soul. it had been a passing curiosity at first, he had only meant to pick up the naive sinner for fun and would have passed him off to someone else once he stopped being entertaining- but somewhere along the way, husk started to see the kid as something more than a mere form of entertainment

they used to bond at the bar after closing, where husk would teach vox how to play card games and bartend and such. to this very day the only person who can beat vox in card games is husk

husk gifted vox most of his early wardrobe. after husk lost his overlord status and vox rose to his own, he still wore all the clothes that husk gave him

against popular opinion, voxs suit isnt actually supposed to resemble alastor's- he actually referenced it from husk's overlord suit. whenever someone remarks on him looking like alastor (assuming they havent made up yet) he fries them and tells the press that actually, its modelled after a *far* better and more powerful overlord than the radio demon

after they meet again vox gifts husk several electronic devices where they can talk through

he sends husk a bunch of indecipherable memes and stupid quotes that the other vees say

husk has them saved and sometimes bursts out laughing in the middle of nowhere when he thinks about voxs memes

vox used to create a lot of inventions and floor plans for husks casino. not all of them went through the initial planning stages but husk put up all his drafts on the walls (like in the way a parent would put up their kids silly little scribbles up on the fridge)

vox and husk are very competitive when it comes to table games. the hazbin gang once had a game night where they played monopoly and husk and vox ended up yelling so loud at each other vox short circuited half of pentagram citys electricity and husk ended up dive bombing his kid (they had to explain to the others that it was just playfighting before angel and alastor started joining in on the attack)

husk has a secret sweet tooth. this is the reason why vox knows how to bake but not how to cook

back when vox was newly fallen he used to have nightmares. when husk and him got closer, husk used to cradle the other to sleep in his wings

vox used to call husk vati (affectionate nickname for father in german) and husk used to call him kotyonok (<- phonetic spelling of kitten in russian)

they do still do it sometimes but its less now bc everyone around them makes it awkward

also sometimes husk used to take vox flying when he got too "pent up" over work and such

nowadays, vox takes husk through data streams sometimes when al's being too hard on the bartender

also, just for fun because transfem!vox lives in my head:

husk is the first one she tells, assuming they both kept in contact even after he lost overlord status

his first reaction is to take her downtown for a shopping spree (she pays for everything and doesnt let him touch a single cent but she's just glad to go on a trip with him)

[belphegor1982]

Find the word in your WIPs

I was tagged by both @rose-of-pollux and @tuttle4077 for a "Find the word in your WIP" game! Here are the rules: Find the words from the list in your WIPs and post the paragraph they belong to.

Thanks a lot :D They both gave me different words, too, so let's go!

I ended up using What Nightmares May Come (my long HH fic) a lot, if only because it's so long (64k+ words, gah, if only the inspiration could come back!!) but also from The Message (the follow-up to Mon Pays et Paris), three The Mummy WIPs, and one word from a Legend of Vox Machina somewhat long WIP. And since it got so long, I'm putting most of it under a cut ^^'

Tagging @thisstableground, @tinydooms, @laurelindebear, @teashoesandhair, @kabbal and @kaantt 💜

List of (new) words: chase | average | fast | minute | whole

sigh (from The Message, Hogan's Heroes)

“Did you clear that up with Colonel Hogan?” he asked. LeBeau stuck out his chin in a familiar show of stubbornness.

“Of course I did,” he said just a second too quickly.

Kinch shook his head.

“Man, now I know why you won’t play poker with Newkirk. He’d clean you right out.” He sighed. “LeBeau, you can’t just take a radio because you feel like it. Do you know how many of the guys miss listening to the Andrew Sisters or the World Series?”

hint (from A Fifth of Glenlivet, The Mummy)

The tea was light and slightly sweet, with a hint of mint. Egyptian style. Rick – though more of a coffee guy – had to admit that for what he considered to be lightly flavoured hot water, it wasn’t that bad, especially without the obligatory splash of milk generally favoured by the British.

heart (from Manifold, The Mummy)

She waits a little, enjoying the wind on her face and the shade the balloon casts over them; then she asks without looking at him, her voice very low, her heartbeat very loud, “Whom did you fall in love with first: Elizabeth, or Tom?”

toast (from In A Mellow Tone, The Mummy)

“Good Heavens. And I thought my parents had their hands full with me and Evy.” Jonathan put his palm into his hand and grinned. “How much of a scamp were you when you were a kid?”

“Not that much,” Harry said with a sharp smile, “but I usually got away with a lot, even more than Nellie did. You see, I didn’t often let myself get caught.”

“Sound philosophy,” said Jonathan, raising his half-empty pint in a toast Harry met with his own. “So you have four siblings?”

operation (from What Nightmares May Come, Hogan's Heroes)

The conversation in Klink’s office seemed to be over, so Kinch unplugged the coffee pot and replaced the lid. They were all thinking the same thing; all operations would have to come to a complete stop. The absence of the sub already meant they couldn’t go through with their orders of ‘assisting escaping prisoners’; but this meant that the other part, about ‘cooperating with all friendly forces and using every means possible to injure and harass the enemy’, was nixed as well if nobody could set foot outside camp.

_______________________

That's it for Tuttle's words! Now for Rose's :o)

sea (from What Nightmares May Come, Hogan's Heroes)

“Let’s hope that your escape will earn him a one-way ticket to the Russian front,” Hogan grimly quipped, his eyes serious. “In the meantime, you get to stay at the… ‘guerilla Hilton’ for a couple of days, we fit you with civilian clothes and official papers, and you do a little cross-country ‘round the German countryside. There’s a British sub in the North sea, a little off Wangerland. You’ll be in England faster than you can say ‘fish and chips’.”

star (from What Nightmares May Come, Hogan's Heroes)

Hogan whistled between his teeth. “So they’re basically stuck here for God knows how long?”

“Basically.”

“No chance of a plane, I suppose?”

“I asked. Apparently, if our guests were two-star generals, they would consider sending one.” Hogan didn’t miss the discreet sarcasm in his radioman’s deadpan voice.

pleasant (from A Fifth of Glenlivet, The Mummy)

Something loosened in the set of Jonathan’s shoulders.

“Good. Because if you’re planning to steal more toolkits for my sister then it’s better if… Well, you know. She’s had a lot flung at her because she has the gall to be a scholar and a girl, and ‘only half-English’ to boot.”

Something told Rick that particular turn of phrase glossed over many others, much less pleasant. Which both siblings probably had their own share ‘flung at’ them, come to think of it.

walk (from Underture, The Legend of Vox Machina)

Scanlan let his hand fall and rolled his eyes.

“Look, you don’t need to get your panties in a knot. I can see better than you at the moment, so the way I see it there’s only one way you won’t fall behind and get lost.” He walked back to Vax and thrust out his hand with a grin large enough to be obvious even in the dark. “Wanna hold hands?”

linger (from What Nightmares May Come, Hogan's Heroes)

“Oh, perfectly, Major,” Klink muttered in an almost defeated tone, resisting the urge to rub his temples. The lingering headache had been small this morning, the inevitable result of a restless night, but Hochstetter excelled in the art of making migraines in other people’s heads grow in a way even Hogan did not.

Thanks again :o)

[theclownbehindtheslaughter]

i would like to infodump about Vox (aka trip and dump my headcanons everywhere like it was spaghetti in my pocket)

Vox’s actual name was Vaughn Oxner, he was born in the August of 1909, his birthday was not legally recorded because his family immigrated from Germany to America soon after his birth, but Vox celebrates it on August 1st, even though he was probably born much later in the month.

Vox’s father died in a work related accident when he was 9, and his mother took to doing various odd jobs, mostly centered around cleaning or childcare for the richer people of the time. Vox would try to help by doing yard work and other hands on things to get some extra money.

His mothers name was Maud, and she couldn’t speak English very well. Vox used to act as a translator, sometimes she’d tell him what she wanted said in German and he would say it that way, or later on she’d try to speak in English on her own; but her accent was so thick that Vox would usually have to help anyway.

His family anglecised their last name, with it previously being Öxner, his parents kept the traditional spelling while Vox and his two little sisters got the anglecised one.

Vox has two sisters, Carolin and Anneliese. Anneliese was the youngest, then Carolin was 2 years older than her, and Vox was 7 years older than Carolin.

Carolin disappeared in the dead of night with her female ‘best friend’ when she was 23 and lived a relatively peaceful and very happy life with her ‘galpal’ in St. Louis.

Anneliese became a roman catholic nun, which is funny because her name means ‘devoted to god’, but she changed it to Philomena after the saint once she entered the convent. She was a nun until her death in the late 1990s.

Vox was NBC’s go-to TV personality from 1948 to his death in 1957 (in my fic i said 1953, but I wanted more years to work with, so tis now 1957), he started as an assistant newscaster for a station in Cincinnati in 1946 but quickly moved up the ranks with his charisma and likability, eventually being picked up by NBC to do a variety show; which later spanned into a talk show, various guest appearances on other shows of the time, and he even got a gameshow.

I like to think that Vox had a running gag on his shows where he’d constantly change his birthday, he would announce the days date like “it’s December 14th, my birthday!”, and he’d also have a special way of greeting the audience every episode. I can’t decide on how he would, but it’d be goofy as hell. but endearingly so, yknow.

There was another TV personality at NBC at the time named Vincent Orwell, so on the staff rosters Vaughn Oxner was shortened to “V. Ox.” to avoid confusion with “V. O.” who had been there before Vox.

The reason Vox is called Vox in hell though is entirely coincidental, as when he fell it’d been raining and his speakers messed up due to it. His speakers healed (his first head acted more ‘biologically’ than his later upgrades do) rather quickly, but did so after Alastor asked for Vox’s name.

Vox tried to say Vaughn, but could only get the ‘V’ out, Alastor took to calling him Vox because of his box-shaped head and it simply stuck.

Vox can still speak a bit of German, though he’s not as fluent as he used to be. He can still understand it just fine though, it’s just speaking it thats the problem.

Also, heres a list of what I’s think the names of his shows would be;

“The Wondrous Showcase of Various Talents” (sometimes it would include “:starring Vaughn Oxner” while other times it wouldn’t) - his variety show, it mostly consisted of music but had comedy segments from time to time. It ran from 1948-1956, but took a semi-hiatus while Vox’s talkshow was on. It released it’s second season over the four years Vox did his talkshow and was very irregular in that time. It went for 4 seasons, and a 5th was greenlit but Vox died before it could happen and it was cancelled all together.

“Goodnight with Vaughn Oxner” - his late night talk show that ran 1949-1953, initially it was created as a way to try and pull views from CBS, who ran The Faye Emerson Show at the same time (the first late night talkshow); but when the Faye Emerson show ended in 1950, NBC planned on cancelling Vox’s talkshow as well, but it was so popular they kept it for another season.

“It’s my Birthday!: Starring Vaughn Oxner” - his gameshow, which i don’t have the details worked out for, but it was definitely a guessing game of some kind. it only ran one season in 1956-1957, the finale was filmed a mere week and a half before Vox’s death; it was aired afterwards with an ending card reading “in memory of Vaughn Oxner, may you bring smiles upon the angels that surely surround you”, i think it’s ironically hilarious considering where and how he ended up.

[dbenvs3000w24]

sun & snow

Hello again!

This week, we were not given a prompt to go off of and allowed to write about anything we wanted. This week, I wanted to discuss a beautiful but sad moment I had earlier.

For those not living in Guelph, this past week has been beautifully sunny and unusually warm. So, as soon as my boyfriend was done work on Friday, we piled in the car to our favourite walking path, just outside Cambridge. On this beautiful day, it was a very popular walking spot for those with dogs, children, or people trying to get outside to connect with nature.

One of my new favourite things to do before walking is to get a drink or smoothie. Right by this path’s entrance is a little café with amazing smoothies. I will always remember it as the cafe where we went in one day, and the guy behind the counter decided to tell us all about his view of psychology (spoiler alert, it included meeting Jesus on a bunch of drugs and how it somehow related to a German man with a little mustache). We promptly left right afterwards and still talk about how bat**** crazy that conversation was to this day. Nonetheless, we grabbed our smoothies and headed out for a walk, thankfully, this time without the previously mentioned encounter.

There’s something so refreshing about going for a walk, letting nature surround you, and just being in nature. In my last semester at the university, I’m finding it harder and harder to define time to reconnect with nature like I did in my childhood. Reading other’s previous blogs, I am encouraged to know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Throughout our walk, we could listen to some birds chirp, see a couple of budding trees even though it’s the wrong season, and look closely at the thawing ponds for a glimpse of a fish.

Below are a couple of photos of our walk. I am still baffled by how sunny and warm it was. There is something so healing and being in nature for just a couple of moments, yet it makes me sad.

It is the beginning of February. We should be bundled up in our warmest coats, mittens, and hats, trudging through a foot of snow right now. Instead, I was wearing a hoodie, thin leggings, and Converse. Even in these beautiful moments, I am still reminded of the fragile balance within the earth. Winter and the snow that it brings with it are things we see less frequently and dependently compared to our childhoods due to the ever-looming climate change. In a recent article, some think that the nostalgia of the winter snow will be enough to make a dent in the climate change fight (North, 2023). Still, I’m not sure if I am as optimistic.

Nonetheless, I will strive to enjoy the little moments I can tuck away in my memories, and hopefully, by sharing these moments, I can encourage those who read it to do the same.

References:

North, A. (2023, December 23). Feeling a strange sadness over losing snow? that might be solastalgia. Vox. Retrieved February 10, 2024, from https://www.vox.com/culture/24001256/snow-winter-climate-change-solastalgia-warming.

[mondaymelon]

KAVEH THEME KAVEH THEME KAVEH THEME KAVEH THEME KAVEH THEME KAVEH THEME LETSGOOOO😍

&& HI NEW FRIEND!!! HOPE UR SLEEPING WELL RN your taste in colours is immaculate teal is soso pretty AND THE ANIMALS HAHAHKSJJKSD "if it can kill me why is it friendshaped." real. same. stares sadly at lions

omg me n u 🤝 having an older brother!! SLAYY "like please brain what do you mean you cant learn korean tagalog french russian german and 139041904 other languages all at once??? pathetic." is so real i wanna learn more languages but my brain wont let me its so tragic ueueuue😭

LOOK WHO IT IS OMG ITS RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUU RYUURYUU !!! E E E. E LETS GOOOOO !!

when you sent that i think it was likkkkeeee uhh 9 am ? so yea i was busy honk mimimiming... i had a good dream that i thought was going to be very silly but then the ending was sad and i woke up and was like WAIT NO IT CANT END LIKE THAT . so i reworked the plot in my head and tried to go back to sleep to continue and fix the dream but wegh it didnt work... SOBS.

you know your delulu is ever so real when fictional characters start appearing in your dreams. ...actually now that i think about it xiao has never appeared... thats strange since ive seen kazuha and karma akabane and ruggie bucchi and they aint really fictional but people like vox akuma ( WHO I DONT EVEN WATCH THE STREAMS OF LMOAOOO ) and idols like hyunjin n beomgyu (WHICH IS WHO i dREAMT ABOUT BTW> i possessed his body but i didnt know how fucking dance so i ruined everything and then they threw fucking CEREAL AT ME. )

please dont ask. /lh

me n my brother are the silliest !! just the other day we were being silly so we hopped over to my room, turned off the lights, took out our phone flashlights and B O P P E D to heavy dubstep tunes.. until my dad walked in and saw our demon-possesed selves headbanging. interesting experiences

i know full well that duolingo is not gonna make me fluent and ill have to do more than just that and rn im learning japanese on it (woah hhh h h h who wouldve thought !?) tryna learn korean + german + french too but i dont think my brain can handle that. just trying to learn three fucking writing systems is crazy enough istg... i have hiragana all the way down and katakana mostly good but kanji ??? please dont get me near kanji. i know mandarin too so it aint gonna help that the word for name is 名前 (namae) is also 名前 in mandarin which literally means name + front like girl what... they sometimes are similar but sometimes ARENT which is going to be a P A IN sdjifokldJFKODLSKJGKDJ

hhlkjlkmmkkmkmk do we need more questions ?? y. e s .

i can assume some things off of your pfp but.. fave genshin characters + other media characters in general? also your WAIT JUST A MOMENT I DID SOME STALKING AND OMG YOU KNOW MANDARIN??? thats like my fourth mootie that knows it eE E E. E E E !!! 真的好高兴，没想到你也会知道哇啊啊啊！！！！UHM UHM WHAT ELSE FAVORITE ANIME/SHOW MAYBES?? thats all my dumbass brain can think of rn sobs

[fuckyeahgemmathompson]

Savages: Interview with Gemma Thompson & Ayse Hassan

Note: this interview was originally written in German and I used translator to post this into English. 

From Gitarrebass.de, February 2017

What originally sparked your interest in music?

Gemma: I remember hearing the John Peel session on the radio. As a teenager, Sonic Youth and Nirvana came along, along with musicians like Rowland S. Howard, Blixa Bargeld and Duke Garwood. But I find it boring to say the inspiration came from this or that genre, I can't just name one band that has influenced my life. I also like classical music, for example.

Ayse: For me there is no single triggering moment, it is more of a collection of moments. When I was very young I loved listening to radio broadcasts. My parents listened to very different types of music and I can't remember a time when I didn't listen to music.

When did you start playing yourself?

Ayse: There was a music department in the primary school and when I was six I started playing various instruments.

Gemma: Flute too?

Ayse: I once played the flute, which is usually the first instrument in England (both laugh)

How did you get into bass?

Ayse: I just wanted to make music. I played guitar for a while, but it wasn't really fun. Then I picked up the bass and liked the sounds I could make with it and got into a couple of punk bands.

Then you taught yourself the typical eighth punk bass?

Ayse: Yes, that's the most exciting way to learn. You have to find your own way of playing an instrument, you don't have to follow any rules.

And with you Gemma?

Gemma: I lived in a shared apartment with musicians. One was a pretty good guitarist and I borrowed his guitar and started making noise.

Your band is often compared to early 80s acts. Do you like the post-punk bands like Bauhaus or Joy Divison?

Gemma: Yeah, sure. We grew up listening to these bands, but it's so important to be relevant to the time you are in. The first album had a kind of gang mentality. We fought against people who were around us. It's something these old bands did too, resisting what the people or the music industry expected of you and trying to be yourself.

Many of the post-punk musicians hardly had traditional skills on their instruments and therefore tried to find new sounds and styles. Do you feel connected to this concept?

Ayse: Yeah, I think so!

Gemma: The first thing I wanted to learn on the guitar was Rowland S. Howard's line from The Birthday Party song 'Happy Birthday' and suddenly I understood that I can't play like that because I'm not him. There are sounds that you can only make when you are a certain person and that interested me a lot more than playing by tablature ... the idea of ​​becoming a personality who embodies a sound.

Do you still have role models?

Ayse: There are bassists like John Deacon from Queen or JJ Burnel from The Stranglers that I like, but I tend to find other things that inspire me to make music. The way people think, the power behind music, doing what you have to and doing it as well as you can with your abilities. I could die tomorrow and I just want to make music and be true to myself, that inspires me to be in the moment and make music now! (laughs)

Detailed Gemma’s guitar interview

What guitars do you play?

Gemma: A 1966 Duo Sonic and 1963 Jaguar with a 1972 neck.

Was Rowland S. Howard the inspiration for the Jaguar? It looks a lot like his model.

Gemma: Yeah, it does. I wrote everything on the Duo Sonic, it was always my main guitar, but to record 'Adore Life' I rented a Jag and recorded some songs with it, e.g. 'The Answer'. That's why I looked for and bought a Jaguar afterwards. Now I use both guitars for different parts.

You have mentioned Rowland S. Howard in many interviews. What do you like about his game?

Gemma: There's this great film about him called 'Autoluminiscent' and there is someone who says about him, I think Henry Rollins: “This man looks like his guitar sounds.” I really like this idea that everything embodies the sound important.

You have two amps on stage.

Gemma: Yes, a Fender Twin and a Vox AC 30 that I play in stereo because I use stereo reverb. I don't switch them and they tend to be more clean.

Is it OK if we talk about your pedals?

Gemma: Yes, of course (both laugh)

... because earlier I wasn't allowed to take photos of your pedalboard, the secret pedalboard.

Gemma:… it's not a secret, but it takes the fun out of people trying things out. I now have a lot of things that are specially made for me and it is constantly changing.

And what do you use?

Gemma: I use various distortion pedals: an MXR Distortion +, a Fulltone OCD, a Maxon Tube Screamer, a Crowther Audio Hotcake Fuzz with a Death By Audio Robot in front of it. In terms of delays, I have a Boss DD-20, a Moog Delay and a Boss RE-20 Space Echo.

Do the effects inspire you to create certain sounds or do you have sounds in your head?

Gemma: I try not to be inspired by the sound of pedals. For me, what you do with the instrument is very clear, the most important thing and the pedals only amplify it. The most interesting thing to me is feedback and how to create it at a certain point and the pedals help set the amp and guitar in motion. They are just tools, as beautiful as they are (laughs)

Do you play loud?

Gemma: Yeah, pretty much ...

In some songs you underline individual words with certain sounds. How do you make sure that it works on stage right now?

Gemma: I sit at home and practice! (laughs)

Your singer (Jehnny Beth) has often mentioned musicians like Nina Simone or John Coltrane in interviews. Do you like jazz?

Gemma: (laughs) These musicians are definitely musical gods!

But you don't practice jazz chords or lines?

Gemma: (laughs) No, it's not me. I try to focus on my own way. When we record, I tend to listen to Rachmaninov or something so that my head is clear of guitars so that I can work on guitars.

Detailed Ayse’s bass interview

Your bass playing is based on trance-like repeating patterns and melodic parts rather than traditional bass grooves. Would you agree with me?

Ayse: I don't disagree, but it's always difficult to look at and classify yourself.

Have you ever learned typical bass grooves in certain styles?

Ayse: There was a point where I started, but I quickly lost interest in it. I wanted to explore by ear what sounds good to me and not follow patterns. If I do something naturally, it is because I found out about it myself and not learned it, and I find that very exciting. I find it more inspiring to work things out myself than to read them.

Is sound more important to you than the bass line? Your parts always have a very sonic quality.

Ayse: When I was growing up, I rebelled against my parents' music and listened to a lot of industrial music. For a long time I wanted to reproduce what Industrial did with synthesizers, make strange sounds in different ways and transfer that to the bass. I saw the bass as a neutral instrument ... that doesn't really make sense (laughs). Sometimes I want to use the bass to create sounds that don't originally come from a bass. I wanted to use repetition but keep it interesting to sound like a machine and that's what I followed as we developed with the band.

Your main instruments are Fender Precision models. What do you like about them?

Ayse: They give me a great tone, sound warm and are simply beautiful instruments that fit my style. I have a 1976 P-Bass and one from the 90s Anniversary Series.

And your amp is the classic Ampeg with slight distortion?

Ayse Hassan: Um, yes (laughs). But on the new album I used pedals more often for distortion: I have a Moda Lisa Fuzz with an oscillator. It sounds like a saw sometimes, but it's a great pedal and it was exciting to find a way to integrate the sound into what we're doing. Then I have a Boss OBD-3 distortion and a RE-20 Space Echo. I switch between my clean main sound, where you can really hear the instrument through the amp, and the distortion / fuzz effect sound.

Do you always play with pick or also with fingers?

Ayse Hassan: I always play with Pick, except when I'm at home ...

... and you play jazz (everyone laughs)

-x

[geekgemsspooksandtoons]

For Your Own Good

This is a story set within my Bioshock Rebirth AU. A reimaging/reboot of the Bioshock franchise. https://geekgemsspookyblog.tumblr.com/post/626141727587270656/bioshock-rebirth-timeline-this-is-a-timeline-of-an Just as a heads up if anyone is wondering about the context. I’ve had some stories in my drafts for a long time now and I’m finally publicly sharing them.

This has been in my drafts since August 24th 2020...this was one of the drafts I was very hesitant to share...even though I have shared this with friends and I’ve made some edits. It’s good one of my friends @fishtankinhouse liked it. Her support means so much like other friends who I have shared with this. But I worried too much of what my Bioshock followers would think of it...

But alias, I am a paranoid person. Including I have thought of just posting some of these drafts because I’m so focused on the FNAF franchise now. Especially this AU has it’s fans. So here’s one of the drafts I was very nervous to share with you all. 

Be warned. Including when I talked to Fishtankinhouse about this. This story while contains nothing extremely NSFW...but it’s on the focus of a man who is clearly experiencing PTSD and he does some things that are not good. Some aspects are the reason why I am not tagging it with other character tags. But that’s me being paranoid. 

The week when Sofia Lamb took over Rapture was a startling one. Including with the Vox trying to fight back. But due to the Big Sisters they can’t fully beat them. Now with Archie and others trying to save Eleanor Lamb from Sofia. Including to reunite Subject Delta with his Little Sister. But also to some how transform Johnny Topside into a normal human being again. The man that was the reason Archie had a normal life in a way. Right now things weren’t as intense. Yet unknown to everyone. Archie was suffering the aftermath his interactions with Atlas. Who had turned out to be Frank Fontaine. With Archie learning his whole life was a lie, and among other things. He tried to keep his PTSD to himself. Not wanting to worry the people around him.

But what got worse...it was seeing HIM again. He couldn’t understand if who he was seeing was real. He had killed him personally, he died right in front of his own eyes....yet he appeared like a ghost. What was worse...Frank wasn’t speaking in his real voice. But that Irish accent that Archie found comfort in hearing over a radio. Now it was a haunting memory that plagued him.

Today...Archie would be doing something he would regret for a long time. Despite his intentions were good. He was sitting on a table in the middle of Tenenbaum’s safehouse. Most of the little sisters were with Delta, Daisy and Grace. He just had his hands on his face thinking. Things had gotten worse. The paranoia was getting to him. There were two things that were important to him. Brigid and Elizabeth. The kids were safe but the memories of what happened to those two women a while back affected him. What happened to his, “Family” after he left them with Atlas.

He heard the door open from upstairs, and he put his head up. A person who had came down was Elizabeth. She smiled when seeing him.

“Archie!” She said as she went over to hug him. But seeing him down made her question what was wrong. “Hey are you alright?” She asked him. “You look down....you wanna tell me something?” Elizabeth asked him as she sat in a chair near the table.

“No...I think I’m good. I’m just tired.” He told her. Despite what his actual feelings were.

“Oh okay....still you can tell me if you want. I can see your tired. But I thought you can go out with me search for other ways we can get to Sofia or something. Or even something to help Delta.” She told him. “We can help out some of the Vox if we can. I’d thought you can join me since we usually go together.” She continued on.

Hearing that made him nervous and he started to think some things. The paranoia was getting to him.

“Actually.....if you don’t mind. How about you stay behind.” He told her.

“....what?” She sounded surprised. “Hey it’s safe out there right now. There’s no Big Sisters or whatever else out there. Besides Grace is with us and it’s like a safe haven where those girls are at. We can visit them on the way if we can. Whatever you want to do. Besides I have your back like you have mine.” Elizabeth said.

“No...I really think you should stay in the shelter. While I go out. It’s better for you.” Archie told her. The look on Elizabeth’s face started to change. What was confused and then turned to a smile...turned to surprise and a little bit of disappointment.

“Why? Just...we’ve been going out of this safehouse for so long and now you want me to stay inside. Yet after what we’ve been through and you’re saying it’s better for me...I’m sorry I’m a little offended.” Elizabeth said sounding a little annoyed.

“No please understand I’m just trying to keep you safe. I’m trying to protect you-” Archie said.

“Well I’m trying to protect you too but I never said you should stay here.” Elizabeth told him. “That’s unlike you to say that. You have never said that. You never mind me being by you but now you’re saying that.” Elizabeth continued on.

“Listen please just say inside.” Archie told her.

“....no I am not. If you’re going out. I’m going to protect you like I always have. Like you always did with me. I don’t know why you’re wanting be a lone wolf right now.” Elizabeth told him sounding more angry.

“Jesus Christ just listen it’s for your own good okay now stop arguing with me!” Archie raised his voice a little.

“For my own good!? Are you kidding me? Don’t you dare tell me that it’s for my own good! You’re just like Ryan!” Elizabeth told him. Archie look confused. He didn’t know how to respond to something like that.

“Listen if you want to stay inside that’s fine. But I’m going despite what you’re saying.” She told him as she got up from the chair and began marching towards the stairs. Archie began to panic, he got up from his chair.

“Wait please just listen.” He said as he gently tries to stop her.

“JUST LEAVE ME ALONE PLEASE!” She yelled as she looked back at him. “I’M NOT GONNA BE TRAPPED AGAIN!” She yelled again as she was risking opening a tear in her anger. Seeing this he had to make a move. Either stop her, or risk the shelter being destroyed. He moved fast seeing this.

All of a sudden, both of her arms were grabbed and the tear wasn’t being opened. Elizabeth was surprised by this and started freaking out.

“WAIT ARCHIE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? LET ME GO! HELP!” Elizabeth cried out for help despite it wouldn’t of worked. She tried to get out of his arms. But he was unusually strong for who he was. He had a firm grip on her arms.

“I’M TRYING TO PROTECT YOU! YOU GOT THAT!” He raised his voice. She tried kicking her legs and moving as much as he can. But he had a very good grip on her. He held on to her and tried to find whatever to bind her. The duct tape on the table. He quickly used it to bind her arms and legs. But nothing extreme. He carried her and she was still yelling, he quickly took a strip of duct tape put it over her mouth.

“STOP DOING THIS HELP-MFPFGH!” Elizabeth cried out before being gagged. He just carried her, she tried squirming. Then they both heard someone.

“Elizabeth!?” It was Tenenbaum. She had gotten back safely from the train. Archie had to think quick. So he went to the room he and Elizabeth slept in and left her there. He closed the door and then to see Brigid walking fast down the stairs.

“Archie! Did you hear Elizabeth? She was yelling for help! Where is she at?” She asked him. “Wait did someone took her? How?” She continued on.

He couldn’t answer her, and then he tried to. “Elizabeth needs to stay here for her own safety. Trust me it’s for her own good.” He told her.

“What? No...that doesn’t make sense. Why would she need to stay here? It’s safe out there right now-” Tenenbaum talked before being interrupted by a kick to Elizabeth’s door and muffled screaming.

“Archie...is she in there? Archie what did you do?” Brigid started to ask him. Her voice started to get more worried as he face of fear slowly turned to anger.

“Listen just please understand she needs to stay here.” Archie told her, with him sounding worried.

“Archie! Did you tie up Elizabeth!? I’ll tell Sinclair or whoever else! Let me go in there to see Elizabeth!” Tenenbaum started yelling at him and then she noticed the duct tape he was holding. She should of noticed earlier.

“Archie...you didn’t! ARCHIE!” Tenenbaum said as she started insult him in Russian and German. He started to panic but thought quick. So he quickly ran towards her and grabbed her.

“ARCHIE!” She yelled out in confusion and anger. Archie didn’t want to hurt her. She was yelling and he grabbed her. Brigid couldn’t find back. But compare to Elizabeth, Brigid was tougher. So Archie had to really think about binding her up. He amazingly taped her thighs and calves together, forcing her to hug her knees and taping up her wrists to her legs and around her back like a ball. She kept yelling for help and insulting him in Russian and German. But he quickly went to the kitchen where he grabbed a sponge from under the sink. The sponge she even used to clean Delta if he was here. Brigid saw what he was gonna do.

“ARCHIE PLEASE DON’T STOP-MFPGH!” She said as he put the sponge into her mouth. He quickly wrapped the tape around her as best as possible. But he didn’t want to get that tape on her hair.

“My God I’m so sorry Brigid. Please forgive me.” He said to her as she was trying to yell through her gag. After he finished wrapping the silver tape around her mouth, he carried her to the pantry. She kept squirming. “Listen understand why I’m doing this. I’m trying to protect you two okay. You’ll be safe here. I’m gonna make sure Elizabeth doesn’t escape.” He told her as he put her down and closed the door on her. But he could still hear muffling screaming.

After that he went to the room Elizabeth and him would share. After Elizabeth was ungagged, she asked what he did to Brigid. He told her he tied and gagged her as well. She tried to get away but she couldn’t. Yet he wanted to make sure she was comfortable. In the room there was a soft armchair in that same room. He wanted to make sure she was comfortable while she was gone.

At first, Elizabeth was angry and fuming at him when he first bind and gagged her. But now during this as he sat her in the chair and her legs were still tied. Her tone changed. As she had become more sadder and scared for him. Especially when he started to tape her wrists to the arms of the chair. She couldn’t move them and he made sure they kept her there.

“Archie...I don’t know what’s gotten into you...but please let me go. Including let Brigid go please. We won’t tell anyone just please stop.” She told him as her voice sounded more sad.

“No you’re staying here. Please understand why I’m doing this.” He said as he done taping her wrists then going to a small table where he could find a small rag to gag her with.

“Oh God please no don’t. I won’t scream. I’ll be quiet please just please stop-mfpgh.” She was begging him before he gently put the gag in her mouth. He didn’t wanna make her feel uncomfortable. So he was careful with gagging her. After that he ripped a strip of duct tape from the tape roll. He smoothly placed the strip over he lips with his hands. Making sure it would stick on there. It was perfect. Just smoothing it with his thumbs. She was thoroughly gagged.

“No I’m sorry I’m not risking it. I know you would try to call for someone. But don’t worry I made it as comfortable as possible.” Archie told her. He stepped back to get a full look at her. She was in her usual student look or so. During that moment as she just stared at him. There was no longer anger. But right now, she was feeling hurt inside. That someone she loved so much and trusted did this to her. It felt like a betrayal of the deep trust they had.

She tried muffling to him and soon started to cry. But unknown to her as Archie just stood and watched her. He saw someone pop up to the left corner of his eye.

“Ah boyo....I’m proud of you honestly. Didn’t think you had it in ya. Gonna say that’s some fine work you did there. While I would of been rougher with her bounds. But still Arch...you make me proud.” Atlas was at his left side and saying this.

He knew he wasn’t real. This was just in his mind. But it bothered him. Archie tried to ignore it. Not even wanting to give the man attention.

“I’m also impressed you tied up Mother Goose. She was a tough cookie but good job lad. I loved how you put a sponge in her mouth. The one she actually used to clean Topside. I thought I was nasty gagging her with something that had my saliva in it. But you know Arch I was thinking. Your girl is tied up here. This is a once in a lifetime chance...unless she got taken again.” He was saying and then walked behind Elizabeth.

“I mean this is your chance right now. What about you do what any man would do.” He smugly looked at the young man as Atlas admired the terrified and sad young girl. “I mean nothing extreme right now. Maybe play with her boobs or look up her skirt. Or even give her a big messy kiss on that gag of hers. Trust me, I’m sure she’ll secretly love it.” He started to come back to Archie. “She’s just secretly trying to be desperate. I’m sure her big teddy bear would love to make out with her while she’s safe.” Atlas said as he walked around him back to his left.

“Please just shut up.” Archie then told him.

“Ah come on she had you tie her up once. This is just the next phase of that. Instead of you giving her a big soft hug as she just loves being close to you. How about be a little rough with her. It’s what I would of done. In fact how about give Tenenbaum a nice time. I’m sure she’ll love it too that our son started making up with her.” Atlas said with a smile.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Archie yelled at him....but there was nobody there. He just yelled at the wall. After that he then turned back to Elizabeth who started to whimper because of that yell. Her eyes were closed and she was actually crying.

“Please that wasn’t towards you I didn’t yell at you.” Archie walked to her to comfort her.

“MPFGH!” Elizabeth turned her head to the left and had her eyes closed. She didn’t wanna look at him. At the moment she felt terrified right now. This hurt Archie inside personally. Seeing that yell got her to be afraid.

“Please....understand that wasn’t towards you.” He said as he put his hands on her shoulders. She slowly started to look back towards him because of what he said. “I was yelling at someone else but I don’t know if you would understand.” He really wanted to make sure she felt safe. He just looked into her eyes for a good 10 seconds.

After that he gave her a kiss on the forehead. Then stroked her hair and wiping her tears with his fingers. “I love you so much....I never wanna hurt you. You mean so much to me. I’ll make sure that I’m careful as possible out there. I’m gonna search around in Rapture. Once things are safer, I’ll release you. In fact I’ll have Sinclair check up on you to keep you safe.” Archie was just holding her face. She felt that softness he usually brought her. “You’re going to be fine. But you have to say here. I don’t want you to be hurt.” He told her sounding sad in his voice.

After that he soon started to leave and turned off the lights, closing the door as Elizabeth started to whimper again.

As time went on, Elizabeth could only think to herself as she was stuck bound and gagged. What did he mean that he was yelling at someone else? Why was he acting like this? He never acted like this before. “Oh my God...why did he do this?” Elizabeth was thinking to herself.

She tried getting out of her bounds. Including she tried yelling through her gag. Hoping someone would hear. But it wasn’t working. He made sure the tape was bound tight and her gag was good enough. She felt thankful he didn’t make it tighter. Yet her mind was thinking so many things. But she wanted to understand his real reasoning behind this.

“HLPFHGH! HFLGHPH!” She yelled through her gag and started sobbing. She was so confused. But frightened as well. Yet even after that, she worried for his safety. She always worried about him. Because she watched his back and he watched her. Now for the next hour she would just have to sit there. The other thing on her mind if Brigid was hearing this.

In the pantry, Brigid tried getting out of her uncomfortable state. Being bound and gagged in a some what dusty and lightless cramped space. She needed to clean it. She tried yelling through the gag. Even trying to yell to Elizabeth in case. “ELIFHGZBEGHG!” The woman tried yelling her name. Because she was deeply concerned about that young woman.

She cared for her little ones despite how she thought of herself. But Elizabeth mattered too. It didn’t matter if she was 16 years older than the girl. She was like another daughter of hers. Someone who she knew from birth and watched her grew up. The fact Elizabeth showed kindness to her despite everything Brigid did said so much. They were different women. But like her little ones, she had this maternal instinct over the young woman. Especially when she saw Atlas get too close to her. Saying certain things and not wanting her to go through the same things she went through with Frank.

Especially she felt responsible about Elizabeth’s mother dying during birth. She wasn’t supposed to die, but the guilt grew with Brigid. She felt responsible to take care of that child. Including she was the reason she suggest Comstock for her last name.

The other thing she had worried about why Archie did this. The person who was the closest she had to an actual son did this. She started having her fears. Was he still being brainwashed? She tried her best to make sure he was in a normal state. What if Fontaine had a backup plan for him to do something. What if this was that result. That possibly if Frank was killed. Jack or in this case Archie was his back up plan. Yet he acted like he wasn’t being controlled.

She tried her hardest to get out of those bounds. Using every ounce of her strength. Especially to make sure Elizabeth was okay. Including the fear of what if Archie planned to tie up her little ones. But because of her trying so hard. There was growing pressure on her bladder. She was in a panic about wetting herself if she was found. She then decided to ease down on trying to get out of her bounds.

Brigid didn’t wanna panic so much. But was bringing up so many memories. She soon stopped yelling through her gag. Now she was just sitting there. But as she did, she felt the taste of the sponge. It reeked of salt, rust, oil, and other chemicals. God it was gross....but she was reminded of Delta. Thinking of the Big Daddy made her feel comfortable. Now she wanted him to come back and find her. Now Brigid was sitting there. Just thinking of Topside put her in ease. She didn’t wanna wet herself. Now she was just waiting, trying to think of what to do next.

An hour had passed. Sinclair wanted to check out what was going on here. He hadn’t seen the three in a bit. It seemed empty, but he went in. Including he brought back some of the Little Sisters who were with the others. As they were in the train.

“Well...I guess they aren’t here now...hopefully they wouldn’t mind me going into that pantry of there’s.” But once Sinclair had said that. He heard some muffled talking. “What?” As he opened the pantry he found Brigid. Still bound and gagged.

“Well....my my Tenenbaum.....I see you’re being a bit kinky right now.” Sinclair smugly told her.

“Mpfgh!” Brigid muffled through her gag. Of all the people to find her like this. It had to be Sinclair....someone she didn’t really get along with.

“I’m just wondering darling....did you do this to yourself if Delta came in here? Were you hoping to get that good ol Big Daddy aroused? I mean...I’ve sold some kinky things back in the day.....but I find it some what funny that of all people you would do that. I will admit...I like you better this way.” Sinclair was telling her. He was enjoying that for the first time, she wasn’t yelling at him.

“Mpfhg mfplgh!” Brigid muffled in annoyance. But with that Delta comment, she actually blushed. She hated being in this moment. Then Sally appeared behind him.

“Mama Tenenbaum?....are the grown ups playing a game Mr. Sinclair?” The young girl asked him. Behind her was Miranda. Seeing the two greatly concerned Brigid. She didn’t want her little ones to see her or Elizabeth this way after what Archie did.

“I don’t know little one...maybe....hey how about you two go back in the train. Me and....Mama Tenenbaum are speaking. She’s maybe fine.” The girls listened to him. Thank God he told them to go back into the train. “Seriously I do wonder what’s with you like this. Honestly I feel like this seems to be a tread with you...again I love seeing you this way. You aren’t yelling at me, or whatever else. So maybe you being like this is great for you.” Sinclair told her.

“MFPGH!” She yelled through the gag as she was becoming more annoyed.

“Okay okay doc! I get you want me to take that gag off. But how about you be more civil about it. If I take that gag off. You’re not gonna yell at me okay sweetheart?” Sinclair asked her. Brigid just looked to the ground, and she nodded yes when she looked back at him.

“Alright good darling. Well then you gagged yourself good. But you didn’t touch your hair.” He told her as he was taking the tape off. “Holy moses a sponge....well that’s something. Uck that’s something huh?” He continued on.

“Archie did this.” Brigid finally said something after he took the sponge out.

“Wait...Archie? You mean soldier boy? The young gentleman? He did this.” Sinclair asked sounding very surprised.

“Yes....he did....please just untie me. He tied up Elizabeth. Now please get the rest of this tape off. I need to piss.” Brigid told him. She sounded so tired.

“Oh my...just.....I don’t even know what to think with that information.” Sinclair said.

“Please just get this tape off. I need to go.” Brigid told him.

“Alright doc I can do that.” He told her as he got the rest of the tape off. He helped get her up. “Want me to walk you to the bathroom since you’re feeling frail. You’re not even that old yet. But I mean....don’t know if you’ll like you’ll piss yourself on the way there.” He told her as a perverted comment.

“You’re a dumkopf!” She says to him as she shoves him away. Besides...please call Archie. I can handle myself.” Brigid told him.

“I can do that. Besides I think it be best for me to call him while you handle yourself.” As she went to the bathroom. He started talking through the radio to get to Archie.

“Hey son it’s me Sinclair......yeah I just wanted to call you after I let Tenenbaum out of the pantry....now slow down kid. Listen while I’ve been friendly with you. But right now because Tenenbaum told me to call you. She’s pissing in the bathroom.”

“YOU’RE A DUMKOPF!” Brigid yelled at him.

“Yes I know honey. Now listen because you’re out there with Delta. Please get back here. I think you need to have a talk with these ladies you consider family......kid....I’m not gonna say this once. And this isn’t a request. I DEMAND you to get your ass back here, untie Elizabeth, and make amends so you can handle this like actual adults. I’m only gonna say this once soldier boy. Because hearing you tied up that really nice young lady you love...I’m sorry I’m just disappointed because I appreciated how kind you are. Just get back here please.” Sinclair told him through the radio. Sounding like a disappointed parent. Because of being disappointed that Archie of all people would of done that.

“What’s a dumkopf?” Miranda asked. She was still around along with Sally. When Brigid heard this, she felt so embarrassed.

“Dumkopf means nothing dear. Just go back outside with the others. Everything is okay.” Brigid said as she pushed them along. Despite what the real situation was. After that she went back to the bathroom and closed the door.

Archie came back in 20 minutes and untied Elizabeth. Some of the Little Sisters had came back. But after Archie came back. Brigid started spewing German insults at him, and telling the Little Sisters to stay away from him. They were really confused of what was going on. With Tenenbaum saying he was in trouble. What made it worse that Sally and Miranda said it looked like they were playing a game of cops and robbers or something. That maybe Archie forgot to untie them after he was done. This saddened Brigid hearing they were discussing this.

He kept away from the kids. Even after he untied Elizabeth, she didn’t wanna look at him. She kept away from him and stuck with Brigid. Now after many hours since that. With the girls sleeping. It was 8 pm now during that Wednesday night. The three were in Archie and Elizabeth's room. Brigid was just pacing a bit with her right hand on her chin. Elizabeth was just sitting on the bed, with Archie just standing looking at them.

"Listen I can explain Brigid please understand-" Archie tried telling her but was interrupted by her.

"How dare you do that to her! After everything we've been through and what you've done for us! Did you plan on doing that to the little ones!?" Brigid said in anger.

"No I would never-" Archie said before being interrupted again.

"Imagine if they saw you doing that to me or Elizabeth!? They were scared and confused why you couldn't be around them. Including Sally and Miranda were talking about it and they think we were playing a game. But they don't know the full truth. They were heart broken they couldn't play with you....I'm actually heart broken too." Brigid sounding more sad now.

She tried calming down a bit more. Trying to not wake her little ones.

"Archie if you were anyone else I would shoot you right now." She said sounding angry. "But to my little ones you're like the big brother they never had. I'm just disappointed in the example you set....I'm just shocked. You say it's to protect us but how is that?.....is the WYK programming still affecting you?" She asked him.

"What just I just....no you made sure I couldn't be controlled." Archie told her.

"We don't know that for sure because I'm worried Fontaine may of done something. I'm just scared of how you would be around the little ones....I just...I'm disappointed...I really am." Brigid started to sound more sad.

Then Elizabeth stood up from the bed. She wanted to say something finally.

"Archie.....I still love you. I can still see you're a good person. But what you did today I feel kind of ruined my trust with me.....you saw how scared I was?...you saw me actually crying." Elizabeth told him. Sounding upset.

Archie didn't say anything. He just looked at her.

"Archie you were the first person to treat me like a human being. You didn't care that I had these powers or this giant Proto-Daddy guarding me. You looked at me and saw a person. You wanted to make sure I was okay when I was with you. Because you kept me safe, and I kept you safe. And when you found out you weren't who you were exactly. Me, and Tenenbaum were there. We wanted to make sure you were okay. You gave us support, you gave me support. It was my turn to help you." Elizabeth continued on.

"Archie I can forgive you. But I was really hurt by what you did today. I was hurt by the fact you didn't trust me enough. Maybe if we remained calm and you could teach me to fight. I still love you....but still." Elizabeth was about to talk more and reveal why it really hurt her. "What you did reminded me so much of how Ryan and Frank treated me. I was scared, and I thought you wouldn't of come back. But you did. The way they treated me, bound, and gagged me. Yet you came back. You make me so happy. Because you make me so comfortable that the world isn't really a horrible place. I even let you tied me up once and maybe more because I trusted you. You made me feel safe." Elizabeth said as it seemed like she would of started crying.

"Wait...you actually went through with it?" Brigid asked. Being shocked by the fact that Elizabeth admitted about the consensual bondages session she had with Archie. "Oh my...." She said.

"Yes I did. Because I felt safe with you Archie. You made me feel like the world to you.....like I actually had someone watching over me." Elizabeth said as she had tears forming in her eyes. But sounding angry.

It was silent for 10 seconds. Then Archie finally said something.

"I am so sorry......but there is something wrong with me....I've been seeing Atlas in my head....Frank." Archie told them. The two women both got surprised looks on their faces.

"I don't know why I am seeing him. But considering what you said about the programming Brigid....maybe that's why he's in my head. He says things that make me upset. He was the one I was yelling at after I tied up Elizabeth. He was telling me to do what any man would do...to playing with your boobs or see up your skirt. Or even give you a big messy kiss on your gag or have a good time with Tenenbaum! Oh God I hear hearing that Irish accent.....I hate hearing his voice. I don't know why he's in my head I KILLED HIM!" Archie started yelling as he put his heads on his head.

The two women flinched at that one yell. They were shocked and felt very uncomfortable hearing that. Elizabeth instinctively touched her mouth in fear when she heard about a threatened gag kiss. This brought up memories when Atlas revealed who he was. It felt like she was reliving that moment. Brigid looked at Elizabeth. Then back to Archie to try to calm him down.

"Archie...it's okay.....don't yell...please don't wake up the children." Brigid told her.

"My God I've been traumatized by what happened. I kept my emotions in. I thought everything was going good till Sofia took over Rapture. I'm terrified if something similar happens to you two again. I said too much I just want to be honest with you two. Oh my fucking God! You two make me so happy. I'M JUST SO PARANOID!" Archie yelled again. His PTSD was kicking in. He was finally breaking yet again. He actually started crying.

The women flinched again. He didn’t raise his voice like that at them. But Brigid quickly broke away from her filched state. The man wasn’t in a good state.

"Shh shh Archie stop it's okay." Brigid walks towards him. She put her hands on his face. "Archie......look at me please. If you were my biological son. I would be proud of you. You've done so much good. But please be honest with me. Don't hold all those feelings in." Brigid tried comforting him.

"I was trained not to share that stuff. I mean the place were in." Archie told her.

"I understand that but this isn't the surface. This place is different than being up there. I understand why you wanted to do. But if you really want us to be safe. Please let us speak. Be honest with us. Bind us only when we want to be bound." Brigid told him and comforting him. "I love you. Elizabeth loves you. So many people love you. Please just talk to us. Don't put that weight on yourself." After Brigid told him that. She hugged him.

Elizabeth just watched. She decided to walk over there and joined in the hug as well.

"Archie...again I love you. We all trusted Atlas....don't think we don't know how you feel. You're so selfless to make sure we don't go through that again. You don't have to go through this alone." Elizabeth said.

"I forgive you Archie." Brigid said as well.

"Even if I'm still upset...I still forgive you." Elizabeth said as she hugged him tighter.

Archie just stood there being embraced by them. With tears down his eyes. He finally said something. "Thank you two...so much." As he embraced them as well.

The three just stood there embracing each other for a good minute. Then Archie finally said something. "Hey Elizabeth.....do you want me to sleep alone tonight?" He asked her.

"Don't worry I'm still gonna sleep with my teddy." Elizabeth said with a warm smile. Confirming they can still sleep in the same bed as her. Then surprising to them the door opened. It was Sally who opened the door.

"Is everything okay?" Sally asked with Miranda right behind her. The three just looked at them. Brigid broke away from the hug to go to the two children.

"Is it okay my little ones. The grown ups were having a grown up conversation. We're sorry that we woke you up. Would we like me to read you a story?" Brigid told them.

"Hey Brigid." Elizabeth came behind her. "How about I read them a story. I think you need some rest anyway. Besides I enjoy reading to them." Elizabeth said as the two little girls got excited when they heard that. The idea of reading them a bedtime story always made Elizabeth happy. It's what she needed right now. Everyone needed rest that night.

[fujiwaratofushop-archive-blog]

wow i got tagged in a fun questions thingy by @shehergyro !! thamk :) lets go while i wait for the password reset time to go for my fafsa

nickname: tarlach !

zodiac: aries

height: 5′6″.... or is it 6′5″ ? youll never know

last movie i saw: alita battle angel w/ annika before going to the newport aquarium!!! please watch it when it comes out on dvd or streaming or smth im so angry it did poorly in the box office its the best cgi ive ever seen

last thing i googled: fafsa stuff

favorite musician: ...death grips or red vox, it depends on how im feeling fsdsfkj

song stuck in my head: vi sitter här i venten och spelar lite dota och pushar på och smeker med motståndet vi leker vi sitter här i venten och spelar lite dota och springer runt och creepar och motståndet vi sleepar (dota by basshunter bc stupid memes)

other blogs: none anymore!

followers: 30 :)

following: 90!

amount of sleep: uhh i slept for 7 hours last night which isnt a lot for me honestly

lucky #: 8

dream job: a jeweler but i have skills that pay me more than that :pensive:

what i’m wearing: my sick as fuc jotaro shirt and pj pants

favorite food: anything with beef in it since i always crave it tbh

language: english and a crumbling grasp on german.... i cant speak anymore

can i play an instrument: yes and no, its been years but i still have the basics of brass (tuba/baritone/trombone/trumpet) + percussion (bass drum/cymbals/marimba + vibes), i lost bari sax tho... i only have a function euph now as well

favorite song: probably hungry ghost by red vox currently...

random fact: i fought a chair and lost almost 3 years ago and its what causes my back issues to this day :)

describe yourself using aesthetic things: country boy transitioning into city boy, a  cottagecore mind in a punk frame i guess kfjsdhfjf

im gonna tag. @lucifer-chr bc its a good friend and @rigelstudies for the same reason.... answer or i bully in the house /s

[soulkiba]

21 Questions

rules: answer 21 questions and tag 21 people who you want to get to know better

Tagged by @chibikinesis thank you alot!

I probably don’t have 21 to tag either but here y’all go (no pressure though!): @warriorvolga, @cherry-pixels, @pastelnuva, @nitrozem, @watercolor-papercranes, @alcyone2305, @gonjcat, @gay-renpai, @cairohkyun, @paliseizy​ (sorry if I forgot anyone ;;)

nickname: Kiba or Basti (though that probably sounds weird to everyone not German :’D)

zodiac: Libra

height: 5′7″

last movie i saw: Technically Kingdom Hearts Back Cover

last thing I googled: "height comparison feet to cm” qq

favorite musicians: Oh jeez, theres alot of Musicians I really like so that would be hard, but I think it’s Red Vox, half•alive and *Luna. In general Young the Giant, Gorillaz and nabuna.

song stuck in my head: Face my Fears by Utada Hikaru and Skrillex

other blogs: I don’t actually have any other Blogs but you can find me on Twitter over here!

do I get asks: Not too often but now and then, yeah :D

following: 189

followers: 2087

amount of sleep: Usually around 7 but I try to get in a bit more if I can <<

lucky number: 12, probably

what i’m wearing: Just a simple Black Shirt and Black Pants atm

dream job: I think Concept Artist, especially focused on Character Design would be pretty neat. But kinda anything that has to with Game Design would be pretty neat. dream trip: I’m not sure, theres alot of places that would be nice to visist but I think Italy and Japan are the places I would like to visit the most atm. Maybe Hawaii too.

favorite food: I’m usually not too picky but seriously you can never go wrong with some good ol’ Chicken Nuggets

play any instruments?: Nope :0

languages: German and English. I can only remember a few things from French ;;

favorite songs: Something to Believe in by Young the Giant, Underwater Sea Lily by nabuna, Sugarvine by Dixie Flatline and The Fall by half alive but thats also just a few random fact: Goats are one of my favorite animals but thats pretty much only becaise there were some Goats close to our Garden in my Hometown who I just went feeding Grass everyday so they were always excited to see me which was really nice

describe yourself as aesthetic things: Aw jeez, I really can’t think of anything really fitting for this one, sorry ;;

[loudlytransparenttrash]

What are your thoughts on Charlottesville? I've heard a lot of conflicting stories and am kinda lost on what to believe about it

Hi :) A little group of alt-right idiots gathered last year and it’s now all the evidence we need to prove that America is overrun with Nazis and it’s all thanks to our Hitler president. But what most deliberately leave out is they weren’t the only people there. The whole point of the first rally was to protest the removal of a monument. They wanted the story to be this: Everyone there opposed to tearing down the monument were literal Nazis so the violent attacks on anyone in a MAGA hat is justified. Brian Fallon and Chris Cuomo even compared Antifa macing people and throwing bricks and cherry bombs to the brave Americans soldiers who stormed Normandy to fight Nazis on D-Day. Find me a single person on the right, any conservative who hasn’t condemned and disavowed the racists who attended the protest. To lump anyone against tearing down the monuments in with the faction of white supremacists is why so many melted down when Trump said there were fine people on both sides. They became even more hysterical when Trump said both sides engaged in violence.

CNN cried in enormous font on its front page “He still blames both sides!” The New York Times blared that Trump “again blames both sides.” So did the Chicago Tribune. So did NBC News. So did U.S. News while calling Trump insane. So did NPR. So did CBS News. So did the Washington Post. So did the Wall Street Journal. So did Time. So did MSNBC. NBC News later wondered: “Has Trump Lost His Moral Authority for Good?” CNN continued with the massive headlines, calling Trump’s press conference “a meltdown for the ages,” and declared: “Trump is who we feared he was” and “Donald Trump’s presidency is headed to a very dark place.” Vox claimed Trump “is offering comfort to racists and extremists.” The president has become “completely unhinged” Jimmy Kimmel told his viewers afterwards. He had just canceled all their scheduled programming to focus on the president “finally showing the world the racist he is.” This is a day after Jimmy Fallon did basically the same thing and asked America how to “explain this to his daughters.” The Atlantic wrote “Trump Defends White-Nationalist Protesters.” Kat Timpf was on the verge of tears as she stressed, “I’m wondering if it was real life.“

It’s funny how they all failed to leave these words by Trump out: “Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans. Those who spread violence in the name of bigotry strike at the very core of America. We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence. The driver of the car is a disgrace to himself, his family and this country. You can call it terrorism. The driver of the car is a murderer. What he did was a horrible, horrible, inexcusable thing.” So this is proof he’s a racist who offers comfort to racists and extremists? Just because he didn’t turn what happened into a racebating lecture to all white people about the dangers of their whiteness as the left insisted him to, it doesn’t mean that he failed to condemn racism and it sure as hell doesn’t mean that he supports it. The left went into meltdown mode because he told the truth of what happened in Charlottesville.

We are supposed to see it as outrageous and morally abhorrent that Trump would claim that “there is blame on both sides.” The thing is, Trump was telling the truth. The violence that occurred throughout the downtown area was committed by both sides. Even the Charlottesville police chief affirmed that the protest saw mutually combative individuals on both sides. Is the black police chief a racist guilty of comforting extremists as well? It is not unreasonable to blame “both sides” that day. Yes there were some people there who we have every reason to hate, but the left-wing protesters had zero intentions of a peaceful counter-protest of “passive resistance,” they didn’t show up to practice civil rights-style non-violent activism. They were armed, they had fighting and violence on their mind and there is unequivocal testimony and footage proving that they committed widespread unprovoked violence that day.

Refuse Fascism was among the left-wing groups at the Charlottesville rally and urged violence against the Trump supporters there. Another anarchist group that was there, CrimethInc, said “We must identify the forces underlying their laws and their order. Patriarchy, policing, capitalism, and the state. We have to work together to reimagine the world without them. We need to make this country ungovernable.” They declared “We need to do what the German people should have done when Hitler was elected.” Another far-left group there was the Workers World Party, a group of marxists who have declared their support for Kim Jong Un’s dictatorship in North Korea and have has consistently published propaganda-like screeds supporting Venezuela’s regime. The communist group “sent many of its members to beat up those who marched there.” The same group took credit for organizing the vandals who toppled a city-owned Confederate statue in Durham, North Carolina a week earlier.

These are the nutjobs, along with hoards of Antifa, who are defended and honored as the anti-racist heroes. We can make a point of condemning the alt-right without justifying the continuous violence and rioting of ISIS-wanna-be thugs. By equating them to the Americans of D-Day or saying they just “stand up to hate,” all we’re doing is green-lighting more political violence under the disguise of tolerance and love. We need to condemn all political violence, the extreme ends of both sides are just as repulsive and dangerous as each other. We can all agree that the racists who attended were bad people who deserved to be counter-protested. The one moron carrying a Nazi flag deserved to be yelled at. But why did the counter-protesters start such raging violence against everyone there? Why did they start to block, swarm and beat on cars driving by? The tragic outcome wouldn’t have happened if a few racists didn’t show up, that’s very true. But it’s also true it wouldn’t have happened if the left-wing mobs didn’t turn the event into a massive violent, chaotic battle zone.

Even after the tragedy of last year, a few days ago the mobs still thought it was a good idea this time around to again swarm cars and threaten drivers. The town went into lockdown for its anniversary and in the days beforehand, according to Charlottesville’s Daily Progress, “reports surfaced from concerned citizens believed they saw persons resembling Nazis and white supremacists in locations from office supply stores to coffee shops.” Did you see how many people showed up for the rally? About eight. It’s funny how little Nazis there are when you don’t include every American who supports Trump or is opposed to tearing down all our Civil War monuments.

Projecting support of Nazis onto a person who you disagree with to force them to defend themselves, prove they’re not a Nazi sympathizer and disavow an already globally disavowed and despised group is a sneaky leftist tactic that is used against everyone from the president to any conservative with a voice. The groupthink of the left is if you believe someone is a Nazi, aka, someone you don’t like, it’s totally cool to just beat them up and it will be glorified by the liberal media as “fighting racism.” Conservatives are accused of violence for merely speaking, yet when there’s actual real violence right in front of us, we get silence because it’s not from the right people. Just as there’s been total silence on every left-wing riot over the past two years.

We’re all supposed to pretend Trump said something racist after Charlottesville. He spoke out against racism, he blasted the alt-right for their role in the violence and he warned against all political violence. If it were just an average person saying what Trump said, we’d all say ‘duh.’ There’s nothing controversial about what he said, only the fact that it came from a guy who people are so desperate to delegitimize and call a white supremacist. Now Charlottesville is used to shame and silence anyone on the right as evidence of what conservative ideals and policies lead to, just as they use the myth of “caged kids” to turn as many people as they can away from voting Republican again. That’s just my take, obviously there were racists there, but like it or not they did have a permit to be there, and most people clearly had nothing to do with these few idiots and were only there to oppose the statue from being torn down. The narrative that everyone not on Antifa’s side were Nazis and were the ones to spark the violence is a deliberate lie to hold conservatives accountable for the actions of one criminal. I hope that’s helped a little, if not please feel free to message me with specifics :) xx

[darwin-xf]

Close through the Dark

Just some pillow talk from circa SOSS. Good clean fun. The rest is at AO3. The middle chapter is filthy fun, but you can skip it just fine. If that’s not your thing. Sorry if you saw this. Penultimate chapter of Vox coming very soon! xo-D

————————————————-

“That was it.” Mulder said, some minutes after they had collapsed to the bed.

They lay side by side in the near dark of his bedroom, his fingers laced behind his neck, his eyes idly following the shifting shadows on the ceiling. She was sprawled on her stomach, close but not touching him, her face half buried in a pillow. She emitted an occasional satiated murmur.

“That was what?” she asked, lazily.

“That was the best sex I’ve ever had. Red hot monkey sex, Scully. That was some primitive bootknocking.”

Her laugh settled into a smirk, her eyes still closed.

“Was it ok when I…”

“More than ok.” In fact, their encounter had been playing behind her eyelids as she drifted next to him. She stole toward him and kissed the underside of his jaw, then rested her head on the landing strip of his chest.

“Good,” he said, circling his arms around her and giving her a squeeze. “I would normally, uh, ask first...”

“That’s not bad as a general rule,” she said. “But I think I set the tone, Mulder. For this particular soirée.”

“I picked up on that,” he said, smiling at her.

“I’m not really sure what came over me...”

He shrugged, complaining the furthest thing from his mind. Also, never good for Scully to overthink. In bed, anyway.

His window was open a sliver, allowing the city’s dusky spring hum to wash over them. Bars coughed patrons back up to the sidewalks as happy hour timed out, more carefree and certainly louder. All over the city clusters of tight blossoms weighed down limbs. A night bird trilled nearby and light from a million bulbs worked its way around the edges of his blinds which swayed and rattled in the breeze. A car alarm blared fruitlessly several blocks away.

“Why do the best words for sex all originate from the French?” he asked, leaning down to kiss her mouth. “Tonight’s...skirmish, you might be interested to know, took over the top spot from the rendezvous we had last Thursday.”

“You have a list? Have you been making reports on me from the beginning, Mulder? Taking your little notes?”

“That water isn’t from the faucet, is it Scully?” he asked, gesturing to the half-empty glass they’d been sharing.

“Jug in the fridge.”

“Good. Nothing for the record. It’s all up here,” he said, tapping his temple.

She lifted her head and looked at him. “What did we…?” A slow smile spread across her face. “Oh yeah. Thursday was nice.”

“Last Thursday beat out our power lunch from three Mondays ago, if you must know, which, at this point, is taking the bronze. Nipped it at the wire,” Mulder said.

She looked at him quizzically. Their physical intimacy had been progressing nicely. Which, if pressed, she might admit was an understatement.

“Lunch is a contemporary English word. Nineteenth Century, I think. Luncheon. Power is Latin in origin maybe? But I’m pretty sure it comes to us via Anglo-Norman French as the verb poeir-to be able to. Why aren’t German words sexy, Scully?”

“I can never decide whether your capacity for remembering literally everything except my birthday is more a curse or a blessing,” she said, dragging her fingers through his shorn hair. “You’re so minky,” she muttered, nipped at his pec.

“Me neither,” he said. “But when it comes to this,” he said, wagging his index finger between them, “It’s all good.”

“Hmmmm,” she agreed.

“I’ll work on the birthday thing.”

She snorted. “I won’t hold my breath.”

“We celebrated this year.”

“You invited me to dinner after you overheard Skinner wish me a Happy Birthday.”

“You noticed that? How does Skinner remember your birthday? Why does he? He never mentions my birthday.”

“I’ve never taken a swing at him.”

“You’ve held a gun on him though. And accused him of treason.”

“I guess he’s the forgiving type.”

“Good thing, or he would have canned me ages ago.”

“That's true.”

“There was that one time. Just before we left for Wisconsin? We sang in the bar?”

“Three years ago? I was dying of cancer, Mulder. Even Bill Junior sent a card.”

“Scully, I…”

“It was nice all the same. You don’t often have occasion to see sparklers in February. I never got to eat my Snowball, though.”

Scully peeled herself away and stood at the end of the bed, pressing her arms skyward with hands clasped in a deep stretch, dark in her hollows, not a stitch on. His eyes went soft, taking her in, as his tongue toyed with the sore spot on his freshly split lip.

“There’s a dirty joke there somewhere, but I’m too distracted to think of it.”

————————————————-

They had pulled on some clothes and were at his dining table eating toast and lentil soup.

“Is this from a can?” Scully said, pointing toward her bowl with her spoon. “It’s good. It tastes like my mom’s.”

“It is your mom’s” he said. “She gave me a quart of it from her freezer at Thanksgiving. She insisted.”

“She probably thinks you’re too skinny. And generally a helpless bachelor.”

“I’ll take what I can get. Besides, I like her. I’ve never met a Scully woman I didn’t like.”

“Remember Aunt Maura, my dad’s spinster sister? She’s kind of a drag.”

“With the lavender hair?”

“That’s her. Mom only invites her out of obligation.”

“She seemed like kind of a sourpuss,” Mulder agreed.

“Who spends all of Thanksgiving dinner with people you might see twice a year complaining about noisy children and the lack of amenities on their recent cruise?”

“I kept wanting to ask her about her hair. But I thought it might be rude.”

“You have good manners, Mulder. But, you've never spent time with my mom as my lover.”

“True. You weren’t putting out in November.”

“Not that you know of.”

“Touché, Scully,” he sad. “But you weren’t, right?”

She just shook her head. He went back to his soup.

“Wait. If memory serves, we engaged in some pretty hot premarital intercourse on my sofa not a half hour before meeting your mother for brunch. This was, like, months ago.”

“We did more than that. There was very little room for the Holy Spirit, as I recall. But she didn’t know that. And what, Monster Boy, do you mean by premarital?”

“You know what I mean. Does she know now? That we’re... going steady?”

“Hints have been dropped. Also, we played some serious footsie at brunch. Not to mention I brought you to brunch. She’s not an idiot.”

“Huh. You know what I think, Scully? I think your mother knew what we were to each other long before we did.”

“Maybe she did.”

“I’m not sure how...”

“Well, I’ve heard stories that you can get…a little...intense when I’m incapacitated.”

“You know how the rumor mill is.”

She laughed. Down in the street, someone yelled “Debbie, don’t do this to me!” the plaintive wail echoing up through the corridors of buildings.

“Maybe we should close the windows,” she said.

“It doesn’t bother me. For once I’m about to curl up with my favorite warm body and someone else is acting like a lunatic and going home alone.”

“It’s nice up here,” she said.

“I couldn’t believe your mom gave me your cross to hold, when you were gone. I was afraid I’d lose it. I wore it for a while.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, well I don’t have a jewelry box.”

She smirked at him.

He looked down and smiled, still shy around her from time to time. “I’m just glad I got the chance to give it back.”

“I still have that football video you gave me that day. Somewhere. Maybe I’ll even watch it one day.”

“I was very suave, wasn’t I? Also, a jackass.”

“To me, you were adorable, all sleepy eyed and meek, drowning in some green grandpa windbreaker. You’ve filled out since then,” she said, running her eyes over his bare chest and arms.

“I was so relieved. And petrified. I wanted to scoop you up and snatch you away to my lair forever. Or else turn on my heel and spare you ever seeing me again. I fought those dueling impulses for years, where you were concerned. I was more like the monster from Beowulf than boyfriend material. Grendel.”

“Who wrote Beowulf?” she asked. I had to read that in AP Lit.”

“Anonymous. The same person who wrote Go Ask Alice, a cautionary tale to warn prim young women of the perils of the fast life.”

“Prolific,” Scully said. “And such range. Too bad the name is lost to history.”

“I’ve always wanted to name a dog Grendel.”

“Not a fish?”

He stood up and made his way toward his fish tank. They flashed and scrummed near the surface as he approached—barefoot and boxered, her favorite look—and darted after the flakes as he tapped them into the tank.

“Grendel was hairy and bipedal. Mammalian. Omnivorous and moody. He lived with his mother. All wrong for a fish.”

It occurred to her that Mulder wanted to honor this Medieval mythical monster like a long dead but fondly remembered great uncle, the story of Grendel more plausible to him than Jonah and the Whale to most Christians.

“I’m glad you didn’t succumb to any of those impulses,” she said. “And I’m glad we seem to have found some middle ground.”

Finish at AO3...

[elkfeast]

PART. I / II / III / IV tw: violence, blood + suicide ! * also has depiction of wwi / trench warfare.

    ❛ somebody, somebody please ! ❜ dry tears and disheveled hair masking prominent cheeks as his legs finally collapsed from underneath him, rosary cradled against his chest and body shaking in uncontrollable shock. the battle was over. the battle had been won but among the men that had survived one was missing and Alastor willed himself to stand as he reached for his rifle and stumbled around the trenches out of balance. a voice called, a comrade coming over to place their arms around their form and point towards sanctuary and the truck waiting. ❛ Alastor come on, we have to leave ! there’s nothing else here. ❜

    the redhead clutched the man’s uniform, blue eyes begging. or were they green? there were too many tears. �� Carmichael, i need to find Carmichael please, he’s... my brother. my brother he’s only fourteen please, please help me. please help my baby brother, please... ❜

    Rogers shook his head, taking off his cap and wiping his forehead at the recent discovery. a boy had been holding the line all this time? fuck. fuck these bastards. he nodded, raising a hand to the truck to wait up before nodding to his brother in arms. ❛ ...jesus christ, fuck, fuck that’s a kid... ok, ok. let’s go, we’ll search the field maybe he’s... you know, he’s a smart kid. he probably hid beneath a body or, or something... yeah. okay, let’s go. ❜

    following close behind the brunette Alastor climbed the ladder. emerging from the trenches he screamed into No Man’s Land and sprinted across the empty battlefield taking one side as help covered the other. he was thorough, but not careful. he didn’t care whether there may be any landmines or slumbering grenades. he just ran. when he tripped against a corpse or slipped against mud he got back up and crawled if he had to. he screamed into oblivion until his voice no longer held its disguise. if the other men were to hear him now he wouldn’t care to stop them if they began questioning his identity. what matters now is...

    ❛ oh my god, Carmichael. ❜ tears come to his eyes again, legs carrying him to the unrecognizable splotch of red hair among the dead. tears of joy overwhelming him as he collapses upon the dirt and takes his brother in his arms, crying into the other’s shoulder who for a lack of a better word remains ever so quiet. pulling back to stare into the other’s face Alastor brought a finger to the other’s lips as they tried to speak. proceeding to shrug off his backpack he placed one arm around his sibling and stood, heaving both himself and the younger man up.

    Carmichael felt incredibly light but the sudden strength could just be from adrenaline and excitement. he carried him back to the trenches and saw Rogers’ expression turn from hopeful to horror. ❛ Alastor, i’m so sorry... ❜

    ❛ no, what? what do you mean don’t be stupid, i found him. we can bring him home ! ❜

    ah. the other man understands, and with a few solemn steps forward he ushers for the other to let go of the dead. ❛ we’ll bring him home but, he’s gone. half of him is missing. ❜ so that’s why Carmichael was so light. Alastor said nothing after that. but he did lose his sanity that day ; making sure that as the rest of the surviving platoon slept that night on the boat home that none of their captives would make it back to America.

    and somehow as his new world stopped spinning and came to a halt the events of World War I were but a distant memory. handled against his will, dragged across the floor in an explosion of concrete as he held the wrist that gripped his throat and choked out a gasp when his back met the wall. his vision doubled, cranium taking too much damage in a momentary daze. Michael’s breath is hot against his face as Alastor felt the pressure of the archangel leaning in. ❛ you shouldn’t have interfered. ❜

    ❛ well, you can tell God that he can go fuck himself. ❜ dagger unsheathed, Alastor drove it into the angel’s heart. time seemed to stand still for a moment as a pulse of energy swept across the room matched with blinding light. and then Michael was gone and Alastor caught himself on his knees, coughing and heaving for air.

    try as he might to look up his head felt heavy and he crawled his way to the fallen television ; angelic spear protruding from Vox Populi’s chest. ignoring the pain Alastor shook his head, fighting back tears as breathing only seemed to get harder. speechless as the other craned their head weakly to their direction and flashed them a pixelated grin. ❛ shit, i’d be mad but... this isn’t a bad way to go. ❜

    ❛ please don’t go. please, Vox don’t say that. please don’t go. ❜ resting his head gently against soft shoulder pads the Radio Demon shut his eyes and pleaded silently, cradling what was left of his apprentice. he didn’t cry when he felt the soothing motion of metallic fingers stroke his hair or his face. he didn’t cry when the other’s breathing slowed and became nothing. he didn’t even cry as he came to his knees again and touched the blank screen before him ; catching his reflection in it.

                                                                                                  ❛ wake up. ❜

    when no one answered, that’s when the tears came. like a gunshot wound to the gut Alastor couldn’t breathe. dainty claws shaking to the extreme as claw tips caress a television frame. the tears kept falling, drenching the empty void of Vox Populi’s screen with sorrow and loneliness. he couldn’t breathe. oh, god he couldn’t breathe ! he... he... she just cried.

    long red hair and a tear stained face. why did her brother lie? what point is there serving a war that would only end in misery? she comes home and her pretty freckles are slapped right off her face. mother’s nail scratching the bridge of her nose as she runs up the steps and throws herself onto her bed, crying herself to sleep. when she woke up at night she knew she had to do something.

   she cried as she took a pair of her mother’s best shears and looked in the mirror. this isn’t for mother. this is for her brother. by dawn she’s made herself unrecognizable, dressed in her deceased father’s clothes and on the boat to war. her mother’s mark is healing but it’s a scar that’ll be there forever even as it fades.

    the trenches are wet and the rain keeps pouring. she’s afraid that her platoon may drown if their ditch overflows with water but her captain reassures her. still she cries and misses home. misses mom. but even as she desperately tries to light a wet match she decides to cry but stay strong. she isn’t going to die until she finds her brother. hell, she’ll bring him home. she promises herself that.

    she cries at her first gunshot wound. the fucking bastard got her right in the shoulder. by some miracle a medic says she’ll heal over time but she knows she’s one of their best snipers. who thought that learning how to hold a gun with papa would become a dangerous career? she tells the medic to pour alcohol on the wound and she screams. she shoots clean head shots that day.

    she cries when she finds her brother as another platoon joins her’s. her identity is kept secret between them but they hug and cry together. he tells her that he too misses home but that the final hour is among them. they’ll get to go home soon.

    but she cries when fourteen year old Carmichael’s hand slips from her grip and she sees him running across No Man’s Land to set off the detonators because no one else can. the last she hears until she blacks out is an explosion that shakes the earth and tosses her body against rock, knocking her out.

    and she cries when her eyes fall upon her brother’s corpse. she can’t breathe. oh god, she can’t breathe and Rogers just holds her as she screams to the Heavens. then as she sets foot back on America she forgets how to cry. she changes her name legally and never comes home.

    she becomes Alastor and when he takes the life of a blonde haired and blue eyed handsome fella’ during the month of rain he can only taste sweet revenge against the German bastards that took away his brother. but the hobby becomes a career and the night that he’s taken to the woods and shot at the back of the head becomes phase three ; he becomes the Radio Demon.

    but right now, she’s crying and she spots her rifle. one more bullet. in her heartbreak she reaches for the gun, positions it under her jaw and as the doors burst open with Lucifer and Rosie rushing in their hearts stop when Alastor pulls the trigger on himself and collapses in an unmoving heap.

                                               the Radio Demon is no more, or so Alastor thought.

[pastelevie]

Rules: Tell 20 facts about yourself then tag 20 twenty(ish) people. Tagged by @sorinshuto

Nickname: I’m literally just Evie

Biggest Pet Peeve: uhh fuck idk. ppl who talk loud on their phones while also paying no attention to their surroundings are pretty annoying (especially at the grocery store when I'm just tryna buy my food and go)

Zodiac: Virgo(-Libra Cusp)

Height: 5′7″

Last movie I watched: Ed, Edd, N Eddy’s Big Picture Show

Last thing I binged: ...I don't actually binge things. I don't have the attention span for that. the closest I get to binge-watching is watching five youtube videos from the same channel in a row. if that counts than Simplynailogical’s videos

Favorite Musicians: Red Vox!!

Song stuck in your head: Cemetery Window by (of course) Red Vox

Other blogs: I've got a writing blog that I almost never update... I’ve had to neglect my writing because of work and life and probably depressions lmao so I don’t really have anything to update it with. Not like anyone is following it anyway.

Do you get asks: Rarely. sometimes when I reblog ask memes ppl will send asks but that doesn't even happen a lot

Amount of sleep: uhh 7ish hours

Lucky numbers: I don't have one

What are you wearing: black and blue striped socks, boxer shorts as pajama bottoms, and a pajama shirt that says “I'm a little on hedge” and has a picture of a cute lil hedgehog

Dream Job: twitch streamer, youtuber, author... maybe some combination of the three

Dream trip: I really wanna go to NYC someday... tho tbh going to disney world again but this time with friends would be hella too

Favorite food: stuffed crust meat lover’s pizza

Instruments you play: piano! but I'm self-taught and not super great... I'm also a bit out of practice

Languages you speak: English, a bit of German

Favorite song: it changes so often it’s ridiculous. right now it’s a tie between Heavy Little Heart and Cemetery Window (yeah, two red vox songs... what can I say, they make good music)

Describe yourself with aesthetic stuff: oh I read this wrong at first... I was ready to just describe my aesthetic but this is different... uhh... Messy day planners, notebooks scattered all over the desk, graphite stains on my left hand, colored pens everywhere, sticker sheets gathering dust because I can't decide where to use them, hordes of craft supplies that would be a mountain to a very small dragon, books sitting neatly on a shelf while everything else is on chaos

Tag People: well I'm going with my usual cop-out lmao. if u wanna do it, pretend I tagged u

[doomedandstoned]

Hessian Make Impressive Return With ‘Mercenary Retrograde’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

Hessians were German soldiers who fought with the Brits during the Revolutionary War. Mercenaries, if you will. I'm for not certain this is where the Portland, Maine band borrows its name, though the title of their new album would seem to reinforce the notion. 'Mercenary Retrograde' (2018) is as animated and aggressive as it is stout and disciplined. Drawing spirit from Thin Lizzy and Blue Oyster Cult with a strong metal back, HESSIAN has released another vibrant record of stalwart gems, grounded by one of the best rhythm sections you're likely to hear in these New England states.

The opening number, "I Wish I Was Dead," really grabbed me by the collar. Maybe it was the military-style drill of the drums, the forlorn riffing, or the heart-on-sleeve sentiment of the lyrics. Just when I thought I couldn't like the band more, they go and impress me with seven more songs just as engaging. Hell, engaging? This is a fucking weekend riot! From "Skull Ring" and "Dude Messiah" to "Legpuller" and "Rock and Roll Soldier,” I swear there's not an unlikable track on the whole damned spin.

One thing I love about Hessian is how they keep you guessing. There are moments when you'll be banging your head like nobody's business, then just as quickly find the urge to dance. What their live shows must be like! Similar to Hessian's first LP, 'Bachelor of Black Arts' (2014), Mercenary Retrograde is a fusion of searing heavy metal licks and fuck-you rock 'n' roll attitude. What's different here is that guitarist Angus McFarlan takes the leading role on vocals, which actually makes quite a difference in the band's overall sound compared to the last record, which featured Salli Wason's vox prominently. Rounding out the Hessian crew for Mercenary Retrograde is the rhythm section of Michael Pearce on bass and Greg Souza on drums, with some fantastic dueling action from guitarist Zöey Haab.

Did I mention that Hessian have a terrific sense of humor? I about spewed my drink when I heard the album closer, "Manos The Hands of Fate." If I was a nominal fan before, I'm definitely an acolyte now! I have a feeling that, despite Torgo's insistence, The Master would very much approve of Hessian's tribute, where'er he may now be. Nice touch with the sax, by the way (an instrument that's really reinvented itself lately within heavy music circles).

Today, Doomed & Stoned is giving you a first listen to the new album from the Portland, Maine foursome, a wicked little stomper called "The Viper." I have a feeling you're going to dig it and if you do, look for the full release of Mercenary Retrograde on September 14th via Urtod Void.

Give ear...

Some Buzz:

It took five years for Hessian to get their Bachelor of Black Arts, now it’s time to accept their Master’s diploma. The Portland, Maine-based heavy metal band garnered a substantial amount of recognition for their EP and début album - including a coveted spot as Fenriz’s Band of the Week. Mastermind Angus McFarland oversaw every stage, from sitting at the kitchen counter studying heavy metal harmonies of “the Old Ones of heavy metal” to touring nationally and playing festivals in Sweden and the UK. After a complete upheaval in lineup, Hessian are now ready with their second album Mercenary Retrograde -- a wholly apt name. Angus has called up some rock n’ roll soldiers to aid him, including Greg Souza, Mike Pearce, and Zöey Haab.

“The title of the album reflects the history of the band at the time of writing. 'Mercenary' because the band consisted of hired guns, and 'Retrograde' because we are always looking back to the Old Ones of heavy metal for inspiration.” While Thin Lizzy are held in exceptionally high regard around Camp Hessian, there’s appreciation for any of the old guard in early metal and heavy rock - even some thrashier material as well; Angus’ occasional snarling yelp is testament to that. As for the lyrics, “it is an album about sex and death, which is what all good metal albums are, at heart, about.” That goes for the rockin’ opener “I Wish I Was Dead”, the macabre “Skull Ring” or the decadent and doomy “The Viper”. Final track “Manos - The Hands of Fate” rings out on a strong note with some phenomenal saxophone work over the heavy riffing.

Hessian have been through the wringer, but perseverance and a wholehearted belief in heavy metal have allowed them to prevail. Mercenary Retrograde is a triumphant record that looks proudly at the past and future simultaneously.

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[dodikawouk]

The Download: Russia is spreading misinformation about chemical weapons in Ukraine

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

Western officials are increasingly worried that Russia is preparing to use chemical weapons to attack Ukraine, then spread disinformation that the attack came from the Ukrainians themselves. On NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ program yesterday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that Russia’s accusations that the West is preparing to launch chemical attacks are a “good tell that they may be on the cusp of doing it themselves.”

Russia is making false claims that Ukraine is running chemical weapons labs with US assistance, according to a statement by Ned Price, a spokesperson for the US State Department. These conspiracy theories are then being repeated by Chinese officials.

NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag yesterday that any Russian chemical weapons attack would constitute a war crime.

Officials from the US and China are set to meet in Rome today as part of diplomatic efforts to head off growing tensions between the two countries linked to events in Ukraine. Talks between Russia and Ukraine are also due to resume today, with both sides expressing cautious hopes of progress. 

Tensions between Russia and NATO escalated over the weekend after Russia launched a barrage of attacks against a military base in Ukraine that’s located just 11 miles from the Polish border, killing at least 35 people. Poland is a member of NATO, raising fears the conflict could spread beyond Ukraine. 

The war on the ground is inevitably mirrored and accompanied by a fierce battle over the information people see online. The White House briefed TikTok stars about the war last week, in a nod to the significant role the platform has been playing throughout the war so far.

The information getting through to Russians is increasingly tightly controlled and filtered amid a broad crackdown on dissent inside the country. A block on Instagram comes into force today, and Facebook and Twitter have been cut off in Russia too. 

In the West, many tech platforms are giving up on the illusion of neutrality. Facebook has lifted its ban on calls for violence in the case of Russian soldiers, and even DuckDuckGo, which has previously promoted itself as apolitical and neutral, has announced it will start downranking sites associated with Russian disinformation (a decision that provoked a swift backlash from the far-right.)

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Parts of China have gone back into lockdown A surge of cases in Shenzhen is likely to be linked to the crisis in neighboring Hong Kong. (Bloomberg $)   + Foxconn has had to shut its plants. (FT $)   + South Korea reported over 380,000 new cases in just one day. (NYT $)   + Covid is not over yet. In fact, some countries still haven’t even got through the worst of it. (NY Mag)   + It’s been two years since covid-19 became a pandemic. (TR)   + A better pandemic response would have saved millions of lives. (NYT $)   + Vaccinating kids has never been easy for any disease. (The Atlantic $) 

2 Tech companies are racing to hire Ukrainians The country has a well-respected tech sector with a deep pool of talented people. (CNBC)   + Meanwhile, tech workers are fleeing Russia, along with much of its middle class. (Rest of World) 

3 Can you inherit cryptocurrency? In theory, yes. In practice it’s often impossible. (Vox)   + How people make (and lose!) money from crypto. (Wired $)   + It’s a year since Beeple’s $69 million NFT sale. (NBC)   + Some NFT myths, busted. (Wired $) 

4 Facebook office workers are going to have to start doing their own laundry My heart bleeds, it really does. (NYT $)   + Facebook has a major child safety problem. (Wired $)  

5 What Google Search doesn’t show you 

It’s getting worse, yet it’s so deeply embedded now that we struggle to imagine using anything else. (New Yorker $) 6 Your Uber journeys are going to get even more expensive It’s implementing a fuel surcharge to offset rising gas costs. (WP $)   + To weather the Putin price hike, Americans could try driving a bit slower. (The Atlantic $) 

7 Where does captured CO2 go? Shipping companies are rushing to join in the nascent carbon capture boom. (IEEE Spectrum)   + The plant that captures carbon from the air. (TR) 

8 Your bosses start spying on you before you even start 

Delete those embarrassing social media posts. (The Economist $) 9 The psychology that explains why conspiracy theories take off They can be a collective response to threats. (Wired $)   + Gen Z isn’t immune to misinformation. TikTokers are trying to set them straight. (NBC)   + How to talk to conspiracy theorists—and still be kind. (TR) 

10 How Chico the cow went from social media star to therapist 

And helped to heal a regretful game designer in the process. (The Atlantic $)

Quote of the day

“It is an epidemic in the making.” 

—Felicia Grondin, the executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, tells Recode that Americans should be more worried about the explosive growth of gambling apps.

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

An amazing photo of the International Space Station crossing the moon.

How BBC 6 Music became the UK’s coolest radio station.

Read the story of the one-legged Paralympic snowboarder who built an ingenious prosthetic for himself—and his opponents.

Another Batman-related ranked list! This one’s of the villains. 

If you haven’t read Vanity Fair’s bonkers interview with Grimes (in which she reveals she has a second, secret baby with Elon Musk), now’s your chance.

RIP Mary Coombs, the first woman to program a commercial computer. 

If you’re also a sucker for red carpet snaps, check out the ones taken at the BAFTAs last night.

from MIT Technology Review https://ift.tt/LUWHha8 via IFTTT